DuBois/Stark and Warford/Farris Ancestors

            Louis G.  Bunnell Sally Ann Lyons Bunnell   Louis G. Bunnell (1837-1912) and Sarah Ann Lyon(s) Bunnell (1837-1925); Nannie Louise Bunnell (Farris) (1861-1891) Mom still may remember her “Grandma Bunnell” who died when Mom was four. The Bunnells were important in Mom’s mother’s [Mary Louis Farris (Warford)’s] life, as it was to their home in Salisbury Mary went in her teens. Mom’s mother’s mother was Nannie Louise Bunnell (Farris) (1861-1891) who died when her youngest daughter of five (Mary Farris Warford) total was still a baby. Nannie Louise is more than a genetic bridge between generations, though she lived only about thirty years. Her daughter Mary constantly spoke of her mama to me, her granddaughter. The story most told was of the five little girls needing Easter dresses so their mama went out in the rain to purchase material, catching the pneumonia which killed her. After Nannie Louise’s death, several relatives, but especially her parents, stepped in to help. Of the

Martha Jane (“Mattie”) Slaton (12/27/1838-7/20/1907) was born on a plantation in Autauga County, Alabama, not far from present-day Prattville. She was the youngest of seven children born to John Slaton and Nancy Harris. She was well-educated, attending a “Female Academy” and she was a staunch Methodist. From an early age, Mattie owned property, including enslaved people, in her own right. After her marriage to Dr. Rufus DuBois (a dentist), she provided funds for the family homestead and surrounding acreage in Greensboro, AL. In the years just before her death, the homestead was divided and parcels of land sold off. The house itself stood over 150 years before being torn down and replaced with affordable housing. According to the 1860 census, their real estate was worth $3500 ($111,695 today) and their personal property was $13,000 ($414,868 today). Of that, a substantial amount could be attributed to the eleven enslaved people on their property. I am attempting to trace their families.

Missouri Price Thompson’s parents, John Thompson and Priscilla Williams Thompson (before mentioned), clearly were proud about their home state when their sixth child and fourth daughter (out of twelve total) was born. Her name had a patriotic ring about it. Her middle name of Price likely was after the Confederate States Army’s General Sterling Price, for a while a neighbor and possibly a general that John and/or his brothers served under. Missouri’s family lived in Howard County, Missouri, within the area known as “Little Dixie.” Her father owned a comparatively successful farm there. It is not known how Missouri met her husband James Lafayette Warford. He was not an immediate neighbor during census years, although his family moved several times and may have briefly been so. There is evidence that one reason Missouri’s father-in-law moved so much was because of being “read out” of the church for drunkenness. A few things can be theorized about her life through the lens of her husband

PRISCILLA HOWARD WILLIAMS (THOMPSON) (1834-1916)   The first thing family historians often talk about when discussing their female ancestors is who they married, and the second is usually how many children they had. While resisting doing such a thing, discussing these facts actually explains a lot.   Priscilla Howard Williams, named after her paternal grandmother Priscilla Howard (Chism), married her first cousin John Thompson. While thought to be a common practice “back in the day” and among royalty, this, I believe, is the only instance of first cousins marrying in our direct lines that I have uncovered so far. John Thompson in his own right (mentioned before as Missouri Price Thompson Warford’s father) is worth discussing more than a paragraph. That will come later. Priscilla Williams and her husband John Thompson shared a common ancestor—Colden Williams. This man became very important to many descendants because of his service to the American Revolution as a Patriot. Many essays by