American Revolution Veterans in West TN (part two)

West Tennessee has a rich historical and genealogical heritage.  In my previous article, I shared information about American Revolutionary War veterans and patriots who lived in the West Tennessee area.  We will finish that discussion today.

Many veterans and patriots from the American Revolution and the War of 1812 moved to this area with land grants.  Online websites, libraries, and county archives will provide names of people who served in the military for the American cause.  Pension records are available for many veterans.  There were also patriots who supported the cause through non-military efforts.  All of their stories are interesting and should be shared.

Research your family history.  If you have veterans and patriots from an American war, you should honor the memory of those heroes by submitting genealogical information and legal documents as proof to a lineage society.  The following people have been proven as veterans and patriots through the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  They are listed as having died in a West Tennessee county.

Veterans who served as privates and resided in Decatur County in their last years were Edward Box, George Finley, and William Kendall.

John Dugan was born in Ireland, served as a private in South Carolina, and made Dyer County his final home where he died in 1825.  Other privates who died in Dyer County were John Gwinn, William Nash, and William Thomas.

Gibson County was home to Veterans John Crisp, John Dodd, Thomas Frazier, James Givens, David Hamilton, Landon Key, Thomas May, Jeremiah/Jesse McWhorter, Robert Patten, Isaiah Reed, Benjamin Toler, and Jacob Trout.

Veterans Joel Crane, William Crane, Jeremiah Doxey, Samuel Harper, Jonathan Joyner, Ezekiel Polk, and Patriot Robert Rivers Jr. resided in Hardeman County when they died.

Stephen Austin’s gave in the Hollands Creek Cemetery in Hardin County has been marked by NSDAR and NSSAR.  Other veterans who died in Hardin County were Samuel Kelsey Jr., Francis Kincannon Jr., James King, John Nichols, James Orr, George Ross, and John Wilson.  Patriot Jonathan Pickens is remembered, because he provided beef to the American troops.

Haywood County was home to Veterans Thomas Conyers, James Curry Jr., Herndon Harrelson, Robert Kinney, Jacob McFarland, and Patriot Brittain Adams.  Adams and his wife are buried in either Spring Hill United Methodist Cemetery or Moore Cemetery in Haywood County.  They have tombstones in both cemeteries with the same dates.

After serving as a private in North Carolina, my 5^th great-grandfather Daniel Murphy moved to his son’s home in Henderson County where Justice of the Peace Charles Austin, one of the first settlers in the Scotts Hill area, assisted him in transferring his pension from Fayetteville, NC to Jackson, TN.  Henderson County was also the final home for other privates; such as, George Anderson, Athelston Andrews, Philip Anthony, John Greider, George Grimsley, Archibald McCorkle, and Samuel Moore.  Greider was an Indian spy.

Veterans Matthew Alexander, Lewis Atkins, John Babb, Elias Bowden, John Brooks, Joshua Dinkins, James Dinwiddie, Thomas Flippen, Edmund Hogan, David James, James Lawson, William McGowen, Mathew Merrick, Martin Nease, John Palmer, William Potts, Robert Ramsay, Joseph Ruth, Thomas Crandall Wills, and William Young traveled to Tennessee to make Henry County their final home.  McGowen was also an Indian spy.

America declared war on Great Britain in June of 1812, but the northwest corner of Tennessee was experiencing its own tragedy with a series of earthquakes beginning in December 1811.  In February 1812, Reelfoot Lake was formed by a powerful earthquake.  Lake County was not formed until 1870.

Lauderdale County was created in 1835 and named for Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale who was killed in the War of 1812 in the Battle of New Orleans.

A few veterans who lived in Madison County in their final years were William Betts, Jonas Clark, John Dillard, Richard Fenner, Champness Madden, James Noland, John Robertson, and William Stewart.

Jesse Hodges, my 5^th great-grandfather, was a soldier for Virginia.  He used his personal wagon in the war efforts and moved to McNairy County after the war.  His mother-in-law, Mary Cason Collins, is an approved patriot with NSDAR; because she provided her pasture for the American troops.  She did not move to McNairy County.  Jesse’s son, James C. Hodges of Wilson County, died in the War of 1812.  Other veterans who lived in McNairy County were David Campbell, Christopher Choate, Gilbert Coombs, James Cotton, Javan Cox, John Ham, David Herron, Daniel Hill, Archibald Houston, Robert Lowrey, Alexander McCullar, Allegany McGuire, Robert Rankin, Hamilton Reynolds, James Robinson, and James Rowland.

William Whiteside served as a private for South Carolina and died in Obion County in 1850.

Shelby County was home to Veterans John Bolton, Robert Edmondson Jr., Elijah Griffin, William Hope, Clement McDaniel, and Ithamar Olney.

