William Washington Gorton Green (1852 - 1927)

Born 14 Aug 1852 in Murray, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Son of William Washington Green and Hannah E (Dover) Green

Husband of Nancy Caroline (Isham) Green — married 2 May 1872 in Comanche, Comanche, Texas, United States

Descendants

Died 28 Jan 1927 at age 74 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Vance Johnson [send private message]

Biography

William was born in 1852. He passed away in 1927. He was the son of William Washington Green and Hannah E (Dover) Green.

Birth: He was born on 14 August 1852 in Murray County, Georgia. ^[1]

After the Civil War, in about 1867, his family followed his brother Jesse (who moved there in 1856), to Comanche County, Texas. The Comanche Indian problem was still bad during that time, so the family moved on to Cove, Polk County, Arkansas. ^[2]

Marriage: While the family was in Comanche, he met and fell in love with the younger sister of Jesse's wife, Frances and of Celia's husband, Andrew. He traveled the 800-mile (round trip) back to Comanche and married Nancy Caroline (Isham) Green on 2 May 1872. They originally lived in Cove, Polk County, Arkansas but moved back to Comanche around 1877. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Children: They had twelve children of which all but two lived to adulthood:

1. Laura Josephine (Green) McCullough (1873-1940)
2. Charles William Lafayette Green (1875-1928)
3. Mary Ozella (Green) McCullough (1878-1913)
4. Benjamin J Green (1879-1891)
5. Mattie (Green) Boen (1882-1952)
6. John Henry Green (1884-1968)
7. Ethel Era (Green) Gregory (1887-1951)
8. Hannah Elmina (Green) Garrett (1889-1979)
9. Carrie Green (abt.1890-abt.1891)
10. Alfred Francis Green (1893-1947)
11. Minnie Ann (Green) McCullough (1895-1956)
12. Louisa Jane (Green) Garrett (1897-1955)

Occupation: Elder Green was a Primitive Baptist Preacher, riding a circuit and holding revivals in the area. He also had a farm, but the work fell mostly to the children as preaching the gospel was his real job.

Death: He died on 28 January 1928 at the home of his daughter, Louisa Garrett, in Fort Worth, Texas. ^[7]

Burial: He is buried in Shiloh Cemetery, Comanche, Texas. ^[8]

Obituary and Statement of William G. Green

August 27, 1922

This was the obituary of Elder W. G. Green: Father of Mattie Boen, grandfather of Ella Mae McCullough and Great-grandfather of Glenn McCullough.

W. G. Green, well known citizen of Comanche County, Texas, died last Friday at 5 p.m. from pneumonia and was buried Sunday at 11 o’clock, services being conducted by Rev. Dan Dalton of Hamilton, Texas.

He is survived by the following children, Mrs. W.W. (Laura) McCullough of Gustine, C.W. Green, Ft. Worth, Mrs. J.F. (Mattie) Boen of Royston, J.H. Green, San Angelo, Mrs. L.I. (Ethel) Gregory of Throckmorton, Mrs. W.O. (Ellie) Garrett, Ft. Worth, Mrs. F.S. (Minnie) McCullough of Big Springs, Mrs. Claude (Lou) Garrett of Ft. Worth, A.F. Green, Gustine, deceased are Mrs. Jake (Ozie) McCullough, Bennie Green, who died at the age of fourteen and Carry Green who died in infancy.

His brothers and sisters still living are Mrs. Sue Isham of Comanche, Mrs. Ellie Nichols, San Angelo, J.F. Green, Atlanta, Georgia, Ben Green, of Ashur, Oklahoma and Griss Green of Arkansas.

He is survived by forty-five grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.

On his 70th birthday he gave the writer a statement concerning himself and which he requested be published at his death.

Statement of William G. Green August 27th, 1922.

Just seventy years ago today in the state of Georgia and the county of Murray, I have been told there was a boy child born, and I suppose he was an ordinary child come into the world in the ordinary way, kicking and squalling.

I guess the first few years of his life were spent as most children of that age. He probably had the whooping cough, measles, and such other ailments as children of that age are incident to. About the first real acquaintance I had with him, his mother was holding him with one arm while she applied a year-old peach tree sprout to his back. I don’t remember now what she was chastising him for, but I do know that it made a lasting impression on that boy’s mind, for I have heard him refer to it many times as being the first lesson in true obedience. From then on, I was most intimately associated with him. He passed through that childhood age as other children, enjoying eating candy when he could get it, playing with toys and riding stick horses, etc.

