Hugh Moore Naturalization Record - Ripley County, Indiana - 1820

Hugh Moore late of the County of Cavan in the Kingdom of the land a nation of the Kingdom aforesaid aged 26 years by occupation a farmer came into open court and being duly sworn did declare his intention bonafide to become a citizen of the United States and abandon and abjure all allegiance to any and every other Power prince and potentate whatever but more particularly to George the IVth King of Great Britton and its dependency and moreover that his Intended place of residence is Ripley County and state of Indiana.

Obituary for John Henry Mason

From the Durant Daily Democrat, 23 Feb 1953, Page 1:

Services For John H. Mason Here Tuesday

Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church Tuesday at 4 p.m. for John H. Mason, pioneer Durant businessman and former Bryan county official, who died Sunday night after a long illness. Mr. Mason had been a resident of Durant for 53 years and was 76 years old.

Services will be conducted by Rev. L. L. Armstrong, assisted by Carroll Hooper, and burial, under direction of Holmes Funeral home, will be in Highland Cemetery.

Active pallbearers will be Ralph Ownby, M.K. Staton, J.T. Davis, Bob Howard, Wallace Gates and Bill Barker.

Honorary pallbearers will be members of the First Baptist men's Bible class.

Mr. Mason, well known as "Uncle John," was born at Lone Oak, Ark., May 14, 1876, a son of Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Mason. He was married to Miss Mattie Alva Lipsey at Lone Oak in 1895.

Since coming to Durant, Mr. Mason was engaged in business and livestock production here, and had served two terms as Bryan county commissioner. He retired from active business several years ago because of poor health. 

Mr. Mason was a lifelong member of the Baptist church and was a member of the Woodmen of the World lodge.

The deceased is survived by his wife, two sons, Brans Mason, Amarillo, Texas; and Clabe Mason, Durant; one daughter, Mrs. Leo McMains, Denison, Texas; five grandchildren and four great grand children. He was a brother of the late George A. Mason and an uncle of Albert W. Mason, George Mason Jr, Hall Mason, and Elmo Mason, all of Durant.

The Newhouse (Neuhauser) Family Immigration to America

Most of my genealogical lines have been well established in the United States since before the revolution. So, the Newhouse line on my maternal side has unique significance to me. This line represents my most recent connection to immigrants coming to the United States to pursue a better life.

I was aware that the Newhouse family was residing in New York City at the time of the 1850 Federal Census. However, I was not certain exactly when they came to America. In researching the descendants of this Newhouse family, I was able to estimate that they arrived around 1835-1840, and likely came from Bavaria. Until recently, that was as far as I could get.

Last weekend, using a newly available online index, I finally uncovered the passenger list for the their voyage to America.

Sailing on the "Susan" from the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, the Newhouse family arrived in New York City 15 Aug 1840.

This document turned out to be a great source of genealogical information since each person in the family is listed with their age and native country, including the children. It was also encouraging to discover their actual German surname: Neuhauser.

Solomon Neuhauser, age 50, Merchant, native of Bavaria
Ella, his Wife, age 54, native of Bavaria
Rosette, his Daughter, age 18, native of Bavaria
David, his son, age 17, native of Bavaria
Isaac, his son, age 15, native of Bavaria
Moses, his son, age 13, native of Bavaria
Matheus Neuhauser, age 38, Tailor, native of Bavaria
Lilli Neuhauser, age 32, native of Bavaria

Previous to this record, I did not know the father's name since he had died before 1850. I had always thought it was Jacob Newhouse based on other circumstantial records. However, we now know that Solomon is the husband of Ella (Elizabeth/Eliza) Newhouse. This is confirmed using several directories listing inhabitants of New York City from 1844-1865. Solomon appears in an 1844 NYC directory as a tailor living on Attorney Street. Among other supporting evidence, in 1859 and 1865, we find Elizabeth Newhouse listed as the widow of Solomon, living on Attorney Street.

The passenger list also includes a new clue: Matthias Newhouse. Previous to this discovery, I had found him living in the same location as the Newhouse family in 1860, but I did not know how they were connected. Based on the passenger list, it can be assumed that the Matheus Neuhauser is the brother of Solomon, or some other close relation.

