Providing Proof of My Quillin Roots

 

Beverly Johnson Quillin

            Born: 18 FEB 1853  Gate City, Scott County, Virginia

            Died: 16 DEC 1936  Seymour, Baylor County, Texas

            Son of  Ira D. Quillin (1831-1962) and Edna Vineyard (1832 - 1900)

             Married Polly Ann Sprowls (1865 - 1938)

            The Sprowls are a 'brick wall' for me.  I cannot  positively identify her parents after all        these years.  This is only one of a few lines where there are NO leads for me. However,         she is listed as Polly Ann Sprowls on all the information that I have.  There is no doubt      that she was a Sprowls, but I may have the spelling wrong.  A key to not finding her is the        fact that her father abandoned the family early on. Buster could only recall that her             mother was Millie Wright.

 

**IMPORTANT NOTE** My main source for B.J. Quillin was B.M."Buster" Quillin.  I had known him all my life...such a dear sweet man.  He was raised by his grandfather, Beverly Johnson Quillin, and given the Quillin name by BJ. Most people identify him as a son, but his mother is B.J.'s daughter Cathleen Melvina.  She had two children out of wedlock and they never knew their father.

Children of Beverly Johnson Quillin and Polly Ann Sprowls

            Margaret "Maggie" Edna Quillin

                        b:  24 MAR 1885 • Fannin County, Texas                                  

                        d:  28 SEP 1978 • Los Angeles, California

                        m: 24 Dec 1901 • Fannin County, Texas

                              Joel Abel Moses (1877-1949)

            Cathleen Melvina Quillin

                        b:  3 OCT 1889 • Leonard, Fannin Co, Texas

                        d:  20 NOV 1987 • Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                        (had two children out of wedlock)

                        m: 1 Jan 1923 • Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                              Thomas Bagby (1871-1940)

            Horace Cleveland Quillin

                        b:  15 OCT 1892 • Leonard, Fannin Co, Texas

                        d:  24 JUN 1967 • Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                        m:  20 March 1915 • Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                               Cora Frances Edison (1892-1967)

            Paul Bryan Quillin   MY GRANDFATHER

                        b: 10 MAR 1897 • Leonard, Fannin Co, Texas

                        d: 6 APRIL 1957 • McKinney, Collin Co, Texas (died in the VA Hospital)

                                    buried in Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                        m1: 12 April 1919 • Seymour, Baylor County, Texas

                           Merphia Ewing (1901-1985)  MY GRANDMOTHER

                                    Merphia was the mother of Paul Bryan's children

                        m2:  abt 1950

                             Johnie Moye Nickerson

            Opal Beatrice Quillin

                        b:  20 DEC 1903 • Leonard, Fannin Co, Texas

                        d:  26 JUNE 1995 • Wichita Falls, Archer Co, Texas

                        m: 1944 • Seymour, Baylor Co, Texas

                             James Robert Balch  (1885-1959)

 

 

1860 Census  Page #1

Name	Beverly J Quillin
Age	7
Birth Year	abt 1853
Gender	Male
Birth Place	Virginia
Home in 1860	Scott, Virginia
Post Office	Estillville
Family Number	2
Household Members	Name Age Ira D Quillin 28 Edna C Quillin 29 Hanah M Quillin 10 Polly S Quillin 9 Beverly J Quillin 7 Cicero C Quillin 5 Presley P Quillin 4/12 Oliver McNutt 14

These images are available on Ancestry.

1870 Census  -  Age 17   Page #29   

B.J.'s father Ira D. has died and he is living with his mother.  The Henry at the bottom bothers me, as I was told that Ira D. died of a fever in the Civil War.  More on this later.

