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Blalack Family History
of Prospect, Clay County, Texas
Submitted
by: Kirk
Lyons
John
Quincy Adams Blalack was the youngest child of Levi Blaylock and Louisa
Roberts.
The Blalack’s descend from Thomas Blaylock I, born in
Cumberland
England
about 1597. In 1622 Thomas arrived at
Jamestown
,
Virginia
and settled in what is now Accomac Co, Virginia, dying in about 1660.
From Thomas we pass to Thomas II, John William I, Richard I (who
married Rachel Harden), Richard II born 1745 in Louisa Co Virginia
(who married Sarah Wade? In about 1767 and left Virginia for South
Carolina), Richard III born 1770 in South Carolina (married Martha
Long in about 1790 - Martha born abt 1774 in Barnwell County,
South Carolina). Richard III moved to Dallas County Alabama
where he died January 13, 1838 followed by his wife on November 18,
1848
JQA’s Father, Levi, was born in SC in about 1803
the son of Richard Blaylock III and Martha Long. Levi’s
brothers and sisters were: John Washington, Richard D. (1798 –
1865), Sarah (1801-aft 1865), Wade, Nathaniel, James B. (1804-1869),
Julia Ann (1810-1867),
Elizabeth
(1812-1887), Harden (1806-1864), Barney, Martha (1818-1837),
Washington, Osmand A., and John.
Levi’s bride, Louisa Roberts (her middle name may have
been “Sabra”), was born April 22, 1806 in Virginia the
daughter of Jesse Roberts (born about 1784). Save that Jesse
moved to Lowndes County Alabama and was still alive in 1860, nothing
else is currently known about him save that his wife’s name is Mary
and he had another daughter Jemima who was born in about 1809 .
Levi married Louisa in about 1824 and settled in Dallas
County Alabama , out of which later was formed Lowndes County, with
other Blaylock kinfolk where he started to raise a family and farm and
styled himself a small planter.
Sometime after 1850 Levi moved his family to
Neshoba County
,
Mississippi
where he achieved some success as a yeoman farmer working his one or
two slaves. Levi died sometime between 1860 and 1870 – the
family story is that he was killed in the war and the farm/plantation
was ravaged and plundered by Yankees.
Levi and Louisa (pronounced loo – eye’ –zah) had
the following 8 children:
- James
Brinkley (1825-1872) married Amanda Avenger. Enlisted in Co
E 40th MS Inf Regt, CSA received Medical
discharge for disability.
- Martha
Ann (1832 - ?)
- Jesse
Roberts born Sept 5, 1833 in Dallas Co AL married Sarah Ann
Jackson in about 1858 in
Butler County
,
Alabama
. Family moved to Caddo Parish, LA and Jesse enlisted
in Co G, 25th LA Inf Regt, CSA, severely wounded at
Murfreesboro
and given a medical discharge. Moved to
Texas
in 1865 and was a farmer in
Clay
County
by 1880. Jesse later settled in McLean, Gray Co.
Texas
in about 1900, where he died April 11, 1918. Sarah Ann died
after 1880 and is believed buried in
Clay
County
. Their children: A. (1859 LA), Sarah Louisa Elizabeth
“Lou” (1860 LA), Mary Margaret Emma (1866 TX), John Francis
(TX 1870), Martha Rosetta (TX 1874), Mary Ethel (TX
1876).
- Richard
J. (1836 - ?)
- Mary
E. (1841 - ?)
- George
N. Washington (1844 - ?)
- Marcella
(1846 – 1920) married Andrew Hill and settled in Bowie, Montague
Co, TX where she died November 29, 1920
- John
Quincy Adams born October 8, 1851 in Lowndes County Alabama (what
was told the census taker) or
Vicksburg
, Warren County, Mississippi (what is on his death certificate).
He was named for a local planter of that name and possibly his
Father was a Whig.
According to family lore, it fell to JQA to care for his mother
and work the devastated farm after the Uncivil War. The 1870 Neshoba
County Mississippi census finds JQA in the town of
Philadelphia
working as a farm laborer to help his widowed Mother and two unmarried
sisters.
As his economic prospects in
Mississippi
worsened, JQA decided to start over and join his older
brother Jesse in
Texas
. Jesse had settled in Louisiana, served in the Confederate Army,
was medically discharged from a severe wound suffered at the Battle of
Murfreesboro and ended up in Texas in 1865 and Clay County by 1880 or
before. I can’t find Jesse in the1870 census, so I don’t know
how early he arrived in
Clay
County
.
So in 1878 JQA left
Mississippi
in a covered Wagon, headed for
Texas
. The only thing he salvaged from the old farm were the family
guns and JQA was a crack shot. By family tradition he stopped in
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas and married Celia Elizabeth Bullard on
January 26, 1879.
Celia Elizabeth was born Feb 23, 1858 in
Atlanta
Georgia
, the daughter of Ephraim Ira Bullard (born June 25, 1830 in
Coweta County
,
Georgia
) and Mary Ann “Polly” Joiner (born December 10, 1832 in
Stewart
County
Georgia
). The couple was married in
Stewart
County
on October 24, 1850. 1860 find’s the couple in Jackson Parish,
Louisiana
. After Confederate service in Co F, 28th LA Inf Regt,
Ephraim moves his family to Cooke County Texas. The Bullards other
children: William Asa (1851 GA), Francis Kinion (GA 1853), Sarah
Commella (GA 1855), George Wesley (LA 1859), Thomas J. (LA 1861),
Mary Catherine (LA 1864), George Bryant (TX 1866), Marthena Jane
(TX 1868), Jackson J. (TX 1870), Lawson C. (TX 1873). Ephraim died
Jan 27, 1893 and Polly, Dec 26, 1906 in
Cooke County
,
Texas
.
JQA, with new bride and Mother proceeded on to Jesse’s farm in
Clay
County
. The story is that “Mom was played out and would not go a step
further,” so, the story goes, JQA settled on the worst patch of
ground in Texas where he proceeded to eke out a living until his death
in 56 years later, farming some, but mostly hunting. JQA guarded
barbed wire fences during the “Grange” War where being caught with
wire cutters could get you shot. JQA went by “John Adams Blalack,”
and it has been a family particularity that the name be spelled and
pronounced BLAY-LACK, not LOCK as it is often assumed.
JQA’s Mother never got used to being poor and died Dec 13, 1886.
She is buried in the
Liberty
Cemetery
in Prospect. JQA reminisced to his children about the old days
“before the war,” claiming he had a body servant who called him
“Marse John.”
JQA and Celia Elizabeth had 7 children all born in on the Blalack
farm near Prospect, Clay County, Texas:
- Louisa
Sabra born Sep 25, 1880 died Sep 25, 1964 in Ft Worth,
Tarrant Co, TX. Married Hillery
Lawrence
Collie
- Maud
Belle born Nov 13, 1882 died ??. Married Edgar P. Haney
- Jesse
Lee born Mar 3, 1886 died Apr 18, 1966 in Henrietta. Married
Walter William Davis
- James
Brinkley born Aug 15, 1888 died April 3, 1933 from a farm accident.
Married Molly?
- Floy
Earnest born Mar 23, 1891 died July 29, 1899
- Ephraim
Ira born Nov 20, 1893 died ??
- Marcella
Agnes born Jan 7, 1896 died Oct 5, 1977 in
Amarillo
,
Potter
County
, texas. Married Clarence
Jay Lyons
on Dec 15, 1924 in
Wichita Falls
,
Wichita County
,
Texas
. C. J. was born Mar 1, 1896 in
Battle
,
McLennan County
,
Texas
, died Oct 10, 1980 in
Amarillo
,
Potter County
,
Texas
.
JQA fell from a tree and broke
his hip when he was 83 years of age. He had all his hair and all
his teeth. He died in the hospital at Henrietta of pneumonia on Oct 16,
1934 and is buried in the Liberty Cemetery in Prospect. Celia Elizabeth
died Jul 27, 1939 and is buried in the Liberty Cemetery in Prospect.
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