The Singletary Connection
Furnished by Charles Singletary, Carthage, TXWritten by Ardath & Wilburn Grimes, Houston, TX
Submitted by Marylee Knight
June 15, 1987
Re: The Singletary Connection
Based almost entirely on the attached summaries of data gleaned from the census records found at the Clayton Genealogic Library, the following story has been put together.
Willis Singletary was born in 1793 or 1794 in North Carolina. He was married twice. He has six children by his first wife; one of whom we think was Eli. He had nine other children by his second wife, Maulsey or Moley. One of these children was called Francis in 1850, but he was called Franklin in 1860. The dates of birth and other such facts are somewhat uncertain in all census records. (We have no proof yet whether Eli and Frank were half-brothers or full brothers. The 1900 Census shows Frank's mother was born in South Carolina and Eli - the elder's mother was born in North Carolina.)
Some time between 1850 and 1860, Willis and his family, except for Eli, moved to Panola County, Texas. Eli married (about 1854) in North Carolina, and his wife's name was Ann and she was a native of Wales. Eli and Ann had two children born in Texas around 1859, so Eli and his family moved to Panola County, Texas some time between 1857 and 1859, and this could have been the same time as the Willie Singletary family. (If so, the Eli family should show up in the 1860 Texas Census, but I have not found it yet.)
About 1868 a son was born to Eli and Ann in Panola County, TX, and they named him Eli. (The father we shall call Eli (the elder), and the son we shall call Eli (the younger)). The Eli family was recorded in the Carthage district of the 1870 census.
The 1870 census for Panola County, Grand Bluff district, shows Franklin Singletary's household, including himself, age 23, and his wife, Martha, born in Texas, age 19, and their child, Mary, born in Texas, age 1. In a record of marriages in Panola County, Franklin Singleterry (note spelling) married Martha E. Dillard on June 20, 1867. This evidently is Frank's first marriage.
In 1870, the census for Beckville, Panola County, shows the Willis household consisting only of Willis, age 75, his daughter, Millie, age 24, keeping house, and two sons, Milton, age 41 (insane), and David, age 21.
Some time between 1870 and 1880, Eli (the elder) and Ann moved their family to Red River County, Texas. They had three more children after Eli (the younger), or 10 children in all by the time of the 1880 census.
In the 1880 census for Panola County, Frank and wife, Lizie, now have four children, all girls: Mary, age 12, Emma, age 9, Ciarra, age 6, and Ida, age 7 months. In this census, Frank's brother, David now has his own household including his wife, Mandy, and four young children. Also in David's household is his brother, Milton (idiotic), age 50.
Some time between 1880 and 1890, Frank's first wife and family, disappear and he is married to Amanda Ross Liles, probably about 1884 or 1885, because their son, D. Hollis, was born on 12-23-1885. We do not know what happened to Frank's first wife or if there were more children than one born to his second wife. The four girls of the first family grew up and married and had families of their own.
By 1900, back in Panola County, Willis and his wife had died and all of the children had grown up and established homes of their own. Frank (Francis, Franklin) now was married to Aurelia G. (Smith). This was Frank's third marriage. Their household consisted of Frank's oldest child, Daniel Hollis, whose mother was Amanda Rose Liles (Frank's second wife), and Frank and Aurelia's two children, Harlis and Willie Pearl. In addition, Frank's half-brother, Eli (the Elder), was now living in Frank and Aurelia's home. Apparently, some time between 1880 and 1900, Ann had died and all of Eli (the elder) and Ann's children had left home to establish their own families. (Why Eli (the elder) lived with his half-brother rather than with one of his own children is not known).
We know that Frank L. was born 10-28-1901, to Frank and Aurelia, and that the father, Frank, died when Frank L. was very young.
In the 1910 census, we learn that Aurelia had been married to Eli (the younger) for 8 years and that they had produced two children, Herbert and Addie B. This record also shows that Eli (the younger) had been married previously, but we do not know who this wife was, but (Frank L. believes) at least two children were born to them.
Based on the census information summarized in the attached sheets, it seems clear that Aurelia's two husbands, Frank and Eli, were related as follows:
Frank was the half-uncle of Eli (the younger)
Frank's children would be half-first cousins to Eli, but they were also half-brothers and sisters to Eli's children.
Therefore, Frank L. and Addie B., for example, are:
Half-brother and sister and half-first cousins-once removed.
This is the story gleaned from the census records almost exclusively. These records contain many inconsistencies and outright errors, but it appears that enough of the facts are present to substantiate the above story. If anyone can furnish more precise dates and correct or amplify the story it would by greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ardath & Wilborn Grimes
Houston, Texas
Singletary Census Records