Gladney Family History & Notes
by Gloria F. Adams, July 1, 2002
My daddy always told us about our heritage whenever we would ask him. He said that his grandmother, Francis London used to dig sweet potatoes in the dead of winter without any shoes on when she was very young, He would talk about how her feet would crack and bleed.
They worked for the Gladney family in Tatum. The Gladneys came to Panola County from Georgia. They cleared a lot of land in this area when they got her. He said his father used to tell them the story about how his mother worked in the fields. I believe Daddy said that Sam Gladney was the one who had the child by Francis London when she was around 12 years old. The child's name was Cicero Gladney. He wore the name Gladney. Anyway, Ms. Tatum Gladney was remembered as a kind and compassionate woman. (He said that Tatum was named after her?) She taught Cicero how to read and write. He would live with them for months at a time.
When he got older, he was the mail carrier from this part to the Longview area. My dad said that he would ride a horse from Tatum to Longview. Crossing the Sabine River on that horse with the mail bags strapped onto the horse. It's a wonder he did not drown.
Sam Gladney left and went to Sherman, Texas and married a woman up there. They supposedly did not have any kids. There were other Gladneys in that area. His wife is the woman who opened the Edna Gladney home for unwed mothers and adoption.
(Now others say that the other brother was the one who had the baby by Francis London.) Tatum Gladney never disowned my grandfather. My dad used to show us the two-story white house with green trim around it when we would ride with him to Tatum or Longview. The house is still there.
On his mothers side. Her father was a Pollard from Pine Hill. He was related to the Barnetts' I believe. The rumor is that when he died he left Georgianne something in his will, but the family never gave it to her. Her mother was also black, and I think her name was Sally Pollard.
Additional Information added by Marylee W. Knight
I was so intrigued by the Gladney oral history Gloria sent to me yesterday, I couldn't resist seeing what I could find. The following is the product of my lunch hour dash through reference books.
Keep in mind that Willie Cicero Gladney was born in 1866, according to his tombstone, but in Nov 1860 by what he told the census taker on the 1900 Panola Co Census.
1860 Census of Rusk County TX, Harmony Hill, Household # 1038-1056
J.P. Gladney - age 48 - M - Farmer - b in NC - Personal property valued at $5,778, Real Estate valued at $28,800Ann (Ellington) Gladney - age 21 - F - b in VA (Mar 15 Dec 1857)
T. S. Gladney - age 19 - M - b in TN
James Gladney - age 17 - M - b in TN
Joseph Gladney - age 14 - M - b in TN
Stephen Gladney - age 11 - M - b in TX
Samuel M. Gladney - age 6 - M - b in TX
Margaret Gladney - age 1 - F - b in TX
(Now, whether Willie Cicero was born in 1860 or 1866, Stephen and Samuel would still have been too young to be the father. If he were born in 1860, then Joseph would probably also been too young to sire a child. That just leaves James and T.S., but read on down for further clues.)
Incidentally, Sam Gladney is the one who married Edna Browning Kahly, for whom the Edna Gladney home is named.
