Totty  Roots

The County of Sebastian was created in1851 from Scott, Polk, Crawford and Van Buren Counties, and includes the frontier town of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Major indian tribes of the area were the Quapaw, also known as the Akansa or Arkansas, the Osage, and the Caddo.  The area was origanally opened to American settlers by the Spanish in 1783.  Arkansas Territory was formed from Missori Territory in 1812 with settlers from Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Mississippi, or Missouri.  The Arkansas Territority included present day Oklahoma until June 15 1836, when Arkansas became a State.

1858 October 28   Death of Leonard SPRADLING born January 26, 1807 to David SPRADLING and his first wife Elitha THOMPSON SPRADLING.
Note:   David SPRADLING married widow Susannah SPENCER after the death of Elitha.   David SPRADLING and Susannah SPRADLING were also the parents of Rhoda May SPRADLING TOTTY, author of the diaries which spans 22 years of her life and documents many family facts, and Susan B. SPRADLING TOTTY.   see also, Wilkes Co., NC, Hickman County, Tennessee and Montague County, TX.

1860 Census Records
1860 Census Brawley Twp, Sebastian County, AR, pg 21 HH#284
YANDELL, William wm age 27   Sawyer   MS
Ellen S.  wf age 25
Sarah     wf age 8     [*1852]
Lousia    wf age 6
(John       died before 1860 census)
transcribed & submitted by Totty researcher Birdie Totty McNutt
Note: Sarah age 8 listed above is the same as *Sarah Ellen Yandell b: AR, who married John Whitfield TOTTY in Montague County, Texas.    She was likely named after her mother Ellen S. ______ Yandell.  Research still in progress for documentation for this family.   Does anyone have the maiden name of Ellen S. YANDELL wife of William YANDELL?

1870 Census Sebastian County, Arkansas
Sugar Loaf Twp.
pg. 169 b
225/225
Wyndell, Will  37 m w farmer  400/250  Miss
Ellen                33 f  w keep house          Missouri
Sarah               18 f  w  at home              Ark
Surinda             16 f w    "                        "
Edeth                  9 f w    "                        "
Mary                  7 f w    "                        "
Francis               2 f w    "                        "
Joseph                1 m w  "                        "
(submitted by TOTTY researcher Terry Dishman)
Notes:  [TLD] I wonder if Joseph was not the Arthur that Rhoda was referring to as I don't think he is listed in the 1880 census. Just guessing but he could be Joseph Arthur or vise versa. What do you think?  Terry
[BTM] Sarah Ellen is still living at home with her parents.  Surinda was listed in 1860 as Louisa age 6, and is missing in 1880 census, possibly already married in Texas or Arkansas.

1879  September 27th Migration [Diary of Rhoda Spradling Totty, compiled & transcribed by Birdie Totty McNutt©]   This date is documented as date that John W. and Sarah Yandell TOTTY moved to Sebastian County, Arkansas from Montague County, Texas.

1880 January 9th   Birth of Lelia "Lillie" Sophronia TOTTY, Peoria, Sebastian County.
Note:  Daughter of John Whitfield and Sarah Ellen Yandell TOTTY.  She later was married to Andrew HINKLE, brother to Mattie HINKLE TOTTY both of Montague County, TX.

1880 Sebastian Co AR Census Record
TOTTY, John W.  W M 33  Farmer  Tn. Tn. Tn.
Sarah E.            W F  29  Wf  Kp. house Ark Va Ms [b: 1851]
Rhoda A.           W F 11    D            Tx  Tn. Ark.
Wm. M.             W M 9     S             Tx Tn  Ark.
May                    W F 7     D            Tx  Tn Ark.
Louise T.             W F 5     D            Tx Tn. Ark.
Leila S.                W F 6/12D Jan.1880 Ark.Tn.Ark
(submitted by TOTTY researcher Terry Dishman)
Note:  John Whitfield Totty and his second wife Sarah Ellen Yandell moved from Montague County, Texas to Arkansas the previous year after losing their first child Martha Callie TOTTY.  Rhoda Ann, William Marion, May, Louise Tennessee and were children by John's first wife Matilda aka Martha Ann Walker Totty.

