Sorting Out the 5 McCager Napier's of Perry County, Kentucky

I am writing this in an attempt to sort out the 5 McCager Napier’s of Perry County, Kentucky who were born in a 10-year time span and are frequently mistaken for and mixed up with one another. I am hoping this will help sort out who is whose child, who married who, and who served in which unit(s) during the Civil War. I will be starting with the 5 listed in the 1850 Census and work forward.

Please note that one will often find these men's names spelled "Micajah" rather than "McCager". Two of their headstones actually say "Micajah Napier". McCager is the correct, proper spelling for all 5 of these men's names. "Micajah" is the phonetic spelling of the same name. They did not pronounce "McCager" as "Mick-ay-jer". It was pronounced "Mick-ay-ja". Those that did not know the proper spelling "McCager" would spell the name "Micajah" because that was how it sounded to them. But as the very first "McCager" Napier, who was a father, grandfather, or uncle to all 5 of these other McCager Napiers, spelled his name "McCager", it is clear that that is the correct proper spelling of the name, and that is spelling I will utilize in this post.

Originally posted: 5/31/2012

Update: 12/11/2014

2nd Update: 5/4/2017

3rd Update: 8/12/2017

Some new information has led to some new conclusions about some of these new McCager's, primarily concerning their Civil War service. I have worked with Faron Sparkman and Manton Ray Cornett to correctly attribute each man's Civil War service to the correct person, and I believe this has finally been accomplished as definitively as possible with the records we have available to us. Also, dates of death and places of burial for some of the McCagers which were previously unknown appear to have been pinpointed, and again credit for much of that goes to Mr. Sparkman and Mr. Cornett. I am very grateful to them for helping me sort the McCagers further than I already had, and I think it has led to this being the last update needed for this particular study. 

1850 Census – Perry County, Kentucky

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – District – Page on Census - Parents

1. Michager Napier – About 1832 – District 2 – Page 4/37 - Mother, Elizabeth Napier

2. Micager Napier – About 1834 – District 2 – Page 4/37 – Parents, Micager and Leanner Napier

3. Michager Napier – About 1844 – District 2 – Page 6/37 – Parents, James and Mary Napier

4. Michager Napier – About 1843 – District 2 – Page 4/37 – Parents, Patrick and Mihala Napier

5. Micager Napuer – About 1846 – District 2 – Page 17/37 – Parents, Stephen and Polly Napier

Henceforth, each McCager will be referred to as McCager 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, based on this list.

Now clearly, all of these McCager’s were closely related; they were all either 1^st cousins, 1^st cousins once removed, or had an uncle/nephew relationship.

The mother of McCager # 1, Elizabeth, is the widow of James Napier, son of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield.

The fathers of McCager # 2 and McCager # 4, McCager and Patrick respectively, are also sons of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield.

The fathers of McCager # 3 and McCager #5 are brothers of McCager # 2, sons of McCager and Leanna Lewis Napier.

PLEASE NOTE that this aforementioned eldest McCager Napier, who was the father of McCager #2, the husband of Leanna Lewis, and the son of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield, is the McCager Napier who died August 8^th 1882 in Hazard, Perry, Kentucky. NONE of the above listed 5 McCager Napier’s are THAT McCager Napier; none of them died August 8^th, 1882, so PLEASE do not attach that death date to ANY of the McCager Napiers other than the husband of Leanna Lewis and the son of Patrick and Fanny Brumfield Napier.

Finally, please additionally note that James Napier, father of McCager # 3, is often attached on family trees as the son of James Napier and Elizabeth Howard Napier, the parents of McCager # 1. That makes James the brother of the eldest McCager Napier, father of McCager # 2. There is no solid documentation “officially” tying him to one brother or the other, but as James named his first son McCager and was in very close geographical proximity to the other descendants of the eldest McCager, I have always tied James to McCager and Leanna in my records.

Correct Years/Dates of Birth

There is some confusion regarding the proper years and dates of birth for the 5 McCagers. One headstone has a year of birth off by 2 years. This should be the correct birth order for the 5 McCagers.

McCager # 1 - Born 16 Apr 1833, according to the date on his stone. This date properly aligns with his Census records and is likely correct.

McCager #2 - Born 11 Apr 1834, according to his Union pension. This date properly aligns with his Census records and is likely correct.

McCager #3 - Born 1843. This aligns with Census records and is the year on his headstone.

McCager # 4 - Born 19 Aug 1843. The original source of this information is not known; it is the date on his military stone. It does align with his Census records and is likely correct.

McCager #5 - Born 17 Jun 1846. This date is NOT reflected on his headstone, which has 17 Jun 1844 on it. However, Census and military enlistment records (he gives his age as 17 in 1863) indicate he was actually born in 1846, not 1844 as his headstone currently states.

Visual of Napier Family Tree

I have created a Napier family tree starting with Patrick and Fanny Brumfield Napier and making its way down to all 5 McCagers (plus the eldest original McCager). I have labelled the McCagers 1-5 accordingly. The chart turned out almost the way I wanted, but it did not leave room for the spouses of McCagers #1 and #4. McCager #1 was the husband of Harriett McLemore. McCager #4 was the husband of Armina Davidson. Otherwise, this is a perfect representation of how the 5 McCagers are connected to one another and to the eldest McCager. This will help those in need of a visual aid in determining which McCager is "your" McCager and from whom he descends.

Descendants of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield named McCager Napier.

McCager Marriages between 1850 and 1860

McCager # 2 – to Elizabeth CAMPBELL – on 23 Dec 1852 in Perry County, KY*

McCager # 1 – to Betty unknown – on unknown date, approximately 1859 (based on them having no children in the 1860 Census)*

McCager # 1 – to Harriett McLemore Fairchild – about 1860 (according to 1900 Census)

         

      * - Please note that these are 2 different McCager’s who married two different Elizabeth/Betty’s, as proven by the 1860 Census

1860 Census – Perry County, Kentucky

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – District – Page on Census – Living with

1. Micajah Napier – about 1832 – District 1 – Page 27/97 – Spouse Betty + Future Spouse Harriett

2. M S Napier – about 1834 – District 1 – Page 3/97 – Spouse Betty (Campbell) + son Harison

3. Micajah Napier – about 1844 – District 1 – Page 53/97 – Parents Jas and Marry

4. Micajah Napier – about 1844 – District 1 – Page 49/97 – Parents Patrick and Mahala

5. Mc Cager Napier – about 1845 – District 1 – Page 56/97 – Father Stephen and step-mother Hulda

ALSO

6. Micajah Napier – about 1844 – District 1 – Page 25/97 – James and Martha Napier Guinn

Note: It is not known which McCager this sixth Census entry belongs to; clearly, it is either #’s 3, 4, or 5. The problem is that the Martha Napier who married James Guinn is a daughter of McCager Napier and Leanna Lewis, and therefore sister of McCager # 2. This McCager is working as a laborer, and is either Martha’s nephew or cousin, but it is not known which. It was not horribly uncommon for a person to appear in a Census twice for one year, especially when they lived in one household and worked in another, as is the case here. (Helen Keller appears in the census twice one year as she is at home the first time, and traveling the second time.) If the person happens to be at both places whenever the Census-taker came by, then they were counted twice. I believe this is the case here, and that this is not a random 6^th McCager who was not in the 1850 Census.

McCager Marriages between 1860 and 1880

McCager #3 – to Patience Spencer – about 1867, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1868

McCager #4 – to Armina Davidson – about 1861, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1862

McCager #5 – to Anna Engle – about 1870, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1871

1870 Census 

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – City, County – Living with

1. Cager Napier – about 1830 – Campbell, Perry – Spouse Harriett + 3 children

2. M S Napier – about 1834 – Lost Creek, Perry – Spouse Betsey + 7 children

3. Micager Napier – about 1844 – Precinct 3, Wolfe – Spouse Patience + 2 children #

4. Cager Napier – about 1840 – Campbell, Perry – Spouse Armny + 3 children*

5. McCager #5 has not been located for the 1870 Census.

* - Note: It was decided that this McCager is McCager #4 based on the fact he is living directly next door to Patrick and Mahala Napier, parents of McCager #4.

# - Note: McCager #3’s parents, James and Mary Napier, also moved to Wolfe County.

1880 Census 

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – County – Living with

1. Mc Cager Napier – about 1834 – Perry – wife Haret + 7 children

2. Mack S. Napier – about 1834 – Leslie – wife Elizabeth + 7 children

3. Mccager Napier – about 1843 – Wolfe – wife Patient + 7 children

4. Mc Cager Napier – about 1843 – Perry – wife Armina + 8 children

5. Mecager Napier – about 1845 – Perry – wife Anny + 4 children **

** - It was determined that this was McCager #5 based on History of Kentucky, Volume V by William E. Connelley and Ellis Merton Coulter (American Historical Society, 1922). In a sketch about Calloway Napier, it discusses mentions his parents are McCager Napier and Anna Engle, and his grandfather’s name is Stephen William Napier. This McCager’s oldest son is named Stephen W., and McCager #3 is the son of Stephen Napier. Unfortunately, the rest of the sketch outlining Calloway’s Napier ancestry is full of completely inaccurate, false information. It claimed Stephen was the son of a completely fictional man named John Napier, who was a supposed son of “Sir William Francis Patrick Napier”, who not only did not die in Perry County, Kentucky as the sketch claims, but never even resided in the United States. It was not uncommon in those times for someone to think of the most well-known person who shares their last name, and assume they were descended from them, or sometimes a person was hired to research the family’s ancestry, and made the same guess/assumption. This has happened in my family in determining we were descended from John Jay because he shared a family last name, or deciding we were of the same stock as Zachary Taylor, since he was a Taylor from Virginia. Many Napier lines originally claimed they descended from John Napier, a famous mathematician, but this was later disproven. This is most certainly what happened in this case.

McCager’s deceased before 1900

McCager #3 died 30 Jul 1899 in Washington County, Arkansas. His is buried in Hazel Valley Cemetery in Washington County, AR with a Union army headstone.

McCager #4 died in 1899 in Perry County and is buried in Red Hill Cemetery in Perry County with a Confederate headstone. 

