Henry Clay McGaughy Revisited

In the past, I have written about my Great Great Grandfather, Henry Clay McGaughy. You can see what I wrote about him here and here.

I didn't have a very good photo of him at the time, but through my correspondence with Bob McGaughy, I received the following photo:

This was a very exciting find for me. It was the only clear photo of him I have been able to find. However, in April, my father went to attend the wedding of Ian Svajda, my second cousin. There, he received a thumb drive with more photos from his double second cousin, Rhonda Ferguson. She looks like a nice lady (pictured below on the left).

He also got a picture of my Great Uncle Tince (William Baxter McGaughy, seen right) who we named my son, Baxter McGaughy, after.

That thumb drive was a literal treasure trove. The photos it had on it were amazing. I really cannot thank Rhonda enough for getting those photos to me.

 Here, you can see my Great Grandfather, William Beall McGaughy, sitting on the left side of the gate. His brother, Henry Walden McGaughy, is sitting on the right side of the gate, and Henry Clay McGaughy is standing to the right of him. My Great Grandmother, Minnie McGaughy, is sitting in a chair off to the left. It's a great photo! I'd love to get a higher resolution version of it so I could do some restoration on it.

 This is a photo of Minnie McGaughy looking down at the hogs.

 Here is a really nice portrait of Minnie McGaughy.

And here is a photo of Minnie McMillian, after Henry Clay passed she remarried but had no issue.

Reverse Genealogy

My son, Baxter Cornelius McGaughy, was born January 23, 2014. This event is a sort of "Reverse Genealogy" in that I am working on my family tree going forward instead of backwards. Well, at least that's one way of looking at it. Honestly, "Reverse Genealogy" is much harder and much more expensive than the normal kind, and comes with a whole new meaning to the phrase "Sleep Deprived".

I am still working on my application to the Sons of the American Revolution. There may be some difficulty in my application, as the McGaughy book by Polly Sutton may not be a source I can use to document my lineage. I haven't heard back on that yet, but they did say it might be a problem. At any rate, I made a ridiculous American-Themed Birth Announcement to send to them:

I am hoping that it goes over well at the next meeting. I have a feeling that it may.

Callahill Minnice Walden

My Great Great Grandfather, Henry Clay McGaughy, married Minnie Walden on January 15, 1880. Her parents were C.M. Walden and Henrietta V. Purcell. C.M., as far as I can tell, stood for Callahill (or Calliehill, or any number of other spellings) Minnice. It is no wonder that he went by his initials for most of his life.

According to BB Paddock's History and Biographical Record of North and West Texas, page 441, "[C.M.] was a mechanic, plasterer and bricklayer and followed those pursuits in the Old Dominion in his younger days. He served throughout the war of the rebellion with the Confederate army in Virginia and in 1876 he came to Texas, locating first in Grayson county, where he rented land and engaged in farming, but in 1878 he removed to Montague county, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits. He also gave some attention to the stock business in the Indian Territory. His wife died September 13, 1904, and he has since broken up housekeeping and make his home with Mrs. McGaughy. He followed his trade until he came to the west and has lived the life of a plain honest mechanic and farmer. Although he rendered active service to the Confederacy during the Civil war he was never wounded nor taken prisoner. He is a man of genuine personal worth, faithful to honorable principles and is a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, while his wife was a member of the Methodist church. They had three children: Lillie, who became the wife of J. Damron and both she and her husband are now deceased; Minnie, now Mrs. McGaughy; and R. E., who follows farming in the territory."

The earliest record I have found of him is in the 1850 census in Pittsylvania County, VA as part of the household of Richard T. Walden. I believe that it is a reasonable assumption that Richard T. Walden was his father. His occupation is listed as a bricklayer, which agrees with BB Paddock's Biography. About a month later, he also appears in the household of C.J. Simmons, this time listed as C.M. Walden, and still a bricklayer.

