Asa Lee Crow, Sr., born October 8, 1884, Charleston, MSCROW
Died November 13, 1967 Galveston, Texas
Married April 25, 1911 Galveston, Texas
Margaret Jeannetta Stafford, born October 26, 1889, Galveston, Texas
Died April 30, 1973, Galveston, Texas
Both buried in Episcopal Cemetery, Galveston, TexasParents of William (Buzz) Stanley Sinclair, Jr.:
William Stanley Sinclair, Sr. Born 9/27/1877
Died 7/17/1961 Galveston, Texas
Married 10/14/1899
Mary Lufkin Van Alstyne Born 7/17/1878
Died 4/21/1963 Galveston, Texas
(Webmaster's comment: There are handwritten notes in the Sinclair data that state "____ had one other child--Catherine--who died at birth in 1900. She is buried in the Van Alstyne-Lufkin plot in that cemetery on Broadway in Galveston, TX. It is located near K on the east street just inside the gate." I have found indications that Mary Lufkin Van Alstyne and William Stanley, Sr., had five children. I knew only of four until recently. Perhaps this was the fifth child that died.)Both buried in Lakeview Cemetery; Galveston, Texas
Asa Lee CROW: Son of Asa Lafayette Crow who came to Charleston, Mississippi, from Decatur, Alabama, after the Civil War, and brought his brothers Riley, a doctor; Daniel, a lawyer; and George with him. He had a general mercantile store and owned 6000 acres of land with another man--probably Abel BETTS, his father-in-law. His first wife, Mary Foree BETTS, died at the age of 37, leaving 6 children: Abel, Daniel Reid, Asa Lee, John Herbert, Foree, and Lucy. He married again, Jennie RUSSELL.
When Asa Lee was 14, he left home and went to live with his older brother David Reid in Dallas, Texas. He worked in a grocery store first and then went to work for the MK&T Railroad. When he was sent to Galveston to be ticket agent, he met and later married Margaret Jeannetta STAFFORD on April 25, 1911.* They lived in Tennessee. In 1915, their first child was born in Galveston--Mary Kate CROW--and they moved to Galveston. Margaret went to Galveston to have her baby (Mary Kate). Asa Lee quit his railroad job and went to Galveston to work for Brewer W. KEY at the Gulf Lumber Company. Later, Asa Lee became president of the lumber company. Brewer W. KEY was Margaret STAFFORD’s uncle by marriage. Galveston was the beneficiary of Mr. Key's generosity.
Asa Lee CROW’s mother and father are buried in Charleston, MS. He had 5 or 6 half-brothers and half-sisters by his father’s second wife, Jennie RUSSELL. Asa Lafayette CROW died in 1908 in Charleston, MS.
Mary Foree BETTS, Asa Lee CROW’s mother
Born in Charleston, Mississippi, 1851
Died in Charleston, Mississippi, 1888
Buried in Charleston, Mississippi
Married Asa Lafayette CROW, January 19, 1871
Mary Foree BETTS
Her parents: Abel Benedict BETTS
Susan MARSHALL
Her BETTS Grandparents: Ira BETTS
Hannah BENEDICT
Married in Connecticut
Asa Lafayette CROW
His parents: Daniel R. CROW
Sarah A. E. Bodery
Married 3/16/1843
Parents and siblings of Asa Lafayette CROW:
1850 Census Morgan County, Alabama
D. R. Crow 27 M Farmer Alabama
Sarah A. E. Bodery 26 F Alabama
John F. 6 M Alabama
Evaline 5 F Alabama
Louisa 2 F Alabama
Asa 3 M Alabama
Wm. Rufus 4/12 M Alabama
BETTS
1. Robert BETT (BETTES) of Bearsted, County, Kent England.
Born:
Died: 1572
2. Alexander (son of Robert BETTES) of Bearstead and West Peckham, Co., Kent. Buried in West Peckham, November 25, 1594. Married at Langley, Co. Kent on February 9, 1544/5 to Joan LARKYN.
3. John (son of Alexander Robert) of West Peckham, Co., Kent Yoeman. Baptized at Bearsted, September 23, 1576. Buried in W. Peckham, August 8, 1620. Married before 1600 to Mary BIGGES.