He finally grew to be a youth and had as good time of any boy of his acquaintance. The height of his enjoyment was when he was with a crowd of boys and girls on the floor with some good fiddler to play “The Arkansas Traveler” or some good similar tune and hear someone say, “salute your pardners”, --- ”swing your corners” and the fun would begin, dancing all night and go home with the girls in the morning. He spent about six years of his life in this way, flirting and flattering the girls, telling them how pretty they were, how he loved them, etc.

He finally found a girl he surely did love, Caroline Isham. I am told she was the fourth white child born in Comanche county, Nov. 24, 1855. He made his love known to her, and on May 2nd, 1872, they were united in marriage. They built a house on their own, on 160 acres of land that Uncle Sam gave them and started out to make a living and to raise a family, and succeeded fine in raising the family, at least having twelve children born to them. Ten grew to adult age, and nine are still living. He has said that the happiest period of his life was when he had a house full of children, depending on him for support. He was brought up by religious parents (Primitive Baptists,) his father being a preacher of that faith.

But he never knew what it was to be a lost sinner, till he was about twenty-five years old. His experience as well as the Bible, rejected the idea that the spirit woos and beseeches, and strives to save sinners and can’t. For in the month of May 1877 while plowing in the field, the spirit of God came into his heart and convicted him of sin, and showed him what a great sinner he was, and how lost he was without God and without a hope in the world. So, he set about to try to appease the wrath of a sin-avenging God, … but his efforts were all failures, and instead of getting better, the burden grew heavier, and after he had tried all the remedies prescribed by man to cure sin sick soul and all to bring relief, he fell prostrate at Jesus’ feet and said, “here I am, Lord!, If I go to hell it is just,” and at once Christ was revealed to him as a Savior, and what Christ had done for him on the Cross that is, satisfied divine justice in his behalf and had now clothed him with Jesus’ righteousness. You see he believes salvation is wholly by grace and not by works, lest any man should boast.

So in 1882 he joined the Primitive Baptist Church at Shiloh, in Comanche county, Texas and was baptized by the late M. H. Hutchinson. He soon had impressions to preach, but feeling the great responsibilities of one occupying the position of minister of the gospel, and feeling his own weakness, he shrank from the task. But in the year 1890 the church set apart to the full functions of the gospel ministry. Since then he has been trying to preach Christ and him Crucified, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, with the ability that God giveth. He feels today that his life has been imperfect, that he has made many mistakes, some of them serious, which he very much regrets, but they are gone by and he cannot undo them; he can only profit by them by doing better in the future. And were it not for the fact that when we sin we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, this poor sinner would be gone. But he has an anchor to the soul which is both sure and steadfast, and enters into that within the veil, wither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus. I believe that all who shall reach the portals of bliss and glory will be clothed in righteousness of Jesus Christ.

This man o whom I have been telling lost his dear companion nearly nine years ago by death. Since then he has lived a sad and lonely life and sees nothing here but trouble, sorrow and disappointment, and is just waiting for the time to come, and at times actually craves to go home and be at rest. THIS MAN IS MYSELF! W.G. Green

When I am gone I desire no other epitaph but, “Just a sinner, Saved by Grace.” That’s all.

Description: This letter found in some old ancestry files from Frances McCullough. Copied from Ancestry.com and transcribed by Vance C. Johnson, 18 January 2020.

DNA Confirmation

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal AncestryDNA test match between Jeannine (Clay) Johnson and Lanelda Featherston, her 3rd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are William Green and Hannah Dover, the great great grandparents of both Jeannine (Clay) Johnson and Lanelda Featherston. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 3d Cousin, based on sharing 123 cM across 8 segments.

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confident based on a triangulated group on GEDmatch who share a 46.4 cM segment on chromosome 2, consisting of Vance Johnson, GEDmatch kit # EG4095575, and Carol Daniel, his 4th cousin, GEDmatch kit # T252450, and Janis (Head) Reasnor, his 4th cousin, GEDmatch kit # A957034. (Carol and Janis are 4th cousins.) Their most-recent common ancestors are William Green and Hannah Dover, the 3x great grandparents of both Vance Johnson and Carol Daniel and 3x great grandparents of Janis (Head) Reasnor.

Sources

1. ↑ United States Census, 1860
2. ↑ United States Census, 1870
3. ↑ United States Census, 1880
4. ↑ United States Census, 1900
5. ↑ United States Census, 1910
6. ↑ United States Census, 1920
7. ↑ Texas Deaths, 1890-1976 Wm G Green, 28 Jan 1927
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #11598353

• Source: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Tree Ancestry Profile