Lemon B. "Lem" Batchelor was the second of sixteen children born to Reuben B. Batchelor and Zilla Ann Pridgen. All sixteen children were born in North Carolina, prior to the family's relocation to Texas.
Tragedy struck the family almost immediately upon their arrival in Texas as described by Mrs. Robert A. Taylor in the article she wrote in 1986 for the book, "The History of Gonzales Texas." The article appeared on page 214 and was identified as F34, BATCHELOR, REUBEN B. AND ZILLA ANN PRIDGEN.
From that article: "The family with their slaves left North Carolina by boat and landed at Indianola. They traveled northwest to Hockheim [s/b Hochheim] where they settled. Zilla's obituary stated, 'Where in the short space of five weeks, the husband and four children were snatched, as it were, from a happy household, as was then in a new and untried country.' Another record stated that Reuben and two sets of twins died within seven days of each other with the floody flux (dysentery). They were buried north of Hochheim about three miles on the east side of the river."
Lem was born c1830. Thus, he was about 23 years old in 1853 when the family arrived in Texas. Fortunately, Lem and some of his siblings were old enough in 1853 to help their mother through her obvious grief and with the responsibilities of a household in a new, remote location on the frontier, suddenly headed by a widow.
In 1853, Lem and fourteen of his siblings and their parents relocated to Texas. He was about 23 years old at the time of that long and difficult journey that probably lasted several months travelling by horseback, in wagons, on foot and by boat.
The reason only 15 of the 16 children made that trip to Texas was because the oldest child (name thus far unknown) had apparently died in North Carolina between 1840-1850 prior to the family's relocation to Texas. She was enumerated with the family in the 1830 census (female under 5) and in the 1840 census (female 10-14). Since Lem was born 1829-1830, for his sister to have also been shown in the 1830 census meant that she was older than he was. Thus, she was probably born bet. 1826-1828.
But, she was not enumerated with the family in the 1850 census, prior to their relocation to Texas. And, no other mention of her has been found in any record.
It's possible she was married prior to the 1850 census. But, from a detailed analysis of census records (1830-1900) along with commentary published in Zilla's obituary in Jan 1902, it seems probable that she was the oldest and heretofore "missing 16th child."
Lem's 14 siblings who made the trip to Texas in 1853 and their approximate ages at the time of that trip were: Julia (aged 21), Frank (aged 19) Angelina (aged 17), Sarah (aged 15), Van Buren (aged 14), Maria (aged 13), Atsey (aged 11), Emma (aged 9), Elizabeth Raye (aged 6) and Alonzo (aged 5). The names of the four youngest children (two sets of twins) who died shortly after their arrival in Texas, are thus far unknown. Their ages were under 3.
What a terribly sad and troubling time that must have been for Lem's mother to lose her husband and those four young children so suddenly and so soon after they had suffered through the trip from North Carolina to Texas. That she survived that and helped raise her remaining children and, herself, live to Jan 1902 when she was almost 90 years old, is a testament to the strength, resilience, determination and faith of some of those pioneer women!
On 05 Jan 1864, Lem was married to Nancy Jane Edgar whose family had relocated to DeWitt County, Texas from Maury County, Tennessee in 1853. At the time of their marriage, he was 34 and she was 16.
No record of Lem has been found after the 1870 census in which he and Jane and their first two children (Fannie and Tena) were shown in DeWitt County, Texas. Since their third child (Nora) was born in 1871, it is assumed Lem died between 1870 and 1880.
If his death occurred in the general vicinity of where they were living, then his burial was most likely in Gonzales county where his father and four siblings had been buried following their sudden deaths shortly after their arrival in Texas in 1853. Another possibility is that he was buried in the old Edgar family cemetery in DeWitt county.
Several sources, and many trusting researchers following, have shown Lem to have married again, c1870, to a person named "Jane W. probably Battle." But, Lem was only married once, to Nancy Jane Edgar.
The error probably originated with an incorrect transcription of the 1880 census report for DeWitt County, Texas on which a person named Jane N. Batchelor, aged 32, was shown with Nancy Jane Edgar's and Lem Batchelor's first two children, and a third child named Nora Battle Batchelor, aged 9.
The "N" following Jane's name was transcribed incorrectly as "W," and the conclusion was apparently reached that Jane W. Batchelor was a second wife who had born Lem's child Nora Battle Batchelor; thus, the second wife's maiden name was speculated to have probably been Battle.
That was all incorrect. Unfortunately, it has been perpetuated through the online trees of others. The Jane N. Batchelor shown on that census report was in fact the mother of all three of those children shown in her household, and she was Nancy Jane Edgar Batchelor who was Lem Batchelor's first and only wife.
