Marshall Everett Vardaman
and
Clara Owens "Odie" Carlisle

l-r: The Vardamans, circa 1895  Marshall (29), Willie (8), Myrtle (3), Louie (5), and Odie (29).

Return to John M. Gwin's Genealogy Home Page
Return to my VARDAMAN Home Page
Go to Gone to Texas, a paper by Jack Vardaman


Page Updated 28 May 2022
with the DNA discovery of descendants of Willie K. Vardaman

Page Updated 12 Oct 2021
Page Updated 6 Jan 2021
 Page Updated 24 Feb 2019
Page Updated 10 Mar 2013
Page Updated 23 Aug 2009
The updating of the numbering system used on this page has been completed. Generation 28 is my own;
27 is that of my parents; 29 is that of my children, etc.  --   John M. Gwin, May 2009

The reformatting of the name font and census data for this page has been completed. --John M. Gwin, Mar 2013
Information for this page was primarily furnished by Marshall's grandson, Jesse H. "Jack" Vardaman, Jr., of Alpharetta, GA, number 28.02 below.
An Outline of the Known Family:
20.00--John Vardaman, b. unk., possibly 1670-80 but prob. earlier, prob. in Sweden; may have been of German, Swedish, or Danish descent, as all these countries have frontage on the Baltic Sea; d. 1714 leaving one adult son who was already married and away from home and 3 minor children.

21.00--William Vardaman, Sr., "Old William", "William I" , prob. b. in Sweden ca. 1695-1700, since court records in 1758 list his age as "about sixty"; m1. 1720 in New Castle Co., DL to Magdalena Petersson--proven by church records; William I had moved from Delaware to Virginia by 1734 and many years later to Newberry Co., SC, (1766); he had four sons and an unknown number of daughters as shown below.
22.04--James Vardaman, b. unk.; d. 1797 (proven by estate papers); moved into SC with his parents in 1766; m1. Jack believes this first wife of James may have been Sabra Liles/Lyles for two reasons: (1) her married name is Vardaman, and from census records, she's the only possible person who could've been married to him; and (2) the name Liles is the middle name of Jack's and my gg-grandpa, Edwy Liles Vardaman (who would become Old William's g-grandson); Sabra was the mother of William's first two children and possibly the first three; (m2. Jane Johnson); seven children
23.02--Thomas Vardaman, b. ca.1777 in Dutch Fork, Newberry District, SC; d. 1857; m. in 1801 at about age 24 in Jefferson Co., GA, to Annie Vining (b.; d.; d/o Shadrach Vining and Phereby Ratcliffe); they moved around in GA and SC, finally settling in Coosa Co., AL, in 1836; nine children.
24.01--Edwy Liles Vardaman, b. 2 Feb 1804 in GA or b. in Newberry District, SC; d. 25 Jul 1879; bd. Smyrna Cem., Goodwater, Coosa Co., AL--Find A Grave Memorial# 9903502; m. 6 Jan 1825 to Lucinda K. Mauk (b. 23 Mar 1806; d. 17 Apr 1862 at Goodwater, Coosa Co., AL; bd. Smyrna Cem., Goodwater, Coosa Co., AL--Find A Grave Memorial# 76022024; d/o Mathias Jackson Mauk, Jr., and Frances Lea); 13 ch.
25.07--John Forsythe Vardaman, m. Julia Ann Flynn ; 4 children , 12 grandchildren
26.01--Marshall Everett (Evart The former spelling is taken from his tombstone, the latter fr. John F. Vardaman's family Bible in John F.'s hand) Vardaman, b. 27 Sep 1866 on his grandfather's farm in Tallapoosa Co., AL; d. Sunday, 20 Feb 1927, while visiting his daughter Maggie in Douglas, GA; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co--Find A Grave Memorial# 34959939; m. 2 Oct 1887 to Clara Owens "Odie" Carlisle of Mt. Olive, AL. (b. Sep. 1866 ; d. 30 Jun 1960 in a nursing home in East Point, GA, after living as a widow in Douglas with her daughter Maggie for some 30 years; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co--Find A Grave Memorial# 102064545); 8 children;
[listed as Marshal E. Vardaman, age 33, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as Marshall Vardaman, age 43, b. AL/AL/AL, m1. 22 yrs., in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as M. E. Vardaman, auto repairer, age 53, b. AL/SC (sic!)/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]

[listed as Clara Vardaman, age 63, wid., b. AL/AL/AL, in the 2 Apr 1930 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
[listed as Adie (sic--should be Odie) Vardaman, age 73, wid., b. AL/AL/AL, in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA, and lvg. w/her dau. Maggie]
[listed as Clara O. Vardaman, age 33, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as Clara O. Vardaman, age 43, b. AL/AL/AL, m1. 22 yrs. w/8 of 8 ch. lvg., in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as C. O. Vardaman, age 53, b. AL/AL/SC, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as Odie Vardaman, mother, wid., age 73, b. AL, in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA, and lvg. w/her daughter Maggie]

[JMG Note: Marshall and Odie were my granduncle and grandaunt, so all of generation 27 below are my first cousins once removed, and all of gen. 28 are my second cousins.]






GEN.

27




GEN.

27
Meet the Nine Known Children of Marshall and Odie:
27.01--William Kilpatrick "Willie" Vardaman, 1888-1967; m1. Belle; m2. Minnie
27.02--Louis Everett "Louie" Vardaman, 1890-1965; m. Laura H. Barrett
27.03--Ada Myrtle Vardaman, 1892-1962; m. Claude Burlingame
27.04--Annie Mae Vardaman, 1895-1895, age 5 mo.; NO DESCENDANTS POSSIBLE
27.05--Jesse Harris Vardaman, Sr., 1896-1968; m1.  Elsie Bell; m2. Marianne Stewart
27.06--John Eugene "Johnny" Vardaman, 1899-1980; m. Bernice Murphy
27.07--Maggie Lucille Vardaman, 1902- 2000; m. Wesley M. McCranie
27.08--Carlisle Thrower Vardaman, 1905-1994; m. Elizabeth Lorraine "Liz" Sweat
27.09--Eula A. Vardaman, ca. 1909; assumed d. bef. 1920; m. unk.
And now here they are in more detail:
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27.01--William Kilpatrick "Willie" Vardaman, b. in AL 7 Aug 1888 in the house pictured; d. 15 Nov 1967 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL; bd. Forest Hill Cem., Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL, sect.19--FAG Mem. ID# 168908166;  (according to the "Local Databases" website, his obituary was published in the "Holiday Edition" of the Birmingham News on 23 Nov 1967 on pg. A-2; photocopies of the obituary are 25 cents in person or $5.00 by USPS mail); m1. Belle C. (nee unk.; b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.); m2. Minnie Chapman (b. 26 Dec 1894; d. 23 Sep 1977; bd. Forest Hill Cem., Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL, sect.19--FAG Mem. ID# 168908260; ); at least one ch.;
[listed as Wm. K. Vardaman, age 11, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as William K. Vardaman, age 21, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[not listed as lvg. w/his parents in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA, and assumed lvg. elsewhere]

