What I do know:

1. Family record: Family record transcribed by my mother in the 1970′s from a source labeled “Family Bible” says that John Keener’s first wife and the mother of my Great Grandfather Robert Lee McCall was named Martha Olive “Ollie” Johnson. The rough chart says:

OLIVE ? JOHNSON
BORN 1872? MESSOUR?
WHERE Stark City (Newton) <-- Monet, Missouri?
Misouri
DIED ? 1916
WHERE gravelly (yell) ARKANSAS

and for her parents are listed:
Father: Van(?) Johnson - Misouri Greene Springfield
Mother: SHEPARD Missouri

This is the image:

Family Pedigree focused on Olive Johnson and missing parents. Record says Family Bible as source.

2. Marriage record: In a marriage index for Yell County included in the Yell County Historical & Genealogical Association Bulletin by Mary V. Humphrey it shows her as Johnson, Olive – age 19.

(Husband) McCall, J. K. (age) 21 Yell (County, AR)
(Wife) Johnson, Olive (age) 19 Yell (County, AR)
(Marriage Date) 11-30-1893

This is the record:

Marriage Index record for J.K. McCall and Olive Johnson dated 11-30-1893. Also notice in the index is his marriage with his second wife Azle Mercer.

3. Census Records: After marrying J.K. McCall they lived in Yell County, Arkansas and the couple was included in 2 census before Olive died.

In the 1900 Census they are located in Danville, Yell County, Arkansas.
Name: Ollie
Relationship: Wife
Color: White
Gender: Female
Birthdate: Apr 1874
Age: 26
Status: Married, 6 years
How many living children? 2 out of 2 born are living
Birthplace: Missouri
Father’s Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother’s Birthplace: Tennessee

This is the record:

J.K. McCall and Ollie (Johnson) McCall in the 1900 U.S. Census.

In the 1910 Census they are located in Herring, Yell County, Arkansas.
Name: Olive
Relationship: Wife
Gender: Female
Color: White
Age: 35
Status: 1st Marriage, 16 years
How many living children? 6 out of 7 born are living
Birthplace: Arkansas
Father’s Birthplace: Georgia
Mother’s Birthplace: Georgia

This is the record:

J.K. McCall and Olive (Johnson) McCall in the 1910 U.S. Census.

5. Facts: Olive McCall could have not been born in Stark City, Missouri. It didn’t exist until after the year she died. Wikipedia article on Stark City. Family memory could place her there at a later date, so Newton County is a reasonable option to still explore.

6. Photographic Evidence: I have a picture of her and J.K. McCall taken after her first two children were born. It is located on another post entitles John Keener “J.K.” & Martha Olive “Ollie” McCall – A Family Photo

So what’s next?

I’ve done many searches through Ancestry.com on many combinations of names for Olive with different locations. I’ve looked through all of Newton County Johnson families to see if there was some names that were similar. None. I don’t quite know where “Martha” came from, as it wasn’t included in any of my records that I listed above. J.K.’s second wife was Martha, but went by Azle her whole life. Perhaps that was a mistake as well?

I’m a bit stumped at where to look next on this one. I had hoped to find her with her parents in the 1880 census, but “Van?” born in either Georgia or Tennessee is much less than what I’d like to go on. She would be 6 in the census, and probably called Ollie or Olive. I did follow one path where a grandmother was named Olive and perhaps it was passed down, but I found another dead end.

Her parents are my only 3rd Great Grandparents I do not know the information for, and so I’m going to try a few other things. I keep going back to those original notes of my mothers thinking that there is a clue there that I’m missing. I’ll keep you updated on what I find.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Hugh Tinnin
Birth – 1800, Tennessee
Death – 13 Dec 1869, Burleson Co., Texas

Father – John Tinnin (1770-1835)
Mother – Elizabeth “Betsy” Moore (1775-1840)

Married (1):

Betsy Rutherford
Birth – Mississippi
Death – bef 1836, Mississippi

Father – John “Jack” Rutherford (~1780-~1858)
Mother – Winnifred “Winnie” Grigsby (~1785-~1865)

Their Children:

1 F – Rachel Tinnin
Birth – 15 Jan 1826, Mississippi
Death – ABT 1903/1904
Spouse – Andrew Alexander Crawford

2 F – Elizabeth Tinnin
Birth – 17 Aug 1827, Mississippi
Death – aft 1850

3 F – Lucille Jane Tinnin
Birth – 12 Aug 1828, Clinton, Mississippi
Death – 9 Aug 1893, Prairie Grove, Washington Co., Arkansas
Spouse (1) – William Thomas Neal Col./Col.
Marriage 19 Nov 1846, Prairie Grove, Washington, Arkansas
Spouse (2) – James Preston Neal Col./Col.
Marriage Jan 1869, Prairie Grove, Washington, Arkansas

4 M – Granville Tinnin
Birth – 19 Sep 1829, Hinds, Mississippi
Death – 1840

Married (2):

Fanny Rutherford
Marriage – aft 1829
Birth – abt 1808, Tennessee
Death – 1846, Washington Co., Arkansas

Father – John “Jack” Rutherford (~1780-~1858)
Mother – Winnifred “Winnie” Grigsby (~1785-~1865)

Their Children:

1 M – John Tinnin
Birth – 7 Jul 1836, Arkansas

2 F – Harriet Tinnin
Birth – 22 Jul 1839, Arkansas
Spouse – Richard S. Barron
Marriage – 16 Aug 1869, Washington Co., Arkansas

3 M – William Hugh Tinnin
Birth – 13 Aug 1840, Arkansas

4 F – Emiline Tinnin
Birth – 1842, Arkansas
Spouse – John Ray Billingsley
Marriage – 7 Jul 1864, Travis Co., Texas

5 M – Hugh Tinnin
Birth – 12 Dec 1843
Death – 21 Feb 1846

Married (3):

Helen Mary Kirkpatrick
Marriage – aft 1843
Birth – abt 1825, Kentucky
Death – 24 Jun 1893, Austin, Travis Co., Texas
Burial – Oakwood Cem. Austin, Travis Co., Texas

Their Children:

1 M – Albert Tinnin
Birth – 8 May 1849, Arkansas
Death – 1875

2 F – Mary Melvina Tinnin
Birth – 15 Aug 1850
Death – 25 May 1851

3 F – Cleopatra “Miss Clippy” Tinnin
Birth – 24 May 1852
Spouse – Henry Roberts

4 M – Pinckney Tinnin
Birth – 12 Mar 1854
Death – 30 Aug 1916
Spouse – Effie Littlepage

5 F – Susanella Tinnin
Birth 25 Aug 1855

6 M – Matison Tinnin
Birth – 1 Feb 1857, Austin
Death – 14 Feb 1931
Spouse – Elizabeth Angeline Willoughby
Marriage – 13 Jan 1884

7 M – Eddie Tinnin
Birth – 25 Aug 1860
Death – 29 May 1861

The following are two published histories of Dr. Lee Montgomery, the first published in the History of Yell County, the second as part of The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas. The second is similar, but more detailed than the first, though is does mistakenly use “Hessing” as his wife’s maiden name, which was “Herring”.

DR. H. L. MONTGOMERY A popular physician of Herring Township, was born in Mississippi on 29 September 1865, and is the son of John M. and Martha Strickland Montgomery who were natives of McNairy County, Tennessee and Marshall County Mississippi respectively. To this Mississippi family were born 13 children son of a Methodist Minister, this family emigrated to Arkansas in 1879 first locating in Faulkner County. The doctor received the greater part of his education in 1880 and began practice in 1881 on the Arkansas bottoms, thence South Bush in 1883-1884, and attended lectures in Little Rock, in 1885-1886. On 12 August 1887 he was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Herring who was born in this county 28 December 1867. Her parents Bright W. and Arah Ivey Herring were natives of Haywood County Tennessee and were born 8 January 1832 and 9 May 1836. Her father was captain of Co. F of the 3rd Arkansas Regiment of Cavalry, and belonged to the Masonic order. The doctor and wife were parents of two children: Lawrence E. and Ohma. In religion he and wife were Methodist Episcopal Church South. As a medical advisor the Doctor was held in high esteem by his patients and honored throughout his community.

Dr. H. L. Montgomery, the popular physician of Herring Township, was born in Mississippi on September 29, 1865, and is a son of John M. and Martha (Strickland) Montgomery, who were natives of McNairy County, Tenn., and Marshall County, Miss., respectively, and were married in the latter State, and to them were born a family of thirteen children. His father a Methodist minister for many years, and a member of the Masonic fraternity, emigrated to Arkansas in 1879, locating in Faulkner County, and himself and wife worship as members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The Doctor received the greater part of his education at Oxford, Miss., and began his medical studies in 1880 and commenced practice in 1881 on the Arkansas bottoms, thence South Bush in 1883-84, and attended lectures at Little Rock in 1885-86, and on August 12, of the next year, was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Hessing, who was born in this county December 28, 1867. Her parents, Bright W. and Sara (Ivey) Hessing, were natives of Haywood County, Tenn., and were born January 8, 1832, and May 9, 1836, and were the parents of ten children. Her father was captain of Company F, of Third Arkansas Regiment of Cavalry and belonged to the Masonic order. The Doctor and wife are the happy parents of two children: Lawrence E. and Ohma. In religion he and wife worship with the same denomination as did their deceased parents – Methodist Episcopal Church South. As a medical adviser the Doctor is held in high esteem by his many patients, and is honored throughout his community for his courteous and gentlemanly dealing with his fellow-men. Mrs. Mongomery is the owner of a fourth interest in a 213-acre tract of land in this county.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

The links that are located below their names are to the individual blog posts I’ve made. Since I’ve been focusing primarily on the paternal sides of every family, you’ll typically only find links for them.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Sinai and William Neal’s son James Preston Neal had told a story of he and his brother (my 3rd Great Grandfather William Thomas Neal) as boys having had the opportunity to meet Samuel Houston and welcomed him over to their parents home. When Samuel Houston inquired of his mother (Sinai) and her family names, “… she told him that she was raised on Gasper River, Warren County, Kentucky; that her father was Robbert Herrald; that her mother was an Edmiston; and that she was related to the Marshalls, Cannons, and Loves; and that her first husband was William Neal, a son of Uncle Tom and Mary Neal….” [Washington County Historical Society Flashback (Vol. 5, No. 6 - Dec 1955)] Samuel Houston, in turn, said that they must be related, as they had similar family names.

