Ella Lewis Jeffrey Bozarth December 14

Ella Lewis (or Louise) Jeffrey Bozarth was born 14 December 1885 in Dale, Caldwell County, Texas. Her parents were Jesse Thomas Jeffrey Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Rowe Jeffrey. Ella was my 2^nd cousin, 3 times removed.

In 1906 she married a farmer, Travis Martin “Trab” Bozarth in Caldwell County, Texas. They had two sons, Rufus and Ray.

Now I have to confess. While searching for records for Ella, I discovered that she had a sister, Frankie Jeffrey who seemed to have had another mother. That seemed strange so I had to go see what I could find. It took longer than I expected. The FindAGrave memorials are completely messed up. One has her as her own sister.

At the moment, it looks like Ella’s father, Jesse was indeed married twice. He married Maria Frankie Rice (haven’t found a marriage record yet) in 1850 and Mariah died 10 days after their daughter Frankie was born in 1870. I have to do more exploring on this.

But aside from that tantalizing distraction, I couldn’t find much on Ella herself.  Seems all the interesting stuff was about her husband or father or his first wife.

In 1920 Trab, Ella, the two boys were all living in Caldwell County with Trab’s mother Mattie living with them. Trab had draft cards for both WWI and WWII.

Ella Louise Jeffrey died on July 29, 1953, in Caldwell, Texas, when she was 67 years old and is buried in the Jeffrey Cemetery, McMahan, Caldwell County, Texas, USA

Rachel Petty Harrington December 13

Rachel Petty 

was born 13 Dec 1754 Granville District, Orange, North Carolina although another record says she was born on May 10, 1755 Union district South Carolina, later became Union county.

Her parents were James Petty (son of Thomas Petty and Catherine Garton Petty) and Martha (possibly Clanton) Petty.

She married Drury Harrington January 2, 1773 in North Carolina. They had seven children.  Drury and Rachel settled on Thickety Creek near Jonesville, South

Carolina in 1779. North Carolina records show that there were land grants to Drury in Beaufort, Halifax and Granville Counties in North Carolina.

Rachel died on December 22, 1839 in Alabama. According to FindAGrave, 

She died in Chambers Co., AL and was buried on the Harrington Farm on Thickety Creek near Jonesville, Union Co., SC.

And that's about all I could find out about Rachel. 

But Drury is another story. I could fill a small book with the files I found on him. But this is her day so I'll be brief.

Drury Harrington was born born: June 22, 1751 in Halifax County, North Carolina.

"Drury enlisted in the revolutionary Army in 1776 from Chatham county and served as a lieutenant. He fought in the battle of Moore's Creek, the  first battle of the Revolution fought in the South; was in the cavalry under Clarke and Sumpter at Ransom's Mill; served under Pickens at Cowpens against the Cherokee Indians and was in the seige and surrenderof Augusta Georgia. 

Drury and Rachel settled on Thickety Creek near Jonesville, South Carolina in 1779. North Carolina records show that there were land grants to Drury in Beaufort, Halifax and Granville Counties in North Carolina. 

In his later years, after Rachel died, he came to Chambers County, Alabama to live with his son, Jeptha. He had filed for his revolutionary War pension on October 3, 1832 in Union County, South Carolina.   

He was buried in Chambers County, Alabama on the Harrington Plantation and later reinterred in Pinewood Cemetery West Point, Georgia. Harrington Heights Cemetery is named for him."

from an archived mailing list.

Sam Houston Hooper and Aldo Sardini December 13

Sam Houston Hooper is another person in my database who it is said I am not actually related to.  But there is a connection.

Sam was born on the 12^th (some say the 9^th) of December 1857 in Texas to John Jefferson and Mahala Hooper. He married Maria Catherine Burns and they had 11 children. One died at birth and another at the age of 2.  The rest apparently had a good long life.

Sam seems to have been quite a family man since there are more pictures of him and his family than I’ve ever seen on Ancestry .com. Two of his daughters are of particular interest. They both married brothers with the last name of Myers.

Harrison Davis, Amanda Burns Wolfe and Marietta Burns Davis

Front Row: Sam Houston Hooper, Mariah Catherine Burns Hooper, Jesse Hooper, Elvira Minerva Whitton Burns, Dora Hooper and Louis Wolfe, Justine Hooper

Molly Hooper married Robert T. Myers and her sister Dora Hopper married Robert’s brother, Willie Oscar Myers. This might not seem exciting, but wait - there’s more.

Robert and Willie were both sons of Mathias Myers and wife Fannie – maiden name Welch. Fannie was the half-sister of our elusive Eliza Jane Welch, my great grandmother. This makes Robert and Willie my half-first cousins twice removed. And Mollie and Dora are the wives of my half-first cousins twice removed.

I know there are several more connections with the Hoopers, but this was the first one I found and quite by accident.

Sam died at home on his farm in Joaquin, Texas on 29 Dec 1953 at the age of 96 and was buried in the Ramah Cemetery.

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Aldo Sardini was born December 12, 1912 to Antonio and Maria Adele Elena Sardini in Verona, Italy. He married Anita Nacciareti and they had at least 3 children.

He was my great uncle, a brother to my grandmother, Gina (Sardini) Bernardi.

I did discover this photo of him and that led to some stories from his grandson, Ivano Michelangelo Malta.

“Hahaha ok cool !! My mom's name is Gabriella Sardini, born in Verona 17 of July 1944. my grandfather Aldo died in Rome 1998 ! Of dementia!! He was 84 years old my grandmother died two years later! I was very close to them! My mom always says How similar I am to my grandfather basically in everything.. Makes me laugh .. Because he was a mess ...!! …. Aldo was a very good looking man, he was a good man at the end, very generous, I was close to him and he was very close to me to, I would say I was the favourite nephew   they could see the similarity!! Haha !!

