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By Linda Sartin
Rt. 1 Box 72-5
Newark, Texas 76071-9719
Jack Childers found out his parentage when he was 14 and hitchhiked
his way from Iowa south to find his family. In Red River County,
Texas he met Aunt Liza. The year was 1958 and Aunt Liza was
about 78 years old. Liza Jane was the seventh child of Alfred Maloy
(McCleod) Childers and Lucinda Osborne. Carrying a rolled up
window shade on which to record the family history, Jack sat down
with Liza and other family members and recorded the stories.
L. C. Childers settled in North Carolina and had about 14 sons. They had a large plantation which was destroyed during the Civil War. Some maps still show a Childersville, or Childersburg, located in North Carolina. After the war the family migrated to Kentucky where the brothers created a large family owned business venture. One family raised grain; another raised cattle; one butchered the cattle and sold the meat; another would tan the skin for leather goods, and so on. At some point there was a falling out and each family went their separate ways. Liza told Jack that Alfred's parents were L. C. Childers and Emily Herrington. Supposedly Emily went back home to Ireland to visit family, died, and was buried there. L. C. is supposed to be buried in the McKenzie Cemetery in Red River County.
C. J. Hartgraves remembers around the year 1954 Aunt Liza pointed to a triangular piece of land next to a small church and the McCoy grade school and said her grandfather was buried there next to the barbed wire fence. She said L. C. came to visit when she was a small girl and passed away before he could return home. At the time, it was overgrown with Johnson grass as high as your shoulders. C. J. and his cousin Carl went searching, on her request, but only found one tall gravestone and a lot of chiggers.
In 1998 he revisited the graveyard. The State of Texas has since erected a marker in the front of the cemetery memorializing McKenzie College which stood on that spot in the 1800's. The McCoy school and church are gone. The McKenzie family had cleared off and installed cyclone fencing to a portion of the graveyard but the original barbed wire fencing was still there as well as the tall gravestone belonging to a member of the McKenzie family. Instead of Johnson grass, small trees have come up everywhere in the older, unkept part of the cemetery. Sink holes and rotted wood are now where graves and wooden markers had been. L.C.'s grave was not found.
Some records have been found to substantiate what is known of the Childers family.
Alfred Maloy Childers was living in Lamar County, Texas when the 1860 U.S. Census was taken. His name is listed as A.M. Childers and he is 23 years old from North Carolina. He owns $200 worth of real estate. His wife's name is Mary C. She is 16 years old and hails from Illinois. They were married in Lamar County on April 12, 1860 and her maiden name was Hulen. Also living with them is Elizabeth Burnet, age 28, also from North Carolina, also owning $200 worth of real estate, and her children; Sarah R., age 6 and Cynthia, age 4, both born in Texas. Originally Elizabeth was assumed to be the sister of Alfred because of her age and place of birth but there is a record of an Elizabeth Hulen marrying W. B. Burnette on 22 Dec 1853 in Lamar County. Therefore, Elizabeth is most likely the sister of Mary. A. M. Childers is Dwelling 178 Family 181. Dwelling 178 Family 180 of the same census is Thomas Hulen, age 56 from North Carolina, wife Sarah, age 59 also from North Carolina, and Francis Ashbrook, female age 3, no relationship mentioned, born in the Choctaw Nation. Thomas and Sarah are probably the parents of Mary and Elizabeth although proof of this has not been found.
Alfred was accepted into service as a Private in the 9th Field Battery on 18 January 1862 at Paris, Lamar Co., Texas by James M. Daniel for the period of the war. He was 24 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with grey eyes and light hair, a farmer from North Carolina with sound body and good health.
Alfred appeared on the 28 Feb 1862 Company Muster-In Roll as Alonzo M. Childers.
On the March and April 1862 Company Muster Roll his name is also listed as Alonzo M. Childers.
The Descriptive Roll for him on April 8th, 1862 has his name as Alex M. Childress.
The March and April 1863 Company Muster Roll has his name as A. M. Childress, being present and having last been paid by Maj. Dyer to Feb. 28, 1863.
