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William C and Elizabeth M Alford Pyatt

William Calton Pyatt was born January 17, 1830, to William and Cynthia A Fox Pyatt in Burke County, North Carolina and died September 14, 1907, in Wright County, Missouri. He was a Union Veteran of the Civil War (enrolled militia) along with his brothers, Joseph and John, and is buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery, Wright County, Missouri. He married Elizabeth M Alford probably in Cherokee County, North Carolina, c1854 before they moved to Wright County, Missouri. Elizabeth was born November 18, 1831, in North Carolina. Elizabeth is also buried in the Mt Zion Cemetery as are many Alfords.

William and Elizabeth had the following known children:

In total there were ten children. These are the ones who appeared on various census entries with their parents. If anyone knows who the two unknown children are - please contact me. I am seriously confused about their children due to census inconsistencies which will be discussed below. If anyone can shed light on this - please do.

About 1857/58 William and his brothers, John S. Pyatt and Joseph Alfred Pyatt (along with a (?cousin) William Pyatt who was married to Matilda Loving) and their families started west. Some say they started for Kansas. Anyway, they stopped in Wright Co, Missouri, and many descendants are still there today. Joseph Pyatt's child born in 1857 was born in North Carolina while William's child born in 1858 was born in Missouri. This leads to the speculation that their migration occurred in that time span.

The family appeared as follows on the 1860 census of Wright County, Missouri (Boon Twp):

This family was enumerated #144/141 on page #23 (index lists William Pyatt pg 901. Living nearby were his brothers, John and Joseph.

The following land purchases appear to belong to William Calton Pyatt:

By the 1870 census of Wright County (Various Township) the family had grown as follows:

This family was enumerated ?/1 pg 461A. Williams brothers were still in close proximity.

On the 1880 census of Wright County (Gasconade MCD), MO they appeared as follows:

Here's where the major confusion comes in. I was expecting to see a 14-year-old girl named Margarett - they have a 14-year-old boy named Grant. I was expecting a 12-year-old boy named Joseph - they had a 12-year-old girl named Luvina. They do have a son Joseph - but his age is given as ten. Joseph C Pyatt fixes his birth in January of 1868 which would, in deed, make him 12 years old on the 1880 census. So, why are two siblings listed who are older than he is that were not there 10 years earlier? Were they adopted and not listed as such? I did not find a Grant of Luvina in 1870 with another family. Were Grant and Luvina accidentally left off of the 1870 census? If you look at the ages of the children in 1870 it doesn't really leave any room for missing children - they are pretty much every other year. Are Margaret and Grant the same child with one of them being put down as the wrong sex and with the name misunderstood? If you look at the 1880 census the children are still very evenly spaced. Did one of the children list the family members in 1880 and get confused? Did the census taker do a really bad job? If anyone can shed light on this, please let me know. William's mother, Cynthia, came to Missouri and is found on the 1880 census living with William's brother, Joseph, and family. She did not like Missouri, however, and went to live with her daughter, Hazy Matilda Pyatt who married Thomas McGuire.

By the 1900 census, William and Elizabeth had the house to themselves:

This family was enumerated # 126/129 pg 111A 114/144/7/9). Living nearby and enumerated on the same page was their son, John Pyatt; on page 111B was their son, William T Pyatt, and family; and, in Union Township was their son, Joseph C Pyatt. Elizabeth claimed to have five children still living. Since I cannot locate any Grant Pyatt the right age and race in the US in 1900 - I'm going to assume he is one of the dead children or is actually 'Margaret'. Of the eight other known children we know that the other three sons are accounted for. So, which two of the four daughters are living and which two are dead?

I find the following obituary for Wright County, Missouri: Eaton, Bert: Hartville, MO; died in Webster County on Jan 15, 1968 at 12:30 a.m.; farmer; born Dec 7, 1897 in Wright County; s/o Harve Eaton and Mandy Pyatt; 3 daughters Claudia Hefner of Mansfield, MO, Ruby Bledsoe of Hartville and Alberta Boyer of Hartville; 1 son Bert Eaton, Jr., of Niangua, MO; 2 sisters Lottie Coldfelter of Hartville and Gladys Gates; 1 brother Charley Eaton of Springfield, MO; 10 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren. Burial Steele Memorial Cemetery.

I started looking for this Mandy Pyatt in hopes that she was Amanda Louisa Pyatt daughter of William and Elizabeth. I found one three-year-old child on the 1900 census in Boone Township, Wright County, Missouri, that could be Bert (born Nov 1886 with age 4 marked out and age 3 written in). This child was 'Charley A Eaton' and his widowed father was 'Harvey C Eaton'. There were siblings, Lottie and William J Eaton in the household. I don't think the father gave the inforation as his month of birth was left blank. When I find 'Harve Eaton' on the 1910 census (remarried for the past 5 yrs and age that doesn't agree to 1900 though the unusual places of birth for himself and his parents do match the 1900) with a 13-year-old son 'Alva'. There were siblings Gladis M and Charley Eaton ages 7 and 3. So, had Harvey (married2 for 5 yrs) had a child between his widowed status in 1900 and his remarriage - or - did someone get something wrong? Why are there two Charles? One that is now going by Alva (middle name) and a new one aged three with the second wife? Why did he later go by Bert? Is is possible that this is not the same family - yet all of the siblings match?The burial record for Lottie Clodfelter shows her mother as Amanda Pyatt as well. Does anyone have Wright County, Missouri, marriage records?

One telling census entry is this one from Boone Township, Wright County, Missouri, on the 1920 census:

Sources:

Updated Jul 2005

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Email: mcpgene@excite.com