Thursday, February 23, 2023

A Tale of Two Jobs: Part Two - Job's Children




 



Job Falkner was born around the time of the American Revolution in Anson County, North Carolina. He married Mary Frances Gulledge, daughter of William H. and Bathsheba Watts Gulledge, as a young man. She was born either in North or South Carolina. I believe Job to have been one of the sons of Asa Falkner, son of Francis Falkner, who had migrated from Queen Anne's County, Maryland to Granville County, NC, then Cumberland, then Anson.


Job was a rolling stone. He didn't let the soil dry on his heels. From what I have been able to surmise, his first few sons were born in Anson, he then relocated to Edgefield District, South Carolina, where many of his kin had already located. From there, he traversed through several counties in Georgia, following the land lotteries as they became available, going from Jaspar to Twiggs to Troup to Walton to Fayette, before finally settling in Randolph County, Alabama about 1837 and passing away there in 1843. He and his wife, Mary Frances had 8 children who lived to adulthood. This is their story. 


William Gulledge "Gully" Falkner

Their firstborn was William Gulledge Falkner, named for his maternal grandfather and nicknamed "Gully".  I had begun this post with the title of "The Children of Job and Mary Frances Gulledge Falkner", but changed it, Toungue-In-Cheek to "Job's Children". While no one names their children Job anymore, in the late 1700's and early 1800's, they did. While census records indicate that Job and Mary F. may have had two older sons, the names of such are not known, and neither is their disposition or fate. 

I will refer to Gully by his nickname, as their were far too many Williams in the world at that time. He was a feroscious visage, at least later in life. According to legend and memories, and the lead-in portrait, he wore his hair long and unkempt, and had lost one of his blue eyes  to war, fight or accident, perhaps, I don't know which. In my quick study of the Gulledges, many have tried to link his mother's family to one of those illusive "Cherokee Princesses", (why are folks so deadset on creating some distant Native ancestry), however, the war records that recorded descriptions of the soldiers, had a large number of the sons and grandsons of this family as "fair", "fair-haired" and with blue or 'light' eyes, so I doubt this was true. If it was, it was so far back it washed away. 


Gully was born March 3, 1805 in Anson County, North Carolina, so he was one who made all of the moves with his 'worm-in-hot-ashes' father. On February 26, 1828, he married Nancy Laura Parker, the daughter of Isaiah and Laodicea Parker. She was also born in Anson County, North Carolina. Her parents passed away in Dekalb County, Georgia, so the families may have been migrating together in the beginning.

Name:William G Falkner
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):Fayette, Georgia
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:1
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:1
Slaves - Males - Under 10:1
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:1
Slaves - Females - Under 10:1
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:1
Free White Persons - Under 20:1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:2
Total Free White Persons:3
Total Slaves:4
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):7

Gully and Nancy are listed just 2 years after their marriage in Fayetter County, Georgia, with an infant son and 4 slaves in the household. 



He recieves a land grant in 1838 in Randolph County, Alabama and has followed his family there.


Name:William G Falkner
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):Randolph, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:2
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:1
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:2
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:3
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:1
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:1
Persons Employed in Agriculture:1
Schools - No. of Scholars (Pri/Comm):8
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write:1
Free White Persons - Under 20:7
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:3
Total Free White Persons:10
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:10

 In the 1840 census, in Randolph County, his family has expanded to 7 children, his oldest son now 10 to 14, and two between 5 and 9, and 4 daughters. There are two men in their 30's in the home, one of them obviously Gully, but it also states that only one person in the home was employed in agriculture, while 8 were scholars. That means the 30-something year old man was also a scholar, perhaps a boarder, perhaps a relative, perhaps a tutor he had hired to teach his children. He no longer had any enslaved people in the household.


Name:Wm G Falkner
Gender:Male
Race:White
Age:45
Birth Year:abt 1805
Birthplace:North Carolina
Home in 1850:Shelby, Alabama, USA
Occupation:Farmer
Industry:Agriculture
Real Estate:500
Line Number:6
Dwelling Number:635
Family Number:639
Inferred Spouse:Nancy Falkner
Household Members (Name)Age
Wm G Falkner45
Nancy Falkner42
Asa Falkner21
Mary Falkner20
Mathew Falkner18
Elizabeth Falkner14
Catharine Falkner12
Calista Falkner10
Nancy Falkner8
William Falkner7
Harriet Falkner4
Elizah Falkner2

Gully was a farmer by trade, and by 1850, he was listed in Shelby County, Alabama.




Randolph and Shelby were not bordering counties, however, on April 24, 1854, he was elected as a Justice of the Peace back in Randolph County, again, after the current one resigned.

Name:Wm Falker[][]
Age:55
Birth Year:abt 1805
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Place:North Carolina
Home in 1860:Shelby, Alabama
Post Office:Sterrett
Dwelling Number:1366
Family Number:1366
Occupation:Farmer
Real Estate Value:1500
Personal Estate Value:1000
Inferred Spouse:Nancy Falker
Inferred Child:Wm FalkerHarriett FalkerEliza FalkerLaura FalkerJudson Falker
Household Members (Name)Age
Wm Falker55
Nancy Falker50
Wm Falker17
Harriett Falker
Eliza Falker13
Laura Falker10
Judson Falker7

By 1860, Gully and family had returned to Shelby County and the youngest of their children, a daughter named Judson, was now 7.

Photo from Find-a-Grave by Sandra Adams


Gully lost his beloved Nancy on June 2, 1867, she was 57 years old. She was buried at the Old Sterrett Cemetery and it appears her memory has lovingly been kept alive.


Name:Fadora Cloud
Gender:Male
Spouse:James A. McDaniel
Spouse Gender:Female
Marriage Date:18 Jul 1858
Marriage Place:Shelby
Performed By:JP
Surety/Perf. Name:William G. Falkner
Comment:Handwritten note used

On July 18, 1858, in Shelby County, Alabama, Gully had stood as surety for the marriage of James A. McDaniel and Fadora Cloud. 


Margaret Fedora Cloud McDaniel Faulkner


Fadora would become his second wife.

Tabitha Fadora Cloud was born June 29, 1838, in Alabama to Squire Cloud and Peggy Shepherd. Gully robbed the cradle with her, because when he married the young widow, he was 53 and she was 29, having married her first husband, James McDaniel (also seen as McDonald), when she was 20. She had two sons, Robert Squire and William B. by her first husband. Gully had 11 surviving children with Nancy Parker, but most of them were already adults, save the very youngest. In fact, Asa, his eldest, was the same age as Fadora.

With Fadora, he had 5 more children, and the age range was vast. Gully was 24 when his first child was born and 76 when he had his last. Despite the decades of difference in their ages, Gully still outlived his wife by a few years. Fadora passed away in 1887, when her youngest was only six and Gully passed away on May 16, 1891 at the age of 86. He was the father of 16 children and helped raise two stepsons. He himself, both wives and a majority of his children and some of his siblings are buried in the Old Sterrett Cemetery.

Clinton Slayton


With Nancy Laura Parker he had: 

1) Asa Calvin Falkner (1829 -1920) m Sarah Jane Smith, 14 children.

2) Mary Hasseltine "Polly" Falkner (1832-1908) m John Levi Crim, 7 children.

3) James Mathew Faulkner (1833-1880) m Mary Belshire, 2 children.


Jim on the left (credit Kelly Burrus)


4) Sarah Elizabeth Faulkner Hollis (1835-1884) m Stephen M. Hollis, 14 children.