The Company Muster Roll for May and June 1862 changed the name of the unit from Capt. James M. Daniel's Co. (Lamar Light Artillery) to (Lamar Art'y) Texas Vols. There is a card for A. M. Childers with no further remarks.
July and August 1862 finds A. M. sick in camp.
September and October 1862, A. M. has a Company Muster Roll card with no remarks.
November and December 1862, A. M. is present and sick in camp having last been paid by Capt. B. C. Jones to August 31, 1862.
The Company Muster Roll for January and February 1863 has A. M. present and having last been paid by Capt. B. C. Jones to October 31, 1862.
A. M. is on detached service with section of guns at Shreveport, Louisiana on the November and December 1863 Company Muster Roll having last been paid by Lt. Wright to April 30, 1863.
A. M. is present on the Company Muster Roll for January and February 1864 having last been paid by Lt. Wright to April 30, 1863.
TEXAS 9TH FIELD ARTILLERY BATTERY
by Stewart Sifakis, pages 3, 19-20
Nickname: Lamar Artillery
Organization: Organized in Lamar County in June 1861. Mustered into Confederate service at Paris on June 18, 1861. It was armed with four guns in August-September 1864. Designated as the 9th Field Battery on November 19, 1864. lt was armed with two 3" Rifles and two 12-lb. Howitzers in May 1865. Surrendered by General F. K. Smith, commanding Trans-Mississippi Department, on May 26, 1865.
First Commander: James M. Daniel (Captain)
Assignments:
Artillery, Nelson's Division, 2nd Corps, Army of the West, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Sep-Oct 1862)
Artillery, McCulloch's Division, 2nd Corps, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Dec 1862)
Artillery, Green's Cavalry Div., Sub-district of Southwestern Louisiana, Dist. of West Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Oct-Dec 1863)
Artillery, District of West Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Dec 1863-Apr 1864)
Randal's Brigade, Walker's Division, District of Arkansas, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Apr-May 1864)
Randal's Brigade, Walker's Division, Dist. of West Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (May-Sep 1864)
4th (Squires'-Faries') Field Artillery Battalion, 1st (Forney's) Texas Division, 1st Corps, Trans-Mississippi Dept. (Sep 1864-May 1865)
Battles:
Bayou Bourbeau [section] (November 3, 1863)
Operations vs. US gunboats near Hog Point, Mississippi River [section] (November 18-21, 1863)
Red River Campaign (March-May 1864)
Camden Expedition (March-May 1864)
Mansfield (April 8, 1864)
Pleasant Hill (April 9, 1864)
February 1864 is the last record of A. M. Childers' service in the Civil War. Aunt Liza's brother, John Wesley Childers (Alfred's fifth child) said Alfred lost a leg in the war and was given 40 acres and a mule in place of traveling money to return home. There is no record, to this date, to substantiate this.
On his widow's CSA pension application in 1915 Lucinda C. Osborne Childress states that she and Alfred were married in Tites (Titus) County, Texas in December of 1866. The Titus County Courthouse burned in 1885 and all records prior to that were lost. There appears to be no grave for Mary C. Hulen Childers in Lamar County, or for her parents but possibly one for her sister. There is a record for Elizabeth Burnett who died ?Jan 1870? and is buried in a unknown cemetery in Lamar Co., Texas. With so little concrete data many questions remain about what happened to Alfred and his first wife between 1863 and 1866.
In 1870, Alfred is living in Red River County, Texas. He is now 33 years old, still saying he was born in North Carolina. His wife is Lucinda, age 22, from Tennessee (daughter of William and Martha Osborne of Virginia). They have two children: James, age 3, and Margaret, age 1, both born in Texas.
The US Census for Red River County in 1880 is in very poor condition. After much searching Alfred and his family still could not be found although the probability is high that they were living there at the time. The 1890 US Census was destroyed by fire.
