HISTORY OF HIS MATERNAL
ANCESTRY
Compiled by
L. C. Christian, Houston, Texas
September 3, 1936
My Maternal Great-Great-Grandfather,
Richard Gray and wife, ______ Gray, originally resided near Raliegh,
North Carolina. Richard Gray and wife had three children: Richard,
Jr., Polly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Gray (my Great-Grandmother)
married Nathaniel King, at old homestead, near Raliegh, North
Carolina, probably in about the year of 1823. Gray and family,
in about 1825, moved from North Carolina to Kentucyk, and Nathaniel
King and family accompanied them.
Nathaniel King and wife, Elizabeth Gray,
had twelve children: Nancy, Hannah (my Maternal Grand-mother),
Rebecca, Jane, Caroline, Benjamin, Jebedie, Addison, Carlton,
Richard, Samuel and William. Hannah was born near Raliegh, North
Carolina, on November 25, 1824. She was a mere infant when the
family moved to Kentucky.
After Richard Gray and family, and Nathaniel
King and family, had moved to Kentucky, as above related, King
and family -- probably in about 1828 or 1829, moved to Perry
County, Arkansas. My Grandmother, Hannah King, told me that,
when she and her family left for Arkansas, she was a small girl,
but that she distinctly remembered that her Grand-father, Richard
Gray and family, lived in a big, fine home, and that they had
many negro slaves. Her Father, Nathaniel King, however, did not
get along very well with his Father-in-law. King came from a
fine family, but was inclined to drink and gamble too much, like
many young men of good family did in those days. King, being
a well educated man, and very proud, decided to leave Kentucky
with his family in order to get rid of the discord with his Father-in-law.
He, therefore, as above stated, moved
to Perry County, Arkansas, about 50 miles northwest from Little
Rock. Perry County was cut off of Conway County, or Conway County
was cut off of Perry County, my Mother says, but she does not
know which is correct. Nathaniel King, being a well educated
man, served in the Legislature of Arkansas, but my Mother does
not know whether it was as a Senator or Representative. After
Nathaniel King and family moved to Perry County, Arkansas, they
never went back to Kentucky, and neither did any of the family
of Richard Gray ever visit the King family in Arkansas. After
Elizabeth King, wife of Nathaniel King, died, Nathaniel King
showed to my Grandmother (Hannah King) and the other King children,
a letter that their Grandmother, wife of their Grandfather, Richard
Gray, had written to her daughter, Elizabeth King. In this letter
she begged her daughter to come back to Kentucky and claim her
portion of the estate of her Father and Mother. She had only
one brother, Richard, Jr., and Polly, and my Grandmother thought
that her Mother's interest in the Gray estate must have been
of considerable value. Since Nathaniel King never until after
the death of his wife, showed his wife or any member of the family
the letter (and possibly others) above mentioned, Elizabeth King
died in ignorance of the desire of her Mother and Father that
she return to Kentucky. She died in complete ignorance of the
fate of her Mother, Father, Brother, and Sister.
All of the children of Nathaniel King
and wife, Elizabeth King, were probably born in Perry County,
Arkansas, with the exception of Nancy and Hannah (my Grandmother),
the two eldest. Grandmother, Hannah King, told me that she distinctly
remembered moving from Kentucky to Arkansas. She did not recall
how old she was, but said probably five or six years.
Hannah King (my Grandmother) married
William Green, in Perry County, Arkansas, in 1840, when she was
about 16 or 17 years of age. William Green was born in Perry
County, Arkansas, on May 10, 1818. His Father, _____ Green, came
to Perry County, Arkansas, from Mississippi sometime prior to
1818 (when Grandfather, William Green was born). _____ Green
was one-half Indian (Cherokee, it is believed). _____ Green first
married (in Mississippi, it is presumed) a woman whose name is
unknown, and had one son by her, whose name is also unknown.
_____ Green married, as his second wife
(whether in Mississippi or Arkansas is unknown) a widowed lady
named Wade. She had, when married to Green, three sons -- John,
Edward and Calvin -- born to her by her husband, ________ Wade.
_______ Green and wife, the widow Wade, had born unto them four
children: William (my Grandfather), Jim (James), Elizabeth, and
Mary Ann.
