Tombstone Tuesday: John & Emily (Morgan) Kilpatrick

John Milton Kilpatrick headstone, Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.  (Photos courtesy of John Hinton; see bottom of post for copyright info.)

John Milton Kilpatrick and Emily Coleman Morgan are my 3rd-great-grandparents, the great-grandparents of my maternal grandfather Alvin Jasper Stevenson.  In a bit of genealogical serendipity, posting their headstone photos has led to the discovery of a new cousin.

A few months ago, I was discussing Kilpatricks via e-mail with a couple of cousins, and I noticed that that John & Emily were listed on Find a Grave, so I thought I'd request photos of their headstones.  A wonderful volunteer, John Hinton, posted photos within only a couple of days! (This is not necessarily typical or even expected.)  Click the name within each photo caption here to go to their Find a Grave pages.

Anyhoo, when I contacted John again to ask if I could post these photos on my blog, I noticed he had added some surname interests to his Find a Grave contributor page.  One of them was Stevenson (my mom's family).  John was posting photos from North Louisiana (where Mom's from), so I had to ask.  Yes, we're cousins!  Fifth cousins, I think.  Our common ancestor is James Stevenson, Jr.

But back to the Kilpatricks:

John was born 6 Feb. 1824 in Franklin County, Tennessee, and married Emily there on 28 Dec 1843.  He died 3 Apr. 1863 (according to his headstones; one researcher I trust has 18 Apr, so I will have to ask about the source), probably in Arcadia, Louisiana, where he lived.  Granddaughter Loda Duckworth said his father's name was Tom Kilpatrick, but I don't think this has been proven as of yet. (If you're up on the current research of this family, let me know.  I have not done in-depth research on the line.)

Emily Coleman Morgan Kilpatrick headstone, Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.

Emily was born 28 Dec. 1820 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, to John William Morgan and Sarah Elizabeth "Sally" Coleman. She died 14 May 1899 in either Arcadia or Athens, Louisiana.

John Milton Kilpatrick headstone (older broken stone), Arcadia Cemetery, Arcadia, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, October, 2011.

Thanks to "Tombstone Tuesday" prompts at Geneabloggers (which prompted me to "inventory" my direct line for grave info), my Kilpatrick cousins, Find a Grave, and especially cousin John, I've now "virtually" visited my 3rd-great grandparents' graves, and met a new cousin.  Happy dance!

Want more sources? See my preceding post here.

All photos courtesy of and copyright © 2011 by John Hinton, all rights reserved.  Text copyright © 2012 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emily Coleman Morgan Kilpatrick

Emily Coleman Morgan Kilpatrick, photo from Hall family collection, probably taken in Bienville or Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

Emily Coleman Morgan was my 3rd-great-grandmother, the daughter of tobacco farmer John William Morgan and Sarah Elizabeth "Sally" Coleman.  She was born 28 Dec. 1820 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.  Her family moved to Franklin County, Tennessee about 1833, where she met and married John Milton Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick was hired by Emily's father to teach him to raise corn; he stayed with the family for four years and ended up growing a crop of Morgan grandchildren as well--including my great-great-grandmother Hannah Kilpatrick Stevenson Dobbins.

(I don't know of any connections to my husband's Northeast U.S. Morgan line, unless there are common roots in Wales, perhaps.)

Emily looks rather formidable, certainly a lot taller than most in my family, though some Stevenson descendants were tall, and a Kilpatrick cousin tells me she has tall relatives. Her fingers are so long! Wonder if she ever played piano?  (Also wondering about Marfan syndrome, though I have not heard of it running in the family.  I'm doubtful there's a death certificate available in 1899 Louisiana; most parishes began recording them in the 1920s.)

Emily's granddaughter Loda Duckworth confirmed her formidability in a memoir: "Grandma was never afraid of anything, not even a bucking horse, she could ride like a man, get on a horse and go out and tend to business as well as any man."  Loda wrote (or told to someone) more colorful history about the family; when I find out more, I'll post a link to read or buy if possible.  I believe it may be part of a published family history.

After brief stays in Mississippi and Texas, John and Emily finally settled for good in Arcadia, Louisiana, just before Christmas, 1859.  John died in 1863; Emily lived another 36 years and moved again to nearby Athens, passing away either there or in Arcadia on 14 May 1899.  She and John are buried in Arcadia Cemetery.

Next week on "Tombstone Tuesday," I'll tell you how a photo request regarding her turned into a bit of genealogical serendipity.

Sources: Memoir of Loda Duckworth, excerpts in my possession; Arcadia Cemetery transcription by Maxine Morgan (no relation to my Morgans, though her husband is a Cotter cousin) at USGenWeb Archives; U.S. Census records; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002, at Ancestry.com; Findagrave.com; original research of Mary Urban (note: her research is well documented, despite the lack of sources at that link); additional notes in my possession from others. Please note that Emily's family is a work in progress.  Questions, corrections, additions? Contact me at hallroots [at] sbcglobal **dot** net.

Copyright © 2012 Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.  Read more "Treasure Chest Thursday" posts at Geneabloggers.