5) Angeline Catherine Faulkner Duke (1838-1864) m Henry M. Dukes, 2 children.

6) Nancy Laura "Nan" Faulkner Collins (1839-1910) m William Hilliard Collins, 11 children.

7) Christine Celesta "Clystie" Faulkner Andrews (1839-1923) m John Seaborn (aka Seibert) Andrews,  12 children.


Five of the children of Gully; Nan and Clystie in the back, Nan's husband, Hilliard, in front, followed by William Jobe, Asa Calvin, and Elijah 'Lige' Faulkner. Provided by Rachel Mosely via Delula Tamarine Collins. About 1891.



8) William Jobe Faulkner (1843-1907) m Sarah Clementine Epperson, 11 children.

9) Harriett J. Faulkner (1845 - 1885) m William George (Bill) Weldon, 9 chiildren.

10) Elijah "Lige" Faulkner (1848-1933) m Sarah Oden, 4 sons.

11) Judson C Hasseltine Faulkner Brasher (1852-1907) m John Alexander M. Brasher, 7 children. Judson seems like an unusual for the era, but cool name for a woman at the time. The "C"is believed to be for Clarrissa, one of her daugthers names as well. I wonder if there is any significance in the name Judson, or in the repetition of the name 'Hasseltine' or a similar spelling, thoughout the entire family.


Shared by Bonnie Mauzey, Judson on left.

By Fadora Cloud McDaniel Faulkner;  two stepsons, Robert "Tobe" and Willie. The children of Fadora and Gully were in an entirely different generation than their older half-siblings. Even Judson was 17 when Jeff was born.

12)  James Jefferson "Jeff" Faulkner (1869-1938) m Nancy Jane Goodwin, 11 children.

13)  Martha Falkner (1871 - ?) 

14) Susan Margaret "Susie' Falkner Lynn (1871-1957) m Frank Belton Lynn, 11 children.

15) Henry Joseph Falkner ( 1875-1937) m 1st Mary Ellen Johnson: 7 children: Bertie, Homer, Vera, Vida, Zadie, Audie, Zora. M 2nd Dora Theola Isbell; 6 children; Jana, Euna, George, Gracie, Maudie, Lottie.

16) Annie Effie Falkner O'Barr (1881-1947) m Andrew O'Barr, 8 children.


The youngest children of William Gulledge Faulkner circa 1930.
Their father was born in 1805.
Courtesy of Lisa McCoy


Asa Elijah Faulkner

Asa Elijah Faulkner, named, I suppose, for his Grandfather, Elijah, and his Great Grandfather, Asa, was born in Anson County in about 1808, meaning Job was still in residence until then, at least. He's one of the most interesting children of Job, for me, not only because of his cookie crumb name, but in his other amazing links.

We know that Job's first stop after leaving Anson was to Edgefield District, or County, in South Carolina, where a colony of Faulkners (also seen as Fortner in SC at this time, but it was the same family, because when they moved on to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, etc, they suddenly reverted back to Faulkner or any number of its various spellings). had formed. Archibald Falkner, the eldest son of old Asa, this one's grandfather's brother Nathan, had settled here, after being shown as a young man in land records, and the 1790 census, in Anson. We know by the 1790 and 1800 census records that Nathan appears to have had a large family, some girls, but mostly boys, at least seven in the home in 1790, when Archibald was already married, and then some who were born between 1790 and 1800. This was probably due to marrying  a younger wife afte the death of the first one, kind of like in the case of Gully Falkner.

So, having been born in Anson County, NC, Asa Elijah would have spent possibly a few years in South Carolina as a child.

NameElijah Faulkner
Post Office LocationWeehadkee, Randolph, Alabama
Appointment Date22 Sep 1837
Volume Number11
Volume Year Range1832-1844

His first appearance an adult is at age 29, when he is appointed as the Postmaster of Weehadkee, Randolph County, Alabama, after pillowing back and forth all over Georgia as a child, with his family. This tells me that despite the constant moves, Job had ensured his children recieved an education, and I believe he may have even employed a private tutor, due to the presence of a 30 year old "Scholar" in his home.



Weehadkee, as a town, no longer exists, but there is the creek, that bears the name still there, and the remains of an impressive mill and a church that bears the name. Amazingly the Post Office, that was closed in 1954,still stands.


The next step for Asa Elijah was to marry, which he did, with Nancy Clarinda Faulkner on December 7, 1838.



You may notice, that Nancy Clarinda was also a Faulkner. She was the daughter of Willis and Patience Gulledge Faulkner . Anything sounding familiar here? Job and Willis Faulkner both gave bond for the marriage of their children.

Willis is first found in the 1800 census of Edgecomb District of South Carolina as a 'Fortner'. He will get his own post, but quickly, tree after tree has him as being born there, however, this is just the first place they find him. There were actually two Willis Falkners in Edgefield at the same time. The other had a different path and a different wife, not to say he may have been distantly connected (or not so distantly ) at some point. The Willis who married Patience Gulledge was in Edgefield through 1820, had made it to Dekalb County, Georgia by 1830 and to Macon County, by 1840, where he was appointd as a Postmaster in 1842.

Name:Willis Faulkner
Appointment Date:21 Aug 1842
Appointment Place:Macon, Alabama, USA
Film:M881570
Film Title:Civil Appointments

And to Randolph in 1842, where he was also appointed Postmaster.


Name:Willis Falkner
Appointment Place:Randolph, Alabama, USA
Commission Date:3 Apr 1844
Film:M881570
Film Title:Civil Appointments


And seems to have died around 1845, at least by 1850, when his widow, Patience, is seen living with Elijah and Nancy. This is just too much of a coincidence. Willis is one of the Edgefield Falkner/ Fortners I am looking at to have been members of this family, and at this juncture, I believe him to have been a son of Nathan, which would make Job and Willis first cousins and Asa Elijah and Nancy Clarinda second cousins. If Job and Willis were brothers, which I don't believe is the case, as all of Asa's sons seem to be accounted for in the Anson County land records. 

Name:Patience Falkner
Gender:Female
Race:White
Age:62
Birth Year:abt 1788
Birthplace:South Carolina
Home in 1850:Beat 2, Randolph, Alabama, USA
Line Number:34
Dwelling Number:194
Family Number:194
Household Members (Name)Age
Elijah Falkner42
Nancy Falkner32
Mary C Falkner8
Martha Falkner5
Clarinda Falkner1
Patience Falkner62


In 1850, Elijah and Nancy have three little girls and her mother, Patience, is living with them. She's 62 and born in South Carolina. As Patience's maiden name was Gulledge, as evidenced by multiple documents among her children, and Gulledge was, and still is, a common name in Anson County, the chances of Job's wife, Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner, and Willis's wife, Patience Gulledge Faulkner, being related is pretty high. They were even close in age. They could have been cousins, and although there is not a Patience usually listed among the children of William Henry Gulledge and Bathsheba Watts, she still could have been a sister, as all of the possible daughters have not been identified. Just dashes in a census.  I did just find a Family Tree that had Patience as a daughter of W H and Bathsheba, but he did have brothers. She could have been a niece, there's no real evidence. Mary Frances had also claimed to be born in South Carolina too, so there's that.

Gulledge is the name of the Township or area of Anson County where the lands of Asa, Job and the other Faulkners had lived, however and still is, named for the Faulkner family, so the fact that both women were Gulledges is highly suspect of a relationship.


Willis was in Randolph County, Alabama in 1838 for the wedding, however. 


