Beyond our Elusive William Daniel

Charles moved his family from Virginia to Illinois prior to moving to Arkansas. In Illinois his first wife died. His family eventually moved to Texas, although Charles seems to have died in Arkansas.

C. Strailey was the grantee of land in Wood County, Texas, in the Charles M. Strailey survey. (Leag. Sec. 87 abs. 547) If he died in Arkansas, was he the owner of this land, later returning to Arkansas? More research needed!

There is a story that says that Sampson Straley was killed in a gunfight, and his father witnessed it, but recovered from his wounds. If the dates are correct, however, this could not be correct since Sampson lived at least until 1880 when he appears on the Lampasas census. Another record says that it was the father who died. This seems more likely (Your French - Straley - Davis Ancestry, from the Year of Our Lord 1690). All the reports seem to indicate that Sampson possibly died as well, but this does not appear to be correct. If he was killed, it would have been after 1880. Some reports indicate that the gunfight was a battle with Indians. More research is needed! It is said that Charles was buried in Straley cemetery in Adamsville, but there is no gravestone to prove it. During the time when Charles is supposed to have died, the Sampson Straley family lived in Arkansas and then the Red River area of Texas. Is it possible, that the valley where Charles is said to have died was actually the Red River Valley? Indians seem to have been a problem during that time in that area. Just one possibility to be looked at. It does appear that both Sampson D. Straley and his father Charles M. Straley lived in the Red River county area of Texas beginning as early as 1840 possibly according the Texas Land Records. It appears that they lived there before Texas became a state. (See land information for Sampson D. Straley for further information in regard to the land records.) There is one Tollett family member who did die in the Rio Grande Valley during the Mexican War. It is possible that there was confusion about this story.

Mortality Schedule:
1850, Clark County, Anderson, Quaker Cedes, Arkansas
Straley, Charles M., 54, m, widower, Virginia, Oct., cause unknown, sudden
NOTE: This census is hard to read. The Mortality Schedule included Greenville Township. Since the only Straley in Clark County on this census was the Sampson Straley family which lived in Greenville township, I suspect that he was living with them, or at least that they were the ones who gave the information. Since the cause was unknown, and it was a sudden death, it would seem to rule out a gunfight. It would seem that his cause of death would have been listed as gunshot if that had been true.

(Medical):The length of the illness was shown as sudden.