OUR TARLTON STORY--PART FOUR/George Washington Tarlton

GEORGE WASHINGTON TARLTON






OUR TARLTON STORY--PART FOUR
The middle son of General Azion Tarlton was George Washington Tarlton, the third great grandfather for reference for all the children of Ann, Bessie, and Ted Moore, born in South Carolina in 1804. And, of the three sons remaining in the county after Azion’s death, George Tarlton I am certain was the father of the Tarlton that we know best. The 1830 and 1840 censuses confirm a son of the right age for George to be the father of our Alexander C. Tarlton, my second great grandfather. Alexander is remembered by most family as the victim of a ruthless assassination in 1864 as the great Civil War drew to a conclusion.
Of the other two sons of Azion, John SR does not have a son of correct birth age to be Alexander, and James has a son of the right age, but is living on land in 1840 that that is not centrally located next to the remaining Tarlton families. James and Ann, his wife, are found in Duck Creek Township across Mingo Swamp in Stoddard County by 1850. The identity of James son is known and is not our Alexander.
George’s land was next to brother John and father Azion, part of the original Tarlton Plantation, and it would be a place to which Alexander would return to start a family. That story is forthcoming.
George Tarlton died before the 1850 census and would have been less than 46 years of age when he joined Zion on the next great adventure. His life was probably forfeit to the Great Cholera Epidemic. He would leave behind three sons of his own, a daughter, and probably his wife. I will be the first researcher of this family to state that in addition to Alexander, I believe conclusively that John Tarlton, JR is the brother of Alexander and son of George. It was common for brothers to name a son after their sibling in those years, practically the norm, and George named John JR after his brother John SR. John JR is in fact, not a junior at all. The SR and JR appendixes were only used during the years when both Johns were enumerated on the census to prevent confusion. John SR would name two of his sons after brothers George and James.
I assert this relationship based on the 1830 and 1840 Census for Wayne County. While names were not yet enumerated on these censuses in both of these accountings, George has 2 sons under 5 years of age (born 1825 – 1830) on the 1830 United States Census for Wayne County, and John SR has none. On the 1840 census George has two sons 10 – 15 years of age (1825 – 1830) and John has none. John JR was born in 1826, and Alexander 1828. Since George died before all family members were enumerated beginning with the 1850 census (the first U.S. census where household family members were identified by name), we do not currently know the name of the other siblings of Alexander and John, JR.
John Tarlton (JR), like his brother Alexander, was born in Wayne County, Missouri and was Alexander’s senior by two years. He was married at least three times. His first wife was Margaret L. (last name unknown), born in North Carolina in 1825 and she was listed on the 1850 census for Wayne County. This union produced at least two sons, Commodore P. Tarlton born in 1851, and yet another George W. Tarlton, this one born in 1858. That there were so many descendants and family of the father of Alexander and John JR, the first George W. of which we are aware, that would be named for him is testament to how much he must have been admired and loved.
The daughters of John JR and Margaret were Margaret L.Tarlton born in 1854 and their oldest child, Martha J. Tarlton born in 1850 in Missouri. By 1860 Margaret was deceased and John had remarried, this time to Polly Ann Buchanan, daughter of David and Elizabeth Buchanan. She was born in 1840 in Missouri and died in 1873 in Oregon County, Missouri where John had relocated his family towards the close of the Civil War. The sons from this marriage included David Alexander Tarlton born August 16, 1862 in Oregon County, William Henry Tarlton born September 1863 in Oregon County, and James Andrew Tarlton born in 1868 in Missouri. They also had a daughter, Susan Tarlton born 1871 in Missouri.
After Polly’s death in 1873 John again remarried, this time to Nancy Flannery around 1874-1875 in Ripley County, Missouri. Nancy was the daughter of D. Flannery and Sarah Jobe. She was born November 15, 1836 in Missouri and died April 14, 1928 in Johnson Township in Oregon County. One son was born to John and Nancy, Benjamin F. Tarlton, born in 1879 in Oregon County, the year of John’s demise. The daughters were Missouri Belle Tarlton born April 13, 1878 in Oregon County, and Lucy Tarlton, the eldest child, born in 1875 in the same county.

This concludes the accounting of George Washington Tarlton’s known family, including Alexander, whose story and violent death will be forthcoming in the next narrative chapters.
Copyright by the author August 1, 2009.  Reproductions for family files only.  No other reproduction with the written consent of the author.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nathan Ragan

Mahala C. Ward Tarlton of Wayne County Missouri