McGough Family by Brandie Via

McGoughs Who Moved to Texas

by Brandie Via

Generation No. 1

1. ROBERT1 MCGOUGH1 was born 1725 2,3, and died in , Mecklenburg, NC4,5.

iv. JOHN MCGOUGH12, b. 21 Aug 1761, County Down, Northern

Ireland 12; d. 17 Oct 1847, White Plains, Greene County, Georgia12; m.

though still a minor, enlisted in the patriot army under Col. William

Washington and participated in the battles of Brandywine, Eutaw Springs and

Saratoga, where he saw the proud Burgoyne surrender to Gen. Gates. He was

twice wounded, once on the head by a saber in the hands of a British officer

and once by a gunshot. Soon after the Revolution he was married to Margaret

Mill and settled in Edgefield district, S. C., from which place he moved to

White Plains, Greene County, GA., where he died in 1847, at the ripe age of

2. v. WILLIAM MCGOUGH, b. 1763; d. 1823, Jones or Twigg County,

2. WILLIAM2 MCGOUGH (ROBERT1)13,14 was born 176315,16, and died 1823 in

Jones or Twigg County, GA17,18. He married NANCY SHARP19,20. She was born

William, the most elusive of the three sons of ROBERT MCGOUGH & MATILDA

CARSON, was born about 1767 in County Down Northern Ireland and came to

America with his family in 1773. The family moved to North Carolina and shortly

thereafter settled in Mecklenburg Co., but his father died in 1778

when William was eleven. When he turned twenty-one he inherited one-fifth

of his father's estate, which was valued at 1,357 pounds. It appears he

started building his empire with his inheritance at an early age. In 1792,

he purchased a slave and was already accumulating land by the time he was in

his early twenties. He appeared to be alternately living between Greene

County, GA and Abbyville County, SC. Whenever there was Indian trouble in

Georgia, families moved back into South Carolina for safety. William was

11 Dec 1797 living Greene Co. bought 100 acres Greene Co. GA

18 Jan 1799 living Abbeville bought 163 acres Greene Co. GA

7 Jan 1800 living Abbeville bought 200 acres Greene Co. GA

7 Jan 1800 living Abbeville sold 200 acres Greene Co. GA

He also added to his holdings by a head right grant in 1792 in Greene Co.

and land lotteries in 1820 and 1821. He had amassed a fortune by that day's

standards by the time he died in 1823. His administrators were required to

post $16,000 bond when settling his estate. Bonds were usually set at

1/10th the estimated value of the estate; meaning the estate was valued at

We cannot determine when he married NANCY ?? , (B 1785 SC), but I suspect

William was married more than once. The Abbeville Co., SC census for 1800

shows William with a wife and two males under ten and Nancy was only fifteen

at the time. It is possible the wife was Nancy, but unlikely, unless the

first children were twins, and twins do run repeatedly through the McGough

family. South Carolina did not keep marriage records at the time, so it is

doubtful we will ever know for sure when he married or how many wives he

William was not old enough to have fought in the Revolutionary War, except

perhaps in the latter days. He was only 8 when it started and 16 when it

ended. The only service record I found was with Major-General ELIJAH CLARKE

Clarke was a distinguished soldier of the Revolutionary War, whose life had

been spent leading men into battle and developing military strategy. In

1794, a man without an army, he gathered together the remnants of the army

that had fought under him and organized a force to fight the Indians. At

the time, Georgia only extended west to the Oconee River. Clarke set up camp

across the Oconee River in Indian territory on land he had acquired from the

Indians by treaty. Clarke in defeating the hostile Indians in the area and

securing for Georgia, a large territory. These independent actions were

unauthorized, but nevertheless, received the applause and gratitude of the

Perhaps feeling his renewed power, or perhaps in a misguided gesture he established a

Trans-Ooconee Republic, and forts were set up. Clark set out recruiting

parties to round up supporters. Among the recruiters named were JOSEPH

CARSON, ADAM CARSON (husband of SARA MCGOUGH) and WILLIAM MCGOUGH. ADAM

CARSON and his brother DAVID CARSON were put in command of two of the forts.

