My
Denham Family
Wallace Edward Denham
Wallace Edward Denham was born
The
Siratts
Jacob
Finley Siratt Sr.
Jacob Siratt, known as “Jake”, was the sixth of eleven
children born to James Monroe Surratt and Mary Jane Phillips. Some Surratts adopted the alternate spelling
of “Siratt” as Jake did. He was born
According to Paul Surratt Jr., “The surname Surratt appears
to be “locational” in origin, and believed to be associated with the French,
meaning, “One who came from Sarrett…there are several villages/hamlets in the
South of France with the name of SAREEE, SERRES, SARRE, SERRET, and
SARRAT. These names meaning “high-rising
ground” or “high hill elongated and associated with the Spanish word Sierra.”[xi]
The Surratt family moved to
At the time of the 1870 census, Jake was 19 years old and
Wallace’s mother was a young girl of five, living fourteen houses away.[xiv] About three years later, Jake Siratt married
Matilda Brown in October 1872, at the age of 22. About eight years later, at the time of the
1880 census, Jake Siratt and his young family were still living in Prairie
Bayou[xv]. He and Matilda had two little girls by this
time: Fannie and Lilly aged 4 and 1 years old.
They lived next-door to the Bozeman brothers, William and Nathaniel, and
the John Ponder family at this time. [xvi]
Jake and Matilda had the following children:
i. Fannie Lee Siratt
1.
William Vardry Siratt
2.
Henry Clay Siratt
3.
Mattie Bee Siratt
4.
John Leonard Siratt
5.
Mahetie May Siratt
6.
Neicie Siratt born Feb. 1892
These are all half-brothers and sisters to Wallace
Denham. Matilda Brown Siratt died March
20, 1892, just a month after her last child was born.
All of Jake’s brothers and sisters began to change the
spelling of their surnames from “Surratt” to “Siratt” in the 1880s. Jake’s brothers and sisters married into the
Bozeman, Collie, Dyer, Hartsell, Pilcher and Reynolds families of Hot Spring
County, making Wallace cousin to several of theses families which lived around
him for all of his life.
Wallace’s grandfather and grandmother lived and died in the
area known as “Upper Antioch” which is just south of Prairie Bayou. Wallace’s paternal grandfather, James Monroe
Siratt, died when Wallace was just four years old, and his grandmother, Mary
Jane Phillips Siratt, died about four years before he was born. So even, if Wallace had known his
grandfather, he was too young to remember.
After Jake’s wife, Matilda, died in 1892, Jake was a widower
living in the Prairie Bayou Township.
His younger brother, George W. Siratt had married Mary Denham’s older
sister, Ellender Catherine Denham who was also known as “Ellen.” They had married April 1st, 1880
in Malvern, Hot Spring County, Arkansas.[xvii] Jake and Mary lived in close proximity of
each other, and with their brother and sister married to each other; Jake
Siratt and Mary Denham came to form an attachment. Their son, Wallace Edward Denham was born
January 24, 1894. Eight months later,
Jake married seventeen-year-old Sarah Arlena Stembridge. She was also known as “Lena.”
Because his parents never married, Wallace never used the
surname Siratt. He was called “Wallace
Williams” [xviii]
until a few years after his step-father, George’s death. Afterwards, Wallace used his mother’s surname
for the rest of his life.
Jake Siratt married Sarah Stembridge on August 22, 1894. He and Sarah had ten children together; he
had seven children by his first wife, and his natural-son, Wallace, by Mary
Denham, making Jake Siratt the biological father of eighteen children. In addition to his biological children, when
Jake was sixty-years-old, he adopted two neighbor children who were
orphaned. Their names were Etta and
James Walter Burks. Ironically, they
were distant cousins of his son, Wallace. [3rd cousins][xix]
Wallace knew who his father was, but there is nothing to
suggest that father and son had any kind of relationship. Jake remained on the
periphery of Wallace’s life. However, as
an adult, Wallace did enjoy a good relationship with his half-brother, Waldon
Edward Siratt, Jake’s son by his second wife, Sarah.
Jacob Siratt lived the last twenty-plus years of his life in
Lone Hill, which corresponds to present-day Oak Grove and Social Hill in Hot
Spring County, Arkansas. He died at the
age of 61 years, 10 months and 23 days and is buried in the Atkins Memorial
Church Cemetery in Social Hill with his wife Sarah and some of their
children.
