20. William Lane SISSON [scrapbook] (Eldridge , Unknown ) was born 4 Nov 1838 in Jefferson County, Mississippi. He died 23 Jun 1916 in Richland Parish Louisiana and was buried 24 Jun 1916.
Birthdate Nov. 4, 1838, is given on William's death certificate.
Household: 1880 Franklin Parish Louisiana
William L. SISSON Self M Male W 41 MS Farmer NC NC
Naomi SISSON Wife M Female W 26 LA Keeping House --- ---
Lee SISSON Son S Male W 6 LA MS LA
Luther SISSON Son S Male W 5 LA MS LA
Thomas SISSON Son S Male W 3 LA MS LA
Ada SISSON Dau S Female W 3M LA MS LA
Martha CROW Other S Female W 1 LA --- ---The History of Crowville, Louisiana:
The Crows came from Mississippi In 1863. By 1868 Thomas J. Crow was operating a store located about the site of the Pack-A-Sack store (formerly the site of the D.D. Powell Drug Store).The first permanent gin was located on or near the present J.A. Harper Ginsite and was operated first by Tom Russell and later by Thomas J. Crow.Mr. Thomas J. Crow owned 1,500 acres of land around Crowville, which wascultivated by tenant farmers.In 1844 Thomas J. Crow was born; and on April 20, 1871 or 1872, he married Martha Ann Robbins, daughter of John R. Robbins and E.A. Robbins. (According to records in the courthouse, they married in 1871; according to hertombstone, 1872.) From this union two children were born: Mary Elizabeth(Mollie) Crow and George W. Crow. George was born about 1874, and Mollie was older. Martha Ann Crow died on Feb. 4, 1875, of congestive chills, after being ill only eleven hours. Her age was 22 years, 7 months, and 4 days.At the time of Martha Ann's death, Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) was about four years of age and George was two years old. Thomas J. Crow was married again to Mary Jane (Mollie) Robbins. From this union one child, Mattie Crow was born.According to gravestones, Thomas J. Crow died in 1878 and Mollie in 1879.Both Mrs. Naomi Skidmore and Mrs. Hattie Roach, wife of J.D. Roach, say Mollie died in childbirth when Mattie was born and that Mollie was buried on a cold, rainy day, with Thomas J. Crow dying nine days later of pneumonia.After the death of Mary Elizabeth, George and Mattie's parents, William LaneSisson and his wife Naomi Robbins Sisson, who was a sister to Mary Jane(Mollie) Crow, took Mattie and reared her. Mattie Crow later married a Wheelhouse, and they moved to Louisville, Kentucky.Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Crow married William Edward (Willie) Roach, November, 11, 1890 (records in Franklin Parish Courthouse record this marriage as occurring August 14, 1890). They had one child, J.D. Roach. William Edward Roach was a merchant-planter and amassed a comfortable fortune for this period in our economy.Mollie and W.E. Roach were divorced; and in accordance with the terms of the divorce settlement, the husband was alloted the cattle, and Mollie retained the land.On December 27, 1911, Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Crow Roach was married a second time, to a widower, Mr. Joseph Marion Walters. At the time of Mollie's death,July 1928, she left a large inheritance of real estate and personal propertyto John D. Roach, her son and only heir of her first husband.Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Crow Roach Walters is buried in the old Cemetery in Crowville.Her son, John D. Roach, married Hattie Calhoun, who now resides in Mer Rouge,Louisiana.George W. Crow attended a business school in Mississippi. His uncle Dave Crow played an important role in his life. The two of them were in business together.They had a saloon across Bayou Macon at Crockett Point. Mr. Rich Wroten of French Turn, related that there was a table across the Bayou at Crockett Pointand a walkway of Cypress logs floating across with board planks. People from Franklin Parish, which was a dry parish, would walk over the bridge of floating logs to the Madison Parish side of Bayou Macon to the saloon, and then walk the floating logs back to Franklin Parish.Later George and Dave Crow operated a mercantile store in Crowville about 40 feet north of the present site of the Gulf Station. Mrs. Ona Donnell Kingworked in the store for Mr. George Crow. George and Dave Crow were also in the business of farming. When Dave Crow died, he left a hand written will whichstated that everything he owned would go to George.In 1926, George married the formewr Miss Callie Smith of Sondheimer. He died in Monroe in 1962 at the age of 88 years and was buried in the Memorial ParkCemetery, east of Monroe on Highway 80. The only survivor of the Crow familyis the wife of George W. Crow, who resides in Monroe, Louisiana.At the time an area post office was established, the community was given the name "Crowville," after the Thomas J. Crow family. The Crow family was located a few yards east of Highway 17, to the west of the present home site of W.L.Harper. Signs of an old cistern which was situated beside the house can still be seen. Mr. W.L. Harper reported that when he was leveling the yard several years ago, he discovered an old walkway in front of his garage, which was probably the walk in front of the Thomas J. Crow home. This walk was made of old wine bottles made of stone. The bottles were put in the ground top down,and the bottoms formed the walkway.
