52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #19 Edward Vinson Hairston and a revisit to #12 Samuel B. Hairston

The son of Samuel B. Hairston and Matilda Glasgow, Edward Vinson Hairston was born in 1856 in Georgia[1]. He lived with his family in Chambers County, Alabama in 1870[2] and 1880[3]. He married Beulah Lavert Cumbee on December 28, 1882 in Troup County, Georgia and was living in Falls County, Texas by 1886[4].

No Story Too Small

Many of Edward’s family members were living in Texas as well. Falls County, Texas tax records[5] indicate that E. V. Hairston along with his father S.B. Hairston* paid personal property taxes in 1886. Samuel paid again in 1887[6]. And in 1889[7], E. V. paid tax on owned land as well as personal property taxes. His father, S. B., and brother, Jesse B., also paid personal property taxes in Falls County that year. Sister Ella D. Simonton[8], lived in nearby Bell County, Texas and brother Pete/Perry was in Tarrant, Texas by at least 1904[9].

Ed died in Temple, Texas in 1937[10]. He was 80 years old. He is buried in Blevins Cemetery along with his wife who died in 1940[11].

*I was very surprised to find Samuel B. Hairston in Texas. He and his wife were said to have died in Alabama and buried in Randolph County, Alabama[12]. This made it easy to assume that his children came to Texas without him. So far, I have not found him after 1889. His wife, a widow, was living with daughter, Ella Simonton, in 1910[13], but neither she or Samuel were found in 1900.

 Diana

© 2014

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[1] Year: 1860; Census Place: Southern Division, Randolph, Alabama; Roll: M653_22; Page: 683; Image: 289; Family History Library Film: 803022.

[2] Year: 1870; Census Place: Fredonia, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: M593_6; Page: 87A; Image: 176; Family History Library Film: 545505.

[3] Year: 1880; Census Place: Bloomingdale, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: 5; Family History Film: 1254005; Page: 240D; Enumeration District: 178.

[4] "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-5739-27?cc=1827575 : accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1886 > image 83 of 260; citing State Archives, Austin.

[5] "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-5739-27?cc=1827575 : accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1886 > image 83 of 260; citing State Archives, Austin.

[6] "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-8953-9?cc=1827575&wc=M63D-R3R:161474401,161393402 : accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1887 > image 82 of 262; citing State Archives, Austin.

[7] "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-7442-99?cc=1827575&wc=M636-3P6:161474401,161392102 : accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1889 > image 85 of 281; citing State Archives, Austin.

[8] "Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog." : 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #16 Ella Hairston Simonton, A Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-16-ella.html>.

[9] Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

[10] "Hairston Obituaries." Falls County, TX, USGenWeb Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfalls/>.

[11] "Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials." Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23323355>.

[12] Greenway, Carl (New York, New York) to "Dear Bill" [William H. Hairston, Jr.]. Letter. 22 November 1965. Formby Family Genealogical Collection [Manuscript]. Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

[13] Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: T624_1530; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 1375543.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #16 Ella Hairston Simonton, A Timeline

This week, I decided to write about Ella D. Hairston as I had a little information from a research trip that might not be available online. I didn't expect to be able to find such a large amount of information about her from the Internet. As I sifted through this information, I wondered if Ella's family had known my Hairston family. 

No Story Too Small

If Ella's father, Samuel B. Hairston, and my great-great-grandfather, John L. Hairston, were brothers, then Ella and my great-grandfather, Phillip, were first cousins. Ella and her family were in Texas by 1882 - probably Bell County. In 1882, Phillip was living in nearby Falls County and three of Ella's brothers were in Falls before 1900 - maybe much earlier. Could any of those many "unknowns" in my pictures be of this Hairston family? 

Ella D. Hairston was the daughter of Samuel B. Hairston and Matilda Glasgow. She was born on July 31, 1852 in Georgia, probably Troup County. On the death certificate of her daughter, Zula Mae, Ella's name was written as Ella Deborah Hairston. 

In 1860, seven year old Ella was living with her parents in Randolph County, Alabama along with six year old twins, Sarah and Mary, Edward - age 4, and Jessie B. - age 1. 

Ella was 18 years old when she appeared on the Chambers County, Alabama census in 1870 along with her parents and siblings. Two year old James was an addition to the family. 

