HISTORY OF THE SARTAIN FAMILY
Written by W. Ernest Sartain, December 29, 1960
Transcribed by Glenn Gohr, October 1998
The Sartain family as we know it began with two men, Russell Sartain, and Lewis Sartain, in the State of Georgia.
As far as is known, both Lewis and Russell Sartain were own cousins. Russell moved to the State of Mississippi, but it is not known to this writer whether he was married at the time he moved to Mississippi, or whether he married in the State of Mississippi. Both men were born somewhere between 1820 and 1830, Russell Sartain having been born in 1828.
Lewis Sartain's first and only wife was Martha. Sartain, (nee Beard). Lewis died during the Civil War leaving his widow Martha A. and three children, Amanda Sartain, John Calvin Sartain, and Henry Bradley (Doc) Sartain.
Russell Sartain's first wife was Melvina Sartain, (maiden name unknown). They had the following children: Columbus Jefferson Sartain, Johnny Sartain, Henry Cranford Sartain, Sarah Sartain, Martha (Mat) Sartain, Epsey Sartain, Esther Sartain, and Lena Sartain.
Russell Sartain's first wife Melvina Sartain, died, and after a period of time he married Lewis Sartain's widow Martha A. Sartain in the State of Georgia and brought her and her three children to the State of Mississippi.
To Russell and Martha A. Sartain were born three children, Ella Sartain, Lee Russell Sartain, and Samuel Alfred Sartain.
Columbus Jefferson Sartain, son of Russell Sartain by his first wife, Melvina, married Amanda Sartain daughter of Martha A. Sartain, by her first husband, Lewis Sartain. To this union were born three children, Harry Sartain, (who died in young manhood), Lewis Vaulter Sartain, deceased, and Estelle Jefferson Sartain.
Johnny Sartain, son Russell Sartain by his first wife, married (wife unknown). He had four boys, Foster Sartain, Elzy Sartain, Clay Sartain, and William (Bill) Sartain.
Johnny and Jefferson Sartain and Sarah Sartain Hendricks lived, married, raised their families, and died in the State of Mississippi.
Henry Cranford Sartain, son of Russell Sartain by his first marriage, married Nanny Rogers. They had six children, Florence Sartain Baldwin, Russell Alonzo (Bud) Sartain, Eula Sartain Norman, Leroy Calvin Sartain, John Leonard Sartain, and Barney Drendon Sartain.
Sarah Sartain married Tom Hendricks, and they had the following children: Jim Hendricks, Edo Hendricks, Vester Hendricks, Napoleon B. Hendricks, Floyd Hendricks, Rachel Hendricks, and Flora Hendricks.
Epsey Sartain married John Sumner, and they had five children: Walter Sumner, deceased, Thad Sumner, deceased, Elvis Sumner, Mattie Sumner Lynn, deceased, and Bama Sumner Smith.
Martha (Mat) Sartain married D. H. Rogers, and they had four children: David Rogers, Clyde Rogers, Clarence Rogers, all now deceased, and Ada Rogers Robinson.
Esther Sartain, daughter of Russell Sartain by his first marriage, married John Calvin Sartain son of Martha Sartain by her first husband, Lewis Sartain. They had two children, Luther Eugene Sartain deceased in infancy, and Wardie Ernest Sartain.
Lena Sartain married Forrest Ward and they had three children, Julius Ward, deceased, Jesse A. Ward, and Forrest Lee Ward.
Henry Bradly (Doc) Sartain, son of Martha A. Sartain by her first husband, Lewis Sartain, was married after coming to Texas, to Emma Stark of Wise County, Texas. They had five children: Wallace T. Sartain, deceased in young manhood, W. Homer Sartain, Archie V. Sartain, Esma Sartain Hardin, and Viola Sartain Bewley.
Ella Sartain married M. M. Garvin and they had eight children: Olja Garvin, Madrie Garvin, deceased in childhood, Orpha Garvin, Dollie Garvin, deceased, Ima Garvin, Hattie Garvin, Russell Garvin, deceased, and Wayland Garvin.
Lee Russell Sartain married Iva Jane Heasley, and they had four children: Laura Sartain, deceased in 1910, Aaron Q. Sartain, Esca Lee Sartain, deceased in childhood, and Lura Sartain Roberts.
Samuel Alfred Sartain married Vertricia Russell, and they had seven children: India Sartain Hanson, Alma Sartain, Gerald Sartain, Duran Sartain, Neal Sartain, deceased, Dean Sartain, and Christine Sartain Anthony.
This completes three generations of the Sartain Family as known to this writer.
Russell Sartain and his second wife Martha A. with all the second generation except Johnny Sartain, Jefferson Sartain, Sarah Sartain Hendricks, and Lena Sartain Ward, came to Jack County, Texas in 1884 and 1886. Lena Sartain Ward and her family came to Van Zandt County, Texas, in the early 1900's and from there to Wilbarger County, Texas. The surviving sons, Jesse Ward and Forrest Lee Ward now live in Garza County, Texas.
