52 Ancestors: Week 4 "I'd Like to Meet": Gertrude Tarkington

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been a cat person. The photo of my great-grandmother Gertrude Tarkington holding a cat gives me a good feeling about her. She looks like a nice woman, and I get the feeling that I would have liked her.

Although my father knew her, he didn't see her that often, since she lived in New York when he was growing up. She must have been a good mother; there was a history of violence and abuse on my great-grandfather's side of the family, but my grandfather was a good man. Clearly she raised him right.

NGS 2017: Day 1

I am in Raleigh, North Carolina for the 2017 National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, which began today. During the opening session "Family History Lives Here," we watched a video presentation which included a reading from "The Moravian Record of Peter Binkele" - my ancestor! That was a very nice surprise! I then went to the exhibit hall and bought some books.

At 11:00 AM, I attended Diane Richard's session "Tarheels in Your Family Tree?" Some of my ancestors lived in North Carolina in the 1700s. I had never thought about the impediments to interior travel in North Carolina; I will have to follow up on the sources listed in the handout.

After lunch, I attended Craig Scott's session on Mexican War ancestors. Thomas Tarkington, who was probably my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington's brother, was killed in the Mexican War.

I then attended J. H. Fonkert's session "Use all the Sources: A Complex Case of Confounded Identity." The case study dealt with a Norwegian immigrant family. I know from experience that members of Scandinavian families may use different names, but this family used many more than one might expect!

It was a great day, and I look forward to the rest of the conference!

Those Places Thursday: Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee

Vaughn's Gap is located in southwestern Davidson County, Tennessee, near the Williamson County border. Edwin Warner Park is located in this area.

Excerpt from Foster, Wilbur F. Map of Davidson County Tennessee, from actual surveys made by order of the county court of Davidson County, 1871. New York : G.W. & C.B. Colton & Col., 1871. Available from Library of Congress.

James Sawyer (or Sawyers), who I believe to be my 4th-great-grandfather, purchased land at Vaughn's Gap on 9 November 1871.

Nashville Union and American, 10 November 1871, page 4

My 2nd-great-grandfather James William Tarkington lived with James Sawyer and his wife Louisa (McDowell) Sawyer. After James William Tarkington married my 2nd-great-grandmother Anna Malvina Binkley, the couple lived with the Sawyers in Vaughn's Gap in the 14th District of Davidson County. They later lived in Vaughn's Gap the 11th District of Davidson County with their children, including my great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington. Anna Malvina Binkley's brother James Rutherford Binkley and his wife Clementine Virginia "Jennie" (Leech) Binkley, and their children also lived in Vaughn's Gap. James and Jennie both served as postmasters. Jennie was also the ticket agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. The Binkley residence was in the same building as the post office and ticket office.

Members of my family are buried in the J. R. Binkley Cemetery, Vaughn's Gap.

I am working on a one-place study of Vaughn's Gap. It is a sub-project of the Davidson County, Tennessee One-Place-Study.

Sibling Saturday: Tarkington Siblings in Chancery Court

In October 1907 in Davidson County, Tennessee, Maggie Tarkington took her younger siblings Gertrude (my great-grandmother) and Robert Tarkington to chancery court in order to sell land that they had inherited from their father James William Tarkington, and to determine the division of the proceeds.

Nashville American, 17 October 1907, p.10

Davidson County, Tennessee Chancery Court Minutes, October Term 1907, 30 October 1907, p. 505. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

A portion of the land had already been sold.

Davidson County, Tennessee Chancery Court Minutes, October Term 1907, November 1907, p. 14. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

One year later, Gertrude and Robert received $364.00  .

Davidson County, Tennessee Chancery Court Minutes, October Term 1908, 13 October 1908, p. 359. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

Tombstone Tuesday: George Washington Tarkington

Although I have featured George Washington Tarkington's gravestone before, this is a much better photo of it. The tombstone was erected by the Woodmen of the World, West End Camp, and is located in section 13, lot 75, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee.

