Sanders Of Randolph and Montgomery

http://www.sandersgenealogy.net/RandolphMontgomery.html
For the most recent updates to my work and for future articles that may be added, please consult the sandersgenealogy.net site.

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sandersgenealogy/genealogy/garybsanders/
Beginning in 2024, Ancestry.com will no longer host personal Web sites and will convert existing RootsWeb Freepages to read/only, with no additions permitted. The URL for the read/only version may also be slightly different from the one given here.

One can also access earlier versions of the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery site and the Sanders Genealogy site at Archive.org. If you have questions about my genealogical work, I welcome research inquiries.

This Web site is dedicated to genealogical research on the ancestors, descendants and collateral lines of four Sanders brothers--William Aaron Saunders, Isaac Saunders, the Reverend Moses Sanders, and Francis Sanders. We know from land and other records that before and during the American Revolution these brothers were living in the part of central North Carolina that is now the counties of Randolph and Montgomery. We also know that they moved to that area from the Brunswick/Halifax and even earlier from the Fairfax/Loudoun areas of Virginia.

Their numerous descendants followed the path of western expansion as American pioneers moved West. Many were in the forefront of settlement in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. Some family members moved north to Illinois or Indiana; others moved west to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California. Sanders were with the Mormon pioneers as they trekked to Utah and Arizona, and there were Sanders cowboys who drove cattle in Texas on the great trail drives. Most were subsistence farmers, but some became citizens of considerable wealth and influence. There were Sanders who owned slaves and others who fought and died for the Union; there were Sanders who were Baptists and Methodists and those who were Mormons. They were farmers and doctors and lawyers and teachers and musicians and businessmen, but usually they were what Thomas Bailey Saunders III called "just plain folks." In their diversity of occupation and accomplishment, they reflected the American experience, especially that of Scots-Irish pioneers.

Our Sanders are depicted in the differing family traditions of our lines as of Irish, Scottish, or English origin, but most likely, they were of mixed origins. Even though we cannot determine the exact area of northern Ireland, England, or Scotland from which they came, we do have documentary evidence that in the 1750s some of our Sanders were living in Brunswick and Halifax counties in Virginia; by the late 1760s some family members had moved to central North Carolina. In addition to the documentary evidence, there is also a strong family tradition that the family lived in Virginia before moving to North Carolina. DNA tests show that related Sanders were living in the Fairfax/Loudoun county area of Virginia at the same time the four brothers appeared in North Carolina. The Fairfax line goes back to Lewis Sanders, a Scottish immigrant who came to America about the first decade of the eighteenth century. Lewis may have been the main progenitor and immigrant ancestor of our Sanders line in America. If so, he was probably the grandfather of the brothers in North Carolina. I call this line of the four brothers or any line descended from Lewis, the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery.

I am also descended from Joseph Sanders who died in Randolph County, North Carolina, in 1803. Y-DNA tests of his descendants show that he was not related to the four brothers but was related to William Sanders (died 1790) of Chatham County, North Carolina. I call this line the Sanders of Randolph and Chatham and several articles at this site have documentation about this Sanders group.The two groups, especially those individuals who lived within Randolph County itself, intermarried extensively.

The Sanders genealogy articles at this site supplement my FamilySearch.org and Rootsweb GEDCOM files, which are based either on my own research or research of others that I believe to be reliable. Documentation and sources for the GEDCOM are contained in the articles at this site or in the notes field in the GEDCOM. Many of the notes in the GEDCOM contain private correspondence with other individuals and for this reason, I have not made the notes public on the Internet, but I will share my documentation for an individual in the file upon request. In the GEDCOM, you may occasionally see a note that states "parentage not certain." This note always refers to the parents of the designated individual, not to the children of the individual. I use that note when I am uncertain about evidence for the names of the individual's parents.

The majority of the articles here were written by me; those that were written by others are labeled as such and are used here with the permission of the authors, who have been of much assistance to me over the years. This Web site would not be possible without their helpful contributions. Because the GEDCOM was developed over many years and in some cases before I was aware of the scope of my Sanders lines, it may also contain material about Sanders who are not related to me. I am not actively researching those non-related lines but retain them in my GEDCOM for informational purposes. Likewise, some of the articles at this site may also contain material about Sanders that are not related to me. In most of those cases, I felt compelled to do research because other researchers were claiming a relationship that I did not believe was justified by the evidence. Any article here that deals with a non-related Sanders is clearly labeled as such.

It is always well to remember that, although the lineages presented in these articles are based on my best attempts at good judgment and plausible reasoning, some of these conclusions may not stand the scrutiny of future research. Genealogical research is always an ongoing and unfinished project. For comments, questions, or suggestions please contact me at my e-mail address. I hope you find the information provided here interesting and helpful, and I welcome any additional information, corrections, or updates you can provide to these articles or to my GEDCOM file. If you quote material from this site in your research, please give credit to the source of your information, whether the material is my work or that of others I have quoted. See the end notes for further information about the sources of this site.

If you are a descendant of the four brothers--Moses, William Aaron, Isaac, or Francis--or have a confirmed DNA connection to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery or are related to one of their collateral lines, you may want to contribute to the research on our Sanders line by joining our Facebook group.

In the late 1990s, Sam Sanders, a descendant of William Aaron Saunders, founded a Web site named The William Aaron Saunders Research Group. It was a means by which researchers could exchange and share information and at one time there were about fifty members, though Sam eventually took the site down after over ten years of operation. A MyFamily.com site was founded in 2008 under the name Sanders/Saunders and Associated Families by Chuck Sanders of Nevada, a descendant of the Reverend Moses Sanders. It was open to anyone who was descended from the Moses, Aaron, Isaac, Francis line of the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery, or from the related Lewis Sanders line of Fairfax County, Virginia, or to anyone who had a proven Y-DNA connection to these Sanders lines. After the demise of MyFamily.com, the group moved in October 2014 to the Web site of Spokt.com. In October 2015 the group moved to a Word Press site, but members now stay in touch through personal e-mails and Facebook.

Sanders/Saunders and Associated Families
This is our Facebook group. There are currently well over a hundred members. Bill Saunders Curry, a descendant of Jesse Sanders of Moore County, North Carolina, and Karen Moore, a descendant of the Reverend Moses Sanders, are the primary administrators. You can join by sending an e-mail describing your connection to our Sanders line. Please note that this site is only for individuals who have a documented relationship to our Sanders line.

Please send me a message if you would like a link for your Sanders Web page added to this list or if you notice a broken link that no longer works.

January 31, 2010: "Uncle Joe" Sanders of Randolph and Jackson counties, died 1863

January 20, 2010: Joseph Sanders of Randolph, died 1803 (revision of earlier article)

My research, and that of many other individuals who have generously shared documentation, indicates that in the years before the American Revolution there were at least four brothers who lived in the Piedmont area of North Carolina: William Aaron Saunders, Isaac Saunders, the Reverend Moses Sanders, and Francis Sanders. A grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders, Moses Martin Sanders, referred to Francis Sanders as his great uncle in the ordinances he completed for the LDS church in the late nineteenth century. One of Aaron's grandsons, Thomas Bailey Saunders of Texas, wrote a letter about 1890 in which he referred to to his grandfather, William Aaron Saunders and to his grandfather's brothers, Isaac and "another brother named Moses, who was a Baptist preacher." There was at least one sister, believed to have been named Tabitha, in the family, and there may very well have been other siblings.

In the family tradition there is a bit of fanciful material about two Saunders brothers who arrived in America shortly in the early eighteenth century, helped in the capture of Blackbeard, the pirate, and then changed the spelling of their name to Sanders, but this bit of family folklore may only reflect a possibly authentic memory that two brothers were the immigrant progenitors of our Sanders line in America. One of the immigrant brothers was probably the grandfather or father of the four brothers of Randolph and Montgomery. We have no confirmed documentation of the childhood of the four brothers, but by the 1770s they appear in the land records of the Piedmont area of North Carolina that was then Anson and Rowan Counties, but that would later become the counties of Randolph, Montgomery, Iredell, Wilkes, and others.

In 1772, William Aaron received a land grant on Barnes Creek in what is now Montgomery County. Between 1771 and 1774, Moses Sanders received several grants of land in present day Montgomery County (then Anson County), to the west of Aaron's land. In 1774 Moses and Aaron were ordered to help construct a road. In 1782 Isaac appears on the tax roll of Montgomery County. These are typical of the numerous references to Moses, Aaron, or Isaac in the land records.

There seems to have been a long-standing relationship with the Hamilton family among these early Sanders. Moses Sanders married a Mary Hamilton in Brunswick County, Virginia;Tabitha, Moses' sister, married a Hamilton; and we know of a William Hamilton who owned land near the Sanders in North Carolina and is believed to have been a brother to Mary, wife of Moses. Most of these Hamiltons appear to have moved to Randolph and Montgomery Counties from Brunswick County. We do not know how long the Saunders family themselves lived in Brunswick County, but there is a family tradition that they were from Virginia, and before that, from England, Scotland, or Ireland. Despite widespread Web postings to the contrary, there is no proof that any of the four brothers were born in England, and it appears that Christopher Columbus Sanders was mainly responsible for popularizing the theory that the Reverend Moses Sanders was born in Wiltshire County in England when he erected a new tombstone in 1902 for his great grandfather and added the inscription "born in England 1742." This theory that Moses' father was a John Sanders from the village of Downton in Wiltshire, England, is apparently based on confusion with a different John Sanders and son Moses who lived in Wiltshire nearly a hundred years before the Reverend Moses Sanders was born.

There are large gaps in our knowledge of Moses, Aaron, and Isaac. The name of Isaac's wife, for example, is not even mentioned in family tradition, though we do know that Isaac had a child named Jacob, and probably several others. William Aaron's wife was Joan Bailey, who is mentioned in the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter as "of the famous old family of Virginia." No one is quite sure which Bailey family he was talking about or why they were famous. We know that Aaron died in 1782 because letters of administration for his estate were issued in that year. Aaron's widow, Joan (or Joanah) appears on the land records of Montgomery county as late as 1803. In the 1830s, Nimrod Sanders, a son of Aaron and Joan Saunders, sold his land in Montgomery County and moved to Alabama. Moses moved away from Montgomery County after October 1781, first to Wilkes County, and then further west to the area that became Iredell County. As an itinerant preacher, he traveled frequently, and even moved to South Carolina for a while, before eventually residing in Franklin County, Georgia, where he died in 1817, a highly respected clergyman. Many of his descendants became Mormons.

Francis, who had helped Moses in Georgia with his ministry and who is mentioned in the minutes of the Grove Level Baptist Church in Georgia that was founded by Moses, eventually moved to Tennessee and probably died in that state. He is known to have had sons named Silas and Peter, and we have tentatively identified other children named Moses and Sarah.

Isaac, who is said to have been the first man to build a house at Cross Creek (now Fayetteville), may have lived longer than any of his brothers, probably surviving well into his nineties. If he was really one of the first settlers at Cross Creek he must have been a young man about 1760. Like his brothers, he owned land in Montgomery County, but it appears he moved to Randolph County by 1800, when he is enumerated on the 1800 census of Randolph County as over forty-five years of age. The last documentary record of him is a transfer of land by him to Benjamin Sanders in 1808. He lived long enough that Thomas Bailey Saunders, who was born in 1816, could write a letter to a nephew about 1890 and marvel at Isaac's longevity, "I have seen your great-grandfather and his wife, and they were very old then." If Isaac was born about 1737-1740, then he would have been in his eighties in the 1820s when Thomas Bailey Saunders was a child.

Most of the descendants of William Aaron and Isaac lived in the northern area of Montgomery County, not far from the Randolph County line, between Duncombe Creek and Barnes Creek, particularly near the community of Ophir, which is described as a village of tradition and pastoral values in the Montgomery County Heritage Book, Volume II:

Nestled in the Uwharries, Ophir is a family community. A community that still believes in doing things the old fashioned way.“We are all kin up here one way or another, “ said Robert Saunders. “We always tell people they better watch what they say about anybody, because more than likely, they’ll be talking about their own people.” Way back, when folks first started settling in Ophir, Ophir wasn’t Ophir. It was Saunders Hill. “I guess it was around the 1800s that the area as known as Saunders Hill,” said Myrtle Hall. “We had a post office that went across Coggins Gold Mine that was called Saunders Hill Post Office."

The name was changed from Saunders Hill to Ophir in the nineteenth century when a steel mill was built. Ophir was a reference to the land of Ophir mentioned in the Bible as a place where King Solomon obtained gold. From this small area, the descendants of the Montgomery County Saunders moved to other states in the South, Midwest, and West.

The articles offered here and the links to other Web sites cannot possibly cover everything a descendant would like to know about the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery, nor have I tried to be rigidly systematic in arranging the articles. Rather, I add features as items of interest come to my attention. My hope is provide information that supplements that of other researchers so that, as Thomas Bailey Saunders III said in 1971 in a letter to a relative who was inquiring about family history, we may "find out how many horse borrowers, cattle rustlers, coon hunters, preachers, and just plain good Christian folks there were among us." (quoted in William Aaron Saunders Research Group Web site.)

The descendants of the four brothers intermarried with the descendants of Joseph Sanders of Randolph County, who made his will on March 18, 1803. Joseph and his wife Rebecca had at least seven children. Three of their daughters and two of their sons married Sanders descendants of the four brothers. DNA testing, however, suggests that Joseph was not related to the other Saunders line. Because, of the extensive cousin intermarriage which was common in those days, tracing the genealogical links between these two Sanders families is rather complicated. Many Saunders and Saunders of Randolph and Montgomery in North Carolina and Jackson County in Alabama are descended from both Sanders lines. For example, Joseph Sanders was my g-g-g grandfather and Isaac Saunders was my third great grandfather. My great-great grandparents were Benjamin Saunders, a son of Isaac, and Mary Sanders, a daughter of Joseph. Like the other Sanders line, Joseph Sanders is believed to have been of Scottish or Irish ancestry, but his parents are unknown. Y-DNA testing suggests he may have been a brother to William Sanders who died about 1790 in neaby Chatham County. DNA tests also show that he had relatives who lived in Goochland County, Virginia.

Below is a chart that gives a brief introduction to the line of Joseph Sanders of Randolph County, showing the marriages of his children to spouses from the line of the four brothers.

Another difficulty is that earlier researchers, searching for an illustrious family origin, tried to connect the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery Counties, North Carolina, and Jackson County, Alabama, with the family of John Sanders (fl. 1676) of Nansemond County, Virginia, who is mentioned in a famous article in John Bennett Boddie's monumental genealogical work Historical Southern Families. This connection with John of Nansemond is completely unsubstantiated. The parentage of the four brothers of Randolph and Montgomery is not yet known with certainly, though we think they came from Fairfax County in Virginia; certainly none of the available evidence gives any indication of our Sanders ever having lived in Nansemond or neighboring Isle of Wight. The parentage of Joseph Sanders who died in 1803 in Randolph is even more of a mystery, in spite of similar attempts to connect him to Isle of Wight and Nansemond. Family tradition is that he was of Scottish origin. It is even possible that his father or grandfather may have been adopted into the other Saunders line. Unfortunately, there is as yet no documentary evidence that gives us a lead on the parents of Joseph, Sr.

We have considerably more evidence for the line of the four brothers in Montgomery County. Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, probably in the late 1880s or early 1890s, Thomas Bailey Saunders of Texas, whose ancestors were from Montgomery County, North Carolina, wrote a letter to a relative in response to a question about his family heritage. Thomas Bailey was a son of Nimrod Saunders, a grandson of William Aaron Saunders, one of the four brothers of Randolph and Montgomery. The letter he wrote is reported to be in the possession of one of his descendants near Forth Worth, Texas. According to O'Gretta Saunders, the recipient of the letter was Thomas Bailey Saunders' nephew, Elkanah Shuford Saunders. Elkanah was the son of Henry Saunders (son of Jacob Saunders, son of Isaac Saunders) and Polly Saunders (daughter of Nimrod Saunders, son of William Aaron Saunders). Isaac and William Aaron were brothers. Therefore Elkanah had two Sanders great- grandfathers, Isaac and William Aaron, and two Sanders grandfathers, Jacob and Nimrod. Here is the relevant portion of the letter which is taken from a site that is no longer on the Web (http://www.tbox.com/tsanders/Sanders/AaronSanders/johnsaunders.html, maintained by Thomas J. Sanders, and though no longer on the Web, still accessible through the Wayback Machine):

My grandfather married in Virginia. My grandmother's name was Joan Bailey. According to family tradition, the name of this grandfather was William Aaron Saunders.

His brother, Isaac, which is your great-grandfather...and another brother by the name of Moses was a Baptist preacher. Therefore, William Aaron, Isaac, and Moses were brothers.

Your grandfather had two brothers, Ben and Joe, they moved to Alabama and their families are there yet. This grandfather is not named but is known from other documents to be Jacob Saunders, a son of Isaac. Therefore, Jacob, Ben, and Joe were sons of Isaac.

Some researchers disagree with me on this point and think that Thomas Bailey meant to say that William Aaron, rather than Isaac, had sons named Ben and Joe. Because Elkanah did have both Jacob and Nimrod as grandfathers, the phrase "your grandfather" could refer to either one, but since Thomas Bailey refers to Nimrod in an earlier sentence as "my grandfather," I think the only reasonable interpretation is that "your grandfather" refers to Elkanah's other grandfather, the son of Isaac.

A handwritten note written in 1918 by Silvie Escat Saunders, wife of George A. Saunders, tends to support my position that Ben and Joe were sons of Isaac, not William Aaron. It is believed her information came from a Davis family Bible:

Aaron brothers were
     Isaac the first man who build on cross creek near Fayetteville N.C.
     Moses a Baptist preacher
     1 sister a Mrs Hamilton
What we know of Wm aaron and John Bailey Saunders married in Va
Wm Aaron was a Capt in the American revolution and killed
     their children what we know of
Sallie Sanders married Pleasant Callicut of N.C.
Luke Saunders married Agnes Callicut of N.C.
Nimrod Sanders married Elizabeth Ricketts of N.C.
Stephen we know nothing of so far.
     Nimrod and Elizabeth children
Sarah Sanders born Dec 21st 1803
Tibitha Sanders born July 21st 1806, died Jan 15th 1892
Nathan D.C. Sanders born May 27 1808, died June 23 1832
Aaron Sanders born May 14 1810 died 1862
Stephen Sanders born Mar 28 1812
Polly and Pally (twins) Sanders born Feb 28 1814
Thomas Sanders born Oct 9 1816
a son Sanders born Oct 9 1816
Joanna Sanders born July 8 1820--1879
Jackson Sanders born Aug 21 1822--Sept 21 18??
Harris Sanders born Mar 7 1824--Feb 21 1917
Luke Sanders born Aug 30 1826 died April 10 1893
Agnes Sanders born June 3 1828 died 1900
Allen Sanders born Nov 11 1829
     Susan E Sanders born Aug 15 1854
     William McDufey Sanders born Mar 27 1855
Don't know who these 2 are but think William Luke son who died young
Sarah married Moore Graves
Tibitah married William Graves (brothers)
Nathan D.C. unmarried
Aaron unmarried
Stephen (m) first Huxey Simmons (II) Amy Moore
Pally married Louis Cranford
Polly twins married Henry Saunders {a}second cousin
Thomas our grandfather married Emily Elizabeth Harper
Joanna Married Elias Hooper
Jackson married Martha Brener (II) Frances Ingale
Harris married Teresa Turner (II) Emerline Crump
Luke married Mary Brener sister to Martha
Agnes married Jacob Hooper brother to Elias
Allen married Frances Gibson or Gipson
I found children of all but Sarah and Allen

Nimrod was 9 years at the close of the American revolution Nimrod was know in N. Carolina as Honest Rod was honest in his measure at his grit mill he left N.C. in 1837 and near all left a few years later according to letters in my possession
     Copied Feb 2 1918
     Mrs. G.A. Saunders
     2812 D'abadie St. N.O. LA

(Preceding text of the document is from the Sanders-Cook homepage at the Wayback Machine)

Notice that only Luke, Stephen, and Nimrod are mentioned as sons of William Aaron. No mention at all is made of Ben and Joe, and I believe this confirms that Ben was not a son of William Aaron. In addition, it seems rather odd that Thomas Bailey Saunders would mention only Ben and Joe in his letter and not the other three if he regarded all five as sons of William Aaron.

If Ben and Joe are the sons of Isaac rather than William Aaron, we still must identity them as documented individuals.The identity of Ben is the most obvious: he appears to be Benjamin Sanders, Sr. who moved from Randolph County in North Carolina to Jackson County in the 1830s. Further, there are deeds in 1806 and 1808 by which Isaac Sanders of Randolph County sold land to Benjamin Sanders of Montgomery County. The identity of person referred to as "Joe in the Thomas Bailey letter remains something of a puzzle. The only other son of Isaac, in addition to Jacob and Ben, that I have been able to document is Francis Sanders.

We do have documentation that Benajmin and Francis were closely related, and I think the most obvious explanation is that they were indeed brothers. They married sisters and there was probably no more than sixteen years difference in their ages, but there are more compelling reasons to suspect they were brothers.

Levi Lindsey Sanders, a grandson of Benjamin, lived in Van Zandt County, Texas from the 1860s until his death in 1917. William Redman Sanders of Arkansas, apparently a grandson of Francis, referred to Levi Lindsey Sanders of Van Zandt County as his cousin in a newspaper article written about 1900. It is not probable that these two, who lived in the latter part of the nineteenth century, were third or fourth cousins because their blood relationship would then have been so distant it’s unlikely they would have maintained contact over several generations and through several states.Therefore, the most recent common ancestor probably was the great grandfather of William Redman and Levi and I believe that person to have been Isaac Saunders. Elsewhere I will give further evidence that suggests that Ben and Francis were brothers. This evidence is based on a cousin marriage among their descendants.

The question still remains, if my argument is basically that Benjamin and Francis were two brothers who moved to Alabama, then who is the "Joe" of the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter? There is no easy explanation for this. We have already established that Joe is not Joseph, Sr., who died in Randolph County. Nor can Joe be either of the two Josephs who were in Jackson County at the time of the 1830 census. They appear to be the son and grandson of Joseph, Sr. I can only suggest as a possible explanation that Thomas Bailey Saunders knew there were two brothers but he assumed Joseph, Jr., was the brother of Benjamin rather than Benjamin's brother-in-law. After the move from Randolph County to Alabama, Joseph, Jr., lived in Jackson County the rest of his life until at age seventy he was murdered by bushwhackers during the Civil War. He was known to everyone as "Uncle Joe" and it is understandable that Thomas Bailey Saunders would have known him as a Sanders progenitor in Jackson County.Therefore, there may never have been a son of Isaac named "Joe." It is also conceivable that there was a son of Isaac named Joe, but, if so, he was missed by the 1800, 1810, 1820, and 1830 census, and he must have died before 1840. Considering the lack of evidence for the existence of "Joe," I think it more likely Thomas Bailey Saunders was talking about Benjamin's brother-in-law.

Therefore, tentatively, I am regarding Benjamin and Francis as brothers and Isaac as their father, but Isaac may very well have had other sons and daughters whose names are unknown to us. Isaac disappears from the records of Montgomery County in the early 1780s but is living in Randolph County in 1800 and the census also shows a young male, age between 16-26, living in the household. This is probably Francis who was born in 1782 and who married Rachel Sanders in 1801. The other sons, Jacob and Benjamin, were already married and living in their own households in 1800, Jacob in Montgomery County and Benjamin just across the border in Randolph County. Benjamin and Francis continued to live in Randolph County until first Francis and then Benjamin moved to Jackson County, Alabama in the late 1820s and early 1830s, along with some of the children of Jacob.

If my thesis is correct, Francis Sanders of Jackson County was the nephew of the Reverend Moses Sanders of Franklin County, Georgia. He was also the nephew of Francis Sanders of Franklin County, Georgia. This Francis of Franklin County was not mentioned as a brother in the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter, but is referenced as a brother through documentation left by Moses Martin Sanders, a grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders. As part of the Sanders DNA projects, tests have been conducted on descendants of Isaac, William Aaron, Francis, and the Reverend Moses Sanders. These tests show that these four are from the same Sanders line and combined with family tradition provide persuasive evidence that William Aaron, Isaac, Moses, and Francis were brothers.

Although a great deal of progress has been made recently in establishing the validity of family tradition for the line of the four brothers, we still have a several confusing issues reamining in regard to Francis and Rachel Sanders and their progeny in Jackson County, Alabama. Distinguishing the children of Francis from the children of his brother Benjamin has been one of the most difficult of my research projects.

The earliest record we have of Francis and Rachel is that they were married in 1801 in Randolph County and they are certainly the same couple who lived in Jackson County in the 1830s and 1840s and who appear on the 1850 census of DeKalb County, Alabama. We have good documentary evidence that Francis and Rachel moved to Arkansas in 1851 with their daughter Mary Jane Sanders and their son-in-law James J. Biddie. For the parentage of the other children commonly attributed to Francis and Rachel by previous researchers, we have far less evidence. The best documentary evidence for a direct parental link is with Elisha who died early, with Francis being designated as the administrator of the estate, though the blood relationship of Francis to Elisha is not mentioned. There is also a family tradition that Francis was the father of Elijah Greenville Sanders. Five children usually attributed to Francis and Rachel (Rebecca, Phoebe, Isaac, John, and Alfred) are probably the children of Francis' brother Benjamin.

A lot of controversy has resulted from the the statement by Carroll Jackson Brewer in the Southern Claims Commission file of John Sanders, quoted by Don Schaefer and referring to the murder of Rachel's brother Joseph in 1863: " I know that Thomas Houston and others searched for him (referring to John Sanders) often and did take out his uncle Joe Sanders who was seventy years old.They taken him out of the field where he was at work and shot him on the side of the mountain." Joe Sanders was murdered because his sons and nephews were serving in the Union army. We know that "Uncle Joe" and Rachel were brother and sister because of the will left by their father in 1803 in Randolph County, North Carolina. It appears that Joe Sanders was known as "Uncle Joe" by nearly everyone and therefore the use of the name by Carroll Brewer does not constitute irrefutable proof John was the nephew of Joseph. On the other hand, John and the other siblings are almost certainly the nephews and nieces of "Uncle Joe" because the only possible parents for John and his four known siblings are either Francis or his brother Benjamin, both of whom married daughters of Joseph, Sr.

Carroll Jackson Brewer stated in his deposition to the Southern Claims Commission about 1873 that he had a half-niece who was married to John Sanders.This statement baffled researchers in the past because most of them believed John was the son of Francis and Rachel and there appeared no possible way for either Francis or Rachel to have had another spouse, unless one of them married someone else before 1801, and their youth in 1801 made a previous marriage unlikely. Other researchers have stated a family tradition that Carroll Jackson Brewer's wife almost entirely of American Indian parentage. If so, it's unlikely the American Indian heritage was on the Sanders side, but it's possible her mother was of Indian ancestry. It's difficult to reconcile these conflicting statements.

In short, much of the evidence we have is contradictory, fragmentary, and confusing, and a great deal more research is needed to give us a more satisfactory understanding of the genealogy of the Jackson County Sanders. In the next article I hope to provide a possible reconstruction of the families of Francis and Benjamin that will reconcile the competing claims.

In the article on Jackson County Sanders, I mentioned the apparently contradictory statements of John Sanders (1822-1896) and his friend Carroll Jackson Brewer (1834-after 1880) in their Southern Claims Commission file. Here, I would like to propose a possible solution to this contradiction in the hope that others will find evidence to confirm or refute it.

Carroll Jackson Brewer referred to Joseph Sanders, Jr., who died in 1863, as the uncle of John. Taken literally, this statement means that John Sanders has to be a son of a daughter of Joseph Sanders, Sr., who died in 1803 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Because Joseph’s daughter Rachel is known to have married Francis Sanders in 1801, most researchers have concluded that Francis and Rachel have to be the parents of John Sanders. There is no clear family indication among the descendants of John or his brother Isaac as to the identity of their parents, so family tradition is useless in this context.

John Sanders, in his testimony, stated that Carroll Jackson Brewer was married to his half-niece. The wife of Carroll Jackson Brewer is believed to have been Lucrecia Sanders (1834-after 1870). It is also believed that Lucrecia was the daughter of William Sanders and Martha Sanders because she appears in their household in the 1850 Jackson County census. If John’s testimony is taken literally, William Sanders (1789-about 1872) was John’s half-brother.

The difficulty is that if William is John’s half-brother, then Francis can’t be John’s father because this scenario would require that Francis father a child in 1789 when he was only seven years old.

Is there a way to reconcile these two statements of John Sanders and Carroll Jackson Brewer? I believe there is.

All Carroll Jackson Brewer’s statement that Joseph was John’s uncle requires is that the mother of John was a daughter of Joseph Sanders, Sr., and that she was married to someone with the surname of Sanders. It does not require that the mother be Rachel; the mother could have been one of Joseph's other daughters. As it turns out, we do know the names of Joseph’s daughters and the names of their spouses. The 1811 settlement of the estate of Joseph, Sr., does not specifically state that the men mentioned are husbands of the daughters but the implication is clear that the reference is to the spouses. One of the daughters, Sarah, married Peter Rich, so we can rule her out as the mother of the siblings. Another daughter, Phoebe, married a Jesse Sanders, but they are believed to have moved to Tennessee. If we rule out Rachel, the only daughter left is named Mary.

Mary married a Benjamin Sanders. If this Benjamin is the father of John and William Sanders and the two were half-brothers, Benjamin must have been born before about 1770, and his marriage to Mary must have occurred after 1789 when William was born. Since Mary was born about 1780, the marriage to Mary probably occurred closer to 1800.

Do we have any other records that refer to a Benjamin Sanders, born before 1770 in the Randolph/Montgomery County area, who moved to Jackson County and left numerous descendants? Yes, there is a person who matches this description exactly, but previous researchers have assumed that he is the same person as the Benjamin Sanders who married Jane (usually called Jinny or Jenny) Clark in 1803 in Randolph County.

For some time, I have had doubts that the Benjamin who married Jenny Clark was the same person as Benjamin Sanders who moved from Randolph County to Jackson County. In a book called The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph, p. 81, Jessie Owen Shaw states: “the 2nd child of William Clark and Eleanor Dougan Clark was Jane Clark, b. 9-9-1781, who married a Methodist minister, Benjamin Sanders.” Further, according to the research of Roger Kirkman, William Clark and a Benjamin Sanders were members of a slavery manumission society that met in the part of Rowan County that became Davidson County, adjoining Randolph County. William Clark became a Quaker in 1802 and the Back Creek Monthly Meeting that he attended was in northwest Randolph County.

Nothing in the family tradition about Benjamin Sanders of Jackson County, Alabama indicates that he was a Methodist minister. Indeed, the family tradition in Texas is that he was a Catholic who converted at a camp meeting when he was over ninety years old. We know there were at least two Benjamin Sanders in Randolph County about 1800. The question is which Benjamin was the one who moved to Jackson County, Alabama.

Therefore, I propose that researchers consider the possibility that Benjamin Sanders, Sr., who died in Jackson County between 1840-1850, may have been the father of William Sanders by an unknown first wife and the father of John Sanders by his second wife, Mary Sanders. This suggestion is compatible with the testimony of John Sanders and Carroll Jackson Brewer to the Southern Claims Commission. It is also compatible with the census data of 1810, 1830 and 1840.

Another reason to give credence to this theory is the close friendship between John's nephew Jesse Sanders and Levi Lindsey Sanders, who was a grandson of Benjamin, Sr. Even though they did not live in the same state when they were children, they regarded each other as close enough relatives that they made frequent visits to each other after they both moved, as adults, to neighboring counties in Texas. Jesse's father, Isaac, is enumerated next door to Benjamin, Sr., in the 1840 Jackson County, Alabama, census. Aaron, one of the sons of Isaac, named one of his sons Levi Lindsey Sanders, presumably in honor of the elder Levi Lindsey Sanders, even though Aaron moved from Jackson County when he was about four years old, and therefore could not have known Levi until he was nearly an adult. If Benjamin, rather than Francis, is the grandfather of Jesse, then Jesse and Levi Lindsey were first cousins.

I decided to test the Benjamin Sanders parentage hypothesis by comparing the 1830 and 1840 census to see whether Francis or Benjamin appears more likely as the father of the children in question. Before this can be done, we need to narrow the field of possibilities, and that can be done only by examining evidence for the paternity of each child.

Here are some of the known facts about the siblings we are researching:

There is documentation from reliable sources that Rebecca, Phoebe, Alfred Head Mash, Isaac, and John were siblings. For example, there is an article in Sanders Siftings, July 2000, about a letter written by Louie Davis of Weatherford, Texas, in 1974, stating that Phoebe Sanders Lee, Louie’s great grandmother, was born in 1813 and she had a brother named Mash and a sister named Rebecca and maybe a brother named John. Alfred Head Mash Sanders (called Uncle “Mash”) stated on the pension application of his sister-in-law in 1896 that John Sanders was his brother. John Sanders stated in his file to the Southern Claims Commission after the Civil War that Isaac Sanders of Montgomery County, Arkansas, was his brother. Therefore we have really good evidence that Rebecca, Phoebe, Isaac, John, and Mash were siblings.

We also have family tradition and documentation that Jesse Sanders of Henderson County, Texas and Levi Sanders of Van Zandt County were cousins (first or second, probably, very unlikely they were third cousins); and that William Redman and Levi Sanders were cousins (again, first or second and very unlikely to be third). Jesse was a son of Isaac, and William Redman was a son of Elisha Sanders (about whom more later).

A few years ago, I received information about an interview with an elderly descendant of Elijah Sanders who stated that Francis Marion Sanders was Elijah’s father. I think this is significant because it appears she got that information from family tradition, not from the Internet or published sources. That this is an independent tradition is also shown by her use of the middle name “Marion” which has not appeared in other sources. Elijah died in 1858 and one of the administrators for his will was a Francis Sanders. Presumably, this was John Francis because Francis, Sr., the father of Elijah was living in Arkansas at that time. Even so, this record of the will suggests that Elijah and John Francis were brothers.

The research of Ralph Jackson shows that Elisha Sanders who died in Marshall County, Alabama, in 1840 was a very close relative of Francis Sanders. Although it appears most likely that Francis may have been Elisha’s father, he could have been an uncle or even a half-brother.

The Biddy family application for Choctaw citizenship, provided by Cathy Gallen, provides convincing evidence that Mary Jane Sanders and William Patrick Sanders were children of Francis Sanders. In fact, this recently discovered evidence is the strongest documentation we have for any children of Francis and Rachel.

Southern Claims Commission files give us the testimony of John Sanders that Lucretia, the wife of Carroll Jackson Brewer, was his half-niece. In the same record, Carroll Jackson Brewer stated that Joseph Sanders, Jr., was the uncle of John Sanders.

When we try to arrange the evidence for parentage, we get this:

There are three children where the preponderance of available evidence points to Francis and Rachel as the parents: Elijah, William Patrick, Mary Jane.

We have one child, Elisha, who is associated with Francis because Francis was administrator of that child’s will, but we can’t tell whether Elisha is a sibling to anyone else. We know, however, that his son, William Redman, was a cousin to the grandson of Benjamin, Sr. Therefore, Elisha almost certainly has to be either a son of Francis or a son of Benjamin, Sr.

We have five children who are known to be siblings and are traditionally assigned to Francis and Rachel but documentation for their parents is lacking: Rebecca, Phoebe, Isaac, John, and Mash. However, Justin Sanders has recently discovered that Benjamin Sanders (presumably the elder Benjamin) was the bondman for the marriage of Rebecca and William Cornelison in Randolph County in 1824. Further Rebecca and her husband were living next door to Benjamin, Jr., at the time of the 1830 Montgomery County census.

We have other children, traditionally assigned to Francis and Rachel, but we have no documentation for their parents or even that they are siblings: John Francis, Frances, and Charles. In the case of Charles there is no documentation for him whatsoever.

So, in order to make the 1830 and 1840 census the test case, we need to limit the search to the children that we presume were at home in 1830 and 1840, that is, the ones that we know were not married. We can eliminate William Patrick and Mary Jane because we know Francis was their father. We also eliminate all those who can’t be easily designated as siblings.

Therefore we are left with Mash, John, Isaac, Phoebe, all of whom should appear on the census of 1830 but only Mash and John in 1840 (Isaac married in 1837, Phoebe in 1839). Phoebe was born in 1813, Isaac was born in 1818, John in 1822, Mash between 1826-1829.

Therefore in 1830:
Mash was 0-5 years old.
John was 5-10
Isaac was 10-15
Phoebe 15-20

And in 1840:
John was 15-20
Mash was 10-15

If we now go to the census of 1830 (Benjamin still in Randolph, Francis in Jackson County) and 1840 (both men in Jackson), and record every occurrence in which a child listed in the census would be of the right age to be Phoebe, Isaac, John, and Mash, we have a chart like the following:

Therefore, from this chart, it appears there are six slots where these children appear if they are the children of Benjamin, but only three slots where they appear if Francis is the father. The census record seems to indicate that Benjamin is more likely than Francis to be the father because every child appears in every single predicted slot in the case of Benjamin. For example, Mash, John, Isaac, and Phoebe appear as expected in 1830 and 1840. But in the case of Francis, there is no place for Mash in 1830 or 1840 and no place for John in 1840.

A further difficulty is that we have very good evidence that Francis was the father of William Patrick Sanders who was born about 1819. Therefore, if Francis is the father of Mash, John, and Isaac, we have to have an additional 10-15 slot for William Patrick in 1830 (not available) and a 20-30 slot for him in 1840(available).

Now, all of this may be coincidence based on mathematical probabilities, but when nearly every proposed test supports the theory of Benjamin's paternity of the five siblings, we probably need to re-evaluate the tradition that Francis was the father. One may wonder if Benjamin is the father of John, Isaac, and Mash, then how is Francis related? If we follow this alternative proposition, it’s still likely he and Benjamin are brothers. But in this scenario, Benjamin, brother of Francis, can’t be the same person as the Benjamin Sanders who married Jenny Clark; he has to be the Benjamin who married Joseph Sanders’ daughter, Mary.

What if we try to go back to earlier census records? The 1820 census is missing, but in 1810, as mentioned before, there are two Benjamin Sanders in Randolph County, or rather one Benjamin Saunders and one Benjamin Sanders. According to various land deeds, the Benjamin who later moved to Alabama owned property on the Randolph/Montgomery county line. In the 1810 census, he is listed as being between twenty-six and 44 years old. This would indicate that he was born after 1766. However, the 1840 Jackson County, census lists him as between seventy and eighty years old, so he couldn't have been born after 1770. There is a woman in the household, presumably his wife, who is twenty-six to forty-four years old. This is compatible with the age of Mary Sanders who is reported to have been born in 1782. There are two male children in the household. One is under ten and that person is probably Benjamin, Jr., who was born in 1804. Another is between ten and twenty-five and that person is probably William, who would become the father of the half-niece that John Sanders referred to. William was born in 1789, according to later census reports.

The other Benjamin of the 1810 census owned property near the Back Creek area of northwest Randolph County. It may be remembered that this is near where William Clark, father of Jinney Clark, joined the Quaker denomination. Therefore, it appears likely that the Benjamin who lived in northwest Randolph County was the one who married Jinney Clark. Further is is most likely that it was he who was the Benjamin who was a Methodist minister and was active in the Manumission Society. Although this Benjamin is listed as between twenty-six and forty-four years old, I believe he was younger than the Benjamin Saunders of the Randolph border area because he doesn't appear in the 1800 census and was probably still living in his parents' household at that time.

The older Benjamin Saunders, the one living in Randolph near the Montgomery County line in 1810, is the same person as the Benjamin Sanders who appears on the 1800 census in Montgomery County. He is listed in 1800 as between twenty-six and forty-four years old, which is compatible with his being born between 1766 and 1770. This Benjamin Saunders is listed near Luke Sanders, Nimrod Saunders, and Walter Hamilton, all relatives of the Sanders line of the four brothers of Anson. I believe this is the same Benjamin who is mentioned in an 1806 deed by which Isaac Sanders of Randolph County transferred one acre to Benjamin Sanders of Montgomery. I have presented elsewhere in these Web pages the evidence that leads to Isaac as the father of Benjamin. In the 1800 Montgomery census, there is a male child, age ten to fifteen, in Benjamin's household. This appears be William, the future father of John Sanders' half niece, mentioned in Carroll Jackson Brewer's testimony. William would have been eleven years old in 1800. So far, the 1810 and 1800 census are fully compatible with the proposed reconstruction.

Isaac at one time had owned property in Montgomery County, where he appears on the 1782 tax list. He still owned property in Montgomery in 1794 when he is referenced as a neighbor to George Sugg. He and Joseph Sanders, Benjamin's future father-in-law, were chain carriers for a survey of land for Benjamin Sanders in Montgomery in 1798. Isaac moved across the county line by 1800, when he appears on the Randolph cenusus. His son Benjamin probably continued to live in Montgomery, possibly until his marriage to Mary Sanders. Maybe the motivation for the move was that Isaac was getting too old to take care of the family property and Benjamin moved in to help or maybe Mary wanted to be closer to her relatives. Of course, land records are not always reliable evidence of where people lived, and Benjamin could very well have owned property in both counties. At any rate, Benjamin was living in Randolph by 1810.

The theory presented here won't work unless Benjamin was married two times, with the second marriage occurring between 1800 and 1810. By the time of the 1811 estate settlement, Benjamin's wife is referred to as Mary, but because both the 1800 and the 1810 census show a female age twenty-six to forty four in Benjamin's household, the census remains neutral on the basic question of whether Benjamin was married two times. We know that because Mary was born in 1782 and would have been less than 26 years old in 1800, she can't be the female age twenty-six to forty-four on the census of that year. Therefore, if she married Benjamin, the marriage had to take place between 1800 and 1810, and Benjamin, Jr., born in 1804, could have been either her child or the child of the first wife.

A question still remains concerning the identity of the other Benjamin Sanders who we may call the Back Creek Benjamin. I think this is an open and intriguing question. Possibly he is related to the Joseph Sanders, Sr., line, or he could be related to any of the many Quaker Sanders families in the area. It's also possible he is related to Benjamin, Sr.

I have found the evidence for Benjamin Saunders' parenthood of the five siblings previous attributed to Francis plausible enough that I have changed my genealogical charts accordingly. This is a time consuming process, and one which I hope I don't have to do often, but it is sometimes unavoidable if documentation warrants a change.

The Benjamin Sanders' parenthood theory has no major problems and is fully compatible with all the available evidence. One small matter that might appear to conflict with the new theory is that Alexander Gray was a witness to the marriage bond of Francis and Rachel Sanders in 1801 and of Benjamin and Jinney Clark in 1803. For a long time, I thought that there must have been a kinship relationship among the three, but I now believe that Alexander Gray may have been a public official, such as a notary or county clerk, who regularly witnessed marriages in Randolph County. It's equally possible that the Benjamin who married Jinney Clark was related to Francis, the Benjamin who married Mary, or to Alexander Clark himself.

Although I think the situation is somewhat easier to comprehend as a result of these findings, we still have a lot to learn about the Sanders of Randolph, Montgomery, and Jackson. There is still enough ambiguity in the records that scenarios other than the one presented here are plausible, but the DNA results from the summer of 2006 that proved that William Aaron, Francis, and Benjamin all belonged to the same Sanders line provide further confirmation of the thesis of this article. It is my hope that other researchers descended from Benjamin Sanders, Sr., or Francis Sanders will provide clues that may help us make a certain determination of our origins.

(Don Schaefer, editor of Sanders Siftings, provided much of the information about the Southern claims file of John Sanders.)

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Isaac Sanders was born on June 20, 1817 in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was my great grandfather and I first heard of him in stories told to me by my father when I was a child. Evidence from several sources and from a land transaction suggests that Isaac was a son of Benjamin Sanders (1766-1849) and a grandson of another Isaac Saunders (1737-1825), one of the four brothers who moved from Virginia to Anson County, North Carolina in the 1770s.The first documentary record of my great grandfather Isaac is a land warrant dated May 9, 1832 by which Joshua Craven sold seventy-five acres to Immer Bean in Randolph County. The land was located on the Little River, adjoining the county line with Montgomery County. Isaac and William Cornelison were the chain carriers. Immer Bean was married to Sarah Sanders, one of Isaac's sisters. "Uncle Billy Cornelison" was married to another of Isaac's sisters, Rebecca, who was called "Aunt Becky."

In 1833, according to Isaac's brother John, Isaac's parents, Benjamin and Mary Sanders, moved to Jackson County, Alabama. On September 18, 1836 Isaac married Elizabeth King (born May 22, 1817). Her parents are not known but she may have been a sister to Isham J. King (1810-1884). Isham married Annie Sanders about 1832 in Randolph County, and Annie appears to have been one of Isaac's sisters. Isham King was the bondsman when George W. Sanders, a brother of Isaac, married Anna Johnson in 1833 in Randolph County, North Carolina

On July 24, 1837 the first son of Isaac and Elizabeth was born and named Aaron. On October 26, 1837, Isaac volunteered for the Seminole Indian War, as did many young men from Jackson County. For the most part, they saw little fighting. Isaac was honorably discharged at Fort Mitchell April 9, 1838. In the 1840 Jackson County census Isaac Sanders is listed with an age range of 20-30, one female in the household age 20-30 (his wife Elizabeth), and one male child, age 0-5 (his son Aaron, born 1837). Isaac is enumerated next door to or near his father, Benjamin Sanders, age 70-80. Benjamin was the grandfather of Levi Lindsey Sanders who moved to Van Zandt County, Texas, before the Civil War. Isaac’s son Jesse, born in 1845, moved to adjoining Henderson County, Texas, about 1870. The two cousins often visited each other until Jesse's death in 1903. A second child, Mary, was born in 1839 but died before the census of 1840 was taken.

Isaac Sanders moved his family to Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi, in 1841 and he is listed on the 1844/45 Mississippi state census for Tishomingo County which shows four males in the household and one female. Four children were born while the family was living in Tishomingo: Isaac, Jr., (1841) Benjamin, (1843), Jesse (1845), and Calvin (1849) and William (1849). William died in January 1850.

On April 1, 1851 Isaac Sanders applied for federal bounty land warrant in Montgomery County, Arkansas, based on his service in the Seminole Indian War. The move to Arkansas may explain why Isaac and his family have not been found on the 1850 census in any state. In 1855 Isaac filed for another bounty land warrant in Montgomery County. The 1860 Montgomery County, Arkansas census shows Isaac Sanders living near Mt. Ida in the Sulphur Springs Township.Isaac's brother George W. Sanders and his family were living nearby, having moved to Montgomery in the 1840s. In the 1850s, Isaac's half-brother William Sanders and his family moved to Montgomery County. Five children of Isaac and Elizabeth were born while the family was living in Arkansas: Amanda (1850), (Elizabeth, 1853), an infant son (1855), Sarah (1855), Rebecca (1858). Elizabeth died a few days after birth and her sister Sarah was born later in the same year.

During the Civil War, Sanders from Montgomery County served in the "Montgomery County Hunters," a unit of the Confederate Army that was merged with Company F of the 4th Arkansas infantry. They were mustered in at Mt. Ida on July 17, 1861, though formal enlistment didn't occur until October. The roll included Isaac and three of his sons: Aaron Sanders, Benjamin Sanders, and Isaac Sanders, Jr., who died from illness or injury the following year.

