1920 Census, Knox County, Tennessee

John Greenwood/Greenberry Bryan age 68 was the son of my third great grandparents Peter Hubbard Bryan and Mary Ann (Polly Ann) Cate. As such, John was the brother of my second great grandfather William Allen (Allen) Bryan.

John's wife was Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) McMahan age 58. I do not know who her parents were.

Joseph E. Fraley married Mollie I. Cole in 1926. It was a second and very late marriage for both of them. Mollie I. Cole was the daughter of my second great grandparents William Cole and Vesta Clay England. As such, Mollie was the sister of my great grandmother Sallie Jane Cole who married Alva Edward Peters. Mollie's first husband was Robert A. Peters who was Alva's brother. So Mollie's children with Robert A. Peters were double first cousins of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

There is no indication in this census entry how long Joe Fraley had been widowed. I have no idea who his first wife was, nor whether or not he had any children.

Charles Milton (Mitt) Bryan was the son of my second great grandparents William Allen (Will) Bryan and Malissa E. Underwood.  As such, Uncle Mitt was the brother of my great grandfather William Harley (Harley) Bryan.

Samuel B. Messamore was the son of Stephen E. Messamore and Elmira J. (Ella) Yarnell.  As such, Samuel was the great grandson of James Messamore and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  James was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Odessa M. Overton was the daughter of Ulysses Grant Overton and Nannie M. Hill.  I haven't transcribed the full census entry, but Samuel and Odessa were living in 1920 with Odessa's parents.

Alvis Granville (Granville) Hatcher age 9 later married Laura Bray.  Laura was the daughter of Robert Henry (Henry) Bray and Ola M. Lewis.  Uncle Henry was the brother of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.  So Laura Bray was the first cousin of my grandmother Lola Ethel Williamson.

Granville Hatcher was the son of Albert Walton Hatcher and Harriet Malinda McCroskey.

Carrie A. Nottingham and Mary Blanche (Blanche) Nottingham were half sisters.  Carrie was the daughter of James Beauregard Nottingham Sr. and his first wife Ella Ruth Hicks.  Blanche was the daughter of James Beauregard Nottingham Sr. and his second wife Ida Mae Foulk.  Another sister, Ella Kate (Kate) Nottingham was the second wife of my grandfather Emmert Oral Bryan.  Kate was the daughter of Ida Mae Foulk.

The Nottinghams were from Gate City, Virginia but a number of them moved to Knoxville.  Indeed, Blanche was enumerated in the 1920 census both in Gate City and in Knoxville.  My grandfather married Kate Nottingham in Knoxville in 1927.

I don't know for sure, but it seems likely that Ella Brimer was named for her aunt, Ella Kate (Kate) Nottingham.  It also seems likely that James B. Brimer was named for his grandfather, James Beauregard Nottingham Sr.

Lynn Blackburn age 8 later married Dorothy Gladys (Dot) Cox.  Dot was the daughter of John Anderson Franklin Cox and Mary Jane Slaton.  As such, Dot was the niece of my grandmother Ruby Priscilla Cox.  In addition, Dot was the grandniece of my second great grandmother Susan A. Slaton.

Another way to think of it is that Dot was my father's first cousin as a Cox, and his second cousin once removed as a Slaton.  Similarly, my father remembers John Cox and Mary Slaton as Uncle John and Aunt Mary.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 2, Enumeration District 117, page 259b

Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters was my grandfather.  He was the son of my great grandparents Alva Edward Peters and Sallie Jane Cole.

"Anne E." was my grandfather's first wife Amy Etta Buckner, daughter of Robert D. Buckner and Martha Jane Parks.  Amy died in a flu epidemic on 9 Feb 1920 (shortly after the census enumeration).  Lucille P. was Eva Lucille (Lucille) Peters, b. 26 Sep 1917.  Aunt Lucille was my mother's half sister.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 2, Enumeration District 117, page 264a

Bayard Earl Yadon age 24 married my grandfather's sister Ella Mae Peters in 1923. In 1920, Bayard was still living at home with his widowed mother Mary Elizabeth McDonald age 60. Bayard's father was Jasper David Yadon. Jasper died in 1911.

