Gray, Margaret married Atkinson

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Gray

Discussions regarding Margaret (Gray) Atkinson over a span of years. From this profile Margaret Gray

Morse-Sneed - e-mail 1

Author: James Otto Morse (15889)

Publication: to Joseph Donald Sneed

James O. Morse (Morse-290) to Joseph D. Sneed ([[Sneeed-20])

09/12/99

...she mentions at the beginning has to be, of course, her mother's mother (the "aristocrat"), who had gone with her sister Jane to bury their two younger brothers after the Battle of Tuka and Corinth (Tennessee or Mississippi?).

The paternal grandmother died, so Aunt Cammie told me earlier, when the"soldiers" (Union) or more likely guerrillas or just deserters (on their way back to Texas?) burned the house down with her in it.

I gathered from her that when our great grandfather Atkison came back from the War he didn't have much trouble in locating the daughter, but no one seemed to know where the family that took our grandfather had gone other than back to Alabama, where they had lived earlier. He would go search for him in Alabama every year (after harvest, probably).

I thought that she had said earlier that the father found the son, but she says here that the son came back to his birthplace in Mississippi on his own (probably finally having wheedled out of his adoptive parents its location). They had apparently just used him as their "slave" and cared less whether he had any education or not.

04/29/00

That commercial outfit that claims to have copies of Civil War soldier records could only locate a few morning report entries for a Giles M. Atkinson in the 30th Mississippi Infantry Regiment and merely sent their notes taken from those. These show that he was enlisted on March 22, 1862 at Lodi, Mississippi by a G. F. Neill for "3 years or the War" but was "absent sick" on the company "muster roll" of July 1, 1862, December _, 1862, February _, 1863 (where the entry adds "Sick absent since May 25, 1862 by order of Regimental Surgeon"), April _ , 1863 ("Sick. Sent to Hospital April 26, 1863 [sic] by order of Regimental Surgeon"), and August _ 1863 ("Dropped from the rolls. Absent without leave, August 17, 1862.") I wonder if this last date should be 1863. If it were 1862, I don't know why they would still be making an entry a year late. Of course they could have just overlooked it earlier.

Since Aunt Cammie seemed certain that he was off in the War when Grandfather was born in December 1863, I suspect that after he was released from the hospital he joined another unit, maybe even using a different name; however, the record of that may merely be one of the missing ones. The 30th Mississippi may have been fighting out of state by then and not so easy to rejoin. Aunt Cammie may have been right about his being in the 1st Mississippi if that were actually his second unit. It's interesting that her remark about Grandfather and Grandmother finally settling on "Atkison" appears pertinent since his father had used "Atkinson."

07_31_04

"There was a Home Guard in Civil War times, at least in some states (e.g. "Cold Mountain"), but I doubt that any active military unit stayed around home for very long in those days. The only 1st Mississippi records that they could find in their archives showed that Giles was sent home after a few months because of sickness. He must have rejoined some unit later on when he recovered or he would not have been away when GFA was born. Presumably he was conceived before Giles returned to the Army or, possibly, during a period of leave. "

"I never got a straight answer out of Aunt Cammie as to what disease GFA died of. My Morse grandmother seemed to suspect it was cirrhosis. It doesn't seem like his death was sudden. Aunt Cammie mentioned that he was sick when she took Forrest to Durant so Grandfather could see at least one grandchild before he died."

1st Regiment, Mississippi Infantry (Johnston's)

1st Infantry Regiment, 682 strong, completed its organization at Corinth, Mississippi, during the spring of 1861. The men were raised in the counties of Marshall, Itawamba, De Soto, Panola, Lafayette, Tishomingo, and Smith. It was ordered to Kentucky then to Tennessee where on February 16, 1862, it was captured at «u»Fort Donelson <https://web.archive.org/web/20041230042814/http://www2.cr.nps.gov:80/ABPP/battles/tn002.htm>«/u». During this fight the unit lost 16 killed and 61 wounded of the 331 engaged. Exchanged and attached to Beall's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, it was again captured at «u»Port Hudson <https://web.archive.org/web/20041230042112/http://www2.cr.nps.gov:80/ABPP/battles/la010.htm>«/u». After the exchange the regiment served in General Featherston's Brigade and fought with the Army of Tennessee from «u»Resaca <https://web.archive.org/web/20041230041911/http://www2.cr.nps.gov:80/ABPP/battles/ga008.htm>«/u» to «u»Bentonville <https://web.archive.org/web/20041229084545/http://www2.cr.nps.gov:80/ABPP/battles/nc020.htm>«/u». In December, 1864, only 65 officers and men were present for duty, and very few surrendered in April, 1865. The field officers were Colonels Thomas H. Johnston and John M. Sumonton, Lieutenant Colonel A.S. Hamilton, and Major M.S. Alcorn.

