Dumas
Webb was born in 1859 to John G. Webb and Priscilla Bowles Webb.
He reports that he was born in Alabama on the census, but since his parents
are lost to us on the 1860 census, it is not known for certain if he was
born in Itawamba or Monroe County, or if he was not born in Lamar County,
Alabama instead.
In 1879, he married Nancy Harriet Sandlin, the daughter of Henry Hartio Race Sandlin, and the couple was found the next year in the census in Monroe County, Mississippi:
1880 Monroe County, Mississippi CensusThey had seven known children together and were living in the Sulligent, Lamar County, Alabama area in 1891 when one of the most famous incidents in the Webb family history took place. The article describing the murder of Dumas Webb is the best source of our information on this, so I will let it speak for itself, though I will add a comment or two in brackets:
Family #164
Webb, Dumas 18 M Farmer AL AL AL
Webb, Nancy 19 F Wife AL AL AL
Webb, William (F. or T.) 7/12 M Son MS AL AL
March 12, 1891 Kennedy, Lamar County, Alabama.Dumas' wife married again to a man named Dan Guyton and they eventually moved to Stigler, Haskell County, Oklahoma. She is buried there in an unmarked grave. It appears that most of the children went to Oklahoma as well, and thence to Arkansas for some, but at least one stayed behind in Mississippi. Nothing else is known of Jack's whereabouts after the murder. It is probable that he returned to Indian Territory with his wife, but some descendants of Dumas thought he went to Kentucky. It is certainly not the case that he was the ancestor of Loretta Webb Lynn, the country music singer who grew up in Kentucky. Her line has been well documented to an earlier date than Jack. But strangely enough, some descendants of Dumas have had links to Loretta Lynn's husband, one marrying Mr. Lynn's neice!
Killing Near Sulligent
Sulligent Al, March 7.
News reached this place today of the killing of Dumas Webb by his brother Jack Webb, five miles from here. The circumstances of the killing as gathered by your correspondant are as follows: The farm on whom Jack was living and which belongs to his father was cultivated last year by Dumas. When Dumas moved off the place he put the rent corn into the crib and left it there for his father, who resides in Itawamba County, MS. In passing the place now and then, he noticed that the corn was being taken by some one and he nailed the door up hard and fast. Yesterday morning he went over again and on arrriving found his brother Jack and [Jack's] wife in the crib Shelling Corn. This led to a quarrel between the two, when Jack went to the house got his Winchester rifle and taking diliberate aim at Dumas shot him through the heart. [Mr. Joseph Bilbo Webb, grandson of Dumas, relates that during the argument, Jack's wife tried to keep Dumas from chasing Jack into the house and was tugging at him by his coatsleeves. This sufficiently slowed him down to allow Jack to return from the house with his rifle. Dumas came up the porch and Jack lowered the gun. Dumas told him, "Shoot or be damned!" Jack shot, and the rest of the story follows the article.] No one was present but the two brothers and Jack's wife, who told this story to some person. Jack and wife bundled up their traps and left the country at once. They told to some of the neighbors on the road what had happened and claimed Dumas was rushing him with an open knife when he shot him. A crowd of neighbors went to the scene of the tradgedy and found Dumas' dead body which had been lying there since early in the morning until 2 o'clock p.m. Dumas Webb was a quiet personable citizen while his brother Jack has a character not to be envied. He had been living in Indian nation for the last year and had just moved back a short time ago. Age Herald.
Dumas has at least 215 (plenty more than that I'm sure!) descendants. That's how many are known to me right now.
William Franklin Webb (md. Lillie Viola Pennington and moved to Poteau, LeFlore County, Oklahoma; they had eight children and he died at the age of 64)
Henry Benton Webb (md. Dylia Mae Hardin and moved to Haskell County, Oklahoma; they had ten children and he died at the age of 61)
Della Webb (md. Dave Guyton; what happened to her is unknown)
Dorah Adeline Webb (md. Oliver Hathaway and stayed in Monroe County, Mississippi; they had two children and she died at the age of 53)
Alona "Lona" Webb (md. Samuel Bartlett "Bart" Pennington and moved to Oklahoma County, Oklahoma; they had at least six children)
Mitta
Lou Webb (md. Jess Evans and then James Andrew Sandlin; she
moved to LeFlore County, Oklahoma and had one child by her first husband
and two by her second one)
Maney Webb (md. Johnny Bates; it is not known if she stayed in Mississippi or came to Oklahoma)