Alta Melzena (Attie) Peters was the daughter of James Harvey Peters and Sarah Ellen (Sallie) Messamore.  James Harvey Peters was the son of William F. Peters and Susannah Yarnell.  William was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas Peters and Sarah (Sallie) England.  As such, William was the brother of my third great grandmother Zipporah Peters, and also the brother of my third great grandmother Jane (Jenny) Peters.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 2, Enumeration District 108, page 22b

Charles Wesley (Charlie) Black age 5 later married Clara Kathleen (Kathleen) Cox.  Kathleen is the daughter of Robert Elmer (Elmer) Cox and Lydia (Ethel) Bryan.

Charlie's parents were George E. Black and Jessie Campbell Dew.

Ethel Bryan was the sister of my grandfather Emmert Oral Bryan.  Elmer Cox was the nephew of my great grandfather George Jackson Cox.

Norman Raymond Ford age 24 married Fannie Mae Stalcup on 3 Apr 1926 in Knox County.  Fannie was the daughter of William Riley (Will) Stalcup and Anna E. (Annie) Bray, and the granddaughter of my second great grandparents Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.  As such, Annie was the sister of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray, and Fannie was the first cousin of my grandmother Lola Ethel Williamson.

Norman was the son of Gideon (Gid) Ford age 60 and Tabitha (Bithy) Oglesby age 46.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 2, Enumeration District 119, page 13a

James Carl (Carl) Murphy age 13 was the father of Mary Aileen Murphy who married Howard Raymond Peters.  Uncle Howard was my mother's brother.

Carl's wife (and Aunt Mary's mother) was Rose Dell Hampton.  In 1967, Rose married my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.  At the time of his marriage to Rose, my grandfather was 72 years old and twice a widower, and Rose was the widow of Carl Murphy.

Carl Murphy was the son of Ira C. Murphy age 42 and Aileen Gorman age 32.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 2, Enumeration District 203, page 39a

Louis Charles (Louie) Truan Jr. age 3/12 married my father's sister Lena Maude Bryan.  Uncle Louie was known both as Louie Truan and as Junior Truan.

William D. Truan age 2 2/12 was known as "Dee".  I do not know if Dee was his actual middle name, or if Dee was a nickname.

The immigrant ancestor was Uncle Louie's grandfather James\Jacque David (David) Truan.  The 1900 census says that David Truan was naturalized in 1849 and that he had been living in the United States for 51 years.  Also, David Truan's mother tongue was French.  So he must have been born in the French speaking part of Switzerland rather than the German speaking part.

James\Jacque David (David) Truan's wife was Louise Elisa (Lizzie) Rochat age 82.  Lizzie also was from Switzerland and her mother tongue was also French.  David and Lizzie were married in 1866 in Le Lieu, Vaud, Switzerland.  Lizzie's naturalization date is 20 years after David's, so I wonder if he went back to Switzerland to marry her and then brought her to the United States where she was naturlized fairly quickly.  Also, Lizzie was David's second wife.  His wife in the 1860 census was named Mary, so I wonder if Mary died and then he went back to Switzerland to marry Lizzie.

I believe that the dairy farm on Tazewell Pike where the family was living in 1920 was the same farm where Uncle Louie lived for many years and raised his own family.  I knew the farm extremely well.  The farm has since been made into a subdivision, but the farm house itself is still there and occupied, although it is no longer in the hands of the Truan family.

Uncle Louie's mother Martha Ellen (Mattie) Harris age 31 was known almost universally as Granny Truan, even by non-family members.  I remember her well, although I don't remember Uncle Louie's father Louis Charles Truan Sr. age 44 at all.

Charles Lafayette Logan age 42 married Mary Amanda Bryan on 23 Dec 1930 in Knox County, Tennessee.  Mary was the daughter of Thomas Allen (Allen) Bryan and Ida Bell Cate.

Thomas Allen (Allen) Bryan was the son of William Enyard Bryan and Mary Jane Drinnen.  William Enyard Bryan was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas C. Bryan Sr. and Nancy Cate.  As such, William Enyard Bryan was the brother of my third great grandfather Peter Hubbard Bryan.