John Sanders (1822, North Carolina-August 11, 1896, Jackson County, Alabama) stated on the Southern Claims Record in 1876 that his brother Isaac who lived in Montgomery County, Arkansas, had fought for the South during the Civil War, though John had remained loyal to the union. John recounted "I have a brother said to be in the Confederate army. I did not see him [join?] Isaac Sanders, forty-four or five years of age on entering the Confederate army in Montgomery County, Arkansas. I have no influence on him, he lived in Arkansas when he joined the army. [He or I?] contributed nothing to his outfit. [?] [He] would not of have been living here. [Meaning, possibly, that he would not have joined the Confederates if he had still been living in Jackson County.]"

By June 4, 1863 Isaac, Sr., was back in Montgomery County where he signed up for Earnest’s local defense company, which was established to defend the home front for the Confederacy. Apparently, this was the only unit of its kind in the state. Isaac’s son Aaron was a first sergeant in the same company. There is also a "J. Sanders" listed who may be Aaron's half first cousin, Joseph Sanders, the son of William Sanders, who had also served in Company F of the 4th Arkansas Infantry; or "J. Sanders" could be Isaac’s seventeen year old son Jesse.

In the fall and winter of 1863-64 most of the Sanders family in the Montgomery County area appeared to have switched sides from the Confederacy to the Union forces. Isaac's cousin William Patrick Sanders and two of William's sons joined the 4th U.S. cavalry in November of 1863. They were accompanied by some of the related Biddy and Lamb families and a son of Isaac's half-brother, William Sanders. Isaac's son Jesse joined the 4th U.S. cavalry, Company D, in February 1864 and Isaac himself enlisted at Dardanelle in Yell County in March, 1864. The Arkansas natives who joined the federal forces this late in the war apparently usually did not participate in major battles but spent most of their time in units assigned to to suppress the Confederate guerillas and irregulars in the area.

According to the Edward G. Gerdes Civil War in Arkansas page, quoting from a contemporary account of the 4th cavalry, Isaac's unit was involved in the skirmish at Dardanelle on May 17, 1864:

"At that date Dardanelle was attacked by Shelby in the night with 2,000 men and four pieces of artillery. The commanding officer of the post had ordered the camp equipage across the river and at the time of attack, it was slowly crossing in a single flat boat. Capt. Wood, Co G, in charge. The town was held until it was completely surrounded and for nearly two hours after it had been abandoned by the post commander. All records of the company were lost, except for copies of muster-in rolls found in the Adjutant General's Office. Some of the men escaped by swimming the river and some by cutting their way through enemy's lines. Many of the men reported missing in action are in the woods near Dardanelle, unable to rejoin the regiment on account of guerillas."

At some point between September 1867 and 1869, Isaac's family moved back to Tishomingo County, Mississippi, for they appear on the 1870 and 1880 Booneville, Prentiss County, Mississippi, census. Prentiss was formed in 1870 from a part of the old Tishomingo County. The 1880 census is the last documentation I have been able to find for Isaac and Elizabeth. The census taker recorded that Elizabeth was bedridden with "dyspepsia," or what we would call an upset stomach today.

1. The oldest son, Aaron Sanders, was born July 24, 1837 and married Deborah Ann Swaim April 7, 1859 in Montgomery County, Arkansas. They had a son, William Isaac Sanders, who was born December 29,1859 and died on January 23, 1860. Deborah, who was Aaron's second cousin, died on May 3, 1860. Aaron is enumerated both in Isaac's household in the 1860 census and as a single person living alone. He enlisted on November 21, 1861 in Company F., 4th Arkansas Infantry, at Fort Smith, Arkansas. By occupation he was a blacksmith and he probably followed that occupation while in the army. After the Civil War, when the Sanders family returned to Mississippi, Aaron married Hester Ann Champion on December 2, 1872 in Prentiss County, Mississippi. Aaron died in Prentiss County on November 28, 1902, and Hester later applied for a Confederate widow's pension. In her first application in 1904 she provided the information that her husband had enlisted in 1861 in Arkansas and served in Co. F, Hardiman's Regiment. She said his first captain was Simson[this would be John M. Simpson who was also Isaac's commander] who was killed at the battle of Elkhorn, and the next captain was head lieutenant Givens. She said Aaron served four and a half years and was was discharged Aug. 9, 1865, at Marshall, Texas. In 1916 she filed to continue her pension and stated that Aaron served in Company H, Regiment 31, Texas dismounted cavalry, Hardiman regiment, Harrison brigade. She gave the same 1861 enlistment date and the August 9, 1865 discharge at Marshall, Texas. I believe the explanation for this difference is that at some point in Aaron's service in Earnest's local defense company, he joined up with Harrison's brigade, 31st Texas dismounted cavalry, possibly when that Texas group was near Fort Smith, Arkansas (the Harrison she mentions is James E. Harrison). This theory would explain why Aaron was in East Texas at the close of the war. The mystery still remains why he was not discharged until August 1865 whereas the war had ended in May. The fact that Aaron and his father fought on separate sides during part of the war didn't seem to affect their relationship.

I have more information on Aaron and have exchanged correspondence with several of his descendants. He appears to have maintained some contact with his cousin Levi Lindsey Sanders of Texas, who also served as a blacksmith in the Confederate army, for Aaron named one of his sons after Levi Lindsey Sanders.

2. Mary Sanders was born October 15, 1839 in Jackson County, Alabama, and died in March 1840 in Jackson County, Alabama.

3. Isaac Sanders, Jr., was born December 8, 1840 and died January 10, 1862 from illness or injury during the Civil War while serving in the Confederate forces. Like his brother Aaron, he enlisted on October 21, 1861 in Company F, 4th Arkansas Infantry. It does not appear that he ever married or had children.

4. Benjamin Sanders was born February 20, 1842 in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. He enlisted with the rest of the Sanders sons at Fort Smith in October of 1861 in Company F, 4th Arkansas infantry, and served at least until 1863, including some time in the Tennessee Theater. He was with Humphries Batallion on April 29, 1863 at Shelbyville, Tennessee. It's not clear whether he served after that. After the war, in 1874, he married Sarah Sallie Lamb, whose brother had fought in the same unit as Benjamin. Benjamin and Sallie lived in Sebastian County, Arkansas where many of the descendants of his cousin William Patrick Sanders lived. Benjamin's nephew, Jesse Jackson Sanders, who was born in 1885 and died in 1964, remembered a visit by Benjamin to see his brother Jesse in Murchison, Texas. Benjamin was suffering from cancer at the time of the visit which must have occurred in the late 1890s, perhaps in 1900, just before Benjamin died. Benjamin and Sarah Lamb had two children, but only one survived until adulthood.

5. Jesse Sanders was born June 30, 1845 in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, and died December 12, 1903 in Murchison, Henderson County, Texas. He was too young to serve in the early years of the Civil War. On February 5, 1864, he joined Company D of the 4th Arkansas Cavalry, U.S. This was the same company in which some of his cousins were serving. His military record states gives the following description: "age 18, ht 5’ 8”, eyes blue, hair lt, complx fair, farmer, born in Tishomingo Co, MS." His whereabouts after he left the army until 1871 are unknown. Family tradition is that he came to Texas in 1870 from Booneville, Mississippi, so he must have accompanied his parents and the rest of the family when they moved from Arkansas back to Mississippi. He doesn't appear at all on the 1870 census, and he may have been traveling to Texas in June of 1870 when the census was taken. He settled in Henderson County, Texas, about ten miles from the residence of his cousin Levi Lindsey Sanders. In 1871, in Erath County, Texas, he married Mary Amanda Pickering, daughter of Andrew Jackson Pickering who was born in 1829 in Covington County, Mississippi. Jesse and Amanda had seven children.Two of the children, John Taylor Sanders and Sarah Elizabeth Sanders, were born in Erath County; the rest were born after the family moved back to Murchison in Henderson County, Texas, where Amanda's father had previously lived. Amanda died in 1898 and Jesse died in 1903. They and many of their descendants are buried in the Red Hill Cemetery in Henderson County. Jesse's son and my father, Jesse Jackson Sanders, who lived from 1885 until 1964, was the source of much of my information about Isaac and his children.

6. Calvin Sanders was born July 21, 1847 in old Tishomingo County. He married Mary Clark on August 25, 1867 in Sevier County, Arkansas. He died June 6, 1877 in Prentiss County, Mississippi. According to his descendants, his wife may have married a second time, to a man named Butler, after Calvin's death. Mary is also said to have been of Indian ancestry and to have moved to the Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory, where she died on August 6, 1899. Calvin and Mary had four children, but descendants are known for only three of them: Sarah Caldona Sanders who married Robert Benjamin Ellis, Isaac Sanders who married Alice Spears, and Rebecca Sanders who married Benjamin Franklin Butler.

7. William Sanders was born May 18, 1849 in Tishomingo County. He died January 20, 1850.

8. Amanda Sanders was born November 21, 1850 in Montgomery County, Arkansas. She died in September of 1867. Since her brother Calvin married in September 1867, it is likely that the family was still in Sevier County, Arkansas at that time.

9. Elizabeth was born January 10, 1853 in Montgomery County, Arkansas, and she and she died August 26, 1855.

10. There was an unnamed son who was born on January 5, 1855 and died four days later.

11. Sarah Sanders was born December 24, 1855. She was still living with her parents in Prentiss County, Mississippi, in 1880. I have no information about any marriage or descendants.

12. Rebecca Sanders was born March 21, 1858 in Montgomery County, Arkansas. She was also still living with her parents in Prentiss County, Mississippi, in 1880. I have been unable to trace her after that date.

In 1880, there was a Martha A. Sanders, born in 1877, living with Isaac. She is listed as a grandchild. She could be a child of Calvin and Mary and temporarily living with her grandparents or she could be a child of Isaac's daughters Sarah (age 25) or Rebecca (age 22).

In January of 2013 and November 2016 additional information about Isaac's family was given to me by Cathy Eshmont (now Cathy Latrelli), a descendant of Calvin Newton Sanders (1874-1957), a son of Aaron Sanders, and grandson of Isaac. She had access to a book that was compiled in the 1980s by a relative, Barbara Radcliffe Rogers, who had married a great grandson of Aaron Sanders. Barbara had access to a material that was copied by Alma Sanders Owen, a granddaughter of Aaron Sanders, in the 1960s or 1970s from a family Bible that had belonged to either Isaac Sanders or to his son Aaron.

Francis Sanders, or Saunders as the name is spelled in some documents, was born in the year 1782 in North Carolina. Most likely, based on the residence of related family members, he was born in the northeastern part of Montgomery County close to the border with Randolph County. His year of birth is well attested by the 1850 census and by documents he signed when applying for federal bounty land. His marriage to Rachel Sanders, who, according to DNA testing, was not related to him, occurred on August 21, 1801 in Randolph County, North Carolina.

One of Francis’ granddaughters married a grandson of Benjamin Saunders of Randolph County, and there is a strong tradition among the descendants of this granddaughter that she and her husband were double cousins. We know from an estate settlement in Randolph County in 1811 that Francis’ wife Rachel and Benjamin’s wife Mary were sisters. Therefore, the grandchildren of Benjamin and Francis would be double cousins if Benjamin and Francis were also brothers, and this is the most likely explanation. The brotherhood of Francis and Benjamin appears to be confirmed by a statement in a Texas newspaper in 1898 by a grandson of Francis, William Redman Sanders, that a grandson of Benjamin, Levi Lindsey Sanders, was his cousin.

There is some documentary evidence, discussed elsewhere at this Web site, that Benjamin’s father was Isaac Saunders of Randolph County, North Carolina. If so, Francis was also probably a son of Benjamin. In 1800, Benjamin was married and living in a household of his own, but there is a 16-25 year old male living in Isaac’s household that appears to be his son Francis who would have been 18 years old in 1800. In addition, the children of Benjamin and the children of Francis maintained close contact even after they moved from North Carolina to Jackson County and Marshall County in Alabama and later to Pike and Montgomery counties in Arkansas. Therefore, the thesis presented here is that Isaac was the father of both Benjamin and Francis.

Francis and his family appear on the 1810 Randolph County census living near his brother Benjamin Sanders and near members of the Steed family who were apparently related to the Sanders in some way presently unknown to researchers. Francis and his brother Benjamin appear on the 1815 tax list of RandolphCounty. The 1820 census for Randolph is missing, but there is a Francis Sanders living in Rowan County who may or may not be the same Francis. Francis next appears on the 1830 Jackson County, Alabama, census. In the 1830s there was a large migration of the Sanders and associated families to Jackson County after the area was opened to white settlement. Apparently, the family of Francis moved first and Benjamin moved several years later. Some of the brothers and sisters of Francis and Benjamin’s wives and descendants of Jacob Sanders, another brother of Francis and Benjamin, were also part of this migration.

While in Jackson County, Francis, along with several other Sanders men, signed up as a volunteer in the Seminole Indian War. He served from 26 October 1837 to 9 April 1838 under Capt. William S. Coffee of the North Alabama Mounted Volunteer Regiment commanded by Colonel Benjamin Snodgrass.

All of the children of Francis and Rachel are not definitely known, and for many years, researchers assumed that five well-known siblings in Jackson County were the children of Francis and Rachel, though more recent evidence indicates that Francis’ brother Benjamin was the father of these children. These five were Rebecca (1806), Phoebe (1813-1820), Isaac (1818), John (1822), and Alfred (1827). Further information about these siblings is given in other articles at this Web site. One of them, Isaac, was my great-grandfather.

There are, however, five children of Francis and Rachel for whom we have a reasonable amount of documentation. These are Elijah (1804), John Francis (1805), Elisha (1814), William Patrick (1819), and Mary Jane (1823). All appear to have been born in Randolph County, North Carolina.

The child of Francis and Rachel for whom we have the most convincing evidence is Elijah Sanders. There is a solid family tradition passed down among his descendants that his father was Francis Sanders. Elijah married Mary Jane Isbell about the time of the move to North Carolina in 1829 and they moved to Jackson County, where they raised a large family of ten children. Elijah died in Jackson County in 1858.

The administrator for the estate of Elijah was named Francis Sanders, and this appears to be not the elder Francis but his son John Francis who is listed in census records as Francis or “Frank” Sanders. We may infer from his responsibility for the estate that he was the oldest surviving member of the family still in the Jackson County area at the time of the death of Elijah in 1858. Therefore, he appears to be a son of the Francis Sanders who was born in 1782. The senior Francis may have been still alive in 1858, but, if so, he was living in Arkansas and not available to act as an administrator for his son’s estate back in Alabama. Hence, John Francis was probably the oldest living brother of Elijah and was chosen as the administrator for this reason. John Francis later moved to Calhoun County, Arkansas, in 1871 and died there in 1875.

Another likely son of Francis and Rachel is Elisha Sanders, who died in Marshall County, Alabama, in 1840. The elder Francis was one of the administrators for his estate. Elisha appears to have been a relatively young man, probably under thirty years old, because he left a young widow and two male children, both under six years old. The presence of the younger of these children in the household of Francis and Rachel in 1850 in DeKalb County, Alabama, also lends credence to the possibility that Francis was the grandparent of the two.

While Francis and Rachel were living in DeKalb County, Alabama, Francis applied for federal bounty land on January 1, 1851, based on his service in the Seminole Indian War. He stated on the application that he was sixty-eight years old at the time and that he was the same person who served in Jackson County in the fall of 1837 and spring of 1838 under Captain William S. Coffee’s North Alabama Mounted Volunteer Regiment. We know from subsequent events that his intention was to go to Arkansas and secure land there.

At nearly seventy years of age, he and Rachel didn’t travel alone. In a court case in the Indian Territory in 1903, one of their grandchildren, Sarah Ann Biddy Kinsey, stated that the Sanders migration to Arkansas involved at least five wagons and two buggies and she provided very crucial information about who made the trip in the following exchange: Q. How many people came with you? A. One of my uncles on my mother's side, and my grandfather and my grandmother on my mother's side. Sarah Ann was the daughter of James Jones Biddy and Mary Jane Sanders, one of six children of this couple. In addition, there were at least five children of William Patrick Sanders, the uncle to whom she referred as making the trip with the group. Therefore, counting the eight in the Biddy family and the seven in the William Patrick Sanders family, plus Francis and Rachel, the grandparents, there must have been at least seventeen people making the journey. According to another grandchild, the trip took five or six weeks. The route apparently went from Marshall County, Alabama, through Corinth, Mississippi, to Memphis, then through Des Arc in Prairie County, Arkansas, and finally to Hempstead County.

Mary Jane Sanders Biddy died in 1852 somewhere in central Arkansas, possibly near Des Arc in Prairie County. Her brother, William Patrick Sanders, moved to Pike County, Arkansas, and later served in the Union Army during the Civil War. His year of death is uncertain, but military records show he was alive in November 1863. One of his sons married in 1865 in Montgomery County, Arkansas, a granddaughter of Francis’ brother Benjamin. According to family tradition, after this couple married, they found out that they were not only cousins, but double cousins, having only six great grandparents instead of eight.

Francis Sanders’ bound land warrant request that he had initiated in 1851 in Marshall County, Alabama, was executed in August 1855 in Hempstead County, Arkansas, and the two witnesses were James J. Biddie and William Sanders. These appear to be his son-in-law, James Jones Biddy and his son William Patrick Sanders. The application states that Francis was then a resident of Hempstead County. Francis seems to have received the right to eighty acres in Pike County and then to have signed his rights to the land in October 1856 to Henry Merrill, an agent for the Arkansas Manufacturing Company. This is the last record we have of Francis Sanders. Neither he nor Rachel are referenced on the 1860 Arkansas census, and it’s probably a safe assumption that Francis died between 1857 and 1860 in Hempstead, or possibly in Pike County. The last knowledge we have of Rachel is that she survived the trip to Arkansas in 1851, but nothing is known of her afterwards.

Census records indicate that Francis and Rachel probably had other children, but we have little evidence for their identity. One possibility is the Frances Sanders who married William Stewart on February 13, 1839 in Marshall County. Another possibility is even more elusive. A Mary Sanders who appears with her children on the 1850 and 1860 Jackson County census may have been a daughter-in-law of Francis. At any rate, her children were neighbors to some of Francis’ descendants in Jackson County. She had a son named Francis Kimbro Sanders who was born in 1838, and he was the administrator of her estate upon her death in 1868. According to one researcher, Mary’s husband, who must have died before 1840, was named Isaac, but I have never been able to find a record of this Isaac.

As with his brother Ben, documentation is sparse for Francis, but it is not lacking altogether and through the efforts of many researchers, we have a much better understanding of his life and children that we had a few years ago. It is to be hoped that further research will provide further documentation for the lives of Francis and Rachel.

The John Francis Sanders/Cinthia Harris Mystery

As previously mentioned, one of the sons of Francis was John Francis Sanders, mentioned in most records as Francis or Frank Sanders. According to a tradition passed down among his descendants, his wife’s name was Cinthia or Cynthia Harris. Research indicates that there is a marriage record of a John Francis Sanders and a Cinthia Harris in 1821 in Guilford County, North Carolina. This county is just north of Randolph County.

However, there is a problem in reconciling the date of this marriage with what is known of Cinthia’s birth year and with family tradition about her children. On the 1830 census she is listed as 15-20 years old, yielding a birth year of 1810-1815, and there is one child in the household, indicating that the couple was newly married. Francis is listed as 20-30 years old which is consistent with his birth year of 1805. On the 1840 census, Cinthia is listed as 20-30 years old (born between 1810 and 1820) and Francis is listed as 30-40 years old (born between 1800-1810). The 1840 census lists the following children: 1 male under five (William James, born 1836); one male 5-10 (Hiram Almon, born 1832); one male 10-15 (Isaac, born 1829); one female under 5 (Martha, born 1839); one female 5-10 (name unknown). On the 1850 Jackson County census, Cinthia is listed as 41 years old, yielding a birth year of 1809. The 1860 census has her born in 1812. The 1870 census has her born in 1811.

When all this data is combined, it is evident something appears wrong with the 1821 marriage date. It’s very unlikely Francis and Cinthia would have been married eight years before their first child was born. It’s even more unlikely that she was between eight and twelve years old at the time of her marriage which is what all the census data seems to indicate. However, a copy of the marriage bond sent to me by the North Carolina Archives shows that Jesse Franklin was the governor of North Carolina at that time, and he held that office only in the year 1821.

A further difficult is that young children still appear in the household in 1860 and 1870. One of these children, Thomas Jefferson Sanders, was born in 1861 and family tradition is that he was regarded as a son of Francis and Cinthia. There were at least two of their grandchildren that Francis and Cinthia adopted and raised as their own in the 1860s, but Thomas was not mentioned as adopted in family tradition. Yet it seems almost impossible for him to have been the natural child of Francis and Cinthia. If so, the birth occurred forty years after the marriage of the parents.

I’m not sure how to reconcile these problems, but here is my guess: Cinthia and John Francis were actually married in 1821, and she was 13 years old at that time, born about 1808. Yet unless they had children who died in infancy, no children were born between 1821 and 1829. It also appears that some of the children living with this couple in 1860 were probably grandchildren. George Washington Sanders who was born in 1852 when Cinthia was about 44 was probably her last child. The two younger children, Cinthia (1854) and William (1858) are probably grandchildren. Cinthia (1854) may be the daughter of Elijah, John Francis' brother, who died in 1848. At any rate, Thomas Jefferson Sanders, born in 1861, and living with Francis and Cinthia in 1861 has to be a grandchild or other relative who was taken in by Francis and Cinthia after the death of his parents. As Sherlock Holmes once said, to solve any mystery, we first have to eliminate the impossible and it is virtually impossible for Francis and Cinthia to have married in 1821 and to have had a child in 1861.

This article is an attempt to evaluate what is known and not known about the genealogy of the Sanders of Wright County, Missouri, and in particular the descendants of Peter Sanders who was born about 1779 in North Carolina. Unfortunately, much previous research about this family is based on conclusions about kinship relationships between Peter Sanders and other Sanders in Wright County that are not supported by the available evidence. I will cite specific examples below.

Peter died between 1860 and 1870 in Wright County. Many family trees posted on the Internet give his parents as Daniel Sanders and Jane Lyon, both originally from North Carolina, but I have been unable to find any documentation for Daniel Sanders as his father. I believe this assumption of Daniel’s parentage is mere guesswork and is not based on any credible evidence. There was a Daniel Sanders who lived in Montgomery County, North Carolina, in the 1770s, but his whereabouts after that are unknown. It was also speculated that Daniels' wife was Jane Lyon Sanders who left a will in 1813 in Maury County, Tennessee in which she named two sons, Peter and William. Since Peter of Wright County is known to have had a son, John Archie, born in Maury County about 1812, it seemed a logical inference that Jane Lyon Sanders may have been the mother of Peter of Wright County (actually, as we will see, this may not be the case).

The identity of the son named William has never been established, but I think I can say with certainty who is not William, brother of Peter. He is not, as some researchers have alleged, the William Sanders who was born in 1789 in North Carolina and who later lived and died in Montgomery County, Arkansas. That William was the father of Lucretia Sanders who married Carroll Jackson Brewer, who testified before the Southern Claims Commission in the 1873 that Lucretia was the half-niece of John Sanders of Jackson County, Alabama. It follows from this statement that William Sanders, father of Lucretia, was John’s half-brother. John had other siblings, known through solid documentation: Rebecca, Phoebe, Isaac, and Alfred. Isaac in fact lived near William in Montgomery County. Unless these are also siblings of Peter, and they are not, it is impossible for William of Montgomery County, Arkansas, to be a brother of Peter.

Therefore, we know nothing about William, son of Jane Lyon Sanders, where he lived, or what happened to him. All we can tell is that he was alive when his mother’s will was written about 1813. He could have died shortly thereafter for all we know.

Nor, in spite of numerous postings to the contrary do we have a very clear picture of exactly how many children Peter and his wife, Michelle (or Marchial) Tarbutton, had. It appears certain from long established tradition that John Archie Sanders was a son of Peter:

"In 1935, MATTHEW [James Mattison] SANDERS of Wright Co., Mo., oldest living desc. of PETER SANDERS, told me that his grandfather PETER SANDERS came from N.C. to Tenn. and was living in Maury Co. Tenn. when his father JOHN ARCH. SANDERS was born in 1812. Their home was on Duck River in Maury Co.PETER and his brother went to Williamson Co. Ill. for a few years, then to Greene Co. Ark, then to Wright Co. Mo. where they took up land about 1840-45.” Peter and Marchial: http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/b/o/u/Dawna-L-Bouchard/GENE4-0007.html
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~lsimmons/sit/FG02/FG02_066.htm Linda Simmons [email protected] quoted by Wilene Smith: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=sanderswilene&id=I007

The existence of another son, Andrew Jackson Sanders, can be inferred from the fact that John Archie was the administrator for Andrew Jackson’s will. I have been unable to ascertain how the other children (up to sixteen according to some) were attributed to Peter and Michelle/Marchial. My feeling is that many of the researchers of this family simply picked Sanders who lived in Wright County and labeled them children of Peter without checking to see whether any documentation existed. Since I have done little research on most of these children, I can’t evaluate with certainty whether most of these children actually belong in this family or not. In several cases, however, there is sufficient evidence to show that something is seriously remiss in documentation.

For example, by checking the family trees posted at RootsWeb World Connect, one can find a Benjamin Sanders, born in 1804 in North Carolina, listed as a son of Peter. It’s possible that Peter did have a son named Benjamin, but, if so, nothing is known about him except his name. He is certainly not the Benjamin Sanders, born in 1804 in North Carolina, who was living in Jackson County, Alabama in 1850 and in Wright County in 1860. It’s true that this Benjamin is enumerated near Peter Sanders in 1860, but it is impossible for him to have been the son of Benjamin.

There are many reasons why I know this, but let us begin with the 1917 obituary of Levi Lindsey Sanders, a blacksmith and merchant in Van Zandt County, Texas. According to information provided by Levi and included by his family in the obituary, Levi was born in 1837 in Jackson County, Alabama, and he was the son of Benjamin Sanders, Jr., and the grandson of Benjamin Sanders, Sr.:

“Levi Lindsey Sanders was born in Jackson Co., Al, February 21, 1837, his age being 79 years, 10 mos. and 17 days. He was a son of Buck Ben Sanders, a gunsmith and came of Irish Catholic ancestry, his people setting in North Carolina. Uncle Levi's paternal Grandfather was Ben Saunders, as the name was originally spelled.”

If we go back to the 1850 census we find Benjamin Sanders living there with his children, including his 13 year old son Levi. This Benjamin was born in 1804 in North Carolina. If we go back three years earlier in Jackson County, there is a deed by which Benjamin and his wife, Liney (or Lynna), sold land. According to family tradition in Texas, Benjamin came from Randolph County, North Carolina. If we go back even further to 1825, there is a marriage record in Randolph County of Benjamin Sanders, Jr., and Liney Suggs. Benjamin, Sr., was the witness for the marriage bond. Everything checks out with the family tradition which holds that Benjamin, Sr., a blacksmith, moved from Randolph County and died in Jackson County, Alabama at an advanced age. In the 1840 census of Jackson County, a 70-80 year old Benjamin is listed. This is evidently the father of Benjamin, Jr. Levi Lindsey, the grandson of Benjamin, Sr., ran away from home in the later 1850s, lived in Arkansas for a while and was living in Texas in 1860. This is why he was not living with his father and stepmother in Wright County in 1860.

In addition to the obituary of Levi Lindsey that dates to 1917, there is an even earlier published biography of one of Levi’s son that states that Levi was the son of Benjamin Sanders and that Benjamin’s father was “an Irishman from North Carolina who died in Jackson County, Alabama.” That also rules out Peter as the father of Benjamin.

All of the preceding should be sufficient proof by itself, but Justin Sanders, a descendant of Levi Lindsey Sanders, has provided even more. After Benjamin, Jr., married a woman named Intha Adeline (previously married to a man named Gifford), he had several more children and about 1858 he moved to Wright County. One of these children, Alabama Sanders (married name of Vassar) was enumerated on the 1860 census of Wright County, but she later moved to Fannin County, Texas, where she died about 1930. Among the heirs listed in her probate records were her half-nieces and nephews who were the children of Levi Lindsey Sanders of Van Zandt County.

It is evident from this that Benjamin, born 1804, living in Jackson County in 1850 and in Wright County in 1860, had no documented relation to Peter Sanders and that it is impossible for him to have been Peter’s son. It is, of course, possible that he was a cousin or a more distant relative.

Complicating matters even more is the assertion by some of the Peter Sanders researchers that Benjamin (born 1804) married Polly Moody. As we have seen, the Benjamin who was born in 1804 married Lynna Suggs, not Polly Moody, but there is a record of a Benjamin Sanders who married a Polly Moody in 1834 in Lawrence County, Tennessee. According to tradition passed down among the descendants of Polly’s sister, Edna, this Benjamin and Polly moved to Jackson County, Alabama, and all their children were born there. If we look at the 1840 census of Jackson County, there is a Benjamin Sanders living near Polly’s sister and her husband. This Benjamin was born between 1810 and 1820, and he appears to be the same person as the Benjamin Sanders, born in 1813, who is living in Jackson County in 1850 with his wife Mary and his children. Interestingly, one of the children is named Lydia, which was the name of Polly’s mother.

So, is this the Benjamin who married Polly Moody? There is not sufficient evidence to make a final determination, but he certainly fits the description. The name “Polly” was often used as a nickname for Mary in those days, so the fact that his wife was named Mary in 1850 rather than Polly may not be a serious difficulty. An alternative theory, suggested by Cal Reinecke, to whom I am indebted for much of this information, is that this Benjamin married Polly, who then died in the mid 1840s and then Benjamin married Mary.

Apparently, Mary (or Mary Polly) died about 1851 because in 1852, this same Benjamin married Nancy Jane Lovelady and a few years later, he and his second family, like the Benjamin born in 1804, moved to Wright County, Missouri. Descendants of this second family in Wright County confirm that Nancy Jane Lovelady was Benjamin’s wife when he lived in Wright County. Was he, then, the elusive son of Peter Sanders?

This is where things get even more complicated because it appears that he is not a son of Peter, either. According to tradition passed down among the descendants of George and Phoebe Sanders of Randolph County, North Carolina, this Benjamin was a son of George and Phoebe, and as with the other children of this couple, they even have an exact birth date for him of June 2, 1813. This theory is augmented by the fact that George and Phoebe lived near Benjamin and his wife in 1840. In addition, if he is the son of George and Phoebe, he would be a first cousin to the Benjamin born in 1804. This would explain why he appears to be living next door to that Benjamin in 1850 and why the two of them moved to Wright County at virtually the same time. Recently, Justin Sanders has discovered that Benjamin and his second wife Nancy Jane sold land to James Bean in 1856, land that had originally been patented by George Saunders, thus adding support to the tradition that George was the father of Benjamin.

So where does this lead us with the Benjamin who was reported to be the son of Peter? Not very far in the direction of identifying him because we have no evidence for him at all. If anyone has proof for his existence, it would be helpful if they came forward with the evidence.

Justin Sanders, a descendant of Levi Lindsey visited the Wright County courthouse in 2005 and examined the probate records of his ancestor, the Benjamin born in 1804. Here are some of Justin’s comments, provided in an e-mail in April 2006:

Now my g-g-grandfather, Levi Lindsey Sanders, was born 21 Feb 1837 in Jackson Co, AL and his father's name was Benjamin and he (Benjamin) was born in Randolph Co, NC-- this comes from the bible of Levi's son Morgan G., Levi's obituary, and a biography of another of Levi's sons which was written while Levi still lived-- also, according to Levi's son, Levi's grandfather (i.e. Benjamin's father) was also named Benjamin. So the second Benjamin (House 607) is Benjamin Jr., son of Benjamin Sr., and father of Levi L. Matilda in the household is a daughter who married Carter Miller in 1856. At age 20, she would have been born about 1830-- she's actually the 2nd born-- the first born is Sarah Sanders, who married Brantley N. Sanders. Sarah Sanders was born c 1826 in NC. Benjamin (607) would have been about 23 at the time of Sarah's birth.

NC Marriage Bonds: Benjamin Sanders Jr. to Liney Sugg, 19 May 1825, Randolph Co; bondsman: Benjamin Sanders Senr.; wit. Thos. Hancock [Note: on the original bond at the NC Archives, Benjamin Sanders Sr. signed by mark "S"]

Liney was alive as late as 1847, since there is a deed bearing their names in Jackson Co, AL: Annie Coleman Proctor Memorial Collection (Scottsboro Public Lib), v7, pp 77 and 83 Jackson Co, Deed Bk Q p569, Benjamin Sanders & wife Linney Sanders to Moses Higginbotham, 15 Feb 1847, W1/2 of NW 1/4 of S7 T3 R6E

The two Benjamins moved to Wright Co, MO. The younger one (47, NC, household 423) has a new wife-- Nancy J.(34, AL). Benjamin Sanders m. Nancy J. Lovelady, 15 Apr 1852, Jackson Co, AL marriage records. The children in 1860 match the ones in 1850. Namely Joseph (8 in 1850) is J.B.L. (18 in 1860); William (7 in 1850) is Wm. N. (17 in 1860); Rebecca (3 in 1850) is Rebecca E. (12 in 1860). Note also that there is a son Sevier L. Sanders (age 7 in 1860) who will be important later.

This probate record confirms that the elder Benjamin (household 607 in 1850 Jackson and 440 in 1860 Wright) are one in the same and that he is the father of my Levi L. Sanders (I learned of this probate case because the attorneys for the estate sent Levi's portion to one of Levi's grandsons to be apportioned among his descendants. I have a copy of the letter transmitting the money).

Now, what became of the two Benjamins? The probate records of both of them are in Wright Co, MO, but they are combined in one file-- fortunately they can be separated by the name of the administrator. The elder Benjamin (607 and 440) died by 4 Jan 1866 when his estate was inventoried. His administrator was William Palmer and his widow is Intha A. Sanders and the husband of his step daughter J.S. Farmer purchased the land of his estate. Final settlement of the estate was 11 May 1870. Unfortunately, I didn't take extensive or even careful notes of the estate of the other Benjamin (606 and 423), but his estate was probated in the early-to-mid-1870's, and his administrator was his son Sevier L. Sanders and his widow was Nancy.
--Justin Sanders

In addition to the problem with Benjamin Sanders, there is another example in which an accepted tie between Peter and another Sanders family whose descendants moved to Wright County is problematic. If we look at the data provided by most of the Peter Sanders researchers, Jesse Sanders, who was born May 17, 1780, in North Carolina and who moved to Lawrence County, Tennessee, may have been Peter’s brother. They don’t actually have evidence for this, but they assume the connection because some of Jesse’s children married into the Moody family, as did the children of Peter. But, here again, this may only mean that the two Sanders families and the Moody family were all traveling in the same pattern of migration and marriages tend to occur when families are in close proximity.

In fact, there is some evidence of a family tradition that Phoebe Sanders, the wife of Jesse Sanders, was the daughter of Joseph Sanders who died in 1805 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Phoebe is mentioned as one of the daughters in the will of Joseph Sanders and it appears she was married to a Jesse Sanders, who is also mentioned in the estate settlement. The parentage of this Jesse is not certain, but his father appears to have been Jacob Sanders who died about 1830 in nearby Montgomery County; Jesse is mentioned as an heir of Jacob in a legal document. Further confirmation that this may be the same Jesse is the names of the children of Jesse and Phoebe: Joseph (named after Phoebe’s father), Sarah (after Phoebe’s sister), Jacob (named for Jesse’s father), George (named for Phoebe’s brother), Rebecca (named for Phoebe’s mother), Mary (named for Jesse’s mother), and Jesse (after Jesse himself). In addition, with this reconstruction, Jesse was a first cousin to Benjamin Sanders, Jr., who died in Wright County in 1866. Everything makes sense without any connection to Peter Sanders at all.

To clear up these ambiguities, we really need a reexamination of the evidence regarding Peter’s genealogy, his parents, his children, and his descendants. Too often, researchers have simply accepted previous research or have made easy assumptions that all Sanders in Wright County must have a connection to Peter. I hope that someone reading this article will provide information that may help reduce the confusion that exists regarding the Sanders families of Wright County.

Additional material added on May 12, 2007:

For several years, I have thought that Peter Sanders who appears on the 1860 Wright County, Missouri, census must be related to Benjamin Sanders, Jr., who is living only a couple of households away from Peter. I now believe there is intriguing, though not conclusive, evidence that they were indeed cousins.

Jim Sanders recently sent me a copy of the 1813 will of Jane Sanders of Maury County, Tennessee. Like everyone else, I have been assuming she was the mother of Peter of Wright County. She does mention a son named Peter, and Peter is known to have lived in Maury County in 1812. But notice a sentence in the will:

"My wish that my son William Sanders and my son Peter Sanders dies before they have heirs of their own body my wish that all my property be equally divided between my two sisters."

It seems to me the implication of this is that her sons William and Peter were young men, either unmarried or married but without any children at the time of the will. It would be an odd statement to make about Peter Sanders of Wright County. We have very good documentation that he had at least one male child in 1813 and most likely two, and there may have been female children whose names are unknown. Why would his mother doubt whether he would have "heirs of his body?"

So, in spite of her living in the same county as Peter, maybe Jane was not the mother of Peter of Wright County. And if she is not the mother of Peter, there is another possibility for his parentage.

In the 1880s Moses Martin Sanders, the grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders, did various "ordinances" by which he baptized deceased relatives for the Mormon church. Among the relatives he mentioned were two children of his great uncle Francis Sanders. They were named Silas and Peter.

Jim Sanders has done a great deal of research on Silas Sanders who lived in Smith and Maury County, Tennessee in the 1820s. Silas later moved to Illinois and died there about 1836. Documentary evidence appears to suggest (though it's not certain) that this Silas is the same person as Silas Sanders who lived in Franklin County, Georgia, about 1800 and who is mentioned in the minutes of the church ministered by Silas' uncle, the Reverend Moses Sanders.

Further, the Silas in Tennessee, lived from 1824-1830 in the Duck River area of Maury County, the same county where Peter of Wright County lived. Later Silas was in Jefferson County, Illinois in the 1830s, and Peter Sanders of Wright County moved to Illinois in the 1830s also. Silas seems to be related, probably a brother, to the Moses Sanders who appears on the 1840 Greene County, Arkansas census. Moses is mentioned in a document relating to the disposal of Silas' estate in 1836. Jim Sanders believes Moses is most likely another son of Francis, and Moses was born in Georgia at a time that Francis, the brother of the Reverend Moses Sanders, was believed to be living in the state.

Peter Sanders of Wright County is known to have had a son born in 1812 in Maury County, Tennessee, in the Duck River area. Silas had land in the Duck River area in the 1820s. Peter was living next door to Moses Sanders of Greene County in 1840. Two of Peter's sons, John Archibald and Andrew Jackson were also living in Greene County in 1840.

Further, in 1860, Peter of Wright County is living a couple of houses away from Benjamin Sanders, Jr. If Peter of Wright is really the same person as Peter, son of Francis, and if the Silas in Tennessee is the same person as the Silas living in Georgia in 1800, then Benjamin and Peter were first cousins, once removed, assuming our theories about the ancestry of Benjamin are correct, of course.

Peter Sanders of Wright County married Marchial, or Michelle, Tarbutton. Her family owned property in Richmond County, North Carolina, along the border with Montgomery County. So, to continue with the possibility that Peter of Wright was son of Francis, the brother of the Reverend Moses, how did Peter and Michelle meet? Peter is believed to have been born in Montgomery County, and the census appears to establish that he was born around 1780 or 1781. Michelle was born in 1785, according to the 1850 census in North Carolina.,

According to an article by C. M. Wright on the Tarbutton's of North Carolina, Joseph Tarbutton II, the father of Michelle, served in a Georgia unit during the Revolutionary War and it appears his Georgia connections eventually led him to move from Richmond County, North Carolina, where he owned land near the Montgomery border, to Hall County, Georgia, just after 1812. Hall County, of course, borders on Banks County (or Franklin from which Banks was created). Franklin is the county where the Reverend Moses Sanders lived, and several of the Reverend Moses Sanders descendants lived in Hall County.

I don’t consider the identification of Silas of Tennessee with Silas of Georgia the only possibility, but the paper trail certainly provides evidence for that assumption. It is to be hoped further evidence will confirm this assumption.

It has been over ten years since I last updated the preceding article on Peter Sanders of Wright County, Missouri, and my first thought was to revise the entire article, but on second thought, I believe most of what I previously wrote holds up well. Nevertheless, the additional evidence that has been accumulated through Y-DNA tests and through further documentary research warrants mention and there are a few areas where some clarification may be in order. In addition, I did not really discuss in any detail Peter's father, whom I believe to have been the brother of the Reverend Moses Sanders, Francis Sanders of Franklin County, Georgia.

We know that Francis was a brother of the Reverend Moses through the ordinances that were done for the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City by Moses Martin Sanders (1803-1878) in the 1870s. In those documents, Moses Martin Sanders, a grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders, referred to Francis Sanders of Franklin County Georgia as his uncle. From Jim Sanders (May 2008):

Even if we did not have the testimony from Moses Martin Sanders, there is documentary evidence that a Francis Sanders lived in Franklin County, Georgia in the early years of the 19th century. We know this from tax lists and other references. We also know Francis was associated with the Reverend Moses Sanders in Franklin County, Georgia.

The first mention of our Francis anywhere is his signing a petition in Anson County April 19, 1777. Also signing was Aaron Sanders; this Aaron is the Aaron who was the brother of Moses and Francis. Thomas Bailey Saunders of Texas stated in his 1890s letter that Aaron had brothers named Isaac, and Moses, a Baptist preacher. The purpose of the petition was to divide Anson because the county was growing in population. Montgomery, where most of our Sanders lived, was created in 1779 from Anson.
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.northcarolina.counties.anson/2261/mb.ashx
Source: L. P. 13, Nov-Dec. 1776, April-May 1777.

I was the one who first suggested that Francis was born about 1755 and that he was the youngest of the four brothers, with either Isaac or Aaron having been the oldest. Isaac is known to have had a child, Jacob, who was born in 1760 and since Isaac was still living about 1825 (from the letter written by Thomas Bailey Saunders, his grand nephew), Isaac probably couldn't have been born much before 1740.I chose the date of 1737 as an estimate for Isaac's birth year because Thomas Bailey Saunders said that Isaac was one of the first people to live in Cross Creek (in Cumberland County, near Fayetteville) which was founded about 1757.

We know that the Reverend Moses and his brother Aaron were in Anson County by the early 1770s and they acquired rather large quantities of land. Isaac remained in Cumberland County, but he bought land in the part of Cumberland that later became Moore County in 1780. By 1782 Isaac was in Montgomery County, and by the 1790s he was in Randolph, where he appears on the 1800 census.Aaron died in November 1782. Letters of administration for his estate were issued but the actual content has been lost or destroyed. The Reverend Moses died in 1817 in Georgia. In the first decade of the nineteenth century, Francis Sanders appears in many records in Franklin County, Georgia, as an associate of the Reverend Moses Sanders.

The late Elden Hurst (1922-2009) was the first researcher to do solid research on the Reverend Moses Sanders and his brother Francis. On page 8 of Hurst's book we find:

Moses Martin Sanders indicated his grandfather, Moses Sanders, had a brother Francis Sanders. On file in the Secretary of State's Office in Raleigh, Wilkes County, Number 284 is a warrant of 100 acres to Francis Sanders. It is situated "Lying on ye Bear Branch, the water of Hunting Creek." It was surveyed 20 Apr 1685. It was originally entere 18 Nov 1783 and issued 22 Sept 1785. (Grant 719 Entry No. 284 Book 59 327) Wilkes County Tax list for 1782 shows Francis Sanders in Capt. Alexander Gordon's District (same as Moses) with 2 mules and 3 cattle. In years 784-1791 he is taxed on 1 poll and 100 acres.

A census for 1787 shows Francis Sanders with 1 male, 2 males under 21 and 3 females. (Film 901, 216)

Wilkes County Deeds (020,133 Pg 525) 26 Mar 1792 Francis Sanders, farmer; sells to Benj. Crabtree 100 acres of land on water of Hunting Creek for 10 lbs. It is the property he received under grant 719 22 Sep 1785.

Francis Sanders is taxed on 200 acres on Hudson River, Franklin Co., GA. in 1800. He is listed as a single poll in 1802 and in 1803, 1805, 1806 is taxed on 60 acres orginally granted Geo. Vaughn adjoining Moses Sanders on Grove River. He moves to Smith County Tenn. in 1807 as noted in Sep 1807 minutes of Grove Level Baptist Church. He has sons Silas and Peter who appear as single polls on 1806 tax rolls. In 1820 census of Smith Co., Tenn. Francis Sanders is listed with 1 son 16-26 and he and wife Mary (Polly) are both over 45. Silas has two sons under 10, 1 son 10-6, 1 dau 10-16 and he and wife are 26-45.

Elden's Hurst seminal work was continued by Jim Sanders of Ojai, California. Jim is a descendant of Silas Sanders, one of the two sons of Francis mentioned in the ordinances done by Moses Martin Sanders in the 1870s. In Jim's words,

...we will work backward in time, as it is our belief that our progenitor, Silas Sanders, is first noted as one of the young males listed in the 1787 and 1790 census of Wilkes County, North Carolina, in the Francis Sanders family. From this beginning, we then trace him to and from the entries of the Groves Level Baptist Church of Franklin County (now Banks County), Georgia.

In May of 1802, during the era of the great Baptist revival, 62 members of the Nails Creek Baptist Church (located in present day Homer, Banks County, Georgia), left the Nails Creek Church, moved down the road a bit to the banks of the Grove River and formed their own church. They called it the Groves Level Baptist Church. They chose Reverend Moses Sanders and Anderson Ivey as their leaders.

In 1878, Moses Martin Sanders, son of David Sanders and Grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders submitted to the Latter Day Saints of Saint George, Utah, information in which he identified his forebears and family. Among these submissions was the identification of Francis Sanders, his Granduncle (hence, a brother to the Reverend Moses Sanders). Also identified is Silas Sanders (son of Francis), as a 2nd cousin. (David and Silas are cousins; hence, Francis Sanders children were 2nd cousins to David Sanders children).

It is our belief that the Silas Sanders of Franklin County, Georgia, moved to Smith County, Tennessee sometime after 1807 and we have abstracted documents, which support our belief. Although, we have found no documentation that absolutely states this.

We have found no indication that there was a second Silas Sanders, in the Southern states, during this time frame.

We reviewed the federal censuses of 1820 and 1830 and they were the primary "proving grounds" for our opinion that the Silas Sanders, who is noted in Franklin County, Georgia, in 1802, then Smith County Tennessee, 1820, then Maury County, Tennessee 1824, then Marion County, Illinois and finally Jefferson County, Illinois, in 1835 was the same man.

We also analyzed Grants, Deeds, Tax Records and Court Minutes from Smith County and Maury County, Tennessee and Marion County and Jefferson County, Illinois, to see if there might have been a second Silas Sanders in these records. Our conclusion is there was not.

According to Elden Hurst, in the St. George Temple Sealings for the Dead (Films 170, 542, 583, 840), Moses Martin Sanders (1803-1878) identified over twenty-five deceased relatives and stated their relationship to him. Among these were his second cousins Peter and Silas, the sons of his granduncle Francis. We have already identified the son named Silas, his whereabouts in his early life, and his descendants.

