Family Tree's Shaky Green Leaves...Ancestor Notice

At this time of the year when writing for the AtoZ April Challenge is foremost on my mind, my ancestor writing falls behind.  I do, however, check on my Family Tree on ancestry.com at least once a week.

So glad I checked in a few weeks ago.  My Tree was budding out with Shaky Green Leaves...hints of new information.  It is not often that a PHOTO hint, other than documents, is an actual PHOTO.  And, it gets better.

This photo is of my 4th Great Uncle and his family taken about 1898...based on daughter Jewels birth date of 1896.  The photo is significant to my Leatherwood Family research as it links the South Carolina Castleberry's and Leatherwoods to the Texas Leatherwoods.

Specifically to my 3x Great Grandmother Mary Josephine Leatherwood Marley and her daughter Martha Jane Marley Carroll, the great grandmother whose 1890-1910 Photo Album was the inspiration to begin the Pittman/Carroll, Marley/ Leatherwood Family Tree and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors.

Earlier this month I wrote about my 5xGreat Grandfather Castleberry's Obituary published in 1841 in Behold The Rumbling Clods.  The line of ascent from Castleberry to Leatherwood occurred with the marriage of Paul's daughter Agnes to Zachariah. 4xUncle Zachariah in the photo was Paul Castleberry's grandson...named after his father Zachariah (my 4th Great Grandfather)...brother to John Moore (my 3x Great Grandfather) and Uncle to Mary Josephine (my 2x Great Grandmother).  One significant link of relationship and South Carolina connection established.

Next significant link...South Carolina to Texas.  Zachariah and Agnes began the migration from South Carolina between 1835 and 1838...based on births of daughter Jane born in South Carolina in 1835 and daughter Polly born in Calhoun County, Alabama, in 1838.   Uncle Zachariah was the 12th of 13 children, and was born in 1853...three years before his older brother's daughter Mary Josephine also born in Calhoun County, Alabama.  The assumption can be made that Uncle and Niece were more like siblings.  Zachariah was about 8 years old when his mother Agnes died leaving him and a younger sister to be raised by his aging father and siblings including John Moore, father of Mary Josephine.

The Leatherwoods left Calhoun County, Alabama, and settled in Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas, after John Moore and brother George Holland served in the 20th Regiment Texas Volunteer Infantry of the Confederacy. 

Zachariah married at age 39 to Emma Richardson, twenty-one years younger.  They had three children...Den and Jewel (pictured) and Winnell.  Zachariah was a farmer in Johnson County and lived there until his death in 1906 at age 52.  His widow was only 31 years old.  The 1910 US Census shows Emma as head of house with her three children, as the owner of house and farm and her occupation as farmer.  Emma lived out her life on the farm until her death at the age of 61.  She is buried beside Zachariah in the Lane Prairie Cemetery, Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas.

Some would say these last links/connections are purely coincidental, but I like to think of them as a 'Meant for Me Finds' for my March Ancestors of the Month.  Here are the March connections:
~Paul Castelberry...born on March 1st.
~Zachariah's Family Photo found on March 6th...also the birthdate of my Uncle and Brother.
~My Father, Pauls 4xGreat Grandson, was born on March 14th.
~Emma died on March 7, 1936.
~Den...son of Zachariah and Emma in the photo;  never married, lived on the family farm with younger sister Wennell until her death at age 69 on January 20, 1961 (my 14th birthday);  died at age 85 on March 21, 1963...the day after the 'First Day of Spring'.
~Jewel...daughter in the photo; married at age 17 and had one son, Billy who was the informant on his Uncle Den's death certificate.

On this day of  March 19, 2016...two days before the First Day of Spring...I hope 'Daffodils' are blooming at the Lane Prairie Cemetery where Zachariah, Emma, Den and Billy are Resting in Peace.

Billy G. Sanders

Oct. 5, 1921~March 13, 2002

~Thank-you~

 'Shaky Green Leaves'