Weston Whitenton and Lucy Ann Williams were married in North Carolina, and their
first child, John Rufus, was born in Wake County about 1832.
In about 1835, the Whitenton families of Wake and Johnston Counties migrated to
Madison County, Tennessee, where Weston's and Lucy Ann's next three children
were born: James William in 1837, Sarah C. in 1840, and George M. in 1843.
Shortly
thereafter, in 1843, Weston and family and his brother, William Mainard Whitenton
(born 09 February 1799 in North Carolina), moved to Victoria County, Texas where
William received a land grant from the Texas General Land Office. William was
never married and died after 1839; his estate was probated in Victoria County with
his brothers andsisters as heirs to his estate. The heirs then sold this land to Wilkins Hunt
(Deed Records of Victoria County, Texas, dated 25 June 1850). Weston and Lucy Ann
and four children were enumerated in the 1850 Federal Census of Victoria County,
where Weston and his son John Rufus were engaged in farming. According to the
Agriculturalcensus of 1850, they had six acres of improved land, 312 acres unimproved,
one horse, 20 swine, and a number of other livestock.
After their move to Texas, twin daughters were born to Weston and Lucy Ann in 1852:
Lucy Ann and Mary Elizabeth.
By 1860, Weston and his family had moved to Goliad County, Texas, and had been
joined in Texas by his brother and wife, Gibson and Elizabeth (Williams) Whitenton.
After moving to Goliad County, Weston continued to farm, and added dairy cows to
his farming operation. Weston served as an Elder in the Christian Church in
Weesatche, Goliad County. Weston died about 1871, as indicated by Deed Records
of Goliad County.
Weston's and Lucy Ann's son, John Rufus, first married Martha Probst,
(daughter of William and Sarah Ann Probst). One daughter, Allice, was born to this
union in 1857. After the untimely death of Martha, John Rufus married her sister,
Margaret Probst, in 1872 in Victoria County.
John Rufus, James William, and George M. served in the Army of the Confederacy
during the Civil War. James William enlisted in Victoria, Texas on October 11, 1861;
he died in battle in Mansfield, Louisiana as a private in Company B, (Yager's)
Texas Cavalry (1st Texas Mounted Rifles). John Rufus was a Private,
Co. E., 8th Texas Infantry, C.S.A. (also known as Hobby's Texas Infantry,
of which John Ireland was Lieutenant-Colonel). John enlisted May 14, 1862 and
took the oath of amnesty at Victoria, Texas, August 16, 1865. John died 14 April 1902.
John was able to return to his family at the end of the war. John Rufus and Margaret
were living in DeWitt County, Texas when the Federal Census of 1900 was completed.
John operated a grocery store in Weesatche according to the book : "A History
of Weesatche",page 66
.
Weston's and Lucy Ann's daughter, Sarah C., married John M. Kuykendall
of Goliad County. John M. (son of Abraham L. and Ann Eliza Kuykendall)
was born in Goliad County about 1835. Sarah and John M. were parents of five
children before John M.'s untimely death in 1869 at the hand of the Goliad Regulators.
Their five children were Edorah Eliza, Cynthia Ann, Leony, John M., and
James William.
In 1875, at age 15, Edorah Eliza Kuykendall married Newton L. C. Barnett
in Goliad. She became step-mother to Newton's motherless eight year old son,
Lorenzo Dow Barnett, as his mother (Lucy Talk) had died in childbirth.
Newton and Edorah were parents to 8 children: William Oscar, Millie Irene,
Charles, Claudia Camissa, Annie Catherine, Cynthia Parolee, Lonso McMann,
and Willie Newton.
When Edorah was full-term with her eighth child in 1894, her husband, Newton,
died of typhoid fever. She was unable to climb down from the wagon for graveside
services due to her pregnancy.
After the death of Weston, Lucy Ann moved to Victoria County once again to live
in the home of her namesake, Lucy Ann Whitenton Johnson, where she appears
in the 1900 Federal Census of Victoria County. Also enumerated in this home was
John M. Kuykendall Jr., son of Sarah C. (Whitenton) and John M. Kuykendall.
Edorah (Kuykendall) Barnett's son, William Oscar Barnett, married Birdie
Lee Fleming, (daughter of Samuel Leroy Fleming and Mary Josephine Colburn),
on 26 Oct 1899 in Wilson County, Texas. Six children were born to this union: Millie Josie,
William Henry, Alonzo Franklin, Artie Arnold, Lelia Edora, and Daisey Loraine.
Josie was born in Wilson County; the other five children were born in Coleman
County, Texas.
Josie married Elmer Doss Smith (son of Eugene Sue Smith and Telula Turentine
Roberts) on 15 Dec 1919 in Santa Anna, Texas. Their three children are Oscar Eugene,
Opal Lenora, and Doris Dolores.
Oscar Eugene married Betty Ware (daughter of Orbie Cisro Ware and Maude
Nora Everage) in 1948; their four children are Bobby Glenn, Linda Anne,
Mickey Orb, and Kenneth Gene.
Opal married Frank Stokes (son of Ira Willie Lee Stokes and Lillie Stone) in
1946; their two children are Carolyn Jean and Thomas Paul
.
Doris married Lester Crawford (son of Marshall Neal Crawford, Sr.
and Amy Priscilla Morgan) in 1946. Their four children are Donald Lee,
Ronald Lyle, Connie Louise, and Lester Doss.
Weston and Lucy Ann (Williams) Whitenton, early settlers of Texas
and Victoria County, have given us numerous descendants, other than these
mentioned, to bring honor to a brave and good pioneer family.