Vivian Genetta Ener

Notes:

Vivian Branham

Vivian Genetta Branham, 74, of Beaumont died Saturday, Feb. 18, 1995, at a Beaumont hospital.

Mrs. Branham, a longtime resident of Beaumont, was a native of Hemphill.

Survivors: husband, James Branham Sr. of Beaumont; sons, James Samuel Branham Jr. of Baytown and Eldon Burnis Brahnam of Houston; daughters, Sandra Rae Thomas of Houston, Esther Jean Tanner of Beaumont and Martha Lou Huffman of Briston, Ind.; a brother, Daniel Eldon "Jiggs" Ener of Beaumont; a sister, Barbara Jean West of Beaumont; 13 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Beaumont. Interment followed at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont.

Published in The Sabine County Reporter, March 1, 1995, Page 10

James married Mary M. McNaughten on 1 Apr 1917 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. Mary (daughter of Daniel W. McNaughten and Ophelia Birdwell) was born in Jul 1898 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 13 Sep 1989 in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

It is possible that James instead married the Mattie McNaughten, born about 1898/1899 who was a daughter of William Jesse McNaughten and Georgia Ella Beckcom.

William married Arbry Senita Smith. Arbry (daughter of John A. Smith and Amanda Low) was born after 1860 in Texas; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

(Research):
Census Listings:

1900 Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP 7
Enumerated 7 Jun 1900
SD 8 ED 69 Sheet 8B
132-132
McNaughten, D. W. Head W M Jan 1856 44 M 21 Tx Tx Ala Farmer
McNaughten, Ophelia Wf W F Feb 1860 40 M 21 7/7 Tx Ala Tx
McNaughten, Henry J Son W M Aug 1881 18 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Laborer
McNaughten, Elijah T Son W M Apr 1886 16 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Laborer
McNaughten, Minnie M Dtr W F Feb 1887 13 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Laborer
McNaughten, Lockie P Dtr W F Jan 1890 10 S Tx Tx Tx
McNaughten, Grover C Son W M Oct 1892 7 S Tx Tx Tx
McNaughten, Hannah A Dtr W F July 1895 4 S Tx Tx Tx
McNaughten, Mary M Dtr W F July 1898 1 S Tx Tx Tx

Daniel married Ophelia Birdwell on 27 Dec 1878 in Sabine County, Texas. Ophelia (daughter of James Andrew Birdwell and Mary Alice Cogburn) was born in Feb 1860 in Texas; died about 1947 in Texas; was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Yellowpine, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

An article published in the October 15 issue of "The Sabine County Reporter" indicated that James and his brother, William Trehane Ener, immigrated from Cornwall to America in the spring of 1835. William settled in Grant County, Wisconsin, and James was in Jefferson County, Texas by 4 April 1836. He joined Capt. O. M. Wheeler's Company K, 2nd Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers during the U.S. Mexican War. After returning to Sabine County, he and his wife, Mary Ann Gomer, established a large successful farm on the south side of the Housen Bayou near her parents. He was murdered one block south of the Sabine County Courthouse on 27 November 1869 by a disgruntled sharecropper. He was the second person to be buried in the Ener cemetery.

John and Helene Ennor (ennor@cfu.net) emailed : "We are looking for information on James T Enner. He was born in England about 1810 and at some point ended up in Sabine Co. We think this might be where he married Mary Ann Gomer on 10/5/1847. He was murdered in Sabine on 11/27/1869. What we would like to know is who James T Enners parents are and any details on his murder. If you have info we would appreciate hearing from you."

A later email from James Ennor indicated that James was shot by a man named Lyles.

James married Mary Ann Gomer on 5 Oct 1847 in Sabine County, Texas. Mary (daughter of James Frederick Gomer and Anna M. B. ???) was born on 17 Nov 1828 in Giles County, Tennessee; died on 12 Sep 1897. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Amanda Low about 1856. Amanda (daughter of Jesse Low and Harriet Hines) was born about 1839 in Texas; died about 1898. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Allen McNaughten came to Texas about the same time as the Obediah Smith family, and both families settled on Sandy Creek near the Newton County line. Allen married Hannah, the daughter of Obediah and Elizabeth Smith.

M. married Hannah Smith. Hannah (daughter of Obediah Jackson Smith and Elizabeth Chapman) was born on 17 Nov 1833 in Alabama; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

David Pike writes that James Birdwell arrived in Texas in 1854, and that he enlisted in Company "H", 13th Texas Regiment on the 18 Feb, 1862. Served in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Was captured by Union Forces at Pleasant Hill, LA 9 Apr 1864, released in a prisoner exchange at Blair's Landing on the Red River, 20 Apr 1864. Discharged ca 5 May of 1865 at Hempstead, TX.

Henry, second child of J. A. and Mary's, was born 11 Nov 1864. This would indicate that James was home on leave in march of that year, just prior to the Battle of Pleasant Hill.

25 Jan 1906-made application (1st) for CSA pension. It was disapproved.
11 Aug 1909- made second application for pension. It was also disapproved.
He may have still owned land in Newton County. This may have been reason for these disapprovals. On his application he listed real and personal property as:
100 acres - $200.00
1 Pony - 45.00
2 Cows - 20.00
3 Shoats - 3.00
Wife's estate listed as her interest of the 100 acres.

David Pike also notes that "Family Search has James born in (Newton) Alabama. I do not believe this is correct. Also, some accounts have him and his bro. John as children of John and Mary Allen Birdwell. I believe this is also incorrect. "






(Research):

Census Information:

1870 Census
Texas, Newton County, P. O. Newton
Enumerated 4 Aug 1870
Page 20
152-154
Birdwell, James 35 M W Farmer $600 $250 Alabama
Birdwell, Mary A. 27 F W Keeping House Ark
Birdwell, Emelia I [Ophelia]11 F W Tx
Birdwell, Henry W. 6 M W Tx
Birdwell, Addie E 4 F W Tx
Birdwell, Henry G 1 M W Tx


1880 Sabine County Census:
124-125
Birdwell, James A. w m 44 farmer Ala Ala Ala
Birdwell, Mary A. w f 37 wife Ala SC Ga
Birdwell, Henry W. w m 15 son TX
Birdwell, Addie E w f 13 dau TX
Birdwell, Charley L. w m 9 son TX
Birdwell, Florence E w f 7 dau TX
Birdwell, Lemeul J w m 5 son TX
Birdwell, David R w m 2 son TX


1900 Census
Sabine County, Texas
Birdwell, James Head M W 64 M AL AL AL Farmer
Birdwell, Mary A Wife F W 57 N AL AL AL
Birdwell, Norman Son M W 18 S TX AL AL
Birdwell, Elbert Son M W 15 S TX AL AL
Birdwell, Willie Minnie Dau F W 12 S TX AL AL
Cogburn, Martha M-in-Law F W 78 Wd GA GA GA

James married Mary Alice Cogburn about 1859 in Newton County, Texas. Mary was born on 10 Oct 1842 in Alabama; died on 3 Nov 1909 in Bronson, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Was she also called Nancy? According to an email from Dolores Burton, she was named Nancy Cogburn. However, on the 1880 and on the 1900 Sabine County Census, the wife of James Birdwell is listed as Mary. In fact, in the 1900 census, she is shown as Mary A. (Cogburn).

David Pike, a Cogburn researcher, also shows her as Mary Alice. He indicates that she was probably born in Georgia, though census records report Alabama, and on one occasion Arkansas.