Smoky Mountain Historical Society Queries

Volume XXX, No. 2 Summer 2004

MAIDEN NAME? I am looking for my great grandmother’s MAIDEN NAME. Her first name was Manda. She married a Helton, but I don’t know which one. She was born Dec. 1857 in Sevierville, Sevier Co. TN. She may have married a Helton in 1880 and her name might have been Martha Jenkins. Her children by ---?--- Helton were: Effie Jane Helton, b. April 1888; George W. Helton, b. March 1882; Mark L. Helton, b. Feb. 1884 and Sarah Helton, b. Feb. 1886. In 1890 she married Noah Haggard. By him she had Claiborne J. Haggard, b. Aug 1894; Claude Haggard, b. Oct. 13, 1898; Harriet Hattie Haggard, b. 1896, and Otha Haggard, born 1900. My mother claims she was a fill blood Cherokee. James Hansard, 21 Inverin Circle, Timonium, Md 21093

SMITH & COSBY FAMILIES Looking for info on Narcass SMITH b. 1844. She was the daughter of Joel and Cynthia Griffith SMITH from Cocke County, TN. Would like to know who she married? And, also, does anyone know where I can get a list of the people who were removed from the Cosby Park area of the Smoky Mountain National Park? Thanks for your help. Kathy Woody, 884 Blue Mill Road, Del Rio, TN 37727. Email: sunshine99@planetc.com

WILSON – GARLAND I am doing family research on my WILSON Side of the family from Cades Cove. Jasper WILSON married Caroline Jarrett GARLAND sometime before 1880 in Mitchell, NC. He moved his family in the late 1880’s into Cades Cove. Caroline & Jasper had 4 children, Phebe, David, Loretta & George Grover WILSON. Caroline also had children from her first marriage to Isaac Harvey GARLAND, who was killed during the civil war. I believe one of the children, Celia GARLAND, followed her mother to Cades Cove. Once Caroline died, 1/6/1906, Jasper married Florence C. Cable on 11/15/1906. Caroline is buried at the Methodist Cemetery in Cades Cove with her son G. G. WILSON. Any information on Jasper & Caroline or any other WILSON descendents would he welcome. Roby C. Wilson, 2438 N. Powhatan St., Arlington, VA 22207. Email: roby@erols.com

FULTON James FULTON (1690—1753) was born in Northern Ireland. He & his wife Sarah settled in Augusta County, VA about 1739 and had children named Hugh, William, James, David, Thomas, Elizabeth (my line), Eleanor & Jane. Elizabeth married Samuel McCutcheon and their daughter Margaret came to Blount County after her marriage to Joseph Smith in 1800. If you have information on the FULTONs, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Gina K. Fox, 935 White School Road, Sevierville, TN 37876-2447.

RAMSEY I am writing to ask your help in identifying the parents of William RAMSEY from Cocke County and Polk County Tennessee who was born in approximately 1811. I have been tracing the family back from Franklin County Illinois and despite locating a number of William RAMSEYs in Eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Pennsylvania, I cannot verify that they are the correct William RAMSEY.

My husband’s great grandfather was Allen RAMSEY, born December 17, 1853 in Polk County Tennessee to William RAMSEY and Kesiah Wilhite. The family is in the census of 1850 in Polk County and although I cannot locate them in the census for 1860 they are in the 1870 census of Franklin County, IL. Kesiah Wilhite was the daughter of Rueben and Elizabeth Jenkins Wilhite (Wilhoit) and the second wife of William RAMSEY. William and Kesiah are the parents of Alexander, Job, Lewis, Allen, Lloyd, Sarah E., Mary Jane, Elizabeth, John D. and Isabella RAMSEY. All of their children except Isabella were born in Polk County, Tennessee. In addition, William RAMSEY had four children with his first wife, Elizabeth Harrison, daughter of Rueben Harrison, and Elizabeth Baxter. They were named Edmond, Reuben William, Rhoda, and Margaret. At least two of them were born in Cocke County so it is likely that the family lived in Cocke County about 1835 to 1840.

William’s son Edmond RAMSEY was born in 1835 and died in Vicksburg in the Civil War. He was probably living with Abraham and Jane Lillard when he was 15 as noted in the 1850 census. William’s second son, Reuben William RAMSEY married Abigail Wilhite, the sister of Kesiah Wilhite, and is the father of Robert Lee RAMSEY in the Heritage pf Polk County Tennessee (p. 298). William’s daughter Rhoda RAMSEY (8/30/1841- 1/27/1918) married Reverend Joseph Carter Chastain and they moved to Cleburn County, Arkansas. William’s daughter Margaret (born in 1843 in Polk County) married Thomas McClure brother of Lafayette “Fate” McClure, also in the Heritage of Polk County Tennessee (p. 257). There is a lot of information about William RAMSEY’s family but in none of these sources does it mention the names of his parents making it difficult to move beyond and select among the RAMSEY family lines. I am hoping some of these bits of information will be familiar to someone there who can tell me who William RAMSEY is. Thank you for any help you can provide. Sue Foster, 15044 E. Scatter Ridge, Athens, OH 45701

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Smoky Mountain Historical Society
PO Box 5078
Sevierville, TN 37864

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