THE ANCESTORS &
DESCENDANTS OF
DORIS TORRANCE COLEMAN
The Farris Family
Tree
The
Farris (Faires, Faries, Ferris) family was among the
first pioneer settlers of Washington and Russell counties
of South-western Virginia when it was a wilderness
frontier. William, Robert and Gideon Farris settled on
the South Fork of the Holston River near the present town
of Damascus in S.E. Washington County Virginia in 1768.
William died in 1777 and Gideon administered his estate.
Gideon
(b. ca. 1740-1745) like his father, William, was a farmer
and frontier Indian fighter. Gideon served with Col.
William Christian in 1776 on a campaign against the
Cherokees in East Tennessee who had been attacking
frontier settlements at the instigation of the British.
Gideon Farris died about 1818 leaving his widow Sarah (McSpadden)
and ten children; Robert, Samuel, William, Gideon (Jr),
Mrs. Moses (Elizabeth) Hickenbottom, Thomas, Mrs. Rev
Nickolas (Sarah) Speak/e/s, Mable, Mary Callum and Jane
McCully.
Robert,
Mable and Gideon (Jr) owned land in Claiborne
County,Tennessee in the 1820's and 1830's but later went
to Lee County, Virginia where brother, William and
sister, Mrs. Rev. Nickolas (Sarah) Speak/e/s lived.
William later moved to Carter (later Johnson) County
Tennessee where his sister, Mrs. Moses (Elizabeth)
Hickenbottom lived.
William
Farris, Gideon Sr's son, was born about 1766-1770 and is
listed in the 1810 census (page 3b) of Washington County,
Virginia with wife and nine children (5 males and 4
females). My great grandfather, John K. Farris, was born
later (ca. 1813-1814) and was probably the youngest of
William's children. Although there is no proof on all, I
theorize these to be the children of William Farris (b.
1766-1770): Martin, William (Jr), Nancy (Garnett)*,
Edward*, Elizabeth (Berry), Rosanna (Taylor), Sarah (Austin),
James B.*, Levi and John K. Farris. (*=theorized).
William Farris (b. 1766-1770) probably died in Johnson
County, Tennessee between 1840 and 1850.
John
K. Farris born about 1813-1814 (son of William b. 1766-1770)
married ca. 1837 Mary Ann Bales (b 1818-1820 in Lee Co.,
Va.) the daughter of Vincent Bales (1793-1876) and Joanna
Breeding (1795-1878), the daughter of Jeremiah Breeding (1763-65-1834)
and Elizabeth Hurst (1772-18??).
John
K. Farris was an Iron worker and foreman for the Bales
Forge in Lee county, Va. He was later a partner in
another iron forge but the high waters of 1863-64 washed
it all away. He was also a distiller and farmer owning
land in Claiborne and Johnson counties when he was a
young man.
In
1887 John K. and Mary Ann purchased land in Union county
near Lost Creek and Maynardville where they later died.
It has not been determined where they were buried but
probably in the Norris Lake area.
John
K. and Mary Ann Farris had ten children, all were born in
Lee County Virginia but later lived in Union and
Claiborne counties. Their children are:
1. Elizabeth Jane Farris, b. 4/20/1838 d.
7/3/1913 Union Co., m. 1st Hiram N. Hubbard (1832-1863);
m. 2nd. David "Pat" Campbell, he disappeared
during a trip to sell cattle.; m. 3rd. William A Watson (1848-1890);
m. 4th C _____ Herron.
Elizabeth's
children: William P. Hubbard (1862), Mollie Campbell (1868-69),
and Elizabeth L. (1870), Margaret L. (1872), Harrison C.
(1875), Martha J. (1878) and Benjamin Franklin Watson (1883).
2.
Vincent Bales Farris, b. 1840, joined the
Confederate Army (Co. I, 25th Regiment Virginia Mounted
Cavalry - "Lee Rangers"). He was a 4th
Sergeant, captured at the battle of Cumberland Gap
January 1864 and died in Rock Island Illinois on 3/10/64
of illness while a prisoner of war.
3.
