Tombstone Tuesday: William & Elizabeth (Faress) Cotter, Ringgold, La.

 W. H. [William Hadden] Cotter headstone, Providence Cemetery, Ringgold, La.  Photo courtesy of Maxine Morgan.

William Hadden Cotter and Elizabeth Ann Faress Cotter (a.k.a. Queen Ann Elizabeth Fariss or Farris) are my great-great-grandparents.  William was from Louisville, Jefferson County, Georgia, and "Lizzie" was from Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  They both died near Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.  You can see their portraits here or read more about my Cotter line here.  

Elizabeth Ann Faress Cotter headstone, Providence Cemetery, Ringgold, La.  Photo courtesy of Maxine Morgan.

I connected with Maxine Morgan (no relation to my husband's family that I know of) via Ancestry.com, where we discovered her husband and I have Cotters in common.  Maxine, who has contributed quite a few Bienville Parish records to interment.net and USGenWeb, among other sites, graciously sent me these photos and gave me permission to post them here.  Thanks, Maxine!

Text copyright 2011 by Liz Hall Morgan; photos copyright 2011 by Maxine Morgan, all rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Pate/Cotter, Ringgold, LA

Newton King Brady (or Bradie) Pate and Etta Orisca Cotter Pate are my great-grandparents, my maternal grandmother Edna Maud Pate's parents.  They are buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Headstone of Newton King Brady & Etta Orisca (Cotter) Pate, Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Ringgold, LA, Feb. 2005.  Photo copyright by J. Marler, 2005, used with permission.

N.K.B., or "Newt," as he was also known, was born to Anthony William Pate & Emily Lena Smith Pate 30 Dec 1852 in Sparta, Bienville, La. and died 15 March 1932 in Ringgold, Bienville, La.  He married:

Mary Elizabeth Jones 28 July 1874 in Webster Parish, La. (Child: Lilla Pate Collinsworth)  After Mary's death, he married:

Mary E. McGraw 20 Sept 1877 in Bienville Parish, La. (Children: Andrew Nelson Pate, Lofa May "Lofie" Pate, Carrie Arminty Pate, Mary Margeana "Margie" Pate Bryan, and Anthony William "Will" or "Willie" Pate)  After her death, Newt then married my great-grandmother,

Etta Orisca Cotter, 2 Sept 1886 in Bienville Parish, La.  Etta was born to William Hadden Cotter & Queen Ann Elizabeth (a.k.a. Elizabeth Ann) (Farris) Cotter 19 Mar 1859 in Ringgold, Bienville, La. and died 27 June 1937 in Ringgold, Bienville, La.  Newt and Etta's children were: Lucy Elizabeth Pate Corley, Minnie Lee Pate Wimberly, Emily "Lena" Pate Scott, James "Weaver" Pate, Zella Estella or Estelle Pate Young Giddens, Edna Maud Pate Stevenson, Ora Adell Pate Woodard, and Jasper "Brady" Pate (a.k.a. J.B.).

For more on my Pates, including Bible records, portraits and stories, click here.  For other Pate families in Louisiana and elsewhere, check out the late Jinks Pate Lee's website.

Text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan, all rights reserved.

N.K.B. Pate family Bible transcription

Cotter/Pate/Young family home, 1960.  Photo by M. Hall, scanned/edited by Liz Hall Morgan.  The house was located about 3 miles south of Ringgold, La. on Hwy 7 (now US 371), but no longer exists. It belonged to William Hadden Cotter, then Etta Cotter Pate, then Zella Pate Young and their families. Many Pate reunions were held here.

Pate Family Bible Transcription with Annotations
by Liz Hall Morgan

(See my previous post for photos of the Bible and the transcribed pages.)

