Summers Family – Page 2 – Digging Up Your Family

Lizzie Was Here (and so was the rest of the family!)

I would like to know what this used to say and what it was…

Last week when my mom and I drove up to Tennessee to place the headstones for the Craft family we also got a chance to see where my great-great-grandmother Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers lived when she was living in Hurricane Mills, Humphreys County, Tennessee. Donny Baker, my first cousin twice removed, took us to not one, but TWO houses Lizzie lived in! It was pretty exciting for us and my great-great-aunt Kat.

I got photos of the houses, but what I thought was pretty neat were the outhouses. Not because they were outhouses sitting out behind the houses themselves, but because Lizzie, and her children and grandchildren (including my grandmother) had actually sat their behinds on the seats in those outhouses.

It may seem silly, but knowing that I was seeing a place where people went for privacy just made it special.

This outhouse is from the first house we visited, on the paved end of the road.

Lizzie’s butt sat here!

This is up on the hill behind the second house, which was on the non-paved section of the road.

Lizzie’s butt sat here, too!

Gosh, just think about how each person had to tromp out to these little buildings in the snow and rain just to be alone and read the Sears & Roebuck catalog!

What Happened to Riley Leonard Cathey?

My relationship to Riley Leonard Cathey:

Virginia Marie Stalls (my mom)

Ruth May Craft (grandmother)

Katie Clady Cathey (great-grandmother)

Riley Leonard Cathey (Katie’s brother, my great-grand-uncle?)

I am at a total loss as to what happened to Riley Leonard Cathey. There are exactly 3 records of him: a handwritten record of his birth (which my 3rd cousin found in an old photo album and emailed to me!) and two census records.

Riley Leonard Cathey was born on October 19, 1889 in Houston County, Tennessee to parents William Glenn Cathey (abt 1861-1906) and Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers (1870-1952).

(note: halfway through the list of names and dates it mentioned that it was written by Mrs. Granville Baker of Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The bottom of the page says By: Mary Nell Derrington 10-22-74. I sent a copy to Donald Baker, the son of Maggie Smith – aka Mrs. Granville Baker – to see if it was her writing and he said no. he didn’t know who Mary Nell Derrington was, though)

In 1900 he was living in Indian Bayou, Lonoke County, Arkansas. He is listed as Riley Cathey, age 10 years. His occupation, adorably enough, is “Play Only”. He was able to read and write. His parent’s are listed as Will G Cathey (age 36 years) and Elizabeth Cathey (age 30 years). The siblings living in the household were: Archie (Acra, age 6 years), Georgie (Arlee, age 4 years) and Katie (age 2 years).

The final record I have for Riley is the 1910 census. He was living in Gibson County, Tennessee with the Morgan Family. He is listed as 20 years of age. He is listed as a “servant” in relation to the head of household, but he is apparently a farm hand for them.

And that’s it. That’s all I can find in the way of records for him.

The photo that was taken of the Cathey family just before William Glenn Cathey died in 1906 has all of the kids except Riley. He would have been about 16 or 17years of age. So I wonder if he left then?

In 1910 his mother was widowed and living in Hurricane Mills, Humphreys County, Tennessee, roughly 75 miles from where he was a farm laborer in Gibson County. I can’t imagine why he went out there, unless (perhaps) he was headed back to Arkansas? According to the 1910 census he had been out of work for 10 weeks in 1909, but I don’t know if that was consecutive weeks or not. That might have been 10 weeks of really slow travel time for all I know.

Tennessee didn’t start requiring death certificates until 1914, so if he died prior to then, and no headstone was erected and no record kept, then we may never know. There are no WWI draft registration cards for him, no military service records at all.

I had read on a forum a while back that the family story was that he left home very young and no one from the Cathey family ever saw or heard from him again, and I am beginning to think that is true. Most of the distant cousins that are direct descendants of Riley’s siblings have never heard of him. Honestly, with the census records and the copy of Lizzie’s family records, I never would have known about him either.

In some ways his disappearance paints him in very bad light. But then again, I don’t know when he left or what the circumstances were.

I would really like to find out what happened with Riley Leonard Cathey, as much as I would like to know how his father William Glenn Cathey died and where he is buried (where both are buried would be wonderful, actually).

Acra Archie Cathey-UPDATED

I have been meaning to do a post on Acra Archie Cathey for a while because his death is somewhat of a mystery, or has just been hush-hushed by family, but I haven’t gotten around to it until now. It was emails from two of his great-granddaughters that finally pushed me to write the post, and hopefully someone who has information about him will come forward with what really happened.

Acra Archie Cathey was born July 24, 1893 in Danville, Stewart County, Tennessee (though his death record says Danville, Hickman County, Tennessee…but Danville is in Stewart County) to parents William Glenn Cathey (1861-1906) and Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers (1870-1952). He was their second born.

The first census that Acra appears on is in 1900 with his family in Indian Bayou, Lonoke County, Arkansas, age 6 years. The others listed on the census are his father Will G Cathey (tipping blocks, age 36 years), his mother Elizabeth (age 30 years), older brother Riley (play only, age 10 years), younger brother Georgie (age 4 years) and younger sister Katie (age 2 years).