The clue from this story, put me onto Sinai’s connection with the Harreld family, where I was helped along with the history of Captain Robbert Harreld. The following is a rough compiling of my notes on the life of Robbert. I’m afraid they all run together and may not be sourced completely, so I present them as I have them. Hopefully I’ll be able to organize them better at a future date.

Robert had grown up in the Southwestern part of Virginia and was old enough to take part in the last years of the Revolutionary War. He received land in Kentucky and moved there as early as 1782; settled in that part of Lincoln County that afterwards became Logan and then, Warren County. (Source: Harrison) Robert served as a horse master in the building of the road through Cumberland Gap during the Revolution in 1780 and received a 300 acre land grant on the Green River in Lincoln (now Warren) Co, KY, on July 10, 1786. – 1810 Warren Co, KY Census with a family of 9 and 8 slaves Robert appears in the 1820 Warren County, KY Census (34-3) Died 1824 Warren Co, KY Robert had Indian troubles in Southwest VA. He came with Daniel Boone to Logan’s Station, and took his first land in 1782. 1827 Tax Lists, show his son only. March, 1782, his heirs appeared in court action. He was in the Revolution. He married Margaret Edmiston in 1780. She was first married to a Dr. (Captain) John Montgomery, who was slain by Indians. She was carried away captive by the Indians with other women from the camp. Her little black servant was left behind, but only after she had been scalped. She remained bald the rest of her life and she lived to be quite old. Margaret might have also had an infant child. Captain Robert Harreld, with others, under the command of General Ben Logan, rescued her. Robert and Margaret became parents of twelve children. Margaret’s father was Rev War Colonel, William Edmiston. See “My Forsythe Saga” by Phillip Wheeler, p 36. Lived in Washington Co, VA, then Lincoln Co, KY which became Logan Co, and then Warren Co, KY. His estate was settled 1851. Records in Bowling Green, Ky.

Robert Harreld Story: By Lewis P Summers– (By Kristin Hawkins – May 2, 2000, copied from her “Harreld, MyFamily.com” file)
“I presently live about three miles from where Robert Harreld grew up here in Washington County, VA, and pass the old farm several times each week.. Benjamin Logan lived about three miles from where I live and about six miles from Robert Harreld… In 1775, Blacks Fort was built at Wolf Hills (later Abingdon, VA) because the Indians were causing a lot of trouble in the area.. Many times people would have to go to the fort and stay several days for protection. Once, when they thought it safe to go back to their farms, people were leaving the fort and Rev Charles Cummings and his party were about halfway between the fort and his farm, the Indians attacked them and killed one of his servant men. The same morning, some girls came out of the fort and the Indians tried to capture them. One of the girls was a younger sister of William Casey, a friend of Robert Harreld. Robert was nearby when William Casey learned that his sister was in danger and by firing their rifles alternately, the two young men were able to hold the Indians at bay until the girls made it back into the fort. So, Robert Harreld had faced the Indians before he went to Ky.”
Note: This story is told in the History of Southwest Va. by Lewis P Summers of Abingdon, VA.

Most of Robert and Margaret’s children eventually wound up in central Mississippi, at least for a time. Robert Harreld had grown up in the Southwestern part of Virginia and was old enough to take part in the last years of the Revolutionary War. He received land in Kentucky and moved there as early as 1782; settled in that part of Lincoln County that afterwards became Logan and then, Warren County. The Harreld family home was outside of what is now Bowling Green, Kentucky. All of their children were born in that location. Their son, (1) Edmiston, purchased land in the western-central part of Madison County as early as 1829. He never married and spent a good deal of time in Louisiana on business ventures. Edmiston was instrumental, with the Mosby Family, in enticing his brother, Dr (2) William Edmiston Harreld to move to Madison County and set up his practice. Dr Harreld completed his medical studiews in Lexington, Kentucky in the late 1820′s and settled for a time in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1835, Dr Harreld gathered together a group of men in Madison Co, M., and joined the ranks of the Confederate Army only to return to practice when the citizens petitioned his company. (3) James Harreld came to Madison County in the early 1830′s following his brother, Edmiston. He later returned to Illinois and died in Alto Pass, Illinois. He was married twice, was considerable well-to-do and an early member of the Legislature. (4) Margaret Montgomery (Harreld) Davis, after the death of husband, moved to the area of Nashville, Tennessee, where some of her children married. She then appeared in the census in Ralls County, Missouri, and in Hannibal, Missouri in the house of Hiram and Nancy Edmiston where she died. In the 1850′s she escorted two of her grandchildren from Missouri to Madison County to visit Dr Harreld. Mrs Davis returned, but Anna Edmiston and Virginia Graham stayed in Mississippi and married. (5) Dorcus L Harreld, came to Madison Co, Mississippi, after the death of Mr Parson and lived with Edmiston and Dr Harreld. (6) Margaret Edmiston Montgomery Harreld also lived the last years of her life in the home with Dorcus, close to her son, Dr Harreld. Her remains were left under a section of Fulton Street in Canton, MS, when the city extended the street through the north side of the old Canton Cemetery. Her monument, which was moved by the Parson’s Family to the new Canton Cemetery, is located flat on the ground to the left of the entrance gate that comes off of Academy Street. It reads as follows: Margaret Edmiston Consort of Robert Harreld was born in Virginia Feb 22, 1762 and departed this life in Miss March 2, 1848 aged 81 years She’s gone from our sight like a gladning ray of light the earth but hath past away all pure to its source in heaven.
Notes from James W Rhodes of Oklahoma, great grandson of John William Harreld (author of the following).
Page 1 — John Edmiston died in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He had four boys and one daughter. The daughter married a Mr Steele. The boys were William, Samuel, Andrew, and Robert. All lived in Washington County, Virginia. Andrew and Robert were killed in the battle of Kings Mountain. Maj or William Edmiston (sometimes spelled Edmonson) was born in 1734 in Cecil County, Maryland. Records of Washington County, Virginia. His will probated August 20, 1822. Will Book No 5 , Page 57. In 1782, came with Daniel Boone to Logan’s Station, Kentucky, and took his first land. He was twice married — First, to Margaret Montgomery by whom he had 8 children. Margaret Edmiston, who first married Jon Montgomery and then Robert Harreld, is the oldest child. Margaret Edmiston-Montgomery-Harreld was born Feb 16, 1762. Her first husband, John Montgomery, was killed by the Indians along with hers and his only child. She was scalped (above shows another way the story went) and then rescued by Capt Robert Harreld, whom she later married. Her brother-in-law, Capt Robert Montgomery was killed at River Raisin in 1813. She is believed to have married Capt Robert Harreld about 1780 in Virginia. Capt Robert Harreld died about 1825 as tax lists of 1827 shows his sons as taxpayers. His heirs are named in deeds settling the estate in 1851 as a record in Bowling Green, Ky, shows. He took up land in Kentucky as early as 1782 in Lincoln County which later became Logan County , and later Warren County. After Logan County was formed in 1792, he still owned land in Lincoln Co. Capt Robert Harreld lived in Southwest Virginia, now Washington County. See…Summers History of Southwest Virginia and State of Va. Library-Report of Revolutionary Soldiers-Year of 1912.