1880 Census
Sugar Loaf, Sebastian, Arkansas [Source: FHL Film 1254057  National Archives Film T9-0057]
Page 643C
Ellen YANDEL            Self     F W W  45  KHouse MO KY KY
Elitha C. YANDEL      Dau     F S W   19  KHouse AR MS MO
Mary E. YANDEL       Dau    F S W    15  Working In Field AR MS MO
Francis YANDEL        Dau     F S W    12  AR MS MO
Sophronia YANDEL    Dau    F S W      8  AR  MS MO
Charlie L. YANDEL     Son   M S W      6  AR MS MO
Thomas A. YANDEL   Son   M S W      3  TX MS MO
(submitted by TOTTY researcher Birdie McNutt)
Notes: BTM]  Ellen S. Yandell was the mother of Sarah Ellen Yandell TOTTY, wife of John Whitfield TOTTY, son of Rhoda and Capt. F. M. TOTTY of Montague Co., TX.  Elitha C. YANDELL age 19 above, was listed in 1870 as Edeth WYNDELL age 9.

Sugar Loaf, Sebastian, Arkansas [Source: FHL Film 1254057  National Archives Film T9-0057]
Page 646A
John W. TOTTY         Self    M M W    33    Farmer  TN TN TN
Sarah E. TOTTY        Wife    F M W    29     KHouse AR VA MS
Rhoda A. TOTTY       Dau    F S W     11      TX TN AR
Wm. M. TOTTY         Son    M S W      9      TX TN AR
May TOTTY               Dau    F S W       7      TX TN AR
Louise T. TOTTY        Dau    F S W       5      TX TN AR
Leila S. TOTTY           Dau    F S W      5M   AR TN AR
(submitted by TOTTY researcher Birdie McNutt)
Notes;  BTM] John W. and Sarah Ellen (Yandell) TOTTY  moved to Sebastian Co., AR from Montague Co., TX on Sept. of 1879 with Sarah's mother Ellen YANDELL listed above and living near each other in this census record.  Evidently Sarah Ellen's father had died in Texas before the family made the move back to Sebastian Co., AR.  According to the Diary of Rhoda Spradling TOTTY, (John's mother) on July 5, 1877 she wrote that " heard bad news YANDELL dead and poor little Arthur". I had assumed that poor little Arthur had died also.  Likely Thomas A. (Arthur?) was named for his deceased brother "poor little Arthur".

1881 May 1    Birth of Mary Elizabth TOTTY, Mansfield, Sebastian County.
Note:  Daughter of John Whitfield and Sarah Ellen Yandell TOTTY.  She later was married to Clarence C. SPRADLING in Jack County, Texas.

1888    Birth of Infant Un-named TOTTY Boy, Mansfield, Sebastian County.
1888    Death of Infant Un-named TOTTY Boy, Mansfield, Sebastian County
Note:  This infant was the son of John Whitfield and Sarah Ellen Yandell TOTTY.   He is said to be buried in the Shiloh Cemetery, Sebastian County, AR.

Note:  John Whitfield TOTTY married 3rd to Marita D. COOPER after the death of his wife Sarah Ellen.  John needed a mother for the young children that were left motherless 8 months earlier.   John and Marita, aka Martha according to the Diary of Rhoda Spradling TOTTY his mother,  did not have any children.   Rhoda and Capt. F.M. TOTTY of Montague County, Texas, sent train tickets for Martha and the children of John and Sarah so they could come be with their TOTTY family.    This was a death bed request of John to his mother and father.

Note: The above James SPENCER had a daugher Isabella SPENCER who married John W. SPENCER below.  His brother Charles SPENCER was married to Elizabeth Cantwell.  Charles SPENCER died in Denton Co., Tx and his wife Elizabeth
had land in Cooke County, Texas.   They migrated from Tennessee to Arkansas to Texas.  Rhoda had a cousin named John W. SPENCER, he had sons George Reeves SPENCER, and John H. SPENCER.   Rhoda TOTTY mentions brother Samuel SPENCER in her diaries.   Several of  her Spencer kin were also found in the Arkansas area. George N. Spradling was the son of Leonard Spradling son of David Spradling, husband to Susannah mother and father of Rhoda Spradling Totty.   George N. Spradling was born 1840 and died after his wife Mary A. King Spradling who died  Feb 1888 in Greenwood, Sebastian County, Arkansas.   In 1888 they had four surviving children out of 9.  They were Maggie Hodgens, wife of W. J.;   Lulu Spradling; George B. Spradling; and Rebecca McCord. George N. SPRADLING First enlisted in Company E, First Arkansas Infantry in the Federal Army.   In Oct 1863 he raised a company for the Second Arkansas Infantry.  He was discharged at Clarksville, Arkansas.    Leondard Spradling also had a son named John Spradling and he lived in Sebastian County, Arkansas also.   I show that his middle initial as "S", but could be "W" the way some hand writing is read.
research still in progress on these families.

