Samuel Westray d. 1827 | his parents
& Sarah Bradford Turner d. 1839 | his parents
& David Short d. 1797 | his parents
of Nash County, NC
This is my working hypothesis – the way I see it as of this moment!!
By 1799, Samuel Westray of Nash County had married Sarah Bradford Turner, the widow of David Short, who died in 1797 in Northampton County NC.
Children of Samuel Westray and Sarah Bradford Turner:
1. Martha Smith Westray
married Dr. John Arrington
a. Richard T Arrington of Petersburg VA
married Bettie J
b. Sallie Bradford Arrington died April 1894
Married 10 June 1847, Dr. John T Watson ca 1824 – Petersburg VA
i. Alice W Watson ca 1848 –
Married to P W Arrington of Petersburg VA
ii. Sidney P Watson ca 1850 – of Atlanta GA
married Anna
iii. Sally B Watson ca 1852 –
iv. Kate Smith Watson ca 1855 –
Married J L Peebles of Petersburg VA
v. Joshua Watson ca 1856 – of Lampasas TX
married Annie
vi. Charles R Watson ca 1860 – of New York
vii. Walter H Watson ca 1862 – of Philadelphia PA
married Jennie
viii. Paul Watson ca 1865 – of Atlanta GA
married Jessie
ix. Arthur Page Watson ca 1868 – of New York
x. Pattie W Watson of Philadelphia PA
c. Samuel P Arrington died before 1894
i. Rosa G Arrington
married T F Heath of Petersburg VA
ii. John W Arrington of Richmond VA
married Mary Carter
iii. Sallie W Arrington of Warrenton NC
iv. Peter Arrington of Warrenton NC
v. Jessie K Arrington
married M H Palmer of Warrenton NC
vi. Richard B Arrington ca 1873 –
vii. William J Arrington
viii. Lilly Arrington
2. Turner P Westray 1801 – 1868 Nash County
married 3 May 1836 Sarah Matilda Moore ca 1812 – 30 Sept 1865
a. Samuel E Westray 1838 – 1894
Sam Westray 1838-1894
- Sally Harriott Westray
married Nash Co 3 Dec 1822 James Smith Battle 1786 – 1854
[a descendant of Capt. James Smith of Scotland Neck and thus a Nicholas Smith desc.]
a. William S Battle 1823 – 1915
Married Elizabeth M
b. Martha Ann Battle 14 Feb 1833 – 16 Mar 1913
married Kemp P Battle 1831 – 1918
c. Turner W Battle 1827 – 1895
Married Lavinia P
d. Mary Eliza Battle
married Jan 1858 William F Dancy
married Newsome Jones Pittman
Sarah Bradford Turner of Southside Virginia first married David Short who died intestate in Northampton County, NC in March 1797
Children of Sarah Bradford Turner and David Short of Northampton Co NC:
1. William D. Short 26 Jan 1792 – bef 1825
Married Sally G ? 27 Jan 1791 –
a. Mary Jane Short 26 Oct 1814 – bef 1894
Married 31 Aug 1831 Bennett J Jordan
i. William Smith Jordan
b. Jordan Hill Short 16 April 1817 – bef 1894
Settled and died in Livingston, Sumter County AL –
i. Fannie W Pickens
ii. Hardy N Short
iii. Marshall C Short
c. Thomas William Short 4 Jan 1819 – before 1894
i. Genevra C Short
married W G Wilkinson
ii. Maude E Short
married M W Gross
iii. Cornelia Battle Short Cherry – died before 1894
1. Addie Mae Cherry
2. Annie Cutler Cherry
d. Sarah Bradford Short 11 Feb 1821? – after 1894
married Stark
2. John Joseph Short bef 1797 – 7 Oct 1825 Nash Co
3. Mary Ann [Polly] Short bef 1797 – 1825/30
Married Dr. Isaac T Sessums 1786/90 –
a. Harriott Eliza Sessums died bef 1894
Married Dr. Joseph Drake
b. Solomon David Sessums 1821 – 1895 MS.
rem. to MS 1845
married in NC 13 Dec 1842 Lucy Elizabeth Sills – 1849
i. Lucy S Sessums 1849 – only issue
married 2nd H E
| Sessums, MS – a village in Oktibbeha County named for Captain Solomon David Sessums – He was born in North Carolina in 1821 and married there in 1840. In 1845, they came to Mississippi, and he procured land for his plantation. He gave a right of way across his land to the Mobile & Ohio Railroad and the Company named the town Sessums in honor of him. He was a Captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. – His first house on his plantation was a six-room log house; it burned and was replaced by two-story colonial frame house with full length porches on both sides of the house both upstairs and downstairs. It was located on a beautiful wooded knoll with the family cemetery back of the house on another knoll. Captain Solomon David Sessums was buried there in 1895. Since early in this century, the Sessums family has been gone; the plantation house fell into disrepair and the land has new owners. Infomation was provided by Sue O’Hearn included in Morgan’s “Nicholas Sessoms” |
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
e-mail from Bill Daniel 16 March 2005
Dear Sally:
I have enjoyed your website in the past and was looking it over recently when I noticed some information on the Short family in the Westray article which looked familiar.