The Federal Government and Georgia both tried to ignore the whole effort as

being inconsequential since the settlement had become very popular with the

citizens. But pressures about "the blatant disrespect for the law being

allowed to prosper under the very nose of the government" brought the issue

to a head. A certain COL. WILLIAM MELTON was sent to request surrender of

the forces on the Oconee, and he found Adam Carson in command of FT. Delance.

He described him as "the most ostensible character, who efforts were in vain

as the "Trans-Oconee Republic" was short lived, having met with overpowering

This is the only mention I have found of military service for William,

unless he was in the home guard in the close of the war when no formal

Sometime along the way, William moved to Jones Co., GA. Court records

indicated this is where he died in the latter part of 1823. Since there was

no will, the court listed his administrators as Nancy, his wife, and Thomas

Carson and James C. his sons. We do not find Nancy again until the 1850

census where she is living with daughter, Elizabeth, in Talbot County, GA.

She is not found in 1860, so we assume she had died during this 10 year

period. I have not determined the resting place of either William or Nancy.

The children of William also is a questionable area. THOMAS CARSON and

JAMES C. are documented in the administration papers for his estate, and

ELIZABETH'S obituary indicates she was the daughter of William and Nancy

McGough, so we can be fairly sure they are his children. SARAH is indicated

as being the daughter of William and Nancy McGough in a book on the CARSON

family and WESTBROOK family tradition says William was the son of this

William. I have found no records or document to discredit this information,

and census records do support it. Since their ages match with William's

life span, I have included them. I have also included MARGARET as his child

because she was married in the same county during this same time period, and

taking into consideration her birth date, he was the only McGough in the

area to whom she could have belonged. Margaret also moved to Talbot County,

GA, and was living near Elizabeth in the 1850 census. Since the McGough

name was so uncommon during this time, I feel this is a good assumption.

With a more common name, I would not have made the same association. There

have been only a few cases where I found the McGough name without being able

to place them within the family somewhere. The marriage records did not

show the parents, so as of this date, Margaret and Sarah are only

i. MARGARET3 MCGOUGH24, b. 179324; m. BEJAMIN R. SEARCY, 18 Jun

3. ii. THOMAS CARSON MCGOUGH, b. 23 Nov 1799, ,Abbeville, SC; d. 12

iii. JAMES C. MCGOUGH24, b. 1802 24; d. Bet. 1892 - 1895 24; m.

iv. WILLIAM MCGOUGH24, b. 1804 24; m. MARTHA MCMILLIN, 14 Jan

v. SARAH MCGOUGH24, b. 24 May 1805 24; d. 23 Oct 188324; m. ADAM

vi. ELIZABETH MCGOUGH24, b. 02 Mar 1808, GA 24; d. 17 Mar 1859,

Talbot County, GA24; m. JOHN BAREFIELD, 04 Feb 1827, Jones county, Georgia.

3. THOMAS CARSON 3 MCGOUGH (WILLIAM 2, ROBERT 1)25,26 was born 23 Nov 1799 in

,Abbeville, SC27,28, and died 12 Aug 1880 in Eastland county, TX 28. He

married LANA KITCHENS 29,30 24 Aug 1832 in Jones County, GA 31,32. She was

born 1810 in SC33,34, and died 1850 in ,Warren, GAv35,36.

Thomas Carson, was the oldest known child of WILLIAM & NANCY MCGOUGH.

Documents show he led a varied life, but do not give us a vivid picture of

the man. He owned a plantation seven miles east of Macon, GA and

undoubtedly was a learned man, as one son remembered a large library. He was

a justice of the peace in Twigg County, GA, a surveyor in Florida, and a

schoolteacher and postmaster in Texas. Thomas married Lana Kitchens (B 1810

SC) in Jones County, GA on 24 Aug. 1832. She was connected with the BROOK

and KELLEY families of Warren Co., GA. Lana died giving birth to Georgiann

about 1850. Family tradition says he married another woman and left his

children with her sometime in 1856 to go to Florida. She was said to have

mistreated the children, and William, James, Elizer and Lana decided to move

west with some family members sometime in 1856. The oldest sons, Henry and

Thomas are not mentioned in the account of moving west or any account of the

family I have read. We don't know what happened to Henry but Thomas is said

to have married a blind girl and moved to California and was never heard

from again. The youngest child Georgiann, died before the brothers and

sisters decided to move west of a severe case of stomach worms.

