Dr James Douglas
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Research notes:
James Douglass was an early settler of Dade County Missouri. His
first wife, MARTHA WHITE, was murdered Rock Prairie Twp, Dade Co,
MO, in March of 1848 by her negro slave Peter Douglas and also two
or three of his own children near Everton.
It is possible he is the son of William Douglass and Margaret
(Peggy) Stroud, and a grandson of
Col Edward Douglass
--------------
The
following was a deposition for Nancy's pension of James Douglass'
War of 1812 service:
SARAH C. ECCLESTON aged 49 years (and on
the 21 Jul 1887)-
(Note: Sarah was born in 1838-she was ten years
old when MARTHA WHITE was murdered!)-Mildred Dotterer: her story in
an affidavit 21 Jul 1887:
" I resided in Dade County Missouri in
1848 and was well all and personally acquainted with the above named
JAMES DOUGLASS and his first wife MARTHA DOUGLASS. I know that the
said MARTHA DOUGLASS was killed by a negro in the Spring of
1848....the said MARTHA DOUGLASS was the wife of the said JAMES
DOUGLASS who at the time of the killing of his said wife was living
with her in Dade County State of Missouri. The said JAMES DOUGLASS
at said time owned a negro slave by the name of PETER and the said
negro slave killed MARTHA DOUGLASS by striking her over the head
with a gun. What caused the killing was the fact that he said PETER
did not want to be a slave and did not want his children to be
slaves and so he killed his three children and then attempted to
kill himself when the said JAMES DOUGLASS interfered and was hit by
the said PETER then he, said JAMES DOUGLASS, went and got a gun
which the said PETER took from him and beat him with the gun over
the head until he fell. The said PETER then turned and beat the said
MARTHA DOUGLASS with the gun which beating caused her death. And I
went to the burial with my father and the rest of the family."
"NANCY C DOUGLASS formerly MRS. NANCY C. HENSLEY was married to
JAMES DOUGLASS at my father's home in Dade County MO on 16th day of
JUly 1848 and I was present when the marriage ceremony was performed
an I was well acquainted with both of the said parties."
Peter Douglass was hung in Dade County. James Douglas married July
16, 1848 a young widow, Mrs. Nancy Caroline Hensley. They moved
before 1850 to Greene Co, MO and in 1851 emancipated seven of his
eleven slaves (Deed records):
Springfield County, MO records
(source: Pension records of Mrs. Nancy Douglass, 60 pp. (War 1812,
James Douglass. Slaves emancipated 1853, The Springfield-Greene
County Library on-line records:
Dr. JAMES DOUGLASS freed the
following persons giving Deed of Manumissions to all of them, on the
15 day of August, 1853 (note that their surname will all be Douglass
as PETE DOUGLASS was the name given for his slave who killed the
wife of Dr.James Douglass (MARTHA WHITE) in 1848 Dade Co, MO and was
hung in Greenfield, Dade Co, MO in the 1850's:
ALBERT (DOUGLASS),
a person of colour
Hagar (DOUGLASS), a person of colour
Henry
(DOUGLASS), a person of colour
Franklin (DOUGLASS), a person of
colour
Mary (DOUGLASS), a person of colour
Sarah (DOUGLASS), a
person of colour
Mahala (DOUGLASS), a person of colour
----------------
Land Records Springfield Office Sales Book
1833-1892
Greene Co, MO
DOUGLAS---James T30 R24 Sec 35 40
acres 12 Jun 1851
DOUGLAS James T30 Range 24 Sec 35 80 acres 11
Dec 1851
The land is in the same section located almost exactly
in the middle of the direct-line distance of Ash Grove and Bois Des
Arc
Springfield County, MO records (source: The
Springfield-Greene County Library)
--------------
Mrs. Nancy
Caroline HENSLEY was the widow of James S. HENSLEY.(1840 Barry Co,
MO). She may have been nee Nancy Glas/Barron, wife of Thomas
Douglass and James Murray with some or all being alias'. Her
children used the surnames of Murray and Hensley. I have a copy of
the original marriage certificate signed by William DUNN, JP that is
in the hands now of Bert Dunn, a descendant.
Nancy had the
children below from her marriage James S. Hensley abt 1836 (he was
in what was then Barry Co, MO 1840):
1850 Greene County,
Missouri, Cass Twp
#352DOUGLASS JAMES 73 Tenn ( 0 value on
property given)
NANCY C. 30 Tenn
HENSLEY JOHN K. 12 Missouri
JAMES F. 10 Missouri
ORLENA C. S. 8 Missouri
ALEXANDER D. 6
Missouri
VIRGINIA 3 Missouri
------------
Descendants of
Nancy Caroline BARRON
Generation No. 1
1. Nancy Caroline1 (Glas)
BARRON (Wife of Thomas DOUGLASS) was born 1820 in Tennessee, and
died Abt. January 1900 in Seneca, Newton Co., Missouri.
