I must have been suffering from a bad case of pococurantism the day I came across this particular court document that I’m about to share. I found it a couple of weeks ago while perusing the court minutes of Williamson County, Tennessee, 1810 to 1825. Admittedly, although I am always happy to find a new old reference to my ancestors, I found this historical entry to be a bit “ho-hum” because, I suppose, the case never went to trial. The defendant in said case, Matthew Lee, pleaded guilty to the charges and paid the fines. In doing so, I was denied what could have been a proper drama played out in court with TWO of my 5th great grandfathers playing pivotal roles. How dare he plead out!
And then I woke up this morning realizing that I had come across a document bearing the names of the TWO of my 5th great grandfathers in the same sentence separated by a comma. Most genealogists would have recognized the significance of the document instantly. But I am a late bloomer.
I transcribed the document as follows:
“This day came here in open court Henry Holliday, Martin Trantham and James Cragg and [some word I cannot make out] acknowledged themselves to owe and be indebted to the State of Tennessee in the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to be buyer of their proper goods and chattels, land, and tenements but to be void on condition they make their personal appearance before this court here on the first Thursday after the first Monday in August next then and there to give evidence in behalf of Matthew Lee on a bill of indictment against him for an assault and battery on the body of Henry Holliday and not to depart from said court without the leave thereof.”
Matthew done assaulted and battered Henry Holliday, my 5th great grandfather, and got off with a fine. Oh, the injustice! Martin Trantham, his in-law and son-in-law, must have witnessed the event as did James Cragg. As historical genealogical documents go, it’s a twofer if not anticlimactic.
Kenfolk: Tranthams AND Hollidays
Relationship: 5th great grandfathers
Common ancestors: I have no evidence that Martin and Henry were related to one another other than through marriage: Martin took as his second wife Henry’s daughter, Rachel, while several of Martin’s children, including my 4th great grandfather, Jesse Trantham, married Rachel’s siblings.
References:
Williamson County, Tennessee, Circuit Court Minutes, Civil and Criminal Roll #26, Volume: 1-4, Jan 1810-Feb 1825. Microfilm, personal collection. This event took place on 4 February 1819.
Thank you so much for all your info / research and help! If it turns out that these children (listed below) are Rachel and Martins then that makes Rachel and Martin my 5 times great grandparents. Peter B: abt 1814 TN, John B: abt 1818 TN, Rhoda “Rody” B abt 1828 TN, Samuel H B: abt 1827 TN, Isabella B: abt 1834 TN They can be found in DeSoto County, MS in 1850 census. Samuel lives in Peter’s home with Peter’s family. Isabella lives in Rhoda’s home (Rhoda “Rody” Trantham LIDDELL). NOTE: about LIDDELL they can be found in GREENE CO. ARK along with Jesse W Trantham and his family. All the children may be Rachel and martins (or not) or some of them may be Rachel and Martins and the others related in some way. I’m just unable to connect them to Rachel and Martin .
I just came upon your site and find it interesting. I would love to see your research and evidence beyond your blog if you have it summarized.
I have an anecdote about Jesse Trantham (b 1797) & his brother Robert Floyd (b 1798) as told by Monroe to his grandson Jimmie and sent to me in 2003. It matches a story of what my father Jerry (Leander Bell’s great-great-grandson) had told me separately.
Jesse and his brother Robert Floyd moved their families from Weakley TN to Greene County AK about 1856. All Trantham/Trentham were gone from Weakley County in the 1860 census. Jesse was “killed” when he was caught burying confederate dead, but not federal dead, following a small battle at Caulk Bluff, AK during the last year of the Civil War. The cavalry came back and objected to his sympathy for only confederate dead, tied him behind a horse and made him run about three miles to their camp where they kept him overnight. He had to sleep out in the cold that night but was released the next day. He walked back home and died of pneumonia in a few days. He was 68 years old but had a relatively young family with his second wife: Martha 17, Leander 16, Hardeman 15, Bethana 12, Monroe 9, Needham Carroll 6, and Temperance Valentine 4. Jesse’s brother Robert Floyd and some of Jesse’s sons by his first wife stayed in Greene County AK, but Lacy loaded up her children and brought them back to Weakley County where she had left several brothers and sisters. Monroe told Jimmie that they came back in an ox cart and that they crossed the Mississippi River on a raft-like ferry. Later two of her step-sons came back to Weakley County and lived out their days.
Hello, Cousin.
Thanks for sharing the information. My mother was told a similar story about Jesse’s time in Greene County and his demise which I believe she learned from a descendant of Jesse’s second family. I haven’t been able to corroborate this tale but I like it nonetheless. As far as documentation, it’s one of my goals to compile everything I have learned about the Tranthams/Trenthams into a single, definitive document. That will take some doing as my research begins with the Martin Trantham who appears in Somerset County, MD before 1700!
Ken
I will follow your research with great interest. The real challenge is tying the Martin Trentham in Somerset with his predecessors in (presumably) the UK. It’s wishful thinking, but I would be curious to see if he somehow fits in with our more famous namesakes in Staffordshire. http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/AnnotatorRelationships.pdf
It is an interesting coincidence to see in the Maryland archives that a Martin Trentham worked as a subsherrif in Maryland, considering that the wealthier Trentham’s were sherrifs in England throughout the 1500’s & 1600’s.
Any chance that your grandfather’s name Basil is an inherited family name? There were brothers named Martin Trentham & Basil Trentham born in Warwickshire in the mid 1650’s.
https://tinyurl.com/yaxqhszu https://tinyurl.com/y9gow8bt
Hi, Jon
Yes, it would be fantastic if we could connect our American Trantham/Trentham ancestors with the Trenthams in the UK. One of my goals is to find and coerce a male Trentham in the UK to take a Y-DNA test to see if we’re matches! On another note, last December I was very fortunate to win a trip to any city in the world my company has an office. I’ve already mapped out a trip to Trentham Gardens!
Funny thing about my grandfather’s name, Basil. His father, my great grandfather, named two of his children – including my grandfather Basil Mayo Trantham – after doctors. I suspect he might have thought that it was good luck to do so. Dr. Basil Mayo was a physician who lived in Weakley County, Tennessee while my great grandfather was there. My Uncle “Sonny” Trantham was named after the doctor – “Dr. Lawson” – and his assistant “Wendell” who delivered him. Uncle Sonny says that his mother told his father to indeed name him for the good doctor but meant for him to use his FIRST name. She was somewhat shocked when the birth certificate arrived to learn that he’d used the doctor’s last name as his first name. Thus, his name is Lawson Wendell Trantham!
Incidentally, “Basil” is my middle name. Thanks for sharing those links. I’d not seen them before!
Ken