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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Joel Braxton Mabry beat Lewis & Clark to Puget Sound?

As genealogists, we've all gone through county histories hoping to find a biography of one of our more respectable ancestors. Many such books, usually with a title along the lines of "Portrait and Biographical Record of Marion County", were published in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They include a history of the county, its towns and townships, and brief biographies of the more prominent locals. Of course these aren't meant to be rigorous historical essays - they are vanity bios, meant to sell books.

While the subjects are are always described in glowing terms, the recent information is usually fairly accurate. The biographee shouldn't have had any problem supplying his birth date, name of his wife, children, and parents, and location of his business or farm. The information gets less reliable, however, the further you go back in time. It's not surprising that information about great grandpa's service in the Revolutionary War, or a description of the ancestral home village in Germany might not be accurate. Often the stories have enough of a grain of truth to be helpful in piecing together an accurate family history. Sometimes, though, the description of ancestral feats just makes me do a (figurative) double take. The biography of William C. Mabry (born 1871), is just such a history.

According to “History of Glendale and Vicinity” by John Calvin Shere (published 1922), Dr. William C. Mabry was born on October 29, 1871 in Montgomery County, Illinois, the son of William Dudley Mabry (born about 1844) and Irene Dutton (born about 1851). The Mabrys moved from Illinois to McGregor, Iowa in about 1878, where William grew up. His father was a government appointee, eventually moving to Washington D.C. to head a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department.

William Mabry was a graduate of Western Reserve Medical College in Cleveland, and served as an Army Medic for many years. He first served in the Hospital Corps during the Spanish-American War, and later served in China and the Philippines in the Army Medical service, becoming an expert in tropical diseases. After a number of years working for the Sonora Railroad Company in Mexico, he moved north to Tropico (now part of Glendale), near Los Angeles. He married his wife, Bessie Mayne, in 1904 and they had three children: Janet Elizabeth, Bettie, and William Braxton.

While that's an amazing life story, it is well within the realm of reality. What is a little harder to swallow is the description of his ancestry. According to the biography:

Robert Mabry was a Major in the Revolutionary War serving with the Virginian troops. He was a pioneer in Southern Illinois, where he became a large landowner and a man of big business. Joseph Braxton Mabry, grandfather of Dr. Mabry, was a soldier in the Mexican War. As a young man he, with an older brother, made the trip to Puget Sound, two years before the Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the continent. Mabry’s Landing, a town on the Ohio River, was named after the Mabrys. They were owners and operators of a line of boats on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. They were large slave owners, but gave all their liberty before Illinois was admitted as a state.

There are a number of inaccuracies here.

What do we know about William C. Mabry's ancestry?

As it says in the history, William C. Mabry was the son of William Dudley and Irene (Dutton) Mabry. William Dudley and Irene were married on December 1, 1870 in Effingham County, Illinois. The family can be found living in Tama County, Iowa in the 1880 Census.

William Dudley Mabry was born in about 1844, the son of Joel Braxton Mabry and Jane Gamble Copeland. Joel and Jane were married on March 22, 1838 in Johnson County, Illinois. At about that time, Joel purchased land in Pulaski County, where the Mabry family was living when the 1850 Census was taken (at that time, Joel's borther, and our ancestor, Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. was also living with the family). Joel died in 1854 in New Orleans of yellow fever.

Joel Braxton Mabry was born on March 27, 1805 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the son of Robert Smith Mabry and Rebecca Adams. Robert Smith Mabry married Rebecca Adams on December 6, 1799 in Pittsylvania County, Illinois. They headed west in about 1812, first settling on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, then pushing on to Marion County, Illinois in about 1827.

That sequence of ancestors - Robert -> Joel Braxton -> William Dudley -> William C. - is at least essntially correct.

Robert Mabry was a Major in the Revolutionary War serving with the Virginian troops.

The statement that Robert Mabry, great grandfather of William C. Mabry, served in the Revolutionary War can be refuted by a single fact: our Robert S. Mabry was born in 1777, one year after the Declaration of Independence was issued. While it can be fun to imagine a toddling warrior fighting the redcoats, the reality is a bit more boring. There was a different Robert Mabry (son of Nathaniel and Susannah Mabry) living in the same part of Virginia who did indeed serve as a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. Just to confuse things, this other Robert also had a wife named Rebecca.

Unfortunately the military service for Robert (son of Nathaniel) was submitted to the Daughters of the American Revolution as our Robert (son of Braxton) in the early 1900s, http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifso old copies of the DAR lineage books carrying this piece of misinformation are still floating around. That was probably William C. Mabry's source of information.

[Robert Mabry] was a pioneer in Southern Illinois, where he became a large landowner and a man of big business.

Robert Smith Mabry and family were indeed pioneers in Southern Illinois, settling in Marion County in 1827. Robert owned at least 120 acres, which may or may not have made home a "large landowner and man of big business".

Joseph Braxton Mabry . . . was a soldier in the Mexican War. As a young man he, with an older brother, made the trip to Puget Sound, two years before the Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the continent.

The first inaccuracy is in the name of William's grandfather: he was Joel and not Joseph. That may have been a natural mistake, however. Robert Smith Mabry, Jr.'s son Joel appears to have gone by "Joe" and this is essentially back-translated as "Joseph" on some records. The same may be true for Joel Braxton.

Was Joel a soldier in the Mexican War? I haven't been able to find any evidence of that. The Illinois Mexican War Veterans Database lists several "Mayberrys" and a "Maybry", but none named Joel. Pulaski County, Illinois does border on Kentucky, so maybe Joel enlisted in that state.

Could he have traveled to Puget Sound before Lewis and Clark? This was the statement that drew my attention to this biography in the first place. I would say that is completely impossible. The first clear inaccuracy is that he supposedly traveled "with an older brother". While Joel did have two older sisters, Martha (Mabry) Allen and Nancy (Mabry) Bass, he was the oldest son of Robert Smith and Rebecca (Adams) Mabry. That might be a trivial issue - he could have traveled with a cousin or a younger brother, for example. A little background information about Lewis and Clark shows that this feat would have been impossible.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were chosen to head an expedition exploring the new western territory of the Louisiana Purchase by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. They reached the Pacific Ocean at mouth of the Columbia River on November 7, 1805. (The Library of Congress has an excellent exhibition on the exploration of America, both before and after Lewis and Clark.)

The problem with the story of Joel's is clear: He was less than a year old when Lewis and Clark arrived in Oregon. I am really curious as to the source of this story. Did a Mabry really make a journey to what would become Washington state in the early 19th century? Was this a tall tale that became a family legend? We may never know.

Mabry’s Landing, a town on the Ohio River, was named after the Mabrys. They were owners and operators of a line of boats on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

I have no idea whether this is true or not. Pulaski County is at the southern tip of Illinois, with the Ohio River forming the boundary with Kentucky. A short distance to the west, the Mississippi River forms the boundary with Missouri. (The meeting of the rivers at Cairo was made famous by Mark Twain). It's possible that there is (or was) a local feature called "Mabry's Landing".

They were large slave owners, but gave all their liberty before Illinois was admitted as a state.

It's not clear who the "they" is in this statement, other than the Mabry family. I could not find a record of Robert Smith Mabry owning slaves in either Virginia, Kentucky/Tennessee or Illinois. On top of that, Illinois became a state in 1818, about 10 years before the Mabrys arrived. The safe bet is that this statement refers to the slaves owned by the Mabrys in Virginia - including Robert's father Braxton Mabry.

Most of the description of the life of William C. Mabry's grandfather and great grandfather was either partially or wholly incorrect. It's a bit of a lesson in the pitfalls of using such biographies in genealogical research.

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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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Robert Smith Mabry, Jr.: Growing up in Marion County, Illinois (1825-1850)

As I posted previously, Robert Smith Mabry, Sr. and his family moved from Pittsylvania County, Virginia to the Logan County, Kentucky/Robertson County, Tennessee area in about 1812. Robert Smith Mabry, Jr., youngest son of Robert and his wife, Rebecca Adams, was born in Logan County, Kentucky on December 27, 1825. In about 1827, when young Robert was only two, the Mabry family moved west again, settling in Marion County, Illinois. That is where Robert grew to adulthood and started his own family.

Robert Jr.'s mother, Rebecca, died in January 1828, shortly after giving birth to daughter Susan. Robert Smith Mabry, Sr. was left to take care of his youngest children alone (although he probably had considerable assistance from the older children). He married a second time, to Penelope Hinds, in 1839, when Robert Jr. was 14. Robert's younger brother George was born in about 1840.

As I noted before, Robert "Mayberry" was the schoolteacher in the one room schoolhouse in Racoon Township when it was erected in 1832. Young Robert Jr. most certainly had a basic education, at least enough to learn reading and writing. Most of his time was likely filled by working on his father's farm in Racoon Township.

• 1875 Plat Map of Marion County. Robert Smith Mabry Sr. had land in Township 1 N, Range 2 E, Section 16. This is east of Centralia, in Raccoon Township. A map of this area shows that it is still primarily farmland today. (Data from the Illinois land Sale Database)

Life was not limited to hard work, however. "Brinkerhoff's History of Marion County Illinois" (pp.105-107) goes into great detail about the passtimes of young men, particularly wrestling, shooting and horse racing. If Brinkerhoff is to be believed, all the contestants had a healthy spirit of fair play and the best prize was simply to be named champion:

The favorite pastime among the boys and young men were running, jumping, wrestling and shooting, which last sport was often curtailed by a scarcity of ammunition, a supply of which must at all times be kept on hand as a protenction for the fmaily form Indian stragglers, and for the stock from the "varmints" [. . .]
Wrestling was of thee kinds and no rules goverened either except a general fairness. The favorite was "side holts," in which, after it had been agreed as to who should have the "under hold," the champions stood side by side with one's right arm and the other's left around the waist of the opponent. [. . .]

In the fall of the year shooting matches were often indulged in open to all, in which the best shot took one hind quarter of a beef, the second best shot took the other, while the third and fourth best took the forequarters, respectively, while the fifth best shot received the "fifth quarter", as the hid and tallow were alled. Cattle being so cheap, the prize was not of so much value as the reputaiton of being the best shot.

In those pioneer times the men and boys would help their neighbors to build new cabins and barns.

A day of toil and a day of jollity was oftne ended with a dance or a party for the young people, either in the new house or the home of some neighbor, where true fronteir hospitality was dispensed with a lavish, if uncouth, hand. [. . .] Corn bread, bear meat, venison, pork, beef, one or all, the succulent succotash, i.e., green corn and strong beans cooked togeether, Irish and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and squash as a "sass," or in pies, with milk or tea from the root of the sassafras, wild honey or maple molasses furnished a meal that fitted the needs of the hardy backwoodsman, and one to which he did ample justice.

Robert Smith Mabry, Sr. died in about 1842, when Robert Jr. was in his late teens, and it is unclear what happened to the family farm. When the 1850 Census was taken, 24 year old Robert was living with his brother Joel in Pulaski County (at the southern tip of the state). He probably worked on his brother's farm.

• 1850 Census, Pulaski County, Illinois, p. 320b, listing Joel Mabry and family.
• Map of Pulaski County. Joel Mabry owned land in Township 14S, Range 2E, section 25 (near Grand Chain).

Shortly after the census was taken, Robert moved to Fayette County, just north of his old home in Marion County, joining his older brother Dudley.

More to come . . .

*Brinkerhoff's History was published in 1909 by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana. This is a very romantic view of life on the frontier.

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World War I Draft Registration

In 1917 and 1918, all males born between 1872 and 1900 were required to register for the draft. The draft registration cards are a great source of genealogical information, with registrant's home address, occupation and physical description.

Neil Mabry, born in 1902, was not required to register. Neil's dad, Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry, did have to register.

This is the information he gave:

Name: Isaac Paris Mabry
Address: 912 East 2nd, Pana, Christian County, Illinois
Birth: May 28, 1879 (age 39), native born
Occupation: Club Attendant, LOO Moose No. 1455, North Locust St., Pana, Christian Co., IL
Nearest Relative: Gertie Susanna Mabry, wife, same address.
Description: Tall, Medium Build, Gray Eyes, Brown Hair

One of Pete's brothers also had to register:

Name: Thomas Green Mabry
Address: 626 E. Broadway, Centralia, Marion County, Illinois
Birth: October 14, 1875 (age 42), native born
Occupation: R.R. Switchman, ICRR, Centralia
Nearest relative: Ella Mabry, wife, same address
Description: Medium height, Stout build, light brown eyes, dark brown hair

None of Neil's other uncles had to register, either because they were born before 1872, or because they passed away before 1917. Neither Pete nor Thomas were served in the Great war.