Bible of Newton King Brady or Bradie Pate (a.k.a. N.K.B. or "Newt") & Etta Orisca Cotter Pate of Heflin and Ringgold, Louisiana, now owned by M. Hall, their granddaughter.
1881 printing, so some events were recorded after the fact.
[Original spelling/punctuation, with corrections in brackets where necessary]

BIRTHS:

Ora adell Pate was Borned October the 28, 1898

Luccy Elizabeath Pate was borned June the 20, 1887 [Lucy Elizabeth]

Minnie Lee Pate was borned Febuary the 11, 1889

Emily Lena Pate was Borned January the 12, 1891 [a.k.a. Lena]

James Weaver Pate was Borned June the 27, 1892 [a.k.a. Weaver]

Zella Estella Pate was Borned March the 6 1894

Edna maud Pate Borned March the 17 1896

Jasper Bradie Pate was Borned August the 26 1902 [a.k.a. Brady or J.B.]

Liller Pate was borned Aug the 9 (1875) [Lilla]

Andrew nelson Pate was borned May the 21 (1878)

Lofa may Pate was borned october the 16 (1879) [a.k.a. Lofie]

Carrie Arminty Pate was borned July the 21 (1881)

Mary Margeaner Pate was borned November the 18 (1883) [probably Margeana--see "Liller" for Lilla-- a.k.a. Margie]

Anthony William Pate was borned August the 1 1885 [a.k.a. Willie or Will]


MARRIAGES:

N K B Pate was Borned Dec the 30 1852 [birth recorded on marriage page] [Newton King Brady/Bradie, a.k.a. Newt]

Etta Orisca Cotter was Borned March the 19 1859 [birth recorded on marriage page]

Lucy married Lee Corley Sept 6_ 1908

Minnie Married Sawyer Wimberly Aug 30_ 1908

Lena Married Doyle Scott Mar 2_ 1926

Weaver married Della Bryan Dec. 15_ 1912

Zella married John Young Dec. 17_1938 [John C., a.k.a. "Blackie"]

Edna married Alvin Stevenson Dec 16 1926

Ora married Joel Woodard Jan 29_ 1934

Bradie married Mattie Bell Green Oct 29 1922 [Brady]

Zella married Talmage Giddens April 14 - 1963


DEATHS:

Lena Pate Scott
August 7, 1926
with Typhoid Fever

Minnie Lee Pate Wimberly
Dec 30, 1935

Jasper Bradie Pate [Brady]
Feb. 8_ 1945

Ora Pate Woodard
September 5 _ 1958

Willie Anthony Pate
Died 1940 ["William Anthony" OR "Anthony William" on various documents. Went by "Willie" or "Will." LA Death Index has 5 Feb 1940]

Andrew Nelson Pate
Died Feb. 4_ 1963

Ollie Corley Pate
Died Sept. 14_ 1963 [Andrew's wife]

Stella [sic] Zella Young Giddens August 7, 1972 [Should be Zella Estella. Note: Edna Pate Stevenson added "Zella Pate Young Giddens died August 8, 1972 to a copy of the "Births" page. I'm not sure which date is correct.]

Lucy P. Corley Feb. 1 or 2, 1977 [Note: tombstone has Feb. 2]

Lofa May Pate Aug 1908

Liller Pate Colingsworth [Lilla Pate Collinsworth]
May 1 1907

Mary Margeaner Pate Bryan
Died Sept. 5 _ 1906
[probably should be Margeana, as "Liller" is written in same hand for "Lilla." She went by "Margie"]

N. K. B. Pate March 15 _ 1932

Etta Orisca Pate June_ 27_ 1937

Treasure Chest Thursday: Pate family Bible, La.

Pate family Bible, originally owned by N.K.B. and Etta (Cotter) Pate, now owned by their granddaughter M. Hall, La.  Digital photos by Liz Hall Morgan, Nov. 2007.

Newton King Brady or Bradie Pate and Etta Orisca Cotter were my great-grandparents and my mom's maternal grandparents.  They lived near Heflin, Webster Parish, Louisiana, and then near Ringgold, Bienville, La.

The handwriting is Newt's or possibly Etta's, with some later entries on the marriage and death pages by my grandmother Edna Maud Pate Stevenson and my mom.  

