My 3rd great grandmother was Emily Emmaline Watson of Wilcox County, Alabama [3] who was born March 22, 1837. She married Allen Collins Johnson, and they lived in Wilcox County in 1860. [10]
Allen Johnson was died in the Civil War at Vicksburg where he was in the garrison forces at the siege of Vicksburg. It is not clear whether he was killed in action or died of disease. About 1867 Emily Johnson moved to Santa Rosa Co., Florida, where she lived until her death in 1911. She is buried at Hamilton Cemetery at Munson, Florida. [7]
According to family information, Emily's father was Arthur Watson of Wilcox County, Alabama [3]. Arthur Watson appears in the early records of Wilcox County as follows:
It thus appears that Arthur married Ellizabeth Etheridge. It appears that Arthur's father was Averette Watson, born 1770 in Johnson Co., North Carolina., and his mother Arithea Lovette, born 1785 in Georgia. They were in Washington Co. , Georgia in 1796 and were married about 1800. They were in Conecuh Co., Alabama by 1818 and settled in Wilcox County. Arithea died there on March 1, 1828. Others say she died in Georgia in 1816.
The Watson line reportedly goes back as follows: Averette, son of Jessie Watson and Sara Benley; who was the son of James Watson and Ann Pearce of Prince George Co., Virginia; son of James Watson and Ann Perry; son of William Watson and Jane _____; son of James Watson and _____ Isham; son of James Watson.
Family stories also say that one of Arthur's daughters married W. R. (Bill) Eddings and moved to East Texas. [3] William R. and Elizabeth Eddings are shown in the 1860 and 1870 censuses for Tyler County, Texas. Later in their lives the Eddings lived in Nacogdoches County, Texas. She is shown as "E" in the census. [1880 Census] . Arzy Squyres attended the funeral of Elizabeth Eddings. [3]
Arthur Watson moved to Texas to be near a daughter. He died near Carthage shortly after his arrival, and his widow moved back to Alabama. [3] Another source says Arthur Watson died in Freeport, TX during the year 1884 and 1885. [8]
However, other researchers say that Emily Emmaline and her brother Lewis M. were actually the children of Daniel Grant Watson, who was the cousin of Arthur Watson. The reason for the confusion is that Daniel Watson's wife was Creek Indian, and they were forced to move to Oklahoma between 1838 and 1840 during the forcible removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeast United States to Oklahoma. The Cherokee aspect of the removal was known as the"Trail of Tears". The Creek census of 1832 shows Daniel G. Watson in household #27 in the Upper Creek Town of Eufala with one female in the household. In the same town at household #25 was Ni Oak Kie with 4 males, 4 females and 2 slaves. [Opachik] Other sources say that Daniel was in the 1833 Creek Indian census with a full blood Creek Indian wife. [8] BIA records contain an affidavit dated 1902 by Daniel's daughter Virginia in Oklahoma that her father was a non-citizen white man and that her mother was Fanny Niohke.
It is said that Daniel decided that his two young children Lewis and Emily would be better served by staying in Alabama, and he thus left them with his cousin Arthur B. Watson in Wilcox Co., AL, who raised them as his own children. Another possible explanation is that the family may have resisted deportation and were rounded up by federal troops. In the confusion two of the children could have been separated from their parents. Perhaps even young Lewis fled with his infant sister. Daniel Watson is said to have married a second time in Oklahoma and had a second family, [8] though that is not certain. A descendant of Arthur Watson tells a similar story about a Watson male who married an Indian or part Indian woman and who left his children with another Watson when he and his wife were forced to remove to Oklahoma. This story says they were given permission to return to their children in Alabama several years later. [Kline] Perhaps they found them so integrated into Arthur's family that they decided to leave them. Also see below the note about Daniel Grant Watson who was buried in Brundige, Alabama.