Other records of Capt Robert Harreld. Summers History of Southwest Va – 1746, Washington County – 1777 – Book 17. Also, Drapers ‘Kings Mountain”. All from Linda Carol Strahan’s family tree– Robert and Margaret Harrald of Warren Co, KY, on May 17, 1820, by agent and attorney John Harrald, sold their claim to the land transferred by Wm Edmiston, Senr. of Washington Co., VA, by deed April 28, 1809 (except one undivided third of property and undivided 13th part, Gen William Campbell Edmiston 12th part, Vance Greer (Hetty Esther’s son-in-law) 12th part, James Gillespie & wife Patsey Gillespie, and John Beatty and wife Sally Beatie. Witnesses were William E Kennedy and Thomas Buchanan (Lincoln Co Deeds 101-B-1, p 103). Also, she has listed an Infant Harreld, b January 30, 1799.

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Andrew Alexander Crawford would have been the husband of my 3rd Great Grandmother’s older sister Rachel.

Andrew Alexander Crawford was born November 11, 1812 in Lincoln County, Tennessee. He was the son of John Crawford and his first wife, Margaret Buchanan. See decendants of Alexander and Mary McPheeters Crawford by Forbes and Sammis and Decendants of the Buchanan Families of Washington County by Allan S. Humphries. Both his grandfathers were Revolutionary War patriots. His paternal grandfather William Crawford served as Private and patriot manufacturing and supplying arms to the Continental Army, Augusta County, Virginia. His maternal grandfather, Andrew Buchanan, also from Augusta County, Virginia served in the Continental Army and attained the rank of Captain.

Andrew first married Minerva Buchanan. It’s thought she was the daughter of Moses Buchanan. They had one child, Robert who later became a lawyer in Spearfish, South Dakota. Minerva was murdered by a negro slave named Caroline. Robert was just a small child. See an account of this murder and trial written by Mrs. Maurice Cruse in Flashback, Vol VII, #4 Jul 1957.

Andrew then married Rachel Tinnin, the daughter of Hugh and Betsy (Rutherford) Tinnin. In April of 1849, Andrew, in the company of 85 men from Washington and surrounding counties left for the gold fields of California. Lewis Evans was captain of this group of “Fourty Niners”. Andrew suffered from scurvy on the trip. Some men were never heard from, but Andrew made the trip home safely. He managed to bring each child a gold nuggett. In the year of 1859, he was serving as Justice of the Peace in Washington County, performing marriages, etc. Then in the first part of the Civil War, he was serving as County Judge. He then enlisted in the Confederate Army and fought in the battle of Pea Ridge and other western battles. He died at Rienzi, near Corinth, Mississippi from heat exposure during the Battle of Shiloh, May 23, 1862.

In the memoirs of Col., J.P. Neal, who was married to Lucy Tinnin, Rachel’s sister, Col. Neal mentions a house raising in the Prairie Grove valley in 1839. The house was on the east side of Cane Hill and belonged to Andy Crawford. He also mentions that the morning after the battle of Prairie Grove he was climbing a hill and met 200 Federal prisoners under guard on Andy Crawford’s farm. It was later the Mike Nail place. We don’t know how Rachel managed after the war, but she had lost her husband and oldest son, Hugh when it was over. She may have been homeless after it’s destruction. It was with the aid of the Catholic Sisters that she was given a milk cow to help provide for her children. Later in the 1870 Federal Census, she was living with her children in the home of William D. Crawford, Andrew’s brother and his family.