4. Thomas BETTES (John? Alexander ? Robert) of West Peckham, Co., Kent and Guilford, Milford, and Norwalk, Connecticut. Baptized at West Peckham between May 10 and December 4, 1608. Came to Roxbury, Massachusetts. Came to Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1634, evidenced by a record of land sale. In 1636 he was in Weathersfield, CT, and in Milford in 1639, then to Guilford. In 1643, he married Mary __________. He died in Norwalk in 1662.
5. James BETTS, born Norwalk, CT, in 1663. Died July ____, 1753, age 90 and some months. Married Hannah BOUTON, born 1675, died August 23, 1748.
6. Benjamin BETTS died between 1780 and 1781. Married January 2, 1972, Rebecca TAYLOR born February 1705, died 1805 (over 100 years old). Resided in Wilton, CT, and was active in church and civic movements.
7. Elijah BETTS, born June 5, 1745. He was a Revolutionary soldier.
8. Ira BETTS, born June 1, 1799, died at Wilton, CT, February 19, 1864, age 85 years. Married Hannah BENEDICT, daughter of Capt. Benajob Benedict, born August 30, 1779, died March 21, 1867. He was a captain in the War of 1812.
9. Abel Benedict BETTS married Susan MARSHALL, 1847. They are buried near Charleston, Mississippi.
10. Mary Foree BETTS born 1851, married Asa Lafayette CROW.
11. Asa Lee CROW, born 1884.
Each number is the offspring of the one above.
MARSHALL
1. Col. Thomas MARSHALL (father of Chief Justice John MARSHALL) born April 2, 1730, of Virginia married Mary KEITH
Col. MARSHALL is written up in many biographies.
2. Charles MARSHALL (son of Col. Thomas MARSHALL) married Lucy PICKETT.
3. Charles Coatsworth MARSHALL (son of Charles MARSHALL) born August 10, 1799.
Married Judith Steptoe BALL, born March 21, 1805.
The STEPTOEs and BALLs were also prominent families. The STEPTOEs are related by marriage to the MARSHALLs. Our BALL family is the same that George Washington is descended from, only different lines.
4. Susan MARSHALL born 1826 (daughter of Charles C. MARSHALL) married Abel Benedict BETTS. They are buried near Charleston, MS.
5. Mary Foree BETTS (daughter of Susan MARSHALL and A. B. BETTS) born 1851, died 1888. Married Asa Lafayette CROW, 1871. They lived in and are buried in Charleston, MS.
6. Asa Lee CROW (son of Asa Lafayette CROW and Mary Foree BETTS) born October 8, 1884. Died November 13, 1967. Married April 25, 1911, Margaret Jeannetta STAFFORD, born October 26, 1889, died April 30, 1973. Were married (Trinity Episcopal Church) and buried (The Episcopal Cemetery)in Galveston, Texas.
Col. William Maner STAFFORD - father of Margaret Jeannetta STAFFORD
Rachael Providence AUDEBERT was the descendent of Pierre ROBERT, who came to S. Carolina in 1686. He was the pastor of a large group of Huguenots. They settled in the French Santee Section, about 60 miles north of Charleston, SC. The earliest Huguenot church in Charleston has a plaque with his name on it.
VEDDER
Kate Eleanor VEDDER - mother of Margaret Jeanetta STAFFORD
KING
Margaret A. KING, grandmother of Margaret Jeannetta STAFFORD.
Margaret Ashburn KING, daughter of Gray B. KING who was born about 1790 around Kings Mountain, North Carolina or Knoxville, Tennessee, and who died 1836 in Texas. He married 1825 Susan ASHBURN who was born about 1795, in Tennessee and they had three children: Benjamin Franklin KING, born 1826; Margaret Ashburn KING, born 1830, and Maria, born about 1832 (on the way to Texas Maria died).
Gray KING, his wife, children, and slaves came to Texas to live on their land grants. He died just before the Battle of San Jacinto, 1836, in that area (Runaway Scrape). His widow and children went on to live on their property and a year later his widow died. The children were placed under the guardianship of Col. Jarvis RHODES who moved with them to Galveston after a bad hurrican destroyed their home. At the age of 15, Benjamin ran away and was heard of no more, but it is thought he became an Indian scout. Col. Rhodes lost all their property except for some slaves.
