VAUGHAN, ETC N EW S L E T T ER
May 1989
EDITOR; Verna Baker Banes
Page 18
1 Q_ My Great Grandmothar, Mary Vaughan
Mary Vaughan. my gr—emndinotlt<ti-, ±m liBtad In tir 1850 C«iru« of llolmea Co. MS in
the family of Up ton and Manorva Vaughn/Vaughan.
A niece • Ell ie Vaughan Gholson of Bivens, TX, dough'tier of Thomas Jefferson Vaughan,
gone Co live with <» sistor, Nancy. (1060 Conauzt, llolinea Co. MS. ) Nancy 's husband
wan very 111 and Mary helped her to take care of him. Nancy's husband died; later
Nancy ..died.
"Four' of Mary'e brothers enlisted in the Confederate Army. James, Jonathon, and
Reuben were never heard from again. The youngest brother, Tom, rendered service from
May 1864 until May 1865 in Company A-28, Louisiana Infantry. After being discharged
at Alexandria, LA, he made hl-s way bach. to Chalybeate Springs near the Ark-LA line
near Plain Dealing. Bossier Parish, LA, sometimes called the Alabama Set Clement, be-
set tie there waa Tom's and Mary 'b •JLator, Elizabeth "Liz", who had married J . W.
Malone."
In 1870 Tom Is found a-n the Clark Co. AR Census (page 213, family ff 2) as Thos Vaugn
23, born in Miss^ Abigail 20, b . in Ark; Buella 1, b. In Texas.
In 1880 he is found in the Bossier Parish, LA Census <p.39 family ff370) with wife
Abbic 30, b. Ark; Bula 10, b. T*ax, Maggie 8 b. LA; Solon 6 b. Ark. <Hl.s birth certa-f—
16 Sept. 1886" to Thomas Jefferson Vaughan and Susan Abigail McKinney>; and Delia
Abby 2 b. Ark. In 1888 the family moved to Caes County, Texas where many of his de—
Now back to my gr-gi-andmotner, Mary. Ltttle JLs known about her bueband, but she told
her children and grandchildren, that she was a Vauglm and married a Vaughan. Her first
child, Mary Ella, -was bom 24 Dec. 1861 in Miss. Her second child, my grandfather,
Johnnie Vaughan, was bom 17 Feb. 1863 in Miss. during the time of the Civil War.
"From July 1863 until April 1865„ Holiitea Couunty and Vickaburg were the scene of some
of the worst fighting of Che Civil War. All of Chat area was almost devastated. Once
fertile and prosperous farms were now a scene of was te and barrenness. Many a ragged
soldier returned ffom the army to find Just a wreck of hia once happy home. Some found
their famil-tes had fled. Others earnestly wane to work to reclaim the wastelands and
to provide for their families."1
Mary told her grandchildren of having to liida Cood, any valuables they might have
had, and other supplies during the War. Reconstruction was no better- It was a bitter
Mary also told her grandchildren <My mother, Ruth Vaughan, remembers hearing the
b tory many times.) that she came to Chalybeate Springs in an ox wagon while
Johnnie and Ella were s C ill. -vury younu. ttltd Lha nuplttiw wut* 12 year** old. According
to the Miss. 1860 Census previously referred Co, the nephew, William A. Allman,
would have been 12 years old in 1866. Ella would have been ca. 4 years old and
Johnnie 3 - Slowly they made their way wes tward througli North Louisiana probably
following one of the early emigrant trails in that area- In many places there were
woods, but in some the sage grass was so high they could barely see their way ahead.
Many tied a milk cow to Che back o£ the wagon so that the children would have milk
to drink.
1. "Reconstruction in Yazoo County" by Robert Bowman-
Mississippi Department of Archives and Iliatory, Jackson. MS
So far I have not found the record of Mfiry In tlif 1R70 Cennim. Since Liis wag al-
ready living at Chalybeate Springs, slie probably helped Mary get a start. When
William Allman. the nephew, was about 18 years old * he -went north and was never seen
again. However, Johnnie wrote to his cousin for several years. It is not known where
ne went or what: happened to him after that.
In the 1880 Census of Twp. 23. Bossier Parish, LA., Mary is listed as living with
her daughter- Ella (age 19) and her husband W. R. Holloway <age 33). Mary's son
Johnnie, then 17 years of age, lived as a boarder in the home of Alfonzo B. and
Emma C. Harlow <accord ing to the 1880 Census of Roane Twp. Lnf. Co. Ark).
Others from the Vaughan family also had moved to Chalybeate Springs and the surround—
iitg areas .
One sister Carrie married a Bourland in Blenvillc Pariah, LA and l±ved there for
awhile. Becky married W. R. Pull en, alcu rrom Uioiivilla Pariah• who had served in
the army with Tom. Add ie mari-ied a Rodgera and is reported to have moved co Camden,
AR. William, "Bill" had a wife and two duuBlitors in Lubbock * Texas. They died of
small pox and he moved back to Cass County to live with Tom. Bill and Tom are both
buried at McLeod, Texas.
Sometime after Johnnie mar-rdLed Betty Thomas in 1885, Mory went to make her home with
them. They lived in the K±zer Community, .south of Bradley In Lafayette Co. AR (See
family sheet.)
Written by ALMA DEAN CASOH, P.O. Box 2515, Batesvil^e, AR 72501.
See pages 6 and 63 of the 1988 Newsletters.
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