The Bible's publication date is 1881, so some entries were made some time after the recorded events.

Transcription to follow in my next post.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Pate family, near Ringgold, La., 1904

Pate family portrait, Fall 1904, near Ringgold, Louisiana, owned by M. Hall, Louisiana, granddaughter of the Pates. Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan, Nov. 2007.

L to R, front row: Newton King Bradie (or Brady) Pate, Edna (my grandmother), Zella, Etta Cotter Pate holding baby Brady, Ora, Lucy Cotter Tullis (Etta's sister). Middle: 4 of the 6 girls: Lilla, Lucy, Minnie, Lofie, Margie &/or Lena Pate, though we're unsure who is who. Some facial detail has faded away and it's difficult to tell who some of the children are by only their ages. Weaver, Willie and Andrew are in the back.  We are not completely sure that Willie and Andrew are not misidentified for each other.

A wider view reveals more of the lumber being used to add on to the house, Etta's inheritance from her father (All those kids have to be put somewhere!).  A neighbor stopped by (R) who apparently thought he wasn't going to be in the photo, and a mule makes a cameo from the far right side.

Note: This hung in my grandmother's room at our house for years. Why we never wrote down who everyone was escapes me, but I can't believe we didn't! LABEL family portraits, even if you think you know who they are--because years later, you may not remember who was who & Grandma won't be around to tell you! :(

Treasure Chest Thursday: Cotter/Pate spinning wheel, La.

Note: "Treasure Chest Thursday" is a theme used by some genealogy bloggers.  It's sort of a fun weekly "Show and Tell" for grownups.  You can read more "TCT" posts at Geneabloggers.

Etta Orisca Cotter Pate's spinning wheel, owned by M. Hall, Louisiana, Nov. 2007.  Digital photo by Liz Hall Morgan.

Today's treasure is a maternal great-grandmother's spinning wheel, which I hung on my mom's living room wall a couple of years ago while we were tidying and wondering where to put things.  Why not hang it on the wall?  It's a great piece of family history, and we didn't have the rest of it to display.

The wheel belonged to Etta Orisca Cotter Pate (1859-1937), the third wife of Newton King Brady Pate (1852-1932).  They lived near Heflin in Webster Parish, Louisiana, then moved just south of  Ringgold in Bienville Parish.  Together they had eight children, including my grandmother, Edna Maud Pate Stevenson.  

But those weren't all the children they raised.  When they married, on Aug. 26, 1886, in Bienville Parish, "Newt" came with a ready-made family: six children from his previous marriages, ranging in age from one to 11, who became Etta's children as well.  He must have been awfully charming or well off, or Etta must have been dreading becoming an old maid [she was 27] to take on such responsibility.  But then, more women died in childbirth or from disease then, so I suppose there were more widowers with children then, as well.  But back to the spinning wheel--the Pates had a farm and raised sheep, and Etta spun her own wool yarn for knitting.  That wheel must have been spinning a lot, with 14 children to clothe!  No wonder she looks so sober in the photo below--the woman needs a nap!

 Etta Orisca Cotter Pate, c. 1890-1900?, La., scan of photograph made from original tintype owned by M. Hall, digitally edited (somewhat; this still needs work) by Liz Hall Morgan for spots, scratches and fading.

Etta's middle name, "Orisca," is, according to family lore, after a grandma who was "part Indian." As many "Indian in the family" stories go, however, we can't verify any Native American heritage.  That does leave me to wonder where her parents--William Hadden Cotter and Elizabeth Ann Fariss (Farris, Faress)--came up with "Orisca." Elizabeth, or "Lizzie," was also known as "Queen Ann Elizabeth," so maybe her line has a penchant for unusual names.

Any "Indian" names in your family?  Ever heard of the name "Orisca"?  Leave me a comment! 

Text copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan.

Tombstone Tuesday: My maternal grandparents

Note: "Tombstone Tuesday" is a theme used by many genealogy bloggers; you can see other tombstone posts at GeneaBloggers.
 
