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...And the rockets' red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave...

Although we all know that the holiday we will celebrate Monday s the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence - a statement declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation - not everyone realizes how the Star Spangled Banner came to be, or that it was not written during the Revolutionary War.

As a matter of fact, Francis Scott Key didn't call it the Star Spangled Banner. His original title was Defence of Fort M'Henry.
It was during the War of 1812 that the verses that would become our national anthem were written.

Key was an influential lawyer who volunteered to negotiate with the British for the return of some American prisoners captured during the war, and being held on the the flagship of the British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay. He and some friends were permitted to board the ship and were successful in their efforts, but since they had learned of plans of the British fleet to attack Fort McHenry at Baltimore, they were allowed to re-board their own vessel, but under British guard.

It was under this close scrutiny that on the night of 13 September 1814, Key watched anxiously as the British fleet continued to shell Fort McHenry, and the Americans became slower and slower to return fire. At twilight, he could still see the 30 by 42 foot Stars and Stripes (one of two flags made the previous year by a woman named Mary Pickersgill), tattered but still flying over Fort McHenry. The shelling continued throughout the night.

By dawn, an eerie silenced descended. Through the smoke, fog and haze, Key and the other Americans looked for the flag. There was a break in the haze, and they could see it.

Our flag was still there... announcing the American victory.

Mary Pickersgill's original flag is preserved at the Smithsonian Institute.

The memory of our ancestors and other relatives who fought for our independence from England during the Revolutionary War, and then fought for it again during the War of 1812, is preserved in our hearts.

Revolutionary War
Joshua Bloomer Ashmore, Sr.
Stephen Bloomer Balch
Luke Chapin
Samuel Chapin
Thomas Hale
Jesse George Hoshal
Alexander Meek
James Meek
Samuel Meek
Nelson Edward Parrish
Elijah Rollins
Ichabod Rollins
Nathaniel Rollins
Jesse Williams

The War of 1812
John S T Callaway
John Ivie
Ephraim C Lemley, Sr.
Keys Meek
Abraham Lincoln Parrish
George Wharton
Jacob Wingfield

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Lest we forget...
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I've used Personal Ancestral File (PAF) For. Ever.

As of July of this year, it is no longer supported or updated.

So I knew I'd inevitably have to bite the bullet, and get new.

I went with RootsMagic 6.

My GEDCOM imported beautifully, and all my html links appeared to have survived intact.

Thought I'd try out the ability to attach images from my computer or flash drive.

That failed miserably.

So for posting of photos - I upload to Rootsweb and not the LDS website - I'm back to attaching photos from Photobucket using the html link.

PAF had the same flaw. I suspect my photos would display wonderfully if I uploaded my GEDCOM to the LDS site.

The jury is still out on how much of an improvement there is. RootsMagic already uses more keystrokes on individual records than PAF did.

And then, all my Southern and Missionary Baptist and Presbyterian ancestors would come haunt my ass when they were baptized as Mormons. Plus, we have that nasty massacre of some of my Wharton kin (and the permanent injury to others) at Mountain Meadows, UT on what some historians have called the first 9/11.

So, thanks very much for the offer, but...no.

Now, I'm wondering if the much touted ability of RootsMagic to create files to publish to web pages will work for posting blog entries here, OR...only on the LDS website.

We shall see.
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Baldings, Harrises, and Whartons.

Three emails today. From the blog, and the online family tree and Facebook.

Woo-hoo!

I love it when that happens.
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You cannot explore your family history without encountering it. Death is part of the cycle, and family history is a marvel of cycles.

Still, there are stories that just tear at your heart.

This entry is re-published from the original entry on 6 Nov 2010, entitled Sometimes I don't know how they did it...
Sometimes I don't know how they did it.

The ancestors, that is.

No air conditioning or indoor plumbing.

Chamber pots under the bed at night.

Dinner was running around out in the backyard until you took a hatchet to it. Or went out in the woods with a shotgun. If you weren't faster than your prey, there probably was greens and cornbread. Again.

And you were thankful for it.

Wardrobe choices were easier, I guess.

And all those kids. Sometimes as I am adding them one after another to the database, I have to smile...there were only three of us and my parents would get confused.

Dee - I mean Vicki - I mean Lorraine...I mean, whoever it is, CUT THAT OUT!

And then, there are somber moments that accompany all those names and dates. Moments when I feel, even for just a split second when the horrible details come together, like I've been sucker punched.

Meet Charles Hardin Patterson...
The year before he married Polly Ann Wharton (my second cousin, 3X removed), Charles had what was probably the worst year of his life.

He married Sarah Ann Cowan in the fall of 1877 in Johnson County, Arkansas. The leaves were probably turning fiery reds and glittery golds when they got hitched. Johnson County is gorgeous that time of year.

They made a farm and babies, including fraternal twins Nancy Ellen and her brother, Jesse Washington, in June 1886. Sarah Ann was 28 when the twins were born, her fifth and sixth children.

Ida Bell was born in October 1888, and William, the eighth and final child borne by Sarah Ann, arrived on 11 Jun 1890.

Something must have gone horribly wrong.

Charles Hardin Patterson became a widower five days later, alone with a newborn son and a toddler daughter, both of whom shortly would become very ill. He was 32 years old.

On 5 Aug 1890, baby William died. His sister Ida followed him to a tiny grave in Buckhorn Cemetery on 23 Aug 1890. In the space of just over two months, Charles Patterson lost his partner in life and two youngest children. His oldest child was 11 years old.

I cannot begin to imagine his pain.

Sometimes it's hard to see the path through the tears.

But the journey is good.

Namaste.

I am taking the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge, albeit starting a few months late.

Woo-hoo!

Sep. 14th, 2012 06:45 am
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Just found a whole passel of my Whortons in Navarro County, TX.

For years, I've looked for them as Whartons.

Apparently, Jeptha Whorton - son of Thomas Jefferson Wharton (1800-1894) - was the one of the children to change the spelling of the surname in my direct line.

So, they've been under my nose for a long time...
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A while back, I posted about going to the Arkansas History Commission one day to look up the pension application for my g-g-grandmother, Rutha Eveline (Coleman) Wharton, for her widow's benefits from her husband's service during the Civil War.

One day came today.
I knew Rutha had applied for widow's benefits in 1908, after Thomas Jefferson Wharton II died on 16 Mar 1908.

I didn't know he was already getting a pension until I got to the History Commission and looked in their index.

His pension application was granted in 1901 - and filed as T J Whorton, so the two applications were on different reels of microfilm. (Hers was processed under Wharton.)

T J Wharton was approved for a $50 pension on 26 Aug 1901 - nine years after his first application.

The application stated that he was "incapacitated for manual labor by reason of wounds and old age." The notarized statement of his physician, J M Campbell, elaborated on his physical and mental condition.

He had his right thigh broken and bothe collar bones broken both of which disable him from manual labor...General health good. His disability is due to his wounds and general senile disability...He can make 1/3 of a farmhand. The statement was signed on 11 June 1901.

And I began to wonder what the war was like for him.
I know T J Wharton enlisted in the 25th Alabama Infantry, Company I from Talladega Co., AL on 17 Jan 1863.

It's hard to find much information about that company - its movements through the southern United States. I know they were in Tennessee for at least some of their service.

So I kept searching. I looked for documentation on his discharge.

And found him on a Roll of Prisoners of War. Private T J Wharton was paroled by Brevt. Brig. Gen. M H Chrysler at Talladega, Alabama on 26 Jun 1865. He was 33 years old.

I've never heard anything about his experience in our oral family history.

Surely he talked about it - it sounds as if he went through the rest of his life with some impairment of his mobility. That would be tough if you were a farmer.
Rutha Eveline Wharton's pension application only took one try, and was approved 10 Aug 1908 - only a couple of months after she applied.

And she got a raise, to $100 annually.

Rutha Eveline (Coleman) Wharton followed her husband in death on 19 May 1911.

Both she and Thomas Jefferson Wharton II are buried in St. Joe Cemetery in Pope Co., AR.
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I took time to actually sit down and eat lunch the other day.

With my favorite aunt and my cousin.

Naturally, we had to get around to talking about the family tree.