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Mabrys of Vandalia in print

Today was the official launch of Google Print.

Working with the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University, The New York Public Library, and Oxford University, Google has scanned and made searchable at least ten thousand books, with many more to follow.

As a test, I did a search for Mabry Vandalia.

The only hit was a good one: A page showing the Mabry Court Motel in Vandalia, from the book Vandalia, Illinois by Brenda Baptist Protz.

The whole book looks like an interesting overview of the history of Vandalia, with lots of photos. The bottom line is that I would have been unlikely to run across it without Google Print.

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Mini bio: Robert Neil Mabry

A brief Biography of R. Neil Mabry, to whom this blog is dedicated. This is intentionally very sketchy - I hope to fill in the details in future posts.

Neil was born on May 24, 1902 in St. Elmo in Fayette County, Illinois, to Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry and Gertie Holben. When he was a young boy, the Mabry family moved to Pana in nearby Christian County. This is where he grew to adulthood.

In 1921 he joined the Army Air Corps as an "aero mechanic". (more posts on this at a later date).

After his discharge from the Army, in 1923, he bought a blacksmith shop west of Decatur in the area called Wyckles or Hank's Corner. By the time of his marriage in 1925, he was manager of the Silver Moon Garage in Decatur (this may actually be the shop in Wyckles).

On November 26, 1925, Neil married Esther Kraus in Columbia, Illinois. They returned to Decatur, where they lived until 1929, when they moved to St. Louis, Missouri.

In St. Louis, Neil helped organize the new airline Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), which eventually became TWA. He and Esther also ran a small grocery store next to their house, where they lived with their two daughters, Nadine and Jacqueline.

In 1941 Neil went to work for the Civil Aeronautic Adminsitration (now the FAA), inspecting privately owned aircraft, first in Santa Monica, then in Oakland, California. This was short-lived, however. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December of that year, Neil was drafted into the Air Force and stationed at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. There he supervised a number of men in outfitting bombers to fly overseas. After the war ended in 1946, he was discharged with the rank of Major, and returned to California with his family to his job at the Oakland Airport.

Neil retired in 1966, and continued to live in San Leandro, near Oakland, until his death in 1983. His ashes are interred at Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, California.

Posts about R. Neil Mabry
• Neil Mabry: Chief Mechanic at Lambert Field for TAT and TWA

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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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Braxton Mabry III: Eighteen years along the Tennessee-Kentucky Border

Braxton and Nancy Mabry and their three children left Pittsylvania County, Virginia in about 1808, when Braxton was 58 years old. The Mabrys headed west, settling near the Kentucy-Tennessee border. According to Braxton's declaration in his pension application he was "in Tennessee eighteen years".

The four children who accompanied Braxton and Nancy were James (born between 1790 and 1800, Sarah or Salley (born ~1792, married Reuben Clevenger), Maximillian (born ~1794) and Joel (born between 1800 and 1810). The family name was spelled several different ways during this period, including Mabry, Maberry and Mayberry.

Where exactly did the Mabrys settle? I have not found any record of Braxton Mabry and family in Tennessee or Kentucky prior to 1813. When the 1820 Census was taken, the Mabrys were recorded in Cumberland County, Kentucky. A year later, the family was recorded in Overton County, Tennessee. So where were they exactly?

Perhaps it isn't surprising that Cumberland County, Kentucky and Overton County, Tennessee shared a border in the early 19th century (What was the northern part of Overton County is now part of Clay and Pickett Counties). Indeed, the border between Tennessee and Kentucky was not officially settled until 1818, so, until that time, even the Mabrys may not have known what state they were living in. (It should be noted that the 1810 census was lost for most Tennessee counties, including Overton, so the Mabrys could have been living there at that time).

It appears that by (at least) 1813 the Mabrys were living along the Wolf River, which zigzagged across the border of Cumberland County, Kentucky and Overton County, Tennessee. The evidence for this is summarized below (spellings as in the original records).

Records prior to 1820
• In an 1813 Legislative Petition from Overton County, Tennessee James Mabry volunteered "To have a part in the Present War with Britanic Majesty's Savage Allies, Viz. The Creek Nation of Indians" (The Creek War was an offshoot of the War of 1812).

• Reuben Clevenger was granted 50 acres of land in Cumberland County, Kentucky, surveyed September 1, 1818, on "S s Wolf R" (South side of Wolf River?).
From Book L Page 303, iindexed in THE KENTUCKY LAND GRANTS Volume 1 Part 1 CHAPTER VI KENTUCKY LAND WARRANTS (1816-1873) THE COUNTIES OF KENTUCKY, page 507 (at ancestry.com)

1820 Census
Note that only the head of household was named. Household members could include relatives as well as servants, farm hands, and lodgers. Reuben Clevenger was listed in both Cumberland County and Overton County.

Paoli, Cumberland County, Kentucky
- Braxton Mayberry: one man and one woman age 45+, one man age 16-26 (probably Joel) and three women age 16-26 (one might be Joel's wife, but the others?). (transcription , image of the census record)
- Maximillian Mayberry: one man and one woman age 16-26, one boy under the age of 5
- Reuben Clavenger : one man age 45+, one woman age 26-45 (Sarah), two girls and three boys under the age of ten (transcription, image of the census record)

Paoli was in the southeastern part of Cumberland County, which is now part of Clinton County, Kentucky. The census entries probably included farmers that lived in the area surrounding Paoli. The Mabrys and the Clevengers are listed as "working in agriculture". Neither family had any slaves.

Overton County, Tennessee
The Census does not give any specific locations within the county.
- James Mabrye : one man and one woman age 26-45, one man age 16-26. (transcription)
- Reuben Clavenger : one man age 45+, one woman age 26-45 (Sarah), two girls and three boys under the age of ten (transcription)

(note that a Jacob Mayberry was also living in Overton County in 1820. He was the son of Frederick Mayberry from Germany, so was not related to our Mabrys.)