Note: Excerpts from 3 e-mails pertaining to the death of Margret Grey as related by Ms W. A. Sa.ter (FH424). and the military service of Giles Manuel Atkinson (15862).

CEA LETTER 1

LETTER 1 from Salter for CEA

Author: Mrs. Winfred A. Salter (Cammie Elizabeth Atkison))

Publication: to Mrs Dabney W Sneed (Sallie Bell Atkison)/

Text: LETTER from Mrs W. A. SALTER to Mrs D. W. SNEED [Transcribed from typescript by Joseph D. Sneed, 07/17/2004]

Gilbert Allen Bell came from Ireland with his parents and settled in Virginia. He married Elizabeth (don't know last name) and they moved to Tennessee. Robert Allen Bell, his son, was born in Tennessee and was one of the first lay preachers of the Cumberland Branch of the Presbyterian Church. His work was among the Choctaw Indians in Tennessee, and later in Mississippi, where he went as a young man, He farmed near the town of Randolph.

Robert Kennedy's family came from England and went down the Mississippi River from St. Louis to the New Orleans Country. He was married to Elizabeth Dixon, whose sister married Andrew Jackson's father. The Dixon's lived in Tennessee. Our grandmother, was Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy. Her brother, Tom, lived in Bonnam, Texas in later life. Her older sister married a Ridings. Jane's son Louis Ridings used to visit us. Louis's daughter Laura Duckworth used to live in Durant. His daughter-in-law or great-daughter- in-law is Hope Ridings. She is a writer.

Robert Allan Bell and Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy lived in Mississippi after they were married. They had twelve children, some dying in infancy. The children were:

Emma Bell married

Anna married John Henry Salmon

Don(na) Bell marrie Ellis Perkins. Their children were:

d W. R. Perkins

Lena never married

Beaula married Asby

Fanie Moss Bell marries but don't know who

All lived in Mississippi

Robert Donald Bell married Martha Woods. Their children were: Gertrude, Clyde, William, Robert, and Mattie, now living in Texas City

Elizabeth Bell married Jesse G. Williams. they came from Mississippi to Boue [?] County, later Bryan, and were farmers in the Roberta and Utica area. She dies of tuberculosis. their children were:

Gilbert Allen married a Condit girl who died, later married Salle, no children

James married Ella; two boys (Elsa, Texas)

Castilla marries Will Neely; one son Will Jr. (New Albany, Miss)

Elizabeth marries George Hubbard; three children, died of flu in 1917

May married Jeff Turner; three children; warden of Miss state prison until his retirement

John Ellis married Mabel Howard; two children; killed in auto accident while scheriff [?] of Bryan County

Robert Peyton (Pate) married Maude Yourney; three or four children (Roberta)

Jack French married Maude ....; some children one died when their house burned

Mary Emma married George Hubbard; one child Ambrose (Mississippi:)

Lewis Clark married Greenwood: after she died married he sister (California)

Leila Forrest married Enis Hayes: one child; died in California

Hugh Allen Bell married Ollie (last name unknown). Their children were:

Thrace and twins Clevlon [?] and Clyde (a girl)

All lived in Mississippi

Thomas Ellen Bell (Duck) married James Peyton Donaldson (kin to Rachel Donaldson who married Andrew Jackson). Their children were:

Robert Peyton Donaldson married...

Sallie Irene Donaldson never married.

Melisa Merle Donaldson married Will Corbin

Cora Emma Donaldson married Marshal Jamison

Lelia Bell married Willis R. Collins. They moved to Texas and later to Durant. Their children were:

Jettie married Homer Glen

Jessie married to Ingram Calhoun

Ivy last marries John Burnett (Oklahoma City)

Ernest married Merle ... from Florida

Elizabeth married Albert Sidney Johnson, divorced (Merkel, Texas)

Robert married...

Forrest May ... married three times

Horton dies as child

A girl died as child

Bailey married......

Dan...married died number of years ago

Sarah Francis Bell married John F. V. Carrell a Methodist Circuit Rider who had served as a drummer boy in the Confederate Army

Mary Caroline Bell married General Forrest Atkinson. They cam from Ponotoc Miss. to Durant. Their children are

Don Ellis married Anne McDonald

Cammie Elizabeth married Winfred Salter; one son Forrest

Robert Pratt married Allie V. Adrian; one child Mary Alice

Walter Forrest died in infancy

Sallie Bell married Dabney W. Sneed; one son Joe

William Leonard married Lucille Walsen; one son Bill

Lottie married Otto M. Morse both died; one son Jim

Thelma married Robert T. Daniels; two sons Billy Bob and Larry

The Atkinsons or Atkins came originally from England to Alabama and then to Southern Mississippi. Giles Manuel Atkinson marries Margaret Grey whose mother was a Forrest. Their children were:

Cammie burned to death as a child

Mary married several times; children called Johnson

Sallie married William Boeckmann (DeLeon, Texas)

General Forrest Atkinson born during the Civil War when the guerillas were following Sherman's march to the sea. Their house was burned and his mother with it. Mary who was seven took Forrest and Sallie to the home of neighbors as the father was in the army. A family who had a small boy took Forrest with them to Alabama. When his father came home he found the house burned. After burying the bones and things he found Mary and Sallie with another family who later came to Texas. When Forrest was fourteen he came back to Mississippi and found his father who had married his aunt Mary Larrimore whose husband had been killed in the war. She had two sons Ubioe [?] and John and they had a daughter Eunivecce. Forrest's father lived with her in his old age.

