Category Archives: Dulworth

Dulworth

Crittenden Dulworth (c1889-10 May 1929)

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My husband’s Dulworth family hasn’t been the easiest to research for several reasons. First, they lived in places where there is a scarcity of paper records. Second, most of the family didn’t have the benefit of education, even well into the 20th century, and birth years tend to vary quite a bit. Lastly, some of the women in the family didn’t follow the traditional “marriage first, children later” pattern that was expected by society.

Crittenden Dulworth is one of the collateral ancestors about whom not a lot is known. He was born into poor circumstances, had a volatile first marriage and died of pneumonia when he was only about 40 years old.

Crit, as he was known, is first found in the 1900 census, enumerated in Kettle Creek, Cumberland, Kentucky, living with Abraham Dulworth, wife Mary Jane, and seven children. His reported birth date was October 1887 in Kentucky with both parents reported born in Kentucky. Although only 12 years old, Crit worked as a farm laborer.

In 1910, Crit was still living with Abe, Mary Jane and three of their children, but in this census, taken in Speers Precinct, Cumberland, Kentucky, he was called their son, aged 23 years old. I don’t believe this is true, given that he was called their grandson in 1900 and, in 1910, he is enumerated last in the home, not in birth order with the other three children. Crit again is listed as born in Kentucky, as were both his parents. That highlights a second conflict with Crit being a child of Abe and Mary Jane – she was born in Tennessee and is enumerated as such.

Who are Crit’s parents? I am hoping his death certificate (for which I’ve sent) will name his father, but I’m not confident of that. His mother, from family lore, was Matilda Jane Dulworth, born July 1869, and the daughter of Abraham Dulworth and Mary Jane Adams.

Abe and Jane were part of the untraditional “marriage, then children” pattern that I mentioned at the beginning of this post, as they married on 1 February 1883, but already had five children at the time.

Matilda Jane apparently continued this lifestyle as she married Clayton Columbus Nation on 20 June 1896, but was already the mother of Myrtie born in 1888, Maggie born in 1892 and James born in January 1896. I believe she was also the mother of Crit, who might have been born in 1887, but later records place his birth c1889. It’s possible that Abe told the census taker that Crit was 12, not 10 years old, because he was a farm laborer. It’s also possible that Crit was born in 1887, but didn’t know exactly how old he was.

In support of my theory, Crit Dulworth was enumerated a second time in 1910, this time in Overton County, Tennessee, but called Crit Nation, living with Clay Nation and Tilda Jane (Dulworth) Nation, reportedly 18 years old, so born c1892, and called a son.

Crit is not found in the Clay Nation household in 1900, but Matilda’s daughter, Maggie, reportedly born in March 1892, is living there and is called stepdaughter to the head of household (Clay Nation.)

In 1917, Crit Dulworth registered for the draft and reported a birth date of 17 October 1892. That fits with the 1910 census in the Nation home, but either Maggie wasn’t born in March 1892 or Crit wasn’t born in October 1892.

The last census in which Crit Dulworth appears is the 1920 census, when he lived in Dill, Kiowa, Oklahoma with his wife, Della (Short), and two children, a son, Russell Odell and a daughter, Wilma Kate.

Crit and Della had a rocky marriage, perhaps first beginning when they married on 9 May 1914 in Greer County, Oklahoma. Both stated that they were 21 years old, but Della, in fact, was somewhere between 15-17 years old. Her birth years also vary in the census.

On 25 March 1915, The Kiowa County News carried a front page story about an intoxicated Crit Dulworth showing up at his father-in-law’s home. the article stated that Crit and Della had been separated “for some time.” Crit has a .45 pistol, shot at Della’s father. He, in turn, got his rifle and shot Crit in the face, neck, chest and fingers.

In spite of the shooting, Crit and Della reconciled and were enumerated at home in 1920. However, they had divorced by 1927, when Crit married (2) Mrs. Mattie Belle (Cleary) Cary, 2 May 1927, Greer County, Oklahoma.

In 1926, Della married (2) Vernon S. Sebastian in Parker County, Texas.