Moses Neuhauser is the individual from whom my line descends. We find his brother, Isaac Newhouse, and Moses in Scranton, Pennsylvania during the 1860 Federal Census - both listed as tailors. By 1870, Moses had moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, where he assumed the name "Morris." In 1871, he married my 3rd great-grandmother, Anna Partee, a native of Georgia.

It is also interesting to note that Morris was a cousin of Samuel Newhouse, a multimillionaire mining tycoon that is also credited with building the first skyscraper in Salt Lake City, Utah. Samuel's father was Isaac Newhouse, the brother of Morris.

"Susan" Passenger List, 18 Aug 1840
Sailing from Bremerhaven, Germany to New York City, New York

Rosanna "Rosa" Belle (Haney) Sutphin

Rosanna "Rosa" Belle Haney

b. 15 Sep 1855, Christian Burg, Virginia

d. 18 Jan 1917, Cube, Illinois

m1. John Thomas Draper Sutphin (b. 25 Dec 1859, d. 30 May 1932)
m2. Frank Wilkins (b. Dec 1866, d. 21 Dec 1948)

My maternal third great-grandmother, Rosa Haney, was one of those individuals in my tree that I honestly expected to be a permanent road block. When I initially started my family research, all I had was the name "Rosa Haney" as the wife of John Thomas Draper Sutphin, and the mother of Nan Bailey Sutphin, my second great-grandmother. No further information to draw from.

Usually, a name is enough to start unraveling the story. However, in this case, due to some missing records and certain circumstances, I always hit a dead end.

I still have yet to find any census records when Rosa was still living with her first husband, John Thomas Draper Sutphin. The two were married around 1877. We would expect to find Federal Census records for the family in 1880, but none has been uncovered. Then, John Thomas Draper Sutphin remarried to Hannah Pate in 1895, and we find him with his new wife in the 1900 census. No sign of Rosa.

Since three of the children remained with John Thomas Draper Sutphin, as evidenced in the 1900 census, I had always assumed that Rosa had died. Though, I had no evidence to prove this.

Finally, I had a breakthrough. I tracked down the Social Security application for Nan Bailey Sutphin, daughter of Rosa and John Thomas Draper Sutphin. I did not expect to find anything groundbreaking. But, when the record finally arrived, I was pleased to see a previously unknown middle name for Nan's mother: Belle.

Using this new information, I was able to discover a young Rosanna Belle Haney in the 1860 census living in Lebanon, Virginia, born around 1856. This is near the area in Virginia where John Thomas Draper Sutphin grew up. The census record also gave me insight into Rosa's parents: John W. Haney (b. abt 1834) and Sarah E. (b. abt 1834).

This information led me straight to an Illinois death index record for Rosa Bell Wilkins with her father being recorded as "John W. Haney." This individual matched perfectly with the limited information that I previously discovered about Rosa. She was born in Virginia in Sep 1855. And, further research into this individual began giving strong evidence that I had finally found my third great-grandmother living after 1900.

• In the 1900 census (Fulton County, Illinois), Rosa cites that she has had 5 children and that she was married to Frank around 1898. This would align perfectly with our information and timeline of when Rosa disappeared from the Sutphin family.
• In the 1910 census (Fulton County, Illinois), Rosa cites that Frank is her second marriage, meaning that she was married once before (John Thomas Draper Sutphin), and had 5 children from her previous marriage (Eugene Hubert Sutphin, Aurora Maude Sutphin, Pearl Edith Sutphin, John Cleveland Sutphin, and Nan Bailey Sutphin)
• On Rosa Wilkin's death record, the informant is recorded as "Mrs. Edith Taylor." We find an Edith P. Taylor living next door to Rosa and Frank in the 1910 census. Furthermore, this Edith records her birthplace as Tennessee around 1884. This information matches perfectly with the daughter of Rosa and John Thomas Draper Sutphin: Pearl Edith Sutphin.
• We find this same individual in the 1930 census as "Pearl E. Taylor," supporting this theory.