The
Denhams
Armistead
& Minerva
Wallace’s great-grandparents, Armistead and Minerva
Denham came to
Hot Spring County, Arkansas in the 1850s.[xx]
Armistead, who was also known as “Amster” and “Ansler”
Denham, married Minerva Spradlin in Fayette County, Georgia on August 26,
1830. They had six children:
1.
Daniel Davis Denham born 1833
2.
Nathaniel P. Denham born February 3, 1837
3.
William E. Denham born 1839
4.
Martha A. Denham born 1841
5.
James K. Polk Denham born 1844
6.
Frances A. Denham born 1852
Armistead Denham died some time before 1870 in Hot Spring
County, Arkansas. He lived no more than
66 years. Minerva Spradlin Denham was
alive in 1870, at the age of 65 and was living with her daughter Frances and
her husband. Minerva died before 1880,
living no more than 68 years. The
gravesites of Armistead and Minerva are unknown.
Daniel Davis Denham married Tabitha Ann Jackson on
January 6, 1850. They had seven
children. He served in the Civil War for
the Union, 4th Arkansas Calvary, enlisting at Benton. He served with all three of his
brothers. It’s interesting to note that
the Denham sons of Armistead fought for the Union, while their Uncle Alfred
Denham [who at one time lived with Daniel Denham] enlisted at Rockport for the
Confederacy. Alfred died of disease
contracted during the war in Staunton, Virginia.] After Tabitha died, Daniel married Nancy J.
Murray on May 28, 1878 and they had one child.
Daniel Denham moved to Poyen, Grant County, Arkansas and died there in
October 1881. He is buried in the Old
Lindsey Cemetery in Poyen.
Nathaniel P. Denham was 5’ 9” with black hair and
grey eyes.[xxi] He
married Esther Williams, the daughter of Jeremiah Williams and Mary Elizabeth
Fowler. They were married about 1859 in
Malvern, Hot Spring County, Arkansas.
Nathaniel and Esther had four children: Ellender, Mary, Minerva and King
Soloman. Nathaniel fought in the Civil War for the Union, along with his
brothers. He enlisted with them at
Benton for the 4th Arkansas Calvary.
He was a trader during the war, and was listed as a “deserter”, however,
this word was used to include those who were wounded and unaccounted for and
for those who had become separated from their regiment and took up arms with
another. In Nathaniel’s case, he
re-enlisted with the Confederate army along with his brothers. Nathaniel’s oldest child, Ellender, was born in 1860 right before the war, and
his second child, Mary, was born in 1866, after the war. After Esther died, Nathaniel remarried to
Ellen Glover on January 24, 1883 in Hot Spring County, Arkansas. They had one child, a daughter, named Ruth
Denham, born December 1883. Nathaniel
died some time after January 1883 and is buried in an unmarked grave in the
woods around Social Hill, Hot Spring County, Arkansas.
William E. Denham was 5’10” with light hair and
blue eyes. [xxii]
William married Hannah J. Martin on July 25, 1859 in Hot Spring County,
Arkansas.
Martha Ann Denham married William Alexander
Collie.
James K. Polk Denham was the tallest of Armistead’s
sons, measuring 6’1” according to his Civil War information. He had light hair and blue eyes. He married Mary Elizabeth Williams, the niece
of his brother Nathaniel’s wife. James
and Mary married on December 25, 1868.
Frances A. Denham married James F. Allen. By 1870, they were living in Hot Springs
Township with France’s mother, Minerva Denham, then 65 years old. Next-door, was France’s brother, James and
his family.
The
Denhams
Nathaniel
& Esther
Nathaniel P. Denham was born February 3, 1837 in Talbot County, Georgia. He was the son of Armistead Denham, born 1804
North Carolina, and Minerva Spradlin, born 1812 in Georgia to Irwin
Spradlin and Sarah
Peters.[xxiii]
His
grandfather was Arthur Denham of Hall County Georgia, and born circa 1775.
Esther Williams was the daughter of Jeremiah Williams and Mary
Fowler. Mary Fowler was the
daughter of
America
Fowler Sr. of
Laurens County, South Carolina.
According to the Hot Spring County Historical Society, Dicy Fowler,
Mary’s sister, was a full blood Cherokee who married Isaac Beason. The story of their Indian heritage is
unverified, but it is interesting to note that neither America Fowler or his
wife could read or write, even when they were in their eighties. Dicy and Mary couldn’t read or write either,
even in to their middle-age. Also, there
is a descendant of Jeremiah Williams who claims that his ancestor told the
story of how his family was on the Trail of Tears—the removal of the Indians
from United States lands. The Fowlers
and Williams came to Arkansas from Madison County, Alabama where Jeremiah
Williams and Mary Fowler were married, and lived for several years. As was common at the time, families moved
collectively.