28.01--Hunter Wildsmith Vardaman II--SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION (some parts may be incorrect through "only partially educated" guesses)--b. 15 Oct 1927 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL; d. 22 Oct 2011 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., AL; bd. Hillview Mem. Pk. and Maus., Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., AL--FAG#79381645; m. ca. 1951 to Magdalene "Madeline" Moody (b. 4 Feb 1931; d. 2 Jul 2021; bd. Hillview Mem. Pk. and Maus., Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., AL--FAG#229157357); at least three ch.;
OBITUARIES
            Funeral service for Mr. Hunter W. Vardaman, II, 84, of Alexander City, will be Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 2 p.m. at the Chapel of Radney Funeral Home. Dr. Bill Etheridge, Rev. Blue Vardaman, and Judge Tom Young, Jr. will officiate. Burial will follow in the Hillview Memorial Park with veteran honors provided by the Alexander City Veteran's Honor Guard.
            Mr. Vardaman, II passed away on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 at Russell Medical Center. He was born on Oct. 15, 1927 in Birmingham, AL to William Kilpatrick Vardaman and Henry Hunter W. Vardaman. He was a member of First United Methodist Church. Mr. Vardaman served in 3 branches of the military, the U.S. Navy in WWII, U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict and the U.S. Army. After attending the Auburn University he began his journey in the newly established space program in Huntsville, AL.
            He is survived by the "apple of his eye", his wife of 60 years, Magdalene Moody Vardaman of Alexander City; son, Rev. Blue Vardaman (Betty) of Alexander City; daughter, Pam Vardaman Young (Tom) of Alexander City; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; identical-twin brother, William Kilpatrick Vardaman (Molly) of Huntsville; daughter-in-law, Alison Vardaman of Huntsville; and sister-in-law, Maebelle Still of Alexander City.
            He was preceded in death by his son, James Dorroh Vardaman and his parents.
            The family will accept flowers or memorial contributions may be given to the Eye Foundation of Alabama.  Radney Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
AlexcityOutlook.com Oct. 24, 2011
Taken from Hunter's FindAGrave memorial
        ALEXANDER CITY) Magdalene "Madeline" Vardaman, 90, of Alexander City passed away Friday, July 2, 2021, at Russell Medical.
        The funeral was Tuesday, July 6, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Radney Funeral Home. The Revs. Blue Vardaman and Mike Densmore officiated. Burial followed in Hillview Memorial Park.  She was born Feb. 4, 1931, in Alexander City to Robert Harvey Moody and Martha Birtie Foshee Moody. After graduating from Benjamin Russell High School, she earned a degree from Birmingham Business College. Mrs. Vardaman served 20 years as an executive secretary for the first five deans of the School of Primary Medical Care at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Prior to UAH, she served in various offices, including Auburn University Dean of Women, Russell Manufacturing Personnel Office and General Dynamics of Huntsville, as one of the first women of the aerospace industry. Her avid love of reading, coffee and desserts lives on in all her descendants.
        She is survived by her daughter, Pam Vardaman Young (Tom); son, Rev. Blue Vardaman (Betty); 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, Hunter W. Vardaman II, she was preceded in death by her son, James Vardaman; sister, Maebelle Moody Still; and brothers, General Lee Moody and Alton Moody.   
        Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church Circle of Love, 310 Green St., Alexander City, AL, 35010.
 
29.01--James Dorroh "Jamie" Vardaman, b. 3 May 1967; d. 1 Feb 2009; bd. Hillview Mem. Pk. and Maus., Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., AL--FAG#88225875; m. unk. (James' wife is listed on his Ancestry.com  family tree as unnamed and [PRIVATE]; at least one ch.;

29.02--Hunter Blue Vardaman, Pastor, facebook [PRIVATE]; m. ca. 1974 to Betty (nee unk.); [PRIVATE]; at least three ch.; at least 11 grch.;
30.01--Vardaman,  [PRIVATE];
30.02--Vardaman,  [PRIVATE];
30.03--Vardaman,  [PRIVATE];
31.01--Sydney Vardaman, [PRIVATE];
31.02--K. K. Vardaman, [PRIVATE];
31.03--"Girls Run the World" shirt Bentley Vardaman, [PRIVATE];
30.04--Mary Ann Vardaman, "youngest dau." [PRIVATE];
29.03--Pam Vardaman, [PRIVATE]; m. Tom Young, Judge; [PRIVATE]; unk. ch.;
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 27.02--Louis Everett "Louie" Vardaman, b. in AL 5 Apr 1890 in the house pictured; d. 18 Apr 1965; m. bef. 1922, prob. in Atlanta, to Laura H. Barrett (b. ca. 1902 in GA/GA/GA; d. aft. 1943); allegedly 1 child;
[listed as Louie E., age 10, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as Lewis E. Vardaman, age 20, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as L. E. Vardaman, age 29, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as Louie E. Vardaman, 40, automotive electrician, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 15 Apr 1930 census of Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA]
[listed as Louie E. Vardaman, 49, garage automotive electrician, b. AL, in the 9 Apr 1940 census of Atlanta, DeKalb Co., GA]

[listed as Laura Vardaman, 28, b. GA/GA/GA, in the 15 Apr 1930 census of Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA]
[listed as Laura H. Vardaman, 38, b. GA, in the 9 Apr 1940 census of Atlanta, DeKalb Co., GA, and hosting her widowed mother, Ms. Barrett, 64]

28.01--Emily Vardaman, b. unk.--appears in no censuses; d. unk.; bd. unk.; bd. unk.; m. unk.; unk. ch.;
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 27.03--Ada Myrtle Vardaman, b. 25 Dec 1892 in the house pictured above in AL; d. 26 Sep 1962; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co., GA--Find A Grave Memorial# 102064561; m. Claude Burlingame (a retired racehorse jockey, much older than she--b. 27 Sep 1871; d. 23 Mar 1961; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co., GA--Find A Grave Memorial# 34555118); no known ch.;
[listed as Ada M., age 7, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as Myrtle Vardaman, age 17, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as Myrtle Vardaman, age 27, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as Myrtle Burlingame, 48, b. AL, in the 9 Apr 1940 census of St. Augustine, St. Johns Co., FL]

[listed as Claude Burlingame, 68, b. IA, in the 9 Apr 1940 census of St. Augustine, St. Johns Co., FL]
27.04

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27.04--Annie Mae Vardaman, b. 18 Feb 1895 in TX; d. 4 Aug 1895, age 5 mo.+; bd. in TX; NO DESCENDANTS POSSIBLE
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 27.05--Jesse Harris Vardaman, Sr., b. 24 Dec 1896 in Wood Co., TX; d. 19 Aug 1968 in Atlanta, Dekalb Co., GA, age 69, cert. of death #022477; bd. Cedar Hill Cem, Bessemer, AL; m1. 1 Oct 1919 in Millersburg, Holmes Co., OH, to Elsie Lorraine Bell (b. 13 Apr 1899 in Millersburg, Holmes Co., OH; d. 2 Apr 1966 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA; bd. Cedar Hill Cem., Bessemer, AL); 4 known ch.; m2. in Jun 1968 to Mrs. Marianne K. Stewart (b. unk.; d. 22 Dec 1988 in Austell, Cobb Co., GA; bd. unk.);
[listed as Jessee H. Vardaman, age 3, in the Jun 1900 census of Justice Pct. #3, Fannin Co., TX]
[listed as Jessie Vardaman, age 15, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as Jessie Vardaman, public school teacher, age 41, b. AL, in the 8 Apr 1940 census of Bessemer, Jefferson Co., AL]

[listed as Elsie Vardaman, age 41, b. OH, in the 8 Apr 1940 census of Bessemer, Jefferson Co., AL]

28.01--Margaret Jean Vardaman, b. 11 Apr 1921 in Millersburg OH; d. 16 Apr 1921, age 5 days; bd. Oak Hill Cem., Millersburg, OH; no marker, but bd. in same grave as her grandmother!;
NO DESCENDANTS POSSIBLE
28.02--Jesse Harris "Jack" Vardaman, Jr., b. 4 Nov 1924 (election day!) in Millersburg, OH; d. 15 Sep 2020 at age 95 at his home in Alpharetta, GA; bd. Georgia Nat'l Cem., Canton, Cherokee Co., GA--Plot: Sect. 10, Site 314--FAG# 215758260--Inscription: SOM2 US NAVY, WORLD WAR II; m1. 3 Jul 1946 to Geraldine Ellen Smith (b. unk.; div. 1972; d. spring 1985); 3 ch. or perhaps four by Geraldine; m2. 5 Jan 1973  to Billie Mae Cade Skylark; div. 1986; resident historian and genealogist of the Vardaman family;
[listed as Jack Vardaman, age 15, b. OH, in the 8 Apr 1940 census of Bessemer, Jefferson Co., AL]
OBITUARY
Jesse Harris Vardaman, Jr., age 95 of Alpharetta, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at his residence.  The family will receive friends at Darby Funeral Home on Saturday, September 19 from 10 am to 1 pm.  The funeral will follow at 1 pm in the chapel of Darby Funeral Home with Rev. Dean Vonfeldt officiating.  Interment will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at 10:30 am at Georgia National Cemetery.  He is survived by: son, Jesse H. Vardaman III of Alpharetta and daughter, Toni Kennett (Chester Moody) of Cincinnati, OH.  The caring staff of Darby Funeral Home is honored to serve the Vardaman family.
--Darby Funeral Home

