Hamricks, I have a Hamrick Genealogy Page so that Hamrick descendants may be able to trace their own family back to ancestors they never knew they had. Enclosed is a response I received. J R To: J. McKinney Sir: I was given this letter, because of its genalogical interest, after a recent death in the family. I found Thomas Hamrick's (1810-1881)first family on your website and thought you might find a letter about his second family to be of interest. P. Land --------------------------------------------------------------------- "A Short Sketch of the Hamrick Family" by Mr. William Lee Hamrick, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in a letter of June 12, 1956, to Mrs. Ruth Wilcox, Dallas, Texas. HATTIESBURG MISS. June 12, 1956 Mrs. Ruth Wilcox Dallas, Texas Dear Ruth: I received your reply and request. Enclosed you will find a short sketch that to me is full of interest. I would suggest that you finish up on your father's family as I am not too well acquainted with the other members. I have written more for you than I did for Essie so when Essie sees yours she may want to copy some of it. She asked me a lot of questions about the family when I was out there in May. I trust that you and Mr Wilcox are well and can visit us some time. With love and best wishes I am yours, Sincerely, W. L. Hamrick A Brief Sketch of (the) History of the Hamrick Family as told to W. L. Hamrick by Mrs. J. M. Ethridge, nee Mittie Wells, whose mother was Margaret Hamrick, the third child of the oldest set of our Grandfather Thomas Hamrick's children. Mittie was a Civil War baby, born in 1861. Captain John Hamrick was born somewhere in Georgia in 1785. He was married to Katie Hampton in 1808. General Wade Hampton, of Civil War fame was a close relative. John Hamrick was also a military man and lived in Mille(d)geville, Georgia. Our grandfather, Thomas Hamrick, was born there in 1810. There was a large family of children: Martha, who married William Brown. Emiline, who married Willis Hamrick, who was a captain in the Civil War and also a cousin. Catherine, who also married a Hamrick. Elmira, who married Lawson Gunn. John, who settled near Waynesboro, Miss. James, who lived a number of years in Isney, Alabama; some of whose descendants moved to Mobile, Alabama and became prosperous merchants and some to Meridian Miss. Burrell, who was a lieutenant in the Civil War, after the close of the war, settled in Newton County, Miss., a few miles south of Hickory where his descendants still live. And two boys who became merchants in Houston Texas. Captain John Hamrick brought a company of men to Alabama to help fight the Creek and Seminole War. He joined the forces of General Andrew Jackson. After putting down the uprising, they drove the Indians into Florida. They then marched overland to Tennessee, cutting a road through the wilderness as they went, which is now known as the "Jackson Trail". He then returned to Georgia. In 1820 he emigrated to Alabama with his large family, bought a large tract of land and owned a large number of slaves. He lived there until his children were nearly grown. Because the river bottoms were so unhealthy he moved farther west to Mississippi where he lived until his death. His widow lived to be almost one hundred years old, whose mind was fairly normal until her death. In 1820, our grandfather, Thomas Hamrick, (OUR refers to Mittie Ethridge and myself) who was ten years old at this time, came with his father to Alabama (and lived there) until grown and married Sinia Brown. He then moved to Lauderdale County, Miss. and settled on the east side of Oktibbeha (Okatibbee) creek at what is now known as the Bozeman place. He inherited a number of slaves and owned a rather large plantation. Grandmother died after mothering six children, namely: Elmira, John, Margaret, Thomas, Joseph, and James. The last named is the writer's father. In the winter of 1846 he married Sibia Phillips. She was born in Maringo County, Alabama in 1817. To that union was born five more children as follows: Molly, Virgil, Alice, Nellie, and Burrell. The last two named died in their childhood. Soon after this marriage, grandfather sold his plantation and moved about twelve miles to the north-west and bought 640 acres of land at what is now Collinsville. The house was a large two story house built on a low hill where a view of almost the entire plantation could be seen. The slave quarters were placed a short distance in the back and was well kept. The main wagon road from Marion to Decatur passed directly in front of the house. These two towns were the main markets then for that area. The home entertained many a weary traveler at night that went that way. Signs of the old house are still visible. The Hamrick cemetery is located about one fourth mile to the east of the house. Grandfather, grandmother, Margaret and many other members of the family are buried there. This writer, with two of his nephews, put a granite headstone marker at the graves of grandfather and grandmother. This writer remembers when Aunt Margaret was buried. I was about four years old. We spent the night at uncle Virgil and aunt Emily who lived about one fourth of a mile north-west of the old home. Their two oldest children, Bee and Essie were born there and possibly some of the others. Grandfather was considered a successful farmer but the Civil War took away four of his sons and a son-in-law. Their names follow; John, Thomas, Joseph, James and Umphrey Wells, the husband of Margaret. John and James are the only ones that returned. Umphrey Wells was killed at the battle of Shiloh near Memphis, Tennessee in 1863, Thomas was killed at Chancellorsville, Virginia and Joseph was killed in the seven days fight around Richmond. They all lie on the battlefields