Records After 1820

• In May 1820 Clear Fork Baptist Church in Cumberland County, KY "received by experience"James Maberry, Joel Maberry and Rebecca Maberry. Marjera (Maximillian?) and Sarah Maberry were "received" in July of that year. It isn't clear which (if any) church the Mabry family attended prior to 1820.

• In April 1821 Clear Fork Baptist Church dismissed a number of congregants including Maxmillian Mabery, Christianna Mabery, Joel Mabery, Rebecca Mabery, Reuben Clevenger, and Sarah Clevenger "to join a church more convenient for them". In May 1821, letters of dismission were also granted to "Dexter Mabery and wife Nancy" (is this Braxton?) as well as James Mabery and Sally Mabry.

• In May 1821 the Wolf River United Baptist Church was founded in Overton County, Tennessee. Reuben and Sarah Clevenger, MaxMillan and Rebecca Maybery were among the founding members.(the current address of Wolf River Baptist Church is 1390 Jones Chapel Rd, Byrdston (Pickett County), TN

• Joel Mayberry was granted 50 acres of land in Cumberland County, surveyed August 29, 1822, with the nearest watercourse "N s Wolf Cr" (North side of Wolf Creek?).
From Book L Page 300, indexed in THE KENTUCKY LAND GRANTS Volume 1 Part 1 CHAPTER VI KENTUCKY LAND WARRANTS (1816-1873) THE COUNTIES OF KENTUCKY, page 640 (at ancestry.com)

• On September 15, 1825 Reuben and Sarah Clevenger "of Overton Co., Tennessee sold land to John Reneau. (Cumberland County, Kentucky Deed Records Book E page 509, cited on the Clevenger Family Genealogy Page).

In about 1826, when Braxton was 76 years old, he, his wife, their children and grandchildren decided to leave Tennesse, heading west toward Illinois and Missouri (leaving Braxton's military papers behind).

Learn more in the next installment!

MAPS and OTHER INFORMATION
Note that the Cumberland Co.-Overton Co. border area in which the Mabrys lived is now probably the Clinton Co.-Clay/Pickett Co. border area. This area was partially flooded by the creation of Dale Hollow Lake in the 1940s.

• Mohawk Valley Document (describing the early settlement of northern Overton County,TN)
• Tennessee in the Creek War (1813-1814) (be sure to look at the slide show).
• Historical marker of the Clear Fork Baptist Church, just south of Albany, Kentucky
• Information about the Primitive Baptist Church which includes Clear Fork Church in Clinton Co., KY and Wolf River Church in Overton Co., TN
• 1807 Survey map (made before the Mabrys arrived in the area)
• 1839 map of Tennessee and Kentucky (the Cumberland Co-Overton Co area is to the right of the center of the map)
• Current map of Clay County, Tennessee
• Satellite map of area (if you don't see the satellite image, click "Hybrid").
• The World of Dale Hollow

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Braxton Mabry II: Life in Pittsylvania County, Virginia

From Braxton Mabry's Revolutionary War pension application we learn that he moved from Brunswick County, Virginia to Pittsylvania County, Virginia between 1776 and 1779. It was about this time that Braxton married the daughter of Jeremiah White, who moved from Dinwiddie County to Pittsylvania County in 1778.
Braxton's oldest son, Robert Smith Mabry, was born on October 27, 1777, but it's unknown whether he was born in Brunswick or Pittsylvania County.

Braxton's oldest daughters, Polly Braxton Mabry and Jane Stanback Mabry, were born in about 1779 and 1781, definitely after Braxton moved to Pittsylvania County.

The earliest record of Braxton Mabry in Pittsylvania county was the 1782 county census, in which the household of "Braxton Maberry" had 5 white members and 6 black members. While in Virginia, Braxton, like his father before him, were slave owners, so the 6 black members of the household were certainly slaves. In that same year, the Pittsylvania County Land Tax list shows that "Braxton Mabrie" owned 302 acres.

This was a small holding compared to his father-in-law, Jeremiah White, who oned 908 acres and had a household of 11 white members and 17 black members.

In 1784 Braxton's father Joel died in Greensville (formerly Brunswick) County, leaving him "my Negroe fellow Robin and One Pot and two Dishes and Six Pewter Plates", similar to the inheritance given his sisters. The Mabry land and plantation was bequeathed to Braxton's younger brother Lewis. It's not clear if this represents a rift between Braxton and his father, or whether it simply reflected the fact that Braxton had already purchased land and set up a household in a different county.

Four years later, Braxton is mentioned in the will of his father-in-law Jeremiah White, inheriting "the negros he has in his possession with household goods, stocks of all kinds, also 200 acres of land on Lick Fork of Horsepen Creek, adjoining Joshua Chafing in Charlotte County, part of a tract of 400 acres." Other sons-in-law of Jeremiah, William Clark and James Hinton, as well as White's sons, also inherited property. It is unlikely that Braxton's wife was deceased; the son of Mary (White) Hardaway inherited property, rather than her widowed husband.

From looking at records of the period, it appears that 18th century Virginians had as many lawsuits as their present-day defendants. The Pittsylvania Court Order Books record that, on November 25th, 1791, Braxton Mabry lost a suit brought by his brother -in-law William Clark and David Clark. The record merely states that the "defendant" confessed, possibly to a debt, and the Court ordered B raxton to pay thirty pounds, one shilling, five pence and one farthing, plus the plaintiffs' costs, attorneys fee, and tax, totaling 100 pounds of tobacco "at 12/6 pc", plus 52 pounds of tobacco "at 10/5 and 16/6". (I'm not sure what the fractions mean, although they appear to be commonly used on records this type - maybe they indicate a type of tobacco?).

One month later, on the 19th of December 1791, William Clark gained custody of Braxton's children Robert, Polly and Jean. The implication is that Braxton's wife had passed away before then. There is no indication that Braxton ever regained custody.

Braxton's second family

It was about this time that Braxton started a second family with a woman named Nancy. Some family histories give her last name as "Day", however, in November 1797 Braxton was brought before the Pittsylvania County court for "living in adultry with Nancy Baker".

