David and Martha Averett Family in the 1870 US Census

David Franklin Averett (1837-1927) and Martha Ann Rebecca Timmerman (1847-1927) married in December 1864 while David was at home recovering from wounds suffered in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. He survived the war and returned to Martha after Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, of which he was a part, surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865.

David and Martha Averett appeared in the 1870 US Census in Elmore County, Alabama, along with their first two children, John Averett (1865-1956) and Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948).

(Click images to enlarge.)

Source citation:  Year:  1870; Census Place:  Township 19, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 109A; Image: 410; Family History Library Film: 545514.

Information having to do with their family is transcribed as follows.

Page 135
Schedule 1. — Inhabitants in Township 19, in the County of Elmore, State of Alabama, enumerated by me on the 28th day of July, 1870.
Post Office: Chanahatchee
[signed] J.B. [Kerwin?], Ass’t Marshal.

• Line 25: D.F. Averette; age: 32 years; sex: male; race: white; occupation: farmer; value of real estate: $500; value of personal estate: $480; place of birth: Georgia; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write; was a male citizen of the U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards; his right to vote was not denied on other grounds than rebellion or other crime. [Did he have the right to vote at this time? Confederate soldiers were presumably allowed to regain their U.S. citizenship after having sworn to uphold the Constitution and abide by the results of the war, to include recognition that the former slaves had been legally and permanently freed. Are there records that might list his name?]
• Line 26: M.A.R. Averette; age: 24 years; sex: female; race: white; occupation: keeping house; place of birth: Alabama; parents not of foreign birth; could read and write
• Line 27: John Averette; age: 4 years; sex: male; race: white; place of birth: Alabama
• Line 28: Mary Averette; age 2 years; sex: female; race: white; place of birth: Alabama. [Mary Maude Averett (1867-1948) was my 2nd great grandmother.]

Names and occupations of their neighbors can be seen from nearby pages of the census. Almost all households appear to be farming families or people hired to work on those farms. And it turns out that David and Martha Averett lived near relatives and probable relatives.

• Page 133:
• Family 937: Benjamin Mason (farmer), Nancy Mason (keeping house), Rody Mason, Elizabeth Mason, Charles Mason (farm laborer), William Mason (farm laborer), Sarah Mason, Benjamin Mason, John Mason, Abraham Pullen, Leddie Pullen
• Family 938: J.E. Anderson (farmer), Elezabeth Anderson (keeping house), J.P. Anderson (teaching school), Mary Anderson, Willie Anderson, Salina Anderson, James Anderson
• Family 939: Isham Pollard (farm laborer), Rachel Pollard (keeping house), Louisa Pollard (farm laborer), Ellen Pollard, John Pollard, Eb Goss [This family was a black family. Were they former slaves? Were they the former “property” of some of the white people listed on these census sheets? Possibly of J.E. Anderson above or Burton Todd below?]
• Family 940: Burton Todd, Elizabeth Todd, Thomas Todd, Hattie Todd, Charley Todd, Benjamin Todd, Budar Todd, Pinkney Todd
• Family 941: James Averett (farmer, real estate $600 — equivalent to $10,700 dollars in 2014, personal estate $500 ($8900)), Mary Averett (keeping house), Nancy Averett, Webster Averett (farm laborer), Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett (farm laborer), Charley Averett [I think Nancy Averett, Webster Averett, Rebecca Averett, Romulus Averett, and Charles or Charley Averett were siblings of David Averett. Mary Averett may have been the mother of David Averett. According to this census, she was 50 years of age in 1870, which means she was born about 1820. My data currently shows David’s mother, Mary Averett, as born around 1815. But I have also seen the birth year given as 1812. But who is James Averett?]

