When the movers and shakers of the Alabama Territory knew it was going to become a state and that the capital would be the new city of Cahaba, they sent advertising that appeared in major magazines and newspapers all over the country and even into other parts of the world. What was the call of Cahaba? Was it merely money? Was it the appeal of the ground floor, of getting in on the start of something new? Was it the thrill of the unknown? Was it simply a place to be free, to be on one's own? We may never know, but a new nation was giving birth to a new state, and thousands of families would answer that call over the early years of nineteenth century Alabama. And as they moved into that beautiful land they would all call home, some of their children would marry each other and become our people.
My objective is sharing this page is to illustrate the number of intermarriages of the children of the following five families. Today, 13 Feb 2001, I discovered at least one of these (intermarriages heretofore unknown to me) at a new-found cousin's webpage, http://www.phaenom.com/roark/jesse.htm#top. As there are several of the children, still, whose spouses are not yet known to me, especially in the case of Ezekiel and Sarah Wilson, it is quite possible the number of intermarriages could have been even greater.
Of these five families--John and Jane
(Walker) Gwin,
Jesse and Nancy (Morris) Roark,
Nathaniel and Jane (Jones) Wilson, Ezekiel and Sarah (Rasco) Wilson,and
John and Mary (Miles) Basset,
four of their surnames are mentioned--some extensively--in the
personal diary of Rev.
Cotten of the Methodist church in Cahaba where most
of them did attend--and they may have all attended at one time
or another.
24.01--Mary Gwin--b. 1814-1817 in Dallas Co., AL; m1. 27 Dec 1838 in Dallas Co. to Drury Hampton Roark (b. 1812 in SC; d. 18__); m2. on 17 May 1849 in a double ceremony with sister Louisa by Rev. Cotten, probably at John's home, to Mr. Abel Turner.
24.02--Thomas Gwin--I've seen absolutely nothing on this son but his name. But he was in Uncle James' notes, so here he is. Anyone know more about him?
24.03--Isom Gwin, b. 17 Mar 1817; d. 7 Dec 1853; m. 1837 in Dallas Co., AL, to Mary Burdine Wilson (sister of William's wife "Roe", below) in Cahaba;
24.04--William Gwin--b. 18 Dec 1820 at Cahaba, AL; m. 12 May 1842 in Cahaba to Rosanna Carlisle Jones "Roe" Wilson (sister of Isam's wife Mary B., above)
25.03--William Sutton Gwin m. Ida Eliza Basset24.05--Sarah Gwin m. Louis Basset; two children;
24.06--Ann Gwin m. Joseph Lavalette Basset;
24.07--Martha J. Gwin, b. unk.; d. unk.; m. 22 Apr 1847 in Dallas Co., AL, to Jesse Comelander
24.08--Chesley Gwin ("Chess"--although Rev. Cotten consistently calls him Charley); m1. 20 Mar 1850 at Bogue Chitto, Dallas Co., AL, to Fannie Bell, daughter of a "Hard-shell" Baptist preacher;
24.09--Louisa Gwin; m1. Mr. Gaviness, prob. in Dallas Co.; m2. on 17 May 1849 in a double ceremony with sister Mary Roark by Rev. Cotten at (prob.) John's home to Mr.William G. McKnight.
Generation One, Family B: Jesse Vaughn Roark and his sweetheart Nancy Ann
Morris
responded from somewhere along the northern border of South
Carolina. Married there about 1805, they'd have been
15-year veterans of the ranks of the married when Alabama was
born in 1820. Intermarriage Summary: Of nine known
children, one married into Family A,
one married into Family C, and
one MAY have married into Family D.
141. *Sarah (Sallie) B. Roark b. S.C. ca. 1805 m. John J. Wilson,12 Oct. 1838,
142. *Saphronia Roark b. S.C. ca. 1810, m. Laughlin Campbell
143. *Drury Hampton Roark b. 1812 S.C., m. Mary Gwin 27 Dec. 1838, d. ca. 1846 Dallas Co., AL
144. *John Washington Roark b. S.C. ca. 1813 S.C., m. 26 Oct 1854 in Calhoun Co., AR to Martha Jane Mitchell
145. Gideon Thomas Roark b.18 Dec. 1817 S.C., m1. Caroline Wilson 4 Jun 1840, m2. Mrs. Emily Manor Dunn
146. *Lucinda Roark b. AL ca. 1821, m. Wm. H. Young Blann 12 Jan 1839;
147. *Rachel E. Roark b. 1823, m. Warner Lewis Hanshaw on 2 Jul 1846 in Dallas Co., AL;
148. Mary Roark b. AL ca. 1828, m. Gibb E. (or H.) Ridgeway 21 Mar 1861;
149. Richard Hampton Roark b. AL ca. 1829;
Generation One, Family C: The Wilson
brothers heard it, too, perhaps also from the South Carolina
wilds. Nathaniel
Burdine Wilson and his bride Jane Jones married 4 Jan 1816 and agreed that the place to
go was this new capital county of Dallas. Intermarriage
Summary: Of 11 known children, two married into Family A, one married into Family B, and one grandchild married
into Family E.
