On This Day: June 25

1768: William Campbell, one of my maternal 4th great-grandfathers, was born in New Jersey; his parents are unknown. He died in April 1843 in Pike County, Kentucky. [Source: Debbie Linton (lintonfam@msn.com), Linton & Ellis Families, World Connect Project.]

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 24

1834: My maternal 2nd great-grandparents, Andrew and Catherine Sitterly Yawman were married in Schenectady, Albany County, New York. [Source: findagrave.com, digital images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 2 May 2011), Catherine Yawman, Memorial #21373958, created by Gary Yawman, 5 Sep 2007.]

Andrew and Catherine had eight children: William, Mary Elizabeth, Catherine, Apalonia, Michael H. (from whom I descend), Deborah, George, and Rebecca.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Civil War Letters of John R. and Frances Spurlock Miller

When Frances Spurlock Miller filed her application for a Confederate widow’s pension in 1924, the letters below were submitted to corroborate the information given in her statement. I have chosen to present the letters as written, rather than transcribe them. I know they are difficult to read because of the copy quality as well as the illegibility of the handwriting and poor spelling.

In this first letter written by Frances to John on May 16, 1862, she expresses her concern for his comfort. She asks whether he needs clothes, food or cooking pots. She talks about his crops and their daughter, Fannie:

Frances Spurlock Miller to John R. Miller, May 16, 1862, page 1

Frances Spurlock Miller to John R. Miller, May 16, 1862, page 2

In his letter to Frances letter dated May 24, 1862, John tells her how very sick he has been and that he has heard that the Confederate government is taking firearms belonging to private citizens for use by the troops:

John R. Miller to Frances Spurlock Miller, May 24, 1862

John wrote the third letter to Frances on June 8, 1862. He tells her that he is feeling better but is still weak and hopes to be granted furlough to go home for a few days.

John R. Miller to Frances Spurlock Miller, June 8, 1862

Less than a month following the last letter, on July 1, 1862, John Miller died of pneumonia at home. At least he and Frances were able to see each other before his death.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Reflecting on Genealogy: Scientific vs. Traditional Genealogy

Reflecting on Genealogy: Scientific vs. Traditional Genealogy: "Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge from last Saturday has created quite a stir among some regarding the validity of trad..."

© 2011 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

On This Day: June 22

1645: Abigail Rigby, one of my maternal 7^th great-grandmothers, daughter of John and Isabel Rigby, was born in Dorchester, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. She died on 1 March 1702/03 in Milton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. [Source: Alfred Lyman Holman, "Descendants of John Holman," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, July 1918, 196; digital images, New England Historic and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (www.americanancestors. org : accessed 19 Jun 2011).  This is a photograph of her gravestone in Milton Cemetery posted by Scrib and Barb Kelly on the Find A Grave website:

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Reflecting on Genealogy: Sharing the Wealth - Genealogy Goodie Giveaway

Reflecting on Genealogy: Sharing the Wealth - Genealogy Goodie Giveaway: "Members of the Geneabloggers were given a Welcome Bag containing way cool stuff provided by vendors and others (thank you, thank you!). Havi..."

© 2011 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Remembering Daddy

Jasper Jackson "Jack" Spurlock
12 March 1912 - 15 February 1978

When Daddy’s birthday came back in March, I couldn’t find the words to write about him. I’m not sure that I can do much better now that it’s Father’s Day, but I’m going to try. I didn’t have the chance, as an adult, to really get to know him—he died when I was just 24—so most of my memories are those of a child.

His daily routine included getting up at the crack of dawn, reading the Times, doing the crossword puzzle, going to work, maybe listening to a baseball game on the radio, and going to bed before dark!

He was a sheet metal worker in the heating and air conditioning industry. He built a sheet metal swimming pool for us when we lived in Alaska! It was probably more a wading pool!

I think he really enjoyed listening to music. Of course, the radio station he listened to played “oldies”—music from the 30s and 40s! He encouraged us to learn to play musical instruments. I took lessons to play the accordian and the clarinet. The only school event I remember him attending was a band concert when I was in 9th grade.

Daddy never told us directly when he was proud of something we had done. But he did tell Mama, and she would pass the word along. She told me once he was proud that I could sew my own clothes.

Daddy left the child-rearing and discipline to Mama. But that didn’t stop me from fearing what would happen if he discovered my transgressions! He spanked me once, but I don’t remember it; I was 4 and trying to rid myself of a pesky little sister by toppling the television over on her.

When I was a teenager, he gave me two gifts that I still have and cherish: a pair of dressmaking shears (in a small size that are comfortable for me to use) and a metronome (so I can keep the proper tempo).

