Benjamin Joseph Fortson (1820-1855) and Some of His Descendants

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Benjamin Joseph Fortson
(1820-1855)
And Some of His Descendants

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Generation One

1. Benjamin Joseph FORTSON was born in 1820.^1,2 He married Elizabeth Ann Titus HOLLIDAY, daughter of Titus HOLLIDAY and Elizabeth Ann Catherine EDWARDS, on 9 Dec 1839 in Monroe County, Mississippi.^3,4,4a He died on 17 Sep 1855 in Navarro County, Texas.^5,6 He may have been born in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. They moved to Texas in 1852, first settling in Denton County and then moving to near Kerens in Navarro County. He died from a gunshot on a camp hunt. Hugh Cooper was convicted twice of murdering him and was sentenced to be hanged, but in both instances the conviction was reversed and the matter was remanded for a new trial. The third prosecution was transferred to Freestone County, but no witness appeared against him and the case was dismissed. Cooper was a "gallant soldier" in the Confederate Army and drowned on his way back to Texas after the war's end. At the third trial, Cooper's attorney accused Jonas Taylor of the murder. The evidence had always been circumstantial and is said to have fit Taylor as well as it ever did Cooper. Taylor never was tried for the murder, for, it was reported, "he got drunk and never drew a sober breath for six months, when death relieved him of his fatal secret."^7,8

To read about some ancestors of Benjamin Joseph Fortson, click on his name above or click here

Elizabeth Ann Titus HOLLIDAY was born on 28 Feb 1824 in Greene County, North Carolina.^9,10,11,12 After Ben's death she married Rodrick FORTSON on 12 Dec 1855 in Navarro County, Texas.¹³ She died in 1867.^14,15

To read a 1919 history of the Holliday family, click on her name above or click here

Children of Benjamin Joseph FORTSON and Elizabeth Ann Titus HOLLIDAY were:

James Thomas Fortson

2. i. James Thomas FORTSON (pictured above--portraits courtesy of Ann Fortson Marcy) was born on 27 Sep 1840 in Monroe County, Mississippi (near Aberdeen).^{16,17,18,19,20,21} He married Ida Carolyn CLAYTON, daughter of Joseph Alvey CLAYTON and Margaret Amanda POOLE, on 20 Jun 1867 in Navarro County, Texas.^{22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29} He died on 11 Jan 1892 in Rice, Navarro County, Texas, at age 51.^30,31,32 He was buried in Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.^33,34,35 He arrived in the Chatfield area in 1848 and attended the Chatfield public school. He served in the Confederate army, entering in 1861, and was wounded three times; one bullet hit his arm, and another passed through his body, entering near his spine and exiting through his chest. He was a farmer and stockman. He and Ida lived in Chatfield for a number of years and then moved to near Rice. After he died she moved the family into Rice.^36,37
3. ii. William A. FORTSON was born in Aug 1842.³⁸ He died on 30 Jan 1883 in Kerens, Navarro County, Texas, at age 40.³⁹ He was buried in Kerens, Navarro County, Texas.⁴⁰ He never married. One source gives his name as William D. Fortson. He probably is the Bill Fortson who stabbed a man named Bess to death in 1868 (or 1866) after Bess killed John Fortson with a shot through the heart.^41,42,43
4. iii. John Titus FORTSON was born in 1844.⁴⁴ He died on 28 Mar 1868.⁴⁵ He was buried in Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.⁴⁶ He served in the Confederate Army and never married. While helping Joseph Clayton build a flatboat at Porter's Bluff on the Trinity River, he was shot through the heart by a "desperado" named Bess who had been shooting over the workers' heads and at their feet and who apparently became riled when John told him to watch where he was shooting. Bess was then killed by Bill Fortson, probably John's brother, who stabbed him with a Bowie knife.^47,48,49
+ 5. iv. Benjamin Franklin FORTSON, born circa 1848 in Monroe County, Mississippi; married Molly Pauline CRAVENS.
6. v. Julia Ann Catherine FORTSON was born in 1848.⁵⁰ She married James SMART.⁵¹ One source gives her name as Katherine. She may have lived in Stephens County, Texas.
+ 7. vi. Anna E. FORTSON, born 22 Oct 1852 in Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi; married Preston OWEN.

