Aquilla (James) Payne (abt. 1809 - aft. 1880)

Born about 1809 in Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 1880 after about age 71 in Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Aquilla was born about 1809. She passed away after 1880 when she was enumerated in the census.

1st Marriage and Divorce

Aquilla was first married to John Howeth, possibly as early as 1823. We know they were married by April 1826, when John claimed her share of a legacy from her grandfather. He identified himself as John Howett husband of Quilla daughter of Thomas James Sr all of the county of Hamilton State of Tennessee.^[1]

John Howeth petitioned the Tennessee General Assembly for a divorce in August 1832. In his petition, he states that his wife, Aquilla, had left him in January 1831. The petition was not granted. ^[2] Their last child, Martha, was born after this time possibly in February or December 1833. In 1835 the Tennessee laws were changed and divorces were thenceforth granted only in the county courts (these records for Hamilton County were destroyed by fire in 1910). John and Aquilla were divorced about this time. Both remarried, with the oldest child in each family born in 1837.

2nd Marriage

Aquilla then married Chesley Payne (as his second wife) about 1836; their first child was born in 1837.

We can show that the Aquilla who married John Howeth is the same woman who married Chesley Payne through secondary documentation, and DNA matching.

Documentation

The maiden name of Aquilla Payne is verified through death certificates of three of her children by Chesley Payne.

• 19 June 1915, death certificate of Huldah Adline Corbin. Mother's maiden name: Aquilla James.^[3]
• 28 September 1915, death certificate of William Payne. Mother's maiden name: Quillie James [indexed as Fannie James].^[4]
• 28 November 1926, death certificate of C F Payne. Mother's maiden name: Quilley James [indexed as Lueley James].^[5]

DNA

Some of the descendants of Chesley and Aquilla Payne have tested their DNA. They are related to a number of the descendants of Samuel Green Slape and Martha Howeth. They are also related to descendants of Aquilla James's brother William James, and sisters Nancy Howeth, Elizabeth Bolton, and Martha Parker.

Censuses

Aquilla is presumably the female aged 20-29 in the household of John Howeth in the 1830 census for Hamilton County, Tennessee. This household consisted of a male and female each age 20-29, and four children - a girl and boy each between 5-9, and another girl and boy each under the age of 5.^[6]

Aquilla is found in the censuses of 1850^[7], 1860^[8], 1870^[9], and 1880^[10] as the wife of Chesley Payne in Hamilton County.

Death

Aquilla is last known alive in the 1880 census. The record indicates that she was blind; was disabled, crippled, or bedridden; and had consumption. Under "Occupation" is the statement "Superannuated."

Find a Grave reports that Quilla died 23 February 1890 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is buried in Parker Cemetery in Chattanooga.^[11] The death records for Chattanooga do not support this identification. The death recorded for this date was for Mrs. A. P. James, a married white female aged 79, who resided outside the city limits; no burial information.^[12]

According to the Hamilton County Tennessee Genealogical Society, Parker Cemetery is an old, abandoned cemetery with only three headstones remaining. The Society has a list of the burials that were found in a 1939 WPA survey. Aquilla (and Chesley) Payne are not listed.

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Z7-3FT7 : 21 November 2016), James Matthews, 1806; citing Stokes, North Carolina, United States, State Archives, Raleigh; FHL microfilm . Images 26, 27, 37, 38.
2. ↑ Tennessee Legislative Petitions 1799 - 1850, Tennessee Secretary of State. Digital index of petitions. John Howeth, Aquilla Howeth. Petition 10 (1832-1833). P 45, Hamilton County, 1832, petition #107. http://sostngovbuckets.s3.amazonaws.com/tsla/history/misc/petition10.pdf
3. ↑ "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1963," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NS37-WLC : 25 May 2014), Aquila James in entry for Huldah Adline Corbin, 19 Jun 1915; citing Parker, Hamilton Co., Tenn. Cemetery, St. Elmo, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, v 23 cn 322, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 1,299,638.
4. ↑ "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1963," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NS3Q-87X : 25 May 2014), Fannie James in entry for William Payne, 28 Sep 1915; citing Parkers, Hamilton Co., Tenn. Cemetery, Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee, v 22 cn 193, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 1,299,638.
5. ↑ "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1963," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NSK3-YBM : 25 May 2014), C. F. Payne, 28 Nov 1926; citing Parker Cemetery, Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee, 26727, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 1,876,720.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHP9-72G : 7 September 2017), John Howeth, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States; citing 79, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 180; FHL microfilm 24,538.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCDF-XPG : 12 April 2016), Aguella Payne in household of Chesley Payne, Hamilton county, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States; citing family 1465, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8T8-LLQ : 26 July 2017), Aquilla Payne in entry for Chesley Payne, 1860.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDD9-XVP : 12 April 2016), Agnetia Payne in household of Chesley Payne, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 9, family 60, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,031.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MD7Z-D7Y : 15 July 2017), Aquilla Payne in household of Chesley Payne, District 4, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district ED 47, sheet 47B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1259; FHL microfilm 1,255,259.
11. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 November 2017), memorial page for Aquilla “Quillie” James Payne (1809–23 Feb 1890), Find A Grave Memorial no. 143672059 (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143672059), citing Parker Cemetery, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Vivian (contributor 48667352) .
12. ↑ Death records, Chattanooga, 1872-1923, unindexed image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89G8-T9HL-M). Death of Mrs. A. P. James, 23 Feb. 1890, Hamilton County, TN.

• Paternal and maternal relationships are supported by a triangulated group at MyHeritageDNA consisting of Thena (Slape) Jones, G.K., and D.C., who share a 29 cM segment on chromosome 4. The most-recent common ancestors shared by all three are Thomas James and Elizabeth (Matthews) James.