Note: There are two texts of this document, one in my possession and one in the possession of Fred Hawthorne. The latter appears in Sources as "Letter written by Aunt Sis Atkinson"

What I have appears to be a transcript of a letter written to all the author's siblings in the 1950's. I think it was transcribed by my father, Dabney Whitfield Sneed, since it is typed on a typewriter with unusual type. He was the only one I knew with such a typewriter.

JDS 07/13/04

Mary Atkinson Letter 1

Author: Mary Atkinson

Text: Giles is definitely the son of John Atkinson, son of William Atkinson, son of Mrs Mary Atkinson of Robeson Co NC, Giles is a veteran of the Confederacy Army, 30th Ms Inf. He was born in Robeson Co NC but moved to Choctaw Co Ms where h e was raised. He was married 2 or 3 times. lst Elizabeth Ann ____ in abt 1856 b 1839 in Georgia. ch: Emma b Feb 1857 Choctaw, Ms, Sarah b. 1859 Choctaw, Ms. Mary b. 1860 Choctaw, Ms, & Forrest Silaus b.1863. 2nd wife Ann ( Could be same as Elizabeth Ann--no proof either way so far). ch: Nanice b. 1867 Choctaw, Ms and Calvin b Jun 1870 Choctaw, Ms. 3rd wife: Sarah R Gray d/o William and Katherine Gray. Sarah b. 10 Aug 1840 d, 9 Jun 1905 ch: Martha b.1877 Choctaw, Ms, Jack b. 1879 Choctaw, Ms, Eunice Estelle b. 30 Jun 1881 Choctaw, Ms d. 5 Jan 1960 Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee. She married William Henry Stevenson in 1903 Choctaw Ms. I have recently found Joseph and Mary selling land in Southampton Co., Va in 1785 and traveling with Samuel Atkinson family to Robeson Co. NC and buying land there in 1787. They had a plantation on a swamp in Va so they knew how to drain it in NC and make plantations there. I think Mary was a step mother to Joseph, William, and John and only Lucy was born to her and Mr. Atkinson. Welcome family researcher! Do you want sources, etc? Mary Atkinson

CEA LETTER 1

LETTER 1 SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS

Author: Joseph D. Sneed (15873)

Text: SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS LETTER1 LETTER from Mrs W. A. SALTER (15866) to Mrs D. W. SNEED (15858)

Joe Sneed (15856) 08/26/04 13:58

Here I'll try to tie this LETTER1 to this database. There are 4 documents produced by Aunt C. (15866). I will refer to them as 'L1', 'L2', 'L3' and 'T'. L1 is this letter; L2 and L3 are other letters; T is a family tree sketch. The numbers appearing here are RIN numbers in the database. My comments appear enclosed in '[ ]'.

Gilbert Allen Bell [Does not appear in this database. The Bell segment of this data base begins with Capt. Robert Bell, 2856] came from Ireland with his parents and settled in Virginia. He married Elizabeth (don't know last name) and they moved to Tennessee. Robert Allen Bell, [Apparently, 2371] his son, was born in Tennessee and was one of the first lay preachers of the Cumberland Branch of the Presbyterian Church. His work was among the Choctaw Indians in Tennessee, and later in Mississippi, where he went as a young man. He farmed near the town of Randolph.

[There are major discrepancies here, both among three accounts provided by Aunt C. (L1, L2 and T) and between these accounts and that provided by this database. In L2 and T, The role of Gilbert Allen Bell in L1 is attributed to Robert Bell ("Our Great Grandfather" in L2 and top of tree in T). According to this database, the father of Robert Allen Bell (2371) is Hugh Bell (2855). This account is also provided by the two web pages and (I suspect.) comes from the book by G. G. Bell mentioned in this database.]

[It appears that the Robert Bell of L2 and T might be the Robert Bell Jr. (3039) referred to in this database. It may be that "... was one of the first lay preachers of the Cumberland Branch of the Presbyterian Church. His work was among the Choctaw Indians in Tennessee, and later in Mississippi..." actually describes 3039 rather than (or as well as) 2371. In L2 2371 is said to have "held services in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church", but there is no mention of missionary work.]