My most cherished memory is of him being at the hospital the night my son was born and waiting to see me as I was taken from the delivery room. He patted me on the cheek and told me something to the effect that I had “done good.” I wish he had lived longer so my son and my grandchildren could have known him.

Daddy, I love and miss you!

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Most Recent Unknown Ancestor

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has issued the following challenge for this Saturday night:
1) Determine who your most recent unknown ancestor is - the one that you don't even know his or her name.
2) Summarize what you know about his or her family, including resources that you have searched and the resources you should search but haven't searched yet.
My most recent unknown ancestor is #32, the father of my 2nd great-grandfather Ransom Spurlock (1807-1896); some say he was John Spurlock but convincing evidence has not been produced.

In his pension application, Ransom stated he was born in Washington County, Georgia, and married Ellender Vickers (c1920-1906) in Eufaula, Alabama, in 1836. The earliest record I have naming Ransom is his compiled military service record for service in the Alabama Militia in the Creek Indian War of 1836-1837. He is also listed in a transcription as appearing on the Alabama state census in 1833, the year after Barbour County was formed. In 1840, Ransom and family are in Hinds County, Mississippi. By 1850, they are in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. In 1870, Ransom has a homestead in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, where he remained for the rest of his life. He and Ellender had 10 children, Frances Elizabeth (1837-1932), William Green (1838-1862), Marcus D. Lafayette (1842-1922), George Marion (1844-1880), Mary Ann (1846-1888), Elizabeth Rebecca (1848-?), John Fedrick (1850-1945), James Joshua (1853-1889), and Jasper Newton (1856-1858).

Barbour County was formed from Pike County; in 1830, there were two Spurlock families in Pike County, one John Spurlock and one William Spurlock. Neither has a male in the appropriate age range to be Ransom. I have searched both Barbour and Pike county records for property and probate records with no success.

There were numerous Spurlock families in Alabama and Georgia in the 18th and 19th centuries, most headed by a John or William! Spurlock researchers have been trying to piece together this puzzle for many years. My next steps are to research probate, property, court, and other records in those Georgia counties that are across the river from Barbour County, Alabama.


© 2011 Denise Spurlock

A Tribute to My Grandfathers

My grandfather was a giant of a man ...

When he walked, the earth shook.

When he laughed, the birds fell out of the trees.

His hair caught fire from the sun.

His eyes were patches of sky.

(Eth Clifford, author)

The surnames below are those of my male ancestors - ALL my grandfathers! The quotation above is how I choose to think of these men I never had the opportunity to know.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

The Family of Ransom Spurlock - Book Available on Lulu.com

In the fall of 2000, I wrote a narrative genealogy for Ransom Spurlock, with sections about the lives of his son, John Federick, and John's son, Jasper Jackson (my great-grandfather and grandfather, respectively). The book included a list of descendants. Copies were distributed to my immediate family and to a few cousins who had provided information.

I am now in the process of updating the book, to include new information about Ransom's life and progeny. I have updated the list of descendants (through four generations only) and indexed it for a reprint.

If any of my readers have information they would like to submit for inclusion in the revision, please let me know. The reprint is available for purchase in paperback and e-book formats at Lulu.com.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 12

1653: Deliverance Ames, a maternal 7^th great-grandmother, the daughter of William and Hannah Ames was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. Her date and place of death are unknown. [Source: Braintree, MA: Vital Records, 1643-1793. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.) Transcription. By Waldo C. Sprague from the original records held at the Randolph Town Hall, donated from the estate of Mr. Sprague to NEHGS in 1962.]

1810: David Snider, one of my maternal 2^nd great-grandfathers, was born probably in Virginia. His parents are unknown. He died 4 April 1892 and is buried in Ford Cemetery in Taylor Township, Union County, Ohio. [Source: Ford Cemetery Inscriptions, Taylor Township, Union Co., OH (http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohunion/cem/tafo.html).]

1866: Michael Heman Yawman and Nancy Elgin Burton, my maternal great-grandparents, were married in Kingston, Meeker County, Minnesota. [Source: Meeker, Minnesota, marriage certificate no. A2-40 (1866), Yowman-Burton; Meeker County Treasurer's Office, Litchfield.]

Michael and Nancy had eleven children whose names are known: James, Catherine, William (my grandfather), Chris, Mary, Michael, Nora, Martha, Charles, Georgia and John.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – Two Truths and a Lie

For tonight’s fun, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has proposed that we play the game “Two Truths and a Lie.” Here are three statements about my family history:

1. Mayflower passenger James Chilton is my tenth great-grandfather.
2. Morgan Spurlock (of “Super Size Me” fame) is my 3^rd cousin.
3. My great-grandfather served in both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War.

