Missouri Armenta Davenport · Moore Family Stories

Missouri Armenta Davenport (her name was in that order, in Alabama records)
She was born May 23, 1845. She had six brothers and five sisters that lived past
infancy. She was the baby of the family.

William T. was born October 13, 1822, he was her oldest brother.
He married Mary Catharin (Cauthorn) in 1849 in Alabama. They moved six miles
from Yellville, Ark. in 1860. His home was on Greasy Creek, north and east of Bruno.
He was an elder in the Christian Church and a Mason.
Their children were George P.-- Frank L.-- John H.--Thomas N. (he moved to Texas)
-- Lawrence H.-- Louise J.-- and two children who died in infancy.

Soon after coming to Arkansas he enlisted in Company A, 14th Arkansas Confederate
Infantry, July 8, 1861, at Yellville, Arkansas. He was discharged July 20, 1861.
He re-enlisted at Jacksonport, Ark.on August 1, 1862 in Company 'K', 30 Regiment
Ark. Infantry. He was in the battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove in Arkansas,
Price's Raid across southern Mo. to Lexington, Mo., and in the attack of Sept. 20, 1861
He was discharged July 20, 1862.

He re-enlisted Aug 1,1862 at Jacksonport, Ark. in Co. K., 30 Regiment, Ark. Infantry
He was in battle at Iuke, Miss. on Sept. 19, 1862.
And another battle in Corinth Miss. On the 3rd and 4th of October, 1862.
He was wounded in the Price raid, and also in Miss., both gunshot wounds.
At the close of the war he was discharged at the rank of orderly sergeant.
He could have held a much higher position, had he had accepted it.
William T. died on Dec. 3,1898. He was 76. He was known by the name of 'Uncle Billy'.

A family tradition, is that the Davenports have some Cherokee Indian ancestry.
George Philip Davenport (son of William T.) considered very seriously, on going to
Indian Territory and signing up for "headrights" with the Dawes Commission 1898-1907.

Martha Elizabeth, born 1825. She married William T. Reese on November 11, 1839.
Jefferson county land records show a purchase by her on January, 1847.
The 1850 census shows her back in the home of her father, George W. Davenport.
This may indicate an early death of her husband. She died by 1890.

Julie was born 1827 and died in youth, before 1840.

Nancy Jane was born 1829. She married Merritt S Leemon, and later married John Dell.

Pleasant Brown was born 1830. He married T. C. Latham in 1858, They had a son
John in 1860. Pleasant Brown enlisted in Company H, Buena Vista Hornets, 24th Miss.
Inf. on 28th of Feb. 1862. A private, he fought in the battle of Mission Ridge on
November 24, 1863. The last entry in the Confederate Army records was June 30,
1864 for receipt of clothing, and signed by P. B. Davenport. He was killed soon after
in the Atlanta campaign in 1864.

Francis was born in 1831, she married Henry J. Hancock on April 20, 1848. He
served in the 17th Alabama Infantry and Co. F, 32nd and 58th consolidated Alabama
Regiments. He was discharged May 10, 1865. They had six boys, George W. born in
1851,-- John T. born in 1852,-- James L. born in 1854,-- Milton born in 1859,-- Alton
J. born in 1860,-- and William D. born in 1863. Their only girl, Jane was born in 1855.
They were all born in Jefferson County, Alabama. In the 1870's they moved to
Crawford Co. Arkansas. Francis received a Widow's Pension, No. 3875, Crawford
Co., Arkansas. It was dated August 7, 1903.

Lafayette was born Dec. 15, 1833, and married Sarah A Smith in Jefferson County,
Ala., in 1866. They had five children, William Thomas born in Mar. 1867--Mary E
[Lizzie] and Minerva E., wife of Dr. J. G. Adams were born in Jefferson, Alabama.
Ola, and Walter L., their last two children, were born in Arkansas.
Lafayette enlisted at Blount Springs, Alabama, Sept. 2, 1862, "The Blount County
Tiger Boys", Company F, 29th regiment Alabama Infantry, stationed at Camp Lee, Alabama.