1850 Census with Richard T. Walden

1850 Census with C.J. Simmons

 He does not show up in the 1860 census at all, probably on account of the Civil War. He fought in Company D, 1st Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. He began as a Private but advanced to Corporal during his time in the War. According to the following document, it looks like his horse was killed during the war:

He later pops up in the 1870 census as Callohill Walden in the Calumet Township, Pike County, Missouri. In his household is his wife, Henrietta, and 3 children: daughter Lillie, daughter Marrie, and son Edward.

In the 1880 census, he shows up as Calahill Walden in Montague County, TX. This time, he only has his wife, Henrietta, and son, Richard E. I believe that Richard E. and Edward are the same child, so it is my belief that his full name was Richard Edward Walden.



In the 1900 census, he has a few more people in his household. Besides his wife and son, he now has a daughter-in-law Mary, and a slew of grandchildren living with him.



The last census he shows up in is the Census for 1910, which shows him living with his daughter, Minnie, which agrees with the BB Paddock biography.


His death certificate is not of much help as it was filled out by Homer Foster, a man who was allowed to live with Henry Clay and Minnie on the farm until his death. Homer Foster, of course, had no idea who C.M.'s parents were. He apparently knew his birthday, however, and listed it as January 7, 1830. Calahill died on February 9, 1917.


I have not been able to locate his grave. His wife, Henrietta, is buried in the Old Spanish Fort Cemetery in Texas.

Later on, I will write more about C.M.'s ancestry. His grandfather, Charles Walden, fought in the American Revolution.

Last of Tom's Notes

12-15-12

Hi Bob

Talked to Bob Mc last night he was reminiscing about Jud and how much he enjoyed visiting Jud - and Jud enjoyed having us visit him. We went down about every other weekend. Jud had 1/2 lb hamburgers out on the grill - fixed salads, Jud always wanted 1/2 water cress from the spring. One quail season we decided to have grilled quail for supper. We 3 went hunting - saw a covey NW of the big oak about 75 yards NW of the picknic table area. I pot shotted the covey - killed 9. Jud started giving me a hard time for not making them fly - I said "there is supper, now we can have fun shooting them in the air." It happened that we only killed 1 or 2 more, but we had a good meal anyway.

Jud enjoyed life more than anyone. Bob Mc and I can recall knowing: When old, he could sit on the porch and shoot at wasps and have a good time. Dad, Henry, and Jud went quail hunting across the river - see map - a 2 foot rattler hit Juds pants leg, fang got hung. Dad and Henry got him stopped after a 100 yard run - shooting behind himself and yelling. Jud always hated snakes - saw him blast a 6 foot bull snake with both barrels of his knickerbocker double barrel shotgun. He and Tince were always getting in matches over quail - shooting the others bird. Tince was a better shot one day laughing at Jud and a quail got up about 5 feet away from Jud and he shot quick, blew him apart - laughed and said "There is one you won't get to shoot" I was there, but Tince still enjoys telling me about it. Jud and I saw a bunch of geese land in the back of Joe Brown's - I took auto .22 and Jud his 30-30. He killed 2 geese and one pintail drake at one shot. He got a good laugh at me then.

This is very interesting - nickle iron. I told Floyd and he said it had to be very old meteor. Tried to break off a chunk with other rocks, no way. It would be many tons - at $200 per ounce. [Peoth] Demmos ranch - he died about 1995. Bridwells grandson, Frank Woods, came to see me in 2001, we went over to look at some wells - met the foreman of the ranch. Many turkeys and 2 bucks there by Baker Creek. You might tell Walt Brown that he could call the turkeys across the river in season - from NE corner of Joe Brown place - doe scent might bring the bucks across. He has the only pig nut tree - big pecan looking tree bent over pointing NE. Slippery Elm and White oaks around the ridge near your fence. Bet he did [not know]

About 1930 Dad saw big geese landing on the Walden place. The next evening he, Jud, and Claude Walden were waiting, the geese came over, Dad killed 2, Claude 1 and Jud knocked one down. Dark by then - he looked and saw a white something move - thought it was his crippled goose and ran to catch it. It was a skunk with broad white stripes and a full bag of scent that he sprayed on Jud. Jud had to ride on the fender home. Went back first thing in the morning and found the goose.