We talked about my great-grandmother, Mary (Wharton) Burris.

I wondered aloud how our Whartons - who originally hailed from North Carolina, then took a little trip into Georgia - made it from Alabama to Arkansas by way of Mississippi. I found the whole bunch in the 1870 census in Chickasaw Co., MS.

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My aunt remembered something her dad, George Washington Burris, Jr., told her about his mom's family coming to Arkansas.

They ran from an epidemic. Burned all their stuff and fled.

Great grandma's obituary says she was about 17 when they got here. I know they were here by 1877, because great grandma married George Washington Burris, Sr. on 7 Oct 1877 in Pope County.

So I started looking for epidemics in Mississippi around 1877/1878...
What I found was fascinating, if you can call a disease fascinating.

In the late 1870's, yellow fever was spreading throughout the southeast United States, finally reaching epidemic proportions in towns and cities along the Mississippi River.

The disease, sometimes known as 'Yellow Jack,' and 'Bronze John,' devastated Mississippi socially and economically. Entire families were wiped out while others fled their homes in panic for the presumed safety of other parts of the state. Quarantine regulations, passed to prevent the spread of the disease, brought trade to a stop. Some local economies never recovered. Beechland, near Vicksburg, became a ghost town because of the epidemic. By the end of the year [1878], 3,227 people had died from the disease. (Source: Deanne Stephens Nuwer, "The 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic along the Mississippi Gulf Coast," Gulf South Historical Review 1999 14(2): 51-73)

Although they didn't know it at the time, yellow fever is caused by a virus that is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which originated in tropical climates of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. My great-grandparents and their parents thought yellow fever was caused by uncleanliness and poor sanitation, hence the burning of possessions.

Theory has it that those mosquitoes hopped rides on slave ships, and found the fertile land along the mighty Mississippi river (as well as other large water sources east of the Mississippi) quite to their liking.
So I think it might be quite likely that my Wharton ancestors ran from Mississippi to Arkansas to flee yellow fever.

Which is horrible. How terrified they must have been.

But it's also good.

Because if they hadn't, my aunt, my cousin and I wouldn't have been around on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 to enjoy each other's company over plate lunches at Zack's.
And while I was doing all that digging around, I also made another discovery.

Great grandma's mother applied for her daddy's Civil War pension in 1908, three years before she died.

And the records are at the Arkansas History Commission.
The journey is good.

Listen to your elders.

And then write that stuff down.
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This one on the occasion of the 50th wedding anniversary of George W Burris, Sr., and Mary Mathilda Wharton - so that makes it on or around 7 Oct 1927.

This is another one where they left the spouses of their offspring out of the photo. (Did you have to pay by the person back then?)

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Standing, left to right:
Richard Benjamin Burris, Ernest Arthur Burris, Dora Emma Burris Crites, William Homer Burris, George W Burris, Jr., and Ottis Gileston Burris.
Seated were the honored couple.

Missing was Walter Monroe Burris.

They were standing in birth order. Ott took his hat off, like a gentleman should.

Someone must have been very Type A - like me.

Now I know where I get it.
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So I see a Whorton obit in the paper yesterday...

One thing leads to another, and...

She's not one of mine, but I've done a lot of work this morning on my Wharton/Whortons.

Now, I really must get a shower.
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Four generations of the James Garner Duncan family.

My direct lines are in blue.
First Generation

1. James Garner Duncan was born in 1770 in North Carolina. He died in 1856 in Franklin Co., AL.

James married Elizabeth Self daughter of Parrish Self and Mary Thompson in 1791 in Chatham Co., NC. Elizabeth was born in 1774 in Gaston Co., NC. She died in 1850 in Franklin Co., AL.

They had the following children:

+ 2 M i. William Howard Duncan was born in 1793. He died in 1884.

3 F ii. Hannah Duncan was born in 1795 in North Carolina.
Hannah married Causley .

4 F iii. Isabella Duncan was born in 1797 in North Carolina.
Isabella married (1) Alexander Robinson in 1819.
Isabella married (2) Farlor T McElroy on 21 Feb 1862.

+ 5 F iv. Nancy Duncan was born in 1799. She died about 1840.

+ 6 F v. Sarah Sally Duncan was born on 3 Jan 1803. She died on 20 May 1885.

+ 7 M vi. Garner Paris Duncan was born on 17 Mar 1804. He died in Feb 1887.

+ 8 M vii. James Garner Duncan Jr was born on 14 Dec 1811. He died on 7 Jan 1873.


Second Generation

2. William Howard Duncan (James Garner) was born in 1793 in North Carolina. He died in 1884 in Marshall Co., TN.

William married Eleanor Nelly Reeves . Eleanor was born in 1800 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

9 F i. Mary Frances Duncan .

10 F ii. Martha Duncan was born in 1818 in Tennessee.

11 M iii. John G Duncan was born on 15 May 1820 in Maury Co., TN.

12 F iv. Thena Duncan was born in 1820.


13 M v. William Howard Duncan Jr was born in 1830 in Maury Co., TN.

14 F vi. Nancy A W E Duncan was born in 1835.

15 M vii. Newton C Duncan was born in 1836 in Tennessee.

16 F viii. Marine Duncan was born on 1 Jul 1837 in Tennessee.
Marine married J Amos London in 1860. J Amos London was born in 1839.

17 F ix. Sarah J Duncan was born in 1839 in Tennessee.

18 M x. James C Duncan was born in Dec 1844 in Mount Hope, Walker Co., AL.

5. Nancy Duncan (James Garner) was born in 1799 in Chatham Co., NC. She died about 1840 in Alcorn Co., MS. She was buried in Tuscumbia Baptist Cemetery, Corinth, Alcorn Co., MS.

Nancy married William Miller Easley on 1 Jan 1820 in Maury Co., TN. William was born on 19 Jan 1804 in Tennessee. He died on 2 Mar 1886 in Alcorn Co., MS. He was buried in Tuscumbia Baptist Cemetery, Corinth, Alcorn Co., MS. (This is the Duncan daughter I have been corresponding about with an Easley descendant. We have not definitively concluded that Nancy Duncan married William Easley, but are about 98% sure - this is due to transcription of the 1820 marriage record.)

They had the following children:

19 M i. Samuel Franklin Easley .

20 M ii. John Quincy Easley .

+ 21 M iii. L O D Easley was born in 1829.

22 M iv. William Green Easley was born in 1832 in Alabama.

23 F v. Lucinda Easley was born in 1836 in Alabama.

+ 24 M vi. Levi Easley was born in 1838.

25 M vii. Henry Easley was born in Mar 1839. He died in Sep 1839.

6. Sarah Sally Duncan (James Garner) was born on 3 Jan 1803 in Chatham Co., NC. She died on 20 May 1885 in Atkins, Pope County, AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

Sarah married Thomas Jefferson Wharton I son of Bartlett Wharton and Sally Ellis in 1817 in Georgia. Thomas was born on 11 Aug 1800 in South Carolina. He died on 29 Aug 1894 in Pope Co, AR. He was buried in St. Joe Cemetery, Atkins, Pope Co, AR.

They had the following children:

+ 26 M i. Jeptha H Wharton was born in 1818. He died on 19 Jan 1883.

+ 27 M ii. Bartlett Wharton was born on 12 Dec 1820. He died in 1897.

+ 28 F iii. Charlotte Wharton was born on 12 Dec 1822. She died in Sep 1884.


+ 29 F iv. Lucity Wharton was born on 4 Jul 1824. She died in 1897.

+ 30 F v. Lucinda C Wharton was born on 27 Aug 1826. She died in 1878.

+ 31 F vi. Mary "Polly" Hage Wharton was born on 22 Oct 1828. She died on 17 Sep 1895.

+ 32 M vii. Thomas Jefferson Wharton II was born on 27 Feb 1832. He died on 16 Mar 1908.

+ 33 M viii. John Pauldin Wharton was born on 4 Dec 1833. He died on 29 Jan 1910.

34 M ix. William Wharton was born in 1838 in Cobb Co., GA.

+ 35 F x. Sarah Ann Wharton was born on 15 Sep 1839. She died on 8 Mar 1927.