• Pages 134—135:
• Family 942: Jeremiah McCissick (farmer, real estate $1200 ($21,400), personal estate $1000 ($17,800)), Sarah McCissick (keeping house), Ida McCissick, Lula McCissick, Annah McCissick, Fletcher McCissick, Minnie McCissick, N.B. McCissick [McCissick or McKissick may have been related to Martha TIMMERMAN Averett, the wife of David Averett. The reason it might be true is tenuous: She had a brother named James McKissick Timmerman (1835-1863) who died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, a Confederate victory.]
• Family 943: Green Teal (farmer), Matilda Teal (keeping house), Julia Teal, Amanda Teal, Margaret Teal, Charley Teal, Mallery Teal
• Family 944: F.W. Timmerman (farmer, real estate $800 ($14,300), personal estate $300 ($5400)), Timnah (keeping house) [F.W. and Timnah Timmerman are the parents of Martha TIMMERMAN Averett.]
• Family 945: John Redin (farmer), Sarah Redin (keeping house), John Redin (farm laborer), Mary Redin, William Redin, Frances Redin, James Redin, Louilla Redin
• Family 946: John Manning (farmer), Nancy Manning (keeping house), Mallissa Manning
• Family 947: Ellis Harden (farmer), Eliza Hardin (keeping house), Theressa Harden, Hiram Harddn, Martha Harden, John Harden, Susan Harden, William Harden, George Harden
• Family 948: T. Tinsley (farmer), Elizabeth Tinsley (keeping house), Alonza Tinsley (farm laborer), Narsissus Tinsley, Tarply Tinsley, Lougenia Tinsley, Gardner Tinsley, Ida Tinsley, Thomas Tinsley, Stella Tinsley

• Pages 135—136:
• Family 949: S. Canterburg (keeping house), Fitesque Canterburg (farm laborer), Marcus Canterburg, Elizabeth Canterburg, William Canterburg, James Harris (farm laborer), Caroline Harris, Quinn Richardson, Louis Mitcheal (farm laborer) [Richardson and Mithceal were also black. Again, were they former slaves? Were they formerly the “property” of the Canterburg’s?]
• Family 950: Evans Chatman (farmer), Roma Chatman (keeping house), Henry Chatman (farm laborer), James Chatman (farm laborer), Ewan Chatman, Minnia Chatman, James Wallace (farm laborer), Martina Wallace (keeping house)
• Family 951: D.F. Averette (farmer, real estate $500 ($8900), personal estate $480 ($8600)), M.A.R. Averette (keeping house), John Averette, Mary Averette
• Family 952: M.J. Ray (keeping house), Emily Ray, Lourena Ray, Margaret Ray, Druward Ray, J.M. Burson, Sarah Burson
• Family 953: C. Buckner (farmer), Sarah Buckner (keeping house), Elizabeth Buckner, William Ferren, Charles Ferren, M.E. Patterson

