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Descendants of Henry Turner
First Generation1. Henry1 Turner (#5314) was born in Caswell County, NC September 25, 1721. Henry died December 9, 1809 in Caswell County, NC, at 88 years of age. He married Nancy Anne Kimbrough. (Nancy Anne Kimbrough is #5315.) Nancy was born in Culpepper County, VA 1739. Nancy was the daughter of Thomas Kimbrough and Eleanor Graves. Nancy died after 1820. Henry's will was written May 9, 1807. He mentions wife Anne, sons John, Henry, Billy, Thomas, and James and daughters Elizabeth Lipscomb, Frankey (Frances Martin), Milley Jones, Nancy Kimbrough, Sally French, Mary Cochran, and grandson Yancey Turner and granddaughters Mary French, Fanny Turner, Delilia Turner, Nancy Turner (daughters of John Turner) and daughter of Susannah Donoho. Henry Turner and Nancy Anne Kimbrough had the following children:
Second Generation4. John2 Turner (Henry1) (#5318) was born in Caswell County, NC 1761. John died October 6, 1830 in Hayes Creek, Williamson County, TN, at 69 years of age. He married twice. He married Sarah Kimbrough in Caswell County, NC, February 14, 1787. (Sarah Kimbrough is #5385.) Sarah was born in Caswell County, NC 1763. Sarah died before November 1817. Sarah died before November 1817 when she was named as being deceased in her father's will in Caswell County, NC. He married Catherine Cheeks Butler in Wayne County, KY, September 9, 1805. (Catherine Cheeks Butler is #5390.) Catherine was born in Wayne County, KY 1765. John Turner and Sarah Kimbrough had the following children:
5. Sally M.2 Turner (Henry1) (#5313) was born in Caswell County, NC 1763. Sally died August 22, 1822 in Limestone County, AL, at 59 years of age. She married Benjamin French in Caswell County, NC, November 10, 1784. (Benjamin French is #5312.) Benjamin was born in Culpepper County, VA November 28, 1764. Benjamin was the son of Samuel French. Benjamin died March 21, 1847 in Rogersville, Lauderdale County, AL, at 82 years of age. The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel, pages 1-6: "My maternal great-great-great-grandfather bearing the name French was born Nov. 28, 1764. He lived in Virginia, probably Culpepper County. At the age of fifteen he enlisted in the army and participated in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted between the middle and 19th of Sept., 1780, being mustered in service under Captain Valentine Harrison, and was in Col. John Green's Virginia continental regiment. Col. Green was a native of Culpepper County, born about 1730, and entered the Continental Army as a Captain on Jan. 20, 1776. He was promoted to Colonel, Jan. 26, 1778. (Horace Edwin Hayden, Virginia Genealogies, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1966, p. 548.) Private Benjamin French took part in four major battles and a number of skirmishes. When applying for government assistance as a veteran of the Revolution, he listed the following as the battles in which he took part: (1) the battle of Guilford; (2) the battle of Camden; (3) the siege of Ninety-Six; and (4) the battle of Eutaw Springs. (Photocopies of was record supplied by General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service.) It was on Dec. 2, 1780, that Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene took command of the Southern Department at charlotte, North Carolina. The Southern Army had about 1600 men at that time. On Dec. 19, Gen. Greene moved 1000 of his men southward to threaten the British under Cornwallis at Winnsboro, South Carolina. The next day Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan took the remaining 600 men from Charlotte for western South Carolina. Both divisions soon received reinforcements. In mid-Jan., 1781, Col. John Green of Virginia brought 400 militia to join Gen. Nathanael Greene's division. The dividing of the Southern Army forced Cornwallis to split his army. Lt. Col. Tarleton took one division and fought Morgan's men at Cowpens, South Carolina, on Jan. 17. Tarleton was soundly defeated, with nine-tenths of his men killed or captured. Morgan moved his men eastward to join Greene. The two divisions of the Southern Army met at the Catawba River on Jan. 30, 1781. Greene decided to retreat northward to escape Cornwallis. He moved his men through Guilford, North Carolina, and into Virginia with Cornwallis in hot pursuit. The Southern Army crossed the Dan River on Feb 14. Cornwallis was forced to give up the chase, returning southward to Hillsboro, North Carolina. In a few days Greene moved his army in the direction of Hillsboro, having received reinforcements from Virginia. On Mar. 15, 1781, at Guilford Court House, west of Hillsboro, the British and Americans faced each other. This was the first of the major battles in which Private Benjamin French participated. Col. John green's regiment of Virginia Continentals was placed in the third line but held out of the fighting in case retreat was necessary. Although the British suffered heavy losses, Gen. Greene deemed it wise to retreat. Col. John Green's regiment took on the British while the remainder of the Americans withdrew. "Under heavy fire Green's regiment stood firm until all the rest of the Americans had left the field; then it too retired." (Christopher Ward, The War of the Revolution, New York: MacMillan Co., 1952, Vol. 2, p. 792.) Cornwallis was in no position to pursue Greene after Guilford. The British moved southward to Wilmington. Greene decided to concentrate on South Carolina where Lt. Col. Rawdon commanded the British forces. The two armies fought at Hobkirk's Hill on the outskirts of Camden, Apr. 25. This is doubtless the "battle of Camden" to which Benjamin French referred. On the same day of this encounter Cornwallis left Wilmington to march to Virginia. Rawdon evacuated Camden on May 10. Ninety-Six was the name of a village surrounded by a stockade and under British control. Lt. Col. Cruger commanded this strongly fortified post. Greene brought his army and put the fort under siege from May 22 to June 19, 1781. The Americans were busy building approaches. Word came on June 11 that Rawdon was coming from Charleston to aid Cruger. Greene tried to storm the fort before Rawdon's arrival. There was bitter and bloody conflict but the Americans were forced to withdraw on the 20th. This was the siege of Ninety-Six to which Benjamin French referred. In July and Aug., Greene's army spent several weeks resting in the High Hills of Santee in South Carolina. He now had about 2000 men. Lt. Col. Stuart had succeeded Rawdon as head of the British forces in the Carolinas, having about the same number of men as Greene. The American forces marched to Eutaw Springs where the British were encamped. A battle ensued which turned out to be the last major battle of the Revolutionary War in the South. The date was Sept. 8, 1781. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and both sides claimed victory. This was the last major battle in which Benjamin French fought. On Oct. 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown. Peace was still more than a year away, and troops in the South underwent many hardships. Benjamin French was discharged Jan. 22, 1782, having served slightly more than sixteen months. He was seventeen years of age when discharged at Salisbury, North Carolina. His pension records give his term of service as eighteen months. His pension enrollment began Oct. 17, 1818, and was for $96.00 per annum. After the Revolutionary War, Benjamin French married in North Carolina. The North Carolina State Census for 1786 lists a Benjamin French and a Samuel French as heads of households in Caswell County. Both families resided in the Gloucester District in the southeast part of the county. It appears that Benjamin and his family left North Carolina before the federal census of 1790. By 1800 he is listed in Barren County, Kentucky. (The "Second Census" of Kentucky 1800, Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1970.) Later he moved to the neighboring county of Warren. The area known as Kentucky was a part of Virginia until its admission to the Union on Jun. 1, 1792. Settlers from the east had moved into Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap in the 1770s and 1780s. The pace accelerated in the 1790s. Warren County, Kentucky, was created out of Logan County, Dec. 19, 1796. Bowling Green was established as the county seat. It was from Warren County that Benjamin French, with his large family, removed to what afterward became know as Limestone County, Alabama. The area was then a part of Mississippi territory. According to records in the Department of Archives and History at Raleigh, North Carolina, the power of attorney for Benjamin French of Madison County, Mississippi Territory, was given to James Kimbrow of Giles County, Tennessee, to recover all sums of money due him, as of Sept. 5, 1814, and was registered in Caswell County, North Carolina, July Court, 1817. This