Higginbotham Family History and Genealogy
FAMILY OF CALEB AND MARY ANN CASH-HIGGINBOTHAM

CALEB HIGGINBOTHAM, the oldest son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Graves) was
born in Amherst County, Virginia ca. 1752. He grew up there and married Mary Ann
Cash ca. 1775. Mary Ann Cash was the daughter of Howard Cash. During the
Revolution and later in Georgia, Caleb was closely associated with the Cash and
Ware Families. His Revolutionary service, along with several cousins and at least
two or three uncles, are well documented in the old records of Virginia. With the
exception of his cousin Samuel (son of Aaron) is believed to be the oldest grandson
of our first American ancestors.

In the latter 1780s or perhaps early 1790s, Caleb and his family also moved to
Georgia, along with his cousin Samuel and others. They settled in the vicinity of
Danielville in Madison County, adjacent to Elbert County. While there were no
doubt, teenage children at the time they moved to Georgia, those children had been
extremely difficult to identity.

In about 1809-10 the Higginbothams were among another mass exodus from
Georgia to the west into Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Uncles, aunts,
brothers, sisters and cousins left Georgia and headed west – among them were no
doubt several of Caleb and Mary Ann’s children. Some of them are more clearly
identified than others, and therefore we show a tentative list of Caleb’s family.

There is some evidence that Caleb himself moved to St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
with his sons Nelson, Robert and Samuel where he died ca 1815. While there is still
a question if William was actually his son, there is little doubt that he was somehow
related to this family. Only more research will eventually prove or disprove their
family connection.
CHILDREN OF CALEB AND MARY ANN

  1. UNIDENTIFIED SON? There is good reason to believe there was an older
    son in this family who has never been identified. This is based on a careful
    analysis of information on a number of families who moved to the eastern
    part of Alabama around 1810-20. Many given names and their migration
    pattern strongly suggest they were somehow related to Caleb’s family.
  2. ROBERT, born in Amherst County Virginia ca 1777. He is believed to have
    married Emily Carter in Georgia and moved first to St. Tammany parish
    Louisiana, where he was granted land in 1811. There were at least twelve
    children in this family who later moved to Yazoo County Mississippi where
    Robert and Emily spent the remainder of their lives. He died there September
    18, 1831.
  3. NELSON, born in Amherst County Virginia ca 1779. He is the only son of
    Caleb and Mary Ann who has been positively identified, and was among
    those we find in southern Mississippi (Pike County) and the adjoining part of
    Louisiana. He married first, Judith Ware, and by 1830 had moved to
    Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Their children grew up in South Louisiana and
    married into the predominate "Cajun" families who lived in that area. This
    couple is the progenitors of many of our Higginbotham "Cajun" cousins now
    living all over the South – particularly in South Louisiana, and the Gulf coast.
  4. NELLIE, believed to be one of the daughters of Caleb and Mary Ann. She
    married Charles Smith of South Carolina, and moved with her brothers to
    Pike County, Mississippi and St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. While we have
    no documented proof, this family lived near her brothers in St. Tammany
    Parish, and therefore it is reasonable to assume she was one of Caleb and
    Mary Ann’s daughters.
  5. WILLIAM, believed to be one of the sons of Caleb and Mary Ann. Born ca
    1788 and died in 1852. (See next family sheet.)
  6. SAMUEL, believed to be the youngest son of Caleb and Mary Ann, was
    born in Madison? County Georgia ca 1793. He grew up there and married
    Ann Ware on November 27, 1818. This couple is believed to have moved to
    Pike County, Mississippi with other members of the family for a short time –
    but, later returned to Georgia. Samuel died in Madison County, Georgia on
    June 28, 1829.
FAMILY OF WILLIAM AND (1)  MARY (DAVIS?) HIGGINBOTHAM
                  (2) MARY N. ( BRADFORD?) HIGGINBOTHAM

Benjamin1 :  Caleb2
WILLIAM HIGGINBOTHAM3, was probably the son of Caleb and Mary Ann
(Cash?), and the grandson of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Graves)
Higginbotham of Amherst county, Virginia.  

 ------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE by Earl Higginbotham:  While we have found no proof that William was the son of Caleb, our
conclusions are based on a careful analysis of his migration pattern and various known family
associations.  The following write-up only assumes that we have identified him correctly and provides
details on much of the circumstantial evidence used in our analysis.  Hopefully this information will be
helpful to anyone wishing to do more detailed research.

------------------------------------------------------------

William was born in Amherst? County, Virginia ca 1788, and moved to
Georgia when he was a small child. He grew up in Madison County, Georgia
where he first married Mary Davis? ca 1810.  This speculation is based on
the estate records of Moses Davis who died in Perry county, Alabama in
1837.  Among his heirs were the "children of Mary Higginbotham" - not
named.

They lived in Madison County, Georgia for at least eight years, where we
find a number of official court records involving William and two relatives,
Samuel and Nelson Higginbotham, believed to be his brothers.  The three of
them were apparently business partners.  Several suits were filed against
them in Madison County in 1818, which could have influenced their
departure from Georgia before 1820. There were however, other
compelling reasons for them to leave Georgia at that time.  The Cahaba
Land District of Alabama was opened for settlement ca 1818 and resulted in
a mass migration from Georgia.  We find that William was among those who
purchased land in Dallas County, Alabama on April 7, 1819, in township 18,
range 11.

They lived in the community of Cahaba in Dallas County, Alabama and
appear on the 1820 census records which shows seven members in the
family.  William, his wife,  and five male children  Only the name of the "head
of the household" was required on census records prior to 1850.  They still
lived in the area ten years later, when ONLY William is listed on the 1830
census with six sons and one daughter, his wife apparently having died a
short time before.  In the adjacent county of Perry in 1837 we find the estate
papers of one Moses Davis, who identifies among his heirs, the "HEIRS OF
MARY HIGGINBOTHAM".

Among the heirs of Moses Davis were the following, who were no doubt his
children or his children's heirs.
Lot #1    The heirs of Mary Higginbotham.
Lot #2    Lucy Thompson
Lot #3    John D. Davis (Administrator)
Lot #4    James W.? Davis.
Lot #5    Elisha Davis.
Lot #6    Linsey Davis.
Lot #7    The heirs of Frederick Davis

This clearly suggests that his daughter Mary Davis was already DECEASED
and left "Higginbotham" children, who were probably the children of William
Higginbotham.

Some five years before Moses Davis died, William Higginbotham married
Mary N. Bradford in Perry county on July 27, 1832.  Just prior to his
marriage to Mary Bradford, William was elected Constable in 1831, and
served in that capacity at least until 1833.  Supporting our identification of
William, we find his first cousin, Benjamin Graves Higginbotham and his
family also living in Dallas County in 1830. Benjamin G. was the son of
Benjamin Higginbotham Jr. of Elbert County Georgia. It is reasonable to
assume that the two of them were well acquainted back in Georgia, before
moving to Dallas County, Alabama .

About 1835 both families left Dallas County and moved to Mississippi -
Benjamin G. went to Noxubee County and William and his family went to
Kemper county.  These two counties have common boundaries and were
part of the Choctaw land cession of the early 1830s, which drew flocks of
settlers to the area.  We next find William's family listed on a special
Mississippi census taken in 1837.  The census shows the name of only the
head of household, which was William, followed by the number of males and
females by age groups.  It is clear that at least two of the older sons and a
daughter were either dead, or had already married and left home.  

We have been unable to identify all of William's older children, but one of
them was no doubt named "MOSES HIGGINBOTHAM", who apparently
married in Dallas County, Alabama and moved along with his parents, to
Kemper County, Mississippi.  Moses and his young family are also listed on
the 1837 state census, living near William and his family.  This is the last
time we find William and Moses living near each other.  

We have tentatively identified Moses and Lindsey Higginbotham as two of
the older sons, and a sister named Bertha Parthenia who married Stephen
Stanley in Lauderdale County, Mississippi on May 28, 1843.  This
connection is supported by the fact that Moses Higginbotham and the
Stanley family moved to the Gulf Coast about the same time, and lived for
some time in Jackson County.  It also appears that another one of the older
sons, whose name is yet unknown, died in Lauderdale County, Mississippi
prior to 1840, leaving a widow and a large family of children.

In about 1841 William sold out in Kemper County and moved to Bienville
Parish, Louisiana, settling about 6 miles southeast of the present town of
Arcadia - in township seventeen. He again acquired a considerable amount
of land near the Bienville, Lincoln Parish line. Since a number of the older
children do not show up on the 1850-60 census records of Bienville Parish,
we can safely assume that they either remained in Mississippi, or moved
elsewhere.

There is no doubt that William and both his wives had children. The older
ones born in Georgia and the younger ones born in Alabama and
Mississippi.  All their younger children moved to Louisiana and have been
identified as  Thomas, Jackson, Melvina, William Jr., Walker N., Mary Jane,
Adeline, and Perry.  While we are confident about the accuracy of our
identification of these children, more research will be necessary to obtain
documentation.

