James and Martha Jane Drake Pyeatt
James Pyeatt, son of Peter and Mary 'Polly' Miller Pyeatt was born c1827 in Arkansas (probably Washington County) and died between 1855 and 1860 (probably in Washington County, Arkansas). James married on May 31, 1849, in Washington County, Arkansas, Martha Jane Drake who was born November 26, 1830 in Arkansas to James and Margaret Fields Drake according to research of Gary Murrell murrellg@sbcglobal.net. Martha J. Pyeatt died February 13, 1898 and is buried in Drake/Sardis Cemetery in Cane Hill, Washington County, Arkansas. In the cemetery near Martha are the stones of her parents and several siblings. Her father's reads - James Drake May 6, 1795 June 15, 1857 Member of ME church 31 years. Margaret Drake died in 1879.
The known children of James and Martha Jane:
- Mary J Pyeatt b: c1851 AR
- Martha Samantha Pyeatt b: 1 May 1853 AR d: 29 Apr 1895 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR) m: B M Mitchell
- Infant Mitchell (female) b&d: 19 Jan 1882 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- Eddie B Mitchell b: 15 Dec 1882 d: 1 Feb 1883 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- Samantha Mitchell b: 8 Oct 1884 d: 21 Sep 1887 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- Benjamin D Mitchell b: 8 Sep 1886 d: 29 Nov 1887 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- Mary J Mitchell b: 29 Sep 1890 d: 9 Oct 1894 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- Tillie Mitchell b: 16 Mar 1895 d: 14 Sep 1895 (buried Drake/Sardis Cemetery, Cane Hill, Washington Co, AR)
- James Finis Pyeatt b: c1855 AR
I need to look for James and Martha Jane on the 1850 census as they are not with Peter and family. I looked a page or two on either side of James Drake's family and did not locate them there either.
On the 1860 census, James is already deceased and his widow and three children are living alone as follows in Boonesboro, Cane Hill Township, Washington County, Arakansas:
- Payatt, Jane age 29 born AR / wf / $700/$500
- Payatt, Mary age 9 born AR / wf
- Payatt, Samantha age 7 born AR / wf
- Payatt, James age 5 born AR / wm
This family was enumerated #759/189 pg 583 image 109/338. Their neighbors were ? Simpson, John Leach, Thomas Leach, Amanon Payne, Arthur Evins, Colburn Burch, John Foshe, Jessie Payatt, Anthony Houston, Lavinia Oliver, and Adaline Payatt.
On the 1870 census of Boonesboro, Cane Hill Township, Washington County, Arkansas, they were as before:
- Pyatt, M J age 38 born AR / wf / KH (keeping house) / $2000/$200
- Pyatt, Mary age 19 born AR / wf / At home / att school
- Pyatt, M S age 17 born AR / wf / At home / att school
- Pyatt, J P age 15 born AR / wm / At home / att school
This family enumerated #223 pg 98 Boonesboro Sept 1870. Their neighbors were ? Earnest, S A Evans, Aaron Sanfield, J A Copeland, Henry Whittenburg, R A Sharp, and J P Sharp. I believe this enumerator didn't care for spelling as he used initials more often than full names. I think the 'J P' was because he spelled 'Finis' with a 'Ph' as in "Phinias".
By the 1880 census they appeared as follows still in Cane Hill Township, Washington County, Arkansas:
- Pyeatt, Martha J age 49 born AR / WF / Widowed / Keeping House / father/mother born IL
- Pyeatt, Mary J (Daughter) age 28 born AR / WF / Single / At Home / father/mother born AR
- Pyeatt, Samantha (Daughter) age 26 born AR / WF / Single / At Home / father/mother born AR
- Pyeatt, James F (Son) age 22 born AR / WM / Single / Farmer / father/mother born AR
This family was enumerated #249 page 634D (very dark and difficult to read). Their neighbors were Samuel Loo, Arthur Evans, Thomas Kidd, ? ?Deffabaugh, and A ?Shinn.
It is so sad to see all of the infants that Samantha Mitchell lost. I wonder if she had any children that survived to adulthood? I note that she gave birth to Tillie a month before her death indicating childbed fever or the like. Baby Tillie didn't live out the year either. She lost 4-year-old Mary while she was carrying Tillie.
Sources:
- 1860-1880 census of Washington County, AR
- Marriage records of Washington Co, Arkansas
- Unidentified Family Group Sheets
- Cemetery inscriptions of Washington County, AR
Updated Apr 2009
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