Asa Elijah and Nancy Clarinda Faulkner settled in the town of Elba, in Coffee County, Alabama, where they farmed and raised their children as best as they could.


Folsom Cabin Historic site in Elba, Alabama, typical of the settlement times.


Coffee is in the Southern part of Alabama, and Elijah lived along the Pea River, known for being a cotton growing area. He died on November 30, 1883 at the age of 75 and was buried at the New Hope Community Cemetery, as was several members of his immediate family, although many stones there have crumbled or faded. Nancy Clarinda Faulkner Faulkner died sometime after Elijah, date unknown. It is believed she was buried beside him.

Their known children were:

1) Mary Elizabeth Faulkner  b 1842. Lived with her parents into her 30's. Not in the household in 1880. No further information.

2) Martha Pamela Faulkner "Mattie" (1847-1920) married William Thomas Pritchitt, 9 children.

3) Nancy Clarinda Faulkner Jr. (1851- Unknown) married Elijah Holland, 4 children.

4) Mancil Faulkner (1852 - before 1870) Died as a child.

5) William Wallace Faulkner Sr. (1854-1927) Married 1st Virginia Yancy Davis, 6 children, Married 2nd : Hallie Matilda Robinson, 1 son. Note: There was a great deal of intermarriage between Faulkners and Robinsons spanning generations.

6) James Monroe Faulkner (1859-1917) Married 1st Loudie James, 2 children. Married 2nd Laura Turner, 1 son.

7) Joel Morgan Faulkner (1863-1893) Never married.

Note: There seems to have been a great deal of illness and handicapps in this branch of the family, possibly due to the duplicate Falkner and Gulledge roots. William Wallace Faulkner and family were the healthiest and most sucessful group.


William Wallace Faulkner


Capt. Rev. Judge Thomas Jefferson Faulkner

Every litter of pups has an Alpha, and in the family of Job Faulkner, it was Jeff.

Thomas Jefferson Faulkner was born on April 22, 1810 in Anson County, North Carolina and died on April 22, 1895, in Montgomery County, Alabama. He was an Attorney, a minister, and a Captain in the Civil War.


Faulkner's Battalion, Mounted Infantry, was an organization of 1st Class Militia in Randolph County, also known as County Reserves. Officers and men were not liable for conscription, being over age fifty, under the age seventeen, or inside the age range 17-50 but discharged or exempt from Confederate military service.

Occiers were:
Lt. Col. Jefferson Faulkner
Maj. John Reaves, formerly Capt. of Co. �A�

Election results dated Nov. 17, 1864.

Capt. James M. K. Guinn, Co. �A� elected Nov. 17, 1864
Capt. B. H. Ford
Capt. A. P. Hunter
Capt. W. M. McClendon
Capt. O. W. Shepherd
Capt. D. A. Self
Capt. Larkin Breed, Co. �F�, elected Nov. 17, 1864 from Co. �A�. 127 officers and men appear on the original roll for Company "A" prior to the creation of Company "F". A letter from Capt. Breed, addressed Wedowee Ala., Dec. 1, 1864, yields his right to requisition arms to Col. Faulkner.

Letter from Gov. Thomas H. Watts confirmed Jefferson Faulkner as Lt. Col. of a mounted battalion composed of companies of the Randolph County Reserve, Dec. --, 1864

In May 1865 all men of Capt. Hunter�s Co. were discharged at Talladega AL by the captain.

Roll dated Oct. 22, 1864, signed Capt. B. H. Ford, lists seventy officers and men on brown paper roll, drawn up in descriptive roll format. Members were from Randolph and adjoining counties.

He, being older in years, led an organization of men in a 1st Class Militia in Randolph County, called The Reserves, as it was comprised of men over 50 or under 17, out of the years of conscription. His son, Jefferson Manly Faulkner, obtained the rank of Captain during the War. Jeff married into the Breed family, as did his sister, Mary Hasseltine Faulkner. The Breeds, Burnette's and Ussery's were highly intermarried and entangled with this generation of Faulkners. Captain Larkin Breed, mentioned above, was his brother-in-law.


Name:Jefferson Falkner
Occupation:Lawyer
Birth Place:USA, Georgia, Jasper County
Enlistment Age:54
Military Branch:Home Guard
Regiment or Unit:Randolph County Militia
Company Unit Name:Capt. J. Falkner's Co.
Enlistment Info:Age 54, Captain
Remarks:Blue eyes, dark hair, 6ft, fair complexion.
Author:Muster in roll 1864/09/13.

While there appears to be no picture of Jeff, the military descriptions of him were as tall, fair, blue-eyed and dark-haired. Above, it appears his son, Manly, took after his father. I say this to dispute the person who keeps labeling this famiy as Cherokee. Sorry, they were not.

Name:Jefferson Falkner
Spouse:Sarah Ann Breed
Marriage Date:6 Dec 1828
Marriage County:Fayette
Marriage State:Georgia


Jeff's first appearance as an adult, was his marriage on December 6, Fayette County, Georgia, to Sarah Ann Breed, before his family's move to Randolph County, Alabama by 1840. The Breeds and Faulkners seem to have moved to Alabama together as is suggested by his brother-in-law, Larkin in the Randolph County Militia, and  his sister, Hasseltine marrying their brother, Joseph.

Name:Jefferson Falkner[]
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):Fayette, Georgia
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:1
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:1
Free White Persons - Under 20:1
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:2
Total Free White Persons:3
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):3

Jeff is the Head of his own household in 1830, in Georgia and his oldest daughter, Emily has been born. Sarah Ann passes away in the early 1830's, after the birth of two children, cause unknown.

Name:Jefferson Falkner
Gender:Male
Marriage Age:22
Death Age:85
Birth Date:22 Apr 1810
Birth Place:Anson County, North Carolina
Marriage Date:8 Feb 1833
Marriage Place:Randolph County
Death Date:22 Apr 1895
Death Place:Montgomery, Alabama
Spouse:Samantha Breed

On February 8, 1833, in Randolph County, Alabama, Jeff marries Sarah's younger sister, Samantha. 

Some folks have unsurreptitiously merged the two Breed sisters into one. After quite a deal of pulling apart the spaghetti, I've came to the conclusion that there were indeed two. Two dates, two states, two names, two sisters, and a 6 year difference in their ages.



The above biography from The Alabama, US Surnames Files ,Expanded, gives a good deal of detail about both the Faulkner and Breed families. It reveals that the Faulkners were Welch, and came to North Carolina from Maryland, as my distant cousins's DNA suggests. It's incorrect in a few instances, however, when it declares he married both of the Breed sisters in Randoph County, AL, when the documents showed he married Sarah in Georgia.

The 1840 census finds Jeff in Randolph County, AL and the 1850 in Tallapoosa.


Name:Jefferson Falkner[]
Gender:Male
Race:White
Age:40
Birth Year:abt 1810
Birthplace:Georgia
Home in 1850:Township 20, Tallapoosa, Alabama, USA
Occupation:Lawyer
Industry:Legal Services
Real Estate:1500
Line Number:1
Dwelling Number:135
Family Number:135
Inferred Spouse:Samantha Falkner
Household Members (Name)Age
Jefferson Falkner40
Samantha Falkner35
Emily Falkner20
William A B Falkner17
Mary F Falkner11
Sarah Ann Falkner9
Jefferson M Falkner7
Samantha Falkner0
Elizabeth Sangston21


At this juncture, he's and attorney in Township 20, and there are 6 children. I don't know the relationship of the young woman, Elizabeth, living with them, as Emily was his oldest known daughter.