William last appeared on the 1850 census records in Bienville Parish,
Louisiana  having died in October 1852. His wife Mary N. was appointed
administratrix of his estate, along with Jackson Higginbotham, her older
step-son. Three "infant" children still under age twenty-one are mentioned
in the probate records and since Mary was appointed their natural
guardian, we assume they were her own children.  When William's personal
estate was sold in 1853, his sons Thomas and Jackson bought most of the
personal and real property, including a considerable amount of land. Some
of this land remained in the family for many years.    

Soon after the land was sold, Mary and four of her younger children, all still
single, left Bienville Parish and moved to Smith County, Texas in 1854 and
settled near Tyler.  The three sons who remained in Louisiana were
considerably older than those who moved with Mary, and were probably her
step-sons. As legal guardian Mary was required by law to make a final
settlement of William's estate as each of her children reached the age of
21.  Those final settlement papers are recorded in Smith County, Texas and
are among the earliest Higginbotham records in that County. Mary spent the
remainder of her life in Smith County, Texas where she died ca 1865.
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CHILDREN OF MARY DAVIS?

1. UNIDENTIFIED SON, b. before 1810 -  d. before 1840 (see next family).  
2.
MOSES, b.  ca 1811 -  d. ca 1849 (see p-???).
3.
LINDSEY, b. ca 1812 -  d.  1873  (see p-???).  
4.
JACKSON, believed to be an older son, was born in Madison? County, Georgia ca 1817.  He grew up
in Kemper County, Mississippi where he probably married his wife Lucy  ? (she might have been a
"BARROW").  They lived in Bienville Parish, Louisiana in 1850 and had no children.  Jackson, along with
his "step-mother" Mary was named co-administrator to his father's estate.  Jackson and his brother
Thomas purchased most of the family farm.  Jackson eventually wound up with most of the property, after
buying the remainder of the land from his brother Thomas.    
5.  
PARTHENIA, (Bertha), might have been one of the daughters of William.  She was born ca 1819,
probably in Dallas? County Alabama.  She married Stephen Stanley in Lauderdale County, Mississippi on
May 28, 1843.  Several children were born to this couple and were living in Jackson County, Mississippi
(Gulf Coast) in 1860.
6.
THOMAS, b. ca 1820 - d. ???  (see p-???).
7.
MELVINA, born Dallas? county, Alabama on August 8, 1822.  She grew up in Kemper county,
Mississippi.  She married first, Charles Stevens on August 8, 1843, probably in Kemper county,
Mississippi.  They had one daughter named Mary Ann, born October 26, 1847. The family moved to
Bienville parish, Louisiana where Stevens apparently died, and Melvina married second, Abram Landers
Byas, on August 13, 1849. They also had one daughter named Permelia Melvina, born February 14,
1858.  About 1854 this family moved to Tarrant county, Texas, where they probably lived the remainder
of their lives.  Melvina died on October 31, 1906. ( Thanks to Mrs. Trevia Smith of Cushing, Oklahoma for
the information on Melvina (Higginbotham) Byas.)
8.
WILLIAM JR., b. September 24, 1824 - d. January 2, 1906. (see p-???)

CHILDREN OF MARY N. BRADFORD

9. WALKER HUBBARD, b. ca 1833 - d. 1863. (see p-???).
10.
MARY JANE, born in Kemper? County, Mississippi ca 1835.  She grew up in Bienville parish,
Louisiana and moved with her mother and brothers to Smith County, Texas where she married James
William Wilson  on December 24, 1854.
11.
ADELINE, was born in Kemper County, Mississippi ca 1837.  She was a young woman when the
family left Bienville parish, Louisiana and moved to Smith County, Texas where she married Lorance
Nestin Horton  on April 16, 1856.
12.
PERRY, was born in Kemper County, Mississippi ca 1841.  He was living with his older brother in
Smith County, Texas in 1860.  His name does not appear in Smith county again, strongly suggesting that
he was killed in the War Between the States.  We must keep in mind, as we ponder the significance of the
following Civil War record, that most of the young Higginbotham men then living in St. Landry Parish,
Louisiana were probably his first cousins.  This record clearly supports our theory that William and
Nelson Higginbotham were brothers, the sons of Caleb and Mary Ann Higginbotham. Although the
following record states that Perry was "born in Texas", I believe it should have stated "lived in Texas".  
We have found only one or two Higginbotham families living in Texas in 1841, and neither of them had a
son named "Perry".

       -----------------------------------------

"Perry Higginbotham, also identified as T. Higginbotham, was a private in Company C of the 6th. Louisiana Infantry.  He enlisted at Camp
Moore, Louisiana on June 4, 1861.  He was single, born in Texas, but was then a resident and farmer in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.  He
was critically wounded in action on July 1, 1862, and died on July 8th."
HISTORICAL NOTE GENERAL JOHN CARLTON HIGGINBOTHAM, born August 19, 1818, great nephew of
Benjamin Higginbotham, and great grandson of John and Rachel Higginbotham. He was the son of William
Thomas Higginbotham and Mary Francis Riley Coleman. He served as captain in the Confederate Army in 1861,
in 1862 he was promoted to Major, then to Lt. Colonel. After the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 (Where
General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally wounded,) he was promoted to full Colonel. He was
wounded seven times and was fatally wounded at the Battle of Spottsylvania Court House on May 10, 1864 while
commanding the 25th Virginia Regiment, Jones’ Brigade – and died before his commission as Brig. General
reached him. He was unmarried.
FAMILY OF WILLIAM AND (1) (UNKNOWN)
                               (2) MARY N. (?) HIGGINBOTHAM

WILLIAM HIGGINBOTHAM, believed to be a younger son of Caleb and Mary Ann, was born in Amherst
County, ca. 1788. Moved to Georgia as a small boy and grew up near Danielsville in Madison? County, where he
married first ca. 1810, and lived in the area until ca. 1819. His first wife’s name is unknown. We found him and
his wife living in Dallas County, Alabama in 1820, with five sons. In 1830, same county, it appears that his first
wife had died and there were six sons and one daughter all still living at home.

Before 1833 he had married the second time, to Mary N. (?) – and lived in the community of Cahaba, where he
served as constable during 1831-1834. They owned a considerable amount of land in Township 18 where they
sold out in 1835 and moved to Kemper County, Mississippi, where we find them listed on the 1837 state census
records. On that same census record we find a young Moses Higginbotham and his wife, with a young son and
daughter living near-by.

We believe this Moses was one of the older sons of William.

About 1845 this family sold their land in Kemper County and moved again to Bienville Parish, Louisiana where they
again acquired a considerable amount of land six miles east of Arcadia in Township seventeen. William last
appeared on the 1850 census records and died ca. October 1852. It appeared that two and perhaps three of the
older sons remained in Mississippi, having married there before their parents moved to Louisiana. We believed that
two of them were Moses and Lindsey. Lindsey married Mary Ann Warren in Mississippi and later moved to
Anderson County, Texas. Moses moved to the Gulf Coast and lived for some time in Jackson County, Mississippi.
When William died in Bienville Parish in 1852, most of his property was sold, although his younger son William
Junior remained in that part of the state for many years. Mary and her younger children, all minors, left Bienville
Parish ca. 1854 and moved to Smith County, Texas. Although William died in Bienville Parish, Louisiana his estate
was finally settled in Smith County, Texas, and only the younger children are mentioned in those papers.

Neither Moses nor Lindsay are mentioned in the probate records of Bienville Parish or Smith County, which tends
to cast some doubt that they were from this family. There is a possibility that they were William’s younger
brothers.

Their children were:
(1)-
MOSES, perhaps the oldest son. (See the following family.)
(2)-
LINDSEY, born ca. 1812. He married Mary Ann Warren, and moved to Anderson County, Texas, where
several children were born. Mary Ann’s father, William Warren died in Neshoba County, Mississippi, the adjacent
county to Kemper. This is the only clue that tends to link Lindsey with this family. There were perhaps
descendants from this family, but we have been unable to find any Higgibothams.
(3)-
OTHER CHILDREN were born during this time, at least two daughters.
(4)-
JACKSON, born ca. 1817 in Madison County, Georgia. He grew up in Kamper County, Mississippi and
probably married Lucy there. (Lucy is believed to have been a "Barrow"). This couple lived in Bienville Parish,
Louisiana in 1850 and had no children at that time, and probably never had children. In their household was listed:
(1) Hiriam Russaw, age 80, born in Virginia ca. 1770. (2) Rachael Barrow, age 35, born in South Carolina ca.
1815. This "Rachael" was probably his sister-in-law.
(5)-
THOMAS, born in Dallas County, Alabama ca. 1820. He married Louisa ? probably in Bienville Parish,
Louisiana and later moved to Winn Parish where they lived for many years and raised a large family. His son
James Jackson (Jack) married and moved to San Augustine County, Texas where he too raise a large family, some
of whom still live in East Texas. Thomas later moved to Collin County, Texas with his younger daughter, where
he lived the remainder of his life.
(6)-
WILLIAM JR. born in Dallas County, Alabama on September 24th 1824. He grew up in Bienville Parish
Louisiana and married Annie McCloud ca. 1878. This couple remained in Louisiana and raised a large family. Many
Higginbotham descendants of this couple still live in northwest Louisiana.
(7)-
WALKER HUBBARD, born in Dallas County, Alabama ca. 1833. When he was about 22 years old he moved
to Smith County, Texas where he married Elizabeth Quarrels on May 4th 1856. They raised a large family in East
Texas, before he was killed in the War Between the States. Descendants of this family still live in East Texas and
Oklahoma.
(8)-
MARY JANE, born in Kemper County, Mississippi ca. 1835. She moved to Smith County, Texas with her
mother where she married James William Wilson December 24th 1854.
(9)-
ADELINE, born ca. 1837. She too moved to Smith County, Texas where she married Lorance Nestin Horton
April 16th, 1856.
(10)-
PERRY, born in Kemper County, Mississippi ca. 1841. He was living with his older brother in Smith County,
Texas in 1860. There is a marriage record in Smith County dated August 22, 1856-Richard Higginbotham married
Ella Foster. It is reasonable to assume his name was "Richard Perry Higginbotham" – and he too might have died in
the War Between The States.
FAMILY OF MOSES AND MARTHA WHITTINGTON-HIGGINBOTHAM

