(CCG Charles Straley and Betsy McComas)
Visit RootsWeb
Durham Homepage
Gen Home
What's New!
Name Index
Name That Ancestor!
Main Veins
   - Baker
   - Durham
   - Peperak
   - Straley
   - Windham
Resources
Contact Me
Jacob Straley > Jacob Straley Jr. > Charles M. Straley

Charles Milton STRALEY

Born: c. 1795, VA
Died: Feb 1849, AR
Father: Jacob STRALEY II

Mother: Martha FRENCH

 

Married:
Jul 16, 1818
Marriage record,
Huntington, CabeWV

Elizabeth MCCOMAS "Betsy"

Born: Jun 6, 1803, VA (of Scotch ancestry)
Died: 1839, IL

Father: Stephen MCCOMAS

Mother Sarah SARTAIN:

 

Children:
  1. Matthew French STRALEY
 
Notes:
  2. Jacob STRALEY IV
 
Notes:
 

3. Andrew Jackson STRALEY "Jack" (b. Jan 1826, IL; d. 1908, Peacock, StonTX)
m. Rebecca Parks TOLLETT 1 (b. Dec 1826, HempAR; d. 1908, Oriana, StonTX) in 1858

Children:

  1. Virginia STRALEY (b. Jun 24, 1859, TX)
    m. U. W. HOLLIS

  2. Susan STRALEY (b. 1863, TX)
    m. Harney MYERS

  3. Charles STRALEY (b. 1865, TX)
    m. Belle S. SUTTON

  4. Buster STRALEY (b. 1868, TX)

  5. Georgia STRALEY (b. Jan 1870, TX)
    m. Thomas J. ROGERS

Notes:
  • For more information on Andrew J. Straley, click his name above.
 

4. Charles Decatur STRALEY Sr. (b. Jan 1826, VA; d. Dec 10, 1870, WillTX)
m. Susan Elizabeth MORRISON (b. Jun 1840, LownMS) in 1859, LCTX

Children:

  1. Christopher Columbus STRALEY (b. May 1860, TX)

  2. Mary F. STRALEY (b. 1862)
    m. Henry PRESLAR

  3. Luvitia STRALEY (b. 1865)

  4. Cebell Naomi STRALEY (b. 1868)
    m. Robert E. LEE

  5. Charles D. STRALEY Jr.  (b. Feb 25, 1871, TX)
    m. Helen O. I. HALL

  6. Antha Theodocia STRALEY (b. Jul 9, 1876, TX)
    m. George W. JACKSON

Notes:

  • Frankly, I have my doubts that Charles D. Straley was a son to Charles and Betsy. More verification needed.  

  • For more information on Charles D. Straley, click his name above.

  5. Flora STRALEY
m. Jeremiah WALKER
 
Notes:
  • She lived near LampTX, then moved to Bowie County, TX.
Joseph Leland Straley

6. Joseph Leland STRALEY "Lee" (b. Sep 21, 1820, New River, MontVA; d. Sep 12, 1921, Adamsville, LampTX)
m. Sarah R. CLARK "Sallie" (b. Jan 17, 1830, AK; d. Oct 14, 1912, Adamsville, LampTX)

Children:

  1. Minerva STRALEY (b. May 7, 1850, TX)
    m. William M. THOMPSON

  2. Joseph Leland STRALEY Jr. "Joe" (b. Mar 12, 1858)
    m. Hulda BAIN

  3. Charles C. STRALEY (b. Dec 15, 1851)
    m. Maggie POPENOE

  4. John Henry STRALEY (b. Sep 20, 1856)
    m1. Addie POPNOE
    m2. Maggie POPENOE

  5. Julia STRALEY (b. Dec 1, 1858)
    m. Judge Franklin D. RICHARDSON

  6. Thomas Jefferson STRALEY "Tom" (b. Apr 4, 1861, TX)
    m. Lucy COPE

  7. Sam Huston STRALEY (b. Jan 15, 1863)
    m. Frances B. Bain

  8. Andrew Jackson STRALEY "Jack"
    m. Mary E. FOWLER

Notes:
  • In 1856, Lee and Sallie moved to the Lampasas River area in Texas where they settled.
  • Joseph L. Straley was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Confederate Army, Texas 2nd Frontier District.
 

7. Sampson David STRALEY Confederate Soldier Civil War (b. 1824, New River, GileVA; d. About 1870 Rio Grande Valley, TX)
m1. Ellen LISENBY (b. 1832, AR) on Sep 6, 1849, Arkadelphia, ClarAR
m2. Mary Hardin BURKITT RICHARDSON (b. Oct 30, 1825, GileVA; d. Feb 5, 1912, Adamsville, LampTX) in Nov 4, 1869 in Hamilton, HamiTX

Children to Ellen:

  1. Jesse STRALEY (b. Apr 9, 1851, AR)

  2. Sarah K. STRALEY (b. Mar 16, 1853, AR)

  3. Joseph French STRALEY (b. Apr 3, 1855, AR)
    m. Mary J. VAN DYKE

  4. Martha Emma STRALEY (b. Dec 7, 1856, AR)

  5. Margaret Jane STRALEY (b. Mar 19, 1859, AR)
    m. B. A. B THOMPSON

  6. William Leland STRALEY (b. Nov 19, 1862)

  7. Emily Elizabeth STRALEY "Lizzie" (b. Apr 17, 1865, TX)
    m1. William H. JACKSON
    m2. Joshua P. SORRELLS

  8. J. D. STRALEY (b. Jun 22, 1867)

  9. James Henry STRALEY "J. H." (b. Jun 22, 1867)
    m. Susan B. MCDANIEL

Notes:

  • Sampson Straley was in the Civil War in the Texas Confederate Army 2nd Frontier District between Feb 21 and June 1, 1864.
 