• Pages 136—137:
• Family 954: William Wood (farmer), Elvira Wood (keeping house)
• Family 955: J.E. Patterson (farmer), Margaret Patterson (keeping house), Charles Patterson (farm laborer), William Patterson, Margaret Patterson, George Patterson, Lucy Patterson
• Family 956: B. Martin (farm laborer), Mary Martin (keeping house), Elizabeth Martin, Benjamin Martin, Sarah Martin, John Martin
• Family 957: Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Rachel Taylor (keeping house), Jefferson Taylor (farm laborer), Elija Taylor (farm laborer), Louisa Taylor, Lovic Gibson, Emiline Gibson [Also a black family and also possibly emancipated slaves. Were they hired by the Martin family or by the Brown family, which could be implied by their geographical proximity?]
• Family 958: Miles Brown (farmer), Sarah Brown (keeping house), Jane Brown, Fannie Brown, Emma Brown, James Brown, Susan Brown, Almira Powers, Nancy Powers
• Family 959: K.H. Scogin (farmer), Margaret Scogin (keeping house), Sarah Scogin, Mary Scogin, Catherine Scogin, Barton Rush
• Family 960: F. Chrietzberg (farm laborer), Mary Chrietzberg (keeping house), Alonza [Alonzo?] Chrietzberg, Henry Chrietzberg
• Pages 137—138:
• Family 961: Louis Williams (black, farm laborer), Harriet Williams (black, keeping house), Williams Williams (black, farm laborer), James Williams (black, farm laborer)
• Family 962: David James (farmer), Nancy James (keeping house), John James, Mary Ann James, Quinn James
• Family 963: Miles Wallace (farmer), Annie Wallace (keeping house), D.A. Buchner, John Buchner (farm laborer)
• Family 964: George Pullin (farmer), Mary Pullin (keeping house), Charlotte Pullin, Emily Pullin, James Pullin (farmer laborer), Thomas Pullin (farm laborer), Alex Pullin, Abram Pullin, Charley Pullin
• Family 965: Richmond Ferrel (farmer), Fannie Ferrel (keeping house), Martha Ferrel, Joseph Ferrel, Stanly Ferrel
• Family 966: M.A. Terrel (farm laborer), Agnes Terrel (keeping house), Hiram Terrel
• Family 967: E.B. Ward (farmer), Rachel Ward (keeping house)
• Family 968: John Tucker (farm laborer), Polly Ann Tucker (keeping house), Mary Ann Tucker
• Family 969: Vina Mote (keeping house), Hiram Honey (farmer), Catherine Honey (keeping house), William Honey, Mary Honey, Wm Goodson (farm laborer), Texana Goodson, Baker Thomas (farm laborer), Ben Goodson (farm laborer)
• Page 138
• Familes 970—971...
• Family 974: Nathan Ledbetter (miller, value of real estate not shown, value of personal estate not shown), Massouri Ledbetter (keeping house) [Possible relatives of Mary LEDBETTER Averett (~1815—unknown), the mother of David Averett (1837—1927).]

So, where is Chanahatchee, the location of the nearest post office? It is not easy to find on Google. A person named Vicky Schuller queried the message boards on Genealogy.com in the year 2000 about the location of "Township 19, Chanahatchee, Tallapoosa County in the 1850 US Census.”

A person named Margaret Stearns Payne replied a couple of days later, saying that “Chanahatchee is now a part of Elmore County. It is more commonly referred to as Chana Creek. It is a small community close to the town of Eclectic Alabama. Elmore County was formed in [the] 1860s from Tallapoosa, Coosa, Autauga, and Montgomery Counties. Not much there now except some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences."

One of the very few resources that gives location information about Chattahatchee is a weather forecast page for Chana Creek, Alabama. It has a small map that looks like this:

The town of Electric, Alabama (32.6416606 deg N -86.0409 deg E) is, according to Google Maps, a part of the Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. I was also able to find the Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Elmore County, Alabama (32.619669 deg N -85.98923 deg E), which is 3.2 miles from the town of Eclectic.

So far, this is my best estimate of where the Chanahatchee Post Office mentioned in the 1870 US Census was located. This is what the area looks like in the satellite photo from Google Earth (on 22 May 2014). It seems to match the description of "some small Primitive Baptist Churches, their adjoining cemeteries, farms, and residences” fairly well. The location of Chana Creek relative to Dadeville (the county seat of Tallapoosa County where the Tallapoosa Times, the Dadeville Banner, and the Dadeville Banner and Times newspapers were published) and to Montgomery (the state capital of Alabama, the first capital of the Confederate States, and the location where the Daily Confederation and the Daily Montgomery Ledger, and the Daily Advertiser were published at the time). It will be shown in a future post on this blog that the part of Elmore County in which Chana Creek is located was part of Tallapoosa County until 1866, until the new county of Elmore was founded and that this change is reflected in the 1860 and 1870 US Census data for David Averett and his family.

The next screenshot from Google Earth shows the location of Chana Creek Primitive Baptist Church relative to the town of Eclectic and a second, nearby Primitive Baptist Church.

The last screenshot shows what the land around Chana Creek looks like on 11 September 2012, according to Google Earth data displayed.

David Averett Obituaries

The following photo is of my great-great-great grandparents David Franklin Averett (25 February 1837 - 11 November 1927) and Martha TIMMERMAN Averett (27 November 1847 - 30 July 1927). I don't know the date it was made but David was 90 years old when he died in 1927 and his wife, Martha, was 79. An estimate of his apparent age in this photograph might be 60 years, which means that she would have been about 50. If true, the photograph would have been made around 1907.