Angeline Isabelle Mayo

My 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Isabelle Mayo was born 185 years ago today, on 16 August 1831, in Virginia. She was the daughter of Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Bardil Gordon. Considering the family tradition of using family surnames as middle names, her name may actually have been Angeline Isbell Mayo.

Angeline was hard of hearing ever since her childhood. She had difficulty hearing conversations unless people spoke in a loud voice.

Statement of Angeline Binkley. Angeline Binkley, widow's pension application no. 120,126, certificate no. 166,029; service of Davidson Binkley (Pvt., Co. G, 128th Ill. Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By 1839, Angeline and her family had moved to Davidson County, Tennessee. Her mother Eliza had died by 29 July 1841, when her father Jacob married Nancy Lee.

1850 United States census, District 22, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 374A. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Angeline married Davidson Binkley on 20 January 1853 at her father's home in Whites Creek, Davidson County, Tennessee. The couple were married by Jonathan Garrett.

Marriage license for Davidson Binkley and Angeline Mayo, 19 January 1853. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

Davidson and Angeline's first child, Sara Elizabeth Binkley, was born on 28 September 1853, but died not long afterward, on 11 October 1853. Their second child, Louise Jane Binkley, was born on 15 November 1854. She died just over a year later, on 18 November 1855. Their third child, William Searcy Binkley, was born on 15 June 1856. Mrs. Raley was the midwife. Sometime after his birth, but before December 1858, the family moved to Williamson County, Illinois. Their daughter Anna Malvina Binkley (my 2nd-great-grandmother) was born there on 19 December 1858. Mrs. Grimes was the midwife.

1860 United States census, Township 9 Range 2 E, Williamson County, Illinois, population schedule, page 30, family 203. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

On 12 February 1861, their son James Rutherford Binkley was born. Mrs. Moore was the midwife.

Angeline's husband Davidson joined the Union Army on 26 September 1862 at Camp Butler, Illinois, and he mustered in at Camp Butler on 5 November 1862. He died of measles on 9 January 1863 in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, while serving in Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry. After his death, Angeline and their children moved back to Tennessee. They lived with her brother, Samuel Lee Mayo.

1870 United States Census, District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 10. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Samuel gave Angeline money to buy a house.

From family group sheet compiled by P. C. Lampley

1880 United States census, District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 74, page 238B, family 49. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Angeline's son James Rutherford Binkley died on 20 May 1890. Her son William Searcy Binkley died on 25 April 1894.

By 1900, Angeline was living with her widowed daughter Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington and her grandchildren Viola Maydell Tarkington, Anna Gertrude Tarkington (my great-grandmother), and Robert Vaughn Tarkington. Her granddaughter Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech, Laura Belle's husband Patrick Henry Leech, and their children John Leech, Nina Leech, and Henry Leech lived nearby. Her son James Rutherford Binkley's widow Clementine Virginia (Leech) Binkley and grandchildren Burl and James Binkley also lived nearby.

1900 United States census, Civil District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 130, sheet 11A. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Angeline died of la grippe (influenza) on 26 March 1901 in Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee. She was buried in J. R. Binkley Cemetery in Vaughns Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee.

Davidson County, Tennessee. Board of Health. Death certificate, Angeline Binkley, 1901. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Angeline left part of her property and three apple trees to her daughter-in-law Clementine Virginia "Jennie" (Leech) Binkley. The property was to go to her sons when she died, or if she remarried. she left the rest of her property to her daughter Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington.

Will of Angeline Binkley. Davidson County, Tennessee, Wills, Vol. 35, 1898-1902. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Travel Tuesday: Susan and Jesse Tarkington Visit Lewisburg, Tennessee

Nashville Tennesseean and Nashville American, 29 July 1915, page 4

In July 1915, Susan (Culley) Tarkington (the widow of my 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Joseph Tarkington) and her son Jesse traveled from Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee to Lewisburg, Marshall County, Tennessee.

While they were there, they visited Susan's daughter and Jesse's sister, Jennie Mae (Tarkington) Hooten. Jennie had married Walter Scott Hooten in 1911, and the couple lived in Lewisburg. Jennie and Walter's first child, Mary Kathryn Hooten, was born on 10 January 1913. At the time of the visit, Mary Kathryn was Susan's only grandchild.