Ella married Fuqua B. Simonton* on September 26, 1875 at the home of Jeremiah Parris in Chambers County, Alabama. She was 23 years old and was college educated. In an old family letter it was written that she attended a school in LaGrange. According information found in the letter, it was not LaGrange College for Women, but "the other place." This might be Southern Female College, a Baptist affiliated college, which prior to 1854 was known as LaGrange Female Seminary. 

Sulla Belle Simonton, daughter of Fuqua and Ella Simonton, was born in 1877 in Alabama.

The 1880 census places Fuqua (written as Fuquasby), Ella, and Belle in Chambers County, Alabama. Also living in the household was Ella's 21 year old brother, Jesse Hairston. 

The Simonton family was in Texas by 1882 as Henry Lewis was born on November 7, 1882. Their youngest son, Thurman Lee was born in Texas on August 28, 1888. Zula Mae, the youngest Simonton child, was born on June 23, 1892.

In 1895, Sula Belle married Henry D. Hargroves.  Click here to read the story of Sula Belle's marriage, Love Will Win, as found in the Fort Worth Gazette.

In 1900, Ella and her family lived in Bell County, Texas with husband F. B. and children - 18 year old Henry, 11 year old Thurman, and 7 year old Zula.  Sula and Henry were living nearby with children Cicle and Clifton.  

In 1910, Ella, Fuqua, Thurman, Zula, and Matilda Hearston {Hairston} were living in the Simonton family home.  Ella's mother Matilda was 79 years old and a widow. It is assumed that Matilda was visiting Ella. It was written in an old family letter that Matilda visited her daughter in Texas; however, the daughter was named as "Mollie."

In 1920 Ella and FB were living in Bell County with son Thurman and three grandchildren - F. D., Letha, and Lucille.

Photograph courtesy of Larry Lagut

F. B. Simonton died March 24, 1930. That year, Ella appeared on the census with Thurman and his three children in Bell County. 

In 1940, Ella was living with son, Thurman, and her grandson - F. D. and his wife, Ruby. 

Ella Hairston Simonton was 92 years old when she died on February 13, 1945 in Temple, Texas. She is buried with her husband in Little Flock Cemetery near Temple.  


*F. B. Simonton's actual name is not often found. On his daughter's birth record and on his son Thurman's death certificate, his name is written as Fuqua Beasley Simonton. In 1880, on the census record, his name is written as Fuquasby and in 1900, it is actually written as Fuqua B., but transcribed as Fu??Ne B.  Most other documents have his name as F. B. Simonton. In family trees, his name is also seen as Frances Beasley and Fugersby. I believe that Fuqua is his name. Fuqua is an actual name while Fugersby and Fuquasby, when Googled, can only be associated with F. B. Simonton. 

Diana

© 2014

"Chambers County, Alabama Marriage Records." Tap Roots 10.4 (1973): 199. Print.

Greenway, Carl (New York, New York) to "Dear Bill" [William H. Hairston, Jr.]. Letter. 22 November 1965. Formby Family Genealogical Collection [Manuscript]. Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

Fort Worth Gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 98, Ed. 1, Sunday, March 3, 1895, Newspaper, March 3, 1895; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth110129/ : accessed April 12, 2014), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

"SOUTHERN FEMALE COLLEGE RECORDS." Troup County Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.<http://www.trouparchives.org/index.php/manuscripts/entry/southern_female_college_records>

"Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VRSB-PQG : accessed 13 Apr 2014), Fuqua Beasley Simonton in entry for Zula Mae Simonton, 23 Jun 1892; citing Temple, Bell, Texas, reference ; FHL microfilm 1637712 IT 1-2.

Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.


Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: 1610; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0023; FHL microfilm: 1241610.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: T624_1530; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 1375543.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: T625_1776; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 13; Image: 414.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: 2290; Page: 19B; Enumeration District: 0015; Image: 960.0; FHL microfilm: 2342024.

Year: 1940; Census Place:  Bell, Texas; Roll: T627_3983; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 14-17.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #13 James Hairston Who Died in Falls County, Texas on March 25, 1905

No Story Too Small

James Hairston isn't of any particular interest to me as I really don't believe that he was part of my direct family line. However, because he died in Falls County, Texas, where my Hairston family once lived, he shows up in Public Member Trees at Ancestry.com (and other sites on the web) as a son of my great-great-grandfather, John L. Hairston. I feel a need to prove or disprove this theory. 

The Report of Death states that James Hairston died near Durango in Falls County, Texas on March 25, 1905. His age was recorded as 36 giving him a birth year of 1868 or 1869. 