Tragedy struck the family almost immediately upon their arrival in Texas as described by Mrs. Robert A. Taylor in the article she wrote in 1986 for the book, "The History of Gonzales Texas." The article appeared on page 214 and was identified as F34, BATCHELOR, REUBEN B. AND ZILLA ANN PRIDGEN.
From that article: "The family with their slaves left North Carolina by boat and landed at Indianola. They traveled northwest to Hockheim [s/b Hochheim] where they settled. Zilla's obituary stated, 'Where in the short space of five weeks, the husband and four children were snatched, as it were, from a happy household, as was then in a new and untried country.' Another record stated that Reuben and two sets of twins died within seven days of each other with the floody flux (dysentery). They were buried north of Hochheim about three miles on the east side of the river."
Lem was born c1830. Thus, he was about 23 years old in 1853 when the family arrived in Texas. Fortunately, Lem and some of his siblings were old enough in 1853 to help their mother through her obvious grief and with the responsibilities of a household in a new, remote location on the frontier, suddenly headed by a widow.
In 1853, Lem and fourteen of his siblings and their parents relocated to Texas. He was about 23 years old at the time of that long and difficult journey that probably lasted several months travelling by horseback, in wagons, on foot and by boat.
The reason only 15 of the 16 children made that trip to Texas was because the oldest child (name thus far unknown) had apparently died in North Carolina between 1840-1850 prior to the family's relocation to Texas. She was enumerated with the family in the 1830 census (female under 5) and in the 1840 census (female 10-14). Since Lem was born 1829-1830, for his sister to have also been shown in the 1830 census meant that she was older than he was. Thus, she was probably born bet. 1826-1828.
But, she was not enumerated with the family in the 1850 census, prior to their relocation to Texas. And, no other mention of her has been found in any record.
It's possible she was married prior to the 1850 census. But, from a detailed analysis of census records (1830-1900) along with commentary published in Zilla's obituary in Jan 1902, it seems probable that she was the oldest and heretofore "missing 16th child."
Lem's 14 siblings who made the trip to Texas in 1853 and their approximate ages at the time of that trip were: Julia (aged 21), Frank (aged 19) Angelina (aged 17), Sarah (aged 15), Van Buren (aged 14), Maria (aged 13), Atsey (aged 11), Emma (aged 9), Elizabeth Raye (aged 6) and Alonzo (aged 5). The names of the four youngest children (two sets of twins) who died shortly after their arrival in Texas, are thus far unknown. Their ages were under 3.
What a terribly sad and troubling time that must have been for Lem's mother to lose her husband and those four young children so suddenly and so soon after they had suffered through the trip from North Carolina to Texas. That she survived that and helped raise her remaining children and, herself, live to Jan 1902 when she was almost 90 years old, is a testament to the strength, resilience, determination and faith of some of those pioneer women!
On 05 Jan 1864, Lem was married to Nancy Jane Edgar whose family had relocated to DeWitt County, Texas from Maury County, Tennessee in 1853. At the time of their marriage, he was 34 and she was 16.
No record of Lem has been found after the 1870 census in which he and Jane and their first two children (Fannie and Tena) were shown in DeWitt County, Texas. Since their third child (Nora) was born in 1871, it is assumed Lem died between 1870 and 1880.
If his death occurred in the general vicinity of where they were living, then his burial was most likely in Gonzales county where his father and four siblings had been buried following their sudden deaths shortly after their arrival in Texas in 1853. Another possibility is that he was buried in the old Edgar family cemetery in DeWitt county.
Several sources, and many trusting researchers following, have shown Lem to have married again, c1870, to a person named "Jane W. probably Battle." But, Lem was only married once, to Nancy Jane Edgar.
The error probably originated with an incorrect transcription of the 1880 census report for DeWitt County, Texas on which a person named Jane N. Batchelor, aged 32, was shown with Nancy Jane Edgar's and Lem Batchelor's first two children, and a third child named Nora Battle Batchelor, aged 9.
The "N" following Jane's name was transcribed incorrectly as "W," and the conclusion was apparently reached that Jane W. Batchelor was a second wife who had born Lem's child Nora Battle Batchelor; thus, the second wife's maiden name was speculated to have probably been Battle.
That was all incorrect. Unfortunately, it has been perpetuated through the online trees of others. The Jane N. Batchelor shown on that census report was in fact the mother of all three of those children shown in her household, and she was Nancy Jane Edgar Batchelor who was Lem Batchelor's first and only wife.
