Mam-ma's Southern Family

J. M. Coor, Probate #241, Erath Co, Texas Book G, p 458, FHL film 1428413  Today I found the probate record for James M. Coor, my 3rd great grandfather.  He was born in Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi in 18 Oct 1833 and he died 26 Mar 1890 in Erath County, Texas.  March 26 is my birthday, though many decades later.  I don't know when he came with his family to Texas.  His wife, Melissa Ann Welch, died 20 Sep 1876 in Coor Springs, Mississippi, leaving him nine children to raise alone.  He and his family are in Copiah County, Mississippi for the 1880 census.  He purchased land in Erath County, Texas on 6 Mar 1885.  I am not sure if this is the first purchase.  I need to make a spreadsheet of all of the land purchases to sort them out. By 1890, however, most of his children have married and two are left as minors: my great-great grandmother Martha J. Coor, better known as Doll (even in the probate record), an...

     I don't know much about Daniel K. Coor, and only just learned about him this week.  It all started with a probate record for his father, James Madison Coor [i] [1833-1890] (James M. Coor is the great-grandfather of Mam-ma, my grandmother).  In the probate were guardianship records for "Doll" Coor and "D.K." Coor.  I knew from my grandmother that Martha J. Coor [1873-1942] was called "Doll".  She would have been 17 years old at the time of her father's death and would need guardianship.  However, I didn't know who this "D.K." Coor was.  His age was stated as 15.  The 1880 census showed a younger sister, named Anna, born 1875. [ii]         So I transcribed the entire Probate and Guardianship and learned that the estate listed the following as: “persons entitled to receive said Estate as follows to wit:  D.P. Coor, Sallie G. Sones, Anna B. Durham, J.E. Coor, May Carr, J.R. Coor, Dollie La...

Lela Nell Johnston, Lela Ann (Loveless) Lancaster, Pansy Louise (Lancaster) Johnston c. 1940's Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family

 Upper Greens Creek Cemetery, Erath Co, Texas George W. (Warren) Lancaster (1893-1964) George W. Lancaster was my great-grandfather, the father of Mam-ma.  He was born in Johnson Community, Erath County, Texas on 19 Jan 1893 to William Carl Lancaster & Martha Jane Coor.  He married Lela Ann Loveless 15 Dec 1912 in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas. He worked as a farmer, was a good mechanic and loved working on cars on Sunday.  Friends would come with food and have their cars worked on.  Later he worked as shop foreman for the old Reid Sales Company and then had a shop of his own. [1]   He died 8 Nov 1964 in Stephenville, leaving two sons and one daughter.  His wife and one son had died previously. He is buried in the Upper Greens Creek Cemetery.  I took this photo 7 Oct 1995 when I visited Stephenville with Mam-ma.  Upper Greens Creek Cemetery is located south of Stephenville off Hwy 377 in the Green’s Creek community. [2]  ...

 

 James Madison Coor Lower Greens Creek Cemetery, Erath Co, Texas James Madison Coor (1833-1890) James Madison Coor was born in Crystal Springs, Copiah Co, Mississippi 18 Oct 1833 to John Coor and Ann Kethley.  He married Melissa Ann Welch Pittman 9 Oct 1856.  This is the second marriage for Melissa.  They had 10 children.  After his wife died, he moved with his younger children to Stephenville, Erath county, Texas, where he died 26 Mar 1890.  He was buried in Lower Greens Creek Cemetery.  He was my ggg-grandfather. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family

This assignment has me taking a grandfather and determining his age today, dividing by 4, then finding the ancestor in my family tree with the ahnentafel number, and writing 3 facts about that ancestor.  My ahnentafel number came up as 28 which would be Thomas Newton Johnston, my great grandfather.  Tom Johnston with granddaughters, Lea & Sandra Thomas Newton Johnston was born 25 Jul 1885 in Edna Hill, Comanche County, Texas to Ruben Mack Johnston and Olivia Jane Jones .  He died 20 Feb 1951 in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas. He married Nell L. Hutson on 6 Jun 1907 in Comanche County, Texas. Three facts I know: Listed as a farmer living on Gustine & Swan Hill Road in 1910 with his wife, Lea N. and daughter, Beryl M. Worked many years at the Higgenbotham's Lumber Yard in Stephenville, Texas, lastly as manager. Was called "Daddy Tom" by his grandchildren. Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family