Information from the family Bible of Daniel's brother Josiah casts some doubt on the story. This source says that Daniel married Fannie Neokee on June 1, 1832 in Tallapoosa Co., Alabama. Neither Lewis or Emily is listed among Daniel and Fannie's children as follows:
The reported birth date of Lewis was 3 years before Daniel's marriage to Fannie. That could mean, however, that Daniel was married previously. Emily was born March 22, 1837, but Fannie gave birth to Adline on January 9 of that year. It is possible that one of the birth dates is wrong and Emily and Adline were twins. It interesting to note that Emily's middle name was Emmaline which mirrors the name Adline. Perhaps Emmaline was her first name, and Emily was a nickname. Twins run in families, and Daniel Watson had twin siblings.
Daniel G. Watson signed the Tehuacana Creek Treaty between the Republic of Texas and the Comanche, Keechi, Waco, Caddo, Anadarko, Ioni, Delaware, Shawnee, Cherokee, Lipan and Tawakoni tribes in 1844. Another of the signers was Jesse Chisholm for whom the Chisholm Trail was named.
The fate of Daniel G. Watson's wife, the mother of Emily and Lewis, is unknown, though it is believed that she died and that Daniel G. Watson remarried in Oklahoma. His wife in Oklahoma was Fannny Niohke, and as shown above she may have been the same wife as he had in Alabama. Daniel and Fanny had the following children in Oklahoma:
It is believed that Daniel G. Watson lived out his life in Oklahoma, but there is a record of a Daniel Grant Watson who is buried in Brundige, Alabama. This Daniel G. Watson was married to Everlina Keener, who is buried next to him. A Daniel G. Watson and E. Keener are listed in Indian records, perhaps the Dawes Rolls. On record lists D. G. Watson and E. B. Keener. Perhaps Daniel returned to Alabama before he died. [Sexton]
There is no clear connection between Daniel G. Watson and Arthur Watson to support the family legend that they were cousins.
Most connections between Arthur and Daniel Grant Watson come from family stories stating that they were cousins. There is no recorded connection between the families.
Daniel Watson's father is believed to be Thomas Watson who is said to have been born October 18, 1764 at Newcastle, England. Some say he was the son of George Watson, but his great-grandaughter Ann Eliza Ganis indentified her great-great grandfather as Peter Watson [Webb]. Thomas was married first to Suzanna Zachry, daughter of Peter Zachry and Mary Burton, in 1786 in Columbia Co., Georgia. Suzanna's paternal grandparents were John Zachry and Elizabeth Hannah Blackston of Virginia. Suzanna died in 1815 in Columbia Co. Thomas moved to Monroe Co., Alabama in 1816. Thomas married second Mary Ann Davis Dunnam, widow of Robert Commander Dunnam, in 1817. Thomas and Suzanna Zachry Watson had the following children:
The Watsons moved to Alabama, and Thomas died in Monroe Co. in 1834, though some say 1838. In 1836 two of Thomas's sons Peter and Thomas, Jr. were killed by Creek Indians in 1836 in Barbour Co., Alabama. A paper dictated by Ann Eliza Ganis states that the Creek Indians killed "Grandpa Peter Watson and Uncle Jimmy Irvin" in 1836 and that the Indians "run us back to Georgia". [Webb]
Emily Watson's parentage is uncertain, but family legend states that her mother was Creek. Several Watson descendants have joined Creek tribes in Alabama and Florida based on descendancy from Emily Watson and her presumed step-father, but perhaps actual father, Arthur Watson.
There is also a family story about Emmaline's family discovering a young Creek girl stealing fruit from their orchard and capturing her. This girl was likely one of many Creeks who fled to the woods and swamps to avoid deportation to Oklahoma. She did not speak English and fought them. They locked her in the smokehouse, and Emily came and talked to her in her Indian language.
None known.
The above information is based on the best sources currently available to the author and is subject to correction. If you have information that is different or additional to that shown above, I would like to receive it. Please contact me by e-mail and mention this web page in your message.
MLM: 2 Jan 2006