Name	Beverly J Quillin
Age in 1870	17
Birth Year	abt 1853
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1870	Fulkerson, Scott, Virginia
Race	White
Gender	Male
Post Office	Fulkerson
Household Members	Name Age Edney Quillin 39 Polly A Quillin 19 Beverly J Quillin 17 Cicero C Quillin 14 Patton Quillin 10 Ira D Quillin 7 Henry Quillin 2

 

1900 Census  --  Age 47   ---  Sheet #4

Name	Beverly Guillin
Age	47
Birth Date	Feb 1853
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1900	Leonard, Fannin, Texas
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Polly A Guillin
Marriage Year	1884
Years Married	16
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Household Members	Name Age Beverly Guillin 47 Polly A Guillin 35 Maggie Guillin 15 Cornitha M Guillin 10 Horace C Guillin 7 Paul B Guillin 3

 

1910 Census  -  Age 57 --

Operating a Hotel in Haskell Texas.  His daughter Margaret Moses, her husband Joel Moses and their children are living with them, as well as boarders and a French Cook:)

Name	B J Quillin
Age in 1910	57
Birth Year	abt 1853
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1910	Haskell, Haskell, Texas
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	R A Quillin
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Native Tongue	English
Occupation	Proprietor
Industry	Hotel
Employer, Employee or Other	Employer
Home Owned or Rented	Rent
Farm or House	House
Able to read	Yes
Able to Write	Yes
Years Married	27
Household Members	Name Age B J Quillin 57 R A Quillin 45 Corinthia Quillin 20 Horace Quillin 17 Paul Quillin 13 Opal Quillin 6 Margaret Moses 25 Edwin Moses 7 Beatrice Moses 5 Herbert Moses 3 Clarence Moses 1 J A Moses 31 M L Perry 63 Warren Fitzgerald Rube Pockrus 42 C T Linville 31 Paul Oswald 53 Horace Rogers 17

 

1920 Census - 

living in Seymour, working as a night watchman at the cotton gin.  Has the two illegitimate children of his daughter, Cathleen, living with him and Polly.

Name	Beverley Quillin
Age	66
Birth Year	abt 1854
Birthplace	Virginia
Home in 1920	Seymour, Baylor, Texas
Race	White
Gender	Male
Relation to Head of House	Head
Marital Status	Married
Spouse's Name	Polly A Quillin
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Able to Speak English	Yes
Occupation	Night Watch
Industry	Cotton Compress
Employment Field	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged	Free
Able to read	Yes
Able to Write	Yes
Household Members	Name Age Beverley Quillin 66 Polly A Quillin 54 Catherine Quillin 29 Opal Quillin 16 Mildred Quillin 5 B M Quillin 3

 

1930 Census - 

B. J. and Polly's daughter Opal is still living with them.  The two children of Cathleen, Mildred and B.M. "Buster", are also still living with them.  Cathleen has since married Thomas Bagby.

Name	Beverly J Quillin
Age in 1930	76
Birth Year	abt 1854
Gender	Male
Race	White
Birthplace	Virginia
Marital Status	Married
Relation to Head of House	Head
Home in 1930	Seymour, Baylor, Texas
Map of Home	Seymour, Baylor, Texas
Street Address	East
House Number in Cities or Towns	707
Dwelling Number	31
Family Number	35
Home Owned or Rented	Owned
Home Value	1500
Radio Set	No
Lives on Farm	No
Age at First Marriage	32
Attended School	No
Able to Read and Write	Yes
Father's Birthplace	Virginia
Mother's Birthplace	Virginia
Able to Speak English	Yes
Household Members	Name Age Beverly J Quillin 76 Polly A Quillin 65 Opal B Quillin 25 Mildred Q Quillin 15 B M Quillin 13

 

Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910

Name	B J Quillin
Event Year	1890
Event Place	Fannin County, Texas, United States
FHL Film Number	002282193
Household Members	Name Age B J Quillin

 

Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982

Name	B J Quillian
Birth Date	18 Feb 1853
Birth Place	Virginia
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence	Seymour, Texas
Spouse	Mrs Polly Ann Quillian
Age at Death	83
Death Date	16 Dec 1936

 

Tribute to B.M. "Buster" Quillin

 

As I reach the place of documenting my great-grandfather, Beverly Johnson Quillin, I feel compelled to honor my first cousin, one time removed. Buster was my greatest source of moving forward with the Quillin name. 