During the years between 1866 and 1889 ALFRED CHILDERS and LUCINDA OSBORNE had the following children:
i. JAMES FRANKLIN CHILDERS, born 1 Nov 1866, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 1 Jan 1936, Summerfield, Oklahoma; married (1) MATILDA JANE GASSAWAY; born 1868, Arkansas; died Vinita, Oklahoma; married (2) MARY JANE SPRUELL; born 20 Mar 1892, Hartman, Arkansas; died 3 Aug 1964, Summerfield, Oklahoma; married (3) JULIE MYERS.
ii. MARGARET ELIZABETH CHILDERS, born 27 Dec 1868, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 17 Mar 1950, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; married WILLIAM ELIJAH SIPES.
iii. WILLIAM THOMAS CHILDERS, born 28 Apr 1871, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 30 Dec 1946, Glendale, Arizona; married AMANDA ALICE SMITH; born 1874; died 1964.
iv. MARY FRANCIS CHILDERS, born 18 Sep 1875, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died Weleetka, Oklahoma; married ELIJAH GREEN SMITH.
v. JOHN WESLEY CHILDERS, born 19 Feb 1876, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 22 Oct 1958, Clarkesville, Red River Co., Texas; married (1) MATTIE GREEN; married (2) MATTIE E. MOSS, 24 Jun 1902, Red River Co., Texas; born 6 Apr 1884, Georgia; died 21 Jun 1928, Clarkesville, Red River County, Texas; married (3) NETTIE BELL DERRYBERRY, about 1933; born 27 Nov 1898, Oklahoma; died 27 Feb 1981, Red River County, Texas.
vi. ROBERT E. LEE CHILDERS, born 25 Jul 1878, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 20 Oct 1954, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; married VIRGINIA INEZ RIDDLES; born 1888; died 1924.
vii. LIZA JANE CHILDERS, born 22 Nov 1880, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 7 Sep 1974, Red River County, Texas; married (1) NAPOLEAN BONAPARTE HUMPHREY, 8 Nov 1900, Lamar Co., Texas; born 7 Jun 1864; died 15 Sep 1917,Clarkesville, Red River County, Texas; married (2) WALTER T. WELCH; born 3 Feb 1893; died 5 Oct 1979, Red River County, Texas.
viii. ALFRED MALOY CHILDERS, JR., born 23 Jan 1884, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 8 Dec 1947, Wilburton, Oklahoma; married BOBBIE BERNICE FOSTER.
ix. RUFIS MARION CHILDERS, born 22 May 1886, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas.
x. BENJAMIN HARRISON CHILDERS, born 5 May 1889, Clarksville, Red River Co., Texas; died 1949, Weleetka, Oklahoma; married ODESSA MAE DAVIS; born 1897; died 1952, Weleetka, Oklahoma..
Lucinda C. Childress filed for Alfred's Civil War pension in 1915. On the application she says Alfred died in April of 1894. He is buried in the Lone Star Cemetery located in Red River Co., Texas outside of Clarksville. Originally his tombstone was a piece of petrified wood with his name carved in it. Later a CSA tombstone was erected by his descendents to mark the grave. The tombstone says he was born 28 Jan 1837 and died 5 Apr 1894.
Lucinda said she had been living in Oklahoma since 1905. Included with the pension application file was a letter by her son, B. H. Childers(s) stating that she had died before recieving the pension money and asked if they could use it to pay for her burial expenses.
Sources:
LDS - Individual Genealogical Index (IGI) 3.06 - North America
Lamar Co. Texas Marriage Record 1841-1875 by Mullins
Confederate Widows Pension application of Lucinda C. Childress, dated November 1915
Alford Maloy Childers tombstone at Lone Star Cemetery, Lone Star, Texas
TXGENWEB - Lamar Co. Texas Marriages
TXGENWEB - Lamar Co. Cemetery Records
Jack Childers, Oklahoma City, OK, August 21, 1998
1860 Lamar Co., Texas US Census, page 132
1870 Red River Co., Texas US Census
Civil War military file of Alonzo M. Childers
1972 Social Security application of Liza J. Childers (father's name Alfred McCleod Childers)
The Compendium of the Confederate Armies - Texas - by Stewart Sifakis, pages 3, 19-20
©Ron Brothers and Linda Sartin, All Rights Reserved, 1999.
May 2, 1999
