John R. Petty and Margaret E. Thomas

John R. Petty married Margaret E. Thomas on 20 September 1857 in Whitfield County, Georgia, although neither of them likely lived there.¹Whitfield Co., GA, Marriages, A: 132, Petty–Thomas, 1857; Whitfield Co. Probate Clerk, Dalton. Margaret’s parents, Jesse Thomas and Rebecca Baker, lived in Murray or Lumpkin County in Georgia.²1850 U.S. census, Lumpkin Co., GA, population schedule, Auraria, p. 36 [stamped], dwelling 91, Jesse Thomas; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); from NARA microfilm M432, roll 76. 1860 U.S. census, Murray Co., GA, population schedule, Militia District #824; Spring Place Post Office, p. 10, dwelling 62, family 62, Jesse Thomas; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); citing NARA microfilm M653, roll 132. John R.’s father, John Petty, lived in Bradley County, Tennessee.³1860 U.S. census, Bradley Co., TN, population schedule, District #1, p. 157, dwelling 1309, family 1309, John Petty; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667 : accessed 6 Sep 2010); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1241.

Margaret was born about 1836 in Georgia.⁴1850 U.S. census, Lumpkin Co., GA, pop. sch., Auraria, p. 36, dwell. 91, Jesse Thomas. In 1840 and 1860, her family lived in Murray County, Georgia, which borders Whitfield County to the east.⁵1840 U.S. census, Murray Co., GA, District #872, p. 5 (handwritten), line 31, Jesse Thomas; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/collections/search/8057 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); citing NARA microfilm M704, roll 47. 1860 U.S. census, Murray Co., GA, pop. sch., Militia District #824, p. 10, dwelling 62, family 62, Jesse Thomas. They lived in Lumpkin County, Georgia, two counties east of Murray, in 1850.⁶1850 U.S. census, Lumpkin Co., GA, pop. sch., Auraria, p. 36, dwell. 91, Jesse Thomas. Margaret’s siblings were Mary, William, Nancy A., Oliver P., and Daniel W.⁷1850 U.S. census, Lumpkin Co., GA, pop. sch., Auraria, p. 36, dwell. 91, Jesse Thomas; William, Margaret,Nancy, Oliver and Daniel living with their parents. “Marriage Records from Microfilm,” digital image, Georgia Archives Virtual Vault ((https://www.vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/countyfilm : accessed 25 May 2012); Forsyth County, A: 203, Echols-Thomas, 16 Jan 1845; from Georgia County marriage records on microfilm, Georgia Archives, Morrow; Mary’s maiden name Thomas. 1880 U.S. census, Forsyth Co., GA, population schedule, Coal Mountain, enumeration district (ED) 78, p. 24, dwelling 240, family 240, J. M. Echols; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 147, five of Margaret’s living with Mary, listed as niece and nephews. Based on apparent children in Jesse’s 1840 U.S. census record, Margaret may have had another brother and two other sisters.⁸1840 U.S. census, Murray Co., GA, District #872, p. 5, Jesse Thomas.

John R. was born about 1835 in Tennessee.⁹1860 U.S. census, McMinn Co., TN, population schedule, District #16, p. 146, dwelling 1068, family 1068, J. R. Petty; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1262. His mother is unknown, but DNA evidence points to a maiden name of Rose.¹⁰Linda F. McCauley, “Who Was John R. Petty’s Mother,” Documenting the Details, 8 May 2021 (https://documentingthedetails.com/john-r-pettys-mother/ : accessed 3 Sep 2021). John R. had nine siblings, and he was the oldest son.¹¹1840 U.S. census, McMinn Co., TN, population schedule, p. 527, line 29, John Petty; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/collections/search/8057 : accessed 6 Sep 2010); from NARA microfilm M704, roll 125; indicates a son and four daughters, only one of the daughters was among the six children listed with John in 1860. 1860 U.S. census, Bradley Co., TN, population schedule, District #1, p. 157, dwelling 1309, family 1309, John Petty; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667 : accessed 6 Sep 2010); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1241; three daughters and three sons living with their father, one daughter included in 1840 count. The youngest child was born in February 1851.¹²1900 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, population schedule, Militia District 631, enumeration district (ED) 103, sheet 7A, dwelling 119, family 123, John Cooper; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602 : accessed 6 Mar 2011); citing NARA microfilm T623, roll 228. The family has not been found in the 1850 U.S. census when the unknown wife of the elder John should have been with him and the children.¹³Searched 1850 U.S. census on Ancestry for John Petty and the children by name, also used wildcard for any surname beginning with Pet, searched McMinn and Bradley counties in Tennessee and Whitfield County, Georgia, specifically and Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. None were found. John R.’s siblings were Caroline, Charlotte, Martha J., Rash P., James, Joseph A., Angeline, Mary Elizabeth, and one unidentified sister who was one of the older children.¹⁴Linda McCauley, “John Petty was the father of John R. Petty,” rev. 27 Jun 2021, proof argument, held privately by author. 1860 U.S. census, Bradley Co., TN, pop. sch., District #1, p. 157, dwelling 1309, family 1309, John Petty; Martha, Rash, James, Joseph, Angeline, and Mary living with John. 1840 U.S. census, McMinn Co., TN, pop. sch., p. 527, line 29, John Petty; indicates one son and four daughters, based on age ranges, the son was John R and one daughter was Martha, the two daughters are identified by other evidence and one remained unidentified. Webster Co., KY, Marriages, 4: 147-148, Cooper-Petty, 1869; microfilm #568133, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort; permission given by Mary’s sister Caroline Young. 1860 U.S. census, McMinn Co., TN, population schedule, District #16, p. 142 (penned), 341 (stamped), dwelling 1045, family 1045, Charlotte Hambright; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.comsearch/collections/7667 : accessed 30 November 2011); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1262; living near John R. And across the Hiawassee River from John. 1900 U.S. census, Murray Co., GA, population schedule, Militia District #874, enumeration district (ED) 70, sheet 2B, dwelling 37, family 39, William Thompson; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.comsearch/collections/7602 : accessed 5 December 2011); from NARA microfilm T623, roll 213, listed next to John Petty and daughters Martha and Angeline; born Dec 1830 would make her the oldest of John’s children.

John R.’s middle name may have been Rubin. His grandson Luther Petty, son of Daniel, gave Rubin Petty as the name of Daniel’s father on his death certificate.¹⁵“Georgia, U.S., Deaths Index, 1914-1940,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2562 : accessed 20 Jun 2021), death certificate no. 32-26507 (1932), Daniel Bivins Petty; from Georgia Department of Health and Vital Statistics, Atlanta. No other record indicating his middle name has been found.

John R. and Margaret’s first two children—Melissa A. (born abt. 1858) and Henry Milton (born in 1860)—were born in Tennessee, likely in McMinn County where they lived in 1860. That census reports John R. as a renter whose personal estate was valued at $200.¹⁶1860 U.S. census, McMinn Co., TN, pop. sch. Dist. #16, p. 146, dwell. 1068, fam. 1068, J. R. Petty. He had no real estate and was not listed on the 1860 census agriculture schedule.¹⁷Searched McMinn Co., TN, deed book M, Jan. 1858–Feb 1862 on FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQQ-VSCN-W?i=331&cat=278841; John Petty not found. Searched 1860 U.S. Census Agriculture Schedule, McMinn Co., TN on Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1276/; John Petty not found.