Let me know in a comment which statement you think is a falsehood! Tomorrow evening I'll post the answer.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 11

1624: Joanna Hoar, an 8th great-grandmother on my mother’s side, was born in Gloucestershire, England. Joanna was the daughter of Charles Hoar, Jr., and Johanna Henchman. She died 16 May 1680 in Braintree, Massachusetts, and is buried in Hancock Cemetery in Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A photograph of her gravestone appears below. [Source: findagrave.com, digital images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 9 Jun 2011), Joanna Hoar Quincy, Memorial #21772650, created by Scrib and Barb Kelley, 26 Sep 2007.]

1814: Nancy Caldwell (or perhaps Colwell), one of my maternal 2nd great-grandmothers, was born in Virginia. Her parents have not been identified. She died on 5 February 1887 in Taylor Township, Union County, Ohio, and was buried in Ford Cemetery. [Source: Ford Cemetery Inscriptions, Taylor Township, Union Co., OH (http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohunion/cem/tafo.html).]

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 9

1846: My maternal great-grandmother, Nancy Elgin Burton, the daughter of James Burton and Margaret Parsons, was born in Kentucky. She died 16 July 1919 in Miami, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery, in Parsons, Labette County, Kansas. [Source: Oklahoma State Board of Health, death certificate 58273 (1919), Mrs. Nancy E. Yawman; State Department of Health, Oklahoma City.]

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

Spurlock Boys in Company "B"

As mentioned in my post earlier this week, three of Ransom Spurlock’s five sons enlisted in Company B of the 12th Louisiana Infantry. Nicknamed the “Arcadia Invincibles,” the unit was recruited in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, during July, 1861.

The eldest son, William G., enlisted on August 13, 1861, at Camp Moore, for a period of one year. His service record is scant, consisting of only three cards recording his appearance on muster rolls. He died on May 28, 1862, of typhoid fever at Camp Green.[i]

Marcus D.L. Spurlock, the 2^nd oldest son, enlisted at the same time as his older brother. Although his term of service was initially for one year, muster rolls indicate that he served at least into August, 1864. His service record indicates that in October, 1863, he was sick and hospitalized at Canton, Mississippi.  On February 10, 1864, he was granted furlough for 30 days by order of General Leonidas Polk; muster rolls for May through August indicate that he was sick in Barbour County, Alabama.[ii] In his application to the State of Texas for a pension, Marcus indicated that he had served until discharge at the close of the war and had been wounded during the course of the war; the physician’s statement indicates he was “shot in the right groin.” [iii]

George M. Spurlock first enlisted on February 25, 1862, and was discharged on July 31, 1862. He enlisted again on March 8, 1863, for a term of three years. Like Marcus, he was sick and hospitalized at Canton in October, 1863. He was wounded at the Battle of Franklin (Tennessee) on November 30, 1864, and was captured at Nashville on December 16, 1864. He was admitted to the hospital at Nashville on December 20 for treatment for, what appears on the record, to be a simple flesh wound on the left side caused by a cannonball. On March 8, 1865, George was received at the military prison at Louisville, Kentucky, and on March 10th was transferred to Camp Chase in Ohio. About two weeks later, on March 26, he was transferred to Point Lookout in Maryland, where he remained until his release on June 6, 1865, upon taking the Oath of Allegiance.[iv] George was only 36 years old when he died in Milam County, Texas, in 1880.[v] I wonder how much his military experience contributed to his early death.

Here is one image from each man’s compiled military service record:

William G. Spurlock

Marcus D. L. Spurlock

George M. Spurlock

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[i] William G. Spurlock; War Department Collection of Confederate Records; Record Group 109; digital images, "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana," Footnote (www.footnote.com : accessed 17 May 2011).

[ii] Marcus D. L. Spurlock; War Department Collection of Confederate Records; Record Group 109; digital images, "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana," Footnote (www.footnote.com : accessed 17 May 2011).

[iii] Marcus D. L. Spurlock, Confederate Pension Application, File #10195, Texas State Archives.

[iv] George M. Spurlock; War Department Collection of Confederate Records; Record Group 109; digital images, "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana," Footnote (www.footnote.com : accessed 17 May 2011).