MOSES HIGGINBOTHAM. Believed to be one of the older sons of William and his first wife, was born ca. 1811
in Georgia, probably Madison County. We first find him and his young family living near William and Mary in
Kemper County, Mississippi on the 1837 state census. We believe Moses’ mother died in Dallas County, Alabama,
and his father married second "Mary N.?"

Several members of this family moved to Jackson County, Mississippi before 1840, where Moses is listed with
two daughters and one son. The birth place of their children and later census records, indicate they moved back
and forth several times between Alabama and Mississippi, but we have been unable to determine where in Alabama
they lived.

We assume Moses died ca. 1849. We found a widow named
Martha Higginbotham with several children, living
in Harrison County, Mississippi in 1850. Harrison County was formed from Jackson in 1841. By 1860 Martha had
moved with her family to Columbus, Marion County, Mississippi where her son George W. is listed on the census
records as a "mail carrier." The family apparently began to split up during the War Between the States, as we find
members of this family living back in Jackson County, Mississippi in 1870.

Without visiting the various counties where this family lived over the years it would be virtually impossible to
determine where they might have lived in Alabama, although we might expect that to be Dallas County. Dallas
County however, is a considerable distance from the Gulf Coast where we believe Martha died. We have
constructed the following family based on various census and other records, but do not claim this to be
documented evidence of their true identity.

CHILDREN OF MOSES AND MARTHA

  1. MARTHA JANE, born in Kemper? County, Mississippi ca 1835. She is believed to have married James H.
    Alexander in Harrison County, Mississippi on October 9, 1857.
  2. William (A?). Born in Kemper? County, Mississippi ca. 1836. We find records of Confederate service for
    a William, (Could have been this one.) He married Ellen? In Jackson County, Mississippi and raised at least
    four children. From the Registration of Confederate Graves in Mississippi, we find that one "W. A.
    Higginbotham", born in Harrison County, Mississippi in 1836, died in 1911. He is buried in Lamar County
    and listed his home as Purvis. We also find one "William Higginbotham" recruited in Harrison County in the
    3rd Mississippi, Company E. (Biloxi Rifles). After the war, he is listed as a "Ferryman" on the coast where
    he lived the remainder of his life. This could have been one and the same.
  3. A daughter, born in Jackson County, Mississippi, probably died as a child.
  4. GEORGE WASHINGTON, born in Mobile County, Alabama on February 20, 1841. He married Anna
    Elizabeth (Eliza) Hanna Barrow, August 13, 1863. Where they were married has not been determined,
    either Jackson County, Mississippi or Alabama (See family sheet that follows).
  5. JOHN H., born in Alabama? Ca. 1843. We find that John H. Higginbotham was enlisted in the "Jeff Davis
    Sharpshooters" of the 7th Mississippi volunteers in Marion County, Mississippi in 1861. He was living at
    home with his mother in 1860 in Marion County. We also find that one John Higginbotham owned property
    in Jackson County, Mississippi, perhaps one and the same. Family legend has it that John ran afoul of the
    Carpetbagger law, as did so many of the people of the South during the so-called Reconstruction Period
    and moved to Texas. His family never heard from him again. This was a common legend in many families
    following the War Between the States, and most of them are true. (We have found no further information).
  6. RAMSEY, born in Harrison? County, Mississippi, ca. 1848-49. At age 20, he was living in Jackson
    County, in 1870 in the household of Harriet (Allen) Barrow Smallwood. Harriet Smallwood was the mother
    of Hannah (Anna) Elizabeth (Eliza) Barrow, who married Ramsey’s brother George Washington
    Higginbotham.
  7. MARINDA, born in Harrison County, Mississippi ca. 1850. It is apparent that her father died before she
    was born. When the 1850 census was taken, she was not listed, but her mother is shown to be the head of
    the household and the father was gone. On the 1860 census, she is listed as being 10 years, apparently
    born after the 1850 census was taken.
FAMILY OF GEORGE W. AND ANNA ELIZABETH BARROW-HIGGINBOTHAM

GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGGINBOTHAM, believed to be the second son of Moses and Martha
(Whittington) Higginbotham, was born in Mobile County, Alabama on February 20, 1841. All evidence indicates
that his father died when he was about 9 years old, at which time the family began a series of migrations,
perhaps moving with relatives of the mother Martha. In 1840, one year before George was born his parents were
living in Jackson County, Mississippi. The exact location of their residence has not been determined, but all
evidence would indicate they lived very near the Alabama line, of Mobile County. In 1850 the family was living in
Harrison County, Mississippi, the adjacent county to the west of Jackson County. By 1860 the family had moved
to Marion County, Mississippi, near the town of Columbia, some 65 miles to the north. The 1860 census records
show George to be a Mail Carrier, at the age of 19.

The Confederate service records of Marion County, Mississippi show that George Washington Higginbotham
was enlisted in the 7th Mississippi – 46th Battalion, "Steed’s Cavalry." George’s older brother, William and his
younger brother John were also enlisted in the same unit, at the same time- although they were in the "Jeff Davis
Sharpshooters" Unit. Among the same records was a muster roll taken in August 1861 which shows only William
and John were still in this unit. The records show that these men were enlisted between May 4th and July 30th,
1861. These records can be found in the Mississippi state archives, Jackson, Mississippi taken from Marion
County conveyance book "D" pages 89-94.

George enlisted into the 3rd Alabama Cavalry from Mobile on March 4th, 1863. How or why he changed to the
3rd Alabama Cavalry is not known. It is known however that he injured his right leg as a child. Their old home
had a tree stump under the back door of the house which was used as a step, and as he ran up to the house, he
fell and struck his leg on the edge of the stump, doing considerable damage to his leg below the knee. He
apparently lost quite a bit of skin, as the injury never healed and developed a chronic ulcer. One can only
speculate that he was discharged from Steed’s Cavalry because of the injury and perhaps by 1863 the situation in
the South necessitated his service again despite the injury. While serving in the 3rd Alabama Cavalry, he fought in
and around Atlanta, Georgia.

George was given an Honorable Disability Discharge from the 3rd Alabama Cavalry on December 11, 1864 in
camp, near Springfield, Georgia.

When he was about 65 years old, he finally had to have his right leg amputated at the knee. The doctor came to
his home in Kipling, Louisiana in a buggy pulled by a horse and amputated his leg on the front porch of his home.
There was no such thing as anesthetic at the time, and the only thing available to dull the pain was whiskey.

My cousin Nora Bailey Austin was a small child at that time and remembered that when the doctor arrived, he
made the children leave the vicinity and told them to "show reverence at what had to be done." They stopped and
watched from a distance. She said they heard the poor old fellow screaming as his leg was being amputated.

He married Anna Elizabeth (Eliza) Hanna Barrow in Mobile, Alabama on August 13, 1863, where their first two
children were born. Before 1870 the family was living in Jackson County, Mississippi although, they may have
moved a short distance from Mobile County, Alabama. From there they moved to Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
about 1876, where their last four children were born. They lived at Sugartown, near DeRidder, which was in
Calcasieu Parish until 1913, when Beauregard Parish was formed. All their children grew up in that area.

Anna Elizabeth (Eliza) Hanna Barrow was born in Alabama (probably Mobile County) on May 14, 1847- The
daughter of Harriet (Allen) Barrow Smallwood, who was born in North Carolina in April of 1820. Harriet died
June 7, 1907. She came to Louisiana with George and Eliza and was still living in their household in 1900.

George died on September 10, 1904. His wife Eliza died November 13, 1913. Both are buried at Hopewell Baptist
Church Cemetery, in DeRidder, Louisiana.

