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William and Matilda Loving Pyatt

William Pyatt was born c1816/1818 in North Carolina (possibly Cherokee County). It is not known who his parents were though he has been erroneously connected to both Benjamin and Polly 'Mira' Fox (does not appear in family bible or will of Benjamin Pyeatt) and William and Cynthia Fox Pyatt (who had a son named William Calton Pyeatt who married Elizabeth Alford. It is almost certain that he ties into one of these families due to the fact that he lived near these families in his early years and later moved to Missouri with them. William died August 12 (or 1st), 1897.

William married Matilda Loving who was born June 5, 1821 in Burke County, North Carolina to William and Elizabeth Fair Loving and who died after 1907. Elizabeth Fair Loving (whose name is also given as "Fur" in her grandchildren's Eastern Cherokee Application) had a brother named, Lige Fair and she died in 1885. Elizabeth's mother was Nancy Choate Fair. Nancy was claimed to be a Cherokee according to testimony of Henry H Hampton who said she died in the 1840s and is buried near the Baptist Mission on the Indian Reservation in Cherokee County near the Hiawassee River. William and Elizabeth lived in North Carolina in 1851.

William and Matilda had the following known children:

In 1900 Martha Pyatt Sherman claimed to have had 7 children with 5 still living. However, they had 7 children with them in 1880 and she had an additional one born in 1880 making a total of 8. I have to wonder if the oldest child, John, was the product of a first marriage for Thomas.

The marriage for James N Pyatt is indexed in Polk County, Missouri, as "James H Pyatt" and "Emly Elizabeth Jane Gambol both of Benton County, AR".

Where was William on the 1840 census? Since he had children born on both sides of that census in North Carolina - I need to figure out which William he was. That might give me a clue as to his parentage.

William and family appeared on the 1850 census of North Carolina - Cherokee County - Murphytown as follows:

This family was enumerated #157/157 pg 12B (ancestry image 24/155); neighbors were William Pyatt Sr and wife Cynthia, William Pyatt and wife Sarah; #153 James & Elizabeth Hughes, #154 Nathan & Polly Broihill, #155 Abram & Catherine Faw, #156 Samuel Johnson, #158 William & Elizabeth Lovin, #159 William & Mary Zimmerman, #160 Soloman & Avaline ?Heavey. While it may appear at first that William's father would have been the William Sr enumerated nearby, at that time, a junior and senior only denoted an elder and younger man of the same name, not necessarily a father/son relationship. Matilda's parents (at #158) appeared as follows:

About 1857/58 John S. Pyatt, Joseph Pyatt and William Calton Pyatt (the sons of William and Cynthia A Fox Pyatt) and their families started west. Some say they started for Kansas. They stopped in Wright County, Missouri, and many descendants are still there today. William and wife Matilda went with these three Pyatt brothers. William and Matilda Loving Pyatt were on the 1860 census in Webster County, Missouri, and then removed from there to Benton County, Arkansas. William is most likely a cousin of these three brothers, at least one connection is that Cynthia Fox Pyatt's mother was Elizabeth Loving, the daughter of Gabriel Loving.

William and family appeared as follows on the 1860 census of Hazelwood Township, Webster County, Missouri:

The family was enumerated #124/124 22 Aug 1860 sheet 19 pg (ancestry image 19/25). Their neighbors were #118 Pleasant & Edna Davis, #119 William & Sarah Glenn, #120 John & Mary Ann Hall, #121 Samuel & Jane Cook, #122 Moses Young, #123 Thomas H & Sarah Cantrell, #125 James & Martha Pitchford, #126 Eli & Elizabeth Pitchford, #127 Syrus & Mary J Pitchford, #128 John Norfsinger. I do not know why this William settled in Webster County instead of in Wright County were his ?cousins had decided to settle.

They were enumerated in Bentonville, Benton County, Arkansas, on the 1870 census as follows:

This family was enumerated #720/720 27 July 1870 pg 296A.

By the 1880 census, the family was in Colville, Benton County, Arkansas, as follows:

Lafayette Pyatt, age 33 born NC, lived in Benton County as well. He is appears to be their son, William L Pyatt, so I have added the information from this census enumeration to the son above.

In 1896 D L Duncan (a recognized citizen of the Cherokee tribe) claimed to be related by marriage and to be well acquainted with the Truitt and Duncan families. This was in regard to Pyatt attempts to apply for Cherokee citizenship.

Who are the John S and Mary A Pyatt born c1822 and c1824 in North Carolina on the 1910 census of Webster County, Missouri?

Sources:

Updated Aug 2013

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Email: pyeattm@excite.com