The Family of Madison Sowder - Part 1

Rockcastle Co., Kentucky - view southwest from Skaggs Creek Church
photographed on May  23, 2011

Madison Sowder is related to me through his mother, Isabelle Sutton, who's parents, Uriah and Euna (Delaney) Sutton were my paternal third great grandparents. He is also related to me by marriage through his wife, Lucy Jane Wallen, who's parents, Jesse B. and Louisa (Tyree) Wallen, were also my paternal third great grandparents. This is not typically how I like to write my family history. There are far too many dates and repetitious places to keep the interest of the casual reader. However, if you have interest in the surnames Wallen, Sowder, Sutton, Gregory, Baker, Clampitt or Nance, you may find that you can wade through the data and pull out the bits of story within.

The Family of Madison Sowder includes his grandparents, his parents, his sisters, his wives, his step daughters, and his maternal uncle, William Renex Sutton. To keep things in order, I will have to start with my paternal great, great grand-aunt, Lucy Jane.

Lucy Jane Wallen, was the daughter of Jesse B. and Louisa (Tyree) Wallen. She was born on 2 Apr 1858 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky.

Lucy married William Renex Sutton, son of Uriah and Euna (Delaney) Sutton, when she was about 15 years old. William was born about 1845 in Lincoln Co., Kentucky. William and Lucy had two daughters, both born in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky:

1) Louisa Sutton b. 15 Aug 1874. Louisa married John William Gregory about 1898 in Cooke Co., Texas. John was the son of Isaac and Mary Ellen (Copenhaver) Gregory. Louisa d. 10 Oct 1950 in Ft. Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas and is buried in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Ft. Worth. John d. 20 Sep 1934 in Cooke Co., Texas and is buried in the Pollard Cemetery in Denton Co., Texas. Louisa and John had 4 children.

2) Fannie Mae Sutton b. 11 Apr 1877. Fannie married William Joseph Baker on 5 Dec 1897 in Cooke Co., Texas. William was the son of George Washington and Cornelia Indiana (Davis) Baker. (William was born in Double Branch, Milton Co., Georgia. Milton Co. no longer exists. It was merged with Fulton Co. in the early 1930s in order to save it from bankruptcy.) Fannie d. 4 Jun 1951 in Lubbock, Lubbock Co., Texas and William d. 17 Jan 1959 in Claude, Armstrong Co., Texas. Fannie's and William's residence at the time of Fannie's death was Portales, Roosevelt Co., New Mexico. Perhaps she had been visiting family members who lived in Lubbock when she became ill and died at the Lubbock Memorial Hospital. Fannie and William are buried in the Abernathy Cemetery in Hale Co., Texas.  Fannie and William had 10 children.

William Renex Sutton d. 5 Feb 1878 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky and Lucy became a widow before she turned 20 years old. Lucy's father, Jesse B. Wallen, had preceded his son-in-law in death just 6 months earlier. Both men are buried in the Wallen/Francisco Cemetery in Wabd, Rockcastle Co., Kentucky.

A little less than two years later, Lucy married her deceased husband's nephew, Madison "Mattie" Sowder.

Click here to continue in Part 2

SHARE