The material in this post was given to my mother by a relation in Louisiana. My mother died in 1992 and I inherited her genealogy research after beginning to take an interest a few years ago. But I unfortunately have lost contact with anyone from my maternal grandfather's family (which includes David and Martha Averett). I have a couple of names that I am going to use to try to track them down after I have developed this blog. My theory is that it is easier to get potential genealogy research partners to collaborate if I have a body of work already assembled. Either way, I'm hoping to reestablish contact with one or more of them soon.

One other point:  The Internet being what it is, I am being careful to avoid naming living relatives or relatives who may still be living. For this reason, I am not going to supply information about people more recent than my maternal and paternal grandparents, all of whom passed away more than twenty years ago. But if the person who provided the material in this post to my mother recognizes his or her work, please let me know if it's okay if I add your name here.

David died about four months after the passing of his wife. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of her obituary (yet).  But here is the first of two of his obituaries, probably published in a newspaper from the Winnfield, Louisiana area.

"PIONEER CITIZEN OF WINN PARISH DIES AT 90 YEARS. Winnfield, Nov. 17 (Special) -- D.F. Averett, 90 years old, died here at his home last Friday night. Mr. Averett was one of the oldest residents of this section of the state. He was born in Coosa county, ala., and served throughout the Civil war in the Confederate army, being attached to various branches of Lee's army in Virginia. In the second battle of the Wilderness he was wounded. Up until that engagement he was a sharpshooter. On recovering from his wounds he was attached to General Lee's headerquarters as a courier. Mr. Averett was the only Confederate soldier living in this section that served directly under Lee and knew the great general personally. Immediately after the Civil war he moved to this state and raised a large family. He is survived by nine children, five sons and four daughters, Rufus Averett, Hallsville, Texas; Mrs. J.R. Watts Sr., Winnfield, W.O. Averett, Winnfield; Early Averett, Gilmer, Texas; Mrs. W.A. Stamper, Natchitoches; Mrs. Emile Somparac [sic:  Sompayrac], Winnfield; Mrs. W.H. Baker, Pocahontas, Miss.; W.W. Averett, Shreveport, and Clarence Averett, Dallas, Texas. Funeral services were held at the First Baptist church, with interment in the Winnfield cemetery."

Here is the second, also probably published in a newspaper in the Winnfield area.

“Prominent Aged Citizen Is Claimed By Death Friday - D.F. Averett, Confederate Veteran, Dies Nov. 11, at Family Home. The sad death of David Francis Averett occurred at his home last Friday morning, November 11th, at 9:45 o’clock, thus closing the last chapter of a long and useful life. At the time of his death Mr. Averett had reached the advanced age of 89 years, 9 months and 16 days and up until a few weeks prior to his death he was unusually hearty and energetic. He was born in Thomas County Georgia but was reared in Alabama and it was from that state that he entered the Civil War, serving in the Fifteenth Alabama Infantry during the entire period of the war. In 1864 he was wounded in battle and while at home on furlough for recuperation he was married to Miss Martha Timmerman, who preceded him in death only three months ago, having lived together in happy companionship for over 62 years and rearing a large and useful family. The life of Mr. Averett has ever been outstanding because of his uprightness and desire to help his fellow men. His gentle influence will be greatly missed in this community. Funeral services were conducted at the Baptist Church Saturday morning at 10 o’clock by Rev. A.H. Cullen with interment in the Winnfield cemetery. He is survived by nine children, five sons; John Rufus of Halleville, Texas; D.E. of Gilmer, Texas; W.O. of Winnfield; Walter W. of Shreveport, and Clarence of Dallas, Texas; and four daughters; Mrs. J.R. Watts Sr., and Mrs. C.E. Sompayrac of Winnfield; Mrs. W.A. Stamper of Natchitoches, and Mrs. William Baker of Pocahontas, Miss. Also many grandchildren and other relatives and friends who mourn the passing of this splendid character.