October Anniversaries in the Family Tree

 

for October's golden crown...

October

Bell family ancestors

18th - Benjamin Franklin Spann born 1827 

20th - James Stanley Bell died 1970, age 63

29th - Abner Decker & Mary "Polly" Garner married 1816 

McGrath family ancestors

8th - Arthur Levi McGrath & Sadie Ellen Negley married 1908 

11th - Sarah Maria Matilda (Lee) Negley died 1927, age 78

17th - Arthur Levi McGrath born 1876

25th - Ruth Marie (Smith)(Simmons) Webb died 1863, age about 44 

31st - Charles Lee born 1820 (possibly 1813) 

Menke family ancestors

3rd - Lena M (Jorgenson) Roscoe died 1949, age 91 

18th - Charles Albert Menke & Charlotte Isabelle "Lottie" Roscoe married 1906 

Mann family ancestors

3rd - James Gaisford born 1820 

18th - Clarence Lemuel Mann died 1968, age 90

Mattingly family ancestors

14th - Joseph Hamilton "Ham" Mattingly died 1990, age 81 

Boone family ancestors

2nd - Christopher Boone & Ann Rhodes married 1824 

9th - Walter Boone & Mildred Edelin married 1783

Tunk Spalding family ancestors

10th - Joseph Abner Abell II born 1795

18th - William Thomas "Tunk" Spalding born 1818 

21st - Mary (Fenwick) Abell died 1886 or 1888, age 74 or 76

Hutt Spalding family ancestors

September Anniversaries in the Family Tree

 

When September finds the aster...

September

Bell family ancestors

24th - James Stanley Bell & Violet Jennivee McGrath married 1938

26th - Mary "Hiley" Ann (Decker) Spann born 1836 

McGrath family ancestors

15th - John Negley & Ruth Foster married 1836

19th - Violet Jennivee (McGrath) Bell born 1917 

28th - Sadie Ellen (Negley) McGrath died 1958, age 78 

Menke family ancestors

2nd - William Harlow Roscoe died 1947, age 88

4th - Caroline (Schukky) Knapp died 1895, age 81

16th - Charles Albert Menke died 1965, age 78 

17th - Caroline Magrethe (Peterson) Jorgenson died 1910, age 63 

20th - Henry Menke died 1915, age 82

20th - Charlotte Isabelle (Roscoe) Menke born 1887 

29th - Ole Jorgenson died 1908, age 71

Mann family ancestors

3rd - Henrietta Abigail (Smith) Gaisford born 1848 

14th - William Mann & Nancy Jane Climie married 1861 

18th - Doris Darle (Mann) Menke died 2017, age 97

Mattingly family ancestors

Boone family ancestors

 1st - Elizabeth (Nally) Ballard born 1785

28th - Mary Frances Charlotte "Lottie" Boone died 1962, age 84 

Tunk Spalding family ancestors

7th - Richard Augustine Spalding died 1850, age 73

15th - Martha Nancy (Mills) Abell born 1798 

22nd - Marcus Thomas Spalding born 1886 

Hutt Spalding family ancestors

Richard Augustine Spalding is the common ancestor of the "Tunk" and "Hutt" Spalding lines.

Three Spann Graves

On the side of a hill behind someone's house is the Spann Cemetery, not to be confused with the Spann HILL Cemetery, both in rural Wayne County, Kentucky. I've heard this cemetery has been cleaned up and fenced. It was terribly overgrown when I was there twenty-three years ago. The tombstones for Benjamin Franklin Spann and his wife Mary "Hiley" Ann Decker are all lying down there. Their daughter Allie Lucinda Spann is my Great Grandma.

Fortunately for me these fell with the inscription side up.  It baffles me why there are two tombstones for Hiley Ann, but they are inscribed exactly the same, just with a different style letters. I have video of these which shows how near they are to each other. I did not try to flip them to see if something else was inscribed on the other side. Ben had a second wife who might also be buried in this cemetery, and I just wonder if somehow one of Hiley's stones was supposed to be for her. 

Ben and Hiley had 10 children. Their daughter Polly Spann is buried in the same cemetery. The others lie in other parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Nebraska. One daughter's grave is unknown to me yet. 

