Digging Up Your Family

I’m really not sure why it takes so long to research and write a post on each member of the Bondurant family (so far).  Maybe there’s just a lot of information about them?  Anyway, you’ll notice discrepancies in names and dates.  What I am presenting is what I know as fact.  If anything is not correct, please let me know (and provide the proof)!

My relationship to Francis Elizabeth Brewer:

Me

Virginia Marie Stalls (my mom)

James Paul Stalls, Jr (my granddaddy)

James Paul Stalls, Sr (great-grandfather)

Mary J “Annie” Bondurant (2nd great-grandmother)

Francis Elizabeth Brewer (3rd great-grandmother)

Francis Elizabeth Brewer was born March 4, 1845 (according to the 1900 US Census) or March 24, 1846 (according to her headstone) in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee to William Brewer and Elizabeth McPeak.

By the time the 1850 census was enumerated the family had moved to Marshall County, Kentucky.  Francis is listed as Francis E. Brewer, age 5 years.  Also in the household are her parents William (farmer, age 30 years) and Elizabeth (age 39 years, though this may have been a mistake), and her siblings Mary J (age 6 years) and James M (age 2 years).

In 1860 the family is listed as living in Benton, Marshall County, Kentucky.  Francis is listed as E, age 15 years.  Her father is listed as W Brewer (farmer, age 40 years) and her mother is listed as just a dash “-“ (age 38 years, which leads me to believe the 1850 census was wrong).  Her siblings are listed as MJ (age 17 years) and M (age 13 years).

Francis Elizabeth Brewer married Joseph M Bondurant on November 17, 1863 in Marshall County, Kentucky.

In 1870 the Bondurant family is found living in Benton, Marshall County, Kentucky.  Francis is listed as Elizabeth F Bondurant, age 24 years.  Her husband is listed as Joseph Bondurant, a merchant, age 28 years.  They had a full house, too!  Their children living in the household:  son Thomas M (age 6 years), daughter Mary J (“Annie”, age 4 years) and John W (age 2 years).  Joseph’s mother Sarah Cross (maiden name Hunt, married Bondurant, then married Cross, age 50 years), and Joseph’s brother George Bondurant (farmer, age 20 years) lives with them, as well as Joseph’s grandfather Daniel Hunt (Sarah’s father, farmer, age 87 years) and a man named Andrew J Hunt (not sure how he is related, age 19 years).

The 1880 census has the family living in Smiths, Marshall County, Kentucky.  The household has shrunk considerably.  Francis is listed as age 35 years.  Joseph is listed as a trader and buyer of stocks, age 37 years.  The children are:  Thomas (age 15 years), Annie (age 14 years), John W (age 13 years) and Clifton M (age 4 years).  There is also a boarder living with the family named Rosa Kline (age 21 years).

Francis became a widow when her husband Joseph passed away on December 21, 1886.  Three years later her son-in-law James Franklin Stalls, husband of her daughter Annie, passed away on November 19, 1899.  From James’ obituary we know that Francis (named as Betty Bondurant in the obituary) lived on Seventh Street near Clay Street in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky (note:  the part of Clay Street that crossed Seventh Street is now Martin Luther King Jr Drive).  I’m not certain when the Bondurant family moved to Paducah, but it was prior to April 30, 1888 (the marriage date of James Franklin Stalls and Mary J “Annie” Bondurant).

I assume that plans were made then for Francis to move to Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  In 1890 her sons John and Clifton both lived in Memphis, working as messengers for the Southern Express Rail Company (according to the 1890 Memphis telephone directories).  I assume that Francis moved to Memphis in 1893 with her daughter and grandson.  She can be found in the Memphis telephone directories through the 1890s:

1894 Polk Directory:

Bondurant, Francis E. (wid Joseph), res 45 Mosby. – Annie, James Paul, Clifton and John W also lived in the household

1895 Polk Directory:

Bondurant, Elizabeth F. (wid Joseph) res 45 Mosby. – Annie, James Paul, Clifton and John W also lived in the household

1896 Polk Directory:

Bondurant, Frances E. (wid Joseph), bds 83 Market. – Annie, James Paul, Clifton, John W and a Nellie B Bondurant also lived in the household

1897 Degaris Directory:

Francis is not listed in this telephone directory, but her daughter is listed as Annie living at a boardinghouse at 59 Poplar. – James Paul, Clifton and John W also lived in the household

1898 Degaris Directory:

Bondurant, Francis M. (wid Joseph), bds 59 Poplar. – Annie, James Paul, Clifton and John are shown living in the household, however

1898 Polk Directory:

Bondurant, Francis (wid Joseph), bds 59 Poplar. – Annie, James Paul and Clifton reside in the household, and John W is shown living at 504 Union Avenue