Whether there were hard feelings between the father and the children fro him

having left them in GA, I can not determine. Sometime between 1856 and

1860, Thomas Carson McGough moved to Texas and found his children as he is

again shown living with his son, William in the 1860 census, in Parker Co,

TX. He is shown as being a school teacher. He was still living with

William in FT. Griffin, Eastland County, TX in 1870, where he is shown as a

farmer. On 12 Aug. 1874, when he was 75, Thomas was appointed as postmaster

of McGough Springs. He died from a fall off a wagon on 12 Aug. 1880, in

Eastland County, TX, and is buried in what is called the McGough Cemetery; a

small plot on land now owned by Finis Johnson, next to the original

Occupation: Justice of the Peace, Twigg County, Georgia

California and was never heard from again. He had a boy and a girl.

iv. WILLIAM CARSON MCGOUGH38, b. 11 Dec 1836, ,Twigg County,

GA 38; d. 20 Apr 1927, Eastland county, TX38; m. (1) PAULINA BIRCH, 18 Jan

1858, Weatherford, Parker County, TX; b. 08 Jul 1838; m. (2) MARY E.

WESTBROOK, 10 Jun 1875, Erath County, Texas; b. 26 Jan 1860; d. Aug 1893; m.

(3) EQUILLAH RUSHING, 05 Mar 1895, Palo Pinto County, Texas; m. (4) DRUCELLA

WEBB, 02 Sep 1900; b. 04 Oct 1881; d. 24 Oct 1960, Eastland County, Texas.

of THOMAS CARSON MCGOUGH and LANA KITCHENS was born 11 Dec 1836, in Twigg

county, GA. He was a colorful character to say the least. When his mother

died at age 14, he became restless, and at 17 he ventured out on his own.

He stayed in Warren County, GA for a year and then moved to Cass county,

going into the saloon business for a time and then carrying the mail during

RILEYS, BELLS & KELLEY'S, decided to move from Georgia to Texas. His

brothers and sisters were not treated well by their step-mother and their

father had deserted them to go to Florida as a surveyor. William and James

took the responsibility of their sisters and joined the wagons moving west

in 1856. Another account indicates William left Georgia because of a fight

he got into with the brother of his step-mother. Whatever his reason for

leaving, the trip proved to be a harrowing experience. The flooding

Mississippi River where they crossed at St. Francis, was 3 miles wide. A

flat boat mishap almost cut their venture short. Then came 40 miles of mud

and water axle deep. The White River and Cold water river had to be crossed

next. Even the dry Grand Prairie had the hazards of the vicious green flies

and buffalo gnats. When they reached the city of Dallas, it consisted of

two log-cabin stores and only a few residences and was not the welcoming

isolation and lack of roads and civilization, wild animals, hostile Indians

and unknown dangers, made the women of the party decide against continuing.

Eighteen miles west of Ft. Worth, the RILEYS and BELLS turned toward what

would become Hood County, TX and two KELLY families decided to return to

Georgia and wanted to take Eliza and Lana with them. The KELLY'S soon

realized William would not be separated from his sisters and they were left

the four children who had only their clothing and $13.90. William and his

little family caught a ride to Parker County with two kindly youths named

TURNER in an ox cart. William and brother, James Barney, boarded Liza and

Lana with the JAMES ELLISON family, while they tried to decide their future.

