My great grandfather Almon Cannon was born in Georgia June 13, 1812. If I am correct on my
assumptions he was a son of Hannah Cannon the youngest daughter of James Cannon. Hannah
Cannon was a prostitute. All of her children were illegitimate including Almon Cannon. I
have found 7 children whom I believe to have been Hannah's children. There may be
others. The ones I discovered are:
1. Elijah Cannon born about 1810 in Georgia and died December 26, 1879 in Lincoln County,
Tennessee. He and his wife, Dias Lacy had 12 children. One of whom was named Hannah.
2. Almon Cannon born in Georgia June 13, 1812. He and Elijah moved together to Bedford
County, TN in the early 1830s. Elijah moved to adjoining Lincoln County before 1850. Almon
Cannon was married 3 times and had a total of 11 children. He died in Bedford County on
August 18, 1896. My great grandmother, Ellender Powell, was his third wife.
3. Everett CANNON. born in Wayne County, NC Indian Springs,Wayne, NC, Bet. 1813 - 1814,
married Nancy Henderson and the family moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama. They had about
14 children. He was killed in combat during the Civil War.
4. Margaret Cannon, born in Georgia about 1815. Moved to Bedford County, TN after the 1840
census and lived next door to Almon Cannon. She was a prostitute, like Hannah. The 1860
census taker labeled she and her two oldest daughters as "harlottes". She had 7
children born between 1841 and 1857 with never a man living in her household.
5. Ann M. CANNON, born in NC about 1820. Was probably living with Hannah in Sampson
County, NC in 1840. In the 1840 Federal Census of Sampson County, NC Hannah Cannon is
listed as a Head of Household. Her household yields the following data:
1 male over 15 but under 20 (probably James H. Cannon.)
2 females over 5, but under 10 (probably grandchildren , but parents unknown)
1 female over 20, but under 30 (probably Ann M. Cannon.)
1 female over 50, but under 60, Hannah.
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They had moved to Chambers County, Alabama by 1850.
The 1850 Federal Census of Chambers County, AL shows Hannah Cannon living in the household
of John W. Branch with data as follows:
1850 District 19, Chambers, AL
John W. Branch 30 M Farmer SC
Ann M. 30 F NC
Henry 9 M Ala
James 7 M Ala
Bollard 4 M Ala
John A. 2 M Ala
Nancy E. 5/12 F Ala
Hannah Cannon 60 F NC
Mary Woodgard 7 F Ala
The oldest children of this family state that their mother was Eliza Jane CANNON and their
father was John W. Branch. Ann was listed as his wife in the census records for 1860, 1870
and 1880 in either Chambers of Tallapoosa
County, Alabama.
The next household in this census (1850 Chambers Co. AL) shows:
James H. Cannon 27 M NC
Mary E. 21 F NC
Simon P. 2 M NC (Looks more like Simeon)
Nancy J. 8/12 F Ala
6. James H. CANNON, born in NC about 1823. He and his wife disappear from the records
after the 1850 Chambers County, AL census. According to Almon Cannon he had a brother
named James that went to Texas and was killed on the way. This family tradition may have
been true. A Mary Elizabeth Cannon married a William Simpson in Kaufman County, Texas on 2
August 1866 (Source: Kaufman County Marriage Recores Book 1a).
The last record that is found for John Willis Branch in Alabama is:
1880 Milltown, Chambers, AL (Indexed as Bronch)
John Branch Head M W 65 NC VA VA
Annie wife F W 59 NC NC NC
Mattie dau F W 17 Ala NC NC
He died in Kaufman County, TX on January 28, 1896 and is buried in Gray's Prarie
Cemetery, Kaufman County,TX.
7. Eliza Jane Cannon, born in North Carolina about 1825.
I have no proof that Hannah Cannon was a daughter of James Cannon and Sarah Reed. I also
do not have proof that she was the mother of Elijah Cannon, Almon Cannon and Margaret
Cannon, but she fits my description of their mother.
