The Wheat Brothers: Myths and Legends, Part I

My cousin, Paul Ming, with whom I share Wheat ancestors, recently emailed me to ask whether I knew the name of the wife of Zachariah Wheat, our oldest Wheat ancestor. Conflicting trees showed her name as Priscilla Reynolds or Priscilla Ridgeway. This was a question I had had myself, and Paul had decided to leave her out of his family history because he couldn't find evidence to support either name. The answer to this question ended up contradicting everything I thought I knew about the origins of my Wheat family and sent me on a quest to discover what happened to the five sons of Zachariah Wheat.

For the record--it is documented that Priscilla Reynolds married Zachariah Wheat in Prince George's County, Maryland, on 4 February 1782. Rowena Hearn Randle, author of Genealogy of the Patterson, Wheat, and Hearn Families, published in 1926, showed the wife of Zachariah Wheat as Priscilla Flagg Ridgeway. She apparently made this mistake by confusing the maiden names of a couple of Priscillas that became Wheat wives; her error has been duplicated in multiple family trees. However, as it turns out, finding the right Priscilla didn't help me or Paul because we had the wrong Zachariah--at least, according to Wheat Genealogy: A History of the Wheat Family in America, a book first published in 1903 and then updated in 1960.

Silas Carmi Wheat, the author of the first edition of Wheat Genealogy, was mostly concerned with his family, descendants of Moses Wheat of Concord, Massachusetts. In 1960 Helen Love Scranton updated the original book with the addition of S. C. Wheat's unpublished material and the descendants of another Wheat family, that of Francis Wheat of Maryland. Many trees that include my Wheats show their descent from Francis Wheat of Maryland, but according to Wheat Genealogy, this is not correct. In fact, my Wheats are included in the chapter titled "Unplaced Families." How had I not seen this before?

Included in the "Unplaced Families" are four fathers named Zachariah: Zachariah Wheat of Prince George's County, Maryland, born in England in the 1750's, died 1792. This has to be the Zachariah who married Priscilla Reynolds. They only had two sons, Jonathan and Thomas. Jonathan had no children, and as far as I can tell, all of Thomas's descendants went to New York and Indiana. Not our Wheats. Zachariah of New Geneva, Pennsylvania (the only Zachariah I can find on the 1790 census), born 1768, had two sons whose names are unknown and Jesse, who ended up in Ohio. Not our Wheats. Zachariah of Kentucky married Betsy Kennedy in 1791; their children, many of whom lived in Adair and Bourbon counties in Kentucky, are documented. Again, not our Wheats.

Then we have Zachariah of Virginia, born about 1750. Of him Scranton says "had sons:

• SAMUEL, 'living in the Indian Nation'
• BENJAMIN of Kentucky
• JOSIAH of Tiler [Tyler] Co., Texas
• WILLIAM, born c. 1785; married Hester Whitley [actually Esther Stephenson, daughter of Elizabeth Whitley Stephenson] and lived in Alabama, in Tennessee, and in 1833 went to Texas
• JOHN, 'went to Kentucky'"

Finally, these are our Wheats. It's just that their father Zachariah doesn't exist. Or at least I can't find him. He should be on the 1790 census because that is just about the time his sons were born; he's not. Not that he's just not in Virginia; he's not anywhere. As I mentioned above, the only Zachariah Wheat on paper in 1790 is in Pennsylvania, and his family is documented. Loudoun County, Virginia, is given as the birthplace of some of the Wheat brothers, but I can find no evidence the family came from there. Paul's daughter, who lives in Maryland, did hands-on research in Loudoun County and never found our Zachariah either. I thought for a time I had found him in Bedford County, Virginia, but that is yet another Zachariah with a documented family.

As Scranton says in her introduction to the chapter in which Zachariah appears: "Among the Unplaced Families in the South, the almost complete lack of dates makes it difficult or impossible to place the members with any degree of confidence." No kidding. Not to mention the numerous Wheat families with the same given names. 

She also makes mention of one of the legends surrounding this branch of the Wheats--"it has been reported that he [Zachariah] was one of 5 brothers who came from Ireland before the Revolution, a statement that was doubted by Mr. S. C. Wheat." So apparently Silas Wheat could find no evidence for this legend; I have looked in his book for a mention of it but have decided it must be recorded in the unpublished material that his family gave to Helen Love Scranton. If true, which it probably isn't, it could tie together some of those "unplaced" families, although evidence to verify it probably doesn't exist. It's also good to keep in mind that Silas wrote his book in 1903. For a time he didn't believe that there were any other Wheat families except his own.