They pre-emptied land and settled in Parker County, TX. Life was not easy

for two Georgia boys who were not skilled in hunting. There was game

aplenty in the forest but they lived on milk thickened with flour. Their

lack of knowledge may have been their savior, since they probably would have

been killed by the Indians had they ventured into the forest. Four years

later they became some of the first settlers in Eastland County, TX.

the foremost. William and his brother, James Barney, joined the State

Militia at an early age; necessity making them Indian fighters. William

moved into unsettled Indian territory and on 1 Nov. 1863, claimed land with

three fresh water springs. Because this was a favorite watering place of

the local Indians, William was forced on numerous occasions to defend the

claim the he called "McGough Springs". He was wounded several times in the

quick triggered justice. they fought Mexicans, Indians, bandits and cattle

thieves, furnishing their own, horse, gun and provisions. The six-shooter

that tamed the West, Samuel Colt's "Colt 45", was made with the

the State Militia in the same unit that is also shown as being the

Confederate Army during the Civil War. It appears that the State Militia

and the Confederate Army were indistinguishable about this time around

Eastland County, TX. Perhaps this also included the Texas Rangers, although

history insists they were distinct groups. Fighting men were scarce on the

frontier at this time and the same group of men did the fighting, whatever

far western "family fort" used throughout Civil War. Started by C.C. Blair,

1857 settler. 1861-1865 occupants were Wm. Arthur, Blair, J.M. Ellison;

Jasper, Jim and Tom Gilbert; W.C. McGough, W.H. Mansker and sometimes

others. The fort had 12 log cabins, 14 ft. square, 14 ft. apart in two

parallel rows. Pickets walled spaces between cabins. Ammunition and

supplies could be bought only by making long, dangerous trips to the Brazos

settlements or to the south. Men were hard to spare for a trip, from the

fort's defenders against the Indians. Candles, soap, soda, food, clothing

were made in the fort, by use of fat renderings, beeswax, wood ashes, wild

herbs, bark, roots, berries, animal skins. Families had to promote

education for their children. Other area forts included Allen's Ranch, also

in Eastland County; Lynch and Green Ranches, Shackelford county; Buffalo

Springs, Clay County; Bragg's and Murray's Forts, Young County; Picketville,

Fort Davis, Owls Head and Mugginsville, Stephens County. After the war,

Desdemona was established as a stop on the Old Waco-Fr. Griffin Road. It

boomed to fame when oil was discovered in 1918. Its call for help to end

positively documented, but in 1837 W. A. A. (Big Foot) Wallace might have

entered what later became Eastland County with a surveying expedition. Among

the first settlers in the county was Frank Sбnchez, a Mexican American who

arrived in the area in the 1850s. By 1858 residents included the families of

John Flannegan (or Flannagan) from Kentucky, W. H. Mansker from Arkansas, W.

C. McGough and James Ellison from Georgia, J. M. Ellison from Texas, and the

Gilbert boys from Alabama. That year the Texas legislature formed Eastland

County from land formerly assigned to Bosque, Coryell, and Travis counties;

the county was attached to Palo Pinto County for judicial purposes.

was established before the Civil War; another, Mansker Lake (later named

Alameda), was founded around 1859. Blair's Fort was built by C. C. Blair

about 1860 and used for protection against Indian raids. In 1860, the census

counted ninety-nine people living in the county, and the area's agricultural

economy had only begun to develop. While the agricultural census enumerated

330 sheep, 1,075 milk cows, and almost 2,550 other cattle in the county that

year, "improved" land comprised only 650 acres. Settlers were growing small

areas and frequent trouble from raiding Indians, the county remained

sparsely settled until the 1870s. Conflict between settlers and Kiowa and

Comanche Indians became serious enough during the 1860s that a company of

minutemen was organized to guard the frontier; the largest fight occurred at

Ellison Springs in August 1864. Due to the dangers of settlement in the

area, the county's population actually declined during the 1860s; in 1870

the census found only seventy-seven people living in Eastland County.

