The Revolutionary War soldier Stephen Staples and his wife Mary Starke are the author's paternal 5th great-grandparents. According to Mrs. Howard H. McCall [1], Stephen Staples was born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1749. He served as a private under Col. Elijah Clarke and Col. Stephen Heard. Although his name cannot be found on the monument at the Battle of Kettle Creek site, his name can be found in Lucian Lamar Knight's book entitled Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends. [2]
As published in The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1-No. 1, March 1917
(Internet sourced)
Stephen Staples' ancestry has been thoroughly researched by members of the Staples Family History Association [4] and the author has provided some of their research below. [5] We also have the book written by Michael Martin Farmer entitled "The Genealogy of the Webster, Martin, Dozier, Staples and Stark Families of Wilkes Co., GA. ...".
According to the Staples Family History Association, Stephen's father and grandfather were both named Thompson/Thomas Staples of Lunenburg County, VA. [6] Grandfather Thompson's father and grandfather were both named Richard. The first Richard was from London, England and he settled in Jamestown in the mid-1600s. The descendants of Richard spread throughout the southeastern US.
Stephen's wife Mary Starke appears to have a very distinguished family history which some researchers have traced back to Alfred the Great (circa 894-901).
STEPHEN STAPLES - WILKES COUNTY, GEORGIA
The earliest land record found for Stephen in Wilkes was what appears to be dated in 1785 where he bought 200 acres of land along Little River from John Burney. Then in January 1792, he purchased 100 acres of land on Little River from Elisha Smallwood. Note that Kettle Creek flows into the Little River just south of the Battle of Kettle Creek historic site.
In 1796, he took his brother-in-law Philip Jones Starke to court where he won a judgement in the amount of $14.54.
Stephen Staples' Estate
Stephen died about 1805 leaving a widow (Mary) and 16 children. The Georgia Archives has a few records for the estate of Stephen Staples. Among these papers is a transcribed copy of his Will and a few other documents involving his estate. We also have the research of a Mr. M.C. Kiser of Atlanta in the 1940s. [7] The appraisers of his estate were Henry and John Riveire and David Mills. It also appears that a William Starke owed $8200 to the estate - This William might be Stephen's brother-in-law, brother of his wife Mary. The estate value appears to be $4916 (approx. $132,000 today) which included at least two slaves.
Will of Stephen Staples, Wilkes County, Georgia
(FamilySearch.org)
1818 Estate document of Stephen Staples
(GA Archives)
His widow Mary, remarried in 1807 to a Mr. William Dodson.
His Will names the following children, in the following order: Elizabeth Dozier, Mary Harris, Sarah Vaughn, Charity Alexander, Nancy, Thomas, Rebecca, Tileah, Jincy, Julia, Frankie, Lukin, Lucy and Judah.
In 1818, several of the legatees of Stephen Staples sold land on Little River to Sherod Little: James Dozier, Robert Harris, Thomas Staples, John Saggers/Saggus, William Dodson, Daniel Vaughn, Benjamin Harden, Sherwood Roberts, Jacob Hoge, James Harden, William Berry/Boring (guardian of Judith Staples), Richard Dozier (admn. of Leonard Dozier decd). 12 living legatees as of 1818.
(From the book, Story of Wilkes County, Eliza Bowen)
In the 1940s, Mr. M.C. Kiser compiled the following list of children of Stephen and Mary:
- Elizabeth - b. 1779, d. 1847; Married James Dozier April 4, 1794 (Bible record, GA Archives)
- Mary - b. 1780; Married Robert Harris
- Sarah - b. 1782; Married Daniel Vaughn
- Charity - b. 1783; Married Ezekiel Alexander
- Thomas - b. 1785; Married Lizzie Eilson (sic - Elizabeth Eidson)
- Nancy - b. 1787; Married Lee Dozier
- Rebecca - b. 1788; Married Benjamin Hardin
- Jinsey (sic - Jenny/Ginnie) - b. 1789; Married John Martin
- Zillah - b. 1790; Married William Harris
- Jincy - b. 1792; Married Jacob Hogue
- Julia - b. 1793; Married James Hardin
- Frances - b. 1795; Married John Sagus
- Lucretia - b. 1797; Married Sherwood Roberts
- Lucinda - b. 1798; Married Sherwood Roberts
- Stephen - b. 1800 & d. 1800
- Judy/Judith - b. 1801; Married Thomas Sanders
The author has only reviewed his line of Thomas Staples and Elizabeth Eidson so he cannot comment on the accuracy of the rest of the names on Mr. Kiser's list. Apparently there is a family Bible record of daughter Julia Staples that lists the above information.
The author did find a newspaper article about Charity and her husband Ezekiel Alexander. They were both murdered by slaves in Columbia County, GA (near Augusta) in 1814. [9]
Murder of Ezekiel Alexander and his wife Charity Staples Alexander
Athens Gazette, August 18, 1814
THOMAS STAPLES (son of Stephen Staples and Mary Stark)
As noted above, Thomas was the only son of Stephen and Mary to reach adulthood. He died in 1824. He married Elizabeth Eidson, daughter of John Eidson and Judith Richardson. Upon his death, several administrators were appointed, one of which was James Eidson, his brother-in-law.
Thomas owned land on Little River, some of which was sold for debts in 1810.
James Eidson is probably Thomas Staples' brother-in-law
Thomas and Elizabeth had only 3 children: Judy, John and Eliza.
- Judy - married Edward Waller and they had 4 children (unnamed)
- Elizabeth - no information
- John - b. abt 1810; d. abt 1849; Married Jane Frances Pinkston, daughter of Greenberry Pinkston and Anne Eidson.