He used to be in the Army beside Mussolini, then when Mussolini got killed he lost automatically his job, according to my mother, they didn't really have a easy time after that .. Time was tough for everyone! .. He's lucky was that he was an handsome man, always well dressed , that’s why he had the opportunity to work in those amazing movies, but most of the time he worked like a waiter!! but the Sardini's Side always had a good taste.”

And from my dad

“Thanks for posting this photo of Aldo. I remember him well. He would travel from Verona to Roma each time we visited Marisa. Later he moved to Rome. He was simpatico”- J E Pettey

Aldo died in Rome in 1998.

Matthew Bishop Jeffrey - December 11, 1835

I thought at first when I saw this name on my list that it was Matthew Jeffrey, the son of Jeremiah Jeffrey, who took care of his parents in their old age. But when I checked, it actually was his nephew, Matthew BISHOP Jeffrey – the son of Matthew’s brother, Jesse Thomas Jeffrey and Anna Hellums. He’s my first cousin, four times removed.

I thought this was going to be another easy, short bio. I was so wrong. In fact, I might not get the answer I need today. I’ll post what I have and perhaps, when the answer comes, I’ll post the correct information.

This is a quote from the bio on Find a Grave .com.

“Matthew Bishop JEFFREY was born on December 11, 1835, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the child of Jesse Thomas and Anna 'Annie' Hellums”

By 1843 the family had moved on the Tippah County, Mississippi and then on to Caldwell County, Texas.

“He married Mary Elizabeth Gilliland on August 1, 1861, in Caldwell County, Texas. On Jan. 20, 1862 he enlisted in Co.F, Calvary, Waul's Legion, C.S.A. Matthew and Mary had one child, a daughter - Anna M. Jeffrey Kirksey (1862 – 1910)- during their marriage.”

So far, so good, but then-

“Matthew died on December 24, 1883, in Caldwell County, Texas, at the age of 48, and was buried in the Jeffrey Cemetery.”

Well, that sounds OK, until you read that Matthew’s wife Mary, remarried sixteen years BEFORE Matthew died.

“Mary Elizabeth Gilliland was born 8 July 1845 in Mississippi. She was first married to Matthew B. Jeffrey on 1 August 1861 in Caldwell County, Texas. Matthew B. Jeffrey died about 1866, probably as a result of wounds or illness from the Civil War. He was a son of Jesse Jeffrey (b 1806) and Anna Hellums. Matthew Jeffrey and Mary Elizabeth Gilliland had one child, Anna Jeffrey, who was born about 1862. 

 Mary Elizabeth Gilliland was married again on 31 January 1867 to Captain Edmund Foreman. Mary Elizabeth and Cap Foreman had three children before she died in 1880 or '81. They were William, Robert, Ida "Birdie" and Hattie Foreman.”
[actually, that's four children. Ed]

And another source -

    “Mary Elizabeth was married again on January 31, 1867, to Cap E. Foreman (1851 - 1926). The Foreman family had also come to Caldwell County from Talladega County, Alabama. Mary Elizabeth and Cap Foreman had four children.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tory/long/janec.html

So did Matthew die in 1866 after returning from the war? That would make sense, but the other records all say he died in 1883, well after Mary remarried. Did they divorce? I can’t find any record of a divorce but it could have been. But why did the other source say 1866? Were they just guessing because of the marriage date of Mary and Cap? The only actual records I've been able to find are the marriage records. I won't even mention the Jeffrey Cemetery website that lists Matthew B Jeffrey as born 1/6/1831 and died 7/1/189.

These are the things that keep me awake at night.

December 10, Mattie and John

Mattie Pearl Willis LaGrone

Mattie is one of those elusive females. She shows up in census records and death records, but there is nothing that tells much about her life.

She was the daughter of Robert T and Elizabeth Stephenson Willis, born December 10,  1892 in Texas and is my first cousin three times removed. She first appears as an eight year old child in the 1900 Smith County census with her parents.

She married Charles Franklin "Bob" LaGrone in 1910 and their daughter Juanita LaGrone was born 2 Oct 1917 in Decatur, Texas.On the 1930 census for Wise County, she’s listed as 37 years of age. She’s living with her husband Bob and daughter Juanita living on their own farm.

In 1940 Mattie and Bob are still on their farm in Decatur but daughter Juanita has married and moved with her husband into her own home also in Decatur.

This is the last census available to the public. The 1950 census records will be released in April 2022 so that trail ends here. Bob has draft cards from WWI and WWII (old man’s draft).

Bob died in 1965 and was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Decatur. Mattie died in 1980 and was buried next to him.

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John Hewing Petty

John was born in either north or South Carolina (records vary) in 10 Dec 1795. He was one of 13 children born to George and Lydia Harrington Petty. John's father, George was the great grandson of Hubert Petty, our original emigrant Petty ancestor. John is my second cousin, six times removed. (He also was an older brother to Elijah P. Petty who I mentioned on our FaceBook page, but I’ll be getting to him later. His birthday is coming up in a few weeks)

Sometime before 1825 the family moved to Stewart County, Tennessee. John met and married Tamara Bruton May 19, 1825. (I’ve seen her name given as Tamara Theora Lesy “Terry” Bruton and several versions of that in different records.)

Their first child, the first of seven, was born a year later.

