Spurred on by other recent postings of Poythress information, I (Barbara Poythress Neal, email address [email protected]) am posting the following about the family of my great-great-grandparents, James Edward Poythress and his wife Catherine Speed Preston. The info some of you have seen on James Edward Poythress, himself, was what I gave our then list-master Al Tims in 1997 to post on a Progenitor page. That info is still located at: http://www1.minn.net/~atims/ProgJEP.html The following information expands from what is shown on that webpage to include his family. Many of the following dates & locations can be confirmed by readers in the 3-page Poythress & Preston Family Bible-type record. Both a scanned image of, and a typed transcript of that Poythress & Preston Family Bible Record are available online at the Library of Virginia's Bible records site, from the photocopy & the transcription I gave them some years ago; those pages are listed at the LVA as Accession #34866. The typed transcript includes information about the history of the record itself. There was also a published version of the typed transcription of that Poythress & Preston Family Bible Record, in the Virginia Genealogical Society's Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Volume 33, Issue 2, May 1995, pp. 111-114. PROGENITOR & HIS WIFE: James Edward Poythress, b. 13 Aug 1803 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia; d. 17 Jan 1863 at Sumterville, in Sumter County, Alabama; bur. Sumterville Methodist Cemetery, no extant marker. Marr: 6 Feb 1828 in Brunswick Co, Virginia [Marr Bond in Brunswick Co, VA 29 Jan 1828] Catherine Speed Preston, who was b. 20 Jan 1800 in Brunswick County, VA, and who d. 18 Oct 1884 in Sumter Co, AL; bur. Sumterville Methodist Cemetery, no extant marker. Note: per the Family Bible Record, her death date is listed only as Oct 1884; the more precise date is from the Sumter Co, AL Register of Deaths, a transcription of which is included in Joseph F. Stegall's book, Sumter County, Alabama: Index to Wills and Estate Administrations 1834-1884; Register of Deaths 1881-1892; and Cemetery Records (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc, 1997) THEIR 8 CHILDREN who lived to adulthood [no record has been found for any other children, as of April 2001]: Joshua Lewis Poythress, b. 10 Nov 1828 in Mecklenburg Co, VA; d. 12 Jun 1854 in Sumter Co, AL. Marr: 17 Oct 1852 in Mecklenburg Co, VA [that Sunday date & location are per the above-mentioned Family Bible Record; however they got their Marriage Bond and License 30 Sep 1852, in the adjacent county, Warren County, NC, and the Return was made on a Friday, 15 Oct 1852, per copy from Loose Records at NC Archives] Elizabeth J. Crowder, for whom no birthdate is available and who d. 1 Jun of 18(59?) [for the last two digits of the year, the Family Bible Record is difficult to read]. Joshua and Elizabeth had only one child, a son (named for Joshua's brother below), William H. Poythress, Jr., who was b. 30 Nov 1853 in Sumter Co, AL and who died only 8 months later, 21 Jul 1854 in Sumter Co, AL, one month after his father Joshua had died & after the uncle for whom this child was named had died Nathan Francis Poythress, b. 18 Oct 1830 in Mecklenburg Co, VA; d. 11 Mar 1862 in CSA Hospital at Charlottesville, VA; bur. in the University of Virginia Confederate Cemetery, Charlottesville, VA. Never married. William Huel Poythress, b. 10 Dec 1832 in Mecklenburg Co, VA; d. 26 Jun 1854 in Sumter Co, AL. Never married. Catherine Jane Poythress, b. 10 Aug 1838 in Mecklenburg Co, VA [per Family Bible Record] or possibly 10 Aug 1837 [per gravemarker]; d. 1889 at Binnsville, Mississippi [per Family Bible Record, where it was apparently recorded sometime later] or more likely 5 Nov 1888 [per gravemarker]; bur. Souls Chapel Methodist Cemetery, Geiger, Sumter Co, AL [near Binnsville, MS]. Marr: (1) on 24 Apr 1856 in Sumter Co, AL, William Gilbert, Jr. [his second marriage], who was b. 18 Jul 1813 in Jones Co, NC and who d. Jan 1870 in Sumter Co, AL; bur. Sumterville Methodist Cemetery, Sumterville, Sumter Co, AL. Catherine & Wm Gilbert had five children, whose ages ranged from 2 to 12 when Wm Gilbert died. Six months later, Catherine Jane Poythress Gilbert marr. (2) on 8 Jun 1870 in Sumter Co, AL, Daniel O'Conner McKinley, Jr., who was b. 17 Mar 1843 near Sumterville, in Sumter Co, AL and who d. 17 Apr 1921; bur. Souls Chapel Methodist Cemetery beside his wife. D.O. McKinley, Jr. helped her raise the five children; they had no further children together. Rebecca Barter Jane Poythress [name shown in Family Bible Record only as Rebecca B. J. Poythress], b. 10 Nov 1840 in Mecklenburg Co, VA [date & place per Family Bible Record. Death certificate, with info from her son, shows b. 10 Nov 1838 at Petersburg, VA; gravemarker has same 1838 birthdate]; d. 28 Jan 1936 [from death certif; no death date given in Family Bible Record] in East Lake section of Birmingham, Jefferson Co, AL; bur. East Lake Cemetery. Marr. on 20 Dec 1860 in Sumter Co, AL, John David Lavender, who was b. 29 Feb 1836 in Greensboro [then in Greene Co; currently Hale Co], AL and who d. 16 Jun 1899 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co, AL; bur. East Lake Cemetery. Rebecca and John had six children. Penelope Frances "Fannie" or "Jodie" Poythress, b. 4 Aug 1843 in Mecklenburg Co, VA [date & place per Family Bible Record. Death certificate, with info from her son, shows b. 3 Aug 1841 in Mecklingburg (sic) Co, VA]; d. 10 Dec 1915 [from death certif; Family Bible Record gives only Dec 1915] in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, Mississippi; bur. Magnolia Cemetery, in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS. Marr. on 7 Feb 1867 in Sumter Co, AL, David Lavender Bennett, who was b. 1838 in Sumter Co, AL and who d. 18 Jul 1917 in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS; bur. Magnolia Cemetery, in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS. Fannie and David had three children. Algernon Edward Poythress, b. 12 Aug 1844 in Mecklenburg Co, VA; d. 11 Apr 1918 in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS; bur. Magnolia Cemetery, Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS. Marr. on 25 Aug 1868 in Sumter Co, AL, Ellen Belle McKinley [sister of above-mentioned Daniel O'Conner McKinley, Jr.], who was b. 18 Aug 1851 in Sumter Co, AL and who d. 6 Aug 1918 in Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS; bur. Magnolia Cemetery, Meridian, Lauderdale Co, MS. A.E. and Ellen had eleven children, two of whom died as infants. Virenda Priscilla Poythress, b. 19 Feb 1848 in Mecklenburg Co, VA; d. 26 Aug 1920 [date from death certificate and gravemarker; no death date given in Family Bible Record] in East Lake section of Birmingham, Jefferson Co, AL; bur. East Lake Cemetery. Marr. 20 Jan 1869 in Sumter Co, AL, Robert Neal McKinley [brother of above-mentioned Daniel O'Conner McKinley, Jr. and Ellen Belle McKinley], who was b. 3 Nov 1846 in Sumter Co, AL and who d. 30 Dec 1913 in East Lake section of Birmingham, Jefferson Co, AL; bur. East Lake Cemetery. V.P. and Robert had six children.