Alvin Jasper Stevenson (Sr.) and Edna Maud Pate Stevenson are my maternal grandparents. They are buried in Tulip Cemetery in the Tulip community near Athens, La.  Tulip is in Claiborne Parish (county) in Northwest Louisiana.

Headstone of Edna Pate and Alvin J. Stevenson, Tulip Cemetery, near Athens, La., Nov. 2005.  Scanned photo by M. Hall, slightly edited and privately held by Liz Hall Morgan. [Note: Alvin was born on Feb. 2; the marker is incorrect.]


Alvin was the son of John William Stevenson and Maggie Elizabeth McCoy.  He was born in Claiborne Parish, La., died in Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, La., and was a farmer.

Edna was the daughter of Newton King Brady Pate and Etta Orisca Cotter.  She was born in Heflin, Webster, La., grew up in Ringgold, Bienville, La., and died in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, La.  Edna was a schoolteacher before marriage.  She earned a two-year teaching diploma from Louisiana Normal College (now Northwestern Louisiana University), in 1922, though she had already taught for several years.  (After she completed high school in 1913, the local school board asked her to teach.)

Edna and Alvin Stevenson at their daughter's wedding in Athens, La., Sept. 1, 1951.  Scanned photo by unknown family member, slightly edited by Liz Hall Morgan.  Original photo privately held by the Hall family.

Alvin and Edna married in Ringgold on Dec. 16, 1926, and lived in Athens for most of their lives.  They had three children: my mother, my Uncle A.J. (Alvin Jasper, Jr., who died in 1995), and Peggy Catherine, who died in infancy.

"Paw Paw" was a warm, loving grandpa whom I remember fondly.  I would gather eggs with him and watch him feed the cows. When he gave me piggyback rides, he was so tall, I had to duck under the doorways of the house.  Ever-present were his cowboy hat and a twinkle in his blue eyes.  We spent every Thanksgiving at his farmhouse, and a lot of Christmases, when I was a child.  I can almost taste my grandmother's homemade melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls and her chocolate and lemon meringue pies as I write this.

Edna Pate Stevenson, with surprise cameo by Alvin Stevenson, Athens, La., 1960s.  Scan of original photo by M. Hall, edited by Liz Hall Morgan.  Original photo privately held by the Hall family.

Perhaps because my mom referred to her as "your grandmother," my family called Edna by the incongruously formal "Grandmother." [My cousins called her "Granny," an odd contrast.]  Grandmother came to live with us after Paw Paw died [I was about 10], until her death more than 11 years later.  She was sweet and had a good sense of humor, and she lived almost long enough to celebrate her 90th birthday.  I wish she'd lived longer so I could have asked her more about the amazing changes she lived through as a citizen of almost the entire 20th century.  She did, fortunately, write down some memories of her life, and she passed down many family stories to my mom.  One of my favorite memories of her is the April Fool's Day that I switched the contents of our salt shaker and sugar bowl; I heard nothing about it all day--until I went to bed and found my sheets had been salted, courtesy of Grandmother!

Want more?  You can see a circa-1921 photo of my grandmother here and read about her adventure coaching basketball here.

Copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Cotter & Fariss/Farris/Faress portraits

Note: "Treasure Chest Thursday" is a theme used by some genealogy bloggers. It's sort of a fun weekly "Show & Tell" for grownups.

Here are my oldest treasures: portraits done between 1856 & 1870 of my great-great grandparents William Hadden COTTER and Queen Ann Elizabeth "Lizzie" FARISS (a.k.a. Elizabeth Ann FARISS, FARESS, or FARRIS) of Ringgold, Louisiana, in Bienville Parish, the northern part of the state. (Cousins: this is my mom's side of the tree.)


Portrait of William Hadden Cotter, unknown medium on stiff paper board of unknown type, c. 1856-1870, Ringgold, LA, privately held by the blog author.