+ 36 F xi. Susan Annette Wharton was born on 4 May 1842. She died on 14 Jul 1928.

+ 37 F xii. Nancy Jane Wharton was born on 29 Aug 1844. She died on 20 Nov 1930.

7. Garner Paris Duncan (James Garner) was born on 17 Mar 1804 in North Carolina. He died in Feb 1887 in Saints, Colbert Co., AL.

Garner married Lydia Clements . Lydia was born in 1813 in North Carolina. She died on 18 Jan 1871 in Tuscaloosa, Tuscallosa Co., AL.

They had the following children:

38 F i. Elizabeth Duncan was born in 1830 in North Carolina.

+ 39 M ii. William H Duncan was born in 1832. He died in 1907.

40 M iii. James S Duncan was born in 1833 in Alabama.

41 M iv. Henry Duncan was born in 1835 in Alabama.

+ 42 F v. Martha "Mattie" Duncan was born in 1837. She died about 1913.

43 F vi. Vina Duncan was born in 1839 in Alabama.

44 F vii. Sarah Duncan was born in 1842 in Alabama.

45 F viii. Emaline Duncan was born in 1846 in Alabama.

46 F ix. Alabama Duncan was born in 1849 in Franklin Co., AL.

47 F x. Margaret Duncan was born in 1853 in Franklin Co., AL.

8. James Garner Duncan Jr (James Garner) was born on 14 Dec 1811 in North Carolina. He died on 7 Jan 1873 in Monroe Co., IN. He was buried in Clover Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., IN.

James married Mary L Jordan in 1838 in North Carolina. Mary was born in 1821 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

48 M i. Martin V Duncan was born on 15 Sep 1837 in Monroe Co., IN. He died on 24 Apr 1913 in Springdale, Washington Co., AR. He was buried in Sonora Cemetery, Sonora, Washington Co., AR.
Martin married Harriet A "Hattie" Knapp daughter of James D Knapp and Sarah Harris on 1 Jun 1863 in Greene Co., IN. Harriet was born on 10 Jan 1839 in Mt Carmel, Wabash Co., IL. She died on 8 Jun 1929 in Leroy, McLean Co., IL. She was buried in Springdale, Washington Co., AR.

49 F ii. Elizabeth Duncan was born in 1841 in Monroe Co., IN.

50 F iii. Mariam Duncan was born on 21 Aug 1844 in Monroe Co., IN. She died on 31 Dec 1928.
Mariam married Samuel Smallwood on 5 Mar 1871 in Greene Co., IN.

+ 51 M iv. Zebulon James Duncan was born in 1847. He died on 12 Sep 1872.

52 M v. Ezekiel Duncan was born in 1856 in Indiana. He died on 29 Aug 1918 in Dugger, Sullivan Co., IN.
Ezekiel married Louisa J Mitchell on 3 May 1874 in Greene Co., IN.

+ 53 F vi. Caroline Hunley "Carrie" Duncan was born on 8 Nov 1859. She died on 20 Jun 1934.


Third Generation

21. L O D Easley (Nancy Duncan, James Garner) was born in 1829 in Alabama.

L O D Easley married (1) Unknown .

They had the following children:

54 M i. Newton Easley was born in 1848 in Mississippi.
Newton married Levina P Nichols in 1875 in Mississippi. Levina was born in 1853 in Mississippi.


L O D Easley married (2) Mary A MNU . Mary was born in 1839 in Tennessee.

They had the following children:

55 M ii. William I Easley was born in 1857 in Mississippi.

56 M iii. John Easley was born in 1859 in Kentucky.

57 M iv. Newton C Easley was born in 1861 in Tennessee.

58 M v. Emcial Easley was born on 31 Jan 1866 in Tennessee. He died on 7 Mar 1939 in Chewalla, McNairy Co., TN. The cause of death was cancer, per death certificate. He was buried on 8 Mar 1939 in Tuscumbia Baptist Cemetery, Corinth, Alcorn Co., MS.

Emcial married Tempie Anne Dickson daughter of J M Dickson and Anne Hendrix in 1888. Tempie was born on 10 Feb 1867 in McNairy Co., TN. She died on 27 Jan 1943 in Ramer, McNairy Co., TN. She was buried in Tuscumbia Baptist Cemetery, Corinth, Alcorn Co., MS.

24. Levi Easley (Nancy Duncan, James Garner) was born in 1838 in Alabama.

Levi married Olivia F MNU . Olivia was born in 1841 in Alabama.

They had the following children:

59 M i. Edward Easley was born in 1880 in Texas.
Edward married Unknown .

60 F ii. Lenora B Easley was born in 1866 in Tennessee.

61 M iii. William H Easley was born in 1870 in Tennessee.

62 M iv. John F Easley was born in 1872 in Texas.

63 M v. Bedford Forrest Easley was born on 19 Jul 1874 in Texas. He died on 31 Jan 1962 in Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

Bedford married Madge Frances Turpin . Madge was born on 1 Dec 1885. She died on 11 Feb 1943 in Maricopa Co., AZ. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

64 M vi. Levi Easley was born in 1880 in Texas.

26. Jeptha H Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born in 1818 in Georgia. He died on 19 Jan 1883 in Navarro Co., TX.

Jeptha married Frances Harris on 19 Apr 1843 in Muscogee Co., GA. Frances was born in 1815 in Georgia.

They had the following children:

65 M i. James T Wharton was born on 16 May 1846 in Marion Co., GA.
James married Martha Mattie S MNU in 1866 in Georgia. Martha was born in Nov 1846 in Georgia.

66 F ii. Mary Ann Wharton was born in 1847 in Marion Co., GA.

67 M iii. William Robert Wharton was born on 12 Apr 1850 in Marion Co., GA. He died on 13 Jan 1884 in Texas.

William married Sarah Jane "Sallie" Barr . Sarah was born in 1842 in Georgia. She died on 13 Feb 1879 in Texas.

68 M iv. Jeptha H Wharton was born in 1852 in Georgia.

69 F v. Frances Wharton was born in 1855 in Georgia.

70 F vi. Nancy Wharton was born in 1857 in Georgia.

71 M vii. Thomas P Wharton was born in Mar 1860 in Stewart Co., GA.

72 F viii. Martha "Mattie" R Wharton was born in 1862 in Georgia.

73 F ix. Caroline Wharton was born on 18 Aug 1864 in Georgia.

74 F x. Delilah M Wharton was born in 1866 in Georgia.

27. Bartlett Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 12 Dec 1820 in Georgia. He died in 1897.

Bartlett married (1) Mary Susan "Sookie" Bentley on 23 Dec 1841 in Benton Co., AL. Mary was born in 1820 in Oglethorpe County, GA. She died before 1864.

They had the following children:

75 F i. Elizabeth Wharton was born in 1846 in Alabama.

76 M ii. James Wharton was born in 1848 in Alabama.

77 F iii. Martha Wharton was born in 1851 in Alabama.

78 M iv. Thomas Wharton was born in 1852 in Alabama.

79 M v. John Wharton was born in 1853 in Alabama.

80 F vi. Charlotta L Wharton was born in 1856 in Alabama.

81 M vii. Andrew L Wharton was born in 1860 in Calhoun Co., AL.


Bartlett married (2) Mary S Davidson on 29 Aug 1864 in Benton Co., AL. Mary was born in 1840 in Georgia.

They had the following children:

82 F viii. Frances B Wharton was born in 1866 in Alabama.

83 M ix. William Wharton was born in 1868 in Alabama.

84 M x. Harrison A Wharton was born in 1870 in Alabama.

85 M xi. Jesse E O Wharton was born in 1873 in Alabama.

86 F xii. Rachel A F Wharton was born in 1875 in Alabama.

87 M xiii. Richard G Wharton was born in 1877 in Alabama. He died in 1908.

28. Charlotte Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 12 Dec 1822 in Georgia. She died in Sep 1884 in St Clair Co., AL. She was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.

Charlotte married Zacariah Taylor Bowman son of Drewry M Bowman Jr and Frances Ann Mullins. Zacariah was born in 1822 in Georgia. He died in 1880 in St Clair Co., AL. He was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.