establishes that the Benjamin French who was in Caswell County, North Carolina, in 1786, was the same Benjamin French who came to north Alabama when it was still Mississippi Territory. According to Capt. R. A. McClellan's "Early History of Limestone County" (Reprinted from the Athens Post of June, 1881), Benjamin French and his family settled on Limestone Creek, nine miles east of Athens, in 1808. (p. 13) That was eleven years before Alabama became a state, and it was ten years before Athens was incorporated as a town. Limestone was Chickasaw country in those days. White settlers who came into the area west of Madison County were intruders. The federal government again and again sent soldiers to remove the settlers. When forced out, the settlers would temporarily remove to Madison County or to nearby Tennessee. The issue of intruders on Chickasaw lands reached a boiling point in 1810. The War Department sent notice in July that all white settlers were to be removed by Dec. 15. The white inhabitants of what later became Limestone County petitioned President James Madison and the Congress of the United States. The petition, dated Sept. 5, 1810, was signed by more than 400 settlers, including Benjamin French and his son Amos. (Robert Henry Walker Jr., History of Limestone County Alabama, Limestone County commission, 1973, pp. 17-22, 177-181) Neither Indians nor soldiers were successful in removing Limestone's first white inhabitants. The Chickasaws ceded their lands in the Limestone area to the federal government in 1816. Congress established out of the Mississippi Territory on March 1, 1817, the Territory of Alabama. On Feb. 6, 1818, Limestone County was designated a political subdivision of the Territory of Alabama. In Dec. of 1819, Alabama became a part of the Union. Cotton Port was an early landing on the Tennessee River just south of the town of Mooresville near Piney Creek. "In 1808, Benjamin French established his pioneer home on Limestone Creek, but soon removed to the site of the future Cotton Port. A short while later the first cotton was shipped from Limestone County to New Orleans, and cotton Port became an important landing." (W. Stuart Harris, Dead Towns of Alabama, University of Alabama Press, 1985, p. 74) Official records show that Benjamin French appeared before the County Court of Madison County, District of Alabama, Nov. 27, 1820, to apply for government benefits according to the Act of Congress of Mar. 18, 1818, for Revolutionary War service. A resident of Limestone county, he listed his property as follows: one mare and colt, twenty hogs, nine head of cattle, and one-half quarter section of land at $6.54 per acre on which the first installment only had been paid to the general government. Living with him at that time were his wife (about 54 years old) and three daughters: Anne (about fifteen), Frances (about fourteen), and Jinney (about twelve). The older children had already left home. It appears that this wife died between Nov. 27, 1820, and Sept. 23, 1823. On the latter date a marriage license was issued in Limestone County to Benjamin French and Catharine Shumaker [Shoemaker]. The marriage was solemnized by Albert Higgins, Justice of the Peace. Benjamin was about fifty-eight at the time of this marriage. Four years later, on Sept. 7, 1827, he applied to Limestone County Court of Record to have his pension restored. It had been discontinued sometime earlier. He listed his property as follows: one horse (worth $15) and two cows (worth $14). He gave his occupation as a planter, explaining that he was too old and superannuated to follow it. He gave his wife's age as about fifty-seven years, and stated that a youth (about twelve years old), the son of his second wife was living at home. This son would have been about age eight when Benjamin married Catharine. It appears that this was in fact a stepson, and that all of Benjamin's children were by his first wife. He explained that since his earlier listing of his property for pension purposes (1820), he had sold his eighty acres of land to Jesse French in 1823, and had given over two cows, one horse, and $60 in cash to pay a dept due to Jesse French. (Jesse was one of his sons.) The pension was restored in Jan. 1830. After living on Limestone Creek and at Cotton Port, Benjamin French settled just west of Dr. Blair's plantation on Elk River. One historian compares him to Daniel Boone, "for one gets the feeling that he didn't like 'crowded' areas." It was around 1830 that he moved "over Elk" and built the log house shown at right. It was a single-pen cabin with a shed room to the rear. A later addition was attached to on side of the cabin. The house was destroyed by fire in the late 1970s. (Chris Edwards and Faye Axford, The Lure and Lore of Limestone County, Tuscaloosa: Portals Press, 1978, p. 149.) Benjamin and Catharine French moved to Lauderdale County about ten years before his death. He died Mar. 21, 1847, being eighty-two years of age. Limestone County records show that Catharine appeared before Robert W. Figg, Justice of the Peace, Apr. 29, 1847, to have it recorded that Amos French was given power of attorney for her to receive pension due to Benjamin from the government, with the payment terminating on the day of his death. In June, 1855, she applied for a widow's pension according to the Act of Congress of Feb. 3, 1853. She received $96 per year. She also was granted 160 acres under Act of Mar. 3, 1855, for the services of her husband. The following is recorded in 'Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama,' 1911, from the State of Alabama, Department of Archives and History: "French, Benjamin. 'Died -- Near Rodgersville on the 21st inst., Mr. Benjamin French, age 84 years, an old faithful Revolutionary soldier.' -- Southern Advocate, Huntsville, April 2, 1847." It should be noted that his age at the time of his death was eighty-two, not eighty-four as indicated in this account. Capt. McClellan erroneously puts the date of Benjamin French's death as 1840. He also incorrectly gives his age as over ninety at the time of his death. A declaration and affidavit filed in Limestone County on Jun. 6, 1855, by Catharine French contains a number of inaccuracies, due to her advanced age and reliance on memory. A record similar to that quoted above is preserved in 'The Alabama Historical Quarterly,' Winter Issue, 1944, State Department of Archives and History: "French, Benjamin -- Satisfactory evidence was this day exhibited to this Court that Benjamin French was a Revolutionary pensioner of the United States at the rate of eight dollars per month; was a resident of the County of Lauderdale in said State of Alabama and died in said County of Lauderdale and State aforesaid on the twenty-first day of March in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven and that he left a widow whose name is Catherine French; whereupon the same is ordered by the Court to be entered of records which is done. -- 'Minutes of Orphans Courts,' Feb. 1847 - May 1850, p. 18. Recorded at Athens, Limestone County, Ala." The will of Benjamin French was filed in Lauderdale County and witnessed by Samuel Lentz, Bennett Rose, and Zacariah Tuten. The will directs that his landed estate of his home plantation be equally divided among his own eleven children, and that Yancy Shoemaker receive an equal share with his own heirs. It is probable that Yancy Shoemaker was his stepson. The only one of his own children who was specifically named in the will was his daughter Ann French. Caswell County, North Carolina, marriage records list Benjamin French as marrying Sally Turner, Nov. 10, 1784. James Turner was a witness. Henry Turner had moved with his family from Culpepper county, Virginia, to Caswell County, North Carolina, about 1775. He had twelve children, including a daughter named Sally and a son named James. The date of the marriage is about a year and a half after the birth of Benjamin's son Amos. It is possible that one of the dates is wrong. Discrepancies in dates of birth and ages are rather common in the 1700s and 1800s. Benjamin French had five sons and six daughers. Incomplete information makes it impossible to know the exact sequence of their births. Some were born in North Carolina and some in Kentucky...." ************************************************************************** The following informtion is from Eunice Pace: "Benjamin is buried behind a barn in the area of Lexington, AL and the grave was marked by the DAR, however, I have reliable information that says the grave is NOT where the marker is displayed, but is nearby........behind the old barn." An interesting note found in the AL State Archives in Montgomery states that Benjamin "made the best peach brandy in the community". Most of Benjamin's sons fought in the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 under "Old Hickory", and in the Mexican War in the 1830's. The following information was taken from "Valley Leaves Lauderdale County, June 1982", pages 168-169: Will of Benjamin French 15 December 1839 "Weak in body" To my beloved wife, Katharine French, for her lifetime. At her death to dispose of all my estate, livestock, household and kitchen furniture among her own children or as she is otherwise disposed to do. At her death, my landed estate of my home plantation, to be divided equally "among my own children, lawful heirs, eleven in number, and for Yancy Shoemaker to have an equal portion with my own lawful heirs". "The 80 Acres of land which I entered (I think in the 25th Section) for which Yancy Shoemaker hold my bond for one forty Acres of said entry the other 40 Acres of said entry, I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Ann French" and her heirs. Witnesses: Samuel Lentz, Bennett Rose, Zacariah Tooten. Proven by Samuel Lentz and Bennett Rose before Wm. B. Wood, Judge, 21 Nov 1848. Recorded: 22 May 1850. ************************************************************************** Benjamin French of Lauderdale County, AL purchased 79.51 acres of land in Section 39 of T2-R7W on August 1, 1839. There is a Salley Turner listed as a granddaughter of John Lyon in his will dated April 23, 1784 in Caswell County, NC. (Is this our Sally?) Sally M. Turner and Benjamin French had the following children:
6. Nancy Ann2 Turner (Henry1) (#5319) was born in Caswell County, NC March 18, 1764. Nancy died January 22, 1843 in Caswell County, NC, at 78 years of age. She married James Kimbrough in Caswell County, NC, December 27, 1789. (James Kimbrough is #5949.) James was born in Caswell County, NC October 30, 1765. James was the son of John Kimbrough and Mary Turner. James died September 12, 1841 in Giles County, TN, at 75 years of age. In 1817, James was named in his father's will in Caswell County, NC and was left 113 acres of land. Nancy Ann Turner and James Kimbrough had the following children:
7. Frances M.2 Turner (Henry1) (#5325) was born in Caswell County, NC 1764. Frances died May 13, 1842 at 77 years of age. Her body was interred in Martin Cemetery, Caswell County, NC. She married Richard Martin I in Caswell County, NC, October 25, 1793. (Richard Martin I is #5326.) Richard was born in Orange County, VA January 29, 1755. Richard was the son of Richard Martin and Anthorite (Unknown) Martin. Richard died October 15, 1841 in Caswell County, NC, at 86 years of age. His body was interred in Martin Cemetery, Caswell County, NC. He enlisted in the Revolutionary Army on May 7, 1776. He received a land grant on July 11, 1786. He sold this 228 acres of land on Goose Creek in TN to James Lea on September 3, 1786. (Grant #786) He applied for a pension on October 8, 1832 and it was granted. Conflicting evidence states that Frances was born in Caswell County, NC, 1773. Frances M. Turner and Richard Martin I had the following children:
8. Susannah2 Turner (Henry1) (#5523) was born in Caswell County, NC 1764. She married twice. She married Thomas Yancy. (Thomas Yancy is #5524.) Thomas was born in NC 1760. She married James Donoho in Caswell County, NC, April 22, 1807. (James Donoho is #5955.) James Donoho willed one-third of his property, after the death of Susannah, to Yancey Turner. Susannah Turner and Thomas Yancy never married. Yancy Turner was born from their relationship. In Caswell County January Court 1787, Susannah Turner acknowledged she had received "full satisfaction of Thomas Yancey concerning maintaining of her baseborn child, provided he does not take away the said child." After Susannah married James Donoho, they moved to Sumner County, TN. Susannah Turner and Thomas Yancy had the following child:
Third Generation16. Nancy3 Turner (John2, Henry1) (#5389) was born in Caswell County, NC 1787. She married Nicholas Willis in Caswell County, NC, October 29, 1804. (Nicholas Willis is #5393.) Nicholas was born in Caswell County, NC December 24, 1786. Nicholas was the son of Henry Willis and Mary (Polly) Haddock. Nancy Turner and Nicholas Willis had the following children:
17. Amos J.3 French (Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5340) was born in NC April 1783. Amos died July 4, 1869 in Limestone County, AL, at 86 years of age. He married twice. He married Elizabeth Sanderson. (Elizabeth Sanderson is #5372.) Elizabeth was born 1787. He married Elizabeth S. Mitchell in Limestone County, AL, September 9, 1841. (Elizabeth S. Mitchell is #5367.) Elizabeth was born in NC 1809. Elizabeth died after 1850 in Limestone County, AL. Conflicting evidence states that Amos was born in NC, March 1787. The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: "The Athens Post, Athens, Alabama, July 9, 1869 lists Amos as being born in North Carolina in the spring of 1783. The 1850 census listed him as born in Virginia. This error misled our earlier research to suppose that Benjamin French began his family in Virginia. The 1860 census listed Amos French as born in North Carolina, and his death notice in the Athens Post agrees. Amos married a Miss Sanderson in Kentucky in 1807 and lived briefly in Nashville, Tennessee, before settling in Limestone County, Alabama in 1808. He resided in Madison County in 1816. He was a member of the Christian Church. Amos French was in the War of 1812 and in the battle of New Orleans. Capt. McCellan states in his 'Early History of Limestone County': "Just before the battle of New Orleans, Gen. Jackson knocked a cup of coffee out of 'Uncle' Amos' hand, and the act was never forgiven. Years afterward all this family were ardent Whigs, great admirers of Henry Clay and believed to the last that "Old Hickory' was a tyrant." On one occasion when he was a squatter in Limestone, the Indians tried to run Amos out by burning his cabins. McClellan says: "In about 1810 one of the Indians, who had shared his hospitality, came to him in a 'little new ground' in which he was at work, and in bad English, made him understand that evil was impending and he left as quickly as he could. Before he had gotten out of sight, however, he saw the smoke arising from his cabins on fire. In a short while he returned, and re-established himself..." Following the death of his first wife, Amos married Elizabeth Mitchell in 1841. She was a widow with several children. One of her daughters married Amos B. French (a son of Amos). A keeper of the Poor House in Limestone County in 1860, death came to Amos French on July 4, 1869, at age 86." Amos French of Limestone County, AL purchased 80.54 acres of land in Section 23 of T3-R4W on April 2, 1857 in Limestone County, AL. (Is this Amos Sr. or Jr.?) The following was taken from Eunice Pace: "He had his will drawn up the 29th day of September, 1868. It was probated the 30th day of August, 1869." The following was taken from "Valley Leaves, Limestone County, Dec. 1981" 1981-1982 VOL. 16. 4 July 1869: Amos French, born in spring of 1788, N.C. Moved to Nashville and stayed until 1808. Only two men in the county older than he ..... Capt. James Lockhart and Mr. Hanks. List of Taxable Property in Madison County, MS Territory Dated 19 JUL 1810 -- Amos French 1850 Limestone County, AL Census []: Amos French 63? (farmer), Elizabeth S. 41?, Martha M. 22, Amos R. Mitchell 17 (farmer), Martha M. 15, Amos B. 19 (farmer), Richard D. 13. Amos J. French and Elizabeth Sanderson had the following children:
18. Jesse3 French (Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5301) was born in NC May 16, 1787. Jesse died February 3, 1857 in Jackson County, AL, at 69 years of age. He married Mary Smith January 24, 1808. (Mary Smith is #5302.) Mary was born in VA January 14, 1788. Mary died November 19, 1863 in AL, at 75 years of age. The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: "My great-great-grandfather of the French family was born May 16, 1787, in North Carolina, when his father Benjamin was about twenty-two years of age. Jesse French married Mary Smith on Jan. 24, 1808, which was the year the family moved to the area later known as Limestone County, Alabama. Mary was born Jan. 14, 1788, in Virginia. In his own handwriting Jesse recorded the date of their marriage as the first entry in a family record. This part of the record is produced above. Basic data on the families of Jesse French and his son Jeremiah L. French are taken from this family record written in longhand on both sides of two sheets which likely came from an old Bible. This record was preserved by my grandmother Nancy French Melton, passed on to my mother, and recently came into my possession. I know of no other source which provides the names and birthdates of Jesse French's children. Like his brothers, Jeremiah and Samuel, Jesse "rejoiced in the possession of gigantic strength and size," according to Capt. McClellan. In keeping with the spirit of those pioneer days, these French boys "were often the heroes of 'fist and skull' encounters." (Early History of Limestone County, p. 14) In 1816, Jesse French was living in Madison County, Mississippi Territory. The first U. S. Government