I will begin my story about Buster through the lens of a child. Buster was born in 1916, making him much older than myself. I was fortunate enough to know him, though, and remember the times I spent with him. He married a lady named Hazel Parker on 28 March 1941 in Altus, Oklahoma. I grew up in Vernon, Texas, and Buster and Hazel lived in the nearby city of Wichita Falls. They would occasionally drive over to spend the afternoon with my family. There are just some people you share a kindred spirit with, and Buster was one of those people for me. There was an aura of kindness that surrounded him. He was honest, sincere, and genuine. I always enjoyed being around him and often wished that I could spend more time with him. Being that he was a distant relative for me, the times I spent with him were infrequent.

When I began my study of family history, it didn't take long for my daddy to suggest that I contact Buster because Buster was raised by my great-grandparents, B.J. Quillin and Polly (Sprowls) Quillin. Buster was the illegitimate son of Cathleen "Corintha" Melvina Quillin, daughter of B.J. and Polly. B.J. gave Buster the Quillin name. The interesting thing about Buster was that I never sensed any resentment from him about this situation. He was able to give me the "low-down" on a very intimate level. Buster's mother, Cathleen, eventually married a man named Thomas Bagby and had a legitimate child named Opal Christine Bagby, named after Cathleen's sister. Problems have definitely formed in family tree documentation because of this situation. It often appears that Buster was the child of B.J., but with careful inspection, the census sheets clearly state that he was the grandson of B.J. I have tried to correct this in many places in order to make the Quillin tree as pure as possible. Buster had a memory like an elephant; I could never write my notes fast enough as I visited on the phone with him. I often had to backtrack with him to make sure that I had recorded the information correctly. 

As an adult beginning my quest as a genealogist, I visited Daddy in 1990, and he took me down memory lane, carrying me all over the countryside showing me the places of my ancestors. Daddy also took me to Wichita Falls to visit Buster. At that time Buster's wife, Hazel, had passed away and Buster was living with his Aunt Opal to care for her. Opal was the daughter of B.J. and Polly, making her the sister of Cathleen. It just so happened that Buster's half-sister, Opal Christine Bagby was there for a visit as well. It was a lovely afternoon getting acquainted with her and looking at old family albums with Aunt Opal. 

The last memory that I have of Buster will stay with me forever. Daddy spent his last days on earth in the hospital in Wichita Falls. Buster came up to visit Daddy. It meant the world to me to see Buster appear in the doorway. It was not a good day for Daddy, as he was not in a coherent state on that day, so Buster only stayed for a short time. Buster was a very old man by then. He said he had parked a long way from the hospital and that he must go. Daddy's room was over the entrance to the hospital, and I remember watching out the window as Buster walked back up the hill to his car. Oh, how I wish that I had accompanied him that day back to his car. I have the image of an old man with a cane making his way uphill until he was out of sight as my last image of one of the sweetest men I ever knew. 

Below is a picture taken on the visit to see Buster in 1990. 

left to right: Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr., Opal (Quillin) Balch, Buster Quillin, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, Opal Christine (Bagby) Taylor.

Below is Buster's obituary: 

B. M. "Buster" Quillin, 95, of Wichita Falls died Monday, March 19, 2012. Funeral Services will be held at 3:00 PM Thursday, March 22, 2012 at Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Howard Chapman officiating. Interment will follow in Crestview Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at the visitation scheduled from 6:00 until 8:00 Wednesday evening at the funeral home.
Buster was born on September 1, 1916 in Seymour, TX. He started working for the Ft. Worth & Denver Railroad in 1934 and retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1976 after 42 years. Buster was a member of the First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls for over 70 years and drove the church bus for several years. He was a member of the Maskat Shrine Temple here for 66 years, joining in 1946. He was also a member of Joseph A. Kemp Lodge #1287 AF & AM. for over 50 years. Buster was dubbed 'The Fruitcake King' by the Wichita Falls Times Record News for all the fruitcakes he baked over the years for dozens of family members and friends.
Mr. Quillin was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel Quillin in 1987; his mother and step-father, Cathleen and Tom Bagby; sisters, Mildred Gervasi and Christine Taylor and her husband, T. J. Taylor, III. Survivors include nieces, Sally Loner and husband, Dennis and Nancy Taylor and devoted, special friends Mike and Carol Patterson of Wichita Falls. Also surviving are several other nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., 76310.
Please visit www.hamptonvaughancrestview.com to post on-line messages of condolence to the Quillin family.