Generation Two

5. Benjamin Franklin FORTSON (Benjamin) was born circa 1848 in Monroe County, Mississippi.⁵² He married Molly Pauline CRAVENS on 1 Jul 1873 in Navarro County, Texas.^53,54 He died in 1883 in Navarro County, Texas.⁵⁵

Molly Pauline CRAVENS was born circa 1854 in Texas.⁵⁶

Children of Benjamin Franklin FORTSON and Molly Pauline CRAVENS were:

+ 8. i. Benjamin F. FORTSON Jr., born 21 Jul 1874 in Navarro County, Texas; married Earle JOHNSON.
9. ii. Hollis P. ('Hallie') FORTSON was born circa 1878 in Texas.⁵⁷ She married Jesse Martin ADAMS. She died on 22 Sep 1928 in Dallas County, Texas.⁵⁸ They lived in Coleman and Plainview, Texas.⁵⁹
10. iii. Earl FORTSON died before 1883.⁶⁰

7. Anna E. FORTSON (Benjamin) was born on 22 Oct 1852 in Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi.^61,62 She married Preston OWEN, son of Lloyd Nelson OWEN and Jerusha WHITE, on 22 Oct 1872 in Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.^63,64,65 She died on 6 Apr 1928 in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, at age 75.^66,67,68,69 She was buried in Jimmerson Cemetery, Navarro County, Texas (near Kerens).⁷⁰ They lived in Kerens, Texas.⁷¹

Preston OWEN was born on 8 Aug 1844 in Texas.^72,73 He died on 24 Sep 1910 at age 66.⁷⁶ He was buried in Jimmerson Cemetery, Navarro County, Texas.^74,75

Children of Anna E. FORTSON and Preston OWEN were:

11. i. Minnie Lee OWEN was born on 27 Apr 1874 in Navarro County, Texas.^77,78,79 She married Frank MATTHEWS on 5 Nov 1893 in Navarro County, Texas.^80,81 She died on 13 Oct 1922 in Dallas County, Texas, at age 48.^82,83,84,85 She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.⁸⁶
12. ii. Lloyd Nelson OWEN was born on 31 Jul 1876 in Navarro County, Texas.^87,88 He died on 11 Oct 1880 at age 4.⁸⁹ He was buried in Jimmerson Cemetery, Navarro County, Texas (near Kerens).
13. iii. William Preston OWEN Jr was born on 29 Feb 1880 in Navarro County, Texas.^90,91 He died on 6 Apr 1883 at age 3 ⁹² and was buried in Jimmerson Cemetery, Navarro County, Texas (near Kerens).
+ 14. iv. Pearl OWEN, born Aug 1884 in Texas; married Charles Allen FRENCH.
15. v. Earl Fortson OWEN was born on 5 Nov 1892 in Navarro County, Texas.⁹⁵ He married _____ _____⁹³ and _____ _____.⁹⁴ He died on 26 Feb 1955 in Houston, Harris County, Texas, at age 62 ⁹⁶ and was buried in Jimmerson Cemetery, Navarro County, Texas (near Kerens).

Generation Three

8. Benjamin F. FORTSON Jr. (Benjamin, Benjamin) was born on 21 Jul 1874 in Navarro County, Texas.⁹⁷ He married Earle JOHNSON, daughter of Dr. Samuel W. JOHNSON and Kate BEATON.^98,99 He died on 1 Jan 1921 in Navarro County, Texas, at age 46.^100,101

Earle JOHNSON was from Corsicana, Texas.¹⁰²

Children of Benjamin F. FORTSON Jr. and Earle JOHNSON were:

16. i. Mary Jane FORTSON died on 22 Oct 1915 in Navarro County, Texas.¹⁰³ She died young.¹⁰⁴

