William Paris
William Paris, the son of James Paris was born 11 Oct. 1821 and died 26 Feb 1898.
He was first married to Tranquilla Twigg. After her death he married Serelda
Melvina Susan Pope. William Paris was my maternal great grandfather.
The following is a quote from Steven Denney (my cousin).
According to a family legend as related by Stephen L. Denney, grandson of Aunt Ellen Denney
(Nannie Ellen Paris Denney), The 17 year old.. " Nany Paris that is listed in the 1850
census with William and Tranquilla was an adopted son that William had taken in. After
the adopted son came of age, William turned his store (he ran a grocery store at Boston
Springs) over to Nany. Legend has it that the young man ran up a lot of debts for the
store, and when William gave him the money to bail him out, he kept the money and ran off,
never to be heard from again--leaving William with the debts. It supposedly nearly broke
William's heart, and he actually wound up naming his youngest daughter (my grandmother)
Nannie Ellen Paris Denney) after the long gone son."
(letter from Steven Denney to Kenneth Shelton..date unknown)
Serelda Melvina Susan Pope
Serelda Melvina Susan Pope b 11 Jan 1852 d 17 Feb 1914 The daughter of Jessie Pope and Serena
Paschall was married to William Paris in July of 1876. She is buried in the Paris Cemetery,
Paris Hollow Smith County Tennessee. Serena was the grandaughter of Anderson Paschall and
Matilda Neeley. Matilda and her father William Neeley are recorded in some of the earliest
historical writings about Tennessee.
Serelda Paris and Nannie Ellen Paris
This is a picture of Serelda Melvina Susan Pope/Paris and Nannie Ellen Paris.
Nannie Ellen Paris b.11 Jan 1893 and d. 31 Jan 1974. She was married to James
Elbert Denney and is Steven Denney's grandmother.