1900 Census

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – City, County – Living with

1. Mccregor Napier – Apr 1833 – Hazard, Perry – wife Harriet + 2 children

2. Mc Cager S Naper – Apr 1834 – Campbell, Perry – wife Betty + 3 children and 1 grandson

5. Mc Cager Napier – Jun 1844 – Troublesome, Perry – wife Anna + 4 children and an unknown Thomas McDaniel listed as a son

McCager’s deceased from 1900 to 1910

McCager #1 died 18 May 1904 as proven by the date on his headstone at the Napier-Combs Cemetery near Grapevine. The cemetery is on Rome Napier Cemetery Road, and was originally called Napier Cemetery, and is now called Combs Cemetery. 

McCager #5 died 10 Apr 1910 according to the aforementioned biography of his son, Calloway Napier. A military headstone was procured for him and placed at Powers Cemetery, also called Captain Powers Cemetery, in Maggofin County, which is where this McCager's wife is listed in the 1910 Census, proving his residence there. The headstone incorrectly has his year of birth as 1844 instead of 1846. There is also a second flatstone by his upright military stone bizarrely reporting Civil War service in a "Virginia Militia". But this McCager never resided in Virginia, and there are no service records for a McCager Napier in any Virginia military records for the Civil War. This second stone was clearly placed in error by a well-meaning descendant, but its information should be disregarded. 

1910 Census

No. – Name as spelled – Approx. birth year – City, County – Living with

2. Mc Cager Napier – about 1833 – Campbell, Perry – wife Elizabeth + 2 children and 3 grandchildren

Death of last McCager

McCager Napier died 14 May 1912 according to his Civil War pension file. His place of burial has not been 100% determined. The Sons of Confederate Veterans' book on the 13th Kentucky Cavalry listed his burial place as Yerekes in Perry County, but that does not appear to be accurate. Some family members had him placed at Rocklick Cemetery where two of his daughters are buried. However, both family descendants and the SCV are now in agreement that he is most likely buried in what is today called the Campbell Cemetery near Napfor, which is only a couple of miles from Rocklick. In 1910, this McCager is living with his son John. He dies in 1912, and John himself dies in 1916, followed by McCager's wife Elizabeth in 1918. There are two fieldstones in the Napier plot at the very small Campbell Cemetery very near John's grave. It appears likely that those fieldstones mark the graves of McCager and Elizabeth Campbell Napier. Arrangements are currently in the works to procure a stone for McCager in this cemetery, as he appears to be the only one of the 5 McCagers without a marked grave.

The McCager’s in the Civil War

Determining in which units each of the 5 McCagers served during the Civil War has been a difficult task. I have had to rewrite and rearrange this section numerous times. However, I believe there is now consensus on who served in which unit. All five served in at least one unit, and one definitively served in two units. There are three additional terms of service by the McCagers that cannot be definitively attributed to one McCager or another. All we can do is speculate which McCager Napier is most likely to have served in these remaining three units with there being no further supplemental information available for us to determine who belonged where. Below is the final draft concluding which McCager served where, with visual aids.

These are the 9 enlistments of the various McCager Napiers along with any additional pertinent information.

1. McCager #1 was a part of the 5th Kentucky Mounted Infantry (CON). This is confirmed by George Washington Noble’s book Behold He Cometh In the Clouds: A Religious Treatise from Inspiration and Illumination, which mentions McCager many times, and mentions his wife Harriett as well. It does not appear that this McCager served in any other units. He enlisted on 4 Feb 1862, and was last marked present on 20 Oct 1863. It is not possible for him to have served in the 13th Kentucky Cavalry as well because the 3 enlistment dates for the 3 McCagers that did serve in that unit all fall between 4 Feb 1862 and 20 Oct 1863 when he was still serving in the 5th. It is possible he is the McCager that enlisted in the 19th Kentucky Infantry (UN) and deserted two days later, but that could also have been McCager #4.

2. McCager #2 served in the 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN), as did McCager #3. They each have their own distinct service records. McCager #2’s service proven in his Pension file. He also appears to be one of the three McCager Napiers who were part of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry (CON). He appears to have enlisted September 26th, 1862 as a 4th Sergeant. He is most likely the McCager that served in Company G of the 13th, mostly because it is more likely the 27 year old McCager would be mustered in as a 4th Sergeant than his younger counterparts of the same name.

3. McCager #3 served 14th Kentucky Cavalry (UN), as did McCager #2. He also later applied for a federal pension. Like McCager #2, he also appears to have served in the 13th Kentucky Cavalry (CON). He is most likely the McCager that was conscripted into Company I of that unit and deserted less than two weeks later.

4. McCager #4 served in the 10th Kentucky Cavalry (CON), along with his brother, William. He possibly served in a 2nd unit as well. It is not likely that he is one of the McCagers in the 13th Kentucky Cavalary (CON) because it would be nonsensical for him to enlist in the 13th in September or October of 1862, just to desert and re-join the Confederacy in January, 1863. It is possible he is the McCager that enlisted in the 19th Kentucky Infantry (UN) and deserted two days later, but that could also have been McCager #1.

5. McCager #5 served in the 47th Kentucky Infantry (UN). This is proven by his service record and his son Calloway’s biography detailing his service. He enlisted in the 47th on 4 Jul 1863. It is almost certain that prior to this, he was enlisted (or conscripted) into Company C of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry (CON). He enlisted on 5 Apr 1863 and was present 25 days later, but he appears to have deserted shortly after to enroll in the Union army. All 4 of the other McCager's are accounted for in serving other units in Apr 1863 except for this one, which has brought me to the conclusion that the McCager that served in Company C of the 13th could only have been McCager #5.