[ There is independent evidence that 3039 may have been a preacher of the Cumberland Branch of the Presbyterian Church and a missionary among the Choctaws in Mississippi (So far as I know, there were no Choctaws in Tennessee).]

Kidwell, Clara Sue, Choctaws and Missionaries in Mississippi 1818-1918, University of Oklahoma Press, 1995 mentions (p. 42, and note to p. 51) "Robert Bell" as a missionary to the Choctaws and Chickasaws from the Cumberland Presbytery who was involved in negotiations with the Native Americans about establishing mission schools. The events Kidwell describes occurred in 1819. So it would have been possible for 3039 to have participated in the events, but not 2371.]

[In L2 Aunt C. says that "Robert Bell...was supposed to have married an Indian woman". In T Robert Bell is matched with "Indian Woman". Responding to my inquiry, Dr. Kidwell said she knew no more about her Robert Bell than appears in her book, but that it was not unlikely that he married a Choctaw and may even have presented himself (in certain contexts) as a member of the tribe. Since the Choctaws are matrilineal, this would not have been regarded as peculiar (by the Choctaws, at least).]

[This database tells us that 3039 married Grizelle McCutchens, (3057) but there is no mention of Native American ancestry for her. There is a substantial list of their descendants in in this database. It would be interesting (and probably possible) to know if any of these appear in the post 1895 tribal roles of the Choctaws or Chickasaws produced by the Dawes Commission.]

[I can see two explanations for these discrepancies:

1) Hugh Bell (2855) is identical with Gilbert Allen Bell (of L1);

2) Robert Allen Bell (2371) is the son of Robert Bell Jr. (3039).

Neither seems completely satisfactory.]

[Explanation 1) appears to be the most probable simply because it is consistent with all sources except Aunt C. However, there is no reference to a Hugh Bell any family documents known to me, except for Hugh Allen Bell (285618) mentioned below in a later generation. I never heard anyone mention Hugh Bell.]

[Aunt C. could not have had much, of any, communication with 2371. He died in MS 3 years after she was born in OK. She probably got most of her information from her mother Mary Caroline Bell (285623), daughter of 2371 and possibly her (285623) siblings. There is evidence (L2) that 285623 was a well educated, articulate woman. How could she have been wrong about this?]

[Could it be that 2371 did not know, or did not care to tell his children, who his father was? Is it possible that Hugh Bell (2855) was also known as 'Gilbert Allen Bell'? Could it be that Aunt C. was just confused? Given the discrepancies in her accounts, this is plausible. But, Aunt C. was not known to be confused about many things.]

[From one perspective, it is Gilbert Allen Bell who is the mysterious character here. He does not appear in this database (to my knowledge) and only in L1 in the Bell-Atkison corpus.]

[Explanation 2) is consistent with all of what Aunt C. says except for the reference to Gilbert Allen Bell in L1. It is also consistent with what she says about "Our Great Grandfather"'s connection with the Choctaws, provided one takes the description of missionary work in L1 as applying to him (again confusion?). The Kidwell account of the missionary Robert Bell lends some credence to this interpretation. The problem is, this account is inconsistent with all known Bell genealogies. But, at this point, we don't know the evidential base for these genealogies. It is not uncommon for a single error to propagate through a large literature, repeatedly cited with increasing confidence.]

Robert Kennedy's [This database refers to this person as 'Gilbert Kennedy' (2386) in the note on 2371] family came from England and went down the Mississippi River from St. Louis to the New Orleans Country. He was married to Elizabeth Dixon (2385), whose sister married Andrew Jackson's father. The Dixon's lived in Tennessee. Our grandmother, was Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy (2372). Her brother, Tom (3297) [There appears to be a reference to him in L2 under the name of 'Tome'], lived in Bonnam, Texas in later life. Her older sister married a Ridings.(3311) Jane's [I guess this is the older sister mentioned in the previous sentence.] son Louis Ridings (3312) used to visit us. Louis's daughter Laura Duckworth (3537) used to live in Durant. His daughter-in-law or great-daughter-in-law [How could this be Louis' something "in-law" when she bears his last name?] is Hope Ridings. She is a writer [This is possibly Hope Ridings Miller. A Google search on 'Hope Ridings' reveals that "Hope Ridings Miller... once edited the society page of the Washington Post and was part of the capital's social scene in the days of Roosevelt. There is a lot more about her including reference to a scholarship named for her at Austin College in Bonham, TX and some connection with Sam Rayburn. This indicates she may have had ties to our part of the world.].

[From here on, this database and L1 seem to be in close agreement.]