Ida Bell Cate was the daughter of Elisha Porter (Porter) Cate Jr. and Mary Jane Drinnen.  Porter Cate's ancestry is a little complicated because he actually had two Cate lines and I'm related to both of those lines.  Porter's father was Elisha Cate Sr., his paternal grandparents were John Cate Jr. and Mary Ann Koontz, and his paternal great grandparents were John Cate Sr. and Mary who also were my fifth great grandparents.  Porter's mother was Mary Elizabeth Newman and his maternal grandparents were Joseph Newman and Caty Cate.  Caty's parents were my fifth great grandparents William P. Cate and Mary Enyard.

Charles Logan's first wife was Alice Belle Chitwood age 42, and they were married in 1898.  Alice died sometime between 1920 and 1930, and I have not yet determined exactly when and where she died.

Bettie A. Emmert age 3 11/12 married William Raymond (Bill) Underwood on 2 May 1936 in Jefferson County.  Bill Underwood was the son of John Amos (Amos) Underwood Clauda Lee Bryan.

Amos Underwood was the son of Rufus White Underwood and Sarah A. Pollard, and the grandson of John (Monkey John) Underwood and Ellen Henry.  Monkey John Underwood was the brother of my third great grandfather William Ramey Underwood.

Clauda Lee Bryan was the daughter of Joshua C Bryan and Lucinda Adaline (Addie) Mynatt.  Joshua Bryan was the brother of my second great grandfather William Allen (Will) Bryan.

Bettie Emmert was the daughter of Charles P. (Charlie) Emmert age 40 and Mollie Mulvaney age 35.

Elizabeth M. (Lizzie) Lett age 26 later married George William Ralph (Ralph) Nichols Sr.  Ralph was the son of Robert Russell Wyatt Nichols and Sarah Louisa Ida (Ida) McAndrew.  As such, Ralph was the nephew of my great grandmother Clarissa Loretta (Retta or Rett) Nichols,  and Ralph was the first cousin of my grandmother Ruby Priscilla Cox.

I knew Mr. Nichols as I was growing up because he was a member of my church.  However, I had no idea at the time that I was related to him.

Elizabeth Lett was the daughter of William Henry (Billy) Lett and Martha A. (Marthy) Chesney.

Drucilla Ellen Conner was the daughter of James V. Conner and Hetty Karns.  In 1920, Drucilla was the widow of George D. Messamore.  George was the son of James Messamore and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  James was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Samuel Jasper (Jasper) Messamore was the son of George D. Messamore and Drucilla Ellen Conner.  As such, Jasper was the grandson of James Messamore Sarah (Sary) Heath.  James was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Jasper's wife was Bertha A. Aultum.

Fred Messamore was the son of William T. Messamore and Catherine J. Lacey.  William was the son of James Messamore (Jr.) and Susannah/Susan Ann (Annie) Altum, and the grandson of James Messamore (Sr.) and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  The elder James Messamore was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Mary E. Yarnell age 27 was the daughter of Samuel V. Yarnell and Sarah L. E. France.  Fred and Mary were married on 25 Dec 1913 in Anderson County.

Austin Moore Hall and Dossie Cordelia Tindall were the parents of Ruth Elizabeth Hall.  Ruth was born shortly after the 1920 census was taken.  She later married Thomas Robert Elmer (Elmer) Lane.  Elmer was the son of Lester (Buck) Lane and Janette Hazel (Nettie) Peters.  Nettie was the double first cousin of my grandfather Ernest Lester Peters.

The Hall family lived in the Halls Crossroads community (usually just called Halls these days).  The road where they lived is now called Cunningham Road, although it may have been called Valley Road in 1920.  The Halls Crossroads community was named for this Hall family.

Audrey Tindell age 25 later married William Elmer (Elmer) Peters.  Elmer was the son of Robert Asbury Peters and Mollie Caroline Cole.  As such, Elmer was the double first cousin of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

Audrey was the daughter of William Lafayette (Lafayette) Tindell and Cordelia Weaver.  Cordelia died after the 1900 census, and Lafayette remarried to Berdie in 1905.

