How deep are your roots?

[Bazo]

Last night my 11yo was telling me that she thought it would be cool to know who her 4th, 5th, 6th and so on great grandparents were. So I pulled up some of the family tree and was able to show her who her 5th great grandfather was and that her 4th great grandfather moved to Milam County in around 1852 or 3. We moved to Milam County last year and she thinks it's so cool that our family has been in this area for 160 years and that she is the 7th generation to be here.

So how deep do your roots run where you are?

[bloodstick]

Both sides of my family have done research into this. On my dads side, we traced our roots back to when the Acadians were booted from Nova Scotia and even further back when they lived in France.(Original last name Waguespack then changed to Abadie after once reaching current location in south Louisiana). Word from my uncle who did the research, claims my family has a coat of arms originally from France in the late 1700's. I wish I could locate its whereabouts and see it for myself.

On my mothers side of the family, its more first hand knowledge than research. My grandmother on my moms side comes from Germany, and my grandfather comes from a Native American decent. My mom knew my great great grandfather (her great grandfather) when she was a little girl. He told her stories of when he was a little boy. They traveled from the Carolinas down to Arkansas then eventually made their way to Texas all in a covered wagon. I so wish I could have heard those stories myself. I am fascinated with stories of the old west. My aunt keeps his journal that was passed down to my grandmother who is no longer with us. She once read us the story about an area near Desdemona TX, not too far from Stephenville. There is a creek called Hog creek. It got its name when a native tribe used to lure soldiers down to the creek looking for pigs to hunt where they get ambushed.

[1369]

A little family history...

Your paperwork went in a few days ago and if all goes well you will be verified as a direct descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier.

1. His name was George Ridley who was born in Virginia Jan. 1737. He was not a spring chicken when he fought in the French and Indian War and later in the Revolution. He was called a Over Mountain Man. If your are old enough to remember Mel Gibson's movie "The Patriot" the location and battles depicted were the ones that our Captain Ridley fought in real life. He managed to sire 16 children and they all lived to adulthood. No mean feat in those days. After the war was over he moved his big family on rafts to settle in middle Tennessee. Right after landing they were attacked by Indians so after the battle he and his sons built a fort were the family lived for several years. I have a drawing of the fort done by the historian, Lyman Draper.

2. We are from his 10th child, Thomas Ridley, Esq, the first Sheriff of Williamson County, Tennessee. The Civil War Battle of Franklin took place on part of his land. None of his sons lived so we descent from one of his daughters, Mary Margaret.

3. Mary Margaret married a Virginian, George Jefferson Rine in 1830. The wedding took place in Nashville in the home of Captain George and Sarah Ridley. After the birth of sons, George and Thaddeus, George J. and Mary M. moved into newly opened Choctaw lands in Mississippi. They became Mormons and left Yalobusha Co., Miss. to travel to a Colony some where between Medina Co. and Boerne,Texas. George J. never took a second wife and soon quit the Colony to take up ranching. He also served in a local militia to defend against the Indians and later in the Civil War (at 57 yrs). He and his wife were buried some where around Pipe Creek near Bandera.

4. Thaddeus Rine was born in 1832 and left his family when he was about 14. He lived in other peoples homes as a laborer. He married Missouri Anne Pittman probably in Shelby Co., Tennessee. The Memphis area was a boom town of that era and was a good place to find work. In 1863, after his parent's Mormon phase was over he and Missouri Anne moved to be near them in the Bandera area. He quickly became the 2nd Sheriff of Bandera County and serve till late 1864. The Governor of Texas placed him in the Texas Home Guard, along with his Sheriff duties, to be sure to keep the settlers safe from Indians and Mexican bandits. He did not allow him to join the War until it's last days. After the War Thaddeus signed the Amnesty papers and quickly became Sheriff again. His father held out till the last day before signing. Thaddeus and his cronies on the Petit Court in Bandera managed to keep the Carpet Baggers at bay for the long years of Reconstruction. They were quite devious and down right sneaky with the dealings with the yankees. Grandma and I found records of their antics in the old jail and we gave them with his photo to the Bandera Courthouse. Thaddeus and Missouri Anne had 13 children and we are from Francis Josephine Rine, born in 1865.

