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.

52 Ancestors: Week 3 "Unusual Name": Astyanax

Hector's last visit to his family before his duel with Achilles: Astyanax, on Andromache's knees, stretches to touch his father's helmet. Apulian red-figure column-crater, ca. 370–360 BC. From Ruvo. Stored in the Museo Nazionale of the Palazzo Jatta in Ruvo di Puglia (Bari). Jastrow, 2006. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

One of the unusual names I have come across in my family tree is Astyanax. In Greek mythology, Astyanax was the son of the Trojan prince Hector and his wife Andromache.

The first Astyanax I have come across is Astyanax Mills, the son of  Archibald Ewing Mills and Nancy Hardgrave (sister of my 5th-great-grandmother Hannah Hardgrave.) He was born in Kentucky and was a child when his father died around 1814. He may have died young. However, the name continued in the family.

Astyanax Mills Douglass (10 September 1838 - 1 March 1908) was the son of James S. Douglass and Caroline Mills (half-sister/half-first cousin of Astyanax Mills; daughter of Nancy Hardgrave and her second husband John F. Mills, the half-brother of Archibald Ewing Mills.) He was a physician, Confederate officer, and Texas state representative. He was born and raised in Sumner County, Tennessee. He studied medicine in Nashville and earned his medical degree in 1861. He served in Company I of the Sixth Mississippi Infantry Regiment and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant after the Battle of Shiloh. After he was wounded in 1862, he went to Bowling Green, Kentucky and served as assistant surgeon. He returned to the Sixth Mississippi Infantry Regiment in 1863. After the war, he returned to Sumner County, Tennessee and practiced medicine, then moved to Covington, Hill County, Texas. He served in the Texas State Legislature from 13 January 1874-18 April 1876; 18 April 1876-14 January 1879; and 14 January 1879-11 January 1881, and served in the Texas State Senate from 10 January 1893-10 January 1895 and 13 January 1903-10 January 1905. He was chairman of the Texas State Board of Health and president of the Medical and Surgical Association of Hill County, the Medical Examining Board of the Eighteenth Judicial District, and the Confederate Veterans and Old Settlers Association of Hill County. He was profiled on the blog The Strangest Names in American Political History.

Astyanax Mills Douglass had a son, Astyanax Saunders Douglass (24 September 1871-27 April 1897), who had a son also named Astyanax Saunders Douglass (19 September 1897-26 January 1975.) This Astyanax was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1921 and 1925. He was a veteran of World War I. He was a coach at Amarillo High School in Amarillo, Texas, and named the team the Golden Sandstorms. He later founded Furniture Warehouse Stores of El Paso, Texas.

Elizabeth L. Mills, daughter of John F. Mills and his first wife Frances Thurmond, and stepsister/half-first cousin of Astyanax Mills, had a son named Astyanax Mills Duncan (6 February 1833-5 September 1921). He lived in and near Sumner County, Tennessee.

The name Astyanax was also used as a middle name in the family. Ann Hardgrave Mills, the daughter of Nancy Hardgrave and John F. Mills, had a son named Dero Astyanax Saunders (13 June 1858-28 June 1913). He lived in Mississippi. He had a son who was also named Dero Astyanax Saunders (9 March 1900-15 October 1961), who fathered a third Dero Astyanax Saunders (13 September 1931-15 March 1969.)

References
Bork, June, comp. Wayne County, Kentucky Deed Book B (1811-1818). San Diego, CA: June Bork, 1993. Deed abstracts: Joel Coffey & Patsy his wife to the heirs of Arch. E. Mills, dec'd, 24 Nov 1814; Joshua Jones Sr. & Hannah his wife to Nancy Mills, widow of Archibald Mills, et al., 9 Mar 1816.
Miller, Aragorn Storm. Douglass, Astyanax M. Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
A. M. Douglass. Texas Legislators: Past and Present. Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
Find A Grave, Astyanax S Douglass
Astyanax Douglass - Wikipedia
Astyanax Douglass. Baseball Reference.
Astyanax Douglass - "A Horned Frog Makes Good"
Death notice, A. S. Douglass. El Paso Herald-Post, 27 Jan 1975, p. C-7.
"Concerning Names." El Paso Herald-Post, 1 Feb 1975, p. B-1.
Find A Grave, Astynas Mills Duncan
Find A Grave, Dero Astyanax Saunders
Find A Grave, Dero Astanyax Saunders
Find A Grave, Dero Astyanax Saunders, Jr.

52 Ancestors: Week 2 "Challenge": Mary Nevins

I have not been able to identify any relatives of my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins, other than her husband and children. I know that she was born in Ireland in the 1830s and was in the Davidson County, Tennessee by January 1855, when she married my 3rd-great-grandfather William Dow Gatlin.

