"His first marriage was to Rebecca Graham, in Tennessee [Rebecca soon died of a fever]."1 They had "one son Lanty, who was a casualty of the southern army of Springfield, Missouri"1 during the civil war. However, in another section of the notebook under the heading "Brief Sketch of Ballengee Family, 1762 to 1956"1 I find this conflicting statement, "[First marriage to] Emily Graham, Tenn. 1 son Atlantis died on leave of Confederate Army, Springfield, Missouri."1 This contraction can only be resolved by taking the two statements and read them as: His first marriage was to a woman with the last name of Graham. They had one son. She died of a fever. Their son was in the Confederate Army and died in Springfield, Missouri.
Great grandfather "[James McMullen Ballengee] married a second time to Manerva Jean Hoskins of Hickory Hill, Cole County, Missouri on November 16, 1848. They had two boys, [Patrick Henry (1849-1922) and (my grandfather) Thomas Sterling (1854-1941)], and three girls (two girls died very young). [The one, survivor was Hester Elizabeth]"1
My grandfather, Thomas Sterling Ballengee, was born January 21, 1854. His mother, Manerva Jane Hoskins, died when he was 4 years old. His father, my great-grandfather, James M. Ballengee, married for the third time on March 3rd, 1859 to Matilda Russell. However, just 3 years later when my grandfather Thomas Ballengee was only 8 years old, two days after his 8th birthday, his father James M. Ballengee died "Of a head illness of one night"1 on January 23, 1862. He was 49 years old.
The mid 1800s were violent times. Great grandfather James Ballengee lost two wives to diseases, and his elder son to the civil war. His vast holdings were consumed during this period. The war tore the people of Missouri, Republican or Democrat, Union and Confederate, apart, destroying families and fortunes. After we read about all of James M. Ballengee's holdings we read that after his death, "His estate was sold to the administrator's wife, for nominal sum. There being meager funds after adjustment of estate. . ." We can only imagine the hardships that fell upon the children, Patrick Henry age 13 and 8 year old Thomas Sterling Ballengee and their sister Hester Elizabeth. ". . . the family was divided, [the boys, Patrick Henry and my grandfather, Thomas Sterling Ballengee] were taken in their uncle's (Thomas B. Hoskins) home" for 5 years. "In 1867 the three [the two boys and Hester] went to live in the home of Aunt Amanda and husband John Miller, Long Lane, Dallas Co., Mo."1
The record speaks of my grandfather thus: "Thomas Sterling Ballengee, son of James M. and Manerva Jane (Hoskins) Ballengee, was born January 21, 1854 in Cole Co., Mo. Raised on farm, salesman and farmer, a leader of music, and worker in Baptist Church, Democrat."1 |
