132. Noel Graves Christmas-198
Feb. 26, 1793, Franklin Co., N.C.; Gift Deed from William Christmas to Noel Graves Christmas, son of William's brother, Nathaniel Christmas, given to William by his father, John Christmas.Served in the War of 1812: Name: Noel Christmas
Company: MAJOR SMOOT'S BATTALION, MISSISSIPPI MIL.
Rank - Induction: PRIVATE
Rank - Discharge: PRIVATE
Roll Box: 39
Roll Exct: 602Noel married Martha Williams and she is found in the 1830 Census in Clark Co., AL as Martha Christmas. She later married a Pendelton. Noel born in 1780, died in 1826, Washington Co., MS Territory, Clark Co., AL. The death record mentions his wife, Martha; son Alex (Felix) G. and father-in-law Joseph Williams.
Clarke Co., AL, Records 1814-1885 by Marilyn D. Barefield: p. 80: Noel is listed as J.P. on several Deed of Conveyance in the Coffeeville, AL area. (p. 79-84)
p. 120: Joseph William & Martha Christmas are appointed administrators of estate of Noel G. Christmas. July 10, 1826.
p. 172: Report of Joseph Williams, guardian of Felix G. Christmas, minor heir of Noel G. Christmas. (p. 150)
p. 173: Division of Personal Estate of Noel G. Christmas to Mrs. Martha E. Christmas, now Mrs. Pendleton & Felix G. Christmas. Rec. Apr. 12, 1833. (p. 192)
Martha Christmas is listed in Clarke County AL, P. 245; Southern District Federal Population Schedule AL 1830 Federal Census Index AL558342386.
135. John Christmas McLemore-208
[WHT: The following paper was sent to my by Gayle Zent, and she maintains her copyright.]
This paper on John Christmas McLemore, his ancestors and descendants was given by Genie McLemore Johnson & Imogen Haynes McLemore to the West Tennessee Historical Society in May of 1994. The McLemore clan can be traced back to Argyle, Scotland. It was colonized by the Gales of Ireland. The first Earl of Argyle was Collen and future Earls were known as sons of Collen Mac Cailein Moore. Some of the students of McLemore history feel thisis where the name McLemore came from the Gaelic, Mac Cailein Moore" of Collen. However, also in Argyle was a clan called McCollum. And, there was another clan called Moore. Most of us feel that the clans of McCollum and Moore formed the MacCullmore.Spelled MacCullmore after they were put together. (Spelled McCollum and Moore individually.)I have a paper written by Donelson Walker McLemore (born in 1868) in his own handwriting, written for a history class, that says his great-grandfather came to this country from Scotland. He was a direct descendant from the Argyles, and when he came to this country he spelled his name MacCullmore. Just as did the MacCullmore clan spoken of in Walter Scott's works. In Argyle, Scotland are records of a William Macklemore and his wife Mary Atkins. He was 10 years older than she was, and we feel he died first. From the records in North Carolina we feel like two of their sons, James and Abraham, came to North Carolina before their mother died. In 1695 there is a patent record of a Mary McLemore coming to North Carolina. We feel like the sons sent for their mother after their father died and brought her to this country to live with them in North Carolina. Their eldest son was James. He lived in Birdie County, North Carolina. We have his will. He left two plantations. 100 acres of land to each son, cows and 300 acres to his wife, so we know he was a well-to-do landowner.
The second son Abraham, whose will was written in 1736, three years after his brother's will was written. He left 200 acres of upper plantation, a manor plantation, helped lay out Warren County, North Carolina, and became a wealthy landowner. We have records in 1778 that enters 500 and then 200 acres in Birdie County to Abraham. He was a commissioner in the county of Warrenton in 1779 and he had a gun factory then during the Revolutionary War.