Nathaniel P. Denham and Esther Williams had four known, surviving children, all born
in Hot Spring County, Arkansas.[xxiv]
[xxv]
1. Ellender Catherine Denham born
2. Mary Jane Francis Denham, born
3. Minerva N. Denham, born
4. King Solomon Denham, born December 30, 1871[xxvi]
Ellender Denham married Jake Siratt’s brother George W.
Siratt. She and George Siratt had eight
children: Florence, Claudia, Maudie,
Beatrice, Clarence L., Clara, Clifford and George Jr. Ellender and George are buried in the
Greenwood Cemetery, Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas.[xxvii]
The
Denhams
Mary
Jane Francis Denham
Mary Jane Francis Denham was born April 4, 1866 in Hot Spring
County, Arkansas. Her parents were
Nathaniel P. Denham and Esther Williams.
Mary’s paternal grandparents were Armistead Denham and Minerva Spradlin,
and her maternal grandparents were Jeremiah Williams and Mary Elizabeth
Fowler.
Mary Jane Francis Denham gave birth to a daughter, Dora on
March 5, 1886 just a month before her twentieth birthday. She was unmarried at the time, and the father
of Dora is unknown. Dora used the
surname Williams after Mary had married George Williams. Mary Denham married George Williams on
October 2, 1890. He was 53 years old,
and she was thirty years his junior at 23 years old. They were married less than ten years. Her
second daughter, Edna, was born August 1889.
Since George Williams, died sometime before May 1900, there is some
question as to whether he was Edna’s father.
George was born in 1837, making him about 62 years old at the time of
Edna’s birth, if he was alive. Until the
date of George’s death is established, we cannot be certain of his relationship
to Edna. However, Edna also used the
Williams surname.
Mary’s third child, a son, Wallace Edward Denham, was born
January 24, 1894. Wallace’s father was
Jacob Finley Siratt of Prairie Bayou.
Mary and Jake never married. By
1900, Mary had born a fourth child, William Brady Denham. She and her four children were living in the
home of her father, along with her second cousin, Charlie Anderson. Mary’s and
Charlie’s grandfathers, Jeremiah Williams and Charles Williams, were
brothers.
William Brady Denham was born March 4, 1900. His father was Charlie Anderson. He was a widower when he lived in the home
Nathaniel Denham. While Mary Denham and
Charlie Anderson never married, he married for the second time to Sarah Jane
Helms the same year that Brady was born.
They had seven children. Mary
Denham Williams never married again. She
died in 1948 in Mount Pelier, Ohio while living in the home of her daughter,
Dora Williams Dunn. Mary Denham is
buried in the Alford Cemetery, along with son Wallace and some of his family.
Minerva Denham married T. A. Wallis in Malvern, November 12, 1888.
King Solomon Denham moved to Ada, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
when he was nineteen years old. He
married Ada Lee Leach, the daughter of John A. Leach and Ellen Susan Callahan.[xxviii] King had two children and died in Wilson,
Oklahoma August 10, 1918 at the age of 46 years, 7 months and 11 days. His children were Viola and Clarence E.
Denham.
Esther Williams Denham died before Mary was fourteen years
old, and Ellender had married and left the family home. The 1880 census shows a 43-year-old
Nathaniel, 14-year-old Mary, 12-year old Minerva, and 9-year-old King S. Denham
living in Prairie Bayou.
The
Denhams
Wallace
Edward Denham
Wallace Edward Denham, was born January 24, 1894. As mentioned earlier, his parents were Jacob
Finley Siratt of Prairie Bayou and Mary Jane Francis Denham, also of Prairie
Bayou. Jake was a widower at the
time. His brother, George Siratt, had
married Mary’s older sister, Ellender Denham.
However, Mary and Jake never
married.
Wallace knew his maternal grandfather well. As a young boy, he grew up in the home of his
grandfather, Nathaniel P. Denham.
However, Wallace never knew his grandmother, Esther Williams Denham, as
she had died when his mother was fourteen.
Wallace Denham married Norris Louise Tucker on 26 September
1926 in Hot Spring County, Arkansas. He
was 32 and she was not quite 16 years old.