I don't know whether she immigrated to the United States with other family members. I searched for others in the Nashville area with the surname Nevins, and found Robert F. Nevins, a grocer. He turned out to have been born in Tennessee about 1830. He couldn't have been Mary's brother.

I found a death certificate for Alexander Nevins, son of Joseph Nevins and Mary Haley born 21 December 1832 in Ireland. He died in Nashville on 8 April 1922 at the Little Sisters of the Poor home. However, he had previously been in the National Soldiers Home in Washington County, Tennessee. He had previously lived in North Carolina. He had initially enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1857 in Boston Massachusetts. I have not found any evidence that he and Mary were related.

The names of Mary's sons may provide clues. My 2nd-great-grandfather was named John William Morton Gatlin (but was usually known just as William Morton Gatlin or William M. Gatlin.) His paternal grandfather was John McNairy Gatlin. His father was William Dow Gatlin and his great-grandfather (his paternal grandmother's father) was William Gower. Perhaps the name Morton came from Mary's side of the family. Another son was named Clarence Bateman Gatlin. I do not know of anyone (family, friends, or famous people) that he could have been named after. These names also may have come from Mary's side of the family.

Mary died on 9 September 1888. Her death was recorded in the Davidson County, Tennessee death register, but parents' names were not recorded then. Researching Mary has definitely been a challenge. Hopefully I will eventually break down this brick wall.

52 Ancestors: Week 1 "First": Godfrey Spruill

My 9th-great-grandfather Godfrey Spruill was the first doctor in North Carolina. He was born about 1650, and received a land patent in James City County, Virginia on 31 October 1684. By 1694, he was living in North Carolina, and he was practicing medicine in Edenton by 1702.

Dillard, Richard. "Some Early Physicians of the Albemarle." The North Carolina Booklet, pp. 17-18. North Carolina Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, July 1911.

Godfrey and his wife Joanna had the following children:

• Samuel (my 8th-great-grandfather), who married (1) Elizabeth Swain (my 8th-great-grandmother) and (2) Mary
• Godfrey
• Joseph
• Susannah, who married Cuthbert Phelps
• Anna Margaritta, who married (1) James Stuart and (2) Samuel Boutwell
• Mary

Sources:
Godfrey Spruill - Wikipedia
Godfrey Spruill - Bagwells.com
Godfrey Spruill, 1694 NC
Re: Godfrey Spruill, 1694 NC
The North Carolina Booklet

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!

Wednesday's Child: Walter D. Hughes

Walter D. Hughes, the son of Walter John Hughes and my 2nd-great-grandmother's sister Mary "Mollie" Dyer, was born about 1885 in Tennessee. He died at the age of 13, on 13 November 1898, in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. The cause of death was inanition. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

Davidson County, Tennessee Death Registers. Entry no. 1396, Walter D. Hughes, 1898, p. 170. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. 

Davidson County, Tennessee Death Registers. Entry no. 1396, Walter D. Hughes, 1898, p. 170. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. 

 Nashville American, 14 Nov 1898, p. 3.

Nashville American, 15 Nov 1898, p. 5.

Conclusions about the Maiden Name and Family Relationships of Mary, Wife of Michael Dyer and John Cox

When I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee last September, I did some research on my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary, the wife of Michael Dyer and John Cox. After examining my findings and doing additional research, I have come to some conclusions about her maiden name and family relationships.

In a deed registered on 25 June 1868, Mary, wife of Michael Dyer, conveyed land to "my Sister Bridget Long wife of John Long". (1) In a deed registered on 19 August 1868, Bridget Long conveyed land to "my Sister Mary Dyer". (2) These deeds establish that Mary and Bridget were sisters.

Bridget Allen married John S. Long on 17 November 1861 in Davidson County, Tennessee. (3) He was not her first husband. In 1860, 22-year-old Bridget Allen and 4-year-old Martin Allen lived in the household of Thomas and Sarah Fagan. (4) Thomas Fagan and Sarah Reynolds had married in 1857. (5) Bridget's first husband was probably Michael Allen, who declared his intention to become a United States citizen on 23 March 1853 in Davidson County, Tennessee. (6) Mary's husband Michael Dyer declared his intention to become a United States citizen on the same date and in the same place. (7) Michael Dyer was from County Roscommon, Ireland. (8) Michael Allen was also from County Roscommon, Ireland. (9) A  Martin Allen also came from County, Roscommon, Ireland. (10) He was probably the brother of Michael Allen and the uncle of the younger Martin Allen. He was probably the father of Michael Allen, the nephew of Mrs. Bridget Long, who died at age 16 on 18 November 1874. (11)