Name:Jefferson Falkner
Residence Date:1860
Residence Place:Lafayette, Chambers, Alabama, USA
Number of Enslaved People:4
All Enslaved People:
GenderAge
Male60
Female45
Male14
Male9

By 1860, Jeff has acquired 4 enslaved persons, an older man, a middle-aged woman, and 2 children, something he had not done prior in 1830, 1840 or 1850.


Name:Jefferson Falknor
Age:50
Birth Year:abt 1810
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Place:Georgia
Home in 1860:Lafayette, Chambers, Alabama
Post Office:Chambers
Dwelling Number:51
Family Number:49
Occupation:M B Minister
Real Estate Value:2000
Personal Estate Value:5000
Inferred Spouse:Samantha Falknor
Household Members (Name)Age
Jefferson Falknor50
Samantha Falknor45
Emily Falknor30
Wm A B Falknor27
Mary F Falknor20
Sarah A Falknor18
Jefferson M Falknor17
Samantha Falknor10
Elizabeth A Falknor8
John A Comb5

In 1860, he is a serving as a Minister, he is not running a farm. He is living in town and his neighbors are a Judge of Probate, an Attorney, a Blacksmith, the Clerk of Court, Constable, Bootmaker, Tailor, Mantle Maker, Money Dealer, Clerk, Dry Goods Merchnat, Milliner, Printer, Seamstress, Carriage Maker, Physician, Grocery Merchant, and a Wagon Maker. He has 7 children,some already adultes, and he's taken in an orphan boy, John A. Comb. Emily, 30, and possibly ill, has no occupation. His son William Avery Breed Faulkner, 27. is a lawyer. Mary F., 27, is a common school Teacher and Sarah, 18, is a music teacher. He may have also acquired the enslaved people as an act of charity, especially the children. The older man and middle-aged lady may have been helping around the house, cooking , and attending to any  horse and buggy that were probably had.


The Civil War came and Jeff and his sons had illustrious careers as military brass. Their stories deserve their own post. As educated men and among the elite of the community, they enjoyed the perks of being officers.

Name:Jefferson Falkner
Age in 1870:60
Birth Date:abt 1810
Birthplace:Georgia
Dwelling Number:264
Home in 1870:Montgomery Ward 4, Montgomery, Alabama
Race:White
Gender:Male
Post Office:Montgomery
Occupation:Lawyer
Male Citizen Over 21:Yes
Inferred Spouse:Samanthy Falkner
Inferred Children:Sally FalknerElizabeth Falkner
Household Members (Name)Age
Jefferson Falkner60
Samanthy Falkner55
Sally Falkner27
Elizabeth Falkner17
Elizabeth Fox35
Joseph Fox4

The family had moved from Chambers County, back to Randolph County, and then to Mongomery by 1870. Jeff was again acting as an attorney and had taken in a young Scottish widow, as a housekeeper and  her son.


The last census shows Jeff returning to the call of his heart, that of a minister. The history of the Baptists in Alabama reported on him as a pastor of the Wedowee Baptist Church.


Later, he would also minister at High Pines, where his older brother attended.


By 1880, Jeff was 70, supporting both his wife and single daughter, Elizabeth, mistakenly recorded as a May, and his widowed daughter, Samantha Faulkner Beasley and her son Ralph. Sarah "Sally" had married a much older Union soldier from Kentucky, who was born in Maryland, named Franklin C. May. Those Mays were always a sting in the Faulkner hide, but this one was working as a brick and stonemason.


Rev. T J Faulkner died in 1895, and was buried in Autauga County, where his oldest son William Avery Breed Faulkner lived.

The children of Thomas Jefferson Falkner were:

With Sarah Ann Breed (1808 - Abt 1835)

1) Emily Faulkner (1830-1865). Never married.

2) William Avery Breed Faulkner (1833-1911) Avery worked as an Attorney, and then as a Clerk of Circuit Court for many years., first in Russell County, then in Chilton.


A very interesting fact about Avery is that he went all the way to Richmond County, NC, which borders Anson, the place his grandfather had left so many prior, to marry Mary Jane "Mollie" Ussery. It may have been an arranged marriage and shows how closely people kept in touch despite the distance.

Seven children were born to the marriage.

By Samantha Breed (1815- aft 1880)

3) Mary Frances Faulkner (1839-1868) m James Henry Chatham, an attorney.

4) Sarah Ann "Sallie"  Faulkner (1841- 1901),   married Franklin Collett May.


Frank May was born in Maryland, in around 1818. He was a Captain in the Kentucky Calvary and a Union soldier, who was taken as a P.O.W.  This information was gained from Sally's application for a widow's pension. Although it doesn't appear they had any children, he married a lady named Catharine in Kentucky and arrived in Alabama between 1868 and 1870, with his wife and three children, Cora, John and Francis Lee. I don't know what happened to his family. He died in November 1883.




5) Lt. Col. Jefferson Manly Faulkner (1843-1907). Attorney, politico, Railroad Man, founder of a retirement home for Confederate soldiers, Chairman and founder of the Alabama State Archives.

Married Elizabeth Cameron, two sons.

6) Cordelia Amanda Faulkner (1846-1848) Died of Typhoid at age 2.

7) Samantha "Mantie" Faulkner. (1850-1881). Married John W. Beasley. One son, Ripley Faulkner Beasley.

8) Elizabeth Ann Faulkner ( 1858- 1887). Never married.







Wilson Faukner

The date of birth given for fourth son, Wilson  Faulkner, is June 4th, 1810. If one compares this to that of his older brother, Thomas Jefferson Faulkner, it's easy to tell something is off. Either Jeff was actually a year older, or Wilson a year younger, I don't know. What I do know is that these folks did not usually keep up with their exact birthdays very well, by these folks meaning those who lived a hundred or two hundred years ago.Age was transient.

Wilson was the first child born afte Job left Anson County, North Carolina on his quest for land grants in the lottery as the Cherokee and Creek ceded lands were opening up. As we all know, it was a 'give a mouse a cookie' situation in the terriblest of terms. Yet it happened, it was history and part of the fabric of America.

Born in Edgefield County, South Carolina, Wilson makes his first appearance in records with his marriage to Frances "Frankie" Burdette in 1821, in Georgia. The Burdettes were one of the families with multiple ties to the Faulkner family.  

Frankie was the daughter of Humphrey and Isabella Davis Burdette, originally from Pendleton, Anderson County, SC. They are supposedly pictured in the above portrait titled "Isabella and Humphrey". 

Wilson, not to be outdone within the realm of Faulkners, was a land prospector and a lawman. I've found 13 separate Homestead and Cash Entry Patents for him.



He appears first in the 1840 census in Chambers County, Alabama. He and Frankie are in their twenties and their only child, Amanda, is between 5 and 9. By 1843, he's moved with the family to Randolph County, Alabama, where in 1843, he's appointed Coroner and Judge of Probate. It's clear that the Faulkner children, particularly the sons, were well educated .

Name:Wilson Falconer
Gender:Male
Race:White
Age:38
Birth Year:abt 1812
Birthplace:South Carolina
Home in 1850:Beat 5, Randolph, Alabama, USA
Occupation:Farmer
Industry:Agriculture
Line Number:32
Dwelling Number:536
Family Number:536
Inferred Spouse:Frances Falconer
Household Members (Name)Age
Wilson Falconer38
Frances Falconer32
James Dent10

In the 1850 census, Wilson and Frankie are living in Randolph County and he is lableded as a farmer, and their daughter, Amanda is already married. Like Jeff Faulkner, their station in life has blessed them with the ability to take in orphans, like young James Den, who may have been the son of a james Dentwho was entering land  lotteries in the 1830's and 1840's.