The McLemore's are descendants of Abraham. Abraham married a Mary Young and they had three children: Atkins McLemore, Young McLemore and William McLemore. Atkins McLemore is the ancestor of John Christmas McLemore. Atkins married Sarah Jones who was a descendant of the Sugars family in North Carolina. They had nine children. Their second son was Nathaniel. Nathaniel is the ancestor of John Christmas McLemore. Atkins was also a very wealthy landowner having inherited from his father and also increasing his own ownership of land in North Carolina. He left 100 acres of land to his sons, farms to all that were still there in North Carolina, and 33 slaves. His son Atkins Jr. never married and stayed on the homestead and took care of his mother Sarah until she died. So, he inherited the homestead. At his death, he left it to his brothers and sisters of which Nathaniel had already left North Carolina and moved to Tennessee. So, he didn't accept anything left from Atkins. Instead, he gave it all to his sister who was still in North Carolina. There is still a McLemore family home in Warren County, North Carolina, still standing with its original wooden sides and its original brick fireplace. It is three stories with a porch on the front, a beautiful place.
Nathaniel married Ann Christmas in North Carolina, and they had six children, two of which were living. She died in 1809. Nathaniel married again to a Tabitha Tritt, and together they moved to Tennessee, south of Nashville. They were buried in Nolensville, 20 miles south of Nashville off Rocky Ford Road. They are buried in a cemetery behind a Green family home in the Green family cemetery.
The McLemore's and the Green's were close friends living near by and intermarrying. Nathaniel's sister Abigail married a William Christmas, and their daughter Margaret Christmas married a Sherwood Green. Nathaniel's sister Sarah Jones married Simon Green and his sister Pricillia married James Green. Because of this, Nathaniel and Ann Christmas were buried in the Green family cemetery. Nathaniel and Ann had a daughter, Mary Graves, and a son, John Christmas McLemore, named after William Christmas, Abigail's husband.When Nathaniel came to Tennessee, his son John Christmas was 16 years old, and he went to Nashville where many of his cousins and uncles were. And, he worked in a surveyor's office until he was 21 years old. He worked for his uncle, William Christmas, and when he was 21, when William Christmas died, he took over the job as surveyor general of the state of Tennessee. In the history on John C. McLemore in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis where he was buried, it is said, "There was never a citizen of the state so thoroughly cognizant of all facts of effecting the value of land and all portions of Tennessee. Generous in giving information and never misleading those seeking his assistance. He was the guidebook to migratory populations from other states.
When John Christmas was 23 he went back to North Carolina and at that time he copied from the state capital at Raleigh, North Carolina the land grants of North Carolina, land grants in Tennessee. There were 11 bound volumes with indexes and the Tennessee Historical Quarterly says that this gave poignant advantage over other prospectors, because he could travel throughout Tennessee and know exactly which portions of land could be bought from the state of North Carolina in their land grant.When he was 25 years old, he married Elizabeth Donelson. She was the niece of Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson and it put him in contact with a lot of important people. He was already friends with Andrew Jackson through his work and now through his marriage. They were relatives. John Christmas was also a good friend of a John Coffee who happened to be the surveyor general of Alabama. He lived in Nashville and was also a good friend of Andrew Jackson. So, the men worked together on many land acquisitions and promoted the development of towns in Alabama and in Florida and in Tennessee. Some of those were Pensacola, FL, Cotton Port, Alabama, and Florence, Alabama. McLemore took a lot of the property he had and donated it to the formation of cities. McLemoresville was named in his honor. Christmasville in Tennessee was built on McLemore's bluff, land he donated to the town, and he was commissioner of the town.
Many times he took notes from people to buy lots who didn't have money to pay him and many times he gave those lots away. They say hundreds of people owe their homes to John Christmas McLemore. When he was 29 he founded the Nashville Female Academy, a school for girls which is interesting because at that time the education of the girl was not that important to many people. We know he was very interested in this, not for his own children, who were not of the age, but from a1 interest in the education of females. When he was 50, at Fort Pickering, outside of Memphis, he founded another girls school. So, this was life long interest of his - the education of women.
