Transcribed by Janette West Grimes

 

This Article Appeared In The Times

But Was Not Actually In Cal’s Column

 

May13, 1948 - Reprinted August 26, 1976

 

The Oldham Family

 

   One of the leading families of Smith County and adjoining sections is that of Oldham.We have only a partial list of the members of that family and we solicit any additional information.

 

   The family is of English decent, as indicated by the name, which comes from the word, "Oldhame'" which was the ancient way of spelling "Old Home," in England in the centuries gone by. Thence from "Old Home," or  "Old Hame," comes the shortened form of Oldham.

 

   The first Oldham of whom we have any record at this time was George Oldham, who arrived on Peyton's Creek from Virginia in 1805, bringing with him his wife, the former Miss Sutherland, and two children, the younger of whom, Polly Ann, was then nine months old. They arrived in October or November of that year, settling at the place now owned by Herbert F. Sloan and located about two miles south of Pleasant Shade. Although he married a Miss Sutherland, her first name is not known.

 

  The children of George Oldham and the Sutherland woman were: Polly Ann, married William Nixon; Judy, married Nelson Davis; Sam married Nancy Nixon and later her sister, both of them being sisters of William Nixon, husband of Polly Ann; Tommie Oldham, married a Massey; William Oldham, married a sister of Tommie Oldham's wife; Celia Oldham, married Bruce Piper; Willis Oldham, first a Beasley, second a Richards; Letha Oldham, married James Gregory, a son of Big Tom and Bettie Gregory, James being a great-uncle of the editor's; James Oldham, married Mary Perkins; Jane Oldham, married McKinnis; Betsy Oldham, married George Payne; Adeline, married Levi Shoulders; and George, a victim of infantile paralysis, who never married.

 

   Polly Ann and William Nixon were the parents of the following: James C. Nixon (Uncle Jim), married a Gregory and later a Donoho; Celia Nixon, married J. Taylor; Adeline Nixon, married Joe Taylor; Sam Nixon, married a Cartwright; William Francis Nixon, killed in Mexican War; Tom Nixon, married a Hudson; Jane Nixon, married a Hamilton; one name unknown, killed by horse; George Nixon, drowned while loading a flat boat on the Cumberland River, at mouth of Taylor Branch, south of Monoville. He lost his life when a hen flew from a coop and landed in the river. In his efforts to rescue one hen, he was drowned. The flat boat was being loaded to go to New Orleans. About 25 years ago the writer saw Miss Eliza Ballard, then more than a hundred years old. He asked her why she had never married and her reply was; "My sweetheart was drowned 80 years ago." It is believed that young Nixon above mentioned, to whom she remained true for more than 80 years. We are sorry that we did not ask her the name of the young man whom she had loved for four score years and to whom she remained true until death, but we are reasonably certain that Nixon was the man to whom she referred. John C. Nixon, was the other and remaining son of William Nixon and his wife, Polly Ann Oldham.

 

   Judy Oldham, the daughter of old George, married Nelson Davis and became the mother of: Willis Davis, married a Bowman; Celia Davis, married Jabe Gregory, and son of Little Bill Gregory, a brother of Jerry Gregory, the editor's great-great-grandfather. Emily Davis, the third child of this marriage, married Ned Gregory, brother of Jabe.

 

   Sam Oldham, the son of old George, who married first, Nancy Nixon and later her sister, Sallie was the father of: Bob Oldham, married a Piper; Mary Oldham, married Tom Miller; Dick Oldham, no data; Nancy Oldham, married William Piper; and Lou Oldham, married Alex Piper.

 

   Tommie Oldham, son of old George, married a Massey. Their children were: Hugh Oldham, married Em Dellehay; Ben Oldham, went to Oklahoma; Tom Oldham, killed in Civil War; Sarah Oldham, married Jim Blackwell; Judy Oldham, married Arch Blackwell; William Oldham, no data; and Jane Oldham, married a Smith.

 

   William Oldham ,son of old George, married a Massey, sister to Mrs.Tommie Oldham. Their children were: Sam Oldham, married Sallie ("Chib") Gregory, a first cousin of the editor's father; Celia Oldham, married John Shoulders; Murray Oldham, no data; Margaret Oldham, married Lon Dias; Candace Oldham, married a Richardson; Ann Oldham, married a Burris; Mima Oldham, no data; and Jim, died from bite of rattlesnake at age of about 10 years, on Toetown Branch, near Pleasant Shade.