Name:Amanda Bean
Gender:Female
Race:White
Age:18
Birth Year:abt 1832
Birthplace:Georgia
Home in 1850:Beat 6, Randolph, Alabama, USA
Line Number:2
Dwelling Number:538
Family Number:538
Inferred Spouse:Wiley Bean
Inferred Child:John W Bean
Household Members (Name)Age
Wiley Bean25
Amanda Bean18
John W Bean0

Amanda C. Faulkner had marreid Wiley Jackson Bean, very young and by 1850, their firstborn son, John W. Bean, had been born. Wiley was a Georgia boy, whose parents, Walter and Martha Davis Bean, were from Burke County, North Carolina. The Burdettes and the Beans were both interesting families on their own and both mothers were Davis's.


Wilson accepts four Civil Appointments as the Sheriff of Randolph County, Alabama, off and on between 1843 and 1860. His wife, Frankie served as a midwife. 


He served as the Sherigg of Randolph County unitl 1860.

Name:Wilson Falkner
Age:50
Birth Year:abt 1810
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Place:South Carolina
Home in 1860:Northern Division, Randolph, Alabama
Post Office:Rockdale
Dwelling Number:129
Family Number:129
Occupation:Sherriff & Farmer
Real Estate Value:1500
Personal Estate Value:1000
Inferred Spouse:Frances B Falkner
Household Members (Name)Age
Wilson Falkner50
Frances B Falkner47
Humphrey Burdett80
Izabel M Burdett18
Alfred M Burdett13
Josepus Burdett11

The 1860 census shows Wilson as a Sheriff and farmer, Frankie as a seamstress, and living with them is her 80 year old father, Humphrey Burdette, and three of the children of her deceased brother, John, Isabella, Alfred, and Josephus. Their daughter, Amanda, and her husband , Wiley, are shown living in Rockdale, with 5 children between 10 and 1.

Encyclopedia of Alambama


Then came  War. The Home Guard, or Militia, was a precursor of the National Guard. In the media, they have been protrayed as essentially bad, and at many times they were. However, their intent and formation was not, comprised of men too old or incapacitated and boys too young to serve in regular trrops,  the Home guard was establish to protect local citizens from the enemy, women, children, the elderly and infirm.

On November 17, 1864, as war raged around him, and his world seemed only one tragedy after another, Sheriff Wilson Faulkner resigned his position and joined the Randolph County Alabama Home Guard under the command of none other than Col. Jefferson Faulkner. His military records describe him as 54 years old, 6 feet tall, Grey hair, Grey eyes and a fair complexion.


His son-in-law, Wiley Jackson Bean, enlisted in the 13th Alabama troops, Company E. Also in his company were relatives of Frankie, Benjamin Apling Burdette, Samuel Monroe Burdette and Littleton Jesse Burdette, along with other members of the Bean family. It stated he was born in Jasper County, GA and at present was a farmer in Fix Creek, Alabama, aged 38 and married. He was in the "Randolph Rangers" and participated in the battles of Yorktown, South Mountain, Antietam and Gettysburg, where he was taken prisoner. He was sent to Ft. Delaware on Pea Patch Island, Delaware, to a Union. He died of scurvy under horrific conditions on January 13, 1864 , six months after capture, and was buried at Finn's Point, Salem, New Jersey.

Fort Delaware per "Visti Delaware"


The death of Wiley was not the only tragedy Wilson and Frankie had suffered. On March 6, 1862, Amanda died after a fall from a horse at the age of 29. She was buried at the Mount Prospect Church Cemetery in Wedowee, Randolph County Alabama. Some say she was actually buried in the Bean family cemetery and theirs only a monument at the church.

Amanda was predeceased by a son, Monroe Bean, who had been born on February 7, 1852, and died at about 8 years old, buried in the Faulkner cemetery with Wilson and Frankie.


On March 20, 1865, Wilson filed a claim with the C.S.A. on behalf of grandchildren John, Emmaline, Winston, Elliott and Asbury. 

He also filed for, and received, legal  custody of his grandchildren, there in named as John, Martha A. , Wiley Winston, Elliott and Berry.

Name:Fancis B Fulkner[][]
Age in 1870:56
Birth Date:abt 1814
Birthplace:South Carolina
Dwelling Number:53
Home in 1870:Rockdale, Randolph, Alabama
Race:White
Gender:Female
Post Office:Wedowee
Occupation:Midwife
Inferred Spouse:Wilson Fulkner
Household Members (Name)Age
Wilson Fulkner60
Fancis B Fulkner56
John Bean18
Emely Bean17
Winston Bean15
Eliot Bean12
Abery Bean9
Rusle Coleman30
July Ann Coleman26
Amanda Coleman8

The 1870 census shows the family in Rockdale, Post Office Wedowee, with the 5 grandchildren in the home. Frankie was a midwife and Wilson a farmer. Like his brothers, Wilson shared his abundance and was always altruistic.

In his last years, Wilson returned to his career as a land speculator, often traveling to auctions and property sales. On November 2, 1872, he had ridden out to West Point, Georgia to one such sale, and suddenly fell over dead, possibly of a heart attack. He was 62. His body was returned to Randolph County, where he was buried in the family cemetery.


Frankie is shown as a 60 year old widow living alone in Hse number 172, but right next to her, in Hse number 173, is S.A. Bean, 20, wife Rilla, 21 and brother Winston Bean, 25.


Frankie died December 13, 1897, of a Cardiac Arrest at age 84. She was laid to rest beside Wilson.

S. A. Bean acted as the executor of the estate of Wilson Faulkner, who left no will. Heirs were:

John W. Bean of Thorn Hill, Marion County, AL,

Martha Emmaline Dingler of Sevier County, AL,

W. W. Bean (Wiley Winston), of Ofelia, AL,

Mary Elliott Beavers of Sevier County AL,

Samuel Asbury Bean of Ofelia, AL.

All the surviving children of his daughter, Amanda.


Mary Hasseltine "Polly" Faulkner Breed


Mary Hasseltine Faulkner Breed shared by NSD78'.


Mary was the oldest daughter of Job and Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner, despite having older brothers. She was born on October 16, 1812 in Jasper County, GA, which must have been the family's first pitstop on the way into Georgia after leaving North and South Carolina, yet doesn't catch them in a census or tax record. 

Her existence would have been a mere dash in a census record at this time until her marriage, at age 19.



Her father, Job, appears in a Georgia Land Lottery record for Troup County in 1827, and this is the county where on December 20, 1831, she married Joseph Harrison Breed.

Polly, as she was called, was not the first member of her family to intermarry with the Breed family. Her brother, Thomas Jefferson Faulkner, had married Sarah Ann Breed, an older sister of Joseph, and after she died young, he married her younger sister, Samantha.


William Avery Breed 

They were the children of William Avery Breed and Frances Brantley Breed. The Breeds had settled in Walton County, Ga after also being part of a steady flow from the Carolinas. Avery hailed from the Craven District of South Carolina and first shows up in the 1790 census of Union County, South Carolina. 

Frankie was born in Georgia, but was the daughter of Phillip Brantley and Nancy Larkin from Chatham County NC. The son of Joseph and Catherine Lee Breed, Avery married Frankie on Christmas Day, 1795, in Warren County, Georgia. They became the parents of 14 children, 8 sons and 6 daughters, and spent their last years in Randolph County Alabama. This was the source of the names Avery, Larkin and Brantley that appear in several names throughout the Faulkner family. 