Agriculture had also declined since the beginning of the Civil War. There

were only five farms in the county in 1870, all of them smaller than twenty

acres in size; only sixteen acres of improved land existed in the entire

v. JAMES BARNEY MCGOUGH38, b. 24 Jan 1839, ,Twigg, GA38; d. 10

Dec 1896, Erath County, TX38; m. LYDIA WADE KEITH, 05 Jul 1863, Comanche

County, Texas; b. 20 Nov 1843, Titus County, Texas; d. 13 May 1915,

MCGOUGH & LANA KITCHENS, was born 24 Jan 1839 in Twigg County, Georgia. His

father deserted the children with a step-mother sometime in the early 1850's

and went to Florida. The step-mother was not kind to the children and in

1856 James Barney and his older brother, William Carson, decided to move

their two sisters west with some of their relatives. James Barney was only

17 and his brother only 19 when they joined the wagon train, but they

accepted the responsibility for their sisters who were only 10 and 13. The

children must have left a comfortable home outside Macon, GA, since an

account by William Carson says he remembers a large library on the Georgia

Plantation. We have no record of what happened to the plantation after the

children left, but before 1860 their father, Thomas Carson had found them in

the girls with the Ellison family while they ventured out into the frontier

wilderness to decide their future. James Barney and William Carson

presented land out being from a plantation in Georgia, they were not trained

to live on the wild Texas frontier. Game abound in the forest but they

weren't skilled enough to hunt it and lived on milk thickened with flour

from borrowed cows. Their lack of skill may have saved their lives since

they would of surely been killed by the Indians if they had ventured into

Carson, came to Texas and found the children. The 1860 census of Parker

County, TX, shows William Carson, Paulina, Sarah (his wife and daughter),

James Barney and their sister Lana Ann, and their father, Thomas Carson,

living in the same household. In 1863 the whole family moved over to

when there were Indian uprisings. The first wedding at this fort was BERRY

MOORE KEITH & SARAH JANE BLAIR. Berry Moore was to be James Barney's

brother-in-law and it was from this fort in July 1863, that James Barney and

Berry Moore Keith, rode to Comanche Co., TX, for a marriage license since

Eastland County had no courthouse. It isn't mentioned of they had a double

wedding but on 5 Jul. 1863, in Eastland County, James Barney married Lydia

Wade Keith, daughter of Gabriel Keith and Cynthia Jane Campbell. This was

James Barney joined the state militia as did his brother, William Carson.

Being an Indian fighter on the early frontier was not a choice but a real

necessity in order to survive. When the militia was formed, the state set a

quota of 45 men from the age of 18 to 45 for the Eastland County, area. It

took men from the counties of Eastland, Shackelford and Callahan to fill the

became the Confederate Army at the time of the Civil War. All the available

men were already formed and simply fought under whatever title was given to

them. James Barney is listed as 2nd Lieutenant and 1st Lieutenant in Capt.

Singleton Gilbert's Co., Erath Bat, Mounted Men, 2nd Frontier, CSA, during

the Civil War. Capt. Singleton died at the Battle of Ellison Springs in

August 1864, and James Barney was made Capt. This is the same company that

was also shown as the State Militia. I am not sure the Texas troops has

much time to fight the Yankees, they were too busy fighting the Indians

during this time. James Barney is shown as joining the CSA in April 1863

until the close of the war. Lydia filed for his Confederate pension on 12

head of cattle, 30 hogs and 10 head of goats to Lydia on 6 Sept. 1877.

Lydia's father deeded livestock to his wife at the same time. This was 19

years before his death and I know of no reason for the transfer.

and lived there until James died 10 Dec. 1896. He is buried there in Victor

Cemetery. Lydia died 13 May 1915 and is buried beside him.

vi. ELIZA JANE MCGOUGH40, b. 03 Mar 1843, ,Twigg, GA40; d. 22

May 1910, Eastland county, TX40; m. JAMES MADISON ELLISON, 1858, Parker

County, Texas; b. 25 Mar 1840, Jacksonville, Calhoun County, Alabama; d. 06

Jun 1923, Rio Grande Valley in Harlingen, Cameron county, Texas.