A visual guide showing in which units each of the McCagers served.

Conclusion

I believe the evidence as I’ve laid it out speaks for itself well. I hope other researchers will find this essay helpful in attaching the appropriate records and family members to their own respective McCager Napiers. It is disheartening to see so many researchers attaching other peoples' information to their trees without at least checking to see if it’s accurate. With even just a little digging, one can figure out where each McCager belongs in their respective family tree as descendants of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield, as proven above. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

A Precise Look at the Children of Andrew Baker and Mary Polly Hash

I originally wrote this on January 12th, 2012.


The precise number of children Andrew Baker and Mary Polly Hash had has been a confusing and debated  subject. Looking at Ancestry and Rootsweb trees, there are many with different names for their children and that have different numbers of children for them. "The Ancestors and Descendants of Samuel Jones and Celia Creech of Mouth of Wilson, Grayson County, Virginia" (1998) by Scott C. Jones mirrors this cofusion. He lists as their potential children: Felix S., Nancy L. (or Virginia Letitia (Lettie)), Hannah E., Elizabeth, Eliza, Jane, Levi, Eli, and Willis. However, Nancy and Letitia were 2 separate people, Willis's name was William, and Hannah E., Elizabeth, and Eliza are all the same person. Some trees have implied that Felix and Eli are the same person because there is an "eli" in between the F and X of "Felix", but this is incorrect. Some have said Hannah Elizabeth's name was actually Elizabeth Hannah, but her death certificate clearly says "Hannah Elizabeth". These are just a few of the many problems assoiciated with clarifying the offspring of Andrew Baker and Mary Polly Hash. So to help with the confusion surrounding this family, I am writing out the evidence for others to have.

In the 1900 Census, Mary Hash Baker says that she was the mother of 8 children, 6 of whom were still living. I have concluded these numbers to be perfectly accurate for a number of reasons.

The Barnett-Marks Bible, for which Ella Baker provided information about her aunts and uncles, lists Lizzy [Hannah Elizabeth], Telitha [Virginia], Liza [unknown], and Jane as the sisters of her father, Eli, and lists Felix, Levy, and Will as his brothers; this makes a total of 8 siblings including Eli. I believe the "Liza" is a misspelled "Louisa", and that she and Jane are the two children who died young. In "Reminiscent History Of The Ozark Region" (Goodspeed Brothers, Publishers, Chicago 1894), it says of the children of Andrew and Mary: "They reared a family of six children: F. S.; Elizabeth, wife of E. Pugh, of Boone County; Levi, who is a miller at Bellefonte; Eli makes his home in the Indian Territory; Letitia is the wife of William Cecil, of Harrison, and William is a resident of Oregon. Louisa and another child died when quite young."

The 1860 Census lists all of their children, but all except for Felix's and Eli's, the oldest and youngest children in the family at the time, have their ages listed 2 years younger than they really are. (Nancy is 14 instead of 16, Hannah is 10 instead of 12, Levi is 6 instead of 8, and Letitia is 4 instead of 6.) The household in 1850 has a 0 year old "Jane", and in 1860, an 8 year old "Lea". Since the other children's ages are 2 years off each, I believe it's fair to assume that Lea's was as well (meaning she should have been listed as 10, rather than 8), and so Lea was this "Jane", meaning her name was likely Lea Jane or Jane Lea. This lines up with the number of 8 children listed in the 1900 census and in the "Reminiscent History Of The Ozark Region".

1. Felix (1850 and 1860 Census)

2. Nancy Louisa (1850 and 1860 Census)

3. Hannah Elizabeth (1850 and 1860 Census)

4. Lea Jane (1850 and 1860 Census)

5. Levi (1860 and 1870 Census)

6. Virginia Letitia (1860 and 1870 Census)

7. Eli (1860 and 1870 Census)

8. William (1870 and 1880 Census)

Lastly, this is an excerpt from "Historical Review of Arkansas: Its Commerce, Industry, and Modern Affairs, Volume I" by Fay Hempstead (1911), p.48, as part of a biographical sketch for Felix: "In 1840 [Andrew] married Mary Hash, and all of his children were born in Virginia. His wife was a daughter of William Hash, who lived in Grayson County, Virginia, and answered to the dual calling of miller and farmer. Mrs. Baker passed away in Harrison, Arkansas, in 1898, the mother of Felix S., of this notice: Hannah, who married a Mr. Pugh and makes her home in Joplin, Missouri; Levi, of Marion County, Arkansas; Virginia L., who became the wife of W. H. Cecil and concluded her days in Harrison, Arkansas; and William, of Oregon." I believe Eli was left out of this list because it appears he was a "black sheep" of sorts in the family, or else he had simply lost touch with them after moving to western Oklahoma, but he is mentioned in the 1894 sketch.

The Enormous Family of G.W. Burchfield and Harriet K. Maddox

I originally wrote this on February 24th, 2012.


As of 1954, according to her obituary, Harriet had 6 living children, out of 11 total, and had 54 grandchildren, 85 great-grandchildren, and 35 great-great grandchildren. I thought the article was implying she had 54 LIVING grandchildren, but she could not have had more than 36-44 living grandchildren at most, so clearly the article was referring to total number of grandchildren, living or deceased. I could confirm 36 of them alive. I could also confirm 11 deceased grandchildren, and could not account for the whereabouts of 3 others, bringing the total I found to 50/54. I don’t know who the missing 4 grandchildren are; Frank may have had more children with his third wife, Myrtle O’Guinn, as he was still having children as late as 1933. Otherwise, I can’t account for the other 4.