When the western Indian land, the Chickasaw lands, were open up to purchase, John Overton acquired 5,000 acres from the John Rice grant on the Mississippi River from John Rice's heirs. He conveyed a half of this to Andrew Jackson in 1796. Jackson sold some of his land to the Winchesters for profit. He sold 1/8 to Steven Winchester for $312. 1/8 to Richard Winchester for $312 in 1797. In 1810, Richard conveyed his share to General Winchester another 1/8 for a $5,000 fee. This left Overton with 1/2, the Winchesters with 1/8 of a share. They named the sight Memphis. When Jackson decided to run for President, he decided to get rid of all his purchases from the Indian land and he asked John Christmas McLemore to purchase his remaining 1/8 share.Overton was quoted as saying, "McLemore, I hope, will take the place of Jackson. He is a most important acquisition, as he from habits of activity, knowledge of men and things as well as his situation as to land matters will enable us to get our town and our interest a little ahead in that quarter. It took several months for McLemore to decide to buy Andrew Jackson's 1/8 share. For that 625 acres he paid $5,525 plus an equal amount of his land in other spots in Tennessee. Andrew Jackson made quite a lot of money off his share of the Rice property.
John Christmas was 33 at the time of the acquisition. He then donated enough land to begin the town of Covington, TN. He also began the establishment of Fulton, TN on the first bluff along the Mississippi River. This town began quite rapidly, but an epidemic hit and eventually everyone left. When John Christmas was 37 years old in 1827, he was so well thought of throughout the state that he ran as a candidate for governor of Tennessee. John Christmas and Elizabeth Donelson moved to Memphis to make their home with two of their children Mary Ann and John Coffee, who was called John C. McLemore the second. He was named for John Coffee, the friend of John Christmas McLemore. John Christmas and Elizabeth later had five other children that died in infancy and their last child was Willably Williams who was born in 1836 and died in 1873. Our interest is in John Coffee who is the ancestor of our family.
For the rest of his life, John Christmas and his family lived in and around Memphis. One of the most important things that he did for Memphis was in 1828 when he was 38 years old, he signed a new conveyance for public lands for the city of Memphis. This was the originally signed by Jackson, Overton and Winchester when they laid out the public lands for the city. The promenade from Front Street to the River was given to the public, never to be used for private enterprise. They gave parks to the city. The only one that was left of the original parks Court Square that still carries the same name. When Jackson sold his share of the property and McLemore became the owner, it was important for McLemore to re-donate these public lands as public parks. It has been established by the supreme court of Tennessee that if these lands are ever used for private purposes they are to revert back to the heirs of Winchester, McLemore and Overton of which our family is a part.
When John Christmas was 39, in 1829, the three proprietors of Memphis decided to divide Memphis up between them. McLemore's share was 23 downtown lots, three acres west of Main and ten acres east of third. He owned other land north of Memphis that he had bought for himself. He then in 1829 bought 929 acres south of Memphis, part of the Ramsey original grant where he began to establish a new city called Pickering. John Christmass wife Elizabeth died when he was 46. They had three living children and he never remarried. By the time he was 50 he divided 220 acres in his south Memphis land for his town of Fort Pickering. He was a real developer and there was a brewery, a boat yard, a candy plant, a newspaper called the Eagle, a post office and his second school for girls I think McLemore was more of a developer than a surveyor or a land speculator. Fort Pickering grew rapidly and put him in direct competition with Overton and Memphis for the river trade and landing sites. Overton had a share of the landing sites in Pickering and McLemore kept a share of the landing sites in Memphis. However, there began to be big competition between them for the cotton coming up from Mississippi and the traders were taking their cotton to Pickering which had a better