Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun this week is to tell about your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor and to identify what resources you might use to find him or her.
My Most Recent Unknown Ancestors are the parents of my great great grandfather, William M. Saunders. He is number 20 on my pedigree chart and his parents would be numbers 40 and 41.
William Saunders married L. J. (Louisa J.) Scarborough on the 15 Dec 1859 in Anderson County, TX. The 1860 Anderson County, TX census shows William M. Sanders, age 18, born in Texas and L. J. Sanders, age 20, born in Arkansas. Louisa’s brother, John Scarborough, age 18, born in Arkansas, is living with them. Louisa’s parents have already moved on to Johnson County, Texas by 1860. There are no other Saunders/Sanders families living in Anderson County that could be the parents of William. I have searched at the Anderson County courthouse for deeds for William and found none. More than likely, he did not own land there.
William and Louisa had two sons: William Henry Saunders (my great grandfather), born in Feb 1862 and John M., born in Sept 1863.
I believe that William and Louisa moved to Bosque County, Texas between 1860 and 1866. William Saunders died sometime before July 1866, as Louisa married David Henry Eddleman on 12 July 1866 in Bosque County, Texas.
The only reference to William's death is found in the Probate Minutes of Bosque County, Texas, Volume D1, page 619. It reads as follows:
Thursday, Nov. 1st 1866
#95 D. H. Eddleman Guardian of the minors William H. Sanders & John M. Sanders heirs at law.
This case coming to be heard and the court being satisfied Petition had been filed and notice given as the law requires It is therefore ordered by the Court that D. H. Eddleman be appointed guardian of the Person and Estate of the Minors William H & John M. Sanders and that letters of Guardianship do issue as soon as he shall have filed in this Court a sufficient Bond. Ordered this case be continued until the next regular Term. There were no other minutes on this case. Either David Eddleman never filed the bond, or it is missing from the records.
I have searched for records of Civil War soldiers, thinking that William may have been killed in the war. I have searched for deeds, probates and a Will and have not found anything telling me about the life of William, nor found even a hint as to whom his parents were.
I searched the 1850 census in Texas looking for a William Saunders born around 1842. I found one family with a William M. Saunders, age 8, which fits my William’s age exactly, as does the middle initial. The father in that family was also named William and he and his wife had several young children in 1850. I cannot find this family in the 1860 census, nor can I find any trace of them in Anderson County or Bosque County; therefore, I don’t know if this is the right family or not.
I have also searched in Arkansas where Louisa’s Scarborough family was living. That did not produce any results, either.
What to do now? I would like to go back to Bosque County and do more searching just to make sure that I didn’t miss something the first time. I also need to check the deeds to see if perhaps Louisa (Scarborough) Eddleman disposed of any land that could have belonged to her and William. In the meantime, I will keep doing periodic searches on the internet and on Ancestry with the hopes of finding another relative who is researching this line.
Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun looked like too much fun this week, so I was forced to put aside the boxes that I am unpacking from my recent move and play along. I'm a little late as it is now Sunday night, not Saturday; but here is the list of my 16 great great grandparents: 16. John Martin Blanton, son of David Blanton and Susannah Snow, was born on 26 Nov 1827 in Walker County, Alabama, died on 8 Dec 1873 in Cass County, Texas at age 46, and was buried in Cass County, Texas.
John married Julia Ann McAnear on 10 Sep 1850 in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas. 17. Julia Ann McAnear, daughter of Alexander McAnear and Elizabeth Blanton, was born on 4 Dec 1831 in Alabama, died on 24 Oct 1915 in Johnson County, Texas at age 83, and was buried in Marystown Cemetery, Johnson County, Texas.
Julia married John Martin Blanton on 10 Sep 1850 in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas. 18. Martin Van Buren Mills, son of Jonathan J. Mills and Mary Faulkner, was born on 2 Jun 1837 in Illinois, died on 8 Nov 1926 in Johnson County, Texas at age 89, and was buried in Prairie Springs Cemetery, Johnson County, Texas.