The only child of Andrew and Minerva was Robert, born about 1838. Rachel Tinnin was born in Mississippi January 15, 1826 and died 1903 or 1904 according to her widow’s pension records. The children of Andrew and Rachel were: Hugh, born about 1845 and died unmarried in the Civil War. Margaret, born about 1847 and married John “Lum” Henson. Susan “Sug” born about 1853 and married first: Isham House and second: H. Covey. Martha Halbert (Mattie) Crawford, born Feburary 11, 1854 – died January 16, 1899 in Floyd County, Texas, married John Washington Smith November 11, 1877 in Washington County, Arkansas (See J.W. Smith Family). Andrew Neal Crawford, born March 13, 1856 – died in Florida, married Laura Baird, children: Mrs. C.M. Garrett, Mrs. P.W. Wybrecht, Mrs. S.K. Booth and Alvin A. Crawford from his obituary. Lucy Crawford, born August 30, 1856 – died December 10, 1938, married Alexander Cruse, January 13, 1878 see To Kimberly, with Love by Lillian Cruse Woods and Buell Beverly Woods. Emily (Emma) Crawford, married first: George McKinzie on September 9, 1880, second: Huff, this family moved to Belton, in Bell County, Texas. Alice Crawford married Frank Parkhurst on January 25, 1880, she died leaving at least one daughter.

Source: Ruth Lee, History of Washington County Arkansas, Shiloh Museum, Springdale, Arkansas, 1989 – Family History Library – US/CAN 976.714 D3n

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

Refer to his Family Group Record to find out more details about his children.

Historical Timeline: Dr. Thomas Marion Montgomery (1871-1961)

Other Notes:
“Much of his early practice was in the rural regions of Arkansas, where he traveled on horseback or by horse and buggy. His father was a doctor, as were five of his brothers, and his sister was a nurse.”
“He was a member of the first Methodist Church here.” (Stayton, Marion Co., Oregon)

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

One of the people who commented on my post was Rich Weigand who said that while doing some property research at the Austin History Center he had discovered the transcript of an interview of Miss Helen Tinnin of Austin from 1973. He mailed it to me, and I decided to add it on igenealogy.org. She talks about her life, her parents and grandparents, and what life was like in early Austin, Texas.

Helen Tinnin is the daughter of Matison Tinnin (1857-1931) who married Elizabeth Angeline Willoughby in 1884. Her father Matison was the son of Hugh Tinnin (1800-1869) and his third wife Helen Mary Kirkpatrick (1825-1893). The interview was conducted by Ellen Moore (“EM”) in June of 1973 and is a part of the Austin Public Library / Austin History Center’s collection. I have only the first part of the interview.

Helen’s grandfather – Hugh Tinnin – would be my 4th Great Grandfather. His daughter, Lucy Tinnin who married William Thomas Neal would have been the half-sister to Helen’s father Matison.

EM: This is Ellen Moore interviewing Miss Helen Tinnin in her apartment in Austin, Texas.

Helen: (talking about her family’s migration to Texas) “They started in Mississippi.”

EM: “Do you know anything about what they did in Mississippi?”

Helen: “They had slaves. My grandfather had almost a hundred slaves with them when they started, but he himself was not with them. They had to go from fort to fort because the Indians were so bad and they were afraid of being killed. As they went along he would buy things from the farmers, like food and food for the oxen. They used oxen to push the carts along. Shortly after they left Mississippi they became ill and went over to…”

EM: “Someplace in…”

Helen: “Someplace to get a load of corn they needed at the fort. While he was away the family became ill. His wife had a small child, Hugh, Hugh Tinnin, and she wrote my grandfather a letter and asked him to hurry back to them because everybody was sick, even the slaves were sick and there was no medicine. She was just very much discouraged about the prospect of the trip. They had no medicine except that which they pounded up and castor oil. The child got worse and worse and finally died. They buried it there at the fort where they were staying. His wife’s maiden name was Rutherford.”
[igenealogy note: This was Hugh Tinnin's second wife Fanny Rutherford (b. abt 1808, d. 1846) and their son Hugh Tinnin (b. 12 Dec 1843, d. 21 Feb 1846, age 2)]

EM: “Was this your grandmother?”

Helen: “Yes, and they buried the child on a farm that belonged to some of her relatives.”

EM: “In Mississippi?”

Helen: “No, in Arkansas, they had to go from fort to fort.”

EM: “They were on their way here?”

Helen: “Yes, they were on their way to Texas. Shortly after the child died she died, so that left him stranded. I don’t know whether he knew my real grandmother before or not, but her maiden name was Kirkpatrick, and she was from Kentucky.”

EM: “What was your grandfather’s name?”

Helen: “Hugh, Hugh Tinnin.”

EM: “Hugh? So his second wife was your grandmother?”

Helen: “No, his third wife was my grandmother. He had been married before the Rutherford grandmother, but I know nothing about her. My father was born here in Austin in Travis Heights. His name was Madison Tinnin and he was born in 1857, all this other happened before 1850.”

EM: “Do you know when they got to Austin approximately?”

Helen: “In the letters he said that it took them three years on the way. They were so happy when they reached the little village of Waco that they began feeling better. I don’t know when he married my grandmother.”