With this additional information, we can begin to stitch together a timeline. Rosa Belle Haney and John Thomas Draper Sutphin are married around 1877. They have five children before divorcing. John Thomas Draper is remarried to Hannah Pate in 1895, and the all the children remain in the area, three of which live with John Thomas Draper and Hannah. Around the same time, Rosa moves to Illinois, possibly to make a new life for herself. She is remarried to Frank Wilkins around 1898. Back in Tennessee, her daughter, Pearl Edith Sutphin, is married on 9 Jun 1901 to Arthur Stout. Shortly thereafter, the marriage ends and Pearl Edith moves to Illinois. She is remarried to James S. Taylor around 1906 and moves in next door to her mother. Rosa Belle (Haney, Sutphin) Wilkins dies 18 Jan 1918 in Cuba, Illinois. Her daughter, Pearl Edith (Sutphin) Taylor appears as the informant on the state death record.

Private William Johnson

Private William Johnson

b. abt 1805, Claibourne County, Tennessee

d. 20 Nov 1862, Sandusky, Ohio

m. abt 1825 to Elizabeth Grisham Rowe (b. abt 1804, d. 8 Sep 1856)

via FindAGrave.com

Photo by Joyce

While researching my fourth great-grandfather, William Johnson, I continually came across the fact that he died 22 Nov 1862 at Gratiot Street Prison, which served as a prison for Confederate captures during the Civil War. However, none of these sources ever cited a primary source to support this claim.

Additionally, I was not able to find his name on the list of prisoners that died at Gratiot, nor any enlistment records. I started to suspect that this story of his death at a Union prison in St. Louis may have been a cover-up derived by someone in the family to hide the possibility that he abandoned his family. What other explanation was there if I could find no records of his death at the prison nor any service records?

My recent trip to St. Louis urged me to visit this mystery once again in case there was something I missed. After some additional research, the pieces started falling into place.

I knew William Johnson was born in Tennessee and spent most of his life in that state. Despite knowing that his older children relocated to Missouri by 1861, I was still looking at Tennessee service records since the story was that he was a confederate soldier. I assumed that he enlisted in the state of Tennessee. The piece that I missed was that Missouri had a small number of Confederate units despite the larger Union influence.

Once I dug into the Confederate service records from Missouri, I came across POW roll records for a William Johnson that was a member of Company D in Poindexter's Regiment, an independent Confederate unit.

In combing through the prisoner records, I found that this William Johnson was captured 14 Aug 1862, likely during or shortly after the Battle of Compton's Ferry. Most of the regiment was either killed, wounded or captured.

William was received at Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis, Missouri 31 Aug 1862. However, despite the un-sourced information I found about his death, he did not stay very long. Along with several other prisoners, he was discharged to Alton Prison in Illinois 12 Sep 1862. From Alton, on 17 Nov 1862, he was transferred once again - this time to the Depot of Prisoners of War on Johnson’s Island in Sandusky Bay, Ohio.

William's age compared to most of the other soldiers did not work in his favor. He only survived for three days after arriving at the prison on Johnson's Island. He died a the age of 57 on 20 Nov 1862 and was buried at the onsite cemetery.

The misinformation about when and where William died most likely came from a story passed down within the family. This information then found its way into several family trees. William indeed spent time at the Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis after being captured, but he was transferred twice before his death, ultimately ending up on Johnson's Island in Ohio.

Biographical Sketch of Dr. William Hugh Moore

Dr. William Hugh Moore

b. 14 Apr 1853, Cannon County, Tennessee

d. 11 Feb 1910, Pensacola, Florida

m. 10 Mar 1881 to Nancy Virginia "Jennie" Witherspoon (b. 18 Sep 1858, d. 26 Jan 1903)

s/o Thomas W. Moore and Nancy Ashley

William Hugh Moore

Dr. William Hugh Moore

Born April 14, 1853 in Cannon County, Tennessee, William Hugh Moore is the son of Thomas W. Moore and Nancy Ashley. William's father, Thomas, is a native of Indiana and presumably moved to Tennessee alone in his early twenties. He worked as a school teacher in Coffee County, and later, as a merchant. William's mother, Nancy, is a member of the prominent Ashley family of Beach Grove, Tennessee, where she was born.