You can see these giants - up to 22 lbs when very cold weather runs them out of Kansas where they live year round. I crippled 2 when Tince talked me out of being in their landing spot. They got up the river bank the next day into thick brush. River was deep and swift - ice - could not go across.

Map drawn by Tom McGaughy referenced in Letter above

Gill Family

From the notes of Tom McGaughy, written in 1998

Delia said:

The first time they came to Oklahoma, came in covered wagon, with "big old oxen". They lived 1/4 mile west of the bridge on Cache creek, east of Cache, OK. We went up, the house is still standing, more built on, and in use. Quannah Parker lived 1/2 mile North. Ike and some more kids made the Indians mad peeking at the Indian women who bathed nude in Cache Creek. They went broke - went back to Kentucky - Bardwell, and J.T. made good money farming there. Came back to Oklahoma on a train - wagons, "real good work horses" and a boxcar of furniture. Lived at Wilson - had a two story hotel in NW part of town, foundation still there about 10 years ago.  Bootlegged, ran gambling room and probably 2 whores. Lived in Ragtown in tent - oil boom days, bootlegging and other shady stuff, according to Delia. Want to put this in family history?

He taught Dick and Ike to drink at Wilson, thought it was funny. Owned several good properties over the years, always sold at a loss so he could move to "a better place".

Tom said:

Had a very bad temper, always quick to fight, as when he broke his cane over [Nerdox's] head when he, J.T., and [Nerdox] were in their late 80's - this over a checker game. Tried to fight me at age 90, because I told him he was [running] Jud crazy having to move him every six months.

Quit work at 65 because he said that he was too old to work any more. Enjoyed excellent health up to age 90. Real nice guy?

Tom

Payton was a first name in Gill family - traced back to Payton Brown of the Mayflower - Wylie Cook's kid's tracing.

Henry Clay McGaughy

This is also from the notes of Tom McGaughy. It reads a lot like the BB Paddock biography, but differs in a few places.

Henry Clay McGaughy, a pioneer settler of Montague county, was born in Lee county, Mississippi, on the 11th of June, 1848. His parents were William L. and Mary (Harris) McGaughy, both of whom were natives of Tennessee, where they were married. Soon after their marriage they moved to Mississippi. The paternal grandfather was G. W. McGaughy, of Georgia, who later moved to Mississippi. In his family were the following: William L., Carrol, Lee, and Benton, who came to Texas; Jack who lived in the Indian Territory;l and Sally, the wife of John Nicholson.

William L. McGaughy, father of Henry Clay McGaughy, purchased land and engaged in farming in Mississippi where he became a prominent planter and slave owner of his locality. For many years he successfully conducted his business interest there and he remained upon the old homestead during the period of the Civil War and until after the re-construction. He was too old for active service in the army but he furnished eight sons to the Confederacy. His farm lay in the path of the contending armies, who faraged on his land and largely reduced the value of his estate. His slaves were freed, his property devastated, and in 1869 Mr. McGaughy turned over the plantation to two of his sons and with the remainder of his family came to Texas, settling first in Grayson County, where he remained for a year. He then moved to Dallas county, where he spent two years, and in 1872 he came to Montague county, located in the Red River Valley. He made a prospecting tour in the spring of that same year and had purchased five hundred acres of valley land, where he took up his residence, giving his attention to its development and improvement. His remaining days were devoted to agricultural interests here and he remained upon the homestead farm until his death February 3, 1876, when he was seventy two years of age. He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Politically he was a Whig in the ante-bellum days, but at the time of the Civil War he became a stanch Democrat, favored secession and remained loyal to the party until his death. His wife, Mary McGaughy, was a daughter of George Harris, a leading planter in Mississippi. Mrs. Mary McGaughy survived her husband and died February 25, 1876, at sixty eight years of age. Unto Mr. and Mrs. William L. McGaughy were born 10 children: Marion P., G. W. D., Nehemiah R., James F., W. H., John, Benjamin, Henry Clay, Sally, who became the wife of J.M. Buchanan, and Mary J., who became the wife of Mr. Walton, who died in the army. Later she married Mr. Van Arsdale.