Braxton and Nancy had four children between about 1891 and 1800: James, Sarah "Sally", Maximillian, and Joel. I haven't found any evidence that Braxton and Nancy ever married.

Braxton continued to have trouble in the courts. In October 1797 he failed to appear, resulting in the plaintiff Benjamin Stanfield automatically recovering three pounds, sixteen shillings and six pence of debt plus costs.

Braxton is listed on the Pittsylvania County tax rolls through at least 1804 (but is not included in the 1805 list). By then the children from his first marriage were grown, married and had families of their own. It isn't clear whether they even had contact with their father.

In 1808, when Braxton was 58 years old, he, Nancy and their four children joined the many families migrating west, initially settling near the border between Kentucky and Tennessee (look for more information in the third installment of the life of Braxton Mabry).

LINK:
• Walking and driving tours in Pittsylvania County

SOURCES
• Will of Joel Mabry: Will Book 1, page 60, Greensville CO, VA
• Will of Jeremiah White: Information from "Abstracts of Pittsylvania County, Virginia Wills, 1762-1820, pp.113-115"
• Court records: Pittsylvania Co, VA Court Order Book vol. 7, pp. 56-57, 71 and 74 and Pittsylvania Co, VA Court Order Book vol. 8 p. 421 and 428.
• Personal property tax lists of Pittsylvania County 1782-1804.

Thanks to Nicki Beatty for sharing the information she found in the Pittsylvania County Court Order books.

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Braxton Mabry I: The Revolutionary War

Braxton Mabry was born on May 22, 1750 in Brunswick County, Virginia, the son of Joel and Winnifred (Smith) Mabry. We know little of his youth. However, we have his own words as to his service during the Revolutionary War.

In 1838, at the age of 86, Braxton appeared before a judge in order to obtain a pension for his military service. At the time he was infirm and blind, so his words were taken down for him at the Taney County, Missouri court. He testified that he served a total of 15 months as a private and 18 months as a Lieutenant. (note that all quotes below use the spelling in the original document)

First Enlistment

• In February or March 1776 he enlisted in the service of "a minute company under Captain James Mason which was commanded by Col. Marshal". The company was sent to Williamsburg "to defend that place & the American Magazine which was at that place from being destroyed by the British".

• On July 1, 1776 Braxton's unit marched to Yorktown under the command of Col. John Marshal, and command was shifted to Col. John Ruffin.

When we got to Yorktown it was thought proper to leave Two companies there. The Two companies left there were Captain James Mason’s Company of Minutemen & Captain Alexander’s Company of Regulars. These Two companies were left under the command of Col. John Ruffin in which company of minuteman this Declarant was & served. In a few days Gen. Scott marched with the Regulars to the assistance of those who first went to Guin's Island. The canonading was very severe and Lord Dunmore & his army were drove off, we continuing then until between the middle & last of September following as well as my memory serves me & were then discharged.

Excused service

• "In the year 1778 in the month of March I was called in Captain Stephen Coleman’s Company of Militia. I was called for & upon proof that I had served a Tour, I was discharged."

Second Enlistment

• "In March 1779 I was called for again. I then hired a substitute who entered the service under the command of Captain Henry Conway in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, delivered said substitute to the Captain & took my Discharge for nine months."

Third Enlistment

• "In a short time in the Spring or Summer of 1779 I received a commission of First Lieutenant Signed by Thomas Jefferson who was then Governor. Some short time after that orders came to Captain Waters to march to an old stone near Dan river then to hold himself in readiness to march when called for. We accordingly marched to that place. And when the day came at which Captain Waters was to march we marched to Boyd’s Ferry on Dan river. And between sunset & dark the last of September 1780 as well as I recall it we received orders to discharge the men, our time being so near out it was thought needless for us to go any further, which was accordingly done & we returned home."

Fourth Enlistment

•"In March as well as I recollect 1781 an express came for three companies from Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Captains Charles Williams, Charles Hutchinson & William Dicks[sic] commanded the three companies. Williams’ & Hutchinson’s companies were made out men & officers; Capt. Dick’s[sic] company was made out the First Lieutenant & Second Lieutenant of which company made excuses which were received. I then volunteered & took the place of First Lieutenant in said company & marched the men myself."

• After the battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, Braxton's unit marched from Pittsylvania to Petersburg, then on through Jamestown to Yorktown. According to Braxton's account, he commanded a company along side William Dix.

"We then marched to York & then we joined the army. When we got there Capt. Charles Hutchinson & his ensign deserted & the three companies were thrown into two. This was the fall of 1781 and I think on the seventh of October in that year. I think our hundred pieces of cannon were let loose upon the British at York, a severe cannonading in which I was engaged & on the seventeenth I think the articles of capitulations were concluded & on the nineteenth the british marched out & grounded their arms."

"There were Two companies of us in the Fort I commanded one & Capt. Wm Dicks commanded the other all under the command of Col. Hardiman we were there engaged in laying the foundation for the Cannon & throwing up the breastwork. During the day we were then we were exposed to the British Redoubts & the Americans laing in the Rear of us could not fire that day owing to our situation at the Fort. In a night or Two after that Washington commanded the British Redouts to be stormed which was done, one by Gen. LaFayette & the other by a Col. who as I understood was a Frenchman, as commanders at that time. I was in the rear of Gen. Mulinburg’s command, Gen. of the Regulars." [referring to General Peter Muhlenburg]

After Cornwallis' surrender, the Revolutionary War was over.

"We were placed under the immediate command of Brg. Gen. Edward Stephens, Col. Meriwether was under his command & I acted the whole time a Lieutenant. After this the militia officers of Virginia were all paraded & were divided by lot, some to march with the prisoners & some were to be discharged to go home. It fell to my lot to march with the prisoners."

HOW ACCURATE WAS BRAXTON'S DECLARATION?

Unfortunately, Braxton's pension claim was denied because he was unable to furnish any documentation. According to his own testimony, he carried his discharge and commission papers for many years, but left them to the care of his son, who left them in Overton County, Tennessee. This was confirmed by his son James.