Gray KING’s cousin was William R. KING, who was elected a vice-president of the USA but died before he served.
Margaret KING married Jacob Suydam VEDDER December 1849 in Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston, Texas, by Reverend Benjamin EATON. She died 1901 in Galveston, Texas, and is buried there in the Episcopal cemetery.
Jacob Suydam VEDDER, born June 6, 1818, in Schenectady, New York. His mother was Sarah SUYDAM. The first VEDDER in this country was Harmon Albertse VEDDER who came from Holland and settled in the Mohawk Valley Community, which became Schenectady, in 1663. He was sheriff of the town in 1674. In 1673, was one of the 3 magistrates. Died 1717.
Jacob was the youngest of 24 children. His father married first a widow with 6 children; they had six children; she died; he married another widow with six children, and they had six children. Jacob had 2 sisters, Eleanor and Katherine and three brothers, George, Madison and Volkurt. (Sec. Of State Lansing, under Woodrow Wilson had four children who married four VEDDERs). (His cousin was Elihu VEDDER, a famous artist of the 1800's. If ever in Washington, D.C., go to the Congressional Library and you will see the paintings and mosaics of Elihu VEDDER).
Jacob and Charles ADAMS came to Texas in 1845 around December 26 to seek their fortune. They needed a housekeeper, so they rented one female slave from Margaret KING. Jacob and Margaret married in 1848. Jacob and Charlie ADAMS opened a mercantile store and imported many beautiful goods. The 1872 Galveston directory showed the VEDDERs and their daughter Kate, who had married Col. William Maner STAFFORD, living at Tremont and Broadway. The mercantile store was at 24th and Mechanic. William Maner STAFFORD was a cotton broker whose office was listed at 153 Strand. Later they moved (the VEDDERs and STAFFORDs) to 27th and Broadway where they lived during the 1900 storm.
Jacob and Margaret VEDDER had five girls and one son. They are buried in Galveston. One of their female slaves was buried with them.
SINCLAIR
Col. Wm. H. SINCLAIR, grandfather of William (“Buzz”) Stanley SINCLAIR, Jr., mustered out of the Union Army at San Antonio and went back to Jonesville, Michigan, and married Phoebe BARTHOLOMEW and brought her and her sister and brother to Texas. Her sister married a Mr. BEISSNER in Galveston and the brother, Eugene BARTHOLOMEW, became a banker in Austin, Texas. Col. SINCLAIR became a very prominent businessman in Galveston. He was president of the Railway Company (streetcars drawn by mules) among other things. This company put up the Electric Building on the beach, the first building built for public pleasure there and the first building to have electric lights. It burned down a year or two after it was built. He promoted the building of the Beach Hotel (1888) which also burned down later on (1898) before 1900. The Sinclair’s house was badley damaged in the Great Fire in Galveston (40 blocks destroyed) and they moved to the Beach Hotel and she died there. He died in New York on a trip to promote some aid for Galveston in 1897.
VAN ALSTYNE
William VAN ALSTYNE, from Scodack Landing, New York, came to Texas in 1841 to seek his fortune. He lived in Houston and became a wealthy man. He put up the first 3-story building in Houston and was on the board to bring the first train to Texas. The Buffalo Bayou Brazos and Colorado Railway, which later became part of the S. Pacific’s main line. We don’t know how VAN ALSTYNE made his money but he lost it in the crash of 1890's. His son, A. A. VAN ALSTYNE, married Catherine Stone LUFKIN of Galveston and they had two daughters: Mary (Mrs. Wm. S. SINCLAIR, Sr.) and Alberta (Mrs. HARVEY) and moved to Galveston where the girls grew up.
The father of Catherine Stone LUFKIN was Abram P. LUFKIN, a ship captain from Bucksport, Maine, who came to Galveston in 1843.
* (Mom often told the webmistress about Asa Lee proposing to Margaret. She was torn between him and another young man and initially turned him down. When he left town, her friends told her she should not pass up the chance to marry such a fine young man. Margaret got word to Asa Lee that she would marry him. In his telegram to her, he replied, "Sure am glad.").