5. Francis remembered her childhood as free and wonderful. She would tell me what it was like growing up in Bandera, riding their horses, ice skating on the ponds (really) and all the family weddings and parties. All that ended when her father forbade her to marry a gambler. She was head strong and married the next man who asked, Gus Huebner, Sr. They eloped to San Antonio. The marriage produced about 11 children. I am not sure because several died very early. I was about 9 or 10 when she had her accident and died so I can not personally say that her life was not all that happy. Others have told me that she did not have a good marriage and I found her divorce papers from Gus. They remarried about 3 years later. She was my favorite and I loved her very much. One of her sons was Gus Huebner, Jr. who was a home builder.

6. Gus Jr. met and married Ilma Marie Gembler. She was barely 16 and a little spoiled and wanted her way. Her mother died when she was nine and the baby of the family. Her father doted on her and her sister Edith and finally agreed to the marriage. Your grandma can remember the older people talking about that wedding and the party afterward. It must have been a dilly because it lasted three days. (You probably know the sad story of their lives-no need to retell it.) The marriage produced two children, Inez Marie born March 20, 1913 and three years later, Merl Arthur was born.

7. Inez Marie Huebner met George Clifton Guthrie in 1935. He was a soldier from Smithville, Oklahoma and was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. They married September 9, 1936 in Boerne, Texas with only one witness, Ilma Marie Huebner. Our family was very poor and the Depression had hit them hard. Inez kept the marriage secret because she would be fired from her job at the Telephone Company if married. The secret was not kept very long because I was born December 14, 1937. Fourteen months later a son was born on February 27, 1939. Mammy and your grandma swear that he was born on leap year and the doctor wrote another date so Clifton William Guthrie could have a birthday every year.

8. Now we come to you, the eighth person in a bloodline reaching back to the Revolutionary War.

[TexaRican]

I was born in Abilene but my Mom's family traces back to East Texas. Alfred Farr was my G4 grandfather.

An Official State of Texas Historical Marker stands beside state highway No. 63 about nine miles out of Burkeville in the direction of Jasper for the Farrsville Community, another one of the oldest communities of Newton County.

Farrsville is on Cow Creek in northwestern Newton County. It was named for Alfred Farr of Mississippi, who shortly after Texas "got free," brought his family and slaves into Newton County and established the community. He operated a plantation on the site. Farr was preceded by James P. Hardy who came in about 1832 while the land was still under the impresario, Lorenzo dc Zavala, who started the Zavala Trail that ran a little south of the Old Beef Road, six miles north of Farrsville, Running cast the Zavala Trail forked in Newton County, one trail crossing the Sabine at Hadden's Ferry and the other at the older ferry. Burr's Ferry.

Farrsville Community played a far greater part in the early history of Newton County than one would suspect today at visiting the community.

The place was originally called Farr's Mill. It was a water mill built by slave labor. The slaves were brought along with the settlers in the forties or early fifties. There were several large plantations about Farrsville. Farrsville lay on what for a time was known as the Military Road, used during the war by Confederate Troops. It was important as a stagecoach route which ran from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Burr's Ferry in to Burkeville and Jasper, and thence south to Beaumont.

During its time, Farrsville has had a water mill, a gin, sawmills, and a gristmill. The sawmill cut lumber until the Wiergate mill opened in 1918, and the gristmill ran until 193?. The post office, which does not appear on ante-bellum lists, was discontinued in 1948, and the community gets mail on a rural route from the Wiergate post office. The school district became part of the Burkeville-Wiergate Independent School District by consolidation. There arc scattered residences over the community with a probable population of 100. Highway 63 runs through the community. Two stores arc in operation along the highway on Cow Creek.

The life of pioneer communities was far from easy and survival often meant that the people were strong, both in body and moral spirit.

Farrsville has been the home of many famous men of the day, among them Charles Hancock, who was for sixteen years sheriff and tax collector of Newton County. Once a year he would put what money was due the State of Texas in his saddlebags and ride his mule to the Capitol to settle Newton County's account.

Farrsville Community was the home of Thomas C. Holmes, a Revolutionary War soldier. He is buried in what is called the Blackshear Fields on the southeastern part of the community. His grave bears a marker identifying him as a Revolutionary War Soldier. His name is listed in "TEXAS and the American Revolution" a publication of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Institute of Texan Cultures. He is one of the 46 mentioned in that list of Revolutionary War soldiers who came to Texas.

Some two or three miles distance from Farrsville itself lies Farr's Chapel. The original Farr was a preacher, and he built the church. It served as a great camp meeting place. The faith, then and now, is Methodist.