Joseph, named for his own grandfather, first shows up in the 1840 census of Randolph County, Alabama, where he and Polly raised their family.

According to family records, a their first daughter, Sarah Ann, had died as a young girl, before the 1850 census.


The second born, Harriet, married young to William W. Cumbie, and is shown in 1850 with her own child and family. William's family lives nearby, but they are right next door to the Breeds. 

So 1850 finds Joe and Polly with 3 children and a farm worth $1000.  On the next page, but right after Harriet, is 75 year old Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner, Polly's mother, and just below her, the Users, whom younger sister, Nancy married into.


They lived in a place called Bacon Level, that sits right on the Alabama/ Georgia border. It sounds like somewhere famous for pig farming, doesn't it? Here's where the site     

The strangest town names in Alabama

       says it comes from.



1. Bacon Level.

Bacon Level, located in Randolph County, was named in pioneer days, according to retired Lt. Paul Swisher of Roanoke. He said: “Local story has it that some pioneer travelers, circa 1800, had their camp robbed and provisions were taken. They were told there were some outlaws up the way, where the trail leveled out. Sure enough they found their missing bacon at the level spot, hence the name Bacon Level.”


The area now, and then, too, is known for its pottery and white clay, in conjunction with bordering, Chambers County, Georgia.


Then, Bam! A link to the Edgefield District of South Carolina and an explanation for Job Faulkners constant moving and that of connected families, like the Usserys of Montgomery and Anson Counties in North Carolina. Job was a Potter.




His children made their own marks, through law, politics, farming, preaching, or prospecting land, but Job was a Potter, looking for the good clay.


Name:[]
Age:53
Birth Year:abt 1807
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Place:Georgia
Home in 1860:Southern Division, Randolph, Alabama
Post Office:Rock Mills
Dwelling Number:343
Family Number:343
Occupation:Farmer
Real Estate Value:1000
Personal Estate Value:1500
Inferred Spouse:Mary H Breed
Inferred Child:Mary L BreedMary F Breed
Household Members (Name)Age
Joseph Breed53
Mary H Breed48
Mary L Breed14
Mary F Breed7
Mary Falletta84

1860 finds Joseph with a house full of Mary's, except one was a transcription error. Mary H was Polly, Mary L was actually Melissa, on the actual document, "Missy", Mary F. was youngest daughter, Mary Frances and Mary "Falletta" was grandmother, Mary Faulkner.



Ten years later, not much has changed, Melissa has gotten married and is living next to her parents. Her Grandmother, Mary F. Gulledge Faulkner is now in her 90's and living with Melissa. A little girl named Melinda Brand is living with John and Polly. She was the child of a neighbor, John and  Verlina McGeehee Brand and one of a set of twins, with her sister, Matilda. It is unknown why she was living with the Breeds, but in 1880, she still is, 18, and listed as a housekeeper/ servant.

Sometime before 1880, Joe and Polly's oldest living daughter, Harriet Breed Cumbie, had moved to Van Zandt County, Texas. Joe and Polly decided to join her at some point in the 1880's.

Joseph was the first to pass away, on October 16, 1888, at age 81. Polly would join him in three years, on December 21, 1891. She was 79. Their daughter, Harriet would join her parents on July 6, 1897, at age 65. She had long been a widow.  They were buried at Corinth cemetery, Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas.


The children of Mary Hasseltine 'Polly'Faulkner Breed and Joseph Harrison Breed were:

1) Sarah Ann Breed (1831-1840).

2) Harriet Elizabeth Breed (1832-1897) Married William Washington Cumbie. Four children; Thomas Jefferson Cumbie, Frances Clementine Cumbie, John Avery Cumbie, and Mary Cumbie.

3) Jefferson Faulkner Breed (1834-1911) Chambers County, Alabama. Married Paricina Z. MacDonough. Five children; Joseph, Sarah Jane, Bettie, James and Ella.

Hollis Family shared by NSD78


4) Melissa Elizabeth Faulkner (1843- 1923) Van Zandt, Texas . Married James Warren Hollis. 9 children; Wayne Dee, Charlie Hill, James Monroe, Alma Jocora, Joseph Breed, Harriet Rebecca, Jefferson Avery, Lillian Myrtle, Nathan Duke Hollis.

5) Mary Frances Breed (1852-1899) Kent County, Texas. Married Abel Joseph Hagins, 10 children; Benjamin Joseph, Powhatan Elcano, Dues Jefferson, Downas Deuane, Carl Emmett, Fannie Edith Odessa, Earl Rush, Lucille, Joseph Breed, Jerome Winters Hagins.




Alice Ealsey Faulkner


Alice was born  January 13, 1813, in Edgefield County, South Carolina, before the Georgia migration. She did not live a long life, but long enough to have given birth to  at least 10 children, according to family reocrds. Not many of them made it to adulthood, unfortunatley,  for possibly various reasons. Constant migration seems to have been no way to raise a family.


On Feb 13, 1832, at the age of 17, Alice married James Woodall BurnBurdette, another child of Humphrey and Isabell Woodall Burdette. Several siblings marrying into the same families was a common thing in those days, making a number of children, double-cousins.


Name:James W Burdett
Gender:Male
Race:White
Age:43
Birth Year:abt 1807
Birthplace:South Carolina
Home in 1850:Beat 13, Randolph, Alabama, USA
Occupation:Farmer
Industry:Agriculture
Real Estate:50
Line Number:1
Dwelling Number:1
Family Number:1
Inferred Spouse:Alice Baretett
Inferred Child:Benjamin BaretettSamul BaretettLittleton BaretettFrances Baretett
Household Members (Name)Age
James W Baretett43
Alice Baretett35
Benjamin Baretett14
Samul Baretett8
Littleton Baretett5
Frances Baretett1

They had all made it to Randolph County, Alabama by 1850. According to family records, they had lost four children, many of them buried in Georgia, by then.

William Wesley, born in 1834, their firstborn, Franklin in 1837, Earlincter in 1839 and Heflin in 1841, all sons, and all having died before 1850. Some of those names may be the results of hard to read old script, by the way. So in 1850, there are three, second born Benjamin, Samuel, Littleton and only daughter, Frances. They remain in Rockdale, Randolph County Alabama, until at least 1860. Little Francis passed away as a baby, and two more sons had joined the family. 

Name:James W Burdett[]
Age:52
Birth Year:abt 1808
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Place:South Carolina
Home in 1860:Northern Division, Randolph, Alabama
Post Office:Rockdale
Dwelling Number:1141
Family Number:1141
Occupation:Farmer
Real Estate Value:800
Personal Estate Value:250
Household Members (Name)Age
James W Burdett52
Alsey Burdett67
Samuel Burdett19
Littleton Burdett16
Jas Burdett9
Wilson Burdett7
Catharine Ogletree30

One of the more interesting facts of this census was the addition of a 30 year old woman in the home, Catharine Ogletree. On this date, she would have been pregnant by their 19 year old son, Samuel. The 11 year age difference probably didn't bother him much, as you can see, his mother was 12 years older than his father.  Samuel would do the honorable thing and marry Catherine. Their daughter, Georgia Ann, was born in September of this same year.  There would be no more children. There in lies a story of it's own. Sam fought in the Civil War. He never returned to Alabama and was assumed dead, but he was not. He started a new life. Story in another post.