My Uncle and Cousin Whose Trains Collided

At 7:48 AM on 15 September 1909, Passenger Train No. 4 and Freight Train No. 51 collided about one mile west of Pegram's Station, Cheatham County, Tennessee. My 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Jesse Tarkington was the engineer on Freight Train No. 51.  Joseph Greener Gower, my second cousin 4 times removed, was the engineer on Passenger Train No. 4. They were both killed in the accident. Although I am related to both men, as far as I know they are not related to each other.

 Nashville American, 16 September 1909, page 7

Nashville American, 16 September 1909, page 5

I found an article about the accident which includes photos of both men. (N. C. & St. L. Trains Together Head-On. Nashville American, 16 Sep 1909, pp. 5, 7, 15.) I am glad that I am now able to put faces with the names.

Those Places Thursday: Tennessee State Penitentiary

The Tennessee State Penitentiary opened on 1 January 1831. The original facility was located on Church Street in Nashville, Tennessee. It was built to house 200 prisoners, but it was enlarged several times. During the Civil War, the penitentiary was seized by the Union, and it was used to house political prisoners and people accused of sedition.

Convicts were leased to businesses. They mined coal and laid railroad tracks.

A new prison was designed based on the New York State Penitentiary at Auburn, New York. On 12 February 1898, the new facility opened. It was located on Cockrill Bend in Nashville. Although it was built to house 800 prisoners, more than 1,400 prisoners were bought there on opening day. The original facility was demolished, and portions of it were reused when outbuildings were constructed at the new prison.

The penitentiary was closed in 1992. A new penitentiary, the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, had opened in Nashville in 1989.

My 2nd-great-grandfather James William Tarkington and his brothers George Washington Tarkington and Thomas Tarkington worked as guards at the penitentiary, and my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington worked as a watchman.

Directory of Nashville, Edgefield, and Adjacent Towns in Tennessee, for 1877. Compiled by T. M. Haddock. Nashville: Tavel, Eastman & Howell. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Nashville City Directory, Vol. 24, 1888. Nashville: Marshall & Bruce. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

References
Lewis, Yoshie, and Allison, Brian. Tennessee State Penitentiary. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014.
Tennessee State Prison

Wedding Wednesday: George Washington Tarkington and Susan E. Post

Daily American, 19 January 1878, page 4

On 16 January 1878, George Washington Tarkington married Susan E. Post in Davidson County, Tennessee. They were married by J. B. Cox, J. P.

Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ7R-D7R : 14 July 2015), G W Tarkington and S E Post, 16 Jan 1878; citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. 88, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 200,297.

George was the son of my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell. Susan was the daughter of Ferdinand Post and Sarah Elsesser.

Sunday's Obituary: Robert Leland Taylor

Nashville American, 5 July 1907, page 5

Robert Leland Taylor.

    Robert Leland Taylor, aged one month, died Thursday at the residence of his parents, No. 1797 Eighth avenue, South. Funeral services will be from the residence at 8 o'clock this morning. Interment at Vaughn's Gap.

Robert Leland Taylor was born in Nashville, Tennessee on 12 June 1907. He was the son of my great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington. I do not know who his father was. The informant on his death certificate, Gertrude's sister Margaret "Maggie" Tarkington, said that the father was unknown. Gertrude must have known who her son's father was, since her son did not have her surname. I suspect that Margaret knew too, and just did not wish to say. Robert died on 4 July 1907 in Nashville. The cause of death was congenital debility and marasmus.

Military Monday: Memorial Day

Today is the day that we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. I am remembering family members who died while in service.

My great-grandfather's first cousin Ferdinand Constand Schneider (4 November 1887 - 15 July 1918) was killed in action during World War I at the Battle of Château-Thierry. He was the son of a German immigrant, and died fighting against the Germans.

Photo from page 165, Missouri - Soldiers of the Great War, compiled by W. M. Haulsee, F. G. Howe, and A. C. Doyle. Washington, DC: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920. Available online at http://www.usgwarchives.net/mo/wwi/missourisoldies-greatwar.htm.