census after Alabama became a state was in 1820, but for the original states that was the fourth such census. the 1820 census lists Jesse French as living in Limestone County. By about 1830 he had acquired land and established residence in Jackson County. There he spent the remainder of his years. Jackson County forms the northeastern corner of Alabama, and it is bounded on the north by Tennessee, on the east by Georgia, and on the west by Madison County. The Tennessee River flows through the county. The southern tip of the Sequatichie Valley extends into the county from the northeast. The Cherokee Indians migrated to the Jackson County area, left, then returned in the 1770's. In 1819, the federal government began taking measures to insure the safety of white settlers entering the area. On Dec. 29, 1835, all Cherokee lands in northern Alabama were ceded to the United States, then the Indians were removed to Western reservations, mainly in Oklahoma. by 1838 most of the Indians has been removed. The Cherokees had become quite literate as a result of the alphabet which the half-breed Sequoyah had invented and presented to them at North Sauta Creek in 1820. Alabama was officially admitted as a state on Dec. 14, 1819. Jackson County was created at that time. The temporary seat of justice was Old Sauta, a former Cherokee Indian Village which had attracted many white settlers. It remained the county seat for two years. On Dec. 13, 1821, Bellefonte became the county seat, and it was the first incorporated town in the county. Located on the Tennessee River, the town flourished until the building of the Memphis-Charleston Railroad in 1855. The courthouse at Bellefonte was burned during the closing days of the Civil War. On Nov. 13, 1868, the seat of justice was established at Scottsboro. A new courthouse was built in 1870 but it burned in 1879. It was rebuilt and used until 1913 when replaced by a completely new structure. W. Jerry Gist states in 'The Story of Scottsboro, Alabama,' privately published, 1968, p. 29: "Very little is known of the early history of Sauta and only a few fragments remain to remind us of its former existence. The small town was located near Sauta Creek some distance from its mouth. McCutheon's School stood at one time on the site of the old courthouse and nearby is a saltpetre cave from which the early settlers obtained much of their salt supply." When the 1850 census was taken, Jesse French was listed as a farmer, born in North Carolina. His wife Mary was listed as born in Virginia. Four children, all born in Alabama, were then living at home: Jerry, age 22; Henry, age 20; Isabell, age 18; and Jessee, age 16. These are the last four of Jesse French's children named in the family record. The Memphis and Charleston Railroad Company must have seemd an attractive investment to people in Northern Alabama. The 'M. & C. R. R. Co. Annual Report for 1856-1857' lists its stockholders in the Eastern Division. Among them, two names are of special interest. Jesse French of Jackson County had 8 shares, and Amos French of Limestone County had 4 shares. Jesse French died in Jackson County, Feb. 3, 1857, being a little short of three-score and ten years. His widow, Mary Smith French, died Nov. 19, 1863, having attained more than seventy-five years. The following were the fifteen children born to Jesse and Mary French over a span of twenty-six year.." *************************************************************************** 1802 List of Taxable Property: Madison County, MS Territory - Jessee French Jesse French of Jackson County, AL purchased 80.72 acres of land in Section 31 of T4-R5E on August 1, 1831 and 50 acres of land in Section 8 of T5-R5E on November 7, 1835. 1861, December 7 -- Jackson County, AL: Jere. L. French, adm. of Jesse French dec'd sold 50 acres of land in Section 8 of T5-RE for $356.50 to Abraham Gross. Witnessed by John Owen, Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds Vol H. page 433, LDS Film# 1018417) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) 1850 Jackson County, AL Agricultural Census: Jessey French -- 100 acres of improved land; 500 acres of unimproved land; 3000 cash value of farm; 500 value of farm implements & machinery; 400 value of livestock. 1850 Jackson County, AL Census [P64]: Jessey French 66 (farmer), Mary 63, Jerry 22 (farmer), Henry 20 (laborer), Isabell 18, Jessey 16 (laborer). Jesse French and Mary Smith had the following children:
Is the Nancy S. Davis listed in the following documents Nancy S. French? 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Storton (?), Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: ) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) 1882, June 1 -- Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Nancy Davis, and Jessee French & wife, Mary French, sold land as lot No. 4 apart of the Author Burns Reservation to Martha J. Giddens. Witnessed by Wm. Gidden and Luther Gidden. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J. N. Deagan, NP on June 22, 1882. Jesse and Mary French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson, NP and Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422)
The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: "... Two of Jesse French's older sons left home in about 1849 or 1850 for the California gold fields. A letter dated Aug. 7, 1941, from Samuel J. French of Shreveport, Louisiana, to W. Jess French of Decatur, Alabama, states that those two brothers were never heard from again. A different version of the story was related by Thomas W. French, Sr., of Tafe, Texas, in a letter dated July 28, 1958, to W. Jess French. The two brothers got to the Rocky Mountains in the late fall, and because of cold and snow turned back and steeled near Austin, Texas. Their names were "Ben" and "Zeb." No "Zeb" is listed in the old family record, but that could have been a nickname. A will probated in Jackson County, Alabama, June 21, 1868, states that Benjamin French and the children of James M. French resided in the state of Texas, county unknown."
The following information was taken from Eunice Pace: "...died ... from an infected skin...Was a business partner with brother Jerry... Never married." 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Storton (?), Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: )
1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422)
20. Samuel3 French (Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5339) was born in KY September 1790. Samuel died August 13, 1834 in Limestone County, AL, at 43 years of age. He married Sarah Greenhaw in Madison County, AL, April 5, 1816. (Sarah Greenhaw is #5360.) Sarah was born in NC 1799. Sarah was the daughter of William Greenhaw and Elizabeth (Unknown) Greenhaw. Conflicting evidence states that he died in Bastrop County, TX, 1857. Samuel French and Sarah Greenhaw had the following children:
21. Jeremiah (Jerry)3 French (Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5338) was born in KY 1792. Jeremiah died 1832 in Lauderdale County, AL, at 40 years of age.
Jeremiah French of Lawrence County, AL purchased 79.35 acres of land in Section 19 of T6-R8W on October 20, 1823. 1830 Lawrence County, AL Census: Jeremiah French ( Males ) 2 3 1 1 0 0 1 ( Females ) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Jeremiah (Jerry) French had the following children:
23. Emily (Milly)3 French (Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5342) was born in KY September 30, 1802. She married Benjamin West in Madison County, AL, February 12, 1818. (Benjamin West is #5343.) Benjamin was born in va 1795. Benjamin died abt. 1838 in Alexandria, LA. Emily (Milly) French and Benjamin West had the following children:
32. Henry Thomas3 Kimbrough (Nancy Ann2 Turner, Henry1) (#5950) was born in Caswell County, NC January 9, 1795. Henry died November 10, 1863 in Giles County, TN, at 68 years of age. His body was interred in Kimbrough Cemetery, Hannah Community, Giles County, TN. He married Ursula Anthony in Caswell County, NC, March 5, 1818. (Ursula Anthony is #5970.) Ursula was born in NC February 13, 1801. Ursula was the daughter of Elijah Anthony and Elizabeth Browning. Ursula died March 20, 1880 at 79 years of age. Her body was interred in Kimbrough Cemetery, Hannah Community, Giles County, TN. On the 1850 Giles Co., TN, census, Henry is a farmer with the value of $4,350. On the 1860 census, he has real estate value of $19,000 and personal property value of $27,560. He is possibly a preacher. (Source: Norma Rogers) Henry Thomas Kimbrough and Ursula Anthony had the following children:
36. Richard3 Martin II (Frances M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5944) was born in Caswell County, NC 1784. Richard died 1846 in Sumner County, TN, at 62 years of age. He married Sarah Brown in Caswell County, NC, March 16, 1816. (Sarah Brown is #5958.) Sarah was born in Caswell County, NC 1794. Sarah was the daughter of Solomon Brown and Hannah Cantrell. Sarah died 1859 in Sumner County, TN, at 65 years of age. Richard left a will dated May 14, 1846. Richard Martin II and Sarah Brown had the following children:
38. Yancy3 Turner (Susannah2, Henry1) (#5525) was born in NC October 30, 1786. Yancy died January 2, 1878 in TN, at 91 years of age. His body was interred in Fagg Cemetery, Macon County, TN. He married Mary Dillion in Guilford County, NC. (Mary Dillion is #5528.) Mary was born in Guilford County, NC October 20, 1788. Mary was the daughter of Isaac Dillion and Jemima Brittain. Mary died August 11, 1870 in Macon County, TN, at 81 years of age. Her body was interred in Fagg Cemetery, Macon County, TN. Yancy Turner and Mary Dillion had the following children:
Fourth Generation39. Henry4 Willis (Nancy3 Turner, John2, Henry1) (#5447) was born in Caswell County, NC 1805. He married Betsy Evans January 20, 1830. (Betsy Evans is #5517.) Betsy was born in Caswell County, NC 1797. Henry Willis and Betsy Evans had the following children:
40. John T.4 Willis (Nancy3 Turner, John2, Henry1) (#5443) was born in Caswell County, NC 1807. He married Elizabeth Ward in Caswell County, NC, February 28, 1827. (Elizabeth Ward is #5452.) Elizabeth was born in Caswell County, NC 1811. John T. Willis and Elizabeth Ward had the following child:
42. George Washington4 Willis (Nancy3 Turner, John2, Henry1) (#5444) was born in Caswell County, NC October 8, 1812. George died April 13, 1880 in Caswell County, NC, at 67 years of age. He married Russalinda Stephens in Caswell County, NC, January 14, 1834. (Russalinda Stephens is #5508.) Russalinda was born in Caswell County, NC March 12, 1809. Russalinda was the daughter of Benjamin Stephens and Mary (Polly) Stephens. Russalinda died January 18, 1886 in Caswell County, NC, at 76 years of age. George Washington Willis and Russalinda Stephens had the following children:
44. Ruffin Anderson4 Willis (Nancy3 Turner, John2, Henry1) (#5394) was born in Danville, Pittsylvania County, VA February 12, 1821. Ruffin died August 16, 1884 in Atlanta, Cass County, TX, at 63 years of age. He married Jane Hutchins in Fayette County, TN, January 10, 1844. (Jane Hutchins is #5395.) Jane was born in Wake County, NC May 23, 1824. Jane died February 1, 1875 in Atlanta, Cass County, TX, at 50 years of age. Ruffin Anderson Willis and Jane Hutchins had the following children:
47. Ann G.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6113) was born in Limestone County, AL. She married Holden W. Hendricks in Limestone County, AL, November 18, 1833. (Holden W. Hendricks is #6114.) Ann G. French and Holden W. Hendricks had the following children:
48. Prudence4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6172) was born in Limestone County, AL abt. 1825. Prudence died August 27, 1861 in Lewisville, AR. She married Egbert Beale Steel. (Egbert Beale Steel is #6173.) Prudence French and Egbert Beale Steel had the following children:
49. Sarah P.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6195) (living status unknown). Sarah P. French and Archibald Robinson had the following children:
52. John S.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5375) was born in Limestone County, AL October 1, 1813. John died in TX. He married Elizabeth (Eliza) Johnston in Limestone County, AL, March 30, 1837. (Elizabeth (Eliza) Johnston is #5376.) Elizabeth was born in GA 1816. Elizabeth was the daughter of James F. Johnston and Mary (Unknown) Johnston. John and Eliza moved to Arkansas in 1846. He once served in the legistature of Arkansas. John S. French and Elizabeth (Eliza) Johnston had the following children:
53. Elisha Kimble4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5377) was born in Limestone County, AL March 1, 1817. Elisha died October 24, 1887 in Limestone County, AL, at 70 years of age. His body was interred in Athens City Cemetery, Athens, Lauderdale County, AL. He married Angeline (Ann) Vaughan in Limestone County, AL, November 10, 1841. (Angeline (Ann) Vaughan is #5378.) Angeline was born February 2, 1823. Angeline was the daughter of James Vaughan and Mary (Unknown) Vaughan. Angeline died February 17, 1908 in Athens, Lauderdale County, AL, at 85 years of age. Her body was interred in Athens City Cemetery, Athens, Lauderdale County, AL. The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: "... Elisha K. had a mil and a farm six miles from Athens on the Huntsville road (now Highway 72). The Indians called the creek on which the mill was built Meat House Branch due to their leaving their freshly killed meat in the spring from which the branch fed. Capt. McClellan gave this description of Elisha K. French: "He is an amiable, firm, practical and clever man, without enemies, without malice, and remarkable for his hospitality. He has ferformed his part faithfully and well, and, when the final account is made up, there will be little, if anything, against Elisha K. French." 1850 Limestone County, AL Census [P83]: Elisha K. French 33 (overseer), Angeline 27, Martha E. 8, Mary P. 6, John J. 4, and William B. 3/12. Elisha Kimble French and Angeline (Ann) Vaughan had the following children:
54. Jane R.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6170) was born in Limestone County, AL 1822. She married John Washington Patterson December 17, 1839. (John Washington Patterson is #6171.) John was born 1816. Jane R. French and John Washington Patterson had the following children:
55. Jeremiah W.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5369) was born in Limestone County, AL about 1824. He married twice. He married Marietta E. S. Davis in Limestone County, AL, August 14, 1844. (Marietta E. S. Davis is #6426.) Marietta was born in VA abt. 1826. Marietta died bef. 1854 in Limestone County, AL. He married Mary Ann Johnston in Limestone County, AL, October 4, 1854. (Mary Ann Johnston is #6174.) Mary was born abt. 1832. Mary was the daughter of James F. Johnston and Mary (Unknown) Johnston. Jeremiah's occupation: Grocer in Limestone County, AL, 1860. Jeremiah became paralyzed in 1857. Jeremiah and family moved to Madison County, AL between 1870-1880. He was a Justice of the Peace. 1850 Limestone County, AL Census [P95]: Jeremiah French 24, Maretta 24, Lousia 3, Robert P. ?/12. Jeremiah W. French and Marietta E. S. Davis had the following children:
Jeremiah W. French and Mary Ann Johnston had the following children:
56. Martha L.4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5368) was born in Limestone County, AL June 15, 1828. Martha died February 16, 1907 in Limestone County, AL, at 78 years of age. Her body was interred in Johnston Cemetery, Limestone County, AL. She married Lemuel Johnston in Limestone County, AL, January 5, 1852. (Lemuel Johnston is #6194.) Lemuel was born in Limestone County, AL September 7, 1827. Lemuel was the son of James Johnston and Mary Wynn. Lemuel died July 17, 1906 in Limestone County, AL, at 78 years of age. His body was interred in Johnston Cemetery, Limestone County, AL. Martha L. French and Lemuel Johnston had the following children:
57. Amos Benjamin4 French (Amos J.3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5370) was born in Limestone County, AL July 23, 1830. Amos died 1861 in Limestone County, AL, at 30 years of age. His body was interred in Johnston Cemetery, Limestone County, AL. He married Martha Mariah Mitchell in Limestone County, AL, December 25, 1853. (Martha Mariah Mitchell is #5371.) Martha was born in Limestone County, AL April 24, 1835. Martha died March 27, 1882 in Limestone County, AL, at 46 years of age. Amos Benjamin French and Martha Mariah Mitchell had the following children:
58. James M.4 French (Jesse3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5307) was born in TN April 11, 1808. James died bef. 1860. He married Mary Elizabeth (Unknown) French in Jackson County, AL, January 6, 1841. (Mary Elizabeth (Unknown) French is #5354.) Mary was born in AL 1810. Is the Elizabeth French mentioned in the following documents refer to Mary Elizabeth (Unknown), widow of James M. French? 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Storton (?), Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: ) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) There is a land grant for a James Gordan French on October 10, 1840 in Jackson County, AL for 39.99 acres. 1850 Jackson County, AL Census [P64]: James French 40 (idiotic), Elizabeth 40, George 15, William 12, Mary 8, and Edny 2. 1860 Jackson County, AL Census [P620]: Elizabeth French 50, Mary J. 17, L. E. 11 (F), J.W. 21 (M) James M. French and Mary Elizabeth (Unknown) French had the following children:
James Swanza and Edny French were issued a marriage license on January 20, 1869 by David Tate JP and were married on January 28, 1869 in Jackson County, AL by (name is smeared). (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL P. 709 -- LDS Film# 1028279) (James Swanza is #6399.) 63. Rebecca4 French (Jesse3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5300) was born in AL November 3, 1817. Rebecca died September 1, 1898 in Dodsonville, Jackson County, AL, at 80 years of age. Her body was interred in Gross Cemetery, Scottsboro, Jackson County, AL. She married Abraham Gross in AL. (Abraham Gross is #172.) Abraham was born in Claiborne County, TN January 2, 1813. Abraham was the son of John Gross and Eva (Ofa) Marie Little. Abraham died January 13, 1889 in Dodsonville, Jackson County, AL, at 76 years of age. His body was interred in Gross Cemetery, Scottsboro, Jackson County, AL. Abraham's headstone: "My Dear Husband -- Abraham Gross -- ... Joined the M. E. Church South 1828 and lived a faithful Christian to the end. His Dying Words Were 'Vain World Adiem'" The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: "... When the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was proposed in the 1850's, the citizens of Jackson County subscribed $15,900 to the building of the railroad. Stock sold for $25 per share. Abraham Gross bought 8 shares. (The Story of Scottsboro, Alabama, p. 63.) ..." Abraham Gross of Jackson County, AL purchased 40 acres of land in Section 33 of T5-R5E on September 10, 1838; 40.23 acres of land Section 30 of T5-R5E on April 1, 1852; 40.23 acres of land Section 30 of T5-R5E on December 1, 1859. 1848, February 18 -- Joseph R. McCormick & wife, Cynthia McCormick of Green County, MS sold 80 acres of land in Section 29 of T5-R5E in Jackson County, AL to Abram Gross of Jackson County, AL for $200. Witnessed by John V. Gross, Catherine Gross, Jacob Gross (Cynthia McCormick's attorney), and William Stockton, Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deed Book B 1845-1854, page 221, LDS Film# 1018415) (**Note: Jacob Gross listed is Abraham's brother and John V. & Catherine Gross are Jacob's children.) 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Stocton, Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: ) (**Note: Martha J. Gideon, Nancy S. Davis, Jeremiah L. French, and Henry G. French were Rebecca French Gross' siblings. Elizabeth French, wife of James French, is Rebecca's sister-in-law.) 1861, December 7 -- Jackson County, AL: Jere. L. French, adm. of Jesse French dec'd sold 50 acres of land in Section 8 of T5-RE for $356.50 to Abraham Gross. Witnessed by John Owen, Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds Vol H. page 433, LDS Film# 1018417) (**Note: Jere. L. French was Abraham Gross' brother-in-law and Jesse French was his father-in-law.) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) (**Note: J. L. French, Nancy S. Davis, Martha J. Giddens, and Isabella French were Rebecca French Gross' siblings. Jesse French dec'd was her father. I'm not sure how Jesse French & wife Polly connect at this time.) 1882, June 1 -- Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Nancy Davis, and Jessee French & wife, Mary French, sold land as lot No. 4 apart of the Author Burns Reservation to Martha J. Giddens. Witnessed by Wm. Gidden and Luther Gidden. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J. N. Deagan, NP on June 22, 1882. Jesse and Mary French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson, NP and Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) (**Note: Nancy Davis and Martha J. Giddens were Rebecca French Gross' sisters. Again, I'm not sure how Jesse French & wife Mary connect at this time.) Abram Gross was an appraiser for the estate of Cyrus Gross on February 19, 1868 in Jackson County, AL. (**Note: Cyrus Gross was Abraham's nephew through his brother, David Gross.) 1840 Jackson County, AL Census [P7]: Abram Gross (Males) 1 0 0 0 1 (Females) 0 0 0 0 1 -- 3 total with 1 in Agriculture. (Listed near David, Jacob, Eve, and Jonathan Gross, Richard Kirby, Adam Shell, and Thomas Evans) 1840 Jackson County, AL Census [P41]: Abraham Gross (Males) 0 0 0 0 1 (Females) 0 0 0 0 1 (Listed next to Abraham is a Martin? Gross. Are both of these Abraham, s/o John & Eva Marie Gross?) 1860 Jackson County, AL Census [P620-343]: Abraham Gross 47 (farmer), Rebecca 42, J.S. 21 (farmer), W.J. 19 (farmer), T.J. 17 (farmer), Isaac G. 15 (farmer), M.J. 12, J.D. 9, N.A. 8, U.M.V. 4, M.B. 1. 1866 Jackson County, AL Census [P101]: A. Gross -- (Males) 1 under 10, 1 between 10-20, and 2 over 20 (Females) 2 under 10, 2 between 10-20 and 1 over 20. Total = 9. 1870 Jackson County, AL Census [P231]: Abraham Gross 58 (farmer), Rebecca 53 (KH), Martha J. 23, Jerremiah 20 (farm laborer), Nancy A. 18, Erasmus E. 14, Mary E. 12, Semantha A. 9, John A. Morgan 22 (School Teacher), and Peter Bates 16 (Farm Laborer) 1880 Jackson County, AL Census [P250A]: Abraham Gross 67 (farmer), Rebecca 62 (KH), Nancy A. 36 (KH), Mary E. 27 (KH), Samantha A. 18 (KH), Henry Statin (Hired Help) 19. Rebecca French and Abraham Gross had the following children:
There is a marriage record for a Samuel J. Gross to Annie Moore (Is this J. S. Gross?) Samuel J. Gross and Annie Moore were issued a marriage license on September 28, 1882 by John B. Tally and were married on September 28, 1882 at the residence of Thos. B. Parks in Jackson County, AL by Thos. B. Parks LD. Witnessed by William Moore. Let Samuel Gross hav lesens for Anie Moore. J. Isac Moore, her father (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL 1881-1886, page 163 & 221 -- LDS Film# 1018435)
There is a marriage record for a W. T. Gross and Margaret Hollis. (Is this W.J. Gross?) W.T. Gross and Miss Margaret Hollis were issued a marriage license on July 3, 1879 by Nelson Kyle and were married on July 4, 1879 at David Hollis' in Jackson County, AL by S.W.C. Kennemore. Witnessed by G.G. Lilly. (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL 1876-1881, page 376 -- LDS Film# 1018434)
John W. Finney and Ann Gross were issued a marriage license on February 22, 1887 by John H. Norwood JP and were married on February 23, 1887 at the Bride's fathers in Jackson County, AL by L. L. Hays MG. Witnessed by W.D. Parks. (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL 1886-1890, page 125 -- LDS Film# 1018435) (John Wiley Finney is #255.) J.W. Finney was a witness to the marriage of Isaac M. Benson and Samantha A. Gross on October 5, 1887 in Jackson County, AL. (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL 1886-1890, page 191 -- LDS Film# 1018435) (**Note: Samantha Gross was John Finney's sister-in-law.) In the 1850 Jackson County, AL Census, there is a John Finney age 7 in the household of William and Nancy Finney on page 56. In the 1860 Jackson County, AL Census [P637], there is a John W. Finney age 14 in the household of J. F. and Jane Finney. 1870 Jackson County, AL Census [P239]: John Finney 24 (farmer), Nancy J. (?) 19, James M. 1, James R. 26 (farm laborer). -- (Not right family - John & Nancy Ann weren't married until 1887.) Nancy Ann Gross Finney's Headstone(?): "Her Last Words 'My Savior Has Come, Glory Hallelujah"
68. Martha Jane4 French (Jesse3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5305) was born in AL March 15, 1826. She married twice. She married Luther Gideon. (Luther Gideon is #6202.) Luther was born in AL abt. 1825. Luther was the son of Zephaniah Gideon Sr.. 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Storton (?), Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: ) 1850 Jackson County, AL Census [P64]: Luther Gideon 26 (farmer), Jane 24, and Angeline 3/12. 1860 Jackson County, AL Census [P616]: Luther Gideon 34 (sawyer), M. J. 33, Angeline 9, W. C. 5/12, Zephonich(?) 2, and Zephonich(?) 40 (farmer). 1880 Jackson County, AL Census [P260]: Luther Giddons 54 (farmer), Martha J. 54, Zephariah 21 (farm work), William 20 (farm work), Luther 18 (farm work), Angerona 14, and Nancy Landey 53 (cousin) (KH). She married William R. Jackson in AL, February 11, 1847. (William R. Jackson is #6456.) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) 1882, June 1 -- Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Nancy Davis, and Jessee French & wife, Mary French, sold land as lot No. 4 apart of the Author Burns Reservation to Martha J. Giddens. Witnessed by Wm. Gidden and Luther Gidden. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J. N. Deagan, NP on June 22, 1882. Jesse and Mary French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson, NP and Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) Martha Jane French and Luther Gideon had the following children:
69. Jeremiah L. (Jerry)4 French (Jesse3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#5308) was born in Limestone County, AL January 29, 1827. Jeremiah died August 19, 1899 in Hill County, TX, at 72 years of age. His body was interred in Brandon Cemetery, Hill County, TX. He married twice. He married Eliza Jerrome Cloud in Jackson County, AL, February 15, 1860. Jerre L. French and E. J. Cloud were issued a marriage license on February 7, 1860 by J. H. Norwood JP and were married on February 12, 1860 in Jackson County, AL by H. Long JP. (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL page 25 -- LDS Film# 1028279) (Eliza Jerrome Cloud is #6209.) Eliza was born March 15, 1842. Eliza was the daughter of George Cloud and Nancy Unknown. Eliza died August 22, 1866 at 24 years of age. He married Martha Jenning in Jackson County, AL, December 12, 1866. J. L. French and Martha Jennings were issued a marriage license on December 6, 1866 by Milton P. Brown JP and were married on December 12, 1866 in Jackson County, AL by Roland Wood MG. (Source: Marriage Records Jackson County, AL page 435A -- LDS Film# 1028279) (Martha Jenning is #6299.) Martha was the daughter of Jobe Wells. Martha died October 28, 1895. The following was taken from "The French Family: A Personal History" by Irvin Himmel: My great-grandfather in the French line was the twelfth child of Jesse French. Born Jan. 29. 1827, in Alabama, his name was Jeremiah L. French, but there are indications that he often used his initials, and he was commonly known as "Jerry" [sometimes spelled "Jerre"] Jeremiah L. French did not marry until he was thirty-three years of age. Three years after the death of his father the marriage took place on Feb. 15, 1860, in Jackson County, Alabama. The marriage was performed by H. H. Hopkins, Justice of the Peace. The bride was Eliza Jerrome Cloud. She was one month short of her eighteenth birthday, having been born Mar. 15, 1842. Her parents were George and Nancy Cloud. George was a wagonwright for a time, then a farmer. He was born in North Carolina and his wife in Virginia. The children of George and Nancy Cloud were Christopher, Mary Ann, George, Rachel, Eliza, Susan, William, and James. The first four of these were born in Tennessee; the last four in Alabama. Following Nancy's death in 1850, George married Elizabeth Jane Vinson in 1860. by the second wife there were three more children: James, Joseph, and Benjamin. George was an elder in the Rocky Springs Church of Christ near Bridgeport. The Cloud family came to Jackson County, Alabama, from Tennessee in about 1841. The census taker visited the home of Jeremiah and Eliza French on June 18, 1860, just four months after their marriage. Four others were listed as part of the household: (1) Henry, age 30, who was Jeremiah's brother; (2) Isabella, age 28, a sister; (3) Mary, age 72, Jeremiah's mother; and (4) Ann, age 53, born in Kentucky, who was possibly Jeremiah's aunt, one of the daughters of Benjamin French. The census report listed the French family as residing in the area of Jackson County served by the post office at Paint Rock. In the years following the forced migration of the Cherokees to lands west of the Mississippi, Jeremiah L. French acquired about six hundred acres of what had been called the "Arthur Burns Reservation." (The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama, Aug. 9, 1964, Sec. B, p. 11) A saltpeter cave was located on this land. Known as Sauta Cave, the Alabamians must have pronounced it "Sorty," judging from some of the spellings I have come across in references to it. "Sauty" is another variant of the name. It is often referred to as Saltpeter Cave. (Alabama, A Guide to the Deep South, New Revised Edition, Alyce Billings Walker, Editor, New York: Hastings House, 1975, p. 287) A history of Jeremiah L. French would not be complete without a history of Sauta Cave. What appears as large holes in the side of Gunter's Mountain in the southern part of Jackson County are two entrances to Sauta Cave. In "Jerry" French's day the location was about eight miles from Scottsboro and five miles from Larkinsville. Expanding city limits of Scottsboro and changes in roads put the location just south of Highway 72 and fairly close to the present western city limits. The cave was doubtless used for shelter by the Indians long before the arrival of the white man. Old records found in the courthouse of Madison County in 1935 establish that is was used for mining saltpeter for the War of 1812, and there are other indications that it was used as a source for saltpeter even earlier. A Scottsboro newspaper, The Sentinel-Age, carried a two-part story by Tom Walls in the issues of May 23 and May 27, 1965, giving many details of the history of Sauta Cave. The land around the cave was bought by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1979, and Blowing Wind Cave became its new name. When Alabama became the twenty-second state in the Union, "Sauta Cave was made the first and temporary seat of justice by the legislature in 1819." (W. Brewer, Alabama: Her History, Resources, 'War Record, and Public Me, Tuscaloosa: Willo Pub. Co., 1964 reprint, p. 283.) The village of Sauta later gave way to Bellefonte as the county seat. When Sequoyah, the half-breed Cherokee Indian leader was ready to present his Cherokee alphabet to the Indians, the chiefs met at Sauta Cave. One of the earliest roads in North Alabama, known as the stage road, extended from Huntsville to Bellefonte via Sauta, and that was as early as 1819. A road from Gunter's Landing to Bellefonte passed through Sauta. In 1820, the first mail route for Jackson County went through Sauta on its way from Huntsville to Chattanooga. During the earlier months of the Civil War, Sauta Cave was a valuable source of saltpeter for the making of gunpowder for the Confederates. When the war stated in 1861, "Jerry" French owned the mine, and John B. Boran operated it. French sold the mine to Carlisle and Henderson, by they operated it only a short time until it was taken over by the Confederate Government. During the Civil War tow of my great-grandfathers worked in the mining operations at Sauta Cave. "Jerry" French was one of them, and George Thomas Melton was the other. The latter ruined his health in this underground work and died at the age of thirty-seven in 1867. W. T. Bennett of Gurley was a lad of fourteen when he worked in the mine. Historians have recorded what he related from memory long afterward. "Bennett, along with Deaborn Kell of New Hope and 15 others were sent to Selma to bring back kettles to the mine to boil the niter. They hauled seventeen of the large kettles back, using mules to draw the wagons. All of these pots but one were round and were eight feet in diameter. The odd one was oblong and about five feet wide. "To get the dirt out of the cave, a track of sweet gum poles was laid back to a quarter of a mile into the opening of the cave on short ties placed every five feet. Three or four cars were employed there at one time, through the use of sidetracks at two or three points in the mine. Two mules were used to move the cars. 'When the dirt reached the opening of the cave it was dumped into large hoppers. There it was leached or 'dripped'. This was a method of washing out all of the unwanted refuse by running water through it. The water came from a spring a quarter of a mile from the cave, near the top of Gunter's Mountain. "The niter or 'beer' as it was called, was then mixed with ashes, leached again in larger poplar troughs, after which it was boiled in the huge kettles. "The finished product, saltpeter, was boxed up and sent to the railway station five miles away at Larkinsville. It was shipped from there to Rome, Ga., where it was used in the making of gunpowder." When the Confederate Government took over the mine, Capt. James Young of Larkinsville was sent to guard the operation. His company included James Alex Gray, John Jackson, William S. Thomas, Coleman Hodges, John T. Hodges, George Burroughs, Jonathan Lindsay, J. A. Woosley, William L. Page, Robert Page, Lacy Houk, Ed Acklin, J. M. Peters, Ira Poke Brown, William Brown, Moses Seaborn, and W. W. Keel. Long afterward Kell remarked: "We had hot times during those early days, but it wasn't because of the Yankee guns. We had a number of huge kettles in which we boiled the dirt from the cave. One thousand pounds daily was our output. So you can imagine what sort of job it was to stand around those immense pots, and stir and fire all day long." But the Yankee soldiers made the scene even hotter. In April, 1862, Union forces discovered the concealed mine and attacked. The Confederate guards were driven across the Tennessee River. (John Robert Kennamer, History of Jackson County, Winchester, Tenn.: Southern Printing and Pub. Co., 1935, p. 49.) The Yankees ripped apart most of the track, destroyed the kettles, and dismantled the mining operations. Gen. O. M. Mitchell commanded the Union forces that put an end to the mining of saltpeter at Sauta Cave. During the Civil War years a half a dozen houses stood near the mine. One of them was the home of Jeremiah L. French. Constructed of heavy logs, the French house was still standing well beyond a century later. Tom Walls' article in The Sentinel-Age, May 27, 1965, states that the house was 156 years old in that year. If this is correct, the house dates back to 1809. According to John Knox's article in The Decatur Daily, Aug. 9, 1964, W. Jess French, a grandson of "Jerry" French, thought the house was built by his grandfather. If