Shortly after the birth of Georgia Ann, the Burdette family was on the move again, this time to Texas.

Alice didn't survive the move. She died sometime in 1862 and is thought to have been buried in the Bean-Faulkner Cemetery in Randolph County Alabama. John died in 1868 and is buried somewhere in Leon County, Texas, where his son Ben and other family members were living. 


Ben took in his two youngest brothers, James Alfred and Wilson. They are shown as teenagers, living with him in Leon County, TX in the 1870 census.  The surviving children of John and Alice were:


1) Benjamin Apling Burdette Sr. (1835-1921) Meridian, Bosque, Texas. Married Amelia "Millie" Hood. 13 children, Susan Elizabeth, Maryann Martina, William Wesley, Emma Frances, Benjamin Apling Jr., James Gora, Salina Isabelle, John Monroe, Lurana Arcana, Leette Robina, Albert Alonzo, Ella Mae, George Isaac.

2) Samuel Monroe "John" Burdette (1843-1929) Williamson, Tennessee. Married 1st Catherine Mahala Ogletree. 1 child. Married 2nd (with living wife in another state) Sarah Frances Hargrove 16 children. Married 3rd Sarah Stewart Howell, 3 children.

3)Jesse Littleton Burdette (1845-1862) Died in the Civil War in Washington County, Maryland. His older brothers also served in the Civil War, but survived. Littleton was wounded in the Battle of Antietam and died at the Lewis Farm Hospital. He was 17 and unmarried.

4) James Alfred Burdette (1851-1874) Leon County, Texas. Was a minor when his parents died and lived with older brother Ben, along with younger brother, Wilson. Died at age 22 of unknown reasons.

5) Wilson Burdette II (1852- 1933) Leon County, Texas. Married 1st Margaret Grubbs, 6 children, Married 2nd Laura Corriher, two daughters.




Joel  Elmer Faulkner and wife, Sarah Thomas Ussery Faulkner, courtesy of Sue Faulkner Causey.



Joel Elmer Faulkner

Joel Elmer Faulkner was born on July 1, 1815 in Jasper County, GA. He was the youngest son and second to the youngest child of Job Faulkner and Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner.  


Joel was the son who followed in his father's footsteps and became a Potter. It may have been the reason his father Job, made a land purchase in conjunction with Joel in Randolph County Alabama, that and the fact that his older sons were already established on their own and in their own careers.


This was a career that Joel had passed down to his own sons, in turn.

About 1836, Joel married Sarah Thomas Ussery, a daughter of Robert Jackson and Mary Chears Ussery. Sarah was born February 5, 1818, in Anson County, NC. Her family was from the Richmond and Anson County area, and were also potter's by trade. They all seemed to have magnated towards Randolph County Alabama at various times, but obviously knew each other. 


Greenberry Morton was another potter from the Montgomery/Anson area of North Carolina (and another person in my Morton Family Tree), who migrated from here to Randolph County, Alabama. He was a brother -in-law of Joel Faulkner and had married Sarah's sister, Winifred. 


Joel purchased land first in 1837, and then received another grant in 1851 in Shelby County, Alabama. He was the first Potter in the town of Sterett, and one of the founding members of the community. 



In 1840 and 1850, Joel, Sarah and their growing family are found in Bacon Level in Randolph County.



Then in 1860, they are found in Sterett in Shelby County.


The book, Alabama Folk Pottery, by Joey Blackner, has this mention of the Joel Faulkner family.



After 1860, the Civil War broke out, and Joel, now  , enlisted on July 15th, 1864, in the Co K, Third Reserves Infantry, near the end of the war. It was a fateful decision.

Tombstone of Joel Faulkner, contributed by Tim Childee.

Sgt Joel Faulkner passed away on December 20, 1864, only 8 months after he enlisted. He was 49 years old and buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

1870

His widow, Sarah, would survive another 12 years. She is shown as Head of Household in 1870, with her youngest 4 children and her son, Robert, 24. 

She passed away on March 18, 1877 and was buried at the Old Sterett Cemetery in Shelby County,  Alabama.


The children of Joel and Sarah Ussery Faulkner were:

1) William Hilliard Faulkner (1838-1907) Married Sarah E Webster 5 children; Charles, Dovie, Joel, John W. S. and Sarah A. Faulkner.




2) Maston Ussery Faulkner (1839-1907) Married Ethelda Webster, a sister of Hilliard Faulkner's wife, Sarah. Both were daughters of Seamon Henley Webster and Lucinda Lunetta Hughes Webster. Six biological children were born to Maston and Ethelda: Arabella Theodosia, Emma Olean, Mary Jane, Martha Louella "Mattie", Paul Castleberry, and James Rhoden Webster Falkner. Adopted son, Ibry Stracener Falkner.


3) Mary Jane 'Polly' Faulkner McGinnis. Married Rev. Sanford Vanderver McGinnis, Settled in Dyke's Mill Shelby County Alabama, 8 children; Sarah Hudson, Mary Catherine, Lutisha Carolyn, Martha Emma, Mehitable A. 'Hattie', Valcey Almeade, Dovie Ella, Basil William. Finally a son. 

4) Lucinda Faulkner b 1842. No further info. Died as infant. 

5) Amanda Emmaline Faulkner Kincaid (1842-1911) Married John Adams Kincaid. 10 children; James Henry, Sarah L., Genetta Evaline, Amanda Frances, Martha Jane, John Boone, Theola, Joel Robert, Ida Amandice 'Mintie', William Jefferson.

6) John Henry Job Faulkner (1844-1913). Married Sarah Caledonia Vandiver. Seven children; Sarah Rosa, Joel Larkin, William T., Mary Frances 'Franky', Martha Elnora 'Ellie', Maude Ann, Connie. Job was in the Civil War and folks keep connecting his records to that of his grandfather Job Faulkner.

7) Robert Franklin Faulkner (1846-1923) Married Clarissa Jane Byers. Four children; John Hilliard, James Lynnar, Rufus Perry, Sarah Ann 'Sadie'.

8) Joel D 'Jote' Faulkner (1850-1924) Married Amanda Frances Byers, sister to Roberts' wife, Clarissa. Ten children: James P, Valcie Arena, Thomas Calvin "Callie", Willie, Jefferson Burch, Janie, Mary Doyle, Lela, Joel Elmer, Leslie Frances. 

9) Elijah Jefferson Faulkner (1852-1907) Married Amanda Melissa White, Four children; Marion Wesley, William Ussery, Annie Caroline, Edna Elmira.

10) Sarah Frances Faulkner Vick (1854-1898). Married William Mitchell Collins 'Bud' Vick Sr. Four children; James Lambert 'Lambkin',  Sarah Frances "Frankie", William Mitchell Collins Jr, John Monroe 'Johnnie'.

11) Thomas Bunyon Faulkner (1856 - 1924); Married Mary Lou White; Five children; Sarah Ann Ada, Mary Isabella, Voiler Elizabeth, Ollie C., John Bunyan.

12) Calvin M. Faulkner ( 1859 - 1863) Died as child, buried at Old Sterett Cemetery.

13) Isabella Brown "Belle" Faulkner (1861-1924) Married Thomas Moody Goodwin. Belle was born when her mother was 43 and her father died when she was only 3, followed by her mother when she was 16. She married the very next year and became the mother of 11 children: Lillie, Robert Percy, Avery Roscoe, Flora Elizabeth, Benjamin Franklin,Lucy T. Leila Victoria, Clark Rudolph, Luther Thomas, Beatrice Emily, Arthur Lee, Joel Toomie Goodwin. 

