Sharla,
I'm sorry I took so long to send this.
Here's what I have on William CALLAWAY. Some of this is simply
theory based on various records. If you or anyone else can provide
actual documentation for these relationships, I'd really appreciate it.
He's been difficult to track because he had a big case of "wanderlust."
Fortunately many of his descendants are online and have shared their
research with me, and lots of census and cemetery records are online
now.
At first all I knew about William was from the 1840 Benton Co. AL
census and family traditions. I descend from his daughter Nancy
Caroline, who married David HYATT. Nancy was born in GA in
1824. I knew that her mother was named Rebecca, but family
researchers had given her maiden name as SCROGGINS and
sent me off on a wild-goose chase for many years. Then someone
sent me info that a William CALLAWAY married a Rebecca COGGIN
in 1816 in Morgan Co. GA, and things began to fall in place.
However, I believe that William was married once before he married
Rebecca. For one thing, marrying for the first time (in 1816) at age 29
would have been quite unusual for those days. Not impossible, but
unusual. Also, census records show that Rebecca was quite a bit
younger than William (she was born 1794-1800), which is common for second
marriages. Also, the 1820 Warren Co. TN census shows two sons born
1810-1819. One was Isaac, b. ca 1819. More about him later. The other
one is still a mystery. The 1830 Newton Co. GA census says he was
born 1800-1809. Yes, he could have been a brother or some other person.
But a first marriage for William in about 1807-1808 would have made a lot
of sense. As I mentioned in my previous message, I still have to look into
this. I still think he may have been Beverly Turpin CALLAWAY, whose
widow married Allen GENTRY and lived in MS with these folks. Beverly
was born before 1808 because he supposedly bought land in AL in 1829.
Again, more research is needed.
There was also a daughter born 1815-1820, so she could have been
a product of William's first marriage or, more likely, Rebecca's daughter.
I still don't know, and I don't know anything about this girl yet, except
that
she was alive in 1830. She either married or died by 1840 because she
wasn't living with William.
William was probably the son of Obadiah CALLAWAY and his wife _____
DENNIS. Obadiah moved to Hancock Co. GA sometime between 1790
and 1800. He was in Salisbury, Guilford Co. NC in 1790, and William was
probably born there. Obadiah died in Hancock Co. GA in 1800. William, as
Obadiah's orphan, was eligible to draw a lot in the 1807 GA Land Lottery
while living in Hancock Co. He drew land in Wilkinson (now Telfair) Co. GA
and took up this land 2 Aug 1808, probably when he'd reached age 21
(meaning he was born ca 1787, which matches census records).
An 1808 Morgan Co. GA tax list shows he was paying tax on 2 tracts
of land he owned in Morgan Co. GA and also on the land he owned in
Wilkinson (later Telfair) Co. GA. One Morgan Co. GA tract contained
68 acres and the other 102 acres on H___ Creek adjoining ______
BONNER, granted to "unknown."
I don't know if William fought in the War of 1812, but I wouldn't be surprised
if he did. I need to check those records. He moved to Warren Co. TN
sometime between 1816 and 1819 (assuming he was an actual GA resident
when he married there in 1816). Sometime between 1820 and 1830 he moved
to Newton Co. GA.
In December 1831 William sold his Newton Co. GA land. He appears
to have migrated to Ackerman, Winston Co. MS and in August 1835
he was a founding member of the Bethlehem Baptist Church. He doesn't
appear to have stayed for very long. He doesn't appear on other church
records or Winston Co. MS records. This supports my theory that he
moved back east to AL for a few years (maybe to live with his adult sons after
his wife died? maybe his crops failed?), then returned to MS ca 1842-1844
(William and his family had moved to MS by February 1844 because his
son Isaac's daughter Lettie was born in MS that month. William Sr., Isaac's
wife Asenath, and William J. were charter members of the Antioch Baptist
Church in Louisville, Winston Co. MS in April 1844).
William appears on the 1850 Ackerman, Choctaw Co. MS census. Living
three households away was Allen GENTRY, whose wife Sabrina was the
widow of Beverly T. CALLAWAY. Living next-door to Allen was William's
son J.H.W. CALLAWAY. Living near-by were Isaac GENTRY (was he
related to Allen?) and William's sons Jesse and William J. CALLAWAY.
William married a third time in 1839 in Benton Co. AL to Hannah DAVIS,
who was quite a bit younger than him and outlived him. They had no children
together.
In 1860 William had moved to Springfield, Limestone Co. TX. He died there
sometime before 1870. Hannah appears as head-of-household on the 1870
census there, but I haven't seen the actual record yet. I'd like to find his
death record and burial place.
William's children were:
by 1st wife (m. 1807-1810, where?)
1. son b. ca 1809
by Rebecca COGGIN m. 1816 Morgan Co. GA
2. daughter b. 1815-1820, m. 1830-1840
3. Isaac b. ca 1819 in TN, m. ______ ca 1838 in AL & m. Asenath GRAHAM
in 1839 in Benton Co. AL, d. 1880-1900 in Louisville, Winston Co. MS
4. Elizabeth b. 1822 in GA, m. John R. GRAHAM in 1839 in Benton Co. AL,
d. 1899 in Annison, Calhoun Co. AL
5. Nancy Caroline b. 1824 in GA, m. David HYATT in 1841 in Benton Co. AL,
d. 1891 in Blount Co. AL
6. William J. b. ca 1826 in GA, m. Bathsheba McKENZIE ca 1849 in MS,
d. aft 1870
7. J. H. W. b. ca 1828 in GA, m. Susan A. ____ ca 1850 in MS, d. aft 1860
8. Jesse b. ca 1830 in GA, m. Letitia COKER ca 1849 in MS, d. 1862-1870
3rd wife, Hannah DAVIS
No children
I know this is a bit disjointed, but I hope you can make sense of it. I will
post
info on William's children separately.
Take care.
Vickie Elam White