Thomas Carson McGough and Lana Kitchens, was born 3 mar. 1843, in Macon,

Twigg County, GA. She came to Texas with her brothers and sister in April

1856. Her mother was dead, her father was somewhere in Florida unknown to

the children and their step-mother mistreated the children, so Eliza's older

brothers decided the children should travel with relatives who were moving

west. The journey was hard for them since they had been raised on what must

have been a fairly nice plantation near Macon, GA. and the frontier wasn't

any better. Eliza and her sister, Lana, were boarded with the James Ellison

family while they sought to settle themselves in the new land.

frontier. James Ellison was from Tennessee and his wife was from Alabama,

indicating that his desire to explore the wilderness had already started.

James Ellison's two oldest children were born in Alabama, the next three

were born in Arkansas and the two youngest brothers were born in Texas.

They appeared to be always on the fringe of the frontier.

the unknown hand drawn the oldest son, James Madison, to push past the

fringe of the frontier on his own. In his search he found a perpetual

spring surrounded by fertile soil, game and natural protection providing all

the necessities of life. He said "This is the Place." He built a log cabin

and decided to return home to visit his parents. Here James L Madison

Ellison, son of James Ellison and Nancy Baird, found Eliza.

Parker County, TX. He took her to his log cabin at Ellison Springs in

Eastland County, TX, not far from McGough Springs, where William Carson

McGough lived. In the spring Texas Bluebonnets covered the country side

around the cabin, Eliza was described as a saintly soul who did everything

she could for others, but she was frail of statue. James Madison was a

horse breeder and he developed a superior breed of fine race horses. Horse

racing was the most popular sport for the men of the area. It was at one of

these horse races that their son, James Thomas was shot in an argument over

the outcome of the race. The losing horse was to be forfeited to the

winner. The Ellison horse was the clear winner, but battle ensued and James

Thomas was killed by a bullet intended for his father. The Ellison

household was engulfed with sadness. In order to comfort Eliza in her

grief, James Madison began construction of a new house. This house is still

standing after more than 100 years and the Ellison Spring still runs pure,

Baptist Church on his land. Eliza was a devoutly religious woman. On one

occasion, she enlisted the help of two puritanical baptist members to pray

that a wet--weather spring her husband had sold to a whiskey maker would dry

up. This it did, much to Eliza's delight and James Madison's dismay. You

could never convince Eliza it was because of the prevailing weather

arrow when he was 24 and kept a limp resulting from the injury for life.

Eliza died 22 May 1910, at Ellison Springs and is buried at Ellison Family

Graveyard which is on a grassy knoll shaded by spreading oak trees, across

the meadow from the homestead in Eastland. James Madison was grief stricken

without his faithful companion of 51 years, and brought his children to

Ellison Springs to share his home. The oil boom of 1917, brought changes.

He leased his land to the Texas and Pacific Oil and Coal Company, and bought

a citrus fruit farm in the Rio Grande Valley in Harlingen, Cameron County,

TX. James Madison died there on 6 Jun 1923, and was brought home by train

to be buried in the Ellison Graveyard by Eliza. His physical appearance

would have led one to be to believe he was a weak, frail man. He was five

feet, seven inches tall and weighed one hundred twenty seven pounds at

death. But looks were deceiving. He was a strong, wiry, vigorous

individual, with great perseverance and dauntless courage and an adventurous

spirit. he sustained an inner courage and spirit of independence throughout

his life and it enabled him to overcome hardships and accomplish many things

which contributed to the development of his community, county and state.

history of Ellison Springs by descendants of the Ellison Family. through

the efforts of 3 great granddaughters, Mrs. Alton White, Mrs. Raymond

Anderson and Mrs. R.D. Wright, the Ellison Springs home site and the Ellison

Family Graveyard have been designated historical landmarks by the Texas

Historical Commission. Historical markers were erected and dedicated at

Ellison Springs in 1975 and Ellison Family Graveyard in 1977. This is a

source of great pride to the descendants of Eliza McGough and James L.