Their first two children were born in Mobile County, Alabama. Their third and fourth children were born in
Jackson County, Alabama, although they may have moved only a short distance from Mobile County, Alabama.
About 1875, the family moved to Calcasieu Parish Louisiana. Calcasieu Parish was later split, and the new parish
where they lived was renamed Beauregard Parish. Their children were:

  1. Roxey Ann, born December 27, 1865 in Mobile County, Alabama. She moved to Calcasieu Parish,
    Louisiana with her parents when just a young girl. She married Alford L. Bailey, who was born on June
    20th, 1845 and died there on August 12, 1926.  Roxey Ann died on June 28, 1953. Both are buried at
    Hopewell Cemetery in DeRidder, (Beauregard Parish), Louisiana.
  2. Harriet Jane, born in Mobile County, Alabama on January 21, 1868. She grew up in Beauregard Parish
    where she married James Macon Bailey. He was born on February 14, 1865 and died on August 6, 1947.
    Harriet died on February 10, 1934. Both are buried at Hopewell Cemetery in DeRidder, Louisiana.
  3. Martha Elizabeth, born in Jackson County, Mississippi on August 4, 1871. She grew up in Beauregard
    Parish and married William Isham Bailey. He was born on March 10, 1868 and died on April 16, 1943.
    Martha died on December 7, 1956. Both are buried at Hopewell Cemetery in DeRidder, Louisiana.
  4. Margaret O., born in Jackson County, Mississippi on August 28, 1874. She married Henry Daniel (Dan)
    Lee in the year of 1900. She died June 10, 1936. Both are buried in Hopewell Cemetery, in DeRidder,
    Louisiana.
  5. Mary Evelyn, born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on November 29, 1876. She was married in 1892 to
    James Monroe Stracener. (No additional information available, but both are believed to also be buried in
    Hopewell Church Cemetery in DeRidder.)
  6. Simon Peter, born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on August 7, 1880. He grew up there and married
    Minerva Dunn, who was born on March 12, 1888. He died October 12, 1954. Both are buried in Hopewell
    Cemetery in DeRidder, Louisiana. (See family sheet below.)
  7. William Frank, born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on December 8, 1886. He grew up there and married
    Rachael Nina Austin. She was born on February 28, 1886, and died on June 23, 1976. Frank died on
    December 14, 1959. Both are buried in Hopewell Cemetery. (See family sheet below.)
  8. JOSEPH MIDDLETON (MID), born at Sugartown, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana May 26, 1889. He grew
    up there and married IDA WILLIAMS on February 16, 1913. (See family sheet, following). He died on
    July 19, 1968. Ida died on September 14, 1967. Both are buried at Brookside Memorial Cemetery in the
    north side of Houston. (See family sheet below, beneath the families of Simon & William Frank
    Higginbotham.)
FAMILY OF SIMON PETER and MINERVA JANE (DUNN) HIGGINBOTHAM

Benjamin1 :  Caleb2  :  William3 : Moses4 : George W.5
SIMON PETER HIGGINBOTHAM6, the oldest son of George Washington and Hannah Eliza (Barrow), was
born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on August 7, 1880.  He grew up there and married Minerva Jane Dunn ca
1906.  She was born  March 12, 1888.  They were living in Calcasieu Parish in 1910 near the town of DeRidder,
which became a part of Beauregard parish in 1913. At least nine children were born to this couple, all lived
around DeRidder.  Simon and Minerva lived the remainder of their lives in that area where he died on October
12, 1954.  Minerva lived until June 28, 1984, and both are buried in the Hopewell Cemetery.

1.
EDNA L., born in Calcasieu Parish ca 1907.  She married first Harold La Grome in Beauregard parish on
August 28, 1927.  He was born ca 1899 the son of J. K. and Margurite LaGrone.  After about a year this
marriage fell apart and Edna married second Johnnie Robertson in Beauregard parish on June 4, 1928.  He was
born in 1906.
2.
EMILY MYRTIS, born ca 1908.  She grew up in Beauregard parish where she married C. R. Roberts on
November 2, 1926.  He was born ca 1902 the son of LeRoy and Ellen Roberts.
3.
EDITH GERTRUDE, born ca 1910.  She married Elijah (Lige) Williams.
4.
JEWES AUGUSTUS - b. August 1, 1912 - d. July 9, 1965 (see next family).
5.
EUNICE E. born  ? married Acy Marshall.  After he died Eunice married ? Parker, and they still live in
Rosepine.
6,
LAURA LEE, born  ?
7.
BULAH VASITY, born  ?  married Red Davis.  They had at least one daughter named Gertrude.  She is
currently (1996) in a rest home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
8.
EVERETT MIDDLETON, born  September 23, 1921.  He was a WW2 Veteran, and married Mildred Silvice
in Beauregard parish on August 16, 1944.   She was born ca 1924.  They had one son before Everett died as a
young man on July 25, 1954.  He is buried in the Hopewell Cemetery.  Mildred and her son moved to
Pennsylvania and never returned.
(A) EVERETT MIDDLETON JR., born ?
9. EARNIE ANDREW, born June 4, 1925.  He married Edna Louise Alexander in Leesville, Louisiana ca 1945,
where their five children were born and raised. They were still living in that area when Earnie died on August 21,
1996.  He is buried in the Hopewell Cemetery near DeRitter.
(A) LINDA, born in Leesville on March 15, 1947.  She married first James ?   They later divorced and she married second Kinney
Reeks.
(B) DOROTHY FAYE, born in Leesville ?  She married A. J. Smith.
(C) SANDRA KAY, born in Leesville  ?   She married Johnnie Canady.
(D) MICHAEL, born  ?  He married Anita Jeans on August 13, 1986.
(1) JAMES MICHAEL, born ?
(2) DAVID ANDREW, born  ?
(E) CONNIE SUE, born  ?  She married Herbert Quam
10. JESSIE ALTON, born August 10, 1935, and as a young boy died with lock-jaw on June 29, 1944
FAMILY OF
JEWES A. and EFFIE ALMA  (PHILLIPS) HIGGINBOTHAM

Benjamin1 :  Caleb2  :  William3 : Moses4 : George W.5 : Simon6
JEWES AUGUSTUS HIGGINBOTHAM7 - the oldest son of Simon and Minerva (?), was born in Beauregard
parish, Louisiana on August 1, 1912.  He grew up there and married Effie Alma Phillips ca 1937.  She was the
daughter of William and Annie (McCullough) Phillip.  They lived in the DeRitter area and raised a large family.  
Jewes was only fifty three years old when he died on July 9, 1965, and was buried in the Hopewell Cemetery.  
Effie married second Charles Parker on December 7, 1972.

1. MILTON, born in Beauregard parish August 9, 1938.  He married Wanda Faye Fountain on January 2, 1965
in Newton county, Texas.  She was born   ? the daughter of Johnathan Malachi and May Fountain.  They lived
in Harris county for several years but returned to Merryville, Louisiana where they currently (1996) live.  They
have six children.
(A) BOYD ALAN, was born in Harris county, Texas on August 20, 1966.  He married Janet Marie Martinez on  ?     They have
one daughter
(1) REAGAN KAY, born  ?
(B) RICKEY L., born July 10, 1968.  He married Melissa Gail Fletcher on March 9, 1990.  She was born January 23, 1973 the
daughter of Sidney and Betty Jane (Collins) Fletcher.
(1) KATHLEEN NICHOLE, born  ?
(C) BRYAN, born in Merryville, Louisiana on  ?   1972.  He is still at home.
(D) LISA FAYE, born February 13, 1975.  She married David Isaac Keel on July 26, 1994.  He was born April 12, 1974 the son of
Melvin and Barbara (Bullard) Keel.  They have one daughter, Aspen Leigh Keel, born April 4, 1996.
(E) TERRY WAYNE, born November 21, 1979.  He is still at home.
(F) SHANE JAY, born November 22, 1983.  He is still at home.   

2. HILTON (Dunk), born Beauregard parish ca   ?  He married Ella Mae Forche on September 18, 1963 in
Newton county, Texas.  He died in 1976.

3. FAIRLENE, born ca 1942.  She married Charles D. Brister on October 30, 1959, in Beauregard parish. He
was born ca 1929, the son of Mat and Charity (Austin) Brister.

4. LIDA MAE , born in 1945.  She married Charlie J. Parker on July 2, 1962. He was born ca 1941, the son of
Charlie and Donnie (Dunn) Parker.

5. TROY, born November 10, 1949.  He married Sharon Marie Young on August 27, 1971.  They have three
children and currently (1996) live in Merryville, Louisiana.
(A) JANETTE GAIL, born July 2, 1972.  She married Harvey Allen Cruse on September 4, 1993.  He was born November 30,
1967, the son of ?
(B) JAMES ARTHUR (Jamie), born October 19, 1976.  He married Tammy Miller on February 17, 1996.
(C) HAYLEY DENICE, born July 18, 1987.

