Seeking information about the ancestors, family, and descendants of Stratford Henry SAPP. > !SOURCE: Ann (Butts) Woods, Gainesville, TX > "Stratford Henry Sapp was born in, or near, Augusta, [Richmond Co.] > Georgia on January 1, 1802. He was the son of John Sapp, a clockmaker, > who opened his shop in 1796 in Louisville, Georgia. Family records > indicate that Stratford's grandfather was also named John and that this > John came to America from Scotland in the early 1700's. The Sapp family > is thought to be of German origin and first emigrated to England and > Scotland before coming to America. > Startford's father, John Sapp, was born in Maryland in about 1764. He > left Maryland and moved first to North Carolina and later to Georgia. > Stratford's sister, Mary, born about 1799, and his brother, Benegar, > born about 1801, are thought to be, along with Stratford, the only > children born in Georgia, By 1811, John Sapp had moved his family to > Rhea County, Tennessee; and there two more sons were born--Hillard, born > in 1811, and Benjamin Harrison, born in 1813. John Sapp's wife died; and > in 1814, he married a Winnie Anderson. Several more sons were born; > their names were thought to be Barron D., Newton, John, and Middleton. > By the late 1820's, John Sapp's family was in Blount County, Alabama. > Stratford left Blount County in about 1834, and he made his way to Holly > Springs, Mississippi, where he lived for a few years before coming to > Texas. Startford arrived in Shelby County, Texas in the year 1839. His > sister, Mary Richards, was already in Shelby County, having arrived > there with her husband, Charles, and their children in 1834. > Stratford made the trip from his home in Alabama to Texas riding on > horseback and carrying his muzzle-loading shotgun, his ammunition,a > small iron kettle for cooking, and his bedding. He carried with him a > leather-covered notebook which he used as a diary. In it he recorded the > events of his journey to Texas, places he stayed the night, rivers he > crossed, and the cost of food and clothing that he purchased along the > way. > In December of 1839, Stratford received a conditional Headright > Certificate from the Republic of Texas which granted him, as a single > man, 320 acres of land in Sabine County. In 1849, he received an > unconditional Headright Certificate for an additional 320 acres of land > in Shelby County. This second certificate was issued by the State of > Texas. > On August 15, 1849, in Shelby County, Stratford H. Sapp married > Elizabeth (Hairgrove) Davis, a widow. Elizabeth was born in Bedford > County, Tennessee on November 4, 1889 [25 March 1812]. Stratford and > Elizabeth had three children born during the years they lived in Shelby > County: Mary Elizabeth, Palestine, and David Harrison, who was born on > March 3, 1856. > In 1867, Stratford moved his family to Cooke County, Texas. They came > in an ox wagon which was pulled by four yoke of steers. They arrived in > Gainesville about the first of August 1867 and camped on the side of Elm > Creek just west of where Leonard Park is now. They stayed there for > about three weeks before moving on to what later became known as the > town of Marysville. At the time Stratford settled there, only two > persons were living there, a Mr. and Mrs. Richard Corn. One year later, > Mr. Corn was visiting in Stratford's home, and it was then that it was > decided to name the town Marysville." > > !SOURCE: Debbie Pearson, 7424 Overhill Road, Fort Worth, TX 76116 > "Stratford Sapp sold his land in Shelby Co., TX to his brother-in-law, > Joel Marion Hairgrove, Jr., when he moved his family to Cooke Co., TX. > The land had originally been Stratford's land grant which he obtained > from the Republic of Texas when he came to Texas in 1839. Stratford and > Elizabeth are listed in the 1850 Federal Census in Shelby Co., TX."