John worked as an innkeeper while in Tennessee. He might have taken over his father’s tavern before they left for greener pastures.

Between 1850 and 1860 the family migrated to Texas. They next are recorded on the 1860 census for Seguin, Guadalupe, Texas and John is farming. Three years later on July 26, 1863 John signed his will leaving the property to his wife, Terry, and some money to his children. He died a month later on August 23. He is buried at KingFamily Cemetery, Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas.

December 7 - Cousin Mae and Uncle Robert

Mae Pettey Durrett

I couldn’t find a lot of information on Mae Pettey Durrett. I thought it was a case of another shadowy female hiding in the corners. But the truth finally dawned on me. Her life was cut short.

Mae was born 7 Dec 1883 or 84 in Texas, possibly in Nacogdoches to Samuel Albert and Margaret Alice Pettey, and the granddaughter of William Howard and Sarah Power Pettey (my second great grandparents). Mae was my first cousin twice removed.

 She was on the 1900 census for Nacogdoches with her parents and was listed as 15 years old. She also appears on the 1910 census still living with her parents but her last name is now Durrett and there is a three-year-old daughter named Willie Mae Durrett. So where is the father and Mae’s husband? In 1920 Mae is gone, but the daughter is still living with her grandparents. Even more mysterious.

Finally I realized that W A Durrett and Mae were married in 1905. (Have yet to find out what the W A stands for.) Willie Mae was born the next year in 1906. W A, the husband and father died in 1907 at age 32. I haven’t found a death certificate or anything to give a clue as to why he died so young.

Mae died suddenly in 1913 at age of 29. I found an obituary but it is almost unreadable.

DEATH OF MRS. [DARRET]T [SIC]

Mrs. Mae Darrett., who has for the past several months lived at the home of Mrs. ............North Fredonia street died Monday morning at the home of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Albert Pettey near Mahl. Funeral services will be held at North church Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Darrett was....... sick about two weeks although it was thought not serious and her death was quite unexpected. She leaves a little daughter…. seven years of age, a father and mother and other relatives ….  to mourn her loss.

 [Italics are mine]

Source: The Redland Herald, Nacogdoches, Texas, Thursday, May 22, 1913; Pg. 1, Column 2

Both are buried in the Old North Church in Nacogdoches, Texas.
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Robert Thomas Willis

Robert was my second, great-great uncle. He was the son of my third great grandparents, William Franklin and Ann Jane Willis. And brother to Martha J Willis, mother of Eliza Jane Welch.

He was born in Lawrence County, Alabama on December 7, 1851.  I’ve written about the Willis family and their travels so I’ll just give a brief outline here.

In 1860 the family was in the McMillan Community of Panola County, Texas. Brother Wesley was married and living next door. By 1870 the two families had moved to Marlin, Falls County, Texas and were farming. Robert was 19.

In 28 Feb 1878 at age 26 Robert married Elizabeth Rachel Stephenson in De Soto Parish, La. one of three sisters who married a Willis relative. In 1880 they had moved to Cherokee county where they lived with one son and one “hireling” to help with the farming.

We have to skip 1890 since the census was destroyed by fire, but in 1900 the family was in Smith County, Texas with five children. Robert is 49 and still farming. We also learn on this census that he could read and write.

In 1910 the family is in Wise County with two remaining children and still farming. Now we learn that he owned the home and held a mortgage. In 1920 they are still in Wise County with one daughter still living at home. Robert is now 68, still farming

In 1930 all the children are gone and it is just Robert and Elizabeth. Robert is 78, still farming and they do not own a radio set. He was not a veteran.

Robert died in 1932 He was buried at CottonwoodCemetery  in Wise County.

December 6 - Mary Ann Hellums Jeffrey

Mary Ann Hellums Jeffrey was born December 6, 1806 to John and Margaret Pruett (Pruitt or Prewett) Hellums in Knox County, Tennessee. She moved with her parents to Madison County, Mississippi Territory about 1809 and on to Tuscaloosa, Alabama about 1818.

She married James Bishop Jeffrey in 1821 in Tuscaloosa and had 14 children between 1822 and 1851.

    James Jeffrey and Mary Ann Hellums joined the Bethel Baptist Church in September and November of 1823, respectively.

 In the year of 1819, a church was constituted in the home of Jeremiah Jeffrey, 8 or 9 miles northwest of the town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They named this church, Bethel. John Fleming and wife [First wife- Abigail Jeffrey Fleming – ED] were charter members of this church and later were charter members of this Bethel Church at McMahan.

http://www.bethelpbc.com/History.htm

        In 1840, the Jeffreys requested letters of dismissal from the church and James sold his 104 acres of land to Stephen B. Russell. Most of the Jeffrey, Hellums, and related families moved to Tippah County, Mississippi, between 1837 and 1840.

The financial panic and depression that swept across the United States in 1837 resulted in banking problems that caused many Alabamians to lose their savings. Crops were ruined by drought, and several epidemics of yellow fever brought added suffering.

http://c.ancestry.com/cs/media/social-state-research-guide-alabama.pdf

Many left and a great number of emigrants settled in Texas.

James and Mary Ann, however, were in Arkansas from 1842 until about 1845, probably Montgomery County, and in Caldwell County, Texas about 1846. 

        James Jeffrey died 12 March 1860. The mortality schedule of the census shows that he died of pneumonia after three days' illness. According to that report he was 64 years old when he died and that he had been born in Tennessee.

After James' death in 1860, Mary Ann married John M. Fleming on 20 December 1863. John Fleming had been married, until her death, to Abigail Jeffrey, James Jeffrey's sister. The two families had probably been neighbors in Alabama and come to Texas together.  