William Bartley Farris, b. 3/24/1841 d. 6/28/1913,
m. 1875, Nervesta "Vesty" Neal (1851-1892) they
lived and died in Claiborne Co. Their children: Laura (1877),
Edward Bartley (1879), Lucy (1880), J. Frank (1882-83),
and Lula (1891).
4.
Calab Farris, b. 1/3/1845 d. 5/29/1919, Knox Co.
Joined the Confederate Army (Co. G, 25th Virginia Mounted
Cavalry) and was captured with his brother, Vincent, and
sent to Rock Island Prison in Illinois where on 10/6/1864
he volunteered for service on the western frontier in the
2nd. Regiment U.S. Volunters, Co. E. and served at Ft.
Lyon, Colorado Territory. He rose to the rank of Corporal
and was paroled and mustered out of service at Ft.
Levenworth, Kansas on 11/7/1865.
In
1871 he married Sarah E. McAfee (1848-1907), in Lee Co.
Va. Their children: Moses Lee (1871), John Knox (1873),
William S. (1875), Myrtle J. (1877), Dora C. (1881),
Sterling B. (1884-85), Charles C. (1886-87), and China (ca.
1888).
5.
George Farris, b. 11/20/1845 d. 1/15/1922, Union
Co. m. 1871, Lee Co. Sarah Elizabeth Watson (1856-????).
Their Children: Perlina (1874), William R. (1877),
Stephen B. (1879), Archie Verlin (1887), Laska (?) (188?),
and Rhetta L. (1891).
6.
Stephen Bradley Farris, b.7/13/1854 d. 10/4/1928,
Hale Co. Texas. He first married 1875 Union Co., Margaret
V. Lynch (b. 10/23/1860) daughter of Riley H. &
Solina. Children: Lydia C. (1877), Ida Paulina (1879),
William Riley ( 1881), Virginia Luster (1884), Louis
Kelly (1886), John Loy (1888), and Robert Emmett (1890).
Margaret died of illness on 5/31/1892. In 1894 Stephen
married Malinda Emmaline Keck, in Claiborne Co.
7.
Sarah R. Farris, b. 1855 Lee Co. Va.
8.
Squire J. Farris, (1856-1857)
9.
Emily C. Farris, (1858-1884)
10.
Margaret Laura Farris, (1860-19??) m. Harvey S.
Witt. Stephen Bradley Farris was a farmer and did most of
his own blacksmith work, horse shoeing and tool making.
After the death of his first wife in 1892, Stephen
married Emmaline Keck, the daughter of William McKendry
Keck and Sarah Elizabeth (Beason) Keck, of Claiborne
County. Emmaline's younger brother, Isaac McKendry Keck,
fell in love with Stephen's daughter, Ida Paulina, and
married in 1895 at
Goin, Tennessee. This made the two families "double
kin". Both families farmed in Union county for
several years.
Meanwhile,
Emmaline and Isaac's parents and family moved to Baylor
county Texas about 1896. Three years later in January
1899, Stephen B. Farris and Isaac "MC" Keck
loaded their belongings and families into covered wagons
and headed west to Texas. Settling in Baylor County,
northwest of the town of Seymour, Texas, they farmed
until 1907 when Stephen moved his family farther west to
the Panhandle town of Plainview, where he purchased
eighty acres. Stephen sold his land in 1922 and the
family bought a home in town and he retired, but still
helped his son, John Loy, with his farm in Montley
County, Texas during harvest.
Stephen
B. Farris died of heart failure 10/4/1928 and Emmaline
died 3/4/1930. They are buried in the cemetery in
Plainview, Texas Their children:
1. Cale Farris, b. 9/20/1895,
Union Co, Tennessee.; d. 4/29/1965, Hale Co, Texas; m.
1919, Ida Bell Harraman (1903- ); Children: Dorthy
Nona, Oliver Cale, Billy Earl, Gaynell, Jerry and
Carolyn Sue.
2. Sarah Elizabeth Farris, b.
5/17/1898, Union Co, TN. d. 11/4/1951, Santa Rosa,
NM; m. 1919, Thomas Elmer Davis (1891-1930): Children:
Farris Elvin, Helen Faye and Thomas Elmer (Jr).