24.01--Mary Burdine Wilson, b. 29 Nov 1816; m1. Isom Gwin (1817 - 7 Dec 1853); m2. John Steadman*
24.02--John Jones Wilson, b. 2 Feb 1819, probably in SC, if above info on Mary B. Wilson is correct; m. Sarah (Sallie) B. Roark, 12 Oct 1838;
24.03--William Wilson, b. 23 June 1821, probably in SC, if above info on Mary B. Wilson is correct; d. 4 days later; buried unk.;
24.04--Roseanne Carlisle Jones Wilson, b. 22 Aug 1822; m. 12 [13?] May 1842 to William Gwin (b. at Cahaba, AL 18 Dec. 1820);
25.03--William Sutton Gwin m. Ida Eliza Basset24.05--Ezekiel Monroe Wilson, b. 23 Feb 1825; m. Sarah Jane Cole;
24.06--William Bramwell Wilson, b. 21 Sep 1827; m. Virginia Rowe;
24.07--Joseph Jones Abernathy Wilson, b. 7 Jul 1830; d. bef. 1876, father of Texana "Texas" Wilson who was living with William and Roseanna Gwin in the 1870 census in Wilsonville, AL; m. Mary E. High;
24.08--James Washington Wilson, b. 11 Dec 1832; m1. Elizabeth McCullen; m2. Ellen Lingo;
24.09--Samuel Rutherford Wilson, b. 21 Apr 1835;
24.10--Nathaniel Marion Wilson, b. 3 Nov 1837;
24.11--Isham Griffin Wilson, b. 1 Mar 1841; m. Amanda A.;
Generation One, Family D: Nathaniel Burdine Wilson's brother, Ezekiel Burdine Wilson and
his young wife Sarah Harrell Rasco, evidently in complete concurrence, joined them
in their quest. Intermarriage Summary: Of one
(maybe two) known children, one may have married into
Family
E. This Family D section is much more
complete now (in 2022) than it was when I first built this
page and was still only learning about Ezekiel Burdine Wilson,
but little of what we've learned has yet made its way to this
page.
24.00--Washington Wilson
24.00--Caroline Wilson? She definitely married Gideon Thomas Roark; the question is whether or not she is a daughter of Ezekiel and Sarah.
Generation One, Family E: And from the southern shores of England, most of
the fourteen children of John James Louis Basset and Mary Miles
packed their sea
bags and followed the sun into the promise of Alabama.
John James and Mary married 13 Jun 1803, so they'd been married
17 years already when Alabama became a state. Whether or
not they came with their children is not yet known to me.
There were no Bassets in Dallas Co. in the 1830 census, so they
all arrived sometime after 1830. Charlotte Basset (Mrs.
Fred) Cheeseman's children in the 1850 census close the gap to
between1836, when George was born in England, and ca. 1844, when
Arthur was born in AL. And the marriage of Sarah Gwin to
Louis Basset in 1841 narrows the window even more. Intermarriage
Summary: Of 14 known children, two married into Family A, and one grandchild married
into FamilyA/C.
24.01--James Basset m. Susannah Snewin at least one ch.;
24.02--Mary Basset m. Mr. Isaacs; died without issue;
24.03--Charlotte Basset m. Fred Cheesman; at least six ch.;
24.04--George Basset (m. unknown) at least one ch.;
24.05--William Basset; m.Harriet Bowley; six ch.--(Will and Harriet are my great-grandparents. --John M. Gwin);
25.01--Ida Eliza Basset m. William Sutton Gwin;24.06--Louis Basset m. Sarah Gwin; two ch.;
24.07--Sarah Basset m. Robert Jordan; two ch.;
24.08--John Miles Basset never married--died without issue;
24.09--Henry Basset never married--died without issue;
24.10--Joseph Lavalette Basset m. Ann Gwin; two ch.;
24.11--Emma Maria Basset m3. Carl Ludwig Nitschke; six ch.;
24.12--Thomas Archibald Basset, or Thomas Basset (twin), never married--died without issue;
24.13--Charles Basset, or Archibald Basset (twin) never married--died without issue;
24.14--Robert Basset or Charles Robert Basset never married--died without issue;