For those related to William L. Chamblee b. 1847 of Florida who married Eliza
Virginia Newell, we now know your lineage. This is one of those intriguing
lines to me, which is why I have kept my eye out for it. There are really NO
deadend lines, we know they ALL go back to very early NC and before that VA,
all with the same group of people. But sometimes these people migrated and
traveled around so quickly, got missed in the census and thus remained a
mystery. William is one of those.
William L. Chamblee served in the Civil War and filed for pension from
Florida. The pension file was sent for by Tracy Chamblee. The pension
application indicates William L. Chamblee was born in Pickens Co, AL, and we
know he was born Aug 27, 1847, died in Ponce de Leon Co, FL in 1927.
Thus, after searching census records, etc. it was determined he is "probably"
from the line of Lewis Chamblee of PIckens Co AL. In the 1850 census below,
here he is as a one year old in Pickens Co AL.
Luckily Jack Chamblee (on this list) knows the Blount, Jefferson, Greene,
Pickens Co Chamblees almost better than he knows us, and there are not alot
of Chamblees in PIckens Co AL to confuse, thus Lewis and family sticks out.
It was not hard to find this:
1850, Pickens Co AL, page 105 1391/1443
Lewis Shamlee/Shamblee 74 yrs, farmer $7800 b. NC
Martha 32 b. AL
Jackson 12 b. AL
John 8 b. AL
Nancy 4 b. AL
William 1 b. AL [WILLIAM L. CHAMBLEE]
Malanda Strickland 16 b. AL [1834]
Samantha Strickland 11 b. AL
The trail is complicated for William L. Chamblee, however, as the Lewis
Chamblee family is, and always has been, a very complicated and convulated
line and error-ridden line. It will take a long while and much focused
digging to go through all records to figure out the underpinings of the
research and correct the records. People passing around genealogy they did
not research is part of the problem.
Hopefully some of you out there would be willing to go into a library and
look at some films, or send for films at your local FHC. Be nice to band
together in a research group on Lewis and sons.
In 1860, Martha Chamblee in the census above in 1850 (the Martha above is
probably Lewis Chamblee's dau-in-law, son dead, that's why the young children
are living there), remarried to Joseph Lewis. Luckily I bumped into a Lewis
expert who had interesting things to say about the Lewis Family.
1860 Pickens Co, AL 17 Aug So Div PO Mantua
824/721
Joseph M. Lewis 41 800/40000 SC 1819
Martha 41 1819 born AL
Benj 3 1857 AL
Henry 6/12 Feb 1860 AL
Nancy Shamblee 13 1847 AL
William Shamblee 10 1850 AL [WILLIAM L. CHAMLBEE]
Mary A. Shamblee 8 1852 AL
James Shamblee 5 1855 AL
John Sheltin 19 farm laborer 1841 AL
In 1870 William is no longer with the family, being an adult. His step-father
moved to Greene Co, AL.
1870, Greene Co AL, Aug 17, Pleasant Ridge, AL
238/239 Jos Lewis 38 830/200 b. NC
M.A. 53 f. housekeeping b. AL
N.E. Chamblee 24 f. at home keeps house b. AL
Mary Chamblee 18
James Chamblee 16 farm lab
Benjamin Lewis 13 at school b. AL
Henry 11 b. AL
Brannguard 9 m.
June/Jane 9 f.
Wm. H. B. Lewis 23 farmer (1847)
Where William L. Chamblee is in 1870 is unknown, his brother Jackson is in
Blount Co AL living near cousins in the 1870 census. I have looked everywhere
in the U.S. in 1870 and in 1880 to find William, no luck so far. Joseph
Lewis and family moved to MS. Remember that Eliza Virginia Newell was born in
MS, but so far I can't find either Eliza as a child in any census or William
in MS.
Here is Joseph Lewis family in 1880:
1880 Census Place: District 3, Oktibbeha, Mississippi
Source: FHL Film 1254660 National Archives Film T9-0660 Page 385B
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
Joseph LEWIS Self M W W 56 NC
Occ: Farming Fa: NC Mo: NC
Benjamin LEWIS Son M S W 22 AL
Occ: Working On Farm Fa: NC Mo: NC
Henry W. LEWIS Son M S W 21 AL
Occ: Working On Farm Fa: NC Mo: NC
Denson LEWIS Son M S W 19 AL
Occ: Working On Farm Fa: NC Mo: NC
Francis CHAMBLEE SDau F S W 13 AL
Occ: Keeping House Fa: NC Mo: NC (1879)
John CHAMBLEE GSon M S W 8 AL
Fa: AL Mo: AL
**Della CHAMBLEE GDau F S W 6 MS
Fa: AL Mo: AL
Lewis A. CHAMBLEE GSon M S W 5 MS
Fa: AL Mo: AL
**Martha CHAMBLEE GDau F S W 3 MS
Fa: AL Mo: AL
Bird CHAMBLEE GSon M S W 1 MS
Fa: AL Mo: AL
I could not find William L. Chamblee in Oktibbeha Co in 1880 living near this
family.
**26 July 1888, Oktibbeha, MS
B. F. Sudduth marr Della Shambly film #900,509
**13 Jan 1897, Oktibbeha, MS
Martha Shambly marr James Stiles, #900,510
7 Oct 1888, Oktibbeha, MS
Thomas A. Sudduth marr F. M. Chamblee, film #900,509
(this "COULD" be Francis above).
Don't be too believing about the relationship lines in censuses. With other
records and a little math they are often wrong.
It is unknown about the EXACT PROVEN relationship of the children with Lewis
Chamblee in the 1850 Pickens Co AL census. Jack and I have batted around a
few ideas, but until more research is done, all we can GUESS is that the
Martha is Lewis' daughter-in-law and that his son is now deceased by the1850
census. Also, back then people took in relatives ALL the time, much more than
today. It is also possible that Martha and the children are cousins, or a
neice. It is unknown who the two Stricklands are in the census as well.
Who are the "alleged" (and really unproven) children of Lewis?
I have been given genealogy sheets over the years with the children below,
with NO proof, no sources given as to verify the relationship of these people
with Lewis Chamblee. I don't know how to prove these are the children. Thus,
I will always call this a "temporary" list until the names are proven in the
records and I can see those records.
Temporary children of Lewis Chamblee/Mary-Polly Burress (only adding spouses
when it's pertinent):
1. John David Chamblee b. 23 June 1804
2. Malinda (Millie) Chamblee, b. 1808 marr a Brooks (is NOT the Malinda, age
16, born ca 1834 in the 1850 census above)
3. Jacob Chamblee b. ca 1815
4. Elizabeth Chamblee 30 June 1818
5. Sanford C. Chamblee/Susannah Cain Masters (this and the Sanford H.
Chamblee/Martha C. Bond line are very confused and they need to be reproven)
6. Rachel Chamblee ca 1822
7. Sallie Chamblee ca. 1824
8. Isham B. Chamblee ca 1823
9. Manley Chamblee ca. 1827 (I can't remember who told me this, sounds odd)
10. Theresa Mackarina Chamblee 19 Nov 1832
11. Jim Chamblee (supposedly marr an Indian named Oka Lee) ca 1834
12. George Chamblee ca 1836
Thus, the only males without wives above are George, and "Manley". Who knows
if these two people are even verifiable sons of Lewis. Yntil we have
documented sourcing about the children in this family it's fruitless to go
searching for the spouse of the Martha in the 1850 census.
At least all you Florida researchers can be happy to know that you originally
came from Pickens Co, AL. And, if Lewis Chamblee IS the grandfather of
William in the census, his father was Isaac Chamblee of Wake Co NC.
--D. Stoddard