8. Elias STRALEY (b. 1829, IL
m. Jane E. (DUNINGTON) ? (b. 1821, OH)

Jane's son:

  1. Huston DUNINGTON (stepson)

Notes:

  • Elias shows up in Kansas, married to Jane E. and her son.
    US Census 1880, Sugar Creek, Miami County, KS:
     

    Name Rel Mar
    Stat    		 Age Gender Race Occ. Birth
    Place    		 Father
    BPlace    		 Mother
    BPlace
    Elias Straley Self M 58 M W Farmer VA VA VA
    Jane E. Straley Wife M 31 F W Keeping
    House    		 KY KY KY
    Heston Dunington SSon M 9 M W   MO KY KY
  9. John STRALEY
 
Notes:

2nd Marriage

Charles M. STRALEY

 
Married:
Nov 2, 1830, TazeIL 6

 

Martha WARWICK

 

Children:
  1. Hugh Warneck
 
Notes:
  • Hugh was from Martha's first marriage.

 

Notes:

  • Charles Straley was born in New River, VA. Betsy McComas was of Scottish descent.. They moved from Giles County, VA to Texas in the 1850's. They settled in the Lampasas area of central Texas' Hill County, near present-day Adamsville. Adamsville is located at the junction of U.S. Hwy 281 & FM 581. Betsy died in Illinois. Charles' second wife was Mrs. Martha WARNECK from Illinois.

  • In the summer of 1856, Charles' son Leland �Lee� STRALEY built one of the first houses in this region�a log dogtrot cabin consisting of two large rooms with a central open hall (one as kitchen and the other as living/sleeping). Each room had lofts overhead and large fireplaces.

  • In the early 1870s, Lee built a second home one-half mile east of the log cabin, using a large quantity of walnut complemented with fieldstone. This home included four large rooms and three chimneys (see attached photos). Built on Simms Creek near Adamsville, this early pioneer site is now honored with a state historical marker (one-half mile north of Adamsville, on the east bank of the Lampasas River; or 17 miles north of the town of Lampasas). A few original pieces of solid walnut furniture built by Lee also still exist in the home. The Straley family cemetery is nearby, which includes the grave of progenitor Charles M. STRALEY. (Noted in The Handbook of Texas.)

  • About 1870, Charles M. & his son Sampson were both shot in a south Texas Rio Grande Valley incident, killing Sampson. Another son of Charles M. had also died about 1850 before the move to Texas.

  • Charles M. was a rancher in the central Texas Hill Country. In 1872, his grandson Joe STRALEY (age 20) and two TOWNSEN cousins drove 2,800 head of steers from Lampasas to Abilene, Kansas, in four months on the trail. Another trail-drive later delivered a herd to Wyoming.

  • In the late 1800s, Charles M.'s grandson John Henry STRALEY was a cowboy on the famous Texas Goodnight Ranch, during the period when John Henry and his family lived in Coleman TX. John's wife Maggie was also the ranch's cook at that time. By 1902, John & Maggie had prospered and owned their own 698 acres in Coleman County, TX. By 1907, they had moved to Callahan County, TX and lived in a big house at the foot of Tecumseh Mountain.

  • A family story passed down through the years says that one of Charles M.'s descendants�J. L. Straley� sent beautiful buffalo robes to him during his adventurous western travels in Montana (possibly the Jack Straley line).

  • Leland �Lee� STRALEY's granddaughter, Violet Straley MOSES (and her husband Clarence) later lived in the home built by Lee on Simms Creek near Adamsville. While visiting here in the 1940s-1950s, Violet & Clarence's granddaughter Dinah Moses remembers her Papapa Moses telling some wild �Old West� stories. Also, Clarence is remembered frequently strapping on his six-shooter when his grandchildren played outside so that he could defend them against a common Texas menace�rattlesnakes!
     

  • County/State Abbreviations:
    CabeWV - Cabell County, WV
    ClarAR - Clark County, AR
    GileVA - Giles County, VA
    HamiTX - Hamilton County, TX
    HempAR - Hempstead County, AR
    LampTX - Lampasas County, TX
    LownMS - Lowndes County, MS
    MontVA - Montgomery County, VA
    PolkAR - Polk County, AR
    StonTX - Stonewall County, TX
    TazeIL - Tazewell County, IL
    WillTX - Williamson County, TX
     

  • Page Sources:

    1. Everything's Relative webpage web.

    2. Research document entitled: Descendants of Jacob Straley by Cathy Cox Straley.

    3. Genealogy of The Straley Family by Grace (RHODES) Straley SWARTZ on Gateway Press.

    4. Additional information from Don Allen Davis.

    5. A History of The Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory nrs.  I have extracted pertinent passages here:  The New River Straleys.

    6. Illinois Compiled Marriages, 1790-1860

Names Added to Name Index: YES

Top