3. Herman Leroy Farris, b. 4/2/1900,
Seymour, TX.; d. 8/15/1917, Plainview, TX.
4. Maybell Farris, b. 1903 d.
1903 Seymour, TX.
5. Lillian Jane Farris, b. 7/7/1904,
Seymour, TX; m. 1st 1923 Corbett T. Bullock (1903-1961);
children: Elizabeth and Corbett Donald; m. 2nd. 1968,
Herman Maloy Smelser.
6. George Henry Farris, b. 1/7/1907,
Seymour, TX; d. 4/24/1980, Plainview, TX; m. 1927,
Annie Geneva Dean (1909- ); children: J.B. (1929),
Hazle Irene (1931) and Dorman Dean Farris (1941).
7. Ethel Ella Bertha Farris,
b. 8/9/1909 Plainview, TX; d. 11/28/1985, Plainview,
TX; m. 1926, Lawrence Edger Marshall (1905- );
Children: Lawrence Curtis and Lillian Susan Louise.
8. Nella Pearl Farris, b. 7/23/1915,
Plainview, TX; m. 1930, Joseph Samual Couch (1904- );
Children: Melvin Dale and Judy Ann Jane.
9. Mildred Farris, b. 2/4/1920,
Plainview, TX; m. 1942, Nathaniel Hamilton Gammage (1921-
); Children: Linda Kaye and Ronald Nathaniel.
Written and Submitted by:
Dorman Dean Farris: Assisted by Kenneth Farris. Taken
from The Peoples History of Claiborne County,
Tennessee.
THIS FARRIS FAMILY
INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY MY FARRIS COUSIN DORMAN
DEAN "DICK" FARRIS OF TEXAS.
I AM VERY PROUD TO BE ABLE TO
USE THIS INFORMATION, AS THE INTRODUCTION TO MY
FARRIS FAMILY TREE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH DICK!!
My wonderful FARRIS cousin
and friend, WILMER GRUBB of Virginia has researched
and created much information on the Farris family.
The link below will take you to those pages.
After we "met", it
took us two years to discover we were cousins! This
is great Family information. Thank you so much,
WILMER.
The Descendants of William
Farris
GENERATION
#1
EDWARD
FARRIS was born in Ireland. He married AGNES, who was
also born in Ireland. They are my great great great
great great great grandparents.
EDWARD and AGNES had one child that I know of.
GENERATION
#2
WILLIAM
FARRIS was born in 1720 in Downs County Ireland
or Antrim
Ireland, and died in 1776, in Washington County
Virginia. He married DEBORAH JOHNSON in Ireland in
1735. She died March 22, 1812, in Washington
County Virginia. WILLIAM and DEBORAH were my great
great great great great grandparents. They had one
child that I know of.
GENERATION
#3
GIDEON
was born in 1748 in Virginia, and died in 1818 in
Washington
County Virginia. He married SARAH MCSPADDEN in 1760
in Virginia. SARAH was born in 1745 in Timber
Ridge, Augusta County Virginia, and died in 1821 in
Washington County Virginia. GIDEON and SARAH
were my great great great great grandparents.
SARAH'S parents were THOMAS MCSPADDEN and MARY
EDMINSTON from the Province of Ulster
County Antrim Ireland. THOMAS and DOROTHY had nine
other children, besides SARAH. THOMAS's FATHER,
THOMAS C. MCSPADDEN, WAS FROM THE SAME AREA. THOMAS
and MARY were my great great great great great
grandparents. THOMAS C. was my great great great
great great grandfather.
DOROTHY was born in 1721.
NOTES ON GIDEON—
GIDEON, like his father WILLIAM, was a farmer and a
Frontier Indian Fighter. He served with WILLIAM
CHRISTIAN in 1776, on a campaign against the
Cherokees in East Tennessee, who had been attacking
Frontier Settlements, at the instigation of the
British.
GIDEON and SARAH had 10 children.
GENERATION
#4
JANE
MCCULLY
MARY CALLUM
ROBERT. He was born between 1760 and 1765, and
died between 1834 and
1840 in Washington County Virginia. He married
PEGGY HUCKENBOTTOM on July 25, 1793, in Washington
County.