6. ROY, born March 22, 1953.  He married first Doris Jean Molander on February 18, 1972, and they had
three children.  They were divorced and Doris married Tommy Lynn Cowart on October 17, 1987.  Roy
married second, Sandra Kay Self on August 8, 1988.  He married third Gloria J. Baldwin January 31, 1992. She
was born March 19, 1960, the daughter of T. C. and Patsy (Chandler) Parrish.   Roy married fourth, Donetta
F. Smith on December 3, 1994. She was born August 16, 1954, the daughter of Robert and Jaunita (Emerson)
Smith.
(A) PAMELA ANN, born May 8, 1973.  She married Steven Lane Cowart on May 12, 1989.  He was born June 21, 1968, the son
of Tommie and Jennie (Willett) Cowart.
(B) PATRICIA A., born February 14, 1977.  She married Collin P. Baggett on June 3, 1995. He was born June 15, 1975 the son of
James P. and Linda (Honea) Baggett.
(C) KAYLA, born ?
FAMILY OF:
WILLIAM FRANKLIN and RACHEL A. (AUSTIN) HIGGINBOTHAM

Benjamin1 :  Caleb2  :  William3 : Moses4 : George W.5
WILLIAM FRANKLIN HIGGINBOTHAM, the second son of George W. and Hannah Eliza (Barrow) was
born in Calcasieu Parish December 8, 1886.  He grew up there and married Rachael Austin on October 8,
1903. She was born February 28, 1886. They lived in Beauregard Parish, near DeRidder, where they raised a
large family.  Several of their children also grew up in that area where they too married and raised families.   
Frank died there on December 14, 1959, and Rachel died on June 23, 1976. Both are buried in the Hopewell
Cemetery, near DeRitter.

1. CINTELLA L., born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on August 17, 1904.  She married Walter Carroll Jarrells
on March 18, 1951 and they had one daughter.  Walter was born in 1908.  Cintella died in Beauregard parish
on November 8, 1969, and buried in the Hinson Cemetery near Knight, Louisiana.

2. ILLA, born in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on December 29, 1905.  She married Ernest Johnson but never
had children.

3. DELLA, born in Calcasieu Parish on July 15, 1907. She died at the age of eighteen on May 28, 1925, and
was buried in the Hopewell Cemetery.  She never married.

4. SILAS AUGUSTA, born in Calcasieu Parish on October 11, 1908. He married Sarah Ellen Keel in
Beauregard parish on October 9, 1934.  She was born on January 14, 1916, the daughter of F. N. Keel.   They
had four daughters. Silas died in Beauregard Parish on November 9, 1966 and buried in the Cypress Creek
Cemetery.
(A) MILDRED IVA JEAN, born August 27, 1935 - married George Blair Pickett.
(B) VIVIAN ROSE, born August 6, 1937 -  married first Kenneth David Matthiiiis in Beauregard parish on October 12, 1955.  He
was born ca 1932 the son of Vernon and Ada (Berry) Matthis.  She married second Elliott V. Kaplan.
(C) MARY ETTA, born September 26, 1945.  She married first Steven Simmons on June 19, 1964 in Beauregard parish.  He was
born ca 1947, the son of Percy and Catherine (Young) Simmons.  Mary Etta married second Kenneth Arthur Mitchell.
(D) DENICE, born March 2, 1952 - married a Box - and Scott Bailey.

5. JOSEPH FRANKLIN, (Joe) born in Calcasieu Parish on September 17, 1910.  He married Vicy Marie Keel
on February 2, 1937 and they had six children.  Marie was born  ca 1915. the daughter of F. N. and Candis
Keel.  Joe was a WW2 Veteran, and died in Beauregard parish on December 4, 1960, buried in Hopewell
Cemetery.
(A) CANDIS CHRISTINE, born October 7, 1938.  She married three times, first to Aubrey Garner on November 19, 1954.  
Aubrey died and is buried in the Brown Cemetery at Goldthwaite, Texas.  They had four children: Myrtle Marie Garner born
January 12, 1956;  James Isaac Garner, born September 25, 1957;  Buelah Beatrice Garner, born January 8, 1963; and Sandra Susan
Garner, born April 12, 1965.  Christine married second Jerry B. Keel, who also died and is buried at Hopewell Cemetery.  She
married third Jerry Callahan.
------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE by Earl Higginbotham:  I am much indebted to Christine Keel for her generous assistance in compiling much of the information on the descendants
of her grandfather William Franklin Higginbotham.  Without her assistance much of the details on this family might have been missed.
------------------------------------------------------------
(B) FRANCES, born in Beauregard parish on August 5, 1943.  She grew up there and married twice - to brothers.  She married first
Novel J. Babin on ?  She married second Irvin J. Babin.
(C) HILDRED NEWTON, born in Beauregard parish on February 5, 1946.  He married first Susie Ann Foraker on July 30, 1965
in Newton county, Texas. They had three children.  Hildred married second Helen Allene Bell on January 2, 1981. She was born
November 29, 1936 the daughter of Emmett and Martha (Cantrell) Filkins.  Hildred married third Evon Parker on July 23, 1982.  
She was born February 2, 1947 the daughter of N. A. and Lou (Corkran) Parker.
(1) WANDA GAIL, born February 10, 1967.  She married Tommy Dean Roy on June 9, 1984.  She married second David Gregory
Minnick on August 22, 1986 - both in Newton county, Texas.
(2) KIETH ALLEN, born June 27, 1968.  He married Robin Burks and they have two children.
       (a) SHANTEL MARIE, born June 16, 1988.
       (b) KEITH ALLEN JR., born September 16, 1990.
(3) MARCUS WAYNE, born June 10, 1969.  He married Beth Aye and they have two children - twins.
       (a) MARANDA ELAINE, (twin) born December 5, 1991.
       (b) MARCUS WAYNE JR., (twin) born December 5, 1991.
(D) JOYCE MELVERIA, born in Beauregard parish on June 9, 1948.  She married John Joseph Dittmann on June 4, 1966.  He
was born June 15, 1942, the son of John and Virginia (Schwalb) Dittmann.
(E) BERNICE, born in Beauregard parish on April 1, 1952.  She married Ronald Dean Spencer.
(F) JOSEPH FRANKLIN JR. (Joe), born Beauregard parish on June 12, 1956.  He married first Elizabeth Ann Neely and they had
one daughter.  He married second Jerry Lanette Keel on August 9, 1986 in Beauregard parish. She was born on December 26, 1951
the daughter of J. B. and Anita (Reed) Keel.  
(1) ALICIA A., born January 8, 1978.

6. GEORGE WASHINGTON (Wash), born in Calcasieu Parish on May 9, 1912. He married first Verda Mae
Woodward on May 23, 1936.  She was born on January 17, 1915, the daughter of Thomas Mitchell and Betty
(Lamberth) Woodward.  They had at least four children.  He married second Vera Mae Comier on January 14,
1956. She was born on  ?  1938, the daughter of  ?  and had several more children.  Goughnell?
(A) BOYD, born  ?
(B) CAROLYN G. born October 18, 1940.  She married Vernon Eugene Jones February 25, 1971.  He was born January 5, 1936
the son of Charlie and Lillie (Ashworth) Jones.   
(C) DAUGHTER ?
(D) DAUGHTER?
CHILDREN OF VERA COMIER (SECOND WIFE)
(E) DONALD WAYNE, born May 19, 1957.  He married Linda Diane Shively on February 11, 1978 in Beauregard parish.  She
was born November 14, 1959, the daughter of Carl and Willie (Meek) Shively.
(F) DWAYNE EDWARD, born  ?
(G) MARY EVELYN, born  ?
(H)  ?
(I) ?

7. ELVIN ARTANIS, born in Beauregard Parish on February 22, 1914.  He married Bessie Mae Watson  ?  
and raised a family.  He is buried in the Gravel Hill Cemetery (Cravens) near Pitkin, Louisiana.
(A) INFANT,  born and died on February 9, 1945 - buried at Hopewell Cemetery.
(B) JERRY DON, born on December 7, 1946, and was killed on Bundicks Creek on June 15, 1969.  He is buried at Hopewell
Cemetery.  He was only twenty two when he died and never married.
(C) BOBBY RAY, born February 5, 1949.  He married his cousin Lucille Melvina Ward on May 15, 1970.  Lucille was the
daughter of Tom and Odessa (Reffitte) Higginbotham.
(D) MARY RUTH, born September 21, 1953.  She married first Ocie Montville in Newton county, Texas on June 8, 1971.  She
married second Michael Albrecht in Beauregard parish on April 21, 1977.  He was born April 11, 1955 the son of Michael
Albrecht.  Mary married third Almon Johnson on January 20, 1993.  He was born March 29, 1918 the son of Mark and Drusilla
Johnson. She married fourth a Young.
(E) JO ANN, born March 9, 1958.  She married James Charles Snapp on March 20, 1975.  He was born March 20, 1948 the son of
Marvin and Eleanor (Studor) Snapp.