By 1910 the family had returned to Tennessee and Acra’s father had passed away. The family is found living in the Eighth District of Humphreys County, Tennessee. Acra is listed as Acry (as his name is pronounced), a farm laborer, age 16 years. His brother Riley is no longer living with the family (another mystery). The others in the household were his mother Elizabeth Cathey (age 36 years-wrong), his younger brother Arlee (George, farm laborer, age 13 years), younger sister Katie (age 12 years), younger sister Ludie (listed as Larine?, age 7 years), younger brother William (age 4 years) and younger sister Maggie (age 2 months-note: I had previously thought it said she was 2 1/2 years, but I was wrong on that. It still doesn’t answer why she was listed as a Cathey if she was actually a Smith, but this suggests that she was born out of wedlock).

I’m not sure why, but Acra’s WWI Draft Registration card has his birth year as 1894, which is a year later than his actual birth. The card lists his occupation as a Teamster for Evan’s & (?). He was short and stout, with blue eyes, light hair, had all of his hair and had all arms and legs.

In 1920 Acra shows up in Cross Keys, DeKalb County, Georgia at Camp Gordon United States Military Reservation. He is listed on the census as Acra A Cathey, a soldier, age 26 years. He is shown as a Corporal for the United States Army.

In 1923 Acra was back in Tennessee. He married Annie Lou Pickard on November 18, 1923 in Dyer County, Tennessee.

The 1930 census shows Acra and his family living in Third Civil District, Madison County, Tennessee. He is listed as Acra Cathey, a farmer, age 36 years. Also in the household were is wife Annie (age 24 years), son Arthur D (age 4 years 8 months) and daughter Dorothy E (age 7 months).

I am eagerly awaiting the release of the 1940 census in April 2012! Acra and Annie Lou had three other children after 1930: Annie Katherine, Francis and Clifford. I look forward to doing posts on them soon when I get stories about them!

Acra Archie Cathey passed away on December 31, 1944 in Humboldt, Madison County, Tennessee. And here is where it gets interesting. According to his death certificate he died from a fractured skull and vertebra (neck?) when he was struck by either a truck or other vehicle out on the highway. There are other theories surrounding his death, however. The one that the family has most often heard was that he was struck over the head with a hammer over either a livestock thief or by someone close to the family due to a feud. My grandmother always said that her Uncle Acra was murdered, as his nephew says, too. Though no one seems to be able to say how. If my grandmother knew then she never told my mom, and I wonder if she told anyone else, or if she even knew how it happened. I’m hoping to get to the bottom of this mystery, though. We are going to ask around to relatives and see if they know.

UPDATE: After making some phone calls my mom discovered that Acra Archie Cathey did indeed die due to being hit on the head with a hammer. It seems to have happened near some railroad tracks. Which makes me question as to why Madison County, Tennessee appears to have covered up the cause of death. The way I figure, a coroner should have (and still) know the difference between a head being hit with a hammer and a head being hit with a car. Perhaps it was a rookie coroner?

Delila Paralee Duffel

Ok, so when I first started building my family tree I noticed that Amanda Summers’ husband, James Anderson Proctor, had been married before to a woman named Paralee, but it seemed as though no one knew who Paralee was, last name, parents, etc. I had put it in the back of my mind to search for her at some point because she intrigued me.

The book Houston County, Tennessee Families and Histories (Turner Publishing Company, 1995) lists a Paralee Duffel, born about 1837, as the daughter of Allen Duffel and Susan McCarroll. I don’t know if this escaped others’ attention or if no one bothered to look into it, because I think it gives a pretty good clue. In fact, when I first saw that I remembered that I was going to research the mysterious Paralee, first wife of JA Proctor.

Now, you’re going to have to stick with me when it comes to her birthdate(s), because we are going to be jumping all over the place with it.

In 1850 Paralee is on the census with her mother Susan, brother Ebbert (age 27 years), brother Thaddeus (age 19 years), sister Mary (age 15 years), brother Thomas (age 11 years) and brother Hardena (yes, brother, listed as a male, age 9 years). The family is living in Stewart County, Tennessee. Allen Duffel, Paralee’s father, had passed away previous to this census. Paralee is listed as 13 years of age, estimating her birth year at 1837, as the book had noted.

But we all should know how incorrect census records, and books, can be. Also, to be noted, if you are looking on Ancestry for this record, the transcriber…transcribed…the name as Sarah, though to me it plainly says Paralee. And for the record, a lot of names were misspelled on marriage and death records, along with birth records that were kept by doctors and churches.

I cannot for the life of me find Paralee in the 1860 census. I have looked and looked, but I just can’t find her. No, let me rephrase: I have not yet found her in the 1860 census.

Now, to share what I found and have been waiting on for what feels like forever to arrive in the mail: a marriage certificate! A marriage certificate for James A(Anderson) Proctor and Delila Paralee Duffle (Duffel). No joke. I check census records to track James Anderson Proctor and sure enough he was in Montgomery County, Tennessee. So the marriage record. On September 23, 1869 James A Proctor and Delila Paralee Duffle (as the spellings are recorded) were married in Montgomery County, Tennessee. I was told by the Montgomery County Archives that the marriage more than likely took place in Clarksville since the minister was Samuel Ringgold, who was, at the time, the Rector at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Clarksville (side note: the same church where my mother was baptized).

So, in 1870 James and Paralee are living in District 7, Benton County, Tennessee. James is listed as 22 years old and working on a farm. Paralee is listed as 25 years old and keeping house. So now her estimated year of birth is 1845.

