Moore, Spears, Jordan, Merriman, Familys

Copied from: The Goingsnake Messenger, Vol. XVIII, Number Three, 2001

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Another visit With Jesse Jordan's Family

By L. Hammer

About a year ago, I had contributed an article on the genealogy of Jesse Jordan, one of my 3rd great grandfathers, to the Goingsnake Messenger. Since that contribution, further research has made some additions and corrections to this line of my ancestry.

According to the West family Bible, Jesse was born on October 17, 1817, and other records point to his probable place of birth as being Pitt County, North Carolina. Jesse's father was probably river Jordan, the same River who was listed on the 1830 Greene County, Tennessee Federal census with three sons under the age of ten, two under the age of twenty and four daughters. The census also indicates that River and his unknown wife's ages were between fifty and sixty years old, (1770-1780). There is not much known about Jesse's parents and siblings, other than two very probable brothers, Isaac Newton and James, who were living near Jesse in 1860, (they were in the Illinois Township of Washington County, Arkansas). Isaac also patented land in Benton County Arkansas in 1860 and appears as a witness in the deed record for Jesse Jordan and Edward Craig, (see deed page 61).

On October 3, 1836, when Jesse was almost nineteen years old, he married Elizabeth Merryman in Green County, Tennessee. Elizabeth was then just sixteen years old, a daughter of William and Susanne Merryman, (Merriman/Merreman), natives of North Carolina. William was probably born c. 1790-1795 in North Carolina, (some records list Virginia). Isaac, Jesse's very probable brother also married another of William and Susanne's daughters, Malissa, and she is listed with four Jordan children on the 1860 Illinois Township Federal census.

Approximately a year after Jesse and Elizabeth were married, Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, William Sanford and thereafter, in 1839 Elizabeth or "Lizzie" was born. Shortly after the birth of John Asbury in 1842, Jesse and family moued to Arkansas. Some documentation records have Jesse and family settling near Rhea's Mill in Washington County in 1843; Jesse probably rented land and farmed there for five or six years. Along about 1849, Jesse and family moved to the neighboring Township of Marrs Hill and on the 1850 census, for Marrs Hill Township, Jesse is recorded as a farmer with a net worth of $300.00, also listed is Elizabeth and an additional two children, Jesse Powell and Nancy Ann, which totaled their children to five.

At thirty-three years old, Jesse with his $300.00 net worth, began to build a profitable farming business that supported his wife Elizabeth, their then five children and their future family quite comfortably.

On April 28, 1851, Jesse purchased his first eighty acres of land and a release of dower rights from Hugh and Annette Hembree, the property was located in Section 3 of Township 15N and Range 33W in the Illinois Township, (About two miles North of present day Summers). On January 23,1854, Jesse purchased one hundred and five acres, including a release of dower rights, from Edward and Mary A. Craig, Which was located at Section 22 in Township 16 N and range 32 W, in the Marrs Hill Township, (between Present day Rhea's Mill and Viney Grove, on the Muddy Fork). Again, on September 29, 1857, he purchased 160 acres in sections 3, 10,11 of Township 16N and Range 31W, (close to Fayetteville), from Jacob and Martha Cook. Jesse also obtained a U.S. Patent on February 1, 1860 for an additional forth acres that joined the Cook property in Section 11. Two years later, in 1859, he and Elizabeth sold the Cook and the Patent Property, (the paperwork on the Patent property took and additional year to catch up with the sale).

In the approximate nine years, (1851 to 1860), Jesse had purchased and patented a total of three hundred and eighty-five acres of land, accumulated substantial crops, stock, mules, wagons, barns and a nice home. Jesse and Elizabeth also added four more children to their family during this time, with Newton being born in 1851, Mary in 1854, Christopher in 1856 and Alva in 1858.

On the 1860 census, for Marrs Hill Township, Jesse and Elizabeth are listed along with seven of their children: Lizzie and Nancy who have married prior to the census are not listed with the family. Also in 1860, listed in Illinois Township, were James Jordan and family, Melissa Jordan and family, (Issac's wife ), and Elizabeth's parents, William and Susanne Merryman.

During the Civil War, Jesse was a civilian but also a Union sympathizer in a mostly Confederate State Documentation by other researchers, (descendants), have stated that during the Battle of Prairie Grove, General Blunts Army camped at one of his farms, while Phillip's Indian Brigade camped at the other. Both sides of the conflict, the Union and Confederate, including the Rebels, ravaged and plundered his stock, property and burned his home to the ground. He was under constant threat of being shot on sight and it has been said that he was arrested and imprisoned at Ft. Smith for a number of weeks, for a lack of loyalty as a Union sympathizer. In August of 1861, Elizabeth gave birth to their last child, whom they named Jefferson Davis. Jefferson may have been born at Elizabeth's parents home, in the Illinois Township. It was also around this time that Jesse had fled to Collin County, Texas to stay with his daughter Elizabeth West.

