Vaughans, Duncans and Carrolls from Georgia to Oklahoma

One of the joys of doing genealogy not only is finding your ancestors, but also coming across many relatives you didn't know you had.

And some of them connect in the darnedest ways! This is why I'm a strong advocate of keeping a couple of generations on collateral lines (the lines your family married into) because they may lead you right back into your direct line of ancestry.

Donna Carpenter lives in Shawnee, Okla., and wrote me an e-mail concerning her Vaughans. Her Vaughan family, thank the Lord, has been researched thoroughly and much can be found on them in the Cleburne County (Alabama) history book. While I'm not directly related to the Vaughan ancestry, my step-great-grandmother, Sarah Margaret Vaughan Hart Fowler, was from this family, so I had kept a couple of generations on them. Besides, as I have said so many times, I find other family stories to be just as interesting as my own.

During our correspondence, it came to light that my Sarah Margaret and Donna's ancestor, Lucinda Mentoria Vaughan, were sisters, both being the daughters of the Rev. Frederick W. Vaughan and Christina (Christenner) Alls. Actually, my Fowlers married into this family twice. My great-uncle, John Fowler, married Eliza Vaughan who was Sarah Margaret and Lucinda Mentoria's first cousin. John is one of my family puzzles, so I had more than just a passing interest in Donna's family information.

Donna told me she was just beginning her genealogy quest and already had hit several brick walls in her searches. To make things more difficult, Georgia research information in Oklahoma was at a minimum, she said. But by doing research both at her local library and on the Internet, she had started piecing her family together.

The Vaughans had migrated from South Carolina into Georgia, as so many families did, and had touched on Henry, Fayette, Coweta and Carroll counties in Georgia, before moving on into Alabama and, eventually, westward to Texas. Lucinda Mentoria Vaughan had married George Washington Duncan who was born in Coweta County Feb. 4, 1843, the son of George Duncan and Elizabeth Unknown. George Duncan was said to be the son of a Miles Duncan whose orphans drew land in Coweta County in the land lottery. George Washington Duncan's siblings (children of George and Elizabeth) were Mary, Emily C., Lily A., Miles, John, Sallie, Martha (Mattie), and Jola.

Lucinda Mentoria Vaughan and George Washington Duncan were married Dec. 10, 1873 in Edwardsville, Cleburne County, Ala., and had the following children: Walter Winefred (m. Grace Truman Hultsman), George Frederick, Miles William, Elah, Christoria (m. Randolf Holt), Johnny Edgar, Anna (m. John Wesley Ballard), Mary Frances (m. Marshal Marvin Ballard), James Albert (m. Ella Powell), and Marty Feder. This family migrated first to Texas and later to Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, back in Georgia, another family was forming and would marry into the Duncan family after they moved westward. This family also has been a brick wall to Donna.

Georgia Ellen Carroll, daughter of Charles Carroll and unknown Green, was born in Carrollton March 16, 1879. Among her siblings were John, Charles, Roland and Ida (Donna obtained these from an obituary). Georgia Ellen Carroll married Edward Francis McClendon, said to have been born Feb. 24, 1869 in Polk Co., Ga. The marriage date and location are unknown. Edward Francis McClendon was the son of William McClendon (wife's name unknown) and had brothers and sisters named Moses, Fred and Tom.

Georgia Ellen Carroll and Edward Francis McClendon had the following children: Archie, Helen, Melton, John Emmett, W.R., Bessie (born 1907 in Forrest, Miss., m. Roy Taber), and Elsie Irene (m. Morris Ray Duncan) Aha! We've finally connected. Elsie Irene was born Jan. 14, 1912 in Bethel, Okla., so we know the family migrated westward between 1879 and 1912. We also know they were in Mississippi by 1907 since that's where Bessie is said to have been born.

Elsie Irene and Morris Ray Duncan had a daughter, Dorothy Nadine Duncan, who married Richard Eudel Holland in Pushmataha County, Okla. (I love saying Oklahoma county names ... my favorite is Pottawatomie, where Shawnee is) and they are Donna's parents.

Since Donna is way out there in Oklahoma, she wants to connect to her Georgia cousins and dig deeper into the history of her Duncan, Carroll, McClendon and Vaughan families. I know there were people with these family surnames in Fayette, Coweta, Campbell and Carroll counties and many still remain here. Those of you who may connect, or who have information on these families, may write to Donna through this column, or directly to her online at DCarpentr1@aol.com.

After Donna and I corresponded a few times, I told her about the column since I was just a beginner too and wrote from that perspective. She has become a regular reader and I am glad that some of the information has been helpful to her.

I'd also like to remind those of you who may have missed some of the previous columns and are interested in reading them (there is a lot of family information in most), they can be found on our Web site (www.thecitizennews.com). From the home page, scroll down and you'll see the "Finding Your Folks" link on the right.

Looking for your ancestors? Got a genealogy tip? Write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Until next week, happy hunting!