Paralee doesn’t show up on any other census records. She is, however, on the 1880 US Mortality Schedule. What this tells us is: at the time of death she was 40 years old, estimating her birth year as 1840; she was a housekeeper (whether that means “house wife” or an actual housekeeper, I don’t know…probably the former); her date of death was February 1880; she died of consumption; she died in Houston County, Tennessee (which it should be known that Houston County was formed in 1871 from-depending on the sources-the counties of Stewart, Dickson, Montgomery, Humphreys and Benton…I don’t know which of these are the exact counties, but hopefully someone will enlighten me).

James Anderson Proctor married Amanda Summers on December 11, 1880.

So, I am pretty convinced that Delila Paralee Duffle and James A Proctor are my Paralee Duffel and James Anderson Proctor. Hopefully if I am wrong then someone let me know with proof. This also means that, as some will dispute purely for moral reasons, James Anderson Proctor was Amanda’s uncle, but only through marriage.

I am waiting to find out if they married at Trinity Episcopal Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they find a record that may contain more information!

Bring Out The (figurative) Bloodhounds

Trying to track the maternal line of a family is pretty difficult (unless you are royalty, in which case you probably aren’t making your family tree since it’s been recorded throughout the years anyway). Pretty much women weren’t as important to keep up with back in the day. Really, up until 1850 when everyone in the household was required to be listed by name on the census records, the only place you could find a woman’s name was in a family Bible, marriage and divorce records and/or possibly wills. So, in an effort to keep the maternal lines of my parents fresh in your mind, I decided to list them along with the information I have (and the information I don’t have yet). Enjoy!

My direct maternal line (beginning with my grandmother):

Ruth May Craft

b. August 9, 1925 Gibson County, Tennessee

d. January 14, 2007 Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee

Katie Clady Cathey

b. December 18, 1897 Indian Bayou, Lonoke County, Arkansas

d. November 25, 1935 Trenton, Gibson County, Tennessee

Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers

b. March 15, 1870 Tennessee

d. October 20, 1952 Martin, Weakley County, Tennessee

Amanda Summers

b. abt 1852 Tennessee

d. abt 1889 Tennessee

Emily Jane Duffel

b. abt 1822 Tennessee

d. aft 1880 Tennessee

Susan McCarroll

b. abt 1800 North Carolina

d. aft 1860 Tennessee

Susan Currey

b. abt 1770 Rockingham County, North Carolina

d. aft 1830 Williamson County, Tennessee

Elizabeth Brownlee

b. ?

d. aft 1790 Rockingham County, North Carolina

(note: I have spelled Currey as Currie in other posts and on the sidebar. It has come to light that it may actually be Currey. Also, Elizabeth Brownlee’s last name might have actually been Brownlees. I am awaiting confirmation before I change them, though. Another important note to add concerns Emily Jane Duffel. Though she seems to be listed everywhere on the internet as Susan McCarroll’s daughter, I haven’t actually seen any confirmation on it. I mean, I pretty much assumed since the census records for Susan’s husband, Allen Duffel, list an extra female-older than the rest of the children-that the Houston County, Tennessee: History and Families (Turner Publishing Company, 1995) failed to list (which isn’t surprising, considering the book is trying to tell me that Emily Jane Duffel and Basil Pinkney Summers married in 1830, which would mean Emily was about 8 years old…in reality they married about 1839). Also, there wasn’t another Duffel family in the area that I have found.)

My father, Roger Dale Ray (Robert Jewell Vincent)’s, direct maternal line, beginning with his mother, my grandmother:

Louise Rose

b. March 20, 1923 Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

d. January 9, 2004 Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky

Nellie Lillian Claxton

b. abt 1893 Kentucky

d. abt 1962 Indiana

Willie Melton

b. abt 1873 Kentucky

d. aft 1920 Kentucky?

Hepseba Powell

b. abt 1848 Indiana

d. ? Kentucky?

Alice Bean

b. abt 1824 Virginia

d. aft 1880 Indiana?

(note: as you can see, I don’t have much information on this line at all. I haven’t found the death records of Lilly Claxton or Willie Melton yet, mainly because I haven’t figured out what mix of first, middle and married names might be on the records. I haven’t found Hepsy on a census after 1880 yet.)

Solving One Mystery Can Lead To Another

The question kept coming up of why wasn’t my granddaddy, James Paul Stalls Jr (1917-1987) on the 1920 census with his parents. I just couldn’t understand where he could have been, since he would have been about 3 years old (depending on what month the census was enumerated). The Census record I found that his parents were on was done on January 17, 1920 in Memphis, Tennessee. You can plainly see that his parents are living with the Richards family (James Paul Stalls Jr’s mother’s family). Listed are Jerome Richards (Minnie’s father), Minnie Richards (Minnie’s mother), Paul Stalls (granddaddy’s father), Minnie Stalls (granddaddy’s mother), Bluford Richards (granddaddy’s uncle), Willie Richards (Bluford’s wife) and Nannie Taylor (the servant/nanny).

The possibilities of why he wasn’t living with them were A) perhaps that’s when he had scarlet fever and maybe he was in the hospital-but you would assume they would still have listed him as living in the household with the family, or B) maybe he was living with his grandparents, James Paul Stalls Sr’s family. So I looked them up.

