Washington Byrd and Mary Azelee McKinney Pyeatt
Washington Byrd Pyeatt was born January 3, 1876 in (Plattin Township, Jefferson County?) Missouri. At least this is where his parents, William and Dianna Pyatt, lived before and after his birth.
Washington Byrd, W.B. to everyone, married Mary Azlee McKinney in Doniphan, Ripley County, Missouri, May 14, 1899.
Azelee (as is on her marriage license) was born December 4, 1879 to George and Minerva A McDowell McKinney. Minerva, born c. 1860, was the daughter of George W and Lucy Johnson McDowell who were married in Ripley County, MO on July 8, 1857. "Ma Pyeatt", as
she was called by all, had a very native American look. She was said to be 1/2 Cherokee and
looked more like a full Cherokee. So, we wonder about her being in an "Irish"
family.
Mary Azlee's bible is in the possession of her daughter-in-law, Willie Marie Pyeatt of Mountain Home, Arkansas. It lists all of their children (many who died in infancy). Many are listed by initials only and we have had to rely on family members, census records, etc to supply the names. I have had no luck in finding Pyeatt gravestones in Ripley County. However, we now know that the family lived in Carter County, MO, during the 1910 census and we wonder whether this is the place where they really lived and died. Many McKinney and McDowell families can be found in Carter County. On this census, Gabril W Pyeatt was listed as head of household. This is the only reference that we have to the first name Gabril (the first census on which W.B. appeared as a child listed him as Byrd) other than one of his children who told us that Gabrielle was his real first name.
The children of W.B. and A.M. Pyeatt (as is stamped on her bible) were:
- B.R. Pyeatt born August 20, 1900 and died October 23, 1900 in Missouri at the age of 2 months and 3 days
- S(imon) I(siah)Pyeatt born October 13, 1901 in Gassville, Baxter County, AR, and died of cancer September 12, 1949 in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas (buried Mtn Home City Cemetery) m: Effie Mae ?
- J(oseph) R(oy) Pyeatt born September 24, 1903 and died May 1975 Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas (buried East Oakland Cemetery) m: Aug 6, 1924 in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas, to Anna Otton
- W(illiam) E(rnest)Pyeatt born June 16, 1905 and died c1965 in Shell Knob, Missouri, in a car accident with his second wife Nellie ? and is buried in Mulvane, Kansas next to his first wife Mollie Myrtle Studdard who died c1937
- N(oah) E(verett) Pyeatt
born May 3, 1907 and died of a stroke Dec 1971 in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas (buried in East Oakland Cemetery) m: 1928 Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas, to Willie Marie Studdard (sister of Mollie Myrtle)
- C(harles) G(lenn)Pyeatt born April 9, 1910 and died April 1985 in Little Rock, Arkansas m: Marie ? (who later divorced him and married his brother, Theodore Claude, while Glenn was in the service)
- Bessie M Pyeatt born February 6, 1912 and died of "Bowl Hives" December 4, 1915 at the age of 3 years 9 months and 26 days
- Franey E Pyeatt *twin* born October 26, 1914 and died October 27, 1914 at 48 hours old
- M. W. Pyeatt *twin* was born October 26, 1914 and died October 29, 1914 at 80 hours old
- T(heodore) C(laude) Pyeatt born October 6, 1919 and m1: Marie ? who died in childbirth with their first child m2: Maxine ?
The W. B. Pyeatt family was found on the 1900 census of Jordan Township, Ripley County, Missouri, as follows:
- Piet, Washington B born Jun 1876 in MO / 30 on last bday / white / married 1 year / farmer / father born MO/mother born TX
- Piet, Mary A (wife) born Dec 1879 in MO / 20 on last bday / white / married 1 year / 0 children/0 living
This family was enumerated #38/38 and indexed under Pilt. Living near his father, William D Pyeatt who was also found under Pilt.
By the 1910 census they were in Johnson Township of Carter County, Missouri (Dist #14):
- Pyeatt, Gabril W age 33 born in MO / wm / Farmer / father born US/ mother born TX
- Pyeatt, Mary age 30 (6/5) (wife) born in MO / wf / Keeping House / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Simon I age 8 (son) born MO / wm / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Joseph R age 7 (son) born MO / wm / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, William E age 4 (son) born MO / wm / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Noha E age 2 (son) born MO / wm / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Charles G age 0 (son) born MO / wm / father/mother born MO
This family enumerated at #131/131. I need to look up the neighbors. This is the only instance of 'Gabriel' being attached to Washington Byrd Pyeatt. Of interest, in the same area of Plattin Township, Jefferson County, Missouri, where the Pyeatts hailed was a man named Gabriel Washington Byrd. I believe that Pa was named for him.
They had moved to Gassville, Baxter County, Arkansas by the 1920 census:
- Pyeatt, Washington B age 44 born MO / Married ? / father/mother born US
- Pyeatt, Mary (wife) age 41 born MO / Married ? / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Simon (son) age 18 born MO / single / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Roy (son) age 16 born MO / single / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Ernest (son) age 14 born MO / single / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Evert (son) age 12 born MO / single / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Glen (son) age 9 1/2 born MO / single / father/mother born MO
- Pyeatt, Claud (son) age 3/12 born AR / single / father/mother born MO
This family enumerated at #227/253.
Also in "Ma" Pyeatt's bible was her obituary published March 19, 1965 in the Baxter Bulletin (Mountain Home, AR). It listed the following siblings of Mary Azlee McKinney Pyeatt: Claude McKinney; Lucy Emmins, Elsie Odam and Lettie Thompson all of Doniphan, MO and Noah McKinney of St. Louis, MO.
In June of 1928 when W B's mother Diana died, it gave his place of residence as Tulsa, Oklahoma. W B and Mary were also known to have lived in Kansas.
Last Updated December 2000
Back to Home
Back to William and Dianne Pyeatt
To Noah Evertt and Marie Studdard Pyeatt
See Photos of this Family
Email: mcpgene@excite.com