By 1930, Vernon and Della were living in Forth Worth, Tarrant, Texas with the two Dulworth children. There were no Sebastian children in the home.

Della married Edwin D. Belden by 1950 when they were living in Forth Worth, Tarrant, Texas, but they had no children together. Della (Short) (Dulworth) (Sebastian) Belden died 31 January 1958 of heart problems in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas.

Crit was the father of two children with Della:

  1. Odell Russell, born 17 October 1916, Oklahoma; died 29 November 1986, Johnson County, Texas; married Hazel Baxter, before 13 April 1940. They were the parents of one child.
  2. Wilma Kate, born 3 May 1918, Oklahoma; died 5 December 1983, Tulsa County, Oklahoma; married (1) Harold Wayne Fowler, c1935; divorced between 1940-1950 (2) Marion Eddingfield, 19 March 1964, Joplin, Jasper, Missouri. Harold and Wilma had one child.

Crit was the father of one child with Mattie:

  1. Ruby Jewel, born 18 March 1928, Granite, Greer, Oklahoma; died 27 March 2013, Colorado Springs, Colorado; married Joseph Richard Griffin, c1950. They were the parents of six children.

Although there are no Dulworth-surnamed descendants of Crittenden Dulworth, he does have many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

If you are related to Crit, please leave a comment. I’d love to share more family history with you.

County Histories, Dulworth

Beyond Vital Records: Dulworth Family and Goodspeed’s Mug Book

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Yesterday, I shared the family sketch of James Dulworth and Elizabeth Gwinn Spear of Cumberland County, Kentucky. While Cumberland County has some extant vital records, it has some major gaps, too.

Long ago, I found one resource that often made me jump for joy – county histories and/or paid “mug books” (books mainly published for profit in the later 1800s, financed by individuals who paid a fee to have their family story published in an article).

It just so happens that the Goodspeed volume that includes Adair County, home of Jacob Dulworth in the 1880s,  was one of those books that brought on the genealogy happy dance.

That’s because Jacob Dulworth, son of James and Elizabeth, had the financial means and desire to have the Dulworth story told. I’ve found a number of these articles in various books, but Jacob’s, I think, might have been published to honor his father.

James Dulworth died in 1887 – the same year this book was published – and Jacob’s entry tells a lot about his parents and siblings. It wasn’t “all about him.”

Kentucky: A History of the State, Perrin, Battle, Kniffin, 4th ed., 1887, Pages 104-105Adair County.