In 1900, a James W. Hairston, age 31, is living in Falls County with his wife, Laura, and several children. James was born in Alabama in October 1868. His parents were both born in Georgia. J. W. Hairston married Laura Lemly on June 19, 1890 in Bell County, Texas. This appears to be the same family as by 1910, Laura Hairston, a widow, and these same children were living in Bell County very near James T. Lemly, her brother. 

I do find the assumption that James Hairston was the son of John L. Hairston very unlikely. Most records point to John L. Hairston as being born in South Carolina, not Georgia. And, by 1868, John L. Hairston was paying taxes in Falls County, Texas. 

A few people have pointed to the questionable James in the 1880 census record of John L. Hairston's family in Falls County. I believe that the entry that looks like James is actually Jane. Even if it is a James, it cannot be the James who died in Falls County in 1905. This James/Jane was 34 years old and the James who died in Falls County would have been only 12 years old in 1880. 

John L. Hairston had a son, William, born in 1846. Some trees indicate that William and this James could be one in the same. Again, the ages don't match.



In 1883 it is assumed* that John L. Hairston died. His son, Phillip Hairston, his two daughters, and their families sold land and moved from Falls County to Erath County, Texas. Around that same time, Hairstons from Alabama moved to Falls County, Texas. 

Edd and Jesse Hairston, sons of Samuel B. Hairston of Alabama were counted in the 1900 census of Falls County. Samuel's daughter, Ella Simonton, lived in nearby Bell County and his youngest son, Peter, lived in Fort Worth. 

Samuel B. Hairston also had a son, James "Jim" Hairston, born about 1868 or 1869. Jim is found, with this family, on the Chambers County, Alabama census records at age 2 in 1870 and age 12 in 1880.  This James W. Hairston in the 1900 census matches young Jim in age as well as his birthplace.

I believe that James Hairston, who died in Falls County, Texas on March 25, 1905, is the son of Samuel B. Hairston, not the son of John L. Hairston, my great-great-grandfather. John L. and Samuel B. Hairston are both said to be the sons of Hugh Brown Hairston. So, if this is true and James is the son of Samuel, then James W. Hairston would be John L. Hairston's nephew. 

I cannot definitively prove this with the information that I have; however, I do feel that I have enough persuasive evidence that points in this direction. Further research, both in Alabama and Texas, might need to be focused on land and probate records. 

Diana

© 2014  

 * No one really knows when or where John Hairston died and is buried. 1883 was the year that Phillip and the rest of the family moved to Erath county, but it's also the year that Phillip's mother-in-law died leaving her daughter land and possibly money. John might have died, but he might also have moved to Erath County with the family and might even be in an unmarked grave in the Bethel Cemetery. Just another theory . . . 

Sources

"80 Year Old Temple Resident." E. V. "Ed" Hairston. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfalls/Obits/obitHAIRSTONev12311937.htm>

1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Falls County, Texas, Phil Hairston household; National Archives microfilm publication roll M432; digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed 27 Feb. 2014).

Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data:  Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Archives, Orem, Utah.

Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006.

Quinn, Diana. "Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog." : 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #8 William Hairston. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-8-william.html>.

Quinn, Diana. "Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog." : 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #9 Sarah Jane Hairston and a Challenging Census Record. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-9-sarah-jane.html>.

Quinn, Diana. "Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog." : 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #12 Samuel B. Hairston of Georgia and Alabama. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-12-samuel-b.html>.

"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-27228-79?cc=1827575 : accessed 30 Mar 2014), Falls county > 1868 > image 33 of 92; citing State Archives, Austin.

"Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," index, FamilySearch 
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FX38-6JT : accessed 28 Mar 2014), J. W. Hairston and Laura Lemly, 19 Jun 1890; citing , Bell, Texas, , reference 2:TMX5RP; FHL microfilm 981036.

Year: 1870; Census Place: Fredonia, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: M593_6; Page: 87A; Image: 176; Family History Library Film: 545505.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Bloomingdale, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: 5; Family History Film: 1254005; Page: 240D; Enumeration District: 178.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Precinct 5, Bell, Texas; Roll: 1290; Family History Film: 1255290; Page: 386B; Enumeration District: 005.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: 1610; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0023; FHL microfilm: 1241610.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Falls, Texas; Roll: 1632; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0022; FHL microfilm: 1241632.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas; Roll: T624_1530; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0012; FHL microfilm: 1375543.