William L. McGaughy, and his wife, Mary, are buried at the Old Spanish Fort Cemetery at Spanish Fort, Texas.

Henry Clay McGaughy was reared in Mississippi and remained upon the old home plantation until after the Civil War. Although he was very young he was connected with the state militia during the war. He came to Texas with his father and the family in 1869. He moved to Montague county in the spring of 1872 and along with a brother and brother-in-law, returned to Mississippi, but Mr. McGaughy remained and improved the farm and cared for his parents throughout their remaining days. He had selected a level tract of country, very fertile and productive joining the Red River for his farm. Farming at that time was an experiment in Texas, for previously the land had been used simply as a cattle range and it was not known whether crops could be raised profitably or not. The grass was abundant and the range was free and the settlers devoted their energies to raising cattle. The country was sparsely settled and little actual farming was done. Mr. McGaughy began to open up and cultivate his land and he also gave a part of his time to the cattle and stock business, in which he continued as long as there was free pasturage. He was succeeding well when the county and pastures were taken up and fenced, so he disposed of his herd and only kept stock for the support of the farm. He raised both cattle and hogs. Farming became no longer an experiment in Montage county but a very profitable industry. Mr. McGaughy largely gave his attention to corn and cotton. He did much to improve his farm. He erected a spacious frame residence, good barns and outbuildings with home built upon a natural elevated building site with an excellent view of the farm and surrounding country. In 1887 Mr. McGaughy also embarked in the mercantile business, taking charge of a stock of general goods at Spanish Fort, Texas, which he conducted for twelve years. Mr. McGaughy and his family moved from the farm to Spanish Fort to live during this period of time. The merchandise for the store had to be brought by wagon from Sherman, Texas. After abandoning the mercantile business Mr. McGaughy gave his entire attention to his farming interest.

In 1880 Henry Clay McGaughy and Miss Miriah Calliehill (Minnie) Walden were married. Minnie Walden was born in Virginia in 1862 the daughter of Calliehill Minnice and Henrietta (Purcell) Walden, both of whom were natives of Virginia. Her father was a mechanic, plasterer, and bricklayer in Virginia in his younger days. He served throughout the Civil War with the Confederate Army in Virginia. He came to Texas in 1876 locating first in Grayson county, but in 1878 moved to Montague county, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits. He also gave some attention to the stock business in the Indian Territory. His wife died September 13, 1904 after which he broke up housekeeping and made his home with Mrs. McGaughy. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church while his wife was a member of the Methodist Church. They had three children: Lillie, who became the wife of J. Damron; Minnie, the wife of Henry C. McGaughy; and R. E.. Mr. C. M. Walden died in 1917. Both Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Walden are buried in the Old Spanish Fort Cemetery in Montague county.

Henry C. McGaughy was a member of the Presbyterian Church and gave his political allegiance to the Democratic Party. Mrs. McGaughy was a member of the Methodist church.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay McGaughy were born 4 children: Mary Roxie, born November 24, 1880, Spanish Fort, Texas, died May 18, 1975, Nocona, Texas, buried in the Nocona Cemetery, married Charlie R. Tucker, had no children; William Beall, born December 26, 1894, Spanish Fort, Texas, died October 16, 1966, buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery, Married Delia Ann Gill, had five children - Evelyn Inez, Geneva Lorraine, Dexter Eugene, William Baxter, and David Thomas; Henry Walden, born August 13, 1896, Spanish Fort, Texas, died October 26, 1968 buried in the Nocona Cemetery, married Alice Wade, had two sons - Henry Clay and James Wade; Bernice Ruth, orn February 25, 1907, Spanish Fort, Texas, died August 6, 1969, buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery, married Thomas Judson Gill, had two daughters - Marry Anna and Norma June.