 The map  below shows the Western Front of the war at the time that he was killed.

 Chicago Daily Tribune, 16 July 1918, page 2

Thomas J. Tarkington, whom I suspect was my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington's brother, was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista (23 February 1847) during the Mexican War.

Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the Mexican War, compiled 1899 - 1927, documenting the period 1846 - 1848. Thomas J. Tarkinton, Wheeler's Co., 2 Illinois Foot Vols. (Bissell's), Mexican War. NARA M616. Available from Fold3.

Map of Battle of Buena Vista. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Although my 3rd-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley did not die in battle, he was serving his country when he died. He was a private in Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. He was stationed at Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois during the winter of 1862-1863. He died of measles on 9 January 1863.

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Illinois. Davidson Binkley, Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry. NARA M539. Available from Fold3.

Harper's Weekly, 1 June 1861, p. 350. Available from Son of the South.

Fred Logan Trickey, Jr., the husband of my second cousin once removed Peggy Lorraine Clark, was one of five World War II heroes that died when B-25 bomber 227 crashed on Cold Mountain, Haywood County, North Carolina on 13 September 1946.
 

Fred and Peggy (Clark) Trickey. Milwaukee Journal, 10 October 1943.

Cannon, Doris Rollins. Cold Mountain Bomber Crash: The Enduring Legacy. Printed by Edwards Brothers, 2005. ISBN: 0-9772101-0-3

Sunday's Obituary: Sandy Gray Tarkington

Nashville Tennesseean, 7 July 1942, page 2

Sandy G. Tarkington 

To Be Buried Today

County Investigator's 

Father Dies Here

    Funeral services for Sandy G. Tarkington, 81, father of County Investigator R. L. (Bob) Tarkington, who died at his son's home early Sunday morning, will be conducted at 3 o'clock this afternoon at the Charlotte Avenue Church of Christ.
   Elds. A. C. Pullias and J. E. Acuff will officiate, and burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
   Mr. Tarkington was a native of Nashville. He spent most of his life as a boilermaker, but had been retired for approximately 15 years. He was an active member of the Maccabbees and of the Charlotte Avenue Church of Christ up until he became ill six months ago. He was also a member of the Richland Park Croquet Club.
   Surviving besides the one son are his wife, Mrs. Fannie B. Tarkington; one daughter, Mrs. J. E. Lannom; a sister, Mrs. Julia Johnson; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren, all of Nashville.
  Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Atty. Gen. J. Carlton Loser, Asst. Atty. Gens. Harry Nichol, Ben West, H. Frank Taylor, Ned Lentz, County Investigator Thomas Aldred, Charles Hix, Judge Chester K. Hart, Judge Charles Gilbert, Sheriff Claude Briley, C. H. Smith, Dr. W. J. Core, Dr. John J. Lentz, Chief John Griffin, Chief Elkin Lewis, members of the Nashville metropolitan police force, Jackson Bruce, St. Louis, Mo.; R. J. Black, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Dr. G. C. Reynolds, the Richland Park Croquet Club, W. W. Doty, A. J. Sykes and Mont Murray.


Sandy Gray Tarkington was born on 12 November 1860 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He was the son of my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell. He married Fannie Lou Barfield on 1 November 1885 in Davidson County, Their daughter Susan was born in 1886, and their son Robert Lee was born in 1889. Sandy died in Nashville on 5 July 1942.

Sunday's Obituary: Adeline Sophronia (Tarkington) Yarbrough

Nashville Tennessean, 18 January 1937, page 2

   YARBOROUGH––Sunday morning , January 17, at 4:30 o'clock at the home of her niece, Mrs. R. H. Pybas, Gale Lane, Mrs. Sophronia Yarborough. Survived by her sisters, Mrs. S. J. Ballow and Mrs. Julia Johnson, and her brother, Sandy Tarkington, all of Nashville. Funeral at the apartments of Martin, Bracey, Welsh Co., Monday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock. Services conducted by the Rev. J. F. McCloud. Interment, Mt. Olivet Cemetery. The following are the pallbearers: Dr. W. W. Whitman, W. S. Bruce, L. J. Bolster. Jr., R. H. Pybas, Jr., Robert Tarkington, and R. H. Pybas. Martin, Bracey, Welsh, 2408 West End, 7-2166.