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After the War had ended, Jesse began to rebuild his farming business and according to the records, he bought and sold property at least twenty times before he retired.

O March 6, 1879, Elizabeth, ( Jesse's wife), passed away and on October 23, of the same year, Jesse married a Mrs. Antoinette F. Flynt, an assumed widow; details of this marriage are not known. Jesse died on July 7, 1904 and it is not known where he resided, whether in another county, State or perhaps the Indian Territory. Neither Jesse or Antoinette were listed on the 1900 census for Washington County; all that is known, is that Jesse was buried at the Old Union Cemetery at Cincinnati, Arkansas.

The Children of Jesse and Elizabeth

1) William Sanford was born July21, 1837 in Tennessee, probably Greene County. It is assumed that William Sanford just went by Sanford since that is the way he is listed on his grave stone; he died on January 24, 1910. Sanford's wife was Martha Matthews (1847-1925)' both Sanford and Martha are buried at Dickson Cemetery, Cherokee City, Arkansas.

2) Elizabeth " Lizzie" was born November 26, 1839 in Tennessee, probably Green County. Lizzie married Alvah Thomas West, a son of William and Jane (Yocum) West, on December 3, 1857 in Washington County. Alvah, was born in 1833, died in 1894 and is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery at Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Lizzie, after 1894, married William E. P. Kirby, (a widower). Lizzie died on June 11, 1919; where she is buried is not known.

3) John Asbury was born on January 2, 1842 in Tennessee, probably Greene County. John, before 1880, married Margaret, a daughter of John and Sarah Mateer, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland, respectively. Margaret was born c. 1853 in Pennsylvania and died April 22, 1930. John died February 28, 1913 in Arkansas and both are buried at Rhea's Cemetery at Rhea's Mill, Washington, Arkansas.

4) Jesse Powell was born August 11, 1845 at Rhea's Mill, Washington County, Arkansas. In 1868, Jesse married Nancy Mary "Nannie" Spears a daughter of John Washington and Mariah (Graves) Spears, (probably Cherokees). Nannie was born in 1849, died in 1894 and is buried at Rock Springs Cemetery near Rhea's Mill and Lincoln, Arkansas. In 1911, Jesse married Mrs. Matilda Clark and later divorced. Jesse died October 17, 1933 and is buried, along with his son James Elmer at Dutch Mills Cemetery at Dutch Mills, Arkansas.

5) Nancy Ann was Born August 6, 1848, at Rhea's Mill, Washington, Arkansas. Nancy married Marshall Dickson who was born c. 1831 in Missouri. Nancy died October 17, 1883 and is buried in the Old Union Cemetery at Cincinnati, Arkansas.

6) Newton was born in c. 1851 in Marrs hill Township, Washington Co. Arkansas. He married, between 1870-1880, Margaret A. Pulis, an assumed widow, who was born c. 1846 in Missouri; no further information bout them is known.

7) Mary was born c. 1854 at Marrs Hill Township, Washington County. Mary Married James March and may also have married Francis Welch, as son of George Washington Welch and Nannie Jones, who were natives of Cherokee Nation-East and also had family in the Goingsnake District of the Cherokee Nation, I.T.

8) Christopher Freslowe was born c. 1856 at Marrs Hill Township, Washington County. On February 5, 1891, Christopher married Susanna "Susie,: born c. 1871 in Goingsnake District, Cherokee Nation, I. T. , a daughter of Martin Root and Lucy Crittenden, also natives of Goingsnake District. The 1910 census for Delaware County, Oklahoma list Christopher and Susie a family and house #24 with seven children. Susie;s mother and her Crittenden grandparents, Henry and Susanna, (Wolf), are buried at Crittenden Cemetery, just east of Westville, Oklahoma.

9) Alva D. was born. 1858 at Marrs Hill Township, Washington County. Alva was probably named after his oldest sister, Lizzie;'s, husband Alvah T. West, since they were married about the same time that he was born. No n the 1910census for Adair County, Jefferson and Alice are listed and were the parents of nine children; after the census they had three more children, for a total of twelve. Jefferson died in 1937 and Alice in 1950, both are buried at Baptist Mission Cemetery in Adair County, Oklahoma.