EM: “Well what in the world caused him to leave where they were? It sounds like he must have had considerable property if he had fifty slaves. Why do you think he left Mississippi to come to Texas?”

Helen: “I don’t know, other than he had been to Texas before and had seen the situation. The old timers said that they tried to find soil that was like that in Mississippi.”

EM: “Black, waxy soil?”

Helen: “No, reddish, sandy soil. He had invested in a farm…”

EM: “Someplace in Texas?”

Helen: “Yes, Burleson County, and he made trips down to see about the farm. While he was down there he became violently ill. My grandmother began to cry, asking what she would do because there were no banks in those days, there were no railroads, no stores, and she felt like she couldn’t take it. He told her that it was alright, that he had made arrangements and that if anything happened to him she would be protected and not to worry about it. She said, “Yes, but you have been married before. What am I going to do about that?” But he told her not to worry, that he had taken care of everything financially. So as time went on, when I was about ten years old, a man who had been in business here in Austin, a general store, came to my father and asked him if he had ever heard anything about where my grandfather had deposited his money. He said that the night before he left for Burleson County my grandfather came into his store late one evening and asked him if he could hide his gold. He had money, and he had two niggers carrying buckets of gold. The buckets were made of wood in those days. They put the gold among the shelves with the other articles to protect it. The next morning at daybreak he was there and took the money off and said that the person who was supposed to get the money and keep it for grandmother just failed to show up. She had a hard time living.”

EM: “Was it your father or your grandfather that had Tinnin’s Ford?”

Helen: “My grandfather. When they first came to Austin they had been here before so he knew about the ford. He acquired the land, all of it around the ford. It was the only ford they could use to cross the river without getting into quicksand. Just below the ford, about three or four blocks, there was an area where there was no bottom to the river. The children would save all the cords they could get ahold of, ropes, wires, and things like that and drop them down and try to find the bottom of it.”

EM: “Do you know where that area is now?”

Helen: “Yes, it’s still there by the river.”

EM: “About what area?”

Helen: “Oh, they still call it Tinnin Ford but you can’t cross the river there because they’ve put a dam down below it.”

EM: “The Longhorn Dam?”

Helen: “Yes, the Longhorn Dam.”

EM: “Is it east of the Longhorn Dam or west?”

Helen: “West I believe.”

EM: “And you lived down on the river; is that where you were born?”

Helen: “That’s right. My father was a youngster and they had some cattle. There were no fences so they just let the cattle roam. He was there tending to the cattle about ten miles out, somewhere near a creek. I don’t know the name of the creek and I never saw the place, be he said that he got sleepy on day and he got off of his horse, tied it, and leaned up against a tree and went to sleep. When he awoke a bit ol’ alligator was right at him!”

EM: My gosh, alligators!”

Helen: “Now my family was Scottish, and there were some other families here that had come from Scotland at about the same time. They invited my father to come and have buttermilk with them or they would invite him to lunch. Then to help them out he would milk the cows and they would make butter and put it in big containers. Then they would put something across their shoulders and walked to town carrying it on their shoulders.”

EM: “What did your grandfather do?”

Helen: “He was a farmer.”

EM: “When you were born who were your neighbors and what was Austin like?”

Helen: “Well, the Stone family… Sam Stone was our neighbor, and they had boys.”

EM: “They ran the ferry?”

Helen: “Yes, and they raised cotton. In those days there were no gins, so they had to pick the cotton off the seeds by hand. They all got sick with malaria, but they didn’t know it was malaria. My grandfather bought the property where Travis Heights is now. They had no lumber to build homes with so he took the slaves up in to the mountains west of Austin. They cut down long logs and made rafts of them. Then they tied the rafts to the bank. We had a great deal of rain then, and when the river came up they would float the rafts down the river and use long poles to divert them to the right place. They landed just about where Steak Island restaurant is now. Then the slaves would drag them up on the bank and they built log cabins all along the banks of the river. My grandfather had a log cabin on Travis Boulevard, right on the hill. That’s where my father was born.”

EM: “It must have been a spectacular view!”

Helen: “Yes, it was, I’m sure. The house had two rock chimneys, one at each end, and a breezeway between. They planted a garden and the little niggers saw the potatoes and onions and vegetables growin’ there. My grandfather came down one day and one of the neighbor’s slave’s children had gone in and pulled up everything and had made dolls out of the vegetables! He got them all in a line and said, “Now I’m going to use this little hick’ry on you if you ever bother any vegetables again! Vegetables are to be eaten and not played with. I want to know who started this!” Well, the biggest one at the end of the line blamed it on somebody down the line and they kept on blamin’ down the line until they got to the baby one. When they asked him who pulled up all the vegetables he said, “Kippy.” Well, Kippy was the baby on the palate in the breezeway! So he said, “I know Kippy didn’t do it, but if I find you playin’ in the garden with the vegetables again, I’m gonna us this hick’ry on you!” That really tickled us.”

EM: “What do you first remember? What are some of your first remembrances?”

Helen: “The first think I remember, besides the farmhouse, was making a trip to the Capital.”

EM: “How did you get to the Capital?”

Helen: “My father took us and told us what it was. He held us while we peered over and looked at the people below. They looked so small to us. They had mule cars too. They used mule cars instead of street cars.”

EM: “Did you ever ride on them?”