They moved to Dalton in Whitfield County, Georgia, before their third child, Samantha Angeline, was born in April 1861.¹⁸“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 4 Sep 2013), death certificate no. 1387 (1944), Samantha Angeline Hankins; from microfilm 7016130–7041803, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. Two more children were born while they lived in Dalton—Mary E. in 1865 and Daniel B. in 1867.¹⁹Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com : viewed 23 Nov 2012), memorial 34924113, for Daniel Boone Petty, (Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery, Ball Ground, Cherokee Co., GA), digital image, 6 Feb 2011, by P Hawkins; birthdate 4 Apr 1867. Friendship Cemetery (Forsyth County, Georgia), Mollie E. Hawkins marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 10 Nov 2011; born 1865. 1870 U.S. census, Logan Co., KY, population schedule, Keysburg Dist., p. 33, dwelling 185, family 185, John R. Petty; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); from NARA microfilm M593, roll 483; Mary and Daniel born in GA.

Whitfield shares a border with Bradley County and John R. returned there to join the Confederacy with his brothers. On 13 November 1861 at Charleston, John R. and brothers James and Joseph joined Gillespie’s Regiment Volunteers, which later became the Confederate 43rd Tennessee Infantry.²⁰“Civil War Service Records – Confederate – Tennessee,” digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 22 May 2012), Civil War (Confederate) > Civil War Service Records Confederate-Tennessee > Forty-third Infantry > P > Petty, John R, enlisted 13 Nov 1861, Charleston, TN; Petty, James, enlisted 13 Nov 1861, Charleston, TN; Petty, Joseph A., enlisted 13 Nov 1861, Charleston, TN; from NARA microfilm M268, Record Group 109. His remaining brother, Rash, joined the same unit at Charleston on 1 December 1862.²¹“Civil War Service Records – Confederate – Tennessee,” digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 22 May 2012), Civil War (Confederate) > Civil War Service Records-Confederate-Tennessee > Forty-third Infantry > P > Petty, R. P., enlisted 1 Dec 1862, Charleston, TN; from NARA microfilm M268, Record Group 109. John R.’s initial rank was 1st Corporal. By June 1862 and for the remainder of his service, he was a 5th Sergeant. The four brothers were captured on 4 July 1864 at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and released five days later after taking the oath of allegiance to the United States.²²“Civil War Service Records – Confederate – Tennessee,” John R. Petty, James Petty, Joseph Petty, and R. P. Petty. Rash, James, and Joseph later joined the Union 10th Tennessee Cavalry, but no record exists of John R. doing so.²³“Civil War Service Records – Union – Tennessee,” digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 22 May 2012), Civil War (Union) > Civil War Service Records-Union-Tennessee > Tenth Cavalry > P > Petty, James, enlisted 8 Dec 1863, Knoxville, TN; Petty, Joseph, enlisted 29 Feb 1864, Cleveland, TN; and Petty, Rash P., enlisted 8 Dec 1863, Knoxville, TN; from NARA microfilm M395, Record Group 94.

Between 1867 and 1869, John R. and Margaret moved to Logan County, Kentucky.²⁴1870 U.S. census, Logan Co., KY, pop. sch., Keysburg District, p. 33, dwell. 185, fam. 185, John R. Petty; Daniel b. 1867 in GA, Joseph b. 1869 in KY. It is possible they moved back to Tennessee from Dalton for a short time before the move to Kentucky.²⁵“Story of Railroad Train That Became War Hero,” undated clipping, ca 1941 from Madisonville (KY) Messenger, privately held by Sue Morgan London, AZ, copy provided to Linda McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY, 2004; John R Petty’s daughter Samantha Petty Hankins quoted as saying her father moved the family to TN after the war and later to Hopkins County, KY.

Their son Joseph Bunyan, born in 1869, was likely born in Logan County. They lived in the Keysburg District at the time of the 1870 U.S. census. John R.’s occupation was listed as farmer, but he owned no real estate. His personal estate was valued at $150.²⁶1870 U.S. census, Logan Co., KY, pop. sch., Keysburg District, p. 33, dwell. 185, fam. 185, John R. Petty. Searched Logan Co., KY, deed grantee and grantor indexes on FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/318268; John Petty not found. Logan County tax lists for the period he was there only exist for 1869 and he was not listed.²⁷Searched Logan Co., KY, tax lists on FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKW-PSV7-N?i=431&cat=156098; John Petty not found in 1869, records indicate tax books for 1840–1868 and 1870–1875 are missing.