They had the following children:

88 F i. Delilah P Bowman was born in 1844 in Alabama. She died in 1880.

89 M ii. Drewery Thomas Bowman was born in 1846 in Alabama.

90 F iii. Sarah E Bowman was born in 1848 in Alabama.
Sarah married Thomas J Bentley . Thomas was born in 1853 in Alabama.

91 M iv. Zachariah Taylor Bowman Jr was born in 1850 in Alabama. He died on 10 Nov 1927 in St Clair Co., AL. He was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.
Zachariah married Mary F MNU . Mary was born in 1854. She died in 1932 in St Clair Co., AL. She was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.

92 M v. Peter V Bowman was born in 1851 in Alabama.

93 M vi. John C Bowman was born in 1853 in Alabama.
John married (1) Tabitha E Evans in 1871.
John married (2) Sarah E Bell . Sarah was born in 1855 in Alabama.

94 M vii. Cicero W Bowman was born in 1854 in St Clair Co., AL. He died on 21 Nov 1917 in Jefferson Co., AL.

95 F viii. Susan Bowman was born in 1856 in Alabama.

96 M ix. Benjamin F Bowman was born in 1858 in St Clair Co., AL. He died in 1918 in St Clair Co., AL. He was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.

Benjamin married Minnie MNU . Minnie was born in 1869. She died in 1955 in St Clair Co., AL. She was buried in Bowman Cemetery, St Clair Co., AL.

97 M x. Joseph A Bowman was born in 1863 in Alabama.

29. Lucity Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 4 Jul 1824. She died in 1897.

Lucity married (1) Peter F Bowman on 15 Dec 1843 in Carroll County, GA. Peter was born in 1809 in South Carolina. He died before 1870 in Prob St. Clair Co., AL.

They had the following children:

98 F i. Emily M Bowman was born in 1845.

Lucity married (2) John B Mize on 28 Sep 1865 in St Clair Co., AL. John was born in 1800 in Georgia. He died before 1880.

They had the following children:

99 M ii. John L Mize was born in 1862 in St Clair Co., AL.

30. Lucinda C Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 27 Aug 1826 in North Carolina. She died in 1878 in Jefferson Co., AL.

Lucinda married William Bullock . William was born in 1827 in Georgia. He died in 1868 in Jefferson Co., AL.

They had the following children:

100 M i. Reuben Thomas Bullock was born on 14 Feb 1849 in Alabama. He died on 28 Mar 1923 in Arkansas Co., AR. He was buried in Van Camp Cemetery, Arkansas Co., AR.

Reuben married Hannah O'Dell in 1870. Hannah was born on 10 Apr 1850 in Tennessee. She died on 1 Mar 1923 in Arkansas Co., AR. She was buried in Van Camp Cemetery, Arkansas Co., AR.

101 F ii. Delilah Jane Bullock was born in 1851 in Alabama.

102 F iii. Sarah F Bullock was born in 1853 in Alabama.

103 M iv. William Jackson Bullock was born in 1855 in Alabama. He died in 1889 in Arkansas City, Desha Co., AR.

104 M v. John Bullock was born in 1857 in Alabama.

105 F vi. Lucinda C Bullock was born in 1868 in Alabama.

31. Mary "Polly" Hage Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 22 Oct 1828 in Chatham Co., NC. She died on 17 Sep 1895 in Pope Co., AR.

Mary married Benjamin Franklin Baker on 29 Jan 1846 in Calhoun Co., AL. Benjamin was born on 1 Jan 1825 in Tennessee. He died on 19 May 1923 in Hector, Pope Co., AR. He was buried in Rock Springs Cemetery, Hector, Pope Co., AR.

They had the following children:

106 M i. William T Baker was born in 1848 in Alabama.

107 F ii. Lucinda Jane Baker was born on 25 Sep 1849 in Benton Co., AL.

108 M iii. Jesse Zachary Baker was born on 15 Dec 1858 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL. He died on 18 Apr 1931 in Cheyenne, Laramie Co., WY.
Jesse married Martha Jane Martin on 28 Aug 1881 in Pope Co., AR. Martha was born in 1861 in Alabama. She died in 1918.


109 F iv. Arinda E Baker was born in 1863 in Alabama.

110 F v. Lavina A Baker was born in 1865 in Alabama.

111 F vi. Nancy Ann "Nannie" Baker was born in 1868 in Tennessee. She died in 1930 in Pope Co., AR.

32. Thomas Jefferson Wharton II (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 27 Feb 1832 in Alta Vista, Gainesville Co., Georgia. He died on 16 Mar 1908 in Pope County, AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

Thomas married Rutha Evaline Coleman daughter of John Henry Harrison Coleman and Cynthia Cochran on 26 Jul 1855 in St Clair Co., AL. Rutha was born on 1 Oct 1837 in Carroll Co., Georgia. She died on 19 May 1911 in Pope Co., AR. She was buried in St. Joe Cemetery, Atkins Arkansas.

They had the following children:

112 F i. Martha Wharton was born in 1857 in Alabama.

113 M ii. William B Wharton was born in 1858 in Alabama. He died before 1860 in St Clair Co., AL.

114 F iii. Mary Mathilda Wharton was born on 5 Oct 1859 in Anderson, Etowah Co., AL. She died on 26 May 1938 in Pope County AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

Mary married George Washington Burris Sr son of James Littleton Burris and Elizabeth Adeline Ashmore on 7 Oct 1877 in Pope County Ar. George was born on 18 Jan 1856 in Isabell Creek, Pope Co, AR. He died on 10 Mar 1929 in Pope County AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

115 F iv. Margaret Malinda Wharton was born on 14 Jan 1862 in Huntsville, Madison County, AL. She died on 14 Aug 1927 in Russellville, Pope County, AR. She was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Russellville, Pope Co., AR.

Margaret married Jefferson William "Jeff" Burris son of James Littleton Burris and Elizabeth Adeline Ashmore on 13 Mar 1881 in Pope County, AR. Jefferson was born on 13 Mar 1860 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 15 Jan 1941 in Pope County, AR. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Russellville, Pope Co., AR.

116 M v. Robert L Wharton was born in 1864 in Alabama. He died before 1870.

117 F vi. Sara Texana Wharton was born in 1865 in Alabama. She died in 1889 in Pope County, AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.
Sara married Owens . Owens was born in Arkansas.

118 M vii. John William Wharton was born on 21 May 1868 in Mississippi. He died on 29 Aug 1910 in Pope Co., AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

John married Josephine "Josie" Baker on 25 Dec 1889 in Pope Co., AR. Josephine was born in Jan 1872 in Tennessee.

119 F viii. Cora Innis Wharton was born in Apr 1869 in Mississippi. She died in 1902 in Pope Co., AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.
Cora married John Thomas Ennis son of John N Ennis and Martha Jane Owens on 12 Sep 1884 in Pope Co., AR. John was born in May 1863 in Pope Co., AR. He died in 1900 in Pope Co., AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

120 M ix. Benjamin Edward Wharton was born on 31 Dec 1871. He died on 2 Apr 1946 in Contra Costa, CA. He was buried in Alamo Cemetery, Alamo, Contra Costa, CA.

Benjamin married Mary Frances "Fannie" Hall daughter of Hall and Kearns on 10 Dec 1893 in Pope Co., AR. Mary was born on 19 Oct 1874 in Nebraska. She died on 3 Dec 1962 in Contra Costa Co., CA.

33. John Pauldin Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 4 Dec 1833 in Atlanta, Cobb County, Georgia. He died on 29 Jan 1910 in Stephens County, OK. He was buried in Hope Cemetery, Marlowe, Stephens Co., OK.

John married Sarah Emaline Cochran daughter of John W Cochran and Unknown on 7 Aug 1856 in St. Clair County, AL. Sarah was born on 28 Jul 1833 in Georgia. She died on 22 Jul 1906 in Stephens County, OK. She was buried in Hope Cemetery, Marlowe, Stephens Co., OK.

They had the following children:

121 F i. Maria Isabelle Wharton was born on 10 Aug 1853 in Springfield, St. Charles County, AL. She died on 20 Oct 1939 in Mountain View, Kiowa County, OK. She was buried in Mountain View Cem, Mountain View, Kiowa Co., OK.