 Mary Ann died in Caldwell County, Texas, on 29 July 1867 and is buried in the Jeffrey Cemetery in Caldwell County, Texas.

Three Birthdays!

Since I was away for the weekend, I got a bit behind. So today you get a three-for-one birthday bash!

December 3 - Jerry Jeffrey

Jerry is another shadowy relative. He was the son of Jeremiah C and Minerva Franks Jeffrey, and a younger brother of my great-grandfather, William Marcus Jeffrey and he would be my great, great uncle.

According to his death certificate, he was born 3 Dec 1867 in Caldwell County, Texas. He first appears on a 1870 census in Crockett, Texas with his family.

I suspect his birth date on the death certificate may be incorrect by a couple of years. Either that, or every census gives an incorrect age. He would have been two on this census but he’s listed as six. In 1880 he’s listed on the census with his mother and step-father, George Forrest. He’s listed as age 15 but his calculated age would have been 12. In 1900 there is a Jerry Jeffrey living as a boarder with the Sheldon family and age given as 21. He would have been 33 if born in 1867. It’s possible that this isn’t him.

Next we find him in 1930 with his niece and her husband, Joe and Ruby Brumbalow in Hamilton County, TX widowed, with age as 60. The calculated age would be 62. In 1940 he is still living with them in Coryell County age given as 74. Calculated age would have been 72.

The real puzzler is that the death certificate gives the correct father, and the informant was BF Jeffrey who could have been his nephew, Frank Jeffrey and while the birth date could be wrong, it would be strange to find the death date wrong. But the certificate gives the place of burial as Center Valley Cemetery in Hamilton, TX. The only Jerry Jeffrey I could find there was on FindAGrave and shows clearly a picture of the stone with the dates 1869-1944. His Death Certificate clearly states he died 3/5/1945.  If the date of birth on the death certificate is correct, he would have been 77 when he died, as stated on the death certificate. According to the tombstone, he would have been 75.

So is the tombstone for another Jerry Jeffrey? There is almost no information given with the memorial so it’s impossible to tell.

In searching for a marriage for him, it gets even worse. Both the later censuses and his death record list him as widowed. But there are several Jerry and JC Jeffreys in Texas married to different women. Trying to find one that matches has been impossible so far.

Jerry is another brick wall at this time. Perhaps more information will come to light later on. Records are constantly being transcribed, indexed and put online. Maybe we’ll find out who his wife was and whether they had any children. But, for now, Happy Birthday, Uncle Jerry. Hope to learn more about you.

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December 4 - Joseph Baker Jeffrey 

Joseph was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama December 4, 1940 the son of James Bishop Jeffrey and Mary Ann Hellums Jeffrey. He was a brother to my second great grandfather, Jeremiah C. Jeffrey, making him my second great-great uncle.

In 1847 the family was in Caldwell County Texas. The 1850 census states that Joseph was 10.

He married Eliza Long in 1857 when he was only 17 and she was 15.

In 1860 they were living in Caldwell County with one son. Joseph enlisted in the Confederate army in May of 1862. In January and February of 1863 he was captured and held by “the enemy.”  Now it gets confusing since his papers say the prisoners were recaptured in 1862. He is listed as having been a prisoner of war. According to his pension application he served until the end of the war.

 In 1870 Joseph and his family were in Williamson, Texas and his son Nathan had married and was living next door. In 1880 they have six children

In 1899 he applied for and received a pension for his service in the civil war. He was indigent and disabled. His doctor signed an affidavit that he was almost blind.

June 21, 1910 he died of dropsicle iffusion, or as otherwise known, a secondary affection of Scarlet Fever in Pontotoc, Mason County Texas.

He was buried at Salem Cemetery in Llano County, Texas.

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December 5 - James Andrew Jeffrey

James was Jerry Jeffrey’s nephew, son of Andrew Bethel and Minnie Koehl Jeffrey born 5 Dec 1894 in Huntsville, Texas. He was an older brother to Benjamin “Frank” Jeffrey and my first cousin, twice removed.

He was five years old when the census was taken in Huntsville, in 1900.  He was 15 in 1910 and working on the family farm.

In 1917 he was drafted by the Harris County draft board at age 22. Information was given that he was single, living at Goose Creek in Baytown, Texas. He was working in the oil fields and had dark hair, brown eyes and was tall and slender.

By 1930 he was living in Hamilton County as a farmer, had married Alta Virginia Willis and had four children. (and yes, I did try to find a connection with our Willises, but no luck.)

In 1940 he is still in Hamilton with Alta and now six children and still farming.

He registered for the draft in WWII. I assume it was the “old men’s draft” which just was a list of resources, not that they would be sent to fight. There is no date on the document but as his age was listed as 47, it would have been around 1941.

The 1940 census was the last one available until 2022.  His death certificate states that he was living in Fort Worth, Texas when he died of cancer in August 22, 1966. He was working in the Civil Service and his son, Jimmy Dewain signed the death certificate. He was buried in the Memory Gardens in Weatherford, Texas.

Emma Graybill and Benjamin Jeffrey Birthdays!

Emma Gilliam Graybill was born Dec 1, 1845 in Cumberland Tennessee to Minyard and  Martha Harris Gilliam.

According to my genealogy program Emma isn’t a real relative. But I feel that the mother of my great uncle IS a relative. And Emma was the mother of J T Graybill, and J T was the husband of Mattie E Graybill, my great aunt. So she’s family.