John Staples and Jane Pinkston marriage June 14, 1837
(FamilySearch.org)
Rock Methodist Church Historic Marker
Jane Pinkston Staples, Charter Member
(Author photo)
John can be found on the 1840 census living in District 174 of Wilkes County near Edward Waller, Tillman Dozier, Herbert Reveire, Thomas R. Eidson, Philip Combs and his son Philip F. Combs, Ezekiel Dozier and William Smallwood. Note: Tillman Dozier is the son of James Dozier and Elizabeth Staples.
1830 & 1840 Censuses, District 174 Wilkes County, GA
Waller, Eidson, Dozier, Smallwood, Staples, Combs
Note that the names of Tillman Dozier and James Harris can be found as witnesses to the Will of John Staples that was written in 1849. Tillman Dozier was the son of James Dozier and Elizabeth Staples (see above). His Will lists his wife, daughter Sarah and David Cosby (see below).
John Staples and Jane Pinkston had only 1 known child Sarah Elizabeth: - Sarah Elizabeth Staples married Francis G. Colley. Sarah Elizabeth Staples was born March 14, 1838 and she died March 6, 1912. She and her husband Frank are buried at the Rock UMC cemetery in Rayle, GA (Wilkes County). Sarah's widowed mother Jane is shown living with Frank and Sarah on the 1860 census. This living situation is logical since Sarah Elizabeth (her daughter) is likely her only living descendant. For more on Sarah and Frank and their descendants, visit the author's COLLEY family research HERE.
Sarah Elizabeth Staples (1838-1912) about 1880-1890
Married Francis G. Colley
(From cousin Will Jackson - family photograph)
The following clipping of the 1850 census provides a lot of the author's personal family history. First of all, it shows the author's 3rd great-grandmother Jane Pinkston Staples, 2nd great-grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Staples (see photo above), 4th great-grandparents Joseph H. Talbot and his wife Bethany Callaway Talbot, and 3rd great-grandaunt Atha Pinkston Cosby all living close together in the Rayle community. Nancy Talbot, daughter of Joseph and Bethany, married Spain Colley and Spain's son Franklin married Sarah Elizabeth Staples. Enough to make one's head spin!
1850 census
His son-in-law David Cosby is listed as well as his cousins James Harris and Tilman Dozier
(Ancestry.com)
Regarding David Cosby .... David appears to be the brother-in-law of John Staples: David married Atha C. Pinkston the sister of Jane Frances Pinkston (Staples). In the Will of John Staples, David was listed as the guardian/trustee of his daughter (Sarah Elizabeth Staples - see below). David was also listed as a witness to the Will of John Staples in 1849. Now, the mother of David Cosby is likely Lucy Eidson the daughter of Thomas Eidson. Note that "Lucy Cosby's children" were paid shares from the estate of Thomas Eidson in 1833. The author suspects that there is a close familial relationship between Anne Eidson (married Greenberry Pinkston) and Lucy Eidson (married David Cosby). Thomas Eidson was the guardian for Sarah Eidson, the daughter of John Eidson (brother of Thomas) after her father died. The exact relationship between Thomas and John Eidson is not clear to the author at this time and his research of the Eidson family is still incomplete so it is very hard to draw any conclusions about all of these relationships. See the author's Eidson research HERE.
Frances Freeman Cosby
(Atlanta Constitution, May 9, 1937)
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[1] Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia, 1968, p. 205.
[2] According to Mr. Knight, the primary source of the names of the soldiers is Mrs. T.M. Green of Washington, Georgia. This is probably Annulet "Metta" Andrews Green (1845-1925) whose father and son were politicians.
[3] Interestingly, the author has maternal ancestors listed on the memorial (Absalom Davis and John Cunningham; the Captain Anderson noted above is Captain Robert Anderson who helped to raise the author's maternal 4th great-grandmother (Mary, wife of Robert Lemon - see my research on the Lemon, Davis & Davidson families).[4] This organization now appears to be defunct. For many years they were active and published many newsletter with family history information. I was fortunate to locate several of their newsletters that were hardcover bound into a book. Many libraries and archives may have these newsletters. The early Staples family history extends from New England to the Deep South. The January 1982 edition of their newsletter pertains to our branch of the Staples family.
[5] The New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, MA maintains the research done by the Staples Family Association which apparently disbanded in the 1980s. I was able to maintain most of their newsletters from this organization. Visit www.nehgs.org
[6]I found several Lunenburg County road orders for a Thomas Staples in 1th 1700s. One of which included the Maherin River which is in the very southern portion of the county - almost in NC.
[7] Georgia Archives, Family Files Section.
[8] Miss Bowen was provided with incorrect information about Frank Colley's ancestry with regards to the Staples family: It was his wife Sarah Elizabeth Staples whose family history is noted. Regarding the reference to the Staples and Heard families arriving together, Miss Bowen is probably referring to Georgia Gov. Stephen Heard whose family was also from Hanover County, Virginia. Although he owned thousands of acres of land in Wilkes, he is said to have lived on land at the head of the Little River in Wilkes County. Interestingly, Stephen Heard was said to have married a Carroll. Sarah Elizabeth Staples' great-grandmother was Athaliah/Athaliza Carroll who married Shadrach Pinkston. Shadrack was in General George Washington's Life Guards. These Wilkes County Georgia families are so intertwined and related that it is difficult to sort all of the family connections.
[9] This is the 2nd known murder by a slave that I have found for my ancestors in Wilkes County. The other death was Elizabeth Colley Burns - the sister of Francis G. Colley above. See my Colley research HERE.