DOUGLASS RELATIVES
LETTER ABOUT
FRANCES MARCH CARTER
ARMILDA'S MOTHERThe following was given to the Lompoc Valley Historical Society by Clifford Canfield. Canfield and Van Clief historian.
My heritage: by Mrs. Dorothy Lee Morris, of San Marino, CA - 20 Jan. 1848 (written as an English class project).
I have descended from at least five generations of hardy American pioneers. I will tell some of the facts about my ancestors, starting with the oldest known. Francis March Carter had 14 children. She had a set of twins; William, who served in the Union Army, and Sarah Elizabeth, who later married Nathaniel Samuels. The other children were: Daniel, who served in the Union Army, when he was an old man, he disappeared and it was presumed that he had been murdered, John Jefferson; Lawrence; James; Charles; Ann Eliza, who died at age of 95; Suzanna, who had 7 children; Armilda Frances, one of Lompoc's early pioneers; Lutica, who had 5 children;Tabitha Ellen, who had 10 children; Mary, who died while an infant and an unnamed Baby Boy (who also died).
After Charles Washington Carter (Frances' husband) died in 1868, his widow married Moses Stice. They started to California on Apr. 12, 1865. They went to Council Bluffs, IA, where a wagon train was made up. There were about 24 wagons in the train. The Captain's name was Crow. They had 2 wagons and a two horse buggy. The Stices had 4 horses to each wagon. Some other people in the train were Uriah Covey and wife; Fred Ishman, driver for Covey; the Stanbrook family; the Bassett family and the Sowerd family. The last named were southern people who brought an omnibus to drive in Sacramento, and they also brought two Negro women slaves, one of which died on the way.
They went up the Platte River to a slope of the Rockies and crossed South Fork of Platte near Cheyenne. They joined another train after crossing. They had to camp there for several days because of the small ferry and the swift water. The ferry only carried two wagons at a time. One man drowned when he rode his horse across. They also had their cattle swim across the river. They arrived at Elmira, California in October, where the Stices lived on an 160 acre ranch.
One of Frances' children, Sarah Elizabeth, came to California in the wagon train too. In California she met Nathaniel Samuels, a farmer who was born in Alabama. Later she married him and they had 8 children. Among them was a set of twins, Frances Arrel, my grandmother, and Moses, a farmer who looked and acted like Will Rogers. Her other two children were Ked, a farmer, Carrie, who had 9 children, among them two sets of twins, Rose Ella, Kate, William and Jessie, married John Wesley Mann, who was born in Mansfield, Ohio. They had seven children of which my mother was the youngest. John Wesley Mann was a bootmaker, dairyman, farmer and storekeeper.
Charles Washington Carver, born in Virginia, died in 1858. Married and had two children, Martha Ann and Nancy. Martha married a man named Arnold. Nancy married Winn. Later Carter married Frances March, my great grandmother. After his death she married her sister's widower Moses Stice.
Frances had 14 children by Carter, 7 boys and 7 girls. Will, Dan, Jeff, Lawrence, James, Charles, Eliza Ann, Sarah Elizabeth, Susan, Armilda, Lou, Ticy and Ellen. Two other died when very small.
Grandpa Stice had 6 boys, Buford, Type, Jonathan, Andrew, Richard and Columbus, and three girls: Lucinda, Elizabeth and Almira Swope. Lucinda married Henry Harris, Elizabeth married a Winn and Almira married Swope.
Grandpa Stice came to California around 1850. His wife died so he went back to Missouri and married her sister, Grandma Carter.
They started for California 12 Apr. 1865. Went to Council Bluffs where the train was made up. (all this is repetition to what went before..) My mother was born in Suisun, then they went to Oregon where Aunt Rose was born, then to California, had a ranch in Santa Ana where Katy and Uncle Will were born.
Pop was born in Solano County, Calif about 1878, he died in July 1961 and I think he was 83. Can't find anything at all for him. He had several brothers and sisters. Mose and Arl were twins and I think about the age of Uncle Dan. Carry married Isaac Clanton, Rose married Albert Roth, Kate married Herbert (I think) Buffam; Jesse the youngest sister wasn't right and died early. Uncle Mose the oldest and Uncle Bill the youngest married mother and daughter. Dorothy Mann the daughter of Aunt Arl (she was nutty as a fruit cake) lives or did in Santa Barbara and could give you a much better account that I have. She lived at 911 San Pasqual in Santa Barbara, maybe if you wrote it might be forwarded to her if she has married since Aunt Kate died.
I was born in Los Angeles April 13, 1909 and taken to Lompoc in June of 1909 and adopted by the folks, came back to Northridge, then Zelzah, married and lived in Hollywood until Mom died in 1946 and then we bought the home place and have sold all but 3 lots (and that is enough to pay taxes on in this mans town).
Verner Lee Greenwood was born in Washington Indiana on November 21, 1897, came to California about 1925, was married and his wife died and we were married 18 months later, August 22, 1939.
Arthur Douglas was born June 9, 1915 some where in Oregon and brought to the folks when he was 10 months old. They adopted him when he was 2 I think. There were 2 other children, Lloyd who was taken to Oregon with his mother after Uncle Arthur died in 1920. Uncle Charlie always kept in touch with them. Arthur came to see me a while ago after 20 years and said that he has tried to find Lloyd but no luck. Francis the younger was adopted by the Averys and I have no idea what happened to him and Arthur said he couldn't find him either. Arthur married Mildren Madrin born June 14, 1911, There were 2 children, Caroline Ann August 27 and Arthur Jr. June 28, (Mom's first grandchild was born 2 days after she died.) Arthur has divorced Millie and is married again but can't remember her name.
The only Douglas I remember was Uncle John and Aunt Abbie and they lived on that street near the baptist church. There are pictures of them in this package. There was a Marvin Douglas that used to come and stay with me when we lived at Lompoc and I think they hailed from Fallbrook.
I have nothing on Grandfather Samuels except that he was much older as was Grandfather Douglas. Could these pictures be of great grandparents?
The potato crop had to be before 1920 because that was the year we came down here. Also, I have no remember of it at all.
Also, I have lost Ruth's address.
Letter to me (Elsie) in 1980's - from Juna Samuels Greenwood
Rev. John Smithers married Millie Leege and Charles Douglass - the Rev. remarked "Adam gave a rib to gain a wife, and Charles acquired a Leege to gain a wife!" They had two children - Charlotte Mildred Douglass and Irma L. Douglass. Charles Douglas' father was Cyrus Douglass and Armilda Frances Carter.
Charlotte and Irma Douglass
Right to Left: Eva, Elsie, Ethel, Anderson (Bud) and Marvin
Aunt Elsie with cake celebrating the Douglass Family Reunion 1996.
Daisy Pearl Douglass and Ked Samuels (married August 30, 1905) - two children, Juna and Arthur Douglass Samuels