Robert Allan Bell (2371) and Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy (2785) lived in Mississippi after they were married. They had twelve children, some dying in infancy. The children were:

Emma Bell (2858) married Ellis Perkins (2866). Their children were:

Anna (2869) married John Henry Salmon (2917)

[L1 does not mention Donnie Lee (2870)]

Don(na) Bell (2870) married W. R. Perkins (2927)

Lena (2871) never married

[L1 does not mention Mary Duck (2872)]

Beaula (2873) married Asby (2904)

Fanie Moss Bell (2874) marries but don't know who (2951)

All lived in Mississippi

Robert Donald Bell (2859) ['William Donald' in this database] married Martha Woods (2875). Their children were:

Gertrude(2878), Clyde(2880), William(2883), Robert (2885), and Mattie (2882), now living in Texas City

[2876, 2879 are not clearly mentioned in L1. Perhaps 2882, Martha Jane, may be identified with Mattie, who can not be otherwise identified in this database.

Apparently Mattie was still living at the time L1 was written. I have a vague memory of someone by the name of 'Mattie Bell' being spoken of in family conversation. She even may have visited Aunt C. in Kerrville, TX while I was there as a child, from time to time, in the 1940-50's.]

Elizabeth Bell (802) married Jesse G. Williams (807). they came from Mississippi to Boue [?] County [I can find no information about what Bryan County was called when it was part of Indian Territory. Presumably, someone knows this.] , later Bryan, and were farmers in the Roberta and Utica [ both Bryan County, OK] area. She dies of tuberculosis. their children were:

Gilbert Allen (1574) married a Condit (15870) girl who died, later married Salle (1575), no children

James (2374) married Ella (2377); two boys (2371, 2372) (Elsa, Texas) [Don't know what this place refers to.]

Castilla (174) marries Will Neely (166); one son Will Jr (173). (New Albany, Miss)

Elizabeth (195) marries George Hubbard (194); three children (196,199, 197, 459, 193), died of flu in 1917

May (1572) married Jeff Turner (2378); three children (2401, 2402,2403, 2404); warden of Miss state prison until his retirement

John Ellis (1576) married Mabel Howard (1577); two children (2973, 2974, 2975, 2976); killed in auto accident while scheriff [?] of Bryan County

Robert Peyton (Pate) (2376) married Maude Yourney (2977); three or four children (7144-7149) (Roberta [Bryan County, OK] )

[L1 does not mention 2368]

Jack French (2369) married Maude (2381) ....; some children (2388, 7156-58) one died when their house burned

Mary Emma (345) married George Hubbard (194); one child Ambrose (198) (Mississippi:)

Lewis Clark (1576) [ This database has Clark Lewis] married Greenwood (2382): after she died married he [r] sister (2884) (California)

Leila Forrest (2375) married Enis Hayes (1573): one child (7179-60); died in California

[These people are of my mother's (15858) generation and were frequently mentioned.

My mother told of "picking cotton" ("I neva picked cotton, but my Momma did...": Jonny Cash) as a teenager at "the Williams place". It was common even in the 1940's that rural schools started in August and closed during September so the children could help with the harvest. This practice ceased in Durant (a metropolis) sometime earlier. I don't know when.

I recall Pate (2376) visiting us on several occasions in the 1940-50's. I think I may have spoken on the phone with Pate's son Gil (7148) in San Francisco CA sometime in the late 1960's -early 1970's. I recall my mother urging me to contact some Williams who was working for Del Monte, the fruit processing firm. Perhaps I did.

There were a few Williams people at my mother's funeral in 1998. They were elderly women. I don't think I'd never seen them before and, though they identified themselves and expressed condolence, I can not remember their names.

Of this, this Fred Hawthorne(200) writes "I would assume that the elderly women that you referred to as attending your mother's funereal where either the younger wives of Jessie Green William's (807) sons or perhaps their daughters.".]

Hugh Allen Bell (2806) [This database has 'Hugh Gilbert') married Ollie (2887) (last name unknown). Their children were:

[Note that this is the only mention of anyone called 'Hugh' in our family documents. But, it does suggest there may have been a predecessor who bore this name.]

Thrace (2889) and twins Clevlon [?] (2889) [This data base has 'Cleon', and this clearly makes more sense.] and Clyde (2890) (a girl)

All lived in Mississippi

Thomas Ellen Bell (Duck) (2861) married James Peyton Donaldson (kin to Rachel Donaldson who married Andrew Jackson). Their children were:

Robert Peyton Donaldson (2891) married...

Sallie Irene Donaldson (2892) never married.

Melisa Merle Donaldson (2893)(?) married Will Corbin (2895)

[This identification is not well supported.

Cora Emma Donaldson (17862) married Marshal Jamison (15863)

Lelia Bell (2864) married Willis R. Collins (2905). They moved to Texas and later to Durant. Their children were:

[This data base uses the name 'Seila for reasons explained in the notes for this person.]

Jettie (2906) married Homer Glen (2857)

Jessie (2907) married to Ingram Calhoun (15865)

Ivy (2909) last marries John Burnett (15869) (Oklahoma City)

[I remember people speaking of Ivy Burnett. She even may have visited us in Durant, OK.]

