Robert Smith Mabry, Jr.: War, Marriage and Children in Fayette County (1851-1884)

Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. grew up in Marion County, Illinois. After the death of his father in the mid-1840s, Robert moved south to live with his brother Joel in Pulaski County. He didn't live there long. By 1851 he had joined his brother Dudley in Fayette County.

Marriage to Susannah Smith
On December 14, 1851, Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. married Susannah J. Smith, daughter of William and Anna Smith, in Sefton Township in Fayette County, Illinois. That is where the young couple settled down on a farm. They had no children of their own, but when the 1860 census was taken, Robert's niece Sarah Mabry (daughter of Joel) and a William Nesbit*, both age 9, were living in their household.

• 1860 Census, p. 136, showing R.S. Mabry and household. (Note that I can't really see the information on the linked image, but if you want to take a look, the household is the last entry on the page.)

* There was a Nesbit family living near the Mabrys in Sefton Township. William, who was living with the Mabry family in 1860 and 1870, may have been a relative.

The Civil War
During the Civil War, Company F of the 7th Illinois Cavalry was primarily made up of young men from Fayette County. After suffering great losses over the winter of 1865 (mostly due to disease), the company returned to Fayette County to recruit replacements.

January 13, 1865, found the command at Gravelly Springs, numbering 199 officers and men for duty, and they subsisted for about ten days on parched corn after arriving there. On the morning of December 13, 450 men were reported for duty, showing a loss of 251 in the short space of one month. After remaining at Gravelly Springs about three weeks the Fifth Division was dismounted and sent to Eastport to receive recruits, who poured in from every quarter, until the Regiment numbered over 1,600 men.(History of the 7th Illinois Cavalry Regiment)

Among those who enlisted was the almost-40-year-old Robert S. Mabry. His wife, Sarah, had died on November 4, 1864 (buried in Guy Cemetery in St. Elmo). He had no children whose support would be neglected while he served his country. The muster roll lists him as 34 years old (probably a typo for 39). He is described as 5 foot 11 inches tall, with dark hair, gray eyes and a dark complexion. Already serving in Company F were his younger brother George, nephews Joel N. and William W. Mabry (sons of brother Dudley), and William D. Mabry (son of brother Richard).

Robert fortunately did not have to serve long; he enlisted on March 8, 1865, just one month before Lee's surrender at Appomattox. He and the other recruits probably joined the 7th Cavalry at Eastport, Mississippi, where it stayed until May.

After the surrender of the rebel armies [in April] it was sent down to Okalona, Miss., where it remained until the first of July. It then moved to Decatur, Ala., and was mounted. It remained near Decatur until October 20, when it marched to Nashville and was mustered out of service and received its final pay and discharge November 17, 1865, at Camp Butler. (History of the 7th Illinois Cavalry Regiment)

Additional Information
• Previous post: Civil War Soldiers of Fayette County
• Illinois muster and descriptive rolls
• Company F, 7th Cavalry Roster
• 7th Cavalry Regimental History

Despite the relatively short duration of his service, it took a toll on his health. According to the application for a military pension by his widow:

My husband was a stout able bodied man before entering the U.S. service [...] Came back with Lung disease of which he died." (from the pension application of widow Esther (Bayles) Mabry, who married Robert in 1868. Similar statements were made by others who knew him)

According to affidavits filed by Morris German and John Goodbrake who served in Company F with Robert,

[he incurred a cold from lying on wet floor at Camp Butler] from which a hacking cough was contracted and continued until his death [A]t times could not speak above a whisper his cough became deeper every year [...]

After the Civil War
After his discharge from the army, Robert returned to his farm in Sefton Township.

• 1875 Map of Fayette County, Illinois. The Mabrys probably lived in southern Sefton Township, near Brownstown**. Present map of the area.
• 1880 Census, p.112C, Sefton Township, Fayette County, Illinois (transcription of R. S. Mabry and family).

On January 9, 1868, Robert married Esther Jane Bayles, almost 25 years his junior. Esther had moved to Fayette County from Muskingum County, Ohio with her parents, Thomas and Louisa Bayles, in the 1850s. Robert and Esther were married by Justice of the Peace George Fletcher near the town of St. Elmo, probably at Esther's home.

