Beyond our Elusive William Daniel

One story says that J. J. Kerley arrived at the Pine Springs, Lauderdale County, MS area in 1835 with his family. After his marriage to Elizabeth, he purchased land from a friend's widow, and lived in the house that he had purchased with the land. A short time after his father was tried in September for selling whiskey illegally, J. J. Kerley and his wife moved from the area, transferring the land into his brother's name.

According to Ione Kerley Taylor as quoted in The Last Frontier The Story of Hardeman County by Bill Neal, after the death of his first wife, John Jackson Kerley moved to Limestone County, Texas. He bought a farm in Point Enterprise near where Mexia would be built. Here he married Ellen Dunn. Later, this wife also died. Leonard Daniel moved to the area following the Civil War with his two widowed daughters. Family tradition says that Kerley first wanted to marry Diademia, but after she refused, he married her sister, Cynthia Jane Daniel.

During the Civil War Kerley, too old to serve in the army, hauled supplies from Galveston for the army. Following the war, he sold his land at Point Enterprise and moved to Springfield, Limestone County, Texas, where he opened a store.

Kerley moved his store to Mexia after the county seat was moved from Springfield to Groesbeck. Two men claimed that they owned equal shares in the business there, and left him almost bankrupt.

He and his wife, Cynthia, ran the Southern Hotel about 1878. They lived there about three years, according to Ione Kerley Taylor. Later he purchased a gin business in the town. In 1890 he sold his home and business and moved to Chillicothe, Texas where he bought a half section of land. This land was located eight miles north of town. Here he placed 100 cows and several horses. He probably moved there because his son Thomas had moved there from Mexia in 1888. He farmed land southwest of Chillicothe where he also lived.

It was a hard life, and he died soon after he moved to Chillicothe. He was the fourth person to be buried in Chillicothe Cemetery. Three generations of his family are buried there.

In a letter to Lenore Williams from Minnie Lewis, she says that she heard somewhere, so long before that she did not remember who told her, that Kerley first asked Cynthia Jane's sister Diademia to marry him, but she refused.

James Daniel provided the following census information:

He is on the 1850 Census for Limestone Co., Texas (GenWeb Archives, Limestone Co. TX, rootsweb.com, 1850 Census, Limestone CO. TX By Mika Jackson, accessed 2 Jul 2004) :
Page 357-B Dwelling & Family No. 27
John J. Kerley 30 M Farmer $250 South Carolina
Elizabeth Kerley 22 F South Carolina
Mary Kerley 2 F Texas
Elizabeth Kerley 25 F South Carolina
Matilda Kerley 19 F South Carolina
This raises the following questions: Is Elizabeth the first wife or another name for Ellen that we are unaware of? Is Mary actually the daughter of the first wife? or the second as we thought. Apparently Elizabeth (aged 25) and Matilda (aged 19) are sisters of John Kerley.

Census:
1850, 1-PCT, LIMESTONE, TEXAS, Series: M432 Roll: 912 Page: 357B
27/27, John J. Kerley, 30, m, farmer, value of real estate 250, SC
Elizabeth Kerley, 22, f, SC
Mary Kerley, 2, f, TX
Elizabeth Kerley, 25, f, SC
Matilda Kerley, 19, f, SC

1860, SPRINGFIELD P O, LIMESTONE TEXAS, Series: M653 Roll: 1300 Page: 347A
519/453, J. J. Kerley, 40, m, farmer, 2700, 2550, SC
E. " , 34, f, SC
M. E. " , 12, f, TX, att. school
S. A. " , 8, f, TX, att. school
E. J. " , 6, f, TX, att. school
T. T. " , 4, m, TX
I. M. " , 1, f, TX
Wm. Strange, 30, m, farm laborer, MS

1870 Census Eutaw Dist. 48 Limestone Co TX Roll T393-1596 page 12 Family 912
Kerly, Jno. J. 51 Merchant SC
, Cynthia 29 AL
, May E. 21 TX
, Ellen J. 15 TX
, Thompson F. 13 TX
, Ida 11 TX
, Jno. N. 9 TX
, Lilla 6 TX
, Leonard L. 3 TX
, Adolphus 6/12 TX
Thomas, Emma 8 LA
They lived next door to Cynthia Jane's parents, sister, and sister's children.

1880 Census, State of Texas, Limestone Co., Mexia, p.3, Enum. Date 1 June 1880
(Information from James Daniel, obtained on-line at Ancestry.com)
Kerley, Jno. J. w m 61 Hotel Keeper SC SC SC
, Cinthia J. w f 38 wife keep house AL AL AL
, John w m 19 son at home TX SC AL
, Lilly w f 14 da at school TX SC AL
, Leonard D. w m 12 son at school TX SC AL
, Adolphus W. w m 10 son at school TX SC AL
, Andrew S. w m 7 son at school TX SC AL
, Diadema I w f 5 da at Home TX SC AL
, Beula B. w f 2 da at home TX SC AL
Whitaker, Eliza B f 21 servant servant TX SC AL
Hageman, David M. [?] w m 27 Border Coffee Vendor Canada Canada Canada