William Green and wife Hannah King resided
in Perry County, Arkansas, from the time of their marriage in
1840 until the Fall of 1847, when they (with James "Jim"
Green, brother of William) moved to Bastrop County, Texas, bringing
with them their three children, Elizabeth (my Mother), born September
19, 1842; Sarah, born August 10, 1844, and William Polk, born
May 12, 1846. Their oldest child, Mary Ann, born in Perry County,
Arkansas, died in infancy. In Bastrop County, Texas, the Green
family settled on Buckner's Creek, on the General Edward Burleson
Plantation, about 2-1/2 miles westward from where the town of
Smithville is now located, and near what is now known as State
Highway #71. Gen. Burleson settled this plantation in 1831.
William Green and family moved to Bastrop
County, Texas, because Aaron Williams, who had married Elizabeth
Green (William Green's sister), was already living there, having
previously moved there from Perry County, Arkansas.
After coming to Texas, William Green
and his wife, Hannah, had born unto them eight (8) additional
children, named as follows: Nancy Caroline, born in 1848; Rebecca
Jane, born in 1850; Arkansas, born in 1852; Georgia Hannah, born
in 1854; James Aaron, born in 1856, Christian Columbus, born
in 1859; John Henry, born in 1861; Rosetta Lois born in 1866.
These last named eight children were all born in Gonzales County,
Texas, except, perhaps, Nancy Caroline, who may have been born
in Bastrop County.
William Green and family resided in Bastrop
County for two or three years, when a Minister named Plummer,
who was acquainted with William Green (presumably in Perry County,
Arkansas), and who then resided on the West, or South, side of
Sandy Fork Creek in Gonzales County, Texas, came to Bastrop and
persuaded William Green and family to move to his place of residence
in Gonzales County. This was probably in the year 1850.
William Green and family resided with
Rev. Plummer (supposedly in the same house) for about two or
three years, and then moved to Copperas Creek, near Hopkinsville,
four or five miles Northward from where the town of Waelder now
stands, in Gonzales County. They resided on Copperas Creek for
a few years, and then moved back to Sandy Fork Creek, and bought
a place on the South side of Sandy Fork, and a few miles down
the creek from the residence of Rev. Plummer. Green and family
lived on this place a few years, and then moved to a place on
Bee Branch, about two miles Eastward from little town of Hopkinsville.
This was probably in 1858.
After all their children had married
and left them, some time after 1870, William and Hannah Green
moved from Bee Branch to Blanco County, Texas, near the town
of Blanco. William Green was accidentally killed, in the spring
of 1881, while living in Blanco County. He and his Nephew, Johnny
King, were out hauling a load of wood, and he fell off of the
wagon and was run over. He died before his Nephew could secure
assistance. He was buried in Blanco City. Hannah Green, wife
of William Green, died at the residence of her daughter, Rosetta
Lois Tanner (wife of Raymond B. Tanner), in Flatonia, Fayette
County, Texas, on October 6, 1901, and was buried in Flatonia.
Of the twelve children born unto William
and Hannah Green, Mary Ann died in infancy; Elizabeth Victoria
married Obed Mast Christian, at Thompsonville, Gonzales County,
Texas, on March 22, 1860 (March 16?); Sarah, married George Lynch
(a Captain in the Confederate Army); William Polk married Henrietta
Lewis, and when she died (leaving one child, Rosa Lee), he then
married Maggie Parks Robers (a widow); Nancy Caroline, died without
issue; Rebecca Jane, married Edward Hill; Arkansas, died without
issue; Georgia Hannah, married Frank Webb; James Aaron married
Lou Branham; Christian Columbus, died without issue; John Henry,
died without issue, in about 1885; and Rosetta, married Raymond
B. Tanner, and died in 1956.
After my Mother, Elizabeth Victoria Green,
married my Father, Obed Mast Christian, as above related, they
built a residence about 400 or 500 yards westwardly from Thompsonville,
and resided there until the Fall of 1867, when they moved to
Denton Creek in Gonzales County, about 6 miles Northeast from
Gonzales, on what is now known as the Gonzales-Waelder Highway,
and also a part of the Old Spanish Trail from Houston to San
Antonio.