Ernest (2910) married Merle (6822) ... from Florida

Elizabeth (2911) [This database has 'Lizzi Lee'] married Albert Sidney Johnson (16864), divorced (Merkel, Texas)

Robert (2912) married...

Forrest May (2909)... married three times

Horton (2915) dies as child

A girl (13524) died as child

Bailey (2914) [This database has 'Joe Bailey'] married......

Dan...(2916) [This database has 'Don'] married died number of years ago

Sarah Francis Bell (2376) married John F. V. Carrell (2862) a Methodist Circuit Rider who had served as a drummer boy in the Confederate Army

[L3 suggests strongly that 2376 is "Aunt Sallie", but this could be wrong. Until reading L3, I had always thought that Aunt Sallie was not a member of our family. I thought the 'Aunt' was a kind of courtesy title. But, I don't know where I got this idea. Anyway, this is what prompts me to question Aunt C.'s identifying her with 2376.]

[I remember Aunt Sallie living with my grandmother (15863) in the 1940's in a house on the SW corner of 10th and Evergreen Streets in Durant, OK.]

[The two old ladies kept squirrels in a cage in the backyard, for what purpose I don't know. My mother was very concerned that I might play with them, be bitten and contract rabies.]

[After Aunt Sallie's death, my grandmother (15863) came to live with my mother (15858) in a house at 512 North 6th Street in Durant, OK. We moved into this house sometime before WWII ended in 1945, just when I don't know. I think it may have been 1944 when I started first grade. I think we moved so I could walk to school and come home for lunch. Grandmother died in that house (hospital?) in 1948.]

Mary Caroline Bell (15863) married General Forrest Atkinson (15879). They came from Ponotoc Miss. to Durant. Their children are

Don Ellis (15882) married Anne McDonald (15892)

Cammie Elizabeth [(15866) married Winfred Salter (15893); one son Forrest (15894)

Robert Pratt (15884) [known to me as 'Uncle Skeet'] married Allie V. Adrian (15899); one child Mary Alice (15900)

Walter Forrest (15895) died in infancy

Sallie Bell (15858) married Dabney W. Sneed (15874); one (15888)son Joe (15856)

William Leonard (15886) married Lucille Walsen (15901); one son Bill (15902)

Lottie (15887) married Otto M. Morse (15906) both died; one son Jim (15889)

Thelma (15888) [known to me as 'Aunt Jones' see L3 for explanation] married Robert T. Daniels (15911); two sons Billy Bob (15912) and Larry (15913).

The Atkinsons or Atkins came originally from England to Alabama and then to Southern Mississippi. Giles Manuel Atkinson (15867) marries Margaret Grey (2904) whose mother was a Forrest (14205). [Might she be related to Nathaniel Bedford Forrest? In view of (15867)'s military service, this does not seem to be implausible. I wonder if there is a way to find out.] Their children were:

Cammie (15872) burned to death as a child

Mary (2900) married several times; children called Johnson

Sallie (15868) married William Boeckmann (10461) (DeLeon, Texas)

General Forrest Atkinson (15879) born during the Civil War when the guerillas were following Sherman's march to the sea. Their house was burned and his mother with it. Mary who was seven took Forrest and Sallie to the home of neighbors as the father was in the army. A family who had a small boy took Forrest with them to Alabama. When his father came home he found the house burned. After burying the bones and things he found Mary and Sallie with another family who later came to Texas. When Forrest was fourteen he came back to Mississippi and found his father who had married his aunt Mary Larrimore whose husband had been killed in the war. She had two sons Ubioe [?] and John and they had a daughter Eunivecce. Forrest's father lived with her in his old age.

IGI Family Group Record_43

Husband

WILLIAM GRAY Pedigree

Birth: 1800 Georgia Christening: Marriage: 1824 Georgia Death: Burial:

Wife

MRS. KATHARINE GRAY Pedigree

Birth: 1801 Georgia Christening: Marriage: 1824 Georgia Death: Burial:

Children 1. SARAH OR SALLIE GRAY Pedigree Female Birth: AUG 1839 Georgia Christening: Death: 1906 Burial:

CEA LETTER 2

LETTER 2 SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS Author: Joe Sneed (15873)

Publication: 09/29/2004

Text: SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS LETTER 2 LETTER from Mrs W. A. SALTER (15866) to JAMES MORSE (15889)

Joe Sneed (15856) 08/29/04

[Here I'll try to tie this LETTER 2 to this database. There are 4 documents produced by Mrs. W. A. Salter (15866), (referred here to as 'Aunt C.'). I will refer to them as 'L1', 'L2', 'L3' and 'T'. L2 is this letter; L1 and L3 are other letters; T is a family tree sketch. The numbers appearing here are RIN numbers in the database. My comments appear enclosed in '[ ]'.]