Robert and Esther had six children: Harry Clarence, Joel McKane "Joe", Jennie Littlejohn, Thomas Greenville, Robert Smith (who died at age 3), and Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry.

The Mabrys continued to live on the farm in Sefton Township until Robert's death in 1884. At that time of his death, his oldest child, Harry, was only 16. The youngest sons, Pete and Thomas, each inherited 160 acres, which were held in trust until they came of age**.

Esther, Robert's widow, married for a second time, to Elkanah Smith, in 1889. She died 3 years later. Esther is buried in Guy Cemetery, in St. Elmo.

** According to the pension application filed by Esther, Robert S. Mabry died at Brownstown, Illinois, where Esther lived in 1888. The information about the inheritance of Thomas and Isaac is also from that application. It is not clear if the older children also inherited land from their father - the focus was on Thomas and Isaac because they were the only minor children at the time the affidavit was filed. Joe was the only Mabry son who continued farming.

Obituary of Robert S. Mabry:
This is from a scrapbook of R. Neil Mabry prepared by his daughter Jackie (Mabry) Kolm. Unfortunately, it didn't indicate which newspaper printed the obit. It is not known who supplied the information about his birthplace, which should be Logan County, KY.

Robert S. Mabry was born Dec. 27th, in Feuknen[sic] county, Ky. Removed together with his parents to Illinois in the year 1831. Died at his residence in Sefton township, Fayette county, Ill, March 31st, 1884. Was married to Esther J. Bayles Jan. 9th, 1868, who now mourns the loss of a husband. He also leaves four sons and one daughter. He was a consistent member of the M. E. Church for a number of years, where he will be sadly missed, as he was always in his place bearing his part. he suffered much during his last sickness, but bore it with Christian fortitude, and expressed a willingness to die. On Sunday, morning previous to his death, he called his friends present to his bedside, and had them sing his favorite hymn-"O happy day that fixed my choice," &c. His remains were conducted to the cemetery at St. Elmo, on Wednesday following by a large company of friends, where he was laid to rest. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labors, [illegible] [illegible] works do follow them".
S.F.I.

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Civil War Soldiers of Fayette County, Illinois: Mabry, Bayles, and Shaffer (and Weiser too)

The Illinois State Archives (a wonderful genealogy resource) has put the Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls online. These not only give the unit that the soldier served in, but also gives a physical description at the time of enlistment.

Unfortunately, I can't link to the entries themselves. Anyone wanthing to look at the records will have to do their own search. Instead, I've summarized the information below. I'll note any information that is incorrect or requires explanation.

Residents of Fayette County, Illinois

The earliest enlistor of our relatives was Dudley Henry Mabry, brother of Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. He enlisted as a first lieutenant in the 35th Illinois Infantry, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. He resigned 1 year into his 3 year tour. Several of his sons subsequently enlisted.

Dudley H. Mabry
(brother of Robert)
Rank: 1 LT - Company H - Unit: 35 IL US INF
Residence: FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 45 - Height 5' 9" - Hair: LIGHT
Eyes: BLUE - Complexion: FAIR
Marital Status: MARRIED
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: LOGAN CO, KY
Service Record
Joined When: JUL 3, 1861 - Joined Where: VANDALIA, IL
Joined By Whom: JAS F. HAN - Period: 3 YRS
Muster In: AUG 29, 1861 - Muster In Where: ST LOUIS, MO
Remarks: RESIGNED JUL 16, 1862

Our ancestors Robert S. Mabry, Jr. and Thomas M. Bayles both joined the Illinois 7th Cavalry in March of 1865, for the period of one year. The ranks of the 7th Cavalry had been severely depleted over the winter of 1864-1865, when many of the soldiers succumbed to disease. In joining the 7th Illinois Cav., they joined young William Mabry, who enlisted at the age of 15 in 1863 and served as the company bugler, and George W. Mabry and Joel N. Mabry, who joined in spring of 1864. At the end of the war, all of them were mustered out of the army in November of 1865 in Nashville.