They raised eight children in an area know as “Possum Trot” south of Malvern, near Oak Grove and Social
Hill. Wallace had been a log-cutter
before he married, but afterwards he farmed cotton and other crops. He owned about 300 acres at one time,
including some bottom land near the Ouachita River. He was a Republican and drove an old International
pickup and a pale blue Chevy Impala. He
smoked a pipe and liked to watch the fights on his old black and white
television. His home had a tin roof and
a front porch with a wooden bench swing hung by chains to a rafter on the
porch. The dirt road, now called Denham
Cutoff, has never been paved.
He was a community-minded man, as evidenced by his land
donations to his local community and to the state of Arkansas. He donated the land on which the old
school-house [which later became the Baptist Church] was built. He also donated the land for the Alford
Cemetery where he, his mother, his family and many neighbors are buried. During the 1960s, he discovered an Indian
Mound on his bottom-land property and notified the University of Arkansas. They sent out archaeologists and removed and
catalogued the many artifacts for the University. He donated the land that the mound was
situated on to the University of Arkansas and they named the site “The Denham
Mound.”
Wallace’s maternal grandmother, Esther Williams, was the
daughter of Jeremiah Williams and Mary Elizabeth Fowler. Jeremiah Williams came to Prairie Township in
the 1850s from Madison County, Alabama.
Jeremiah’s wife, Mary Fowler Williams was the daughter of America Fowler
Sr. The Fowlers also came from Madison
County, Alabama to Hot Spring County, Arkansas in the 1840s. America Fowler Sr., Wallace’s great-great
grandfather, was born about 1774 in South Carolina. America Fowler Sr. came from Laurens County,
South Carolina, to Madison County, Alabama, and on into Hot Spring County,
Arkansas by the 1840s.
Wallace’s great-grandfather, Armistead Denham, was born in
North Carolina. He came from Hall
County, Georgia, to Fayette County, then Talbot County before migrating to Hot
Spring County, Arkansas. Armistead’s
father, Arthur Denham, was also born in North Carolina, but lived in Hall
County, Georgia and Fayette County, Georgia.
After Arthur Denham died, Armistead moved to Talbot County,
Georgia.
Wallace’s paternal grandfather, James Monroe Siratt, came to
Prairie Township in the 1860s from McNairy County, Tennessee. His father, Jacob Siratt, was born 1850 in
McNairy County, Tennessee and came with his father in the 1860s to Prairie
Township. Jake, as he was known, died 6
May 1912 in Saginaw, Hot Spring County, Arkansas when Wallace was eighteen
years old. Jake was buried in the Atkins
Methodist Church Cemetery in Social Hill, Hot Spring County, Arkansas with his
second wife, Sarah Arlena Stembridge and some of their children.
Wallace lived 74 years, 1 month, and 5 days. He died 29 February 1968 of coronary heart
disease. He is buried with his wife,
Norris Louise Tucker Denham. They were
married 41 years, 5 months, and 3 days.
They are buried together in the Alford Cemetery in Possum Trot.
Footnotes:
[i] Social Security Death Index
[ii] United States Army Honorable Discharge: Enlisted 27
May 1918 at Malvern, Arkansas and served 9 months until March 25, 1919 as a
cook. No prior
enlistment.
“When enlisted he was 24-4/12 years of age and by occupation a contractor. He had
blue eyes, black hair, dark complexion, and was 5 feet and 6 inches in height.” Physical condition when
discharged was “good” and character noted as “excellent”. Remarks: “Assigned to Co “G” 346th
Inf. 5/27/18 Camp Pike, Ark. (transferred to Camp Pike Headquarters. 6/18/18 to
43rd Co. 11th Reo Bat 3/7/19 to date of discharge. No
AWOL- no absence G.O.45-W.D.-1914. Entitled to travel pay to Malvern,
Arkansas.” Signed William B. Ryan,
commanding officer. Wallace received $152.32, of which $60 was bonus pay.
[iii] Ibid. (See Army Discharge)
[iv] Wallace Denham had told his children that Waldon
Edward Siratt was his half-brother.
Waldon was the son of Jacob Finley Siratt Sr. and Sarah Arlena
Stembridge.
[v] Edward Howell “Butch” Siratt Jr. said that his
grandfather, Waldon Edward Siratt, used to take him to visit his half-brother
named Wallace Denham. According to
Butch, Wallace had a very nice wife who “was cross-eyed” and a son that had
been in a car-wreck. Butch Siratt remembers that Wallace had a ten-gauge
shotgun and that Waldon and Wallace would walk around with him and let him
shoot. After other visits, they sat on
the porch and visited by Butch went out shooting by himself.