Living children:

1.William Isaac Burchfield 2. Elizabeth “Betty” Graham 3. Margie M. Riner 4. Olive Virginia “Jennie” Thornton 5. Seneth Howle 6. Dollie Bell Robinson

Deceased children:

1. John Thomas Birchfield (1944) 2. Ophelia Celeste Jack (1924) 3. Amanda Ellen Williams (1942) 4. George Washington Burchfield Jr. (1913) 5. Francis Marion “Frank” Burchfield

Living grandchildren:

1. Nathan Wheeler Birchfield 2. Annie May Riddle 3. Raymond Wesley Birchfield 4. Nina Violet McLarty 5. Jannie Lee Senior 6. Harry Lee Williams 7. Dollie Belle Schwartz 8. Nannie Mae Gibson 9. Maud S. Cathey 10. George Washington Burchfield III 11. Clifford Mack Burchfield 12. Mary M. Turner 13. William “Bill” George Burchfield 14. Lula Lee Weeks 15. Frank Joe Burchfield 16. Opal Guinn 17. Clyde B. Burchfield 18. Jewel Dean Parker 19. Tony Burchfield 20. Dorothy Jean White 21. Hattie Virginia Wilson 22. Thomas Jefferson Burchfield 23. Dealie Emma Hilton 24. Barney B. Burchfield 25. Pauline Foster 26. Lillie M. Nolen 27. William Gordon Burchfield 28. Florence V. Cotney 29. Leonard Russell Burchfield 30. Maxine Blanton 31. Helen W. Brown 32. Lucille Pearson 33. Raymond Robert Thornton 34. Janie L. Davis 35. Jessie Dee Howle 36. Artemis R. Foster

Deceased grandchildren:

1. Lonie Birchfield (1912) 2. Rosey Birchfield (1917) 3. Ellen SnellingS (before 1910) 4. Hattie Snellings (1908) 5. Nannie Mae Sinclair (1950) 6. Frank James Williams (1946) 7. Mattie Happle Williams (1944) 8. William Isaac Burchfield Jr. (1924) 9. Infant of William Isaac Burchfield (1925) 10. Martha Nell Burchfield (1927) 11. Evelyn Howle (1927)

Other grandchildren who I could not track down and determine if they were living or not in 1954: Eva Birchfield (d/o John), Hayden Burchfield (s/o Frank), Francis Burchfield (d/o Frank)

Living great-grandchildren:

1. Mary Louise Buchanan 2. Wynell Wilson 3. Herschel Paul Birchfield 4. Freddy Joe Birchfield 5. Earl Wayne Birchfield 6. Janice Lee Birchfield 7. Sandra Sue Birchfield 8. Jimmy Lynn Birchfield 9. Wilmond Roswell Riddle 10. Robert Wayne Riddle 11. Doris Marie Riel 12. Paula Annette Kline 13. Afton Fay Riddle 14. Dennis Raymond Birchfield 15. Stephen Lee Birchfield 16. Jack Douglas Birchfield 17. Robert Bill McLarty 18. Effie May Marshall 19. Melba Jean Treadway 20. John Thomas Battison 21. James Earl Williams 22.   Frankie Eugene Williams 23. Tressie Mae Smith 24. Robert Lee Williams 25. Shirley Ann Williams 26. Billy Junior Williams 27. Dorothy June Casey 28. Bonnie Lee Schoppe 29. Melvin Anderson Bullock 30. Benjamin Gordon Cathey 31. George Virgil Cathey 32. Ada Mae Cleland 33. Juanita Davis 34. Lawrence Thomas Burchfield 35. Blanche Lee Burchfield 36. George Washington Burchfield IV 37. Robert Wayne Burchfield 38. Richard Mack Burchfield 39. Barbara Ann Trosper 40. Shirley Jean Burchfield 41. Noralee Burchfield 42. Dorothy Burchfield 43. Margie Turner 44. Floyd Henry Starnes 45. Alice Boonie Ware 46. Joe Edward Starnes 47. Lillian Maurine Hudgins 48. Shirley Lee Mayes 49. Gwendolyn Dolores Starnes 50. Walter James Weeks 51. Vester Jerald Weeks 52. Betty Burchfield 53. Walter Joe Burchfield 54. Jessie Ray Burchfield 55. Barbara Dean Burchfield 56. Curtis M. Wilson 57. Juanita Vetrice McPhearson 58. Orville Reese Wilson 59. Betty Mae Scott 60. Winford Paul Wilson 61. Vondell Marie Williams 62. Floretta Virginia Wells 63. Deral Loyd Snider 64. Olan Ray Snider 65. Joy Laverne Smith 66. Leroyce D. Burchfield 67. Charles Frederick Burchfield 68. Mary Junell Ross 69. Gwendolyn Kate Foster 70. Russell Franklin Foster 71. Norris Don Nolen 72. Terry Lemon Nolen 73. Jerry Gordon Burchfield 74. Ricky Lynn Burchfield 75. Lynn Ray Burchfield 76. Richard Lee Brown 77. Sharon Kay Pearson 78. Raymond Robert Thornton Jr. 79. Thomas Thornton 80. Cathy Davis 81. James “Jimmy” D. Davis

