BALES Family Newsletter Volume 1, Number 2 A Family History Newsletter December, 2006 p. 1 From the Editor Table of Contents p. 2 John R. BALES of Independence Co., Arkansas and Fannin Co., Texas by Dennis Kowallek p. 7 BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project by Dennis Kowallek The Bales Family Newsletter is a family newsletter published quarterly by Dennis Kowallek, 293 Cochran Rd., Hamilton, Ohio 45013. It is available in both a printed version and online at: http://kowallek.myiglou.com/dennis/genealogy/balesnewsletter.htm Submissions of articles, photos, documents, etc., are strongly encouraged. Please email your ideas to kowallek@iglou.com. From the Editor Welcome to the 2 nd issue of the BALES Family Newsletter, a newsletter devoted to the study and dissemination of BALES family history. In this issue I continue my discussion of the family of Henry BALES of Independence Co., Arkansas with some information about his youngest son, John R. BALES. I hope you will enjoy reading it. The first two issues were written entirely by me. I am hoping that, in the future, readers will submit articles, photos, documents, etc. for publication. If you would like to contribute, email your ideas to me at kowallek@iglou.com. That brings me to the name of this newsletter. I must admit that the BALES Family Newsletter isn t very original. I thought about coming up with a catchy name, but then decided to ask the readers of this newsletter for ideas. So if you would like to suggest a permanent name for this newsletter, drop me a line at kowallek@iglou.com. P.S. We are still looking for candidates for a BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project. What we would like to do is to find about a half-dozen people who would be willing to participate. We wouldn t want anyone to commit to a DNA test until we thought we had a large enough core group to do some useful analysis. Although DNA testing can be a useful tool for as few as two participants, we would like to recruit a few more participants before actually ordering DNA test kits. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Dennis Kowallek - editor Page 1
John R. BALES of Independence Co., Arkansas and Fannin Co., Texas By Dennis Kowallek My wife s ggg-grandfather was John R. BALES, son of Henry BALES of Independence Co., Arkansas. John was born 11 Sep 1838 in Arkansas, probably near Batesville. Nothing is known of his childhood and early life that is until his marriage to Martha Elizabeth ROBINSON on 26 May 1859 in Independence County. The marriage record spells his name as BAILES and her name as ROBERTSON. These and other spellings will prove to be a source of confusion for years to come. The record says they were married at the residence of Mrs. Robertson by William Raney, Minister of the Gospel of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Robertson would be Martha s mother, Julia A. ROBINSON. It appears that Martha s father, David ROBINSON, had died by the time of this marriage. According to various censuses, Martha was born about 1842 in Mississippi. In 1850, we find her family in Tippah Co., Mississippi. Her father is thought to have been born in Georgia, and her mother in North or South Carolina. Figure 1: Marriage Record Family legend has it that John served in the army during the Civil War on both sides. The story handed down is that he served in the Confederate Army, was captured, switched allegiance, and ended the war serving in the Union Army. This may be a case where a family legend may actually be true (with the exception of the part about being a prisoner-of-war, which I have not been able to prove). According to various sources, a John R. BALES served in the 1 st Arkansas Regiment 30- Day Volunteers (CSA), which included men from Independence County, in Nov/Dec 1861. A James BALES, possibly John s older brother, also served in this unit. James later served in Company I of the 27 th Arkansas Infantry. In Jan 1863, a John R. BALES (also spelled BAYLEZ, BAYLES, BAYLESS), age 25, of Independence, Arkansas, enrolled in Company C of the 2 nd Regiment Arkansas Cavalry (USA) in Houston, Missouri. He was described as 5 10 tall, dark complexion, with black hair and gray eyes. He was mustered in at Pilot Knob, Missouri in Apr 1863, and served until May 1865, when he was mustered out in Springfield, Missouri. He appears to have spent the last year of the war sick and in various hospitals. I feel pretty sure that this was our John R. BALES. If the John R. BALES who served with Page 2