In her will, Bridget left property to her nieces Elizabeth Slowey and Sarah Gatlin. (12) Mary Elizabeth Slowey was the daughter of Thomas Fagan and Sarah Reynolds. (13)  Sarah Gatlin's maiden name was Dyer (14), and she was the daughter of Bridget's sister Mary. (15) Bridget and Mary must have been the sisters of either Thomas Fagan or Sarah Reynolds. Additional sources support that conclusion. A newspaper article on the death of Tom Fagan, the son of Thomas and Sarah Fagan (16), states that Tom Cox was a cousin of Tom Fagan (17); Tom Cox was Mary's son (18) from her marriage to her second husband John Cox. (19) Another newspaper item provides additional evidence. A report of the death of Sarah Fagan stated that Mrs. McDonough was notified of the death of her aunt, Mrs. Sarah Fagan, and that the mother of Mrs. McDonough and Tom Cox had left the courtroom for this reason. (20) Mrs. McDonough was Mary's daughter Nellie Cox (21), who had married Owen McDonough. (22) Although this news item alone does not provide enough information to conclude that Sarah was Mary's sister rather than her sister-in-law, an additional source supports the theory that Sarah and Mary were sisters. Mary's daughter Sarah "Sadie" (Dyer) Gatlin had a son named John R. Gatlin (23); according to John's World War II draft registration card, his full name was John Reynold Gatlin. (24) It therefore seems more likely that Sadie's mother's maiden name was Reynolds. Additionally, John Grenham's Irish Surnames web site shows that the surnames Dyer, Allen, and Reynolds are all found in Boyle Parish, County Roscommon, Ireland; the surname Fagan was not found to be associated with the surnames Dyer and Allen in County Roscommon. (25)

I therefore believe it is likely that Mary's maiden name was Reynolds and that she was the sister of Bridget and Sarah Reynolds.

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1. Davidson County, Tennessee, Deed Book 39: 443-444. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

2. Davidson County, Tennessee, Deed Book 39: 554. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

3. Davidson County, Tennessee, Marriage register, 1861, p. 355, record no. 4254, Jno S. Long and Bridget Allen. Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

4. 1860 United States census, Nashville Ward 6, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, p. 124, dwelling 824, family 956. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

5. Davidson County, Tennessee, Marriage register, 1857, p. 225, record no. 2698, Thomas Fagan and Sarah Reynolds. Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

6. Davidson County, Tennessee, Declaration of intention no. 148, Michael Allen, 23 March 1853. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

7. Davidson County, Tennessee, Declaration of intention no. 149, Michael Dyer, 23 March 1853. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

8. Harris, Ruth-Ann M., Donald M. Jacobs, and B. Emer O’Keeffe, editors. Searching for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in “The Boston Pilot 1831–1920”. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989, p. 114.

9. Harris, Ruth-Ann M., Donald M. Jacobs, and B. Emer O’Keeffe, editors. Searching for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in “The Boston Pilot 1831–1920”. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989, pp. 373-374.

10. Harris, Ruth-Ann M., Donald M. Jacobs, and B. Emer O’Keeffe, editors. Searching for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in “The Boston Pilot 1831–1920”. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989, pp. 373-374.

11. Death notice, Michael Allen and Michael Dougherty. Republican Banner (Nashville, TN), 19 Nov 1874, p. 4.

12. "Mrs. Long's Will: Leaves Houses and Lots to Nieces, Misses Slowey and Gatlin." Nashville American, 29 March 1907, p. 12.

13. Tennessee Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics. Death certificate no. 1262, Mary Elizabeth Slowey, 1943. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

14. Davidson County, Tennessee. Marriage license and return, William M. Gatlin and Sarah C. Dyer, June 1881. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

15. 1870 United States Census, Nashville Ward 6, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, p. 20, dwelling 170, family 196. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

16. 1880 United States Census, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 36, p. 1, dwelling 3, family 3. 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.

17. "For Killing Tom Fagan." Nashville American, 25 Feb 1896, p. 5.

18. 1880 United States Census, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 43, p. 38, dwelling 288, family 428. 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.

19. Davidson County, Tennessee. Marriage license and return, John Cox and Mary Dyer, April 1871. Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee.

20. "Mrs. Sarah Fagan Dead." Nashville American, 14 Feb 1904, p. 12.

21. 1880 United States Census, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 43, p. 38, dwelling 288, family 428. 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.

22. Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X81Z-9ZY : 21 December 2016), Owen Mc Donough and Nellie Cox, 06 Mar 1899; citing , Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 200,300.

23. Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. City Health Department. Division of Vital Statistics. Affidavit for correcting a record, John R. Gatlin. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

24. World War II draft registration for John Reynold Gatlin, serial no. 1326, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Draft Registration Cards for Fourth Registration for Illinois, 04/27/1942 - 04/27/1942; NAI Number: 623284; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

25. Irish Surnames. <https://www.johngrenham.com/surnames/>