Margaret’s mother, Rebecca Thomas, also moved to Logan County and lived nearby with her son, Daniel, and two grandsons—Mary’s son, John Echols, and one of William’s sons James Thomas.²⁸1870 U.S. census, Logan Co., KY, population schedule, Keysburg District; Russellville Post Office, p. 36 (penned), dwelling 206, family 206, Rebecca Thomas; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163 : accessed 5 Nov 2009); from NARA microfilm M593, roll 483. John R.’s brother Joseph married Margaret’s sister Nancy in Logan County in June 1869.²⁹“Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61372 : accessed 1 Oct 2016), Petty-Thomas, 1869, Logan Co.; from Logan Co. Clerk, Russellville. John R. and Margaret’s son Oliver Perry was born in Logan County in 1871.³⁰“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 3 Oct 2021), Oliver Perry Petty, SSN 259093321; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007.

John R. and Margaret moved to Hopkins County, Kentucky, after Perry’s birth and before Nathaniel was born in Madisonville in 1873.³¹“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 3 Oct 2021), Nathainel T. Petty, SSN 257289974; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007. Their youngest two children, John Franklin and W. O., were born in Hopkins County in 1874 and 1876.³²“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Records, 1847–1911,” 1874, Petty male child, father Jno Petty, Hopkins Co. “Kentucky, U.S., Birth Records, 1847–1911,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1213 : accessed 4 Sep 2013); 1876, W. O., father J. R. Petty mother M. E. Thomas, Hopkins Co.; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records (1852-1910), microfilm rolls #994027-994058, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort.

As with the other locations where they lived, John R. did not own property in Hopkins County.³³Searched Hopkins Co., KY, deed indexes, 1807–1839 at FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/115197; John Petty not found. He appears on the tax list in 1875, showing he owned two horses/mares, two cattle, and had 400 bushels of corn.³⁴FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007834461 : accessed 6 Sep 2021), digital film 007834481, image 686; Hopkins Co., KY, Tax Books, 1875, Jno Petty. He was not on the Hopkins County tax lists for 1870–1874 and their lists for 1876–1878 do not survive.³⁵Searched Hopkins Co., KY tax lists for 1870–1874 on FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/155988; John Petty not found. Tax lists for 1876–1878 missing at FamilySearch and Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.

Their infant son W. O. died on 30 June 1876 after living less than a month.³⁶“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1953,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 4 Sep 2013), 1876, W. O. Petty; from microfilm 994027–994058, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. Margaret died a few weeks later on 28 July 1876 from complications of his birth.³⁷“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1953,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 4 Sep 2013), 1876, M. E. Petty; from microfilm 994027–994058, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. Margaret and W. O. died in Hopkins County, but their burial locations are unknown.

It is unclear if John R. still lived with Margaret and the children when she died. According to family stories, he was an alcoholic and possibly abandoned the family even before Margaret and their youngest child died.³⁸Elizabeth McCauley Carver; great-granddaughter of John R. Petty, aunt of the author. Margaret’s sister Mary took five of the six youngest children (Mary, Daniel, Joseph, Nathaniel, and John) to live with her in Forsyth County, Georgia.³⁹1880 U.S. census, Forsyth Co., GA, pop. sch., Coal Mountain, ED 78, p. 24, dwelling 240, family 240, J. M. Echols; five Petty children listed as niece and nephews. Perry also lived in Forsyth County but with an unrelated couple named Tribble.⁴⁰1880 U.S. census, Forsyth Co., GA, population schedule, Cumming, enumeration district (ED) 73, p. 357B, dwelling 49, family 52, James W. Tribble; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742 : accessed 3 Sep 2010); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 146; Oliver P. listed as adopted son. Samantha and Henry Milton remained in Hopkins County.⁴¹Hopkins Co., KY, Marriages, 11-1877–3-1880: 302, Hankins–Petty, 1879; Hopkins Co. Clerk, Madisonville. 1880 U.S. census, Hopkins Co., KY, population schedule, Court House Dist #2, enumeration district (ED) 191, p. 308D, dwelling 231, family 231, Milton Petty; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742 : accessed 3 Sep 2010); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 420. Melissa’s whereabouts are unknown.