William F. (Willie) Davis age 18 later married Mabel Bray.  Mabel was the daughter of George Samuel Bray and Lucille (Lou) McDaniel.  As such, Mabel was the niece of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.

Maggie was Willie's aunt, and her places of birth are curious.  If she was George's sister, then her places of birth should have been TN NC NC.

Anne E. (Annie) Bray was the daughter of my second great grandparents Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.  As such, she was the sister of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.  So the children in this family were first cousins of my grandmother Lola Ethel Williamson.

William R. (Will) Stalcup was the son of Peter Stalcup and Rachel Clevenger.

George Samuel Bray was the son of my second great grandparents Joseph A. Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.  As such, he was the brother of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Haley) Bray.  Lucille (Lou) McDaniel was the daughter of Alfred McDaniel and Elizabeth Loudy.

Ulysses Nelson (Lyss) Peters was the son of Wesley C. Peters and Mary Sophronia York.  Wesley C. Peters was the son of Leander J. Peters and Nancy Derick Carpenter, the grandson of Wesley M. Peters and Catherine (Katy) Paul, and the great grandson of Tobias Peters Sr. and Elizabeth Rachel Scarborough.

Orlena Olive (Lena) Albertson age 43 married first John M. Hull and married second Ulysses Nelson (Lyss) Peters.  Benjamin F. (Benny) Hull age 15 was Lena's son with John Hull.

Joseph Daniel Bray was the son of John H. Bray and Margaret Messamore.  John H. Bray was the son of my third great grandparents Edward Payne Bray and Anna F. Messamore.  As such, John was the brother of my second great grandfather Joseph A. (Joe) Bray.  Margaret Messamore was the daughter of James Messamore and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  As such, Margaret was the niece of Anna F. Messamore.

Their son was Phillip Alexander (Alex) Messamore.  Most records list his name as Phillip or Phillip A.

Joseph's wife was Julia K. Maning.

(Ralph Nichols was one of dozens of people enumerated at the Knox County Industrial School.  I did not transcribe the rest.

George William Ralph (Ralph) Nichols Sr. age 25 was the son of Robert Russell Wyatt Nichols and Sarah Louisa Ida (Ida) McAndrew, and the grandson of my second great grandparents Johh H. B. Nichols and Martha P. Reneau.  As such, Robert was the brother of my great grandmother Clarissa Loretta (Retta or Rett) Nichols, and Ralph was the first cousin of my grandmother Ruby Priscilla Cox.

I knew Ralph Nichols very well because he attended my church.  He was in the same Sunday School class as my grandparents.

Nettie Wilma (Wilma) Tindell age 1/12 was the first wife of my uncle William Jackson (Jack) Bryan.  Uncle Jack was my father's brother.

Wilma was the daughter of Samuel Frank (Frank) Tindell age 27 and Nettie age 25.  Eva J. Tindell age 23 was Frank's sister, so they were living in the household of Frank's brother-in-law Mell P. Lovelace.

Seldon Wallace Clabough age 3 11/12 married Wilma Mae Wells on 11 Oct 1939 in Knox County.  Wilma was the daughter of William Hancher (Bill) Wells and Anna P (Ann or Annie) Burton, and the granddaughter of Phillip Hancher Wells and Ida Rhoda Cole.  Aunt Ida was the daughter of my second great grandparents William Cole and Vesta Clay (Vestie) England.  As such, Aunt Ida was the sister of my great grandmother Sallie Jane Cole, and Bill Wells was the first cousin of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

Seldon was the son of Mitchell McCown (Mitch) Clabough age 46 and Vinia Roena Loveday age 26.

Adda Jane (Addie) England age 44 was the daughter of James William (William or Wilburn or Bill) England and Fannie Lea.

Bill England was the son of my third great grandparents John England and Jane (Jenny) Peters.  As such, Bill was the brother of my second great grandmother Vesta Clay England.