 Deceased great-grandchildren:

1. Infant of Nathan Wheeler Burchfield (1933) 2. Winston A. Bullock (1939) 3. Gwendolyn Mae Conner (1944) 4. Clifford Elwood Burchfield (1951) 5. Brady Allen Starnes (1922) 6. George Starnes Jr. (1926) 7. Delbert Leroy Starnes (1950) 8. RV Wilson (1940) 9. Woodrow Wilson (1939) 10. Linda Kay Burchfield (1950) 11. William Leon Foster (1947)


Great-grandchildren who I could not track down to determine if they were living or not in 1954: Peggy Fay Birchfield (d/o Raymond W. Birchfield), Bonnie Sue Birchfield (d/o Raymond W. Birchfield), Bettie Rozell (d/o Mattie Happle Williams), Mary Rozell (d/o Mattie Happle Williams),

Notes: Maxine Graham Blanton may have had children by this time, but I could not find any information on her beyond her mother’s death certificate. ... I am also just about 100% certain that some of Frank’s children from his family in Arkansas would have had their own children by 1954, but I do not have any of their names. They would likely account for several more great-grandchildren.


This comes to 81 confirmed living great-grandchildren, 11 confirmed deceased great-grandchildren, and still probably up to a couple-dozen unaccounted for great-grandchildren, if not more. The article said there were only 85 great-grandchildren. It doesn’t make any sense that they would count the complete total of grandchildren, and then only count the living grandchildren in their totals, so clearly the totals given in this obituary were not exact. They likely weren’t able to keep track of every single grandchild and great-grandchild, and some children ended up getting left out of the total, and there were probably some counted that I was not able to find. But this was the best I could do; if anyone has any additions, feel free to message me.

Mary Jane Bowling is NOT Mahala Bowling, and there are 2 different Mahala's

I originally wrote this on May 18th, 2012.


This is being written to prove to other researchers who care to have accurate information in their tree that:

1. Mary Jane Bowling, the mistress of Jesse Radford and wife of Solomon Hensley

2. Mahala Bowling, wife of George Hensley

3. Mahala Boling, wife of Simon Pfaff

Are THREE, DISTINCT, DIFFERENT individuals. Dozens and dozens of family trees here on Ancestry.com and other places online have combined these three people’s information at will, some even forming the conclusion that all 3 were the same people, though most confuse number’s 1 and 2, or number’s 2 and 3. All over the internet and on Ancestry, researchers have listed Jesse Radford’s mistress as Mary Jane “Mahala” Bowling, but with a little bit of research, one can find that Mary Jane’s name was never Mahala, and though they both married Hensley men, they were still not the same person.

The number 1 best piece of evidence differentiating these 3 women is the 1880 Census, where all 3 appear in different households.

1. MARY JANE BOWLING – Was the daughter of JAMES BOWLING and DELILAH HOLLAND. She was born 15 Mar 1854 in Clay County (Source: Kentucky Birth Records, 1852-1910 – Ancestry.com). She is found in the 1860 Census in her parents’ household in Clay County, Kentucky. She is found in the 1870 Census in the household of her aunt and uncle, Jesse and Grace Holland Radford in Precinct 4, Clay County, Kentucky. It is then she began having children with Jesse as his mistress; she had at least 6 that we know of. In 1880, while apparently pregnant with another child of Jesse’s (Mahala), she married a Solomon Hensley, a cousin of the Holland family. She is found in the 1880 Census in Leslie County, Kentucky, just 2 households from Jesse and Grace, with Solomon and a daughter she had with Jesse, Elizabeth. 2 months prior to the 1880 Census, she’d given birth to Mahala, another child with Jesse. And apparently their affair did not end even though she married, as she gave birth to Clark Levy in 1881. No children between Mary Jane and Solomon have been identified or found. Supposedly, Mary Jane moved to Arkansas with the Radford’s and Holland’s, and died there around 1888. As best as we can tell, Clark was her last child with Jesse. (We assume he was Jesse’s and not Hensley’s because he went by the last name Radford; his death record lists his parents as Jesse Radford and Mary Boland, which is one of the many misspellings of Bowling that are out there.)

2. MAHALA BOWLING – Was the daughter of ADDISON [Adam] BOWLING and ELIZA BENGE. She was born about 1858, four years after Mary Jane. She is found in the 1860 Census in the household of her parents in Clay County, Kentucky. She is found in her parents’ household again in 1870 in Precinct 2, Clay County, Kentucky. She married George Hensley on 27 Mar 1877 in Clay County, Kentucky (Source: Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979 – FamilySearch.org). Her name appears on her son Alfred’s birth record on 29 Mar 1878 in Clay County as “Mahaly Bowlin” (Source: Kentucky Birth Records, 1852-1910 – Ancestry.com). George must have died by 1880, because in the 1880 Census she is still in her parents’ household in Pigeon Roost, Clay County, Kentucky, without George, but with Alfred and another son, Newton. Newton is shown to be 4 months old. This is important, because should anyone continue to insist that Mahala and Mary Jane were the same person, they could ask themselves how the same woman could have Newton Bowling and Mahala Bowling with 2 different father’s only 2 months apart. Clearly, this is not possible, so clearly, these are 2 different women.