SAMUEL was born between 1766 and 1775, and died in
August 1826, in
Washington County. He married JANE SPEAR
May 25, 1809 in Washington County. She was born
in 1780, and died October 5, 1859.
WILLIAM was born in 1766 in Washington County, and
died about 1840 in Johnson County Tennessee.
GIDEON JR. He was born between 1770 and 1780 in
Washington County, and died between 1833 and 1842 in
Lee County.
ELIZABETH. She was born in 1780, and died
before 1820 in Washington County. She married
JAMES (OLD MOSES) HIGGENBOTTOM.
THOMAS. He was born June 30, 1778, in
Washington County, and died December 20, 1856 in
Washington County.
THOMAS was my great great great grandfather.
MABLE. She was born between 1785 and 1790, and
died between 1840 and
1850, in Lee County.
SARAH. She was born March 8, 1786 in Washington
County, and died in
1865 in Lee County.
GENERATION
#5
WILLIAM.
He was born in 1766 in Washington County, and died
about 1840
in Johnson County Tennessee.
He married DEBBIE MORRIS January 14, 1805, in
Washington County.
WILLIAM and DEBBIE had 10 children.
GENERATION
#6
MARTIN
WILLIAM. He was born about 1790.
NANCY
EDWARD
ELIZABETH
ROSANNA
SARAH
JAMES B.
LEVI. He was born in Virginia in 1804. He
married JANE SPEARS on December 16, 1838
JOHN K.. He was born in 1813.
GENERATION
#7
THOMAS
was born June 30, 1778 in Washington County, and died
December 20, 1856 in Washington County. He married
ANNE NANCY MCNEW in 1811 in Washington County.
She was born about 1791 in Washington County.
ANNE NANCY was the daughter of GEORGE MCNEW and
AMELIA HARGIS MCNEW. AMELIA was born about 1791
in Washington County, and died in Washington County
in 1871. GEORGE and AMELIA were my great great
great great grandparents.
THOMAS and ANNE NANCY were my great great great
grandparents. They had 13 children.
GENERATION
#8
THOMAS
II. He was born about 1825 in Washington
County, and died January 28, 1865 in Columbus, Ohio.
His parents were GIDEON FARRIS & SARAH MCSPADDEN.
Thomas was captured by the Cherokees in Virginia, and
the English took him to a prison camp in Columbus. He
married MARY MCNEW, daughter of REVEREND JULIUS
CONNOR MCNEW and LUCINDA MCREYNOLDS, a direct
descndant of Robert The Bruce, First King of Scotland.
She was born about 1824 in Washington County, and
died August 17, 1863, in Saltville Smyth County.
THOMAS and MARY were my great great
grandparents. JULIUS and LUCINDA were my great
great great grandparents. THOMAS and MARY had 3
children.
Notes for THOMAS FARRIS II—
He died as a POW at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio.
THOMAS is buried in Grave #931. In 1864, THOMAS
served in Co. , 13th Virginia Infantry Reg., and also
6th Virginia Reg.
MARTHA
ELIZABETH. She was born in 1813.
JULIUS CONNOR. He was born January 7,
1814.
WILLIAM B. He was born in 1816, and died in
1853.
GEORGE. He was born in 1818.
RHODA. She was born in May, 1824.
THOMAS. He was born in 1825.
DAVID. He was born in 1826.
JAMES. He was born in 1827.
FRANCES JANE. She was born in 1833. She
married FRANCIS HOLMES in 1855.
ALLSEY---twin. She was born in 1835, and
married JOHN MORGAN in 1854.
MARY---twin. She was born in 1835, and married
JOHN SMITH in 1857.
GENERATION
#9
CALEB.
He was born January 3, 1845 in Lee County, and died
May 29, 1919 in Knox County
GEORGE. He was born November 20, 1845 in
Lee County. and died January
15, 1922 in Union County.
SARAH R.
SQUIRE J.
EMILY C.
