GURLEYS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

This page was begun in September of 2007. The initial information presented here, beyond the webmaster's own immediate family, was provided by Linda (Camden) Goodwin and Dr. Linda Blackman, both of whom are related to the Gurleys and do family research. The webmaster (William R. Carr, who is not a genealogist or serious researcher), begins this page in hopes that it will attract additional Gurley family information. Please send any corrections or additional information to: webmaster@heritech.com.

The webmaster is the great grandson of Green and Virginia Tranquoline (Wright) Gurley, and was named after their son, (Uncle) William Gurley. Virginia Tranquoline Wright was the daughter of John and Leave (Camden) Wright of Stonefort, Illinois.

First Generation

Our record begins with John Gurley, of North Carolina, who fought in the Revolutionary War. He married an Elizabeth Edwards. We do not have any dates on John and Elizabeth at this time, but since his first son was born in 1763, John was probably born about 1743 or before.

John and Elizabeth's children were:

  1. George Washington Gurley

  2. Lazararus Gurley

  3. Jerimiah Gurley

  4. John Lewis Gurley

  5. Edward Gurley

  6. William Gurley

  7. Joel Gurley

  8. Robert Gurley

  9. Hugh Gurley

Second Generation

George Washington Gurley (b. 2 Jan. 1763, d. Oct. 1800) married Sarah Isabelle Robinson Bell

George and Sarah's children were:

  1. Hugh Swenton (or Swinton) Gurley

  2. John Anson Gurley

  3. Benjamin Franklin Gurley

Third Generation

Hugh Swinton Gurley (b. abt. 1806, Wayne County, North Carolina. d. 24 Jan. 1854), married Charity Wiggs. Charity is said to have been a Cherokee Indian. They moved to Union County, Illinois. Charity's father was Raiford Wiggs (b. abt. 1785 in Wayne County or Sampson, North Carolina), son of John Wiggs (b. 25 Jan. 1758) and Cherry (?), m. 1782 in Sampson County, North Carolina. Charity married again after Hugh died.

Hugh and Charity's Children were:

  1. John Anson Gurley

  2. Isaiah Gurley

  3. Elizabeth Gurley

  4. Mary Gurley

  5. Melissa Gurley

  6. William Kelly Gurley

  7. Raford (or Raiford) Gurley

Fourth Generation

John Anson Gurley (b. before 1824), married Mary Wiggs on 1 Aug. 1845.

John and Mary's children were:

  1. Martha Ann Gurley, (b. 14 Jan 1851, d. 27 Sept. 1903), m. Francis Goodard (b. 3 Aug. 1852) 15 Sep. 1872

  2. Daniel Woodard Gurley, Lived in Texas

  3. Nancy Jane Gurley, m. Joseph Henry Mc Intire, 18 Oct. 1874, in Union County, Illinois

  4. Mary Elizabeth Gurley

  5. William Swenton Gurley, lived in Texas and had 4 or 5 children

Isaiah Gurley (d. 19 Apr. 1898) married Susan Barber (b. 4 Nov. 1837, d. 4 Feb. 1917), m. Apr. 1855.

Isaiah and Susan's children "who lived to be old" were:

  1. Green Gurley (b. 9 Aug. 1862, d. 20 Dec. 1938), (see  below)

  2. Anthony (Tony) Anson Gurley (b. 6 Mar. 1864, d. 24 Jun 1949)

  3. Mary Gurley (b. 27 Nov. 1869, d. 13 Jun. 1956), m. Duff St. John

  4. Nell Gurley (b. 28 Mar. ?, d. 25 Apr. 1950), m. ___ Craig

  5. Glenn Gurley, m. Alma _____.
    One child: Glenn, Jr. (b. Nov. 19, 1927) married Maudie St. John, 1945, (children: Sharon Jean, Gary Wayne) 

Lucas and Morgan died young, and the rest died in infancy or younger. 

Raford Gurley (b. ?, d. 1854) married Mariah Lodusky Barber (b. 30 Aug. 1828, d. 3 Mar. 1908) m. 2 Jan. 1848, in Union County, Illinois. Susan and Mariah Barber's parents were James Barber and Susan Lee Gibbs, from South Carolina. After Raford died Mariah married William Newton, and later Soloman B. Youngblood.

Raford and Mariah's children were:

  1. Sulie Gurley, m. ___ Trammel

  2. Mary Elizabeth Gurley (See below) (b. 1 Dec. 1848, d. 14 Mar. 1897), m. 10 Dec., 1865 to James Livingston Jones (b. 26 Sep. 1844, Jackson County TN, d. 23 Feb. 1920, Williamson County, IL)

Two children died young.

Notes on Isaiah and Susan Barber and Raford and Mariah Barber

Excerpt from Marjory Anne (Gurley) Whiting's mother's Notebook by Steve Murphy, Spring of 1985 and contributed to this web site by Linda Blackman.

Dated: Stonefort, Ill. March 10, 1906

     I, Susan (Barber) Gurley, was born Nov. 4, 1837. And married Isiah Gurley, April, 1855, and am the mother of 12 children and had only 10 births.
     Only 4 of my children are now living. I have 18 Grandchildren. I lived with my husband 43 years and 1 day. He died April 19, 1898. I am now 68 years old... (Comment: She died Feb. 4, 1917, age 80 years and 3 months.) [See children listed above under Isaiah Gurley.]

Dated: March 10, 1906

     Mariah L. Barber and Susan Barber were sisters. Isaiah and Raferd were brothers.
     Mariah L. Barber was born Aug. 30, 1828 in Pope Country, Ill. Married Raferd Gurley (Brother of Isaiah) on Jan. 2, 1848 in Union County, Ill. He died in 1854 and left me with 4 children. Then I married D.B. Newton of Williamson County, Jan. 5, 1958 and had 5 children. He was killed April 22, 1873. Then I married S. B. Youngblood Dec. 27, 1875 and he died 3 years later.
     I have 22 grandchildren, 24 Great Grandchildren. I have had the care of 12 different tribes of children besides my own. And I have taken 4 from the breast and raised them on a bottle. 1st was 1 year old, 2nd was 3 months old, 3rd was 5 months, and 4th was 1 week old.
     I am 77 yrs., 7 mos., and 10 days old at this time. Her 4 Gurley children were: Sulie Trammel, Elizabeth Jones, and 2 sons that died young. [See Raford's children, above.]

 

Extension for Green Gurley 

Green Gurley (b. 1860, d. Dec. 20, 1938), son of Isaiah Gurley, married Virginia Tranquoline "Tran" Wright (b. 1871, d. 1954). Virginia's parents were John Wright and Leave Camden, of Stonefort and New Burnside, Illinois.

Green and Virginia's children were:

(1.) Sybil Gurley [Potts, Carr, Gerard, Huse, Otterpol... Erwin (possibly eight husbands in all)], (b. 1890, d. 1975) Though Sybil married several times, her three children, were all by her first husband, Joseph Potts of Stonefort. They were later adopted by her second husband, George Carr, in 1918 and took his name. Sybil's last husband was Rosco Erwin, of Stonefort. They last lived on a farm near Raleigh, Illinois, and were the last of our family who made their living exclusively from the land. Sybil's children were:

  1. Flora Carr, (b. April 22, 1907, d. Feb. 24, 1984) "Flo" later changed her name from "Flora" to "Florine" but she was always Flo to friends and family. She married Frank Stienmarch and they ran an upholstery shop in Harrisburg. After Frank died, she married Walter "Walt" Skeels, (b. June 12, 1899, d. May 4, 1967). She had no children by either marriage. Walt was the Superintendent of Alcoa Mines at Rosiclare, Illinois.
  2. George William Carr, (b. Oct. 24, 1909, d. June 21, 1991). George married Ruth Bartlett before WWII and was divorced after returning from the front in France. He later married Gertrude Fulkerson. They had no live children, (one still-born, buried at Sunset Lawn cemetery, Harrisburg). George Carr was a very talented artist. (See George Carr Art Gallery) He taught industrial arts at Harrisburg Junior High, where Gertrude also taught, for many years. They lived at the house George built near the "old home place" a mile south of Rudement. Later they moved to Harrisburg, to a home they had built on South Main Street.
  3. James Robert Carr, (b. Oct. 30, 1912, d. 10 August, 2004) Married Mildred Inez Goodman, of Harrisburg, (daughter of Albert and Ruth (Grace) Goodman) by whom he had one child, William Roy "Bill" Carr. Later he married Jewell Baker of Energy, Illinois, but was soon divorced, (1945-6?) and never remarried. His son, Bill, married Luong Thi Doi "Chi" in 1968 in Saigon. They have two children, James Roy Carr, and Lilia Thi Carr. (Both were born in Saigon, Vietnam – (1969 and 1974 respectively) James Roy Carr, married Tracy Sunshine Robinson of Cave-In-Rock, in 1994 (later divorced). They have had one daughter, Chloerisa (Chloe) James Carr. 
(2.) William Gurley. "Uncle Bill" Gurley. (b. Nov. 14, 1892, d. Mar. 21, 1961) married Gladys Ozment and they had one daughter, Joan. Joan married Richard F. Dickerson, and they live in Southern Illinois. Uncle Bill's first marriage ended in divorce and he remarried Olive Smith, (daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Smith, of Rudement), and they lived a mile south of Rudement, Illinois. The old "homestead" (built in about 1932 from the logs of an older house which had been about half a mile from the new highway – Illinois Route 34) burned in the mid 1990's.