1899 Polk Directory:

Bondurant, Frances E. (wid Joseph), bds 59 Poplar – Annie, James Paul and Clifton also lived in the household

It took a second to find Francis on the 1900 census.  Her name had been transcribed incorrectly, but as you can see in the photo the last part of it had been scribbled over.  This census tells us information that wasn’t known before, and also leaves some questions that I will have to figure out the answers to.  Francis is listed as France E Bondurant.  She is shown living in District 65, Ward 2, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  Her age is listed as 55 years and her birthdate is given as March 4, 1845.  She is listed as having seven children, with only three still living.  Also, living with her is a child previously unknown:  Sam Bondurant, age 18 years.  His birthdate is shown as December 6, 1881.  He would have been almost 5 years of age when his father passed away.  This also means that he was living with her in all of the above mentioned locations from the telephone directories.  Also living in the household was a boarder named John A Stoke, age 45 years.

This leaves me wondering.  We know from census records that her children named are: Thomas M Bondurant
, Mary J “Annie” Bondurant, John W Bondurant, Clifton M Bondurant and Sam Bondurant.  So who were the other two unknowns?  When and where did they die?

In 1910 Francis was most definitely running a boarding house.  She lived in District 107, Ward 2, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  She is listed as Fannie W Bondurant, age 65 years, widowed, and still seven children with three still living.  Living with her were:  her grandson James Paul Stalls, Sr (age 21 years), son-in-law Frank A Curtiss (Curtius, age 50 years) and daughter Mary J Curtiss (“Annie” Curtius, age 44 years).  The boarders, listed as “roomers” in the household were:  Warren M Taylor (age 27 years), Hazel Taylor (age 22 years), Frank L Mitchell (age 56 years), Sallie J Mitchell (age 47 years), Henry Z Lewis (age 56 years), Laura S Lewis (age 56 years), Charles D Lewis (age 34 years), Phil H Lewis (age 29 years), Phil Thatch (age 69) and Ella Thatch (age 58 years).

The last census that Francis appears on is the 1920 census enumerated in District 179, Ward 2, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  She is shown as Francis Bondurant, age 74 years.  Her son-in-law Frank Curtis (Curtius, age 56 years) is head-of-household.  Also living in the house are:  her daughter Mary Curtis (“Annie” Curtius, age 52 years), her grandson Paul Stalls (age 30 years), Paul’s wife Mamie (Minnie Stalls, age 22 years) and Paul’s son Paul (James Paul Stalls, Jr, age 2 1/2 years).

Francis Elizabeth Brewer passed away January 21, 1922 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  The cause of death was bronco-pneumonia.

A Bondurant cousin sent me copies of both of her obituaries from Paducah newspapers:

Mrs. Bondurant Dies in Memphis;  Related to Paducah Family

Messages received in this city Saturday evening announced the death of Mrs. Bettie Brewer Bondurant, 76 years of age, which occurred at 7 o’clock Saturday evening at her home in Memphis, Tenn.  Mrs. Bondurant’s death resulted from a brief illness of pneumonia.  She was born in Marshall county, Ky., and resided in this city for many years, where she is remembered by a wide circle of friends.  She was the widow of the late Joseph Bondurant, of Paducah.  Mrs. Bondurant has resided with her daughter, Mrs. Annie Bondurant Curtis, of Memphis, a number of years.  She was a member of the Christian church and a woman of many beautiful traits of character.  Surviving are her daughter, Mrs. Curtis, two sons, Clifton and William Bondurant, all of Memphis.  The body will be brought to Paducah and will be taken to the home of her sister, Mrs. J. K. Bondurant, 501 North Sixth street.  The message did not state the time of the arrival and no funeral arrangements have been announced.  The burial will take place in Oak Grove cemetery.

 FORMER PADUCAH WOMAN BROUGHT HERE FOR BURIAL

Funeral services for Mrs. Bettie Brewer Bondurant, 76 years old, who died Saturday evening at her home in Memphis, Tenn., was held Monday morning from the residence of Mrs. J. K. Bondurant, sister of the deceased, 501 North Sixth street.  Burial was in Oak Grove cemetery.

Mrs. Bondurant’s death resulted after a brief illness of pneumonia.  She was born in Marshall county and made her home in Paducah for a number of years.  She had many friends here.  She was the widow of the late Joseph Bondurant and of late years had made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Annie Bondurant Curtis, of Memphis.  She was a member of the Christian church.

The surviving children just confused me even more.  There are three children listed: Annie, Clifton and William (John).  So what about Sam?  Something seems fishy here!

Another interesting thing to note:  while the census records say she was born in Tennessee, and her parents lived in Tennessee at the time of her birth, her obituaries state she was born in Marshall County, Kentucky.  This, obviously, is incorrect.