Clay County, Texas
Blalack Family History
of Prospect, Clay County,
Texas
Submitted by: Kirk Lyons
John
Quincy Adams Blalack was the youngest child of Levi Blaylock
and Louisa Roberts.
The Blalack’s descend from Thomas Blaylock
I, born in Cumberland
England
about 1597. In 1622 Thomas arrived at
Jamestown , Virginia
and settled in what is now Accomac Co, Virginia,
dying in about 1660. From Thomas we pass to Thomas II,
John William I, Richard I (who married Rachel Harden), Richard
II born 1745 in Louisa Co Virginia (who married Sarah Wade? In
about 1767 and left Virginia for South Carolina), Richard III
born 1770 in South Carolina (married Martha Long in about 1790
- Martha born abt 1774 in Barnwell County, South Carolina).
Richard III moved to Dallas County Alabama where he died January
13, 1838 followed by his wife on November 18, 1848
JQA’s Father, Levi, was born in SC in
about 1803 the son of Richard Blaylock III and Martha Long.
Levi’s brothers and sisters were: John Washington, Richard
D. (1798 – 1865), Sarah (1801-aft 1865), Wade, Nathaniel,
James B. (1804-1869), Julia Ann (1810-1867),
Elizabeth (1812-1887),
Harden (1806-1864), Barney, Martha (1818-1837), Washington, Osmand
A., and John.
Levi’s bride, Louisa Roberts (her middle name
may have been “Sabra”), was born April 22, 1806
in Virginia the daughter of Jesse Roberts (born about 1784).
Save that Jesse moved to Lowndes County Alabama and was still
alive in 1860, nothing else is currently known about him save
that his wife’s name is Mary and he had another daughter
Jemima who was born in about 1809 .
Levi married Louisa in about 1824 and settled in
Dallas County Alabama , out of which later was formed Lowndes
County, with other Blaylock kinfolk where he started to raise
a family and farm and styled himself a small planter.
Sometime after 1850 Levi moved his family
to Neshoba County
, Mississippi
where he achieved some success as a yeoman farmer working his
one or two slaves. Levi died sometime between 1860 and
1870 – the family story is that he was killed in the war
and the farm/plantation was ravaged and plundered by Yankees.
Levi and Louisa (pronounced loo – eye’
–zah) had the following 8 children:
- James
Brinkley (1825-1872) married Amanda Avenger. Enlisted in
Co E 40th MS Inf Regt, CSA received Medical
discharge for disability.
- Martha
Ann (1832 - ?)
- Jesse
Roberts born Sept 5, 1833 in Dallas Co AL married Sarah Ann Jackson
in about 1858 in Butler
County , Alabama
. Family moved to Caddo Parish, LA and
Jesse enlisted in Co G, 25th LA Inf Regt, CSA, severely
wounded at Murfreesboro
and given a medical discharge. Moved to
Texas in 1865 and was a farmer in
Clay
County by 1880. Jesse later settled
in McLean, Gray Co.
Texas in about 1900, where he died April
11, 1918. Sarah Ann died after 1880 and is believed buried
in Clay
County
. Their children: A. (1859 LA), Sarah Louisa Elizabeth
“Lou” (1860 LA), Mary Margaret Emma (1866 TX), John
Francis (TX 1870), Martha Rosetta (TX 1874), Mary
Ethel (TX 1876).
- Richard
J. (1836 - ?)
- Mary
E. (1841 - ?)
- George
N. Washington (1844 - ?)
- Marcella
(1846 – 1920) married Andrew Hill and settled in Bowie,
Montague Co, TX where she died November 29, 1920
- John
Quincy Adams born October 8, 1851 in Lowndes County Alabama (what
was told the census taker) or
Vicksburg , Warren County, Mississippi
(what is on his death certificate). He was named for a local
planter of that name and possibly his Father was a Whig.
According to family lore, it fell to JQA to care for his
mother and work the devastated farm after the Uncivil War. The
1870 Neshoba County Mississippi census finds JQA in the town
of Philadelphia
working as a farm laborer to help his widowed Mother
and two unmarried sisters.