Digitally edited photo of the portrait above, by the blog author.


Portrait of Queen Ann Elizabeth Fariss Cotter [a.k.a. Elizabeth Ann Faress, Farris or Fariss], unknown medium on stiff paper board of unknown type, c. 1856-1870, Ringgold, LA, privately held by the blog author.


Digitally edited photo of the portrait above, by the blog author.

My dear departed cousin and an early genealogy cheerleader of mine, Zola Scott Hardy, a respected genealogist herself, gave the portraits to me before she died. I am truly honored that she entrusted the portraits to me. (She would love all this newfangled blog stuff and how easy it is to find cousins now on the Internet!) I recently took them out from storage and digitally photographed them and they have been holding up fairly well for 150+ years. I had been pondering how archivally to frame them without breaking the bank, but now I think perhaps I should just frame the digital photos and keep the original portraits in flat archival boxes. Advice?

William Hadden COTTER was born 26 Aug. 1825 in Jefferson County, GA to David COTTER & Mary HADDEN. He married Elizabeth Ann FARISS 19 June 1856 in Bienville Parish, LA, and died 23 June 1901 near Ringgold, Bienville, LA.

Elizabeth Ann FARISS (FARESS, FARRIS, etc.), or Queen Ann Elizabeth (on her probate record), or "Lizzie," as she was variously called, was from Catahoula Parish, LA, born 5 Mar 1837 (perhaps in that parish, but it's unclear), to David FARRIS and Lucy DAVIS, and died 22 Feb 1870, near Ringgold, Bienville, LA.

Both are buried in Providence Cemetery, in Ringgold, Bienville, LA.

Sources & copies of the photos for noncommercial use are available, but as this week's TCT is rapidly turning into TCF[riday], though, I'll stop for now. Contact me for more info. --Liz

Text/images copyright 2010 by the blog author.

SNGF: My Best Genealogy Moments of 2009

Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings posts genealogy blog "assignments" every Saturday called "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun," or SNGF. They do look like fun, so I'm going to start doing them, though they may very well appear here on Sundays or Mondays.

This week's assignment asked readers to post our "top genealogy moment" of 2009. While nothing tops marrying my 7th cousin once removed, that wasn't done for genealogical purposes, so I would say my top genealogy moment would be meeting my recently-discovered Sonnier cousins in Scott, Louisiana. The four sisters and brother I met, children of John B. & Aline (Legere) Sonnier (and my half-2nd cousins), were delightful and welcoming, as were their relatives. I felt like I'd known them for years, and we're still in touch.

(Aline (Legere) and Jean Baptiste ("John B.") Sonnier. Digital photo of portrait owned by the Sonnier family.)

And so, cousins who descend from my great-grandfather Constant Legere's first marriage (to Estelle Babineau or Babineaux, the Sonniers' great-grandmother) and his fourth and final marriage (to Marie Octavie "Tavie" McBride, my great-grandmother) are now reunited.

But I'm all about the lagniappe*, so here are two other moments:

• My 2nd cousin Janice, who shares great-grandfather Newton King Brady Pate of Ringgold, Louisiana, with me, voluntarily took photos of my McCoy ancestors' Delaware landmarks and obtained burial records for me while on a trip there. And she isn't even related to this family branch! Thank you so much, Janice--one of these days, we really have to meet in person!

* (Detail of our wedding favor bag, which contained pralines made by my Californian (via Texas) mother-in-law with pecans from my Louisianian parents' trees. Digital scan.)


• My husband and I honeymooned in New Orleans, the first time I've returned since discovering my colonial NOLA ancestry. Walking on the French Quarter land where I now know my ancestors once lived gave me a whole new perspective on the Crescent City.

(left: Muriel's Restaurant at Chartres & St. Ann in New Orleans, which occupies land first owned by my 8th-great grandfather Claude Trepagnier in the early 1720s. Digital photo.)

Wishing you & yours a New Year full of wonderful genealogical and non-genealogical moments!