MARGARET LAURA
ANNA ELIZA, the daughter of THOMAS & MARY and
sister to TRIGG and WHEELER, was born March 20, 1853
in Washington County Virginia, and died in Bristol,
Tennessee on June 4, 1941.
ANNA ELIZA'S children were—
WILLIAM
OTIS, born July 18, 1872
FLORA AURIELA, born May 26, 1879.
SIDNEY ANDREW, born December 9, 1882. My father
FRANK TORRANCE was born on December 9th too, but
in 1902.
JAMES DOFFUS, born November 1, 1887.
TRIGG.
He was born in 1852 in Washington County, and died
January 15,
1912 in Hutto, Texas, Williamson County. He married
MARY ELIZABETH OWENS April 16, 1874 in Washington
County. She was born April 16, 1855 in Washington
County, and died in Travis County Texas in 1900.
She is buried with her husband TRIGG in Hutto. TRIGG
and MARY were my great grandparents. THEY HAD 12
children.
LENA
FRANCES married HENRY POWELL III.
MOLLY (MARY) married WILL WEIR. MOLLY & WILL
had two children----
Daughter
(Unknown)
BRYAN, a son who died of cancer at a very
young age.
ROBERT
married CALLIE. ROB (as he was called) and CALLIE
had three daughters and one son—
BERTHA.
She was married three times. Her last husband
was RUSS POWERS.
MARTHA. She married JULIUS MARKS. Both were
still alive in 2001. They lived in Elgin,
Texas. Their daughter MARY married a man by
the name of JERRY—surname unknown. They
lived in California for quite awhile, but
eventually moved back to Texas. They had a
son named R.L, and he married DOROTHY
WILLIAMS. R.L.'S mother MARY was killed in a
motorcycle accident. MARY was called MAMIE
DOROTHY and R.L'S FATHER ROB died in 1957 at
age 67. He was born in 1890.
RHODA
GERTRUDE, daughter of TRIGG and MARY ELIZABETH,
died in 1955. She and her husband lived in
Meadowview, Virginia. They had a daughter----and
a granddaughter whose name was TEXAS.
WHEELER
FARRIS, son of THOMAS & MARY, and brother of ANNA
ELIZA and TRIGG, was born July 18, 1861 in Washington
County Virginia, and died in Detroit, Michigan on
March 17, 1909. He became a famous policeman. He
married JENNIE RUMSHER, who was born in Canada in
January of 1871.
WHEELER & JENNIE'S children were—
CLARENCE
M., born on March 16th.
RUSSELL F., born March 1, 1898. His wife is
Unknown.
Their
children were----
SHIRLEY, who died at age 12.
VIRGINIA (DEE DEE)
GENERATION
#10
ARLENA
FRANCES She was born October 16, 1874 in
Virginia, and died September 13, 1955 in
Oklahoma. She was married to MR. POWELL.
MARY (MOLLIE). She was born September 19, 1876
in Virginia, and died March 4, 1953, in Texas.
She was married to MR. WEIR.
MAGGIE LUELLEN. She was born in Glade Springs,
Virginia Washington County, on February 14, 1879, and
died in Forney, Texas on October 1,
1914. At this point in time, i do not know where she
was buried. MAGGIE was married to JOSEPH ALVIN
TORRANCE. He was born in Owensboro, Kentucky
Daviess County on August 18, 1874, and died August 29,
1943 in Fresno. He was buried September 3rd at
the Mountain View Cemetary in Fresno.
JOSEPH and MAGGIE were my grandparents.They were
married October 16,
1894. They had 7 children.
TOM BROWN FARRIS was born January 16, 1881 in
Virginia. He died August 18, 1971, in Denton, Texas,
Denton County. He married CYNTHIA SUSSIE HOWELL. She
was born on March 19, 1883 in Goliad, Texas. My
daughter MARILYN was born on March 19th in 1956.
CYNTHIA died December 16, 1977 in Denton.
TOM
& CYNTHIA'S children were—
ROSA LEE FARRIS MEDLIN. She was born January 10,
1905, and died September 16, 1990.
MARY LEOLA FARRIS MCQUEEN. She was born January 9,
1910. LEOLA is one of the oldest FARRISES still
living.