 

   Celia Oldham, daughter of old George, married Brice Piper. Their children were: Letha, married Sandy Grant; George, married Em Toney; Polly Ann, married Tom Smith; Celia, married Dismang; Buck, married a Winkler, (and became the parents of our own Prof. D. Henry Piper); and Frances, married Tom Cothron.

 

   Willis Oldham, son of old George, married first a Beasley; and second a Richards. By his first marriage he had two children, Lou Tishie, (Letitia), married Lige Hackett; and George Oldham, married Lily Nash and went to Missouri. By his second marriage he had three children, Tom Oldham, married Nancy Nash, a sister of Lily; John Oldham, married Belle Gregory, an own cousin and the daughter of his aunt, Letha Oldham Gregory; and Arch Oldham, married Harriet Smith.

 

   Letha Oldham, daughter of old George, married James Gregory and became the mother of: Gid, married first Ann Dillehay; second a Harper; Susan, married a Nash; Jennie, married Tim Shoulders; Stokes, married a Smith; Belle, married her cousin, John Oldham; Nora, married Billy Wilburn; Cora, married Albert Wilburn; Cis, married Ike Gregory; Josh, married a Nash; Morgan, married a Jenkins; Tom, married Sallie Brooks; Martha, married Will A. Ballou; Elizabeth, died young; and another that died in infancy, perhaps named Nancy.

 

   James Oldham, son of old George, married Mary Perkins, and became the father of:  Celia,no data; Mary Ann, married Cobb Russell; George, married Dillehay and Williams; James, married Matilda Sloan; W. Templeton (Duff) Oldham, married Shoemake; Dr. Davy Oldham, Alloway and Hawkins; Sallie, married John Oldham, son of Tom Oldham, son of Willis Oldham, son of old George;

 

   Betsy Oldham, daughter of old George, married George Payne, and by him became the mother of 16 children, none of whose names is available at this time. They resided in Georgia.

 

   Adeline Oldham, the daughter of old George, married Levi Shoulders and bore him two children, Celia Jane Shoulders, married a Graham first and later a Clark.

 

   George Oldham, the remaining son of the first or old George, was a victim of infantile paralysis and never married.

 

   Bob Oldham, the son of Sam Oldham, the son of George as given above, married a Piper who bore him: Sam, married a Smith; Mary Ann, married a Harris; James, married a Piper; John, married a Brimm; Sallie, no data; Sam Oldham, who married a Smith, became the father of James and Charlie Oldham, the latter residing near Pleasant Shade, at this time.

 

   Mary, the sister of Bob Oldham, married Tom Miller, and became the mother of: James Miller, married Fronie Shoulders; Billie, Nanny, and Mary Jane Miller.

 

   Hugh Oldham, the son of Tommie Oldham, the son of George Oldham, married Em Dillehay, and became the father of: Dossie, married Robert Gregory; Martha, married Eil Cothron; Sam, married a Merryman; Herbie, married Florence Gregory; Bud, married a Cothron; Pale, married a Gregory; and Quillie, married Tom Stokes Gregory.

 

   Sam Oldham, son of William Oldham, son of George Oldham, married Sallie ("Chib") Gregory and became the father of: Lutch, Will W., Nelson, Mance M., Henry H., Janie, and Nora.

 

   Tom Oldham, son of Willis Oldham, by his second marriage, to Richards, was the father of: George Oldham, married a Gregory, a Towns, and a Violett; John Oldham, married  Smith; Tennie Oldham, married Spud Gregory; and Emmie, married a Cothron. John Oldham, the son of Willis Oldham, the son of George Oldham, married Belle Gregory, his own cousin, and became the father of: Albert, Walter, Robert, Ida, Annie, and Becky Oldham.

 

   Arch Oldham, son of Willis Oldham, son of George, married Harriett Smith, and became the father of:  Bige, Lou, Bettie, Esther, and Sallie Oldham.

 

  James Oldham, the son of James Oldham, the son George Oldham, married Matilda Sloan and became the father of: Mary, married Clinton Gregory; Eva, married Pup Porter; Henry C. Oldham, a Baptist minister, married a Petty and a Williams; and Willie, who married a Taylor.

 

   If any reader of the paper has information of the family back of the first-named George Oldham, whom we have called, old George, to distinguish him from young George Oldham, we shall be glad to have it published in the Times.