1.WilliamGreenberryRay, born April 27, 1832 in Fayette Co, Alabama*+; died 1906 in Midway, Hot Spring Co., Arkansas. He was the son of 2. GreenberryC.Ray and 3. CatherineB.Collins. He married (1) NancyVirginiaDrake January 30, 1856 in Itawamba Co., Mississippi***. She was born June 1836 in Pike Co., Georgia*, and died 1910 in Midway, Arkansas. She was the daughter of William Drake and Martha.
Notes for William Greenberry Ray:
Hallie Ray thought her grandfather's middle name was 'Greenhill'. His tombstone in the cemetery of the Social Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Hot Spring County, AR reads only William G. Ray. My research, and that of others, more strongly suggests "Greenberry" after his father. I feel confident enough to use Greenberry from here on. GLM 4/5/98.
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US CENSUS - 1860- ITAWAMBA COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI : FULTON Post Office
1584/1584
WM. G. WRAY 27-M farmer $400 $355 b. ala
Nancy V.. " 20-f b.Ga
James N. " 4-m b.Miss
Thomas J. " 1-m b.Do
George W. " 2/12-m b.Do
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War Department Record
Washington, D.C.
6 February, 1948
The records show that William G. Ray a private of Captain William H. H. Tison's Company, 19th Regiment Mississippi volunteers, which subsequently became Company K, 19th Regiment Mississippi Infantry, Confederate States Army, enlisted 26 February 1862, at Baldwyn, Mississippi, occupation a farmer and born in Fayette County, Alabama.
He was discharged at Lynchburg, Virginia, 21 October 1862, by reason of disability.
His name appears on a list of prisoners paroled for exchange at Corinth, Mississippi and sent through the lines at Iuka, Mississippi, 26 December 1862, which shows his residence as Tishomingo County, Mississippi.
s/s Edward F. Witsell, Major General
The Adjutant General
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Company K of the 19th Regiment Mississippi Infantry was also named the "Jake Thompson Guards".
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The 1860 US Census for Itawamba Co.,MS shows Wm. H. H. Tison(37) b. in AL and US Marshal with real estate valued at 12,100 and personal property of 14,818. The assets suggest he owned slaves. He conducted the 1860 US Census for Itawamba County. Tison had a very fine record in the war. He was wounded at least twice and was a colonel at the end!
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Records obtained from the National Archives Trust Fund Board in Jan, 1997 included photocopies of extracts from the muster rolls for Company K, 19th Reg't Mississippi Vols. Also, copies of WGR's certificate of disability for discharge from the Army of the Confederate States were included. These documents indicate that WGR was enlisted on Feb. 26, 1862 by Capt. Wm. H. H. Tison and mustered into his company in early March near Yorktown, VA. By May 29 or June 1, 1862 he had been admitted to the Chimborazo Hospital No. 4, Richmond, Virginia. He continued to be carried on the muster rolls as "absent and hospitalized" for several more months. On Oct. 21, 1862 he was discharged at Lynchburg, VA because of " debility and incipient tuberculosis of the right lung". During the preceding two months "said soldier has been unfit for duty sixty days". Apparently, while making his way home, he was taken by Union forces north of Marrietta, MS on Dec. 16, 1862, but was sent through the lines on Dec. 26. WGR is described as 6 ft. tall, hazel eyes, dark hair, and dark complexion.
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Excerpt from: THE CIVIL WAR An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns
"When the war began there were just 16 army hospitals in all of the North. By its end, the Union was running more than 350 hospitals, the Confederacy 154.
The biggest and best, North or South, was Chimorazo at Richmond, with 8,000 beds, 5 soup houses, 200 dairy cattle, a herd of goats, a 400-keg brewery, and a bakery that turned out 10,000 loaves of bread a day. But even the most up-to-date institutions could do very little. ...."
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ITAWAMBA COUNTY MISSISSIPPI DURING THE CIVIL WAR from Itawamba Co. Historical Society:
For the most part Itawamba County was composed of small farmers during antebellum times. Most of the crops were wheat, corn, barley, some cotton and other subsistence crops on farms of less than 200 acres with less than three or no slaves. Itawamba County was a small slave holding county. However in the western part of the county were several large plantations where the planter class mostly lived with their slaves. These large farms of more than 5000 acres and more than 50 slaves were located on fertile lands along the Tombigbee, Boguefala, Mantachie and Twenty- Mile Creek areas. Western
Itawamba was more suitable for larger farms, with the land for the most part , being gently rolling with several fertile bottoms. Most of the land in eastern Itawamba was too rugged for large scale farming with the topographic relief too extreme for large farms. By the time the Civil War began western Itawamba had strong Confederate feelings, while the eastern portion had some Union sentiment. The remainder of the county had mixed allegiances. As a whole Itawamba was pro-Confederate. Many Itawambans fought for the Union. After the Civil War, Itawamba County saw a large number of its citizens leave the county. Most immigrated to Texas.