Belle Faulkner Goodwin and Family
.


Nancy Ann Faulkner Ussery 

Nancy Ann Faulkner , the youngest child of Job and Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner, was born December 20, 1817, in Walton County, Georgia, while her parents were still in their migration stage. She grew up in Randolph County, Alabama, where she would remain. Like her closest sibling, Joel, she would marry into the Ussery family, who, like her parents, were from the Anson County North Carolina area, and who also, were potter's by trade.



At age 20, in 1837, she would marry Calvin Jones Ussery, brother of her sister-in-law Sarah Ussery Faulkner and son of Robert Jackson Ussery and Margaret Chairs. 

Calvin was quite the character and quite the catch. Nancy was known as a quiet and pious lady, by people who knew her in old age, meaning she might not have always been that way.  

Calvin was born in that part of Anson that became Richmond County, but related still to the Montgomery County and Anson County Usserys that remained. 


Calvin Jones, a Potter by trade like his father and father in-law, also became involved in politics. The following description of him at age 32 was derived from the Randolph County Alabama archives.




Note the dot, Calvin, a Whig, ran against Wilson Faulkner, a Democrat. That must have been an interesting factor at family reunions. The article continues,.



Calvin Jones Ussery was not just a self-made man and a community servant. He was industrious, productive and resourceful and a leader in the community.


The above clip describes his multiple business ventures. In addition to be a businessman and devout church member, he was very involved in politics, both before and after the war. Caleb and Nancy raised a large family, typical of the time.



Their last census together was the 1880, where they are listed in Business. Calvin is listed as the superintendent of a Flour Mill. Their son, John Robert is living with them and his job was 'working in Tanyard '. Two granddaughters, Ida and Ella, are living with them, incorrectly named as Usserys, they were instead, McPherson's. Son Millard Fillmore Ussery is living next to them and also working in the flour mill. Above them is merchant William Weathers, married their daughter, Nancy, who was reknown for her beauty.


Calvin must have had a bit of the psychic talents as well. His Last Will and Testament included the following cryptic premonition, "I, C.J. Ussery, am in my 65th year of age


"I, C.J. Ussery, am in my 65th year of age and propose making a trip to Texas, and not being very stout, I appoint Millard F. Ussery and my wife Nancy A. Ussery lawful executors. I have already given about $500 each to my children. To my son Thomas I give $1200, owing to his being wounded in the late war; to the daughter of my son Calvin I have given nothing. My executors shall settle on her $1200 of my effects as soon as she becomes of age or married. If I die before my wife does, then this place and premesis shall be her home during her life of widowhood, and at the expiration of either, there must be an equal division of the money on hand after sales. Ella and Ida McPherson, my granddaughters, shall if they choose, make my house their home so long as they remain single or conduct themselves ladylike. If available, pay $200 to Callie Ussery, my son Calvin Ussery's daughter. File 7 August 1906, as a substitute will.. CJ Ussery


Calvin passed away on August 15, 1884, according to his son, Millard F. Ussery, in High Shoals, Alabama. Nancy Ann Ussery was his surviving widow. Listed next-of-kin were Susey Veal, High Shoals, Emmaline Mayfield, Roanoke, T. F. Ussery, High Shoals, Louise Waller, Roanoke, Nannie Weathers, High Shoals, W.F. Ussery, same, J.R. Ussery also High Shoals, Betty Weathers, High Shoals, Callie Ussery, daughter of Calvin Ussery (Jr.), a minor, Calvin having predeceased his father. 



Nancy outlived Calvin by two decades. She even made it into the 20th Century. In 1900, she is living with daughter, Sarah Weathers, one of two who married Weathers, and son Millard right next door, and another daughter on the other side. She would love 5 more years.



Nancy's obituary states that her intermittent was at Bacon Level and that she was 90. Actually, she was 85.

The Children of Nancy Ann Faulkner Ussery and Calvin Jones Ussery were:

Paragraph on William Faulkner Ussery, Nancy's son, from "Notable Men of Alabama '. He was not the oldest son, by far.

1) John Ussery (1837-1838) Died as infant.


Obituary of Martha Susan Veal

2) Martha Susan "Susie" Ussery (1839-1896). Married 1st; William M McPherson, 6 children. Married 2nd; William H. Veal, One child, Blanche.

Tom Ussery


3) Thomas Frederick Ussery (1843-1926) Married Mary E Hudson. 7 children: Olive Leolia, Medora Lee, Novella Fannie, Anderson, Hudson Tarfus,Eula Ann, Thomas Cleveland.


4) Louisa Frances Ussery (1845-1927) Married Stephen S. Waller, 10 children: Mary Elizabeth, Ollie Bell, Oscar Calvin, Elonzia A., Elliott Rufus, Jesse B., Norah L., Daisy J., Louisa Gertrude, Nancy Samantha.

5) Emmaline D. Ussery (1847-1888). Married William Smith Mayfield.12 children: Mary Jane, James C., William D., Theodosia, Emma A., Ada, Anna, Zella Pearl, John, Cora T., Cepheus Taylor, Bella. 

Painting of Nannie  Ussery Weathers as a young girl

6) Nancy "Nannie" T. Ussery (1848-1891) Married Dr. William "Buck" Weathers. Died of 'La Grippe' two days after the birth of son. 12 children: Thomas Calvin, Florence Roberta, Robert Edward Lee, Lula B., Estella Pearl, William Ernest, Stanley Ervin, Guy Spurgeon, Rob Stewart, Lionel L. 'Leo', Annie Maude, Infant son who died after his mother's death.

7) Calvin Jones Ussery Jr. (1849-1869). Fought in Civil War in Third Alabama Reserves and Third Battalion Reserves, as was underage. Married Elizabeth A. "Bettie" Suddeth. One child, daughter Calvin J. "Callie" Ussery Vinson, born five months posthumously to her father, named in her grandfathers will. Calvin, only 20 when he died, is said to have died from complications from the war, another source suggests suicide.

Callie


8) William Faulkner Ussery (1851-1930) ( Short Biography seen above Nancy's portrait), Married Susan Frances Clopton, 3 children; Beulah, who died as toddler, Lena Ophelia and Gordon Clopton Ussery.

W. F. Ussery

9) Mary Martha 'Mollie' Ussery (1854- 1917) Temple, Bell, Texas. Married James W. Sparks; 5 children: Viola Hastings, Hattie, William Calvin, Zena E., Eva.

10) Millard Fillmore Ussery (1857- 1924) Married 1st: Mary Jane Taylor, 4 children; Calvin Jones, Roy Millard, Audrey I, Adele. Married 2nd: Lura Viola Awbrey, two children; Nannie Lou, William Alfred aka Fred.



11) John Robert Ussery (1859-1919) Postmaster of High Shoals. Never married. Did take in a number of nephews and neighbors.



12) Sarah Elizabeth Faulkner (1862-1940). Married Jesse Bealon Weathers. One of several Usserys to marry Weathers. 9 children including an infant born 1893, died 1894. The others were: Daughter Herschel Huron, Iris Faye, Lillian There's, Florence Lee 'Florrie', Robert Hoyt, Jessie Mae, Willie Sue, Lurline Ann.

Bettie U. Weathers

Job Faulkner and Mary Frances Gulledge Faulkner left many children and grandchildren who lived well into the 20th century. His art of pottery continues among his descendants to this day. Many of them were important in the settlement of Randolph County, Alabama and other locations as they spread west. 














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