Green and Smitherman Families of Bibb County, Part I

There seem to be at least two Green families in Bibb County, AL, from the 1820's through the 1850's. Squire John Green's family is the most prominent and best documented. But the Greens that I've focused on recently are  Thomas, Selenea, and Joseph Green, who I believe are siblings or at least related.

For simplicity I'm going to break this discussion into two parts because there's a lot of info here. Plus, Joseph may have special meaning for me. So this post is about Thomas and Selenea Green and their connections to the Smithermans.


THOMAS'S RECORDS:

1. He was listed as a customer in Morrison's General Store ledger in the Randolph area of Bibb County for 1838 and 1839, as was Joseph.

http://www.algw.org/bibb/business/morrisonledger.htm

2. According to various family trees, he was born between 1823 and 1830. Here's one:

http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=klumpds&id=I3646

3. Thomas Green and Jackson Gardner were bondsmen on the note for Thomas to marry Margaret Lawrence. William Caddell, Clerk, attested. January 25, 1841. Margaret was the daughter of Edward Lawrence and Sally (Sarah) Smitherman. Jackson Gardner later became Judge of Probate.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9821-31137-19?cc=1743384&wc=M9WB-HFR:n9930421

4. John R. Fulgham, J.P, celebrated the marriage on the 28th of January, 1841. J. R. was married to a Sarah Smitherman.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9821-31515-57?cc=1743384&wc=M9WB-HFR:n9930421

5. Thomas is not mentioned in any census from 1820 - 1850.

6. There is a Thomas Green with land records in Bibb County, but this is from 1858, by which time our Thomas was dead.

http://algw.org/bibb/court/landg.htm

7. Thomas and Margaret Green had three children: Nancy Armenda Green, b. 1841, d. 1931; Sylvenia Jane Green, b. 1843, d. 1932; and William Jackson Green, b. 1847, d. 1919. Two good family trees are located here:

http://www.lawrencefamhis.com/ashton-o/p2803.htm#i70051

and here:

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/18691802/person/1803345744?ssrc=

8. Thomas probably died between 1847 and 1849. Youngest child William's birthdate was December 22, 1847, which gives a conception date around April 1847. Margaret remarried James Monroe Wright on December 3, 1849.

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&MS_AdvCB=1&db=ALmarriages_ga&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=2&msT=1&gss=angs-d&gsfn_x=1&gsln=green&gsln_x=1&uidh=wy5&mssns0=wright&mssns0_x=1&pcat=34&fh=0&h=30095&recoff=7+24&ml_rpos=1

9. According to his children's U.S. Census entries from 1880 onward, Thomas was born in either Alabama or North Carolina. The majority of entries list his birthplace as AL.

10. In summary: Thomas Green was born between 1823 and 1830, probably in AL. In 1846 in Bibb County he married Margaret Lawrence, daughter of Edward and Sally Smitherman Lawrence. He had three children: Nancy, Sylvenia, and William Jackson. He died between 1847 and 1849.



SELENEA'S RECORDS:

1. According to the 1850 U.S. Census for MI, Selenea or Silina or other spellings was born about 1828 in AL.

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8054&iid=4195938-00329&fn=Selana&ln=Smithman&st=d&ssrc=&pid=3343196

2. On April 25, 1846, William Smitherman and R(euben) H. Oakley (married to Susannah Smitherman) obtained a bond in Bibb County so that Smitherman could marry Selenea Green. John Suttle was the clerk. 

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9820-36142-69?cc=1743384&wc=M9WB-HNS:n1722260297

3. Selenea and William were married in Bibb County on April 28, 1846, by Johns Lathem, J. P. 

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9820-36427-43?cc=1743384&wc=M9WB-HNS:n1722260297

4. Selena's stepfather W. W. Bradley signed a permission slip allowing them to marry. 

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9820-36368-17?cc=1743384&wc=M9WB-HNS:n1722260297

5. The next time we see Selenea is the 1850 US Census for Mississippi, where William Smithman is living in Twp 16 R6E. He is 32, born, TN, no money, a farmer. Also in the household are Selana, 22, born AL, and John, born MS. Neighbors: Ruff, Milton Bradley (Selenea’s step-dad?? See #7 below). They must have moved to MS about 1846-7 because baby John was born then. 

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8054&iid=4195938-00329&fn=Selana&ln=Smithman&st=d&ssrc=&pid=3343196

6. In the 1860 U.S. Census for MS, William Smitherman is living in Twp 15, Range 8, Attala, Maltona Springs P.O.  He is 40, born AL, laborer on farm, $50. Also in the household are John 12, Mary, 10, and Ann, 8. All born MS. Selenea is not in the household; the assumption is that she died between 1852 and 1860. Neighbors: Poe, Kimbrough, Stone, Mathis.

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7667&iid=4233360_00320&fn=John&ln=Sautherman&st=d&ssrc=&pid=38594453

7. Remember that "W.W. Bradley" signed the permission slip for Selenea, "his daughter," to marry. 

Digressing slightly (or should it be "regressing" or "going back in time"), in 1830 W. W. Bradley is in Capt. Buckhannon’s District, Autauga County, AL. In the household are one male 0 - 5 (may be James), one male 20 - 30 (Melton W. W.). Also in the household are three females 0 - 5 (Selenea plus two unknown females) and one female 20 - 30 (Martha). Neighbors: Peterson, Putt, Temple, Turner, Lewis, Norres, Rogers, Robins, Morris, Chandler, Crumpler, Martin, Turner, Chancellor, Myrick, Nelson. 

http://interactive.ancestry.com/8058/4409667_00240/1014379?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

8. Following this line: in the 1840 U.S. Census for AL, W. W. Bradley is in Nixburg, Coosa County. In the household are one male 5 - 10 (James?), one male 30 - 40 (Melton W.W.). Also two females 0 - 5, two females 5 - 10 (Ann & Sarah), one female 15 - 20 (Selenea), and one female 30 - 40 (Martha). Neighbors: Suttles, Lea, Coker, Benson, Harrell, Griffin, Ray, Robertson, Cobbins, Crumpler, Smith, Cato, Robinson. Note the age gap between the young females. 

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8057&iid=4409668_00602&fn=W+W&ln=Bradley&st=r&ssrc=&pid=1427230

9. Let's look at the person who may be Selenea's stepfather in the 1850 U.S. Census for MS.

In the 1850 U.S. Census for MS, Melton Bradley is 51, a farmer, born VA, $300. Also in the household are Martha, 48, born NC; and children James, 21, born AL; Ann, 13; Sarah, 11; Miles, 9, and Frances, 4. All children are born AL, which indicates that the family moved there around 1845 - 1847—just the same as Selenea's family. 

Note that there's an age gap of 8 years between James and Ann. 

10. In summary: Selenea was born in AL about 1828. Her stepfather was W. W. Bradley; it's possible her mother was Martha MNU (Maiden Name Unknow) Bradley, born 1802 in NC. In 1846 in Bibb County, AL, Selenea married William Smitherman. Reuben H. Oakely, married to a Smitherman, was on the marriage bond. Johns Lathem performed the ceremony. She and William had three children: John, Mary, and Ann. Selenea probably died between 1842 and 1850. 

So Thomas and Selenea shared the surname "Green," both were probably born in AL in the 1820s, and both married Smithermans and had lots of Smitherman connections.

In addition, they share those connections with Joseph. But there are some facts about Joseph that make him even more interesting than these two. What facts??

Read Part II!!!!