Maria married William Andrew "Bill" Burris son of James Littleton Burris and Elizabeth Adeline Ashmore on 10 Mar 1878 in Pope County, AR. William was born on 13 Oct 1853 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 20 Nov 1943 in Mountain View, Kiowa County, OK. He was buried in Mountain View Cem, Mountain View, Kiowa Co., OK.

122 M ii. William Bartley Wharton was born on 27 Jul 1857 in St Clair Co., AL. He died on 25 Dec 1920 in Norman, Cleveland Co, Oklahoma. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried in IOOF Cemetery, Norman, Celeveland Co, OK.

William married Mary Alice Stiles daughter of Samuel Mathew Stiles and Mary Emeline Byrum in 1881 in Clarksville, Johnson Co., AR. Mary was born on 14 Jul 1862 in Clarksville, Johnson Co., AR. She died on 9 May 1930 in Norman, Cleveland Co., OK. She was buried in IOOF Cemetery, Norman, Cleveland Co, OK.

123 M iii. Robert Lee Wharton was born in 1863 in Alabama. He died in 1925 in Duncan, Stephens Co., OK.
Robert married Margaret E Stiles daughter of Samuel Mathew Stiles and Mary Emeline Byrum on 23 Jul 1882 in Pope Co., AR. Margaret was born on 16 Aug 1865 in Arkansas . She died on 16 Nov 1957 in Duncan, Stephens Co., OK.

124 F iv. Laura Wharton was born in 1866. She died before 1880.

35. Sarah Ann Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 15 Sep 1839 in Cobb County, GA. She died on 8 Mar 1927 in Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ. The cause of death was senility, inactivity (illeg) and general weakness, per death certificate. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

Sarah married Phillip Marion Coleman son of John Henry Harrison Coleman and Cynthia Cochran on 29 Nov 1868 in Springville, St Clair Co., AL. Phillip was born on 17 Oct 1841 in Georgia. He died on 2 Jan 1923 in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried on 3 Jan 1923 in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

They had the following children:

125 F i. Maggie Emma Coleman was born in 1869. She died in 1934.

126 M ii. John Thomas Coleman was born on 22 Jan 1870 in Montogomery, Montogmery Co., AL. He died on 12 Aug 1938 in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, per death certificate. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa, Co., AZ.

John married Annie Laurie Phelps on 29 Nov 1892 in Maricopa Co., AZ. Annie was born on 22 May 1874. She died on 8 Aug 1917 in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa, Co., AZ.

127 M iii. Hyrum Coleman was born on 12 Feb 1872 in Springville, St Clair Co., AL. He died on 12 Feb 1872 in Springville, St Clair Co., AL.

128 M iv. Mabry Thaddeus Coleman was born on 17 Jun 1873 in Alabama. He died on 20 Feb 1901 in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

129 F v. Kitty Simpson Coleman was born on 17 Oct 1875 in Springville, St Clair Co., AL. She died on 31 Jul 1877 in Springville, St Clair Co., AL.

130 F vi. Minnie Florence Coleman was born on 30 May 1878 in St Clair Co., AL. She died on 6 Jul 1888 in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa, Co., AZ.

131 vii. Unnamed Children Coleman died in Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ. Unnamed was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa, Co., AZ.

36. Susan Annette Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 4 May 1842 in St Clair Co., AL. She died on 14 Jul 1928 in Atkins, Pope Co., AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

Susan married (1) Jesse OBarr on 19 Nov 1857. Jesse was born in 1826 in Hall Co., GA. He died on 7 Mar 1869 in Houston, Chickasaw Co., MS.

They had the following children:

132 F i. Missouri OBarr was born in 1860. She died in 1888.
Missouri married William E Pollard about 1880 in St Clair Co., AL. William was born in 1862 in Georgia. He died in 1900.

133 M ii. Augustus Barto OBarr was born on 25 Dec 1862 in Alabama. He died on 6 Mar 1910 in Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

Augustus married (1) Unknown .
Augustus married (2) Lola Lollie M Peppers on 18 Dec 1890 in Sebastian Co., AR. Lola was born on 26 Nov 1874 in Missouri. She died on 7 Aug 1969 in Maricopa Co., AZ. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

134 M iii. Camiel Duncan OBarr was born in 1864. He died in 1868.

135 F iv. Ica Dora OBarr was born on 24 Aug 1868 in St Clair Co., AL. She died on 24 Oct 1884.


Susan married (2) John Wesley Johnson in 1874. John was born on 1 Aug 1846 in Macon, Bibb Co., GA. He died on 24 Dec 1923 in Pope Co., AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.

They had the following children:

136 F v. Beulah B Johnson was born in 1875. She died in 1944.

137 F vi. Nancy Laverne Johnson was born in 1877. She died in 1969.

138 M vii. Joseph Lonzo Johnson was born on 30 Jul 1877 in Alabama. He died on 14 Jul 1923.
Joseph married Rosa M MNU in 1906 in Pope Co., AR. Rosa was born in 1888 in Arkansas.

37. Nancy Jane Wharton (Sarah Sally Duncan, James Garner) was born on 29 Aug 1844 in Cleburne Co., Alabama. She died on 20 Nov 1930 in Tempe, Maricopa Co., AZ. She was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

Nancy married John Newton McBrayer on 1 Nov 1866 in St Clair Co., AL. John was born on 5 Mar 1837 in Jefferson Co., AL. He died on 15 Dec 1909 in Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

They had the following children:

139 M i. William D McBrayer was born in Oct 1867 in St Clair Co., AL. He died in 1933 in Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa Co., AZ.

140 F ii. Mary McBrayer .

141 F iii. Ida A McBrayer was born in 1872 in St Clair Co., AL.

142 F iv. Ollie Ines McBrayer was born on 27 Aug 1875 in St Clair Co., AL. She died on 22 Nov 1911 in Bisbee, Cochise Co., AZ. She was buried in Tempe Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe, Maricopa Co., AZ.

Ollie married Carl Carlson . Carl was born on 18 May 1872 in Sweden. He died on 24 Nov 1950 in Maricopa Co., AZ. He was buried in Tempe Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe, Maricopa Co., AZ.

143 F v. Laura McBrayer was born in Oct 1877 in St Clair Co., AL.
Laura married Dixon in 1894.

144 M vi. John Newton McBrayer Jr was born in Sep 1880 in St Clair Co., AL.

145 M vii. (Phillip C) Maroni McBrayer was born in Oct 1883 in St Clair Co., AL.

146 F viii. Sarah Jane Rosalvia McBrayer was born in Mar 1886 in St Clair Co., AL.
Sarah married Thomas F Arline in 1912 in Maricopa Co., AZ. Thomas was born in 1883 in Florida.

39. William H Duncan (Garner Paris, James Garner) was born in 1832 in North Carolina. He died in 1907 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. He was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

William married (1) Mary R Ross . Mary was born in 1840 in Alabama. She died before 1877.

They had the following children:

147 M i. James Duncan was born in 1862 in Colbert Co., AL.
James married Mary A MNU . Mary was born in 1867 in Alabama.

148 F ii. Martha Ann Duncan was born in 1864 in Colbert Co., AL.

149 F iii. Mary Frances "Fannie" Duncan was born in 1866 in Colbert Co., AL.

150 M iv. Arthur C Duncan was born in 1868 in Colbert Co., AL.

151 M v. John A Duncan was born in 1869 in Colbert Co., AL.

152 M vi. William Wesley Duncan was born on 24 Oct 1870 in Colbert Co., AL. He died on 28 Feb 1927 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. He was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

William married Odie Pearl Hurst . Odie died in 1932 in Tipton, Tillman Co., OK.

153 F vii. Virginia Paralee Duncan was born on 16 Feb 1873 in Colbert Co., AL. She died on 30 Apr 1926 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. She was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

Virginia married Charles G Williams . Charles was born on 18 May 1870. He died on 26 Apr 1938 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. He was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.


William married (2) Mary Angeline Snow in 1878 in Colbert Co., AL. Mary was born in 1849 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

154 F viii. Lydia Irene "Lillie" Duncan was born on 16 Sep 1884 in Colbert Co., AL.

Lydia married George E Baty in 1902. George was born on 9 Mar 1878 in Lockesburg, Sevier Co., AR. He died on 15 Aug 1948 in Alameda Co., CA.