3. MAHALA BOWLING – Was the daughter of JOHN BOWLING and ORAH ASHER. She was born in September of 1870, at least 11 years after the birth of the previously discussed Mahala Bowling (Source: 1900 Census). She is found in the 1880 Census in a household with her siblings, with her sister Lucinda Bowling as the head of the household. Despite the 10 year age difference between she and the previously mentioned Mahala Bowling, many researchers contend that the other Mahala married Simon Pfaff, but it was this Mahala who married Simon Pfaff, as evidenced by the clear significant difference in their ages.



So please, use this information as a guide. Do not apply Mary Jane’s and Mahala’s information to one another, and do not apply Mahala wife of Simon Pfaff’s information to Mahala wife of George Hensley’s information. If anyone would like to argue any of these points, please feel free to contact me, but I’m quite certain this information is accurate. Thank you.

Sorting out the 3 William Eversole's in the Civil War

I originally wrote this on May 18th, 2012.


There were 3 "William Eversole"'s in Kentucky units in the Civil War, though it appears as if there were 4, since there were 2 in the 14th Cavalry, and 2 in the 6th Cavalry. The 4 of them are regularly mixed up and switched around, so this is an attempt to straighten the mess for other researchers who can now apply the proper service records to the appropriate individuals. This problem is furthered by the fact that even Fold3.com has mixed up and switched around the service records of the 2 William Eversole's in the 6th Cavalry, even though it's clear they are 2 different men. The following is my explanation of sorting out the service records for the “four” William Eversole’s, and applying them to the three appropriate persons.

  First: There are 6 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census in Perry County and its surrounding counties. Of those 6, only 4 of them are of age to have fought in the war. One of those 4, William son of Rowlin Eversole and Lucinda Campbell, was disabled according to the 1860 Census. So that made this a little easier; match the 3 William Eversole's in the 1860 Census with the 4 William Eversole's in the 14th Cavalry and 6th Infantry.

  1. The first William is the easiest to sort. Private William Eversole of the 14th Kentucky Cavalry is listed as 45 years old. The 1860 Census has only one William even close to that age, and it's a pretty spot on match: There's William Eversole in Owsley County, Kentucky, born about 1814, which is a perfect match. This assertion is further verified by the 1890 Veterans’ Census where in Owsley County you can find “William Eversole” where he lists himself as a member of the 14th KY Cavalry.  So the Private William Eversole in the 14th Cavalry is the William Eversole (born 1814) in Owsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Woolery Eversole and Lucy Cornett. 

2. The second William in the 14th Cavalry is listed as 25 years old. He is the "W B Eversole" born about 1837 who is found in Owsley County, Kentucky in the 1860 Census. He distinguishes himself from his first cousin, William, who was killed as a member of the 6th KY Infantry, in his interview with John Dickey. In Dickey's diary it reads, "William Eversole, son of [Joseph], died in the army, on Clear Creek in Bell County in 1862. He belonged to the 6th Kentucky Cavalry." The entry itself actually says son of Jacob, who would be William's great-grandfather, but it's clear he was referring to the son of his great uncle, Joseph, as he is speaking about Joseph in the paragraph, and did not previously mention his grandfather having a son named William when he listed his grandfather's siblings. He is also the William Eversole who is listed as 24 years old and a member of the 6th Kentucky Cavalry; his Civil War Pension lists him as a member of both the 6th KY Cavalry and the 14th KY Cavalry. He was originally charged with desertion from the 6th Cavalry according to his service records, but those charges were dropped as he was discharged for a promotion. This is evident by the fact he was a Private in the 6th and a Captain in the 14th. Unfortunately, he does not appear in the 1890 Veterans’ schedule, but he is in the 1900 Census, so he was not deceased. So the Captain William B. Eversole in the 14th Cavalry and the Private William B. Eversole of the 6th Cavalry are the same person and he is the W B Eversole (born 1837) in Owlsley County in the 1860 Census. This William Eversole is the son of Joseph Eversole and Sallie Bowling. He is William #1's nephew. 

[Also note: Almost every online tree I’ve found has William’s year of death as 1909, but with no proof. As he is alive and well in the 1910 Census, this is not a correct assertion. I have not found a headstone or death record proving when he died, but it was after 1909, so researchers should note that in their information.]

3. The first William Eversole in the 6th Cavalry's service record is listed as age 30. This would be the William Eversole mentioned in Dickey's diary by William #2. This William is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henrietta Oliver. This can be confirmed by the 1850 and 1860 census, which each show him being born in 1829 or 1830. Also, his last child, Amanda, was born in 1862. This William Eversole's census records indicate he died April 30th, 1862 at the Union camp at Cumberland in Bell County, as mentioned in the diary. In the 1870 Census, this William's wife Jane Combs, does not have a husband and appears widowed. So that means this Private William Eversole, who is age 30 in the 6th Cavalry's service records, is the "Wm Eversole" in the 1860 census in District 1, Perry, Kentucky. He is the son of Joseph Eversole and Henriette Oliver. He is the 1st cousin of William #1 and the 1st cousin once removed of William #2. 

Hopefully this will help other Eversole researchers with applying the proper service records to the appropriate individuals.