Lemon B. "Lem" Batchelor was the second of sixteen children born to Reuben B. Batchelor and Zilla Ann Pridgen. All sixteen children were born in North Carolina, prior to the family's relocation to Texas.
Tragedy struck the family almost immediately upon their arrival in Texas as described by Mrs. Robert A. Taylor in the article she wrote in 1986 for the book, "The History of Gonzales Texas." The article appeared on page 214 and was identified as F34, BATCHELOR, REUBEN B. AND ZILLA ANN PRIDGEN.
From that article: "The family with their slaves left North Carolina by boat and landed at Indianola. They traveled northwest to Hockheim [s/b Hochheim] where they settled. Zilla's obituary stated, 'Where in the short space of five weeks, the husband and four children were snatched, as it were, from a happy household, as was then in a new and untried country.' Another record stated that Reuben and two sets of twins died within seven days of each other with the floody flux (dysentery). They were buried north of Hochheim about three miles on the east side of the river."
Lem was born c1830. Thus, he was about 23 years old in 1853 when the family arrived in Texas. Fortunately, Lem and some of his siblings were old enough in 1853 to help their mother through her obvious grief and with the responsibilities of a household in a new, remote location on the frontier, suddenly headed by a widow.
In 1853, Lem and fourteen of his siblings and their parents relocated to Texas. He was about 23 years old at the time of that long and difficult journey that probably lasted several months travelling by horseback, in wagons, on foot and by boat.
The reason only 15 of the 16 children made that trip to Texas was because the oldest child (name thus far unknown) had apparently died in North Carolina between 1840-1850 prior to the family's relocation to Texas. She was enumerated with the family in the 1830 census (female under 5) and in the 1840 census (female 10-14). Since Lem was born 1829-1830, for his sister to have also been shown in the 1830 census meant that she was older than he was. Thus, she was probably born bet. 1826-1828.
But, she was not enumerated with the family in the 1850 census, prior to their relocation to Texas. And, no other mention of her has been found in any record.
It's possible she was married prior to the 1850 census. But, from a detailed analysis of census records (1830-1900) along with commentary published in Zilla's obituary in Jan 1902, it seems probable that she was the oldest and heretofore "missing 16th child."
Lem's 14 siblings who made the trip to Texas in 1853 and their approximate ages at the time of that trip were: Julia (aged 21), Frank (aged 19) Angelina (aged 17), Sarah (aged 15), Van Buren (aged 14), Maria (aged 13), Atsey (aged 11), Emma (aged 9), Elizabeth Raye (aged 6) and Alonzo (aged 5). The names of the four youngest children (two sets of twins) who died shortly after their arrival in Texas, are thus far unknown. Their ages were under 3.
What a terribly sad and troubling time that must have been for Lem's mother to lose her husband and those four young children so suddenly and so soon after they had suffered through the trip from North Carolina to Texas. That she survived that and helped raise her remaining children and, herself, live to Jan 1902 when she was almost 90 years old, is a testament to the strength, resilience, determination and faith of some of those pioneer women!
On 05 Jan 1864, Lem was married to Nancy Jane Edgar whose family had relocated to DeWitt County, Texas from Maury County, Tennessee in 1853. At the time of their marriage, he was 34 and she was 16.
No record of Lem has been found after the 1870 census in which he and Jane and their first two children (Fannie and Tena) were shown in DeWitt County, Texas. Since their third child (Nora) was born in 1871, it is assumed Lem died between 1870 and 1880.
If his death occurred in the general vicinity of where they were living, then his burial was most likely in Gonzales county where his father and four siblings had been buried following their sudden deaths shortly after their arrival in Texas in 1853. Another possibility is that he was buried in the old Edgar family cemetery in DeWitt county.
Several sources, and many trusting researchers following, have shown Lem to have married again, c1870, to a person named "Jane W. probably Battle." But, Lem was only married once, to Nancy Jane Edgar.
The error probably originated with an incorrect transcription of the 1880 census report for DeWitt County, Texas on which a person named Jane N. Batchelor, aged 32, was shown with Nancy Jane Edgar's and Lem Batchelor's first two children, and a third child named Nora Battle Batchelor, aged 9.
The "N" following Jane's name was transcribed incorrectly as "W," and the conclusion was apparently reached that Jane W. Batchelor was a second wife who had born Lem's child Nora Battle Batchelor; thus, the second wife's maiden name was speculated to have probably been Battle.
That was all incorrect. Unfortunately, it has been perpetuated through the online trees of others. The Jane N. Batchelor shown on that census report was in fact the mother of all three of those children shown in her household, and she was Nancy Jane Edgar Batchelor who was Lem Batchelor's first and only wife.