Lo and behold, there he is. But wait! His parents are there, too! Listed (and misspelled) are Frank Curtius and Mary Curtius (JPS Sr’s step-father and mother). Mary’s mother is also there, Francis Bondurant. What’s this? The STALLS family is listed as Curtis’? Crazy! But there they are! Paul Curtis, Mamie Curtis and Paul Curtis Jr. That’s not right, is it? Nope. As you can see, Curtius is misspelled. As is Bondurant. Minnie’s name is written as Mamie. And Paul Sr, Minnie and Paul Jr should all be Stalls. I’m not even going to get into the age differences (only two of the ages listed are correct).

So the Curtius census was enumerated on January 3-4, 1920, also in Memphis, Tennessee.

The questions this raises are: was the Stalls family actually living with the Curtius family and moved within the 14 days between enumerations to the Richards household? Was granddaddy living with them after the move or was he in the hospital (we need to find out when he had scarlet fever)?

This isn’t the first time that someone is listed on more than one census record for the same year. Another example (which this may or may not be the same person, but the names and ages are the same):

My mom noticed on the House of Proctor website that someone had cited the 1870 Nashville, Tennessee census, enumerated July 15, 1870, as listing Amanda Summers. She is 18 years old and is a boarder in the Wyatt household.

In the 1870 Stewart County, Tennessee census, enumerated August 22, 1870, Amanda is living with her parents, Pink and Emily, her siblings, Greenberry and Clementine, and two boys that may or may not be her siblings, Anderson and Rufus (in another post I mentioned that they were not on the 1860 census, even though they would have been 5 and 3 in that year). On this census Amanda is 18 years old, but it isn't actually listed how she is related to the Summers family (but we know she is the daughter, according to other census records).

So, the questions raised by these census records: if the Nashville, Tennessee census is our Amanda, is it possible that she went to Nashville to give birth to Lizzie? If so, where is Lizzie (that question is going to haunt me until I find the answer!)? Either way, Lizzie isn’t listed as living with her on either census. It’s just so strange.

More Thoughts On Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers

I had a revelation last night while perusing the census records for the Summers family that may be a stretch, but in some ways it makes perfect sense (whether or not my idea is truth or not, I don’t know yet…more research will need to be done, but…).

So we already know that I have not been able to locate Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers on the 1870 census, even though she was supposedly born in March of 1870, presumably in Stewart County, Tennessee, and the census for that year in Stewart County wasn’t enumerated until August. And we already know that the woman everyone thinks is her mother, Amanda M Summers, shows up on the 1870 Stewart County census living with her parents sans Lizzie.

But what if that particular Amanda Summers is not Lizzie mother?

According to Lizzie’s death certificate James Franklin Summers and Amanda Summers are her parents. And according to the Proctor family James Anderson Proctor is her father. I’m not really sure why this idea has arisen, unless Lizzie, Leona or Leon told people that was the case. And I’m not saying that Leona and Leon aren’t, I’m saying that I don’t think JA Proctor is Lizzie’s father.

This post also touches base again that just because a death record or census record says something it doesn’t make it true.

Facts according to the census records:

1850 is the first year that the Federal Government required that all persons living in a household be accounted for by name on the census records (prior to 1850 certain states here and there listed each individual family member, but it wasn’t required and those are separate state census records, not federal).

In 1850 Pink and Emily are living in Stewart County, Tennessee with their children (born by the time that census was enumerated): Thomas (age 10 years), Rebecca (age 8 years), James (age 5 years), Green (Greenberry, age 2 years) and Francis (Mary?, age 2 months). (note: the Summers family lived next door to the Cathey family, as in Archibald Cathey and his parents. Archibald is the supposed father of William Glenn Cathey who is future husband of Lizzie).

In 1860 Pink and Emily are living in Stewart County, Tennessee with their children (born by the time that census was enumerated): Thomas (age 20 years), Rebecca (age 18 years), James (age 16 years), Green (Greenberry, age 12 years), Mary (Francis?, age 11 years), Amanda (age 9 years) and Louisa (age 7 years).

In 1870 Pink and Emily are living in Stewart County, Tennessee with their children that are still at home (presumably the others have moved out) and two children that I cannot say for certain are their children, since they should have been on the 1860 census with them if they are (but they weren’t): Greenberry (age 23 years), Amanda (age 18), Clementine (Louisa?, age 16 years) and the two that don’t fit in at all: Anderson (age 15 years) and Rufus (age 13 years). (note: who are the parents of Anderson and Rufus? The census for 1870 doesn’t give how each person is related to head of household, like the 1880 census does. I haven’t yet found them on another census, but I am still looking).

Ok, so now we get down to the 1880 census. Pink has by now passed (haven’t found him on the 1850-1885 Mortality Schedule yet, though). Emily is head of household living with her children: Greenberry (age 32 years) and Amanda (age 28 years). Both Greenberry and Amanda are still Single. Also in the household are the three children *thought* to be Amanda’s: Lizzie (age 10 years), Leona (age 6 years) and Infant (Leon, age 1 month). The three children are listed as Emily’s grandchildren. There is also a boarder listed by the name of Ritchard (age 19 years) that also has the last name Summers (unless the enumerated just didn’t feel like getting his actual last name).

After 1860 Thomas, Rebecca, James and Francis/Mary are no longer found (at least not easily, since I have not yet located them).