So, let's put Zachariah aside for a moment. He may or may not exist. He may or may not have a connection to Francis Wheat of Maryland, especially since Loudoun County, Virginia, is only about 60 miles from St. George's County, Maryland. However, we do know what happened to the Wheat brothers, at least most of them, who are supposed to be his sons, and that is the subject of the rest of this post.

SAMUEL--"living in the Indian Nation"

We begin with my 3rd great-grandfather, Samuel Wheat. Paul and I both recognized right away that "Indian Nation" does not refer to Oklahoma, but probably to Mississippi Territory or Arkansas. It is true that Samuel Wheat lived in both places.

These are the facts we do know about Samuel. His birthdate is derived from his headstone, which records that he was 79 years and 1 day old when he died on 23 November 1866; therefore, his birthdate would be 22 November 1787. Again, many Wheat researchers say he was born in Loudoun, Virginia, although I have not found evidence for this. (Paul's daughter also looked for Samuel in Loudoun County but found no mention of him.) On the 1850 census, which is the first census to ask for place of birth, Samuel reported that he was born in Virginia.

The first mention of him in records that I have been able to find is his marriage on 13 November 1814 in Madison County, Mississippi Territory, to Cynthia Stephenson. Samuel and Cynthia are my 3rd great-grandparents.

Marriage license of Samuel Wheat and Cynthia Stephenson

(I intended to give a history of Mississippi Territory and Madison County AL here, but the history of Madison County is so extensive and important that I decided it needs its own post. Stay tuned for some posts about Ancestral Places--and Sources--for some of the locations that have contributed to my family's history.) 

It's not clear when the Wheats and Stephensons came to Madison County, but it's possible that Cynthia Stephenson's father, Robert, was there before 1809, when a "Squatters' Census" was taken in preparation for opening the area for legal settlement. Governor Robert Williams had proclaimed Madison a new county on 13 December 1808. The illegal inhabitants who registered with government surveyor, Thomas Freeman, were able to remain on the lands they were already occupying in Madison until land sales took place in Nashville in August 1809. A Robert Stinson appears on the 1809 Squatters' Census with 320 acres at Indian Creek (R 2W, T 3, Section 21). He also appears as head of household on the 1809 Madison County census with 1 female over 21, 3 males under 21, and 5 females under 21. This tallies almost exactly with the ages of his family members as we believe them to be in 1809. The Wheats do not appear on either of these lists, so it is probable that Samuel came to Alabama after the lands were open to legal settlement. Of course, we know that he was there by 1814 when he married Cynthia Stephenson. He appears on the 1815 Tax List for Madison County. 

Sometime before 1819 Samuel and Cynthia moved to the next county to the west of Madison, Limestone, which had been established on February 6, 1818. It is possible that this is where Samuel Wheat got his start as a Primitive Baptist preacher. (See my post, "Gimme That Old Time Religion" for more information about the Primitive Baptists.) I am indebted to an Ancestry member with the username "downtownripley" who posted the following comment to a biographical sketch of Samuel Wheat: " Samuel Wheat in Limestone Co. Al: Samuel Wheat joined Round Island Baptist Church by letter in March 1819. He was licensed to preach Sept. 1821. Round Island decided to move to a more distant location and he along with others asked for and was given letters of dismissal August 10, 1822. They were constituted a Church Oct. 5, 1822. He and others withdrew from this Church and were constituted a Church as Baptist Church of Christ known by the name of Poplar Creek. This Church and Round Island are still functioning." 

The Stephensons also moved to Limestone County, as Robert's widow Elizabeth appeared in court there on 25 August 1825 asking for permission to sell his estate and divide his assets among his heirs. Cynthia is mentioned in the petition as an heir who was living out of state, because...she and Samuel had moved again--possibly to Tennessee where daughter Mary Elizabeth was born in 1826 (Elizabeth consistently gives her place of birth as Tennessee) or to Arkansas, where they appear on the 1830 census of Washington County, Arkansas Territory. This is the first census I have found for Samuel; his household consists of 1 male 40-49; 1 female 30-39; 1 male 10-14; 2 males 5-9; 1 female 15-19; and 2 females under 5. 