OBITUARY
        Jesse H. (Jack) Vardaman Jr., resident of Alpharetta, Georgia, passed away at the age of 95 Tuesday morning, 9/15/2020, in his family home of 47 years. He was a respected and beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, uncle, friend, and companion.
        Jack was born in Millersburg, Ohio to Elsie Bell Vardaman and Jesse H. Vardaman, Sr. on November 4, 1924. Jack attended and graduated from Bessemer High School in Alabama.  At 18 years old, straight out of high school, Jack joined the US Navy and earned the rank of Petty Officer, Second Class Sonarman. Jack was a decorated veteran and was awarded many medals for his time and valiant efforts serving the country he loved during WWII and later during the Korean War. These medals included the American Area Victory Medal WWII, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal with 1 Silver and 3 Bronze Stars, the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Jack saw battle in the South Pacific Ocean at the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Marianas Islands Campaign, as well as seeing action at the Battle of Okinawa.  Stationed mostly aboard destroyer ships, Jack was aboard the USS David W. Taylor when the ship was acting as an escort for a convoy carrying occupation troops for Japan. Jack and his fellow troops escorted the First US Representative to Kyushu to accept the 1945 surrender of Japan. Jack later joined the US Naval Reserves and served during the Korean War from 1951 to 1952.
        Jack graduated from the Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia in 1954. One of the proudest choices in Jack's life was his long career as a dedicated civil servant for the Internal Revenue Service from which he retired in 1985.
        Jack had several deeply loved hobbies and interests. Because of his dedication and love for genealogy, he was known to be one of the foremost Vardaman family historians in the nation. Jack's incredible talent and lifelong devotion to the research and documentation of genealogical and wartime history will serve countless families and historians for infinite years to come. Jack also enjoyed traveling to family gravesites and those of fellow service members and worked tirelessly to picture and document them for families and historians.
        Jack was an avid bowler and continued bowling in the local senior leagues until March of 2020. He spoke fondly of this as one of his favorite pastimes which was where he met some of his closest and most cherished friends. In his final days, Jack noted how important their friendship and companionship had been in his life. He loved and enjoyed the mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, admired birds, trains, and adored American lighthouses. In fact, in his younger days, Jack had the dream of visiting all of the lighthouses in the United States. He shared that, while he did not ever get to see all of them, he got to visit many, and it had brought him great pleasure.
          Jack Vardaman was preceded in death by his long-term companion, Carolyn (Wylodene) Rucker and his beloved daughter Paula Jeanne Vardaman.
        Jack is survived by daughter Toni Kennett-Moody, her spouse Chester Moody, son Jesse H. Vardaman III, daughter Jennifer Skywark, granddaughters Alyson Kennett and Jessica Skywark, great-grandchildren, Cody and Corey Little and Ben Trudeau, and great-great-grandchildren, Melanie and Selah Little.
        In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jack's honor to K9's For Warriors or The Folds of Honor. 
        Jack will be greatly missed by all who knew him. May he rest in heaven in eternal peace.
        Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 19, 2020 at Darby Funeral Home with funeral services beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Darby Funeral Home.  Reverend Dean VonFeldt will officiate.  Interment with Navy Honors will be Tuesday, September 22 in the Georgia National Cemetery.
        The staff of Darby Funeral Home is honored to serve the Vardaman Family.



My second cousin, Jack Vardaman--John M. Gwin


29.01--Karen Antoinette "Toni" Vardaman, [PRIVATE]; m1. Mr. Kennett [PRIVATE]; m2. Chester Moody [PRIVATE];
30.01—Alyson Antoinette Kennett [PRIVATE]; m. Bernell Patrick Little [PRIVATE];
31.01—Corey Patrick Little facebook [PRIVATE];
32.01—Melanie Little [PRIVATE];
32.02—Selah Little [PRIVATE];
31.02—Cody Little [PRIVATE];
29.02--Paula Jeanne Vardaman, b. 22 Jul 1951; d. 2010 in Knoxville, TN; bd. Peachtree Mem. Cem., Norcross, GA; m. unk.; unk. ch.;

29.03--Jesse Harris Vardaman, III, [PRIVATE];

29.04—Jenifer Vardaman, facebook [PRIVATE]; m. Mr. Skywark  [PRIVATE];
[John M. Gwin Note--8 Jan 2021: I'm looking forward to meeting Jack's daughters and their families some day or at least corresponding with them.  Welcome to the page, dear cousins!]
30.01—Jessica Skywark facebook [PRIVATE]; m. Mr. Trudeau;
31.01—Ben Trudeau facebook; [PRIVATE];
28.03--Edith (nmn?) Vardaman, b. 16 Jun 1926, Cleveland, OH; d. 25 Oct 1933 in Bessemer, Jefferson Co., AL, age 7; bd. Cedar Hill Cem., Bessemer, AL; m. never; no ch.;
28.04--Owen Carlisle "Carl" Vardaman, b. 20 Apr 1932; d. 12 Jul 2000; bd. Arlington Mem. Cem. Sandy Springs, GA near Atlanta, GA; m. A. Marie Robinson (b. unk.; d. bef. 2011; bd. unk.); at least three ch.;
[listed as Carlisle Vardaman, age 8, b. OH, in the 8 Apr 1940 census of Bessemer, Jefferson Co., AL]
29.01--Diane M. Vardaman, b. ca. 1956; d. 9 Sep 2011; bd. unk.; m. Mr. Ball; unk. ch.;
[John M. Gwin Note--12 Sep 2011:  Today I received the following email from my cousin Jack Vardaman:

On Sep 12, 2011, at 8:32 AM, Jackvardaman@aol.com wrote:
Hello Everyone,
I have a bit of bad news that I need to inform you about.  My niece, Diane (Vardaman) Ball, age 57. passed away this past Friday afternoon, September 9, 2011.  She was the eldest daughter of my deceased brother, O. C. (Carlisle) and his wife, Marie Vardaman.  Her obituary has appeared in the Sunday (Sept. 11) and Monday (Sept. 12) editions of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution which can be accessed on the internet at ajc.com.
Jack Vardaman

BALL, Diane Diane V. Ball, 57, of Duluth, GA , passed away on Friday, September 9, 2011. Diane had taken early retirement from AT&T/Lucent, then continued her career with Spalding Temporaries and Rock Tenn. Her love of Scotties and her dog, Jock, was well known; and she was a very loyal friend.  Diane was preceded in death by her parents, O. Carlisle "Carl" and Marie Vardaman and sister, Teresa Shander. She is survived by sister, Carolyn (Warren) Diffenderfer, and nephew and niece, Michael (Emily) and Alissa Diffenderfer. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations in Diane's memory can be made to the American Red Cross Blood Services Division, P.O. Box 101508, Atlanta, GA 30392. Arrangements by Crowell Brothers Peachtree Chapel Funeral Home, 5051 Peachtree Ind. Blvd., Norcross, GA 30092 (770) 448-5757.
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11-12 Sep 2011]

29.02--Carolyn F. "Carol" Vardaman, facebook [PRIVATE]; m. Warren Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE];
30.01--Michael Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE]; m. Emily (nee unk.) [PRIVATE];
31.01--son Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE];
30.02--Alissa Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE];
29.01--Teresa Elaine Vardaman, b. 12 Jul 1960 in Atlanta, GA; d. 26 Nov 2001 in Denver, CO; bd. unk.;  m. 21 Nov 1987 to David Howard Shander, [PRIVATE];
30.01--Josh Harrison Shander, [PRIVATE];

30.02--Rachael Hannah Shander, [PRIVATE];
29.02--Carolyn F. "Carol" Vardaman, facebook [PRIVATE]; m. Warren Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE];
30.01--Michael Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE]; m. Emily (nee unk.) [PRIVATE];
31.01--son Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE];
30.02--Alissa Diffenderfer, [PRIVATE]
29.01--Teresa Elaine Vardaman, b. 12 Jul 1960 in Atlanta, GA; d. 26 Nov 2001 in Denver, CO; bd. unk.;  m. 21 Nov 1987 to David Howard Shander, [PRIVATE];
30.01--Josh Harrison Shander, [PRIVATE];

30.02--Rachael Hannah Shander, [PRIVATE];
27.06

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 27.06--John Eugene "Johnny" Vardaman, b. 21 Oct 1899; d. 15 Dec 1980 in Miami, Dade Co., FL SS#262-03-2588; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co., GA--Find A Grave Memorial# 34959938; m. 26 Nov 1932 in FL to Bernice Murphy (b. 12 Jan 1913 in IN; d. 9 Dec 1973; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co., GA--Find A Grave Memorial# 34959937); at least one ch.;
[listed as John E. Vardaman, age 9, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as J. E. Vardaman, age 17, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as John E. Vardman, shipping clerk, age 33, b. GA, in the 1935 Florida State census of Dade Co., FL]
[listed as John E. Vardman, shipping clerk, age 44, b. TX, in the 1945 Florida State census of Dade Co., FL]

[listed as Bernice Vardman, age 22, b. IN, in the 1935 Florida State census of Dade Co., FL]


28.01--Anna Vardaman, b. unk.; m2. Mr. Wolff (b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.); unk. ch.
[John M. Gwin Note: I "met" Anna, who is my second cousin, when she signed my site's guest book. She wrote: Monday 07/31/2006 -- Anna Vardaman Wolff, Moonwolffathotmaildotcom -- "My father was John Eugene Vardaman, son of Marshall Everette and Claire Owens."]
27.07