While he gave many details of his service, it is worth noting that Braxton himself stated that "his memory is fading & therefore he is unable to call to memory as many circumstances of his services as he formerly could, nor can he recollect the names of as many officers as he once could, nor can he on account of loss of memory remember the precise times of his services except as above specified." Not surprising, when trying to recall events almost 60 years in the past. Of course today it is much easier to dig out information on the events described by Braxton.

Service from Brunswick County: First Enlistment

I haven't been able to substantiate Braxton's description of his service during 1776.

• Sixteen minutemen battalions were established in Virginia beginning in 1775. I haven't found details of any such battalion in Brunswick county.

• The British, under Lord Dunmore, removed the gunpowder from the magazine at Williamsburg in April 1775. It is unclear whether troops were sent to guard the Magazine in 1776 (maybe Braxton was a year off). In the summer of 1776 Lord Dunmore did attack Guin's Island, but I haven't been able to find any details.

• It isn't clear that the names Braxton listed were accurate: There was a James Mason, Captain of the 15th Virginia from November 1776 to February 1778. He was subsequently Lieutenant-Colonel of Virginia Militia. In 1776 there was a Colonel David Mason leading the 15th Virginia Regiment. John Marshall was in the Culpeper minutement in 1775-6, then 1st Lieutenant of the 3rd Virginia (30 July 1776), then Captain-Lieutenant of the 15th Virginia (December 1776). He does not appear to ever have been a Colonel (although later he was famous as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court).
The only "General Scott" I have found is Charles Scott, who was not made a general until 1777. In 1776 he was a Colonel of the 5th Virginia Regiment. I haven't found an appropriate Captain Alexander or Col. John Ruffin.

More information from this period is needed to confirm Braxton's account.

Service from Pittsylvania County

By 1779, Braxton was living in Pittsylvania County. In the Pittsylvania County Court Records of June 1780 is the notation:

"Clement M. Daniel is appointed first Lieutenant, Braxton Mabberry, Second Lieutenant, in Captain Stephen Coleman’s Company."

So, it is clear that Braxton was indeed a Lieutenant in 1780.

The men of Pittsylvania County played an important role in the fighting leading up to the battle of Yorktown which led to the ultimate surrender of the British forces by Cornwallis. However, I have found no details of the Pittsylvania troops at Yorktown, nor record that indicates Braxton lead a company there.

All we can say for sure is that Braxton Mabry did serve as a Lieutenant in the fight for independence from the British.

LINKS:
• Transcription ofBraxton Mabry's Pension Application number R6569 published in the White River Valley Historical Quarterly
• Revolutionary War in Virginia
• Call to Arms in Virginia
• The Magazine at Williamsburg
• Pittsylvania's Military History
• (Incomplete) Roster of Pittsylvania soldiers in the Revolutionary War
• Timeline of the Yorktown campaign (with maps)
• American Military Units at Yorktown
• Map showing the defensive works of Yorktown
• Seizure of British Redoubts 9 and 10
• Plan of the entrance of the Chesapeake, with the James and York Rivers showing the positions of the British Army, American and French Forces

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Neil Mabry: Chief Mechanic at Lambert Field for TAT and TWA

Neil Mabry had learned to repair airplanes while serving in the U. S. Army Air Service (1921-1923). After his discharge, he continued to work on aiplanes from the garage he opened a few miles west of Decatur, Illinois, which was situated across a highway from the Macon County Fairgrounds, where flyers landed their planes. On May 28, 1929, the day his daughter Nadine was born, he was hired by a fledgling airline – Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) at Lambert Airfield in St. Louis.


For the first seven months, Neil worked as Chief Mechanic for 9 to 16 hour days without a day off, helping to organize and maintain the new airline. In July 1929 they became the first airline to offer coast-to-coast service, with a combination of air and rail travel. For a while, one of Neil’s duties was to shuttle passengers between the airport and the railroad station in St. Louis.

• Watch the video (wmv file) about promotion of the TAT "coast-to-coast in 48 hours" service, a segment from the KETC program "Living St. Louis".

In 1930 TAT merged with Western Air Express, to become Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA), the Lindberg Line. (In 1950 the airline officially changed its name to Trans World Airlines.) The airline began coast-to-coast air service shortly after the merger, no longer using trains. Neil was Chief Mechanic from May 1929 to October 1940 and also Assistant Station Manager from 1935 to 1940.

At first, TAT/TWA made its money hauling U.S. Mail. Each plane (first Ford Trimotor Planes, then Douglas DC-2s) could only carry about twelve passengers. As his son-in-law Rich Kolm remembers, he talked about flying several times as “flying mechanic” in the Ford Trimotors. He gave that up because he thought the pilots were too “daredevil”; they took unnecessary risks

In 1940 Neil went to work for the Civil Aeronautics Administration (now known as the Federal Aviation Authority), inspecting privately owned aircraft. In January 1941, after attending school in Washington D.C., he was assigned to a post at Oakland Airport in California.

Links
•TWA History from PBS program "Chasing the Sun", including additional video.
•TWA History from the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission.
•History of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
•Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum
•James "Jimmy" Doolittle
•Charles Lindbergh: U.S. Airmail Service Pioneer
UPDATE:
•1935 TWA Timetable and Map and advertisements (from Airchive)

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Mabry Mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Question for the new year:
Photos of the Mabry Mill are often used in calendars. It is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia. How are we related to the mill's owner?

Mabry Mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway
Originally uploaded by arlyn1.

According to the Mabry/Maybury Family Ancestry Page, the mill was built by Edwin Boston Mabry in 1903. The land was near a land grant to Ed's great great grandfather, Isaac Mabry, in 1782.

Our Relationship to Ed and Isaac Mabry?

Isaac Mabry was the son of George Maybury and Martha Bradley, and the grandson of our ancestor Francis Maybury. Isaac was the first cousin of our ancestor, Joel Mabry.

Ed Mabry, builder of the mill was the 5th cousin of Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry - meaning that their nearest shared ancestor was their great great great great grandfather, Francis Maybury (abt. 1650-1712).

So, we are (very) distant cousins of the builder of the mill.

Our Mabry family also lived in southern Virginia

The Mabry Mill is located about 4.5 miles northwest of the original land grant of Isaac Mabry. This land was "on the south side of Robertson's Creek of the Dan River" , which is located in Floyd County, Virginia.