Caleb Owens served in the third regiment for South Carolina, and Henry Yarborough had cavalry duty as a private for North Carolina.  They died in 1842 and 1843 respectively in Tipton County.

Weakley County was the last home for Veterans Benjamin Merrill, Luke Tipton, and Alexander Whitley.  Tipton served as a spy with the rank of private.  Ozias Vincent is recognized as a patriot for his civil service as a constable in 1782.

West Tennessee was home for many veterans and patriots of the American Revolutionary War, and not all of them are mentioned in this article.  As you travel the country roads and highways of West Tennessee, take the time to think about the pioneers, veterans, and patriots who made this a better place for us.  Search for their graves.  Remove the weeds and fallen branches and decorate their graves with flowers and American flags.  Take photos and keep their memory alive by sharing their stories.  Teach your children and grandchildren to be respectful of cemeteries.  A hundred years from now, we hope our descendants will do the same for our generation.

American Revolution Veterans in West TN

Having just celebrated Memorial Day and our tradition of decorating graves, West Tennessee cemeteries are colorful with beautiful flowers and American flags – especially at the graves of our fallen veterans.  With Flag Day on June 14 and Independence Day on July 4, we can continue to enjoy the flags as they remind us of the brave men and women who fought for our freedoms and the men and women who fight for us today.  The United States Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776; and they adopted the stars and stripes as the national flag on June 14, 1777.

Even though Tennessee was not a colony during the American Revolutionary War, many veterans from this war and the War of 1812 made West Tennessee their home when they moved into the unsettled land of West Tennessee.  Many of them had land grants for their military service.

As we drive through the countryside, we often do not realize that we are passing the final resting places of our early heroes and pioneers.  Many people were buried on their property, and the old home-places and family cemeteries have long ago been forgotten or overgrown.

Fenner Cemetery is nestled in a grove of trees at the top of a small hill surrounded by a cornfield on Browns Church Road in Madison County.  Many graves are scattered among the shade trees with unreadable stones or stones simply carved with initials and a year.  The most legible marker states:  “Mrs. Lucy M., consort of Maj. Robt. Fenner, born March 26, 1798, died Feb. 25, 1862 – Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”

Lucy Maclin Saunders Fenner was the daughter of Joseph H. Saunders and Martha J. Maclin, granddaughter of Frederick Maclin and Lucy Rollins, and daughter-in-law of Robert Fenner Sr. and Mary Houson.  Her father, grandfather, and father-in-law were veterans of the American Revolution.  Her husband, Robert Fenner II (1794-1847), was a veteran of the War of 1812; and he died while serving in the Mexican-American War.  After his death, Lucy received a pension from the US government.  In the 1850 US Census, Lucy lived in District 11 of Madison County with her five youngest children.  Her eldest son, Robert (1816-1836), was executed with nearly 400 other Texans in the Goliad Massacre ordered by Santa Anna in the Texas Revolution on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836.  Her son, Joseph Frederick Fenner (1820-1896), was one of a few who escaped the massacre.

Fenner Cemetery is also the final resting place of Richard Fenner (1755-1828), brother of Robert Fenner Sr.  Their parents immigrated to North Carolina from Ireland.  Richard became a lieutenant in the North Carolina Continental Infantry, and he was a prisoner of war.  He later became a medical doctor and eventually moved to the Cotton Grove area of Madison County in 1823 where he was buried in the family cemetery in 1828.

West Tennessee counties were home to many American Revolutionary War patriots and their families.  Many of these patriots can be found through free access to NSDAR records in the Genealogical Research System at www.dar.org.  Several publications by Mr. Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith contain information about these patriots.  Mr. Smith’s work can be viewed at the Jackson-Madison County Public Library in downtown Jackson.  Also, researchers should conduct searches on www.google.com to view his valuable online information.

Benton County became the final home for Thomas Petty who was born in Virginia, served as a private in South Carolina, and died in Tennessee in 1841.

Carroll County was the final resting place for John Chambers, James Cole, Matthew Poythress Covington, James Craig, Ambrose Dudley, James Fergus, William Flewellen Jr., James Hamilton, Pleasant Henderson, Philemon Hurt, John McKenzie, Jonathan Montgomery, Matthew Patten, and Samuel Woods.

Chester County was named for Robert I. Chester, and Crockett County was named for David “Davy” Crockett.  Both men were veterans of the War of 1812.  Davy died at the Alamo in the Texas Revolution.

Patriots Jonas Belote, Samuel B. Martin, Andrew Pickens, and John Whitten lived in Fayette County when they died.

The Jackson-Madison Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate Flag Day and Independence Day by honoring and remembering patriots from the American Revolution with their ninth annual field of flags located in downtown Jackson’s Triangle Park at the intersection of Main Street, Lafayette Street, and Airways Boulevard.

