Robert Earl Burke, Jr. Ancestry Pages
The Hunt for Burrell Womack's Ancestry
21 Sep 2003
Sidebars
- Other Burrell Womacks
- Other Josiah Womacks
- Womack/Warmath Confusion
- Other Womacks in the same places
NOTE: I use the spelling Burrell. His name was spelled various other ways in old records, such as Burwell, but the Burrell spelling was used most often.
When I began researching my Womack family about ten years ago, I knew from information from my grandmother and her sister, Jewell, that they were from Casa, a small town in western Perry County, Arkansas, that their father was Olga Austin Womack, and that his parents were Robert Womack and Mary Huggins (I later learned her maiden name was actually Hudgins). In a few days of research at the Tampa Library, I found my Womack line in census records of Yell County, Arkansas, and traced them back to the 1860 Census. In that census, I found my great-great-grandfather Robert Womack as a six year old boy:
1860 AR, Yell, Magazine Twp, Dardanelle PO, p.1046, house 320, family 320 Womack, Burrell 40 M W farmer - 300 TN -Kisiah 34 F W NC -P Elizabeth 18 F W TN -Mary Jane 16 F W TN -William 14 M W TN -Rolin 12 M W TN -Margaret 8 F W AR -Robt 6 M W AR Jones, Martha 14 F W TN -Julias 13 M W TN Womack, Lydia 5m F W AR
I should note that I was not the first researcher to find this information. I did not realize then that several others had found the same info.
I made the assumption that Burrell was the father of Robert, and that Kisiah may have been Robert's mother. No marriage record for Burrell and Kisiah has ever been found. A great number of early marriage records from Yell County have been lost. However, I suspected that order in which the children were listed by the census enumerator was significant - basically it was "mine, yours, and ours". In other words, the first five children listed were Burrell's by his first marriage. Then the two Jones children were Kisiah's by her first marriage. Lastly, Lydia Womack was the child of both Burrell and Kisiah. The 1880 Census shows Kisiah as "K C Womack" living with sons Andrew J Jones and David S. Womack, and daughter Sarah C Womack. So, Kisiah was apparently married twice. The 1870 Census shows "Kitty C Womack" with Andrew J Jones, Lydia A Womack, David S Womack, and Julius W B Jones; the 1870 Census does not say how people were related. Notably, Burrell cannot be found in the 1870 or 1880 censuses, though his widow and children can, indicating he probably died in the 1860s. See the Womack Census Records here.
So, I tried to find Burrell in the 1850 Census, and I figured he probably had a different wife in 1850. I found Burrell in 1850 living in Dallas County, Arkansas. He has been indexed in the AIS 1850 Arkansas Census Index as "Warnic," though his name looks like "Wamic" to me. Wamic is one of many spelling variations of Womack. Burrell's (apparent) wife in 1850 was named Ava. From the names and ages of the children, I knew I had found the correct Burrell Womack:
1850 AR Dallas, Saline Twp, p.24A, house 318, family 318 Burrel Wamic 34 M W Farmer TN -Ava 32 F W NC -Parthenia E 8 F W TN -Mary J 7 F W TN -Wm W 5 F W TN -Roland J 2 M W TN Sarah Rogers 94 F W GA
I figured Sarah Rogers might somehow be related. Saline township of Dallas Co, AR was small in population in 1850, only about 6 pages worth of census records. There were several Rogers households in Saline township in 1850, including Isaac Rogers right next door. Other Rogers household heads were David T, Henry, Sampson, Henry J, and Hiram. From birthplaces and ages, it was apparent that the Rogers families were recent arrivals from Tennessee.
I searched Tennessee marriage records and found the following:
Gibson Co, TN marriage records
Burwell Warmack to Avy Cook
bond 9 May 1840, marriage 12 May 1840
bondsman E G B Cook
So, Burrell's first wife was Ava or Avy Cook, and they married in Gibson County, Tennessee. They married a few months before the 1840 Census was taken, but I could find no trace of them in Gibson County, or any of the surrounding counties. So, either they were missed, or were enumerated in another household. A search of IGI said that "Avanilla" Cook was the daughter of Roland Cook and Phoebe "Moblet". It was quite some time before I realized that "Avanilla" was a misreading of Avarilla, an uncommon, but not unheard of, name back then. I did realize right away that "Moblet" was probably a typo for Mobley (look at your keyboard, and notice that the letters t and y are adjacent). I found a reference to an article about Roland Cook, and got the book contaning the article through Interlibrary Loan. The article turned out to be a gold mine. I recently visited the Tennessee State Archives and photocopied the full text of Roland Cook's will, and the deed record abstracted in the article that lists all his children; I have typed these documents out here.
The Gibson Couunty deed lists Burrell and Avarilla Womack as heirs of Roland Cook. A lot of other things started making sense as well. Burrell and Ava's daughter, Parthena Elizabeth, was named after Ava's sister, Parthena (Cook) Suit; and Burrell and Ava's son, Roland J was named after Ava's father, Rev. Roland Cook. Ava's sister, Alecy (sometimes spelled "Elsie") Cook, married Isaac Rogers, and Isaac and Alecy were listed in the 1850 Census in the household immediately before Burrell and Ava. Also, Roland R Cook, Ava's younger brother, was living with Isaac and Alecy Rogers in 1850. So here, we had the Womack, Cook, and Rogers families that were somehow connected.