JACOB DULWORTH, a native of Cumberland County, was born February 6, 1835. His father, James Dulworth, was born near Knoxville, and was a farmer in fair circumstances.  He began the battle of life without a dollar, and when in his twenty-fifth year married Miss Elizabeth Gwinn Spears, a daughter of Benjamin and Naomi (Crabtree) Spears, the former of the Old Dominion, the latter of Kentucky.  Benjamin Spears was the son of John Spears, a Revolutionary soldier.  To James Dulworth and his wife were born six children: Benjamin, Jacob, Mathias, John, Abraham and Nancy M., wife of James R. Coe.  John and Benjamin are now dead.  Mathias Dulworth served as a private in the Fifth Kentucky Federal Cavalry, but on account of his health was not able to serve out his term of enlistment.  James Dulworth was brought to Cumberland County by his parents.  He owned about 600 acres of fine land in the southern part of the county worth about $6,000, and he gave his estate, with the exception of 200 acres, to his children.  Mrs. Dulworth, who was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, departed this life in 1878, about sixty years of age.  Mr. Dulworth afterward was married to Miss Ibby Williams, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Spears) Williams, natives of Cumberland County, Ky.  Mr. and Mrs. Dulworth, both of whom are members of the Christian Church, still live at their home in Cumberland County, Ky.  John Dulworth, grandfather of Jacob Dulworth, had emigrated from Germany to the United States, and settled in Tennessee, where he was a farmer.  Benjamin Spears, maternal grandfather of Jacob Dulworth, was a native of the Old Dominion, and for sixty years he was a strict and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Before his death he divided his estate, which was small, consisting of 200 acres of land and $1,000 in cash, among his three children, two of whom were daughters, and several years before his death lived with Jacob Dulworth.  In youth Mr. Dulworth acquired a moderate English education in the common schools of his neighborhood, and remained at home working for his father until twenty-four years of age. He then, in 1858, emigrated to California, but after working unsuccessfully nearly two years, both in California and Vancouver’s Island, returned home in 1859, and went into brandy distilling.  Prior to emigrating he owned and ran three whiskey distilleries.  He quit distilling in 1860 and turned his attention to farming entirely.  The first farm Mr. Dulworth owned was in Overton County, Tenn., and it consisted of 180 acres, and was worth $2,500.  In 1870 he removed to Adair County, and purchased 200 acres of fine land on Green River, where he has since resided.  November 6, 1860, he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah, daughter of Burrell and Jane (Smith) Willis, natives of Overton County, Tenn.  Burrell Willis was a farmer, and the father of ten children, only two of whom were sons, John and Charles Willis.  John Willis was a veteran of the Mexican war, and served as private in Gen. Scott’s army.  Charles Willis was a private in the Fifth Kentucky Cavalry, Federal Volunteer service, and served until his death in 1863.  To Mr. and Mrs. Dulworth have been born nine children: Martha, wife of George A. Fease; James A., Joseph M., Leslie, William B., Rufus M., Jane N., Marietta and Rosa Belle, all of whom are living.  Mr. Dulworth is a member of the Masonic order, and of the Democratic party.  He began life with $640 in 1856, and is now worth $12,000, which is all the result of his own industry.  His farm comprises 576 acres of fine land on both sides of Green River, some of which is worth $100 per acre, and he has 200 acres of this tract in cultivation.  He first lived in a log house, but five years ago erected a frame two-story residence.  Mr. Dulworth does a great deal of trading and has been very successful in it–especially in tobacco and mule trading.  He has bought 25,000 pounds of tobacco this year, and now has on hand thirty-two young mules, which he bought when colts, and will sell when two years old.

This is one of my favorite finds of all time, as it tells me so many details that I’ve been able to verify through other sources, but adds information about which I had no idea. For example, Jacob’s brother Benjamin is in the 1860 census of Calaveras County, California, but I had no idea that Jacob had also gone to California.

On caveat about this mug book articles – sometimes families purposely exaggerated (or outright fibbed) about details or they were just plain mistaken. For example, Jacob’s grandfather, Benjamin, is well documented in North Carolina and his family migrated from Maryland. He wasn’t from the Old Dominion – but the Crabtrees – his wife’s family – did move to Kentucky from Virginia. Before that, they, too, were Marylanders.

Even though these volumes are long out of copyright, I haven’t always been able to find digital versions online. I think that may be because some of them have modern reprint versions. However, if you haven’t ever sought out these books, you might be missing an opportunity for your own genealogy happy dance!

Dulworth

James Dulworth & Elizabeth Gwinn Spear, Cumberland County, KY 1800s

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James Dulworth and Elizabeth Gwinn Spear are my husband’s 3X great grandparents. I’ve been dwelling on the Dulworth family and it’s various mysteries and quirks for several weeks now.

I’ve shared family sketches of two of the four children of James’s parents – John Dulworth and Mary (MNU) Broadway. I began with their son, John Jr., because he was the oldest child. I then wrote about the family of daughter Hannah Dulworth, who married William Spear.

I thought I was finished with the family sketches because John and Mary’s second daughter, aged 15-19 in the 1830 census, hasn’t ever been identified.

I also thought – wrongly as it turns out – that I had written about James’s and Elizabeth’s family a long time ago. However, when I went looking for the sketch, I found I had many posts about Elizabeth Gwinn Spear’s maiden name, and even more about their son Abraham (my husband’s 2X great grandfather) and the goings-on with the Adams clan.

I have never actually written about the children of James and Elizabeth as a family unit.