After 1870 Louisa (Clementine?) has married and can be found with her husband, last name McMillan. Anderson and Rufus are not found. Pink has passed (as Emily is listed as widowed in 1880).

After 1880 Emily and Amanda are not found. They have presumably passed, also. There is no census for 1890. I have not yet been able to find Leon on the 1900 census, though in 1902 he married Lassie Burton Bellar in Stewart County, Tennessee leading me to believe he probably lived with Greenberry and not James Anderson Proctor. Both Lizzie and Leona married on August 26, 1889 and can be found on the 1900 census with their husbands.

So I am going to present two common theories about Lizzie’s parents to the readers (one less common than the second):

Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and James Anderson Proctor, the man Amanda married in late 1880, are in fact Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers parents.

Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and James Franklin Summers, brother to Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and husband of Tennessee Porter Outlaw, are Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers parents.

Now for a new theory:

What if neither of those theories is correct?

We don’t actually have any proof that Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, is the mother of any of the three possibly illegitimate children, Lizzie being the main person we are focusing on here. The only thing we know is that they are listed on the 1880 census as Emily’s grandchildren. James Anderson Proctor was not the person that signed the marriage bonds for Lizzie and Leona, rather it was Greenberry Summers, Amanda’s brother, that signed them. You would think that if JA Proctor were their father he would have signed the bonds. Remember, this was before he married Sarah Hamm and moved to Missouri. This doesn’t mean that Amanda had died by August of 1889, either. Because we have no proof. I have yet to see a document stating exactly where, when and how she died. Basically, there is no proof anywhere of Amanda M Summers even being their mother, nor them ever having lived with Amanda and JA Proctor after their marriage OR of JA Proctor ever having anything to do with them.

We have Lizzie’s death certificate that names her parents as James Franklin Summers and Amanda Summers. Let’s think about this: if we go back to the 1850 and 1860 census we see that Pink and Emily have a son named James. Granted, it doesn’t give us a middle name, or initial, but it is possible that he was named after his uncle. The Summers family tended to use the same given names over and over: Basil, Greenberry, Pinkney, James, Margaret, Clementine, Emily, etc. If James Summers (son of Pink and Emily) is the father of Lizzie then it is quite possible that he married someone by the name of Amanda, or someone who went by the name Amanda, and when it came time to fill out the death record no one knew what her maiden name had been (as a quick example of how a name can escape a census record: throughout Lizzie’s life she is known on different census records as Lizzie, Margaret, and Elizabeth).

Since I cannot find James Summers (as of yet) on any census record after 1860 is it possible that, if he were married to an Amanda and they had Lizzie, that perhaps they moved from one area where the census hadn’t yet been enumerated in 1870 to an area where it had already been enumerated for that year? And is it possible that they had two more children, Leona and Leon, and then both somehow passed before the 1880 census, whereas the children then show up on that census with their grandmother? It is always completely possible that if a scenario similar (or exactly) like that happened, then Amanda may have taken over the maternal role for the children until her marriage to JA Proctor, without actually being their mother.

I know, I know. That’s quite a stretch. But I fe
el as if it is completely plausible considering Lizzie cannot be found on the 1870 census whatsoever.

As for the census records and birth records being correct, I have already gone over the inconsistencies in other posts. But I will give you another grand example:

In 1830, when the census was enumerated on April 2, Amanda M Summers’ brother Greenberry is living with Lizzie and her second husband William “Bill” Green Smith in Hurricane Mills, Humphrey County, Tennessee. The census says he is 84 years old. When he died on November 25 of the same year the death record has his age as 86 years and no one knows who his parents are. The same 1930 census has Lizzie’s grandson, Raymond Daniel, living with them, but Raymond is also shown living in his parent’s household that same year.

So, let’s recap really quickly:

Are Lizzie’s parents Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and James Anderson Proctor?

Are Lizzie’s parents Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and James Franklin Summers, brother of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and husband of Tennessee Porter Outlaw?

Are Lizzie’s parents Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and a man from another Summers family with the name James Franklin Summers? (note: there was at least one other James Franklin Summers out there, but it seems as though he lived in East Tennessee or North Carolina…where Lizzie’s family had relocated from to Tennessee, anyway…I don’t know why I can’t find the webpage that describes where in Tennessee he moved).

Are Lizzie’s parents Amanda M Summers, daughter of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and a Mystery Man?

Are Lizzie’s parents James Summers, son of Basil Pinkney “Pink” Summers and Emily Jane Duffel, and a wife named Amanda, maiden name unknown?

Or none of the above?

A good question to ask, also, is: why were Lizzie and her daughter Katie so adamant that no one find out they were Native American? Tracing back through the families I am unable to find any Native American, with the exception of Tennessee Porter Outlaw who, if I understand correctly, was at some point listed in court records as “Cherokee Woman”. But if, by some chance, Lizzie is her daughter, then you’d think she would keep her considering that she had a total of 13 children, several born after Lizzie’s birth.

It’s all kind of sketchy, huh?

Thoughts? I welcome them! Documentation? I more than welcome it!

William Glenn Cathey

Are you ready for another mystery? Ok, then! Let’s go!

