1860 Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee

Mahala Catlett age 38 is believed to have been the daughter of John Catlett and Mary and the granddaughter of my fifth great grandfather Reuben Catlett.  As such, John was the brother of my fourth great grandfather Benjamin Catlett, and Mahala was the first cousin of my third great grandfather James P. Catlett.

George Austin Mort age 36 was the son of John Mort and Harriet/Henrietta Hinkle.  George and Mahala were married on 19 Dec 1844.

Elizabeth A. Bell age 19 was the daughter of Edmond Bell and Isabella Williams.

I'm interested in Elizabeth A. Bell because Mary Elizabeth Bell married Joseph F. Slaton.  The names of the two woman have been very confusing.  The marriage record for Joseph F. Slaton says only that he married "Elizabeth Bell".

Joseph F. Slaton was the son of my fourth great grandparents William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin.  As such, Joseph was the brother of my third great grandfather Thomas Fielden Slaton.

There seems no doubt that Joseph F. Slaton married Mary Elizabeth Bell (daughter of Uriah Bell) rather than Elizabeth A. Bell, despite the marriage record listing the name as only "Elizabeth Bell".  Elizabeth A. Bell married Samuel Walker on 25 Jan 1858, and as this census record shows they were still married in 1860.  Mary Elizabeth Bell married Joseph F. Slaton on 9 Jun 1859, and their youngest child was born in 1860.  Just to further confuse things, Elizabeth A. Bell died after 1860 and Samuel Walker married her sister Catherine E. Bell on 4 Aug 1866.

I am interested in Edmond Bell because he and his first wife Isabella Williams were the parents of Elizabeth A. Bell.  Joseph Flippin Slaton married Elizabeth Bell, and it has been necessary to research Edmond Bell to figure out whether Joseph Flippin Slaton married Elizabeth A. Bell or Mary Elizabeth Bell.

Isabella Williams died 19 Jul 1851, and Edmond Bell married Anna McGee on 2 Mar 1859.  So all the children listed in this census entry were children of Isabella Williams.  Edmond Bell and Anna McGee did have one child, Malinda Bell, who was born about 1860.  But Malinda must have been born after the census enumeration.

The son listed as E. Bell was Ezekial A. Bell.  The daughter listed as J. Bell was Catherine J. Bell.

Henry Clay Yarber was an interesting (and confusing) fellow.  At the time of the 1860 census, he had just married Sarah Elizabeth Fox.  I have the child who was born in 1860 listed as Mary E. Yarber.  I do not know why she was listed as "A. Yarber" in the 1860 census.

Henry Clay Yarber was later known as Clinton Yarbrough.  His second wife was Maria F. Evans.  I do not know if Evans was Maria's maiden name, or if it was the name of her first husband.  Which is to say, I do not know if Maria was married before she married Henry Clay Yarber.  However, I do know that Marie F. Evans was the mother of Caledonia E. (Callie) Evans who married James E. Messamore of Anderson County, Tennessee.  And I know that Callie Evans was raised as the stepdaughter of Henry Clay Yarber.

James E. Messamore was the grandson of James Messamore and Sarah (Sary) Heath, and the elder James Messamore was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Mary (Polly) Bryan age 45 was the daughter of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  As such, Polly was the sister of my third great grandfather Peter H. Bryan.

Jared Campbell Newman age 56 was the son of Jared Newman and Margaret Campbell.

The children were:

• Thomas Jared Newman age 23 (named for his father)
• Margaret Eleanor Newman age 19
• Peter Bolivar Reece Newman age 16
• Rachel Marusa Newman age 13
• Robert Bryan Newman age 11 (named for his mother's family)

Nancy Elizabeth Jane Newman was the daughter of Jarrett/Jared Campbell Newman and Mary (Polly) Bryan.  Polly Bryan was the daughter of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  As such, Polly was the sister of my third great grandfather Peter H. Bryan.

I have not been able to identify who this particular Hugh Henry was.  Henry was a prominent surname in Jefferson County and Sevier County, and Major Hugh Henry was one of the founders of the family in the area.

L. L. Henry age 3 was a difficult transcription.  The L's look very similar to the way many of the people wrote S's, so her initials could have been L.L., L.S., S.L., or S.S.  Other records indicate that her name was Louisa.