 I have been fascinated by the name Graybill for quite some time. I was first aware of it as the middle name of my grandmother, Maud Graybill Jeffrey Pettey.

I later discovered a great aunt named Mattie Jeffrey Graybill. Mattie was married to John Tully, “J T” Graybill. From there, things just snowballed. It seems J T Graybill is related to a famous Civil War hero, but we’ll save that for another time.

Emma was the second wife of Camillus Graybill. Mary E. Willcoxen was his first wife married in 1853 in Georgia and they had one child, J T, in 1854. Mary has been a shadow. I’ve not found anything else about her. But Emma and Camillus married in 1868 in Smith County, Texas. I don’t know what happened to Mary or how they got to Texas but after that, I’ve been able to trace them pretty well.

In 1870 they were in Huntsville where their son, Horace Taylor was born. Michael J Graybill was born in 1877 and another son, Minyard C, were both also born in Huntsville.

The family is listed on the census of 1880 and they were all farming.

Camillus died in 1899 and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville. The next census, 1900 shows the family living on the grounds of the Huntsville prison with Horace working as an engineer. The family includes Horace’s wife Mattie Lee and a four-year-old daughter. With them are Emma and Horace’s two brothers Minyard, driving an ice wagon, and Michael, working as a clerk.

In 1909 Emma applied for a Widow’s Pension for Camillus’s service in the Civil War. There are 15 pages of applications, letters and avadavats.

In 1910 Emma is living with Minyard and his wife Mattie and daughter but they’ve moved to Galveston where he worked as an Engineer at the Fisheries.

Emma died in the home of her son Minyard in 1939 and was buried next to Camillus in Oakwood Cemetery.

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Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Jeffrey was the nephew of Mattie Jeffrey Graybill as well as nephew of my great grandfather, William M. Jeffrey. Frank was the son of Andrew Bethel Jeffrey and Minnie Louise Koehl born December 1, 1909 in Huntsville, Texas, the youngest of 16 children, half of which were born to Andrew’s first wife, Aminda.

Frank was on the 1910 census with his family age 5 months. .He next appears on the 1930 census with his brother-in-law and sister, Joe and Ruby Jeffrey Brumbalow in Hamilton County.  Not long after, he married Lillie Mae Dolloff on September 24, 1932. In 1934 they had son, Billy Frank and in 1946, daughter, Donna Kay.

He is another relative who  disappears into the shadows. The only record found after 1946 was Frank’s obituary.

12/16/1993

B. F. "Frank" Jeffrey, 84, died Dec. 3 at Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington following an extended illness.

Services were Sunday, Dec. 5, at Riley Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Billy Jeffrey, Jr. and Rev. Ed Wright officiated, with music provided by Derek DeCross. Burial was in he Center Valley Cemetery.

Mr. Jeffrey was born Dec. 1, 1909, in Huntsville to Andrew and Minnie Louise Koehl Jeffrey. He married Lillie Mae Dolloff, Sept. 24, 1932.

He was a farmer and rancher and a member of the Baptist Church. He worked 15 years for General Dynamics and had lived in Hamilton for 75 years.

Survivors include his wife of Hamilton; a son, Billy Jeffrey of Arlington; a daughter, Donna K. DeCross of Keller; a sister, Annie Smith of Huntsville; four grandchildren, Billy Jeffrey, Jr., Diana Mitchell, Darin DeCross, and Derek DeCross; and two great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers were Randy Dolloff, Michael David Dolloff, Jeff Cody, Mike Cody, Bill Schooler, and Jess Brumbalow.

Honorary pallbearers were Bud Johnson, Garland Anglin, Fred Pendleton, Scott Boyd, Danny Barnett, Doyle Barcroft, Gene Nicholson, Travis Johnson, and Rabbit Fuqua.

He is buried in Center Valley Cemetery in Hamilton.

Birthday Kids - Miles Arthur Johns and Gina Bernardi

November 30 

Miles Arthur Johns was a pretty interesting relative to research. I had nothing on him, except for his name and birthdate. I didn’t even recognize the surname “Johns.” But he was in my database because he was a grandson of Mary Elizabeth Power (Hall), a sister of Holloway Lee Power, my third great grandfather who was one of the leaders of wagon trains to Texas. This makes Miles my third cousin, twice removed. I didn't find all that much about his life, but chasing his parents and his wife's parents had me jumping hoops.

Miles was born November 30, 1891 in Luling, Caldwell County, Texas to Perry C Johns and Martha Eliza Hall (daughter of Mary E Power).

In 1900 they were living in Guadalupe County and about four houses down there was a family named Smith with a young daughter named Berta, Miles’s future wife, who was just about a year old. Miles, or Arthur as he seems to have been called, was eight years old when the census was taken.

One odd thing about this census for the Smith’s is that the wife and mother (presumably) of the children is listed as Nettie (Talitha Antoinette Holland), born 1877, age 22 and married 5 years. The oldest child is listed as born 1879 also age 22. I haven’t figured out what went wrong there. And Husband Clifton Smith is listed as 52. Oddly enough, that seems to be correct. I can't find any record of Clif having another wife before Nettie. 

In 1910 the Johns are still living there, but I couldn’t find the Smiths anywhere.

Arthur was living in Galveston County in 1918 when he was enlisted into WWI. He only served a year and was honorably discharged in February of 1919. The war ended on November 11, 1918.

Soon after,  Arthur and Berta found each other and married.

In 1920 they were living in Harris County, probably Humble. In 1930 they were in Humble with two children, Arthur’s brother Carl and Nettie, Berta’s mother, living with them.