155 M ix. Edgar Eli Duncan was born on 9 Jul 1885 in Colbert Co., AL. He died on 17 Feb 1965 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. He was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

Edgar married Mary Tokenny Richards on 15 Mar 1909 in Choctaw Co., OK. Mary was born on 9 Jul 1892. She died on 3 Oct 1977 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK. She was buried in Shoat Springs Cemetery, Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

156 F x. Maggie R Duncan was born in Jul 1890 in Colbert Co., AL. She died in May 1944 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., OK.

Maggie married James Davis .

157 F xi. Joanna Alabama Duncan was born on 25 Jan 1892 in Texas. She died on 19 Sep 1976 in Hugo, Choctaw Co., OK.

42. Martha "Mattie" Duncan (Garner Paris, James Garner) was born in 1837 in Alabama. She died about 1913.

Martha married Edwin Buchanan Sockwell in 1871 in Colbert Co., AL. The marriage ended in divorce.Edwin was born on 1 Nov 1814 in Georgia. He died in 1892 in Saints, Franklin Co., AL. He was buried in Old Bethel Cemetery, Colbert Co., AL.

They had the following children:

158 M i. DeWitt Clinton Sockwell was born on 26 Aug 1874 in Colbert Co., AL. He died on 19 Dec 1955 in Denton Co., TX.

DeWitt married Sallie Terria McDaniel on 4 Nov 1899 in Ferris Co., TX. Sallie was born in Mar 1876 in Mississippi. She died in 1952.

51. Zebulon James Duncan (James Garner, James Garner) was born in 1847 in Monroe Co., IN. He died on 12 Sep 1872 in Monroe Co., IN. He was buried in Clover Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Monroe Co., IN.

Zebulon married Mary E Johnston . Mary was born in 1850 in Indiana.

They had the following children:

159 M i. Eugene Duncan was born in 1869 in Monroe Co., IN.

Eugene married Daisy Victoria Ragland in 1898. The marriage ended in divorce.Daisy was born on 10 Apr 1879 in Banner, Calhoun Co., MS. She died on 27 Jan 1971 in Red Oak, Latimer Co., OK.

160 F ii. Myrtle Duncan was born in 1872 in Indiana.

53. Caroline Hunley "Carrie" Duncan (James Garner, James Garner) was born on 8 Nov 1859 in Greene Co., IN. She died on 20 Jun 1934 in Bloomfield, Greene Co., IN. She was buried on 23 Jun 1934 in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Park, Greene Co., IN.

Caroline married David Henry Mitchell on 29 May 1880 in Greene Co., IN. David was born on 9 Jan 1861. He died on 24 Nov 1944 in Greene Co., IN. He was buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Park, Greene Co., IN.

They had the following children:

161 M i. Ralph Hobart Mitchell was born on 1 Mar 1896 in Greene Co., IN. He died on 16 Dec 1900 in Greene Co., IN. The cause of death was extended illnesses, culminating in heart failure, per obituary. He was buried on 17 Dec 1900 in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Park, Greene Co., IN.
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I spent some time at the Arkansas History Commission yesterday, scrolling through microfilm of old newspapers to find some more obituaries.

I found the one for my paternal great grandmother, Mary Mathilda Wharton, but not for her husband, George Washington Burris, Sr.
Funeral Friday for Mrs. Mary M Burris
Mrs. Mary Matilda Burris, 72 years old, long time resident of Pope county, died Thursday afternoon at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W T Crites, rural route 3, Atkins, Ark.

Mrs. Burris was born at Anderson, Ala., and came to Pope county when she was 17 years old. She had lived in Russellville until a short time ago. Mrs. Burris was the wife of the late George Burris, former postmaster at Russellville.

In addition to the daughter, survivors include six sons, Ernest Burris, Conway; Homer Burris, Hensley; Richard Burris, Atkins; Walter Burris, Short Okla.; George Burris, Arkadelphia; and a brother, Ed Whorton (sic), Walnut Creek, Calif.

Funeral service was conducted Friday at 3 p.m. at the St. Joe cemetery, north of Atkins by Rev. F M Hudson, Free Will Baptist minister, assisted by Rev. W R Jobe. Arrangements were directed by the Shinn and Son Funeral Home of Russellville.

Published on Thursday, 2 Jun 1938, in the Russellville Courier-Democrat
I learned two things from this obit.

I knew Mary was born in Alabama, but now I have a town and county.

I didn't know she died at Aunt Emma's house.
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Today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a story about the Department of the Interior finally making the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre a National Historic Landmark.

Descendants of massacre victims at a Utah site say the elevation of the Mountain Meadows area to national landmark status offers some healing.

The 760-acre site marks the spot where 120 members of an Arkansas wagon train were shot and killed Sept. 11, 1857, by a Mormon militia.

The Baker-Fancher wagon train, consisting of 121 men, women and children from Benton, Carroll, Johnson and Marion counties in Northwest Arkansas, was on a stopover in the meadows on its way to California when it was attacked.

Fifty-four members of the Iron County Militia swooped down on the wagon train and killed everyone except 17 children, who were taken into Mormon homes. The children were later returned to relatives.

Only one of the 54 members of the Iron County Militia was ever brought to justice. He was executed at the site of the massacre 20 years later.

The meadows site, which sits 30 miles north of St. George, was elevated to a National Historic Landmark on Thursday by the U.S. Interior Department...

The groups have also fought for years to wrestle an apology for the massacre from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which for decades denied or downplayed the faith’s role in the massacre, with explanations that church leaders did not have any advance knowledge of the attack.

No apology has ever come, but in 2008, a year after a church official expressed “regret” for the Mountain Meadows event, the church joined forces with the descendant groups to pursue the landmark status designation.

For association President Terry Fancher, those efforts speak louder than any words.

“Words wouldn’t be as strong as the actions they’ve taken and I think will continue to take in the future,” said Fancher, of Braintree, Mass., whose father and grandfather had talked about national recognition for the meadows as far back as the 1950s.

Fancher said he finds evidence of healing in the unanimous decision to ask the church’s assistant historian, Richard Turley, to lead a dedication ceremony of the bronze national landmark plaques that is planned for September.

“That wouldn’t have been possible years ago,” Fancher said.
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These are the gravestones of my great-great grandparents, Thomas Jefferson Wharton, II and his wife, Rutha Evaline Coleman.

Thomas was the son of Thomas Jefferson Wharton and Sarah Sally Duncan, born on 27 Feb 1832 in Alta Vista, Gainesville, Co., GA. Rutha was the daughter of John Henry Harrison Coleman and Cynthia Cochran, born on 1 Oct 1837 in Caroll County, GA.

They married on 26 Jul 1855 in St. Clair County, AL and were the parents of 9 children I have been able to document.


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Thomas J Wharton


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Rutha E Wharton


Thomas died on 16 Mar 1908, and Rutha on 19 May 1911. They are buried in St. Joe Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.
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I have several photos of my great-grandmother.




I like this one in front of the tree. I don't know where or when it was taken, although her appearance in this photo is very similar to those taken on the occasion of her 50th wedding anniversary in 1927. It looks like there are chairs on the lawn - perhaps there had been a family gathering.

The expression on her face is kind of sad. Maybe the sun was in her eyes.

Or maybe she was remembering the ones who weren't there.
Mary Mathilda Wharton was the third child of nine I have documented in her family. Her parents were Thomas Jefferson Wharton and Rutha Evaline Coleman. (Rutha's first name gave census enumerators fits for decades if variant spellings are any indication.)

She was born on 5 Oct 1859 in Alabama, probably St Clair County - because that's where the family was in 1860. Mary was nine months old.

For reasons I have yet to figure out, the family was in Chickasaw County, Mississippi in 1870. And not just Thomas and Rutha - there were several Wharton cousins who moved from Alabama to Mississippi about the same time.

Mary's father, Thomas, was a private in the 33 Regiment Miss Infantry, Company I. He enlisted on 7 Mar 1862 in Eureka, Panola County, Mississippi. (Both Panola and Chickasaw counties are in northern Mississippi.) Thomas was paroled at the end of the war, on 1 May 1865, at Greensboro, NC.