William's family placed a high value on education, which he received at an early age. In 1875, William began studying medicine with Dr. Alexander Smith Norville, and the following year, he continued his studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating, William started a medical practice in the small town of Hillsboro, Tennessee. A few years later, he moved to Viola, Tennessee, where he spent the remainder of his professional career. In Viola, William not only practiced medicine, but he also owned the local drugstore, and it has been said that he conducted a very lucrative business.

William married Virginia Nancy "Jennie" Witherspoon March 10, 1881 in Coffee County, Tennessee. Born in 1858, Jennie is the daughter of Alexander Bond Witherspoon and Jane Neely, both from Rutherford County, Tennessee.

William and Jennie had five boys and two girls. Their oldest child, Ores Witherspoon, or O.W., was born May 10, 1882. Lillie Mae was born May 11, 1884. William Hughes, Jr. was born April 1, 1886, Kate was born March 15, 1888. Charles Hardy was born March 1892. Paul Bryan was born October 25, 1896. And, Audley was born May 1899, but he is thought to have died as a young child.

In 1903, William's wife, Jennie, died at the age of 44. Sometime after, William was remarried to a woman by the name of Lida. Not much is known of her except she became the guardian of the Moore children after William died.

Later in life, William suffered from heath issues and moved to Pensacola, Florida in hopes that the climate would help his ailments. Despite the move, on February 11, 1910, William died of kidney failure in Pensacola at the age of 56. His body was returned to Tennessee, where he is buried in Viola Cemetery next to his wife, Jennie.

William is said to have been one of the best known physicians in the area. He also has the distinction of being included in Goodspeed's biographical history of Warren County, Tennessee, published in 1887.

William Marion Glover: Date of Death

William Marion Glover

b. Mar 1854, Virginia

d. 10 Jan 1925, Bluff City, Tennessee

m. 9 Apr 1870 to Mary Jane Collins (b. 18 May 1854, d. 27 Dec 1925)

s/o William Jackson Glover and Susan Evelyn McCauley

Until yesterday, the only clue that I had to go on for the death date of William Marion Glover was a transcription of his headstone. This information cited 1925 as the death year, but it did not provide an exact date. I became skeptical of this information since I could not find a death record on file in the state of Tennessee that matched this information. Additionally, William's wife, Mary Jane Glover, died in 1925 as well. I considered the possibility that someone had incorrectly transcribed William's headstone and used Mary's death year, instead.

Since the headstone is now in ruins, I was unable to confirm nor refute this theory.

On a whim, I decided to start sifting through issues of The Bristol Herald Courier from 1925 at the Tennessee State Archives. I accepted that I was in for a really long search that may not even produce any results.

Fortunately, and to my pleasant surprise, I came across the news of William Marion Glover's death in the issue published on 12 Jan 1925. After my continued skimming through the other issues that week, I was able to discover three separate articles about William's death.

Transcription of the first clipping (the others contain similar information):

WILLIAM M. GLOVER CLAIMED BY DEATH

Funeral Services Will Be Held Tomorrow At Home In Bluff City

William Marion Glover, aged 73 years, died at 12 o'clock Saturday night at his home [in] Bluff City, Tenn. His death came suddenly and unexpectedly, being due to heart failure.

Mr. Glover is survived by his widow and three children as follows, Mrs. D. M. Harklerod of West Grove, Ga., J. C. Glover of Jonesboro, Tenn., and R. L. Glover of Bluff [City], Tenn. He is also survived by one sister, Mrs. Susan Salts, of Jonesboro, Tenn.

With this new evidence, I was finally able to correctly determine William's death date as 10 Jan 1925. He was buried in the Chinquepin Cemetery. His wife, Mary, died later the same year and is buried in the same cemetery.

It is still a mystery to me why there is not a death record on file for William in Tennessee. The clippings clearly state that he died at his home in Bluff City. Thus, there should be a death record filed as was required at the time. Another mystery for another day.