ASA KEMP
This is a charcoal drawing of an old Tintype photo which can be seen below.
Asa Kemp was the son of Burrell and Elizabeth Rowland Kemp Jr. born December 27, 1820
and m. Mary Ann (Polly) Williams b. Nov. 07, 1822, d/o James Claridy & Millicent Sutton
Williams, on November 21, 1839 per their bible records.
Asa Kemp was a brother of Harry Kemp, Bailey Kemp and Larkin Kemp who's pictures are on this website:
Asa & Polly Ann had the following children:
William Layton Kemp Jr. b. June 02, 1842(see link below)
Malvina Frances (Yeaman) Kemp b.Dec. 30, 1844
Elvira Ellizabeth Kemp b. September 04, 1847
Peyton Taylor Kemp b. February 12, 1850 (see link below)
Milly Ann Kemp b. March 10, 1852
James Haywood Kemp b. September 07, 1855
Newton Henderson Kemp b. March 31, 1858
Mary Eveline Kemp b. September 23, 1860
John Morgan Kemp b. February 12, 1863 (see link below)
Henry Bluford Kemp b. February 19, 1865 (see link below)
The Asa Kemp Bible can be found on the Bible pages on this website:
Here is her description of this picture taken around the time of Florence Matthews and R.
Minty Duke, Gillie Matthews (sister to Florence and daughters of the Rev. T.W. Matthews),
John M. and Virgie Allen Kemp lived here before moving to the house at Little Salt Lick
The Kemp graveyard is next to this house and holds descendants from
Tintype Photo Of Asa Kemp
Old Kemp Home Place - Dog Branch Road
This old picture was identified for me by the late Beulah Kemp Jones (Mrs. Henry Jones).
Aunt Beulah was actually my cousin, the double first cousin of my grandfather Carcie
Allen Kemp. I fondly called her the Baby of our family, as she was born about the time
her brother and sisters were getting married. She was born July 31, 1904 and married
Henry Jones, May 21, 1921. She was the last surviving child of John M. and Virgie Allen
Kemp, just as her father was the last of Asa and Polly Williams Kemp's children. Beulah
J. left us February 5th, 2000 just as she came; unexpected, (she bounced back from every
surgery) independent, (she kept herself and her apartment spotless) and loving her family.
Lester Kemp's marriage in 1913 at the old Kemp home place on Dog Branch Road, Difficult, Tn.
on the porch are Brittie Kemp (her sister) and Eula Woodmore (Virgie and Eula's sister
Alice Allen Woodmore's child), and in front are Florence and Lester Kemp.
Creek Road. I have a deed going back to 1878 where Asa and William L. Kemp bought from
Burrell Kemp this house and land, but left him half of it as a life time estate till his death.
Burrell Kemp Jr. and related families.
Dog Branch Road
Asa remarried after Mary Ann's death to a Jane Sutton. Mary Ann died March 08, 1882 and
Asa died January 04, 1890. Buried in the Kemp family cemetery on a hill behind the old
John Morgan & Virgie Allen Kemp home place on Salt Like Rd. in Kempville.
Little Salt Lick Road
Note* Researchers of this Kemp line can find Burrell Kemp Jr.'s lineage in "The Goodner Family" book,
See Appendix half way down page about Charlotte Kemp linage
written by Herbert W. Lacey and published in 1960 on page 380. It is under Charlotte Kemp who married
Jacob Goodner. Mr. Lacey has the lineage as follows: Murphy Kemp was born 3-21-1770 and married
Sarah born 4-22-1775. Their issue: Jinks b. 1-27-1792, Burrell b. 4-07-1794, Tabitha b. 8-25-1800,
Nancy b. 4-01-1801, William b. 11-22-1807, Lucy b. 2-09-1809, John b. 4-22-1812,
Charlotte b.2-27-1815 wife of Jacob Goodner, Sallie b. 6-15-1819
Minerva Jane Sutton Brooks Kemp
Jane was the second wife of Asa Kemp. This late marriage had no issue. According to a step
granddaughter, Beaulah Kemp Jones (Mrs. Henry Jones) d/o John M. and Virgie Allen Kemp,
she was a wonderful grandmother who sent her gifts in the mail when Jane moved to Texas.
This picture was taken at the home of Henry Bluford and Eula Jane Allen Kemp in 1894.
Asa had died just four years earlier and she holds the family bible.