Whatever the attraction in Mississippi, Thomas Wharton moved his family to Pope County, Arkansas by 7 Oct 1877.

That's when Mary wed George Washington Burris, Sr.
As far as I know, newlyweds George and Mary lived on the Burris family land and farm not far from the location where some years later, they would help to establish a free will Baptist church.

They celebrated the arrival of their first child, Mary's 19th birthday, and their first wedding anniversary almost simultaneously. Richard Benjamin Burris was born on 3 Oct 1878. He and all 11 of his younger siblings were born, as some of the old handwritten family group sheets say, "on Isbell Creek."

There really is an Isbell Creek, and yeah, before the land was subdivided, George, Mary and their family lived not far from it. So it was the landmark that indicated place of birth.

For the first 23 years of her married life, Mary was pregnant and gave birth at least 12 times.

Her first 5 children were healthy, and lived fairly long lives. So it must have been somewhat of a shock when Mary's sixth child was a stillborn son on 21 Oct 1889. His gravestone says that his grave was the first in St. Joe Cemetery. My grandfather, George W Burris, Jr., was Mary's seventh child, born in 1890.

Mary lost several children very young. James Thomas Burris wasn't quite 5 weeks old when he died in 1895. Ella Rea had just turned 3.

The youngest of the Burris bunch were Arkie and Ocie, the pretty little sisters I always saw photographed together.

Ocie died first - of a fever caused by malaria - on 12 Oct 1910, just days after Mary's 51st birthday.

Arkie died as the result of a fiery accident on 3 Jun 1913 - and lingered overnight and into the early morning hours of the next day, with her parents by her side. She was laid to rest with her brothers and sisters in St. Joe Cemetery on Thursday, 6 Jun 1913.
By the time Mary reached her mid-50s, she was well acquainted with loss. Census records show that her parents, Thomas and Rutha Wharton, lived on the same farm with Mary and her family, as did George's parents, James and Adeline Burris.

Mary's father died first - in 1908, followed by Rutha Wharton in 1911. So Mary did not have the comfort of her own mother when she lost her youngest child.

Makes me just want to give her a hug.


I have no idea how Mary felt about her father-in-law's second family, or her own husband's role in making sure his half-siblings were raised to adulthood.

None of us who are now living know about that, because the secrets started in that generation, and were kept through the next.

But at the time George, Sr. assumed guardianship of Richard and Charley Hill in 1895, Mary and George had just lost a newborn baby, and buried George's father.

So there must have been additional stress there.
George and Mary celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the house in town. There was a lengthy article in the newspaper about it. (Which one, I do not know, because someone neatly cut it out...)

Mr. and Mrs. George W Burris, of Russellville, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Friday, October 7, with a dinner serving 50 guests, one for each year of their married life. Their guests included their seven children...The folks are hearty and hale for their age and enjoyed the day with their children and friends. Many valuable gifts were bestowed upon the couple, among them being $50 in gold. Mrs. Burris smilingly admitted that "life is not so bad after all," but that "the happiest part of life was when all the kiddies were at home - that's why I'm so happy today."
By the 1910 census, the family had moved to Russellville, and according to the census form, lived on Brucker Street. (Dad, I don't think the street's there any more - or maybe that's what has been called Glenwood Street.)



In the 1920 census, they were living at the house where the 1927 anniversary celebration was held...602 Long Street.
Two years after that 50th anniversary celebration, Mary's husband died. The nation was on the brink of the Great Depression.

In the 1930 census, "Tilda" was living at 300 West 2nd Street in Russellville, and had two boarders.

Mary Mathilda Wharton died on 26 May 1938, and was buried beside her husband in St. Joe Cemetery.

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Front row, left to right
Walter Homer Burris, 1887-1974
Ernest Arthur Burris, 1880-1952
Ottis Gileston Burris, 1893-1979

Back row, left to right
George Washington Burris, Sr., 1856-1929
Mary Mathilda (Wharton) Burris, 1859-1938
Richard Benjamin Burris, 1878-1944
George Washington Burris, Jr., 1890-1974
Dora Emma (Burris) Crites, 1885-1982

The George W Burrises had moved from the farm to town. My grandfather (back row, second from right) would shortly be on his way to the Panama Canal Zone.
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It was a really big name for a man of such short stature.

My dad says his father was the "runt" of his family.

There was a reason for that.
Granddaddy Burris was born on 5 Oct 1890 on Isabell Creek in rural Pope County, Arkansas. He was the seventh of twelve children born to George Washington Burris, Sr. and Mary Mathilda Wharton.
The G W Burrises were farmers, like their parents before them. Education was important, but school was held in rural Pope County around planting and harvesting season. Children had to help with the crops.

Church was also important, and was much more than just a place you went to on Sunday. Granddaddy's father, George Sr., organized a Sunday School at what would later be the site of St. Joe Baptist Freewill Baptist Church.

From a newspaper article published on October 4, 2007, noting the 120th anniversary of the St Joe Freewill Baptist Church:
In the year of 1885, George W. Burris organized a Sunday school under a bunchy top Gum Tree at St. Joe on Pea Ridge 10 miles north of Atkins. They had logs for seats and took School Readers to Sunday school. . . The Freewill Baptist Church was organized there in 1886. . . George W. Burris was the principal leader during his entire life.

The stories have varied over the years, but when Granddaddy was still a child, disease swept through the community. Whether it was scarlet or typhoid fever, it was highly contagious, and everyone who had it had to be quarantined from those who did not.

Granddaddy stayed in either the barn or a shed during the time he was ill. Meals were brought as far as the door, and he retrieved them from there. He recovered from the illness, but it left one leg shorter than the other, and I suspect, stunted his growth. He was the shortest man in his family, and walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
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George W Burris, Jr. about 1910




Family ties have always been important to my Burrises.

I cannot imagine how Granddaddy must have felt to lose his youngest sister, Ocie, in 1910. Then, three years later, he lost another little sister, Arkie, in a horrible accident that also burned his brother, Ernest and his baby niece.

You expect your parents to die before you do - it's the natural order of things.

But not your little sisters.


Around the turn of the century, George Burris, Sr. became the Postmaster in Russellville. Granddaddy joined the Burris crew, and began work at the Russellville Post Office in 1910.

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George Burris, Jr., William Homer Burris, Lee Jones, and
George W Burris, Sr., seated


By May 1920, Granddaddy was in Cristobal in the Panama Canal Zone as a postal clerk for services there. For a short time, he worked for an oil company in Columbia.

He re-entered the United States on 26 Mar 1922, docking at the Port of New Orleans. The man from Isabelle Creek was coming home.


Granddaddy continued to work for the Post Office. He transferred to Clark County, where he became the Assistant Postmaster at Arkadelphia in April 1923. His father, George W Burris, Sr., died on 10 Mar 1929. Although he stuck with the Post Office for 34 years until his retirement, he never got the coveted Postmaster appointment, because he would not change his political party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.

Some things just couldn't be compromised.


On 18 Nov 1929, Granddaddy married Louise Herrington, and they started their own family in Clark County. His first child was born when he was 40 years old. He lived to see his first great-grandchild.

Sometimes, I am amazed at the changes my grandfather witnessed during his life. He grew up in an era where it took all day to take the crop to market in a wagon. Having a telephone in your home became commonplace during his lifetime. He witnessed the first automobiles, and commercial airplanes.

Maybe that was why he had such a hard time believing we had actually put a man on the moon. Were they really walking on the moon, or was all that television footage just an incredible hoax of underwater shots instead?



Granddaddy always seemed to me to be happy with simple things. He enjoyed puttering around the yard, and going uptown to the pool hall to shoot the breeze with his buddies and catch up on news.

Grandma wasn't happy about the "pool hall" thing, and you could tell by the way she spat the answer to you when you asked, Grandma, where's Granddaddy?

I think simple things had been fine with him all his life, even during the Great Depression, which followed so closely on the heels of his father's death. That's what he told his mother in his New Year's Eve letter to her in 1931, as he tried to assure her that the next year would surely be better than the last.

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I never picture Granddaddy without his pipe.

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That photo was taken at the celebration of his 80th birthday. We didn't know then that we'd only get three more birthdays with him. He died on 7 May 1974, in Arkadelphia.

