Hi, While looking at the microfilm records of the 8th MO Infantry at the Springfield - Greene Co. library, I found the records of William A. Stanley (31 Oct. 1840, Dallas Co. - 30 Dec 1918, Dallas Co.), eldest child and only known son of Archibald "Archie" and Sarah (Frazier) Stanley. Archibald, son of Page S. and Winiford (Basham) Stanley, had died in 1857. His records show: Enlisted 2 Aug 186? (probably 1862), Buffalo, Dallas Co., farmer age 22, 5'5", dark complexion, hazel eyes, dark hair, born Dallas Co., farmer, promoted to Corporal on 6 Apr 1863, mustered out 15 June 1865 at hospital at Little Rock, AR. Records show considerable duty as a scout and escort of trains (e.g., to Rolla in Apr 1863). He was absent sick at "Hixeo Station" (sic?) July 1864. On August 20, 1864, his mother Sarah appeared before Clerk of the Dallas Co. Circuit Court, A. B. Maddux, to petition the Army to discharge her son William on the grounds that she is a widow and his wages are not sufficient to support her and her two daughters. Appearing with her as witnesses were Hugh Swift and Samuel Watkins. Apparently he was not discharged for this reason as he remained in the service until June 1865. Hugh Swift was my ggg-grandfather. He was married in Morgan Co. Indiana in 1834, and migrated to the Dallas Co. area in the late 1830s. About the same time or shortly after, relatives and friends with the surname of Johnston, Stepp, Newberry, Hancock from Indiana show up. The Stanleys were in Putnam Co., IN, and arrived about 1839. Archibald Stanley and Sarah Frazier were married there on Apr 21, 1839, and I have seen people researching Fraziers in Putnam Co. I believe that Hugh Swift had an uncle in Putnam Co. named John Swift, and his probable father, Elias Swift owned land there. I have often pondered that perhaps all of these families new each other back in Indiana before they came to Missouri. Now it might have just been a coincidence that Sarah Frazier Stanley was close enough to Hugh Swift and Samuel Watkins that they came to support her in her petition, but I'm wondering if the ties didn't go back to Indiana. Anybody have something on who this Samuel Watkins might be? There was one age 10 in the house of William W. Watkins in Dallas Co. in 1850. Another interesting Stanley tidbit I found was in "Genealogical Data from Southwest Missouri Newspapers, 1850-1860" by Marsha Hoffman Rising, published by the Ozarks Genealogical Society. One abstract from the July 6, 1858, Springfield Mirror reads: Dallas County Circuit Court September Term William STANLEY et al vs. Henry STANLEY et al. Summons issued to Ray Co. to Henry STANLEY, Elizabeth DOAK, Catharine DOAK; Dallas Co. to Phoebe SHARP, William SHARP, Caswell SHARP, Nancy E. STANLEY, William STANLEY, Margaret STANLEY, Mary STANLEY, Sarah STANLEY, Jennette STANLEY. Affadavit of Horace STANLEY one of the plaintiffs and Jemsia STANLEY, one of the defendants lives out of state. Parties in the suit are heirs at law of John STANLEY, deceased late of Dallas Co. Notification of partition to sell land in Buffalo, Dallas Co., J. L. Paine, Clerk I know who most of these folks are. John Stanley was the son of Page and Winiford Stanley, who was born in 1820 and died in 1857. Most of the people named were his siblings, and brother Archibald's widow Sarah and their children. Unfortunately I found this in the Polk Co. library after I had visited the Greene Co. library. The full newspaper article is probably on microfilm in Greene Co. Does anybody have this full article? What was the deal? 1857 was hard on the Stanleys. Winiford died 2 Dec 1857, Archibald 5 Nov 1857, John sometime in 1857, considering the date of the artile I figure late in 1857. Was there an epidemic of something that year? --gary

----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Swift" <gswift@ix.netcom.com> To: <MODALLAS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 11:06 PM Subject: Stanley, Frazier, Swift and Watkins info > > On August 20, 1864, his mother Sarah appeared before Clerk of the > Dallas Co. Circuit Court, A. B. Maddux, to petition the Army to > discharge her son William on the grounds that she is a widow and his > wages are not sufficient to support her and her two daughters. > Appearing with her as witnesses were Hugh Swift and Samuel Watkins. > Apparently he was not discharged for this reason as he remained in > the service until June 1865. > > Hugh Swift was my ggg-grandfather > > I have often pondered that perhaps all of these families new each > other back in Indiana before they came to Missouri. Now it might have > just been a coincidence that Sarah Frazier Stanley was close enough > to Hugh Swift and Samuel Watkins that they came to support her in > her petition, but I'm wondering if the ties didn't go back to Indiana. > =============================================== Hello Gary - I don't know anything about Samuel Watkins, however, regarding Hugh Swift supporting Sarah (Frazier) Stanley's petition - have you considered that the second child of Archibald "Archie" Stanley and Sarah (Frazier) Stanley was Nancy Elizabeth Stanley, born September 22, 1842. Nancy married George Thomas Tibbs. Hugh Swift's second wife was also a Tibbs (Margaret). Maybe that is the connection? Just a thought - Rick Gregg

"Frederick W. Gregg, Jr." wrote: > > I have often pondered that perhaps all of these families new each > > other back in Indiana before they came to Missouri. Now it might have > > just been a coincidence that Sarah Frazier Stanley was close enough > > to Hugh Swift and Samuel Watkins that they came to support her in > > her petition, but I'm wondering if the ties didn't go back to Indiana. > > > =============================================== > Hello Gary - > > I don't know anything about Samuel Watkins, however, regarding Hugh > Swift supporting Sarah (Frazier) Stanley's petition - have you considered > that the second child of Archibald "Archie" Stanley and Sarah (Frazier) > Stanley was Nancy Elizabeth Stanley, born September 22, 1842. Nancy married > George Thomas Tibbs. Hugh Swift's second wife was also a Tibbs (Margaret). > Maybe that is the connection? > > Just a thought - > > Rick Gregg Well that could be, or it could be that these connections stemmed from being neighbors, and that some of these were neighbors, in turn, could have stemmed from blood and friendship ties before they arrived in Missouri. In the 1860 census George T. and Nancy (Stanley) Tibbs were next to Hugh Swift. At that time (as you know, Rick) Anderson Tibbs' place was on the east side of the curve where Highway F turns from going east to going south. The old Dallas Co. plat book shows that Archibald Stanley had land just east of Anderson Tibbs. Half a mile south of Anderson Tibbs were James Bryant and Penelope (Tibbs) Hoover, and 1/2 mile south of them were Hugh and Margaret (Tibbs Galaspy) Swift. (This plays into our puzzle about George T. Tibbs' parents: were they Anderson ["Andrew"] and Susan or Anderson's brother Joseph? And also proving my family's lore that Margaret was Penelope's sister.) I don't have the census info for William A. Stanley (or mother Sarah (Frazier) Stanley) in 1860, but likely he was still living with his mother. In 1870 he and wife Mary Randleman were living next door to William Z. T. Gregg and wife Mary Ellen Swift, Hugh and Margaret's oldest kid. According to land records, Hugh sold them 40 acres right where Highway F now crosses Greasy Creek in 1871. And the 1867-68 assessor's book shows William A. with several properties, one of which was near father Archibald Stanley's old place. William A. Stanley and sister Nancy Elizabeth (Stanley) Tibbs had a first cousin once removed named Eliza Jane Rakestraw, who married Hugh Swift son (by his first wife Orrena Stepp), Willis Harlan Swift. (This is my line. Eliza Jane's maternal grandfather was William Stanley, Archibald's older brother.) So many of these folks were neighbors, and apparently a lot of the kids really really liked each other. :-) -- Gary Swift