Edna married Sam in Gainesville in 1906. They lived a few months in Havana, Cuba, then moved to Wolfe City where Sam bought a flour mill. While Sam concentrated on building his Gladney Milling Company, which manufactured Gladiola brand flour, Edna started a crusade to clean up the Grayson County poor farm. Especially distressed at the treatment of children at the institution, she arranged to have the youngsters transferred to the Rev. I.Z.T. Morris' Childrens Home and Aid Society in Fort Worth. (Taken from the Handbook of TX Online)
(I couldn't find a copy of the 1870 Rusk Co Census today)
1880 Census of Rusk Co TX, Harmony Hill
Household # 208-288
Matilda Gladney - B/F - 50 - Works on farm - She b in TN -her father b in NC and her mother b in NCHousehold # 212-232
Charles Mapps - B/M - 36 - Farmer - AL-GA-GA
Charles 2nd mar Lizzie Neel 09 Feb 1899 in Panola Co
Betsey Mapps - B/M - 37 - Wife - TN-VA-VA
Jinsey Mapps - B/F - 12 - Daughter - Works on farm -TX-AL-TN
Jinsey 1st mar Frank Roberts 19 Jun 1899 in Panola Co
*She 2nd mar Josh Metcalf 30 Dec 1902 in Panola Co
Dora Mapps - B/F - 10 - Daughter - Works on farm - TX-AL-TN
Columbus Mapps - B/M - 8 - Son - TX-AL-TN
Pinkney Mapps - B/M - 7 - Son - TX-AL-TN
Pinkney married Mrs. Lessie Evans on 16 Aug 1896 in Panola Co
Malissa Adams 1st mar William Evans on 15 Feb 1893 in Panola Co
Milly Mapps - B/F - 5 - Daughter - TX-AL-TN
Clara Mapps - B/F - 4 - Daughter - TX-AL-TN
Clara mar Henry McLemore on 31 Aug 1897 in Panola Co
Tenny Mapps - B/F - 9/12 - Daughter - TX-AL-TN
Tenny married Felix McLemore on 20 Dec 1899 in Panola Co
Household # 321-346
James S. Gladney - W/M - 34 - Farmer - TN-SC-TN
Ronda Gladney - W/F - 28 - Wife - TX-GA-AL
Albert Gladney - W/M - 6 - Son - TN-TN-TX
Lillian Gladney - W/F - 5 - Daughter - TX-TN-TX
Donald Gladney - W/M - 2 - Son - TX-TN-TX
Amanda Beck - Mulatto/F - 27 - Widow - Cook - TN-TN-TN
Luberta Beck - Mulatto/F - 3 - TX-?-TN (dau of Amanda)
Ara McKafee - Mulatto/F - 8/12 - TX-?-TN (dau of Amanda)
Bridget Graham - B/F - 43 - Widow - Cook - AL-GA-GA
Household # 328-353
William M. Gladney - W/M - 41 - Farmer - TN-SC-TN
C.I. Gladney - W/F - 41 - Wife - NC-NC-NC
Effie Gladney - W/F - Daughter - TX-TN-SC
Minnie Gladney - W/F - 7 - Daughter - TX-TX-NC
Della Hamilton - B/F - 26 - Single - Cook - TN-TN-TN
Roxie Hamilton - B/F - 4 - Daughter - TX-TN-TN
Mary Hamilton - B/F - 1 - Daughter - TX-TN-TN
Household # 331-356
Essex Tandy - Mulatto/M - 21 - Farm Laborer - TX-VA-TN
Easter Tandy - B/F - 20 - Wife - Keeps house - TX-GA-GA
Ann J. Gladney - W/F - 41 - Widow - Keeps house - VA-VA-VA
Matt L. Gladney - W/M - 17 - Son - TX-SC-VA
Lula Gladney - W/F - 17 - Daughter - TX-SC-VA
Howell Gladney - W/M - 14 - Son - TX-SC-VA
Mary Gladney - W/F - 12 - Daughter - TX-SC-VA
Eva Gladney - W/F - 9 - Daughter - TX-SC-VA
Gill Gladney - W/M - 7 - Son - TX-SC-VA
Annie Gladney - W/F - 5 - Daughter - TX-SC-VA
Josie Gladney - W/F - 2 - Daughter - TX-SC-VA
This Ann Ellington Gladney is the widow of J.P. Gladney as shown in the 1860 Census. By the last child being 2 years old, it can be assumed that J.P. died between 1858 and 1860. It is unusual that Ann and her children are shown as living in the household of a black couple.