She
may have m1 Thomas DOUGLASS.(Thomas Douglass in MO 1840, War of 1812
Pension papers, wife is Nancy BARRON.
She married (2) James
S. HENSLEY Abt. 1836. He died August 01, 1847 in Bolivar, Polk
County, Missouri.(from Nancy's pension application papers)
She married (3) Dr. James DOUGLASS July 16, 1848 in Dade County,
Missouri. He was born Bet. 1774 - 1779 in Tennessee, and died
February 12, 1859 in Mt. Vernon, Lawrence County, Missouri. (I have
a copy of their original marriage certificate signed by JP, William
Dunn).
I believe Nancy had all these alisas. Her children
used MURRAY and HENSLEY.
Children of Nancy (GLAS) BARRON
and James HENSLEY are:
2. i. JOHN K2 HENSLEY, b. November 02,
1839, Missouri.
3. ii. JAMES F. HENSLEY, b. 1838, Polk Co,
MO. Lived Lawrence Co, MO.
iii. ORLENA C. S. HENSLEY, b.
1844, Missouri.
iv. VIRGINIA E. HENSLEY, b. 1847, Missouri.
4. v. ALEXANDER D. HENSLEY, b. March 19, 1846, MO; d. March 12,
1904, Dublin, Erath Co, TX.
------------
James DOUGLASS
enlisted for the War of 1812 at Fayetteville, Tenn (present Lincoln
County, TN, about 40 miles due east of Chattanooga and just above
the Alabama state line. on Sep 1814. James was discharged in Dixon
County(Dickson County just west of Nashville across the river at
Nashville).
-------------------
James DOUGLASS died at one of
his farm's near Mt. Vernon, MO Feb. 12, 1859. He also owned land
previously in Greene Co, MO that he paid cash for and had Bounty
land for his war service. (Atlas' of Greene Co, MO, Lawrence Co, MO
(pub. by Greene County Archives & Records Center, 1126 Boonville,
Springfield, MO 65801, Probates Mount Vernon, MO Court house,
newspaper records Dade Co, MO, History of Dade Co, MO.
---------------------
James MURRAY was the admr. for the estate of Jonathan DOUGLASS
(brother of James DOUGLASS d 1859, Jonathan DOUGLASS died 1841 in
Greene Co, MO. Jonathan had extensive bank notes in Knox,TN, and
Monroe Co, TN, as well as railroad stock (He is listed as Douglass,
Jonathan Third (LDS,and there is evidence their information is
true). Jonathan's older children contested in Monroe Co, TN his
intestate settlement in Greene Co, MO,who sold all his personal
effects and gave the money to his widow and minor children.
(Jonathan left a will in 1840 Monroe Co, TN) and his widow and
children are named.
James S. Douglass bought much land in
Lawrence, Dade and Greene Co, MO. He may have been a land
speculator, had at least 11 slaves even after one, Peter DOUGLASS
killed James DOUGLASS' wife Martha WHITE 1848 in Dade Co, MO, as
well as two of his own children. Pete was hung in Dade Co, MO for
the murder. The elderly James DOUGLASS married two months later,
Nancy Caroline HENSLEY, widow of James S. HENSLEY. In 1850 Greene
Co, Mo they are living in Cass Twp, her Hensley chidren named
HENSLEY. Two were apprenticed to Guion Leeper (Greene Co, MO) and
James Douglass secured their release. Another older son was on his
own. These same children went by MURRAY and HENSLEY. In a two-page
handwritten (I have copies of the original records)narrative, Nancy
listed the heirs of James DOUGLASS who were descendants of his
siblings and where they lived. I have made contact with some of
these siblings. Nancy applied for James DOUGLASS' pension (War of
1812)and did not give her maiden name on any of the many pages, nor
any family of hers or James, she said his occupation was doctor. She
was finally granted the pension. She had several friends who wrote
affadavits she used as evidence of when she married James DOUGLASS.
She stated that her husband James S. HENSLEY died in 1847 in Polk
Co, MO. I have in my possession from Bert DUNN, a copy of the
original handwritten marriage certificate by William DUNN, JP of
James DOUGLASS to Caroline HENSLEY. The Dade County court house was
burned in the Civil War, so this may be an original certificate or a
replacement certificate but in any case exists. I have posted the
estate settlements of James Douglass and Jonathan Douglass on-line.