Mary Ann Slaton was the daughter of my fourth great grandparents William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin.  As such, she was the sister of my third great grandfather Thomas Fielden (Tom) Slaton.

Floyd Hart was the son of Henry Hart and Frances Webb.  Mary Ann and Floyd were married on 6 Feb 1842 in Stokes County, North Carolina.

For reasons I have not been able to ascertain, many members of the Slaton family moved from Stokes and/or Surry County in North Carolina to Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1850's.  Mary Ann Slaton and Floyd Hart evidently moved to Tennessee about 1851 (they were enumerated in the census in Surry County, North Carolina in 1850).  Tom Slaton himself was the only Slaton who appeared on the 1850 census in Tennessee.

M.A. was Mary Ann Slaton.  W.H. was William Henry Hart.  S.F. was Susan Frances Hart.  T.F was Thomas Floyd Hart.  J.M. was Joseph Martin Hart.  L.W. was Leah Waren Hart.  N.J. was Nancy Jane Hart.

Leah Waren Hart has been a major clue in sorting out the family.  She and Leah Slaton exchanged letters in which they called each other "cousin".  Leah Slaton was the daughter of Joseph Flippin Slaton.  To the extent that the two Leah's calling each other "cousin" may be taken to mean "first cousin", it is evidence that they shared common Slaton grandparents, with the common grandparents being the aforementioned William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin.

M. E. Bell age 22 was Mary Elizabeth Bell who married Joseph Flippin Slaton.  They were married in 1859, so Mary Elizabeth Bell would be expected to be living with her husband rather than her parents in the 1860 census.  But Joseph was living two houses away in dwelling number 1832, and Mary Elizabeth Bell had borne a child about a month before the census enumeration.  So perhaps Mary Elizabeth was staying with her parents after her child was born, and her surname was incorrectly listed as Bell rather than Slaton.  Curiously, the home of Joseph Flippin Slaton lists the baby, but not Joseph's wife.  Also, we know that Mary Elizabeth Bell did not die giving birth to the baby in 1860, because she later married Aaron M. Shurbutt after Joseph Flippin Slaton died.

Joseph Flippin Slaton was the son of my fourth great grandparents William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin.  As such, he was the brother of my third great grandfather Thomas Fielden Slaton.

My third great grandfather Thomas Fielden Slaton age 42 was the son of William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin.  Thomas was born on 1 Mar 1818 in Virginia.

My third great grandmother age 44 Rebecca Frances George was the daughter of Presley George Sr. and Mary Cook.  Rebecca was born on 7 Mar 1816 in North Carolina.  Thomas and Rebecca were married 14 Feb 1840 in Stokes County, North Carolina.

F. M. age 17 was Francis Marion (Frank) Slaton born on 21 Jan 1843 in Stokes County, North Carolina.  J.A. age 15 was John A. Slaton.  He died in the Civil War, so this is the last census in which he appeared.  S. age 12 was my second great grandmother Susan A. Slaton who was born on 31 July 1846 in Stokes County, North Carolina.  N. J. age 10 was Nancy J. Slaton.  Wm. age 5 was William P. Slaton.  I don't know the full name of H age 2, and I have no data on her other than this census entry itself.  She must have died before the 1870 census.

The first four children were almost certainly born in NC rather than in TN.  The last two were born in TN.

Joseph Flippin Slaton was the son of my fourth great grandparents William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin, and the brother of my third great grandfather Thomas Fielden Slaton.  Joseph appears to have been a widower in this census entry, with his wife possibly having died in childbirth.  However, that is not right.  Mary Elizabeth Bell was living with her parents two houses away.

Mary Elizabeth Bell was Joseph's wife.  They were married 9 Jun 1859.  Mary Elizabeth Bell survived Joseph and married Aaron M. Shurbutt in about 1868.

This census entry lists an infant who was one month old.  The official census date was 1 Jun 1860.  If the census enumerator did everything right, then the infant would have been born in May.  However, the actual enumeration date was 21 Aug 1860.  I believe that the census enumerator probably made a mistake, and that the infant was born in early August.  Which is to say, I believe that the infant was one month old on 21 Aug 1860 rather than on 1 Jun 1860.  Indeed, I suspect that the infant was Mahala B. Slaton.