Andrew Jackson Lawrence, son of Thomas Lawrence

I originally wrote this on May 25th, 2012.


Several researchers on Ancestry.com and elsewhere have tied together the Andrew Jackson Lawrnece, son of Thomas Lawrence in the 1850 Census in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, with the Andrew Jackson Lawrence who died in Searcy County, Arkansas in 1923. However, other than some threadbare circumstantial evidence (1. He has the same name, and 2. He died in Arkansas), there is no solid evidence or proof that connect the two Andrew Jackson Lawrence's together as the son of Thomas Lawrence, while there is a wealth of evidence to the contrary.

1. First and foremost, Andrew is not listed in Thomas's probate records. The records, which I have a copy of, give a very extensive and complete list of all of Thomas's living children. The deceased children, Emeline and Mary, are not named in the records. As Andrew is not named either, it is safe to assume he likely had died before Thomas died in 1860. Now yes, it is POSSIBLE, that Andrew was a "Black Sheep" and written out of the will and exiled from the family, but there is nothing to substantiate this theory in the least. Andrew has not been located for the 1860 Census; in fact, neither of the Andrew's have been located for that census.

 2. The 2 Andrew's appear to have a 5-year age difference, which is significant. Thomas's son Andrew in 1850 is 10 years old, so he was born circa 1840. The 5 confirmed Censuses of the other Andrew have him born in: 1846, 1844, 1845, 1847, and 1846 (from 1870 to 1920, respectively). Now clearly the Census records rarely give a precise age or year of birth, but to see the age difference being about 5 years apart very consistently points to it being unlikely that the 2 Andrew's are one in the same.

 3. Those same 5 aforementioned Census records also say that the second Andrew was born in Georgia, while Thomas's son Andrew was born in Alabama, as were all of Thomas's children back to Elizabeth [Dollar]. Only Thomas's 3 oldest children were born in Georgia. The rest were very consistently born in Alabama.

 4. The Lawrence clan appear to be a very tight-knit group they travel in clans, and settle the same general areas together. Out of all of Thomas's children, only  Nancy [Burchfield] remained behind in Tuscaloosa County permanently when Thomas left for Arkansas; Matthew stayed for a while, but eventually moved to Arkansas as well. Bryant and Tabitha [Burnside] (and possibly Elizabeth; she has not been located in the 1850 Census)set off first for Arkanas before their father and siblings, but once his Thomas arrived in Independence County, Bryant moved there to be near his family; Frances Jane [Gilbert], Benjamin, Martha [Bragg], William, and Joseph also settled in Independence County. Tabitha remained in Union County, Arkansas, but was joined by her brothers James, George, and Thomas, and her sister Matilda [Howard]. Sarah Elizabeth [Sain] took her time getting to Arkansas, but eventually settled in Howard County, where she was joined by her brothers Thomas and Matthew. Some of the siblings moved around, but eventually settled somewhere around Independence County, in either adjacent counties or 2 counties away, fairly near their siblings (this exludes those who remained in Union County, but they remained together nonetheless). Benjamin and Joseph died in Lawrence County (adjacent to Independent), which is also the last place we find France Jane; Robert died in Cross County, also adjacent to Indepence County. William died in nearby Craighead, but was buried in Independence. Matthew is last found in Pike County, which is adjacent to Howard County where Sarah Elizabeth and Thomas died.

 As you can see, this family tends to be fairly tight-knit. This Andrew Jackson Lawrence, however, never lives near Thomas Lawrence's children. In 1870, he is in Cocke County, Tennessee. In 1880, he is in Green County, Missouri. From 1900 to 1920, he is in Searcy County, Arkansas. In all of the research I have done on Thomas Lawrence's children, I have not found them settled in Searcy County or ANY of the counties adjacent to Searcy. It's within the realm of possibility that this could further the "Black Sheep" stipulation, but again, this does not seem very likely.

5. In 1907, Andrew Jackson Lawrence of Searcy County, AR applies for a Confederate pension based on his service in Company A of the 23rd Georgia Infantry.  Company A of the 23rd Georgia were called the "Bartow Yankee Killers", as the men of the company were recruited from Bartow County, GA. In the 1860 Census, there is only one A.J., Andrew J., or Andrew Jackson Lawrence in the entire 1860 Census, and was living in Chattooga County, and was the son of Martin Lawrence. This cannot be the Andrew Jackson Lawrence of Searcy County, AR because the A.J. Lawrence of Chattooga County served in the 34th Georgia Infantry, as proven by his service records, and continued living with his parents in the 1870 Census, and lived nowhere else than Chattooga County and died there. So while he is not located in the 1860 Census at all, the Andrew Jackson Lawrence who died in Searcy County, AR clearly must have lived in or very near Bartow County (which was Cass County until 1861) at that time. Now if he was the son of Thomas Lawrence, why on earth would he move from Tuscaloosa County where almost his entire family were, to Bartow County, Georgia, to Tennessee, to Missouri, and then finally to a place in Arkansas that was nowhere near any of Thomas Lawrence's other children?

 After looking at each of these 5 factors, I believe it's clear that Thomas Lawrence's son Andrew Jackson Lawrence, and the Andrew Jackson Lawrence who died in Searcy County in 1923 were two distinctly different people, and I do not believe their information should be merged as if they were the same person on this site or any others.