The son of Francis named Peter was the subject of my article written in 2006 that is posted immediately preceding this one. So far as I can tell, I was the first person to identify Peter of Franklin County, Georgia, with the Peter of Wright County, Missouri, and I still feel that the bulk of the evidence suggests that Peter who appears on the tax roll of Franklin County, Georgia, in 1806 is the same person who appears on the 1812 Maury County, Tennessee tax rolls; who served in the War of 1812 in Capt. Gist's Tennessee Company; who was in Lawrence County, Tennessee, in 1830; who was in Gallatin County, Illinois, briefly in the 1830s; who appears on the 1840 census of Greene County, Arkansas; and who appears on the 1850 and 1860 census of Wright County, Missouri. The evidence that clinches this identification of Peter the son of Francis with Peter who died in Wright County is that the Wright County Peter's widow, Michel Tarbutton Owens Sanders, in her application for a widow's pension in 1878, stated that she and Peter were married in Franklin County, Georgia. [The name of Peter's wife is not certain; it is sometimes given as Michel or Marchail in documents, but for consistency, I will refer to her as "Michel" here.]

Peter, therefore, belongs to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group. The only way he could not belong to this group would be if there were two Peter Sanders in Franklin County, Georgia, in the first decade of the nineteenth century and one of them did not leave any records. Though I believe it has been demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that Francis and Peter were father and son, a major problem remain in that, with few exceptions, we are not certain of the names of all of the children of Peter or of his father Francis. With the latter, we have the children Peter and Silas as firmly established through inference from reliable documentation that does not admit of any other reasonable interpretation. For the other children of Francis, we have to rely on inference from documentation that is somewhat ambiguous. For the time being, any conclusions about additional children have to be accepted as reasonable possibilities, not as certainties.

First, we believe that Francis was probably the youngest of his brothers even though we do not have exact dates of birth of any of the brothers. Francis' brother William Aaron may have been born between 1735 and 1740; Aaron's first son was born in the late 1760s. Francis' brother Isaac is said in family tradition to have been the first person to build a house at Cross Creek near Fayetteville in North Carolina. Since Cross Creek was settled just before 1760, Isaac may have been born about 1737. The Reverend Moses is said to have been born about 1742. The reason to think that Moses' brother Francis was born somewhat latter, about 1755, is that the first of Francis' children was not born until about 1779, and, if he is the really the same fellow on the 1820 census, it's a reasonable inference to place his birth date in the 1750s. Francis' marriage probably occurred about 1778 and would have been in Anson County, North Carolina, where he was living in that year. Francis' son Peter was born about 1779 according to census records and Peter's brother Silas seems to have been born between 1785 and 1788, based on Silas' own marriage and the birth dates of his children.

Church records of the Groves Level Baptist Church in Franklin County Georgia provide information that Francis and his wife "Polly" were granted letters letters of dismissal in September 1807 for a move to Smith County, Tennessee. His nephew David Sanders moved to Franklin County, Tennessee, shortly thereafter, but was in Bedford County, Tennesse by December 1810. The two counties are less than a hundred miles from each other. Maury County, where Peter's son John Archibald was born in 1812, in a home on the Duck River, is about forty miles from Smith County, and the Duck River flows through both counties.

When Francis and his family moved to Smith County, we do not know how many children were in the family. Peter and Silas have been previously identified, but the names of the others have various degrees of uncertainty. In 1787 a state census in Wilkes County, North Carolina, shows that Francis had two sons, presumably Peter and Silas. The 1790 national census indicates he had three sons. The 1820 census of Smith County is the only other documentary enumeration of his children, showing that he had one son aged 16-18 and one 16-25. Daughters are also indicated in these records, but Elden Hurst and Jim Sanders were able to identify only one daughter, Sarah Sanders (1794-1860) who married David Dodd and who moved to Saline County, Arkansas.

Among the possible other sons of Francis, the most obvious one is Moses Sanders (about 1795-about 1865). Elden Hurst and Jim Sanders agree that he appears to be a son of Francis. Moses married Goolie or Gooley Bean, possibly as early as 1819 in Smith County, Tennessee, but we have no documentation on any of their children until their son Walter was born in 1832, apparently in Marion County, Illinois. In 1836 in Jefferson County, Illinois, Moses Sanders signed a bond for the estate of Silas Sanders. Jim Sanders believes the Moses in Jefferson County is Silas' brother and the same person who by 1838 was in Greene County, Arkansas where he and Gooley remained until the 1850s when they moved to Johnson County, Arkansas.

After Peter, Silas, Sarah, and Moses, the names of the children are based less on documentation and more on inference from geographical location and proximity--and from recent Y-DNA tests. What follows is my enumeration of the most likely children.

Silas Sanders (1785-1788, Wilkes County, North Carolina--died before June 1836, Jefferson County, Illinois) . We have a Y-DNA test on a descendant of Silas (as well as a very good paper trail based on Jim Sanders' research), and we are therefore certain that he was one of the sons of Francis.

Sarah Sanders (about 1794, Laurens County, South Carolina, married David Dodd--died July 1860, Saline County, Arkansas). This identification is based on the research of Elden Hurst.

Moses Sanders (1795, Franklin County, Georgia--died after 1860, Johnson County, Arkansas). We do not have a Y-DNA test on any of Moses' descendants, just the paper trail, but Jim Sanders and Elden Hurst agree that the paper trail is convincing.

Isaac Sanders (born between 1776 and 1794-died after 1820). The only reason to think this Isaac may be a son of Francis is that he is enumerated as household 1184 and Francis is 1171 on the 1820 Smith County, Tennessee, census. It's tempting to think this Isaac may be the same one listed on the Franklin County, Georgia, tax rolls of 1802 and 1803 but I think it more likely that the Franklin County Isaac was the one who moved to Pickens County, Alabama and lived there near Obadiah Hooper who married Sarah Sanders, the daughter of the Reverend Moses Sanders of Franklin County. That Isaac later moved to Leake County, Mississippi and died there. The whereabout of the Isaac of Smith County (1820) before and after 1820 are unknown. I think it unlikely that he is the same person as the Isaac who died in Fayette County, Illinois after 1840. We know nothing about the Fayette County Isaac except that he was born in the 1780s and that an Isaac Sanders (or Landers) of Fayette County married Polly Cook in 1838. It is very possible that the Isaac who married Polly Cook was a "Landers" rather than a Sanders, as there was a Landers family that left numerous descendants in the Fayette County.

John Sanders (born 1795-1804 per 1820 Smith County census; born 1790-1800 per 1830 Smith Census; appears on 1834 Lawrence County, tax list; born 1790-1800 per 1840 Greene County, census. John may very well be a son but documentation for him is scant. We don't know whom he married or the names of his children.

Francis Sanders (born about 1797--died between 1840-1850, Greene County, Arkansas). This Francis is enumerated near Peter on the 1840 United States Federal census. Three sons are listed : one 10-14, possibly the John, age 21, who is on the 1850 census; one who is 10-19, possibly the Elijah, age 28 on the 1850 census; and one 20-29, possibly Francis M., age 30, on the 1850 census. On the same census of Greene County, there is also a David Sanders, age 31;he is enumerated near Moses and Gooley and may be their child or he may also be a child of Francis. The only one of these where anyone has traced the descendants, so far as I can tell, is with the Francis Sanders who was born in 1820. He married Rachael Bumgarner about 1841. A Y-DNA test of his descendants would be helpful.

Hiram Sanders (born about 1800 in Georgia--died after 1850, probably in Union County, Illinois. I am relying heavily on Thomas Stephen Neel for my analysis of Hiram. Apparently, there is a Bible record passed down among the descendants of one of Hiram's daughters, Mary Ann, who married Eliel Freeman. The Bible record gives the birth dates of all the children of Hiram and his wife Rebecca McDaniel but does not mention Hiram's parents. Stephen Neel believes Hiram may be a son of Peter Sanders rather than a brother but agrees that the question is open. The 1800 birth date for Hiram may be a little early for a son of Peter, however, and for this reason, I am inclined to list him as a possible son of Francis. We do not have a Y-DNA test on any of the descendants of Hiram, but I myself have a very good autosomal DNA match (shared CM of 74) with a descendant of Archibald McDaniel Sanders, one of Hiram's sons. (The other participant and I are probably fifth cousins if my interpretation is correct). This Archibald McDaniel Sanders lived at one time in Jack County, Texas, which is one of the reasons I think his father Hiram may have been a brother to the next two individuals.

Elijah Sanders (born about 1801, supposedly in Tennessee--died 1840-1850 in Arkansas. Elijah married a woman named Catherine Eaton and his brother John Randall Rufus Sanders married Catherine's sister Phoebe Eaton--this comes from family tradition that was passed down among their descendants in Jack County, Texas. Elijah and Catherine are believed to have been in Greene County, Arkansas in the 1830s. In 1850, two of their sons, Alexander and James, are in Fannin County, Texas. In 1860. Catherine and her children are living in Jack County, Texas.

John Randall Rufus Sanders (born about 1804--died between 1847 and 1850, probably in Navarro County, Texas). He is apparently the same person as the Randall Sanders listed on the 1840 Greene County, Arkansas census. In 1850 his widow, Phoebe and her children were living in Navarro County, Texas, and by 1860 they were in Jack County, Texas, along with the widow and children of John's brother Elijah. In 1860, Archibald McDaniel Sanders, a proven son of Hiram, was also living in Jack County. A Y-DNA test of a descendant of Elijah Sanders proves that Elijah and his brother John belong to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group.

In the 1820 Smith County, Tennessee census, Francis Sanders had two males ages 16-18 and 16-25 in his household. I think these may be Elijah and John Randall Sanders. Though I have enumerated eleven possible children for Francis (1755-1820), but I would be very surprised if all of these were ever proven through a paper trail. Some of them may be either grandchildren or cousins of Francis. I feel confident, however, that nearly all the Sanders in Greene County, Arkansas, in the 1830s and 1840s were closely related to Francis Sanders.

In my 2006 article, I mentioned Andrew Jackson Sanders and John Archibald Sanders as two commonly accepted children of Peter Sanders and Michel Tarbutton and provided examples of children attributed to Peter and Michel that were obviously not theirs because of existence of documentation that proved the children belonged to another couple. Thomas Stephen Neel, a descendant of Hiram Sanders, has written a very informative article (dated December 2016) on Peter's children. My analysis is heavily indebted to his but differs slightly on the identity of the children. I think we both agree that any enumeration is tentative at the present time.

According to Michel Tarbutton Sanders' pension application of 1878, she was married about 1800 in Franklin County, Georgia. She stated she was married under the name Michel Owens, but family tradition among her descendants was that she was the child of Joseph Tarbutton of Richmond County, North Carolina. As Thomas Neel suggests, she may have been married to a Mr. Owens first, then to Peter. If that is the case, however, it is likely the 1800 date is the date of her first marriage, as she was supposedly born in 1781 and would have been only nineteen in 1800 and probably too young to be entering a second marriage. My opinion is that she married Owens about 1800 then married Peter Sanders about 1807 or 1808. We know that Andrew Jackson Sanders was born either in 1809 (September 13, 1814 according to Find-a-Grave), and if there were any children born before 1809, they do not appear to have lived until adulthood. According to Stephen Neel, the tradition in the Barnett family (descendants of Peter's daughter Margaret Jane who married William Barnett in the 1840s), Michel had eleven children, nine of whom reached adulthood. Below is my present enumeration of these children.

Andrew Jackson Sanders (born 1809--died October 15, 1858). He is enumerated near his brother John A. Sanders in 1840 in Greene County, Arkansas, and John A. Sanders was the executor of his will in 1858.

John Archibald "Archie" Sanders (born February 14, 1812--died December 29, 1876). According to Linda Simmons , relating a family tradition, "in 1935, MATTHEW [James Mattison] SANDERS of Wright Co., Mo., oldest living desc. of PETER SANDERS, told me that his grandfather PETER SANDERS came from N.C. to Tenn. and was living in Maury Co. Tenn. when his father JOHN ARCH. SANDERS was born in 1812. Their home was on Duck River in Maury Co. PETER and his brother went to Williamson Co. Ill. for a few years, then to Greene Co. Ark, then to Wright Co. Mo. where they took up land about 1840-45. " John Archibald, therefore, is quite certainly a son of Peter.

Catherine Louisa Sanders (about 1814--about 1882). She married John Forrest in 1834 and a Goodspeed biography published in 1889 states that her mother lived over a hundred years. This is almost certainly a reference to Michel Tarbutton Sanders who was known to be alive in 1878 when she was already close to one hundred years old.

Sarah "Sally" Sanders (born March 1817--died May 26, 1903). She married Samuel McKinley in Lawrence County, Arkansas (from which Greene County was formed). She and her husband are enumerated near Peter Sanders in the 1840 Greene County, census, and they apparently moved to Wright County, Missouri, at the same time as Peter and Michel, arriving before 1850. In the 1956 book The Barnett Clan, Sally is identified as a daughter of Peter and a sister to Margaret Jane Sanders. This is based on tradition passed down in the family of Margaret Jane Sanders Barnett.

Peter Sanders (born February 9, 1818--died November 6, 1882). Even though no document indisputably ties this Peter to the Peter who married Michel Tarbutton, I see no need to question his status as a son of the elder Peter.Apparently, the younger Peter's first children were born in Illinois at the same time that the elder Peter lived there. The younger Peter appears on the 1850 Wright County, Missouri, census and the 1860 Texas County, Missouri census. He later moved to Marion and then Newton County, Arkansas, where he died in 1882.

Lewis Sanders (born about 1820, died between 1845-47). He appears on the 1840 census of Greene County,Arkansas, where he is listed as age 20-29. The only other person in the household is a female age 15-19. From family tradition passed down through their son Peter, born in 1841, the female in the household was Lewis' wife, Matilda Jane McIntosh. After Lewis died, she married Cornelius Sanders (1828-1877). Family tradition was that Cornelius was Lewis' brother, but, according to a Bible record mentioned by Stephen Thomas Neel, Cornelius was actually the son of Hiram Sanders (1800-about 1859; see above for more about him and his children). These two very different family traditions are difficult to reconcile, but I think we can say that the two Sanders husbands of Matilda Jane were either brothers, uncle and nephew, or first cousins. My tentative conclusion is that they were first cousins and that family tradition was garbled in some way. I am indebted to Stephen Thomas Neel for first suggesting that Lewis was a son of the elder Peter, and I concur in accepting his conclusion.

Jacob Sanders (born about 1822, died after 1840). The only census record of Jacob is on the 1840 Greene County, Arkansas census where he is enumerated next to John Forrest who married Catherine Louisa Sanders, the daughter of the elder Peter. Both Jacob and John Forrest are enumerated near Peter Sanders, Francis Sanders, and Samuel McKinley who married Sarah Sally Sanders, daughter of the elder Peter. Jacob appears also on the 1840 tax list for Greene County. As with Lewis Sanders, I am indebted to Stephen Neel for the idea that Jacob was a son of the elder Peter.

Margaret Jane Sanders (born August 31, 1834--died April 18, 1909). She appears almost certainly a daughter of the elder Peter. According to family tradition passed down among her descendants and related in a book by B. D. Barnett published in 1956 and titled The Barnett Clan :

William Barnett was born March 22, 1814 near Bowling Green, Kentucky.Young William did not get along with his step-father and he left home within a year of his mother's re-marriage, riding horse-back to Tennessee, where he fell in with a man named Peter Sanders. William lived with them and they moved to Arkansas a couple of years later. Peter Sanders homesteaded a farm near Crowley Ridge in Greene Co., Arkansas. In 1839 William fell in love with Peter's youngest daughter, Margaret Jane. Peter objected to their marriage because William was 10 years older than Margaret Jane, so the young couple eloped to an adjoining county, Margaret Jane riding behind William on horseback. After they were married they returned to Crowley Ridge and received the family blessing. They set up housekeeping and on 23 Apr 1845 a daughter was born to them whom they named Sarah Louisa.

William Overton Sanders (born 1827--died February 14, 1882). Although William Overton appears on the 1850 census of Wright County living next door to the household of Peter and Michel, there is still some question whether he was a son or grandson of Peter and Michel. If Michel was born in 1781 as she claimed on her 1878 pension application for her husbands War of 1812 service, she was at least forty-six years old when William Overton was conceived(the 1850 census has a birth year of 1782, the 1860 one has 1785). She also claimed on the pension application that her marriage took place in the year 1800, but that seems unlikely to me. All the children that we have been able to assign to Peter were born between 1809 and 1827, a span of less than twenty years. Women don't usually give birth to children twenty-seven years after their marriage date. This is why I think the marriage to Owens was probably childless and that the marriage to Peter Sanders probably occurred about 1807 or 1808. I am also inclined to think that William Overton was indeed a son of Peter because there was male child of the right age in Peter's household in 1830 and in 1840.

1809 Andrew Jackson Sanders
1812 John Archibald Sanders
1813 Catherine Louisa Sanders (possibly, actually born in 1814)
1817 Sarah Sally Sanders (March 1817)
1818 Peter Sanders (February 1818)
1820 Lewis Sanders
1822 Jacob Sanders
1824 Margaret Jane Sanders
1827 William Overton

According to Stephen Thomas Neel and the Barnet Clan book, Michel had "eleven children, nine reaching adulthood." If this is so, we have accounted for the nine who reached adulthood, with the first being born in 1809, the last in 1827. If we look at the 1830 census of Lawrence County, Tennessee, and the 1840 census of Greene County, Arkansas, we may be able to estimate the birth years of the two missing children who died young. Below is a chart that gives the census ages of the children in 1830 and 1840. The names of the children, of course, are not listed in either 1830 or 1840 but it is relatively easy to match the ages with the known children. The two oldest children, Andrew Jackson Sanders (born 1809) and John Archibald Sanders (born 1812) were living on their own by 1830 and do not appear in their parents' household in either census. From this chart, we can estimate that there was an unknown son and an unknown daughter, both of whom were born in the mid-1820s and both of whom apparently died before reaching maturity. I think the male chlild was born about about 1823 and the unknown daughter about 1826. I realize all of this is tentative, of course, and I find it somewhat troubling that it requires four children having been born in the five years between 1820 and 1825, but that is the number of children of those ages in the household in 1830.

According to family tradtion, the youngest child of Peter and Michel, William Overton Sanders "was known as Black Bill because he was an Indian" and he "joined the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and didn't like it there and moved back to Wright County, Missouri." There also seems to be a tradition that Peter who married Michel Tarbutton was of American Indian ancestry and possibly a "full-blooded Cherokee." I tend to discount these stories because nearly every white family in the South has a similar tradition There are several such traditions in my branch of the Sanders family, especially those in Jackson County, Alabama. However, the Y-DNA test results for the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery show that the male Sanders line is European and most likely from the British Isles. If there is American Indian ancestry in any branch of the family, and I believe there are some branches with a small amount of such ancestry, it has to come originally from someone who had a surname other than Sanders. It would be helpful if a male Sanders descendant of Peter participated in a Y-DNA test, as have many Sanders men from other branches of the family.

We already know through previous Y-DNA tests that any Sanders descendant of Francis Sanders of Franklin County, Georgia, belongs to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group. We know from these tests that Benjamin Sanders (1804-1866) of Wright County, Missouri, belongs to this group and that descendants of the Sanders who moved from Greene County, Arkansas to Jack County Texas belong also. The Y-DNA tests have in nearly every case confirmed our paper trail and have been helpful, but we have not had enough tests or sufficient paper documentation to determine whether all the Sanders men listed on the 1840 and 1850 census of Greene County, Arkansas are related. Compared to the situation in 2006, much progress has been made, but further research is still needed.

A Y-DNA test done in August 2018 established that Peter Sanders of Wright County, Missouri, belongs to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group. The participant was a descendant of John Archibald "Archie" Sanders, known to be a son of Peter through solid family tradition. The descent was through John Archibald Sanders' son Levi Sanders, born in 1835.

The case of the three wives of Elijah Greenville Sanders of Jackson County, Alabama, may not have the high drama of the story of the six wives of Henry VIII but it has been a perplexing riddle to me for many years. There is conflicting family tradition about the wives and children of Elijah and I believe the solution is that there was not one but several Elijah G. Sanders who lived in Jackson County in the latter part of the nineteenth century and all of them may have been named Elijah Greenville Sanders. (Elijah's father was also named Elijah G. Sanders (1804-1858), but is not discussed here. He was the son of Francis and Rachel Sanders).

The first Elijah (born 1830) appears on the Jackson County census of 1860 with wife Martha J (born 1828) and with children Martha 11, Elizabeth 9, Rosannah 7, William 5, and Margaret 1. This Elijah apparently served in the Union Army during the Civil War in Company A, first Alabama Cavalry, the same unit as the second Elijah G. Sanders. This first Elijah died after 1862 because his widow, Martha, appears on the 1870 Jackson County census with her children William 14, Margaret 10, and Lemuel 8. Martha is listed as a widow in 1880, also, and living with her are her children William 22, Margaret 19, and Lemuel 16.

The second Elijah, usually called Elijah Greenville Sanders, was, according to family tradition that appears solid, the grandson of Francis and Rachel Sanders. He first appears in Jackson County in 1853 when he marries Ann Sanders. For a long time,it was believed he was not enumerated on the 1860 census, but he is there after all, but under the surname of "Sandro," apparently an error on the part of the census taker.We don't have unquestionable evidence for the parentage of Ann but I think her parents were probably William and Martha Sanders who moved from Jackson County to Montgomery County, Arkansas in the 1850s.

If Ann is the daughter of William and Martha, she had a brother named Elijah and I think that brother is probably the Elijah who appears on the 1860 Jackson County census with his wife M. J. Subsequent census records reveal that her first name was Martha. William's son Elijah was reported as dead by the time of an 1871 estate settlement and this matches what we know of the Elijah who married Martha before 1860 because we have a documentary record that he died on October 17, 1864. Further, Ann who married Elijah is the same Ann as the daughter of William and Martha, she also had a nephew named Elijah G. Sanders, born in 1856, and I think this nephew is the Elijah G. Sanders who married Elizabeth Berry on March 12, 1875. Therefore there were three Elijah G. Sanders, and the middle name of all of them may have been Greenville.

Going back to Elijah Greenville Sanders, the one who married Ann in 1853, I recently received a copy of his Civil War pension file and from this record, it's possible to reconstruct a biography of his life.

This is what the pension file reveals about Elijah Greenville Sanders:

Born April 8, 1833 in Jackson County, Alabama.
Died August 18, 1925, last residence Hazel Green, Madison County, Alabama.
Enlisted August 28, 1863, discharged June 16, 1864.
Served in Co. A.1 Ala. Vidette Vol. Cavalry rank of Sergeant.
First applied for a pension in 1888.
Moved to Lincoln County, Tennessee, from Jackson County on January 4, 1901.
Lived at Trenton in Jackson County at the time of his enlistment

Married three times:

1. to Annie B. Sanders March 29, 1853, Scotsboro, Jackson County, Alabama, married by Isaac Tenney. Annie died February 28, 1875
2. to Lizzie Gibson. She died April 4, 1880. [The pension file doesn't give the date of marriage, only her name, but I believe she appears in the marriage records as Frances Elizabeth Gibson and the marriage occurred on July 15, 1875]
3. to Martha Jane Scott. on October 4, 1884. She was married previously on June 4, 1875 to Henry Berry who died April 11, 1878.

Children of Elijah Greenville, living and dead, from affidavit from 1915:
A. E. J. Sanders, Sept. 26th 1854
L. P. (C?) Sanders, February 9, 1856
J. W. Sanders, August 12, 1859
H. M. Sanders, April 9, 1862
M. C., Jan. 4, 1866
F. M. Sanders, Nov. 13, 1870
B. O. Sanders, Dec 30, 1872
James A. (H?) Sanders, September 6, 1876

I believe some of these birth dates conflict with the census data and here are the dates I think more likely:

Children of ELIJAH SANDERS and ANN SANDERS are:
            i.          AILSEY ALICE E. J. SANDERS, b. September 26, 1854, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. 1898, Jackson County, Alabama (probably).
            ii.          LUCRESA SANDERS, b. February 09, 1856, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. 1898, Jackson County, Alabama (probably).
            iii.         JOHN W SANDERS, b. August 12, 1859, Jackson County, Alabama; d. January 12, 1913, Jackson County, Alabama;
            iv.         H. M. SANDERS, b. April 09, 1862, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. 1870, Jackson County, Alabama.
            v.         MARY CALEDONIA SANDERS, b. January 04, 1864, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. 1909, Jackson County, Alabama
            vi.         FRANCIS MARION FRANK SANDERS, b. January 1868, Jackson County, Alabama; d. January 20, 1954, Jackson County, Alabama
            vii.        BENJAMIN OLIVER SANDERS, b. December 30, 1872, Jackson County, Alabama; d. February 12, 1935, Jackson County, Alabama.

Further, I no longer regard Rachel Addy Catherine Sanders, born 1880, as a child of Elijah. She married William A. Mashburn in 1896, and according to Web accounts, the marriage took place at her father's house. It now appears her father was the Elijah G. Sanders who married Elizabeth Berry.

Children of Elijah Greenville Sanders listed as living in an affidavit from 1898:

John W. Sanders born August 12, 1859
Mary C. Kimbrough born January 4, 1866
Frank M. Sanders born Nov. 13, 1870
Ben O. Sanders born December 30th 1872
James A. Sanders born Sept. 6th 1876

Personal description at time of enlistment in 1863:
5 feet 10 inches dark complexion, blue eyes, black hair, occupation of farmer.

Elijah could not read or write and signed with an "x' mark on his affidavits.

An affidavit in support of Elijah's claim was signed by Carroll Jackson Brewer who said he had known Elijah since 1850, that he lived within two miles of Elijah and that he had conversed with Elijah 2-5 times per week except when Elijah was in the Army. This probably indicates that Elijah was in Jackson County by 1850. Other affidavits were signed by Benjamin R. Brewer and Richmond Fowler and by his personal physician, James O. Robertson. There are a couple of attached affidavits by his son Francis M. Sanders.

When I ordered this military pension file, I thought I was getting the file of the widow's pension application of Martha Sanders, widow of the first Elijah, but what I got was the pension application of Elijah Greenville. I'm continuing to research the other Elijahs of Jackson County, and I welcome any comments, corrections, or suggestions.

As mentioned previously, I believe the Elijah Sanders with wife M.J. on the 1860 Jackson County census is the son of William and Martha Sanders who were in Jackson County in 1850 and in Montgomery County, Arkansas in 1860. William was by occupation a blacksmith and he appears to be the half-brother of my great-grandfather Isaac who was also living in Montgomery County in 1860. Here is some of the information I have about this family:

WILLIAM SANDERS (BENJAMIN, ISAAC SAUNDERS) was born 1789 in Montgomery County, North Carolina, and died before 1872 in Montgomery County, Arkansas. He married MARTHA T. UNKNOWN. She was born 1812 in Virginia, and died after 1880 in Jackson County, Alabama.

Children of WILLIAM SANDERS and MARTHA UNKNOWN are:

MARY POLLY A. SANDERS. who was born about 1821 in Tennessee. She died after 1880. She married John H. B. Walker, February 27, 1856 in Jackson County, Alabama.

TWO UNKNOWN SONS, born about 1826 and 1828. Whether they lived until adulthood is unknown.

ELIJAH SANDERS, born about 1830. Elijah is mentioned as a son in the 1871 settlement of William's estate. The document also states that Elijah was deceased. I think he is the same Elijah who appears on the 1860 census of Jackson County with a wife named M.J. We know that this Elijah died October 17, 1864 because, as a Union veteran, a tombstone was purchased after the Civil War by the federal government for his grave. His wife Martha appears on the 1870 and 1880 census, where she is listed as a widow. According to descendants of this Elijah, his middle name was also Greenville.

JOSEPH SANDERS, b. 1832, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. October 1872, Montgomery County, Arkansas; m. LUCINDA UNKNOWN; b. Abt. 1836, Alabama; d. Aft. 1873. Joseph was also dead by the time of the estate settlement but his son Elijah G. Sanders, born 1856, moved back to Jackson County and married Elizabeth Berry in 1875. Joseph served in the Montgomery County Hunters unit during the Civil War with the sons of my great grandfather Isaac Sanders.

MARY LUCRECIA SANDERS, b. Abt. 1833, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bet. 1872 - 1875, Jackson County, Alabama; m. CARROLL JACKSON BREWER, Abt. 1851, Jackson County, Alabama?; b. February 20, 1834, Alabama; d. Aft. 1880, Jackson County, Alabama. John Sanders, of course, stated that Lucrecia was his half-niece, which indicates that William, her father, was John's half-brother.

HIRAM SANDERS, b. 1836, Jackson County, Alabama. Hiram must have died before 1872 without issue because he is not mentioned in the estate settlement.

JOHN B. SANDERS, b. 1837, Jackson County, Alabama, died December 22, 1882 in Independence County, Arkansas. He was married twice, first to Rebecca Jane Lee who died right after childbirth in 1860. John then married his cousin Margaret Sanders, daughter of Elijah Greenville Sanders and Martha Jane Alisa Isbell.

ANN SANDERS, b. 1839, Jackson County, Alabama. She is mentioned in the estate settlement of 1872 as being married to an Elijah Sanders. I think her husband is the same person as Elijah Greenville Sanders and that she is the same person as the "Fannie" who appears on the census of 1870 as Elijah's wife. There is also a Jackson County marriage record that Elijah Greenville Sanders married Ann Sanders in 1853 and the pension file states that Elijah's first wife was named Ann Sanders. The birth years for William's daughter and for Elijah's wife are both 1838-1839. For these reason I feel that Ann, daughter of William, is the same person as Ann, wife of Elijah Greenville. Further, Carroll Jackson Brewer married William's daughter Lucretia and C.J. Brewer also signed an affidavit for the pension file of Elijah Greenville. I think C.J. Brewer was married to Ann's sister Lucrecia and he was therefore Elijah Greenville's brother-in-law.

MARTHA JANE SANDERS, b. 1841, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Bef. 1872, Montgomery County, Arkansas?; m. JOHN MAYBERRY, March 25, 1860, Montgomery County, Arkansas. She was dead by the time of her father's estate settlement but it was her surviving husband, John Mayberry, who made the petition on behalf of their children, as heirs of William to sell William's estate at auction. According to Shirley Manning of Mena, Arkansas, the site of the property is now under Lake Ouachita.

Documentary Chart for the William Sanders/James Sanders line

1753	Halifax County. William Sanders enters enters 400 acres on Chestnut Creek described as "beginning on Thomas Hall's upper line thence up said Creek on both sides."
1754	Halifax County, Virginia. On August 20th 1754 William Sanders, by reasons presented in the Court of Halifax, is exempted from paying County levies.( From Jim Sanders)
1755	Halifax County, Virginia. On the 17th day of December 1755 William Sanders receives a Deed from Thomas Hall. On the same day James Sanders Sr. witnesses a Deed from Thomas Mitchell to Talbott. Plea Book 2 Page 84. On page 85, James Sanders is paid for traveling 60 miles coming and returning as a witness to a Deed given by John Ward. (Information from Jim Sanders)
1756	Halifax County, Virginia. June 1756 William Hill to Patrick Sanders, proven by the oath of William Sanders.Plea Book 2 Page 150. June, 1856 (probably Patrick, son of William) Deed from William Hill to Patrick Sanders was proved by the oaths of John Kerby and Francis Kerby. Plea Book 2 Page 125. A deed from William Hill to Lewis Morgan was proved by the oaths of John Kerby and William Sanders. Plea Book 2 Page 150. In 1756 William Hill deeds to Patrick Sanders 90 acres on the Waters of Chestnut Creek, Halifax County, William Sanders and Frances and John Kirby are witnesses to the transaction. The property is described as 90 acres lying on two creeks; the South bank of Chestnut Creek and mouth of Sawpit Branch. (Creek). Deed Book 1 Page 194. Patrick sells the 90-acre parcel to Lewis Morgan on August 20th, 1757. In the document he is said to be a blacksmith, and his wife is named as Mary...." (from Jim Sanders)
1757	November. Morgan Brown, surveyor in Anson County, pays William Sanders, carpenter, 5 shillings. No further information about whether this is “old William” who appears later in the land records of Anson.
1757	Halifax County, Virginia. Patrick Sanders sells his 90 acre parcel of property to Lewis Morgan. Plea book 2 Page 239. Patrick sells the 90-acre parcel to Lewis Morgan on August 20th, 1757. In the document he is said to be a blacksmith, and his wife is named as Mary(From Jim Sanders). This deed proves he is the Patrick who later lived in North Carolina and in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1758	November. Patrick Sanders buys 300 acres in Anson County, north side of Pee Dee River and south fork of Mountain Creek.
1759	On July 26 1759, Patrick sells 100 acres of this land in Anson to John Littlebird Shepherd. Film #0018145 page 224. This is now in Richmond County.
1761	James Sanders buys land from Henry Touchstone on the east side of Mountain Creek in Anson County.
1763	Patrick and James Sanders appear on the list of people paying taxes in Anson County.
1763	March. Patrick Sanders witnesses deed for land sold by Richard Odam to Charles Hill for land on Finches branch of north fork of Mountain Creek in Anson County.
1764	William and Susan exempt from paying taxes in Anson County due to age and infirmity
1764	William Sanders of Anson County, Province of North Carolina sells 100 acres in Halifax County to John Heard. Recorded May 1765, but executed in 1764, Deed Book 5, p. 385.
1767	James and Patrick Sanders sign Regulators Petition. Appears to be James, Sr. Assuming he was at least 21 years old, he couldn’t have been born before 1746. Most likely, he was born at least several years earlier.
1767	February. William and Susan sell 100 acres land in Anson County on Rocky Fork.
1767	February. William and Susan Sanders sell 200 acres in Anson to Jared Gross.
1768	See "Early Settlers of Alabama." p. 465. William is exempt from taxes.
1772	January. Patrick Sanders serves on a jury in Anson County. James is appointed constable in Mountain Creek district. In April Patrick is mentioned in a road levy for a road from Stubbs Ford to Mountain Creek.
1773	April. Patrick Sanders sold 100 acres on the north side of the Pee Dee river and the south fork of Mountain Creek in Anson County.
1773	May. Walter Gibson sells to William Sanders 100 acres in Anson County on Indian Camp Br. Is this William Aaron or William who married Susan?
1774	James Sanders witnesses deed of John Cockerham to Thomas Mason for land on Mountain Creek in Anson County
1775	April. James Sanders and James Cotton witness deed of James Mode to Moses Bland for 150 acres in Anson on the north side of the Pee Dee River and west side of Little River.
1775	March. Patrick Sanders granted 300 acres in Anson County by King George III.
Ca. 1776	James Sanders was appointed Constable in Anson County. Probably James, Sr., the same person who signed the Regulators Petition.
1779	January. Richard Powell enters 50 enters in Anson County on Mountain Creek, bordered by James Saunders, John Jenkin, and Patrick Saunders.
1779	April 12. Patrick and wife Mary deed 112 acres on south side of north fork of Mountain Creek of Pee Dee River in Anson County to James Bolton. The borders on the land of William Terry. Patrick is selling the land he was granted in 1775 by King George Patrick, son of William
1779	April 13. Patrick and Mary sell to Richard Powell “lower end” of 100 acres on Broonas Br. In Anson County. The sale has a reference to “beginning corner pine of James Sanders’ survey,” indicating that Patrick’s brother James owned land adjacent to Patrick.
1780	March. Edward Young granted 150 acres on both sides of Barnes Creek,including Daniel Sanders’ improvements. Parentage of Daniel unknown, but probably related to our Sanders
After 1783	James buys land in Rutherford County, North Carolina This is James, Sr.
1787	James and Jeffrey listed in the Montgomery County tax list in District 2(per Jim Sanders on Rocky Fork of Little River). James, Sr.?
1789	William receives several land grants in Montgomery County on Rocky Creek. Who is this William? It’s doubtful it is the same William who was considered old in 1764. (Information about William’s land grants from Jim Sanders).
1780s	Patrick, Sr. in Rutherford County, North Carolina, then moves to Spartanburg, South Carolina
1790	Two James Sanders appear on the Montgomery County census One household has two males under 16, three over 16, and two females. The other household has four males under 16, 1 male over 16, and two females. One of these could be James, Sr., but which one? I assume one is also James, Jr. Comments from Jim Sanders: Benjamin Randle received a Grant on I July 1790. The property was on Barnes Creek and James Sanders property was referenced as a starting point in the description of the grant. We would expect this James to be the “Chain Carrier James”, noted on Rueben Sanders survey for property on Barnes Creek. Two James Sanders are listed in the 1790 Census of Montgomery. One of them is our subject and shows; I believe, an extended family, three men over 16 years of age; two boys under 16 and two females. The other James lists one male over 16 with four boys under sixteen and two females. In the 1800 census one of the James is not listed in Montgomery County. We believe that the “extended” family, James, is related to the reverend Moses and William Aaron and may have a son names Moses. He is still in Montgomery (1790) with four sons born between 1785/90, one son born 1790/1800 and a wife. The 1800 census of Montgomery, James is shown as being born between 1756 and 1774. The other James is listed in District 2 of the Montgomery county tax list of 1787. This is the same district as Jeffery Sanders. This district, we believe, is on the Rocky Fork of Little River. This would tie Jeffery and this James, into the William Sanders Family. Preliminary research on this family shows them migrating to South Carolina. We don’t have any family tie into them. However, one might consider this: Elias Butler, who owned several pieces of property in Montgomery County, used “Jefery Sanders” as a Chain Carrier on a survey for a Grant on the Rocky Creek in 1785. Elias Butler had several pieces of property in the Barnes Creek area as well.Jim wrote this before the DNA tests were completed.
1790	March James Sanders’ west line is referenced in a grant of 100 acres to Benjamin Randle on Barnes Creek in Montgomery County. James, Jr. or Sr.?
1790	James Sanders acquires land in Rutherford County. Probably James, Sr.
1790s	James, Sr. moves to Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1794	January. Jeffrey Sanders granted 50 acres on Clark Creek in Montgomery County, bordering William Morgan and Martin Ussery. Jeffrey, son of James.
1794	August. James Sanders’ property line is referenced in a deed of Benjamin Randle to Brantly Harris for 100 acres on the east side of the Uwharrie River on Barnes Creek in Montgomery County. James, Jr?
1796	January. James Sanders ordered to get a license to sell spirituous liquor in Spartanburg.Also, James and Isaac Young agreed to indemnify the county for support of an illegitimate child, “the state against Elizabeth Saunders.” James, Sr.
1798	James, Sr., sold 13 acres to Lawrence Bankston. William (William Moses) and James Sanders were witnesses in Spartanburg. Who is this James? James, Jr. was still in Montgomery.
1799	James Sanders receives land grant in Rutherford. Could this be James, Jr., who was living in Montgomery or James, Sr. in Spartanburg?
1799	February. James and William Sanders witness a deed in Spartanburg. This must be James, Sr., and his son William Moses.
1800	James Sanders, York County, South Carolina. Two James Sanders appear on the census. One James is 26-44 (born 1756-1774) and living with a female of the same age. The other James is also 26-44 and lives in a household with two males under ten, two females under 10. There may be other females but the rest of the line is illegible. One of these is the father of David Sanders, born 1803, whose descendants match the DNA of Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group. Tentatively, I assume this James is the first one listed. Also living in York County was Mary Katherine Sanders and her husband George Suggs. Since George owned land next door to Isaac Saunders in Randolph County, it’s possible that Mary Katherine was a daughter of Isaac.
1800	James Sanders appears on the Montgomery County census. He is age 26-44 (born between 1756-1774), with two male children under 10, two female children under 10, and one female 26-44 (presumably his wife). I assume this is James, Jr., son of James, Sr. If so, he is probably the same person as one of the James previously listed in 1790 in Montgomery County.
1800	James Sanders appears on the Spartanburg census as over 45 years of age (born before 1765). In the household is a female of the same age, one male under 10, two males 10-15, one male 26-44, and one female 16-25. This must be James, Sr.
1800	Patrick Sanders, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Two Patrick Sanders appear on the census. One Patrick is age 16-25 (born between 1775-1786) with a female of the same age in the household, two males under 10, and one female under 10. The other Patrick is over 45 (born before 1765) with a female of the same age in the household, two males under 10, two females under 10 and one male age 26-44.These must be Patrick, Sr., and Jr.
1801 Feb.	James and Mary Sanders sold 13 acres in Spartanburg to James Turner. William Sanders (presumably William Moses) was a witness.
1801	James Sanders sold 50 acres in Spartanburg to Lawrence Bankston.
1807 July	James Sanders sold 264 acres in Spartanburg to Casper Webber. This is James, Sr.
1810	Billy Saunders (presumably William Moses) appears on the Spartanburg census, age 26-44 (born between 1766-1784), with one male child 10-15, and one female 16-25(presumably his wife). If this is William Moses, where are the two sons and two or three daughters that should be listed with the family?
1810	Patrick Saunders appears on the 1810 Spartanburg census. He is age 26-44 (born between 1766-1784), with two male children under 10, three females under ten, one female 10-15, and one female 26-44 (presumably his wife).This is Patrick, Jr., son of Patrick, Sr., grandson of old William.
1810	William Saunders appears on the 1810 Spartanburg census, living near Patrick. He is 16-25 years old (born between 1785-1794, with one male child under 10 and one female age 16-25 (presumably his wife). Also in the household is a female over 45 (his widowed mother or an aunt, perhaps?). Who is this William? It can’t be William A. Sanders who died in Prairie County, Arkansas, because that William had 7 or 8 children born before 1810.
Between 1800-1810	James Sanders, Sr., dies in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1814	July, a reference in a deed to the border of James Sanders’ line in Spartanburg. Not sure whether this indicates James, Sr. was still alive.
1815	William Moses Sanders moves to Rutherford County, North Carolina from Spartanburg
1820	William Moses Sanders listed on U.S. census in Rutherford County, North CArolina (listed as Moses Sanderd). Listed as over 45 years old (born before 1775) with three males in household under 10, two between 10 and 16; three females under 10, two between 10 and 16, one 16 to 290, and one 26-45 (presumably his wife).
1830	William Moses Sanders listed on U.S. census in Rutherford County. Listed as Moses Sanders, age 50-60 (born between 1770-1780), one male under 5, one 5-10, one female under 5, one 5-10, three age 10-15, one female 40-50 (presumably his wife). Living nearby is his son Jeffrey Sanders, age 20-30, two males under 2, one female 30-40 (presumably his wife)
1830s	William Moses Sanders owes money to William A. Sanders (the one who married Naomi Ferguson)
about 1834	William Moses Sanders dies in Rutherford County, North Carolina

November 23, 2006.
Many thanks to Josephine Sparks and Jim Sanders for sharing their research and providing much of the above information regarding the land transactions of James Sanders.

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The Reverend Moses Sanders & the Revolution

The following article was written by Jim Sanders of Ojai, California and sent to me by e-mail in September 2005. Jim has written several other articles about the land records of Montgomery County, North Carolina, and he has granted permission to post this article here in the hope that other researchers will provide further documentation regarding the birth place of the Reverend Moses Sanders.

Researchers for years have relied on undocumented stories that the Reverend Moses Sanders, (Grove Level Church in Franklin County, Georgia, 1798-1817) was a Revolutionary War hero. Several websites and other written accounts state that he was at the battle of the Cowpens, which is in Northwestern South Carolina. Others state he was the bearer of many bayonet scars and that the enemy who inflicted the wounds paid with his life. The DAR has him listed as a veteran of the Revolution. One website has him as being a private in the Iredell Militia in 1782. (Iredell was not created until 1788).

With these recordings in mind we noticed several instances, whereby an imaginative author embellished history. If we find no documentary evidence that Moses fought in the War, from where did the “rumor” emanate?

We look to two embellishments of history, which may shed light on passed ahead misinformation. The first is:

The Battles of the Cowpens and Kings Mountain

The earliest recordation of the name Saunders connected with the Cowpens or Kings Mountain is described in detail on page 125-128 by Edwin C. Bearss, in a 238 page National Parks Service booklet, written in 1974. In it he describes a well-documented, historical account of the battle of Cowpens. Mr. Bearss states,

“In 1881, Lyman C. Draper wrote a well-documented history of the battle of Kings Mountain. He had collected materials for his book since 1839, using manuscript narratives of David Vance, Joseph McDowell, and Silas McBee (participants in the battle). Draper wrote,

On October 6th, 1780, there was a stirring bivouac at the Cowpens. A wealthy English Tory, named Saunders, resided there, who reared large numbers of cattle and having many pens in which to herd his stock—hence the derivation of Cowpens. Saunders was, at the time, in bed- perhaps not very well, or feigning sickness; from which he was unceremoniously pulled out and treated pretty roughly. When commanded to tell at what time Ferguson had passed that place, he declared that the British Colonel and army had not passed that way at all…Search was accordingly made and no evidence of a passing army was found…… Several of the old Tory’s cattle were quickly shot down and slaughtered for the supply of the hungry soldiers…

Draper used most of the information found in this account from the reminiscences of David Vance in 1799. Vance in his account states in part that they proceeded to the Cowpens and mentions a Tory’s house, but does not name the Tory. Mr. Bearss states and we agree that Draper ‘flavored’ the story a bit with a few additions to the historical accounts of the participants at the Cowpens, and his accounts were embellished even further by subsequent historians including the writings of Judge Schenk in 1889, which also names Saunders a wealthy Tory, who herded large numbers of Cattle at the Cowpens.”

Mr. Bearss also provides this information, “A review of the South Carolina Grant and plat books and search of the records of Spartanburg and Tryon County and review of the claims filed by Loyalist, show no evidence of a Saunders at the location of the Cowpens Battle”. It is unfortunate but it seems that many later historians and researchers used Drapers’ account as their basis for the account of the “Camp at the Cowpens."

The above information may provide us with a clue and help us understand how Moses Saunders was attributed as being at the Cowpens in any capacity. It is not much of a leap for a writer to build off the original works of another and further glorify the account by adding events or names. Later researchers may have further embellished the stories and made Saunders a participant in the ensuing battle. As stated, Draper wrote his embellished account in 1889. Subsequent writers used his account as an original work and perpetuated the name Saunders, when, as stated, there is no evidence that a Saunders was at the Cowpens.

Christopher Columbus Sanders, a great grandson of Moses Sanders is another possible source of the embellished history of Moses Sanders. In 1902 C. C. Sanders donated the headstone and grave markers for Moses and his wife, (which he named “Sallie”). On the marker he called Moses “A soldier of the Revolution”. Researchers may have interpreted this inscription as a matter of fact and that he was in an organized fighting unit, though no evidence has been found. Remember that the marker was inscribed nearly 125 years after the Revolution and oral family histories are often just plain wrong! Incidentally, Moses’ wife was not “Sallie”; her name was Mary (Hamilton). (Proven by deeds and Ordinance works). Sallie was his daughter. (She married Obadiah Hooper).

In 1908, for a book called Men of Mark in Georgia, C.C. Sanders again was interviewed. In the account therein he states, “Moses migrated from England (Many researcher have it that Moses was from Downton[a parish in Wiltshire County, England]) in 1765 and had two younger brothers, David and John”. (David and John were his sons) The article also states that they took part in the battle of the Cowpens and Kings Mountain and other major battles of the revolution. Once again the story is embellished from verbal accounts of C. C. Sanders. (Thanks to Elden Hurst who visited Downton Parish, England and through correspondence with the local minister, found no Moses Sanders in the records).