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Oral history from Mrs Claudia Belle Russell Ray and from Hallie Ray Mayer indicates that after being paroled; WGR moved with his family to Texas to escape the ravages of war and Reconstruction in Mississippi. After the 1870 Census (probably between 1872 and 1874 according to the birthplaces of children), some of the family started to move back to Mississippi. A child died on the way back, while in Arkansas. The family liked the area around Midway/Friendship/Malvern and decided to take up land and stay there instead of continuing on to Mississippi. Another reason they may have been in the area may have been that Nancy Virginia's brother Charles Wesley Drake had recently settled there. One or two sons may have remained in the area of Paris, Texas. Apparently WGR prospered in Arkansas and owned quite a lot of farm land. As his sons grew up and married, He gave each 75 acres of land and a horse. This seems to have been a family tradition and common for the times.--GLM
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WAGONTRAIN TO TEXAS 1869-- FROM WFT 4332 : "From a diary about the migration of the Ray family from Itawamba County, Mississippi to Johnson County, Texas in 1869":
"In the fall of 1869 about thirty families, making a hundred people all told, started for Texas from Mississippi in thirty-seven ox wagons - a long caravan to come on a long journey, like a traveling town. It took nine weeks to make the trip. We crossed the Mississippi River at Memphis, where the bottoms were sixty miles wide. Our hardships were many, for we had to cross many rivers and small streams, usually at each crossing some of our cattle and oxen being drowned. Yet, though we passed through country in which daring robberies had been perpetrated, none of our caravan was robbed by thieves.
The Mississippi River was an experience never to be forgotten. It was late in the day and raining hard. There were two ferrys and one of them rammed into the tongue of fathers wagon breaking it causing a delay as we had to go back to get it mended. Some of the party had to spend the night in the wagon yards in Memphis and others camped on the other side of the river and waited for us. During the Journey to Texas the little traveling town experienced everything from death to marriages. There were several cases of pneumonia. Uncle, who was a minister, married a couple. That night the marriage was celebrated by singing songs and playing fiddles. The celebration ended with a sweet potato roasting.
Upon reaching Texas some of the families settled in Kaufman County, the majority went on to Johnson County, while a few went on to Hill, Bosque and Hood Counties. Thomas Priddy went to Johnson Co. and then moved back up to Kaufman. Among those who settled in Johnson Co. were: Bill Ray* and his wife and ten children; Henry Cooper and wife*; Green B. Ray*and his wife and six children; Tom Reeves and wife; George Caruthers; Bud Porter and wife (married on the way); Bill Crownover and wife; Bill Reeves and wife and six children; Bill Priddy and wife and ten children; Old Tom Priddy (a Baptist preacher); Newt Reeves and wife and four children; George Reeves and wife and four children; A. J. Reeves and wife and six children; Mrs. Delilah Ewing* and one son, Henry; Gilbert Ewing and wife and six children; John L. Ewing and Wife, Laney Ewing; William Ewing and wife, Martha Ann Ray Ewing*, and ten children; Berry Webb and wife; Lum Priddy and wife.
When the group arrived at Cleburn, a little village, we camped near the spring, which was just a bank of a stream about as big as a washtub. It was Christmas Eve and preacher Tom Priddy said a prayer of thanks for our safe arrival.
The next morning after our arrival we went on to the farm where Hopkins lives now, near the Nolan River, near Old Wardville, where some made tents and used the wagons until the men could build some cabins. The house was two large rooms with a hall between and a large lean-to that served as a kitchen and dining room. The large rooms were used for bed rooms and living rooms. At first they had dirt floors until logs were hewn to fit. Later, better houses were built."
NOTE: When this group reached Johnson Co., TX, there were already people named Ray in the county. Perhaps these folks were cousins and may be the reason the Green Ray tribe selected that destination! - GLM
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US CENSUS - 1870 - JOHNSON COUNTY, TEXAS: Cleburn Post Office
291/292
RAY, W. G. 36 m-w-farmer $600 / $300 b.Ala
Nancy V. 29 w-f-keeping house b.Ga
James H. 13 m-w b.Miss
Thomas J. 11 m-w b.Miss
William G. 9 m-w b.Miss
Charles W. 6 m-w b.Miss
GEORGE W. 6 m-w b.Miss
Emma * 2 f-w b.Miss
Nathaniel D. 1 m-w b.Miss
* probably died before 1880*
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US CENSUS - 1880 - HOT SPRING COUNTY, ARKANSAS: Prairie Bayou Township
286/323
RAY, WM G. w-m-44- -farmer b.Ala F-b.S.C. M-b.S.C.
Nancy V. w-f-42-wife-m -keeping house b.Ga F-b.Ga M-b.Ga
Thomas J. w-m-21-son-s b.Miss F-b.Ala M-b.Ga
Wm. G. w-m-19-son-s b.Miss
Charles W. w-m-18-son-s b.Miss
GEORGE W. w-m-16-son b.Miss
Nathaniel D. w-m-10-son b.Miss
Francis M. w-m-8-son b.Texas
Dora Belle w-f-6-daughter b.Ark.
Laura w-f-4- " b.Ark.
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More About William Greenberry Ray:
Buri: 1906, Social Hill Bapt Ch Cem, Hot Spring Co, AR
Fact 9: 1862, Pvt. Co K, 19th Reg., MS Infantry, CSA
Fact 10: April 1832, DOB per US Census Index for Arkansas 1900
Fact 11: April 29, 1832, DOB:William Green Ray per WFT4332
Occu: farmer
Reli: Baptist
Notes for Nancy Virginia Drake:
US CENSUS 1900 - HOT SPRING COUNTY, ARKANSAS: Nancy V. Ray(63) - Mother of 11 children, 8 living.
More About Nancy Virginia Drake:
Fact 9: June 1836, born in GA per US Census Index for AR - 1900
Fact 10: 1910, living with daughter Laura per 1910 Census
Marriage Notes for William Ray and Nancy Drake:
Automated Archives, Inc, GRS 3.03 - 1994 CD5, 1St edition: Mississippi Mariages, Itawamba Co. lists marriage of DRAKE, Nancy V. to RAY, Wm. G. Jan 30 1856. prev family history had indicated 1854 as marriage year!????