In 1830, James Dulworth was head of the household in Cumberland County, Kentucky. He wasn’t yet married, but lived at home with his widowed mother, Mary, sister Hannah, and his unidentified second sister, both in the 15-19 age range.

James married Elizabeth Gwinn Spear about 1831, likely in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Marriage records for that time period are lost, but Elizabeth’s family also lived there.

She was born c1817, so only about 14 years old when they married. James was quite a bit older – about 26 years old. There is no evidence that he had a previous marriage.

In 1840, the young family still resided in Cumberland County and they had four sons – Benjamin, Jacob, Mathias and John – soon to be joined by a fifth son, Abraham, born in July 1840.

By 1850, the family had been completed as daughter Nancy had been born in 1843.

1870 is the last census in which Elizabeth appears. At home with his parents is Abraham Dulworth. There is also a 9 year old boy, James Dulworth, aged 9 years. Familial relationships aren’t given in this census. James might be a child of James and Elizabeth, as she would have been in her early 40s when he was born.

However, Abraham had several children born before he married and it is possible that James is a son of Abraham. The census lists Abe’s age as 26, but he was born in 1840, so 30 years old in 1870.

The third possibility, and probably the most likely, is that James is a grandson of James and Elizabeth and was the son of Mathias Dulworth and his first wife, Sarah (MNU). Mathias was a newlywed in 1860, not found in 1870, but married Nancy Jane Brewington on 19 May 1873, Clay County, Tennessee. In 1880, he has a son James, 19 years old, at home.

Elizabeth Gwinn (Spear) Dulworth died in 1878, and James married (2) Ibby Williams, before 1880, probably in Cumberland County, Kentucky.

Neither James nor Ibby is found in 1900, although it is said that James Dulworth died on 11 November 1887 in Cumberland County, Kentucky.

James and Elizabeth (Gwinn) Spear were the parents of six known children:

  1. Benjamin Dulworth, born c1832, died after 1860, when he was a miner in Angels Camp, Calaveras, California, unmarried at that time. He also appears living at home in 1850, but I’ve found no evidence that he married, had a family, or what happened to him after 1860.

2. Jacob Dulworth, born 6 February 1835, died 11 July 1891, Adair County, Kentucky, married Hannah Willis, 6 November 1860. They were the parents of 9 children: Martha Elizabeth, born 30 June 1863, died 11 October 1933, Adair County, Kentucky, married George R. Feese, 13 December 1883, Adair County, Kentucky; James Andrew, born 17 May 1865, died 2 January 1934, Green County, Kentucky, married Sidney B. Christie, 25 October 1888, Adair County, Kentucky; Joseph M., born 12 May 1867, died 28 May 1891, Adair County, Kentucky, unmarried; Ambrose Leslie, born 6 November 1869, died 12 May 1942, married Vinnie E. Cave, 15 May 1899, Clark County, Indiana; William B., born 6 February 1871, died 14 June 1921, Adair County, Kentucky, married Bettie Jane Christie, 14 September 1892, Adair County, Kentucky; Rufus Marion, born 2 May 1873, died 11 September 1897, Adair County, Kentucky, married Louisa Louretta Riall; Janie Ann, born 28 October 1875, died 26 December 1944, married Joseph Daniel Eubank; Mary Etta, born 21 January 1880, died 4 March 1904, Adair County, Kentucky, married Mont Elliott Corbin, c1903; Rosa Belle, born October 1884, died 30 December 1917, Adair County, Kentucky, married George O. Corbin.