With these above stated accounts we can see the pattern of how history has emerged from misstated verbal accounts and just plain embellishments by supposedly well meaning “story tellers.”

One more bit of information has been located in a letter to the War Department, which in 1932 was the keeper of the Revolutionary War Records. This letter and its response from the Department will show that no record has been found concerning Moses in the archives. The letter is included below:

Ellen Sanders Cardon’s letter of February 13th 1932, seeking information on Moses Sanders.

This letter was sent to the Veterans Bureau, Washington, and D.C. The Bureau’s response is below the letter.

In 1932 researchers were making the same mistake as to his birth and the name of his wife. This emanates from the misinformation given to the Grove Level Church in 1903 by Christopher Columbus Sanders, a great grandson of Moses. The writer also has Moses confused with Moses Jr. in the 1790 Census of South Carolina. The response from the War Department makes it clear that there is no record of Moses having served in the Revolutionary War.

Mesa, Arizona, Route 2
February 13, 1932
Adjutant General, Veterans Bureau
Washington, D. C.

I desire to obtain genealogical data and war services of a Moses Sanders, who, our family record states, fought under General Washington. He was born in England in 1732 or 1742, came to America in 1765. I do not know where he landed, but he lived in Va. near Chatham, Pittsylvania Co. He married a Sallie Hamilton of Va. He moved from Va. to Laurence Co, S, C. I do not know the date but I think he was living there when the 1790 census was taken. Later, he moved to Ga. And founded a number of Baptist churches there. One at Grove Level in 1802. Also, I would like to obtain similar data of one Henry Sanders, son of Joseph.

Below is the war Department response to Ms. Cardon’s request, dated April 16th, 1832. Moses is mentioned at the bottom:

April 16, 1932

Mrs. Ellen Sanders Cardon
Mesa, Arizona

Dear Madam:

Reference is made to your letter of February 13th, requesting information in regard to soldiers of the Revolution.

The data furnish herein were obtained from papers on file in the pension claim R. 9178, based upon the Revolutionary War services of Henry Sanders.

He was born October 26, 1751, in Perquimans County, North Carolina, and was the son of Joseph and Mary Sanders.

While living in Fairfield County, South Carolina, he enlisted in 1775 or 1776 and served at various times as private under Captains Lewis, Samuel Boykin and Thomas Starks and Colonel Taylor with the South Carolina troops. He also served about two years as a commissary to said South Carolina troops. He was in several skirmishes and in the battle of Rocky Mount where he was taken prisoner but escaped after a few days.

He was allowed pension on his application executed October 17, 1832, while a resident of Monroe County, Indiana.

He died there February 13, 1834. He was a Baptist minister.

The soldier married October 18, 1779 in Fairfield County, South Carolina, Dica Blake, born May 15, 1761, the daughter of John and Morning Blake.

She died in Monroe County, Indiana, July 5,1841.

Their children were:

Fearibe or Ferriaba, born September 22, 1780.
Joseph, born October 21, 1782, married Anna---, and their son, Samuel, was born February 1, 1809.
Mourning, born January 1, 1785, married Elisha Inman, she died in 1838.
Prosilah, born August 12, 1787, married Thomas Inman, both were dead in 1838.
Henry, born April 28, 1790.
John, born September 3, 1792, married Nancy---, born January 2, 1796, and their son Joseph, was born May 31, 1812.
Wright, born November 7, 1795, married Polly or Poley and their children were: Henry, who was born May 27, 1817; David, Nathan, Finley, Dicy, and Lucinda; said Wright died in 1838 in Monroe County, Indiana.
Dica, born February 9, 1799, married William Maxwell, and both were dead in 1838; their son, Washington, was born April 1, 1820, and there were two children, names not stated.
Benjamin, born March 3, 1802, died when young.

The following are grandchildren, names of parents not stated:

Henry Sanders                 born    March      10      1810
John       ”       December    26      1711
Levi        ”   November    22 1813
John       ”      January      18    1820
Henry Inman (or Inmon)      February 17   1804
Elishea Inman      February   3      1806
Dica        ”   March      14    1808
Hannah   ”    February      26      1809
John       ”     October    11    1810
Willoby   ”    April       10       1813
Mary      ”      March    3       181-

The Revolutionary War records of this office fail to afford any information in regard to Moses Sanders.

Very truly yours,
A.D. Hiller
Assistant to the Administrator

I’m sure there are other accounts from original Records which one may review in order to prove or disprove that Moses was a participant in the Revolutionary War. Hopefully this writing will inspire others to dig deeper into recorded accurate history and accurately disseminate the information.

Jim Sanders
September 2005

(Readers who wish to know more about Jim Sanders' research in the land records of Montgomery County may want to consult his booklet, The Sanders Families of Montgomery County, North Carolina, 1756-1810, available from the author.)

Additional comments added by Gary Sanders on Jim Sanders’ theory about the origin of the tradition that Moses served in the Revolutionary War:

I agree that the tradition that Moses fought at Cowpens may be based on several factors. Cowpens was a significant battle on the border of the two states and therefore easily comes to mind when considering Revolutionary War soldiers in either North Carolina or South Carolina and Moses was known to be involved in both states. There even may have been a Saunders who lived near Cowpens. He may not have owned any property, and he may have been moved from the area by the time of the Revolution, of course, but his previous residency could explain why the vicinity was sometimes called "Saunders Cowpens." Therefore, as the tradition grew and was embellished, it was an easy transition to having Moses fighting heroically for the Revolution in that battle. It was not necessary for anyone to knowingly concoct a false story because small increments of embellishment over time were sufficient to fabricate a more grandiose version of events.

I can easily image Moses telling his children or grandchildren about how he was falsely accused of being disloyal during the Revolutionary War,[see previous article on Moses’ life and career] and after the story passed through several hands and generations, it could emerge as the story of Moses the valiant and stalwart soldier.

Recently, I asked for a Daughters of the American Revolution search of their records to see if anyone had used Moses' military service to qualify for membership in the DAR. No one has as of October 2005, but I received a recent e-mail from a Registrar of a DAR chapter in Georgia who requested that the DAR recognize Moses as a Revolutionary War patriot because of his signing of an Anson County petition in 1777 ( North Carolina Abstracts of Early Records, McBee, pp. 133-134,). Moses Sanders signed as No. 62 on a "Petition of inhabitants of Anson County: Because of PeeDee River dividing the county, it is very inconvenient to many of the inhabitants, they ask for a division of the county with the river as the dividing line...If you in your Wisdom should judge the division unnecessary then we pray that commission of disinterested persons be appointed to fix Court House in or near the center of the county, as conveniently as it may be. It is now stands in ten or twelve miles of South Carolina and is extremely inconvenient."

According to this official, "his signing of this petition, while not as satisfactory as fighting, [may be] sufficient to get my prospective DAR member into the NSDAR with Moses Sanders doing Patriotic Service rather than military service. Petition signers are assumed to have been loyal, having sworn an oath before signing. That is satisfactory as long as there is no evidence of subsequent disloyalty." The DAR, however,rejected this request (February 2006) on the grounds that there was not enough supporting evidence to confirm that the Moses Sanders who signed the petition was the same person as Moses Sanders who died in 1817 in Georgia.

For a long time, I was baffled by the supposed Downton Parish, Wiltshire County, England, location of Moses’ birth. Dozens of family trees posted at RootsWeb make this claim, but no one seemed to have any evidence to present in support of this view, and I now think that the theory arose in this way: there was a John Sanders from Wiltshire, who had a son named Moses, born in 1622. Another son of this John, also named John, migrated to Massachusetts in the Puritan migration of the 1630s. I haven't done any research on this Massachusetts family, but I believe the similairty in names is the source of the tradition that our Moses was from Downton. It seems likely that, several generations ago, a researcher tried to find the parents of the Reverend Moses Sanders and came across the Moses who was born in 1622. The fact that this family was in England and Massachusetts instead of Virginia did not deter the researcher any more than it deters many researchers today who think a John Sanders in one state must be the same person as a John Sanders in another state. Maybe the researcher assumed the 1622 date must be wrong and that the Moses in question must have lived a hundred years later. Maybe the researcher thought there must have been another Moses in that family who came over a hundred years later. Everyone else has just been copying the careless assumption of the first person who identified Moses Sanders of Georgia with the earlier Moses from Downton. Now, I may be wrong about how this theory arose, but I have never been able to find anyone who has a shred of evidence that the Reverend Moses Sanders was in any way related to Sanders from Downton Parish, Wiltshire, England.

We do have, nevertheless, a few clues about the location of Moses' birth. Family tradition among the descendants of his brothers is that his father was from Virginia. We know that the Hamilton and Steed familes that married into the Sanders family of Montgomery County, North Carolina, were from Brunswick County, Virginia. Obadiah Hooper, who married Moses' daughter Sally, was from Lunenberg County, Virginia. Lunenberg County was created in 1746 from Brunswick County. In the 1740s, Lunenberg, Brunswick, Isle of Wight, and Nansemond Counties were on the border between Virginia and North Carolina. In Brunswick and nearby Surry and Isle of Wight Counties were numerous Bailey families, some of whom were descendants of Quakers who had arrived in the formative years of the colony. Maybe these were the Baileys of "the famous old family of Virginia" that Thomas Bailey Saunders mentioned in his nineteenth century letter. All our research indications are that our Sanders were in that area of Virginia prior to the move to North Carolina.

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William Aaron Saunders in the Revolutionary War

According to the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter, described in the section on Jackson County Sanders, Thomas Bailey's ancestor William Aaron Saunders, brother of Moses and Isaac, was "killed in a fight with the Tories." According the Thomas J. Sanders Web site,Thomas Bailey Saunders III (1906-1974) corresponded with R.J.L. Backstrom of the International Heraldic Institute in Washington, D.C., and received the following reply on February 03, 1948: "Our delay in replying to your special delivery letter of the 27th has been due to our efforts to locate the ancestry of your William Aaron Saunders. We have carefully searched our files and those available at The Library of Congress, but without success. We have a William Saunders (Aaron not mentioned) in North Carolina: Ensign 6th North Carolina, 2d April, 1777; transferred to 1st North Carolina 1st June, 1778; Lieutenant, 6th February, 1779; Captain 8th February, 1779; transferred to 4th North Carolina, 6th February, 1782; retired 1st January, 1783. Evidently this Captain was not killed in battle, but he is the only Captain in Revolution from North Carolina, and believe him to be your man. We do not find any further record of him."

Family tradition is that the brother of Moses and Isaac was named William Aaron Saunders, but all the land records of Montgomery County refer to him only as Aaron. It seems a safe assumption that Aaron was the name by which he was usually known. If he did serve in the Revolutionary forces, there is no record of his service because the Captain William Saunders mentioned by R.J.L. Backstrom is a different person.

I recently ordered a copy of the military record of Captain William Saunders from the National Archives, and though the record does not provide much biographical information, it does provide sufficient facts to establish the identify of this William Saunders. This is my transcript of the record:

William Saunders Ensign (Lieutenant)
Appears as shown below on a list under the following heading: Agreeable to a general order of October last for the purpose of filling vacancies in the different regiments of Colonel Lamb and Lieutenant Colonel Lytle of the Sixth N Carolina Batt. in order to fill the vacancies in said regiment occasioned by the deaths of Captain Pike and Lieut. M Cann .Also the resignations of Lieutenants Demsey Moore, Solomon Walker and William Hancock do recommend to his Excellency the Commander in Chief as follows, viz Ensign William Saunders to be promoted to the rank of second Lieut. in room of Lieut. Green. Field officers have omitted Ensign Nixon whose commission is of prior date to Saunders he not having joined the regiment since his appointment of the 2nd of April, neither do they know such an officer but by the roster of the regiment. The commission to bear date from the time the vacancy offered. 26 October 1777 William Saunders, Ensn, Donohos Co, 6th North Carolina Regiment appears on a book copied from the rolls of the organization. Date of enlistment or appointment 2 April 1777 Lieutenant 8 Feb. 1779 Deranged 1 January 1783.

Jim Sanders provided me with information about Donoho's Company and it's officer, William Saunders, and I think there is now no doubt that the William Saunders who left the army in 1783 is a different person from William Aaron Saunders of Montgomery County. Thomas Donoho and William Saunders, who was born in 1759, signed a deed in a land transaction in 1797 in Caswell County. Further, on the military record I received from the Archives, there is a statement that William Saunders appears "as shown below in a account stated as follows: Major Robert Fenner agent for the North Carolina line to balance due the following named officers viz subsis. for 1782-1783 Lt. Wm Saunders 15.88 D. Account settled August 10, 1792." I assume this means William or his agent was paid that amount as a settlement in 1792.

In the book Early Settlers of Alabama, written in 1899 (p. 467), Elizabeth Blair Stubbs states that Captain William Saunders moved from Caswell County to Summer County, Tennessee, where he died in 1803. His sister, Keziah, was married to Major Thomas Donoho of Caswell County. Based on this information, there is no doubt that Captain William Saunders is not a brother of Moses and Isaac of Montgomery County. According to Mrs. Stubbs, Captain William Saunders was the father of Romulus Mitchell Saunders, who later became United States Minister to Spain.

According to Jim Sanders, there may be some doubt about the loyalty of the Saunders family of Montgomery County during the Revolution. Moses Sanders was accused of disloyalty in a court case described in more detail in the section of this Web page devoted to Moses' biography. Jim Sanders also has discovered that Francis, presumably the brother of Moses, is listed in 1778 and in 1779 in Rowan County as among those who did not take the oath of allegiance to the Revolutionary cause. As with many other areas of the Saunders family history, a great deal more research is needed before we can be certain about the military activities of the Sanders brothers during the Revolution.

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Sylvie Escat Saunders

"This is some family, you will see."
--Sylvie Saunders in a letter to Aunt Nancy, December 10, 1916

Sylvie Escat was born in New Orleans in 1883 and married George Allen Saunders, a grandson of Thomas Bailey Saunders, in 1903. After joining the family she became interested in her husband's genealogy, and she determingly pursued her research into the origins of her husband's Saunders family by writing letters to relatives thoughout the the country. Sylvie was able to accumulate a great deal of information on some branches of the descendants of the three brothers--Isaac, Aaron, and Moses--who lived in Anson County, North Carolina, at the time of the American Revolution. One relative, for example, had access to a Bible that had been passed down in the family of Nimrod Saunders (1780-after 1860), the son of Aaron, and the great grandfather of Sylvie's husband. Therefore, Sylvie's information was often rather detailed on the children of Nimrod his related families, but she was never able to find any information that traced the family back to the period before the brothers appeared in Anson County. Her lack of modern means of communication and research severely limited her ability to connect many branches of the family.

One of her letters was written to Phoebe Sanders Kingery (1842-1931) on June 28, 1918. Phoebe was the daughter of Joseph Sanders, Jr. (1793-1863) and Deborah Saunders (1803-1856). Deborah was a daughter of Jacob Saunders and a grandson of Isaac, the brother of Aaron and Moses. In this letter, Sylvie mentions several other Sanders, some of whom are obvious and other who are yet unidentified. For example, she mentions that she wrote a letter to Uncle Mash Sanders of Jackson County, Alabama. This is a reference to Alfred Head Mashburn Sanders (1827- 1919), a brother of my great grandfather Isaac Sanders (1818-after 1880). Mash stated on an affidavit in 1897 that he was virtually illiterate, and my guess is that any reply received by Sylvie must have been dictated by Mash to another family member. Another person mentioned in the letter was Nathaniel Powell Sanders, a great grandson of Deborah who married Joseph. She also mentions a Levi Sanders in the letter who I think may be Levi Lindsey Sanders (1837-1917) of Van Zandt County, Texas. She also mentions Wade Saunders, the son of Elkanah Shuford Saunders, the nephew to whom Thomas Bailey Saunders wrote his letter about twenty years earlier. The "Margaret Bean" of Eagle's Mill in Iredell County, North Carolina, that Sylvie mentions does not appear to be related to the Sanders. One of the interesting characteristics of Sylvie Escat's letters is that she uses punctuation at her whim and strings her sentences together so that her meaning is sometimes obscured.

Below is the text of the letter, sent to Alhambra, Illinois, where Phebe was living at the time. In the 1990s, a copy of the letter was sent to Don Schaefer, editor of Sanders Siftings, by Elva Hoge Dixon of Virginia, a granddaughter of Phebe Sanders King Kingery.

New Orleans, La.
6-28-1918

Dear Mrs. Kingery

I sure was glad to hear from you again. Now I will try to explain to you
But O dear my English is terrible. Now dear I think you are honest in
returning here is a letter from Mash Sanders nicknamed But I see he said
his name was Alfred Mash Head Sanders now you read it and see if you dont
think it your father people I hardly think I am mistaking Margret Bean is
still living at Eagles Mill N.C. now dear I never like others to read
letters sent to me But sure you are the dear women of our family Be sure
you return it it help me out when we get a mix up.

Nathaniel Powell Sanders I must tell him the record he sent me he had it
all mix up Now don't do like Uncle Mash misunderstand I mean nothing but
good Many times my English bad makes a person think different Now you don't
let me worry you to much Uncle Mash was born in N.C. and is 90 years I
sure have written some in Jackson Co, Ala All Levi Sanders family in sure
nice men

I sure wish you see all my little chickens I canned a little made a success
with my second batch of corn but the first batch did not self seal we have
a few fig trees. I put some Jellie and preserve up O my the trouble with
sugar O dear don't think I am recking we have a nice little place and it
keeps me going I want to send you some Rosa Montana a nice vine makes
pretty pink flowers it to late now But you will have the seed not this
letter Your brother John address is Hollis Okla But guess he is busy.
Thomas Bailey father was Nimrod he was kown in Montgomery Co, N.C. as
Honest rod, was so honest at his mill did you know of a Joseph called
smiling Joe I am sure all these were the same if not my four years hard
work is sure mix now this Joseph may have been Moses son but I hardly think
I am almost sure I am on the right track. Well I owe you Nimrod record I
think not this time Old E.S. is a fine old man writes the grandest letters
and if you care to write him You sure will receive a nice letter his
present post office is Keller, Ga. Grandma Jacob Saunders lived with him
her Nephew is the present Locky Simmons Senator I have a nice letter from
him through Wade Saunders E.S. son at Fayetteville N.C. the grandest letter
we ever read and several good writers said the same of his letters he, too
married twice I am expecting a letter from the Historical Dept W.D.C. soon
if good news I will quit this to much trouble when letters return well I
must close for this time Love to you all.

Sylvie Saunders
excuse this

Another of Sylvie's letters was sent to a descendant of Benjamin Davis and Mary Edmiston, who was a great granddaughter of Nimrod Saunders. Don Schaefer, editor of Sanders Siftings, sent me a photocopy of the original, which gives us an interesting comparison between the excellent penmanship of Sylvie and her rather confusing lack of punctuation:

letter of Sylvie Saunders to Davis family descendant, February 2, 1918

Some of Sylvie Saunders' letters can be found at the Sanders-Cook homepage, now available only through the Wayback Machine:

letter of Sylvie Saunders to John Duff Sanders, September 29, 1916

letter of Sylvie Saunders to Aunt Nancy Tabitha Saunders , December 10, 1916

letter of Sylvie Saunders to Phebe Lottie Kingery, June 28, 1918
This is a PDF version of the letter transcribed above.

(Sylvie Sanders article revised August 2009)

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My Other Family Lines

The absence of information about my other family lines on this Web page is due more to practical considerations than to lack of interest, for I remainly keenly interested in tracing my non-Sanders lines. For the most part, though, the Sanders line has been most in need of attention, and I have devoted the bulk of my research interests to it. Nevertheless, I welcome all exchanges of information regarding my non-Sanders lines. Over the past decade, my knowledge of my non-Sanders lines has been greatly increased through sharing of information with other researchers.

I know the names of all my ancestors through my great-great grandparents with two exceptions: the maiden name of my great-grandmother Elizabeth who married Isaac Sanders in Jackson County, Alabama, about 1838; and the given and maiden name of my great-great grandmother, who was the mother of Andrew Jackson Pickering of Covington County, Mississippi. Considering the lack of resources available, I'm not optimistic that I will ever solve these two genealogical mysteries.

On the other hand, all my ancestors, so far as I can tell, appear to have been in America before 1800, and therefore I don't have to deal with trying to trace ancestors who lived in another country. So far as I can tell all my ancestors came from Europe to the southern United States during the colonial period; I haven't found any ancestor who ever lived in the northern colonies. On my mother's side of the family, previous researchers have already done extensive work, and I have several lines where we can trace the family back to the immigrant ancestor in the 1600s (for example, Bush, Bomar,Guyton, Prestridge, and Deberry). Of course, as always in dealing with genealogical research, there are still many gaps in the record and there are errors that need to be corrected.

Here are a few of the many lines I am researching:

Burton. Jesse Burton, my great-great-great grandfather, was born about 1790 in Amelia County, Virginia. The Burtons were closely associated with the Bomar family of Virginia and Tennessee and the Bomars were associated with the Bush family. My earliest Burton ancestor was Thomas Burton of Cobbs plantation in Henrico County, Virginia. He was born about 1630 in either England or Virginia.

Pickering. John Pickering and Sarah Phoebe Hargrove of Covington County, Mississippi, are believed to be my third great grandparents. John Pickering is believed to be related to the Pickerings of South Carolina and Marengo County, Alabama. There seems to be some connection to the numerous individuals named Gabriel Pickering who lived in Jones County, North Carolina. I would be very interested in exchanging information with any descendant of these Pickerings who is interested in DNA testing.

Prestridge. My great-great grandfather was Anderson Prestridge of Itawamba County, Mississippi. Surnames associated with this line are Ringer, Conwill, Campbell, and Walters. The Prestridge line goes back to Thomas Prestridge who was born in 1698 in Lancashire, England. He died in Stafford County, Virginia, about the same time my Sanders ancestors were buying land in the area.

Miller. My great-great grandfather was John Miller who died in 1890 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. Surnames associated with this line are Guyton and Warren. Pioneer movement was from South Carolina, to Alabama, to Itawamba County, Mississippi, to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

Davis. My great-grandmother was Elizabeth Davis, who was the daughter of John Davis (born 1783) and Susan Patterson of Oconee County, South Carolina.

Moses. My great-great grandfather was Joel Moses who was born in 1824 in Whitley County, Kentucky. He was a grandson of Joshua Moses who served in the Revolutionary War. Joshua is believed to be the son of John Moses of South Carolina. Surnames associated with this line are Deberry, Wilson, Dumas, and Richmond. The Deberry line goes back to Peter Deberry who died in 1679 in Surry County, Virginia.

Warren. My Warren line goes back to S. John Warren of Itawamba County, Mississippi. He was born in 1776 in Kentucky and when he died in 1863, it is said he was buried "a seten up." I have been unable to connect him to the other very numerous Warrens of Kentucky, but DNA tests suggest this Warren line is related to William de Warenne, who fought for William of Normandy in 1066 at the battle of Hastings.

Guyton. My Guyton line goes back to the Virginian John Guyton who was born in 1697 in Norfolk, England.

Bush. My Bush line goes back to another Virginian, John Bush, who was born in Shropshire County, England in 1655.

Over the years, many people have shared with me the results of their research on these lines. It impossible to mention everyone, but Linda Stude on the Miller family; Bettie Burton on the Burtons; King Woolf, Melonie Zenner, and Sunny Pierce on the Pickerings; and Jan Dane on the Warren family are representative of helpful and generous researchers.

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Other Sanders lines

In my "burton-sanders" World Connect file, several Sanders lines from the Southern United States are included in addition to my own lines which descend from Isaac Saunders of the four brothers of Anson group and from Joseph Sanders of Randolph County. The relationship of these lines to my Sanders lines either has been disproven or has not yet been documented. There are also some individuals named Sanders in my file whose parentage has not yet been established by anyone, so far as I have been able to tell. These lines and individuals were added early in my research efforts before I knew that my Sanders ancestry belonged to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group and the Sanders of Randolph and Chatham group. Here are some of these lines that I am not actively researching but which may be found in my files.

John Sanders of Nansemond County, Virginia, fl. 1676
Edward Saunders, born 1625 in England, died in Northumberland County, Virginia, married Mary Elizabeth Webb
Joseph Sanders, born about 1723, married Mary Lamb, died in South Carolina
Thomas Sanders, died 1801, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, married Sarah Jordan
John Sanders, born about 1690 in Nansemond County, Virginia, married Priscilla Pritlow
Abraham Sanders, born about 1696 Nansemond County, Virginia, married Judith Pritlow
Richard Sanders, born about 1705 Nansemond County, Virginia, married Hannah Nicholson
John Sanders, died 1796 in Onslow County, North Carolina, married Rebecca Unknown
Simon T. Sanders, born 1797 Wake County, North Carolina, married Zenobia Meredith
William Arthur Sanders, born about 1790 in Georgia
Daniel Sanders, born about 1751 in North Carolina

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Will of Joseph Sanders or Randolph, 1803

The first documentary reference to Joseph Sanders is his military service during the American Revolution. Here is an excerpt from the Sons of the American Revolution membership application of Thomas E. Jacks, a descendant of Joseph's son, Joseph, Jr.:

Joseph Sanders was listed as a private in Walker's Company, Colonel James Hogan's 7th regiment, North Crolina Continental Line. (p. 95). He is listed in "an account of allowances made officers and soliders of the late Continental line at Hillsboro." (p.193). Joseph Sanders, Continental of Hillsboro district is listed on a list of "vouchers of soldiers in the Continental Army." p. 399. From the Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution, Daughers of the American Revolution, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1984.

Although we do not have firm documentary evidence that the Joseph Sanders who served in the Revolution is the same Joseph as the Joseph Sanders who later lived in the Hillsborough District of Randolph County, it is a reasonable assumption that these references are to the same individual, as no other Joseph Sanders is known to have lived in the area.

The next reference to Joseph is a deed by which he was granted land 330 acres of land in Randolph County by the state in 1787. The land was described as on Abraham's Creek, bordering "Haskett's line." This is a reference to Abraham Haskett, who had been granted land as early as 1784. I believe this land was somewhat northwest of the present city of Asheboro. Over the years, Joseph acquired other property, most of which seemed to be in the same area, though there are indications he may have had some property to the south, near the Montgomery border. Here is a 1797 entry:

August 1, 1797 Joseph Sanders enters 250 acres in Randolph Co on waters of Back Creek and Deep River joining his own land on E,W., &S bounded by Peter Rich, Feaquar, Abraham Haskit, Joseph Osburn, and Joseph Close beginning at NE corner of his former survey and running for compliment; June 23, 1796 for grant see file #1180 in Secretary of State's files.)

Joseph next appears on the 1790 census of Randolph as the only Sanders listed in the county, though we know that another Sanders family (Isaac and his wife and children) were living in Randolph by 1794.

Joseph Sanders appears on th 1790 U.S. Census as follows:
white male over 16 1
white males under 16 3
white females 5
Joseph, of course, is the white male over 16. He had two male children who are known to have been born before 1790. Rebecca and the four daughters known to have been born before 1790 account for the 5 white females. That leaves one white male under 16 unaccounted for.

In 1798 Joseph Sanders and Isaac Saunders were chain carriers for a survey of land that had been sold by Edmund Carns to Isaac's son Benjamin in 1790. This Montgomery County land is described as being on Barnes Creek, which is near the Randolph County border. This would seem to indicate that Isaac and Benjamin were neighbors at that time, though all other references I have found to Joseph's land refer to the area of Back Creek, Abraham's Creek or Deep River, all to the northwest of Asheboro. Here are typical entries:

March 10, 1798 Jesse Huff enters 100 acres of land in Randolph Co on water of Deep R or E side of Abraham Haskit's land bounded by the lines of Joseph Sanders and Feauquar and running for compliment;

January 16, 1801, John Davis enters 60 acres of land in Randolph on water of Deep R; beginning at Joseph Sanders' corner running S for compliment.

February 9, 1802 John Davis enters 60 ac. on waters of Abrams Cr; border: begins at Joseph Sanders' corner and runs S to Abraham Haskett's being the plantation where he lives.

Joseph also is enumerated on the 1800 census. The census appears to give accurate estimates of the ages of the children, based on what we know from subsequent marriage records and census reports:

Males under 10 (1, Joseph, Jr.); males 10-16 (1, John); males 16-26 (1, George); males over 45 (1, Joseph)

Females under 10 (1, probably, Phebe, though she was born in 1789); females 10-16 (1, Sarah); females 16-26 (2, Rachel and Mary); females over 45 (1, Joseph's wife Rebecca)

Though DNA tests indicate that Joseph was not related to Isaac Saunders of Randolph County, there was extensive marriage between the children of Isaac and those of Joseph:

Joseph's son George married Phoebe, the daughter of Jacob Sanders. Jacob was a grandson of John Saunders.

Joseph's daughter Phoebe married Jesse, son of Jacob.

Joseph's son Joseph, Jr., first married Martha Sanders. We don't know her parents, but she almost certainly is related to Isaac, though probably not his daughter.

Joseph's son Joseph, Jr., married secondly,Deborah Sanders, the daughter of Jacob.

Joseph's daughter Mary married Benjamin Sanders, the son of Isaac.

Joseph's daughter Rachel married Francis Sanders. In my article on Benjamin and Francis, I presented evidence for these two brothers having married two sisters.

That makes five of Joseph's children who may have married a child or grandchild of Isaac. Many of these couples later moved to Jackson County, Alabama: Benjamin and Mary, George and Phoebe, Franicis and Rachel, and Joseph and Martha.

Benjamin Sanders moved to Jackson County when he was a very elderly man in the 1830s, probably following the lead of his brother Francis and his son Benjamin, Jr., who was born in 1804. Jacob's grandson, Jesse Elbert Sanders, son of the Sampson Sanders who witnessed Nimrod Saunders' deed to William Strider in 1836, also moved to Jackson County, Alabama. Jesse's brother, Brantley Sanders, married Sarah Sanders, who was the daughter of Benjamin Sanders, Jr.

Because of these extensive connections, until the DNA tests were conducted, I assumed that Joseph, Sr., was the "Joe" of the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter, but the DNA test appear to show he is from a different line. I would be inclined to attribute this result to infidelity or adoption within the family tree except for the fact that the descendant of Joseph who did not match the four brothers line did in fact match other Sanders.

So--it's still a big mystery to me, and I assume to others who have researched this problem, why these two Sanders lines (that of Joseph and that of Isaac) were so close if they were not related. The obvious explanation, if they were not genetically related, is that they were close because they were neighbors and lived within a few miles of each other in either Randolph County or just across the border in Montgomery County.

Some early researchers suggested that Joseph Sanders was the son of a John Sanders who died in 1772 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. John's will does show a son named Joseph, but no one has ever provided any evidence that that the Joseph of the will is the same person as Rachel's father who was in Montgomery and Randolph counties in North Carolina at the time of the American Revolution. A glance at a transcription of the will of John Sanders of Isle of Wight indicates that his son Joseph Sanders was scheduled to inherit a couple of hundred acres. It is unlikely Joseph left the colony to move to North Carolina shortly afterwards. Further, the Joseph of the 1772 will appears to have been over 21 years old at the time of his father's death, and he may well have been considerably older, in view of his father having been at least in his sixties when he made his will. In short, there is no documentation whatsover to suggest that the Joseph of the 1772 will in Virginia is the same individual as Joseph who died in North Carolina in 1803. The fact that both men were named Joseph, one in Virginia, and one in North Carolina, does not prove anything..

An extensive search of the Sanders who lived in the Montgomery/Orange/Guilford/Chatham/Randolph area of North Carolina during the time of Joseph's youth does not help much in finding his father. In my article on Jesse Sanders of Moore County, I prepared a list of some of the Sanders who lived in the area but about whom we have no information concerning their children. Possibly, Joseph's father could have been the George Sanders who was a neighbor to the Reverend Moses; or he may have been the Daniel Sanders who appeared briefly in Montgomery County in the 1770s.

Some recent information and/or DNA testing (based on the research of Jerry Sanders and R.S. Sanders) appears to suggest that Joseph Sanders may be related to William Saunders (1740-1790) of Chatham County, North Carolina. The DNA match is very close and the two men were of the same generation; they may even have been brothers. Some researchers have suggested that William may have been a son of James Sanders and Ann Holmes of Johnston County, but so far as I can tell this assumption is based on mere geographical proximity.There is a long-standing family tradition among one branch of Joseph's descendants that he was an immigrant from Scotland, but it appears more likely his parents or grandparents were the original immigrants, whatever country they came from. Another possibility, if Joseph and William are indeed brothers, is that their father, whoever he may have been, was a non-Sanders who was adopted by a Sanders relative of one of the four brothers of Anson. If this scenario is correct, Joseph may have grown up regarding himself as a relative of Moses, Aaron, Isaac, and Francis, even though he did not share their DNA.

Joseph Sanders died between March 18, 1803 and November 1805 when the will was proved in court. Here is a transcription of the will:

Randolph County Will Bk. 3, p. 29
November Term 1806

I, Joseph Sanders, of the County of Randolph & State of North Carolina, being of sound & perfect mind &memory, calling to mind that is ordained that all men shall die, do make this my last will & testament in manner & form following: That is to say, my body to be decently buried in a Christian-like manner at the discretion of my Executors, hereafter named, and as to my worldly estate which it hath pleased God to bless me with, I give and bequeath in the following manner:

1st. It is my will and desire that all my just debts and funeral expenses be punctually paid.

2ndly. I lend unto my beloved wife Rebeccah Sanders all my moveable estate during her life or widowhood and in case she married again, I will and bequeath that all my moveable estate be equally divided between my said wife and daughters Rachel, Mary, Sarah, & Phebe, and that the division of said estate shall be made by three freeholders chosen by my Executor, hereafter named, & that the property of onesaid [?] be by then appraised equally divided between the said legatees with out any sale being made. I likewise will to my said wife the use of the plantation whereon I live during her life or widowhood.

3rdly. I will and bequeath to each of my sons, namely, John, George, and Joseph Sanders, an equal dividend of all my lands, to wit, two hundred & fifty acres each to be divided by lines running parallel with each other in such a manner as to give each of them as equal a proportion of the creek as possible. And it is my will that my son John , his heirs & assigns forever shall have & enjoy the middle division of the said land. And that my son George, his heirs & assigns forever, shall have possession & enjoy the uppermost division of said tract adjoining Abrham Haskett & that my son Joseph, his heirs and assigns, shall have, hold, & enjoy the lower division of the said lands, which will include my dwelling house, all which I give to him, his heirs and assigns forever, only reserve to his mother the right of living in the manner house & having her support & maintenance out of the improvements thereunto during her widowhood.

4thly. I will and desire that if there should be a necessity of putting out any of my children to trades or any other occasion that they should be put with some friend or friends of the Quaker Society to be raised up in that religion. I do further by these presents make, constitute, ordain & appoint my beloved wife Rebeccah Sanders Executrix and my sons John Sanders and George Sanders Executors of this my last will & testament and I do herby revoke, disannul & do away all & every other will & testament by me heretofore made. Ratifying & Confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my (hand) & affixed my seal this 18th day of March Anno Domini
1803 Joseph Sanders (seal)
signed, sealed, & acknowledged
in presence of Henry Cummings
Alexander Gray
November Term 1805
The foregoing last will & testament of Joseph Sander, dec’d, was duly proved in open court by Alex Gray & admitted to record.
Test J. Harper Clk

(I have not seen the original will. Several people have sent me this transcription, and I am not sure who did the original transcribing. Joseph is my third great grandfather-GS)

The settlement of Joseph's estate occurred in 1811:

Order to settle with executors August Term 1811. Josphua Craven and Benjamin Marmon appointed committee to settle. Test: Jesse Harper, C.C. C. Settlement of estate, 14 November 1811. Executors, Rebekah Sanders & George Sanders. Names: Francis Sanders, Peter Rich, Benjamin Sanders, Jesse Sanders, Rebekah Sanders.

The individuals named here are readily identifiable. Francis Sanders, of course, was the husband of Joseph's daughter Rachel; Jessem Sanders was the husband of Joseph's daughter Phebe; Benjamin Sanders was the husband of Joseph's daughter, Mary; and Peter Rich was the husband of Joseph's daughter, Sarah. George Sanders, Joseph's son, and Rebecca Saunders, Joseph's widow, were the executors.

In his will, Joseph mentioned that if his children were to be apprenticed out, that they be employed by someone of the Quaker faith.This does not necesarily mean that Joseph himself was a Quaker. He may have admired their honesty, trustworthy qualities, and fairness. We cannot rule out the possibility, however, that he was a former Quaker and, as previously mentioned, there is evidence that he lived near other Quakers and former Quakers.

In a effort to find Quakers who may have been related to Joseph or his known DNA relative, William Sanders of Chatham County, I have looked through Hinshaw's The Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, volume I, for references to Quakers named Sanders in North Carolina. There were a surprising number of Quakes who had the surname of Sanders, but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to establish a kinship between any of them and the Joseph Sanders line. Many of these Quaker Sanders moved frequently from one Monthly Meeting to another, making identification even more difficult. Among the Monthly Meetings in the Piedmont area of North Carolina were the Cane Creek Monthly Meeting in Orange (now Alamance), established about 1751; the New Garden Monthly Meeting in Rowan County (now in Guilford), established in 1778; the Deep River Monthly Meeting in Guilford County, establish in 1778; and the Back Creek Monthly Meeting, established in 1792 in Randolph County.

One well-known Quaker family was that of John Sanders and Jane Crew of the Deep River Monthly Meeting in Guilford County, just to the north of Randolph County.. The children and descendants of Joel and John are pretty well-established through the Quaker records, but the identity of the ancestors of Joel and John is still very much in doubt (in spite of various postings on the Internet that purport to give their ancestors).

Looking once again at the Sanders in Randolph County in the period from 1790 to 1810, I found that, for the most part, they easily fit into known family groups, but there are a few that seem to spring from nowhere and then disappear just as rapidly.

Joseph Sanders is the only Sanders listed on the 1790 census of Randolph, but we know Isaac Saunders was there because there are references to him in the land records in the early 1790s. In 1800 Joseph,Isaac, and Miles are the only Sanders listed. Miles Sanders and his children are pretty well documented. It appears he moved to Randolph just before 1800 from Pasquotank County, he lived in Randolph about fifteen years, and then he moved elsewhere. He doesn't appear to have any connection to Joseph or Isaac of my Sanders lines.

In 1810, we find the following Sanders:

Benjamin, married Jane Jenny Clark August 31, 1803. He lived near the Back Creek area of northwest Randolph near the Quakers and he was active in the Manumission Society in Rowan County. He disappears from records about 1825 and we have no records of whether he had children or not). I believe he is probably the same Benjamin Sanders who was living in Rowan County in 1830. I am unable to determine whether he is related to either of my two Sanders lines; however, James Winningham was the bondman for the marriage of Benjamin and Jenny. Apparently, this is the same James Winningham whose daughter Nancy married a Moses Sanders. in 1818. The bondman fo that wedding was was George Sanders, son of Joseph, Sr. One possibility is that this Benjamin and Moses were the sons of Joshua Sanders who appears on the 1790 Montgomery and the 1810 Randolph census. A Joshua Sanders was a chain carrier for a 1793 land grant to Reubin Sanders, who was a neighbor to George Sanders. Aaron Sanders, the Reverend Moses Sanders, and George Sanders owned land adjacent to Nathaniel Steed and in 1774, George, Moses, and Aaron were ordered to repair a road in Montgomery County, suggesting they were all neighbors.

Benjamin, my g-g grandfather, son of Isaac Saunders. Benjamin married Mary, the daughter of Joseph. He lived near the Montgomery County border.

Francis, brother of my g-g grandfather. Francis married Rachel, another daughter of Joseph. He was enumerated near Benjamin on the census, but land records indicate he owned land in the Back Creek area where the Quakers lived.

George, a son of Joseph. He married Phebe, a granddaughter of Isaac Saunders. Based on references to him in land and legal records, he had a great deal of association with Quakers or former Quakers.

Richard, a Quaker who came to Randolph from Perquimans in 1804. He was expelled in 1813 because his sons joined the army to fight in the war of 1812). Richard doesn't appear to be related to our group.

Josh Sanders (there are two Josh Sanders listed on the census). The Ancestry.com index lists three Josh Sanders and does not list Francis. However, Francis is on the actual image page, so I think the indexer made a mistake here and recorded a third "Josh" instead of Francis. Also, one of the Josh Sanders may be unmarried (if the female living with him is not his wife). I think his name may not be "Josh" at all, but that he may be John Sanders, the brother of George. John married Rachel Randon on October 23, 1811. Who the other "Josh" is, I have no idea, but they are both listed near Benjamin who married Mary, so I think Josh is related to the Benjamin or Isaac line, even though we don't have documentation. "Josh," who was probably a relatively young man in 1810, may be the same person as "Josiah" who appears on the 1815 tax list of Randolph. There were also two Joshua Sanders listed in the 1790 census of Randolph County. Whoever, these individuals are, they are obviously related to the main Sanders line of Randolph/Montgomery.

Quaker records have references to other Sanders who do not appear on the census in 1810. For example, in 1807 a Joseph Sanders and his wife, the former Martha Wells, were received into the Back Creek MM in Randolph from Suttons Creek in Perquimans. They remained in Randolph through the birth of several children and then in 1816 moved to Ohio. I can't find any record they are related to Isaac or to the Joseph who died in 1803..

I used to think that of the property of Joseph who died in 1803 was near the Montgomery County border. This was based on the marriages of his children to Isaac's children and to Joseph and Isaac being the chain carriers for a 1798 survey "beginning at Benjamin Sanders' corner post oak." This land was on Barnes Creek, presumably just over the border in Montgomery County. However, after a survey of references in Randolph County deeds, it is apparent that Joseph acquired land in the Back Creek and Deep River area of Randolph which is northwest of Asheboro. In addition, Francis Sanders(Benjamin's brother) and John Sanders (Benjamin's brother-in-law) acquired land in the same area.

Here are a few of the many references I found:

May 30, 1813, Joseph Rich enters 40 ac. on waters of Back Cr.; border; John Sanders and Peter Rich.
(John Sanders is the son of Joseph Sanders. Peter Wall Rich married John's sister, Sarah, and was expelled by the Quakers for "marrying out.")

1816, Joseph Rich acquired 40 acres in Randolph County, on Back Creek, joning John Sanders, and Peter Rich.

Francis Sanders purchased 100 acres of land in 1804 from John Stalker. This John Stalker was probably related to the Thomas Stalker who bought land from Aaron Sanders of Loudoun County in 1828. Aaron Saunders of Loudoun belongs to a unrelated Sanders line according to DNA tests.

August 14, 1804 Francis Saunders enters 100 ac on waters of Back Cr; border; begins on John Reading’s line and joins Thos Reading’s entry.October 8, 1804 Francis Saunders enters 50 ac. On waters of Back Cr; border; joins his own line and Thos Reading’s entry.

1817, Francis Sanders is a chain carriers for a grant of 200 acres to Jonathan Reading in Randolph County, on the water of Back Creek, adjoining Jacob Green and John Richardson.

596 (526). Peter Rich 305 ac.; warrant #181 issued Jul. 30, 1786(Quaker style date) by Sam Milikan to Peter Rich for 305 ac. on Gabrils Cr., joins Jos. Sanders, George Farlow, begins on Sanders' line, rune E to George Farlow's, S, & entered Apr. 29, 1786; 305 ac. surveyed Dec. 6,1 788 by Wm Millikan; Joseph Sanders & George Farlow, chain carriers, grant #563, issued Nov. 24, 1790.

August 1, 1797 Joseph Sanders enters 250 acres in Randolph Co on waters of Back Creek and Deep River joining his own land on E,W., &S bounded by Peter Rich, Feaquar, Abraham Haskit, Joseph Osburn, and Joseph Close beginning at NE corner of his former survey and running for compliment; June 23, 1796 for grant see file #1180 in Secretary of State's files.)

Gabriels' Creek, Hasketts Creek, and Back Creek are all north or north west of Asheboro, the county seat. The Deep River seems to flow north west to southeast and without other reference points it is difficult to locate land that is identified only as along the Deep River. Still, I believe the area referenced in the preceding deeds is near the Quaker community of Back Creek.The Rich family, neighbors to Joseph, were birthright Quakers, or at least some of them were. Peter Rich married Joseph's daughter, Sarah, sister of the Mary who married Benjamin Sanders who lived along the Randolph/Montgomery border.

In 1803 when the the "other" Benjamin Sanders(the one who attended Manumission Society meetings) married Jenny Clark, the bondman was a James Winningham. This James Winningham had a daughter named Nancy. On March 18, 1818, she married a Moses Sanders in Randolph County. One of the witneses for that marriage was George Sanders. Apparently, the only George Sanders in the county at that time was George, the son of Joseph. George married Phebe, the grandaughter of Isaac. The identity of this Moses Sanders who married Nancy Winningham is unknown.

The Benjamin Sanders who married Jenny Clark and the Moses Sanders who married Nancy Winningham were probably born between 1780 and 1800. However, there appears to be no one on the 1790, 1800, or 1810 census of Randolph who could be their obvious father and none of the Quaker records seem to indicate any possible parents. I believe, however, there is enough evidence to indicate they are related to Joseph Sanders, though the nature of that relationship is presently unknown.
( Revised January 20, 2010)

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Joseph "Uncle Joe" Sanders
of Randolph County, North Carolina, and Jackson County, Alabama

Joseph Sanders was born in 1793, in Randolph County, North Carolina, the son of Joseph and Rebecca Sanders. The elder Joseph died in 1803. The younger Joseph married Martha Sanders on August 21, 1809 in Randolph County. Martha's parentage is not known with certainty, but recent research indicates she may have been a daughter of Benjamin Sanders of Randolph County and a granddaughter of Isaac Sanders. If so, she was not genetically related to her husband even though she had the same surname.

In the late 1820s, Joseph and Martha, their large family of children, and many of their relatives moved to Jackson County, Alabama. As the Cherokee and other Indian groups were pushed further west, the northeast Alabama region along the Tennessee River became a prime destination for white settlement. Joseph bought land in the area and farmed there the rest of his life.

During the late 1830s, Martha died, and Joseph began seeking a new wife. He re-married about 1838 to Deborah Saunders who was from Montgomery County, North Carolina. One of the descendants of Joseph's second marriage, Lottie Kingery Hoge, would later write, "I don't know how she first got acquainted with my Alabama grandfather, Mr. Joseph Sanders, but she went to Alabama and they were married. He was much older than her for he had been married before and had 12 children, most of them grown and married, probably at ages of 14-16. I don't know when they (Joseph and Deborah) were married but probably about 1838 for their oldest son was born about 1840. That was Uncle Henry." [quotation from this letter provided by Don Schaefer, editor of Sanders Siftings.] Deborah was born in 1803 and was therefore about thirty-six years old when she married. Since she lived in North Carolina and Joseph lived in Alabama before their marriage, I have always thought that Joseph's first wife, Martha, was probably a close relative to Deborah; if my theory that Martha was the daughter of Benjamin Sanders, Martha and Deborarh were first cousins.