Madison Ellison. The family history that is so meaningful to them has now

markers on north side of highway to find Ellison Family Graveyard.

two miles north of Gorman in southeastern Eastland County (at 32°14' N,

98°40' W) and runs east for six miles to its mouth on the Leon River, four

miles northeast of Gorman (at 32°15' N, 98°36' W). In its upper reaches the

stream traverses an area of steep-sloped terrain surfaced by shallow sandy

soils that support juniper, grasses, and scattered oak. In its lower reaches

it passes through steeply to moderately sloping hills, surfaced by shallow

stony clay and sandy loams that support oak, mesquite, and grasses. It is

probably named for J. M. Ellison, who had an early land grant in the area

through which it flows. In 1864 the Ellison Springs Indian Fight took place

4. vii. LANA ANN MCGOUGH, b. 19 Jan 1846, Twigg County, GA; d. 21

viii. GEORGIANN MCGOUGH40, b. 1849, Twigg County, GA40; d. 1850,

said to have died at about 1 year of age of a severe case of stomach worms

4. LANA ANN4 MCGOUGH (THOMAS CARSON3, WILLIAM2, ROBERT1)41,42 was born 19

Jan 1846 in Twigg County, GA43,44, and died 21 Nov 1933 in Staff, Eastland,

TX45,46. She married (1) SAM P. GILBERT47,48 1860 in ,Eastland, TX49,50,

son of THOMAS GILBERT and POLLY CUNNINGHAM. He was born 1832 in ,St. Clair,

Alabama51,52, and died 1869 in ,Eastland, TX53,54. She married (2) BERRY

BRITTIAN54 187554. He died Jan 1909 in Eastland county, TX54. She married

Her mother had died when she was 4 and her father went to Florida as a

surveyor and left the children with their step-mother who mistreated them.

In April, 1856, the children decided to move west to Texas with some

relatives. In 1860 she is living in Parker County, TX with her father, her

brother, William and his family and her brother, James Barney. They finally

settled in Eastland county, TX. Sometime in 1860, when she was 15 year's

old, she married her first husband, Sam B. Gilbert, who rasied horses for a

living. He belonged to the State Militia and in 1868 he was wounded by a

poison arrow in the last Indian battle at Ellison Springs. He died of the

wound 3 months later in Lampasas, TX. The census gives the date of birth of

Lana's fifth child, Ross, as 1869. If this is correct, she was pregnant when

Sam died. Lana didn't have very good luck with her husbands. In 1875, Lana

married her second husband, Berry Brittian . Her third husband was L.A.

Lanie did say that Lana did tell her a story of how she was at her brother

William (Bill) home and a Leveed man tried to climb or did climb into her

window at night. She thought it was a god and kicked at the thing and

realized it was a man. She told him to get out she told her sister in law

Notes from Kaye Schwertner: Interview with Lanie McMahon

Lanie McMahon said she didn't know of any family secrets. If there was one

she didn't know it; she felt the date of death for Sam Gilbert listed in

Helen Langston's Book " A history of Eastland County" is incorrect. She

Writings of the children born to Sam and Lana Ann say that they did have 5

Laynie said that Lana never talked about Sam Gilbert too much . She never

In 1902 in the preparation of the wedding supper for his daughter Ollie, he

accidently cut his wrist just above his thumb. All the wedding guest felt

sure that Berry would bleed to death so they sent his daughter's fiance

Severe McDonald, after his mother Lizzie McDonald Criswell. Lizzie Cristwell

was known to have a special gift that enabled her to stop blood from cuts.

Severe had to ride horseback about 3 miles to his mothers home. After

telling her about Berry she told him to go back to the party that the

bleeding had stopped. Severe checked the time on his mothers clock before

riding back. When he arrived back to the Brittians, Berry indeed had

stopped bleeding and they had also noted the time and it was at the exact

This incident is told by Lanie McDonald McMahon, daughter of Jim and Ollie

i. JIM5 GILBERT57, b. 11 Feb 1862, ,Eastland, TX57; d. 1869,

5. iii. WILLIAM MACKNESS GILBERT, b. 09 Feb 1864, ,Eastland, TX; d.