[v] findagrave.com, digital images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 24 Feb 2010), G. M. Spurlock, Find A Grave Memorial# 13526096

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

My Spurlock Family in the Civil War

At the start of the Civil War in 1861, Ransom and Ellender (Vickers) Spurlock were likely living in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.[1]

In his 50s[2], Ransom was a bit on the old side to be going off to war and there is no record that he served. However, his three oldest sons–William G., Marcus D.L., and George M.[3]–were of an age to join the military within the first year or two of the conflict. His eldest daughter, Frances, had married John Miller in 1858, and he also was able to take up the fight. The next three daughters, Sarah Jane, Mary Ann, and Elizabeth Rebecca, did not marry until after the war but their husbands–William Duncan, William Kilpatrick, and S. P. Kimbrell–all were veterans of the Civil War. The two youngest Spurlock boys, John Fredrick (my great-grandfather) and James Joshua, were too young too serve.

William, Marcus and George, as well as William Kilpatrick, joined Company B of the 12th Louisiana Infantry, nicknamed the “Arcadia Invincibles.”[4] John Miller and S. P. Kimbrell enlisted in Company H of Gray’s 28th Louisiana Infantry.[5] William Duncan enlisted in Company K of the 9th Louisiana Infantry, which was later reorganized as Company M of the 12th Louisiana.[6] More on their service will be presented in later posts.

John Fedrick was only about 15 years old when the war ended in 1865. There is a family legend that he walked to Vicksburg, Mississippi, to enlist, but because of his age and the imminent end of the war, the Confederate army would not accept him as a soldier. It is said he worked as a cook for a short time before making his way home. I have been unable to find any documentation to support this legend.

Although Ransom did not fight in the war, on 7 October 1868, he swore an Amnesty Oath which is on file in the courthouse in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana[7].

---

[1] The family is not found on the 1860 U.S. census in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana; the Bienville Parish census for the same year has been lost or destroyed.

[2] Kelly Christian Priestly, "Hurricane Cemetery, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana," transcription, USGenWeb Archives (http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/claiborne/cemeteries/hurrican.txt : accessed 21 Apr 2010), entry for Hanson Spurlock.

[3] 1850 U.S. census population schedule, Western District, Bienville, Louisiana, p. 287B, dwelling 553, family 553, household of Ramsun Spurlock; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 Feb 2010); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432, roll 230.

[4] R. Hugh Simmons, The 12th Louisiana Infantry (http://rhsresearch.org/CompanyPage.htm : accessed 6 June 2011); citing Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units 1861-1865 [LSU Press, 1989].

[5] Steve Pipes, “Gray’s 28^th Infantry Muster Roll – M,” Henry Gray’s 28^th Infantry Regiment C.S.A. Louisiana (http://www.penandsaber.com/grays28th/ : accessed 6 June 2011).

[6] R. Hugh Simmons, The 12th Louisiana Infantry (http://rhsresearch.org/CompanyPage.htm : accessed 6 June 2011); citing Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units 1861-1865 [LSU Press, 1989].

[7] Elinor McCalman Seward and John Calvin Head, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Amnesty Oaths (Shreveport, LA; J&W Enterprises), page 4.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 6

1605: Thomas Graves was born probably at Ratliff, England, the son of John Greaves and Sarah Malter. My maternal 9th great-grandfather, Thomas was a mariner, serving as master on numerous ships in the 1630s. He reportedly died in a battle with the Dutch in the English Channel on 31 July 1653. [Source: Graves Family Association, Greaves Family of Stepney, London, England, and Rear Adm. Thomas Graves of Charlestown, MA (www.gravesfa.org/gen028 : accessed 1 Jun 2011), Generation 4 - Children of John Greaves.]

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

In Loving Memory

Gloria Jane (Spurlock) Chaney

2 June 1936 - 26 October 2004

"Sissie"

(photo dated 2 June 1954 - her 18th birthday)



© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 1

1879: My paternal great-grandparents, Ambrose B. Martindale and Sarah Belle Forshee, were married at Bismarck, St. Francois County, Missouri. [Source: Martindale-Forchee marriage, 1 Jun 1879, Washington Co., MO, Marriage Book C, p. 363.] Here is a copy of their marriage record:

Ambrose and Sarah had six children: William, Maude, Walter, Mamie (my grandmother), Maggie, and Arthur.

© 2011 Denise Spurlock

On This Day: June 1

1685: Ann Quincy, my maternal 6th great-grandmother, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Daniel Quincy and Anna Shepard. She died in Milton, Massachusetts, on 6 Oct 1717. [Source: Alfred Lyman Holman, "John Holman of Dorchester, Mass., and his Descendants," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, July 1918, 201; American Ancestors (www.americanancestors.org : accessed 1 Jun 2011).]

© 2011 Denise Spurlock