8. THOMAS MOSES, (Tom) born in Beauregard Parish on March 8, 1916. He married Odessa Mae Reffitte
on April 28, 1945.  She was born September 9, 1925 the daughter of ?   Tom and Odessa lived near DeRidder,
Louisiana where Tom was employed as an electrician for many years.  In 1948 they moved into a small house
in the country which is now on Hi-School Drive, where all their children were born and grew up. Tom died on
June 25, 1991 and is buried in the Hopewell Cemetery.  Odessa currently (1996) lives in the same small house
which she has called home for the past 48 years.
(A) MELVINA LUCILLE, born in Beauregard parish on June 28, 1945.  She married three times.  She married Geisel Ward two
times - first on February 19, 1961, and again on July 24, 1963, both in Newton county, Texas.  She then married her cousin Bobby
Ray Higginbotham on May 15, 1970.  Bobby Ray is the son of Elvin Higginbotham.  She married third Robert W. Thompson
(Buddy) on December 9, 1982. Buddy was born May 4, 1932, the son of Lawson and Carrie (Moss) Thompson.
(B) THOMAS MOSES JR. (Tommy) was born in Beauregard parish ca 1946.  He later moved to DesAllemands, Louisiana where
he married Gail Trout.  They have no children.
(C) ROGER GALE, born on December 28, 1956.  He married two times.  First to Jennie Beckwith on February 26, 1977.  She was
born September 4, 1958, the daughter of Jackie and Ovida (Peters) Beckwith.  They had one daughter.  He married second Kathy
Rodricker.
(1) SONYA, born  ?
(D) MILDRED IVA JEAN, born   ?   She married Thomas Waguespack.
(E) NELDA PAULINE, born November 12, 1960.  She married first Anthony K. Brown on September 26, 1978. He was born
December 2, 1958 the son of Robert Verba J. (Redfern) Brown. She married second a Mitchell, and third Gale Touchard.
(F) SISSY, born and died on October 30, 1964.  Buried at Hopewell Cemetery.
(G) INFANT, born and died in May, 1965.

9. OLLIE MAE, born in Beauregard Parish on January 7, 1918.  She married Sylvester Whittington.

10. LULA EMILY, born in Beauregard Parish on December 3, 1919.  She married Andrew O. Fowler in
Beauregard parish on September 12, 1936.  He was born in 1915. They had one daughter, Dorothy Emily.  
Lula died as a young woman in Beauregard parish on March 15, 1940, buried in Hopewell Cemetery.

11. INFANT, born and died on November 10, 1921.

12. CHARLIE, (Sonny Boy)  born in Beauregard parish on July 4, 1923.  Died at the age of eight years on
October 10, 1931, and buried in Hopewell Cemetery.

13. HANNAH ELIZA, born in Beauregard parish on June 7, 1925.  She married Gipson Willis on February 8,
1944 and had three daughters.  Gipson was born ca 1925 and was killed by a bolt of lightening as a young
man.  He is buried in the Gravel Hill Cemetery near Pitkin, Louisiana.  Hannah married second William Waller
and they had four children.
FAMILY OF
JOSEPH MIDDLETON AND IDA WILLIAMS-HIGGINBOTHAM

JOSEPH MIDDLETON HIGGINBOTHAM, the third son of George W. and Anna Barrow-Higginbotham,
was born at Sugartown, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana on May 26, 1889. He grew up in that area where he
married
IDA WILLIAMS on February 16, 1913 at the Hopewell Baptist Church in DeRidder, Beauregard
Parish, Louisiana, by the Rev. Norman Lofton. Ida was born on January 26, 1891, the daughter of Thomas
H. and Laura Blackwell-Williams. (See William’s family link) They lived in the area of DeRidder until about
1920, at which time a doctor in DeRidder diagnosed Joseph as having tuberculosis, at which was at that time
a fatal and incurable disease.

The doctor advised them to move to a dry climate such as Arizona or Colorado. They sold their home and
moved to LaJunta, Otero County, Colorado, where he worked for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railroad (AT&SF Railroad) until the workers went on strike in about the summer of 1923. The strike was
never settled. Next, he found a job with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in Salida, Colorado, where they
lived until early the next spring, when the railroad company reduced their work force and he was laid off
work. At this time, they moved to Houston, Texas where they lived the remainder of their lives.

Ida lived to be over 76 years old, and died on September 14, 1967. Joseph was over 79 when he died on July
19, 1968. Both died at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas and are buried in Brookside Memorial Cemetery
in the north side of Houston. Their children are:

(1)-    
 ETHEL, infant daughter, died at birth, premature.

(2)-     
MARVIN DOUGLAS, born in DeRidder on November 17, 1914. In the    year of 1937 he joined the
army and was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He was assigned to Battery B of the 12th  
Heavy Field Artillery.  He was honorably discharged at the end of his hitch. About the time World War II
started, he rejoined the military service, this time with the Army Air Force and served until the end of that
war. He died in Houston, Texas on May 16, 1968. He is buried in the Brookside Cemetery beside our parents
and our sister, Mildred Opal Higginbotham-Stoerner.

(3)-
MILDRED OPAL, the second and only surviving daughter of Joseph and Ida Williams-Higginbotham,
was born in DeRidder, Louisiana on September 17, 1917. She grew up in the Houston area, where she
married Hugo Stoerner on  January 13, 1941. She died in Houston Texas on January 7, 1997. (See Family
Sheet.)

(4)-
MERRION GALLION, the second son of Joseph and Ida Higginbotham  was born in Beauregard
Parish, Louisiana on November 17, 1918. (See Family Sheet.)

(5)-
MURPHY CHESTER, born in LaJunta, Colorado on April 30, 1921. He grew up in Houston and during
World War II joined the Army with his older brother Merrion (above) on October 17, 1940. He remained in
the Army and became one of the elite Rangers. He served in the Normandy Invasion. He  married Lucille Pearl
Edwards on June 7, 1942. Murphy was buried in Rosewood Park Cemetery in Humble, Texas. (See Family
sheet below)

(6)-
MILTON JOSEPH, born in Houston, Harris County Texas on August 18,     1925. He grew up there and
joined the Navy on December 14, 1942 at the age of 17 years. He was discharged from the Navy about
March 31, 1946. He died on December 2, 1965 in Houston, and is buried in Rosewood Park Cemetery in
Humble, Texas next to his older brother Murphy.

(7)-
MAURICE EDWIN, born in Houston on February 23, 1934. He grew up there where he married EDNA
MARIE PIERCE
on December 13, 1952. (See Family sheet below)
FAMILY OF
MILDRED OPAL HIGGINBOTHAM-STOERNER

MILDRED OPAL HIGGINBOTHAM, the second and only surviving daughter of Joseph and Ida Williams-
Higginbotham, was born in DeRidder, Louisiana on September 17, 1917. She grew up in the Houston area,
where she married Hugo Stoerner on January 13, 1941. They were later divorced. He died on January 4,
1966. Mildred passed away at approximately 2:00 A.M. Tuesday January 7, 1997 in Houston, Texas. She
was 79 years, 3 months and 25 days old. She was buried in Brookside Memorial Park, located at 13401
Eastex Freeway at Lauder Road, at 11:00 A.M. Thursday January 9, 1997.

Their children were:
A-
ROBERT JOHN STOERNER, born in Houston, Texas on July 11, 1942. He also grew up in Houston
and married Allyne Schuermann on June 4, 1961. Robert John disappeared without a trace on April 16,
1980, in the vicinity of Beltway 8  (North Belt) and Aldine-Westfield Road in the north end of Houston. He
was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed on Beltway 8, when his automobile left the road and struck
the third telephone pole west of Aldine-Westfield Road in the eastbound lane. He had been having marital
trouble and some believe it was a suicide attempt. He left the scene carrying a Remington semi-automatic 12
gauge magnum shotgun with a Poly-Choke installed. A wrecker driver stopped to assist him, when he
jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the nearby woods and disappeared forever. His mother was told later
that day by someone at the Houston Police Department that he had been picked up by he police and was in
jail, but early the next morning when we tried to find out exactly which jail he was being held in, his mother
was informed that the earlier report was in error, and the man they were holding was not Robert John.

So, began a long and fruitless search for him. Several search parties were formed and the area was
thoroughly searched and no sign of him was found. Bloodhounds were then called in but apparently the trail
was cold. So far, it remains an unsolved mystery as to what happened to him. All attempts to find him failed.
Every agency that we thought may be able to help could not, including the Social Security Administration.
Detectives and “psychics” were employed by his mother, also to no avail. (Those “psychics” of course,
were con-men who take advantage of desperate people.) But, his mother was grasping for straws to find     
him.

Finally, in the spring of 1996 after still another attempt to find a record of him, we were informed by the
Social Security Administration that he had died in the Month of April, 1982. (Two years after he
disappeared.) We were informed that because of the “Privacy law” that no one besides Robert John himself
could get any other information on the circumstances of his death, or anything. More stupid standard
government red tape. We then contacted our U.S. Congressman, also to no avail.

Their children are:
       
 (A)- CHRISTOPHER JONATHAN, born 2-20-1963.
                (B)-
CHRISTI LYNN, born 4-11-1966.
                (C)-
PATRICK L. born 10-5-1967.