And oh, the secrets he could have told us...secrets that I am only discovering now.

See you on the other side, Granddaddy.
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That's what my dad calls them - when siblings from one family marry siblings from another. The kids from each family are not only cousins, but double cousins.

We have a lot of those in my family. But these are our favorite pairs.


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Left to right...Elbert, George, Homer and Earl Burris


I'm guessing the date of the photo to be around 1905. And this one always cracks me up, because these were "good" Baptist boys, but they look to me like members of an organized crime family hiding out in the woods.

Elbert (1887-1978) and Earl (1901-1973) were brothers, and the sons of Jefferson William (1860-1941) and Margaret Malinda (Wharton) Burris (1862-1927).

George (1890-1974) and Homer (1887-1974) were also brothers and the sons of George Washington (Sr) (1856-1929) and Mary Mathilda (Wharton) Burris (1859-1938).

Here are the parents of the double cousins.

Photobucket

Seated, left to right - George Burris, Jeff Burris
Standing, left to right - Mary Mathilda Burris, Margaret Malinda Burris,
Margaret Jane (Burris) Moore, sister of George and Jeff
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The ancestors, that is.

No air conditioning or indoor plumbing.

Chamber pots under the bed at night.

Dinner was running around out in the backyard until you took a hatchet to it. Or went out in the woods with a shotgun. If you weren't faster than your prey, there probably was greens and cornbread. Again.

And you were thankful for it.

Wardrobe choices were easier, I guess.

And all those kids. Sometimes as I am adding them one after another to the database, I have to smile...there were only three of us and my parents would get confused.

Dee - I mean Vicki - I mean Lorraine...I mean, whoever it is, CUT THAT OUT!

And then, there are somber moments that accompany all those names and dates. Moments when I feel, even for just a split second when the horrible details come together, like I've been sucker punched.

Click here to meet Charles Hardin Patterson... )

Sometimes it's hard to see the path through the tears.

But the journey is good.

Namaste.
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Photobucket
30 Jan 1823 - 21 Jun 1919


This photo of my great great grandmother was taken when she was 92 years old, five years before her death.

Adeline was the daughter of Andrew Sawyer and Elizabeth (McCarley) Ashmore. She was born in Giles Co., TN, and married James Littleton Burris on 12 Nov 1840 in Pope Co., AR.

Adeline was the mother of 10 children:
  • Infant son Burris was born and died in 1841 in Pope Co., AR. His was the first grave in Old Baptist Cemetery in Center Valley.
  • Nancy Elizabeth Burris was born on 1 Apr 1845 in Pope Co., AR. She died on 26 Jun 1926 in Collingsworth County, TX. Nancy married William Calvin Jones on 2 Nov 1865. William was born on 8 Sep 1837 in Conway County, AR. He died on 31 Jul 1879 in Conway County, AR. He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Conway County, AR.
  • John Thomas Burris was born on 22 Jan 1849 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 18 Mar 1919 in Pope County, AR. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Pope County, AR. John married Margaret E Burris daughter of Franklin Marion Burris and Sally Charlotte T Osburn in 1870 in Pope County, AR. Margaret was born on 11 Jul 1850 in Tennessee. She died on 1 Nov 1915 in Pulaski County, AR. She was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Pope County, AR.
  • James Franklin Burris was born on 4 Feb 1851 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 21 Apr 1918 in Pope County, AR. He was buried in Atkins City Cemetery, Pope Co., AR. James married (1) Malinda J Moore, daughter of William N Moore and Mary Ann Riggs on 10 Feb 1876 in Pope Co., AR. Malinda was born in 1854 in Tennessee. She died on 30 Jul 1904. She was buried in Atkins City Cemetery, Pope Co., AR. James married (2) Mattie J Sibley daughter of William L Sibley and Margaret C Graves on 30 Jan 1906 in Pope Co., AR. Mattie was born in 1866 in Louisiana. She died in 1917 in Pope Co., AR. She was buried in Atkins City Cemetery, Pope Co., AR.
  • William Andrew "Bill" Burris was born on 13 Oct 1853 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 20 Nov 1943 in Mountain View, Kiowa County, OK. William married Maria Isabelle Wharton, daughter of John Poudin Wharton and Sarah Emaline Cochran on 10 Mar 1878 in Pope County, AR. Maria was born on 10 Aug 1853 in Springfield, St. Charles County, AL. She died on 20 Oct 1939 in Mountain View, Kiowa County, OK. She was buried in Mountain View Cem, Mountain View, Kiowa Co., OK.
  • George Washington Burris Sr was born on 18 Jan 1856 in Isabel Creek, Pope County AR. He died on 9 Mar 1929 in Pope County AR. He was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co AR. George married Mary Mathilda Wharton, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Wharton II and Ruth(ie) Evaline Coleman on 7 Oct 1877 in Pope County AR. Mary was born on 5 Oct 1859 in Alabama. She died on 26 May 1938 in Pope County AR. She was buried in St Joe Cemetery, Pope Co AR.
  • Margaret Jane Burris was born on 27 Mar 1858 in Pope Co., AR. She died on 15 Jun 1944 in Sebastian County, AR. Margaret married Abraham "Cass" Jones on 20 Dec 1874.
  • Jefferson William "Jeff" Burris was born on 13 Mar 1860 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 15 Jan 1941 in Pope County, AR. Jefferson married Margaret Malinda Wharton daughter of Thomas Jefferson Wharton II and Ruth(ie) Evaline Coleman (and younger sister of Mary Mathilda Wharton Burris) on 13 Mar 1881 in Pope County, AR.  He was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Russellville, Pope Co., AR.  Margaret was born on 14 Jan 1862 in Huntsville, Madison County, AL. She died on 14 Aug 1927 in Russellville, Pope County, AR. She was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Russellville, Pope County, AR.
  • Lucinda Adeline Burris was born on 27 Sep 1866 in Pope Co., AR. She died on 26 Jun 1954 in Reydon, Roger Mills County, OK. Lucinda married William Middleton Easterling, on 16 Nov 1884 in Pope Co., AR. William was born in Jul 1863 in Arkansas. He died in Reydon, OK.
  • Richard B Burris was born on 9 Apr 1868 in Pope Co., AR. He died on 14 Aug 1875 in Pope Co., AR. He was buried in Old Baptist Cemetery, Center Valley, Pope Co., AR.
Elizabeth Adeline (Ashmore) Burris is buried in St. Joe Cemetery, Pope County, AR.
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It was the first Saturday in April, just a little over a year ago. I remember that it was cool and overcast, so instead of going to work in the garden, I decided to work on the family tree.

I decided to fill out some of the great and grand uncles and aunts, and second, third and fourth cousins of my Wharton clan.

And I immediately started finding their tracks. . . I was blowing along quite nicely until I ran into a particular website. Someone else had been researching the same branch, and had listed the date of death of nearly 20 people in the family as September 1857. They were two Wharton sisters, their husbands and kids.

And I thought, "How lazy is that?" I almost closed the browser, but decided to keep it open while I checked one of my favorite research sites - Find A Grave.

The date of death was correct.

The location stunned me.

Mountain Meadows, UT, on September 11, 1857.

The Mountain Meadows massacre.

Three little bitty daughters from the family of Lorenzo Dow and Nancy Jane (Wharton) Dunlap were allowed to live, as were two of their small cousins from the family of Jesse and Mary M (Wharton) Dunlap. All five girls were too young to identify their attackers. One of them was only a month old at the time of the massacre, and none were older than seven.

Out of a wagon party of nearly 140 people, only 18 children were spared.

Two years later, in September of 1859, the United States Army went back to Utah and brought 17 of those kids back to their extended families in Arkansas and Missouri.

In 1894, one of the soldiers, Capt James Lynch, married one of the little girls he saved in 1859 - my great-grandmother's second cousin. Her name was Sarah.

He was 74 and she was 38. According to her memorial, she was never able to work through the fear, pain and trauma of the massacre. It affected her physically, psychologically, and emotionally for the remainder of her life.

She died in 1901, he in 1910.

I've left virtual candles on the Dunlap memorials.

If you wish, you can too...

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Dee Burris Blakley

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