Mr. and Mrs. McGaughy let a young man who came to Montague county, from Tennessee, Homer Foster make his home with them. He lived on the McGaughy farm until his death and he is buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery.

Henry Clay McGaughy died July 10, 1924, and he is buried in the Old Spanish Fort Cemetery, Spanish Fort, Texas.

Mrs. McGaughy later married Joe McMillan from Dallas, Texas, and had two step-children: Everett (Pete) and Margaret Ruth. Even after her marriage Minnie continued to make her home at the McGaughy farm until her death October 17, 1940. Minnie McGaughy McMillan is buried in the Old Spanish Fort Cemetery, Spanish Fort, Texas.

Joseph Thomas (Joe) and Emma Gill

This is from the notes of Tom McGaughy. He could not remember who wrote this.

Joseph Thomas (Joe) Gill and his family moved to Montague county in 1913 from Wilson, Oklahoma. The Gill family originally came from Bardwell, Kentucky, where J.T. Gill was born October 28, 1872. His parents were Wilks H. and Susan (Bennitt) Gill. On August 31, 1893 Joseph Thomas Gill and Miss Emma Sonsen Vaughn were married in Cairo, Illinois. Emma was the daughter of Banjamin F. and Fannie L. (Manuel) Vaughn, also of Bardwell, Kentucky. Emma was born August 5, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Gill and three children moved from Kentucky to the Indian Territory around 1900 settling at Loco. The Gills had three sons while living in this area before returning to Bardwell, Kentucky where a daughter was born. In 1912 the family once again returned to Oklahoma. When the family moved across the Red River into Texas, their first home was near the "Rock Chimneys" in the north part of Montague county. The following year the family moved to the Noah Howard farm which joined the Red River where Mr. Gill engaged in farming. The family lived there for eight years. Later they lived on the J.H. Brown and Mattie Fortune farms in the Red River valley. Joe Gill lived and worked at various jobs in the Spanish Fort area for fifty years. There were seven children in the J.T. Gill family: Delia Ann, born November 25, 1894, Bardwell, KY., died June 27, 1981, Wichita Falls, Texas, married William Beall McGaughy, had five children - Evelyn Inez, Geneva Lorraine, Dexter Eugene, William Baxter and David Thomas, buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery; Isaac Paten (Ike), born 1897, Bardwell, KY., died 1946, married Noma Cardwell, had two children - Isaac Paten, Jr. and Qwanna Tennesse; Mable Rose, born October 10, 1899, Bardwell, KY., married Joe H. Brown, had four children - Billy Joe, Marjorie Ann, Paul H., and Mary Joyce; William Cleborne (Dick), born 1902, Granite, Indian Territory, died 1947, married Ruth Williams, had no children; Thomas Judson, born July 22, 1905, Loco, Indian Territory, died March 9, 1974, Houston, TX, married Bernice Ruth McGaughy, had two daughters - Merry Anna and Norma June. Jud is buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery; Benjamin Thurl, born 1908, Granite, Oklahoma, died 1969, Fort Worth, Texas, married Georgie Speed, had no children; Esta Lee, born 1912, Bardwell, KY, married I Wiley Cook, had four children - Emma Joan, James Wiley, George Allen, and Betty Marie; The children in the Joe Gill family attended the March, Rowland and Valley View Schools. After the March and Rowland schools consolidated to become Valley View, Joe Gill was elected to serve on the board of trustees for several years.

Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Gill continued to live in this area of Montague county for the remainder of their lives. Emma Gill died at 74 years of age on March 16, 1947. Joe Gill was 93 years old when he died June 22, 1965. Both Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Thomas Gill were members of the Baptist church and they are buried in the New Spanish Fort Cemetery, Spanish Fort, TX.