[no date]

Dear Jim -

I have no records when Grandma died [.]

[This is thought by James Morse (15889) to be a reference to the maternal Grandmother of Mrs. W. A. Salter (15866), Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy (2785) wife of Robert Allen Bell (2371). ]

One of the sons, the oldest one, took the family bible. We never heard of it again [.] What I know is what Grandma had told me. She was old and lame and sat in a rocker. I had to read to her, which at times was a chore. I read through the Bible, she pronounced the words and I got so tired of the "Begats" [.] But some of the things that I read, I remembered.

[The above leads me to believe that, in her old age, Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy (2785) lived with the family of Mary Caroline Bell (15863) and General Forrest Atkison (15879). I think she is the "Grandmother" in the (15879) family photograph taken about 1905. I sent a digitized version of this photograph to everybody and will in god time attach it to this database, together with a restoration.]

[But, this database tells us that 2371 died in MS in 1896. Does this mean that his wife survived him and came to Durant? It seems unlikely that a woman of her age would travel such a distance in those times. Besides, this database tells us (2785) died 11/02/1906 in Pontnotoc County, MS. Did she go back to MS to die? Did Aunt C. visit her in MS and read the Bible to her there? If so, then who is the "Grandmother" in the photo? We know (see below) that it can't be Aunt C.'s paternal grandmother, Margaret Grey (2904).]

In the Bell side of the family our Great Grandfather, Robert Bell, [Just who this is remains unclear. See discussion in L1 Substantive Comments.] came out Ireland [?] [;] he was supposed to have married an Indian woman. [This is discussed further in L1 Substantive Comments. ] There are Bells all over Mississippi and Tennessee. One [It would be interesting to know who this might be and whether he (I assume it was a man .) appears in this database.] taught in Old Mss at Oxford and lived near the school [in a house] which long ago became a part of the Campus and the house, when I saw it, was a sort of Student Center. [When did this anonymous Bell occupy the house? When did Aunt C. travel to Mississippi and see this? If the house still stands, one might be able to figure out who had lived in it .]

My Grandfather, Robert Allen Bell [This is apparently 2371], was born in Tennessee and was a "Goodley [Godley?] Man" [,] held services in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church [See discussion in L1 Substantive Comments. ] - (that's a sort of primitive Baptist) and when war was declared [,] he was left at home to look after the women and children.

[This apparently conflicts with this data base's account of 2371's military service. This data base reports that 2371 "Served with the Pontotoc County 5th regiment, 1st Brigade, CSA". I suppose, it could be the case that this unit never left Pontotoc County.]

My maternal Grandmother, Elizabeth Dixon Kennedy (2785), was out of English roots who settled in Virginia and then came to the south. She was an aristocrat and was always called Elizabeth. She had an older brother, Tome (3297) [?], [Is this the Tom referred to in L1?] who went to war, a sister, whose name was Jane (3278), and two younger brothers. The sisters were at home when the battles of Tuka [?} and Corinth were fought [. T] they listened to the gunfire. And when the battle was over, the two women went to look for the younger brothers, 14 and 15. They found the bodies, took what they could find to dig the grave and buried the boys together. The family were cousins of Andrew Jackson and the Donaldsons .

[All the above does not appear to be consistent with the account in this data base. According to this data base, (3297) was the youngest sibling of (2785) and no brother would have been younger than 30 in 1860. One wonders what the source of this story might be.]

Tome (3297) [?] came home and went to Texas, place called "Ivanhoe" [.] [L1 says Tom "lived in Bonham, Texas later in life". Ivanhoe, TX appears to be about halfway between Bonham and the Red River.] Jane (3278) came with him and his wife. She married a man whose name was Riding (3311) - and they were writers [?] [See discussion in L1 Substantive Comments. The Bonham location and the Hope Ridings Miller connection with Austin College suggest the identification of the "writer" in L1 is correct.] and fruit farmers [I'm surprised they were raising fruit in a big way in this part of TX. I thought this was "cotton country". But, I've never been exactly on this spot. So I'm very likely wrong.]

Mama (15863) was the youngest of the 12 children. She was born in Toccopola, Miss [.] She taught school and finished the Pontotoc Female Academy [I wonder if this school still exists.]. Some of the relative[s] had a Baptist School in Blue Mountain near there. She was one of the first females to attend "Old Miss". [I find this quite surprising. I'd like to check the Old Miss records to see what we can find out. My university went to great lengths to publicize it's early women students. So perhaps Old Miss would cooperate.] Some of her Classmates have dined here [With Aunt C. in Kerrville, TX?].

Papa's name was General Forrest [Atkison] (15879), as Granpa [This is Giles Manuel Atkinson or Atkins (15867). See below for explanation of names. ] was in Forrest's Army, the 1st Mississippi Regiment.

