Allen Craighead
~1829-1897

Allen Craighead was born in the state of Tennessee on December 24th, 1829. The first record of his existence is the 1850 Federal Census for Independence County, Arkansas. There, he is shown living in Wallace Township, (presently in Stone County,) in the household of William & Permelia (Sutton) Hess and her widowed sister, Revenny (Sutton) Middleton.

Revenny and Permelia were both daughters of Dempsey Sutton of Smith County, Tennessee. Revenny was born on Oct 22nd, 1828, on Defeated Creek in that county, not too far from the families of Shelton and Peter Craghead, both of whom it appears they were well acquainted with. Around 1830 Dempsey and wife Elizabeth Donoho left for Arkansas, where Dempsey had patented land in the 1820s.

Dempsey died around 1836, and in 1842, (when she was fourteen,) Revenny married a Middleton in Izard County, Arkansas, his first name is still unknown, but it is believed to be John Alfred Middleton. She proceeded to have three children by him: Brannick born 1842; John Madison, born 184?, and Nancy, born 1849. Sometime in the spring of 1850, her husband died.

The connection of the Sutton family to the Smith County Craigheads is the only clue we have to the whereabouts of Allen prior to 1850 and to his origin and parents.

In August 6th, 1851, Lytle Burford Creswell, J.P., married Revenny and Allen in Washington Township, Independence County. Stories say that the Criswells were connected to Allen's family but this has not been proved yet. Shortly afterwards, on October 14, 1852, their first child was born: Lytle Criswell Craighead. Lytle was followed by Daughter Permelia in 1855.

About this time, Elizabeth Donoho Sutton, who had married Benjamin Cox a few years after Dempsy died, moved to Nolanville, Bell County, Texas. Then her sons Anderson and Logan Sutton decided to follow her there, and Revenny went along with them, bringing Allen and her children from both marriages. There, the Craigheads settled next door to Ben & Elizabeth Cox on South Nolan Creek.

Nolanville Hillfrom the South Photo Courtesy Amy Serna

Nolanville Hill from the North Photo Courtesy Amy Serna

Another son was born in 1858; James Riley Craighead. He was named after Revenny's brother, James Riley Sutton, a neighbor and future fellow Confederate veteran. He later went Eastland County.

In the Summer of 1859, Revenny became pregnant again. She gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia Craighead, in March of 1860, but was come over by pneumonia. The illness was irreversible: she died on the 2nd of that month. Revenny was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Nolanville, on land that had belonged to one of the Ben Cox relatives, Flemming Trigg Cox. Her grave marker was later lost and then relocated; kind souls have paid for a new gravestone to be placed there and the site may be easily visited today.

Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Nolanville, Bell County, Texas Photo Courtesy Bill Bost

Revenny's grave marker at Pleasant Hill Photo Courtesy Bill Bost

It was long thought that baby Cynthia Craghead died shortly after Revenny. However, recent evidence points to her having been raised by Ben & Elizabeth Cox, with the surname Cox. What became of her is unknown.

Allen shows up next on the Federal Census of Bell County for 1860. This time, he is not in Nolanville, but in Belton, along with Ben Cox. He is shown living alone with his children, but the Middleton children are not in the household; instead, they board with other families. It is unknown if this is because Allen sent them away or because they were older and sent to board and work elsewhere or to be educated elsewhere, as boarders of this type are not uncommon in this era.

In 1862, Allen, along with Anderson Sutton, signs up to join the Texas Confederate Cavalry in Belton. Soon, they report to Dallas; Allen is placed in Company D of the 17th Texas Confederate Cavalry, (Darnells Regiment). Allen serves at Arkansas Post in 1863 when Fort Hindeman falls, and managed NOT to be captured, (unlike so many others.) Eventually, he is reassigned to a combined unit of surviving members of those units at Fort Hindeman, named the 18th Consolidated Texas Cavalry (Dismounted). Even though this unit retains the designation of 'cavalry', they lose their horses for the rest of the war and fight as infantry.