the Union Army and the James BALES who served for the Confederate Army were indeed brothers, we may be looking at a classic case of the Civil War dividing a family. For an interesting perspective on how the Civil War affected the people of this region, I suggest reading Making Sense of the Civil War in Batesville-Jacksonport and Northeast Arkansas 1861-1874 by Freeman K. Mobley. Figure 2: Civil War Service Record Page 3
John R. BALES and Martha ROBINSON had a son, Henry David BALES, before the Civil War started. Notice that he is named after John s father and Martha s father. Henry David BALES was my wife s gg-grandfather. A daughter, Julia Ann BALES was born during the war. The rest of their children were born after the war. Husband: John R. Bales Born: 11 Sep 1838 - Arkansas Died: 5 Jun 1885 Buried: 1885 - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Allen Cemetery) Father: Henry Bales Mother: Unknown (Bales) Marriage: 26 May 1859 Place: Independence Co., Arkansas Wife: Martha Elizabeth Robinson Born: Abt 1842 - Mississippi Died: Bet 1870 and 1876 Father: David Robinson Mother: Julia A. (Robinson) Children 1 M Henry David "Daddy" Bales Born: 28 Oct 1860 - Independence Co., Arkansas Died: 15 Jan 1952 - Kiowa, Pittsburg Co., Oklahoma Buried: 16 Jan 1952 - Kiowa, Pittsburg Co., Oklahoma (Kiowa Cemetery) Spouse: Mary Olive Hodges Marr. Date: 31 Dec 1879 - Fannin Co., Texas Spouse: Mattie Harkey Marr. Date: Dec 1919 2 F Julia Ann Bales Born: Jan 1862 - Arkansas Died: Bet 1920 and 1937 Spouse: John A. Rose Marr. Date: 1 Aug 1876 - Fannin Co., Texas 3 F Virginia "Jenny" Ellen Bales Born: Nov 1867 - Arkansas Died: 1945 Buried: - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Carson Cemetery) Spouse: Elias Allen Marr. Date: 13 Jan 1884 - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas 4 M John Thomas "Tom" Bales Born: Jun 1868 - Arkansas Died: Bet 1910 and 1913 Spouse: Victoria Routrow Marr. Date: Abt 1908 5 F Sarah Emeline "Sallie" Bales Born: 24 Nov 1869 - Batesville, Independence Co., Arkansas Died: 18 Jul 1937 - Peniel, Hunt Co., Texas Buried: - Edhube, Fannin Co., Texas (Hampton Cemetery) Spouse: Dr. James Washington Benton Marr. Date: 21 Oct 1885 - Fannin Co., Texas 6 F Mattie Bales Born: Abt 1872 - Fannin Co., Texas Died: Bet 1887 and 1890 Spouse: Noah Allen Marr. Date: 29 Dec 1887 - Fannin Co., Texas Figure 3: Family Group Sheet The documentation I received from Polly Block (another descendant of John R. BALES) says that the family decided to move to Texas, arriving in Fannin County Dec. 18, 1870, settling on a farm near Savoy. In a letter from Alma Bales HAWKINS to Polly, Alma states that John s wife, Martha, died in Nov 1873, but I have not been able to confirm this from any other source. We do not know where she is buried, but Allen Cemetery near Ector is the likely candidate. Here is an excerpt from the letter that Alma wrote in the 1950s. It describes what life in the 1870s was like Page 4
"Papa said in the 70 (1870) they had biscuits on sunday, hauled flour from Jefferson (Tenn) in barrells in wagons, ate corn bread all week - in 80 (1880) flour came in a few sacks, mostly barrells. Flour was cheaper $3.00 a barrell. Had brown sugar, not often, kept it wrapped up. Made molasses, sweetened with that. Had home made shoes, made with wooden pegs to fasten soles on - shoes were scarce. Them days they blacked shoes real nice, carried them in their hands til got near church, put them on - shoes had to last a long time. They all worked clearing land, building log buildings. All cloth woven by hand. Used candles, made them from tallow - very few molds, so they had to last a long time. If no candles, melted lard in saucer put rag in that, get it to burn for lights. Went to school 3 to 6 months in year, 2 months at a time - when work was caught up. Walked as much as 4 miles to school and