Lindsey Stinnett and Descendants History

Stinnett Ancestors of Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas

FANNIN COUNTY FOLKS & FACTS

Joel and Fannie Stinnett

Joel Martin Stinnett was born in Virginia in 1806. On December 20, 1824 he married Frances Wells, daughter of Saray McElwaine Wells. The first three children were Ellis, Samuel and Charlotte, all born in Bedford, County, Virginia.

Like many other young couples the Stinnetts moved west and lived in Kentucky from 1829 to 1835 where three more children, James A., Lucelia America and Whitfield were born. About 1836 the family moved to Missouri where Franklin, Almira (whose twin died at birth), William, Emma Frances, George and Thomas were born.

In 1847, the family left Missouri for the new state of Texas. In exchange for free transportation several young men joined the family and helped drive the six wagons containing the Stinnett possessions including beautiful cherry furniture. The women rode in carriages drawn by fine Kentucky horses. After traveling about five weeks they reached Fannin County and settled near Orangeville where Joel and his sons set up a grist mill which they operated until 1858, the first mill set up in North Texas.

Along with the mill, he operated a gin and farmed his land. Having received a good education in his young years, Joel taught his children and any others who cared to join them.

Before leaving Virginia Stinnett sold their slaves including three his wife had inherited. Later, in Texas he again owned slaves, but at the close of the Civil War he almost impoverished his family by giving each Negro family some land to own and live on.

Stinnett sold his interest in the Fannin County mill in 1858 to his oldest son Ellis and moved to Pilot Point and set up another mill. In 1859 he moved to Bosque County and established the first flour mill at Clifton on the Bosque River. He established another mill at Van Alstyne. During their late years Stinnett and his wife opened and operated a grocery store in Denison where they spent their last years. Joel Stinnett died in the summer of 1876 and his wife in December 1877. They are buried in Sherman.

The milling business in Sherman was modernized by his grandsons. At Plainview his great-grandsons the late Horatio Stinnett, Jr. was president of the Harvest Queen mills until his death in 1950.

Stinnett, the county seat of Hutchinson County, was named for Albert Sidney, grandson of Joel Martin Stinnett, the pioneer miller on North Texas.
(pages 343-344)

Article taken from Fannin County Folks and Facts written by Ruby Mae Jones whose mother was Alma Rogers, the grandniece of Joseph J. Rogers.

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More About JOEL MARTIN STINNETT:

His Parents:

LINDSEY5 STINNETT, SR. (WILLIAM4, BENJAMINH.3, WILLIAM2, RICHARD1) was born 1783, and died 1870. He married NANCY MARSHALL December 07, 1802 in Bedford Co. Va., daughter of THOMAS MARSHALL. She was born 1784 in Bedford Co. VA

More About LINDSEY STINNETT and NANCY MARSHALL:

Marriage: December 07, 1802, Bedford Co. VA

Children of LINDSEY STINNETT and NANCY MARSHALL are:

38. i. WILLIAM6 STINNETT, b. 1804, Bedford Co.VA

39. ii. REUBEN STINNETT, b. 1805, Bedford Co. Va.; d. August 04, 1879, Hancock Co.,KY.

40. iii. THOMAS STINNETT, b. 1805, Bedford Co. Va.; d. 1874, Botetourt Co. VA.

41. iv. JOEL MARTIN STINNETT, b. 1806, Bedford Co. Va.; d. 1876, Grayson or Sherman, Tx..

42. v. JOHN T STINNETT, b. 1815, Bedford Co. Va..

43. vi. ALEXANDER STINNETT, b. 1817, Bedford Co. Va.; d. 1901, Bedford Co. Va..

44. vii. PLEASANT ESTES STINNETT, b. December 04, 1818, Bedford Co. Va..

45. viii. MARY STINNETT, b. 1823, Bedford Co. Va.

ix. LINDSEY S STINNETT, JR., b. 1825; m. JUDITH CREASY, October 05, 1846.
More About LINDSEY STINNETT and JUDITH CREASY:

Marriage: October 05, 1846

46. x. RICHARD DEWEY STINNETT,SR., b. Amherst Co. VA; d. Botetourt Co. VA.

47. xi. WYATT STINNETT, b. October 08, 1810, Va.,.

Burial: Sherman, Grayson Co., TX
Notes for FRANCES (FANNIE) WELLS:
1850 Fannin County, TX Census
5 97 97 Stinnett Joel 44 M Farmer 1,500 VA
6 97 97 Stinnett F. 46 F VA
7 97 97 Stinnett Ja A. 19 M Laborer KY
8 97 97 Stinnett S.W. 17 M KY
9 97 97 Stinnett I.F. 16 M Laborer KY
10 97 97 Stinnett A. 14 F MO
11 97 97 Stinnett E. 11 M MO
12 97 97 Stinnett Wm H 0 M MO
13 97 97 Stinnett Geo M. 8 M MO
14 97 97 Stinnett Thos A. 5 M MO
More About FRANCES (FANNIE) WELLS:
Burial: Sherman, Grayson Co., TX
More About JOEL STINNETT and FRANCES WELLS:

Marriage: December 10, 1824
Children of JOEL STINNETT and FRANCES WELLS are:

i. ELLIS ELDRIDGE6 STINNETT, b. October 02, 1825, Bedford Co., VA; d. October 20, 1906.
ii. SAMUEL A. STINNETT, b. 1827, Bedford Co., VA; d. 1914.
iii. CHARLOTTE A. STINNETT, b. 1828, Bedford Co., VA; m. JAMES CALDWELL, July 31, 1871, Burnet Co., TX by Dan Eldridge JP.
More About JAMES CALDWELL and CHARLOTTE STINNETT:
Marriage: July 31, 1871, Burnet Co., TX by Dan Eldridge JP
8. iv. LUCELIA AMERICA STINNETT, b. 1830, KY.
v. JAMES A. STINNETT, b. Abt. 1831, KY.
vi. S. WHITFIELD STINNETT, b. Abt. 1833, KY; m. LORENE CALDWELL.
vii. FRANKLIN JULIUS STINNETT, b. Abt. 1834, Lewis, MO.
viii. TWIN TO ALMIRA, b. Abt. 1836; d. Abt. 1836.
ix. ALMIRA STINNETT, b. Abt. 1836, Lewis, MO.
x. EMMA FRANCES STINNETT, b. March 17, 1839, Lewis, MO; d. January 19, 1932.
m. WILLIAM THOMPSON KEMP; b. April 02, 1840; d. January 24, 1885.
xi. WILLIAM HENRY STINNETT, b. Abt. 1840, Lewis, MO; d. 1884.
xii. GEORGE M. STINNETT, b. April 05, 1841, Lewis, MO; d. May 07, 1883; m. NANCY JANE VICKERS, September 30, 1866, Burnet Co., TX.
More About GEORGE M. STINNETT:

Burial: Smithwick Cemetery, Burnet Co., TX
More About GEORGE STINNETT and NANCY VICKERS:
Marriage: September 30, 1866, Burnet Co., TX
xiii. THOMAS ARTHUR STINNETT, b. January 10, 1846, Lewis, MO; d. June 06, 1909; m. (1) SARAH ELIZABETH JACKSON, June 20, 1867; m. (2) SARAH JANE PAFFORD, January 20, 1896, Burnet Co., TX.
More About THOMAS ARTHUR STINNETT:

Burial: Smithwick Cemetery, Burnet Co., TX
More About THOMAS STINNETT and SARAH JACKSON:

Marriage: June 20, 1867
More About THOMAS STINNETT and SARAH PAFFORD:
Marriage: January 20, 1896, Burnet Co., TX
8. LUCELIA AMERICA6 STINNETT (JOEL MARTIN5, LINDSEY4, WILLIAM3, BENJAMIN2, WILLIAM1) was born 1830 in KY. She married JOSEPH J ROGERS, son of JOSEPH ROGERS and CASSANDRA CLAY). He was born Abt. 1824 in TN, and died December 1853.

Children of LUCELIA STINNETT and JOSEPH ROGERS are:

i. SAMUEL J7 ROGERS, b. Unknown.
Notes for SAMUEL J ROGERS:
Attended medical school in Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
ii. SALLIE ROGERS, b. Unknown; m. SILAS HARRINGTON; b. Plano, TX.
iii. C. ROGERS, b. 1849.

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THE JOEL MARTIN STINNETT STORY

by. R. L. Faith

Joel Martin Stinnett was born in 1806 in Bedford County, Va. He was the third son and first child in a large family. The time was just 18 years after the Constitution of the United States was adopted, Thomas Jefferson was serving his second term as President. J.M. came from a long line of Stinnetts who lived in Maryland and Virginia as far back as 1641. He was a well-to-do family who, no doubt, had land and owned slaves. He had a good education as shown by his later business ability and by the beautiful handwriting on the letter still preserved by the family and written when he was 61 years old.

On December 20, 1824, J.M. married Frances Wells, also born and reared in that county. Her birthdate - 1804. Till recently our family knew her only as "Fannie". No doubt they were farmers then, who wasn't? They worked the land in cotton and tobacco, but J.M. had a yen for mechanical things and became involved in gins and mills. He was also a good business man and traded in property, having ox tread mills and water propelled ones as well as the gins.

J.M. & Frances had three children born in Bedford County, Virginia 1. Ellis Eldridge Stinnett - b. 10-2-1825 2. Samuel A. Stinnett - b. 1827 3. Charlotte A. Stinnett - b. 1828 (Charlotte is mentioned in the letter we have from Fannie Stinnett to Tommie (T.A. Stinnett) 4. James A. Stinnett - 1831 in Kentucky 5. Lucelia America Stinnett - no date 6. Whitfield Stinnett - born 1833 7. Franklin Julius Stinnett - born 1834 (the rest of the children were born in Lewis, Missours) : 8. Almyra Stinnett - b. 1836 9. Twin to Almyra Stinnett - B/D 1836 10. Emma Frances Stinnett - b. 1839 11. William Henry Stinnett - b. 1840 12. George M. Stinnett - born 1841 13. Thomas Arthur Stinnett - b. 1846

It is astounding to think of the distance they moved in that day and time with no automobiles, no planes, and railroads just beginnin g to be built in the East and certainly not out in this pioneer country.