Samuel Wheat, 1830 census, Washington Co., Arkansas Territory

On the 1840 census the family is living in War Eagle, Madison County, Arkansas, and the household consists of: 1 male 40-49 (Samuel is really more like 53 at this point); 1 female 40-49; 1 male 15-19; 2 males 5-9; 1 male under 5; 1 female 15-19; 1 female 10-14; and 1 female under 5. According to a contribution to Ancestry by user tali7311, "In August 1840 [Samuel] helped organized Shiloh Church of Primitive Baptists, Springdale, Arkansas. Lived at War Eagle until about 1844."

With the exception of the youngest son, George, who was born in 1840, Samuel and Cynthia's family is complete at this point, so I'll list their names here, since they are not all listed on the 1850 census. They are: 

• Joseph, born 1815, who married Malitta (Morgan? Reeves?). His household appears on the 1840 census in War Eagle, Madison County, Arkansas, and on the 1850 census in Milam and Williamson, Texas. Joseph must have died before 2 June 1860, when Malitta appears as head of household on the 1860 census of Bell County, TX. Their last child, Joseph, was born in 1853.
• Sarah Elizabeth, born 1817, who married William Jackson. They married in Arkansas and followed the family to Texas, having 12 or 13 children along the way. This does not surprise me, as I have a million DNA matches to their descendants. If I see the name Jackson in a list of matches, it's almost always a descendant of William and Sarah.
• William Whitley, given the middle name Whitley for his great-grandfather, William Chapman Whitley, born 16 March 1820 in Madison County AL, married Cynthia Maynard. He has his own historical marker at the Hall Cemetery in Howe, Grayson County, TX. It reads: William Whitley Wheat (1820-1890) was born in Alabama to Samuel and Cynthia (Stinson) Wheat. He married Cynthia Ann Maynard, and the couple came to Texas in 1842 to Peters Colony. They moved three years later to what is now Grayson County, settling and raising ten children near Farmington. Wheat was an early cattle drover to northern markets, and he became a respected and successful farmer. He served for many years as Grayson County Commissioner in the 1870s and 1880s and was first presiding present of the Old Settlers Association of North Texas. As such, he worked to ease local tensions in the post-Civil War years. He died 26 November 1890.

• Mary Elizabeth, born 8 February 1826 in Tennessee, married George Washington Cloer Jr. They follow basically the same migration path as Mary Elizabeth's parents. G. W. Cloer died in the Civil War in 1863; most researchers think he was the G. W. Clore who enlisted in the 18th Texas Cavalry in Bell Co. TX in 1862. His youngest son and namesake was born after his death. Samuel Wheat, age 72, is living with George and Elizabeth on the 1860 Bell Co. TX census.
• Martha Jane, born 8 December 1827 in Madison County AL, married Andrew Jackson Edwards in Arkansas. Her husband died in 1878 and is buried in Keller, Tarrant County, TX; Martha died in 1916 and is buried in Garner, Parker County, TX.
• James, born 1830 in Arkansas, appears at age 20 with the family in Milam County TX. I can't find him after that. Ancestry user MarkSheppard67 contributed a Grayson Co. (Pilot Grove) land map from 1853 that shows a tract owned by a James Wheat.
• John, born 1832 in Arkansas, appears at age 18 with the family in Milam County TX. Also can't be located after 1850. Also appears on the Grayson Co. Land Map from 1853.
• Susanna, born 1835 in Arkansas, married William Frederick Ming; they are my 2nd great-grandparents. You can read more about William F. and Susanna in my post, "The Ming Dynasty."
• Samuel, born 1838, appears on the 1850 Milam Co. census with his parents, Samuel and Cynthia. Every reference and hint on Ancestry is for Samuel Dewitt Wheat, his nephew, son of Joseph and Malitta, also born about 1838. Samuel D. appears on the 1850 Milam Co. census with Joseph and Malitta. That would indicate to me that they are two separate people, but I can find no reference to Samuel, son of Samuel and Cynthia, after 1850.
• George, born 1840, appears at age 10 with parents Samuel and Cynthia on the 1850 Milam County census. He can't be the George Lewis Wheat, born 1825, killed by Apaches, or the George C. Wheat, born 1832, living in Arkansas in 1850. Again, I can't find the right George after 1850; numerous trees on Ancestry show Samuel and Cynthia as the parents of George L., George C., or a combination of the two. 

As seen above, Samuel, Cynthia, and family were living in War Eagle, Madison County, Arkansas, in 1840 and in Milam and Williamson District, Milam County, Texas in 1850. However, they must have made a stop along the way in Pilot Grove, Grayson County, Texas, because Samuel helped start a church there in 1847. 