2- CAROLYN STOERNER, Infant daughter, born on Friday the 9th day of July 1943 at 11:55 A.M. Died at
birth.

3-
CHERILYN KAY STOERNER, Born 7-17-1946. She grew up in Houston and married first, Fred
Chumley on March 28, 1964.

Their children are:
        
(A)-BRUCE KENDALL CHUMLEY, Born 12-5-1965. born in Houston.
                (B)-
JERROD BRADEN CHUMLEY, born 6-18-1969 born in Houston.

Cherilyn and Fred Chumley were divorced, and she later married David Thomas Wackerly.
FAMILY OF MERRION AND ETHEL WELLS-HIGGINBOTHAM

MERRION GALLION HIGGINBOTHAM, born in DeRidder, Louisiana on November 17, 1918. In the
year of 1920 the family moved to LaJunta, Colorado, where they lived about four years before moving
again to Houston, Texas. He grew up in Houston and during World War II he joined the Army together
with his younger brother Murphy, on October 17, 1940, where he attained the rank of First Lieutenant. He
later transferred to the Army Air Force and became a fighter pilot, serving in the European Front. After
returning from the war, he married
ETHEL EILEEN WELLS on May 1, 1946.Ethel was born in Wyoming,
Iowa on January 4, 1924.

Merrion died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston, Texas at approximately 7:30 P.M. Wednesday, February
11, 1987, at the age of 68. He was buried February 13, 1987 at Brookside Memorial Cemetery on the north
side of Houston.

Their children are:
1.
ARLEEN JOYCE, born in Harris County, Texas on November 9, 1948. She grew up there and married
ARNOLD ELLEDGE. They live in Houston, Texas.

Their children are”
(A)- MEREDITH ANN, born February 2, 1973 in Houston, Texas. She  married Jonathan Peter Garrou. He was born on
November 1, 1977. They were married in Houston, Texas on June 22, 2002.

Their children are:
                    (1)- Hannah Noelle, born on August 7, 2003.
                    (2)- Abigail Renee’, born on August 24, 2004.

      (B)- MELLISA KAY, born March 1, 1983. Adopted December 5, 1983.

2. ALAN ROY, born in Harris County, Texas on December 20, 1951. He grew up there and married Mitzi
Jo Ann Cash on September 1, 1973. Alan is a career railroad engineman. (Engineer) He began his railroad
career with the old Southern Pacific Railroad in Houston. Later, the Southern Pacific merged with the
Union Pacific Railroad. At present, they live in the north end of Houston.

Their children are:

 
(A)- PHILLIP ALAN, born in Harris County, Texas October 24, 1978.  He married Jacqueline Goodwin on March 8, 2003.
She was born  February 4, 1977.

        (B)- MARK WESLEY, born in Harris County, Texas January 3, 1980.  He married Kelly ??????? on July 24, 2004.

        (C)- AARON CASH, born in Harris County, Texas December 10, 1981.

3. DORIS LEE, (Twin) born in Harris County, Texas October 20, 1954. She grew up there and married
Michael Eugene McGee. Their children are:

   
(A)- ANDREW MICHAEL, born September 14, 1977 in Arlington, Texas. He married Amy Goltz. She was born on
January 3, 1976.

        Their children are:
                    (1)- Magdalene (Maggie) Merrion, born on March 10, 2003.

        (B)- JOSHUA DANIEL, born February 15, 1980 in Humble, Texas.

        (C)- JOSEPH WESLEY, born August 7, 1984 in Arlington, Texas.

        (D)- KATLYN ELISABETH, born December 9, 1991 in Tomball, Texas.

(4). DONNA LYNN, (Twin) born in Harris County, Texas on October 20, 1954.   She grew up there and
married Robert Mark White. At present, they have one daughter:

   
(A)- JESSICA EILEEN, born January 3, 1989 in Houston, Texas.
FAMILY OF MURPHY AND LUCILLE EDWARDS-HIGGINBOTHAM

MURPHY CHESTER HIGGINBOTHAM, the third son of Joseph Middleton and Ida
Williams-Higginbotham, was born in Otero County, Colorado near the town of LaJunta on April 30, 1921.
The family lived in that area a short time before moving to Houston, Texas, where Murphy grew up and
married LUCILLE PEARL EDWARDS on June 7, 1942. She was born in Peoria, Illinois on April 18th
1922. Murphy died on July 30th 1965, as a young man of only 44 years. At the time of his death, he was
living at 2511 Kowis Street in Houston. He is buried in Rosewood Park Cemetery in Humble, Texas beside
their baby daughter, Mildred Ida, and his younger brother Milton. Lucille moved to Alto, Texas and lived
the remainder of her life near her sons and daughters. She died on December 1, 1992, and was buried at
Wells, Texas.

Their children are:

(1.)-
MURPHY DANIEL (DANNY) HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on  January 22,
1944. He grew up there and moved to East Texas, where he married Martha Marie Stone on June 5, 1965.

Danny contracted cancer in April of 1997 and put up a very courageous fight for his life, but lost the fight
on April 20, 1998. He was buried in the Old Palestine Cemetery just east of Alto, Texas.

Danny was a very good man with a very likable personality and sense of humor. He is sorely missed by all
of us.

He was also a true American patriot, like the rest of our family, who believes strictly in our Constitution
and the way it was originally set up to form a Constitutional Republic, with each state running it's own
affairs with out unnecessary governmental interference.

Less than six months after Danny died his beloved wife Martha Marie Stone Higginbotham was tragically
killed in an automobile accident, on October 6, 1998. She and a friend had just finished their training as
registered nurses and were on their way to Beaumont, Texas to take their state board examination for the
state-nursing license. Both Marie and the other lady were killed instantly, when struck broadside by an
18-wheel truck-trailer rig, at the highway intersection near Zavalla, Texas where highway 1818 intersects
Highway 69. Everyone called her by her middle name Marie.

Marie's friend was driving. They had left home very early in the morning and it was still totally dark when
the accident happened. Highway 1818 makes a sharp curve to the right very close to the intersection, and
apparently they didn't see the stop sign until their headlights picked it up after they rounded the curve, by
that time, it was too late to stop and they ran by it and was struck in the driver's side of their automobile.

Marie had been working as a nurse at the Lufkin State School. Services were held at 2:30 p.m., Thursday
October 8, 1998 at the Gipson-Hunter-Metcalf Chapel in Lufkin, Texas. She was buried beside Danny in
the Old Palestine Cemetery near Alto, in Cherokee County, Texas.

Marie was a good friend and a wonderful person. She was a good mother to their children and was always
friendly and helpful. Every time we visited them, she went all out, cooking great meals for us. We always
enjoyed visiting with Danny and Marie and will always remember how we enjoyed their company and the
games of "42" we used to play. It is so sad to realize both of them are gone. God Bless you Danny and
Marie. We miss both of you greatly.

Their children are:

   (A)- WESLEY DANIEL HIGGINBOTHAM, born at Alto, Texas on June 18, 1966
        (B)- STEVEN LUKE HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Alto, Texas on September 15, 1970.         

(2.)-  MARILYN FAY HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on April 27, 1946. She grew up
there. After moving to the east Texas area, she married Walter Ray Nowell on February 14, 1981. Their
children are:

 
 (A)-  SAMUEL RAY NOWELL, born August 16, 1981.
        (B)-  JAMES DANIEL NOWELL, born on July 19, 1984.

(3.)- KAREN ANN HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on January 23, 1950. After moving
to East Texas, she married John Raymond Loden on April 15, 1970.

Their children are:

   
(A)- Angela Jean Loden, born August 27, 1972.
         (B)- Amanda Marlene Loden, born July 13, 1974
         (C)- Rachelle Anna Loden, Born August 5, 1981.
         (D)- Rebecca Leanne Loden, born May 15, 1986
.

(4)-  
PAUL RONALD HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on August 13, 1951. He grew up
in the vicinity of Alto, Texas and married Brenda Sue House in April of 1974. This couple lives in
Frankston, Texas. The House Family was from Frankston Texas, where Brenda Sue was born.

Their children are:

    
(A)- Ronnie Paul, born on January 30, 1975 in Tyler,
          (B)-  Dennis Clinton, born in Tyler, Texas on July 17, 1979.

(5)-  DONALD LEE HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on December 4, 1952. He grew up
in the vicinity of Alto, Texas and married Tina Rene Klores on June 15, 1974. This couple moved to
Guffey, Colorado, and have one child:

    
(A) Kaleb Dyer Higginbotham, born April 8, 1994 in Nacogdoches, Texas. Birth weight was 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
Although, his first name begins with the letter "K," he was named after one of his great-great-   grandfathers, Caleb
Higginbotham, who was born in Amherst County, Virginia ca. 1752. Caleb served with distinction in the American Revolution.
Kaleb already had his proper name as well as his nick name picked out before he was born. Through the use of a sonogram, he
was determined to be a boy before he was born. Because of the fact that he was so active in his mother's womb, his mother
started calling him "Tumbleweed."