6. iv. ZILLA JANE GILBERT, b. 23 Feb 1866, Lampasses, TX; d. 28 Feb

v. ROSS B GILBERT57, b. Aug 1870, ,Eastland County, TX57; d.

viii. JENNIE BRITTIAN59, b. 1878, Texas59; d. 1878, Texas59.

x. FRANK BRITTAIN, b. Feb 1881, Texas; m. EDNA ROBASON,

xii. OLLIE CANDACE BRITTIAN61, b. 22 Jul 1885, Texas61.

xiii. DORA BRITTIAN61, b. 21 Nov 1888, Texas61; d. 16 Jul 1968,

5. WILLIAM MACKNESS5 GILBERT (LANA ANN4 MCGOUGH, THOMAS CARSON3, WILLIAM2,

ROBERT1)61 was born 09 Feb 1864 in ,Eastland, TX61, and died 05 Mar 1954 in

Abilene, Taylor, TX61. He married RYMIE CYMIE KIZZIE WRIGHT 10 Jul 1884 in

Eastland County, Texas. She was born 05 Jul 1865 in Henry County,

Tennessee, and died 18 Nov 1956 in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas.

8. i. JESSE GREEN6 GILBERT, b. 21 Jun 1885, Ranger, Eastland

9. ii. MYRTLE ANN GILBERT, b. 28 Apr 1887, Eastland County, Texas;

10. iii. SAMUEL NATHAN GILBERT, b. 19 May 1889, Eastland County,

11. iv. CAL HERMAN GILBERT, b. 02 Apr 1892, Eastland County, Texas;

v. ULA MAE GILBERT, b. 18 Sep 1894, Eastland County, Texas; d.

12. vi. LAURA GERTRUDE GILBERT, b. 12 Oct 1896, Olden, Eastland

13. vii. ZILLAH EMMERINE GILBERT, b. 28 Jan 1899, Olden, Eastland

viii. ORAN LINSEY GILBERT, b. 20 Apr 1902, Stonewall County,

14. ix. COLONEL ROBERT GILBERT, b. 20 Jul 1904, Stonewall County,

x. THOMAS FRANKLIN GILBERT, b. 18 Nov 1906, Stonewall County,

6. ZILLA JANE5 GILBERT (LANA ANN4 MCGOUGH, THOMAS CARSON3, WILLIAM2,

ROBERT1)63,64 was born 23 Feb 1866 in Lampasses, TX65,66, and died 28 Feb

1964 in Abernathy, Hale County, TX67,68. She married JAMES ANCEL BEARDEN,

son of ANCEL BEARDEN and MARTHA BURT. He was born 14 Mar 1853 in Atlanta,

Georgia, and died 06 Feb 1931 in Abernathy, Hale County, Texas.

James Ancel and James Marion (brothers) died within 5 days of each other,

Burial: Script Cemetary, Abernathy, Hale County, Texas

15. iii. RUEBEN SAMUEL BEARDEN, b. 30 Jun 1885, Eastland County,

16. iv. JOHN CUSTER BEARDEN, b. 17 Sep 1889; d. 30 Sep 1968, Plains,

17. v. CARSON ANCEL BEARDEN, b. 04 Mar 1892; d. Jul 1978, Lubbock,

18. vi. ROSA ESTELLA BEARDEN, b. 21 Feb 1895, Palo Pinto, Texas; d.

19. vii. IVA FRANCIS BEARDEN, b. 21 Jan 1898; d. 14 Feb 1985,

20. viii. JEWEL LOUSIA BEARDEN, b. 02 Aug 1900; d. 17 Jan 1979,

x. ALENA LEOLA BEARDEN, b. 28 Jul 1907, Peacock, Texas; m.

information I have came from Bertha Scott's daughter. She is getting old and

can't see well, but her mind seems to be well - intact.

and Willie Royal. I have the information from the 1900 Montaque County TX.

7. NORA LIZZIE5 BRITTIAN (LANA ANN4 MCGOUGH, THOMAS CARSON3, WILLIAM2,

ROBERT1)73 was born 04 Mar 1883 in Texas73. She married SEVERE MCDONALD73