In the late 1700s, our ancestor, Braxton Mabry, owned 306 acres in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and lived there with his his family, until about 1808. This was about 75 miles away from Isaac's property - a long way if you are traveling by horse.

Other links:
360 degree view of the area around the mill.

Virginia Tourism site

1782 Land Taxes - Pittsylvania County (see Braxton Mabrie).

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Robert Smith Mabry, Sr.: Last residence in Marion County, Illinois (1827-1842/5)

In about 1827, Robert Smith and Rebeccah (Adams) Mabry and their children headed west again, eventually settling in Marion County, Illinois . Their son (and our ancestor) Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. would have only been about 2 years old when the family moved.

The Mabry family had lived about 15 years along the Kentucky-Tennessee border, before moving. It is likely that the oldest Mabry daughters, Martha and Nancy, married while the family still lived in Kentucky.

Once again, they were not alone in their move. Rebekkah's brother, John Adams, also moved from Logan County, Kentucky to Marion County, Illinois. Many other families from Kentucky and Tennessee also made the move, settling in the "Tennessee Prairie" area of Raccoon Township, in the southern part of the county.

"Tennessee prairie, so called because settled by Tennesseeans, is in the northwest and extends to Little Prairie, to which it is connected by a narrow strip. Like all settlements of Illinois, the first settlers chose the timber land; first, because they found it more convenient to build and for fuel; second, because they were used to timber and loved its protection from the summer sun and blast of winter; third, the flies with which the prairie was infested, especially the green-heads, rendered it almost impossible for horses to work during the heat of the day."

Rebeccah did not live long in Illinois. She died on January 26, 1828, three days after giving birth to the youngest Mabry child, Susan. (note: it is possible that Rebeccah died shortly before the Mabry family moved to Illinois)

Robert Mabry not only worked his farm and raised his children, he also contributed to the community:

"The first school-house was erected in section 18 [of Raccoon Township], in 1832. It had a chimney and fire place and no floor, but mother earth. The first teacher in this primitive school-house was Robert Mayberry."

Robert purchased several tracts of land from the Federal Goverment in Section 16 of Raccoon township in 1837-1839, totalling 120 acres.

Also in 1839, Robert married for a second time, to Penelope Hinds, almost 30 years his junior. They had one son, George W. Mabry.

Robert died in 1842 or 1845, in his late 60s, and was buried in Burge Cemetery in Raccoon Township.

All quotes are from "Brinkerhoff’'s History of Marion County Illinois" published in 1909 by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana. (pages 104-111 and 171-173). This is a very romantic view of life on the frontier.

Note that the the family name is often spelled "Mayberry" in early documents.

Links
• Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
• Illinois Land Plat Maps (1804-1891): For Marion County select "Southern Illinois"

• Mini biography: Robert Smith Mabry, Sr.

Previous posts:
• Robert S. Mabry: Live in Kentucky & Tennessee (1812-1827)
• Robert S. Mabry: Life in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (1777-1812)
.

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Robert Smith Mabry, Sr.: Life in Kentucky and Tennessee (1812-1827)

Robert Smith and Rebeccah (Adams) Mabry and their children headed west from Pittsylvania County, Virginia in about 1812, settling on the border between Logan County, Kentucky and Robertson County, Tennessee.

They did not travel alone. At least three of Rebeccah's siblings settled in the same area: Nathan and Sally (Murphy) Adams, William and Fanny (Meachum) Adams,and Dudley and Mary "Polly" (Adams) Farthing.

The 1820 Census lists the Mabry and Adams families in Springfield Township, in Robertson County, Tennessee, but most records indicate the children were born in Logan County, Kentucky. It seems likely that the Mabry's lived close to the border between the counties. (1826 Kentucky/Tennessee Map - look just west of center on the border between the states)

Robert and Rebeccah Mabry had seven children there: Dudley Henry, Richard Greenville, William Henry, Nathan A., Rebecca Littlejohn, Sarah Elizabeth,and Robert Smith Mabry (our ancestor).

After about 15 years, in about 1827, the Mabrys headed west again, settling in Marion County, Illinois, where they were listed in the 1830 Census.

Mini biography: Robert Smith Mabry, Sr.

Previous post: Robert S. Mabry: Life in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (1777-1812)

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Robert Smith Mabry, Sr.: Life in Pittsylvania County, Virginia (1777-1812)

Robert Smith Mabry was born on October 27, 1777 in Virginia, the oldest child of Braxton Mabry. Robert's mother died before 1790, before Robert was 13 years old. Apparently Braxton was unable (or unwilling) to take care of his three pre-teen children.

The first record we have found that names our Robert Mabry is a Pittsylvania County, Virginia court order dated December 19th, 1791. At that time the custody of Robert and his sisters Polly and Jane/Jean was transferred from their father, Braxton to their uncle, William Clark (husband of Jane White). At time they were about age 14,12, and 10, respectively). It appears that Robert had subsequently little to do with his father.[more about Braxton and his troubles in a later post]

In 1797 "S. Robert Mabry" was taxed in Pittsylvania county for one white adult male (age 16+, presumably himself) and one horse. In 1799 he was only taxed for one adult and no horse. Robert was probably a tobacco farmer, like his father.

On December 6, 1799 Robert married Rebekah (or Rebecca) Adams, the daughter of Nathan Adams, in Pittsylvania County. They had five children in Virginia: Martha White, Nancy Jayne, Joel Braxton, Polly C. and Jane S. Mabry.

Robert continued to be taxed by Pittsylvania County for one white male (age 16+) and one horse from 1800 through 1810. In 1800 and 1801 there was also one black (age 16+) in his household.

In March 1809, Robert had a bit of trouble:

Robert S. Mabry having behaved Impertinently and reproachfully in the presence of the Court It is ordered that the Sheriff put him in the stocks and there keep him for the space of one hour.

There is no record of what exactly Robert did to deserve this punishment!

By the spring of 1812, Robert and family had headed west and settled on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee.