Children who were born to ROSA LEE—
OMALIE ANN MEDLIN HOOD
BILLY TOM MEDLIN
Children born to LEOLA----
JEAN PATRICIA GRISWOLD CARTER
AUTHER
JOHNSON. He was born February 10, 1884. I
was born on February 10th also, but in 1930.
AUTHER died in 1926 in Texas.
FLORA MABELLE. She was born October 2, 1886 in
Texas, and died there June 4, 1960. She was
married to a MR. HEDRICK.
CHARLIE. (TWIN) was born June 2, 1889 in Texas, and
died March or April in 1964.
ROBERT. He was born in Texas on December 21,
1890. (My sister Hazel was born on December 21st,
but in 1932.) He died February 6, 1957 in Texas.
JESSE. (TWIN). She was born June 2, 1889.
She married a MR. LESTER
RHODA GERTRUDE She was born in Virginia
November 8, 1892, and died in San Antonio, Texas.
LEE ROY died in San Antonio, Texas of throat cancer.
He married WOODIE ESTHER.Their son was—
JOE LAKURGES He
married VEDA LIVINGSTON
CLARENCE. He was born June 8, 1897 in Texas,
and died in Midland of throat cancer. He
married ESSIE MAY SMITH. She died of a massive stroke.
CLARENCE & ESSIE took a horse and buggy from
Georgetown, Texas, to Midland Texas. Travelling with
them, were their two children—nine year old
GENE, and seven year old LOIS.
Two horses pulled the buggy to Midland. It took
them several months to get there. They camped
along the way, and fixed their meals on the roadside.
There were four more children within ten years, after
they arrived in Midland. One of them died. Some
descendants of CLARENCE and ESSIE MAE are still
living in Midland.
GENERATION
#11
WILLIAM
(called Willie & Bill) was born August 10, 1895
in Texas.
JAMES ALPHONSUS (called Fonny) was born February 5,
1897 in Texas.
MARY ELIZABETH (who was named after her grandmother)
was born April 6, 1900 in Texas, and died there April
ll, 1811, at age eleven.
THOMAS FRANKLIN (called FRANK) was born December 9,
1902 in Georgetown, Texas, and died November 30, 1951
in Fresno, California. FRANK was my
father.
VIRGIE MAE. She was born May 3, 1905 in
Georgetown, Texas, and died in Fresno.
ROBERT (called BOB) was born about 1907 in Texas, and
died in Kansas City, Missouri.
JOSEPH VINCENT (called Joe) was born in Texas about
1909.
GENERATION #12
HAROLD
WHEELER FARRIS was born in Virginia on April 25, 1918,
and died in Detroit, Michigan in September, 1983. He
was the son of CLARENCE M. and his wife. He married
VIRGINIA (maiden name unknown) She was born in
Toledo, Ohio in September, 1922.
CLARENCE Ms two other sons were—
NORMAN
CLARENCE
GORDAN WILLIAM
WHEELER
and VIRGINIA'S children were—
CLIFFORD THOMAS, born in 1947.
WHEELER & VIRGINIA had three other sons, who
either died at birth or as infants.
ELIZABETH JANE
VINCENT BALES
WILLIAM BARTLEY
Pictures of my Farris
ancestors
First Row, Left to
Right—AUTHER JOHNSON; JESSEE—twin;
my great grandfather TRIGG; CHARLIE--twin; my
great grandmother MARY ELIZABETH OWENS
FARRIS, and in her lap, ROBERT LEE; and FLORA
MAYBELLE.
Second Row, Left to Right—LENA FRANCES;
MOLLIE; my grandmother MAGGIE LUELLEN; and
THOMAS BROWN.
Three younger children were not born yet.
They were—RHODA; LEE ROY; and CLARENCE. |
According to David D.
Farris: "Here is another one (elizaandgroup.jpg) entitled
"A Farris female picture. Grandma
in Center, Grandma Ella Ring Farris left
shoulder behind." If anyone can identify
these more completely, please
contact me. |
BACK
Please sign my
guestbook
|
EMAIL
|
Read
what others have said
|
Doris Torrance Coleman
February 10, 1930
|