M
A
G
G
I
E

AND

W
E
S
L
E
Y
 27.07--Maggie Lucille Vardaman, b. 25 Oct 1902 in Sylacauga, AL; d. 23 Feb 2000; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co--Find A Grave Memorial# 102064533; m. Wesley Martin McCranie (b. 26 Jan 1897; d. 8 Apr 1929 in Douglas, Coffee Co., GA; bd. Douglas City Cem., Douglas, Coffee Co., GA--Find A Grave Memorial# 34959296) settled in Atlanta, GA; at least two ch.;
[listed as Maggie L. Vardaman, age 7, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as Maggie Vardaman, age 16, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as Maggie McCranie, age 27, wid., b. TX/AL/AL, in the 2 Apr 1930 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
[listed as Maggie McCranie, 37, saleslady, b. TX. in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA, and lvg. w/daus. Kathlyne (16) and Margaret (13), mom Odie (73, wid) and brother Carlisle (35, div)]
28.01--Kathleen McCranie, b. ca. 1926 in GA; d. unk.; bd. unk.; m. Mr. Luke (); at least one ch.;
[listed as Kathleen McCranie, age 6, b. GA/GA/TX, in the 2 Apr 1930 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
[listed as Kathlyne McCranie, age 16, b. GA, in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
29.01--John B. Luke, [PRIVATE];
28.02--Margaret McCranie, b. ca. 1927 in GA; d. unk.; bd. unk.; m. Mr. Bateman ().; unk. ch.;
[listed as Margaret McCranie, age 3, b. GA/GA/TX, in the 2 Apr 1930 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
[listed as Margaret McCranie, age 13, b. GA, in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA]
27.08

C
A
R
L

AND

L
I
Z

 27.08--Carlisle Thrower "Carl" Vardaman, b. 29 Aug 1905; d. 19 Feb 1994 in Ware Co., GA, age 88 (resided in Waycross, Dekalb Co., GA), cert. of death #009671; bd. (near his wife's home in Waycross) Oakland Cem., Waycross, Ware Co., GA--Plot: Section G Lot 20 G7--Find A Grave Memorial# 66369830; m. Elizabeth Lorraine "Liz" Sweat (b. 20 Mar 1919; d. 27 Mar 1994; bd. Oakland Cem., Waycross, Ware Co., GA--Plot: Section G Lot 20 G7--Find A Grave Memorial# 66369853); unk. ch.;
[listed as Carlyle T. Vardaman, age 3, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]
[listed as Carlisle Vardaman, age 14, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 3 Jan 1920 census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA]
[listed as Carlo Vardaman, age 24, hardware clerk, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 2 Apr 1930 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA, and lvg. w/his sister Maggie and his mother Clara]
[listed as Carlisle Vardaman, hardware store salesman, brother, div., age 35, b. AL, in the 2 Apr 1940 census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA, and lvg. w/his sister Maggie]


27.09

EULA
 27.09--Eula A. Vardaman, b. ca. 1909; assumed d. bef. 1920 census; bd. unk.; m. prob. never unk. (b. unk.; d. unk.; bd. unk.); unk. ch.
[listed as Eula A. Vardaman, age 1, b. AL/AL/AL, in the 12 May 1910 census of Pct. #11, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL]

26.02--John William Anderson "J. W." "Dubby" Vardaman; no ch.;
26.03--Maggie Mae Vardaman, m. Thomas Jefferson Webb; no ch.;
26.04--Adrian "Ada" Belle Vardaman, m. James "Jim" Bassett Gwin; four ch.




Name: William Kilpatrick Vardaman
Birth Date: abt 1888
Death Date: 22 Nov 1967
Death Place: Birmingham, Jefferson, Alabama
Death Age: 79
Marital Status: Married
Gender: Male
Father Name: Marshall Vardaman
Mother Name: Clara Carlisls
Spouse Name: Bell C Vardaman
FHL Film Number: 1909108

Name: William K Vardaman Jr  (ours?)
Marriage Date: Mar 1958
County: Madison
State: Alabama
Source information: Alabama Center for Health Statistics

Name: W K Vardaman
Resp't: Yes
Age: 51
YOB: abt 1889
POB: Alabama
MarStat: Married
Home in 1940: Birmingham, Jefferson, Alabama
Inf'd Res. 1935: Birmingham, Jefferson, AL
1935 Res.: Same Place
Occ.: Clerk
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in Government work
House-
hold:
Name Age
W K Vardaman 51
Minnie Beele Vardaman, 45

Name: Louie E Vardaman
Death Date: 18 Mar 1965
County of Death: Fulton
Gender: M (Male)
Race: White
Age: 74 Years
County of Residence: DeKalb
Certificate: 014865


Name: Carlisle T Vardaman
Death Date: 19 Feb 1994
County of Death: Ware
Gender: M (Male)
Race: White
Age: 88 Years
County of Residence: DeKalb
Certificate: 009671
Date Filed: 23 Feb 1994

This home was built in the early 1880's in Coosa Co., AL, on "the old Lineville Road"--about 2.5 milies from downtown Goodwater on the road to Lineville--by John Forsythe and Julia Flynn Vardaman and their sons Marshall E. and John William Anderson "Dubby" Vardaman (daughters Maggie and Adrian were too small to help much).  John F. had built a small cabin--partially visible behind the house to the right--upon returning from the Civil War and marrying his sweetheart.  This cabin served as their first home and later as the neighborhood schoolhouse where John F. served as schoolmaster.  Later still, after John F. had a partially paralyzing stroke and needed more care than Julia alone could provide him, son Marshall returned to the family home from Texas with his own family pictured here.

L-R (approximate ages in parentheses):

Unknown (neighbor?);
Louie Vardaman (15);
Jesse Vardaman (9) (father of Jesse H. "Jack" Vardaman of Georgia, my 2nd cousin who sent me this picture);
Marshall Vardaman (39) (Ada's brother, Jack's grandpa, and my granduncle);
Maggie Vardaman (3) (standing in front of her dad; born in 1902, it is her apparent age here--and the absence of the yet-unborn Carlisle--that dates the picture to ca. 1904, just before John F.'s death 11 July 1906--so where was John F. when the picture was taken?);
Myrtle Vardaman (13);
Willie Vardaman (18);
Odie Vardaman (unk), Marshall's wife; and
Johnny Vardaman (6).
Not pictured here are
Annie Vardaman, who was born in 1894 and died in infancy, and
Carlisle Thrower Vardaman, who would not be born until August 1905, about a year later.




Some Pertinent Census Data

From the 14 Jun 1900 Census of Justice Pct. 3, Fannin Co., TX
Res/Fam
 Name
 Relat
2HoH
 Race/
Sex
 DOB
 Age
 Marr.
Stat.
 Yrs.Md./

 Ch.Bn./
Ch.Lvg.
 POB
S/F/M
 Occ.
 John M. Gwin Comments
280/280 (corrected)
 Marshal E. Vardaman
 head
 wm
 Sep 1866
 33
 m
 12
AL/GA/AL
 farmer
 Interesting to see that Marshall and Odie were born in the same month of the same year, less than 30 days apart.

Clara O. Vardaman wife
 wf
 Sep 1866
 33
 m
 12
 6/5
 AL/AL/AL


Wm. K. Vardaman son
 wm
 Aug 1888
 11
 s

AL/AL/AL at school

Louie E. Vardaman son
 wm
 Apr 1890
 10
 s

AL/AL/AL at school

Ada M. Vardaman dau
 wf
 Dec 1892
 7
 s

AL/AL/AL


Jesse H. Vardaman son
 wm
 Dec 1896
 3
 s

TX/AL/AL


John E. Vardaman son
 wm
 Oct 1899
 7mos.
 s

TX/AL/AL


John W. Cotton
 servant
 wm
 May 1879
 21
 s

AL/AL/AL


Thos. J. Webb
 lodger
 wm
 Nov 1861
 38
 m
 [blank]
AL/AL/AL dry goods merchant

Maggie M. Webb
 lodger
 wf
 Sept 1870
 29
 m
 14
 0/0
 AL/AL/AL
Though listed here as "lodger", this is Marshall's sister, Maggie Mae Vardaman, wife of T. J. "Uncle Jeff" Webb. Probably they were just visiting Marshall and Odie.
281/281
 Horace Mathis
 head
 wm
 May 1870
 30
 wd
 10
TN/TN/TN
 farmer

Malinda Thrower
 mother-
in-law
 wf
 Apr 1845
 55
 wd
 30
 4/0
 AL/AL/AL
Interesting discovery! Her last name is Thrower. Her daughter, wife of Horace Mathis, has evidently only recently died. They live next door to Marshall and Odie, who will, seven years after this census, name their nextborn Carlisle Thrower Vardaman. Were the Vardamans and Throwers friends in Alabama and made the move to Texas together? Or did the Vardamans just decide to honor their neighbor's memory by naming their son after her? I found Malinda Thrower, 35, in the 1880 census of Jackson Co., AL; she was already a widow and living with her daughter, M. C., 8, who is probably the wife-to-be of Horace. Jackson County is in the NE corner of Alabama between Huntsville and Chatanooga; therefore, it seems more likely to me that Horace, a Tennessee native, would've met and married M. C. in Jackson Co. and moved to Texas from there.