2nd Arkansas Union Infantry (Washington, Sebastian & Newton Co, Ark)
        John F. YANDELL
www.arkansasresearch.com/Desmil.htm#1911

Note:    William Monroe YANDELL had a son born 1855-1860.   He also had a daughter Sarah born 1852 and Louise b: 1854(Census records above)  William Monroe Yandell's wife was named Ellen S.  The were found in Scott Co., Arkansas the
county boardering Sebastian Co., AR.    It is thought that William Monroe Yandell may most likely be the father of Sarah Ellen Yandell who married John Whitfield TOTTY in Montague County, Texas before they moved to Sebastian Co. in 1879.

1901 April 4   Birth  James Oliver KUNKEL was born April 4, 1901 Mansfield, Sebastian Co. AR to May TOTTY KUNKEL and Henry Oliver KUNKEL, he later married Daisy Lea Burns  and moved to Morgan Hill California where her died  June 1, 1991.
Source: Family Bible Records and personl interview with Kunkel descendents, information
submitted by TOTTY researcher Birdie Totty McNutt

1905 March 13   Marriage of William Marion TOTTY to Miss Marian Gassoway, Sebastian Co., AR
 

Note:  William Marion TOTTY was first married to Martha E. (Mattie) Hinkle in Montague Co., TX,  on December 19, 1891 in Montague County, TX, and divorced in January of 1904, per TOTTY researcher, Terry Dishman, he then married the second time to Hattie Fortune on February 05, 1904, leaving her in September of 1904.    This marraige to Marian Gassoway was his 3rd, research still in progress to find if W. M. TOTTY and Marian (Gassoway) TOTTY had any children or what happened to her as William married a fourth time and Last time, the following year to Sarah Ethel Elizabeth Rigsby also in Scott County, AR.  Marriage and divorced records still need to be transcribed.

NOTE: Henry Oliver Kunkel was the husband of May TOTTY KUNKEL, daughter of John Whitfield TOTTY and raised in Sebastian County, AR after moving from Montague County, Texas when she was a young girl.

Note:   Matilda Hugh Totty Kelley, born February 04, 1843 in IndependenceCounty, Arkansas to Edward TOTTY and Lucy Wilson TOTTYof Independence Co., AR.   She died June 03, 1925 in Huntington, Sebastian County, Arkansas.   She married James Kelley on March 25, 1865 in Independence Co Ark (Source: Marriage Records Independence County Arkansas.), son of Floyd Kelley.  According to Application for Letters of Administration for estate of Edward O Totty dated November 11, 1876 in Independence County, Arkansas Matilda H. Kelly resided in Independence County, Arkansas.    Matilda and James Kelley had two children 1) James Lee Kelley who was born in March of 1866 in according to the 1860 Census of Independence Co, AR.  He married Annie Belle Adams in Indian Territory on January 8, 1894.  He died in Freeston Co. TX July 17, 1944.  2) William Alfred Kelley was born December 8, 1868 also in Indep. Co., AR per 1860 census records. He was married to Isabella Booth on May 29, 1898 and later died May 12, 1958 in the same twp of Huntington, Sebastian Co.
Information submitted by TOTTY researcher Johnnye TOTTY

to be continued

Important: All Records collected for this county may not have been added here as yet.
See also the TOTTY Research List Archives.

To TOTTY Counties (TOTTY  Roots Records Index)
 
 

Copyright Information and Restrictions:  Our Totty Roots Research Reports have been provided for the free use of those engaged in NON-Commercial genealogical research by our Totty Roots Research Group. Any and ALL commercial use is strictly prohibited.  These documents may be included in your own genealogy, however ALL these documents are copyrighted (to or by the authors to whom they are credited herin and copyright thereto) and may NOT be sold, nor given to anyone who may attempt to derive profit from these records.
Researchers may copy and distribute this work freely, but with the proviso that it may only be copied and circulated in its entirety -- including this notice, as well as all sources, bibliographies and credits.  HOWEVER, permission is NOT Granted to copy ANY Totty Roots Research Files to other electronic locations - whether web pages or list postings.

Sincerely, The TOTTY Roots Research Group

    Please email additions, corrections or questions to: totty-owner@totty-families.org

        Return to Totty Roots Counties (Records Index)

   Return to Totty Roots Master Index

   ALL Totty Roots Images created by Birdie (Totty) McNutt©

©1998-2009   Totty Roots Research Group*, ALL Rights Reserved.