Household # 340-367
Samuel Watson - W/M - 47 - Single - Farmer - SC-SC-SC
Joseph Gladney - W/M - b Oct 1844 - 54 - Cotton sampler -TN-TN-TN
Sometime during 1849 Albert Tatum, who lived in Chambers County, Alabama, took his wife Mary and four sons, William, Wesley, Paul and James to Texas to begin a new life. He left behind Andrew Jackson Tatum, a young son who had recently died. Mary was his second wife and was still quite young because she had married when only 14 years of age. Tatum had been a man of property in Alabama. He owned land and several slaves. He left many relatives and friends who were important citizens of the South. The Tatum family, their slaves and several relatives first settled at Harmony Hill near Trammel's Trace in newly organized Rusk County. Their first daughter was born there and is buried in Harmony Hill Cemetery. Albert Tatum recognized the commercial potential of the intersection of the Grand Bluff Road and the Trammel's Trace and decided to settle there. He had his slaves cut down enough tall pine trees to build a comfortable house for the growing family and for modest cabins for their own use. He planted cotton and corn and sold these products for a cash income. Vegetables and fruits were grown for use on the plantation. He also built a saw mill and grist mill for added income. This peaceful time after the Texas Revolution against Mexico and before the Civil War allowed Albert Tatum to prosper and to educate his children at the best colleges and professional schools in the United States. At one time he owned more than 4,000 acres of land. Two daughters had been born on the Tatum plantation and they were educated and tutored in the classical manner. They both married men who became prominent in East Texas. His daughter Rhonda, who married Joseph Gladney, was an accomplished pianist and later operated a school of music in Henderson. His sons were also afforded the best educations that were available. Wesley became a school teacher, James a physician and Paul studied architecture in New York. His eldest son, William did not become a professional man, but worked with the family farms and other properties. The plantation house that still stands today in Tatum was built in 1865 from lumber that was cut and planed at the Tatum's sawmill from their own virgin pines growing nearby. Slave labor and architectural skills were used to build the plantation house. You will notice that Albert Tatum as well as well as Tatum Menefee (another early Harmony Hill settler) both came from Chambers County, AL. According to Edna Barryer Greenwood, this is also were the Barryers came from. Tatum Menefee and his wife Susannah Webb married in Chambers Co, AL. Their oldest child was A.O. Menefee who was born Mary 11, 1865. He received his M.D. Degree at Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Menefee took up the practice of medicine in Rusk County. On Feb 12, 1891 he married Effie Gladney, the daughter of W.M. and Belle Gladney of Harmony Hill. Dr. Menefee's bride was not a stranger to the medical profession, for she was a niece of Dr. A.G. Shaw, long a well-known doctor of Harmony Hill, and also a niece of Dr. A.M. Gladney, a prominent physician of Terrell TX. (Taken
Rusk County Heritage) See index below for Cicero London-Gladney. POLLARD Martin 30 M B GA 304
1114 1132 WALLING T. J. 23 M W farmer 250 TX
Easter Gladney - Mulatto/F - 60 - Widow - Cook - TN-TN-TN
I wonder if Easter Tandy shown in the previous household is the daughter of this Easter Gladney.
1900 Census of Rusk Co TX, Household # 188-120
Ronda Gladney - Wife - W/F - b Sep 1851 - Music teacher -Married 27 years - 3 children born - 3 still living - TX-GA-AL
Tatum Gladney - Son - W/M - b Oct 1873 - Dry goods salesman - TX-TN-TX
Don W. Gladney - Son - W/M - b Jun 1878 - Bank clerk -TX-TN-TXA Town Called Tatum by Cecil Williams, page 16
Index to 1870 Rusk Co Census
POLLARD William 32 M B GA 305
LONDON Cicero 14 M M TX 348
LONDON Henry 23 M B TN 348
GLADNEY Joseph 25 M W TX 348
GLADNEY Joseph G 58 M W SC 388
GLADNEY Matilda 45 F B NC 388
GLADNEY Wm M 32 M W TN 396
POLLARD Queen 25 F B GA 403
GLADNEY Matilda 51 F B NC 415
LONDON Wiley 35 M B AR 449
POLLARD Charles 25 M W AL454
POLLARD Hiram 25 M B GA 4551860 Rusk County Census
1114 1132 WALLING Sophronia (CALLAWAY) 23 M W AL
(m. 28 Dec. 1859)
1114 1132 KEENER J.M. (Joseph) 21 M W 500 AL
1114 1132 KEENER C.A. (Cynt WALLING) 17 F W TX
(m. 14 July 1859)
1114 1132 POLLARD C. C. 30 M W mechanic 50 SC
1130 1148 GRAHAM R.H. (Robertson) 29 M W M.D 44,500 AL
1130 1148 GRAHAM S. E. 24 F W AL
1130 1148 GRAHAM W. A. 7 M W AL
1130 1148 GRAHAM Robert 4 M W TX
1130 1148 GRAHAM M.C. 2 F W TX
1130 1148 POLLARD E. D. 21 F W 20,000 AL
1130 1148 S....? George 1 M W AL
1130 1148 NOLLY John 31 M W ostler VA
1130 1148 BURKS F.M. 25 M W overseer 600 GA
1130 1148 ANNI Joseph 30 M W ostler Ger