Martin married Mary Frances Armstrong on 22 Jan 1860 in Johnson County, Texas. 19. Mary Frances Armstrong, daughter of John Armstrong and Sarah Morris, was born on 20 Jun 1838 in Kentucky, died on 31 Dec 1928 in Johnson County, Texas at age 90, and was buried in Prairie Springs Cemetery, Johnson County, Texas.
Mary married Martin Van Buren Mills on 22 Jan 1860 in Johnson County, Texas. 20. William M. Saunders, probable son of William T. Saunders and Jemima, was born about 1842 in Texas and died before Jul 1866 in Bosque County, Texas.
William married Louisa J. Scarborough on 15 Dec 1859 in Anderson County, Texas. 21. Louisa J. Scarborough, daughter of John Scarborough and Sarah, was born on 6 Dec 1840 in Union County, Arkansas, died on 11 Aug 1911 in Tolar, Hood County, Texas at age 70, and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Hood County, Texas. She was usually called Eliza.
Eliza married William M. Saunders on 15 Dec 1859 in Anderson County, Texas.
Eliza next married David H. Eddleman on 12 Jul 1866 in Bosque County, Texas. 22. Rufus K. Prestidge, son of Obediah C. Prestridge and Mary Gilmer, was born on 24 Mar 1842 in Mississippi, died on 4 Aug 1918 in Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas at age 76, and was buried in Prairie Springs Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas.
Rufus married Sarah Frances Slaughter on 28 Dec 1859 in Van Zandt County, Texas. 23. Sarah Frances Slaughter, daughter of William A. Slaughter and Sarah Jane Wise, was born on 24 Dec 1844 in Jasper County, Georgia, died on 31 Dec 1915 in Van Zandt County, Texas at age 71, and was buried in Prairie Springs Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas. She was usually called Sallie.
Sallie married Rufus K. Prestidge on 28 Dec 1859 in Van Zandt County, Texas. 24. Harvey Griffith was born about 1818 in Tennessee and died about 1860 in Madison County, Arkansas about age 42.
Harvey married Anna Poyner about 1840 in Tennessee. 25. Anna Poyner, daughter of John Poyner and Elizabeth Griffith, was born in 1819 in Tennessee and died from 1856 to 1859 in Arkansas at age 37.
Anna married Harvey Griffith about 1840 in Tennessee. 26. Thomas L Davis, son of James G. Davis and Unknown, was born on 15 Oct 1830 in Fayette County, Georgia, died on 21 Jul 1863 in Natchez, Adams County , Mississippi at age 32, and was buried in Natchez, Adams County , Mississippi.
Thomas married Martha Emmaline Farris on 12 Jan 1854. 27. Martha Emmaline Farris, daughter of Elias Farris and Martha, was born on 15 Dec 1835 in Alabama, died on 21 May 1913 in Logan County, Arkansas at age 77, and was buried in Bethel Cemetery, Logan County, Arkansas.
Martha married Thomas L Davis on 12 Jan 1854.
Martha next married Richard M. Gilbert in 1865 in Union Parish, Louisiana. 28. William Edwin Nix, possible son of Elijah Nix and Martha, was born in 1831 in Georgia, died in 1890 in Sunset, Montague County, Texas at age 59, and was buried in Smyrna Cemetery, Montague County, Texas.
William married Georgia Ann Reid on 21 Jan 1860 in Coosa County, Alabama. 29. Georgia Ann Reid was born in 1845 in Georgia, died in 1895 in Sunset, Montague County, Texas at age 50, and was buried in Smyrna Cemetery, Montague County, Texas.
Georgia married William Edwin Nix on 21 Jan 1860 in Coosa County, Alabama. 30. William H. Rose was born on 7 Aug 1840 in Illinois or Ohio, died on 18 Feb 1900 in Montague County, Texas at age 59, and was buried in Smyrna Cemetery, Montague County, Texas.
