3 Sisters Family History: 2021

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Before to After

Because You Stood,

I Stand.

Because You Spoke,

I Speak.

Because You Did,

I Can.

Because You Were,

I Am.

Sunday, November 21, 2021

McCarty Puzzler, Identifying parents of Benjamin Wells McCarty of Houston Texas, 1853-1907

The Benjamin Wells McCarty puzzler number one question is who were his parents.

Searching for Benjamin Wells McCarty family trees on Ancestry.com I find 7 trees naming James Madison McCarty and Nancy Fife as Benjamin’s parents. This is incorrect. The children of James Madison McCarty and Nancy Fife are well documented and there was no son named Benjamin Wells McCarty.

I found one Ancestry.com tree naming Madison McCarty and Henrietta Lawrence as Benjamin’s parents. This is also incorrect. Henrietta, wife of Madison McCarty died before the 1850 census. Benjamin was born in 1853 so he could not be a child of Henrietta, wife of Madison McCarty.

Five Ancestry.com trees name Madison M. McCarty and Nancy Wiggins as the parents of Benjamin Wells McCarty. This is entirely feasible from records I found available, but I have failed to find any documented proof of this assumption.

The known facts concerning Benjamin Wells McCarty I have found is that he was born 24 May 1853 in Louisiana, possibly but not definitely in Shreveport. The earliest definitive record we have for our Ben is on the 1860 Liberty, Liberty County Texas census. This record lists household # 37, family # 40 as Nancy McCarty age 34 female born in Georgia, value of real estate $1300, value of personal property $100; Benj McCarty age 7 born in Louisiana; Virginia Kirkpatrick age 30 born in Georgia; Frank Kirkpatrick age 6 born in Louisiana.

Our next definitive record of Benjamin McCarty is the 1870 federal census Liberty County, Texas, dwelling # 301 family # 292. This record is Ezekiel G. Thompson age 40 born in Pennsylvania with real estate value $3000, personal property $1000; Virginia G. age 40 born in Georgia, keeping house; Ida age 5 born in Texas; Frank Kirkpatrick age 17 born in Louisiana, Clerk in Store; Benjamin McCarty age 17 born in Louisiana, farmer, real estate value $300, personal property $200.

Ida Thompson in the above census record is recorded on her Iowa death certificate, death Burlington, Iowa 24 Jan 1948, birth 14 July 1865 in Houston, Texas. Her father is named as Ezekiel Thompson born Pennsylvania, her mother as Georgia Wiggins born in Texas. I have not found Ida Thompson on the 1880 federal census. In 1900, she is found in Crawford County, Illinois married to Bruce Dwight Williams. Ida Thompson Williams life is well documented from this time until her death in 1948. Nothing in these records, other than the 1870 census record, connects her to Benjamin McCarty. Our Benjmain did name a daughter Ida McCarty.

The first record I have found of Madison M. McCarty and Nancy Wiggins is the 1850 Waynesboro, Burke, Georgia, USA Federal census. This record is household # 5, Madison McCarty age 29 born in Georgia; Georgia V. age 20 born in Georgia; Julia R age 11 born in Georgia; Floyd D age 8 born in Georgia; Rodolph S age 1 born in Georgia; Nancy Wiggins age 24 born in Georgia; Henry Myers age 23 Civil Engineer born in Georgia; Augustus Kirkland age 22 born Georgia, assistant tavern keeper; Basil R Arthur age 24 merchant born SC; Sarah age 17 born in Georgia; Thomas M Berrien age 61 born in Georgia, attorney at law; Virginia age 46 born in Georgia.

I am confident that the Georgia V. McCarty, 1850 Burke County, Georgia is the same person as Virginia Kirkpatrick in 1860 Liberty, Texas in the same household as Benjamin McCarty, as well as the same person as Virginia G. Thompson on the 1870 Liberty County, Texas census in the same household as Benjamin McCarty. Virginia G. Thompson’s daughter’s death certificate documents her mother’s name as Georgia Wiggins. This death record along with the 1870 census record for Ida Thompson proves her mother’s maiden name as Virginia Georgia Wiggins. I am equally confident that the Nancy Wiggins on the 1850 Burke County, Georgia census is the same person as the Nancy McCarty listed on the 1860 Liberty County, Texas census with Benjamin McCarty listed in her household. There is even one McCarty family tree online that maintains that Virginia Berrien, wife of Thomas M Berrien on the 1850 Georgia census is actually Virginia Wiggins mother of both Virginia McCarty and Nancy Wiggins listed above her on this census. I have found no record to support this assumption concerning the identity of Virginia Berrien.

The number one discrepancy between the many family trees documenting Georgia V. Wiggins McCarty and Nancy Wiggins as sisters is that each and every one of these trees maintains that Virginia G. Wiggins McCarty died circa 1851 in Georgia. I cannot reconcile an 1851 death date for Madison McCarty’s wife Virginia G. with the 1860 and 1870 census records in Liberty Texas. Another problem reconciling actual records with assumptions is if Georgia V. Wiggins McCarty, wife of Madison McCarty, and Nancy Wiggins McCarty, another wife of Madison McCarty, are sisters how do they come to be living together in 1860 with Nancy having a child by the dead husband of her living sister that is living in her household. This is certainly possible but seems improbable. Without all these online trees to tell me otherwise, I would suspect that either Benjamin Wells McCarty was a child of Madison McCarty and Virginia Georgia Wiggins or that he was a son of Nancy Wiggins and some male McCarty unidentified relative of Madison McCarty. It is also possible that Virginia G. McCarty, wife of Madison McCarty on the 1850 Georgia census is not the same individual as Virginia Kirkpatrick & Virginia G. Thompson in 1860/1870 records.