Obed Mast Christian and wife, Elizabeth
Victoria Christian, had born unto them twelve children, named
as follows: William Willis, born, 1861, and died in infancy;
Martha Jane, born March 16, 1862; Amanda Louellen, born December
27, 1865; Lueullus Forrest, born December 3, 1867; Mary East
and Laura West (twins) born December 2, 1869; Sarah Dulcenia,
born April 10, 1876; Lycurgus Cleburne, born September 5, 1880;
Lybertas Green, born November 27, 1882; Bonnie Drucilla, born
November 30, 1883. All twelve children, except the three oldest,
were born at the old homestead, near Gonzales. The three oldest
children were born at Thompsonville. All twelve children, exept
the eldest (who died in infancy), are now living. A more complete
history of the eleven living children can be found in Volume
XV, No. 3, page #56, of William and Mary College (Virginia)
Quarterly magazine, issue for January, 1907, by Dr. Lyon
G. Tyler, at Williamsburg, Virginia. A copy of this Volume is
now in the possession of L.C. Christian, Houston, Texas.
My Mother, Elziabeth Victoria Christian,
is now (September 3, 1936) living, and resides at the old Christian
homestead near Gonzales, in Gonzales County, Texas. She will
be 94 years of age on Saturday, September 19, 1836.
Mother says that, when her parents moved
from Perry County, Arkansas, to Bastrop County, Texas, in the
Fall of 1847 (she was then about 5 years of age), she distinctly
remembers many incidents of the trip. They (her Father and Mother
and her Uncle, James Green) traveled in "covered wagons,"
each drawn by two horses. Her Uncle, James Green, was in one
wagon (I do not know whether or not he had a family), and Grandfather
and his family were in another wagon.
One evening, after camping for the night
on the banks of a beautiful little running stream, Mother says
she saw, just across the little stream, a large herd of the strangest
looking cattle that she had ever seen. She called Grandmother's
attention to them, and was told that they were Buffalo.
Mother also clearly recalls crossing
Red River. They crossed at some small town (probably Texarkana),
whose name she does not recall, one evening just before dark.
The Red River was rising rapidly at the time, and local residents
strongly advised Grandfather and his brother to not attempt to
cross that night, but to wait until next day, or even later,
until the water had receded. Grandfather and his brother decided,
however, to attempt to cross immediately, and James Green drove
his wagon into the river, followed closely by Grandfather and
his family. When James reached the slippery, steep bank on the
Texas side of the stream, his horses balked and refused to even
attempt to pull his wagon out of the river to safety. After trying
for several minutes to induce James's team to pull his wagon
up the river bank and failing to get any results, they finally
unhitched the balky horses from James' wagon and unhitched Grandfather's
horses and hooked onto James' wagon and quickly pulled it up
the bank and to safety. They then unhitched Grandfather's horses
from James' wagon, and rushed back to Grandfather's wagon, which
had been left, with his wife and three children in it, standing
in the middle of the rapidly rising stream.
Grandfather finally got his team hitched
up to his own wagon again, and soon had his wagon and family
safely up the river bank, and in TEXAS. Grandfather had to leave
his own wagon and family standing in the middle of the stream,
as above related, because his brother's wagon blocked the road
up the river bank. Mother says that, when Grandfather finally
got back to his own wagon after pulling his brother's wagon out
of the river, the water was up all over the body of their wagon,
and the wagon was trembling all over, and about to be washed
down stream. Mother says that, if they had not been pulled out
when they were, they would have been washed downstream within
a very few minutes.
During all this exciting period, the
local citizens were gathered on the North bank of the River and
yelling encouragement and advice; and when they all got safely
across, the people gave a great cheer, and wished them luck on
their journey. The scare that this crossing gave to Mother made
a vivid impression on her memory, and she says that she can now
recall, just as if it was yesterday, all the little incidents
connected therewith.
My Mother, Elizabeth Victoria Green,
joined the Methodist Church when she was about fourteen years
of age, at Hopkinsville, Texas, and has been a member of the
Methodist Church ever since. Mother was married to my Father,
Obed Mast Christian, by the Rev. Farwell, a Methodist Circuit
Rider. When a boy, I remember Rev. Farwell quite well, as he
frequently visited my parents. Rev. Farwell was then an old,
gray-haired man.
Marginal notes by Leland Smith were:
1. The Great-Great-Grandfather was Graves
not Gray
2. Nathaniel King probably born in 1818 not 1823.
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