Helen: “Yes, daddy took us even before I was old enough to know anything. I was born in Austin, but daddy had a ranch leased in Brady, Texas and we lived up there. I was the only child they had at the time. They were way off from the stores.”

EM: “When did you come back to Austin? Were you grown?”

Helen: “No, I was about five years old when my father brought me back to Austin to live.”

EM: “Where did you live?”

Helen: “On the old farm.”

EM: “Did you go to school in Austin?”

Helen: “Yes, first my mother taught us at the farm. We could read and write and she taught us the alphabet. We went to South Austin Public School next, and we could out spell anybody in the school. My sister and I rode a pony to school. My sister rode behind and I rode in front.”

EM: “What’s your sister’s name?”

Helen: “Elmira, and my mother’s name was Elizabeth.”

EM: “Was she from Austin?”

Helen: “No, she was from Fort Worth. My grandmother always had visitors because she had gotten kidney poisoning and go so that she couldn’t work. She would have us sit on little boxes around her and she’d read to us. When mama was churning with the old dasher churn she would have us spell. When we went to school we were already in the second grade. I went to school for a year and a half and then came down with the measles. There were three children in my family: me, my sister Elmira, and my brother Hugh who was the baby one. The next school we went to was the private school and we went through the eighth grade there. Then we went to another private school and then to the university. I was out for a while because I was sick and then I had to stay with my mother when she got sick. I had courses so that I could teach though.”

EM: “Is that what you did?”

Helen: “Yes, so then I was a teacher and after that I took training to be a teacher for the deaf.”

EM: “So you taught at the deaf school for how long?”

Helen: “Well, I taught for two years in other schools before I taught at the deaf school. I taught at the deaf school for thirty-six years.”

EM: “Who was the first governor you remember?”

Helen: “I remember them talkin’ about governor Hogg, but I never saw him. My grandfather was buried in Burleson County and they thought they would move him to the Oakwood Cemetery, but they couldn’t find him. Maybe a prairie fire wiped out everything. My grandmother’s oldest son was named Albert Tinnin. He and a nigger slave decided they would kill an ant bed and he put a coal of fire in the ant hold and was pourin’ gun powder down it. Well, it exploded and blew all his clothes off and all the clothing but the collar off the new nigger. The nigger woman was washing, that’s why there was a fire close by, and she made a grab for both of ‘em, but my uncle was bigger and older and he got away and jumped in the water. It just cooked him though. He was so burned he had to live wrapped up in a sheet of castor oil for a year. He never did get well and he was always frail. He is buried out at Oakwood. We have a family plot out there where all the family is buried.”

EM: “Now in this garden you said you had, you grew spinach? And you said that you made an arrangement with an ice factory. How did that work? Did they have refrigerated cars?”

Helen: “Yes, and a packing shed was right across the street from the ice factory. They would break up the ice and pack it in these baskets and ship the spinach. It was sent from Austin, great carloads of it, to Kansas City. Then at Kansas City they would divert it to Chicago, New York, Boston, every place in the United States.”

EM: “Tinnin Spinach?”

Helen: “Yes, and they said that it was the best. They’d just yell for it. They said that Austin spinach was better than any other spinach. We found out that it was because Austin spinach, because my brother and father wouldn’t allow it, didn’t have any commercial fertilizers in the soil it was grown in. They would plow up the soil and turn that under so that it would furnish its own fertilizer. For example, they planted the spinach in the fall, about October, and by January they were shipping it. Then when the land was soft they plowed all those plants under and planted corn. They planted the corn about April and by July they could sell the corn for roasting ears. The corn stalks were good fertilizer so they got a machine that would cut the corn stalks into small pieces. They could cut it up and plow it under and the corn stalks would deteriorate and fertilize the soil. It was green so that it made good fertilizer. They did the cotton stalks the same way.”

EM: “How many acres was it, do you know?”

Helen: “Well, we had about four hundred and fifty.”

EM: “How much was he farming? Most of it?”

Helen: “The bigger part of it. Then they raised cattle and sold them. They’d sell peaches too. There was something to sell all of the time and there was something to eat all of the time too.”

EM: “It sounds like a very good life. Tell me what you mean by Malaria?”

Helen: “Well, they had malaria down by the river. It was so bad and they didn’t know what it was or what caused it. The mosquitoes just ate ‘em up. That was the cause of it. Later the people got to the point where they’d have chills and rigors and the only thing the doctor would give ‘em was quinine. That’s the reason my grandfather bought Travis Heights. They thought that if they got to higher altitudes that maybe they wouldn’t be sick as much. But of course the mosquitoes just followed ‘em right along. Their niggers had malaria too. Everybody had it. Well, as time went on they found out what cause it and killed the mosquitoes. That’s how somebody found oil in this area. They needed it to kill the mosquitoes and they would put it in barrels and let it drip around the low places where the mosquitoes propagated and killed them out. About that time pellagra set it, but none of us ever had it because we ate tomatoes and got enough vitamins. The niggers worked for us and we gave them vegetables. None of them ever got pellagra while they worked on our farm. You could can tomatoes, but some of the other vegetables you can’t can. We had cabbage and… oh, all kinds of vegetables. Sometimes it would snow and freeze them but some of them could be put in the barn. My nephews came from Tyler, Texas to go to the University and one of the loved the farm better than anything. He stayed on the farm with mother and me the greater part of the time. He would drive up to the street car at South Congress Avenue and ride out to the University. He wanted to be an M.D. Well, they let him take everything to be an M.D. and he got his degree so that he would be sure to be well fixed for work. Well, lo and behold when he got down to Galveston they said, “Did you know you have a relative that was a doctor?” Well, he had one but he didn’t know it so he said, ‘No.” So they told him, “Just get your traps and get on outta here. We don’t want you.” It just doesn’t seem right to me that if a fella isn’t a doctor his sons can’t be. Well, he said that if he couldn’t be an M.D. he’d be a petroleum engineer. So he went back to school and got another degree in that and he lives in Midland now.”