14. Pearl OWEN (Anna FORTSON, Benjamin) was born in Aug 1884 in Texas.¹⁰⁵ She married Charles Allen FRENCH on 18 Jan 1901 in Navarro County, Texas.^106,107 She died on 30 Dec 1966 at age 82.¹⁰⁸ She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹⁰⁹

Charles Allen FRENCH was born in 1875 in Texas.¹¹⁰

Children of Pearl OWEN and Charles Allen FRENCH were:

17. i. Minnie Mae FRENCH was born on 6 Nov 1901 in Navarro County, Texas.^111,112,113 She married _____ _____.¹¹⁴ She died on 23 Feb 1992 at age 90.¹¹⁵
18. ii. Geraldine FRENCH was born on 18 Jan 1904 in Navarro County, Texas.^116,117,118 She married _____ _____.¹¹⁹ She died in Mar 1983 at age 79.¹²⁰
19. iii. Ann Earle FRENCH was born on 30 Mar 1909.^121,122 She married _____ _____.¹²³ She died on 7 Nov 1994 at age 85.¹²⁴
20. iv. Charles Allen FRENCH Jr was born on 8 Nov 1914.^125,126 He died on 10 May 1922 in Navarro County, Texas, at age 7.^127,128,129 He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas.¹³⁰

Sources

1. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, Augusta, Ga., "A Fortson Line", p. 4. This undated typewritten document was addressed to "Mrs. French." A copy now in the possession of Roger Bartlett, Austin, Tex., was provided about 1976 by Laura Fortson Johnston.
2. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, p. 2 (year only). James E. Fortson, Corsicana, Tex., provided a copy of this three-page manuscript, which he and his wife prepared, to Roger Bartlett in May 1996.
3. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4 (giving only the date).
4. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2 (giving only the date).
4a. Supposition as to place, based on both families' believed residences at the time. The Circuit Clerk of Monroe County was unable to find a record that they married on that date. Sharon Ware, Deputy Circuit Clerk of Monroe County, Miss., P.O. Box 843, Aberdeen, Miss. 39730, letter to Roger Bartlett, 21 Oct 1999.
5. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4 (year only).
6. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2 (year only).
7. Cooper v. State, 19 Tex. 450 (1857) (opinion of Tex. Supreme Court in appeal of first conviction); Cooper v. State, 23 Tex. 331 (1859) (opinion of Tex. Supreme Court in appeal of second conviction).
8. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," in Navarro County Scroll 1967 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Hist. Soc'y, 1967), pp. 28-35, p. 32.
9. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4 (giving only the year and state).
10. Dave Holiday, electronic mail to Roger Bartlett, 28 Mar 1997, citing International Genealogical Index.
11. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2 (giving only the year and not naming the place).
12. Theophilus Edwards Bible, online http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/nc/greene/bibles/edwdbib1.txt (giving only the date).
13. Marriage Records, Navarro County, Tex., vol. A, p. 111 (giving her name as Elizabeth A. T. Fortson).
14. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4.
15. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2 (giving only the date).
16. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4 (giving only the date).
17. Grave marker, Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Tex. (giving only the date).
18. Ann Marcy, 1050 Camelot, Clinton, Okla. 73601, charts and information sent to Roger Bartlett, 7 May 1996 (giving Aberdeen, Mississippi as his birthplace).
19. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 3 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Gen. Soc'y, 1984), p. 23 (giving only the date).
20. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, p. 32 (giving only the date).
21. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2.
22. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 4 (giving only the date).
23. Marriage Records, Navarro County, Tex., vol. 1, p. 222.
24. Ann Marcy, 7 May 1996 charts and information, above (giving only the date).
25. Maggie Highnote, undated records (no date or place). These five pages are marked "Record from Family Bible (Clayton)" on one page and "Family Record" on another. Two pages are on letterhead of Charles H. Highnote, 616 S. 15th St., Corsicana, Tex. Some or all are thought to have been written by Mrs. Highnote from a family bible. The whereabouts of the bible is unknown. Joe Guthrie, Corsicana, Tex., provided copies to Roger Bartlett on 31 May 1973.
26. Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans, ed. Eugene C. Barker and Ernest William Winkler (Chicago, Ill.: The American Historical Society, 1914), vol. IV, p. 1727, s.v. "Mitchell S. Clayton" (not giving the date or place and giving his name as James P. Fortson).
27. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, p. 31 (giving only the date).
28. Susie Robinson, Corsicana, Tex., letter believed to be to Will Bachman in California, 18 Sep 1938, p. 6 (no date or place).
29. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2 (giving only the date).
30. Ann Marcy, 7 May 1996 charts and information, above (giving only the year and not naming the place).
31. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 3, above, p. 23 (giving only the date).
32. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2.
33. Grave marker, Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Tex. (birth and death dates) (common marker with Ida Clayton Fortson and Mary E. Fortson, and bearing Confederate insignia).
34. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 3, above, p. 23.
35. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2.
36. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, pp. 31-32.
37. "Our Fortson Line," undated manuscript, above, p. 2.
38. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
39. Ibid.
40. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, p. 32.
41. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5 (marital status).
42. Louise P. Hodge, "The Chatfield Cemetery," in Navarro County Scroll 1967 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Hist. Soc'y, 1967), pp. 62-63 (stabbing incident).
43. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, p. 32 (giving a similar but somewhat different account of the incident in which John Fortson died).
44. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
45. Ibid.
46. Louise P. Hodge, "The Chatfield Cemetery," above.
47. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5 (marital status).
48. Louise P. Hodge, "The Chatfield Cemetery," above (stating that he was killed in the summer of 1866).
49. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas," above, p. 32 (stating that the murderer was a counterfeiter who knew John could identify him from an earlier encounter and generally giving a similar but somewhat different account of John's death).
50. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
51. Ibid., p. 5 (giving only his surname).
52. 1880 U.S. Census, Navarro County, Texas, enumeration dist. 129, p. 41, family 6.
53. Navarro County, Texas Marriages, vol. 1, 1846-1888 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Gen. Soc'y, 1987), p. 27 (citing Navarro County, Texas Marriage Records, vol. II, p. 93).
54. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
55. Ibid.
56. 1880 U.S. Census, Navarro County, Texas, enumeration dist. 129, p. 41, family 6.
57. Ibid.
58. Index to Texas Death Records (Austin, Tex.: Tex. Dept. of Health, Bur. of Vital Statistics), 1903-40, vol. 1, p. 94, file 38872 (giving her name as Hallie P. Adams).
59. Ann Marcy, electronic mail to Roger Bartlett, 1 Jan 1998.
60. Ibid.
61. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5 (giving only the date).
62. Carmen J. Finley , Ph.D., C.G., 4820 Rockridge Ln., Santa Rosa, Calif. 95404, computer files sent to Roger Bartlett, June 1994 (attributing data to Jim Landrum).
63. Navarro County, Texas Marriages, vol. 1, 1846-1888, above, p. 24 (citing Navarro County, Texas Marriage Records, vol. II, p. 22).
64. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, pp. 5-6.
65. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above.
66. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
67. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1903-40, vol. 39, p. 19016, file 18104 (giving her name as Anna E. Owens).
68. Rice Rustler, Rice, Tex., 12 Apr 1928.
69. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above (giving only the date).
70. Rice Rustler, Rice, Tex., 12 Apr 1928 (not giving the cemetery).
71. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
72. Ibid.
73. 1860 U.S. Census, Navarro County, Texas, enumeration dist. 102, family 63.
74. Nancy Timmons Samuels & Barbara Roach Knox, comps., Old Northwest Texas: Historical-Statistical-Biographical, vol. 1-B, Navarro County, 1846-1860 (Ft. Worth, Tex.: Ft. Worth Gen. Soc'y, 1980), p. 557.
75. Records of Bank Sutherland Funeral Home (later McCammon Funeral Home), Corsicana, Texas, in Navarro Leaves and Branches, vol. IV, no. 3 (Aug 1981), p. 13.
76. Ibid.
77. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6 (year only).
78. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above.
79. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 9 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Gen. Soc'y, 1989), p. 35 (giving only the date).
80. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
81. Navarro County, Texas Marriages, vol. 2, 1889-1899 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Gen. Soc'y, 1987), p. 143 (citing Navarro County, Texas Marriage Records, vol. VII, p. 539).
82. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
83. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1903-40, vol. 34, p. 16777, file 28137.
84. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above (giving only the date).
85. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 9, above, p. 35 (giving only the date).
86. Ibid., p. 35 (identifying her as wife of Frank Matthews and daughter of Preston and Anna Owen).
87. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above.
88. Gary Richards, 108B Bowling Avenue, Nashville, Tenn. 37205, letter to Roger Bartlett, 1 Oct 1996 (giving only the date).
89. Gary Richards, 1 Oct 1996 letter, above.
90. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above.
91. Gary Richards, 1 Oct 1996 letter, above (giving only the date).
92. Gary Richards, 1 Oct 1996 letter, above.
93. Carmen J. Finley, Jun 1994 computer files, above.
94. Ibid.
95. Ibid.
96. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1955, vol. 2, p. 878, file 7825.
97. Alice Duggan Gracy, Jane Sumner, and Emma Gene Seale Gentry, comps., Early Texas Birth Records 1838-1878 (Easley, S.C.: Southern Hist. Press, 1978), vol. II, p. 103 (giving his middle name as Craven).
98. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
99. Ann Marcy, electronic mail to Roger Bartlett, 1 Jan 1998 (not giving the date).
100. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1903-40, vol. 17, p. 8090, file 2474 (giving his middle initial as C).
101. Records of Bank Sutherland Funeral Home, above, in Navarro Leaves and Branches, vol. V, no. 2 (May 1982), p. 35 (giving only the date).
102. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 5.
103. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1903-40, vol. 17, p. 8091, file 22821.
104. Ann Marcy, electronic mail to Roger Bartlett, 1 Jan 1998.
105. 1860 U.S. Census, Navarro County, Texas, enumeration dist. 102, family 63.
106. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
107. Navarro Leaves and Branches, vol. XIII, no. I (Feb 1990), p. 6 (citing Navarro County, Tex. Marriage Records, bk. XIII, p. 20).
108. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 9, above.
109. Ibid., p. 36.
110. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
111. Ibid.
112. Index to Texas Delayed Probate Birth Records (Austin, Tex.: Tex. Dept. of Health, Bur. of Vital Statistics), vol. 12, p. 5906, file 777002.
113. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, downloaded 2 Mar 1998 (giving only the date).
114. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
115. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, above, downloaded 2 Mar 1998 (not naming the place of death but stating that she lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when she died).
116. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
117. Index to Texas Delayed Probate Birth Records, above, 1903-09, vol. 2, p. 878, file 112935 (not giving her name but identifying her as "Infant of C. A. French").
118. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, above, downloaded 6 Mar 1998 (giving only the date).
119. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
120. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, above, downloaded 6 Mar 1998 (not naming the place of death but stating that she lived in Chandler, Oklahoma when she died).
121. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
122. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, above, downloaded 6 Mar 1998.
123. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
124. Social Security Death Records, online http://www.ancestry.com, above, downloaded 6 Mar 1998 (not naming the place of death but stating that she lived in Chandler, Oklahoma when she died).
125. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
126. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 9, above, p. 36 (year only).
127. Mrs. Samuel Anthony Fortson, "A Fortson Line," above, p. 6.
128. Index to Texas Death Records, above, 1903-40, vol. 17, p. 8288, file 15303.
129. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 9, above, p. 36 (year only).
130. Ibid., p. 36 (bearing the name "Son Boy French").

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