From the 12-13 May 1910 Census of Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL
Res/Fam
 Name
 Relat
2HoH
 Race/
Sex
 Age
 Marr.
Stat.
 Yrs.Md./
 Ch.Bn./
Ch.Lvg.
 POB
S/F/M
 Occ.
 John M. Gwin Comments on the 12-13 May 1910 Census of Sylacauga, Talladega Co., AL
407/423
 Marshall Vardaman
 head
 wm
 43
 m1
 22
AL/GA/AL
 farmer

Clara O. Vardaman wife
 wf
 43
 m1
 22
 8/8
 AL/AL/AL
 none

William K. Vardaman son
 wm
 21
 s

AL/AL/AL farm laborer
 William Kilpatrick Vardaman, possibly the father of Eula A. Vardaman, below

Lewis E. Vardaman son
 wm
 20
 s

AL/AL/AL farm laborer Louis Everett Vardaman

Myrtle Vardaman dau
 wf
 17
 s

AL/AL/AL none Ada Myrtle Vardaman, no doubt named for Marshall's baby sister, Adrian "Ada", the latter of whom would become my grandmother.

Jessie Vardaman dau
 wm
 15
 s

AL/AL/AL none

John E. Vardaman son
 wm
 9
 s

AL/AL/AL none

Maggie L. Vardaman dau
 wf
 7
 s

AL/AL/AL none Maggie L. was likely named for her aunt Maggie, Marshall's sister, who had married Thomas Jefferson Webb and had had no children of her own.

Carlisle T. Vardaman son
 wm
 3
 s

AL/AL/AL none Jack told me this son is Carlisle Thrower Vardaman.

Eula A. Vardaman dau
 wf
 1
 s

AL/AL/AL none

From the 3 Jan 1920 Census of Ocilla, Irwin Co., GA
Res/Fam
 Name
 Relat
2HoH
 Race/
Sex
 Age
 Marr.
Stat.
 POB
S/F/M
 Occ.
 John M. Gwin Comments
7/7
 M. E. Vardaman
 head
 wm
 53
 m
auto repairer
 Hmmm. Both William and Eula are missing from this census report. That could mean several things, but it seems the most likely to me that Eula is William's daughter.

C. O. Vardaman wife
 wf
 53
 m
none
 Clara Owens "Odie" Vardaman

L. E. Vardaman son
 wm
 29
 s
auto repairer Louie Everett Vardaman

Myrtle Vardaman dau
 wf
 27
 s
none
 Ada Myrtle Vardaman

J. E. Vardaman son
 wm
 18
 s
none
 John E. Vardaman

Maggie Vardaman dau
 wf
 16
 s
none
 Maggie Vardaman, who in the next decade will marry, bear two children to, and be widowed of Mr. McCranie.

Carlisle Vardaman son
 wm
 14
 s
none
 Carlisle Thrower Vardaman

From the 2 Apr 1930 Census of Douglas, Coffee Co., GA
Res/Fam
 Name
 Relat
2HoH
 Race/
Sex
 Age
 Marr.
Stat.
 POB
S/F/M
 Occ.
 John M. Gwin Comments

Maggie McCranie
 head
 wf
 27
 wd
 TX/AL/AL
 seamstress, home

Kathleen McCranie dau
 wf
 6
 s
 GA/GA/TX none

Margaret McCranie dau
 wf
 3
 s
 GA/GA/TX none

Clara Vardaman
 mother
 wf
 63
 wd
 AL/AL/AL
 none
 Clara Owens "Odie" (nee Carlisle) Vardaman

Carylo Vardaman
 brother
 wm
 24
 s
 AL/AL/AL hardware clerk
 Carlisle Thrower Vardaman

Addendum

 Gone to Texas

by

Jesse H. “Jack” Vardaman, Jr.
5 July 2009
Revised 20 August 2009

**********
The following is a story of the events, as best I can connect them, occurring during a period in the history of the Marshall E. Vardaman family about which we know very little.  This is the ten-year period from about 1893 through 1902 when Marshall moved his family from Coosa County, Alabama, to Texas -- many different places in Texas -- and subsequently back to Coosa County, Alabama.

**********

PROLOGUE
            On Saturday July 19, 1851, Brinson Ross White, son of Gabriel and Elizabeth White of Coosa County, AL, married Lucy Ann Elizabeth Carlisle, daughter of Elder Robert W. and Clarissa (Owens) Carlisle of Tallapoosa County, AL.  They were married by Rev. James G. Eden in Coosa County, AL.  At that time, the bride's father, Elder R. W. Carlisle, an ordained Minister of the Gospel, was the pastor of the Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church located in Youngville (later renamed Alexander City) in Tallapoosa County, AL.
            A little over two years later, on Friday, Dec. 22, 1853, Lucy Ann’s brother, John Bunyan Carlisle, married Nancy Harris Craddock, daughter of David and Sarah (Dendy) Craddock.  They were married by the groom’s father, Elder R. W. Carlisle at the Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church in Youngville (Tallapoosa Co.), AL, where
 Eld. Carlisle was the pastor at that time.
           B. R. and Lucy (Carlisle) White would have 10 children--six daughters and four sons, who, with the exception of one daughter who died as a young child, reached adulthood, married, and had families of their own.  Several of these families would later move to Texas.
         John B. and Nancy (Craddock) Carlisle would have a total of nine children--six daughters and three sons, all of whom reached adulthood, married, and had families of their own.  Their sixth child was daughter Clara Owens “Odie” Carlisle who married Marshall Everett Vardaman, son of John Forsythe and Julia Ann (Flynn) Vardaman, October 22, 1887, in Coosa County, AL.  They were married by Odie’s grandfather, Eld. R. W. Carlisle, M.G., at her father’s home in the Mt. Olive Community of Coosa County.
             In 1891 times were hard in rural Alabama and good jobs not available.  At this time, one of Odie (Carlisle) Vardaman’s first cousins, Robert Gabriel "Bud" White, the oldest son of Odie’s aunt and uncle,  Brinson Ross and Lucy Ann Elizabeth (Carlisle) White, went to Texas to "check it out" as he and some of his brothers-in-law were having a hard time providing for their families in Coosa County.  He came back to Alabama with such glowing tales of Texas, "land of plenty", that four of his brothers-in-law (Asa Blackman who had married Clarissa Ann White, Clem Busby who was married to Lucy Ida White, Jim Cotton whose wife was Bethenia Virginia “Jenny” White and Robert M. Carlisle who had married his first cousin Martha Olive “Ollie” Paralee White), husbands of his sisters, decided to move their families to east Texas  also.    This was  in  1892 prior to the Texas 
oil boom which did not begin until about 1900.  All of the White girls mentioned above were, of course, Odie Vardaman’s first cousins.

            Incidentally, Ollie White’s husband, Robert Marion Carlisle, the son of Edmund Jefferson and Martha (Gilliland) Carlisle, was also a first cousin of Clara “Odie” (Carlisle) Vardaman.  Edmund Jefferson Carlisle was a son of Rev. Robert W. Carlisle and a brother of Odie Carlisle’s father, John Bunyan Carlisle.

           Also, Jenny White’s husband, James Weaver “Jim” Cotton, was a son of John Weaver and Maria (Hindsman) Cotton and a brother of William Cary “Bunk” Cotton who married Odie’s sister, Annie Elizabeth Carlisle (more on this latter couple later in this document).