EM: “Do you have any family left in Austin now?”

Helen: “Well… not my immediate family, no. I didn’t know I had any relatives. I thought I only had three. When my grandfather came to Austin, tow brothers and a sister came with him. One was John Tinnin, who settled at Lampassas. One was Grandall Tinnin who settles at Georgetown and Elgin. And my grandfather who settled here in Austin. Now this sister, a Mrs. Carr and her family settled at Elgin, near Austin.”

EM: “So when you were growing up you had uncles and aunts and cousins around?”

Helen: “No, I didn’t. I grew up not even knowing them. But the ones who lived in Elgin, I knew them and occasionally they would come up to see us. There were three of them, two girls and a boy. They eventually moved to Austin and were the ones who started the Butler Brickyard. They were Tinnins. We would beg daddy to find us some cousins to play with. He’d say “I do not know any.” And every time I’d ask questions he’d say, “You go out and play, we’ll talk to you later.” Cousin Bob Tinnin and his two girls and a boy were the only ones I knew about. About a year ago I found some… when I had nearly died of old age. I learned about the family tree. My mother died when we lived on the farm and my brother lived about a block from her and I was left all alone. My brother thought that that was too dangerous. Well, I’d have somebody stay with me and first thing you know they’d be up over the hill and I’d be alone again. I got a letter from San Antonio and a Mrs. Lorena Carr said that she had a degree from U.T. and that she knew there was some Tinnins in Austin. I invited her to come up and see me. She said she wanted to work on her family tree and that her tree was mixed up with mine. I said I didn’t know anything about it but she said that it was alright and that we would learn something. Her husband was a traveling salesman for a shoe company and he makes trips all around. I told her I’d help her all I could. He told her he was going to make a trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. My niece lived there and Lorena said that there was a Baptist minister there who was a Tinnin. Well we went to Shreveport with Mrs. Carr and there was a family of Tinnins down the street who had worked for a Tennesse company. I called one of them and told her our name was Tinnin too and we ought to get together and confer with her. She said, “We don’t spell our name like that… and besides, I have a child to take care of.” She asked if there was a man with us and we told her he was downtown on business, so she let us come. Her people lived outside Nashville Tennessee and had come to Tennessee form Mississippi and Alabama.”

EM: “So it was your family?”

Helen: “Yes, she also said that they had had their name misspelled for so long they just let it go. But it was Tinnin and they were related to us. I found some of my grandfather’s letters and they kept telling about her releatives. Anyway, we met this minister in Shreveport, Rogers Hill. And we said, “Rogers Cemetery?” Some of the most important people in Austin are buried there in Rogers Cemetery. He said, “I never heard of it.” Well, I went to the bank one day and saw a woman I knew who was the grandaughter of daddy’s half brother, who had been dead for many many years… I never even saw him. Anyway, she is a retired nurse, and her name is Beatrice. I told her that I’d do anything if she’d take me to the Roger’s Cemetery. She did, and I never saw so many Burlesons in my life! They’re just like pins in a pincushion! I said I’ve got to write all this down and told her about this man. Meanwhile I got this letter. It must have been Philadephia that the Tinnin family started out from. It started out with Hugh Tinnin, and he married Isabel Thompson…”

That’s where the record I have ends. There’s a hand written note that says there was one more question where she names some more relatives.

Are you related to the Tinnin family? Do you have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, that you’d be willing to share with me, or on igenealogy.org? Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

One of the advantages of putting together a timeline on John M. Montgomery is the fact there was a short history published of him in 1891. I’ve had a couple relatives who fall into this category.

This timeline is fresh off the presses, and I’m sure I’ll find room for improvement shortly. I can already see a couple holes that need filled, the next time I get a chance to review census records. The following is timeline I’ve put together this far for Dr. John M. Montgomery Sr.:

Historical Timeline: Dr. John M. Montgomery Sr. (1823-1855)

If you’re related to this family or have more information about them including stories, pictures and dates and family member names, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or email me directly from the About Us page.

John M. Montgomery, Dr.
Birth – 11 Mar 1823, Giles Co., Tennessee
Death – 11 Feb 1896, Gravelly, Yell Co., Arkansas

Martha Crawford Nichols
Marriage – 17 Oct 1855, Marshall Co., Mississippi
Birth – 3 Sep 1836, Marshall Co., Mississippi
Death – 11 Feb 1901, Yell Co., Arkansas

Dr. John M. and Martha Nichols Montgomery

Below is my attempt to touch the photo up a bit in black and white so I could see their faces a bit better. I hope those of you who are also related to Dr. John are as happy as I am to have a copy of this photo.

Re-touched photo to show detail