The main reason for all the name changing may have been railroad
and/or land speculation, Indian heritage (more than likely the
reason) as they did not want to go to Indian Territories but the
children of Nancy used MURRAY and HENSLEY surnames and we know she
married JAMES DOUGLASS.
I believe Nancy was the daughter of
Joseph GLASS and Jemima DOUGLASS. Joseph died in TN and Jemima and
her family moved to Ark/Tx. She was buried beside her son Joseph B.
GLASS in AR. She died in TX. Jemima was Indian. THOMAS DOUGLASS and
JONATHAN DOUGLASS were named guardian's of Joseph and Jemima's
children. They may have been brothers of Jemima DOUGLASS. Or Thomas
may have been JAMES THOMAS DOUGLASS.
I don't know the answers
to the above puzzle, but do want to know if my Jesse DOUGLAS (wife
Sarah Ann) is related to them because Ira Alexander DOUGLASS was in
what was then called Barry Co, MO by 1840, which then extended to
include a much larger Smith Twp in Dade Co, MO. Didama DOUGLAS was
Ira's sister and is my line and James HENSLEY also lived in Barry Co
in 1840 with wife and right amount of children.
---------------------
Nancy C. DOUGLAF and William A. McCanse Say that to the best of
their knowledge and belief the names of the heirs of the said James
DOUGLAFS (DOUGLASS) deceased, and their places of residence are
respective by as follows: Jonathan L. DOUGLAFS (DOUGLASS) who is a
son of a brother to said dec'd who reside in the county of Lawrence
& state of Mifsouri. Emily HOLLOWAY, Martha LOWE, & Rutela DOLIN,
who are the daughters of a brother to the said dec'd, Amanda Jane
MORRISON, Jonathan MORRISON, minor children of Almeda MORRISON
daughter of a Brother to the said deceased who reside in Lawrence
County Mifouri. RUFUS R. Douglafs (DOUGLASS), who is the son of a
brother to the said deaceased, who reside in greene County Mifouri,
JAMES KELSEY MURRAY, THOS Douglafs (DOUGLASS) , Alexander D., Almeda,
Sarah Jane & Darthula, Heirs of Jane MURRAY who was the daughter of
a Brother to the said deceased, who reside in Greene county Mifouri.
Joseph WHITE, Nancy WHITE now wife of Isaac MURRY, Mary WHITE,
Elizabeth WHITE, Isabella WHITE, & Martha WHITE heirs of Elizabeth
WHITE who was the daughter of a Brother to the said deceased, who
reside in Greene County Mifouri, James Douglafs a Brothers Son to
the said deceased who resides in Little rock in the State of
arkansas. Ibby DONALD, half sister to the said deceased, who resides
in the state of Texas, and Mary DOUGLAFS & two brothers names not
known, who are the heirs of a brother to the said deceased, and who
reside in the state of Tennefsee. Thosf? & Jane Has kin who reside
in Ozark County, State of Tenf___. Joseph B. GLAFS (GLASS) who
resides in Hempstead County State of Ark. John C. GLAFS who resides
in Bowie County State of Texas, Matthew GLAFS who resides in the
State of Tennefsee 30 miles from Memphis.
Wiles GLAPS who reside
in scott County ark, the above are children of a sister to said
deceased
The following are the children of Polley Ann McADOO a
Sisters daughter. James McADOO, Elizabeth McADOO & Gideon B. McADOO
who reside in Hempstead Co, Ark.
Mary DOUGLAFS a half sister to
James DOUGLAFS deceased who resides in the state of Texas and is
married to a man whose name is unknown to said admr. That.... (the
narrative ends)
------------
Marie deWolfe writes: I believe you are right. My 3gr. Grandfather
was Jesse Douglass, born in MO, travelled to AR as young child,
family came from the Carolinas, he served in Civil war, listed as
full blood cherokee, his dau. Grandma Ginny,married a white man,
name Thomas Massey, they lived near Conway AR. Their children have
passed down stories, such as coming out of church on some Sundays
they would hear an indian cry or yelp, and Grandma Ginny would kiss
each of her children ans tell them she would be back and disappear
in the direction of the yell, when they asked thier father where she
had gone he'd just say, "to be with her people.". She taught her
children the language, and the ways of the Cherokee, however it was
done in secret and they were told not to let on that they were 1/2
breeds. Grandma Ginny had a great amount of hidden contempt for the
"white men", but due to the politics of the area, tried to pass as
"white". When she was dying of TB she reverted to her native
language and refused to speak english. There are still descendents
in AR that will not speak of the indian things they know due to fear
of repercussions from more than likely the klan.
See also: The Slave Trade
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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