William D. Mabry
(Son of Robert's brother Joel B. Mabry)
Rank: PVT Company: F Unit: 7 IL US CAV
Residence: SEFTON TOWNSHIP, FAYETTE CO, IL
Age: 15 - Height 5' 1" - Hair DARK
Eyes BLUE - Complexion DARK
Marital Status: N/A
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: IL
Service Record
Joined When: DEC 15, 1863 - Joined Where: OLNEY, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT O'KEAN - Period: 3 YRS
Muster In: DEC 15, 1863 - Muster In Where: OLNEY, IL
Muster Out: NOV 4, 1865 - Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING
Remarks: VETERAN MUSTERED OUT AS BUGLER

George W. Mabry
(Robert's youngest brother)
Rank: PVT - Company: F - Unit: 7 IL US CAV
Residence: LOUDEN CITY, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 25 - Height: 5' 9" - Hair: LIGHT
Eyes: BLUE - Complexion: LIGHT
Marital Status: N/A
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: IL
Service Record
Joined When: FEB 24, 1864 - Joined Where: VANDALIA, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT BISHOP
Muster In: May 24, 1864 - Muster In Where: CAMP BUTLER
Muster Out: NOV 4, 1865 - Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING
(note that George W. Mabry may have served for 3 months in 1861 as a Seargent in Company H of the 8th Illinois Infantry. A John R. Mabry, possibly Dudley's son, served as a 2nd Lieutenant in that unit for the same period)

Joel N. Mabry
(son of Robert's brother Dudley)
Rank: PVT - Company: F - Unit: 7 IL US CAV
Residence: VANDALIA, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 21 - Height: 5' 8" - Hair: LIGHT
Eyes: GRAY - Complexion: LIGHT
Marital Status: N/A [note: unmarried]
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: IL
Service Record
Joined When: APR 13, 1864 - Joined Where: VANDALIA, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT BISHOP - Period: 3 YRS
Muster In: MAY 9, 1864 - Muster In Where: CAMP BUTLER, IL
Muster Out: NOV 4, 1865 - Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING

** Thomas M. Bayles **
(great grandfather of Neil Mabry and Robert S. Mabry's future father in law)
Rank PVT Company G Unit 7 IL US CAV
Residence SEFTON TOWNSHIP, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age 39 - Height 5' 7" - Hair LIGHT
Eyes GRAY - Complexion LIGHT
Marital Status N/A [note: married to his second wife Mary Ann "Mollie" Turney]
Occupation FARMER
Nativity IL [note: actually born in Virginia]
Service Record
Joined When MAR 2, 1865 - Joined Where OLNEY, IL
Joined By Whom CPT SCOTT Period 1 YR
Muster In MAR 2, 186: NOV 4, 1865 Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING

** Robert S. Mabry **
(grandfather of Neil Mabry)
Rank: PVT Company F Unit: 7 IL US CAV
Residence: SEFTON TOWNSHIP, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age 34[note: actually age 39] - Height 5' 11" - Hair: DARK
Eyes: GRAY - Complexion: DARK
Marital Status N/A [note: widower]
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: KY
Service Record
Joined When: MAR 8, 1865 - Joined Where - OLNEY, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT SCOTT - Period: 1 YR
Muster In: MAR 8, 1865 - Muster In Where: OLNEY, IL
Muster Out: NOV 8, 1865 - Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING

William W. Mabry
(Son of Robert's brother Dudley H. Mabry)
Rand: PVT - Company: F - Unit: 7 IL US CAV
Residence: SEFTON TOWNSHIP, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 20 - Height: 5' 6" - Hair: LIGHT
Eyes: GRAY - Complexion: LIGHT
Marital Status: N/A [single]
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: IL
Service Record
Joined When: MAR 8, 1865 - Joined Where: OLENY, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT SCOTT - Period: 1 YR
Muster In: MAR 8, 1865 - Muster In Where: OLNEY, IL
Muster Out: NOV 4, 1865 - Muster Out Where: NASHVILLE, TN
Muster Out By Whom: CPT CHICKERING

Several other Mabry and Bayles cousins enlisted in other Illinois military units:

James C. Mabry
(son of Robert's brother Joel B. Mabry)
Rank: PVT - Company: E - Unit: 32 IL US INF
Residence: VANDALIA, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 24 - Height 5' 8-1/2" - Hair: DARK
Eyes: BLUE - Complexion: DARK
Marital Status: N/A
Occupation: TEACHER
Nativity: MASSAC CO, IL
Service Record
Joined When: Mar 24, 1864 - Joined Where: Vandalia, IL
Joined By Whom: CPT JENKINS - Period: 3 YRS
Muster In: MAR 24, 1864 - Muster In Where: CAMP BUTLER, IL
Muster Out: JUL 1, 1865 - Muster Out Where: ST LOUIS, MO
Muster Out By Whom: CPT HAMILTON

Simon C. Shaffer
(this is likely the youngest brother of Neil's great grandmother, Louisa (Shaffer) Bayles)
Rank PVT - Company: H - Unit: 97 IL US INF
Residence: VANDALIA, FAYETTE CO, IL
Personal Characteristics
Age: 24 - Height 5' 7" - Hair: DARK
Eyes: Blue - Complexion: DARK
Marital Status: SINGLE
Occupation: FARMER
Nativity: OH
Joined When: AUG 15, 1862 - Joined Where: VANDALIA, IL
Joined By Whom: J M ERWIN - Period: 3 YRS
Muster In: SEP 8, 1862 - Muster In Where: CAMP BUTLER, IL
Remarks: TRANS DEC 1, 1862 TO NON COM STAFF AS PRIN MUSICIAN
[transfer record lists his last name as Schaffer]
Rank: PMUS - Company: HQ - Unit: 97 IL US INF
Remarks: DIED MAR 17, 1863 ON HOSPITAL BOAT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
[at this time many of the soldiers were sickened by small pox]

Simon was the only Mabry-Bayles relative who did not make it home from the war. The Shaffer family moved to Fayette County in the 1850s, but appear to have returned to Ohio in the early 1860s, perhaps after Simon's death.

John Weiser, who didn't live in Fayette County, but has an interesting story

John Weiser, brother of Neil's grandmother, Barbara (Weiser) Holben, had a farm near Beardstown in Cass County. He enlisted as a private in Company A of the 27th IL US Infantry in 1861, and served for 3 years. His story takes on a sort of soap opera quality, because he was supposedly declared dead during the war and his "widow", Ann "Dorothea" (Musch) Weiser, remarried. This was probably quite a shock when John returned to his farm. He subsequently took his three children and moved with his widowed mother (Mary (Grumber) Weiser) to Christian County, where his brother Philip and sister Barbara were living with their families.

More to Come: A post about Robert Smith Mabry's life in the 1860s is in the works. Stay tuned.

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Braxton Mabry IV: Illinois and Missouri

Braxton Mabry and family did not settle in one place for long. The Mabrys and their three grown children left Tennessee for the west in about 1826, when Braxton was 76 . Their first stop was Chariton County, Missouri.

Chariton County, Missouri (1826-1829?)

According to Braxton Mabry's declaration in his Revolutionary War pension file, the first place the family settled after leaving Tennessee was Chariton County, in northern Missouri. They were apparently part of an early boom in the settlement of the area:

In 1820 the tide of migration was directed towards Chariton county and immigrants from the tobacco regions of Kentucky and Virginia came pouring in and other settlements rapidly followed. Farms were opened, mills and manufacturing establishments erected and the settlement of the county commenced in reality. Finding the soil and climate both well adapted to the grown of tobacco, it soon became the staple product and in fact still holds an important position in agriculture. (1896 history of Chariton County)

We know that the Mabrys stay in Chariton County was no more than a few years. By 1829 they had traved southeast, to Macoupin County, Illinois (northeast of St. Louis, Missouri).

Macoupin County, Illinois (1829-<1833)

In Macoupin County Braxton and Nancy, their sons Maximilian and James and daughter Sally (Mabry) Clevenger were founding members of the Concord Primitive Baptist Church in what is now Palmyra.

Pleasant View (formerly Concord) Church was organized June 13, 1829. Eight charter members came together, viz., Braxton Mabry, Christian Mabry, James Mabry, Maximilian Mabry, Nancy Mabry, Sally Mabry, Reuben Clevenger, and Sally Clevenger. Elders William Rodgers, Aaron Smith, and Thomas Lee formed the presbytery. The church was organized before the present town of Palmyra came into being; the town was surveyed and laid out in 1835 under the name of Newburg; the name was changed to Palmyra in 1855. (Primitive Baptist Churches of Macoupin County, Illinois)

The Mabrys were listed in the 1830 Census of the Otter Creek District of Macoupin County.