TEXAS ADVENTURES
       While the Marshall Vardaman family had remained in Coosa County during their early married years and through the birth of their first three children, there is no doubt that Bud White's stories of Texas were not lost on Marshall Vardaman and, in fact, appealed greatly to his wanderlust.   It is my understanding and belief that this provides the background for the Marshall Vardaman family's trek to Texas where he probably felt that he would find much demand for his skills as a master carpenter and mechanic.
        While we do not know for certain exactly when Marshall's footloose career took him and his family to Texas, it was after the birth of his third child, daughter Ada Myrtle, on Christmas Day, 25 December 1892, near Goodwater in Coosa County, AL  and  before the birth of his next child,
daughter Annie May, 22 February 1895, in Texas.  I believe that available evidence places this move as having occurred sometime during 1893 or 1894 which would support the almost certain conclusion that Marshall Vardaman was another of the family members to be swayed by Robert White’s enthusiastic account of the opportunities to be found there.
        Also, it is not clear as to where in Texas the Vardaman family first located and where daughter Annie May was born.  The next child after Annie May was Marshall's and Odie’s third son (fifth child), Jesse Harris Vardaman, born Christmas Eve, 24 December 1896, in Wood County in northeast Texas.

        To my knowledge, only one of the five White
related families, who moved en masse from Coosa Co., AL, to Texas, settled near Wood County, that of Asa M. Blackman and his wife, Clarissa Ann White.  The Blackman family first settled near Lindale in Smith County, which is adjacent to Wood County to the north.  The Blackman family is also reported to have lived in the vicinity of the town of Mineola in southern Wood County.  The other four White related families who moved together from Coosa Co., AL, to Texas (those of Jerome “Jerry” Clem Busby/Busbee, Robert M. Carlisle, James W. Cotton and Robert G. White) settled in the counties of Leon and Limestone.  These two counties are located some 185 miles to the northwest of the city of Houston and east of the city of Waco but much closer to Waco than to Houston.   Although located in east-central Texas, 
Leon  and  Limestone  counties are over 100 milessouth of Wood County.

        It was always known to me that my father, Jesse Harris Vardaman (Sr.), was born in Wood County, TX, and that the next child of the Vardaman family, another son, John Eugene Vardaman, was born further west, probably in either Knox County or Fannin County, TX, 29 October 1899.  I was also aware that, in addition to my then living paternal aunts and uncles (sisters and brothers of my father), there was another daughter, also born in Texas, who died while still an infant.  This was Annie May Vardaman mentioned above, the child who preceded my father.


ANNIE MAY VARDAMAN
      Annie May Vardaman was born in Texas 22 February 1895  and died there as an infant, 4 August 1895, when she was only a few days over five months old.
        I first learned of Annie May’s birth and death dates from the records in the Bible of my grandmother, Clara “Odie” Vardaman, of which I have long had copies.  These same dates were also cited in the Bible of my grandfather, Marshall Everett Vardaman, copies of which only recently came into my possession.  The M. E. Vardaman Bible records contain additional information not found in my grandmother’s Bible, including Annie May’s place of burial clearly identified as “Good Hope”, TX.  This was, presumably, also the place of her death.
        I have been able to locate only two “Good Hope” communities in Texas.  One, still in existence, is in the southern Texas County of Lavaca, an area far distant from any other recorded location of the family in Texas.  This Good Hope is located about half-way between Houston and San Antonio to the west on Alt. US Rt. 90 about 5 miles east of the town of Hallettsville.  This location is some 150 miles to the south of the area of Leon and Limestone Counties where four of the five White related families located and 250 miles south of Smith and Wood Counties where the fifth White related family settled and where the Vardaman family was known to be located in 1896.  While the areas where the White related families settled and the Lavaca County area where the Vardaman family may have first settled are not close, there is nothing to preclude the M. E. Vardaman family from having originally located in the Lavaca County area before later journeying further to the north to Wood County.  However, I seriously doubt that this is the case.
        The second “Good Hope” community, and the one more likely to be the “Good Hope” referred to in Marshall Vardaman’s Bible, is now defunct but was originally located in Denton County, TX.  Denton County is located just north of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and is separated from Fannin  County  (to  the  east)  by  only  the  small 
county of Collin.  The Good Hope (Denton County) community was situated about 15 miles east of the city of Denton (the county seat of Denton County) near the present community of Parvin.  “The Handbook of Texas Online” furnishes the following information about this Good Hope community, and I quote in part:

“Good Hope, Texas (Denton County).  Good Hope was on Doe Branch at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Prosper Road between Farm Road 1385 and the Collin county line fifteen miles east of Denton in eastern Denton County.  The original settlers … included the families of Jacob and Lewis Rue … who settled at the site then called Rue Settlement … Ben Rue sold his land before he moved to Fannin County but saved four acres, which he donated for a church and school.  The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded in Rue Settlement about 1854 and was active until 1925.  Good Hope Baptist Church was established in 1875 and used on alternate Sundays for Presbyterian and Baptist services.  The community was thereafter called Good Hope.  In 1878, when a storm destroyed the building, the church was moved to Parvin, less than a mile away …… Burials had taken place in Good Hope Cemetery by at least 1870 and probably as early as the 1850s.  In order to preserve this early cemetery, the Good Hope Cemetery Association was founded in 1903.  In 1904 Ben Rue officially gave the land to the association, and a state historical marker was erected at the cemetery in 1986.  The cemetery and burial association remained active in 2002.”

        Considering the above information, and bearing in mind that Annie May Vardaman died in 1895, I believe that it is very likely that this may be the “Good Hope” where she died and is buried as cited in Marshall Vardaman’s Bible.  In addition to  the  above,  it is very interesting to note that the
town of Leonard in Fannin County, where we know the Vardaman family to have been located ca 1900 to 1902, is only about 40 miles northeast of the location of this Good Hope community in Denton County.
        In addition, I have also noted the town or community of New Hope in southern Wood County, TX.  It lies just off of US Rte. 80 near the border of Wood County with its southern neighbor, Smith County.
        “The Handbook of Texas Online” furnishes the following information about the New Hope community of Wood County, and I quote in part:

“New Hope, Texas (Wood County).  New Hope is on Farm Road 1801 four miles east of Mineola and a mile north of the Missouri Pacific line (formerly Texas and Pacific) in southern Wood County.  The community apparently moved north to this site from an earlier location as there is a New Hope cemetery just south of the railroad line and about a mile south of the present location of the New Hope Baptist Church… By 1917 a Baptist Church, originally founded in 1864 in nearby Greer’s Neighborhood (later known as Golden Rule), had, after several moves and name changes, established itself as the New Hope Baptist Church at the second, more northerly, site of the community."

        Considering the cemetery information mentioned above and the fact that the Vardaman family was known to be in Wood County as early as 1896, and notwithstanding the slight difference in the name, this would appear to be a promising location for the death and burial of Annie May Vardaman.  In addition, it is also known that the family traveled to and from Texas by train, and the presence of a railroad through the New Hope community could be an added clue as to this location.  Of course, the community of Good Hope in Denton County as well as the Good Hope community in Lavaca County could also have been  near a railroad,  although I do not know this.
         The above information is very curious, and the similarity of the names (Good Hope and New Hope) raises an interesting question, to wit:  Is the Bible record in error and this community of New Hope in Wood County the last resting place of Annie May Vardaman, or is the Bible record correct, and she died and is buried at Good Hope, most likely in Denton County as previously noted, or even in Lavaca County far to the south? 
        While this is a moot point at this writing, I believe that without some further clue or information, we must respect and accept the Bible record name of Good Hope as being correct.
        In any event, the Wood County, TX, tax rolls confirm that Marshall E. Vardaman was there in 1896 and 1897, although he does not appear there in prior or subsequent year records.  Based on our extremely limited data, I believe that the Vardaman family probably made the move to Texas in either 1893 or 1894 and, based on the aforementioned Bible record, settled in northeast Texas, probably in the vicinity of either Denton or Wood County before subsequently moving further west to first Knox County and then to the Fannin County area.  It is quite possible that Marshall Vardaman originally journeyed to Texas by himself and either returned later for the rest of his family or sent for them to join him there.
        Marshall and Odie’s fifth child and third son, Jesse Harris Vardaman (my father), was born in Wood County on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, 1896, during the second term of President Grover Cleveland.  I believe that the name "Jesse" was probably one of Odie's favorite names from the Bible, while the name "Harris" was either after Odie's brother-in-law, Osborne N. ("Os)" Harris, husband of Odie’s favorite older sister, Annie Eliza Carlisle (more on the Harris family below) or, possibly, after Odie's mother's middle name  (she was Nancy Harris Craddock).  We have no information as to the origin or significance of Nancy's "Harris" name.

        Here I will digress somewhat to provide some explanation for the next moves of the Marshall Vardaman family.