Two old Sutton Bibles have been discovered recently in the Difficult community, along with
a letter written by Jane in the spring of 1908 to John Morgan and Virgie Allen Kemp. This
letter was tucked inside the old bible of James T. Allin [Virgie's father] and discovered
when the bible was loaned to me by John and Virgie's great grandson John M. Kemp, his name-
sake. The information gleamed from the above sources gave proof as to the identity of this
beloved woman who married our gg grandfather Asa Kemp some time after his wife Mary [Polly]
Ann Williams' death on the 8th of March 1882 & before his on the 4th of January 1890.
The bible information states that she was born Manervy Jane Sutton on the 21st of Aug. 1836
to James S. and Mary Franklin Cornwell Sutton, Jr.. They further state that her parents were
married January 21, 1819. James being born August 25, 1794 [in Elbert Co., Ga.] and Mary
being born November 11, 1802. Their issue were: Martha Sutton b. 2-21-1820; James Teryl
Sutton b. 11-25-1821; Mahala Coal Sutton b. 8-26-1823 (?) ; Ann McClain Sutton b. 10-09-1825;
Elizabeth Crown Sutton b. 8-10-1827; Malinda Sutton b. 3-30- 1830 d. 11-06-1830; Leroy
Franklin Sutton died an infant 10-19-1832; Jefferson Johnson Sutton b. 11-21-1833;
* Manervy Jane Sutton b. 8-21-1836; Luvena Frances Sutton b. 11-10-1838 died
after 2 yrs. departed 2-11-1841; William Campbell Sutton b. 5-23-1845.
Jane was first married to Sidney Brooks & marriage records show he was first married to
Nancy Donoho August 07, 1849. On September 26, 1853 there is a record of the marriage of
Sidney Brooks and Minerva Jane Sutton.
In an 1860 census he and Minerva Jane have a daughter Elvira Frances Brooks age four
[b. 9-16-1855] and a son James Brooks age three. In an 1870 census they have another son,
Wm. R. Brooks age five. Smith County census of 1900 shows Jane Kemp living in the household
of John Morgan and Virgie Allen Kemp. She is a widow and listed with having one child and
one child living. We do not know when Sidney Brooks died, nor do we know why she is listed
as having only one child. Perhaps the sons were not her's by birth, or she only counted her
one surviving child Elvira.
This letter by Jane speaks of Elvira and also of staying with Sarah Sutton and her children.
She states that they are so sad and lonely since Terrell died. [Wm. Terrell Sutton died
4-14-1908 in Cooke Co., Texas] Sarah, his wife, was listed in the bible as Sarah C. Morrow.
Death records list her as Sarah Clemmons Sutton. Their children were: Barnett, Lucy, Ray,
Ellen or Evelyn per bible, and Noel Branch Sutton. This letter was from Texas, and it is
believed Era, Cooke County, Texas...where most are buried in the Era Cemetery.
Jane's daughter Elvira married Dr. Samuel Lewis Segraves b. 10-03-1853 in Lafayette, Macon
Co., Tennessee. They married June 27, 1875 in Tennessee. He died 2-21-1945. Elvira dying
before him on Jan. 25, 1926. They are buried together in the Era Cemetery along with
Minerva Jane Kemp who died February 04, 1915. Photos of Elvira and Samuel Segraves
tombstone can be seen on the following link to that cemetery:
Special thanks to Bill K. Kemp [gg grandson of Ann McClain Sutton and Larkin Kemp] for his Sutton
Bible information and to Mary Knight for her assistance with census, marriage records and finding
the on line Era Cemetery in Texas. Without their help this Sutton line would not have been complete.
PRENTICE D. KEMP HUNTING TRIP IN N.M. 1914
Prentice was the son of Newton Henderson Kemp & Belle Donoho. Newton was the son
of Asa & Mary Ann (Polly) Williams Kemp. Newton & Bell had Estes and Prentice. Estes
married Josie Porter. Prentice married Gillie Matthews, d/o Rev. T.W. Matthews. Pictured
on left, Dave Candler and on right Prentice Kemp. Photo taken in New Mexico, October 1914.
Prentice Kemp b. Sept. 21, 1893 d. Jan. 23, 1919 and Newton Kemp b. March 31, 1858
d. Nov. 20, 1894 are buried in the Kemp family cemetery on Little Salt Lick Creek Road.