Digging Up Your Family

Lucy Johnson Breedlove

I am still researching Lucy Johnson Breedlove, but I will post what I know about her.

Lucy Johnson Breedlove is my Great-Grandmother from my father’s family.

Lucy was born October 13, 1881 in McLean County, Kentucky to John Breedlove and Margaret Stringer. I believe she was one of six children, Drusy (Drusie, Druse) Breedlove being the youngest.

Due to the destruction of the 1890 census Lucy does not show up until the 1900 census, which proves to be interesting. She is not on just one census, but on two. I can’t imagine there was another Lucy J Breedlove born the same time in the same town, but it is possible.

The first census was done on June 4, 1900 in Sacramento Town, District 2, McLean County, Kentucky and was enumerated by Garland Quisenberry. In this census Lucy is living with the Bates Family, of which Alfred M, head of household, is a grocer. Lucy is said to be 18 years of age, born October 1881, single and she is a servant in the Bates household.

The second census was done on June 12, 1900, eight days after the first, in Sacramento Town, District 2, McLean County, Kentucky and was also enumerated by Garland Quisenberry. In this census Lucy is living with her parents and sister, along with two children listed as John Breedlove’s grandchildren. Lucy is said to be 18 years of age, born October 1881, single and her occupation is left blank.

I can only assume that both 6/4 Lucy and 6/12 Lucy are the same person, however if anyone has anymore insight into this I would like to hear from you!

Lucy married Martin Riley Vincent (1881-1953) on November 10, 1902. I have yet to find the marriage record, so I’m not sure where they married. Lucy and Martin had, as much as I have gathered so far, eight children, one being Elbert Tracey “Shorty” Vincent, my grandfather.

Lucy died on February 14, 1971 in Stewart County, Tennessee.

She is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Dover, Tennessee along side Martin Riley Vincent.

From the small amount I have been told about Lucy, it is common family lore that she is either Full Blood or 1/2 Native American. I haven’t yet found any proof as to this story, nor do I know which Tribe she might have been a member of, though I would love to find out more. I seem to remember someone saying that somewhere is a picture of her in her full regalia. If anyone has this picture (or any pictures of her, for that matter), or if anyone knows more about this, contact me and let me know! I’m curious to learn more about Lucy and her family!

I have just, in the past 2-3 months, found this part of my family. My father had been adopted when he was very young. Lucky for me, my mom knew his birth name and that assisted me in finding aunts, uncles and cousins, with whom I am thrilled to be in contact with and they seem just as thrilled to be in contact with me!

Amanda M Summers

Amanda M Summers continues to be somewhat of a mystery in my family. I am hoping that by posting what I know about her someone will turn up that may have more information for me.

The information I have on her outright is that she was born in Tennessee in 1850 to Basil Pinkney Summers and Emily Jane Duffel. She first shows up in the 1860 census as Amanda Sommers, age 9, living with her parents “Pinkney” and “Emaly” (seriously, way to go with correct spelling) residence in Stewart County, Tennessee. This would mean she had been born in 1851, however.

The next census, 1870, shows her as Amanda Summers, age 18, living with her parents “Pink” and “Emaly”, residence in Stewart County, Tennessee.

The last census she is on is 1880, as “Amanday” Summers, age 28 (again, setting her year of birth at 1852) living with her mother “Emley”, residence in Houston County, Tennessee. At this time she also had three children, Elizabeth (Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers, 1870-1852), age 10; Leona (Leona A “Lonie” Summers 1873-1956), age 6; and Infant (Leon Edward “Ed” Summers 1880-1944), age 1 month. This census also lists her marital status as Single.

After the 1880 census was performed Amanda married James Anderson Proctor in Houston County, Tennessee on December 11, 1880.

There are no other records that I can find regarding Amanda. She apparently died in 1889. Before her death she had three children with JA Proctor: Richard Pinkney Proctor 1882-1952, Earl Parker Proctor 1884-1953 and Zana Frances Proctor 1888-1958.

James Anderson Proctor married for the third time to Sarah J Hamm sometime in 1889 or 1890. He had four more children with her.