All documented evidence I have found, points to Georgia V. McCarty wife of Madison McCarty being the same person as Virginia Kirkpatrick and Virginia G. Thompson. Certainty, Virginia G. Thompson was Virginia Georgia Wiggins born in Georgia.

Madison McCarty is said to have died from a gunshot in a case of mistaken identity. I have found no document to support this death date or the circumstances of his death.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Enloe Texas

I have been helping my friend from work search for her ancestors that came to the Houston Texas area piror to the Civil War. The Surname is Enloe, a very unusual name, so when I saw there was a town in Texas named Enloe, I suspected it was named for one of her relatives. Then town of Enloe was named for John Albert Enloe, of Enloe, Delta County, Texas who came to Delta County before 1880.

http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Enloe-Texas.htm

ENLOE, TEXAS

Delta County, Central Texas North

33° 25' 58" N, 95° 39' 27" W (33.432778, -95.6575)
FM 2949 and 198
3 Miles N of Cooper
SW of Paris
NE of Commerce
Population: 125 est. (2010, 2000)

History in a Pecan Shell

Enloe began with the building of a church here in 1888, but it wasn’t officially a proper town until nine years later when space was donated to the railroad by J. A. Enloe. In 1897, the town opened a post office under Enloe’s name. The population at that time was reported to be around 100 residents. So, in a centuries time, the town has gained 25 residents.

Seven years later the town counted 273 residents and the Enloe Baptists rebuilt their church. 1914 reported 400 Enloens and a telephone system.

The town had most essential businesses and two cotton gins and the population had grown to 450 by 1929. Seven years later the number of people had decreased to 265.

Increased factory work for the WWII war effort drained off more of Enloe’s workforce and by the mid 1950s less than 200 people lived here. This figure fell to just 150 for the mid 1960s and was given as 125 for the 2000 Census.

John Albert Enloe father, Nathaniel, grandfather Nathaniel Sr, ggrandfather Isaac, 2ggrandfather Abraham Enloe and wife Mary Deason

Russell Enloe Sr. father Steven Elijah Enloe, grandfather James Marcus Enloe, ggrandfather Marcus Porter Enloe, 2g grandfather David Enloe, 3g grandfather Enoch Enloe, 4g grandfather Abraham Enloe and wife Mary Deason = 7 generations from Russell Enloe Sr, 9 generations from Kathy.

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

This Old House

Daddy built the house in the winter and spring of 1948, the year Sister Fleta was born in January. He said the frame warped after he got it up because he had to stop and put in a spring corp. In Arkansas, spring brings rain. The frame got wet and warped. Mama said Grandpa Melton Powell got a crick in his neck each day because he sat by the house and looked up at the workers all day. She also said the opening for the stove pipe in the chimney was the wrong size because Grandpa said the opening was the exact same size as a wheel hub which Daddy used as a pattern for the opening. The results were close but not exact.

As I remember the story goes that most of the boards used were cut from the Rock Quarry and hauled to a sawmill to be cut into lumber. There is no plywood used in this old house. I think the joists, studs, footers, and headers and other framework were all oak. The subfloor was oak boards. All the flooring was hardwood. The walls were made of solid tongue and groove hardwood.

Our family, Willis, Hazel, Patsy, Richard, Clayton and Fleta moved into the house in May of 1948.

I know this because the date was written on the ceiling of the porch at one time. Some careless person, i.e. a person who could care less, painted over the writing years ago.

Here is a list of improvements Sister Helen made to the our homeplace:

Painted entire house inside and out.

Cleaned, cleared the yard of dead limbs, junk poultry pins, junk rabbit cages, junk pool deck pieces.

Fenced the yard.

Unsealed all the windows that were painted shut. Some were nailed shut.

Unsealed back door that was nailed shut.

New furniture throughout the house. There was only and old cook stove and refrigerator in the house when she moved in, no furniture at all.

Added cabinets over washer/dryer, the painted them white.

Painted kitchen cabinets white

New kitchen flooring

New beautiful kitchen sink

New wonderful kitchen faucet

New used dish washer

New used cook range [she has replaced the kitchen range more than once, now has a beautifully useful Jenn-Air Range bought used at a bargain price.]

New used fridge bought at a bargain and with Brother’s help ran water line to fridge for the ice maker.

New used dryer, bought at a bargain

New used washer, bought at a bargain

New deep freeze

New bath shower head

New used water heater bought at a bargain and installed by brother.

New used front door bought at a bargain

New door handle

New ceiling fans

New heating stove, but I think this was a gift from Sister Betty.

New porch swing, another gift from Sister Betty.

A new, really new, water tight tin roof with a little help from a few guys.

And most recently, all by herself, removed old dirty living room carpet, cleaned, sanded, and refinished the newly revealed beautiful hardwood flooring that Daddy put down 73 years ago.