SallySparkman on Family Tree Circles
Journals and Posts
I am trying to find information about the family of Isaac and Amanda Shockley of Tennessee. Isaac was born in 1865, Amanda in 1873, probably both in Van Buren County.
Amanda's parents were Ben Sparkman and Pricilla "Prissy" Rickman, and she had a brother named Grant Sparkman. I would very much appreciate any information, documents, family photos, or stories you can share with me. I am writing a book about our family history for my children, and any help I can get would be a huge blessing and very much appreciated.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to look in researching my family tree back to Scotland, Ireland and England pre-1700's?
Ancestors on both of my parents' sides came over from Scotland, Ireland and England, and I am not knowledgeable enough in all this to figure out where to look to find anything about them before they came over outside of very few bits and pieces that aren't much help. Thank you for any helpful suggestions or links you can provide!
Looking for Sarah Frances Riley, ne Collins
Sarah lived in Springfield, Illinois and was married to Terence Riley. Her maiden name was Collins. She had a daughter, Sarah Ella Collins, who married George W. Tidd and they moved to Corsicana, Texas.
I have the line from the daughter on down, but am struggling to find ancestors moving back up the line. I have nothing at all regarding her husband, Terence "Terry" Riley, and would appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Thank you!
Sally
P.S. Sarah Frances was my great great grandmother. I do have a photo but have not been able to upload it yet. I would be happy to provide it to anyone else researching the line.
Sarah Ella Tidd was my great grandmother (died 1937 in Corsicana, TX). Her husband was George W. Tidd (died 1927 in Corsicana, TX) Her mother was living with them in Corsicana and we can't find what her mother's name was or anything regarding her mother
or father. We have old photographs that include her with the family, but it would be wonderful if we could find out anything about her or George's father.
Thank you for your help!
Searching for GARVIN family in Tennessee
I am trying to find Garvin family information. My grandfather, James Leonard Garvin, was first generation born here. He was born in 1886 in Tennessee. His father came over from Ireland, but we don't know when. We do know the father was a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, but I have no helpful information about them during that time.
James Leonard Garvin married a woman who was older than he and they did not have any children. He later divorced her (although they were Irish Catholic, so that seems unusual, but true) and he then married my grandmother in Texas. He fathered one child, Erin Margaret Garvin, born in Houston, Texas, September 25, 1925, and then committed suicide five months later.
My mother recalls a trip her mother took her on to go visit the Garvin family when my mother was very young -- probably in the 1930's -- and the family owned a lake house possibly in Arkansas, and one of James Leonard's brothers owned a pharmacy with a soda fountain next door to or across the street from the town's movie theater.
One story that was told to my mother on that visit was that her great aunt had married her great uncle (Garvin) because he was quite daring and dashing, and so insistent that she marry him that when he was ready to ride off to fight the Yankees, he rode his horse up the front steps of the church and down the aisle to propose before the congregation.
Any information about my grandfather or his family would be very much appreciated.
Looking for Burkett of Arkansas or Tennessee
This story has been the only story told to me by every relative on my mother's side of the family, and while it just seems too weird to be true, I have nothing else to go on so offer it here and ask for your help.
Probably circa 1880 - 1890 my great grandfather Jefferson (possibly Davis as a middle name) Burkett was married and had at least two sons, possibly more. They lived in Arkansas and he was at least part or all Cherokee, depending upon who was telling the story. He had a temper and was a jealous man. One day he came home to find another man sitting on his front porch. Filled with jealous rage, Jeff killed the man. His mother (here the story I'm sure is embellished, but still it's the story I have been told all my life) threw him a gun and told him to get on his horse and run, which he did.
He headed to Louisiana where he met my great grandmother, Jessie Shipley, whose parents may have immigrated from Ireland. They married under the name of Smith in Louisiana, and had eight children starting about 1895. Jeff worked for the railroad at that point in time and the family lived in a refurbished box car that was moved along from siding to siding as the track was laid heading westward. At some point he may have been going under the name of Jones, as well. Some of his daughters used to refer to themselves as "the Jones girls" when they were teenagers.
They eventually settled in Houston, Texas and Jeff changed jobs to be a trolly car conductor or engineer or driver. One evening there was a knock at the door and there on the front steps were two or three young men probably in their late teens or early twenties looking for their father. The shock of finding out that Jeff had not only been married previously, but had never bothered to divorce his first wife was pretty devastating for the entire Irish Catholic Jessie Shipley Smith and her eight children.
The entire clan then had to go legally change their names to Burkett and Jessie had her marriage to Jeff ended one way or another. The family then took on the nick name of "The Battling Burketts" among themselves. Jeff continued to live in Houston and went on to marry a third wife and have twin girls with her in Houston before he died there. He died in the mid-to-late 1940's in Houston.
Because Jeff fled, hid, changed his name, and was able to remain out of sight for nearly 20 years, there may not be a lot of official records that can be traced to him. I don't know. All I know is that I would love to find out if any of the relations through his first family back in Arkansas and/or Tennessee are alive and know any other parts to the story including who he was and where he was from -- what was the family line from him up through his parents? Was he full-blooded Cherokee or part, or was that entirely fabricated? He definitely LOOKED Indian, but that doesn't really confirm anything.
If anyone knows where I might find any newspaper articles about the murder he committed that would give me a place/date/any other names, that might be a big help. I wish I knew more, but he died within a couple of years after I was born and he was so hated by the majority of my great aunts and uncles that they just wouldn't talk about him except to relate that he was a terrible person who would some times drink and hit Jessie, and one of my great aunts threatened him with a knife if he ever bit their mother again. That great aunt is also reported to have slept with the butcher knife under her pillow when he was there.
That's all I know. I'd love to know more and find any living relations. Most of Jessie's eight children either moved away or died and I only knew three of them. Of those three, only one had any children -- my grandmother who had my mother.
Looking for Robert Lafayette Ferguson Born 1819 in Tennessee
Any help would be very much appreciated!
I am looking for my great great grandfather, Robert Lafayette Ferguson who was born November 30, 1819 in Tennessee.
One of his children was my great grandmother, Samantha Melvinie Ferguson who was born November 20, 1969 and died July 16, 1956.
Samantha married my great grandfather, Jeremiah (Jerry) Monroe Sparkman who was born October 10, 1859 and died January 18, 1928, but I don't know when or where they were married. Starting in the 1890's they were living in Corsicana, Texas and began a family there. Both passed away there and are buried there. Sparkman cousins abound throughout the South, but I can't seem to find the Fergusons.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Looking up Garvin family
I am trying to find help in tracking down my family (past and present would be awesome). The 1900 Census had them living in Memphis City:
Father: Michael T. Garvin (B Sept 1840 in MD)
Mother: Margaret (trying to find maiden name or any other information about her, but no luck) (B Aril 1838 in Ireland)
Children:
Margaret Garvin B Nov 1880
Thomas Garvin B Jan 1875
Mary Garvin B March 1878
Vincent F (or possibly Vincent T) Garvin B Dec 1877
Joseph Garvin B Aug 1879
Frank Garvin B July 1882
James Garvin B Jan 1886 (this would be my great grandfather)
Kathleen Garvin B March 1888
I'm sure all children were born there.
I believe that the father, Michael T. Garvin's parents were both born in Ireland, but I don't know how to find out who they were. If anyone knows anything about the family, where they are buried (I believe they're almost all buried in the area but don't know which cemetery the family plot would have been in), or any descendants, I would be very appreciative.
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