WILL AND SUCCESSION PAPERS OF ROBERT LEWIS OF NEW ORLEANS:
The following documents were discovered in the New Orleans Public Library. They
are also available on Microfilm through the Family History Libraries of
The Church of
The discovery of Robert Lewis' Will and Succession documents provided us with a treasure trove of family information and moved our known Lewis ancestry back two generations. Robert Lewis' estate was large and it was hotly contested. Unfortunately, his will was broken and his wishes were not followed, but the lengthy court battle provided information about family connections that can be useful to several families.
Robert Lewis Succession Papers
Robert Lewis Estate - Inventory
MEMOIRS OF JOHN H. REAGAN:
John H. Reagan wrote his Memoirs primarily for his children, but his third wife,
Molly Ford Reagan published the work in 1906. I have scanned the pages and have
been attempting to index the volume. The indexing is only about three-fourths
complete, but the Find function should allow for searches. This
publication should be of interest not only to descendants of this venerable
statesman from Texas, but to historians interested in this period. John Reagan
was born in Tennessee in 1818 and died in Texas in 1905.
According to Ben Proctor, who authored a biography of Reagan, Not Without Honor, "John Henninger Reagan was an Indian fighter, surveyor, lawyer, Congressman, Judge, and member of Jefferson Davis' Cabinet during the Southern Confederacy. He served as U.S. Senator after the Civil War and was the first Railroad Commissioner of Texas. He not only contributed actively to the colonization and expansion of Texas during a half century of its most vigorous growth, but in later years wrote voluminously of his life and times, leaving valued historical data to succeeding generations." Here is his autobiography.
NELMS FAMILY PAPERS:
Will of Edwin Nelms, written in May, 1960. Filed in Grimes County, Texas.
Letter of Lucian Nelms days before his death. He speaks of his knowledge that he is dying, and he talks of his parents denial. He was 28 years old.
Letter written by Diana Moss Nelms announcing Lucian's death. A remarkable account of the death of her 28 year old son, who was so rooted in the manners of his era, that he dressed completely to come to breakfast on the day of his death.
Letter forwarded by Diana Moss Nelms describing the death of Edwina Nelms Reagan Fowler, her granddaughter and the daughter of Edwina Nelms Reagan and Sen. John Henninger Reagan. The letter was written by Edwina's husband, Bascomb Fowler, MD.
BIBLE PHOTOGRAPHS:
The
photo to the left is the Cunningham Bible, originally the property of William
Henry Cunningham and Lucy White Cunningham, who were married in Whiteside, TN in
1877. The family subsequently moved to Texas.
The family pages are available for viewing:
Marriage Certificate, Marriages, Births, Deaths, and Miscellaneous
A copy of a page from the Bible of Daniel Brummitt Lewis may also be seen.
My sister and I have traveled the southern United States several times,
braking for cemeteries that might contain our ancestors. On these pages we have
placed a few of the
gravestones we have collected, so far.
We have gravestones from cemeteries in Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, and we will make every effort to find more.
We have some stones from people who are not our ancestors, but who are present in cemeteries we have visited, so if you have any information about these folks, please contact us.
e-Mail LaFaye
with any questions or comments.
e-Mail Katie
with any questions or comments.