This writer does not know much of the history of the Johnny Sartain family, only one of his boys ever came to Texas, William (Bill) Sartain came to Jack County somewhere about 1916 and stayed for several months.
C. Jefferson Sartain's two sons Vaulter and Estelle Sartain have visited several times in Jack County, Texas, and were well known to the Sartain's in Texas.
Only two of the third generation of the Texas Sartain's have any male children (fourth generation) to carry on with the Sartain name, Aaron Q. Sartain has one male child, Richard (Dick) Sartain. W. Ernest Sartain has four male children (fourth generation), Edly C. Sartain, L. Aston Sartain, Lewis V. Sartain, and John M. Sartain, also six grandsons (fifth generation) to carry on the name.
The name Sartain is an honorable name and it is the hope and prayer of this writer that the present and future generations will carry on the name with honor and honesty.
ADDENDUM
Written by W. Ernest Sartain, date unknown
Since writing the HISTORY OF THE SARTAIN FAMILY this writer has received more information which pre-dates the first writing.
The Sartain Family Tree seems to have started in France. About 1557 the Family fled to England from France, and later a John Sartain came to Philadelphia Pennsylvania, born 1808-1900. Then three brothers John, James and Sier left Virginia and came to Georgia, settling in Madison County.
This information came through the writer's granddaughter Leona Mae (Sartain) Cartwright who now lives at Americus, Ga.
She got the information from a Mrs. Rea Teate of 12241 Greenwich St. Atlanta 10, Ga. Mrs. Teate's Father was Sam Sartain, and Sam Sartain's Father was Alfred Sartain. Sam Had 7 boys and 2 girls. The boys names were Oscar, Henry, George, Lee, Guy, Charlie, and Joe, girls Rea and Jessie. George Sartain is the oldest of the family now living and lives at Danielsville Ga. Rt. 3.
Mrs. Teate does not explain the connection between John Sartain of Pennsylvania and the 3 brothers of Virginia who came to Georgia, However this writer would guess that perhaps he was one of the 3 brothers who came from Virginia to Georgia.
If my first writing on this family is examined, Russell Sartain was born 1828 just 20 years after the Pennsylvania John Sartain, but John could have possibly been his father.
*Notation from Glenn Gohr.
The information on John Sartain of Pennsylvania can be found in Annals of the Sartain Tribe which was compiled in 1886 by John Sartain a well-known engraver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This treatise also tells about the French Huguenot persecution which his Sartain family was involved in. He mentions the town of Meaux, about 50 miles northeast of Paris, where his branch of Sartains were living in 1535 when many of the Bibles were burned in France and the Huguenots were persecuted. Many of these Huguenots (including the Sartains) emigrated to the west part of England, largely at Trowbridge in Wiltshire. Records of the Sartains at Trowbridge may be found as early as 1557, the earlier records having disappeared. The manuscript includes listings of baptisms 1557 to 1859; marriages 1578 to 1877, and burials 1579 to 1788 for Sartains which all took place at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England.
John Sartain of Philadelphia was the son of a John Sartain who was born in Trowbridge in 1771 and resided later in London. John Sartain of Philadelphia was born at London, England on October 24, 1808 and married Susannah Longmate Swaine on January 11, 1830, in London. That same year, John and Susannah immigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where all eight of their children were born.
This John Sartain is too recent in age to be a close relative of the John Sartain who went from Virginia to Georgia in the late 1700s. There probably is a kinship between the John Sartain of Philadelphia and the descendants of the early Sartains in Virginia, but the connection would have to be back in England or France. Some of the baptisms, marriages, and burials listed from the 1500s and 1600s n the Annals of the Sartain Tribe could very well be for ancestors of the Virginia Sartains; however, the connecting link between the Virginia Sartains and the ones at Trowbridge, England, has not yet been determined.
In the addendum that W. Ernest Sartain wrote, he also mentions three Sartain brothers, John, James, and Sier, who left Virginia and settled in Madison County, Georgia. These three brothers are mentioned in an article called "Sartain" as found in the book, History of Walker County, Georgia, by James Alfred Sartain (Dalton, GA: A. J. Showalter Company, 1932), pp. 486-487. The article mentions that these three brothers migrated from Virginia to Madison County, Georgia, soon after the American Revolution. The third brother's name was Josiah, called "Sier" as a shortened form of his name. James Alfred Sartain, the author of this book, was a son of Gilford Sartain (1838-1869) who was a brother of Lewis Sartain who is mentioned prominently in W. Ernest Sartain's History of the Sartain Family.
Copyright © 1998-2006.
Last updated January 1, 2006.
Go to James Alfred Sartain's history of the Sartains in Walker County, Georgia
Go to W. Ernest Sartain's History of the Sartain Family
Go to the will of John Sertin of Culpeper County, VA, 1760
Go to Glenn Gohr's Sartain Lineage Page
Go to Glenn Gohr's SARTAIN/SARTIN/CERTAIN GENEALOGY Page
Go to Glenn Gohr's Genealogy Page