November 4, 1801. A bench warrant summoning Arthur Markum and Hannah Cannon to appear
before the Justice of the Peace 'for Adultery and Fornication...to be dealt with as
the law directs.' This bench warrant was signed by George Walton, and early Governor
of Georgia and a signer of the Decalation of Independence. This warrant resulted in a
trial that was held in the Superior Court of Franklin County, Georgia in 1802.
The details of that trial are found in The Georgia Archives GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES
AND HISTORY, ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30334
WP-O1 PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIVE INVENTORY
CORPORATE NAME: Franklin County RECORD GROUP: 159
(110a) (035) ___
SUB-UNIT: Superior Court SUB-GROUP: 1
(110b) (035) ___
SERIES: Miscellaneous Original Records, Unbound SERIES: 59
(245) (035) ___
00-1057A 1902-13
1802 (continued)
Miscellaneous lists
State vs Arthur Markham & Hannah Cannon
which shows the following account:
State of Georgia }
Franklin County } The jurors for the County
aforesaid, that is to say: Frederick Stevelee, forman,
John Selman, Joseph Chandler, Clement Wilkins,
William Ramsey, George Cockburn, John Carter,
John Gilbert, William Black, Edward King, Jacob
Burton, James Hargrove, Robert Walters, Xenon
Naylor, Benjamin Allen, William Thomas Upon their
oath present that: Arthur Markum, late of the
County aforesaid, Yoeman, and Hannah Cannon, late
of same place, Spinster, on the first day of October in
the year one thousand eight hundred and one, at the
house of the said Arthur Markum in the County
aforesaid and at divers other times and places both
before and after did live in adultry and fornication
together. The said Arthur Markum in Adultry and
the said Hannah Cannon in Fornication by having
Carnal Knowledge of each other to the evil example of
all others in like cases offending and against the form
(?) and effect of an act of the General Assembly in
such cases made and proved and against the peace
and Dignity of the said State the safety and welfare of
the inhabitants thereof.
P. Alen. Lollyen (?)
April Term 1802
Georgia }
Franklin County } Know all men by these
presents that we Arthur Markam &
James Reed, both of the County & State
aforesaid are held and firmly bound unto
Josiah Tattnall, Jr., Governor and
Commander in Chief of sd State & his
successors in office in the penal sum of
five hundred dollars for which payment
will & truly to be made we bond ourselves
our heirs Etc firmly by these presents.
The Condition of the above obligation is
such that if the above Bonded Arthur
Markham do in his own proper person
appear at the next Superior Court to be
held in & for sd County on the second
Monday of this Instant then & there to
abide the sentence of sd Court on account
of adultry & fornication, then the above
obligation to be paid otherwise to be &
remain in full force & virtue in Law.
Given
under our hands & seals this
fifth day
of April 1802
Fred k Beall J.P. ArthurMarkham
James Reed
NOTE: John Carter a member of this jury was probably the father of Naomi Carter who
married John Powell and the Grandfather of Elllender Powell, the wife of Almon Cannon and
therefore my ggg grandfather.
NOTE: Was James Reed possibly a brother of Hannah Cannon's mother, Sarah Reed?
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At the time of the trial Arthur Markum was a 45 year old man, married with 2 or more
children. Hannah Cannon was probably only 15 or less.
Last Summer we attended a family reunion of the descendants of Everett Cannon of
Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
There were about 75 to 100 people in attendance all of them except for my wife and I, and
my brother and his wife were decendants of Everett Cannon. The reunion was held in
Columbus, Georgia. Before the reunion I did not know any of these people, but they were
easy to get to know and none of them knew anything about their family before Everett. I
have an uncle named Everett Cannon and Almon Cannon was living with my grandparents when
Everett was born. Do you suppose that Almon used his influence to get my grandparents to
name their first child for his brother who was killed some 25 years earlier in the Civil
War.
DOUGLAS FOSTER
dfoster(a)apex.net