William married Hester A. Patterson about 1866 in Missouri. 31. Hester A. Patterson, daughter of James William Patterson and Sarah Jane McHenry, was born on 16 Mar 1850 in Virginia, died on 29 Mar 1894 in Montague County, Texas at age 44, and was buried in Smyrna Cemetery, Montague County, Texas.
Hester married William H. Rose about 1866 in Missouri.
Provide a list of your paternal grandmother's patrilineal line. Answer these questions:
* What was your father's mother's maiden name? Josephine Milam Saunders
* What was your father's mother's father's name? William Henry Saunders
* What is your father's mother's father's patrilineal line? That is, his father's father's father's ... back to the most distant male ancestor in that line?
William Henry Saunder's father was William M. Saunders, born about 1842 in Texas and died between 1862 and 1866, probably in Bosque County, Texas. This is one of my brick wall ancestors. I have not been able to find any information about William M. Saunders' death or his parents.
* Can you identify male sibling(s) of your father's mother, and any living male descendants from those male sibling(s)? If so, you have a candidate to do a Y-DNA test on that patrilineal line. If not, you may have to find male siblings, and their descendants, of the next generation back, or even further.
My grandmother had 2 brothers:
John Saunders b. about 1885. I know nothing else about this brother. He only appears in the 1900 census and I have not been able to find him after that. I don't know if he moved somewhere else, or died at an early age.
James "Rex" Saunders, b. 1892, died after 1960. James moved to Arkansas and had at least 2 sons and a daughter. I need to do more research on his family. It might provide some clues.
My grandmother's mother died when my grandmother was only 5 years old. She had several half-brothers:
Gene Saunders, 1910-1982, no children
Edward "Red" Saunders, 1913-1960, 1 daughter
Milton Saunders, 1916-1970, no children that I have found
Hershel Saunders, 1922-1980, no children
After doing this exercise, I see that I need to do some work on the James Saunders line in Arkansas to see if I could possibly find a living relative. Thanks, Randy, that was fun and informative.
Craig over at GeneaBlogie suggested the following:
List the surnames you are researching and the general localities. Then tell the names of your “Most Wanted Ancestors,” that is, the ones you most want to find behind that brickwall. (You can tag people if you want; I’ve chosen not to do that here so that all readers are included). Let’s see your lists; maybe we can each help someone out!
Below is a list of the surnames in my genealogy hunt and the places they lived.
The wife and parents of John Blanton, born 1760/1761, probably in VA; lived in east TN, Walker Co., AL, St. Francis Co, AR and Red River Co., TX. Died in Red River Co., TX in Nov. 1840.
The parents of William M. Saunders, born abt. 1842 in Texas; died before July 1866, last living in Bosque Co., TX.
Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings posts Saturday Night Fun every Saturday night. Last Saturday night he suggested that we find number 21 in our Ahnentafel list and post about that person. I didn't have a chance to do this Saturday night, but wanted to make sure that I wrote about that person, so I'm doing so now.
Number 21 on my Ahnentafel list is Louisa J. Scarborough. Louisa was born 6 Dec 1840 in Union County, Arkansas to John Scarborough and wife, Sarah. Sometime after 1850, the family moved to Texas. Louisa married William M. Saunders on 15 Dec 1859 in Anderson County, Texas. She and William and her younger brother were all living in Anderson County in 1860, but her father had moved on to Johnson County by then. Shortly after 1860, William and Louisa moved to Bosque County, Texas. They had 2 children together, William Henry Saunders, born 3 Feb 1862 and John Saunders, born in Sept 1863. I do not know the circumstances of William Saunders' death, but he had died by 12 July 1866 when Louisa married her second husband, David H. Eddleman. In Oct 1866, David H. Eddleman applied for guardianship of the minors William H. Saunders and John M. Saunders, heirs at law. This was the only reference I have been able to find pertaining to the death of William Saunders.
David and Louisa later moved to Hood County, Texas. Louisa died on the 11 Aug 1911 and is buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Hood County. Her husband, David Eddleman, is buried beside her.
Louisa J. Scarborough and her husband, David H. Eddleman
