Another McDaniel family settled in the Cedar Grove community in 1880s

Published 12:00 am Monday, November 3, 2003

Another McDaniel family line moved into Covington County during the 1880s, which no one has been able to relate to the McDaniel family featured in last week's column. Ancestors of this family had migrated from South Carolina and were residing in Lowndes County by 1858. They were enumerated there in the 1860 census, but no other records have been located on them before they came to this county. There is some speculation that they lived for a while in Pike County before arriving in Covington.

The earliest ancestor of this family known to date is Sarah McDaniel, but her husband's name is not yet known. They had at least four children born in South Carolina during the 1750s. Among these was a son, George, who was born in 1755 and died in 1826 in Marlboro County, South Carolina. He and his first wife, Sarah Earle, daughter of Obadiah Earle, had five children, and he and his second wife, name unknown, had eight children.

In the second family was a son, Thomas C., who was born about 1804 in South Carolina. He is the one who brought this family to Alabama. He was married in 1840 to Mary E. Moody in Marion District by Elder R. Napier. Thomas and Mary had the following children: Elizabeth Overton, b. 1842, m. 1858 in Lowndes County to Carney Cotton Tomlinson; Robert, b. 1844, m. 1866 Missouri M. Tomlinson; Joel A., b. ca 1845, m. 1866 J.A. Hooks; Thomas, b. ca 1848; and Adoniram Judson, b. 1850, d. 1934, m. (1) ? (Native American) (2) 1887 in Opp, Sarah Clementine Bowden. There are references such as the 1866 Alabama Census which list both Robert and Joel A. as disabled veterans of the War Between the States. Robert and Joel A. served as

privates in Company F, 23rd Alabama Infantry Regiment. Their father may have been the T.C. McDaniel who served as a private in Company G, 30th Alabama Infantry Regiment. It appears that he may have died during this time. After Thomas's death in the early 1860s in Lowndes County, Mary E. was married to Hardy Royal/Ryal.

Adoniram Judson, the youngest son, was residing in Covington County by May 1887. (He was probably named for the Baptist Missionary Adoniram Judson who traveled to the Far East and worked most of his life there.) It appears that he settled his family in the Dannelley's Crossroads community in the northeastern section of the county. He had lost his first wife by whom he had two young children: James Havington, b. 1878, d. 1952, m. 1903 Hixie Lujeanie "Jeanie" Pugh; and Daisy, b. 1880. He then married his second wife, Sarah C. Bowden, daughter of William Bowden, in 1887 in the town of Opp.

Judson and Sarah had the following children: Thomas Judson, b. 1888, d. 1957, m. Minnie Perdue; William Joseph, b. 1889, d. 1892; Charloty Elizabeth, b. 1892, d. 1904 in Typhoid epidemic; Maggie Lee, b. 1894, d. 1983, m. 1916 William Oscar Mount; Arie June, b. 1898, d. 1982, m. A.C. McDuffie; Julian Sanford, b. 1900, d. 1978, m. 1929 Velta Jane Young; Arthur Leroy, b. 1902, d. 1993; Juel Wiltery, b.&d. 1904 in typhoid epidemic; Benjamin Franklin, b.&d. 1908; and Gideon Ezekiel, b. 1909. At their deaths, Judson and Sarah were buried in the Hickory Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Opp.

Judson was a master carpenter and brick mason. He has been credited with building many of the buildings in the Opp area. His son, Havie, was also remembered as being a competent carpenter and mason. He and his half-brothers built many of the houses in the mill village in Opp.

Judson's oldest son, James Havington "Havie," settled in the Cedar Grove community, located northwest of Opp. He and his first wife, Jeanie, daughter of Joel David and Sarah (Young) Pugh, had the following children: James Amos "Jim," b. 1904, d. 1983, m. 1924 Bessie Mae Owens; William A., b. 1907, d. 1987, m. Doris Kennedy; Clara Bell Mixon, b. 1909, d. 1999, m. Dallas Macon Henderson; Lillie Ellen, b. 1911, d. 1998, m. Carlton Dalton Free; Hixie Irene, b. 1915, d. 1984, m. (1) Coston Short (2) Obie Jackson; and Cecil Eddie "Buck," b. 1919, d. ca 1970, m. Odessa Mitchell. Some of these families resided in the Harmony community. Jeanie died of tuberculosis in 1921 when the family was living at Bell's Crossing, and she was buried at Dannelley's Crossroads in the edge of Coffee County.

Havie and his second wife, Vela Helms Wiggins, had the following four children: Dorothy, Robert, Sammie D., and Thomas. Havie died of a stroke in 1952 and was buried in the Cedar Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in the Cedar Grove community.

Havie's oldest son, James Amos, was married to Bessie Mae Owens, daughter of John and Susan (Etheridge) Owens of the Harmony community. They resided in the Cedar Grove community and reared the following children: Thelma Lorene, b. 1924, m. Douglas Gay Duncan; John Amos, b. 1926, m. Bonnie Wiggins; (Reverend) Clarence Edward, b. 1929, m. Tiny Esther Barnett; Ruby Lene Coot," b. 1930, m. Henry Howard Carlisle; and William Foy, b. 1933, m. Margie Lee Boothe.

Havie's daughter, Clara Bell Mixon, was married to Dallas Macon Henderson, son of Gus and Nancy (Wages) Henderson. They reared the following three children: Dallas, m. Peggy Jo Barnett; Martha, m. Rudolph Messick; and Jake, m. Peggy Sorrells.

The family history records of Sherry (McDaniel) Bowers, a descendant in this family, were the source for this particular column. Sherry is the daughter of Clarence Edward and Tiny (Barnett) McDaniel and currently resides in Pell City.

Anyone who might have corrections to this writing or additional information on anyof the McDaniel families is requested to contact Curtis Thomasson at 21361 Rabren Road, Andalusia, AL 36420 or Email: chthom@alaweb.com

HISTORICAL MEETING:

The Covington Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, Aug. 28, at the Andalusia Public Library. Guests are welcome to come and hear Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley.