I am grateful that my parents did not name me Martin Trantham. There’ve been enough of them already. I think my mother summed up the problem of there being too many of them perfectly when she wrote “…one can easily become overwhelmed with all the information and misinformation which circulates regarding all the Martin Tranthams…”.
She was very wise and I should have heeded her warning. I’ve probably revised this section of my family tree a dozen times. The latest iteration is below. This most recent revision happened after I received a very detailed email from Susan, a distant Trantham cousin and talented genealogist. She is a descendant of Robert Floyd Trantham, my direct ancestor’s uncle and namesake. When it comes to sorting out the many Martins, Susan is probably the most knowledgeable person on the face of the planet. She and my mother corresponded via email more than 10 years ago and thankfully I was able to track her down again. I had a few things wrong in my tree which Susan’s feedback helped me correct.
By my count there are 11 different Martin Tranthams dangling from family trees all over Ancestry.com. There are probably 11 or more versions of those trees that don’t agree entirely about how the Martin Tranthams were related to each other, who they married, the names of their children, etc. Unfortunately, there a likely 2 to 3 more Martin Tranthams that are missing but I’ve yet to figure out how they fit into this puzzle. It’s a bit challenging because the historical documents linking them together are few and far between. One the Martins who is missing allegedly fought in the Revolutionary War, had a wife named Jane or Jean and three children – none of whom were named Martin. The public library in Huntsville, Texas has on file documentation which reportedly supports this idea. It was compiled by Herbert R. Trantham who is now deceased. I’ve ordered photocopies of his work so we’ll see.
The tree below is my best guess, at least for now. It is based heavily on the work my mother did and feedback from Susan. You’ll notice a few question marks here and there which are open items on my “to do” list. The first names of my direct ancestors are capitalized. Not all their children are included. Also, I’ve used the “Trantham” version of the last name even though it’s highly likely none of the Martins shown below would have spelled it that way. I figure it’s my blog and I can spell it however I choose.
#1 on the list supposedly came to America from Staffordshire, England before 1700. His son, #2, had a son, #3, who had two sons named Martin Trantham (#4 and #5) by two different wives. Thankfully, #3 left a will in 1783 identifying #4 and #5. Naming two sons Martin seems to have been an idea #5 liked so he apparently did the same thing. Incidentally, I have identified half of dozen DNA-matched cousins who are descendants of #5, the half-brother of my direct ancestor #4.
#4 married Elizabeth Eppinger who allegedly lived to be 149 years old. (I have serious doubts about her legendary age.) He and “Betsy” made their way from South Carolina to Tennessee about 1800. Their son, #6, also made his home in Tennessee. “Massey” was his first wife. His second wife might have been my 4th great grand aunt, Rachel Holladay. Or she might have been the wife of #9, my 4th great grand uncle.
Confused? Welcome to my world!
Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relations: Crystal clear to fuzzy
Common ancestors: Even more Trenthams or Tranthams