I saw on one personal family tree on Ancestry that Amanda died in 1917, but the general consensus is that she died in 1889.

The general consensus, also, is that James Anderson Proctor is the father of her first three children, Lizzie, Lonie and Ed. However, I recently came across Lizzie’s death certificate and it says that James Franklin Summers was her father. James Franklin Summers was Basil Pinkney Summers’ brother.

If this is the case then I have some questions: is Amanda a blood descendent of Basil Pinkney Summers or was she perhaps adopted? Was she really having relations with her uncle? If James Franklin Summers is the father of her oldest child does this mean that he is also the father of her other two illegitimate children? Was there maybe another James Franklin Summers that lived in Stewart County (her uncle lived in Humphreys County, Tennessee at the time).

I’m hoping someone will have some other proof of who the father of Amanda’s first three children are. I’m also hoping someone can help me with how, and exactly when and where, Amanda died. And what was her middle name, what did the “M” stand for? Any other information/stories about her is more than welcome! And if anyone has any pictures that would be fantastic, too!

James Franklin Stalls

James Franklin Stalls is my Great-Great-Grandfather. And until now he has been a mystery to the family. Actually, he still kind of is!

According to census records JFS was born in Tennessee, though I can’t really say where in Tennessee. I will assume, for now, that he was born in Stewart County since a plethora of Stalls lived there and he was in some census records there.

A Stalls Bible gives his date of birth as August 29, 1857. The same bible record gave his death as November 19, 1889, yet we had nothing else to go by for that date. However, after researching, and searching, I finally found his obituary.

The Life of James Franklin Stalls (as is currently known)

James Franklin Stalls was born August 29, 1857 to James ML Stalls (1831-1912) and Georgia Ann Manning (1835-1918) in Tennessee. At some point he and his family moved to the Clark’s River area of Paducah, Kentucky.

The next documentation I have on JFS, after census records, is a marriage bond/certificate for him and Miss Mary J “Annie” Bondurant, daughter of Joseph Bondurant (dates currently unknown) and Elizabeth Francis Brewer (dates currently unknown). JFS and Annie Bondurant married in Paducah, Kentucky on April 30, 1888. According to the bond/certificate JFS was living in Obion County, possibly the town of Obion, in Tennessee and he was in the lumber business, presumably a sawmill worker.

The presumption has always been that JFS’s son, James Paul Stalls, Sr (June 12, 1889-January 21, 1951) was born in Obion County, Tennessee because JPS’s death certificate had states that (as informed by Evelyn Mozelle Fitzgerald Stalls, 2nd wife of James Paul Stalls, Sr). However, my Granddaddy, James Paul Stalls, Jr, always said that his father was born in Kentucky. Because Obion County was unable to find anything concerning either JFS, Annie or JPS I turned my attention back to Paducah, Kentucky. As of today I still haven’t found any documentation other than his death certificate as to whether JPS was actually born in Tennessee or Kentucky.

One of the family stories, that has yet to be disproven, is that an accident of some sort happened to JFS at a sawmill. Whether or not that meant he had an arm chopped off or was killed, we didn’t know. For all we knew it could have been another Stalls that had the accident. We do know now that he didn’t die directly of a sawmill accident, if he had one at all.

I finally have in my possession his obituary. James Franklin Stalls died at 4:30 in the afternoon on November 19, 1889 of pneumonia. I believe he was still living in Obion County, Tennessee, at least part time, because the obituary states he is from Obion and that his body was sent to Paducah for burial in Oak Grove Cemetery. I’m wondering if it is possible that he was in Obion for work, yet returned often to Paducah to be with his bride, and then bride and child.

I currently have two lovely ladies at the parks department in Paducah that oversee Oak Grove Cemetery on the case trying to find out exactly where JFS is buried. he is not listed on their interment list.

All I know is that if the newspaper that printed his obituary had spelled his name correctly then the family would have had this information long ago. I don’t know if the newspaper had a telephone at the time, but it is possible that if his death was called in then errors were bound to happen.

If anyone else has any information about James Franklin Stalls, please feel free to let me know! I would almost hope that a long lost relative or the descendent of a neighbor that has stories would be wonderful!

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