where they fell so far as this writer knows. Thomas was killed with a minnie ball in the forehead charging a cannon battery. I do not know the details of the deaths of the others. Soon after the war started, grandfather had a stroke of paralysis that made him an invalid but he lived until October 30, 1881 when he died with colitis. Grandmother lived until September 22, 1887. This completes the story given by Mrs. J. M. Ethridge. The following is a brief rundown on some members of the family. I would suggest that any member of the family who is in possession of this add whatever knowledge they have to it, and particularly of their immediate family. In Grandfather's [first] family, Elmira, the oldest child, married Joseph Houston. A large family of children was born to them of which only two are now living at this writing. The oldest son, who they named Thomas, grew up, studied medicine, graduated in it and was a successful physician in Meridian, Miss. until he was past 80 years old. His Son, Mark [son of](Doctor Tom) is a successful dentist at Purvis, Miss. John married Amanda Harwell and they also reared a large family. Only one of the children, or possibly two are living. There is a host of grandchildren. James, was the youngest of the first set of children, married Clementine Williamson. He bought a home some four miles north-west of Collinsville where he lived with my mother for some 56 years before he died. Elmira and family and John and family both settled near Collinsville and lived there a long and honorable life. [Now] to the writers father and mother, who were known as "Jim and Tiny" (mother was small in stature, never weighing a hundred pounds) reared eight children as follows: Minnie, Thomas, John, Benjamin, Clementine, Ollie, William, and Maude. Clementine, John, Ollie and Benjamin all died, in that order, from May to October 1900 of typhoid fever. Clementine was 21 years old, John 25, Benjamin 23 and Ollie 17. Ben had taught school for several years. He was a cripple from early childhood but went well on crutches. John was married to Phrenettie Davivson, and left two boys too young to remember him. Mark, the oldest, is a businessman in Cleveland, Miss. and Dee is a successful medical doctor, head specialist, at Corinth Miss. Minnie, the oldest child, married John Beeman at the age of sixteen and was the mother of ten children, nine of which are still living. Thomas married Sallie Hand, to which three boys were born. Sallie died in 1903 and Thomas in 1907. Thomas at 32 was a successful young medical doctor. A grandson of his, Thomas, has just completed two years of medical study in the University of Tennessee, his Grandfather's Alma Mater and is on his way to taking the place of his grandfather. William Lee married Mittie Strange. To this union was born one child, a son who is a successful realtor in Hattiesburg Miss. He has one son who is at this writing a sophomore in college. The son is named James William and the grandson is James William Jr. William Lee himself, began the study for the ministry in the Methodist church at the age of eighteen. His training mostly was in the Meridian Male College and Westminster College, Tehuacana, Texas. He holds only one degree, that of Batchelor of Philosophy but has considerable study in the seminary and forty years in pastoral ministry. Commissioned by the Mississippi Annual Conference in 1953 to write a history of Methodism in Mississippi, which job was completed early in 1956 and is now in the hands of the printer to be off the press this Fall. He retired in June 1954 at the age of 68 and now lives at his home, 800 Mamie St., Hattiesburg, Miss. Maude, the last child, married Gillroy Strange, a brother to the writer's wife. They have six children. Celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, January 1956. They live at 2410, 11th St., Meridian, Miss. Molly Hamrick, [oldest child of the second family] married George Rainer, who was a Baptist minister, and lived a long life in Smith County. Several children, some of whom still live in Raleigh, the county s[eat]. Alice, the other girl who lived to be an adult, remained single untill she was past fifty years old and then married well. They seemed to have a happy home. Her husband died after about six years. She lived several years but has long since passed on. Virgil, the only surviving boy of the second set of children, married Emily Strange, an Aunt of the writer's wife. They reared a large family of children, most if not all live in Texas. The writer has occasionally contacts with Essie, the eldest daughter, who married a Crow who has been dead some three years. They have several children. Essie lives by herself in Waco Texas and owns a nice business. Ruth married a Wilcox. They have a nice business and live in Dallas, Texas. Wendell, who is one of the three boys and the only one of the three living, is a successful surgeon in the city of Houston, Texas. There are several others of the children, some member of the family will have to give a run down on them. This will conclude this present write up but the writer hopes sometime to write a fuller sketch with more detail. William Lee Hamrick 800 Mamie St. Hattiesburg, Miss. June 12, 1956 ________________________________________________________________ Hamrick, Thomas Jefferson (1810 - 1881) b. 14 Feb 1810 in ,,Ga d. 30 Oct 1881 in Collinsville,Lauderdale,Ms father: Hamrick, John C(1786 - 1856) mother: Myers, Catherine (Kate)(1790 - 1887) spouse: spouse: Brown, Sabina (Sinia) (~1817 - 1887) --child: Hamrick, Almira (Elmira) (~1835 - ~1922) --child: Hamrick, John B (1837 - 1917) --child: Hamrick, Margaret (~1839 - ) --child: Hamrick, Thomas (~1841 - ) --child: Hamrick, Joseph (~1842 - ) --child: Hamrick, James Madison (1845 - 1929)