that be the case, it could not have been 156 years old in 1965. I do not know the age of the house, but am convinced that it was "Jerry French's old home. Ella Kennamer of Woodville [a niece of David D. and Nancy French Melton], took me to the old log house in 1965 and told me it was where "Jerry" French lived. Ella was born in 1882, spending her entire life in Jackson County. The above pictures of the old French home show how it looked in 1965. I was privileged to see the inside of the house in Oct. 1987. A forest ranger employed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service now resides there. He expressed the opinion that the logs are probably American Chestnut. Jeremiah L. French was a member of the Church of Christ. Madison Love and Washington Bacon were among the early preachers in Jackson County. In the fall of 1861, a report was sent to a religious journal in Tennessee about "The Sequachee and Georgia Co-operation." (Gospel Advocate, Nashville, Oct. 1861, pp. 305, 306.) Prior to the Civil War cooperation meetings among Churches of Christ were common. However, since it was later realized that these "cooperations" helped pave the way for the formation of the national missionary organization called the American Christian Missionary Society, and that Northern-dominated organizations was widely opposed as unscriptural in the South, one rarely hears of cooperation meetings in the South following the war years. Here is the report published in 1861 which mentions J. L. French and a congregation at Sauta: "Assembled at Union Meeting House, Dade County, Georgia, on Saturday, 14th day of September, 1861. The delegated from the different congregations were then called for. The following brethren reported themselves as delegates from… Sauta: J. L. French. ..." The foregoing report discloses that a congregation was established at Sauta in either 1860 or 1861. The little church had 17 members. Jeremiah L. French represented them at the cooperation meeting. In the summer of 1867, Washington Bacon sent a brief report to the same Tennessee journal. (Gospel Advocate, Aug. 29, 1867, p. 700) It was addressed to the periodical's editors, Tolbert Fanning and David Lipscomb, and mentions the Sauta church. It is interesting that Sauta Cave appears in this news item as "Sorta Cave." "Threnton, GA., Aug. 19, 1867 "Bros. Fanning & Lipscomb: I left home on Friday before the first Lord's day, inst., for Rocky Springs, Jackson County, Ala., preached for the brethren on Saturday and Lord's day, and set in order the things that were wanting, and closed with one addition; left to go to Sorta Cave, in the same county, arrived there on Thursday, preached to a few of the brethren at night, continued the meeting until Monday, set the congregation in order, and closed with eight additions, two from the Methodist, one from the Baptist and five from the world... In hope of eternal life, Washington Bacon" Another report from Washington Bacon contains a stinging rebuke which illustrates how plain spoken folks were in those days. (Gospel Advocate, Aug. 6, 1868, p. 765-766) The reprimand was directed to James Daniel at Sauta. "Scottsboro, Ala., July 13, 1868 "… I commenced my year's labor at Rocky Spring, Jackson County, Ala., the first Lord's day in March; but the high waters in the months of April and May prevented me from visiting all the congregations that I visit this year. With the exception of two of the congregations, they are alive to the cause of their Lord and Master. They meet every Lord's Day to break the loaf and conduct their Sunday-schools, the Bible being the text-book in them all. In the congregation at this place, we have a brother of great promise, who is just beginning to speak to the brethren and neighbors who attend our meetings. I would like to take the opportunity to say to the brethren at Scottsboro, to encourage and hold up the hands of Bro. Virgil Wood; for, in my judgment, he is worthy of all acceptation. And I would also say to the brethren at Sorta Cave, with reference to Bro. James Daniel, and for his encouragement also, to persevere in the cause he has espoused, in speaking to his neighbors upon the subject of salvation … But, alas! Bro. Daniel is this morning in the city of Montgomery, working for Caesar, helping make laws for his kingdom. Bro. Daniel, let me say to you in all kindness, my brother, your Lord and Master has told you that you cannot serve two masters. Bro. Daniel, don't do so any more... Washington Bacon" According to the stories which my grandmother used to tell, Jeremiah L. French at one time was an elder in a rural congregation. Whether this was Sauta or some other church at a later period, I do not know. She stated that on one occasion he came home from a church meeting when there was a fire going in the fireplace. He took the church records which he had in his possession and threw them into the fire. It seems that the congregation was in turmoil and he was thoroughly disgusted. It has been said that there is no fuss like church fuss. If burning the records would stop the wrangling, perhaps "Jerry" French had the right idea! Some of his sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have been active in Churches of Christ, and there is no way of measuring his influence as a Christian." ... Eliza Cloud French died Aug. 22, 1866. According to my grandmother who was only three years of age when Eliza died, her mother had been ill and went down to the spring to wash clothes. She put her feet in the cool water. Pneumonia resulted and she never recovered. She was only twenty-four years of age. It was said that she was a very beautiful woman. Left with four small children, the oldest not yet six years of age, "Jerry" remarried within four months. His second wife was Martha Jenning ... She was a widow. ******************************************************************** 1857, August 29 -- Jackson County, AL: Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Luther Gideon & wife, Martha J. Gideon, Elizabeth French, and Nancy S. Davis sold 640 acres of land known as the reservation of Arthur Burns to Jeremiah L. French and Henry G. French for $5. Witnessed by Wm. Storton (?), Justice of the Peace. Filed on January 30, 1858 by J.N. Judge. (Source: ) 1861, December 7 -- Jackson County, AL: Jere. L. French, adm. of Jesse French dec'd sold 50 acres of land in Section 8 of T5-RE for $356.50 to Abraham Gross. Witnessed by John Owen, Justice of the Peace. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds Vol H. page 433, LDS Film# 1018417) 1882, April 11 -- Jackson County, AL: J. L. French & wife, Martha French, Abraham Gross & wife, Rebecca Gross, Elizabeth French, Nancy S. Davis, and Jesse French & wife, Polly French, sold land known as part of the Arther Burns Reservation in the interest of Isabella French dec'd on the estate of Jesse French dec'd to Martha J. Giddens for $150. Witnessed by Ruben Z. Giddens, NP and Justice of the Peace. Nancy S. Davis of Denton County, TX was witnessed by J.N. Deagan, NP on May 26, 1882. Jesse and Polly French of Bastop County, TX were witnessed by Wm. E. Coulson on July 22, 1882. Filed for registration by John B. Tally, JP of Jackson County on July 25, 1882. (Source: Jackson County, AL Deeds, Vol 11, years 1881-1883, LDS Film# 1018422) 1860 Jackson County, AL Census [P616-17]: Jer. French 32 (farmer), E.J. 18, Henry French 30 (farmer), Mary French 72, Isabelah 28, Ann 38. 1870 Jackson County, AL Census [P189]: Jerre French 43 (farmer), Martha 36 (KH), John D. 9, Samuel J. 8, Nancy S. 7, William J M 6, and John J. Davis 6. Jeremiah L. (Jerry) French and Eliza Jerrome Cloud had the following children:
Jeremiah L. (Jerry) French and Martha Jenning had the following children:
80. William D.4 French (Jeremiah (Jerry)3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6403) was born 1811. William died bef. 1850. He married Narcissa Chatman Heflin. (Narcissa Chatman Heflin is #6457.) Narcissa was born 1813. Narcissa died 1849 at 36 years of age. William French of Lauderdale County, AL purchased 79.98 acres of land in Section 8 of T1-R8W on November 14, 1852. William D. French of Morgan County, AL purchased 39.78 acres of land in Section 3 of T8-R2W on April 2, 1857. (I'm not sure if this is the correct William/William D. French) 1840 Lawrence County, AL Census: William French (Males) 0 0 0 0 1 (Females) 2 0 0 0 2 1850 Lawrence County, AL Census [P395]: Elizabeth Heflin 67, Elizabeth Priest? 21, Edny 13, Erwin French 13, Elizabeth 11, Sarah 10, James 8, Benjamin 7, Marilden 2. William D. French and Narcissa Chatman Heflin had the following children:
85. Sarah4 French (Jeremiah (Jerry)3, Sally M.2 Turner, Henry1) (#6404) was born 1813. She married John A. Dickey in Lawrence County, AL, April 17, 1834. (John A. Dickey is #6465.) John was born in SC 1811. John died aft. 1880 in McNairy County, TN. Sarah French and John A. Dickey had the following child |
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