I have known for decades that Samuel and Cynthia were living in Milam and Williamson District, Milam County, Texas in 1850. The problem is--I didn't really know where that was until just a couple of weeks ago. I was searching Ancestry and any other source I could find for Samuel in preparation for this blog post, when I googled his name and found a book online entitled Salado: Frontier College Town by Charles A. Turnbo. That really caught my eye, because I was just in Salado last year. 

Now Salado is a little town--even though it has a college and a reputation as the "Athens of Texas"--and I would probably have never even known about it if it hadn't been for my friend Cecilia. She is familiar with the Temple area because her son once lived there, so when we were planning a trip to Texas, she said she knew a quaint little town with antique and gift shops called Salado, and did I want to go there? Salado is now in Bell County, so I never even had a clue we were in what was once Milam and Williamson District, Milam County.

Without the book catching my eye because I had been in Salado, I would never have discovered that Samuel and Cynthia were some of the very first settlers there. Even when I read the opening page of Chapter 3, "The Settlement of Salado," I still didn't believe the author was talking about my Samuel. Turnbo names Archibald Willingham, who bought 320 acres on Salado Creek in late 1848, as the first white settler in Salado. In addition to Willingham and his family, Turnbo lists these other early heads of household in Salado: Andrew Wilkie, William Bailey, Ira E. Chalk, James M. Cross, Robert S. Elliott, Edward N. Goode, William K. Karnes (and single laborer James Hash), Cornelius B. Roberts, and Samuel Wheat. Still not convinced, I pulled up the 1850 Milam Co. census on Ancestry to the page on which Samuel Wheat's family is the first entry, shown as Family #599. At #601 was Archibald Willingham and his family; #602 was Andrew Wilkie and family; #604 was Ira E. Chalk and family; #605 was William K. Karnes and family and laborer, James Hash; and finishing out the page at #606 was Robert S. Elliott and family. 

I'm still not sure why the census called this Milam County, as Bell County was established in the year of 1850, and the census was taken in October. Bell County, named after the third Texas governor, Peter Hansborough Bell, consisted of 1,000 square miles and 700,000 acres, according to Turnbo. Only 8 miles north of Salado was Nolanville, later to become Belton, county seat of Bell County. I just wish I had known all this before I visited Salado. 

As I mentioned above, Samuel, age 72, widower, is still in Bell Co. in 1860, living with his daughter Elizabeth Cloer and her family. Samuel's occupation is given as "Baptist clergyman." It is apparent that they are living in a ranching area, although it's possible they were living in the town of Belton, listed on the census as nearest post office. I say that because of the variety of cattle-related occupations listed for the neighbors: Stock raiser, Stock trader, Blacksmith, Wagon maker, etc. 

The only other Wheats in Bell Co. in 1860 are Joseph's widow, Malitta, and her children. By 1860 Susanna had married her first cousin, William F. Ming, and is living back in Grayson County (Pilot Grove), as are several of Samuel's other children. It has long been supposed by Wheat researchers that Cynthia is buried somewhere in Milam County, as she died sometime between 1850 and 1860. Now I wonder: is she buried somewhere in Salado?

Samuel died in 1866 and is buried in Hall Cemetery in Howe, Grayson County. He apparently was living in Grayson County at the time of his death, as you will see from his tombstone inscription. Thank goodness the inscription was recorded, as the stone facade of the tombstone has slidden right off. It says:

In memory of Elder Samuel Wheat, who departed this life 23 Nov 1866, aged 79 years and 1 day. Elder Wheat had been an old-school Baptist from his youth and a Minister of the Cross for 50 years. Standing firm amidst the siftings and schisms among the Churches, the fearless advocate of Virginia immigrated to Alabama, then to Tennessee, then to Arkansas, then to Texas in 1847, making his first discourse to Pilot Grove Church in Grayson County to which he made his last a few days before his death.

 

Contributed to Ancestry by ditz929, 
who gives credit for the photo to
George and Lynn Pollack

 

All you genealogists out there: Don't you wish everybody's tombstone had this much information on it? 

It's ironic that the Primitive Baptists don't believe in missionaries because Samuel lived the life of a missionary, moving from place to place, state to state, preaching his version of the Gospel to some far-flung places where pioneers were just beginning to settle. His DNA has been passed down to hundreds of descendants; I have a slew of matches with whom I share Samuel and Cynthia as common ancestors. 

Well, I intended to move on to the other Wheat brothers, but this post has been so long that I think I'll start working on "The Wheat Brothers, Part II." Stay tuned for the lives of Benjamin, Josiah, William, and John.