Mahala is known to have been the daughter of Joseph Flippin Slaton and Mary Elizabeth Bell.  Mahala's birth date is listed variously as 2 Aug 1861 or 2 Aug 1862.  However, I believe she must have really been born on 2 Aug 1860.  And I believe that this census entry should have listed Joseph F. Slaton age 35, his wife M.E. Slaton age 22, and their daughter Mahala B. Slaton age 1/12.  Or really, Mahala shouldn't have been listed at all because she was not born as of 1 Jun 1860.

Rev. Michael Cate was the son of John Cate Jr. and Mary Ann Koontz.  As such, Michael was the nephew of my fourth great grandfather Joshua Cate.

Michael's second wife was Nancy Reneau.  Nancy was the daughter of Lewis Reneau and Jane Norris.  As such, Nancy was the niece of my fifth great grandmother Narcissus (Cessie) Reneau.

Ruth Lemira Langford age 20 and Richard A. Langford age 18 were the children of Rev. James Langford and Ruth Gamble.  As such, they were the sister and brother of Rebecca Adaline Langford who married Robert Reedy Bryan.  Robert Reedy Bryan was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  As such, Robert was the brother of my third great grandfather Peter H. Bryan.  Rev. James Langford and Ruth Gamble both died in 1845, and their children were being raised by a number of different families at the time of the 1860 census.

Michael Cate age 22 married Ruth A. Langford in 1861.

Joseph Cate was the son of John Cate Jr. and Mary Ann Koontz.  As such, Joseph was the nephew of my fourth great grandfather Joshua Cate.  Joseph's wife was Sarah (Sally) Bailey.

I am especially interested in Michael Cate because his marriage to Ruth A. Langford appeared in the family bible of Robert Reedy Bryan.

Robert Reedy Bryan was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  (Joshua Cate and Nancy Cate were at best only distantly related, and no connection at all has been proven.  Some researchers show that they were closely related, but neither conventional genealogical research nor DNA evidence seems to support this conclusion.)  As such, Robert Reedy Bryan was the brother of my third great grandfather Peter H. Bryan.  The family bible of Robert Reedy Bryan includes a lot of Langford data because he married Rebecca Adaline Langford.  Ruth A. Langford was the sister of Rebecca Adaline Langford

William Slaydon and Susannah Flippin were my fourth great grandparents.  My third great grandfather Thomas Fielden Slaton had moved from North Carolina to Tennessee prior to the 1850 census.  Other members of his family, including his parents William and Susannah and a number of his siblings moved to Tennessee between 1850 and 1860.  E.F. was Emily/Elenor F. Slayden.  M. was Mahala B. Slayden.  I haven't yet figured out R. and W.  They do not appear to be William's children.  Perhaps they were nephews.

William Michael (Michael) Reneau and Priscilla Denton were my fourth great grandparents.

Michael Reneau was the son of John Reno and Narcissus (Cessie) Reneau.  John and Cessie were first cousins who married.

Priscilla Denton was the daughter of Jacob Denton and Sarah (Sally) Robinson.

The children listed were James Lewis Reneau age 26, Martha Malvina Reneau age 16, Samuel E. Russell Reneau age 14, Margaret M. Reneau age 11, and Julia Ann Reneau age 8.  I do not know what connection there was (if any) between the Reneau family and Newton Bigham.

My third great grandmother Leana (Senie) Burchfiel was the daughter of my fourth great grandparents Robert (Bobby) Burchfiel and Anna Evalista Malcom.  In 1860, Senie was the widow of my third great grandfather Isaac Wesley (Wesley) Reneau who died in 1859.

Senie's three children with Wesley Reneau were Martha P. Reneau, Mary Ann Reneau (also known as Mary Jane), and Margaret Abigail (Marge or Abby) Reneau.