Chapter members sponsor flags, and the public is invited to sponsor flags for a one-time fee of $20 each.  The flags will be placed on the field prior to June 14, and they will be removed after July 4.  The public is invited to the dedication of the field on Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 a.m.  Take a lawn chair and enjoy the beautiful field of flags.

Consider joining a lineage society; such as NSDAR, NSSAR, and NSCAR (www.dar.org, www.sar.org, www.nscar.org).

This article was published in The Jackson Sun on June 1, 2014.

Lucy Saunders Fenner (1798-1862)

Researching and Preserving Family History

Do you like a good mystery?  Do you want to try your skills at being an investigator?  Researching family history to find ancestors is like investigating a murder mystery.  In an effort to connect the past to the present for the future, we must interview relatives, search for clues in old documents, write an analysis or timeline, and solve the mystery.

Make notes of everything you know about your ancestors.  Use an ancestral chart to record their names, dates, and places.  Visit your oldest relative who has a good memory.  Take a recorder, paper, pencil, camera and/or scanner.  Make an appointment in advance and select a time when this relative will be rested and free of stress (not babysitting grandchildren or cooking dinner).  Ask the relative to share old photos and documents.  Have a list of questions ready before you arrive for the visit.  A recording of this relative’s memories will be a family treasure.

Begin searching online on Google.com, Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and FindAGrave.com and in libraries and archives.  A wealth of information can be found in the Tennessee Room of the Jackson-Madison County Library at 433 East Lafayette Street and in the Madison County Archives at 1981 Hollywood Drive in Jackson.  The goal is to find documents that will solve the mystery of your ancestors and prove your lineage to them.

Attend genealogy workshops and meetings to learn research tips.  The Jackson-Madison Chapter of NSDAR holds a free work session for the public on the first Tuesday of each month in the Board Room of the Jackson-Madison County Library from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society meets the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 309 East Baltimore Street in Jackson.  Both groups are great sources for research tips.

After compiling information, preserve your history by creating a scrapbook and/or photo album, writing in a journal, creating an audio/visual recording, using a computer software program, publishing a book, or creating online memorials.

Subjects to include in researching and preserving your family history and memories include awards, bible records, cemeteries, certificates (birth and death), diaries, education/schools, employment, family events (birthdays, reunions, weddings, funerals), family trees, heirlooms, hobbies and talents (art, photography, sewing, writing, music), holidays and traditions, homes/places, letters, medical records, military service, neighbors and friends, obituaries, pets, photo albums, politics, recipes, religion, social/civic organizations, sports, stories and memories, vacations, and vehicles.  These subjects make family history interesting and fun for all ages.

As we advance through life, we add treasures and heirlooms to our lives, our homes, our memories, and our hearts.  We buy treasures, receive treasures as gifts, inherit treasures, and find treasures.  We pass those treasures to the next generation, but we need to include the stories associated with them.  Write and/or record the story and include who, what, where, when, why, how, and how much.  Keep the story with the heirloom or make a scrapbook or binder with the stories.  Photographs of the items should be placed with the story.  When you pass a treasured heirloom to the next generation, include a handwritten, typed, or recorded message.  The message may be as special as the heirloom.

When estates are divided among descendants, retain your memories of items that another family member receives by writing or recording your memories and photographing the items.  Share memories and photographs of items that you receive.  This will keep the memories of your loved ones alive for future generations.

Using these suggestions to record a family story, a few notes or a detailed story can be written about any genealogical subject.  This is an example of a story about a family heirloom.

Who – Hardy and Rachel Maness Haney
What – McCoy’s Aunt Jemima Cookie Jar

Where – Bemis, Madison County, TN
When – December 1945 after World War II

Why – Housekeeping/bridal shower
How – Gift from co-worker in cotton mill

How Much – Current value $125-$150

Robert Hardy Haney from Bemis and Rachel Louise Maness from Luray married in West Palm Beach, Florida, on October 28, 1943, while Hardy was serving in the US Coast Guard during World War II.  When he returned home from the war in December 1945, Rachel was given a housekeeping shower by her co-workers in the Bemis cotton mill.  One gift was a McCoy’s Aunt Jemima cookie jar.  Over the years, she baked many cookies and stored them in the cookie jar where her three children would grab Aunt Jemima’s head to lift the top and take some cookies.  In the late 1970s, she gave the cookie jar to her daughter Kathy since she worked for The Quaker Oats Company where they made Aunt Jemima frozen products.  The cookie jar is now stored safely in a cabinet with glass doors and will eventually be passed to the next generation.  An approximate monetary value is $125-$150.  However, the memories of fresh-baked cookies in a family heirloom are priceless.