Joseph and Deborah had three children together before she died about 1854. Joseph married for the third time on November 11, 1860 to Mahala Harper of Jackson County. The 1860 census list Joseph as age 67 with personal property worth $1500 and real estate worth $1500. While he was not a wealthy man, these assets were enough to indicate his farm was prosperous by the standards of the time. Joseph Sanders, by 1860, was the acknowledged patriarch of the Jackson County Sanders. Nearly everyone called him "Uncle Joe," regardless of whether he was actually an uncle, cousin, granduncle, or some other relative.

When the Civil War arrived, the citizens of Jackson County were split. There were few slaves in Jackson County and many residents were subsistence farmers who had little regard for the large plantation owners. In 1850 only one Sanders in the county owned slaves. Nevertheless, there was still substantial support for the Confederacy, and those who refused to accept secession were regarded as traitors by those who supported the Rebel cause. Although too old to serve as a soldier, Joseph remained loyal to the Union, and his sons and some of his nephews joined the Union Army.

The conflicting loyalties in northeast Alabama created a very chaotic and lawless situation in which it is often difficult to determine the motivations of the people involved. Murders, shootings, and acts of violence were commonplace. "Uncle Joe" Sanders was killed in one of these incidents in 1863 while he was working in his field at his farm at Mud Creek.

The following letter by Louie Richard Davis of Texas was written to friends in Scottsboro, Alabama, July 24, 1974, and was published in Sanders Siftings, July 2000, p. 1:

"I know you have some information on the Sanders that was killed by bushwhackers. I have heard a story here in Texas passed down through generations (may have changed some). One of the Sanders, close relation to Phoebe was caught off guard while plowing in a field by bushwhackers. They took him and his horse to the top of a hill and made the Sanders dig a grave. Then the bushwhackers killed both man and horse and buried both in the grave with the legs of the horse sticking up out of the grave. This is some tale and may not be exactly true but is what I have heard."

There are several other variants of this story. Here is a version related by an elderly descendant of Joe Sanders who owns the property where Joe's farm was located and who relates that he got the following story from his grandmother who heard the story from her mother:

"The rebel neighbors hung him on a mulberry tree because they thought he was giving information to the Yankees. There were three of the rebels, one a neighbor by the name of Barbee - after killing him they left with a horse they were using as a pack mule to carry (I suppose) the things that they had taken. That evening, not long after the rebels had left, a group of Yankees came down out of the mountain and went after the rebels. They caught up with them near the foot of the mountain close to the old Moody Brick. The Yankees killed the horse and made the men dig a grave for it. When the grave was dug - they killed the men - put them in the hole and rolled the horse in on top of them."

Robert Dean, a Sanders descendant from Hunstville, Alabama, who sent me this information, offered the following comment:"In thinking about Mr. Dolberry's story - It may be as close to an eye witness information as we can get - even though his information did not come directly from someone that was there. It did come in a direct line from someone that was a witness to the events. I'm sure that the story is not without flaws, mistakes, and bad memory- but may be as close to the truth as we'll ever get."

Although the preceding story is that Joseph was hanged, the Huntsville newspaper in 1863 stated that "an old man named Saunders" was shot in Jackson County because of his pro-Union actions. Joseph's descendant stated that Joe was not buried near the mulberry tree where he was hanged. Instead, he was buried some distance away near where an infant child of Joseph and Deborah had been buried earlier. There may very well be other family members who are buried nearby, but no other markers are present today.

Originally four cedar posts were erected to mark his grave. Later, in the early 1990s, someone erected a modern marker for Uncle Joe's grave. Unfortunately, the dates on the new tombstone are incorrect and his name is listed as Joseph B. Sanders, although there are no records that give him a middle name or initial. His real birth and death dates are 1793 and March 10, 1863--these are based on the testimony of Carrol Jackson Brewer to the Southern Claims Commission that Joe was seventy in the year of his death.

The grave is located under a tree at the end of County Road 111 in Jackson County. Local people call this site "Dolberry Hollow." My sister and I visited the resting place of our ancestor in 2008. Today, one sees only a pastoral view of thriving fields of corn and mountain scenery. It's difficult to imagine the strife that engulfed the area at the time Uncle Joe Sanders died.

Also located across the road is the "Blowing Cave," which is something of a local tourist attraction. A strong breeze blows from the cave, hence the name by which it has been known since before the Civil War.

In her book Sanders and Bean Families: Past and Present Virginia Retan has the following about the Blowing Cave:

"Mother Nature provided an air conditioner during the terribly hot season of summer, known as the Blowing Cave. The cave was named Blowing Cave because of the cool breeze that forever flowed from the entrance in the summer and the warm breeze which flowed in the cooler months. This cave was, and is today, quite an attraction.

"Inside the cave, there are many rooms. People have used the Blowing Cave many times for shelter from tornadoes and other storms. Unfortunately, many of the rooms have been washed away by great gushes of water which are known to come unexpectedly from the cave.Some people say that the end of the cave comes out in Winchester, Tennessee. Some have said that they have traveled all through the cave and it took them three or four days to reach the other side.

"Now (1986), many groups enjoy exploring the cave, with experienced guides, of course. Scouts enjoy staying overnight there, checking out the remaining rooms of the cave. The cave is now posted and people enter at their own risk. Young couples used to take walks there on Sunday afternoons; even now in 1986, it is said there is evidence of courtships of days long ago, in the names carved on trees or scraped in the rocks at the entrance of the cave."

Although the cave is no longer open to the public (as of 2008),one can still stand about several yards away and get a good view of the cave opening, and sometimes even feel the cool breeze from the cave, just as Uncle Joe Sanders and his family and friends probably used to do on hot summer days before the Civil War.

Joseph had thirteen children by his two wives:

Children of JOSEPH SANDERS and MARTHA SANDERS are:
    i.    WILLIAM WALTER SANDERS, b. December 1815, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina; d. Bet. 1867 - 1874, Arkansas or Missouri
    ii.    NANCY SANDERS, b. 1818, Randolph County, North Carolina.
    iii.    ELIZABETH SANDERS, b. Abt. 1821, Randolph County, North Carolina;
    iv.    BENJAMIN SANDERS, b. 1823, Randolph County, North Carolina; d. Aft. 1850, Jackson County, Alabama
    v.    RACHEL SANDERS, b. 1825, Randolph County, North Carolina.
    vi.    GEORGE SANDERS, b. 1826, Randolph County, North Carolina; d. 1859, Jackson County, Alabama;
    vii.    AILSEY SANDERS, b. 1829, Randolph County, North Carolina, or Jackson County, Alabama
    viii.    MARTHA J. MATTIE SANDERS, b. 1830, Jackson County, Alabama; d. 1884, Jackson County, Alabama.
    ix.    MARY ANN SANDERS, b. Abt. 1833, Jackson County, Alabama; d. Abt. 1861, Alabama?
    x.    JOSEPH B. SANDERS, b. 1834, Jackson County, Alabama; d. February 12, 1863, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Joseph died while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War).

Children of JOSEPH SANDERS and DEBORAH SAUNDERS are:

    xi.    HENRY A. SANDERS, b. February 12, 1840, Mud Creek, Jackson County, Alabama; d. July 13, 1904, Jackson County, Alabama. In an e-mail message in 2005, Sherry Sanders said one of her cousins referred to Henry as a "red headed Irishman." Henry joined the Union Army in July 1862. Don Schaefer had this to say about him in an October, 2007 e-mail: "Henry A. was the son of Joseph Sanders, Jr. by his second wife, Deborah Sanders. He had quite a history. Served as private in Company B, 18th Regiment of Ohio Volunteers from 5 Jul 1862 to 14 Jun 1865. He was wounded at the Battle of Nashville. Gunshot wound, right shoulder, same as that of his brother John G. Sanders in the same battle. When Henry Sanders returned from the War and saw that Mary had a baby, he said it wasn't his and thereafter had nothing to do with her or the baby. He must have forgotten that he was still married to Mary, because he married Frances Hankins 9 June 1867. He divorced Mary E. Shelton, his first wife,16 June, 1871 -- four years after he married his second wife, Frances J. Hankins.Information on children and marriages taken from Civil War pension records, except for marriage date with Frances Hankins, which was recorded in Jackson County, Ala. "

    xii.    PHEBE EMALINE SANDERS, b. May 20, 1842, Mud Creek, Jackson County, Alabama; d. April 12, 1931, Alhambra, Madison County, Illinois. Phebe was the grandmother of Elva Hoge Dixon.

From Shannon Doermann: Obituary: Mrs. Phebe Kingrey, daughter of Joseph and Deborah Sanders, was born at Mud Creek, Alabama, May 20, 1842 where her childhood days were spent. At the age of 17, she was converted and united with the Baptist Church, and has always lived a consistent Christian life.

On Aug. 31, 1860, she was united in marriage with Isham King. Near the close of the Civil War in 1864, she with her husband came to Ill. and settled on a farm 3 miles south of Alhambra where she spent the remainder of her life. To this union were born 5 children two of whom survive, Mrs. Anna Crabtree of Girard Ill. and Mrs. Lizzie Ryder of Syracuse, Kans. her husband, I.K. departed this life April 24, 1876.

On Oct. 14, 1880, she was again united in marriage with Charles W. Kingery who preceded her in death Jan 27, 1930. To this union was born one son who died in infancy and two daughters, Mrs. Laura McCain of Marine, Ill. and Mrs. Lottie Hoge of Alhambra, Ill. who survive her.

She enjoyed good health until recent years. About a year ago the infirmities of old age caused her to become bedfast. On Mar. 24, she suffered a paralytic stroke from which she never recovered. She departed this life Apr. 12, 1931 at the age of 88 yrs. 10 mo. and 22 days.

She leaves to mourn her demise beside her children 15 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.

Article that appeared in the local paper:
Mrs. Kingery of Alhambra is Dead-Died at Home of Daughter Near Alhambra on Sunday. Mrs. Phebe Kingery, died Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Willam Hoge, three miles south of Alhambra. Death was caused by old age. She had been bedfast for nearly a year. Mrs. Kingery was born in Alhambra (big x drawn on article by Elva Dixon and word wrong written over it) June 21, 1842. At the time of her death she had attained the age of 88 years, 10 months, and 22 days. Her maiden name was Phebe Sanders. She was the last of the fifteen children of the Sander family to die. She lived her entire life in that vicinity (another x and wrong drawn over last statement). Mrs. Kingery was twice marred. Her first marriage occurred in 1860 to Isham King. He preceded her in death a number of years ago. She was later married to Charles Kingery in 1880. He died in 1930. Four children survive her. They are, Mrs. Anna Crabtree, Girard, Ill., Mrs. Elizabeth Ryder, Syracuse, Kan., Mrs. Laura McCain, Marine and Mrs. Lottie Hoge of Alhambra, fifteen grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.....Interment will be made in the Mundis Cemetery.....(hand written at the bottom is "Born May 20, 1842 at Mud Creek, Jackson Co. Alabama. Came to Ill. near close of Civil War - 1846 when husband was wounded.")

    xiii.    JOHN G. SANDERS, b. August 30, 1845, Mud Creek, Jackson County, Alabama; d. August 17, 1919, Inola, Rogers County, Oklahoma. (John G. served in the Union Army during the Civil War).

--Gary Sanders
article written February, 2008
revised January 31, 2010
See also my December 2011 revision of this article for Victoria Bynum's Web site site Renegade South, whcih includes pictures of Uncle Joe's grave. There are also pictures at the Find a Grave Memorial to Uncle Joe Sanders.

Additional note

The following material is from a January 27, 2004 post on the Sanders Ancestry.com forum by Don E. Schaefer, editor of Sanders Siftings: Don is a descendant of Benjamin (son of Isaac) and Mary Sanders, the sister of "Uncle Joe" Sanders.

Here is some information about the Joseph Sanders (1793-1863) often referred to as Joseph, Jr.

Concerning the murder of Joseph Sanders, this is what I have picked up from several sources. From notes in the Scottsboro library: "Joseph Sanders was taken from his home during the Civil War and was shot while on his knees by a rock because his boys were in the Union Army. Everyone called him Uncle Joe. He was shot by Jeff Barbee, Thomps Houston, and John Teeters on his farm near Mud Creek, these men were tories never served on either side during the Civil War." Ann Barbee Chambless of Scottsboro told me that she has been searching for the real story of what happened. A brother of her great-grandfather was one of the "whippersnappers" and she can find no record of a trial. Her ancestor had a record of an estate settlement about that time. Possibly some vigilante justice or Union troops took care of things, without leaving a record. With the lack of a trial or record, I guess many versions of what happened cropped up, slanted to whatever a person's sympathies were during and after the war. Glenn (Chick) Sanders of Huntsville says that there was no marker for Joe Sanders and he and some other relatives had one put up on his grave. He also said he has been told that two of Joseph Sanders' sons, Henry A. and John G., killed two of the men who murdered their father.

Found in the Huntsville "Confederate," 23 Apr 1863:
"DISLOYAL MEN SHOT.-- We are reliably informed that a man, named Pleas. Hickman, who lived in the Sinks, near the boundary line of Jackson and Madison counties, and was a Union man and a bad character, generally, had been conscribed and taken into the Army of Tennessee, deserted, and, coming home, laid out in the mountains, and turned to robbing soldiers' families, and others, of their scanty provisions- and, on Sunday last, some unknown person shot and killed him, in the Mountain four miles North-East of Maysville. He was found with his abdomen perforated by a ball. On the same day, we learn, an old man, named Saunders, who affiliated with the Abolition Army, when they occupied Jackson county, and went off with them, but returned to depredate on the neighborhood, was shot and killed by some unknown person, on Mud Creek in that county." The latter killing appears to fit the description of the murder of Joseph Sanders, in time and place.

From a July 24, 1974 letter to Leola, Eunice and Hazel Matthews of Scottsboro, Alabama --- from Louie Davis of Weatherford, Texas:
"I know you have some information on the Sanders that was killed by busnwhackers. I have heard a story here in Texas passed down through generations (may have changed some) One of the Sanders, close relation to Phoebe was caught off guard while plowing a field by bushwhackers. They took him and his horse to the top of a hill and made the Sanders dig a grave. Then the Bushwhackers killed both man and his horse and burried both in the grave with the legs of the horse sticking up out of the grave. (This is some tale and may not be exactly true but is what I have heard) I think you may have a more accurate account of the event."

"I keep hoping you will unearth the real story about the murder of Uncle Joe Sanders, even though my greatgrandfather's brother was one of the three culprits. One of the older men in this county has told me the "hanging tree" still stands at the head of Mud Creek where justice was administered. I still do not know if it would be labeled "roadside justice" or as you suggested Federal troop intervention. I do know that a group of Federal troops stationed in this area took over the Barbee home for their winter quarters one year. My great-great uncle was a very young boy at the time. He lived until I was about six or seve years old, so I remember hearing him repeat stories from that time period. Of course, he never told about his brother being hung. His stories were about his father's death just before the Civil War (died in 1860) and how another brother died of measles after enlisting in the CSA. That brother was buried at Corinth, MS. My own greatgrandfather was a CSA Scout and was in the Federal prison at Rock Island. Uncle Lewis told what a difficult winter he, his mother, and his older sisters had the winter they were forced to live in what had been slave quarters. That is one reason I have always been so interested in learning more about the murder of Uncle Joe Sanders and what happened to the culprits. If your Madison County contact provides you with any part of the story, please be sure to share with me."
from Ann Barbee Chambless, the Jackson County (Ala.) Historical Association.
--Don E. Schaefer

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Martha Sanders of Randolph, wife of Joseph

Joseph Sanders, Jr., (1793-1863) was married three times. His first marriage was to Martha Sanders in Randolph County, North Carolina on August 21, 1809. The bondman for the wedding was Joseph’s older brother, George Sanders. Joseph was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time and his bride was probably just as young. Therefore, she was most likley born about 1792 or 1793.

Joseph and Martha had ten children before she died between 1834 and 1838 in Jackson County, Alabama, where the family had moved in the late 1820s. Joseph then married Deborah Saunders about 1838 and they had three children before her death about 1854. Joseph third marriage was to Mahala Harper Shelton, the widow of Nathaniel Shelton. There were no children by the third wife.

The parentage of the second and third wives is well established, but so far as I can tell, no one has yet attempted to identify the parents of Martha Sanders, the first wife. I now believe that, although we will probably never have firm documentation, we can identify with a reasonable degree of probability the father of Martha Sanders.

The clue to this mystery is the circumstances surrounding the second marriage. Joseph was living in Jackson County, Alabama at the time of the death of his first wife. He was a prosperous farmer with hundreds of acres of land. No doubt there were plenty of women in the area who would seek his hand in matrimony, but he chose to marry Deborah Saunders who was in her late thirties and who lived five hundred miles away in the Sanders ancestral home of Montgomery County, North Carolina. She had never been to Alabama before her marriage, and, according to Elva Hoge Dixon, one of her descendants, Deborah would never see her North Carolina relatives again.

This suggests to me that Deborah was probably a close relative of Martha, Joseph’s first wife. My first thought was that Deborah and Martha were sisters but the 1800 census proves that theory unlikely. Deborah’s father, Jacob, has four daughters listed on the 1800 Montgomery County, North Carolina, census, but the names of all four are known though subsequent documentation. Nor is a daughter named Martha mentioned in an 1830 deed that refers to the heirs of Jacob.

Another problem with the theory that the two wives of Joseph were sisters is that the first marriage occurred not in Montgomery County, where Jacob, the father of Deborah, lived, but in neighboring Randolph County. It was the usual custom and law in those days for the marriage bond to be issued in the county where the bride lived.

Therefore, we should probably confine our search for Martha’s father to the Sanders who were living in Randolph County at the time of her marriage in 1809 or in the years immediately before the marriage. Only three Sanders, Joseph, Isaac, and Miles are listed on the 1800 Randolph census. Miles, born about 1778, was a recent immigrant from Pasquotank County who apparently was unrelated to the other Sanders in Randolph, and he moved to Burke County by 1815. Joseph was the father of Joseph, Jr., who married Martha. Isaac is ruled out as the father of Martha because he had no female children living in his household in 1800.

However, Isaac’s presumed son, Benjamin Sanders, moved to Randolph from Montgomery just after 1800. In 1806 Isaac granted land in Randolph County to Benjamin and Benjamin may have moved his family across the border even before the land transfer. Although he was enumerated in Montgomery in 1800, in 1810 Benjamin appears on the Randolph census. He lived there until he moved to Jackson County, Alabama, in the 1830s.

Could Benjamin be the father of Martha? He seems to fit every criterion. In 1800 he had several female children in his household, all born between 1790 and 1800, the decade in which Martha was born. Marriages usually were bonded in the county where the bride’s family lived, and Benjamin was in Randolph in 1809 when the marriage of Joseph and Martha occurred. In the 1810 census, Benjamin is one of two Sanders head of households in the county who could have been the father of the bride. Josh Sanders is the other one. We can rule out everyone but Benjamin and Josh because the others were either brothers of the groom or because they were too young in 1810 to have a daughter born about 1793 or because their children are already documented (for example, Richard Sanders who moved to Randolph from Pasquotank County).

Here is a chart of the Sanders head of households enumerated on the 1810 census of Randolph County:

Name on 1810 census of Randolph County, N.C.	M under 10	M 10-15	M 16-25	M 16-44	M over 45	F under 10	F 10- 15	F 16- 25	F 26- 44	F over 45
Josh (born before 1765)	1	2	1		1	1	3		1
Josh (born 1785-1794)			1					1
Benjamin (son of Isaac, born about 1766)	1		1	1		3	2		1
Francis (another son of Isaac, born 1782)	3			1		3			1
Richard (recent arrival in 1810 from Pasquotank, born 1755)	3				1	1			1
George (brother of Joseph, Jr., born 1785)		1	1					1
Benjamin (born 1780, no known relationship to the other Benjamin	2			1		2			1

There are two individuals named Josh Sanders on the 1810 census, but one is too young to be the father of Martha. The older Josh was probably born in the 1760s. He may be the same as one of the Joshua Sanders listed in the 1790 Montgomery County census. A Joshua Sanders is referenced as a chain carrier in a 1773 land record for land granted to Reubin Sanders adjoining the land of George Sanders, who is referenced in other records as a neighbor of the Moses Sanders. These records suggest that Josh of Montgomery was from the same Sanders line as Isaac and Benjamin, but we do not know the exact relationship. Nor do we really know that the Josh in Randolph in 1810 is the same fellow who lived in Montgomery in 1790. There is a Josiah Sanders listed on the 1815 tax list of Randolph who may be the same person as Josh on the 1810 census. We do know enough, though, that if Josh was the father of Martha, the kinship between Martha and Deborah was probably at least that of second cousin or more distant. This is one reason I favor the theory that Benjamin, rather than Josh, was the father of Martha. Another reason is that we have evidence of the association of Benjamin’s father, Isaac, with the father of Joseph, Joseph, Sr.. Some of the children of the senior Joseph and of Isaac intermarried (Frances and Rachel, Benjamin and Mary). There is also a grant of land to Benjamin in Montgomery County in 1798 with Isaac and Joseph, Sr., as chain carriers. We have no evidence that Josh or Josiah was ever associated with either Joseph or Benjamin.

It is, of course, possible to theorize that there could have been another male with the surname of Sanders, living in Randolph county in 1800 or 1810 but residing in the household of a non-Sanders male and that this hypothetical man named Sanders could have been the father of Martha. I cannot discount this possibility entirely, but why bother to advance an alternative scenario when a more obvious conclusion is available? I think we can narrow the possibilities to Benjamin and Josh, with Benjamin the more likely father of Martha.

If Benjamin is the father of Martha Sanders, how is Martha related to Deborah, Joseph’s second wife? She is then the first cousin of Deborah because Benjamin (father of Martha) and Jacob (father of Deborah) were brothers. We know from DNA tests that neither cousin was related to Joseph, the man they married, as he belonged to a different Sanders line. The first cousinhood of Deborah and Martha would explain why the two were acquainted with and eventually married Joseph even though Deborah had to travel hundreds of miles to do so.

Benjamin was married twice and the second marriage occurred just after 1800. I have discussed the evidence for Benjamin’s two marriages elsewhere at my Web site. If my suggestion is correct about her parentage, Martha would have been a child of Benjamin and the first wife; the children born in the 1790s were half-siblings to those born after 1800. This is where the really convoluted nature of intermarriages between these two Sanders lines becomes obvious. Benjamin’s second wife was Mary, the sister of Joseph who married Martha and Deborah.

Therefore, we have the following relationships confusing relationships:

Benjamin was Joseph’s brother-in-law because Benjamin married Joseph’s sister.

Benjamin was Joseph’s father-in-law because Joseph married Martha, Benjamin’s daughter.

Benjamin’s wife Mary was the stepmother of Joseph’s wife Martha.

Benjamin’s children by Mary were the half aunts and uncles of the children of Joseph and Martha.

Benjamin's children by Mary were also the nieces and nephews of Joseph.

Benjamin was the grandfather of Joseph’s children by Martha.

This is enough to give one a head ache! In fact, situations like this were not uncommon a couple of hundred years ago in rural areas where the supply of available men and women was low and people tended to marry within the local community. Readers of this Web site may remember the situation among the Sanders of Leake County, Mississippi in which a man married his step grandmother-in-law. Some may be reminded of the old Lonzo and Oscar novelty song "I'm my own grandpa." I suspect that after a generation or so, the Sanders family gave up trying to figure out how they were related to other family members. Maybe that is why Joseph Sanders was just called “Uncle Joe” by everyone.

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John Sanders of Nansemond, Bacon's Rebellion, and the 1681 land grant, how much do we know?

(The Sanders family discussed in the following article is not related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery.)

Since John Bennett Boddie in Volume VI of his Historical Southern Families, pages 237-239, advanced a tentative thesis about the identify of John Sanders, who received a land grant in 1681 along the border of Nansemond and Isle of Wight counties in Virginia, many Sanders researchers have taken Boddie's ambiguous conclusions and erected elaborate genealogies that are offered as products of sound and solid evidence. I am deeply skeptical of all such lineages. I cannot find any firm evidence that my own Sanders family descends from John of Nansemond, and it's pretty hard to find any evidence that any other Southern Sanders family has adequate evidence to prove descent from him, with the exception of those Sanders who are descended from John's son Richard. Recent DNA tests on descendants of Richard (though James Sanders and Sarah Tully of North Carolina) provide a standard for testing the claims of those Sanders who claim descendant from John of Nansemond; unless the living Sanders match the Y-DNA of the living descendants of James Sanders and Sarah Tully, we can probably rule out descent from John of Nansemond.

So, what do we know about John of Nansemond? First, we know there was a man named John Sanders who received a land grant from Virginia in 1681. It was a rather large grant for the time, about 1650 acres, and therefore John must have been a rather influential person to have received it. Further, we know, from later deeds that refer to the disposition of this property, that John had sons named John, Richard, and Wiliam. We know that he had a wife named Phoebe, and we may assume, though we can't be certain, that this Phoebe was the mother of the sons.

A 1744 deed suggests that John may have had more sons, but we don't know for certain. Since Francis was a common name among these Sanders and a Francis Sanders owned land near John, many have assumed that John had a son named Francis, in addiiton to the other three sons. We also know that Richard's heirs moved to North Carolina and it's possible to trace them in a pretty coherent manner down to the present. We know, furthermore, that John, Jr., married a Sarah Davis. I think it is likely, for reasons exlained elsewhere on this Web site (see John Sanders, A Notorious Actor), that the descendants of John, Jr., are John Sanders who died in Chowan County in 1751 and Francis Sanders who died in 1783 in Gates County. I have been unable to trace that line after Francis of Gates died.

What do we know of John before he received the 1681 land grant? Basically, almost nothing.

Of course, one can find statements all over the Internet that give us the life history of John, but all of these appear to be based on speculation and assumptions that any reference to a John Sanders living in the late seventeenth century in Nansemond, Isle of Wight, James City, or Surry County must refer to the same individual. Boddie proposed that the John of the 1681 land grand was the same person as the John Sanders who was punished for participating in Bacon's Rebellion of 1676. I tentatively accepted that conclusion in my article because it seemed logical that, if the colony gave John a large grant in 1681, he must have been influential previous to that. It makes sense that the land grant John Sanders is the same person as the Bacon's Rebellion John Sanders. But we don't have any proof that they are references to the same person. In fact, the brief record of the trial doesn't even say where in Virginia the rebellious John Sanders lived. He may not have lived in Nansemond or Isle of Wight at all.

Both John and Sanders are common names, especially in the American South. We have several records of a a person named John Sanders in the southern Virginia counties of Nansemond and Isle of Wight, but we have no way of knowing how many of them refer to the same person, and it's unlikely they all refer to just one person. Two John Sanders appear on the 1704 tax rolls of Nansemond, for example.

Boddie speculated that the John Sanders of the 1681 grant may have been the same John Sanders who is mentioned in a land patent of 1669 as being married to Susannah Ravenett. This John lived in Warwick and possibly, later, in neighboring Isle of Wight County. Boddie realized his proposal was just a suggestion, but others have taken it as accepted fact. We have no deeds, wills, or other records that connect John Sanders of the 1681 land grant to any other John Sanders mentioned in documents prior to 1681, and Boddie seems to have been unaware of the records that mention Phoebe as the wife of John Sanders of the 1681 land grant. Further, though we have a record that John of the 1681 land grant had children named John, Richard, and William, we have no record of any children born to the John who married Susannah Ravenett (unless, of course, he is the same person as the John of the 1681 land grant).

Boddie also suggested that William, the son of John Sanders of the 1681 land grant, may have been the same person as the William Sanders who married Mary Hall in 1682 in a Quaker ceremony. Like many others, I have accepted this as a tentative porposition, but we don't have any documents that confirm this belief. It's certainly within the realm of possibility that these two Williams are different people. Nor do we have any records that William Sanders and Mary Hall, who married in 1682, ever had any children whose names are known to us. If anyone has proof for the names of their children, it would be helpful if that person would share the documentation.

Compounding our problems in devising a biography of John of Nansemond is the fact that the records in Nansemond were burned on a least two occasions, and though Isle of Wight has somewhat better records, much of what we have is ambiguous. There is a great deal of room for honest differences of opinion. It's to the advantage of everyone who researches this problem to admit the uncertainly that pervades the genealogy of the Sanders of Nansemond. One researcher sent me his own elaborate interpretation of John Sanders, complete with his birth, life, marriages, and death. When I asked questions regarding how he knew that these references to a John Sanders in different counties all refer to the same person, his reply was that I was "in error," and so were John Bennett Boddie, Frances Cullom Harper, and everyone else when they disagreed with him. I think every Sanders researcher in the South would like to prove descent from John Sanders of Nansemond or from his even more illustrious contemporary, Edward Saunders, the surgeon of Northumberland County, Virginia, but proof has to be more than mere identity of names or dogmatic assertions of belief.
(written February 2005).

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“A Notorious Actor”—John Sanders of Virginia—and His Descendants
by Gary Sanders

(The Sanders family discussed in the following article is not related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery. This article first appeared in Sanders Siftings, Number 29, April 2002, pp. 1-4. Number 30, July 2002, pp. 1-4. For footnotes and supporting documentation, please see the original article. I first became interested in the story of John Sanders of Nansemond because I wanted to see if there was any documentation for the claim that Francis Sanders, who died in 1783 in Gates County, North Carolina, was a descendant of John. The thesis of the following article is that there does appear to be evidence that Francis was descended from John, but not through the same individuals that previous researchers had suggested. Further, my research indicates that Francis Sanders who married Rachel Sanders in 1801 in Randolph County, North Carolina, is not the same person as the young son named Francis mentioned in the will of Francis Sanders of Gates County in 1783.)

The Sanders family in America, writes Barbara Clark Smith, “started out among the ranks of the discontent.” John Sanders, the progenitor of the Nansemond County line, ran afoul of the Virginia authorities during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, and the following sentence was pronounced at his trial:

“John Sanders being a notorious actor in the late rebellion, and by the govfrnour's proclamation of pardon being exempted, butt upon his humble petition and submission to the governour, he was pleased to grant him the benefit of his proclamation of pardon; but for that the said Sanders hath been very active in the late rebellion, the court have thought fitt and doe order that he be fined two thousand pounds of tobacco and caske to the countrie, to go towards the satisfaction of the souldiers, to be paid next yeare.”

After the pardon and an apparent restoration of his standing with the government, he was granted, along with Richard Thomas and Jonathan Robinson, a tract of l650 acres of land near Queen Grave Swamp along the county borders of Nansemond and Isle of Wight. The children of John Sanders are not firmly established, but a 1744 land deed in Isle of Wight County clearly states that he had at least four sons. Another deed, filed long after John’s death, names Richard Sanders and William Sanders as two of the sons:

“VAIOW-DE2 p. 39, Robert Sanders of Onslow Precinct on the New River in New York (North Carolina?), to THOMAS SANDERS of Nansemond County, 300 acres in both Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties adjoining Swamp, adjoining the late ROBERT SANDERS, son of THOMAS SANDERS SR, and the present THOMAS SANDERS (being part of 1600 acres of land of JONATHAN ROBBINSON, RICHARD THOMAS, and JOHN SANDERS patented on 23 Apr 1681. The said SANDERS will 200 acres of the land to his sons WILLIAM AND RICHARD SANDERS and the said WILLIAM granted part of the land to his brother RICHARD SANDERS, who are now party to this deed. At some time, PHOEBE CURLE, wife of WILLIAM CURLE, Gent. late of Nansemond County and formerly the wife of JOHN SANDERS first named, did grant to JOHN SANDERS, son of the aforesaid RICHARD SANDERS and brother of RICHARD SANDERS 100 acres being the other part of the land mentioned in the aforesaid patent) dated 30 Apr 1733, W: LAWRENCE WOLFERSTON, HENRY COPELAND, and DORCAS (X) COPELAND.”

In addition to the identity of two of the sons, this deed provides us with the name of John’s wife, Phoebe, and states that she later married William Curle. Though Phoebe’s maiden name is unknown, there is speculation it may have been Thomas. Phoebe was still living in 1706 because she transferred land in that year to one of her grandchildren. The noted genealogist John Bennett Boddie provides the identity of another son of John Sanders of Nansemond:

" John Sanders II, who patented land on Oct. 20, 1689, as before stated, definitely seems to be the son of John Sanders I, for his children inherited the Queen Grave land. On April 20, 1694, John Sanders and Robert Roberts of Nansemond patented 7 1/2 in right of their wives Sarah and Mary upon eastward side of King's Creek. (G.B. 8-380).
John Sanders' wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Major Thomas Davis, for in the patent granted to Richard and John Sanders on August 20, 1687, for 360 acres, it was stated that 300 acres were formerly granted Thomas Davis the 10th of August 1644, and for 50 for the transportation of one person (G.B. 8-p.10). (17thC, 447, 449) (c.P.156). A further connection with Thomas Davis will be mentioned later.
John Sanders II died between 1704 and 1712 when his son Robert was deeded some of the Queen Grave land. John Sanders may have died before Oct. 27, 1712, when his son Robert Sanders was deeded part of the Queen Grave land."

Boddie was somewhat hampered in his investigation of John Sanders of Nansemond because most of the Nansemond records were destroyed in fires and the fragmentary nature of the surviving evidence is exceedingly ambiguous. Boddie suggested that the John Sanders of the 1681 land grant may have been the same person as the John Sanders who was married to Susannah Ravenett and who owned land in Warwick County in 1669, but Boddie was probably unaware of the 1733 deed that names John’s wife as Phoebe. No one knows what happened to the descendants, if any, of the John Sanders who married Susannah Ravenett, and Boddie says only that he “died in Warwick or Nansemond where records were destroyed and his children are not definitely known.” It is certainly possible, though probably unlikely, that John Sanders of Waswick and John Sanders of Nansemond are the same individual and that he married Susannah first, then Phoebe, but this would mean that John Sanders II was probably a half brother to Richard and William. This scenario appears unlikely because of the disposition of the 1681 land grant after the death of John Sanders I.

Of the three known sons of John Sanders I of Nansemond, Richard’s descendants have the most extensive and reliable documentation in land and probate records of North Carolina. Boddie identified William, the son of John of Nansemond, with the William Sanders who married Mary Hall in a Quaker ceremony in Nansemond September 4, 1682. Boddie was probably right about this identification, but the names of the children of William and Mary are not revealed in any contemporary document, though it appears very possible that Abraham Sanders who built the Newbold-White house in Perquimans County, North Carolina and Joel Sanders who died in Georgia in 1782 were his descendants. Many of the Nansemond Sanders were Quakers. James Davis, the brother of Sarah Davis, wife of John Sanders II, married Margaret Jordan, and the Jordans were one of the most prominent Quaker families in the county. Though there is a wealth of genealogical material association with the other Sanders lines, this article deals mainly with the descendants of John Sanders II.

As previously mentioned, John Sanders II died by 1712 and his son Robert Sanders ended up with much of the Queen Grave land. Robert made a will in 1731 in Isle of Wight and because he died unmarried, he divided the estate among his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. In the will, he refers to nieces and nephews as cousins, but “cousin,” of course, meant close kinsman in those days.

According to Boddie, the will establishes the following four children of John Sanders II and Sarah:

1. Francis, who had sons named Francis and John.
2. Thomas, who had died by 1731 but who had children named Thomas, Robert, Elizabeth, and Richard.
3. A daughter who married John Winborne with a granddaughter named Phoebe.
4. Robert Sanders.

One of the witnesses to the will of Robert Sanders was a John Thomas. Researcher Frances Cullom Harper remarked in an e-mail to me that Robert Sanders seemed to be particularly close to the Thomas family, and I have already noted that there is some speculation that Robert’s grandmother may have been a Thomas. John Sanders I acquired the original land grant in 1681 with Richard Thomas, who may have been a relative. Boddie mentions a John Thomas who deeded land in 1719 to Thomas Day in Isle of Wight County and then moved to North Carolina. The following deed suggests that the original land grant of 1681 was a family affair involving the Sanders and Thomas families rather than a business arrangement: "On October 12, 1712 Elizabeth Thomas of Isle of Wight sold to Robert Sanders of the U.P. of Nansemond for 1800 lbs. tbco. 137 acres given to said Elizabeth by will of her deceased father Richard Thomas, dated April 8, 1687, part of a dividend of 550 acres divided between her brothers and sisters, from a patent of 1650 acres granted to Jonathan Robinson, Richard Thomas and John Sanders April 3, 1681." The Thomas-Sanders relationship is important for establishing the connection between the Sanders of Nansemond and those of Chowan County, North Carolina.

Here is the excerpt that Boddie gives from the will of Robert Sanders:

“To cousin Robert Sanders, Son of Thomas Saunders, dec., [actually, Robert was his nephew, not his cousin, but I believe this usage was common then] the dwelling plantation where I live north side of Queen Grave Swamp and for want of heirs to cousin Francis Saunders, son of Francis Saunders; to cousin Eliz. Saunders, dau. of Thomas Sanders decd. rem. of land, if she died, to her brother Thomas Saunders; to cousin Richard Saunders, ton of Thomas Saunders, 170 acres adj. where I live, if he died without heirs to John Saunders, son to Francis Saunders; to cousin Thomas Saunders son to Thomas Saunders 208 acres. To cousin Francis Saunders, oval table; to cousin Robert Saunders, son of Thomas Saunders, decd., all rem. est John Winborn and Robert Saunders exrs. (signed, Sanders ) POro.27 Dec 1731 Richard Thomas, Jno. Thomas, Lawn Wolferston. (W. &D. -431”

From Roberts Sanders’ will and Boddie’s research we know that the Sanders family and in particular the descendants of John Sanders II and Sarah Davis were close to the Thomas family. We know that that John Sanders II and Sarah Davis had a son named Francis and that Francis had sons named Francis and John. We know that a John Thomas was one of the witnesses and Boddie provides the information that a John Thomas who lived in the first decades of the 18th century moved from Isle of Wight to North Carolina.

Some researchers have suggested that Francis, the son of John Sanders II, had a middle name of Abraham and that he was the same person as the Abraham Sanders who died in 1751 in Perquimans County, North Carolina, but the 1731 will mentions only the given name of Francis, and the Abraham Sanders who lived in Perquimans was already in the county by 1716 because he was married in a Quaker ceremony in that year. The Francis of the will may be the Francis Sanders who was listed in the Virginia Quit Rent Rolls of 1704 for Isle of Wight. If this is Francis, the son of John II, then he was probably at least twenty-one years old at that time. On the other hand, the Francis listed on the rent rolls of 1704 could have been the same person as the Francis Sanders who is listed as owning land in 1665, but the Francis of the 1665 land record is more likely either another son or a brother of John Sanders I. The year 1676 has been given by several researchers as the year of birth of Francis, son of John II, but I am not sure how they arrived at that figure. If this date is true, Francis would have been in his early fifties by the time of Robert Sanders’ will.

The will was written in 1731 in Isle of Wight. The Sanders properties were on the border of Nansemond and Isle of Wight, and some of the land was close to the border line with North Carolina which was not settled until 1729, therefore some members of the family were probably living in North Carolina at the time the border was settled, though the land was originally deeded in Virginia.

If we look at Chowan County, North Carolina in the 1730s, we see two Sanders brothers named John and Francis engaging in land transactions. Though these land transactions were in Chowan County, the land described is in modern day Gates County, near the Virginia Border and close to the Great Dismal Swamp where John Sanders I held his land patents. We know the two were brothers because a Mary Stringer states in her 1744 Chowan will that John and Francis Sanders are her sons. I think this Mary Stringer was probably the widow of Francis Sanders, Sr., married after Francis’ death to a Mr. Stringer. One of the land transactions was witnessed by a John Thomas. It is a reasonable assumption that this is the same individual as the John Thomas who witnessed the 1731 will of Robert Sanders of Isle of Wight in which a bequest was made to the two brothers, John and Francis Sanders. Here are examples of the Chowan documents referring to the Sanders brothers in the 1730s and 1740s:

John Sanders to William Little on 20 Jan 1730--on Occaneche Neck betwixt William Boon and James Gee, on East side of Roanoke River, surveyed to Barnabe Mackinne. Wit: Robert Forster, J. Pratt, Thomas Bryant. (This area was apparently very near the Virginia border according to Frances Harper in an e-maill).
Richard Taylor witnessed with Jno Thomas and Francis (F) Sanders in Feb 1738 when Martha Jones and her son Thomas Tickett sold to Jno Sanders of Chowan, 100 Acres on Cypress Swamp 13 Feb 1738, Chowan County. "This Indenture Between Martha Joanes & Ths Tickett her son both of bartie pct & Jno Sanders of Chowan pct for (140) pounds current provine (sic) bill money of NoCarolina Soald Land in Chowan whereupon one Robt Hooks lately lived all the Land lying between the lines Minshaw & Jno Hooks Beginning at a markd read oak standing in the Cyprus Swamp being a corner tree of Jno Hooks land corner Pine of Jno Minshows more or lefs (100) Acres Martha (M mark) Joanes (Seal) Thos (+mark) Tickett." Wit: Jno Thomas, Francs (F mark) Sanders, Richd Taylor. Proved 15 July 1739. Wm Smith CJ.

Mary Stringer Chowan County 27 Apr 1744 10 May 1748 Will Sons: John and Francis Sanders (Executors). Daughters: Mary Dawson, Martha Sumner. Granddaughters: Frusan Morris, Elizabeth Cotting and Mary Gardner. Witnesses: Edward Hare, Henry Clayton, Edward Hare, Jr. Proven before Gab. Johnston.

The two brothers, John and Francis Sanders, were witnesses to the will of Francis Speight of Chowan: Francis Speight , Chowan County 16 Oct 1749 - Jan 1749. Will Sons: Moses (plantation at Contenteny and four negroes), John and Joseph (land on wolfpit valley). Brother: William Speight. Wife and Executrix: Kathern. Witnesses: John Sanders, Francis Sanders, Daniel Carch. Clerk of the Court: Will. Mearns.

Francis Speight of Chuckatuck Parish in Nansemond County, Va. was named as an heir in the 1729 will of James Howard. John Sanders and Francis Sanders were probably relatives of Francis Speight, who may have been a Sanders descendant. The descendants of Richard Sanders, one of the sons of John Sanders I, seem to have been particularly close to the Howard family.

Francis Sanders of Chowan County, North Carolina is listed as one of the King’s Company in 1754: A List of Men Commanded by Capt. Charles King taken Nov 23rd 1754. Abstracted from the Original at the North Carolina Archives by Joel S. Russell. This record can be found on the Web at http://www.mindspring.com/~jsruss/colonial/King1754.htm. Since Francis and John Sanders are apparently adults at the time of the 1731 will of Robert Sanders and are mentioned in Chowan land deeds in the 1730s, it is likely that they were born before 1710 or even before 1700. John Sanders was the first of the two brothers to die, and he made his will in Chowan in 1751. His will was witnessed by John Loe (or Lowe), Jr., and Sr., and by Jacob Routh. The Loes and the Rouths were Quaker families from Chester County, Pennsylvania (per e-mail from Sherry Stancliff). The Loes and Rouths appear on the 1779 tax roll of Randolph County, North Carolina. If the Loes were old family friends, it is possible they persuaded the Sanders family to follow them to Randolph County because many Sanders families were living in the Randolph County area by 1800. Nothing in the will indicates, however, that John Sanders himself was a Quaker. I was recently able to obtain a photocopy of the will from the North Carolina Archives and here is a transcription:

Will of John Sanders of Chowan County, August 18, 1751
In the name of God, amen. August, the 18th day, 1751. I, John Sanders, of Chowan County in the province of North Carolina being at this time sick and weak of body but thanks be to Almighty God of a sound and perfect sense and memory calling to mind the uncertainty of this transitory life and that all life must submit to death when pleases God to call. I therefore think meet to make this my last will and testament in manner and form following.

First and principally, I give and bequeath my love into the hands of Almighty God, hoping in through the precious death and passion of my blessed living Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon of all my sins and to inherit everlasting life in the world to come; and my body to be entombed, buried at the directions of my executors hereafter named, and as touching all such worldly estate it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon and give and dispose thereof in manner and form following: first my will is that all my just debts and --- charges be paid and discharged.

Item I give and bequeath to my son Francis Sanders the plantation whereon I now live and land belonging to it only that his mother to have privilege her life in what form has occasion and also the plantation that my brother Francis Sanders lives on and all the land belonging to it and also a piece of land I have in the fork of the swamp called the Cypress Swamp. I give the land, plantations, and land ---- to my son Francis Sanders to him and his heirs forever only excepting his mother's privilege during her natural life.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son John Sanders a plantation I have on the Cypress Swamp that Thomas Ritter [or Rutter-GS] now lives on and all the land belonging to it. I say [lay? -GS] I give to my son John, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son Francis Sanders my Negro man named Sam, to him and his heirs forever and also I give to my son Francis Sanders a Negro girl called Mother, only I give the work of the said wench to my loving wife Mary Sanders during her natural life or widowhood and then to my son Francis Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son John Sanders a Negro girl called Gode (?), to my son John Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son Robert Sanders my Negro wench called Cato (?). I say I give to my son Robert Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son Jesse my Negro man called Tom and a Negro woman named Lone (?) I say I give to my son Jesse Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Martha a Negro boy called Mingo, to my Martha Sanders, to her and her heirs forever.

Item. I give to my son Thomas Sanders a Negro girl called Libb. I say to my son Thomas Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give to my son Francis Sanders all the pewter that belongs to my brother Francis Sanders and also seventeen head of cattle and two feather beds and two good (?) hats and two chests and oval table and also my riding hood (habit?), bridle, and saddle to my son Francis Sanders, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son Francis Sanders and my son John Sanders my whipsaw. I say to my two sons Francis and John for both their use.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son John Sanders a chest with a drawing on it and oval table and also six cows and (illegible phrase). And also the first colt that my bay mare shall bring and also a good pot of six gallons.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Sanders thirty pounds in gold and silver coin.

Item. I give to my son Robert Sanders thirty pounds in gold and silver coin.

Item. I give and bequeath to my daughter Mille Sanders five pounds in gold and silver coin.

Item. I give to my daughter Feribe Sanders five pounds in gold and silver coin.

Item. I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Sanders a feather bed and furniture belonging to it that she lies upon and also 9 head of cattle.

Item. I give and bequeath to my son John Sanders a feather bed and furniture.

Item. I give to my son Robert Sanders a gold (?) pot of seven gallons.

Item. I give to my son Jesse a gold (good?) pot of five gallons.

Item. I give to my son Thomas Sanders a gold (?) pot of five gallons.

Item. I lend the use of all the remainder part of my --- good chattels and all others of whatsoever, of whatsoever --- and kind it be, to my loving wife, Mary Sanders during her natural life or widowhood and then to be divided among five of my children, Robert Sanders, Thomas Sanders, Jesse Sanders, Mille Sanders, Feribe Sanders.
And lastly, I nominate and appoint my loving wife Mary Sanders and my son Francis Sanders to be solo and sole (?) executors of this my last will and testament --- revoking all other will or wills that hath been made by me heretofore. In testimony whereof, I the said John Sanders have hereunto set my hand and ---- my ---- the day and year --- above written.

Signed, sealed, ---, and pronounced by the said John Sanders as his last will and testament in the presence of -------.
John Sanders,
His mark
John Lowe
His mark
John Lowe, Jr.
His mark
Jacob Ruth (Ricks?Routh?)
His mark

October Chowan County Court 1751 (1759?)
Then was the within will proved in open court by the oath of John Lowe, Sr. And John Lowe, Jr. Two of the ---evidences thereto in the form of law and at the personally ---Mary Sanders, executrix, and Francis Sanders, Executor, to the will and was duly qualified by taking the oath of law appointed to be taken by executors and read that thereon. --- --- Secretary of said Province --- --- that letters testamentary issue thereon as the law provides (pertains?).