In 1842 he registered for the “Old Man’s Draft” in WWII. He was 50 years old and wouldn’t be required to fight, but records were kept to record the availability of manpower and resources.

Miles died in 1961 and is buried in Rosewood Park in Humble Texas. Berta applied for, and received a military plaque for his grave.

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Gina Bernardi is familiar to many of you, but for those of you who don't know, she's my grandmother, my nonna, on my mother's side.

Born Georgina Sardini 30 Nov 1899 in Villlimpenta, Mantova, Italy to Antonio and Maria Adele Elena Sardini, she married my grandfather, Pietro Bernardi in Verona, Italy. Pietro worked in the printing trade. They had four children in Verona before relocating to Rome.

I was told that my grandfather liked to put on sporting events, particularly bicycle races. Rumor has it that they had to leave town rather suddenly.

My grandparents separated but never divorced. He came every week and gave my grandmother money to support them.

During Mussolini's reign during WWII, my grandmother was chatting with some neighbors on the street and she made a joke about Mussolini. It wasn't a particularly outrageous joke. But not long after, some men came to the door and arrested her leaving her four children alone in the apartment. She was sent to a work camp up north. My mother recalls it as a really bad time. The neighbors wouldn't help them or even speak to them. Everyone was afraid.

But Gina wasn't away too long. Mussolini gave a pardon to some prisoners and Gina came home.

After the war, my mother married and moved to the United States. Gina came to visit on more than one occasion. She had a real flair for comedy. She could have the most serious poker face and crack the funniest joke. She could sing like an angel as well. She had always wanted to sing in the opera in Italy but wasn't able to.

Gina singing accompanied by son-in-law, Jesse Pettey on flute.

Gina died 31 March 1983 in Marina Italy. She's buried in Grottaferratta, Italy. I think all my relatives who knew her would agree that we all miss her very much.

[If I have any of this wrong, please let me know and I'll correct it.]

Happy Birthday, William T Petty

William Thornton Pettey/Petty,  my third great-great uncle, brother to John Wright Pettey (my third great grandfather) is one of those relatives who just didn’t leave many records. I’ve found more about his wife than about him, but there are clues there.

An old family bible that belonged to William Eli and Lucretia (Lucy) Wright Pettey lists the date of birth of son William Thornton Pettey as November 29, 1789 along with the birthdays of 12 other children. Most researchers think all the children were born in Wilkes County, NC. The family moved to Madison County Alabama around 1817. William met and married Abigail Bayless on December 6, 1821. They had six children between 1826 and 1833.

As with a lot of history there are conflicting stories. One source has William born in Alabama; others claim he was married to Bethany Bagley in December of 1821. But after reading as much on the subject as I can find, I’m sticking with the facts given above.

More Genealogy pages on William Thornton Pettey

William is mentioned in the wills of Abigail’s parents. A letter from her father mentions that she was living with them in 1834. In 1850 she is living with three of her children in Paris Texas. I would guess that William had died before 1834 but can’t find any record of his death. I haven’t given up looking for him, but it may take some time to find more clues.

Where did you go, William? Happy Birth Month.

I've written about my great grandfather William M. Pettey before, but it's his birth month!

William's older sister, Mary, was born in Arkansas in 1851. But before he was born, in 1852, the family had moved to Texas. He's on the 1860 census, age 8, for Prairie Lea, in Caldwell County and Texas is given as his birthplace.
In 1870 he is on the census, age 18, for Crockett, Houston County with parents Jeremiah C and Minerva Franks Jeffrey and six brothers and sisters. Mary is is missing, but she was old enough to have been married.  Without knowing her married name, she has been impossible to trace.
In the 1880 Census for Crockett, Minerva is still living there but she had married a neighbor, George Forest. The assumption is that Jeremiah C had died during those 10 years. With Minerva are three remaining children but William is gone.
There is a William Jeffrey in Milam County, living with the Harvey family and the relationship is listed as Laborer. This William is also from Texas and his age is given as 28, the correct age for our William. It's quite possible that this is the same William Jeffrey and that he was at an age where he could easily be working and living somewhere other than in the house with his mother, especially since she had remarried.

There are no 1890 censuses due to a courthouse fire. But William is on the Tax Rolls for Leon County from 1883 to 1897. He didn't own much land, or livestock. I'd guess times were pretty hard for him. In 14 Oct 1894 he married Ellen Crane.  In 1900 they were living in Montgomery County with four daughters and William is on the tax rolls for that year and the census taken in June. This is the last record we can find for him.

We can only guess that William died since Ellen married Albert Moore May 4, 1902 in Walker County, Texas and I've found no record of a divorce or for his death either. I suspect that, out of necessity, she had moved in with some of William's plentiful number of relatives living in and around Huntsville where she met Albert.

This has become a brick wall that we just can't seem to get over. What happened to William and where is he buried?

William and Ellen are my great-grandparents, parents of Maud Jeffrey Pettey, my grandmother.

Happy Birth Month Mathias!

Mathias A Myers has been a tough one to find. There just don't seem to be many records out there.
According to later censuses, he was born November of 1854.

He was the son of Perry Myers from Mississippi and Perry's first wife, Sarah Price. The first 3 sons were born in Mississippi, but by 1854 they had moved to Nacogdoches, Texas where Mathias was born. His mother, Sarah, died in 1860 in Nacogdoches. I haven't been able to find where she was buried.
Perry remarried to Susan A. Spivey and had more children.

Mathias married Sarah Francis (Fannie) Welch, our Eliza Jane Welch's half sister. By 1900 Eliza Jane had moved in with them and later met and married my great grandfather, William Holloway Pettey.
Mathias and Sarah Francis moved to Shelby County, Texas where they lived out the rest of their lives.