Green and William Gurley, Sybil Erwin, and James Robert Carr, are buried at the Bolton-Trammel cemetery at Stonefort, Illinois, along with several other members of the family. George, and wife Gertrude, and sister Flo, are buried at Sunset Lawn cemetery in Harrisburg, Illinois.

 

Extension for Mary Elizabeth Gurley

This information on Mary Elizabeth Gurley and her Jones descendants was contributed by Linda (Camden) Goodwin. She says, "This was mostly put together by Linda Blackman from information sent by my cousin Betty and myself."

Mary Elizabeth Gurley, born 01 Dec 1848 IL, died 14 Mar 1897, in Williamson County IL. Her parents were Raford Gurley and Mariah Lodusky Barber/Gurley/Newton/Youngblood. She married:

James Livingston Jones, born 26 Sep 1844 in Jackson County TN,
married 10 Dec 1865 in White County IL, died 23 Feb 1920 in Williamson County IL. His parents were Lewis Jenkins Jones (Jinks) and Anna Asenith Isbell

Mary and James are both buried at Bolton-Trammell Cemetery, near Stonefort, Williamson County IL. The children were:

(1) Alveretta Jones, born 03 Mar 1867, White County IL, died 14 Mar 1953, Pope County IL. Married 19 Mar 1885, in Pope County IL, to Shelton Columbus Camden, born 19 Dec 1861 IL, died 15 Mar 1926, Pope County IL. Both are buried at Bolton-Trammell Cemetery Williamson County IL

(2) Juliette (Julia) Jones, born 14 Apr 1869, in White County IL, died 04 Dec 1946. Married 18 Oct 1885 to Eric William Ledin, born 27 May 1857 Sweden (immigrated to US in 1881), died 10 Oct 1927 (Note: they owned and operated the hotel in Stonefort)

(3) Josephine Jones, died young

(4) Susan E. (Sude) Jones, born 14 Feb 1871 IL, died 30 Dec 1955. Married George Buckner, born 16 Jul 1861 AR, died 13 Jul 1923. Both are buried at Bolton-Trammell Cemetery Williamson County IL

(5) Anna Lodusky Jones, born 27 Dec 1872 Williamson County IL, died 1903, Saline County IL. Married Oliver Lewis, born 11 Mar 1873, died 22 Mar 1966. Both are buried at the Joyner Cemetery IL. (Note: They owned a Drugstore in Stonefort. See note below.)

(6) Esther Jones, born 11 Dec 1874 Williamson County IL, died 04 Dec 1969 Saline County IL. Married George D. Wise, born 1865, died 10 Dec 1932. Both are buried at Robertson Cemetery IL (Note: They owned Stonefort hardware store)

(7) Cenith Elizabeth Jones, born 29 Dec 1876 Williamson County IL, died 21 Sep 1966, Saline County IL. Buried at Robertson Cemetery IL. Married George Butler

(8) Adelph Jones, born 1879, Williamson County IL, died May 1881 IL

(9) Ottis (William) Jones, born 03 Feb 1881, Williamson County IL, died 20 Jul 1966. Married Mary (unknown last name), died Jan 1969.

(10) Ammie Soluria Jones, born 31Jul1885 Williamson County IL, died 1965 IL. Married 08 Jul 1912, to Norvell H. Lewis, born 20 Dec 1890, died 07 Oct 1948 (note: They owned hardware store in Stonefort. See Note below.)

(11) Edanus (Amon) Jones, born Jan 1889 Williamson County IL, died 1938.

James Livingston Jones had a second marriage to Alminda Adkins, 09 Sep 1899, in Johnson County IL. Their children:

  1. Everett Estel Jones (born 17 Jun 1903, died 11 Dec 1948)
  2. Nora Jones, born after 1900.

NOTE: The Williamson County Historical Society has an online tour of their museum. They have a replica of Oliver Lewis' Drugstore, that had been in Stonefort. He was the husband of Anna Lodusky Jones. Here is the link: http://www.thewchs.com/wchs_tour1.htm

Email: Linda (Camden) Goodwin

 

Send information or corrections to: webmaster@heritech.com

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