• "Joell Maybury" was listed as head of a household with one man and one woman age 18-20, and three boys, two under age 5 and one age 5-10.

• "Maxemillian Maybury" was listed as head of a household with one man and one woman age 30-40, one boy under age 5, two boys and three girls age 5-10, and two girls age 10-15.

• "James Maybery" was listed as head of a household with one man age 80-90, one woman age 60-70, one man and one woman age 30-40, and one girl age 5-10. The older couple are probably Braxton and Nancy.

• "Reuben Clevenger" was listed as head of a household with one man and one woman age 40-50, one boy and one girl under 5, one boy and one girl age 5-10, two boys age 10-15, one boy age 15-20, and one woman age 20-30.

Several of Braxton's grandchildren (or their husbands) also have households listed in the 1830 census of Macoupin county.

Reuben Clevenger purchased land in North Otter Township in 1833 and 1836 (T12N R7W Section 31). However, by that time Braxton had once again moved west, to Greene County in the southwestern corner of Missouri. (from the Illinois Public Land Sale Database)

• 1875 Map of Macoupin County (Reuben Clevenger's land was near the intersection of North and South Otter and North and South Palmyra districts).

Greene County, Missouri (1833-1836)

In his 1838 pension application, Braxton stated that he and his family had moved to Greene County in 1833, in the southwestern Missouri Ozarks. We find two of Braxton's sons on the 1833 Greene County Tax list:

• "James Mabery" had 4 cattle, 1 "poll".
• "Joel Maberry" had 1 cattle, 1 "poll".

Neither were taxed for slaves, horses or mules. Braxton, son Maximillian, and son-in-law Reuben Clevenger were not on this list.

Once again, they had settled in an "uncivilized" area with few resources:

Old timers have told me that one of the first tasks of the pioneer, after he had found a suitable place for a home, and had thrown together some sort of a rude shelter to protect his family from storm and cold, was to fashion a mortar wherein to reduce the grains of corn to particles small enough to serve as food. And this, we may be sure, was no small under-taking to a man whose only implement for the purpose was, in most cases his faithful axe. (Past and Present of Greene County, Missouri)

Taney County, Missouri (1836->1840)

In 1837 Greene County was split, with Taney County formed from the southern part that borders on Arkansas. Braxton Mabry applied for a pension for his service during the Revolutionary War in 1838 while living in Taney County. .

The 1840 census for Taney County places Braxton in Swan Township, living with his son James (see original census pages 115 and 115A and alternative transcription).

At that time, Maximillian Mabry was living in neighboring Barry County. Reuben Clevenger was living in Marion Township of Taney County.

It is not known when Braxton died. By 1840 he was almost 90 years old. When he submitted his pension application, he was infirm and blind. It is likely that he died in Taney County shortly after 1840. However, no record of his death has been found.

Note that I have seen no indication that Braxton even knew that his son from his first marriage, Robert S. Mabry, settled in Illinois in 1827. There was no apparent contact between Robert and Braxton's younger children.

• 1838 Map of Missouri (click to zoom)
• Taney County Township Map (1990) (Taney County's current claim to fame is as the home of Branson, Missouri)

James, Maximillian and Joel

Maximillian Mabry eventually left Barry county (he may have lived breifly in Lawrence County and Jasper County), and joined his brothers in Taney county. Max, along with his brother James and Reuben Clevenger were all listed there in the 1850 census (Jasper and Swan townships).

James Mabry appears to have remained in Taney County until at least 1850. It is not known when he died. (Could he be the "Jimmie Maberry" who was a preacher in Marion County, Arkansas, just south of Taney County?)

Maximillian Mabry and family moved to Benton County, Arkansas during the Civil War. This was followed by several other moves, eventually ending up in Franklin County, Kansas. (read letters written during the 1860s for more of his family history)

Joel Mabry died in about 1846 (his estate was "issued to Maximillian Mabry" on 30 Mar 1846), probably in Taney County.

Reuben and Sally (Mabry) Clevenger continued living in Jasper Township in Taney County, until they both died, between 1860 and 1870. Their descendants lived in Taney County into the 20th century (and may still live there today).

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