landing area and was closer to their cotton crops. So, Overton and some of his friends blocked off the roads leading into Fort Pickering cutting off the market from that area and sending them on a detour around to the Memphis area which had muddier roads and not as good a landing site of the Mississippi, but it was easier to get to with the road blocked off, to stop in Memphis instead of going two miles down to Fort Pickering. This was one of the big reasons for the demise of Fort Pickering. McLemore, always a little ahead of his time and always planning for the future invested in the Memphis LaGrange Railroad. He chartered the railroad in 1843, put tracks all along the river front by Fort Pickering and built a line from Fort Pickering out to White Station eight miles east of Fort Pickering. McLemore invested heavily in this railroad and took notes from many of his friends for land along the railroad. He envisioned it going all the way east eventually, but the economy at that time failed and in 1845 the railroad itself failed. John Overton, his rival and his friend, said of McLemore, "He is certainly a most excellent man and an honest exertion is far beyond one and a thousand. He is so honorable a man and of such unwavering industry that I have no doubt he will come out." McLemore had lived in the Memphis area on Walker Avenue south of Lauderdale. LaRose Street was named for the garden on his land. And his home was called Villa LaRose. He also owned quite a bit of country land near Bailey Station which is now south of Winchester and east of Forest Hill Road. This is where John Christmas son John Coffee lived and raised his family. McLemore had to sell most of his land to cover his railroad loses and in 1849 at the age of 59 years old, almost 60, he left his family in Memphis and left for California to take part in the gold rush in California hoping to regain some of his lost fortune. We have no records of how long it took him to get to California or how he did there, but after 10 years he returned to Memphis to live with his granddaughter Elizabeth Walker at Villa LaRose. In 1861 when he was 71 years old he was here to see Fort Pickering incorporated as a town. At 72 in 1864 John Christmas died. He is buried at Elmwood Cemetery. He was the only one of the original four proprietors to live in Memphis and to be buried in Memphis. McLemore street was named in his honor.
Four years after his death in 1868, Fort Pickering was incorporated by the city of Memphis. McLemore's son John Coffee McLemore was living on the farm land out at Bailey Station. His first wife was Mary Nelson and they had a son, Willaby Williams, named for his uncle. The son Willaby and the uncle both died in 1873. John Coffees second wife was Sarah Lane, daughter of Fletcher Lane of Memphis. John Coffee and Sarah Lane had seven children. Four of those children Elizabeth Hays, Flecher Lane, Malven Lee and Mary Louise died without heirs. His son John C. McLemore the third, was not John Christmas or John Coffee. Because he wanted to be called the third, he was just named John C. He married Elizabeth Pope and they had three children. John C. the third was born in Forest Hill, Tennessee in 1862. He worked on the farm until he was 18 and then he worked as a clerk in a county store in Bailey, TN until 1887. He moved to Memphis that year and became a bookkeeper. Then he went in to the real estate business with a firm called McLemore and McKeller for four years. In 1814 he was named County Court Clerk and he was reelected to that position in 1918. He was also chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee in 1905 and 1906. He lived in a home at 582 South Bellview where he raised his children. He had a son John C. McLemore the fourth who never married and was killed in a hunting accident in 1929. He had a daughter who died in infancy. Her name was Lady Marjorie and his second daughter was Sarah Elizabeth. She married a Huett. They had one son who now lives in Houston, Texas. A son James Valdor of John Coffee and Sarah Lane married a Marnie Jones and they had a daughter Valda Louise Cowvill who died on the farm in Forest Hill. There was also a Mary Louise who died in 1965 also on the farm in Forest Hill. She was called Miss May. Valda Cowvill died in the 70's. The house was then sold with the property around it being the only land left of the farm. It was sold and divided up among the remaining heirs in 1970.