When I received a copy of the Cathey Family History and Genealogy written by Boyt Henderson Cathey in the mail last week I already knew that my Cathey, William Glenn Cathey, was not in it. I also knew that Archibald Cathey and Isabella Lankford, who are commonly thought to be William Glenn’s parents, are in the book. I had inquired before why William Glenn wasn’t listed with the other children and I was told by John Cathey, the secretary of the Cathey Reunion Association, that William was probably not found until after the book had been written. Which to me is odd, since he is on the census records. No, let me rephrase that…since a William is on the census records. What follows is what I have concerning William Glenn Cathey and William Cathey on the census records that may or may not be the same William.

William Glenn Cathey was born to Archibald Cathey and Isabella Lankford in Tennessee sometime between 1857 and 1864, depending on which source (Reflections From Our Past, A Pictorial History of Houston County, Tennessee © 2001) or census record (1870, 1880 or 1900) you want to believe. The only problem that I have with the 1857 date is that Archibald and Isabella married on February 7, 1857 (according the Reflections From Our Past) or February 8, 1857 (according to Family Search). That does give them plenty of time for Isabella to give birth to William Glenn before the end of 1857, provided that she got pregnant immediately after the marriage. Otherwise she would have had to be pregnant before the marriage since Reflection From Our Past, the source of the 1857 date, also says that Archie and Isabella’s daughter, May Ella Cathey, was born in February of 1858.

So, in the 1870 Stewart County, Tennessee census there was a William (Wm) listed as living in the household at age 8 years, estimated birth date about 1862. Archie, a farmer (of course), and Isabella are listed, along with their other children: Mary (age 12 years), George (age 10 years), Maude (age 6 years), Archibald (age 2 years) and John (age 3 months). So this census gives us quite a difference in the birth year of William, a difference of 5 years, actually, from Reflections.

In 1880 in Houston County, Tennessee we once again find the family with a William, age 17 years, estimated birth date in 1863. Parents Archie (Archable) and Isabella (Izabell) and their children listed: Marella (age 22 years), George (age 20 years), Maud (age 15 years), AK (age 12 years), Walter age (10 years), granddaughter Maud (age 2 years), and Udora Lankford (Eudora, age 35 years) who was Isabella’s sister and is listed on the census as Idiotic.

We already know that William Glenn Cathey married Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers on August 26, 1889, even though Reflections gives the year as 1888 (I’m beginning to see a pattern of misinformation in this book…I would really like to get my hands on the book…the two pages I have seen from it were emailed to me from the Stewart County, Tennessee library).

In 1900 William Glenn and Lizzie are living in Indian Bayou, Lonoke, Arkansas. William, by now is 36 years old and this census gives his birth date as February of 1864. So that is now a 7 year difference from Reflections, a 2 year difference from the 1870 census and a 1 year difference from the 1880 census. William at this point has four children: Riley (Riley Leonard, age 10 years), Arthie (Acra Archie, age 6 years), Georgie (George Arlee, age 4 years) and Katie (Katie Clady, age 2 years). This is also the census that describes William Glenn’s occupation as “tipping block” which I don’t have the foggiest idea what that is (please, I am begging someone to tell me!).

William Glenn Cathey and Lizzie had at least 2 more children before his death: Ludie Mae Cathey and Willie Richard Cathey. There is another Cathey child listed on the 1910 census with widowed Lizzie by the name of Maggie Cathey, though I am still trying to determine if she might be the Maggie Smith listed on later census records (or not, I can’t figure it out yet).

According to Reflections, William Glenn Cathey passed away on July 4, 1906 in Houston County, Tennessee and he is buried in Nolan Cemetery in Hurricane Mills, Humphreys County, Tennessee. Since Tennessee was not required to keep vital records until 1914, there is no death record for him (that I have located). I put in a request at Find A Grave for someone to find his headstone and snap a picture of it for me, but no one has claimed it yet. Of course, I don’t even know if there is a headstone, let alone if he is really buried there.

So there’s another mystery that has yet to be solved. I still can’t figure out why the William on the census records wouldn’t have been included in the Cathey book unless Boyt did the research for the book only from sources other than census records. I also wish I could get better birth and death dates. And I also wish that someone would tell me what “tipping blocks” is for an occupation.

Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers

I keep running across ancestors that make me scratch my head, and then make me want to pull my hair out. This is one of those ancestors (insert Law & Order “bomp bomp” here).

Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers supposedly was born on March 15, 1870 in Tennessee. I say supposedly, because I cannot find her on any census from 1870 and by the time most were enumerated that year she would have been several months old, thus appearing somewhere. And I get that date off of her death certificate and the 1900 census. Where was she? If someone can find her in 1870 I will be forever grateful.

So, by all accounts she was born to mother Amanda. In 1870 Amanda is found in Danville, Stewart County, Tennessee living with her parents, Pink (Basil Pinkney Summers) and Emily (Duffel) Summers, and her siblings, Greenberry, Clementine, Anderson and Rufus. The census was enumerated on August 12, 1870. So where is Lizzie? The census also states that Amanda is Single. Not Widowed. Not Married. Not Divorced. Single. So from this we can gather that Lizzie was illegitimate. Well, if she actually existed at that point, I mean.