This will provides us with quite a bit of information about John’s family and possessions. He appears to have been an unusually wealthy man, owning many slaves and at least four separate plantations or parcels of land. Though his brother Francis is mentioned as living on a plantation that John owned, apparently Francis lived there only on John’s generosity, not through any right of his own, because John gave the plantation and “all the pewter that belongs to my brother Francis Sanders” to John’s own son, also named Francis. Mention is also made of a plantation on Cypress Swamp “where Thomas Rutter lives,” which was to go to John, another son. Further, we learn from the will that John’s son Francis was old enough to be co-executor of the will with his mother, thereby establishing that the younger Francis must have been born before 1730. It seems likely that Francis was the eldest son since he got three parcels of land: the plantation where his father lived, the plantation where his uncle lived, and another parcel in the fork of the Cypress Swamp. It is possible that many of the other children and especially the daughters were still underage since none of the daughters appear to have been married at the time of the will.

Almost nothing is known about what happened to other members of the family after their father died, but John’s son Francis lived until 1783 when he made his will in Gates County. Though the county where the will was proved is different, the will describes the same land and family. Gates was created in 1779 from parts of Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans counties. Here is a transcription:

Will of Francis Saunders of Gates County, August 6, 1783
Gates County, Original Wills, 11763-1904
CR 041.801.10

In the name of God, Amen. I, Francis Saunders, of Gates County in the State of North Carolina, being sick and weak of body but of sound and perfect mind and memory, blessed by God for the same and calling to mind the vast uncertainty of this mortal life do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament. I give and recommend my soul into the hand of God that gave it and my body I commit unto the earth to be buried in a Christian-like manner and form, and for what worldly goods it has pleased God to bestow upon me, I give and bequeath the same as in manner and form following, viz:

Item. I give unto my wife Charity Saunders one Negro called Ned, to her and her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary Parker one Negro girl named Doll and one feather bed. And furniture and two pewter dishes and nine pewter plates and three head of cattle, all which she now has already got in her possession. I lay [leave? say? -GS] to her and her heirs forever

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter Zilpha Knox one Negro boy named Sam, and one Negro girl named Poll; and one feather bed and furniture, and one cow and calf, one pewter dish and two pewter plates. I say to her, her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my son Abraham Saunders one Negro man named Luke and the plantation on the south side of the Cypress Swamp whereon Thomas Ritter formerly lived, only reserving the use of it unto my wife Charity Saunders during her natural life; and two cows and calves. I say to him, my son Abraham Saunders, his heirs and assigns forever

Item. I give and bequeath unto my son Francis Saunders one oval table and one desk to him and his heirs.

Item. I lend unto my wife Charity Saunders all the land and plantation whereon I now live and one Negro woman named --- and one Negro girl named Esther until my son Francis Saunders comes to the age of twenty one years, and then I give all the land and plantation whereon I now live and the said Negro woman named --- and the said Negro girl named Esther I say unto my son Francis Saunders, his heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give unto my daughter Jemima Saunders the first living child which the above mentioned ---, which I have lent unto my wife, doth bear after the date of this will; and one cow and calf, and one ewe and lamb.

Item. I lend unto my wife Charity Saunders the land and plantation whereon my uncle Francis Saunders formerly lived, now mine, and it joins to the white oak ---, and one Negro man named Ben until my son William Saunders comes to the age of twenty one years. And then I give the said land and plantation whereon my uncle Francis Saunders formerly lived joining the white oak --- and the said Negro man named Ben. Also one whip --- and all my cooper's tools I lay to my son William Saunders, to his heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I lend unto my wife Charity Saunders one Negro boy named Andrew until my daughter Anne Saunders comes to the age of 18 years, then I give the said Negro boy Andrew unto my said daughter Anne Saunders and one small --- table. I say to her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I lend unto my wife Charity Saunders the remainder part of my estate, be it of what kind or nature soever, for and during the time of her natural life in widowhood and after her decease or marriage, which shall first happen, then all the said remainder to be equally divided among my seven children Mary Parker, Zilpha Knox, Jemima Saunders, Abraham Saunders, William Saunders, Francis Saunders, and Ann Saunders

And, lastly, I constitute, nominate, and appoint my wife Charity Saunders and my son in law John Parker executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and fixed my seal this sixth day of august in the year or our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three. Signed, sealed, embellished, pronounced and declared by the said Francis Saunders to be his last will and testament in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

Francis Saunders
His mark

William Odom
Uriah Odom
Kedam (?) Parker

State of North Carolina, Gates County, May Inferior Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions 1785. The within will was exhibited into court by Charity Saunders, Executrix, and John Parker, Executor, therein appointed, and was proved by the oath of William Odom and Uriah Odom, two of the subscribing witnesses thereto. Then the said will was ordered to be recorded at the same time the said Executrix and Executor came into court and qualified themselves for that office and prayed an order for letters testamentary thereon which was accordingly granted. And is recorded in Book A, Folio 51.52G53.

The 1783 will allows us to speculate on some events in this family between 1751 and 1783. Thomas Rutter, who lived on the plantation on Cypress Swamp in 1751, no longer lives there in 1783, but he must have lived on the land for a long time because over thirty years after his father’s will, Francis still refers to the parcel as “the land where Thomas Rutter lived.” Francis now owns the Rutter land, so we may assume that his brother John, who was given the land in the 1751 will, either died or sold the land. Francis mentions the land where his uncle Francis lived, but since he uses the past tense, it is probably a safe assumption that the uncle died between 1751 and 1783.

In the will, Francis reveals that two of his daughters are married. Mary is married to John Parker and Zilpha is the wife of a man named Knox, but the age of the two unmarried daughters, Ann and Jemima, is not apparent. One son, Abraham, is definitely old enough to inherit, but Francis and William are obviously under twenty-one. Many researchers have identified the son Francis of the 1783 will with the Francis Sanders who married Rachel Sanders in 1801 in Randolph County, North Carolina, but census data casts some doubt on this assumption, though it is still a possibility. The problem is that it is relatively certain that Francis of Randolph County was born in 1782, and the young Francis of the 1783 will may have been born several years earlier.

Charity Sanders (or Saunders) appears on the 1786 North Carolina State census for Gates County. She is listed as head of a household with one male between the ages of 21 and 60, two males either under 21 or above 60, two white females of all ages, and seven black persons. Francis and William are probably the two white males. If so, they could not have been born before 1765. Charity also appears on the 1790 federal census for Gates County with a greatly reduced household: two males over 16, 2 white females, and 4 blacks. If the two white males are William and Francis, they could not have been born after 1774. Further, on June 1, 1795 a Francis Saunders married Ann Vann (Bondsman: John Vann, Witness: Law Baker) in Gates County. The most obvious interpretation is that the young Francis of the 1783 will was born between 1765 and 1774 and that he is the person who married Ann Vann in 1795. I have not been able to find anyone who is researching the descendants, if any, of the Francis Sanders who married Ann Vann, but there are many investigating the descendants of the Francis who married Rachel. Hopefully, further research will help resolve many of these unanswered issues with the line of John of Nansemond.

Note: Evidence discovered after the article was written pretty well rules out any possibility of the young Francis of Gates being the same person as Francis of Randolph County.

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The Henry Sanders/Margaret Sellaway line of Isle of Wight County, Virginia

Note: The Sanders family discussed in this article is not related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery.

The progenitor of the Henry Sanders line appears to have been Hugh Sanders who is first noted in a record dated March 8, 1664 (O.S.) when he patented 400 acres in the Upper Parish of Nansemond County adjoining the land of William Denton. The grant was for the importation of himself, Sarah Norville, Elizabeth Sanders, John Roberts, Mary Sanders, Joane Rogers, Henry Sanders, and Ann Sanders. Except for Henry Sanders, who from later records is probably Hugh’s son, the identity of these other people is not clear, though they probably were relatives.

In 1678 a John Williams was granted 925 acres of land in Isle of Wight, near Blackwater Swamp, adjacent to Hugh Sanders. On April 26, 1698, John Williams was granted 46 acres in the Lower Parish of Isle of Wight County, in the Black Water, adjacent to Ambrose Boseman, his own land, and the land of Hugh Sanders, who is said to be deceased. On the same day, Henry Sanders was granted 118 acres in the Lower Parish of Isle of Wight near Kingsale Swamp. This was for the importation of three people whose names are not legible in the record.

The year of birth of Hugh, of course, is unknown, but if he was a young man when he came to Virginia in 1664 and received his land grant, then he may have been born about 1640 and we can place his date of death between 1678 and 1698, though more likely closer to the latter than the former. His son Henry was probably born in the late 1670s and came of age in the 1690s. Henry was probably already of age by November 20, 1692 when he acquired fifty-seven acres of land in Isle of Wight on the Black River.

Henry Sanders seems to have had a sister whose name was Sarah. On August 2, 1714, Henry made a petition to Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood asking “that a patent may be issued for a parcel of escheated land in Isle of Wight County which petitioner’s brother, Robert Cooper, died seized.” Although Robert Cooper could have been a half-brother, it appears more likely that Robert Cooper was a brother-in-law, and Henry was merely following the custom of the time in referred to Robert as his “brother.”

On July 28, 1698, a woman named Sarah Currer made her will in Isle of Wight. She stated that she was the daughter and heiress to John Currer. She gave her "cousin" (probably, her nephew in the customary parlance of the times), Robert Cooper, orphan of Robert Cooper of Isle of Wight, her father's plantation in Chowan, North Carolina. She gave Robert's brother, Thomas Cooper, another plantation in North Carolina. She appointed her "loving cousins" Robert and Thomas Cooper, assisted by their aunt, Sarah Williams, as her executors. Sarah Williams is mentioned as the mother of the children, but, obviously, she was previously married to Robert Cooper, Sr. I believe the senior Robert Cooper is the one who died intestate in Isle of Wight and whose estate was proven for administrator on October 20, 1689. Jacob Ricks, Henry Sanders, and Thomas Nails were the witnesses of Sarah Currer’s will.

My interpretation of Henry's 1714 request and the will of Sarah Currer in 1698, is that Sarah Sanders, who married first Robert Cooper and then a Mr. Williams, was a sister to Henry Sanders. That explains why Henry was a witness to Sarah Currer’s will and this explains why Henry petitioned the colonial government to protect his interest in the estate of his deceased brother-in-law. Henry eventually accumulated over 700 acres of land, some from inheritance and some from land purchases. He was one of the largest landowners in the county.

Henry himself was married twice. His first wife was a Miss Lawrence, a daughter of the John Lawrence who died in 1695 in Nansemond County. Neither John Lawrence’s will nor a deed in 1704 by which Henry and other of the beneficiaries sold 300 acres near the Chowan River mentions the name of Henry’s wife, and one can assume that she was probably already dead by 1695. Since Henry was probably still under thirty years old in that year, the marriage may not have resulted in any children.

Henry’s second marriage was to Margaret Sellaway, the daughter of John and Margaret Sellaway. John Sellaway made his will in Isle of Wight on January 24, 1712. He mentioned a wife Margaret; a son-in-law named John Allen; daughters Martha, Mary, Katherine, and Elizabeth; a son John; and a daughter Margaret who was “now wife of Henry Sanders.” A grandson named John Sanders was also mentioned. For some reason, the will was not proved and recorded until April 28, 1724.

From John Sellaway’s will, we can establish that Henry Sanders married Margaret Sellaway after the death of his first wife, Miss Lawrence. Since only one grandson is mentioned, the Sellaway marriage probably did not occur much before 1712, and John was probably still an infant at the time. Although numerous individuals named John Sanders lived in Isle of Wight and Nansemond in the early 1700s, it is easy to identify the John who was the son of Henry because in 1733, John Sanders provided the inventory of his father’s estate.

Further, the same John Sanders gave land to his brothers Robert and Henry in October 1732:

DB 4 p. 194. 24 Sept. 1732 deed of Gift of John Sanders to his brother Henry Sanders...455 acres (being part of the land conveyed from John Lear to Robert Cooper on 11 Dec 1688, another part came from Thomas Gale to Robert Cooper on 1 Sep. 1688, a third part was granted to Thomas Cooper with part in Isle of Wight and part in Nansemond county on 7 Nov. 1700 and another part is a patent granted Henry Sanders containing 118 acres joining on the land of John Roberts). Wit: Thomas Gale, Jr., Thomas (x) Sykes and Edward (x) Johnson. Singed John (x) Sanders, rec. 25 Sep. 1732

DB 4 p. 206. 23 Oct 1732. John Sanders to his brother, Robert Sanders, for Love and Affection...350 acres on Horse Branch (being part of a patent granted Hugh Sanders on 8 Mar 1664). Wit: Thomas Gale, Jr., John Pope, Jr. and William Bryan. Signed John (x) Sanders Rec 24 Oct 1732. (Isle of Wight County, Virginia deeds 1720-1736 and Deeds 1741-1749 by William Lindsay Hopkins, 1994)

From these deeds, we can establish that this is the John who was the son of Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway and that John had brothers named Robert and Henry. Further, we know the land given to Robert came from the Hugh Sanders grant and that the land given to Henry came from the land grant to Thomas Cooper, who had been married to John’s aunt Sarah.

Since Robert and Henry are not mentioned in the will of their grandfather in 1712, we may assume (though this is not certain), that they were born after John. We know that Henry, Jr. was at least 14 years old in February 1726 because of he was a witness to the will of Ann Exum in that year. Fourteen was the age at which one was allowed to witness a will in colonial Virginia. Another witness was a John Sellaway, presumably the son of the John who made the 1712 will. Robert was probably the youngest of the three sons of Henry, Sr., perhaps born about 1714-1718. At any rate, Robert was the last of the brothers to die, making his will in 1794.

In 1981, architectural historian Dell Upton, did research on a house that is still standing in Isle of Wight and which once belonged to Henry Saunders (about 1740-about 1811). This Henry was the son of Henry, Jr., and the grandson of the Henry who married Margaret Sellaway. Upton’s endeavor resulted in a 161 page well-researched document that not only provides fascinating information about the house and culture of the period but a surprising amount of genealogical material about the three sons or Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway. (The Virginia Parlor, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution: A Report on the Henry Saunders House and Its Occupants,” MS., Smithsonian Institution, 152 pp.) Following his convention, I will henceforth refer to the builder of the house as Henry Saunders (instead of Henry Sanders III), though documents from the time are not consistent in spelling the name as Sanders or Saunders. This Henry was born about 1740 and died about 1811. He is often referred to as Captain Henry Saunders based on his service in the Revolutionary War.

Four years later, Barbara Clark Smith, devoted a chapter of her book, "After the Revolution: A Smithsonian History of Everyday Life in the Eighteenth Century," (Pantheon books, NY 1985) to the life of the same Captain Henry Saunders of Isle of Wight. Both researchers trace the lineage of Henry Saunders and the Sanders/Sellaway line to John Sanders of the 1681 land grant, primarily based on John’s land being a few miles south of the land of the three sons of Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway. I believe the available evidence shows that most of the land of the Henry Sanders line came from Hugh Sanders, not from John. In fact, a map at the Andersons of North Carolina Web site clearly shows that the Hugh Sanders' land was somewhat northeast of the land of the John Sanders grant of 1681. Although I cannot with certainly place the site of Henry Saunders house as being within the same tract of land that was granted originally to Hugh Sanders, I think this conclusion is a reasonable inference from the available evidence. Henry Saunders' house was definitely not in the same tract as the 1681 grant to John Sanders of Nansemond.

Except for the material about the murder and trial, Smith took most of her genealogical material from the previous work of Dell Upton who traced the genealogy of the Sanders/Sellaway line into the early years of the nineteenth century. Beginning with the children of Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway forward, my analysis is in agreement with and is heavily based on Upton’s research and conclusions. I differ only on the identity of the father of the first Henry Sanders.

As previously mentioned, Henry and Margaret had three sons, as follows:

John Sanders (1710-1772). I have another article that deals with John’s will of 1772 and with his descendants, so far as we are able to trace them.

Robert Sanders (about 1714-1794). Robert, who may have been the youngest son, received property from his brother John in 1732. In 1772, he witnessed John’s will. Robert died in 1794. His will mentions a daughter Ann, married to Mills Pope; a daughter Betty married to Perkins Carstarphen; a daughter Peggy, married to Robert Roberts; and a daughter Catherine, married to Richard Pope. Isle of Wight records reveal that Elizabeth (the daughter called “Betty” in the will) married Perkins Carstarphen on March 3, 1788.

Henry Sanders, Jr. (about 1712-1761). The second son of Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway, Henry, Jr., also received land from his brother John in 1732. Henry married a woman whose name was Martha (or possibly, Mary) and they had two known children: Henry Saunders and Sarah Saunders. Very little is known about Henry, Jr., but he apparently died about 1761. An inventory of his estate was done in that year, listing everything from six slaves (but only one adult male) to one candle stick. He appears to have been a substantial and prosperous middle class farmer. In 1771 his widow Martha brought suit on behalf of her daughter Sarah against her son Henry Saunders in a dispute over the estate of her deceased husband. Sarah was living in Nansemond County by 1787, and Upton reports no further information about her after that date. The widow Martha married John Carstaphen in 1773.

The focus of Barbara Clark's Smith's book is the son of Henry Sanders, Jr., Captain Henry Saunders (about 1740-about 1811). Smith's interest was not genealogical but historical and she was intrigued by an event in the life of Captain Henry Saunders that sets him apart from all the other Sanders in Isle of Wight and Nansemond:

“This is the story of Henry Saunders, his community, and his ambitions. It is important to know at the outset that Henry Saunders was no ordinary Virginia planter. While he never reached the ranks of the greatest planters of his society, at the peak of his landholding and slaveholding career he was better off than 90 percent of the white men in his county. But there is also a much more spectacular fact about him: late in the year 1808, Henry was convicted of murdering his wife, Anne. He was sentenced to serve eighteen years in prison and jailed at the state penitentiary in Richmond, where he died. It is a shocking fact, and a tantalizing one, for time and happenstance have closed it to us. Just after the Civil War, fire destroyed the records of Nansemond County, where Henry’s trial took place. We know that at least twenty-one of his neighbors testified against him at the trial, but we don’t know what they said under oath, or what Henry said in his own defense. We don’t know what happened between Henry and Anne, and we don’t know why it did.”

Many details about Captain Henry Saunders’ life are somewhat sketchy, but it is known his wife was the former Anne Tallough and that he had two children named Betsy and Job. Smith believes that Henry may have died in prison; Upton thinks he moved in with his son Job about 1809 and probably died a few years latet, perhaps about 1811.

Both authors provide a fascinating glimpse into Henry’s many land deals and agricultural pursuits, and about the culture and society of Virginia in the late eighteenth century and the social status of the Sanders family. In my own research, I have been unable to find any documented research that traces the Sanders/Sellaway line to a living individual with the surname of Sanders, though it does appear that some of the descendants of Henry Sanders and Margaret Sellaway can be documented through the daughters in the family.

(May 25, 2014)

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Will of John Sanders of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, 1772

The Sanders family discussed in the following article is not related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery. As mentioned in the preceding article, the John Sanders who made his will in 1772 was the son of Henry Sanders (about 1664-1733) and Margaret Sellaway. The Joseph Sanders mentioned as a son in this will is sometimes said to have been the same person as my third great grandfather Joseph Sanders who died in 1803 in Randolph County, North Carolina. So far as I can tell, no one has ever presented any evidence in support of this theory. The fact that both men were named Joseph Sanders is rather unpersuasive documentation for their being the same person.

Dell Upton ("The Virginia Parlor: A Report on the Henry Saunders House and Its Occupants," MS, Smithsonian Institution, 1981, 152 pp.) provides useful information about some of the children of John mentioned in the will.

Thomas, probably the oldest son, died in 1784, twelve years after his father. His wife was named Elizabeth and their children were anotherThomas (died 1815) whose wife was the former Anna Johnson, John, who died in 1797, and a daughter named Mary.

John, Jr., was married to a woman named Anne (possibly Anne Fleming). His son was another John who married Holland Britt in 1792.

Joseph, who appears on the 1810 census of Isle of Wight, died about 1819. Among his children were Anne who married Robert Bateman and Morning who married a Mr. Crumpler. Joseph Sanders had a grandson named Robert Bateman.

Henry died in 1792. His children were Benjamin, Henry, Jr., and Elias who married Elizabeth Roberts in 1817.

Jacob was dead by 1784 when his brother Thomas made his will.

Sarah married Thomas Dunston.

Mary married Simon Westray. Descendants of Mary are rather well-researched.

There do not appear to be many individuals working on the genealogy of this Sanders family, but Dell Upton provides a useful genealogical chart of John Sanders' descendants on page five of his manuscript that would be a good starting point for anyone who is interested in doing further research. Using Upton's chart as a guide, I have prepared a chart of my own and added a few dates and other details.

-Gary Sanders (revised May 25, 2014)

Isle of Wight Will Bk 8 p. 136

John Saunders. Son Thomas. son Joseph. Son Jacob. Son Henry. Son John. Dau Sarah Dunston. Extrs wife Elizabeth & sons John Sanders (note spelling change). D 2/3/1772.
R 5/7/1772. Wit Jethro Gale, Robert Sanders, Ann Sanders.

The last name is spelled Sanders instead of Saunders throughout the will. For the most part, the writing is rather clear and legible. For words whose transliteration is doubtful, I used a question mark within parentheses, and where there are words I couldn’t decipher at all, I used a series of dashes followed by a question mark in parentheses--Gary Sanders

In the name of God, Amen, I, John Sanders of Isle of Wight County and parish of Newport in the twelfth of his majesty’s reign and in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy two, being weak in body but, thanks be to God, of sound sense and perfect memory, do make this my last will and testament in manner and form as followeth—

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son Thomas Sanders one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, more or less, bounded as followeth, beginning at the foot of the Dam Branch, so up the said branch to the ridge path, up the said path to a Tarhill (?) bed that Robert burnt (?), from thence a straight line to my head line, so continuing all the land between there and the line called John Sellaway’s, so down to the first station—during his natural life and after his death, my will and desire is that the said land should return to my son Joseph Sanders

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son Jacob Sanders a parcel of land, to him and his heirs forever, beginning at the foot of the Dam branch, and running up the said branch as Thomas Sanders’ line goes to the head line, and so along my line to a crooked pine, a corner tree joining on Godwin’s line, and so along Godwin’s line to the run of the Swamp and down the said Swamp as the run goes to the foot of the home branch and up the said branch to the first station, concluding all the land that contains within the said bounds, being the plantation whereon I now live.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son Joseph Sanders all my new patented land that is called Alens (?), to him and his heirs forever, being one hundred acres more or less. [Joseph died about 1819 in Isle of Wight-gs]

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son Henry Sanders and his heirs forever a parcel of land lying on the south side of Swamp, beginning at the forked branch and running up the said branch to the head, that is to say the middle prong of it, and from thence a straight course to Godwin’s corner, and so concluding all my land between thence and Richard Sellaway’s old plantation he last lived on.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son John Sanders and his heirs forever all the remainder of my land which I have not already given, lying on the south side of the Swamp between Henry Sanders and the land called Godwin’s.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my daughter Sarah Dunston a gold ring.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son John Sanders one feather bed and furniture and my hunting gun.

Item
I give and bequeath to my son Joseph Sanders one feather bed and furniture and one gun called his own.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my son Jacob one feather bed and furniture and one pair of hard mill stones.

Item
I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Elizabeth Sanders one feather and furniture, her choice of two iron pots, one brass kettle, three pewter dishes, the best six pewter plates, one spinning wheel and two pairs of cards, two mares and two saddles, and all my hogs, called the ridge hogs, that is nine pigs and two sows, three cattle known by the name of the Old Red Cow and the Bell Cow, and the heifer that belongs to the Bell Cow, four head of sheep of her choice, one seal skin trunk, three pewter basins, and all my corn that is in the crib and my bacon and other meat that is salted up, six flag chairs, the best I have, also I give my wife one small mottle-faced steer, one meat heifer, also I give her one large table and gilt trunk, and after my wife is deceased my will and desire is that my son Joseph Sanders should have the table and trunk and one box iron and heat iron, one large looking glass, thirteen geese, and my jungle fowls, and all my hoes and axes.

Item
I give unto my son John one young calf, one slate, one stone pitcher, one small iron pot.

Item
I give unto my son Joseph Sanders one pair of Neelyard (?) and all my hogs that ---- (?) at the Sipos (?) Swamp.

Item
I give unto my son Jacob Sanders one iron gun rod and all my hogs that ----(?) at the Hickory and all my cider casks.

Item
I give unto my son Thomas Sanders five shillings.

Item
I give unto my son Henry Sanders five shillings.

Item
I give unto my three sons John Sanders, Joseph Sanders, and Jacob Sanders the remainder part of my estate that I have not already mentioned to be equally divided between the three. I also appoint my loving wife Elizabeth and my son John Sanders to be my whole and sole ----(?) of this my last will and testament. In witness I have hereunto set my hand and fixed my seal this third day of February, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two.

Witnesses
Jethro Gale
Robert Sanders
Anne Sanders

John Sanders
his mark

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Land Grant to William Aaron Saunders, 1772, and Deed by Nimrod Sanders, 1836

Jim Sanders of California was the first to notice that the description of the land sold in 1836 by Nimrod Sanders matches the description of the property that was granted to Aaron Sanders in Anson County in 1772. This discovery provides irrefutable evidence that the Aaron who appears in land transactions, often along with Moses Sanders, in Anson County in the 1770s is the same person as William Aaron Saunders of family tradition. Moses Sanders and Isaac Sanders owned land in the same vicinity, on Barnes Creek in what is present day Montgomery County.

William Aaron is described in family tradition as someone who lived in the Anson/Montgomery County area who had children named Stephen, Nimrod, and Luke and a wife named Joan. His son Nimrod, father of Thomas Bailey Saunders, sold land in the mid-1830s in preparation for a move to Alabama. The legal description of the land that Nimrod sold matches exactly the legal description of the land that Aaron was granted in the 1770s. Further, after Aaron's death in 1782, the land was referenced in land transactions as belonging to the "widow Sanders" or Joanah Sanders. The chain bearers on one of these surveys were Nimrod and Stephen, thus confirming family tradition that these were the names of the sons of Joan and Aaron. Joanah or Joan appears to be the older woman living with her son Nimrod on the 1800 and 1810 census.

Jim Sanders has done extensive research in the land records of Montgomery County. Here is part of his analysis from his booklet, "The Sanders family of Montgomery County, North Carolina."

p. 6
"Joanah Sanders. On November 29th, 1803, grant #1023 was issued to Joanah Sanders. It was for 50 acres described as 'beginning at a hickory on Barnes Creek.' The survey was adjacent to Jacob Sanders and Stephen Sanders. Luke and Nimrod Sanders, her sons, were the chain carriers. Entered August 20, 1803. Entry 5760. Bk 100 pg. 416. Card #1449. At first glance, we assumed we had found a new Sanders. However, after reading the warrant for the survey, closely, we discovered 'Joanah' is noted as a her. The warrant also stated the survey was to include her improvements. This would indicate that this property would be part of the original grant to Aaron in 1773 as her home was located there. She lived there with Nimrod her youngest son, until her death. Her sons, Luke, Nimrod, Stephen and possibly Jacob, if he were a son, lived contiguous to her." [Most researchers, including myself, regard Jacob as a son of Isaac, not as a son of Nimrod.-gs].

Jim continues: "We realize that Aaron's wife was Joanah Bailey Sanders. Joanah remained on her husband's land grant after his death in 1781. Her youngest son, Nimrod, stayed on the land grant also and he was enumerated there in the 1800 census of Montgomery County. Nimrod Sanders is the only male in the house. He is listed as aged between 26 and 25. The only female listed is aged over 45, born before 1755. I submit that this is Joanah or the 'widow Sanders.' They are living on the property on the Reedy Fork of Barnes Creek. In 1810 Nimrod's family has grown. He has a wife and 2 sons under 10 and 2 daughters also under 10. His mother is still with him and she is shown as being born before 1765. In 1836 Nimrod sold the land grant to William Strider."

Jim shows that Jacob Saunders's land was adjacent to Joan Bailey Saunders' land. Benjamin Saunders owned property about 1.5 miles north of the "widow Sanders," separated only by Stephen's land. Luke Saunders' land was nearby. Also nearby were properties that belonged to Nathaniel Steed and to members of the Hamilton family. Apparently, all up and down the waters of Barnes Creek there were farms that belonged to member of the Saunders and related families. This area was only a few miles from the Randolph border, and apparently, at some time before 1800 Isaac Saunders moved across the border, but Benjamin remained in Montgomery for several more years until he, too, moved just over the county line. Also Randolph County was Joseph Sanders, who died in 1803 and whose sons and daughers married into the Saunders line of the Randolph/Montgomery group. The 1811 estate settlement of Joseph's estate reveals that one of his daughters, Mary, was married to Benjamin Sanders. this Benjamin later moved to Jackson County, Alabama.

Unfortunately, though we know that William Aaron died in 1782 or earlier, we know very nothing about how or why he died. All we have regarding William Aaron's estate is this:

Montgomery Co., NC Records
Letters of Admr on estate of Aaron Sanders, deceased.
Granted William Miller, Sec(?) Mark Allen, Esq. & John Hopkins, for 100
pounds
Recorded 12 Nov 1782 Book A, Folio 19 - George Davidson, Clerk
SS 884 Dept of Archives & History, Raleigh, NC
Leg. papers House of Commons Nov 3-15, 1788 L.P. 80
Leg. papers L.P 46

Letters of administration for his estate were granted in November 1782, but William Aaron may have died a year of more before that date. Did he die in a skirmish with the Tories, as tradition would have it, or in bed? My guess is that he was a middle aged man or younger when he died. Since his wife lived at least another twenty years after his death, I don't think he could have been much older than about 45 at the time of his death. We know his brothers were probably born in the 1740s. Moses is traditionally said to have been born in 1742, which appears about right. Isaac and Tabitha are said to have been living when Thomas Bailey Sanders was a child in the 1820s. Therefore, I think most of the children in this family were probably born around 1740 or later, leaving them in their 80s in the 1820s. William Aaron, rather than Isaac, may hve been the oldest child.

Though there is a record of the letters of administration of William Aaron's estate, there is no record of the estate settlement or of the will itself. I assume these once existed but were lost in the fires and other losses at the Montgomery County courthouse. We have to rely on land records, such as those below, to establish that this is the same family.

Aaron Sanders' grant in in 1772:

"Beginning at a hickory standing on the Reedy Fork of Barnes Creek and runs thence No 52 W 127 poles to a stake among 1 Hickory, 1 White Oak and 1 Pine pointers. Then So. 38 W 127 poles, then So 52 E 127 poles, then No. 38 E 127 poles to the beginning. Containing 100 acres. Surveyed for Aaron Sanders June 27th, 1772 by James Cotton , Surveyor. Chain carries Aaron and Arthur Henry.[From Jim Sanders' notes].

Nimrod Sanders deed of the land in 1836:

This indenture made the 24 day of November in the year of our Lord 1836 by and between Nimrod Sanders of the County of Montgomery and State of North Carolina of the one hand, and William Strider of the County and State aforesaid of the other part, witneseth, that for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars to him the said Nimrod Sanders in hand paid by the said William Strider, before the selling and delivery of the presents and the said Nimrod Sanders bargain, sell and (?) seal over and by force of these presents have bargained sold and conferred, conveyed unto the said William Strider, his heirs and assigns, a certain tract or parcel of land lying in the county and state aforesaid on the water of Barnes Creek, beginning at a hickory standing on Reedy fork of Barnes Creek and running thence north 52, west 127 poles to a stake among one hickory, one white oak and one pine pointers thru south 38 W 127 poles, thence south 50 ex 120 poles, then north 38 ex 127 poles to the beginning, containing one hundred acres of land, be the same more or less, to have and to hold said premises to the said William Strider his heirs, assigns, clear and free of any incumbrances whatever, and will forever warrant and defend the rights, titles of aforesaid premises to said William Strider, his heirs and assigns, against myself, my heirs and assigns, or any other person, forever clear and free from all manner of claims so far as he is able under and by virtue of a grant from the state of North Carolina no further. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and date above written, signed sealed and delivered.

Nimrod Sanders
Robert Hudson
[Assumed to be witness-gs]

Montgomery County Court, April 1839. Then this deed was proven in open court by the oath of Sampson [looks like Solomon but should be Sampson] Sanders and ordered to be registered.

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Deed of Isaac Sanders of Randolph County, North Carolina, to Benjamin Sanders of Montgomery County, North Carolina, 1806 and 1808

The original of the following document is very hard to read; therefore some of my interpretation may be incorrect. In my transcription, I have added commas and periods as punctuation. This deed, combined with the statement in the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter that Isaac Saunders had a son named "Ben," is the main documentation we have for the parentage of Benjamin. DNA tests also show that Benjamin's descendants belong in the same Sanders line as Isaac's descendants.
—Gary Sanders

This indenture made the 2nd day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & six between Isaac Sanders of Randolph County & State of North Carolina of the one part and Benjamin Sanders of Montgomery County and state aforesaid of the other witnesseth that the said Isaac Sanders, for and in consideration of the sum of one shilling, good & lawful money of North Carolina to him in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged by the said Isaac Sanders, hath granted, bargained, and sold and by these presents doth bargain and sell unto the said Benjamin Sanders his heirs and assigns a tract of land containing one acre being and lying in Randolph County and state of North Carolina on Sanders Bumpass fork of Little River, beginning at a red oak standing on the south side of said river and turning North, crossing with the river ten poles to a stake, thence west sixteen poles to a stake, then south ten poles to a stake, then last sixteen poles to the first joining.

Including a mill site, it being part of the land whereon the said Isaac Sanders now lives, together with all woods, ways, water, mines, minerals heretofore in appurtenances. To the said land belonging or appertaining with the river flow; and reversions, remainders, and remainder rents, specie and profits thereof; also all the estate rights and title interest property claims and domains whatsoever of him.

The said Isaac Sanders, his heirs, executors, administrators of, in, and to the said hereby granted land and premises, with all and singular, the appurtenances unto the said Benjamin Sanders, his heirs and assigns for ever, and the said Isaac Sanders himself, his heirs, executors, administrators, the said tract of land and premises and every part thereof against him his heirs and against all and every other person and persons whatsoever to the said Benjamin Sanders, his heirs and assigns, shall and will warrant and ever defend by these presents, in which whereof the said Isaac Sanders hath hereunto set his hand and seal the year and day above written.

State of North Carolina
Randolph County
November 10, 1806

The executor of the written deed was duly proven in open court by John Graves and ordered to be registered.
Test.
J. Harper , Clerk

Justin Sanders provided valuable assistance in helping me with some of the difficult to read words in the following deed:

This Indenture Made the 26 Day of January in the year or Lord 1808 Between Isaac Sanders of the one part of the County of Randolph and State of No. Carolina & Benjamin Sanders of the County & State afs'd, of the other part Witnesseth that for & in consideration of the Sum of two Hundred pounds in hand paid hath Given Granted Bargained & Sold unto the Said Benjamin Sanders all that tract or parcel of land Lying & B[e]ing in' Randolph County on Bumpas fork of Little River & bounded as f[ollows]

Beginning a Hickory thence East 20 po. to a hickory thence South 120 po. to a Black Oak, thence E't 240 po. to a White Oak, Being a Cond[it]ional Corner, thence No. 130 po. to a Stake, in the old line thence West 260 po. to a Stake, thence South to the Beginning Containing two Hundred acres be the Same more or less, To have & to hold the afs'd 200 acres of land with all Privileges & Improvements to the Same Belonging to him the s'd Benj'n Sanders his Heirs, Ex'rs, Adm'rs, or Assigns forever, & he the s'd Isaac Sanders Doath hereby Covenant & agree to & with the s'd Benj'n Sanders Shall & May forever, hereafter peaceably & Quietely have hold Occupy possess & Enjoy the above Mentioned Land & premises Without the Least Molestation of any person Whatsoever Claiming by from or under him. In Witness Whereof I have hereto Set my hand & affixed My Seal the Day & year above Written

State of No. Carolina }
Randolph County } May Term 1808
The Execution of the Within Deed was Duly Given in open
Court by Jesse Sanders & ordered to be Registered
A .Copy. Test Jesse Harper CC

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Deed of Benjamin Sanders to John Lucas, 1833, Randolph County, North Carolina

Benjamin Sanders sold several parcels of land in the early 1830s as he and his family were making preparation for the move to Jackson County, Alabama. Among the transactions was a sale to John Lucas whose grandson was married to Benjamin's grandaughter:

Benjamin Sanders to John Lucas, Bk 29, p. 220, Randolph County, 1833

This indenture made and entered into this sixteenth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and thirty three between Benjamin Sanders of the county, state of North Carolina and County of Randolph, of the one part and John Lucas of the said state and county aforesaid of the one part witness that for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars to him in hand paid, hath bargained and sold and delivered into the said John Lucas a certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in the county of Randolph on the waters of Barnes Creek, beginning at a red oak marked H running thence south forty chains crossing a branch to a hickory, thence east crossing? said creek seventy five chains to a post oak and black jack near the Fayetteville road, thence north crossing said road forty chains to a post oak, thence crossing? said road and creek back to the beginning, containing three hundred acres of land in this tract. I the said Benjamin Sanders do bind myself my heirs and executors unto the said John Lucas for two hundred and twenty seven acres of land in and ? to have and to hold to occupy and possess and enjoy by the said Lucas and his heirs forever and the said Benjamin Sanders do bind myself my heirs and assigns unto the said John Lucas and his heirs and assigns from all other person having any liens? or claim or title to the above mentioned boundary of land in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the said? date above written in the presence of us.

Joel Lucas
P. C. Sanders

Benjamin Sanders
His mark

According to Justin Sanders, this land was not the same land that Benjamin acquired from Isaac in 1806, but Benjamin sold that land, too, in 1833: "The deed of Benjamin to Henry Woolever, 7 Nov 1833, (Randolph Deed Bk 19, p395) is the one where Benjamin conveys the land that Isaac deeded him in 1808. The calls are exactly the same, except that he includes a 130 ac tract to the north of Isaac's. And Isaac's has an odd little neck 10 poles wide and 20 poles long sticking off to the west at the NW corner that isn't included in the Woolever deed. I suspect that the additional 130 ac on the north is Benjamin's land entry of 1830 which amounted to 130 ac.I have not found any deed or land grant so far (but I don't have the calls for most of the grants) that has any calls like the Lucas deed."

I have attempted a map of the general lay of the land described in the deed to John Lucas in 1833. The most obvious point is that it was on the Fayetteville road, but it could not have been very far from the border with Montgomery County. While emphasizing the caveat that I hope no one assumes my map is based on anything other than my own speculation about what the deed describes, here is a link to the map:

Benjamin Sanders to John Lucas, 1833

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Deed of Israel Sanders, ex al, to Mary Sanders, 1830,
Montgomery County, North Carolina

This was a deed by which the children of Jacob Sanders, son of Isaac Saunders, sold their interest in the land inherited from their father to their mother, Mary Sanders, and to their brother, Henry Sanders.

Book 29, p. 33
Transcribed by Gary Sanders
(Many words are illegible, but, fortunately, not the names of the individuals; transcription should be checked against the original. My understanding of the will is that it is a conveyance of land from the children of Jacob to their mother Mary Sanders and to Henry Sanders. The first sentence seems to say that Mary is a widow of Henry, but the subsequent sentences have the "&" instead of the word "of." The material in brackets is commentary or corrections added by Joe Thompson who has done extensive surveying in the Montgomery County area. )

Israel Sanders ex al to Mary Sanders, Deed

This indenture made the sixteenth [date illegible-gs] day of August one thousand eight hundred and thirty between Mary Sanders, widow, of (and?) Henry Sanders of the State of North Carolina and County of Montgomery, we Israel Sanders, Deborah Sanders, Mary Sanders, Anna Sanders, Pheba Sanders, Jesse Sanders, and Rebbecah Adams of the state and county aforesaid of the other part, witnesseth that the said legatees of Jacob Sanders, dec’d, we Israel Sanders, Peggy Hardister, Jacob Sanders, Sampson Sanders, Deborah Sanders, Mary Sanders, Anna Sanders, Pheba Sanders, Jesse Sanders, Rebecca Adams of the state aforesaid, for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred dollars to them in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged before the signing of these presents, doth hereby grant, bargain and sell unto the said Mary Sanders, widow, and Henry Sanders, and their heirs forever a certain tract or parcel of land lying in the county and state aforesaid as follows: lying on the waters of Barnes Creek, beginning on a post oak opposite Reed branch fork, Barnes Creek, and runs thence south forty four west one hundred and twenty seven poles to a black oak, thence south forty six east one hundred and twenty seven poles, thence north forty four east one hundred twenty seven poles, thence north forty-six west one hundred and twenty seven poles to the beginning, containing one hundred acres more or less. Also one other tract adjoining the other, beginning at a hickory his [meaning Jacob Sanders] old corner in James Neal’s line and runs with the said line south fifty (?)[South 50 E 56 poles] and fifty-five poles to a red oak by a hickory, Jesse Sanders’ line, thence east fifty six poles, thence north forty four degrees East 100 poles, [this corner is on the side of Weisner Mountain. It is a corner of a Henry Saunders Land Grant dated September 25, 1846], thence north 16 west one hundred and three poles [also a corner of the Henry Saunders land grant], thence south forty-four west forty-three poles, James Neals’ line, thence with his line north forty six west one hundred twenty-seven poles, thence north [an error-grant calls for south] forty four west sixteen poles to Jacob Sanders’ old line, thence with his line south 46 east one hundred twenty seven, thence south forty-four west one hundred and twenty seven poles to the beginning, containing one hundred acres, be the same more or less, adding the two together makes two hundred acres more or less.

To have and to hold the aforesaid premises with all and singular the rights, privileges and appurtenances, thereto belonging to them, the said Mary Saunders, widow, and Henry Sanders, their heirs and assigns for ever clear and free from we the said Jacob Sanders, Peggy Hardister, Jacob Saunders, Sampson Sanders, Deoborah Sanders, Mary Sanders, Anna Sanders, Pheba Sanders, Jesse Sanders, Rebecca Adams. Do by themselves and their heirs ------- ----warrant and defend the aforesaid premises unto the said Mary Sanders, & Henry and their heirs forever from any claim of Israel Sanders and all the above legatees named their heirs and assigns forever, in witness we hereunto set our marks and seals the day and date above written in the presents of the witnesses.

[Witnesses names are illegible.]

Signed:
Israel Sanders    seal
Peggy Sanders seal
Jacob L. Sanders   seal
Sampson Sanders   seal
Deborah Sanders   seal
Mary (his mark) Sanders   seal
Anna Sanders   seal
George Sanders for Pheba Sanders

North Carolina
Before Montgomery County C. C. Wade
On this 10 day of December 1885 personally appeared before me, Henry Sanders, the owner who being duly sworn, says that the grantor, bargainer, or maker of the annexed deed and the witness thereto are dead and cannot be found and that he cannot make proof of their handwritings.
Sworn and subscribed before me and is therefore ordered that said deed by other Henry (his mark) Sanders with this affidavit be registered
CC Wade
Clerk, Superior Court
Montgomery County.

Six years later, in 1837, Mary Sanders, who was in her late seventies at that time, sold her land to her son Henry:

Montgomery County Deeds, Book 29, p. 41.

Mary Sanders to Henry Sanders Deed

This indenture made on the twenty-fifth day of February in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven between Mary Sanders of the County of Montgomery and State of North Carolina of the one part and Henry Sanders of the County and State aforesaid of the other part, witnesseth that for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred dollars in hand paid, the receipt and payment whereof is hereby acknowledged by the said Mary Sanders to the said Henry Sanders, hath bargained and sold and by these presents doth bargain sell, ? [illegible-gs] and confirm unto the said Henry Sanders two certain tracts or parcels of land, situated, lying, and being in the County and State aforesaid on the waters of Barnes Creek.

The first x begins and runs as follows: beginning at a fork x oak opposite Reed Creek, fork Barnes Creek and runs thence South 44 west x one hundred and twenty seven poles to a black oak, thence ch (?) 46 East x one hundred and twenty seven poles, thence North 44 east x one hundred and twenty seven poles, thence North 46 west x one hundred twenty seven poles to the beginning containing one hundred acres more or less. Also one other tract adjoining the above.

Beginning at a hickory ? ? ? [three illegible words-gs] in James Neal’s line and runs with the said line ?[illegible word-gs] 50 east x fifty five poles to a red oak by a hickory [on] Jesse Sanders line, thence east fifty-six poles, thence No. 54 east one hundred poles, thence N [NW?] 16 west x one hundred and three poles, thence So. 44 west x forty three poles to James Neal’s line; thence with his line N.E. 46 west x one hundred and twenty seven poles, thence N [?] 44 sixteen poles to Jacob sanders old line, then South his line SE 46 East x one hundred and twenty seven poles; thence NE [?] 44 West one hundred and twenty seven poles to the beginning, containing one hundred acres, more or less, make in all two hundred acres, together with all woods, ways, waters, and water courses mines, minerals, here ? [illegible-gs] and appurtenances belonging in any way, appertaining to the said lands and premises and that the said Mary Sanders does for herself, her heirs, executors, and administrators or assigns covenant and bargain and sell and convey the said lands and premises to Henry Sanders, his heirs and assigns.

To have and to hold forever and their only proper use and benefit and that said Mary Sanders does bind herself her heirs and assigns to warrant and forever defend against the lawful claims of any person or person whatsoever.

Whereby the said lands and premises might or may be affected or encumbered contrary to the true intent and meaning of these presents, in testimony whereof, I, the said Mary Sanders, have hereunto set my hand an affixed my seal the day and date first above written.

Mary Sanders
seal
Wm Crook
Jacob L. Sanders

North Carolina
Before Montgomery County CC Wade, CSC

On this 10th day of December 1880, personally appears before me Henry Sanders, owner, who being duly sworn, says: that the grantor, bargainer or maker of the annexed deed and the witness there to are dead or cannot be found and that he cannot make proof of their handwriting.
Sworn and subscribed before the same and is therefore ordered that said Deed together with this affidavit be registered.

his
Henry x Sanders
mark

C. C. Wade, Clerk Superior Court
Montgomery County

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William Thomas Sanders (1871-1957) of Erath County, Texas

William Thomas "Tom" Sanders, was born October 8, 1871 in Texas. His death certificate states that he was born in Dublin in Erath County. No other document or family tradition attests to the place of birth but it is almost certain that he was born in Texas. He married Olia Olive Jones on July 31, 1890 in Erath County and he appears subsequently on the tax rolls of the county in the 1890s and on the 1900 census. He was a barber by profession. Between 1890 and 1910, he and Ola had six children. They later divorced and by 1920 he was married to Beulah Henderson and living about ninety miles away in Waco in McLennan County with her and two stepsons. They had no children of their own. Olia raised the remaining children of her first marriage and never remarried after the divorce, remaining in Erath County for the rest of her life. A Y-DNA test of a descendant of William's son Luther Sanders confirms that William Thomas belongs in the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery Y-DNA group 17. Our difficulty is that almost nothing is known about his parents and no paper trail exists to connect him to the others in our DNA group.