Soon after the last child had been born and Texas had been admitted to the Union, J.M. and family moved to Texas, settling in Collin County near the town of Weston. Mantua is another small town nearby. The history books mention a Stinnett who operated an ox tread mill in Weston, and one or more Stinnets who owned slaves there. By this time the older boys were in business for themsleves and owned slaves also. Alice Stinnett-Watson, who now lives at Portales, New Mexico, and researched the name for 30 years, states that J. M. had the first grist mill operated in the State. Alice is about 75 years old now an is about a sixth cousin to my generation, -- states R.I. Faith of Granite Shoals, Texas, in 1988)

About 1860 J.M. sent the two youngest boys, George M. and Thomas A. to Burnet County, on the Colorado river at Smithwick, to operate his business there. The Burnet County History states that the brothers operated a gin there for several years starting in 1860. It soes not mention a mill. The letter we have telling about the purchase of a mill was writtein 18687. He states that he is buying the mill and 500 acres of land for $5000.00, which was a lrge fortune then. The letter also tells of the serious illness of Frances. He tells his son that he hopes he will be able to see his mother again, also mentioning that he has had the very best doctors in attendance.

In spite of her illness and the fact that she was older by at least a year, Frances outlived J.M. by a year. He died in 1876 at 70 years. The place of death is listed at Grayson County, but they probably took him to a doctor or hospital in Sherman where he died. Frances died in 1877.

With all of these uncles and aunts plus many cousins that Ma Mattie (my mother) had there, she never mentioned any of them that I remember. Probably never met any of them. One of her cousins A.S. Stinnett had the town of Stinnett, Texas named for him. It is North of Borger in the Panhandle. -- R.L. Faith

Taken from a history of the Marshall family in the Jones Library in Lynchburg: - Joel M. Stinnett married his first cousin, she was the daughter of Martin Wells and Sarah Marshall. The first 4 children were born in Bedford Co., Va. from 1825 to 1830. They moved to Breckinridge Co., KY about 1831 where the next 3 children were born, their so jorney is evidenced by a mortgage specifying payments by Joel for the period of April 1832 to April 1836. They were undoubtedly drawn to KY. by two uncles, Alexander and Samuel Marshall. Samuel moved on to Lewis Co., Missosuri 1835 and the Joel Stinnetts followed suit in 1836, settling just west of the town of LaGrange in the Miss. river. The remaining 5 children were born there during the next ten years and the family made the next move to Fannin Co., Texas shortly after Thomas was born in January 1845. They appear in the 1850 Census in Texas and their oldest dau., Charlotte, has now joined them. Her husband, Christopher Appleton, may have died in Illinois. This family spread out into 3 joining counties in Texas near OKL. Joel and many other family members are shown as merchants in the 1860 and 1870 censuses.

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Stinnett Land Records in Burnet County

Researched by Doris Lewis 05/29/2007

April 25, 1864, is the first Stinnett deed recorded in the county. A John Hubbard had purchased 180 acres from Noah Smithwick, and he purchased it from a W.R. Baker. John Hubbard was deceased and County ordered the Estate to advertise and sell to highest bidder on courthouse lawn. The hightest bidders were: Wm. H. Storm, Joel W. Stinnett & L.W. (Lawrence) Stinnett, and they became the purchasers for sum of $8,000.00 in Confederate Stated Treasury Notes. This property being South end of West half of the Phillip Riley tract that was purchased by Noah Smithwick. This tract of land is where the Smithwick Mill was located.

Next transaction in November 12, 1864: Joel W. Stinnett & L.W. Stinnet bought 1/3 of the tract from Wm. H. Storm for $1,200.00. Joel M. Stinnett was of Bosque County TX. Tract on the Colorado River. Known as Smithwick Tract, together with the Grist & flowing Mill thereon.

The next listings goes on into 1865 with George M. Stinnett buying from Joel M. Stinnett, Thomas A. Stinnet buying from Joel M. Stinnett for $1500.00 1/2 tract of Grist mill & land. Was same tract sold to Wm. H. Hubbard earlier.

Geo. M. Stinnett bought from Richard Real of Leon Co., TX., in 1866, 440 acres out of the J.D. Rains survey. This tract of 640 acres frontintg 1/2 of the square on the river, lying on East side of Colorado River. Was taken from S/W corner of league of land survey # 11 that was surveyed for Lotion Shan....sp (could not read name)......and transferred to the Henry Cochran Survey. Except 200 acres off of the North end of above 640 acres, conveyed by John Slaughter to Eliza Thompson.

Note:....the Henry Cochran survey is the land where F.P. Lewis's estate was located.

The remains of the Old Noah Smithwick Mill at Smithwick, TX on the Colorado. The Mill was purchased by the Stinnett Family and owned by them for many years. Photo credit:Robert Crain

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