Another church building stands close to the mill site. It was once used as a school house for the Farrsville Community. It was also a Methodist church.

[BillDecker]

My GGG-GP immigrated from Germany to Texas (through Galveston) in 1846
My grandkids are 8th generation

[jerp]

On my my mother's side I can trace the first family member to land on these shores back to 1690. (yes, that's 1690!) He settled in Virginia and we still have family there to this day. In fact, I have a second cousin who lives in a house that was built in 1810, on land originally owned by an ancestor who was an officer in the Revolutionary War. The story goes it was the only house in the county that was not burned down in the Civil War because the Yankees took it over for their local headquarters. My mom's father grew up in that house.

I can't go that far back on my father's side. I know that that around 1850, a several families of of Parkers moved from the area of Lumberton N.C. to around Grapeland in Houston County.

[TXBuck74]

I did a lot my research via ancestry.com and William M. Boyer (3x great grandfather) came to Collin County TX (McKinney area) in 1870. We've been in the area ever since. He's buried in Chambersville TX. Born 1819 in Grayson Co. Virginia and left for Missouri in 1840 then had my 2xggf in 1850 during the border war with Kansas. Lost their farm in the raid and moved to Texas. My wife and I took a trip to Grayson Co. Virgina a couple of years ago. 3 small towns now make up the County and when I looked at a phone book - it was full of Boyers. Really cool to see mountains where my family lived. I can back to 1783 in Grayson County but that's where the trail ends....

[bklem]

My GGG-GP immigrated from Germany to Texas (through Galveston) in 1846
My grandkids are 8th generation

Dang we might be related. My family got off the boat in Galveston in the late '40's as well and headed to the hills, finally settling on the Guadalupe, east of Comfort in the early '50's. Shiner Bock's tribe, I believe, was on the same boat????

[AJMag]

Been asking my grandparents on moms side lately. Gma had a great Gpa that faught in civil war for the south. Gpa has a family tree his sister researched that traced back to them coming from, i think, dutch and something else. Supposedly one of them deserted a royal navy ship, changed names and set up shop in the northeast. Know nothing of my dads side, but our last name is french we think. It has the same meaning in french and spanish which is "bad" or "terrible"

[Bazo]

On my my mother's side I can trace the first family member to land on these shores back to 1690. (yes, that's 1690!) He settled in Virginia and we still have family there to this day. In fact, I have a second cousin who lives in a house that was built in 1810, on land originally owned by an ancestor who was an officer in the Revolutionary War. The story goes it was the only house in the county that was not burned down in the Civil War because the Yankees took it over for their local headquarters. My mom's father grew up in that house.

I can't go that far back on my father's side. I know that that around 1850, a several families of of Parkers moved from the area of Lumberton N.C. to around Grapeland in Houston County.

So far I have been able to trace back to the boat that my first family member came over on as an indentured servant. I would have to pull the paperwork but it's was some time in the early 1600's.

[Bazo]

I was amazed at how much I was able to find from just googling the names. I even found journals pages from a civil war soldier talking about my 3rd GGP when they marched to Colorado and then back down to Louisiana. I found that to be really cool. I didn't know there was a civil war battle in Colorado!

[Sneaky]

I've been a landowner in Milam County for just over a year - I've almost caught up with you, TCarmichael!

[Jmh05]

We can go back to the 1600's on both sides. We got to Texas through Galveston from Czechoslovakia and settles in Milam Co. in Buckholts and Cameron before ending up in Dime Box.

Got fam in every American War back to the Revolutionary War.

In fact I joined the US Army in Jefferson City, MO just as my 4th GGrandfather back in 1846. He rode Wagon trains through Ft. Leavenworth to Oregon on the trail as Cav security.

I didn't know any of that until I went to Medical school in Missouri and started doing some family genealogy.

[lodgepole]

Last night my 11yo was telling me that she thought it would be cool to know who her 4th, 5th, 6th and so on great grandparents were. So I pulled up some of the family tree and was able to show her who her 5th great grandfather was and that her 4th great grandfather moved to Milam County in around 1852 or 3. We moved to Milam County last year and she thinks it's so cool that our family has been in this area for 160 years and that she is the 7th generation to be here.



So how deep do your roots run where you are?

That is cool. My family has been in Milam county since 1837. There is a historical marker on or land down in the Little River bottom for my great x8 grandfather who fought at the battle of San Jacinto.

[Froggy]

Captain William Weldon who came over from England aboard the Bona Nova in 1619.