BENJAMIN SPANN

BORN

OCT  --  1827

DIED

DEC 15, 1901

HILEY DECKOR

WIFE OF

BENJAMIN SPANN

BORN

SEPT 26, 1838

DIED

JULY 1, 1884

HILEY DECKOR

Wife of

Benjamin Spann

BORN

Sept. 26, 1936

DIED

July 1, 1884

Ben's parents are Hartwell "Jack" and Mary Spann. Hiley Ann's parents are Abner & Nancy Deckor. I don't know the location of their graves. Mary Spann died before 1879, likely in Williamson County, Tennessee. The other three would likely be somewhere in Wayne County, Kentucky.  

Benjamin Franklin Spann & Hiley Ann Deckor

Why anyone would have 2 tombstones is a mystery to me, but I found these 2 markers for my Great Great Grandmother Hiley Spann myself.  In 1996, in the Spann Cemetery (not to be confused with the Spann Hill Cemetery) in Wayne County, Kentucky, I saw both of these lying on the ground not exactly side-by-side but near each other.  The inscription on both is the same - "Hiley Deckor Wife of Benjamin Spann  Born Sept. 26, 1836, Died July 1, 1884".  It's great to see her maiden name there. Her parents were Abner Deckor and Mary "Polly" Garner. The only two children I have found for Abner & Polly Deckor are a son Abner and Hiley Ann, Hiley being another nickname for Mary.  Brother Abner was 13 years older than Hiley.  In 1850, Hiley is the only child listed with her parents who were in their 60's.  Hiley more than likely has other siblings that I haven't found yet.  She was only 47 years old when she died, her youngest child was 2, my Great Grandma Allie was 13.  

From a transcription of marriage records:  "SPANN, Benjamin F. and  Mary "Hiley" Ann Decker.  Surety, Abner Decker, Married 5 May 1852 by William Simpson at the house of Abner Decker on Beaver Creek in Wayne.  Groom resides in Wayne, age "Not known", born in Wayne, bride resides in Wayne, born at Abner Deckers house on Beaver Creek, a maiden."   In 1852, Hiley Ann would have been 15, Ben was 24.  They were married for 32 years.

Ben & Hiley had 10 children:

1. Abner Hartwell  (1854-1952)
2. Amanda Susan  (1855-1942)
3. Telitha Ann  (1858-?)
4. Juda or Julia Angeline  (1860-1949)
5. Polly Ann  (1863-1885)  buried near her parents
6. Margarett Jane  (1866-1928)
7. Tranquilla J "Frannie"  (1870-1892)
8. Allie Lucinda  (1971-1959) 
9. Hilda Etta  (1877-1958) 
10. Marrion Washington  (1882-1959) his birth year varies on records, I wasn't sure if he was the son of Hiley or Mattie at first.  His draft registration has his birth year as 1882, so I'm going with that.

After Hiley died, Ben remarried to Mattie (Martha Elizabeth) Conley and had 6 more children:

1. Lewis  died young
2. William Henry  (1889-1948)
3. Stacey  (1891-?)
4. Bertha Mae  (1892-1972)
5. Frank (twin)  died in infancy
6. Jessie (twin)   died in infancy  (* Interesting names for twins in this time period)

Benjamin Franklin Spann was born October 18, 1827 in Williamson County, Tennessee.  He died December 15, 1901 at age 74.  Census records show he was a farmer and he never learned to read or write.  In 1870 his parents, Hartwell "Jack" and Mary (Bonds), were living with him and his family.  Jack was blind.  In 1880 Mary had died and Jack had remarried to Susan Culver.  They live in a poor house, no longer with Ben's family.  In 1900, Ben is widowed from his second wife and his daughter Allie, also widowed, and her son live with him.  None of the children from his second marriage are living with them and they would range in age from 8 to 11.  I've possibly found some of them living as "boarders" in other households. 

I've shared information with a few other descendants of Ben.  One cousin shared with me photos of Marrion visiting his sister Allie and other relatives in Nebraska in 1950.  Marrion, sister Hilda Etta and half-brother William Henry all ended up in Illinois.  Margarett moved to Tennessee, and Abner, Amanda, Juda /Julia & Bertha Mae all stayed in Kentucky. Telitha eludes me after 1880, but I'm working on a lead that one of Allie's sisters lived in Oklahoma in the first decade of the 1900's.

Someday I will get back to Wayne County.  When we visit my husband's family in Marion County, I could possibly take a day trip to Monticello.  Spend some time at the library, the county courthouse, and I'm very curious to see what kind of shape the Spann Cemetery is in now.  It's been nearly 20 years since I was there.