THE HARRIS FAMILY JOINS THE VARDAMAN FAMILY IN TEXAS
        One of Odie’s older sisters--and her favorite--was Annie Elizabeth Carlisle, born January 22, 1857, who had first married William Cary “Will”, or "Bunk", Cotton, 29 January 1878 in Coosa Co., AL.  This couple had two sons, John William Cotton, born 2 January 1879 and Weaver Allen (or Allen Weaver) Cotton, born 22 June 1882, before Will Cotton was accidentally killed August 19, 1884, leaving Annie a widow.  She then married Osborne N. “Os” Harris, son of John M. and Sarah (Candler) Harris, on December 1, 1887, and had four more children--all this while still in Coosa County, AL.
The four additional children were Walter M. Harris (born in October 1888), Lera Harris (born January 1891, Leo N. Harris (born in May 1893 and Annie Pearl Harris (born in May 1896).
        John W. Cotton is reported to have attended a military school in Birmingham and, after finishing there, joined the Marshall Vardaman family in Texas, ca 1898-1900.
        In Texas, Marshall Vardaman had moved his family from  Wood County  sometime  after  1897 
and apparently, after first residing in Knox County, was living farther east on a farm near the town of Leonard in southern Fannin County, TX at the time of the 1900 Census (dated 14 June 1900).  During this period, their sixth child and fourth son, John Eugene Vardaman, was born either in Knox or Fannin County on Saturday, October 21, 1899, during the first administration of President William McKinley.
          Since the Marshall Vardaman family was not on the Wood County tax rolls after 1897 and were known to be in Fannin County by June of 1900 (date of 1900 census record), I believe that John E. Vardaman may have been born near the town of Leonard in Fannin County, TX.
          However, it is also quite possible that he may have been born in Knox Co., TX prior to the family’s arrival in Fannin County (see the Bible record discussion earlier in this document placing the family in Knox County in 1899).  His first name, John, was probably after both his paternal and maternal grandfathers (his father, Marshall, also had a brother named John).      I have no idea 
where the name "Eugene" came from.  During his early years John E. Vardaman was called "Gene" by his family, although in later life he more commonly came to be called "Johnny".
       Odie Vardaman’s nephew, John W. Cotton, mentioned above, was living with the Marshall Vardaman family at the time of the 1900 Census.  In addition, Marshall's sister, Maggie, and her husband, Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Webb, were also living in Marshall’s household in 1900.  I have no information as to when the Webbs arrived in Texas, how long they stayed, or when they returned to Alabama, except that I know that they were back living in Kellyton in Coosa County by 1902.  Incidentally, Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Webb, husband of Maggie Mae Vardaman, was a first cousin of Odie Carlisle Vardaman.  He was the son of Odie's aunt, Clarissa Jane Carlisle, and her husband, Charles David Webb.  The elder Webbs lived at Kellyton in Coosa County.  In this case, Jeff Webb was not only Odie’s first cousin but also her brother-in-law by marriage.
          Meanwhile, also in 1900, back in Coosa
County, AL, Os Harris contracted to buy a house and land in Alexander City, in nearby Tallapoosa County, AL.  In order to complete the Alexander City transaction and move there, he held an auction and sold not only his house and farm in Coosa County but all of his belongings also.  Unfortunately for the Harris family, the seller of the property in Alexander City backed out of the deal leaving them with no place to live.
        As a result, Os Harris decided to move his family to Texas just as his wife’s White and Vardaman cousins, as well as his step-son, had done before him.  Since his step-son, John Cotton, was already living with the Marshall Vardaman family in Fannin County that is where Os Harris and his family went also.  Lera (Harris) McCaskill, a daughter of Os and Annie (Carlisle) Harris, remembered well and described to me their arrival at the train station in Leonard, Texas, "on the last day of the last month of the 19th century” (December 31, 1900), and being met there by her Uncle Marshall Vardaman and taken by horse and wagon to his farm.


A ROMANTIC INTERLUDE
        During this time, John Cotton had fallen in love with the comely daughter of one of the Vardaman's neighbors, and the couple wanted to be married.  The young lady, Nettie Melton, daughter of Andrew and Lucinda Melton, was only 17 years old at the time and, unfortunately, her parents objected to the marriage.  As a result, John Cotton and his sweetheart Nettie eloped and were married in Hunt County (just to the south of Fannin County), 30 December 1900.  They then traveled to Floyd County, TX, far to the west in the West Texas Panhandle area.  They were accompanied on this trip by John’s step-father, Os Harris.  The rest of the Harris family would join them a short time later. Both the Harris and Cotton families subsequently settled in the city of Childress, county seat of Childress County, located northeast of the city of Lubbock, some 300 miles to the west of Fannin County.   Here John and his father-in-law became merchants, establishing a store in Childress. . 
        Os Harris and his family would remain in Childress for several years.  He is there with his wife and four children on the 1910 census.  His daughter Lera married Ottis McCaskill prior to 1920, and this McCaskill family is found living in Childress on the 1920 census.  However, on the 1920 census, Os Harris is enumerated far to the east in the city of Commerce in Hunt County, TX
residing in the household of his younger daughter, Annie Pearl, who has married Wade J. “Jerry” Debenport.   Os is still listed as a merchant (wholesale grocer).  Information in my records (source not documented) shows that Annie (Carlisle) Harris died June 21, 1912, in Texas.  This agrees with the information that I received from Lera McCaskill that her mother, Annie (Carlisle) Harris, died at the age of 55 in Commerce, Hunt County, TX.  Commerce is in east Texas, far removed from Childress County in the Texas Panhandle.
        Cousin Joe Pearce has furnished us with the information that both Os and Annie Harris are buried in Rosemound Cemetery in Commerce in Hunt Co., TX, and that this can be confirmed by visiting that cemetery on the FindAGrave site on the internet, which I did and found that the birth and death dates that I had for them are in agreement with the dates on their grave stones.
        This information indicates that Os and Annie Harris had left Childress and moved east to Commerce in Hunt County prior to Annie’s death 21 June 1912 and that Os was still there and still in business as a merchant at the time of the 1920 census.  It would seem that Os had either moved his business from Childress in the west to Commerce in the east or had disposed of his Childress business and established a new business
in Commerce.  In addition, since Wade J. Debenport, age 15, was residing in the household of his parents, Charles J. and Allie Debenport, in Commerce, Hunt County, TX on the 1910 census, I am confident that Os and Annie Harris’ daughter Annie Pearl moved with her parents  from Childress to Commerce and that she and Wade Debenport married in Commerce, TX. 
        Osborne N. Harris died 19 August 1934 in Childress County (Texas Death Index 1903-2000) and is buried with his wife in the Rosemound Cemetery in Commerce, Texas.  I have noted that both the McCaskill family (his daughter Lera) and the Debenport family (his daughter Annie Pearl) are located in the city of Childress in Childress County on the 1930 census.  I could not locate Os Harris on the 1930 census, but he, too, must have returned to Childress County since he is reported (Texas Death Index) to have died there.  He is not listed in either daughter’s family. 
        John Cotton, on the other hand, tired early of a storekeeper’s life, sold his interest in the store to his father-in-law, and left Childress to pursue a career in the meat-packing industry in which he engaged for the rest of his life.  After the birth of his first child, son Mark, ca. 1902-03, in Childress, TX, he moved his family to Oklahoma where his second child, daughter Goldy, was born ca. 1905 and still later to Louisiana where his
 next two children, son Winston and daughter Johnnie B., were born ca 1907 and 1911 respectively, and where the John W. Cotton family is found in the Shreveport area (Caddo County, LA) on the 1910 census.
     By the time of the 1920 census the John W. Cotton family had returned to Texas and a fifth child, son Melton, born in Texas in 1919, has joined the family.  The family is found living in the city and county of Dallas on this 1920 census.  By the time of the 1930 census the family, including both parents and all five children, had moved to San Francisco (city and county), California.  John William Cotton died 14 December 1947 in San Francisco and Nettie L. Cotton died 16 September 1967 at Santa Clara, CA.    Their place of burial is unknown.   

        Note:  Much of the above family information concerning the Osborne Harris and John W. Cotton families was furnished to me personally via telephone conversations and correspondence in 1987 by Lera (Harris) McCaskill, daughter of Osborn N. and Annie E. (Carlisle) Harris.  Born January 9, 1891, Lera was well on her way to her 97th birthday when I was in touch with her.  She died 17 February 1991 at the age of 100 years one month and eight days, in Tarrant Co., TX (part of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area).