Tragedy struck the family almost immediately upon their arrival in Texas as described by Mrs. Robert A. Taylor in the article she wrote in 1986 for the book, "The History of Gonzales Texas." The article appeared on page 214 and was identified as F34, BATCHELOR, REUBEN B. AND ZILLA ANN PRIDGEN.
From that article: "The family with their slaves left North Carolina by boat and landed at Indianola. They traveled northwest to Hockheim [s/b Hochheim] where they settled. Zilla's obituary stated, 'Where in the short space of five weeks, the husband and four children were snatched, as it were, from a happy household, as was then in a new and untried country.' Another record stated that Reuben and two sets of twins died within seven days of each other with the floody flux (dysentery). They were buried north of Hochheim about three miles on the east side of the river."
Lem was born c1830. Thus, he was about 23 years old in 1853 when the family arrived in Texas. Fortunately, Lem and some of his siblings were old enough in 1853 to help their mother through her obvious grief and with the responsibilities of a household in a new, remote location on the frontier, suddenly headed by a widow.
In 1853, Lem and fourteen of his siblings and their parents relocated to Texas. He was about 23 years old at the time of that long and difficult journey that probably lasted several months travelling by horseback, in wagons, on foot and by boat.
The reason only 15 of the 16 children made that trip to Texas was because the oldest child (name thus far unknown) had apparently died in North Carolina between 1840-1850 prior to the family's relocation to Texas. She was enumerated with the family in the 1830 census (female under 5) and in the 1840 census (female 10-14). Since Lem was born 1829-1830, for his sister to have also been shown in the 1830 census meant that she was older than he was. Thus, she was probably born bet. 1826-1828.
But, she was not enumerated with the family in the 1850 census, prior to their relocation to Texas. And, no other mention of her has been found in any record.
It's possible she was married prior to the 1850 census. But, from a detailed analysis of census records (1830-1900) along with commentary published in Zilla's obituary in Jan 1902, it seems probable that she was the oldest and heretofore "missing 16th child."
Lem's 14 siblings who made the trip to Texas in 1853 and their approximate ages at the time of that trip were: Julia (aged 21), Frank (aged 19) Angelina (aged 17), Sarah (aged 15), Van Buren (aged 14), Maria (aged 13), Atsey (aged 11), Emma (aged 9), Elizabeth Raye (aged 6) and Alonzo (aged 5). The names of the four youngest children (two sets of twins) who died shortly after their arrival in Texas, are thus far unknown. Their ages were under 3.
What a terribly sad and troubling time that must have been for Lem's mother to lose her husband and those four young children so suddenly and so soon after they had suffered through the trip from North Carolina to Texas. That she survived that and helped raise her remaining children and, herself, live to Jan 1902 when she was almost 90 years old, is a testament to the strength, resilience, determination and faith of some of those pioneer women!
On 05 Jan 1864, Lem was married to Nancy Jane Edgar whose family had relocated to DeWitt County, Texas from Maury County, Tennessee in 1853. At the time of their marriage, he was 34 and she was 16.
No record of Lem has been found after the 1870 census in which he and Jane and their first two children (Fannie and Tena) were shown in DeWitt County, Texas. Since their third child (Nora) was born in 1871, it is assumed Lem died between 1870 and 1880.
If his death occurred in the general vicinity of where they were living, then his burial was most likely in Gonzales county where his father and four siblings had been buried following their sudden deaths shortly after their arrival in Texas in 1853. Another possibility is that he was buried in the old Edgar family cemetery in DeWitt county.
Several sources, and many trusting researchers following, have shown Lem to have married again, c1870, to a person named "Jane W. probably Battle." But, Lem was only married once, to Nancy Jane Edgar.
The error probably originated with an incorrect transcription of the 1880 census report for DeWitt County, Texas on which a person named Jane N. Batchelor, aged 32, was shown with Nancy Jane Edgar's and Lem Batchelor's first two children, and a third child named Nora Battle Batchelor, aged 9.
The "N" following Jane's name was transcribed incorrectly as "W," and the conclusion was apparently reached that Jane W. Batchelor was a second wife who had born Lem's child Nora Battle Batchelor; thus, the second wife's maiden name was speculated to have probably been Battle.
That was all incorrect. Unfortunately, it has been perpetuated through the online trees of others. The Jane N. Batchelor shown on that census report was in fact the mother of all three of those children shown in her household, and she was Nancy Jane Edgar Batchelor who was Lem Batchelor's first and only wife.
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