[vi] The spelling of Mary Jane Francis Denham’s name
“Francis” is verified by Marie Buffington Warren [Nathaniel Denham’s
grand-daughter by his youngest child, Ruth Denham] Marie Warren has in her possession, some of
Nathaniel’s papers, including his “Traders” book. Nathaniel was a trader during the Civil War.
[vii] 1900 Antioch Township, Hot Spring County Census [E.D.
55, sheet 18B]:
1900 Arkansas Census, Hot
Spring County, Antioch Township [enumeration district: 55; sheet 18B]
Denham, Nathaniel P. head
w m Feb 1837 63 Wd. GA GA
GA
Williams, Mary J. dau w
f Apr 1866 34 Wd. 4/4
AR GA AL
Williams, Dora g-dau w f Mar 1886 14 S AR
Williams, Edna g-dau w f Aug 1889 10 S AR
Williams, Wallace g-son w m Jan 1894 6 S AR
Williams, William g-son w m Mar 1900 2/12 AR AR AR
[viii] 1920 Alford Township, Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Census:
1920 Arkansas Federal
Census: Hot Spring County, Alford Township. Enumeration District #99, sheet No.
9B, lines 91-93. Census date: January
16th and 17th, 1920:
Denham, Mary head f w 53
Wd. AR GA AL occupation: none
Denahm, Wallace E. son m
w 25 S AR AR AR occupation: log cutter
Brown, Edna dau f w 30 S
AR AR AR occupation: hotel cook
Note: According to the order of the census, the
houses were enumerated in order.
Next-door to Mary Denham lived Delphie Burks and her mother, Elvira
Burks. During the 1960s and 70s, Delphi
Burks lived in the next house just up the road from Wallace Denham. It is highly probably that the house Wallace
Denham raised his family in was the very one he lived in 1920, with his mother
Mary Jane Francis Denham and sister, Edna.
----------
[ix] Paul Sarratt Jr. of Auburn, California has researched
the Surratt surname and its many variations for almost thirty years [since
1973]. His webpage is
“SARRETT/SARRATT/SURRAT Families of America at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~prsjr/
[x] Paul Sarratt Jr. of
[xi] Paul Sarratt Jr. of Auburn, California
[xii] The 1870 Census shows that seven-year-old Reuben
Surratt was born in Arkanas.
[xiii] 1870
Prairie Bayou Township, Hot Spring County, Arkanasas Census [45/45], page 6-7,
lines 35-40 and 1-3:
Surratt, James 52 male
white farmer $500 personal estate, born
Surratt, Jane 46 female
white, born
Surratt, Nicholas 22 male
white, born
Surratt, Jacob 19 male
white, born
Surratt, Mary J. 17
female white, born
Surratt, Joseph L. male
white, born
Surratt, McGreibs male
white, born
Surratt, George W. 11
male white, born
Surratt, Reuben 7 male
white, born Arkansas.
[xiv] 1870
Prairie Bayou Township, Hot Spring County, Arkansas Census [59/59] page 9,
lines 13-17:
Denham, Nathaniel 32 year old male white, Farmer $300
personal estate, born
Denham, Easter 33 year old female white, keeping house, born
Denham, Ellen C. 9 year old female, white, born
Denham, Mary 5 year old female, white, born
Denham, Minerva 1 year old female, white, born
[xv] 1880 Prairie Bayou, Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Federal Census [271/308]
page 32 E.D.77, lines
37-40:
Siratt, Jacob F. m w 29
Farmer TN – TN
Siratt, Mary M. m f 23 wife
keeping house, AL NC GA
Siratt, Fannie L. w f 4
dau. AR TN
Siratt, Lillie A. w f 1
dau. AR TN
[xvi] 1880 Prairie Bayou, Hot Spring County, Arkansas
Federal Census [271/308]
page 32 E.D.77, lines
37-40:
Siratt, Jacob F. male
white 29 Farmer TN – TN
Siratt, Mary M. female
white 23 wife keeping
house, AL NC GA
Siratt, Fannie L.
female white 4 dau. AR TN
Siratt, Lillie A. female
white 1 dau. AR TN
[xvii] Lynette Hennigan Denham, wife of Robert Denham who
descends from Daniel D. Denham [Nathaniel Denham’s brother].
[xviii] 1900 Antioch Township, Hot Spring County Census [E.D.