Hampton Vaughan Crestview Funeral Home and Memorial Park
Wichita Falls, Texas

F. S. Ewing Censuses

1880

 F.S. Ewing, age 11, was listed as a son of James H Ewing in Montgomery County, Arkansas on line 31.  John and Martha Ewing are living nearby. There are several McKinley families next door.  Frederick Short Ewing eventually married for a second time to Mary Short McKinley after his first wife Emma Frances Woodall died in 1910. 

1900

Frederick Short Ewing and Emma Frances are found in

Caney Township, Montgomery County Arkansas

line 79-82 with two daughters, Ludie and Ula.

1910

F. S. Ewing and Emma F are listed on lines 11-18. They have 6 children, including my grandmother Murphy "Mephia". Emma died later that year and F.S. remarried to Mary Loren "Short" McKinley. 

Record of Birth - B.J. Quillin

 Register of Births

in the District of Charles Addington

Commissioner of the Revenue for the

4th District of Scott County Virginia

during the year ending on 31 Dec 1853

On line 26, Ira D Quillin gave the information about the birth of a son, Beverly J Quillin. They were living in Fowlers Branch and B.J.'s mother is listed as Edney E Quillin.

Daddy and His Siblings

Paul Bryan Quillin

with Francelle, Truman Bryan, Billye Merle

Merphia Hart nee Ewing,Quillin

with Francelle, Truman, Bobby Carver, Billye Merle, Merphia

 

Oscar Hart's 1939 Pontiac

 These pictures were sent to my daddy when he was overseas during WWII. They must have been very proud of this vehicle. 

Granny Hart (Merphia Hart nee Ewing)

          

 

Billye Merle Quillin 

 

Daddy, Truman Quillin Sr, back home on leave.

Granny Hart

Oscar and Merphia Hart

 I always knew my daddy's mother as Granny Hart. She was born in 1901 as Merphia Ewing. Merphia married Paul Bryan Quillin in 1919. They had 3 children, one of whom was my daddy, Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr. 

Merphia and Paul divorced in 1940, and she remarried to Oscar Clifton Hart in 1941. Paul Bryan Quillin passed away in 1957. I was born in 1956 so I never knew my grandfather. I always associated Granny Hart with her second husband, Oscar. 

Granny and Oscar didn't live far from us in Vernon, Texas, and that was a place that Mother allowed me to ride my bike to go see them. I was a thrilled to be independent at 8 years old. I loved spending the mornings with Granny. Oscar built me a rabbit hutch, and I rode my bike nearly every day during that process. 

Granny was a special lady. She had a big heart and she gave great bear hugs. I remember her making me chocolate cakes from scratch. It was such a treat and it seemed to please her that I loved these cakes. It is welded in my memory the day that Granny wanted to give me some pottery that she had purchased in Mexico. She was a large lady and she climbed up on the kitchen countertop to retrieve the dishes from the overhead cabinet.  I was horrified when she began to lose balance and I knew perfectly well what was about to happen. I was a tiny child, smaller that most, and there was no way that I could try to keep this from happening. And sure enough, she fell backwards, hitting her head on the kitchen table. She was out cold. I felt so guilty that I couldn't help her. In remembering that fall, I see it in slow motion. I ran next door to get help from the neighbors whom I knew very well. They were able to quickly revive Granny. There were no broken bones, and when they determined that she was okay (which was a miracle), I don't remember much after that.  Later on, though, someone DID get the pottery down, and it was given to me. 

I remember Oscar sitting me down in the living room near the record player and pulling out the old 78 rpm record of "One Day A Time, Sweet Jesus." We would listen to it multiple times. I never knew quite what the reason was at the time, but now as an adult, I can only imagine what he was hoping that I might learn from that song.