In 1864, Allen is back in Bell County, and is getting married again, this time to Mary Barker, on August 7th. Mary was born in 1846 in Missouri, and is the granddaughter of Doctor James Cox, a cousin of Ben Cox. A series of children follow: Allen, 1865, Andrew J(ackson?) 1867. Their third, Mary, is born in 1869, in Arkansas. However, the family shows up, with Allen, Mary, and all of Allen's children, on the 1870 Federal Census of Bell County.

Allen Craighead & Mary Barker Craighead- the only known image
Courtesy Jean Robinson with Thanks to Helen J.

In 1872 they are back in Arkansas again as Obediah, 1872, and Martha, 1873, are born. In 1874, they are back in Texas for the birth of Sophronia. William Lonzo is born February 24th, 1876, in parts unknown, and Sam Tilton is born in Prairieview Township, Logan County, Arkansas, on October 18th, 1877. On June 1st, 1879, Rutheford (Rufe or Rufus) Craighead is born, also in Arkansas.

The family again shows up on the 1880 Census of Logan County, Arkansas. Here, Allen is listed as Craighead, A.C., and is identifiable only by the names of his children. In 1881, David is born, followed by brother Harve on February 29th, 1884, and sister Dove in 1888.

The destruction of the 1890 Census records has caused us no end of trouble. The 1880 Census is the LAST documentary evidence we have of the existence of Allen Craighead.

What we do not have:

After that, there are many family stories. We are told that Mary was half or full Cherokee, and that Allen died, and Mary took the children with her back to the reservation (i.e. Indian Territory / Oklahoma). However, a questionnaire filled out by Sam Tilton craighead in 1949 states that Mary died in 1893 in Sallisaw, Sequoyah County, OK, (Then Cherokee Nation, I.T.), and that Allen died in 1897 in Springer, Carter Co., OK, (Then Choctaw Nation, I.T.)

No burial for either individual has ever been located.

Recent evidence points to possible connections between Allen and a line of Craigheads descended from Jefferson Craighead, b 1839, Smith County. Robert Jefferson (Jeff), bc 1869, son of Jefferson, was living in Carter County at the same time that Sam says that Allen died there. Is it only coincidence? Others have speculated a relationship, perhaps that of uncle & nephew, and this certainly seems likely. But, again, no proof as yet exists.

Some of these children we have no further record of after the 1880 Census. We do not know what happened, for example, to Allen, Andrew J., or Sohpronia. We are told by Samuel Tilton (and suspect it is true) that they died at a young age. Obediah is said to have died at 22 years, (1894).

Some suggest that Allen is the son of Shelton Craighead of Smith County, TN. However, this is undisputedly NOT true. We have convincing proof, in the form of an estate sale record, that Shelton died in the year 1823 or early in 1824. While it is possible that Allen could be lying about his age a little, or just plain getting it wrong, the conflicting dates about his age we seem to find tend towards AFTER 1829, NOT before. If anything, he was lying and saying he was OLDER, not younger, than he really was.

Finally, a few words from Samuel suggest that Allen is the son of Peter Craighead of Smith County, TN, bc 1790. Sam says that Allen had an older brother named Obe who remained in Tennessee. In all of the records of the Tennessee Craighead families, there is only ONE Obe who is in the right era. And he is the proven son of Peter.

However, one last word. If he is the son of Peter, why did he never go back to Tennessee, to visit his brother Obe, if not his father Peter, who lived till at least 1867? Since he has almost no connection throughout his life to Tennessee, it is my belief that he was born, and perhaps spent some of his youth, in Smith County, but he did not reach maturity there. Perhaps, if he was left orphaned at a young age, (perhaps around 1840? See the section on the Reece-Craighead Families,) and was sent West to live with the Sutton Family, it would explain why he roamed so much for all his life. He was an orphan, rootless.