3. Mathias Dulworth, born 21 January 1836, died 25 March 1905, Overton County, Tennessee, married (1) Sarah (MNU), c1860 (2) Nancy Jane Brewington, 19 May 1873, Clay County, Tennessee. Mathias was a Union Civil War veteran who served as a private in Co. G, 5th Kentucky Infantry. Mathias was the parent of at least 8 children, born to both wives: James, born 9 November 1860, died 15 May 1947, Clinton County, Kentucky, married Alice Alred, 22 February 1898, Clay County, Tennessee; John, born December 1872; died after 1918, when he registered for WWI draft, no further record; Benjamin, born c1874; died 21 June 1924, Greer County, Oklahoma, married Johnie (MNU);  Daughter, born November 1877, died December 1877, Cumberland County, Kentucky; Sarah E., born November 1884, died after 1930, when she lived with her daughter’s family in Toledo, Ohio, married George Ambrose Phillips, 12 December 1908, Clay County, Tennessee. She moved to Inez, Roosevelt, New Mexico by 1910, widowed and in Overton County, Tennessee by 1930 and in Ohio by 1930; Joseph Harrison, born 18 October 1886, died after 1942, when he registered for the WWII draft in Lucas County, Ohio, married Bessie Ledbetter, 21 May 1911, Clay County, Tennessee; Bertha S., (may be Hester, born c1895?) born July 1891; John M., born January 1896, died after 1900.

4. John Dulworth, born c1837, died 22 July 1858 of fever, Cumberland County, Kentucky; no known children.

5. Abraham Dulworth, born July 1840, died before 30 April 1925, probably Cumberland County, Kentucky, married Mary Jane Adams, 1 February 1883, Clay County, Tennessee. They were the parents of 10 known children, although 5 were born before they married: Matilda Jane, born July 1869, died 1931, Greer County, Oklahoma, married Clayton Columbus Nation, 20 June 1896, Clay County, Tennessee; James, born 22 March 1872, died 7 June 1945, married Melvina Taylor, 20 October 1901, Clay County, Tennessee; John, born May 1873, died after 1930 census, possibly Washita County, Oklahoma, may have married and divorced, but no known children and wife’s name unknown; Sarah Ellen, born c1876, died after 25 April 1925, married Captain Duley, c1892; Sid W., born 24 February 1880, died 7 June 1945, Beckham County, Oklahoma, married Nancy Clary, 20 January 1908, Clay County, Tennessee; Benjamin Franklin, born c1886, died after 1900, unclear whether he or his cousin Benjamin Dulworth died in 1924 in Oklahoma; Crittenden, born between 1887-1892, died after 2 May 1927, probably Oklahoma, married Della E. Short, 9 May 1914, Greer County, Oklahoma; Jacob, born September 1889, died 17 June 1913, unmarried, shot and killed by Clay Nation, his brother-in-law, who was acquitted of murder; Martelia, born 1 January 1892, died 20 June 1968, Greer County, Oklahoma, married John Roach, 4 April 1909, Clay County, Tennessee; Elizabeth Jane, born 8 January 1894, died 13 January 1981, Lea County, New Mexico, married George Robert Roach, 4 May 1913, Clay County, Tennessee.

6. Nancy Dulworth, born January 1843, died 14 January 1934, married James Robert Coe, c1859. They were the parents of 7 children: Mary Angeline, born 19 December 1859, died 14 April 1936, Cumberland County, Kentucky, married Rufus Lollar, 21 October 1891, Monroe County, Kentucky; Isabell E. Sarah, born June 1865, died after 1900, when she lived in Monroe County, Kentucky, married James Short, 31 March 1883, Cumberland County, Kentucky; Jemima F., born 3 December 1866, died 7 June 1931, Cumberland County, Kentucky, married (1) Mr. Short (2) Mr. Graves; John Fowler, born 10 August 1867/71, died 3 July 1950, Monroe County, Kentucky, married Lucy Belle Melvin, c1897; Lela, born 12 July 1873/74, died 28 September 1929, Marion County, Indiana, married Stephen Shelby Hurd, 15 December 1894, Monroe County, Kentucky; Davada, born 11 May 1874/77, died 17 October 1958, Jackson County, Indiana, married William Milam, 27 July 1899, Monroe County, Kentucky; Laura, born 21 August 1879, died 26 March 1970, Monroe County, Kentucky, married Porter Biggerstaff, 8 January 1898, Clay County, Tennessee.

This was the smallest branch of the John Dulworth-Mary (MNU) Broadway family tree, as James and Elizabeth Dulworth had but 34 grandchildren!