The topic this week is "Travel". Travel seems to be one of the "givens" in my family tree. I have many ancestors who have travelled many miles through multiple generations. From ships to wagon trains to locomotives, our family travelled many miles when to came time to "move on"!
George Washington (GW) Pitts was the oldest son of Elijah Pitts and his first wife, Amy Pitts. Yes, Pitts was her maiden name and they were very likely cousins, but we haven't been able to make the exact connection. GW was born in Laurens County, South Carolina on September 13, 1831. I believe that Elijah must have lived very near the Laurens/Newberry county lines, because in the 1830 and 1840 censuses, Elijah is listed in Newberry County, but GW states he was born in Laurens County. And in the 1860 and 1870 censuses, Elijah is living in Laurens County, again. I have not been able to find them in the 1850 census. Elijah and Amy had four additional children, Elizabeth C., Cread T., Caroline and Franklin.
GW Pitts and Frances Elizabeth Owens were married on October 25, 1859 in South Carolina.
In the 1860 census, Washn, age 28 and Frances, age 20, are listed on June 14th as living in the Cross Hills area of Laurens County, very near the Newberry County line.
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Washn and Frances Pitts
Cross Hills, Laurens County, South Carolina 1860 |
Just a month later, on July 13th, their first son, William Preston was born. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and on April 12, 1861, the world as they knew it changed for everyone in the United States. On that day, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina and the next four years would be some of the worst years of this country's history. On December 20th or 24th, 1861, George Washington Pitts traveled to Camp Cain and was enlisted by Capt J G Williams into Company B, 3rd Battalion (also known as Laurens Battalion) of the South Carolina Infantry of the Confederacy for a period of 12 months. According to the military records, GW was absent from his unit, sick and hospitalized at the time of the Muster in April 1862. By August he is listed as present again and on December 11, 1862, his second child, John Creed Pitts was born. GW was again sick and furloughed home on December 23, 1862 for 40 days. There are additional records for GW Pitts, probably the same person, which indicate that he was wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor, on June 1 or 2, 1864 and sent to a hospital and furloughed from there on June 6, 1864 for 30 days. There are additional records which indicate a GW Pitts, from the same unit, was taken Prisoner of War at Strasburg on October 19, 1864 and taken to Harper's Ferry, Point Lookout, Maryland and released on May 15, 1865 after taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States. George and Frances had their third son on May 18, 1865. I wonder if he made it home in time for this birth.
https://www.fold3.com/title_656,
Papers of and Relating to Military and Civilian Personnel,
Compiled 1874 - 1899, documenting the period 1861 - 1865, GW Pitts.
South Carolina in 1865-1866 was a very difficult place to farm and make a living, so GW and Frances moved their family to Lee County, Mississippi. Some of his uncles lived there, already. The next child, Narcissus, was born there April 5, 1867. By the 1870 census, another daughter, Bettie Elizabeth was born on April 25, 1869, making a total of 5 children. GW's sister, Elizabeth C. Pitts, age 34, also lived with them.
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1870 Census, Lee County, Mississippi
Geo W and Frances Pitts and Family |
Sometime in the years between his marriage to Frances and 1866, GW's mother, Amy, had died and his father Elijah had remarried. Elijah's new wife, Lucinda Lewis, was the widow of William H. Johnson who had been killed in the War in 1863. They stayed behind in South Carolina when GW and Frances moved to Mississippi. (See my blog, "Are Taxes Always Bad?" for more information about this part of the family).
By 1880, GW and Frances had four more children, Amy Lou born August 13, 1871, Mary Sue born November 27, 1873, Frances Elizabeth born May 16, 1876 and Jim High Pitts born August 1, 1878.
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| 1880 Census - 1st page |
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| 1880 Census - second page |
And then by 1883, they had two more children, Carrie born April 22, 1881 and Thomas Lawrence born January 13, 1883. These seven children were all born in Mississippi. Not long after that, GW and Frances made a decision to move on west to Texas. By 1885, GW and Frances were members of Liberty Baptist Church, Red Oak, Ellis County, Texas and GW was made a Deacon of the church. .
GW passed away July 7, 1898, and Frances in November 12, 1924. They are buried in Red Oak Cemetery, Ellis County, Texas. Maggie Pitts and her husband, Tom Clark, are buried nearby.
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| Grave Marker for Frances Pitts |
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| Grave Marker for George Washington Pitts |
They left behind a very large family.
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| Frances Pitts and her descendants - about 1913 (calculated from youngest child's apparent age) |
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| Francs Pitts and her children (names below) |
The reason I shared this story of GW and Frances Pitts and their travels, is because they were instrumental in the movement of my ancestors, even though GW was a half-brother to my great grandmother, Maggie Pitts Clark. I believe that Elijah and Lucinda chose to move to Lee County, Mississippi, because GW already lived there. So, apparently, Maggie was born in Mississippi because of GW and Frances. Then, when Elijah and Lucinda passed away in 1885 and 1886, probably in Lee County, their three children, James M (age 18), Robert D (age 16) and Maggie D Pitts (age 12), left Mississippi as orphans and moved to Ellis County, Texas to live with GW and Frances. When GW had moved to Texas, he built a large, two story home near Red Oak, Texas. When Jim, Bob and Maggie moved to Texas, they also lived in this home. That home not only is still standing, but is still owned and I believe still occupied by descendants of GW and Frances. I have been there several times and it is an amazing experience to be in the home where your great grandmother lived as a teenager! I believe I have a photograph of this house, but cannot find it at the moment, since we are still packed in the midst of our move. If I am able to find it, I will add it here.
'Til next time!
#52Ancestors
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