He was a 2nd Lieutenant in Co. A, 5th Alabama Infantry and later in Company B. But
after the battle of Shiloh, his health failed him, and he resigned and returned to his home.
He, however, enlisted again the same year. He was with Hood to and from Nashville,
in the Atlantic campaign and many minor engagements in Florida.
He transferred to Company A, 7th Regiment Alabama Cavalry on Nov. 1, 1863.

He was captured May 20, 1865 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was paroled at the end
of the war--- in May, 1865, as a Sergeant in Company E, 7th Regiment Cavalry.
In 1872 he bought a farm on Crooked Creek, in Marion Co. Arkansas, near Yellville.

William Thomas, Lafayette's oldest son was a prosperous farmer. He lived a few miles
west of Yellville, Arkansas. He was killed by his 18year old son, Russell, who was
imprisoned, but soon pardoned. Russell then moved to California.
He became a respected citizen, and he chose the ministry as his life's work.

At one time Lafayette was quite an extensive slave holder. He was sheriff of Edgefield
District, South Carolina, and assisted in the hanging of three n-----s for murder. He
was a Methodist, Mason and a Democrat. He was Coroner in Marion County in 1890 -1892.

John F. Born 1835 in Jefferson Co. Ala. And buried there also.
He was bondsman at his sister, Amanda's wedding at their Fathers home on July 10,1857
He was a Confederate soldier, never married. He was dead by 1894.

George Hewlett, (Hugh) was born May 1938. He married Sarah J. Lathan, in Chickasaw
Co. Miss, ca 1859. They had seven children, born in Miss. Mary A., 1860-- Wm. T.
1861-- Armenta, 1865-- Robert, 1867--Margrett, 1869-- Ofelia, 1872-- and Dora in 1874.
Sarah, his first wife, died and George Hewlett married Candis Ann, in Nov., 1878.
They had seven children. Lafayette, May 1884 in Arkansas--Sylvester, January1886 in Miss
.-- Kate, Jan. 1891 in Miss. The last four were born in Milam County, Texas. Scott,
Jan. 1893-- Jessie, Oct. 1894-- Almie, Dec.1896 and Bennie was born in June,1898.
(38 years after his first born.)

George Hewlett enlisted in Co D, 1st Ala. Tenn., Miss.Regiment in 1861.
Later he transferred to Co. E,54th Alabama Reg. He was captured at Ten Mile Island
when the Fort surrendered to the Union Army on April 8,1862.
He was sent as a prisoner to Camp Douglas, Illinois, and from there to Madison,
Wisconsin. He escaped and returned to Mississippi.
He was discharged in April, 1865 at Okalona, Chickasaw Co., Mississippi
He moved to Lott, in Falls Co. Texas in 1915, he died there January 25, at 79years old.

Amanda was born January 27, 1840. On the census that year, her Father, George
Davenport, owned four slaves, a father, mother, and two children. The average
slave in 1850 cost $40,000, in today's money.
Amanda married Robert Nail [Nale] in her father's home on July 10, 1857.
Her brother, John was the bondsman.

Her husband enlisted August 1st 1861, in Co C., 5th Alabama Battalion, later it
became the 58th Alabama Regiment of the Tennessee army. He was captured
at Nashville, Tenn. And he was released from federal prison , Camp Douglas,
Illinois on June 20, 1865. The war was over.

They had six children. Lafayette was born Nov. 23, 1859 in Jefferson Co, Alabama.
The other five were born in Robertson County, Texas--- after the Civil War.
J. M. [James] was born 1873 ?--Laura A.[Holder], !875 ?--Celia A. [Sealia Simmons],
1877 ?--Bettie B.[ Keith], Oct. 1889--and Lucy [Cole] was born Sept. 1886.

Amanda was 46when her last child, Lucy, was born 27 years after her first son, Lafayette.
Amanda died January 30, 1916 and is buried at Franklin, Robertson County, Texas.
She was 76. She was a Christian and a Methodist for 62 years.

Milton was born about 1844 in Jefferson Co. Ala. He died there before 1860.

Missouri Armenta Davenport was born May23, 1845, near Warrior in Jefferson Co., Ala.
She was the baby of the family, born 23 years after her oldest brother, William T.
She died at 94---and then it was an accident, she fell by her bed. May 30, 1939.