The February 19, 1957 death certificate of William Thomas Sanders states that his father was named William Sanders, so at least we have a name to being the search. On the census records from 1900 to 1940, William or someone in his household gave conflicting data on the origins of his parents:

1900 father and mother born in Texas
1910 father and mother born in Alabama
1920 father and mother born in United States
1930 father born in Tennessee, mother in Georgia

There is no William Sanders on the 1880, 1870, or 1860 census of Erath County. A search of the tax list of Erath County found a "W. T. Sanders" on the 1883 tax roll. Since the William Thomas Sanders who was born in 1871 was too young to be a taxpayer in 1883 (12 years old), the W.T. Sanders on the 1883 roll may indeed be William Thomas' father. There is no other known W. T. Sanders who appears on the census lists or tax lists of Erath County. We may assume that the W. T. Sanders who appears on the 1892 through 1895 tax lists is the younger W. T. Sanders who was newly married. The father of William Thomas may have died in the late 1880s, while the younger William Thomas was still a teenager. Since William Thomas stated consistently on census reports that he was born in Texas, we may assume that the elder William T. Sanders was already in the state in the early 1870s and may already have been there for years.

The 1880 census lists at least five Sanders or Saunders families in Erath but none of them are related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery:

James Harvey Sanders, born 1815 in Ohio. Because of the Ohio birth, his line is obviously not related to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery.

Solomon Summers Sanders, born 1820 in Tennessee. This line goes back to Franklin County, Tennessee and Craven County, North Carolina.

Aaron Isaiah Sanders, born 1851 in Tennessee. Researchers from his line regard him as the son of Isabelle Mckee and Aaron Sanders of McNairy County, Tennessee and trace his line back to Joel Sanders and Charity Hollowell who are in a different Y-DNA group from the line of William Thomas Sanders.

Mary Davenport Saunders, born 1854 in Arkansas, widow of a James Sanders who died in 1877 and is buried in Erath County. He appears to have been the son of a Hamblin Sanders who was born in 1826 in Tennessee. There is no known connection to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery.

Minerva J. Saunders, born 1854 in Texas. Married but no husband present, living with her six months old daughter Frances in the household of William Roberson.

No Sanders or Saunders appear on the 1860 or 1870 Erath County, census, but other records establish that people with the surname of Sanders had lived in the county from the time it was first established in 1856 when it was split off from Bosque and Coryell counties. It appears that many of these families, however, were not permanent settlers but remained only a few years and then moved on.

My grandfather, Jesse Sanders (1845-1902), who definitely belongs to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group, lived in Erath County from 1871 until 1876. He married my grandmother there on October 31, 1871. My uncle John Taylor Sanders was born in Erath on July 30, 1872 and my aunt Sarah Elizabeth Sanders was born in the same county in 1876. Jesse was a son of Isaac Sanders, a grandson of Benjamin Sanders, and a great grandson of Isaac Saunders, brother of the Reverend Moses Sanders.

Another Sanders from our line who was in Erath in the 1870s was James Marion Sanders (1857-1913). He married Nancy Duncan in Erath on September 2, 1874 and all three of their children may have been born in the county. James Marion was a son of Josiah Hardin Sanders, a grandson of John Sanders, and a great grandson of the Reverend Moses Sanders.

James Marion's sister, Amanda Theresa Sanders, married Thomas Jesse Cox on June 4, 1872 in Erath County. Marcus Lafayette Sanders, the brother of James and Amanda Theresa, may also have been in the county as my father mentioned once that my grandfather had a relative named Marcus.

Therefore, we know that in the 1870s, Sanders from the Randolph/Montgomery line were in Erath County. If William Sanders, the father of William Thomas, was indeed in the county in 1872 when his son was born, it is likely that he was aware of his relatives even if the other Sanders were second or third cousins. Because of what we already know about the identity of people in our Sanders family, it appears doubtful that William could have been a first cousin to my grandfather and almost impossible for him to have been a first cousin to James Marion Sanders or Amanda Theresa Sanders; hence a second or third cousin relationship is more likely.

I have searched extensively through the 1860, 1870, and 1880 census records of Texas for a William or William Thomas Sanders who could be the father of the one born in 1872 and who could plausibly be connected to the Randolph/Montgomery line. There has been only one case, where I think further research is warranted, where we may place the family on a "watch" list. In 1860, there is a Sanders family living near Station Creek in Coryell County, Texas, a family that had recently moved from Lawrence County, Tennessee. Station Creek is about eighty miles from Erath County, toward the southeast. The family consisted of the following individuals:

Adam Saunders, age 53, born in Georgia, farmer
Sarah Saunders, 52, born in Georgia
Nancy Saunders, 30, born in Tennessee
William Saunders, 25, born in Alabama, waggoneer
Elizabeth M. S. Saunders, 22, born in Alabama
Sarah Saunders, 19, born in Alabama
Martha Saunders, 17, born in Tennessee
James M. Saunders, 15, born in Tennessee, herdsman
David Saunders, 11, born in Tennessee
Aaron J., 9, born in Tennessee

If we look at the tax list of Coryell County for 1959, we find that that William, the oldest son, is listed as "William T. Saunders." This begins to look promising because the death certificate of William Thomas Sanders (1871-1957) states that his father was named William and we know that a "W.T. Sanders" was on the tax list of Erath County in 1883. Could this William T. Saunders in Coryell, born 1835 in Alabama, be the elusive father? The William T. Saunders of Coryell in 1860 was born in Alabama and Alabama was one of three states (Texas, Alabama, Tennessee) that William of Erath listed on census reports as possible birth locations of his father.

The head of the family in Coryell in 1860 is listed on the census as "Adam Saunders," but I believe this is an error. On the 1859, 1860, and 1861 tax list of Coryell, he is listed as "Aaron Saunders." His first name is also given as Aaron (or Aron) on the 1850 census of Lawrence County, Tennessee, where the family lived before they moved to Texas. The surname is spelled "Sanders" on the Lawrence County listing, which of course, is just a spelling variant. Here are the family members in 1850:

Aron Sanders, age 41, born in North Carolina, miller
Sarah Sanders, 41, born in Tennessee
Nancy Sanders, 19, born in Tennessee
Rebecca J. Sanders, 17, born in Tennessee
William T. Sanders, 14, born in Alabama
Mary Sanders, 13, born in Alabama [same person as Elizabeth M. S. in 1860]
Sarah Sanders, 10, born in Alabama
Martha Sanders, 8, born in Tennessee
Jas M. Sanders, 6, born in Tennessee [same as James M. of 1860]
David Sanders, 5, born in Tennessee
Aaron J. Sanders, 4 months old, born in Tennessee.

The residence of this family in Lawrence County, Tennessee in 1850 also means that they were living in the same county as other Sanders who are from the Randolph/Montgomery Sanders line. These were descendants of Jesse Sanders (1780--about 1839) and his wife Phoebe Sanders (1789--after 1830). Jesse was a son of Jacob Saunders and a grandson of Isaac Saunders, brother of the Reverend Moses Sanders.

I believe Aaron's family was in Franklin County, Alabama, in 1840. He is listed as "Aron" Sanders. Here is the census record and how the family matches with the one of 1850 and 1860:

males 5-9, 1 [William T. Sanders]
males 10-14, 1 [unknown]
males 15-19, 1 [unknown]
males 30-39, 1 [Aaron Sanders]
females 1-5, 1 [ Mary]
females 5-9, 2 [Rebecca and Nancy]
females 15-19, 1 [unknown]
females 30-39, 1 [Sarah]

The ages match quite well. The unknown people may have been children who died between 1840 and 1850 or teenagers who were hired hands in the household. Unfortunately, tracing the family history before 1840 is difficult. It's of some interest that Aaron Sanders is identified as a "miller" in the 1850 census. Nimrod Saunders (1780--after 1860) of the Randolph/Montgomery line lived about a hundred and forty miles miles away in Cherokee County, Alabama, and Nimrod is well known in family lore for having owned a grist mill and having been a miller. His nickname was "honest Rod" in reference to the his straighforward business dealings with the customers at the mill. Nimrod was a son of William Aaron Saunders, brother of the Reverend Moses Saunders. The family of Nimrod Saunders recorded in the family Bible that Nimrod had a son named Aaron who was born on May 4, 1810.

It is therefore somewhat tempting to identify Aaron of Franklin, Alabama; Lawrence, Tennessee; and Coryell, Texas with the son of Nimrod, but there are also good reasons to withhold judgment. No one seems to have any reliable material about the life of the son of Nimrod named Aaron except for his birth date. A letter written in 1918 by Silvie Escat Saunders has a list of the children of Nimrod which states that Aaron died in 1862. Oddly, and perhaps by chance, that date is one year after Aaron Sanders of Coryell County, Texas disappears from Texas records.

Since Nimrod's son Thomas Bailey Saunders of Bexar County, Texas, did not mention his brother Aaron nor any possible children of Aaron in his 1890s letter to his cousin Elkanah Shuford Sanders, I have always assumed that Aaron died young and probably left no descendants. Aaron and his brother Nathan (who certainly died young and whose death was recorded in 1832) are the only siblings who are not mentioned in the letter. It is possible, however, that Aaron was not living with his father Nimrod in 1830 but was already married and living elsewhere. The 1840 census of Franklin County, Alabama, suggests that the Aaron Sanders living there had married before 1830.

On the other hand, it would be odd for Thomas Bailey Saunders, who was living in Texas in the 1850s, to not mention possible descendants of a living brother, and it may asked whether he could have been unaware of a brother who moved in the same decade to Coryell County, about one hundred and eighty miles to the north. Perhaps he could have been unaware of this--if Aaron moved away from home in the early 1830s and lost contact with his parents and brothers and sisters as he migrated his family through several states. Still, this may be one of the most difficult impediments to accepting the identity of the Aaron Sanders of Coryell County with the son of Nimrod.

If we we could make a definite judgment that Aaron of Coryell was the son of Nimrod, there is a the problem in tracing the family between the 1861 tax list of Coryell County and the birth of William Thomas Sanders in 1871. Of the nine children of Aaron Sanders of Coryell who were living in his household in Lawrence County, Tennessee, in 1850, I have not been able to trace a single one beyond 1860. A search of family trees at Ancestry.com reveals a couple of suggested matches that are proven impossible on further research.

One or two trees identifiy William T. Sanders of Coryell in 1860 with the William J. Sanders who was living in Coryell in 1870, but this identification does not match family tradition or the available documentation. The William J. Sanders of Coryell in 1870 was born in Georgia and he was obviously a very recent immigrant to Texas. He married his wife in 1866 in Sumter County, Alabama, and there is ample family tradition that the couple moved by wagon train to Texas after the marriage. In 1880, William J. Sanders and his family had moved to Lamar County, Texas. For more about this family, see the RootsWeb World Connect file of Carol Behringer, but it is clear that this William J. Sanders of Coryell had no connections to Aaron Sanders of Coryell County.

There was an Aaron Isaiah Sanders who was born in 1851 (or 1854) in McNairy County, Tennessee and who died in Erath County, Texas. On many documents his middle initial appears to be a "J." For this reason is is sometimes mistaken for Aaron J. Sanders, also born about 1850 in Tennessee and the son of Aaron of Coryell.

Then, there is a William L. Sanders, born 1836 in North Carolina, who was living in Coryell County in 1880. Since there is also a William L. Sanders who was on the 1880 tax roll of Coryell County, I think we can assume that his middle initial was correct on the census and that he is not the same person as William T. Sanders, the son of Aaron Sanders in 1860.

If the father of William Thomas Sanders (1871-1957) is not the William T. Sanders who was living in Coryell in 1860, it is likely that the father is someone whose very existence has been hitherto unknown. In my research I have encountered similar situations. Individuals may appear on the census and then not appear again or may reappear after decades. Often this occurs because families moved a great deal, but there are also cases where a person is known to have been in a community but was entirely missed by the census taker. In such cases, we have to rely on alternative documents if such exist. The elder William T. Sanders was probably born in the 1820s or 1830s and in our Randolph/Montgomery line in those decades there are numerous children whose names are unknown to us. Fortunately, in this case we know the first name was William, but further identification has proven stubbornly elusive.

It is my hope that researchers who read this article may be able to provide further clues.

--Gary Sanders
January 5, 2019

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Obituary of Levi Lindsey Sanders of Van Zandt County, Texas, 1917

This obituary is from the Canton, Texas Herald, January 12, 1917. Levi Lindsey Sanders was the son of Benjamin Sanders, Jr. (1804-1863), and the grandson of Benjamin Saunders, Sr., who moved from Randolph County, North Carolina to Jackson County, Alabama in the 1830s. According to this account, Benjamin Saunders was ninety-eight when he died; according to an account by Levi's son, Benjamin was over one hundred. The truth may be that he was only in his eighties, but Levi left home when he was teenager and his grandfather must have seemed very ancient to the young man. According to census and other records, Benjamin was probably born between 1766 and 1770 and probably died between 1840 and 1850. The statement that Ben was an Irish Catholic is also something of a puzzle because none of the other Sanders associated with Benjamin and his family seemed to have any tradition about an Irish Catholic origin for the family.

Mr. L. L. Sanders, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Van Zandt County, died at his late home at Ben Wheeler, Thursday, Jan. 4, at 3:30 p.m. Levi Lindsey Sanders was born in Jackson County, Ala., February 21, 1837, his age being 79 years, 10 months and 17 days. He was a son of Buck Ben Sanders, a gunsmith, and came of Irish Catholic ancestry, his people settling in North Carolina. Uncle Levi's paternal grandfather, Ben Saunders, as the name was orginally spelled, was converted from the Catholic faith at a camp meeting in Jackson County, Ala., at the age of 96 years, dying two years later. Uncle Levi was one of nine children and left home at the age of 16, working on a steamboat on the Mississippi for some time. Later, he setttled in Arkansas, following his trade of blacksmith. He came to Texas in 1857 and married Miss Susan Collins in 1858, the marriage occurring in Dallas when that city was a mere village.

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Biography of D. Leon Sanders of Willis Point in Van Zandt County, Texas

(Dwelly Leonidas Sanders was the son of Levi Lindsey Sanders, the grandson of Benjamin Sanders, Jr., and the great-grandson of Benjamin Saunders, Sr., who is probably the same person as the "Ben" mentioned in the Thomas Bailey Saunders letter which is discussed elsewhere at this site. D. L. Sanders was the half-brother of Morgan Gurley Sanders, who served in Congress from 1921 until 1939. Apparently, Dr. Sanders was not fond of his full first name or his middle name; in most documents, he appears as "D. Leon Sanders." His first name is listed as "Dwelly" on his military service record for World War I and he is listed as "Dwelly Leonidas" in a directory of the Texas Medical Association during the 1950s.)

From: A History of Texas and Texans
Johnson, Francis White
Chicago: American Historical Society, 1914
5 vols., p. 1746

D. LEON SANDERS, M.D., of Wills Point, where he has been engaged in practice since 1906, is the representative of one of the oldest families in the south, members of the family having been identified with affairs in Alabama, North Carolina and Texas for several generations past.

Born in Ben Wheeler, Texas, on October 2, 1871, Dr. Sanders is the son of Levi L. Sanders, a retired merchant and farmer of Ben Wheeler, himself the son of Benjamin Sanders, a Blacksmith of Jackson county, Alabama. The latter was killed by the Federals during the war of the sixties. He was born in North Carolina, and was the son of an Irishman of that state, who died in Alabama when he was more than one hundred years of age. He had two sons and six daughters, and one of his sons was Levi L., the father of Dr. Sanders of this review.

Levi L. Sanders was born in Jackson county, Alabama, in 1837, and he learned something of blacksmithing from his father while in his youth. He became dissatisfied with his home while yet a mere boy and ran away, thinking to better his conditions and for a time he was employed on a Mississippi River Steamboat. When he reached Texas in 1848, he found a home with Rev. Nels King, of Rowlett, Dallas county, and he stayed there until he took unto himself a wife, Miss Susan Collins, who was a daughter of William and Minerva Collins. Our subject's mother had three brothers, Leon, Van and Tom, who were Texas Rangers and who were stationed at Ft. Worth with Gen. Worth, who was in command of the fort, Ft. Worth being named in honor of him. And it was through the three brothers' influence that the Collins family came to Texas in the pioneer days, and Collin county was named in honor of some of the Collins boys. Levi Sanders was a settler to Texas from Alabama. In Oak Cliff, Dallas county, he established his home. The town was then in embryo, and he opened a shop, engaged in blacksmithing, and continued there for a few years. He moved then to Brownsboro, in Henderson county, going there prior to the war, and after four years of residence there he joined the Confederate army as a mechanic in the company of Captain Bridges, Company O, Sixth Texas Infantry Regiment in General Ross's Brigade, and he was made brigade blacksmith by General Ross. He served throughout the war without accident or untoward happening, and when peace was restored he returned to his place at the anvil, moving his shop to Ben Wheeler, in Van Zandt county, continuing there in his trade until about 1870, when he established himself in the merchandise business in Ben Wheeler, continuing in that enterprise until 1905. During the passing years he prospered, in whatever line of business he was engaged in, and he acquired considerable farm lands thereabout and developed a number of fine farms, at the same time engaging to a greater or less extent in the business of stock riasing. He was well in the advance of his community in the introduction of blooded horses and cattle and in the breeding of fine mules, as well, and the influence he had thus spread abroad over a considerable portion of the country. He has ever been an active man in the Methodist church, and is a Maste Mason. He is a Democrat, and as a veteran of the Civil war is an enthusiastic member of the Confederate Veterans of the South.

The first wife of Levi L. Sanders died in 1877, and she left children as follows: Lorenzo Dow Sanders, who died in Smith county, Texas, in 1899, leaving a family; Henry W., died in Leon county, this state, also leaving a family; Mrs. H. J. Craft, of Canton, Texas; Mrs. H. E. Wallace, the wife of Dr. Wallace of Ovalo, Texas; B. Franklin, a resident of Ben Wheeler, Texas; Josiah, who died unmarried; Dr. Leon, of the review; Mrs. T. C. Sharp, of Leon county, Texas; Levi S. , died young; and James F., a merchant of Ben Wheeler, Texas. Later in life Mr. Sanders married Fannie Smith, the daughter of Nick Smith, a German resident of Ben Wheeler, and their children are Morgan G., county attorney of Van Zandt county, and Grace, the wife of Henry Cates, a farmer of Van Zandt county.

Dr. Leon Sanders was born in Ben Wheeler, Texas, on October 2, 1871. When he had finished the common schools he studied in Alamo Institute, and then took a course in Transylvania University, being graduated therefrom with the degree of B.S. He entered the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville and was graduated there in 1894, after which he spent two years in school teaching in the country schools of Van Zandt county. When he was ready for medical practice he located at Edom, and he came to Wills Point in 1906, where he has since continued. Since his graduation, Dr. Sanders has taken four post graduate courses in the New Orleans Polyclinic. He is a member of the County and State Medical Societies and the North Texas and Southern Medical Associations, and is secretary of the county society.

Dr. Sanders is a Mason, with affiliation in the junior orders, and he is a Pythian Knight and a member of the Woodmen of the World. The Doctor has been twice married. He was married first on July 5, 1893, in Van Zandt county, to Miss Alice Gray, whose father was Dr. A. J. Gray. She died 1907, leaving three small daughters--Constance, Blance and Mary Lee. On June 30, 1909, Dr. Sanders married Miss LaNear Aldridge, a daughter of John Aldridge, of Weatherford, Texas. They have no children. Dr. Sanders is a member of the Methodist church and has for years been a member of the Texas State Historical Association, and is a member of the National Geographic Society.

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Sanders/Saunders and Biddy/Biddie families of Montgomery County, Arkansas

March 2005
Revised February 2006
Revised July 2009

In October, 2003, I posted the following inquiry on this Web site and and in Sanders' Siftings:

I would like to exchange information with anyone who has material about the following three Sanders families who lived in Arkansas in the 1850s and may or may not be related to my great grandfather, Isaac Sanders (1818, North Carolina-after 1880, Prentiss County, Miss.) who lived in Montgomery County, Arkansas from about 1851 until after the Civil War:

1. William Sanders, born about 1789 in North Carolina. He appears on the 1850 Jackson County, Alabama census (at least, I think it’s the same person) and the 1860 Montgomery County, Arkansas census. He married Martha T. Unknown. A son of William may have served in the same Confederate unit as a son of my Isaac in 1861 in Montgomery County. Another researcher has proposed that William is a son of the Daniel Sanders who appeared on the 1779 tax roll of Montgomery County, North Carolina, a suggestion based mainly on the fact that both William and Daniel were blacksmiths. The children of William were Joseph, Lucrecia, Hiram, John B., Ann B., and Martha L.

2. George W. Sanders, reportedly born December 17, 1812 in North Carolina, married Anna Unknown 1833 in Randolph County, North Carolina, and appears on the 1850 Montgomery County, Arkansas census with children Mary E., Benjamin F., Isaac Brantley, Martha Ann, Sarah Jane, and Andrew J. George Sanders apparently owned land near the property of my great grandfather Isaac in Montgomery County, Arkansas.

3. George’s daughter, Sarah Jane Sanders married Greenville Sanders, August 6, 1865 in Montgomery County, Arkansas. Greenville was the son of William Patrick Sanders, born about 1819 in North Carolina. William Patrick Sanders appears on the 1860 Pike County, Arkansas census, occupation blacksmith, with wife Elender (maiden name Southerland according to other researchers), and children Frederick, Greenville, Arminta, Elender, and William J.

As a result of these postings, I was able to contact other researchers, and eventually I was able to document that William of Montgomery was the half-brother of my great grandfather Isaac Sanders; that George was a brother to my Isaac; and that William Patrick was a son of Francis Sanders and Rachel Sanders. The information about William Patrick came about during an exchange of information with with Cathy Gallen in the spring of 2005. She had been researching the Biddy family and she provided information about the migration of the family of James Jones Biddy and his wife’s Sanders family in 1851 from Marshall County, Alabama, to Hempstead and Montgomery counties in Arkansas. Her research indicated that the Sanders family involved in this pioneer movement was that of William Patrick Saunders who appears on the Pike County, Arkansas census of 1860. The information she provided and documents previously sent to me by Ralph Jackson and Don Schaefer indicate that William Patrick Saunders was the brother of the Mary Jane Sanders,wife of James Jones Biddie (or Biddy as it is often spelled) and that the parents of William and Mary Jane were Francis and Rachel Sanders.

Below, I have summarized the evidence that leads me to this conclusion.

William Patrick Saunders married Ellender Southerland March 9, 1843 in Marshall County, and their family appears on the 1850 Marshall County, Alabama, census, living near Phoebe Sanders Lee and her husband Henry Lee. Phoebe is believed to be a daughter of Benjamin Sanders, brother of Francis. Enumerated two houses away from William Patrick is the family of James Jones Biddy. James Jones Biddy married Mary Jane Saunders December 1, 1838 in Marshall County. Their first child was named Rachel, their last child was named James Francis, and at least one grandchild of this union was also named Francis, indicating a close connection to Francis and Rachel Sanders, who appear on the DeKalb County, Alabama census. By 1851 Francis and Rachel were in Marshall County, Alabama. Francis made an application in Marshall County in January 1851 for bounty land based on his service in the Seminole Indian War in Jackson County, Alabama, in 1838.

In 1851, probably in the spring or summer, the Biddy and Sanders families made the move to Arkansas. James Jones Biddy lived in Hempstead and Montgomery counties through the 1850s and 1860s and moved in 1873 to the Indian Territory, where he applied for Choctaw citizenship. He was rejected on two occasions but his son James Francis continued the effort until at least 1903. In the 1903 hearing, the surviving children were asked by the court about their childhood and ancestry. Most of the questions were directed toward whether they had sufficient Choctaw ancestry to qualify as citizens, but the children did make several references to their Sanders relatives. Some of the testimony is contradictory and vague, but over fifty years had passed since the 1851 migration, and there is no reason to doubt any of the statements as they relate to the Sanders family. According to the testimony in 1903 of Sarah Ann Biddy Kinsey, who was born in 1841 or 1842, the Sanders relatives who moved were one of her mother's brothers and her Sanders grandparents. Based on subsequent events, these grandparents appear to be Francis and Rachel Sanders, and the brother appears to be William Patrick Saunders. It was the following exchange in the transcript that really convinced me that Sarah Ann was referring to Francis and Rachel: Q. How many people came with you? A. One of my uncles on my mother's side, and my grandfather and my grandmother on my mother's side. Francis was sixty-nine in 1851 and Rachel was seventy-one. It's doubtful they traveled to Arkansas alone, regardless of the year they came, and documentary evidence from Arkansas records of the 1850s appears to indicate that Sarah Ann was referring to Francis and Rachel.

Sarah Ann stated the Sanders and Biddys traveled in a wagon and a carriage. Her sister Elizabeth said they had five wagons and two buggies. There must have been at least twenty people in the group if all the children of each family are included with the parents and the two Sanders grandparents.

Isaac Sanders, who is usually regarded as a nephew of Francis, had been living in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, but moved to Arkansas in 1850 or 1851. This is known because he had a child who was born in 1849 in Mississippi and one born in 1851 in Arkansas. In 1855 and 1857 he acquired land in Montgomery County, Arkansas. Since he appears to have moved to Arkansas in the same year as the Biddys and moved to the same area they did, it's possible his move was co-ordinated with theirs or that there was a plan to meet them along the way. One of the judges asked Sarah Ann if the group traveled through Corinth, Mississippi, which would have been the usual route to Memphis and on to Arkansas. If they did indeed travel that route, they were probably not very far from where Isaac Sanders lived.

After arrival in Arkansas, the family lived near the White River for about a year. The exact location is not clear, but Ralph Jackson has suggested they may have resided near Des Arc in Prairie County. Other pioneers are known to have made that area a temporary residence on the way West. After the move to Arkansas, probably in late 1851 or 1852, Mary Jane Sanders Biddy died and William Jones Biddy remarried in 1853 to Mary Polly Burnam, but the family seemed to split up, and at the time of the 1860 census, some members are living in Hempstead County and some are living in Montgomery County. The Biddy family and the William Patrick Sanders family appear to have been neighbors in Hempstead just as they were in Marshall County, Alabama.

Francis Sanders' bounty land warrant request that he had initiated in 1851 in Marshall County was executed in August 1855 in Hempstead County, Arkansas, and one of the witnesses was James J. Biddie. This is believed to be the same person as James Jones Biddy. The application states that Francis was a resident of Hempstead County at that time. Francis seems to have received the right to eighty acres in Pike County and then signed his rights to the land in October 1856 to Henry Merrill, an agent for the Arkansas Manufacturing Company. This is the last record we have of Francis Sanders. A William Sanders was the second witness on Francis’ 1855 application, and and this is probably the same person as William Patrick Saunders. William Patrick acquired land in Hempstead County in 1856, but he also bought land in Pike County and was living there at the time of the 1860 census.

In 1860, James Jones Biddy is still living in Hempstead County with his son James Francis and, curiously, there is a woman living next door living next door in a separate household whose marital relationship to James Jones is mysterious. She appears to be the Mary Burnam whom he married in 1853 and who still appears as his legal wife on a legal document issued in 1861. Only one of the Biddy children seems to have even a slight recollection of this marriage. It is possible the marriage was in name only and was related to an effort to acquire or retain land, but the circumstances surrounding it are extremely confusing. After the Civil War,Biddy would later marry a fourth and last time.

Two of Biddy's children, Lucy and Wilson, are enumerated in Montgomery County, Arkansas in 1860 near Aaron Sanders, the son of Isaac Sanders. Other of the children are scattered around the county, living with families whose relationship to the Sanders or the Biddys is not always clear.

The testimony of most of the children in the 1903 attempt by James Francis Biddy to acquire Choctaw citizenship is that James Biddy lived in Montgomery County, Arkansas during the Civil War and moved to the Indian Territory in 1873. Some of the Biddy sons served in he same unit of Montgomery County Confederate volunteers as the sons of Isaac Sanders. Isaac also moved from Montgomery County after the Civil War, but he went to Mississippi rather than to the Indian Territory.

The following excerpts from the testimony of Sarah Ann Biddy Kinsey and her sister Elizabeth Biddy Deaton were provided by Cathy Gallen.

IN THE CHOCTAW AND CHICKASAW CITIZENSHIP COURT, SITTING AT SOUTH McALESTER, INDIAN TERRITORY, JAMES F. BIDDIE, et al,---vs--- THE CHOCTAW AND CHICKASAW NATIONS. May 13, 1903:

Judge FOSTER:

Q. What is your name?
A. Sarah Ann KINSEY.

Q. What is your post office?
A. Cameron.

Q. Are you an Indian, Negro or white person?
A. Well, I have been taught all my life that I was a Choctaw.

Q. Who was your father?
A. James Jones BIDDIE.

Q. How old are you Mrs. KINSEY?
A. I will be 61 the 3rd day of August. I was born in 1842.

Q. How long have you lived in the Choctaw Nation?
A. About thirty years.

Q. Where did you come from to the Choctaw Nation?
A. From Montgomery County, Arkansas.

Q. How long did you live in Montgomery County?
A. Several years, I don't know how long.

Q. Where did you come from to that county?
A. Come from Alabama.

Q. When did you arrive in Arkansas from Alabama?
A. Well, I reckon I must have been ten years old.

Q. You remember living in Alabama?
A. Just can recollect it and that is about all.

Q. That was on the Tennessee River, wasn't it?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Close to what town?
A. None around, close to no town.

Q. What was the closest town?
A. GUNTHER's Landing was closest town.

Q. You say you were born in Alabama?
A. Yes sir.

Q. On the Tennessee River?
A. Yes sir.

Q. In Marshall County?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Or were you born in Limestone or Madison County?
A. I was born in Marshall County

Q.. You are sure you were born in Marshall County?
A. I think that is what my father said.

Q. You were born there; when you left there how did you come to Arkansas?
A. We traveled in a wagon.

Q. How many people came with you?
A. One of my uncles on my mother's side, and my grandfather and my
grandmother on my mother's side.

Q. They were white people?
A. Yes sir.

Q. You traveled in a wagon with a lot of white people?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Were there any full blood Indians with you, coming to this
country?
A. No sir.

Q. You traveled in a wagon; did you have any buggies too?
A. We had a hack, it was not called a hack in those days; it was a
carriage.

Q. You all traveled like white folks together?
A. Yes sir.

Q. No Cherokee Indians living around GUNTHER's Landing?
A. I don't know, but there were some there.

Q. Well, you came to Arkansas with a lot of white settlers; where did
they go?
A. They stopped before we did; we came on to White River.

Q. You did not, any of you, come to the Indian Territory; you all
scattered in Arkansas, whites and alleged Indians?
A. Yes.
******************

Testimony of Elizabeth Biddy Deaton, p. 68:

Q. Where were you born in Alabama?
A. Marshall County.

Q. In what part of the County?
A. Near GUNTER’S landing.

Q. Where did you go to when you left Alabama?
A. Came to Arkansas; we started for the Nation but did not make it here.

Q. That would have been about 1851; about ten years before the War?
A. Yes sir.

Q. You left Alabama when you were seven or eight years old and came to Montgomery County, Arkansas, is it true?
A. We came to some place; I have forgotten the name.

Q. How long did you live at that place on White river where you first stopped?
A. One year.

Q. Did you make a crop there?
A. No sir, my father sold goods at a store.

Q. Then where did you go in Arkansas?
A. Hempstead County.

Q. How long did you stay in that County? Several years?
A. Two or three years.

Q. What did your father do there?
A. Farmed.

Q. Where did he go from there?
A. Montgomery County.

Q. You lived in Arkansas on the White River, in Hempstead and Montgomery Counties and around in there from about 1851 until 1873 or 74?
A. Yes sir.

Q. What did your father do during these years; was he farming?
A. Yes sir, farming.

Q. What was the name of your father’s first wife?
A. I cannot tell you.

Q. Your mother was named Mary SANDERS?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Was your father married before that?
A. He had three children by his first wife.

Q. What was the name of his first wife?
A. I cannot tell you.

Q. When did your mother die?
A. She died while we was on White River.

Q. In Arkansas?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Did your father marry after that?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Who did he marry after that?
A. Elizabeth KINZEY.

Q. Where did he marry her?
A. I believe in Montgomery County.

Q. What was the name of the oldest child of your father?
A. By his first wife?

Q. Any wife.
A. Lucy (BIDDIE); he had one named Wilson (BIDDIE), but he died in the time of the War; but Lucy was the oldest one.

Q. Then it is not a fact that Rachael LANKFORD was the oldest child?
A. She was the oldest child by his second wife.

Q. Then she is not the oldest one?
A. No sir, he had older ones.

Q. Do you remember whether you came through Corinth, Mississippi after leaving Decatur?
A. I remember going through swamps, but I don’t know the towns.

Q. How long did it take you to go through from GUNTER’S Landing to Arkansas?
A. I cannot tell you; five or six weeks, or may be eight.

Q. How did you travel?
A. In wagons and in a buggy.

Q. About how many of you were there?
A. Five wagons and two buggies.

Q. Who were along with you?
A. Some of my mother’s family, the SANDERS.

Q. They were white people?
A. Yes sir.

Q. You all traveled in wagons and buggies when you came to the Mississippi River?

A. Yes sir.
Q. Where did you cross the Mississippi River?

A. At Memphis.
Q. The other people did not claim to be Indians?

A. No sir.
Q. They were white people?

A. Yes sir.
Q. Did they say they were coming to the Choctaw Nation?

A. No sir, they were coming to Arkansas.
Q. When he left Alabama and came west, did your father have any well-defined idea of coming to the Choctaw Nation on that trip?

A. That was his talk.
Q. What did the other people say as to where they were going?

A. They wanted to come to Arkansas or Texas.
Q. Why did you not come to the Nation?

A. My mother did not want to come to the Nation to have her children raised with the Indians.

Q. Your father agreed with her and did not come?
A. Not until after her death.

Q. In what year did she die?
A. I cannot tell you.

Q. How long after your father came to Arkansas?
A. About a year.

Q. You landed in Arkansas about 1851, that is true is it not?
A. Yes sir.

Q. Your mother died then, about a year after that time?
A. Yes sir. She died when we first came there.

Q. Your statement is that your mother would not come?
A. Yes sir.

Q. It is a fact that your father did not move to the Choctaw Nation until 1873?
A. Yes sir.

Q. And then lived on White river in Hempstead County, in Montgomery County and made crops in Arkansas for more than twenty years?
A. It might have been.
End of transcript excerpts

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The Civil War and the Sanders Family

The Civil War was a tragedy for individual families in addition to being a tragedy for the nation. I don’t know how typical my Sanders family was of Southern families generally, but the Civil War literally set brother against brother and father against son within the Sanders clan descended from the original settlers of Randolph and Montgomery counties, North Carolina. As if emblematic of the conflicting loyalties generated by the war, my grandfather, Jesse Sanders, appears to have served in both the Confederate Army and the Union Army before he was nineteen years old.

When the war began my great grandfather Isaac Sanders was living in Mount Ida in Montgomery County, Arkansas. He had three sons already of military age, and one, Jesse, my grandfather, who would become old enough to serve during the war itself. Numerous other related Sanders families lived in other counties in Arkansas, in Texas, in Mississippi, and back in Alabama and North Carolina, the points of origin for the westward Sanders migration.

The sentiment within Mount Ida was overwhelmingly in favor of secession, and those who had doubts were too intimidated to protest. On July 17, 1861, a unit called the “Montgomery County Hunters” was organized. It would later be designated as Co. F of the 4th Arkansas infantry. The small rural community celebrated the occasion with a home made drum and fife show using improvised instruments and joints of sugar cane stalks. Their collected baggage consisted of bed quilts, pots, skillets, coffee pots and other household items, all drawn by yokes of oxen. Their weapons of war against the Yankee invaders were old squirrel rifles and double barreled shotguns.

The leader of this group, Captain John Lavender, would later write a book about his war experiences, The War Memoirs of Captain John W. Lavender, C.S.A. (W.M. Hackett and D. R. Perdue Publishers, the Southern Press, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1956). He wrote, ”we was in high spirits and no one complained fearing he would be accused of being a coward or playing the baby act.” The company was mustered in Missouri and participated in the battles of Elkhorn, Richmond, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Georgia campaign of 1864, Franklin, and Nashville. There were some changes in the organization of the company during the war, and it is difficult to tell how many of the original men who joined in July of 1861 survived the war, but Lavender later estimated that of the one hundred or so who crossed the Mississippi and fought in the battles in other states only about a dozen survived the war.

The nature of Isaac’s combat experience is not clear, though it is known he was a member of the Montgomery County Hunters and Company F. We do have a record that Isaac enlisted on October 21, 1861 at Fort Smith Arkansas, and that he was furloughed from December 17, 1861 to March 1, 1862. His discharge papers state that he was suffering from pneumonia. His son Aaron enlisted on November 21, 1861 at Forth Smith and was present on December 31, 1861; his son Benjamin enlisted on October 21 1861 at Fort Smith and was with Humphries' Batallion at Shelbyville, Tennessee on April 29, 1863. His son Isaac, Jr., enlisted on October 21, 1861 at Forth Smith and died on January 10, 1862 from illness or an injury.

By June 4, 1863 Isaac, Sr., was back in Montgomery County because he signed up for Earnest’s local defense company, which was established to defend the home front. Apparently, this was the only unit of its kind in the state. Isaac’s son Aaron was a first sergeant in the same company and Isaac’s seventeen year old son Jesse may appears for the first time in the war records as a private if the “J. Sanders” who appears in the company roll is the same person as Jesse (though "J. Sanders" may be Joseph Sanders, the son of Isaac's half brother William).

In the fall and winter of 1963-64 most of the Sanders family in the Montgomery County area appeared to have switched sides from the Confederacy to the Union forces. Isaac's cousin William Patrick Sanders and two of his sons joined 4th U.S. cavalry in November of 1863. They were accompanied by some of the related Biddy and Lamb families. Isaac's son Jesse joined the 4th cavalry in February 1864 Isaac himself enlisted at Dardanelle in Yell County in March, 1864.

According to the Edward G. Gerdes Civil War in Arkansas page, quoting from a contemporary account of the 4th cavalry, Isaac's unit was involved in the skirmish at Dardanelle on May 17, 1864:

"At that date Dardanelle was attacked by Shelby in the night with 2,000 men and four pieces of artillery. The commanding officer of the post had ordered the camp equipage across the river and at the time of attack, it was slowly crossing in a single flat boat. Capt. Wood, Co G, in charge. The town was held until it was completely surrounded and for nearly two hours after it had beena bandoned by the post commander. All records of the company were lost, except for copies of muster-in rolls found in the Adjutant General's Office. Some of the men escaped by swimming the river and some by cutting their way through enemy's lines. Many of the men reported missing in action are in the woods near Dardanelle, unable to rejoin the regiment on account of guerillas."

The official military record of Isaac's service indicates that he was listed as "missing in action" during the skirmish. What happened to him immediately afterwards is not clear, though we know that he survived the battle and lived for at least another sixteen years. Maybe he escaped from the woods and joined some other unit to continue fighting the war; or maybe he, like many other solider-farmers of the time, went back home to take care of his family's needs.

Isaac’s brother, John, who lived in Jackson County, Alabama, stated in his Southern Claims record in 1875 that Isaac lived in Montgomery County, Arkansas and that Isaac fought for the Confederacy. Unlike Isaac, John remained loyal to the Union throughout the War and served in an Ohio Regiment, stationed mainly in the Tennessee theatre. A letter written by Louie Richard David of Weatherford, Texas, on July 24, 1974 to friends in Jackson County, Alabama and later printed in the July 2000 issue of Sanders’ Siftings suggests that Isaac and John may have fought in the same battle:

"There is another story told about two of the Sanders. The story goes that the two brothers were fighting during the War Between the States. One had enlisted with the Union Army and the other was serving with the Confederates. They were mounted and fighting and charging with sword and saber. It was night and dark and they did not recognize each other, or who they were fighting against. One of them said 'Get Ert Aunt Becky,' and the other said 'Is that you, John?' and they then recognized each other as being brothers and stopped fighting. They had an aunt called Aunt Becky who had a 'By-Word' of Get Ert. I have a note of a John Sanders serving with Co. B. 3rd Ohio Regiment (Union Army). I don't remember where I got it but wonder if they might be the one in the story."

Regardless of whether this is a true story, it does coincide with the facts that John and Isaac, two Sanders brothers, fought on opposing sides during the war. The county where John lived, Jackson County, Alabama, was in the Alabama hill county, a region with few slaves and many poor whites who had no use for the planter aristocracy. Further, most of the Sanders families in Jackson County had emigrated from Randolph and Montgomery County, North Carolina. Many of the earliest settlers of these two North Carolina counties had been Methodists or Quakers, people with a strong social conscience, and, in some case, an aversion to slavery.

John Sanders was by no means alone in his service to the union cause. Two of his sons fought in the same Ohio Regiment in which he served. His elderly uncle on his mother’s side, Joseph Sanders, called “Uncle Joe” by nearly everyone, was a staunch Union supporter whose sons joined the Union army. Unfortunately, Uncle Joe’s public support for the Union led to his death on April 10, 1863. Here is one version of the story, again quoting from the same letter:

"I know you have some information on the Sanders that was killed by bushwhackers. I have heard a story here in Texas passed down through generations. One of the Sanders was caught off guard while plowing a field by bushwhackers. They took him and his horse to the top of a hill and made the Sanders dig a grave. Then the bushwhackers killed both man and his horse and buried both in the grave with the legs of the horse sticking up out of the grave. (This is some tale and may not be exactly true but is what I have heard.)”

There are other versions of this story, such as that Uncle Joe was taken from his home and killed. A Huntsville newspaper of the time was decidedly unsympathetic: "On the same day, we learn, an old man, named Saunders, who affiliated with the Abolition Army, when they occupied Jackson county, and went off with them, but returned to depredate on the neighborhood, was shot and killed by some unknown person, on Mud Creek in that county." The latter is from a posting on the Sanders-L list on January 27, 2004 by Don Schaefer who thinks there was probably some vigilante justice after the murder and at least one of the murderers may have been lynched, though the details of subsequent events are rather murky.* (see note at end of article)

The situation in Arkansas was similar to that in northeast Alabama. Pro-unionists, who had remained silent during the heyday of the Confederacy, began to surface whenever the federal troops were able to assert control. I have no family tradition about any competing loyalties within my great grandfather’s family in Montgomery County, but events suggest that, in spite of losing a son for the Southern cause, his family was not composed of wholehearted Confederate sympathizers. For example, his seventeen year old son Jesse, having signed up for the Montgomery County local defense troop unit in June of 1863, switched sides and joined the 4th Arkansas Cavalry, USA in February 1864. He served in the same unit as his cousin William Patrick Sanders and two of William Patrick’s sons. Also in the same unit was James H. Biddie who was related by marriage to the Sanders family, his father having married William Patrick's sister. Biddie had also previously served in the Confederate forces, as had two other 4th cavalry soldiers, Reuben Lamb and George Swaim, who also were related to Jesse by marriage.

Greenville Sanders, the son of William Patrick Sanders, related in an affidavit on April 5, 1900 about how his father tried to avoid service in the Confederate forces:

"In the matter of pension claims of Green Sanders, comes Green Sanders and on oath swears he is 54 years of age, a resident of Sebastian Co., Ark, whose post office address is Hackett, Ark. I was just a boy at the breaking out of the later war and when they[the Confederate authorities-gs] came to force my father out in the Confederate service, he (my father) let us two boys [Frederick and Greenville-gs] go instead of him, as our mother was dead and my father did not want to leave the little children at home and no one to see for them. My father was a Union man at all times and died a Union man." Greenville served in the Confederate forces from November 1861 until after August of 1862. In November of 1863 he and his father enlisted in the Union forces, serving in the same Cavalry unit as his cousin Isaac. By November of 1863 the economic and political situation in Arkansas was getting desperate and many farmers signed up for the Union forces because of the steady pay. Greenville, however, was always proud that his motivation was more than just one of economic survival.

Another example is that of Francis Marion Sanders, a second cousin of Isaac. Born in Jefferson County, Illinois in 1838, it is believed Francis Marion's grandfather was Francis Sanders, brother of the Reverend Moses Sanders. Francis served in the 34th Arkansas Infantry, CSA, with two of his brothers, one of whom was killed in action. His wife later claimed that he served in the Confederate Army under duress. In the spring of 1863 he deserted and in the fall of 1863 he joined the Union Army. In December of 1864, while he was visiting his family in Clarksville, Arkansas, he was killed by bushwhackers while his horrified wife and children watched. Later, the family fled back to Illinois to the safety of his wife’s family.

Still another example is that of Stephen C. Sanders in Washington County in the northwest part of Arkansas. Stephen was the son of Nimrod Sanders of Montgomery County, North Carolina, and most likely a second cousin of Isaac in Montgomery County. Two of Stephen’s sons fought for the Confederacy, but according to his descendant Sam Sanders, Stephen said after the war, “I remained a Union man. I never got rebellish at all.” This was in spite of the fact that two Confederate sympathizers once threatened to kill him, and soldiers from both sides raided his farm for supplies.

Farther South, in Van Zandt County, Texas, lived another cousin of Isaac, Levi Lindsey Sanders who had moved to Texas from Jackson County, Alabama in the 1850s. Of Levi’s convictions, there was no equivocation, for he was firmly on the Confederate side. When the war began, he joined the 6th Texas Regiment, Ross’ brigade, Army of Tennessee, served as a brigade blacksmith throughout most of the war, and returned to his family in Texas in 1865. Later, in 1870, Isaac’s son, Jesse, who had served briefly in the Union army, would move to neighboring Henderson County, and Isaac and Jesse would remain good friends for the rest of their lives.

I have, of course, a mentioned only a few of the members of my Sanders line who served either side during the Civil War. No doubt there are many other interesting stories to be uncovered, some buried in archives and official documents, others existing only as fragments of nearly lost family tradition.

The following Web site gives further information about Arkansas in the Civil War: http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/

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*[Note, June 2007] Here is another version of how Uncle Joe Sanders was killed. This one comes from Bob Dean, a descendant of Rebecca Sanders and William Cornelison. He sent me an email in 2007 with information he received from an elderly Sanders descendant who lives on the property where Joseph Sanders was murdered in 1863. I have altered the sentence structure somewhat to summarize the story:

“Mud Creek is located north of Scottsboro, and there is a cave there, the one that we have always known as Blowing Cave. Joseph Sanders patented 80 acres of land in 1831 that contained this cave. I will tell you the story told [to] me as close as I can remember it. It is not exactly like the story that we have heard before but close.”

Bob’s informant (John T. Dolberry, 1919-2013) talked about listening to his grandmother talk about the murder many times when he was a child. She was the daughter of John Sanders, Joseph's nephew. He pointed to the cove behind the house and said they hanged Joseph “back in the cove at the foot of the mountain on a big mulberry tree.It had a big limb that ran out and then turned up. His grandmother said that was the limb that they hung Joseph on. He was hanged by southerners who thought he was giving help to the Yankees. There were three of the rebels, one a neighbor by the name of Barbee. After killing him they left with a horse they were using as a pack mule to carry, I suppose, the things that they had taken. After they killed Joseph, they left, leading their horse. That evening, not long after the rebels left, a group of Yankees came down out of the mountain and went after the rebels. They caught up with them near the foot of the mountain close to the old Moody Brick. The Yankees killed the horse and made the men dig a grave for it. When the grave was dug, they killed the men, put them in the hole and rolled the horse in on top of them. This could be the story of putting Joseph in the grave with the horse on top of him and the horse with its legs sticking up.”