55, sheet 18B]
[xix] Etta and James Walter Burks were the children of Joel
Sanford Burks Jr. and Alice Faught. Joel
was the son of Joel Sanford Burks Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Williams, who was the
daughter of Jessie Williams, brother of Jeremiah Williams who was Wallace’s
maternal great-grandfather.
[xx] The first Arkansas census was 1830. There were no Denhams on the 1830 or 1840
census for Arkansas.
[xxi] Civil War Soldiers,
[xxii] Civil War Soldiers,
[xxiii] 1850
Arkansas Census: Hot Spring County, Prairie Twp. census date: 17 Oct 1850;
house/dwelling#305/319, lines 7-12
Armistead Denham, 46
Farmer b. NC
Minerva Denham, 38 b. GA
Nathaniel Denham, 13 b.
GA
William Denham, 11 b. GA
Martha Denham, 9 b. GA
James Denham, 6 b. GA
*note: Armistead’s son Daniel D. Denham was living
next-door at this time.
1850 Arkansas Census: Hot
Spring County, Prairie Twp., 17 Oct 1850, 306/320, lines 13-16:
Daniel Denham, 18
(farmer) b. GA
Tabitha Denham, 19 b. AR
Joseph Lipton, 19 (labor)
b. MO
Amaline Lipton, 8
(female) b. AR
*note: It’s unknown at this time, the relationship
between the Liptons who are living with Daniel and Tabitha Denham. It is likely they are brother and sister, and
probably related to the Denhams, somehow.
[xxiv] 1870 Arkansas
Census, Hot Spring County, Prairie Bayou Township
DENHAM, Nathaniel -- 32 years old -- farmer -- born Georgia
DENHAM, Easter -- 33 years old -- keeping house -- born Alabama
DENHAM, Ellen C. -- 9 years old -- born Arkansas
DENHAM, Mary -- 5 years old -- born Arkansas
DENHAM, Minerva -- 1 year old -- born Arkansas
[xxv] 1880
Arkansas Census, Hot Spring County, Prairie Bayou Township, June 19, 1880
DENHAM, Nathaniel 43 married Farmer
born Georgia -- parents birthplaces not given
DENHAM, Mary 14 years old --
daughter -- keeping house – AR GA AL
DENHAM, Minerva A. -- 12 years old -- daughter
AR GA AL
DENHAM, King S. -- 9 years old -- son AR GA AL
*King S. was “King
Soloman Denham”; Minerva was named after her Nathaniel’s mother, Minerva
Spradlin Denham.
[xxvi] Tommy E.
Graham, LEECH family researcher. He has
information to show that Ada Lee Leech married King Soloman Denham and that
they resided in Ada, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.
Ada Lee Leech Denham is buried next to her mother, Ellen Callahan Leech
in the Rosedale Cemetery in Ada. *King spelled his middle-name both ways, with
an “o” and an “a”.
“I am researching the
family of my g-gparents John A. Leech, (b. 1845, MS.), and Ellen Callahan, (b.
1847, VA), married 20 July 1865, in Panola County, TX. John and his family are
believed to have moved to the Panola County area about 1850. He is believed to
have had a brother named Levi, and both served in the confederate army during
the Civil War. Ellen was the Daughter of Martin M. and Elizabeth Jane Callahan,
both from Campbell Co, VA. The family moved to Panola Co, TX in about 1848.
Martin was a Baptist preacher associated with the Macedonia Baptist Church at
Carthage, TX for about 40 years. John and Ellen Leech are believed to have had
six children: Washington b. 1867 TX known as "Doc", died in Kansas
Martin b, 1869 TX Sam Mary Etta b. 1876 TX m. William Andrew Graham, 1892 Jenny
moved to Kansas Ada Lee b. 1882 TX m. King
Solomon Denham. According to family
stories, Ellen was married a total of four times, the last to a man named
Steele. Ellen died 18 Jan 1925 and is buried [sic] in the Rosedale Cem. in Ada
Okla., Pontotoc Co., next to her daughter, Ada Denham. The date and place of
John Leech's death is unknown. If you recognize any of these names, I would
love to hear from you!! Tommy E. Graham TomG@oui.com Chesterfield, MO 63017”
Another Leach Researcher,
Brian Pendleton <bubba@cyber-rover.com>
has Ada Lee Leech married to an UNKNOWN born 30 Dec 1871 (which is King
Soloman's birthday). He has the death
date much later than Lynette Hennigan Denham, i.e. 10 Aug 1918. Brian also has King's place of death as
Wilson, OK.
[xxvii] Lynette Hennigan Denham [see # 15]