In 1880 Lizzie finally shows up on the census enumerated in June 1880, either on the 15^th or the 5^th, it’s kind of hard to read. By now Houston County, Tennessee (ca. 1871) had been formed, part of it from Stewart County, and that is where they are shown living. Amanda is now living with her mother (Widowed), her brother Greenberry (Single) and a 19 year old boarder named “Ritchard”. Also living in the household are Amanda’s THREE children: Lizzie (age 10 years), Leona (age 6 years) and “Infant” (Leon Edward, age 1 month). Amanda is still Single. Not Widowed. Not Married. Not Divorced. Single. Which means that all three of her children were illegitimate.

So who was Lizzie’s father? Did all three of Amanda’s children at this point have the same father?

After 1880 we don’t see Amanda on the census records. She apparently died in 1889, after having married James Anderson Proctor late in the year of 1880 after his first wife, Paralee, died of consumption in February the same year. Lizzie married William Glenn Cathey August 26, 1889. Depending on exactly when Amanda died (which we don’t know…the Mortality Schedules were also destroyed for the years following 1885 along with the 1890 census…sigh), I think that the marriage may have been set up. On the same day, by the same person, Leona also married. Lizzie would have been 19 years old and Leona would have been 16 years old. Amanda’s brother Greenberry had signed and witnessed both bonds for the marriages. James Anderson Proctor remarried for a third time to Sarah Hamm (Sallie J Hams on Family Search) on December 26, 1889 in Montgomery County, Tennessee. I don’t know where Amanda’s other illegitimate child, Leon, is at the time but I am assuming he stayed with Greenberry. Her other children that she gave birth to after marrying James Anderson Proctor continued to live with him, moving to Missouri with him later.

In 1900 Lizzie and William Glenn Cathey are in Indian Bayou, Lonoke, Arkansas. Will’s occupation is shown as “tipping blocks”, which if anyone knows what that is, please enlighten me. Lizzie is at home with their four children: Riley (age 10 years), Archie (age 6 years), George (age 4 years) and Katie (age 2 years). Katie is their only child born in Arkansas.

In 1910 Lizzie shows up on the census as Elizabeth Cathey, widowed, living in Humphreys County, Tennessee. Apparently William Glenn Cathey died in 1906 (and is buried in Nolan Cemetery in Humphreys County, Tennessee near Hurricane Mills), though I have yet to find proof of his actual death and I have not seen his headstone as of yet. The children living with Lizzie are: Alvy (Acra Archie, age 16 years), Arlee (George, age 13 years), Katie (age 12 years), Lorine (Ludie Mae, age 7 years), William (Willie Richard, age 4 years) and Maggie (age 2 ½ years). All of the children also carry the Cathey surname. I had seen one source that pinpointed Lizzie and William “Bill” Green Smith’s wedding to a specific date in 1909, but we can see that as of April 27, 1910 Lizzie was not shown as having remarried, nor had she changed her last name to Smith. There were two Smith families living on either side of her, but neither of them had him living in their household.

I still haven’t seen exactly when Lizzie married William “Bill” Green Smith, but I am hoping to find it, or have it shown to me, soon.

By 1920 they had married. Lizzie and Bill are living in Humphreys County, Tennessee with their children: Maggie Smith (age 9 years), Luda Pearl Smith (age 7 years), Walter James Smith (age 4 years), Arlee Cathey (age 24 years) and Willie Cathey (age 14 years). So, I guess I can ask the obvious here: Maggie Cathey in 1910, Maggie Smith in 1920? Were they the same person? If so then she lost 3 ½ years somewhere along the way. And if they are the same person then she was illegitimate since Lizzie and Bill were not yet married by her birth. Two other scenarios for her birth: Maggie Cathey was a different Maggie and William Glenn Cathey is her father, thus making his death date NOT 1906 or Maggie Cathey’s father is a “mystery man” (much like Lizzie’s father). If Maggie Cathey and Maggie Smith are not the same person, then what happened to Maggie Cathey? On a separate note, Ludie Mae, one of Lizzie’s daughters with William Glenn Cathey, is living next door to the Smith family with her husband, Cam Daniel.

In 1930 Lizzie is living in Humphreys County, Tennessee with Bill. Their son, Walter James (age 14 years), is also living with them. The other two people listed as living in the household are Ludie Mae’s son Raymond (age 3 years, ALSO listed as living in Ludie’s household!) and Lizzie’s uncle, Greenberry Summers (age 84 years, though his death certificate for the same year says 86 years).

The census records end there (for now…they are released every 72 years, so next year in 2012 the 1940 census will be released…yay!).

Bill Smith died October 5, 1946 of lobar pneumonia at Western State Lunatic Asylum (as it was known then) where he had been for 26 days (he only had pneumonia for 3 days before his death).

At some point, from what my mother and I have been told, Lizzie lived with her daughter Ludie Mae. I am not sure if that is where she was living when she died or not. From her death record I know she was living in Waverly, Humphreys County, Tennessee.

Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers died in at Weakley County Hospital in Martin, Weakley County, Tennessee on October 20, 1952. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertension. She is buried in Crockett Cemetery, Hurricane Mills, Humphreys County, Tennessee along side her husband, William “Bill” Green Smith.

