The Family of Madison Sowder - Part 2

Denton Co., Texas - Birdseye view map 1883 - click to enlarge

 Continued from Part 1

A little less than two years after the death of her husband, Lucy Jane Wallen married Madison "Mattie" Sowder on 5 Nov 1879 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky. Madison was the son of Logan and Isabelle "Ibby" (Sutton) Sowder and was born 11 May 1859 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky. The marriage was performed by John B. Abbot at the home of Lucy's widowed mother, Louisa (Tyree) Wallen. The marriage was witnessed by John Bolen and Lucy's brother, Oliver P. Wallen. The surety was William Sowder, Mattie's paternal uncle, oldest brother of his father. Madison was the nephew of Lucy's first husband, William Renex Sutton, brother of his mother Isabelle. Isabelle was also the sister of my paternal great, great grandmother, Serena Susan (Sutton) Wallen, wife of William M. Wallen.

Madison, his wife Lucy, his step-daughters Louisa and Fannie Mae, and his sisters, Mary Jane and Rebecca, left for Kentucky in a wagon train of eighteen people, mostly family members, and headed for the northeastern part of Texas in the last week of September 1880. Three of Lucy's four brothers traveled with them to Texas: Oliver P. Wallen, Isaac Newton Wallen, and Daniel Thomas Wallen.

Map of Cooke Co., Texas

Lucy and Madison had five children, all born in Era, Cooke Co., Texas:

 1) William Robert "Bob" Sowder b. 24 Dec 1882. Bob married Eula Maude James on 14 Sep 1902 in Era, Cooke Co., Texas. Eula was the daughter of John B. and Martha (Crane) James. Bob d. 21 May 1961 in Plains, Yoakum Co., Texas and Eula d. 13 Jan 1957 in Bailyboro, Bailey Co., Texas. They are both buried in the Morton Cemetery in Cochran, Waller Co., Texas. Bob and Eula had 7 children.

2) Rebecca Ellen Sowder b. 9 Sep 1885. Rebecca married John Bitton Anderson on 13 Apr 1902 in Cooke Co., Texas. John was the son of Samuel Peters and Susannah (Collins) Anderson. Rebecca d. 14 Oct 1967 and John d. 8 Sep 1947, both in Comanche, Stephens Co., Oklahoma and they are buried there in the Fairlawn Cemetery. Rebecca and John had 9 children.

3) Jesse Newton Sowder, Sr. b. 15 Jun 1888. Jesse married Erin Eva Harrell about 1911 in Texas.  Jesse d. 13 Sept 1936 and Erin d. 26 Jan 1978, both in Texas (probably Lubbock Co.) and both are buried in the Idalou Cemetery in Idalou, Lubbock Co., Texas. Jesse and Erin had 6 children.

4) Emmit Logan Sowder b. 25 Feb 1891. Emmit married Rosa Lillian Pennington about 1920 in Texas.  Emmit d. 12 Oct 1955 and Rosa d. 1 Oct 1938, both in Lubbock, Lubbock Co., Texas and are buried in the Idalou Cemetery in Idalou, Lubbock Co., Texas. Emmit and Rosa had 7 children.

5) T. M. Sowder b. 2 Feb 1898 and d. 27 May 1898 in Era, Cooke Co., Texas. T. M. Sowder is buried in the Pollard Cemetery in Denton, Co., Texas.

Lucy died on 5 Feb 1898, almost 30 years before Madison. Her death was very likely caused by complications with the birth of her 5th child just 3 days earlier. Lucy was buried in the Pollard Cemetery in Denton, Co., Texas. Almost 8 years after Lucy died, Madison married 28-year-old Ella Flag on 13 Sep 1906, in Cooke Co., Texas.  Ella died about 2 and 1/2 years later on 15 Feb 1909 and was also buried in the Pollard Cemetery. There were no children from that union.

Map of Lubbock Co., Texas

Sometime between the 1910 and 1920 census, Madison and all three of his sons and their families moved to Lubbock Co., Texas and are  found living close together in separate households, but probably on acreage owned by Madison, in 1920. Madison died in 1927 in Lubbock and his sons brought his body back and buried him beside his two wives in the Pollard Cemetery in Denton Co. where many other family members were interred. His sons returned to the farm in Lubbock county. William moved, presumably to Yoakum county where he later died, before 1940. Jesse was dead by this time, so only Jesse's widow and children and his brother Emmit and his family were still in Lubbock county in 1940. Many of their family members are buried in the Idalou Cemetery in Idalou, Lubbock Co., Texas.

Madison's two sisters who traveled with the wagon train from Kentucky to Texas, are not to be left out.

1) Mary Jane "Mollie" Sowder married Lorenzo Dow Clampit, Jr., on 3 Feb 1884 in Denton, Denton Co., Texas. Lorenzo was the son of Lorenzo Dow Clampit, Sr. and his second wife Nancy Ellege. Lorenzo Sr.'s first wife was Isabel Walker, and Lorenzo Jr. came into the world with at least 7 older half siblings.  Mollie d. 22 Oct 1944 and Lorenzo d. 19 Sep 1934 and they are both buried in the Morton Memorial Cemetery in Morton, Cochran Co., Texas. Mollie and Lorenzo had 7 children. Two of their sons married daughters of the Sowder and Nance families.

2) Rebecca "Becky" Sowder married William M. "Bill" Nance on 10 Sep 1883 in Denton Co., Texas. William was the son of Isaac Newton and Rutha Jane (Pritchett) Nance. Becky d. 1919 in Granite, Greer Co., Oklahoma and John d. 8 Sep 1927 at the same place and they are both buried in the Granite City Cemetery.  Becky and William had 5 children. Their youngest son Jack owned and operated the Nance Hotel in Granite City for many years.

I'm not a Sowder descendant, but I do have a lot of information on the ancestry of Lucy and both her husbands through the Wallen and Sutton lineages. I can be contacted at the e-mail link near the bottom of this page, just above the photo of my "furchildren". As always, I love to hear from cousins, no matter how distant!

SHARE