The only son of John Coffee McLemore II and Sarah Lane not mentioned yet is Donelson Walker McLemore, born in 1868 and died in 1917. He was my grandfather and the fifth of their seven children. He married Nena West Palmer and bought a home for her at 1253 North Parkway, a beautiful two-story white stone home with a green tile roof and two big lions out front - it is still standing today. They had one son, Donelson Walker McLemore II, my father. Their only child, Donelson Walker McLemore was only five years old when his father died. Nena McLemore and Walker had to sell the home on Parkway, and they went to live with her mother's family, the Palmers. His mother, Nena, was very sick and had many operations, and she died when Walker was 20 years old. Walker was very active in Memphis. He was president of his senior class at Central High School, he attended Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) here in Memphis and he married Almeda Haynes Crenshaw form Memphis. He was first Lieutenant in W.W.II, he fought in Iwojima and Guam, he earned the Ageanic Pacific medal and two bronze stars. When he returned from the war he opened his own real estate office, D.W. McLemore Realty Company, at 81 Madison building and he operated there until his retirement. He was a Mason and a Shriner, a member of the draft board, real estate board, the Kiwanis Club and the University Club, and member of Second Presbyterian Church. Donelson Walker McLemore II died in 1991. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
She was the daughter of Capt. John Donelson, Jr. and Mary Purnell; John, Jr. was son of Col. John Donelson & Rachel Stockly. John, Jr. was also the brother of Rachel Donelson, wife of President Andrew Jackson. Source for the above: Anita Barron.
[WHT: Review the original Estate Records of a John Christmas at the NC Archives; appears to be this John. Sept. 14, 1878 Orange Co., NC notice from George Laws, Probate Judge, to the 4 heirs, John, Louise, Fanny & Eliza Christmas to appear at Hillsboro to qualify as administrators. Oct. 11 1878, all four qualify. Oct. 29, 1878, value of estate about $100.00 and is to disbursed to heirs.]1850 Census, Orange Co., NC; Hillsborough; Dwelling 358 list John R. Christmas, age 46, carpenter; wife, Mary, 44 & 6 children: Charles, 20, Carpenter; Eliza, 19; Frances, 17; Louisa, 14; Susan, 11 & John, 4.
1860 Census, Orange Co., NC; Hillsboro; Dwelling 1217 list John Christmas, age 55, carpenter; wife, Mary 51 & 4 children: Charles, 31; Eliza, 21; Fannie, 29 & John, 13.
1870 Census, Orange Co., NC; Hillsborough; Dwelling 17; p. 2 (252) list John Christmas, age 66, carpenter; wife, Mary, 64 & 2 children: Eliza, 39 & Frances, 37.
444. Eliza Christmas-2050
1880 Census, Orange Co., NC; Durham; p. 131C list Eliza, age 46, single, Seamstress & sister, Fannie, 43, single, and also a Seamstress.1900 Census, Durham Co., NC; Durham; Dwelling 178; ED: 31, p. 11A list Eliza Christmas, age 67, single, seamstress & sister, Fannie, 66, single, seamstress.
[WHT: Living with her brother, John in 1910 census.]
[WHT: Received from Donna Christmas Sutton by email, April 26, 2001.]
Herb-- I found this in an old letter (from1970's) from Chloe F. Todd-- She writes-- "We have a very faded letter, with a return address of Carthage, Moore Co., NC dated 20 Dec 1884 addressed to "Dear Cousin." (Cousin later identified as Susan Craige Vess, dau of Frances Moore Christmas and husband Lewis Wilhite (listed on page 34 of your works, Herb.) The writers' name was Mrs. Louise Frye and in the letter she identifies herself as "the former Lou Christmas, formerly residing at Hillsboro, Orange Co, NC. " -- then she continues to mention some Wilhites. --[WHT: Living with brother, John in 1900 census; listed as a widow.]
158. David Higgason-3721
Sometime after 1820 and before 1830 David moved to Fayette Co., TN. In the 1820 census he had two sons, one under 10 years and one 10 to 16. He also had daughters, one under 10 and two 16 to 18.He and his wife were in the 26 to 45 age bracket. Also in Fayette Co. in 1860 was a Edward J. Higgason, age 30, he was probably a grandson of David.
[WHT: This is Barbara Howe's ggg grandmother; said name also spelled Hickerson; she descend John D. Eidson & Nancy Skinner; later the Eidson surname is changed to Edison.]
Lived in San Sabo, TX.
162. John Overton Higgason-3725
[WHT: The following information on was provided by Barbara Howe, a descendant, Jan. 1999.]