“They [Joseph’s family] buried Uncle Joe and there were four cedar posts put at the corners of his grave. These were moved after somebody in Texas had the marker put in. [This grave marker was erected in the 1990s.-gs]. The mulberry tree was there for a long time; it had a limb that stuck out and turned up.That was the limb upon which they hanged Uncle Joe.”

Mr. Dolberry said that “his [great] grandmother sat over there with the body until someone came to help get him to the house. So, apparently he was not killed where he was buried. But the fact that he was buried there would seem to indicate that he lived there.”

Bob concludes “It may be as close to eyewitness information as we can get even though his information did not come directly from someone that was there. It did come in a direct line from someone that was a witness to the events. I'm sure that the story is not without flaws, mistakes, and bad memory but may be as close to the truth as we'll ever get.” (For further information on Uncle Joe's life, see my article on his life at this Web page)

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Sanders and Slaves

Reprinted from Sanders Siftings, No. 50, July 2007, p. 5.

An e-mail message from another researcher prompted me to take another look at the 1850 slave schedules for the counties in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi where my ancestors lived. Although I have spent quite a lot of time researching my Sanders family, I haven’t really given much thought to the opinions of my ancestors regarding this central question in American history. My grandfather and great grandfather, neither of whom owned slaves, first served in the Confederate forces in Arkansas during the Civil War, and then, when the Federals invaded the state, switched sides and joined the Union cavalry. I have almost no information or tradition about their reasons for this change of loyalty.

Others in the Sanders family were less ambivalent about the outcome. My great uncle Aaron fought for the Confederacy throughout the war. Back in Jackson County, Alabama, where many of my relatives lived, there was strong opposition to secession and my great granduncle John fled the state and fought for the Union in an Ohio Regiment throughout the war. His uncle, Joseph Sanders, was murdered in 1863 while he was working on his farm, apparently as revenge because Joseph's sons were in the Union Army.

The 1850 slave schedules reveal a lot about the economic status of the Sanders family, if not about their convictions regarding slavery. In Randolph County, North Carolina, where my great grandfather was born, not a single Sanders owned slaves. Randolph County had a sizable contingent of Quakers who may have contributed to a less favorable attitude toward slavery. In neighboring Montgomery County, North Carolina, Aaron H. Sanders (second cousin of my great grandfather), owed sixteen slaves and Pleasant C. Sanders (Aaron's brother) owned three.

In Franklin County, Georgia, Aaron Sanders, the son of the Reverend Moses Sanders and first cousin to my g-g grandfather, owed 18 slaves, and Minyard Sanders, a grandson of the Reverend Moses, owned 14 slaves in 1850. The Reverend Moses himself owned slaves; this is known because they are mentioned in his will in 1817.

In Jackson County, Alabama, in 1850, only one Sanders owned slaves: George Sanders, the brother of my g-g grandmother, Mary. His three slaves were a forty year old man, a thirty year old woman, and a four year old child. Even though only one of the numerous Sanders in the county owned slaves, there were still over 2200 slaves living in Jackson County in 1850 out of a total population of around 11,000.

In Tishomingo County, Mississippi, where my great grandfather Isaac Sanders and his first cousin once removed, John Sanders, lived in 1850, no Sanders owned slaves. Nor did they own any in 1860. John Sanders himself owned only real estate worth $600, which would rank him as a prosperous farmer, but certainly not a man of great wealth. He probably thought of himself, however, as of somewhat higher social status than his neighbors because his father (the Reverend Moses Sanders) had been a wealthy planter and a slave owner and a minister.

To get some idea of what it meant to own slaves in those days, a slave would bring one to two thousand dollars in the marketplace. Although strong young male field hands were the first choice when slaves were sold for their labor, good looking young women often fetched the highest price, especially in cities like News Orleans-- sometimes up to several thousand dollars. Slaves were not a cheap investment. A dollar a day was considered good wages for a free worker, and a middle-class, modest frame house could be constructed for around $500.

Of all the Sanders in my line, Aaron Sanders of Georgia, is the one who comes close to being a major planter, but he had fewer than 20 slaves, which would be the minimum needed to be considered among the elite of society. If the Sanders in my line didn't own many slaves, however, it was probably because they were not, on the whole, a wealthy bunch. Certain individuals within the family might acquire lands and wealth and even keep it for several generations, but they always had plenty of "poor relations." I’m not sure any moral objection to the institution had much to do with the situation.

Undoubtedly, however, there were white Southerners named Sanders who were major planters. It’s interesting to note that among the around three hundred and fifty thousand slave owners in the American South in 1850, there were about 7,000 whose surname was Sanders. It’s been estimated that a quarter of all the white families in the South owned at least one slave, though ownership varied greatly from area to area and state to state.

The recent movie “Amazing Grace” makes the point that moral choices are difficult to establish in the presence of countervailing economic and cultural influences. Although I find slavery abhorrent, I understand how my ancestors may have viewed matters through the constraints of their own culture and time. Fortunately, we live in a society that recognizes that slavery was wrong, but, sadly, the institution itself has a history far older than America and still persists in some cultures today. It is well to remember that if we go far enough back in time with our genealogy, we all have both slaves and masters among our ancestors.

(article written spring 2007)

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Isaac Sanders of Leake County, Mississippi,
or the story of how a ninety-five year old Revolutionary War veteran married a twenty-five year old

During the middle of the winter of 1843-1844, readers of the Jefferson Democrat of Macon, Mississippi, were probably startled to read the following wedding announcement:

"Married in Leake Co. by S.S. Pender, Esq.; Dec. 29, 1843; Isaac Sanders, Revolutionary soldier, aged 95, to Miss Mary Eerson, aged 23 years.”

News of the event reached the state capital as well, and the The Southron , a periodical published in the city of Jackson, provided a similar account of the event: "Married in Leake Co. on the 29th of December last by S.S. Pender, esq.: Mr. Isaac Sanders to Miss Nancy Ellison, the former a Revolutionary soldier, 95 years old, the latter 25 years old, all of Leake Co.” If people who lived contemporaneously to the event were puzzled, subsequent researchers have had an even more difficult time making sense of the mysterious marriage of Isaac Sanders and Nancy Ellison, who at that time already had a four year old child by her first husband. Did they really marry? Was Isaac really ninety-five years old? Were the three Sanders children living with Nancy in 1850 children of an improbable union between a man in his late nineties and a woman in her late twenties?

A few researchers have identified this Isaac of Leake County, Mississippi, with Isaac, brother of Aaron Sanders and the Reverend Moses Sanders, but Isaac of Leake is obviously a younger man than the Isaac who died in Randolph County. Isaac of Randolph had a son who was born in 1760. Even if the newspaper account of his age is correct, Isaac of Leake could not have been old enough to father a child in that year. Neverthless, there are indications that Isaac of Leake may have been related to the Reverend Moses Sanders. Isaac of Leake is believed to be the father of two twins named Aaron and Moses who were born in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1813. Obadiah Hooper, the son-in-law of the Reverend Moses Sanders, was in Bedford County at about the same time. Further, when Isaac was living in Pickens County, Alabama, Obadiah Hooper appears to have been a neighbor.

We do not know where Isaac of Leake was born but Virginia or North Carolina are the most likely possibilities. The year of his birth is also unknown, and the newspaper account of his age appears to be exaggerated. In a society without birth certificates or other documentary evidence of birth, anyone who reaches the age of eighty is probably going to lose track of his exact year of birth. Just as young adults often shave years off their age, very old adults often add years.

The 1840 Leake County census gives Isaac’s as 70-80, and he is listed on the 1830 census as 60-70. That would make his birth year between 1760 and 1770. If he was born in 1760, he would have been 83 in 1843, and though it’s unusual for an eighty-three year old man to father a child, it’s not quite as improbable as a ninety-five year old man doing so. Of course, he may have been as young as 73 in 1843, but he was probably in his late seventies or early eighties but most likely not ninety-five years old. If he was born in 1762 or 1763, it’s still possible for him to have served in the Revolutionary War. If he was born between 1760 and 1770, rather than in an earlier decade, it’s possible that he is a son of the older Isaac of Randolph County and therefore a nephew of the Reverend Moses Sanders. This is just a possibility, of course, and we have no real evidence to confirm or refute it at the present time.

If we accept the proposition that the marriage in Leake County in 1843 really took place and was not a marriage of convenience arranged for reasons that are lost in obscurity, we encounter a further difficult in determining whether Isaac was the father of the three Sanders children who were born in 1844, 1846, and 1848. By the time of the 1850 census, Isaac's widow Nancy has moved to Jackson Parish, Louisiana, and she appears in the household of David Stapleton. Most researchers think that David was most likely a brother or uncle rather than her husband.

In the household are the following children: Mary Jane Ellison, age 11, presumed to be the child of Nancy and her first husband, the unknown Mr. Ellison; Ellender Sanders, age 6; Shorlotter Sanders, age 4; and Greenbury Sanders, age 2. According to researcher Joyce Hervey, only Mary Jane Ellison and Ellender Sanders are remembered by their descendants as having been children of Nancy.

Nancy was still living at the time of the 1900 Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, census and it states that she was the mother of eight children, of whom two have died. Nancy is also believed to have had six children by a relationship that began in 1853 with John M. Crowell who was already married to another woman, also named Nancy. John M. Crowell was the son of Peter Crowell and Sarah Sanders, who was a daughter of Isaac of Leake, the Revolutionary War veteran. (Therefore, his wife Nancy Ellison was his former step-grandmother!) If we add those six children of Nancy and John Crowell to the three Sanders children living with Nancy at the time of the 1850 census and then add Mary Jane, the child by the unknown Mr. Ellison, we have ten children in all, not eight.

I’m not sure how to reconcile this difficulty, but one possibility is that Shorlotter and Greenbury Sanders, who are living with Nancy and David Stapleton in 1850, are not Nancy’s children but perhaps Sanders relatives who are living in her household. They may be children of Aaron Sanders, Nancy’s stepson, the son of Isaac of Leake. Greenbury is living with Aaron, not Nancy, at the time of the 1860 census. Shorloter is living with her uncle Moses Sanders in 1860. If Shorlotter and Greenbury are not Nancy’s children, they we are left with Ellender as the only child of the May-December match between the Revolutionary War veteran and the twenty-five year old. Some evidence, but not all, indicates that Ellender was born in August 1844, almost exactly nine months after the wedding.

Several researchers have provided information that contributed to this article. Joyce Hervey’s well-researched book Just Folk: the Crowell Family is available at her Web site and Ed Tatum has sent me much welcome information by e-mail. Gretta Saunders was one of the first to suggest a connection between the Randolph and Montgomery line and the Isaac Sanders of Leake County.

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Isaac Sanders of Leake County, Mississippi--Revisited

In the five years since my first article on Isaac Sanders of Leake County, Mississippi, I encountered virtually no new information through e-mail contacts with other researchers or through independent research until a Y-DNA test in the spring of 2012 compelled me to take a fresh look at the evidence regarding Isaac and his children. This DNA test revealed that the male descendants of George W. Sanders (1785-1853) of nearby Winston County are a match to my Sanders line of Randolph and Montgomery. This opens a promising clue because some researchers have speculated that Isaac was the father of George, and I had mentioned in my earlier article the possibility that Isaac himself may have been connected to my own line.

Therefore, I believe it will be useful to summarize my current information on Isaac’s biography and the possible identity of his children. Much of my initial information comes from the research of Ed Tatum.

According to the census records of 1830 and 1840, Isaac was born between 1760 and 1770. The 1880 census record of his son Aaron Sanders (1813-1881), suggests that Isaac was born in Virginia. According to an 1843 newspaper article regarding Isaac’s marriage to the 25 year old Nancy Stapleton Ellison, Isaac was a Revolutionary War veteran. If so, Isaac must have been born in the early 1760s, perhaps about 1763 (making him about twenty years old at the end of the war in 1783). The newspaper article gives his age as 95, which would yield a birth year 1748, but the two census records are probably a better guide to his age. He was certainly old in 1843 but probably not ninety-five years old.

If the children attributed to him are actually his, we know from their state of birth that Isaac appears to have lived in Virginia in his youth. He may have been a resident of North Carolina for a while, but was in South Carolina in the 1790s; in Georgia, in the first decade of the 1800s; in Tennessee (probably Bedford County), about 1813; in Clarke County, Alabama about 1818-1820; and in Pickens County, Alabama, by 1824. In Pickens, he appears to have been a neighbor to Obadiah Hooper who married Sarah Sanders, daughter of the Reverend Moses Sanders. He bought land in 1824, 1828, and 1834 in Pickens County. In the late 1830s, Isaac moved to Leake County, Mississippi, where he appears on the 1840 census.

Isaac Sanders of Leake County may be the same person as the Isaac Sanders who appears on the 1803 poll tax list of Franklin County, Georgia, with Francis Sanders, Moses Sanders, Sr., Moses Sanders, Jr., Aaron Sanders, and David Sanders. These are all members of the Sanders line of Randolph/Montgomery. He does not appear in subsequent Franklin County records and he may have left Georgia for Tennessee at about the same time that David Sanders, son of the Reverend Moses Sanders, moved to Bedford County, Tennessee about 1810.

Isaac Sanders died between 1844 and 1850. If he is really the father of the children living with his widowed wife in 1850 (their names were Ellender, Sharlotter, and Greenbury), then he survived at least until 1848 when Greenbury was born.

The children of Isaac are not referenced as such in any known document, but I agree with Ed Tatum that we can compile a list of his possible or probable children, based on “based on the land records, census proximity, and the fact that they all went to the same general part of Mississippi and Alabama.” Since these people were all born over a thirty year period, they may have been born to different mothers, and some of them may have been cousins or other relatives rather than relatives of Isaac.

Possible children of Isaac Sanders (about 1763-about 1848) of Leake County, Mississippi

1. George Washington Sanders is one of four additions I have made to Ed Tatum’s list. According to the 1850 census, George W. Sanders was born in 1785 in Virginia. If he is really the son of Isaac, it is more likely he was born in North or South Carolina than Virginia, as Isaac was probably in one of those states by the year of George’s birth. G.W. Sanders lived in Pickens County, Alabama, in the 1830s and bought land there in 1834 and 1839. In February 1841, he and Sylvester Pearl bought land in Winston County, Mississippi, which adjoins Leake County. Isaac Sanders had moved from Pickens County, Alabama, to Leake County in the late 1830s. A Y-DNA test in the spring of 2012 established that George W. Sanders belongs to the Sanders or Randolph and Montgomery group, but we have no documentation that establishes a paper trail connection between G.W. Sanders and Isaac other than their pattern of migration, and even that is not consistent. It appears George W. was in South Carolina and Georgia until he moved to Pickens County in the 1830s, whereas Isaac was in Alabama much earlier. The evidence is therefore somewhat dubious on whether George W. Sanders should be regarded as a child of Isaac.

2. Isham Sanders was born between 1790-1795 in North or South Carolina. He bought land in Pickens County in 1824, 1832, and 1834, and he appears on the 1830 Pickens County census. Living in the household was a woman who was about the same age as Isham (presumably his wife), five girls under twenty years old and three boys under twenty. The 1841 Mississippi state census shows an Isam or Isom Sanders living in Attala County, Mississippi. Federal land records show that Isham Sanders bought land in Neshoba County (near Leake and Winston) in February 1841.

3. Travis Sanders is the second addition I made to Ed Tatum's list. Travis was born about 1795 in South Carolina. On April 8, 1819, he married Kesiah Gates in Lawrence County, Mississippi. The main reason to include him as one of Isaac's sons is that his pattern of migration was similar to the other sons; in 1850 he was in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. He died in 1875 in Winn Parish, Louisiana.

4. Peter Sanders is the third addition I have made to Ed Tatum's list. Peter was born about 1796 in North Carolina according to the 1850 and 1860 census. If he was really the son of Isaac, it is more likely he was born in South Carolina or Georgia. Peter bought land in 1835 in Pickens County, Alabama. A Peter Sanders had earlier bought land in 1823 in Tuscaloosa County. Peter moved to Winston about 1847 or 1848 and he appears on the 1850 and 1860 census. I have been unable to trace him after 1860. He is believed to be the father of Henderson H. Sanders who remained in Pickens County. Henderson named one of his sons George W. Sanders, presumably after his uncle. Another son of Peter, James J. Sanders, married Nancy Moody in 1854 in Winston County. It appears this marriage was terminated by 1870 because James does not appear in the household in 1870 with Nancy and their children. In the early 1870s, Nancy married Andrew Jackson Sanders, a son of George W. Sanders of Winston County. Therefore, the evidence seems to indicate that Peter Sanders and George W. Sanders were closely related, but there is no direct evidence that connects Peter or George to Isaac.

5. Isaac Sanders, Jr., was born about 1798 in South Carolina or Georgia. If we assume that Isaac, Sr., followed the residency of the Reverend Moses Sanders, the younger Isaac was probably born in Laurens County, South Carolina, or in Franklin County, Georgia. The younger Isaac married Mary Miles January 14, 1818 in Clarke County, Alabama. Mary Miles was apparently the widow of a man named Miles and her maiden name is unknown. Ed Tatum believes that Mary was the mother of Osmus Miles: “My Osmus witnessed a couple of deeds for Moses Sanders and Sarah Sanders Crowell for land in Pickens, filed in Leake MS.” Moses and Sarah are believed to have been children of Isaac, Sr. If Ed is correct, Osmus was probably their step-brother. Family tradition records that Osmus died of a tragic accident or possible murder in 1839. The younger Isaac was living in Winston County, Mississippi in 1850 but his wife’s name in that year was Margaret instead of Mary. In 1860 he and Margaret are living in Leake County. It is possible and even likely that Mary Miles and the same person and that her name was actually Mary Margaret Sanders. Isaac made his will on December 24, 1862 and does not mention having had any wife except Margaret.

6. Sarah Sanders was born about 1800 in South Carolina or Georgia (like her borther Isaac, Jr., probably Laurens or Franklin counties). She married Peter Crowell July 2, 1818 in Clarke County, Alabama. No other record of Peter Crowell has been found, and it is assumed he died in Alabama or Mississippi between 1826 and 1840. Sarah appears on the 1840 census of Leake County, Mississippi enumerated near her father, Isaac. Her three sons are in her household, but there is also a family tradition of a daughter who died at an early age. Sarah died about 1848 in Leake County. One of Sarah’s sons, John M. Crowell, would later move to Jackson Parish, Louisiana, along with other descendants of Isaac, Sr. He married a woman named Nancy (probably Nancy Musebeck) and had numerous children by her, but he also had an affair with and had six children by his step-grandmother, Nancy Stapleton Ellison Sanders, the young widow of Isaac, Sr.

7. Elizabeth Sanders was born between 1800-1810 in South Carolina or Georgia. She married Linville Gibbs, August 16, 1820 in Clarke County, Alabama. Their family appears on the 1830 Pickens County, Alabama, census. Linville bought land in 1834 in Pickens County. In 1840 this family appears on the De Soto County, Mississippi, census, but there is also a record that Linville bought land in 1841 in Winston County. By 1850, the family had also moved to Jackson Parish, Louisiana. In 1860 they are in Trinity County, Texas.

8. Reuben Marion Sanders was born about 1806 in Georgia (probably in Franklin County). He appears on the 1830 Pickens County, Alabama, census. In 1841 he bought land in Leake and Winston counties in Mississippi. According to family tradition, his wife’s name was Bathsheba Hester. By 1850, they were living in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. Reuben died about 1876 in Winn Parish, Louisiana. Reuben is buried in the same cemetery with his brother Moses and Aaron.

9. Aaron Sanders was born February 8, 1813 in Tennessee (probably in Bedford County). He married Susan Susan Crossley, March 24,1834 in Lowndes County, Mississippi. In the 1840 census of Leake County, he is enumerated near his father, Isaac. In 1841 he bought land in both Leake, Winston, Noxubee, and Attala counties in Mississippi. By 1850 he and his family were living in Jackson Parish, Lousiana. He died in 1881 in Winn Parish, Louisiana.

10. Moses Sanders was Aaron’s twin brother. He and Sarah Crowell signed an affidavit in Pickens County, Alabama in 1834 that they were cultivating a 1/4 section of land and that they were in separate residences on the land. Sarah’s maiden name was listed as Sanders. In 1835 Sarah Crowell and Moses Sanders were issued a land grant for 159 acres. The record states they were from from Pickens, County AL.These records seem to confirm that Moses and Sarah were siblings and that Sarah's husband Peter Crowell was dead by 1835. According to family tradtion and a tombstone inscription, the wife of Moses was named Priscilla Sanford. Like many of his relatives, Moses was living in Winn Parish, Lousiana by, 1850.

11. Andrew Jackson Sanders is another addition to Ed Tatum's list. According to census records, he was born on January 11 in 1812, 1814, or 1815. The year on his tombstone is 1813, but if he is really the son of Isaac, that year could not be his birth year because Aaron and Moses were born in February 1813. Andrew Jackson married Frances Dyer in 1833 in Lowndes County, Mississippi, but by 1850 he was in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. Andrew Jackson Sanders died in Van Zandt County, Texas, in 1878. One of Andrew Jackson's descendants, Nancy Broumley, discovered a clue to Andrew Jackson Sanders' parentage in November 2013: "I had already figured that Aaron Sanders, and therefore Reuben and Moses, might be related because his land grant was right next to my Andrew's land grant in Jackson Parish. I have been going through the little newspaper, Palo Pinto Star in Palo Pinto, Texas. Andrew's granddaughter, who he helped raise after her parents died moved to Palo Pinto Co along with Asbury, Andrew's son. I have been going through the paper and found a lot of stuff on my family. It has been such a help. This weekend I found in the 8 Aug 1919 edition a one sentence statement: 'A. Sanders left yesterday to visit an uncle in Comanche county.' I back tracked to see who was in Comanche County and found that Greenbury Sanders died in Comanche county on 5 Aug 1919. So obviously Asbury wasn't going to visit but was attending a funeral of his uncle, Greenbury Sanders. So if Greenbury is Asbury's uncle, then Greenbury is a brother or one-half brother to my ggg-grandfather, Andrew Jackson Sanders." The Greenbury Sanders she mentioned is usually assumed to be the son of the elderly Isaac and his young second wife, Nancy Stapleton Ellison Sanders. Although we cannot be certain that Isaac was the father of Andrew Jackson and Greenbury, the probability is strong that these two were brothers, even though they were born about thirty years apart.

We do not know the name of the mother of the eleven preceding children, nor do we know if they all had the same mother. I have already discussed in a previous article the marriage in 1843 of the senior Isaac to the twenty-five year old Nancy Stapleton Ellison, and anyone who would like further detail is referred to that article. In the 1850 census of Jackson Parish, Louisiana, there are three young Sanders children living in the household of Nancy Stapleton Ellison Sanders and one daughter, Mary Jane Ellison, age eleven, who is believed to be the daughter of Nancy and her first husband. Based on the record of Nancy’s marriage to Isaac in 1843, our initial assumption would be that these three Sanders children were fathered by Isaac, but considering Isaac’s extreme age and the fact that Nancy later had children by a man to whom she was not married, the obvious assumption about the parentage of the children may be wrong. Still, the fact that Andrew Jackson Sanders was considered the brother of Greenbury(discussed in the previous paragraph) points to Isaac as the father.

12. Ellen or Ellender Sanders was born August 15, 1844, about eight months after the marriage of Isaac and Nancy. She was apparently raised by Nancy. She appears in the household of John M Crowell in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in 1860. The Crowells are living next door to Nancy Stapleton. Ellen later assumed the last name of Crowell and had several children of her own. Her tombstone has the inscription "w/o John," and at least two of her children's death certificates give "John" as the name of their father, but I have been unable to find any record of this John Crowell. The 1880 census lists Ellen as single, and she is enumerated as a widow in 1900. She died in 1930. Her descendants remember Ellender and Mary Jane Ellison as daughters of Nancy Stapleton. They have no family tradition or memories concerning the other two children (Sharlotter and Greenbury Sanders) who were living with Nancy in 1850. Nancy Ellison Sanders Crowell stated on the 1900 census that she was the mother of eight children. If this is correct, then Ellen may have been the only child of Nancy and the elderly Isaac, and Sharlotter and Greenbury may have been Sanders relatives who were living with Nancy in 1850. Still, if Greenbury was Isaac's son, as seems likely from the information we have about Andrew Jackson Sanders, then Charlotte must have been Isaac's daughter, too.

13. Sharlotter(Charlotte?) Sanders was born about 1846. She is living with her mother Nancy in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in 1850. In 1860 she is living with her uncle Moses Sanders in Winn Parish. Some researchers assume the child in 1860 is Moses' child but the age of the child in 1860 matches the Sharlotter living with Nancy in 1850 and she is listed our of order in 1860, after all of Moses own children.

14. Greenbury Sanders was born about 1848 and is the only male child living with Nancy Stapleton in 1850. In 1860, he is living with Aaron Sanders, his presumed uncle, in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. Because Greenbury Sanders is listed out of age order with the other children in 1860, it appears unlikely he was Aaron’s child. He moved to Texas and, as previously mentioned, died in Comanche County in 1919.

Because Isaac lived a long time and the census records show numerous people living in his household, it is very possible that he had children other than those in my list, and it is also possible that some of those I listed may not be his children at all. A Y-DNA test on a male Sanders descendant of the twin children Moses and Aaron would be helpful, and conventional paper research may eventually provide confirmation on the paternity of some of the reputed children of Isaac. Until then, the situation is similar to what it was several years ago: we can speculate on reasonable possibilities as children of Isaac, but the answer to whether Isaac belongs to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery group or another Sanders line is still elusive.

Written May 15, 2012, revised November 20, 2013.

Additional material written September 2016, February 2017:

We now have a Y-DNA match of a descendant of Aaron Sanders of Winn County, Louisiana (son of Isaac of Leake) to the Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery. Two descendants of George W. Sanders of Winston County, Mississippi, have their closest Y-DNA match with the the descendant of Aaron Sanders of Winn County, Mississippi. This bolsters the theory that Isaac of Leake was the father of George W. Sanders and of Moses and Aaron of Winn County, Mississippi. A tentative theory is that Isaac of Leake may be a son of the older Isaac who was the brother of the Reverend Moses. This would explain why Isaac of Leake appears to have been in Franklin County, Georgia, and why he had some connection to Obadiah Hooper who married the Reverend Moses Sanders' daughter. Or Isaac of Leake could have been a cousin to the Reverend Moses through some as yet unknown connection.

The descendant of Aaron recounted family tradition in an e-mail: "family lore says that six Sanders brothers migrated from Tennessee westward in the mid-1800's. The two that are my line, twins Aaron (1813-1881) and Moses Sanders (1813-1878) settled in north Louisiana. All my direct line from them have lived in Louisiana. Two other brothers were said to have settled in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The remaining two were said to have continued to Texas... when members of my direct line made a brief move to Comanche, Texas in the early 1900s before returning to Louisiana, they encountered a woman along the way that they relieved was a descendant of the two Sanders brothers that were said to have moved to Texas." Aside from the reference to Tangipahoa Parish, this seems to confirm that Reuben, Travis, Isaac, and Moses were the four brothers who remained in Louisiana. Greenbury, as earlier noted, died in Comanche County, Texas. His brother Andrew Jackson Sanders died in Van Zandt County, Texas. It would be easy to imagine a scenario in which the family group from Louisiana encountered the desendant of Andrew Jackson Sanders in Van Zandt County in East Texas on their way to Comanche County in West Texas, though we do not know if this is what actually happened.

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Thoughts on Sanders Family Genealogy Problems

Let’s say that you are a descendant of a Sanders family that lived in the southern United States and that you are new to genealogy but enthusiastic about tracing your relatives. Armed with lore passed along by your dear old aunt Trudy, who, though slightly daft, was nevertheless a veritable storehouse of family scandal and gossip, you set out on your quest for your g-g-g-g-g grandfather Shadrack Sanders who lived in Bumpass County, North Carolina. Surely, you may think, a name as unusual and quaint as “Shadrack” will be easy to trace. Almost immediately, you make an exciting find: an individual named John Sanders, who lived in Plantation County, Virginia, left a will leaving his feather bed, his favorite mule, and two whiffletrees to a son named “Shadrack.” Aha, you say, this must be my Shadrack. O.K., so it’s another state, but how many individuals named Shadrack Sanders could there have been at that time?

With the many family tree programs available nowadays, it’s easy to load all your family tree information on your computer and even easier to send it along the way to your friendly family tree company that, for the right price, will sell or give all your information to millions of innocent seekers of long and distinguished lineages. The result is that soon ten or twenty other people have copied your file, with all the documentation about Shadrack Sanders being the son of the aforementioned John Sanders. And soon there will be others, new to genealogy, who see the many references to Shadrack being the son of John, and many of them will assume that there was either extensive documentation or family tradition proving the parentage, whereas in fact there was only a unwarranted assumption that a will made in one state refers to someone who lived in another state.

Let’s assume, also, that a couple of years later, you hear from someone who claims that a Shadrack Sanders who lived and died in Hoboken, New Jersey was the son of John Sanders of Plantation, County, Virginia. Further, she has evidence from a newspaper obituary confirming the identity of the New Jersey Shadrack. Your thesis, while somewhat plausible when first suggested, is now revealed as nearly beyond the realm of probability. What happens next? By that point, even if you want to correct old Shadrack’s parentage, it’s very difficult to do. And, unfortunately, many people will have invested so much time and effort into the concept of your Shadrack as the son of John that they are not inclined to abandon the idea and start all over.

So far, we have been dealing with people who inadvertently mislead others. One of the salient facts about genealogy is that there is no monitoring or enforcement procedure capable of correcting bad information. Contrary to popular opinion, the Mormon Church doesn’t check the accuracy of the genealogical information submitted by contributors and found at its Web site, and neither does RootsWeb nor Ancestry.com. The situation is like that of the Israelites described in the Bible during the time of the Book of Judges: everyone does what is right in his own eyes. The only barrier to the acceptance of genealogical information is the gullibility of researchers, and a quick glance at the family trees posted on the Internet shows that people are willing to be very gullible indeed. If you want to claim that you are descended from Montezuma in spite of the fact that your parents and all their ancestors lived in Switzerland before emigrated to the U.S., no one can haul you off to court to answer charges of genealogical misconduct. Post the theory on the Internet and someone, maybe lots of people, will accept it as true.

In most cases, of course, the misleading information is perpetuated unintentionally, but there are individuals who knowingly manufacture impressive lineages for themselves. They may not always make everything up out of whole cloth, but it is still easy to fudge the facts in convenient ways. Impressive documentation is not always convincing evidence if the documentation does not refer to the individuals being considered. When I first looked at my family tree on the Internet, I was astonished to discover that I was descended from a Sanders family that arrived in Virginia in the 1600s. Then I started to ask questions about the research and supporting documentation, and I was even more disturbed to find situations similar to the one I described above relating to the fictitious Shadrack Sanders.

For example, I found information on the Internet that one of my ancestors, Joseph Sanders, who died in North Carolina, was the son of John Sanders who died in Isle of Wight, Virginia. It’s true that a John Sanders of Isle of Wight left a will that mentioned a son Joseph; but no one had any proof whatsoever, so far as I can tell, that Joseph of Isle of Wight left Virginia and moved to another state. John and Joseph, of course, are very common names, and Sanders is a rather common name in the South. I also discovered that another researcher advanced a theory that Francis Sanders, a son of another John Sanders from Virginia, was the same person as Abraham Sanders who died in North Carolina in 1751. To all appearances, though, they were two different people, who lived in different states and even had different given names. This difficulty was resolved by a previous researcher who assumed that Francis was really named Francis Abraham, though there was no documentary evidence, such as a will or deed, that referred to an individual named Francis Abraham Sanders.

I don’t think my Sanders family is alone in possessing dubious research. Most people who have colonial Southern ancestors will have a great deal of difficulty separating truth from fiction in any genealogical research that deals with the period before American independence. Many courthouse records have been lost, the Southern states were notoriously poor at keeping records, and pioneer families were often illiterate and moved frequently. Family tradition and the census records may get one back through the nineteenth century, but unless one had well-known ancestors, it’s prudent to be wary of claims about ancestry prior to around 1800.

I would like to clear up a possible misunderstanding about my argument here. Though one should always strive to find the genealogical truth, that truth may be elusive. One may have an absolutely impeccable paper trail back to an ancestor in the 1600s, but one may still not be a descendant of that person. It’s always possible that infidelity or adoption existed in one given generation, and then one’s paper trail is worthless. There are many other similar constraints that arise when doing research. Genealogical investigation is not the same as proving something in a court of law, though the procedure may be similar in certain respects. An excellent explanation of the nature of genealogical proof can be found at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bbunce77/PrimaryVSecondary.html

As for my own research, I make no claims that it is beyond reproach, nor do I have any unusual expertise in genealogical research. I am merely an amateur family historian, and my work contains inevitable errors and inaccuracies, like all genealogical research. I know that I, like many other researchers, have posted material on the Internet that I believed true at the time but that later was proven untenable by subsequent evidence. Everyone who does genealogical research faces the problem that no one has the time, money, or inclination to verify everything we would like to verify. There are thousands of names in my file and much of my information was obtained from the World Wide Web and is based on the research of other researchers. Nevertheless, every individual in my file was entered by hand directly by me; I believe the merging of GEDCOMS tends to make people careless, and though I have relied on the efforts of others for most of my collateral lines, I have tried, whenever possible, to do my own research on my direct lines. When I am not sure about lineages or where documentation supports more than one interpretation, I try to offer an honest evaluation of the competing evidence and make a judgment accordingly to the facts as I see them. I always welcome any corrections or updates that are sent to me. A file as large as mine would not be possible without the many people who have generously shared information and have helped me with suggestions and comments. After all, genealogy not shared is worthless.

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Origins of the Sanders Surname

The surname Sanders or Saunders developed from the common given name, Alexander, originally Greek but adopted in some form by most of the languages of Europe and the Middle East. The name means "helper of mankind." The name "Alexander" or its many variations spread throughout most of the world as a result of the fame of Alexander the Great who died in 323 B.C. His empire stretched from Greece to India and even today the variation "Iskander" can be found as a surname in Persia or India. In Europe, Sanders or Saunders occurs in Germany, Holland, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and many other countries. Since nearly all surnames often have multiple origins, there may very well have been a small number of occasions in which the name Sanders came from a source other than the given name Alexander, such as from someone living near a sand hill or having sandy hair. Alexander was often abbreviated to xander, zander or sandy and eventually to Sanders or Saunders, which people chose based on their pronunciation or spelling preferences. My ancestors in the nineteenth century American South often were enumerated on one census as Sanders and on previous and subsequent census records as Saunders.

It should therefore be noted that Sanders and Saunders are variations on the same surname, unlike, for example, Smith and Taylor, which derive from different occupations. How the name is spelled is a matter of personal preference and/or pronunciation. Therefore, it is usually of little consequence to genealogical researchers whether one’s ancestor is listed in a record as Sanders or Saunders.

The given name "Alexander" was especially popular in Scotland because of a series of able kings of that name in the Middle Ages. Oddly enough, there was never a clan in Scotland named Sanders, equivalent to the Campbells or McDonalds, though some say the Sanders were a sept of the McDonalds. (Alistair is another variation on Alexander.)

Nevertheless, because many lowland Scots (not, however, the Highland Scots) were named Sanders or Saunders, the English in the early 18th century came to use the word "Sandie" or "Sawney" as a contemptuous reference to a Scotsman. This feeling was expressed in Dr. Samuel Johnson's statement that oats are a grain fed to horses in England but eaten in Scotland by people. By the Victorian period, because of changing attitudes toward Scottish culture in England and a new appreciation of Scottish culture, the use of "Sawney" as a pejorative term in England was dying out and is virtually unknown today.

The surname Sanders or Saunders is far more common in the southern United States today than in the North. This probably reflects the Scots-Irish and Celtic heritage of the southern states. The surname Sanders, by itself, does not give an indication of one's heritage or national origin. Still there seems no doubt that the great majority of Americans with the surname of Sanders or Saunders probably have ancestors from the British Isles.

January, 2013

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Standards For Sound Genealogical Research
Recommended by the National Genealogical Society

Remembering always that they are engaged in a quest for truth, family history researchers consistently—

record the source for each item of information they collect.

test every hypothesis or theory against credible evidence, and reject those that are not supported by the evidence.

seek original records, or reproduced images of them when there is reasonable assurance they have not been altered, as the basis for their research conclusions.

use compilations, communications and published works, whether paper or electronic, primarily for their value as guides to locating the original records, or as contributions to the critical analysis of the evidence discussed in them.

state something as a fact only when it is supported by convincing evidence, and identify the evidence when communicating the fact to others.

limit with words like "probable" or "possible" any statement that is based on less than convincing evidence, and state the reasons for concluding that it is probable or possible.

avoid misleading other researchers by either intentionally or carelessly distributing or publishing inaccurate information

state carefully and honestly the results of their own research, and acknowledge all use of other researchers’ work.

recognize the collegial nature of genealogical research by making their work available to others through publication, or by placing copies in appropriate libraries or repositories, and by welcoming critical comment.

consider with open minds new evidence or the comments of others on their work and the conclusions they have reached.

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Copyright and Genealogy

There are many Web sites that provide extensive information about copyright law, but a good place to begin is the information provided by the Association of Professional Genealogists.

There are many myths about copyright and also a great deal of honest confusion. I don’t intend to try to provide an exhaustive study nor do I claim any special expertise in the area, but for what they are worth, these are my comments:

Copyright pertains only to descriptive narration, arrangement, and organization that is an original expression of the author, together with any accompanying graphics, charts, or arrangement of elements.

It does not apply to facts, dates, titles, ideas, or even to discoveries.

I don’t think this should be especially difficult to understand if we approach it as a matter of honesty and not as a matter of law. The law may be confusing but honesty is not.

If I write several sentences and string them together in a narrative, such as a paragraph, anyone who takes those sentences and uses them as his own work is stealing the work of others. Even aside from the ethical standpoint, stolen research is a dubious proposition.

Another “researcher” once sent me a large file, filled with notes about his ancestors. On first glance the research seemed impressive, but then I noticed that he had merely copied word-for-word the notes of others. Many of the notes were contradictory and because there was no attribution of the source, there was no way to judge the quality.

In one case, his notes had a sentence that read “my grandfather said” and some words that were quoted after that with the implication was that he was talking about his grandfather, but the words made no sense in reference to his grandfather. Actually, I had written those notes and I knew the words referred to my grandfather. Apparently, this person has forgotten that he had taken the notes from my work.

Copyright law provides for what is called “fair use,” which I think is an apt term. If we use the sentences and paragraphs, charts, or designs of others in our work, we should give credit and not claim these as our own. Either put quotation marks around the material and state your source or arrange your own sentences and narration so that your work will be an expression of your creativity and not that of someone else.

Fair use goes along with common sense. The restrictions that law and ethics place on using the research of others are not very burdensome, and it is not a matter of ethics or law to give credit to the source of where you found every single date, fact, or event. However, it may be advisable to do so because it will help you at a latter point when you may want to remember the source for your information.

Many of us who have spent years working out our ancestral tree feel a proprietary right to the fruits of our labor, but no one “owns” the genealogy of our ancestors or even of our living relatives. Everyone has as much right to investigate, ascribe dates, and write biographies of my relatives as I do. Here again, however, genealogical protocol asks us to be mindful of the interests of others, especially in regard to sensitive or personal information about living relatives.

I have tried to give proper attribution to the source of material on this Web site, but if anyone whom I have used as a source feels that I did not provide sufficient credit, please let me know, and I will add the missing credit.

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Mr. Sanders

Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of Sanders. "What does 'under the name' mean?" asked Christopher Robin. "It means he had the name over the door in gold letters, and lived under it."
--A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Who was the mysterious Sanders who lived in the house before Pooh? Probably one of Pooh's relatives, but since Pooh was more interested in the contents of honey jars than in genealogical documentation, we may never know for certain.

End Notes

All the material on these Web pages was written by Gary B. Sanders, except for original documents or quoted material attributed to other authors. If you see any of these original sentences, paragraphs, charts, articles, or narratives posted elsewhere on the Web or in print without credit being given to the author or a link back to this site, that material has been taken in violation of copyright from this site and used without the permission of the author. Dates and locations of birth and death and marriage, or course, are not copyrighted information and may be freely used by anyone, with or without attribution as to source.

Midi files on the site: "Sweet Afton," composed by Alexander Hume; "Bonnie Doon," traditional melody; "Ye Jacobites by Name," traditional melody; lyrics to all three tunes by Robert Burns. "Four Marys," traditional melody; "Tramps and Hawkers," traditional melody. All midi sequences by Barry Taylor, 1997. Used by permission of the copyright holders. Additional information at:
www.contemplator.com/tunebook/readme.htm

See Lesley Nelson-Burns' Web site of folk music of the British Isles and America, the music of our pioneer ancestors as they moved West:

Celtic tree of life motif at the end of the Web page and other graphics and clip art are freeware from the collection of Cari Buziak: http://www.aon-celtic.com/

Sanders Coat of Arms

Our Sanders of Randolph and Montgomery were a border people, tradition ascribing their origin to England, Scotland, or Ireland. If any of our Sanders ancestors had a coat of arms, that design should have been reflective of the diverse geographical origins and pioneering spirit of the Sanders family, so click on the link above for my attempt at heraldic design, keeping in mind that all of this is kind of silly, at least for Americans.

This Web page was last updated December 11, 2023 by Gary B. Sanders.

Web page created October 2003,

Thanks for visiting.

Remember the past and our ancestors who lived before us---

What are those blue, remembered hills,
What farms, what spires, are those?
I see it shining plain, the happy highways where I went
--A. E. Housman

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Wm Aaron Saunders, 1735	Isaac Saunders, 1737	Moses Sanders, 1742	Tabitha Sanders, 1750	Francis Sanders, 1755
1. Stephen, 1770	1. Jacob, 1760	1. Aaron, 1769		1. Peter, 1780
2. Luke, 1772	2. Mary Katherine, 1764	2. Moses, 1771		2. Silas, 1785
3. Sallie, 1775	3. Benjamin, 1766	3. Sarah, 1773		3. Moses, 1795
4. Nimrod, 1780	4. Jesse, 1773	4. David, 1775		4. Francis, 1797
	5. Francis, 1782	5. Nancy, 1778
		6. Amos, 1781
		7. John, 1787

Rachel, 1779 spouse: Francis Sanders (son of Isaac Saunders)	Mary, 1782 spouse: Benjamin Sanders (son of Isaac Saunders)	George, 1784 spouse: Phebe Sanders (daughter of Jacob Saunders, son of Isaac)	John, 1785 spouse: Rachel Randon	Sarah, 1787 spouse: Peter Wall Rich	Phoebe, 1789 spouse: Jesse Sanders (son of Jacob Saunders, son of Isaac)	Joseph, 1793 spouse: Martha Saunders (possibly, a daughter of Benjamin ) Joseph's 2nd wife was Deborah Saunders, (a daughter of Jacob, son of Isaac)
Elijah, 1804	Benjamin 1804	Rebecca 1807		David 1809	Joseph 1807	William 1815
John Francis 1805	Rebecca 1806	Joseph 1808		Joseph 1811	Sarah 1809	Nancy 1818
Elisha 1814	Sarah 1808	Mary 1810		Martha 1815	Jacob 1813	Elizabeth 1821
Frances 1816	George 1812	J. Peter 1811		John 1817	George 1816	Benjamin 1823
Wm. Patrick 1819	Pheobe 1815	Benjamin F. 1813		Rebecca 1820	Rebecca 1820	Rachel 1825
Mary Jane 1823	Isaac 1817	Margaret 1815		George 1822	Mary 1821	George 1826
	John 1822	Sarah 1821		Moses 1823	Jesse 1824	Ailsey 1829
	Alfred 1827	Deborah 1823		Mary 1825		Martha 1830
		Anna 1825		Jesse 1827		Mary 1833
		Phebe 1827		Elias 1829		Joseph 1834
		Martha 1830		Isaac 1830		Henry (by 2nd wife) 1840
						Phebe Emaline (by 2nd wife) 1842
						John (by 2nd wife) 1845

Household:	Number of male children recorded on the census:
	Age: 0-5	Age:5-10	Age:10-15	Age:15-20	Age:20-30
1830-Francis		1 (John)	1 (Isaac)	1
1840-Francis					3
	Number of female children recorded on the census:
1830-Francis		1		1 (Phoebe)
1840-Francis
	Number of male children recorded on the census:
1830-Benjamin	2 (Mash)	1 (John)	1 (Isaac)	1
1840-Benjamin			3 (Mash)	2 (John)
	Number of female children recorded on the census:
1830-Benjamin		1		1 (Phoebe)
1840-Benjamin					1

Benjamin Saunders family in 1800 and 1810
	0-10	10-15	16-25	26-44	26-44
1800 Montgomery	Female#1 1791 Female#2 1793 Female#3 1795 Female#4 1797 Female#5 1799	William 1789		Ben 1766-1770	Wife1, born before 1774
1810 Randolph	Ben,Jr. 1804 Rebecca 1806 Female#7 1808 Female#8 1810	Female#4 1797 Female#5 1799	William 1789	Ben 1776-1770	Wife 2 Mary 1782

Francis Sanders Family in 1810 and 1820
	0-10	10-16	16-18	26-45
1810 Randolph	Female#1 1802 Elijah 1804 John Francis 1805 Male#1 1808 Female#2 1809			Francis 1782 Rachel 1779
1820 Rowan	Male#2 1811 Elisha 1814 Frances 1815 William Patrick 1819	John Francis 1805 Male#1 1808	Elijah 1804	Francis 1782 Rachel 1779

Sweet Afton	Like music while your browse? Five traditional Scottish tunes from the Barry Taylor songbook.	Bonnie Doon
Four Marys	Ye Jacobites By Name	Tramps & Hawkers

Francis Sanders family in 1830 and 1840
	5-10	10-15	15-20	20-30	40-50	60-70
1830 Jackson	Male#3 1820 MaryJane 1823	William Pat 1819	Elisha 1814 Frances 1815		Francis 1782	Rachel 1779
1840 Jackson				William Pat 1819 Male #3 1820 Male 1815

Name: Peter Sanders household	no. in 1830	Name of child and estimated age at the time of the 1830 census	Name of child and estimated age at the time of the 1840, Greene County, Arkansas census
Home, 1830: Lawrence County, Tennessee
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	1	William Overton (age 3)	William Overton ( age13)
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	3	Jacob (8), Lewis (9 or 10) Unknown son ( 6 or 7)	Jacob and Lewis not present, already married Unknown son(16 or 17)
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:	1	Peter Junior (12)	Peter Junior not present, already married
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59:	1	Peter Senior (51)	Peter Senior (61)
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	1	Unknown daughter (4)	Unknown daughter (14)
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:	1	Margaret Jane (6)	Margaret Jane, not present, already married
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:	1	Sarah Sally (13)	Sarah Sally, not present, already married
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19:	1	Catherine Louisa (16)	Catherine Louisa, not present, already married
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49:	1	Michel (49)	Michel (59)
Free White Persons - Under 20:	9
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	1
Total Free White Persons:	11