Adeline Sophronia Tarkington was born in Tennessee on 7 July 1870. She was the daughter of my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell. She worked as a telephone operator. She married Thomas Jefferson Yarbrough on 11 December 1906 in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Her husband died on 28 July 1931. Sophronia died in Nashville on 17 January 1937.

Thriller Thursday: Edward Scruggs Shoots William Tillett

Republican Banner, 12 October 1869, page 3

The Tennessee Agricultural and Mechanical Association held a fair in Nashville on 18-23 October 1869. On the last day, there was a shooting in the amphitheater.

Republican Banner, 24 October 1869, page 1

Although the Republican Banner reported that Tillett shot Scruggs, Edward Scruggs actually shot William Tillett. The wound was apparently serious enough to get Scruggs charged with attempted murder. Scruggs' trial began on 3 December 1869.

Nashville Union and American, 4 December 1869, page 1

My 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington testified at the trial. He was listed in the newspaper as Joseph Sarkinton, but I cannot find any other evidence of the existence of a Joseph Sarkinton. William Tillett knew Joseph Tarkington for almost his entire life, and I think they were related (William Tillett was the great-grandson of William Tarkington). Even if Joseph Tarkington's testimony was similar to that of William Tillett and Sawyers (presumably Willis), I still wish more details about it had been published in the newspaper.

Edward Scruggs was convicted and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary, but a motion to continue was made.

Republican Banner, 20 February 1870, page 4

On 30 March 1870, the motion for a new trial was argued.

 Nashville Union and American, 30 March 1870, page 4

On 6 May 1870, as Edward Scruggs was riding home, someone shot at him. Although he was wounded near his knee, it was just a flesh wound.

Republican Banner, 8 May 1870, page 4

I wonder if this shooting was related to William Tillett's shooting. Perhaps someone wanted revenge.

In September 1870, the prosecutor dismissed the charges against Edward Scruggs.

Republican Banner, 8 September 1870, page 4

Sunday's Obituary: Sarah Jane (Tarkington) Ballow

Nashville Tennessean, 11 December 1937, page 22

BALLOW––Friday, Dec. 10, 1937 at her home 1025 Villa Place at 3:10 p.m. o'clock, Mrs. Sara Tarkington Ballow. Survived by daughter, Miss Elizabeth Ballow and Mrs. E. T. Gambill of Nashville, Tenn. Remains are at the residence above. Complete funeral arrangements announced later. Moore's Funeral Hime, 1819 Broad Street. Phone 5-3560.

Nashville Tennessean, 12 December 1937, page 21

MRS. SARAH BALLOW 

    Funeral services for Mrs. Sarah Tarkington Ballow, Nashville resident, will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the residence, 1025 Villa Place. The Rev. Howard I. Kerr, the Rev. James Clarke and Dr. Roger Nooe will officiate. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
    Mrs. Ballow died Friday afternoon at her residence here.
    The widow of Thomas Burwell Ballow, she had lived in Nashville nearly 70 years. Prior to living here, she lived in Franklin, Williamson County.
    Mrs. Ballow was a member of the Hillsboro Presbyterian Church.
    Surviving are her daughters, Miss Elizabeth Ballow and Mrs. Eugenia Gambill; her sister, Mrs. Julia Johnson, and her brother, Sandy Tarkington.

Sarah Jane "Sallie" Tarkington was born on 13 August 1857 in Williamson County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell. Sarah married Thomas Burwell Ballow on 13 October 1885 in Davidson County, Tennessee. They had a son, Thomas Burwell Ballow (born 23 March 1895), and a daughter, Elizabeth Fort Ballow (born 2 October 1899). Eugenia Gambill was Sarah's stepdaughter. Her husband Thomas died on 1 November 1904. Her son Thomas died on 20 September 1935. Sarah died on 10 December 1937 and was buried on 13 December 1937.