[It appears that Aunt C. may be wrong about the unit. A web-page biography (http://www.civilwarhome.com/natbio.htm) with no noticeable credentials reports:]

"With no formal military training, Nathan Bedford Forrest became one of the leading cavalry figures of the Civil War. The native Tennesseean had amassed a fortune, which he estimated at $1,500,000, as a slave trader and plantation owner before enlisting in the Confederate army as a private in Josiah H. White's cavalry company on June 14, 1861. Tapped by the governor, he then raised a mounted battalion at his own expense."

" His assignments included: lieutenant colonel, Forrest's Tennessee Cavalry Battalion (October 1861); colonel, 3rd Tennessee Cavalry (March 1862); brigadier general, CSA July 21, 1862); commanding cavalry brigade, Army of the Mississippi (summer-November 20, 1862); commanding cavalry brigade, Army of Tennessee (November 20, 1862 Summer 1863); commanding cavalry division, Army of Tennessee (summer 1863); commanding cavalry corps, Army of Tennessee (ca. August -September 29, 1863); commanding West Tennessee, (probably in) Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (November 14, 1863 - January 11, 1864); major general, CSA (December 4, 1863); commanding cavalry corps, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana January 11 - 28, 1864); commanding District of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana January 27 - May 4, 1865); also commanding cavalry corps, Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana January 28 - May 4, 1865); and lieutenant general, CSA (February 28, 1865)."]

His (15867) home was near Emory [MS]. Grandmother's name was Grey [Gray?] (2904). She had a little girl [This appears to be Mary Atkinson (2900) because the age difference is about right. But, this data base and L1 say there were two other sisters, Cammie (15872) and Sallie (15868). L1 tells us that Cammie burned to death as a child. ] seven years old when my father (15879) was born. [This suggests that Mary (2900) may have been a child of (2904) by an earlier marriage.] She was very ill and when the Salfies [soldiers] [?] came for what they could find, she sent the little girl with this tiny boy [(15879)] through the brush to a neighbor. The woman took them and gave papa [(15879)] to a second neighbor, who had a nursing baby. That family moved to Alabama. The ones who kept the little girl moved to Biloxi [MS]. When Papa was 14 he set out to find his family. His father of course looked for the children. Papa (15879) could neither read nor write, but he took the name Grandfather (15867) gave him.

[The events described above are also recounted in L1. James Morse (15889) comments on the above description in 1999 as follows:

"The paternal grandmother [Margaret Grey (2904)] died, so Aunt Cammie (15866) told me earlier, when the "soldiers" (Union) or more likely guerillas or just deserters (on their way back to Texas?) burned the house down with her in it. I gathered from her that when our great grandfather Atkison (15867) came back from the War he didn't have much trouble in locating the daughter [Sallie (15868)], but no one seemed to know where the family that took our grandfather (15879) had gone other than back to Alabama, where they had lived earlier. He would go search for him in Alabama every year (after harvest, probably). I thought that she (15866) had said earlier that the father (15867) found the son [(15879)], but she says here that the son came back to his birthplace in Mississippi on his own (probably finally having wheedled out of his adoptive parents its location). They had apparently just used him as their "slave" and cared less whether he had any education or not." He was an handsome man and when he met Mama (15863) they decided that the name would be Atkison, not Adkins, nor Atkinson. She taught him to read and write. Salabels (15858) )writing looks like his. And he was a shark in math. He taught me how to work percentage problems in my arithmetic.

I'm sorry I have no permanent records.

Mary Atkinson Letter 4

Text: 1850 census Choctae Co Ms Katherine Gray 49 yrs ch: John A Gray 35, James L 19,Jabez 17, Elizabeth 12, Sarah 11, Robertson 10, Richard 7, Katherine 4, William 50. This could be 1st wife Elizabeth and 3rd wife Sarah. The convenient location and ages are both right. mary

Note: Reports on 1850 U. S. Census Choctaw County MS

Mary Atkinson Letter 6

Text: I am thrilled to get these leads and will mail you wills and deeds, that I have as soon as possible. By the way Giles had 4 wives. 1860 census Margaret Gray, 1870 census Ann, 1880 and 1900 Sarah R Gray, 1910 census Laura md 3 years , age 60, with children Charley 15 son and Linnie dughter aged 12 all census in Choctaw Co.

IGI Family Group Record 7

Text: IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0

North America Search Results | Download | Pedigree GILES H. ATKINSON

Male Family Event(s): Birth: Christening: Death: 1918 Burial: Marriages:

Spouse: ELIZABETH GRAY Family

Marriage: 1855 Choctaw, Mississippi Messages:

Record submitted after 1991 by a member of the LDS Church. No additional information is available. Ancestral File may list the same family and the submitter. Source Information:

No source information is available.

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