While searching for clues to the Welch-Willis line, I discovered that there was a gentleman named David Myers who had come to the same point in his research. I gave him a call and had a great conversation with him. He knew about Mathias and Fannie, but didn't realize that Fannie had a sister (listed on the 1890 census) - Eliza Jane Welch.
He did tell me, however, what he knew about the Myers.

He told me that he placed the combined stone on Fannie's grave so that his father, who wanted to visit it, could see them together - although they were not actually buried together.
Fannie is buried in the Ramah Cemetery in Teneha, Shelby County, TX. Mathias's name is on the same stone, but below it are the words, "buried North Jericho Cem." which is located in Center, Texas.  I can't find any record of his burial.

According to my genealogy program, Mathias was the husband of my "half great great aunt."

Nov 26 Happy Birthday Anna Belle!

Sometimes it's easy to find a female ancestor, and sometimes not so much.

Anna Belle Robinson Pettey had been a bit tricky to locate, but I found a few things about her. She was the wife of my great uncle Leonard Dewey Pettey.

She appears on the 1920 census as 18 years of age with parents J. S.  and Jessie Lynch Robinson along with 3 brothers. She was born 26 Nov 1902 in Jewett, Leon County, Texas. In 1930 the census notes that she was married to Leonard Dewey Pettey and they had a 5-year-old son, Leonard Dewy Jr "Dub" and a nephew, Herbert G Robinson, age 7, living with them.

Dewey Sr. and Anna Belle later divorced and she never remarried.

She was the sole publisher of the Jewett Messenger which she took over after her father's death.  She had started helping out with the paper when she was 18 and after taking it over she ran it until her death in 1964.

Happy Birthday Claude!

We haven't heard much about the Brumbalow family, but apparently they were pretty close to the Jeffreys for a time. CLAUDE BETHEL BRUMBALOW was born November 25, 1916 in Hamilton county, Texas to Joe B. and Ruby May Jeffrey Brumbalow. Ruby was a daughter of Andrew Bethel Jeffrey - brother to William M. Jeffrey - my great grandfather. Claude is my second cousin (once removed).
As a child Claude is on the 1930 census and the 1940 Hamilton County census with his family and a couple of Jeffreys. In 1930, Claude was 14 and living with them was Jerry Jeffrey, listed as uncle to head of household (Claude's father, Joe) and Frank Jeffrey listed as brother-in-law.  Coincidentally, I had been looking for Jerry on the censuses but had never found him until now.
In 1940 Frank Jeffrey is gone but Jerry is still there at age 74. Claude was 24 and working with the Soil Erosion Corp.
He later married Annie Bell Anthony and they had at least five children.

I almost cried when I found the death certificate of the oldest daughter. At age 7, Patsy Fay died of extensive burns caused by her clothes catching on fire from the stove. She was in the hospital 45 days before she died. I can't imagine....

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Another sad birth and death.
Infant Petty

Happy Anniversary

On 24 November 1853, Eldridge Franks married his second wife, Minerva A Ross in Marshall County, Mississippi. (another researcher says they were married in Caldwell County, TX. I have to look into this more.)
Minerva had been living with them at least since 1850 while Eldredge's first wife, Julia Ann, was still alive. She was listed on the 1850 census for Mississippi as 13 years of age. No relationship was given on the censuses for that year.

In 1954 Eldridge was on the tax rolls for Caldwell County, Texas and is listed as owning one slave.

Agriculture developed rapidly in antebellum Texas, as evidenced by a steady expansion in the number of farms, the amount of improved acreage, the value of livestock, and the size of crops produced. Slave labor contributed heavily to that growth.
Only a minority of antebellum Texans, however, actually owned slaves and participated directly in the cash-crop economy. Only one family in four held so much as a single slave, and more than half of those had fewer than five slaves. Small and large planters, defined respectively as those owning ten to nineteen and twenty or more slaves, held well over half of the state's slaves in both 1850 and 1860.
From Texas State History Online
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/npa01

Eldridge and Minerva had one son named Marcus L. Franks.

What I find particularly interesting about this couple are her name and her son's name. I have a 2X great-grandmother whose maiden name was Minerva M Franks. She also was from Mississippi. She named her second son William MARCUS. She and her husband also lived for a time in Caldwell County.
I'm pretty convinced that there is a relationship between this Minerva Franks and the other Franks who lived in Caldwell County, but I have yet to find the link.

After Minerva Ross Franks died, Eldridge Franks married Martha Elizabeth Fleming, granddaughter of Jeremiah and Sarah Jeffrey. This made Eldridge the husband of my 1st cousin (4X removed).

Happy Birth Month

I just realized that I have some ancestors in my database with month and year for important dates, but no day. So I'm wishing my second great-great uncle, WESLEY A. WILLIS, a happy birth month.

Wesley was the oldest of about nine children of William Franklin and Ann J. Stanley Willis. He was born in Georgia in November of 1832. By 1850 the family was living in Alabama. In 1852 he married Agnes Kent. In 1855 they were moving westward and had their second child in Louisiana. They were in Panola County, Texas in 1857 where Wesley was appointed Postmaster. He and his family are enumerated on the 1860 census for McMillan, Panola County where he is listed as a teamster.
From what I've been able to find, during the civil war it seems he was enlisted in Company F, Griffon's Battalion Texas Infantry around 1863. In Jan 1864 he was on daily duty for "having no shoes." On March 20, 1864 his card reads that at Vermillion, LA he deserted from furlough.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/David%20Carr_0.pdf

In 1870 the family was living in Marlin, Falls County, Texas next door to his parents and family. Sometime between 1870 and 1875 his wife, Agnes died.