 WEAVER ALLEN COTTON
(or Allen Weaver Cotton)
           In the preceding section we have discussed to a small degree the destiny of John William Cotton, the oldest son of William C. “Bunk” Cotton and Annie Elizabeth Carlisle, but what became of the younger son, Weaver Allen (or Allen Weaver) Cotton?
           On the 1900 census seventeen-year-old Weaver Allen Cotton is in the household of his mother and step-father, Annie (Carlisle) and Osborne N. Harris, in Coosa County, Alabama.  By the 1910 census he has married Bertha Alice Brown, daughter of Henry and Louisa Brown, ca. 1905, probably in Fannin Co., TX.      Bertha was 
born 18 February 1878 in  Grayson  County,  TX. Her parents are located in the town of Leonard in Fannin County for the 1910 census.  Allen Cotton had obviously accompanied the family of his mother and step-father when they moved to Fannin County in Texas at the end of 1900.  It certainly did not take him long to find a wife in his new environment.
           On the 1910 census he and his wife are residing in the town of Childress in Childress Co., TX, where he is employed as a baggage man at the railroad depot.    The only known child of A. W. and Bertha A. Cotton, son Almer G. Cotton, 		born ca. 1905-06, has been added to the family.  The move to Childress was, in all probability, the result of his brother and step-father having previously settled there.
          The family is still in Childress for the 1920 and 1930 censuses with son Almer age 13 in 1920.  Allen’s occupation in 1920 is listed as bookkeeper for a garage.  By 1920 their son Almer G., now age 24, has married Juanita McCracken, age 19, and they, together with their infant daughter, LaJuana Cotton, are living with Allen and Bertha.  Allen is employed in 1930 as a truck driver for an oil dealership, while son Almer
is listed as a salesman in a drug store.
          Sometime after 1930, the Weaver A. Cotton family will move to the San Francisco, CA area where his brother, John William Cotton, has previously settled.  Weaver Allen Cotton died 22 November 1946 in San Francisco, CA; however, his place of burial is unknown.  Bertha (Brown) Cotton lived for another 22 plus years after her husband’s death, never remarrying, and apparently moving back to Texas during this period.  She died 16 July 1967, in Denton, Denton Co., TX and is buried in Eastview Memorial Park at Vernon in Wilbarger County, TX.


BACK TO THE MARSHALL VARDAMAN FAMILY
        We left the Marshall Vardaman family residing in Fannin County, TX, at the time that the Harris and Cotton families removed to Floyd and Childress County in western Texas.  Since John and Nettie Cotton married in Hunt County (southern neighbor of Fannin County) on 30 December 1900, I believe it is safe to say that the Vardaman family was still in Fannin County at the beginning of 1901.
        I have a picture of my dad, Jesse Vardaman, Sr., about five-and-a-half years old, and his younger brother, John Eugene, age about two years plus, standing on the porch of a rural farm house.  On this picture my grandmother had noted:  Jesse H. Vardaman. 5 yrs old;
            Eugene J. Vardaman          --Floyd, Texas
         As near as can be determined, based on Jesse’s age noted on the picture and the dress of the two boys (both are barefooted), the picture would appear to be from sometime in the summer of 1902.

          But where is this Floyd, Texas?

There is a Floyd County in Texas located in the Texas Panhandle about 45 miles to the northeast of the city of Lubbock and about 95 miles west of the City of Childress.  According to Lera McCaskill’s information, Floyd County is where the Harris and Cotton families first located when they removed from Fannin County and before they settled in Childress. In view of this, it would  		not seem unusual for the Vardaman family to have moved to this far west area of Texas also.  However, it is not certain that this is what happened.
           There is also a town or community of Floyd in Hunt County, TX, located on US Rte. 380 about 10 miles east of the city of Greenville (county seat of Hunt County).  This location in northern Hunt County is only bout 15 miles south of the city of Leonard in southern Fannin County, Hunt County’s neighbor to the north.  In view of the proximity of this location to the known location of the Vardaman family as late as 1901 (Fannin County) and the notation on the picture, I believe that there is a possibility that this might be the  Floyd  referred  to  on  the picture and the last
known location of the Vardaman family in Texas.
*********

          For reasons not completely known to us now, Marshall Vardaman, true to his wanderlust, did not stay in Texas but moved his family back to Coosa County, Alabama, possibly in the latter part of 1902 or sometime during 1903.  I suspect that this return to Alabama may have been precipitated by his father’s deteriorating physical condition from a severe arthritic condition which had progressed to the point of confining him to a wheel chair, thereby creating a need for Marshall to return home to help operate the family farm and take care of his parents.


CONCLUSION
           Before leaving the annals of the Marshall Vardaman family in Texas, two additional items of interest must be mentioned.

          The first involves yet another entry in the Marshall E. Vardaman Bible where it is recorded that Marshall and Odie Vardaman received confirmation into the Christian Church (an affiliation of the Disciples of Christ denomination) in 1899 at “Knox, Texas”.  There is a Knox County in northwest Texas located about half way between the city of Wichita Falls to the east and the city of Lubbock to the west.  The only town or community with the name “Knox” in Texas is Knox City located in the aforesaid Knox County.  Thus it appears certain that the location of the Church confirmation was, indeed, in Knox County.
          This, however, would seem to indicate a somewhat unusual movement of the Vardaman family--if it were not for Marshall Vardaman’s reputation for always staying on the move.  If they were in Wood County as late as 1897 and then in Fannin County in mid 1900 (both confirmed and both, more or less, in northeastern Texas), to have also been present in Knox County, much further to the west, in 1899 would have involved, first, a move from Wood County in east Texas to Knox County far to the west, then back east to Fannin County, all occurring during the
period 1897 to 1900.  And this would have been in addition to the other potential movements of the family in Texas prior to 1897 and after 1901.
      As outlined above, there could have been yet another move even further to the far west from Fannin County to Floyd County in the Texas Panhandle.  Such a series of moves in such a short time frame, even for a man with the wayfaring ways of Marshall Vardaman, stretches one’s credulity.  Nevertheless, the “Knox” reference in the Bible cannot be dismissed, and it is a known fact that Marshall and Odie Vardaman as well as certain of their children (including their son Jesse--my father) were known to be members and supporters of the Christian Church.

          The second item of interest involves the birthplace of Marshall and Odie’s daughter Maggie Lucille.  She was the next child born to Marshall and Odie Vardaman after their son John Eugene (who was born in Knox or Fannin Co., TX, October 21, 1899), and was their third daughter, seventh child, born October 25, 1902.  While the Bible records of both her mother and father (mentioned previously) are in accord regarding the date of her birth, neither of these records, nor any other official record, provides the place of her birth.
          Family members living today have always believed her place of birth to be in Coosa County,
AL.  This is her place of birth as known to her daughters and where she personally insisted to me during her senior years that she was born.  For this to be correct considering the dates appearing in the forgoing narrative, the Marshall Vardaman family must have returned to Coosa County, AL, from Texas by the latter part of 1902.
          However, on both the 1920 and 1930 censuses, Maggie Vardaman’s place of birth is reported as Texas.  Presumably, the information for these two censuses was furnished by either her or her mother, both of whom should have known her correct place of birth.  However, this does not agree with her place of birth (Alabama) as reported on the 1910 census.  Unfortunately, the places of birth as reported on the 1910 census cannot be relied on and should be ignored, as some are patently in error.  On the 1910 census all of the Marshall Vardaman family members are reported as born in Alabama, although it is a known fact that at least two of the children (sons Jesse and John Eugene) were born in Texas.  This not only leaves the correct place of birth of daughter Maggie in doubt but also leaves open to question just when the family actually returned to Alabama from Texas.
          I have a picture of the entire John B. Carlisle family clan (about seventy individuals) assembled at the Carlisle home in the Mt. Olive Community of Coosa County, AL taken on the 		occasion of the celebration of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Odie’s parents, John Bunyan and Nancy Harris (Craddock) Carlisle.  This would have officially occurred December 22, 1903.  However, since December 22, 1903 occurred on a Tuesday, I suspect that the celebration, including the taking of the picture, possibly occurred on the following Saturday, December 26 (the day after Christmas) or Sunday, December 27 of 1903.
          In this picture the entire Marshall E. Vardaman family, including both parents and six of the seven children born to the family up to that time, are present and can be clearly identified.  As noted previously, their second daughter, Annie May, died as an infant in Texas in 1895.  Their last (eighth) child, son Carlisle T. Vardaman, will not be born until 1905.  This picture definitely places the family back in Alabama in December of 1903 but does not negate the possibility of their return somewhat earlier, possibly in the latter part of 1902.

          Based on the available information, it is my belief that the family probably did not return from Texas until after Maggie’s birth in Texas in October 1902, the return possibly occurring sometime during the year 1903, and that Maggie Lucille Vardaman may not have been born in Coosa County, AL but instead in Texas, either in Floyd, Fannin, or Hunt County.


THE END