John's first wife, Lucretia, died sometime About 1830. In March of 1843 John was made guardian of Sarah E. Parsons and her brother Dixon. In December of 1845 Sarah would marry John's son James E. Higgason. The two marriages for John were found for under the name of Hickison.The Higgason name was spelled, Hickason, Hickison, Hickinson and Higgatson.
James died by drowning. In 1850 James and Sarah's children were living with Sarah and her mother Sarah M. and step-father John Carr. In 1860 the children were living With their grandmother Sarah M., who was a widow, and their uncle, John Baker Parsons.
Sergeant in Company H, 44th TN Consolidated Infantry CSA. In 1870, he was living in Macon Co., TN.
467. Samuel Higgason-3771
Private in Company K, 8th TN Infantry CSA Army.
John was a Private in Company K, 20th TN Infantry CSA Army. He was captured and held prisoner in Chicago, IL where he died of measles.
Private in Company K, 8th TN Infantry CSA Army.
Private in Company K, 18th TN Infantry CSA Army.
164. Thomas Anderson-8420
1860 Census, Cobb Co., GA; Marietta P. O.; Dwelling 106 list Thos Anderson, age 70, born in SC & wife, Anna, 65, also born in SC.[WHT: My thanks to Ms. Farley Anderson Daniel for providing the descendant information for Thomas Anderson, and his family on July 25, 2003. Ms. Farley's cousin, Lindley Butler, provided her with some of this information.]
Thomas Anderson, .b. Louisa co. Va., May 30, 1790; m. Anna White b. 1792 he d. Powder Springs, Ga. Dec. 25th, 1872 they m. Dec. 25th, 1812 in (I believe it says m. in S.C.) Anna d. July 28, 1864 in Powder Springs (which is Cobb county), Ga. both are bur. in Powder Springs. Thomas' mother- was Elizabeth, b. 1753, Hanover, Va. d. 1812, Culpepper, Va. Thomas m. in S.C., 1835 moved to Newton Co., Ga. and then to Cobb Co., by 1848. Anna's father; Robert White (looks like it says was in the Revol. war); (name in pencil, looks like Karen..possibly wife?) misc. info: 1704 Rent Rolls: John Higgason of King Wm. Co., 1792..Misc. Ferry Operators; from Hog Island to Higgason's Landing: ..(in Surrey). Just interesting to note the name of the landing, apparently the orig. prop/?? Children of Thomas and Anna: (all but the last were born in S.C.) 1)Newton, b 5/11/1813, m. Eunice Askew 2) Anna Catherine, b. 12/23/1814, m. Charles Lackey 3) Louise, b. 2/11/1817, m. George Talley 4) Elizabeth Ann, b. 4/22/1820...no spouse listed 4) Charles H., b. 6/22/1822, m. Martha Ann Summers 6) Martha Ann, b. 1/?/1825, m. John White 7) William Andrew Jackson, b. 4/17/1827, m. Sarah Adelaide Tuggle b. 3/5/1841? Wm. d. powder springs, 5/3/1892, she d. 12/31/1905 8) Elizabeth (middle name looks like Angelina), b. 6/2/1829; d. 8/8/1861 m. John (C.?) Butner 9) Robert Nixon, b. 9/21/1831, m. Pellonia Butner Anderson Sgt. Robert N. Co F 1 GA Inf CSA Anderson Pellonia Butner b. 14 Feb 1837 d. 28 Feb 1911 (above is from Tombstone Inscp.) 10) Thomas Grier, b. Newton Co., GA. 8/6/1837, d. young.
487. Thomas Grier Anderson-8432
Thomas died young.
The history & genealogy of our Christmas family continues to grow, with the addition of many new families and allied surnames. If you find errors in these pages or have additions, please write Herbert Turner at the Christmas Home Page; the corrections & additions will be made; thank you.
Many Christmas descendants have provided their research & photos for these web pages, refer to our Researcher's Page for some of their names, lines and addresses.
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Copyright © 1997-2012 by W. Herbert Turner