World War I Registration Cards

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall:  Where did I get my blue eyes?  My auburn hair was not a mystery.  When my Haney granddaddy saw me for the first time, he commented that I inherited his mother’s auburn hair.  Did she also have blue eyes with her Irish ancestry?  My mother has green eyes, but her daddy had blue eyes and her mother had brown eyes.  My blue eyes were inherited from my Maness granddaddy and from my daddy.  Where did Daddy get his blue eyes?  That was my mystery.

Daddy looked so much like my granddaddy that I thought they both had blue eyes.  A few years ago, I discovered a painted portrait of my granddaddy in my parents’ closet and his eyes were painted brown.  I told my parents that I thought the artist painted him incorrectly.  Since he died in 1970, my parents could not remember his eye color.

I was on a mission.  Whenever a genealogist is on a mission, the first contact should be the oldest living relative.  Aunt Lee said that my grandmother had blue eyes.  She remembered that she and her sisters would polish my grandmother’s fingernails, style her hair, and get clothes to make her blue eyes look pretty.  Aunt Lee said that my granddaddy had brown eyes.

I was not completely convinced until I discovered my granddaddy’s World War I registration card online.  Elvin Earnest Haney (listed as Hayney on the card) had personal traits listed as short height, medium build, brown eyes, and light hair.  Particularly interesting was the spelling of the family surname which had been Haynie and eventually changed to Haney.  I also found registration cards for his three brothers.  Earnest and his brothers, Roy Lester Haney and Rufus Solomon Haney, signed their cards on 5 June 1917 in Scotts Hill, Henderson County, Tennessee.  Uncle Sol (listed as Rubin Soloman Hayney) was listed as medium height, medium build, grey eyes, and dark hair.  Uncle Roy was listed as tall, slender, dark brown eyes, and light hair.  Uncle Roy served in the US Army during World War I.  Their older brother, William Wylie Haney, signed his card on 12 September 1918.  Uncle Bill was listed as medium height, medium build, blue eyes, and light hair.  Only one of four Haney brothers had blue eyes.

Since Daddy inherited his blue eyes from his mother, Bessie Eason Haney, I then had to wonder where she got her blue eyes.  My mission continued.  I found the 12 September 1918 registration card signed by my great-granddaddy, Robert Sampson Eason, in Henderson County, TN.  He was medium height, stout build, black eyes, and black hair.  Robert’s brothers registered the same day.  Noah Sims Eason was listed as tall, stout build, light grey eyes, and black hair.  Jessie Walter Eason was described as tall, medium build, grey eyes and a deformed foot.  Asa Woodard Eason was tall and slender with brown eyes and brown hair.  None of the Eason brothers had blue eyes.

Should I now assume that my grandmother’s blue eyes were inherited from her mother, Bertha Idora Clenney Eason?  After a little more research on Ancestry.com, I found the draft registration cards for my great-grandmother’s four brothers.  Alvy Woodward Clenney had medium height, medium build, dark brown eyes, and black hair.  William Franklin Clenney had tall height, medium build, blue eyes, and dark hair.  John Murphy Clenney had medium height, slender build, blue eyes, and dark hair.  Joseph Laurel Clenney medium height, medium height, light brown eyes, and black hair.  Two of four Clenney brothers had blue eyes.

The United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917 by declaring war on Germany.  Three draft registrations were held in the United States.  In the first registration, men aged twenty-one to thirty-one (born between 6 June 1886 and 5 June 1896) registered on 5 June 1917.  In the second registration, men who had turned twenty-one since the first registration (born between 6 June 1896 and 5 June 1897) registered on 5 June 1918.  Registration was also held on 24 August 1918 for men who turned 21 years old since 5 June 1918.  In the third registration, men aged eighteen to twenty-one and thirty-one to forty-five (born between 11 September 1872 and 12 September 1900) registered on 12 September 1918.  Not all men who registered served in the armed forces.  Some men enlisted and served and did not register for the draft.

Registration cards included full name, home address, date and place of birth, age, race, and country of citizenship, occupation and employer, marital status, physical description (hair color, eye color, height, build, disabilities), nearest relative, dependent relatives, marital status, father’s birthplace, and signature.

While trying to solve the blue-eyes mystery, I found several other mysteries to explore.  As an armchair genealogist, I search several websites to solve genealogy mysteries.  A few of my favorite websites are Ancestry.com, FindAGrave.com, FamilySearch.org, and register.shelby.tn.us.  Ancestry.com requires an annual fee, but it can be accessed free in many public libraries.

If you do not have a magic mirror to answer your genealogy questions, start your mission today to discover your past.  World War I registration cards give us an interesting description of our ancestors with a glimpse into our past to tell us a little about ourselves.