As his economic prospects in Mississippi
worsened, JQA decided to start over and join his
older brother Jesse in
Texas . Jesse had settled in Louisiana,
served in the Confederate Army, was medically discharged from
a severe wound suffered at the Battle of Murfreesboro and ended
up in Texas in 1865 and Clay County by 1880 or before.
I can’t find Jesse in the1870 census, so I don’t know
how early he arrived in
Clay County
.
So in 1878 JQA left Mississippi
in a covered Wagon, headed for
Texas . The only thing he salvaged
from the old farm were the family guns and JQA was a crack shot.
By family tradition he stopped in Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
and married Celia Elizabeth Bullard on January 26, 1879.
Celia Elizabeth was born Feb 23, 1858 in
Atlanta Georgia
, the daughter of Ephraim Ira Bullard (born June 25, 1830 in
Coweta County ,
Georgia ) and Mary Ann “Polly”
Joiner (born December 10, 1832 in
Stewart County
Georgia
). The couple was married in
Stewart County
on October 24, 1850. 1860 find’s the couple
in Jackson Parish,
Louisiana . After Confederate
service in Co F, 28th LA Inf Regt, Ephraim moves his
family to Cooke County Texas. The Bullards other children: William
Asa (1851 GA), Francis Kinion (GA 1853), Sarah Commella
(GA 1855), George Wesley (LA 1859), Thomas J. (LA 1861),
Mary Catherine (LA 1864), George Bryant (TX 1866), Marthena
Jane (TX 1868), Jackson J. (TX 1870), Lawson C. (TX 1873).
Ephraim died Jan 27, 1893 and Polly, Dec 26, 1906 in
Cooke County ,
Texas .
JQA, with new bride and Mother proceeded on to Jesse’s
farm in Clay
County
. The story is that “Mom was played out and would
not go a step further,” so, the story goes, JQA settled
on the worst patch of ground in Texas where he proceeded to eke
out a living until his death in 56 years later, farming some,
but mostly hunting. JQA guarded barbed wire fences during
the “Grange” War where being caught with wire cutters
could get you shot. JQA went by “John Adams Blalack,”
and it has been a family particularity that the name be spelled
and pronounced BLAY-LACK, not LOCK as it is often assumed.
JQA’s Mother never got used to being poor and died
Dec 13, 1886. She is buried in the
Liberty Cemetery
in Prospect. JQA reminisced to his children
about the old days “before the war,” claiming he had
a body servant who called him “Marse John.”
JQA and Celia Elizabeth had 7 children all born in on the
Blalack farm near Prospect, Clay County, Texas:
- Louisa
Sabra born Sep 25, 1880 died Sep 25, 1964 in Ft Worth,
Tarrant Co, TX. Married Hillery
Lawrence Collie
- Maud
Belle born Nov 13, 1882 died ??. Married Edgar P. Haney
- Jesse
Lee born Mar 3, 1886 died Apr 18, 1966 in Henrietta. Married
Walter William Davis
- James
Brinkley born Aug 15, 1888 died April 3, 1933 from a farm accident.
Married Molly?
- Floy
Earnest born Mar 23, 1891 died July 29, 1899
- Ephraim
Ira born Nov 20, 1893 died ??
- Marcella
Agnes born Jan 7, 1896 died Oct 5, 1977 in
Amarillo ,
Potter County
, texas. Married Clarence
Jay Lyons on Dec 15, 1924 in
Wichita Falls ,
Wichita County , Texas
. C. J. was born Mar 1, 1896 in
Battle , McLennan County
, Texas , died Oct 10, 1980
in Amarillo ,
Potter County ,
Texas .
JQA fell from a tree and broke his
hip when he was 83 years of age. He had all his hair and
all his teeth. He died in the hospital at Henrietta of pneumonia
on Oct 16, 1934 and is buried in the Liberty Cemetery in Prospect.
Celia Elizabeth died Jul 27, 1939 and is buried in the Liberty
Cemetery in Prospect.
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