Going back to the matter of Lizzie’s father: the Proctor family, for some reason, wants to claim Lizzie, Leona and Leon as James Anderson Proctor’s children. I’m not sure why they want that. I figure it would be more savory to say that JA Proctor was nice enough to take into his home this woman with three illegitimate children rather than say that he was such a bastard that he cheated on his first wife and fathered not one, not two, but THREE children with some other woman. Lizzie’s death certificate says that James Franklin Summers is her father. James Franklin Summers, at least the one I know about that is connected to the Summers family, is Amanda’s uncle, her father’s brother, who was, at the time of Lizzie’s birth, married to Tennessee Porter Outlaw. There were plenty of other James Summers that lived in Tennessee, in or near Stewart County, in 1870, also. When I inquired at the Tennessee Archives about Lizzie’s parents’ names having been written in on the death certificate Chuck Sherrill sent me an email saying

“Regarding the handwritten addition of the names of Mrs. Smith's parents, it appears to me that someone reviewed this certificate after it was typed and noted that there was missing information. This reviewer marked the omissions with a star. Someone then went back and obtained the needed information and wrote it in by hand. Whether that additional data came from the original informant (Walter Smith), or from some other source, is not clear.

I looked through about 50 certificates surrounding this one and found only one other with a red star on it. That person did not die at the hospital. I had thought the review might have been done by hospital staff, but apparently it was done at the Health Department.”

So either way, we still have no clue who Lizzie’s father was. And I can’t honestly say that Amanda Summers was Lizzie’s mother, either. Why, you ask? Because so far my autosomal DNA that I submitted has not matched anyone that is related to the Proctor family. If any of the descendants of James Anderson Proctor (and his Proctor Family) and Amanda Summers (and her Summers family) or their children submitted DNA, I would match up to them somehow. So far, nada.

We also understand that Lizzie may have been Native American. Neither Lizzie or her daughter Katie wanted anyone to know that they were “Indian”, going as far as to keep themselves covered from the sun in order to not tan. Another time my grandmother, when she was young, repeated a derogatory remark she had heard from her father about Native Americans to Lizzie. Lizzie turned around and backhanded my grandmother off the porch.

Let’s recap:

Who was Lizzie’s biological father?

Who is this mysterious Maggie Cathey?

When did William Glenn Cathey die?

When did Lizzie marry William “Bill” Green Smith?

Is there anyone out there that can answer the mysteries of Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers?

The Craft Family and the Melungeons

Several years ago a descendant of the the Craft family presented to my mother in an email the theory that the Craft line extended back to the Melungeons that originated in the Southeastern part of the United States: North Carolina and South Carolina into Tennessee and parts of Virginia, Kentucky and so on. If you don’t know about the Melungeons there is a website with a ton of information that I found through the Lost Colony/Melungeon Lore DNA Project, Melungeon Heritage Association.

There are several theories on the origin of the Melungeons, one being that the members of the Lost Colony of Roanoke may have travelled to Croatan Island and blended with the Native inhabitants. Another theory, of course, is that the colonists were attacked and murdered by the Natives.

In general it is thought that the Melungeons are a grab-bag mix of Native Americans, freed black slaves, Portuguese and white European settlers. DNA tests show that the genomes of known Melungeon descendants correlate with all of these groups.

Census records show us that these families all had appearances that did not allow them to be categorized into mainstream society. They were usually listed as black, Indian or mulatto. In general they may have had European features, but with darker skin. Or some of their features may have been more African than European. There are photos that can be found online of known Melungeons. Some I see and I think that I never would have noticed a difference. Some I see and, though the features are clearly European, their skin is very dark. I have even seen photos of people with blonde hair and very dark skin. As time went on and the Melungeons mingled and married those with predominately European ancestry their successors slowly became accepted as “white”.

So when my mother introduced me with this family theory, I decided to check it out. Because my autosomal DNA matches so many different world populations I am comparing it to different people of known Melungeon origins. This, of course, takes more research, but it’s pretty intriguing. This may explain why members of my direct Craft family get so dark in the sun so quickly. And though we know there is Native American blood, there may also be Melungeon.

A woman in the Lost Colony/Melungeon Lore DNA Project also has Crafts in her family. If I can find if and how her Crafts are from the same line I may be able to say unquestionably that, yes, our Crafts are descended from Melungeons.

I am still researching them, but here’s what I have so far (that I am certain of), following my direct line (this in no way represents all of the offspring from each couple, only my direct line):

Thomas Craft (abt 1810-?)

Dicey Unknown (abt 1822-?)

According to census records Thomas was born in North Carolina. Both his mother and father were born in South Carolina. Dicey was born in Tennessee and both her mother and father were born in South Carolina.

John Craft (1867-1931)

Epanetes (Eppy) Willhite (1869-?)

John Craft was born in Tennessee. Census records state that his father was born in Tennessee, so either the census taker or John himself made a mistake.

Henry Corbett Craft (1895-1971)

Katie Clady Cathey

Corb was born in Hickman County, Tennessee. Katie was born in Indian Bayou, Lonoke, Arkansas.

Ruthie May Craft (1925-2007)

James Paul Stalls, Jr (1917-1987)

Both Ruth and Paul were born in Tennessee.

I have read on websites many different surnames for Dicey. I have also seen many different fathers listed for Thomas, with the most promising being a Charles Craft from South Carolina. Until I have confirmation on these names, however, I cannot actually add them.

On an interesting side note, I read on Wikipedia that an anti-illegal immigration group is using Virginia Dare, the child of , more or less, illegal immigrants (the Native Americans sure didn’t want them on their land) as the namesake and symbol of their group.

Category: Summers Family