Martha P. Reneau was my second great grandmother.  She has one of the more interesting stories in the family.  She married first my second great grandfather John H. Nichols.  The family moved to Missouri and for whatever reason, Martha returned to Tennessee, John stayed in Missouri, and she and John were divorced.  One version of the story is that she didn't like the weather in Missouri, but surely there was more to it than that.  Martha then married second my second great grandfather John Tivis Cox.  Subsequently, John's son George Jackson Cox married Martha's daughter Clarissa Loretta (Rett) Nichols.  At the time of their marriage, George was 22 and Rett was 12.  George and Rett were my great grandparents, known in the family as Grandpa and Grandma Cox.  After Rett's marriage, Martha had to go to Rett's house and tell her to quit playing with dolls because she was a married woman, even if she was only 12 years old.

I believe that William McGaha age 12 was the son of Samuel McGaha and Sara Jane (Jennie) Lindsey.  However, I cannot figure out any connection between the McGahas and the Lindseys on the one hand, and the Reneaus and the Burchfiels on the other.

Christopher C. Miller married first Lucy Hale, married second Malinda Parrott, and married third my third great grandmother Leana (Senie) Burchfiel.

Christopher married Senie Burchfiel on 10 Dec 1861, a year after this census enumeration.  I believe that M. age 22 was Malinda Parrott.  He married Malinda on 10 May 1853, and Benjamin age 5 and George W. age 1 were Malinda's children.  I cannot yet eliminate the possibility that M. age 22 was Christopher's daughter with Lucy Hale.  Which is to say, I don't know if Malinda died before or after the 1860 census enumeration.  However, Christopher and Lucy were married on 29 Nov 1840, and it seems unlikely that they would have had a daughter who was 22 years old in 1860.  Therefore, I think that M. age 22 was Malinda.

M. age 15 was James M. Miller.  E. age 13 was Ann E. Miller.  S. age 11 was Sarah A. Miller.  J. age 9 is a bit of a puzzle.  Lucy Hale appears to have died before the 1850 census, and Christopher Miller and Malinda Parrott were not married until 1853.  So J. doesn't quite fit.  My best guess is that J. was actually born in 1850 rather than in 1851 and that Lucy Hale died giving birth to J.

Senie Burchfiel married first my third great grandfather Isaac Wesley (Wesley) Reneau on 18 Mar 1851.  Wesley died on 5 Dec 1859, so Senie was a widow at the time of the 1860 census.  She was living just a few houses away from Christopher C. Miller (see dwelling number 2223 above).

Robert (Bobby) Burchfiel and Anna Evalista Malcom were my fourth great grandparents.  They were married 10 Nov 1827 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

Bobby Burchfiel was born 9 May 1809 in Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee.  He was the son of Joseph Burchfiel and Susannah Hollaway.

Anna Evalista Malcom was born 9 Jan 1804 in Tennessee.  She was the daughter of George Malcolm and Dinah Gragg.

John Wesley Burchfiel age 29 was the son of my fourth great grandparents Robert (Bobby) Burchfiel and Anna Evalista Malcom.  As such, John was the brother of my third great grandmother Leana (Senie) Burchfiel.

Maryann Manervia Ailey age 24 and John Wesley Burchfiel were married on 19 Aug 1853 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.  The children were George Washington Burchfiel age 5, Robert Burchfiel age 3, Joseph A. Burchfiel age 2, and E. J. Burchfiel age 1.

Lucena (Cena) Edmonds age 8/12 married George Washington Burchfiel on 8 Feb 1881 in Jefferson County.  George was the son of John Wesley Burchfiel and Maryann Minerva Ailey, and the grandson of my fourth great grandparents Robert (Bobby) Burchfiel and Anna Evalista Malcom.  As such, John was the brother of my third great grandmother Leana (Senie) Burchfiel, and George was the first cousin of my second great grandmother Martha P. Reneau.

There is some question as to what Cena's name actually was.  Various records differ somewhat between her full name and nicknames, giving names such as Cena, Lucena, and Leana.  The initials C. L. in this census entry probably stood for Cena Leana, which is perhaps not consistent with Cena having been a nickname for Lucena.

Cena Edmonds was the daughter of Anderson Edmonds age 22 and Sarah E. Strange age 20.  Anderson and Sarah were married on 25 Feb 1857 in Jefferson County.  The other child was James E. Edmonds age 2.