Whether John R. left before or after Margaret died, he had returned to Whitfield County, Georgia, where his father and three of his sisters lived, by 1878.⁴²1880 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, population schedule, Dalton, enumeration district (ED) 194, p. 50B, dwelling 170, family 175, M. J. Martin; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742 : accessed 15 March 2011); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 171; John Petty with daughters Martha and Angeline. 1880 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, population schedule, East Dalton District, enumeration district (ED) 194, p. 20 (penned), dwelling 171, family 176, C. A. Hambright; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/collections/6742 : accessed 30 November 2011); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 171. He married Mary C. Bohannan there on 26 April 1878.⁴³Whitfield Co., GA, Marriages, A 1875-1884:168, Petty-Bohanan, 1878; Whitfield Co. Probate Clerk, Dalton.

Mary, the daughter of Thomas Bohannan of Whitfield County, was born about 1852.⁴⁴1860 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, population schedule, Dalton, p. 65 (penned), dwelling 483, family 478, Thos Bohannan; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667 : accessed 29 November 2011); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 141. When she married John R., she had a four-year-old son named James Charles Bohannan from an earlier relationship.⁴⁵1880 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, population schedule, East Dalton District, enumeration district (ED) 194, p. 21 (penned), 51C (stamped), dwelling 182, family 187, Thomas Bohannon; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/collections/6742 : accessed 29 November 2011); from microfilm T9, roll 171.

John R. and Mary had one son, Benjamin W., born in 1879 in Georgia, probably in Whitfield County.⁴⁶“Tennessee, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2376 : accessed 29 Jan 2017), death certificate no. 141 (1917), B. W. Petty; from Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1958, TN State Livrary and Archives, Nashville. 1880 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, pop. sch., East Dalton District, enumeration district (ED) 194, p. 21 (penned), 51C (stamped), dwelling 182, family 187, Thomas Bohannon; Mary’s youngest son named Benjamin. By 1880, Mary, Benjamin, and Mary’s older son lived with her father, Thomas Bohannan, in Whitfield County. John R. may have died by then although Mary’s marital status of widow does not rule out him living elsewhere.⁴⁷1880 U.S. census, Whitfield Co., GA, pop. sch., East Dalton District, enumeration district (ED) 194, p. 21 (penned), 51C (stamped), dwelling 182, family 187, Thomas Bohannon. Mary married William Hall on 11 December 1886 in Whitfield County.⁴⁸“Marriage Records from Microfilm,” digital image, Georgia Archives Virtual Vault ((https://www.vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/countyfilm : accessed 16 Jun 2013); Whitfield County, B: 104, Hall-Petty, 11 Dec 1886; from Georgia County marriage records on microfilm, Georgia Archives, Morrow.

No further records for John R. have been found. The details of his death and burial are unknown.

Cite this page: Linda F. McCauley, "John R. Petty & Margaret E. Thomas," Documenting the Details, 1 Nov 2021 (https://documentingthedetails.com/jrpetty-methomas : accessed [enter current date]).

Written by: Linda F. McCauley
Copyright © 2021 Linda F. McCauley. All rights reserved.

My Connection: John R. Petty and Margaret E. Thomas (2nd great-grandparents) > Samantha Angeline Petty (great-grandmother) > Verda Waller Hankins (grandmother) > David Hankins McCauley (father)