In 1875 Wesley married Mary A Stevenson in Louisiana. She was one of three sisters who married a Willis man. One husband was Robert, Wesley's brother and the other was Berry K. Willis, Wesley's cousin.

In 1880 they were living in Wise County, TX. In 1890 they had an 18 year old nephew and a 21 year old son in law living with them. I've not been able to find out who these boys were.

Wesley was a brother of my 2X great grandmother, Martha Willis WELCH, mother of Eliza Jane Welch PETTEY.

Birth Dates and Others

I've committed myself to posting more in the upcoming year. I've printed out a report from my database of a calendar with important dates on it. I will be sharing what I know about ancestors who were born or married or died on those days.

Starting today! Nov. 22 Birthdays!

GABRIEL A PETTY was born on this day in 1773. I don't have a lot of information on him but he was the grandson of Thomas Petty, the only known child of Hubert Petty. (Hubert was the first Petty to land on US soil as an indentured servant).
Gabriel was born in Warren, N Carolina to James and Martha Clanton Petty. He was the last of 12 children. He married Sarah Darwin (1) and Nancy Sarah (2). He had a large family of about 14 children and died in 1848.

LEONARD DALE PETTEY SR.  was born in 1937 in Nacogdoches, Texas, the son of  Leonard Dewey Pettey. (There's a question in my database as to who his mother was. Dewey was married twice, once to Anna Belle Robinson and to Edith (?). Since this family was relatively recent, records are not yet available.) Dale lived in Pasadena in later years and was a Harris County Sheriff officer for 10 years, employed by Texaco for 33 years.  He was married to Sylvia Ann Meadows. He died in 2009.
I never met him but we did communicate by email about family history.

More Letters from Italy

Jumping to Conclusions by Carla Pettey

I've discovered more of my mom's writings recently. Here is one I transcribed.

Carla Pettey

Nov 1988

Jumping To Conclusions

In meeting new people sometimes we prejudge them because of something they say or do. Because of some mannerism or speech pattern, we immediately jump to conclusions and don't give them the benefit of the doubt.

It was a long time ago when I learned a lesson about jumping to conclusions on judging people.

In the spring of 1943 during WWII, our food ration had been reduced almost to the starvation point. People could not have survived unless they bought food on the black market where prices had gone up by more than 20%. Looking for food at a better price became an important activity. People from the city would go out of town to small villages where farmers grew their own vegetables, fruits and stock. Often these farmers were glad to sell their surplus.

There was no mode of transportation to these villages. Many people walked there, rode their bikes, motorcycles or trucks. Also, they hitched rides on empty German or Italian military transport trucks that were returning north from the battle front.

It was on the back of one of the military trucks that my older sister and I rode for two days to the Tuscan hills. There were other people with us, and upon arriving at our destination everyone jumped off the truck and went their separate ways. My sister and I followed a narrow dirt road that led up the hill to a small village.

My sister and I stood in the middle of the town's square confused and hesitant. We just looked around, not knowing what to do. There were only a few pew people seated at the square's outdoor cafe. They recognized we were strangers, and they just stared at us.

Soon a tall, lean man came toward us. He wore a long black robe with a silver cross on his chest. He held his folded hands in front of him, and on his face he had a friendly and gentle smile. He was the village priest.

"Where are you from, and how did you get here?" he asked.

"We come from Rome," my sister answered, "and we hitched a ride on a German army truck. The driver let us off down the road and we walked to your village."

The priest remarked, "I hear things are really bad in Rome."

"Yes," my sister said, "in Rome we have a shortage of food, coal for heating and cooking, and transportation. Many people are forced to sell their jewels and family heirlooms to buy food on the black market. Others go to farms outside the city and even further to buy food, and we came here to do the same."

This seemingly good and gentle man appeared concerned about our plight. We talked some more. He was truly sympathetic. Then he leaned over us, tilted his head to one side and said in a low voice, "I have some food stored in the parish house. Often the farmers bring me olive oil, fresh eggs, cured ham, sausage, flour. I can let you have some."

My sister and I were surprised at the offer. Because, usually, it was we who had to do the asking, almost begging, and now he was offering us food.

I thought, "How much would he charge us?"

"What else did he have up his sleeves?"

My sister smiled in appreciation, while I fumed. "Why, he was no better than those profiteers in Rome who took advantage of the food shortage and charged the hungry people exorbitant prices." I thought, "Here is a man married to the Church, a man who served God, dedicated to humility and sacrifice...a priest educated and trained to alleviate the suffering of the people, and bring them comfort and hope." I was angry! "How could he? How dare he make a profit from the food the farmers gave him? No doubt in exchange for the absolution of their sins."

All that I had heard about priests was true then: they were greedy. All they wanted was money and a full belly.

While I stewed over this, my sister, pleased that we had made a contact so quickly, smiled and asked, "How much do you want for it?"

I stared at the priest and anticipated the big price he would ask. It astounded me when I heard him say, "I don't want to sell it to you, I want to give it to you."

I turned my head so the priest would not read my thoughts. I was embarrassed and ashamed to have judged this good man so hastily. Of course no one knew how I felt, but, nevertheless, my conscience bothered me. On the other hand, it felt good to discover that the priest was a virtuous and honest man, concerned and caring about our sufferings.

The lesson I learned that spring day of many years ago was never to jump to conclusions and always give the other person the benefit of the doubt.