(6)- MILDRED IDA HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on          March 5, 1956. She died
at Texas Children's Hospital of pneumonia on March            1958, at the age of 2 years. She is buried
beside her daddy in Rosewood Park       Cemetery in Humble, Texas. She was one of the sweetest little
girls in the world.

(7)-  
MELVIN ROY HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on          November 18, 1958.

(8)-  
JEAN ANNETTE HIGGINBOTHAM, born Harris County, Texas on         September 10, 1960. She
married William Allen Monroe on October 4, 1980. After their children were born, they moved to
Mississippi. Their children are:

  
(A)- Aaron Michael Monroe, born September 7, 1982.
        (B)- Adam Douglas Monroe, born April 8, 1985.
        (C)-  Mark Daniel Monroe, (Twin) born September 14, 1986.
        (D)- Mathew David Monroe, (Twin) born September 14, 1986.
FAMILY OF
MAURICE EDWIN AND EDNA MARIE PIERCE-HIGGINBOTHAM


MAURICE EDWIN HIGGINBOTHAM, the fifth and youngest son of Joseph Middleton and Ida
Williams-Higginbotham, was born in Harris County, Texas on February 23, 1934. He quit school when
he was in the 9th grade of junior high school, and attended the Flory Telegraph School in Houston,
graduating as a telegrapher in about the middle of December, 1950. At the age of 16 years, he went to
work for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad in Galveston, Texas on December 16, 1950. Soon, he
was transferred to Alvin, then later to Bellville, Texas to finish his telegrapher's apprenticeship. On
February 17, 1952, he hired out with the Houston Belt & Terminal Railroad in Houston. He retired in
November of 1982 with over 30 years of service.

He married the girl next door,
Edna Marie Pierce on December 13, 1952. The ceremony was private
and took place at our part-time preacher's house, which happened to be Louie Welsh, a member of the
Church of Christ in Houston. Mr. Welch later became the mayor of the City of Houston. Edna Marie
Pierce was born in Houston, Texas on April 10, 1936, the daughter of John Jefferson and Effie
Katherine Eddins-Pierce. (
See Eddins & Pierce  genealogy below.)

In early 1986, Maurice and Edna’s family moved to Elkhart, Texas, where they bought a farm with 100
acres and started a small ranch for a few years, the heard averaging about 40 head of cattle. In 1995
they sold the ranch and bought eight acres just around the corner from the ranch, and built a new home
there. Edna worked at various jobs through the years, after the children were grown. She retired on her
60th birthday. She was eligible for early retirement through my employment with the railroad. Their
children are:

(1)-
VIVIAN MARIE HIGGINBOTHAM, born in Harris County, Texas on December 23, 1953. She
grew up in the area of Porter, Texas and married Gary Wilford Nichols on November 9, 1973. This
family also moved to Elkhart, Texas, to be near the rest of the family. Vivian is presently an English
teacher at Elkhart High School. Their children are:
  
(A)- JARED ANSON NICHOLS, Born September 17, 1975. Jared married Leizel Johnson on November 12, 2005. Leizel
was born in Sulphur Springs, Texas on April 6, 1975. Leizel has a daughter, Saraya Leigh Tiner, who was born 8-10-99.
Jared is a postal worker in Palestine, and Leizel is a mortgage loan officer and realtor. They have one child at this time:
Rance Owen Nichols, born June 7, 2006 in Palestine, Texas.
        (B)-
CRYSTAL MARIE NICHOLS, born June 4, 1978. Crystal married Stephen James Thompson on December 30,
2000. Stephen was born May 31, 1977. Crystal and Stephen are both elementary teachers in the Fort Worth area. Their
children are: (a)- Nathan James, born September 11, 2002 in Ft. Worth, Texas. (b)- Paige Marie, born December 11, 2003 in
Ft. Worth.
        (C)-
DANIEL SETH NICHOLS, born September 11, 1981. He married Elizabeth (Beth) Wright on December 13, 2003
in Palestine, Texas. Elizabeth was born June 21, 1981. Seth is currently a youth minister for the Northcrest Church of
Christ in Mexia, Tx. Beth works as a counselor in Waco at the middle school..

(2)- DEBORAH LYNNE HAGEMEIER, born in Harris County, Texas on December 16, 1954. She also
grew up in the Porter area, where she married Dwayne Cecil Hagemeier on July 6, 1973. They also
moved to Elkhart, Texas. Deborah attended nursing school and became a registered nurse. Their children
are:
 
(A)- AMANDA LYNNE HAGEMEIER, born April 3, 1975. (See family sheet.)
       (B)-
JEFFERY DWAYNE HAGEMEIER, born October 20, 1978. He married Hope Coblentz on March 13, 2004 in
Stephenville, Texas. Hope was born on May 12, 1981.
       (C)-
MICHAEL WAYNE HAGEMEIER, born July 7, 1981. Married Mary Helen Hooper on September 14, 2002.
Mary Helen was born on August 8, 1982. Their children are:
                (1)- Madeline Bailee Hagemeier, Born on August 27, 2004, in Palestine, Texas.
        (D)-
ANGELA MICHELE HAGEMEIER, born March17, 1983. She married Marshall Anderson on December 14,
2001. Their children are:
                 (1)- Marshall (Bubba) Anderson Junior. He was born on June 5, 2002.
(3). Daughter and family, who wish to remain anonymous.

(4)-  
ROBERT CORLEY HIGGINBOTHAM, (Our only son,) born at Parkway Hospital in Houston,
Texas on October 25, 1971. He attended elementary schools at Porter and New Caney, Texas, and high
school in Elkhart, Texas. He graduated from Elkhart high school on May 25, 1990. He then attended and
graduated from Trinity Valley Community College (Nursing program) on Friday May 13, 1994 at six-
thirty in the evening in the Men’s Gymnasium at the Henderson County Campus in Athens, Texas, thus
ending 35 continuous years in which we had kids in schools. A reception was hosted by Phi-Theta-
Kappa, following the graduation ceremony. A reception was also given at the Elkhart Church of Christ at
2 o’clock P.M., Saturday May 14, 1994. He worked his first night as Graduate R.N. on the night of May
23, 1994 on a 12 hour shift from 7:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M. at Trinity Valley Medical Center in Palestine,
Texas. He attended nursing school and became a registered nurse. He presently works at Palestine
Regional Medical Center in Palestine, Texas. He married Charla Snodgrass on April 4th 1998. Charla had
one child, Mathew Royce Ray.

           Their children are:

   (A)- MATHEW ROYCE (RAY)-HIGGINBOTHAM, born on August 30, 1993.
       (B)-
JOSEPH LEE HIGGINBOTHAM, born at Palestine Regional Medical Center in Palestine, Texas on September
3, 1999.

FAMILY OF AMANDA LYNNE HAGEMEIER AND LYNN GROSS
(Debroah and Dwayne Hagemeier’s daughter)

(Written by Amanda herself.)

Amanda Hagemeier graduated from Elkhart High School on May 31, 1993. She married Lynn David
Gross on June 5, 1993 at Palestine, Texas. Their first child, Dustin Lynn Gross was born March 4,
1995 at Trinity Valley Hospital in Palestine, Texas. She had another boy young'un she named Colton
David on June 15, 1996 also at Trinity Valley Hospital in Palestine, Texas.  Baby boy number 3, Tristan
Joseph (after his Great- Great-Grandpa Joseph Higginbotham) was born March 19, 1998 at the same
hospital.  On May 8, 2000, they were blessed once again with yet another little boy, Weston Cade.   
This was at the same location, now known as Palestine Regional Medical Center.  God is continually
raining down blessings, so once more, a beautiful bouncing baby boy, Austin Dwayne (after his
Grandpa Dwayne Hagemeier) came into our ever- growing family on October 29, 2001.  In the midst of
all the babies, Amanda managed to graduate from Trinity Valley Community CollegeSchool of Nursing
with an associates’ degree in applied science to becomea Registered Nurse.  At the present time (2004)
she is working toward her master’s degree in nursing.  Amanda works at Palestine Regional Medical
Center in the Maternal-child health department.  Lynn is a car-man at Union Pacific Railroad, Palestine
Car Shop.  The children attend PalestineChristian School (where Amanda also teaches in her spare time,
haha, high school biology and grammar) and have very high aspirations.  Dustin, now 9, wants to be a
minister.  At this time, Dustin is a third - degreebrown belt in karate and plays baseball and soccer.  
Colton, age 8, wants to be a veterinarian. He is the short stop for his little league baseball team and an
awesome soccer player. Tristan, age 6, (a true cowboy through and through) wants to be a cowboy
and a police man.  He has recently started dummy roping and plans to take lessons. He also plays
baseball (first base) and soccer.  Weston is now 4 years old and plays baseball and soccer.  He wants to
be a firefighter when he grows up. Austin, age 3, is still a little young at this time to foresee a career,
but is very interested in doing everything his brothers are doing.  



The End