Note: our Robert Mabry is often confused with a different Robert Mabry, who also lived in the same part of Virginia, and also had a wife named Rebecca. The other Robert Mabry, son of Nathaniel Mabry, served as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War (our Robert Mabry could not serve during the Revolution, because it ended before he was 10 years old!).
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References:
Pittsylvania Co, VA Court Order Book vol. 7, p. 71
Pittsylvania Co, VA Court Order Book vol. 13, p.420
Pittsylvania Co, VA Personal Property Tax Lists, 1796-1810 (information about Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists)

Robert Smith Mabry, Sr. mini-biography

Needed information: The Pittsylvania county land records have not been examined to see if Robert owned property there.

Thanks to Nicki Beatty, related to us through the White family, for sharing her transcriptions of the original Pittsylvania County Court Orders.

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Updated Mabry Family Tree

The Mabry family tree has been updated.
It now includes family photos. A big thank to you Loretta (Mabry) Barker and Melva Kaye Rowe for sharing their old photos.

If you feel that different photos should be used, please feel free to comment.

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Pete & Gertie Mabry: Life in Pana, Illinois

Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry and Gertie Holben were married in 1899. The newlyweds initially lived in Vandalia, Illinois in Fayette County, where Pete was a "farmer" (according to the 1900 census). It seems that Pete was not interested in following in his father's footsteps as a farmer, despite the fact he inherited 160 acres of land from his father in 1884 (held in trust until he was "of age"). The Mabrys moved from Vandalia to Pana, Illinois in Christian county, some time between 1900 and 1910. We don't know much about their early years in Pana, but we have a few hints.

• There was a "Pete Mabry" who played for the Pana minor league baseball team in 1905. In 1904 Mabry played for the Vandalia team.

• A Pete Mabry opened a bar in Pana in 1905. According to the August 30, 1905 Decatur Review, "Pete Mabry, the ball player sold out his half interest [in one saloon], and now Mabry and Adrian Williams, also a ball player, have opened a saloon at the old Condon stand which will be recognized as the sporting resort." Was our Pete Mabry a baseball player?

• My recollection (please correct me if I'm wrong) was that there was a story about Pete Mabry meeting the brother of Jesse James. There's no way to know for sure if there was such a meeting, but Jesse's brother Frank James was the starter at the race track at the 1906 Pana Fair, so it was certainly possible (from the Illinois Sesquicentennial Edition of Christian County History Vol. 2 p. 210).

• 1910 Census: "I. P. Mabry", Gertie and children Bonnie, Neil and Hilda were living in Pana City . Pete's occupation was a bartender in a saloon.

• 1914 City Directory: Pete and Gertie living at 912 E 2nd St. (no occupation listed)

• 1918 : WW I draft card for Isaac P. Mabry. He was still living at 912 E 2nd St., working as a Club Attendant, Employer: L O O Moose No. 1455 on North Locust St. [the first Moose lodge in Pana was founded in 1913]

The Moose Home (photo from MelvaKaye Rowe)

• 1920 Census: Pete, Gertie and children Bonnie, Neil, Hilda, Harry and Jennie [Lorretta] living at 309 E. Washington St. Pete is listed as working at the Moose Home.

• August 4, 1921: Decatur Review reports "Pete Mabry has broken ground for the erection of a new home on East Washington street, just east of the present Moose home."

The Mabrys moved to a farm five miles south of Herrick (between Pana and Vandalia), then a year later moved to Decatur. They ended up back in Vandalia in 1925, where they ran a tourist camp.

Pictures of Pana in "days gone by": 1st site - 2nd site.

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The Mabry Website

Just a reminder that the Mabry web site run by Don Collins has a wealth of information. It was last updated in May 2004.

We are descended from Francis Maybury, who emigrated from England to Virginia before 1679. Our ancestry is as follows:

1. Francis Maybury & Elizabeth Gilliam. More Information about Francis and Elizabeth.
2. Hinchia Maybury & Frances Parham
3. Joel Mabry & Winnifred Smith (widow Matthews)
4. Braxton Mabry & the daughter of Jeremiah White
5. Robert Smith Mabry & Rebecca Adams
6. Robert Smith Mabry, Jr. & Esther Bayles
7. Isaac Paris "Pete" Mabry & Gertie Holben
8. Robert "Neil" Mabry & Esther Kraus

(For more details, see the "mini-biographies" in the sidebar).

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Mini bio: Francis & Elizabeth (Gilliam) Maybury

Brief biography of Francis Maybury (about 1650/60 - about 1712) and his wife Frances Parham (about 1697 - about 1747).

Francis Maybury
Birth: between 1650 and 1660 in England
Parents: unknown
Known residences:
--- before October 1679 arrived in Virginia Colony
--- 1685 in Henrico County, Virginia
--- briefly in Charles City County, Virginia
--- 1701 in Surry County, Virginia
Occupation: farmer
Death: between March and June, 1712 in Surry County, Virginia

Elizabeth Gilliam
Birth: about 1653 in Virginia
Parents: John Gilliam & Margery Henshaw
Death: about 1716 in Surry County, Virginia

Marriage and Children:

Marriages:
- Elizabeth Gilliam married a Mr. West about 1671
- Elizabeth (Gilliam) West married William Bevin about 1678.
- Elizabeth (Gilliam West) Bevin married Francis Maybury in 1685 in Henrico County, Virginia.

Children of Elizabeth (Gilliam) West
--- John West: born about 1672
--- Francis West: born about 1674

Children of William & Elizabeth (Gilliam West) Bevin
--- Elizabeth Bevin: born before 1684, married Thomas Elam, Thomas Paine, Isaac Shepherd, and John Burton
--- Matthew Bevin: born before 1684
--- William Bevin: born before 1684

Children of Francis & Elizabeth (Gilliam West Bevin) Maybury
--- Ann Maybury: born about 1685/6, married David Peebles, Abraham Burton
--- Mary Maybury: born about 1687/8, married George Fox
--- Francis Maybury, Jr.: born about 1689/90, married Eleanor Wyche
--- George Maybury: born about 1691/92, married Martha Bradley
--- Charles Maybury: born about 1693/94, married Rebeccah ?
--- Judith Maybury: born about 1695/96
*** Hinchia Mabry: born about 1697, married Frances Parham, Mrs. Anne Jackson, and Mrs. Ann (Clack) Courtney

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