Addie England married Alex Wallace age 48.  Kim Wallace age 22 and Edward Wallace age 23 were their sons.  This census entry says that Kim was married, but I don't think he married until about 1929.  The strangest thing about this census entry is that the enumerator get the surname so thoroughly wrong.  There is no imaginable connection between the surname Wallace and the surname Tallent.

Charles Nelson Seaton was the son of Thomas L. Seaton and Arminta Dorma Peters.  As such, he was the grandson of my fourth great grandparents Thomas Peters and Sarah (Sallie) England.  Charles' wife was Lucinda Fox.  Charley was Charles Nelson Seaton Jr.

James Ernest (Ernest) Messamore was the son of Stephen E. Messamore and Ella J. Yarnell.  Stephen was the son of George D. Messamore and Nancy M. Bradley, and the grandson of James Messamore (Sr.) and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  James Messamore was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

Elizabeth Exetta (Exie) Peters was the daughter of James Harvey Peters and Sarah Ellen (Sallie) Messamore.  James Harvey Peters was the son of William F. Peters and Susannah Yarnell.  William was the son of my fourth great grandparents Thomas Peters and Sarah (Sallie) England.  As such, William was the brother of my third great grandmother Zipporah Peters, and also the brother of my third great grandmother Jane (Jenny) Peters.  Sallie Messamore was the daughter of James Messamore (Jr.) and Susannah/Susan Ann (Annie) Altum, and the granddaughter of the aforementioned James Messamore (Sr.) and Sarah (Sary) Heath.  So Ernest Messamore and Exie Peters were second cousins who married.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 13, Enumeration District 136, page 189b

Thomas Clyde (Clyde) Cole age 10 later married my grandfather's sister Ella Mae Peters. He was known in the family as Uncle Clyde.

Thomas Clyde (Clyde) Cole was the son of Thomas Lamar Cole age 53 and Martha Bell Webb age 40.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 13, Enumeration District 136, page 200a

Mildred Alene Faulkner age 1 married Samuel Dexter (Jack or Dexter) Letsinger on 1 Jun 1938 in Knox County.  Dexter was the son of Samuel Mabry (Sam) Letsinger and Elza Cordelia (Elzie) Peters.  Aunt Elzie was the sister of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

Mildred was the daughter of Walter Faulkner Sr. age 28 and Clara Faulkner age 18.  Clara's maiden name was Faulkner, and I don't know if she was related to Walter or not.

Thomas P. Bray age 86 was the son of Joshua J. Bray and Anne M. (Annie) Hall.  As such, Thomas was the grandson of my fourth great grandparents John Bray and Jane, and the nephew of my third great grandfather Edward Payne Bray.

Mary Belle age 45 was Thomas's fourth wife.  I do not have her surname, but I do know that they were married sometime after Thomas's third wife died in 1910.

Samuel (Sam) Bray age 35 was the son of Thomas P. Bray and Mary Cloninger, and the grandson of Joshua J. Bray and Anna M. (Annie) Hall.  Joshua was the brother of my third great grandfather Edward Payne Bray.

1920, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 15, Enumeration District 141, page 249a

Walter Elbert Cate age 41 was the son of Hamilton Harvy (Ham) Cate and Nancy Ann Clifton, the grandson of Rev. Elijah Cate and Susannah Underwood, and the great grandson of my fifth great grandparents John Cate Sr. and John's wife Mary. As such, Walter was my second cousin four times removed.

Susannah Underwood in turn was the daughter of my fifth great grandparents John Underwood and Mary Kirby. So I am also related to Walter Elbert Cate as an Underwood.

Walter married Anna Vina (Annie) Keener age 39 on 2 Apr 1903 in Knox County.

1910, Knox County, Tennessee, Dist. 15, Enumeration District 141, page 252b

Winnie West age 73 was the daughter of Pleasant William (William) West and Polly Bauswell.  In 1920, Winnie was the widow of John Jacob (Jake) Bray who had died in 1918.  Jake was the son of Joseph H. Bray and Sarah L. Duncan.  As such, Jake was the nephew of my third great grandfather Edward Payne Bray.

I haven't yet figured out who the parents were for Jeremiah and William H.