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:
- William Thomas Pyatt b: Feb 1858 MO (probably Wright Co) d: 1920-1930 Wright Co, MO m: c1881 (probably Wright Co, MO) Margaret B Kindrick b: Sep 1860 MO d: 29 Sep 1935 Wright Co, MO
- Martha E Pyatt (or Mariah Pyatt) b: Jul 1862 MO (probably Wright Co) d: 12 Apr 1929 (buried Mt Zion Cemetery, Wright Co, MO) [no known issue] m: Frances Sigle Todd b: 27 Apr 1862 (s/o William Broox Todd and Elizabeth Newton) d: (headstone at Mtn Zion has no death date - is he buried Dry Knob Cemetery near Lebanon? MCP)(he m2: Matilda Dodson m3: widow of Bob Todd)
- Amanda Louisa Pyatt b: 1864 MO (probably Wright Co) d: 1893 (is this a misread '1898'? MCP) Wright Co, MO (buried Mt Zion Cemetery, Wright Co, MO) m: Harve C Eaton b: c1862 MO (Harve m2: c1905 Lillie ?)
- Lottie J Eaton b: Jul 1891 MO (probably Wright Co) m: ? Clodfelter
- William J Eaton b: Dec 1892 MO (probably Wright Co)
- Charles Alva Eaton b: Nov 1896 MO (probably Wright Co)
- Bert Eaton b: 7 Dec 1897 Wright Co, MO d: 15 Jan 1968 Webster Co, MO
- Claudia Eaton m: ? Hefner (lived Mansfield, MO 1968)
- Ruby Eaton m: ? Bledsoe (lived Harville, MO 1968)
- Alberta Eaton m: ? Boyer (lived Harville, MO 1968)
- Bert Eaton Jr (lived Niangua, MO 1968)
- Gladys M Eaton (not Mandy's) b: c1903 MO (probably Wright Co) m: ? Gates
- Charley Eaton (not Mandy's) b: c1907 MO (probably Wright Co)
- Margarett Pyatt b: c1866 MO (probably Wright Co) (no daughter 14 on 1880 census)
- Grant Pyatt b: c1866 MO (probably Wright Co) d: probably before 1900 (no son age 4 on 1870 census)
- Luvina Pyatt b: c1868 MO (probably Wright Co)(no daughter age 2 on 1870 census)
- Joseph C Pyatt b: Jan 1868 MO (probably Wright Co) m: c1891 (probably Wright Co, MO) Docie Belle ? b: Apr 1870 MO (probably Wright Co)
- John R Pyatt b: 2 Dec 1871 MO (probably Wright Co) d: 31 Jul 1953 (buried Mt Zion Cemetery, Wright Co, MO) m1: Hattie ?Nichols b: 10 Apr 1873 d: 11 Sep 1924 (buried Mt Zion Cemetery, Wright Co, MO) m2: c1928 (probably Wright Co, MO) Daisey ? b: 16 Jun 1881 d: 29 Mar 1952 (buried Mt Zion Cemetery, Wright Co, MO)
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):
- Pyatt, Wm age 28 / m / born NC / Farmer / $250/300
- Pyatt, E. M. age 27 / f / born NC
- Pyatt, Wm T. age 2 / m / born MO
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:
- William Pyatt 06-01-1860; doc #28317; 40 acres; MO5690_.427
- William C Pyatt 07-30-1878; doc #2998; 80 acres; MO5870_.413
By the 1870 census of Wright County (Various Township) the family had grown as follows:
- Pyatt, William T age 40 born NC / mwm / Farmer / $500/$1500
- Pyatt, Elizabeth age 38 born NC / mwf / Keeping House
- Pyatt, Thomas age 12 born MO / swm / School Boy
- Pyatt, Mariah age 8 born MO / swf
- Pyatt, Amanda age 6 born MO / swf
- Pyatt, Margarett age 4 born MO / swf
- Pyatt, Joseph age 2 born MO / swm
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:
- Pyatt, William C age 50 born NC / WM / Married / Farmer / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Elizabeth (wife) age 49 born NC / WF / Married / Keeping House / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Thomas (son) age 22 born MO / WM / Single / School Teacher / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Martha (daughter) age 17 born MO / WF / Single / House Keeping / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Louisa (daughter) age 15 born MO / WF / Single / House Keeping / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Grant (son) age 14 born MO / WM / Single / Farming / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Luvina (daughter) age 12 born MO / WF / Single / House Keeping / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Joseph (son) age 10 born MO / WM / Single / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, John (son) age 9 born MO / WM / Single / father/mother born NC (this family enumerated vol 45 ed 142 sh 14 line 22/25)
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:
- Pyatt, William C born Jan 1830 in NC / 70 on last bday / wm / married for 46 yrs / farmer / father/mother born NC
- Pyatt, Elizabeth (wife) born Nov 1831 in NC / 69 on last bday / wf / married for 46 yrs / 10 children/5 living / father/mother born NC
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:
- Todd, Frances S age 57 born MO / wm / married / farmer / general farm / father/mother born TN
- Todd, Martha (wife) age 57 born MO / wf / married / father/mother born NC
- Eaton, Alva (nephew) age 21 born MO / wm / divorced / jitney driver / for the public / father/mother born MO (this family enumerated #156/167)
Sources:
- Dean Bybee DBybee2864@aol.com
- 1860/1870/1880/1900/1930 Wright Co, MO, census records
- Wright Co, MO, obituaries
- Wright Co, MO, Union Veteran Index
- Mt Zion Cemetery Inscriptions
Updated Jul 2005
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Email: mcpgene@excite.com