The family Bible, which belonged to my gg grandparents,
was left to me by my grandmother.
My gg grandparents were John T. Ligon (1816-1849) and Martha Jane Barham (1825-1896) who came from
Wake & Johnston Counties, NC to Pickens County, AL.
There are several entries regarding the Short family in this Bible, as follows:
William D. Short, son of David and Sarah Short, was born January 26th, 1792.
Sarah G. Short, wife of Wm. D. Short, was born January 27th, 1791.
Mary Jane Short, daughter of Wm. and Sarah Short, was born Oct. 26th, 1814.
Jordan Hill Short, son of Ditto, was born Apr. 16th, 1817.
Thomas William Short, son of Ditto, was born Jan. 4th, 1819.
Sarah Bradford Short, daughter of Ditto, was born Feb. 11, 182? (can’t read
– probably 1821)
Bennett J. Jordan and Mary Jane Short were married 31st of Aug. AD 1831.
My grandmother always said that her grandfather or grandmother bought the Bible from the Short family. I presume the parents had died?
All I know of this family is that Jordan Short settled and died in Livingston, Sumter County, AL which neighbors Pickens County where my family settled.
Jordan apparently married and had a family there but have not traced them.
Hope this helps complete your record.
Bill Daniel
Birmingham, AL
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Notes from David Gammon:
Samuel Westray died intestate in Nash County in 1827. According to estate
records, he left the following heirs:
1. Dr. John Arrington, husband of Martha Westray, a daughter
2. Turner P. Westray, son
3. Sarah B. Westray (widow of Samuel)
4. James S. Battle, husband of Sally Harriett Westray, another daughter
John Joseph Short (son of David Short and Sarah Bradford Turner), died
without issue in Nash County, October 7, 1825, after being declared a lunatic
in 1818, at which time his stepfather Samuel Westray was appointed his
guardian. When Short died, Mourning Short, his supposed widow, claimed the
estate, but Short’s heirs disputed that the marriage ever took place.
According to court records, John Joseph Short married Mourning Ricks in
February 24. The heirs of John Joseph Short in 1825 were:
1. Isaac Sessums and wife Mary Ann (whole sister)
2. James S. Battle and wife Sally H. (half-sister)
3. Dr. John Arrington and wife Martha (half-sister)
4. Turner P. Westray (half-brother)
5. Samuel Westray and wife Sally B. (mother and step-father)
6. Mary, Sarah, Jordan, and Thomas Short, all minor children of William D.
Short, deceased, for whom Sally G. Short was their guardian. (nieces and
nephews)
The record is more confusing when Sarah Bradford Turner Short Westray dies in
Nash in 1839. This indivates shares of her estate were paid to:
1. James S. Battle for wife Sally H.
2. James S. Battle as guardian of Sarah B. Short
3. James S. Battle as guardian of William S. Jordan
4. Dr. John Arrington for wife Martha
5. Joseph A. Drake for wife Harriett
6. Isaac Sessums as guardian of Solomon D. Sessums
7. Jordan H. Short
8. John Arrington as guardian of Thomas Short
I think Turner Westray was omitted from this list for some reason. It also
looks as if Mary Short (dau. of William D. Short) may have married a Jordan
and died leaving an only child – William S. Jordan. Likewise, Solomon D.
Sessums appears to be the only issue of Mary Ann Short Sessums.
Claiborne Smith told me there is a plaque in the church of the Good Shepherd
in Rocky Mount to William S. Jordan — he apparently was very wealthy and
left money to the church. He has always been a mystery to me!
I just found an abstract of the will of Sarah B. Westray of Nash, dated 8
Sept. 1838 and proved at May Court 1839. It straightens out a few things in
the division — first of all, son Turner P. Westray was executor, but was not
left a share — this explains why he is not listed with the others.
1. Daughter Sarah Harriott, wife of James S. Battle
2. Daughter Martha Smith, wife of Dr. John Arrington.
3. Grandchildren Sarah B. Short, Jourdan Hill Short, and Thomas Short
(children of my deceased son William Short)
4. Grandchildren Harriott Eliza, wife of Dr. Joseph Drake; and Solomon David
Sessums (children of my daughter Mary Ann Sessums, wife of Dr. Isaac Sessums)
5. Great-grandchild William Smith Jourdan, the child of Mary Jane Jourdan.
So, it’s perhaps a little vague as to the identity of William Smith Jourdan
— but since William D. Short (son of David Short and Sarah) is noted as
having a daughter Mary, I suspect she is the Mary Jane Jourdan, mother of
William Smith Jourdan.
The names of Jordan Hill and others make me want to tie this family into
Franklin County for some reason—-
DG