church. First train came thru June 1873. Papa was 12 - his greatest sight. On 16 May 1876, John married his 2 nd wife, Estelle Ann TEFTELLER in Fannin County. All the children referred to her as Aunt Hester. Together they had 4 more children, but only one survived childhood. Husband: John R. Bales Born: 11 Sep 1838 - Arkansas Died: 5 Jun 1885 Buried: 1885 - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Allen Cemetery) Father: Henry Bales Mother: Unknown (Bales) Marriage: 16 May 1876 Place: Fannin Co., Texas Wife: Estelle Ann "Hester" Tefteller Born: Aug 1854 - Tennessee Died: 1934 Other Spouse: William T. Allen Date: 15 Jan 1888 - Fannin Co., Texas Children 1 M Walter Fred Bales Born: 22 Sep 1877 - Fannin Co., Texas Died: 15 Nov 1970 Buried: - Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas (Mt. Olivet Cemetery) Spouse: Delia M. Suddath Marr. Date: 19 Dec 1899 - Fannin Co., Texas 2 M Roy Bales Born: 1878 - Texas Died: 1889 Buried: - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Allen Cemetery) Spouse: Never Married Marr. Date: 3 M Jessie Bales Born: 1880 Died: 1882 Buried: - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Allen Cemetery) Spouse: Never Married Marr. Date: 4 F Pearl Bales Born: 1881 Died: 1883 Buried: - Ector, Fannin Co., Texas (Allen Cemetery) Spouse: Never Married Marr. Date: Figure 4: Family Group Sheet Page 5
John R. BALES died on or about 5 Jun 1885 and is buried in Allen Cemetery near Ector. His 2 nd wife, Hester, remarried shortly after his death. She died in 1934. Some claim that she is also buried in Allen Cemetery, but I believe that the Hester Ann ALLEN buried in Carson Cemetery near Ector is probably her. Figure 5: Last Will and Testament Page 6
BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project By Dennis Kowallek A BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project was established in August, 2006. Its objective is to use DNA testing to help research the surnames BALES, BEALS, and other soundex B420 variants. We are currently looking for additional participants. Individuals interested in collaborating on BALES/BEALS family history and using genetic testing to assist our research efforts are encouraged to join. Project participation is limited to the following individuals: 1) BALES male DNA donors to be tested by Relative Genetics 2) BALES males whose DNA has been tested by a company other than Relative Genetics 3) BALES lineage researchers who are not DNA donors If you are a male with one of the included surnames and are interested in researching your direct paternal line further, you can participate. This project study is using the DNA test that looks at a portion of the DNA called the Y chromosome. The Y chromosome is unique to males and can be used to identify one's direct paternal line. For this reason, females cannot participate directly, but can find or sponsor a male relative (father, brother, cousin, etc) to be tested as a representative of her line. Several BALES researchers may also wish to pool their resources and sponsor a single participant. Participants will be required to supply their proven BALES ancestry (ancestor chart) to the Project Coordinator. All data is the property of the participating individual and/or his sponsor. It is not to be reposted to other websites or republished by other parties without the consent of the individual participant and/or his sponsor. The BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project s website is: http://www.relativegenetics.com/genomics/search/projectprospect.html?pid=51576 For additional information and assistance in becoming a member of the BALES/BEALS Surname DNA Project, please contact the Project Coordinator, Dennis Kowallek, at kowallek@iglou.com. Editor s note: I would really like to get someone descended from Henry BALES (see article in previous issue) and a known descendant of John and Ann BALES/BEALS to participate in this DNA study. This would tell us whether or not this Henry BALES is the son of John and Ann. If you, or someone you know, is a direct descendant of John and Ann BALES/BEALS and would like to find out more about participating in this study, please contact me at kowallek@iglou.com. Page 7