There was another clue about Burrell Womack's origins - the elusive Sampson Womack. I have found Sampson Womack in only two censuses, 1870 and 1900. In 1870, Sampson was living in the household immediately after the household of Burrell's widow, his second wife, Kisiah, in Yell Co, AR. Sampson was listed as 40 years old, born in Tennessee. Sampson shows up again in the 1900 Census of Yell Co, AR as "Sam Womack". He was near Burrell's children. He was listed as 75 years old (no month or year of birth given), a widower, born in Tennessee, both parents also born in Tennessee. A Sampson Womack served as a private in the Confederate Army, Company G of Hardy's Regt AR Infantry (he is also listed with the first names Fampson, Fampian, and Fantford, apparent misreadings of Sampson). I need to order his Civil War records from National Archives to see if they provide additional clues. A "D.S. Womack" appears on voter registration lists from Yell Co, AR in 1872 and 1873. This may have been Sampson Womack. Burrell had a son named David S Womack, but he was far too young to vote in 1872 and 1873. I do not know what the "S" middle initial in David's name stood for, but maybe it was Sampson, and perhaps Sampson's full name was "David Sampson Womack". Since Sampson was closely associated with Burrell's family, and he was fairly close in age to Burrell, my guess is that Sampson was Burrell's brother. Possibly, Burrell named his son David Sampson Womack after his brother.
From this point, I ran into many dead ends in trying to ascertain the parents of Burrell Womack (and his probable brother, Sampson). Part of the problem was an error in my own transcription of Burrell's family in the 1860 Census. I wrote that it said Burrell was born in NC, when in fact it said Burrell was born in TN, in agreement with the 1850 Census (although the ages were 4 years off). In fact, in the 1880 Census, all but one of Burrell's surviving children are enumerated with their father born in TN (one said her father was born in AR). Because of my transcription error, I was not certain if Burrell was born in North Carolina or Tennessee, when in fact, practically every record points to his birth in Tennessee.
I saw a few other Womack marriages in Gibson Co, TN in addition to Burrell Womack's mariage to Ava Cook. Thinking these individuals could be related to Burrell, I began investigating them. I found the Womack men from these marriage records living in Gibson Co, TN in the 1850 Census, in the 17th and 15th Civil Districts. A little digging revealed these to be Hezekiah Carr Womack (born ca 1798) and his sons. Hezekiah came from Davidson Co, NC, and later moved further west to Greene Co, MO. Hezekiah Womack was the son of Richard "Dicky" and Ruth Owen Womack. Most of Richard and Ruth's children eventually settled in southern Missouri (Webster, Greene, and Texas counties). This information came from article #1242 in The Heritage of Davidson County, North Carolina, submitted by A. Jean Lurvety. For a long time, I thought Burrell must be related to this Womack line, but I could not find a connection.
This is where my Womack research stood for several years. I found a few other facts. In a telephone conversation with Danny Womack (my grandma's first cousin), he told me about Kisiah Womack's tomstone in Yell Co, AR, and that it says she was the wife of "B H" (see transcription of Dacus Cemetey here). So we have a middle initial for Burrell. I also found this GenForum posting by Jim Womack that gave me some additional information about Burrell's son, William W Womack, and how he served in the Union Army in the Civil War and died in 1864. I found the marriage record of Martin B. Jones to Kissiah C. Sloan 25 Feb 1841 in Gibson Co, TN. So, this was Kisiah's first marriage, before she married Burrell Womack. A check of Yell Co, AR census records showed that there were several Sloan families from Tennessee living near my Womacks. From this, I figured Burrell had probably known the Sloan family from the time he lived in Gibson Co, TN, and that perhaps this was why he moved to Yell County. [Recently, I found where Kisiah and her children from her first marriage were enumerated in the 1850 Census with the surname Sloan, living with Kisiah's parents, Thomas and Deborah Sloan, in 1st District, Gibson Co, TN. I also found a family history that states that some of this Sloan family moved to Yell Co, AR.]
Other than these few clues, my Womack research was at a standstill, while I made good progress on several of my other lines. I found some postings at WGN that said Burrell Womack might be the son of James and Elizabeth "Betsey" Mary Berry Womack. However, I could find no proof of this. A little digging showed that this family was in Wayne Co, IL in the 1830 Census, and before then they were in Kentucky (I think Butler County). However, all the evidence pointed to Burrell's birth in Tennesee, not Kentucky. Also, I found it unlikely Burrell would have left his family in Illinois to go to West Tennessee. Lastly, this theory does not take into account Sampson Womack, Burrell's probable brother. So, unless someone has some definitive proof, I think this theory is invalid.
A few weeks ago, I took another look my Womack information. I decided that Sampson Womack must be Burrell's brother. Also, the Sarah Rogers living with Burrell and Ava Womack in the 1850 Cenus of Dallas Co, AR must be related. If Sarah's age of 94 in 1850 was correct, she was too old to have been the mother of either Burrell or Ava. I though she might be Burrell's grandmother. She could be his maternal grandmother, or perhaps his paternal grandmother who had remarried.
A Google search found this article from Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas, (1890) The Goodspeed Publishing Company, page 731. This is a biography of Spirous Rogers of Dallas Co, AR. According to the article, he was born in 1816 in Bedford Co, TN, the son of Henry Rogers and Sarah Johnson, natives of North Carolina who moved to Tennessee after marriage; that Henry Rogers died in Madison Co, TN in 1860 at the age of 75; that Sarah Johnson Rogers died in Dallas Co, AR in 1867 "when not less than one hundred fifteen years of age"; and that Spirous had a brother named Sampson Rogers who was over 100. Whew!!! Well, one should realize that Goodspeed was a company which produced biographical books for areas all over the South in the late 1800s. The information in the Goodspeed biographies was never verified, and was often highly exagerated. In the case of Spirous Rogers's bio, I think it has both mistakes and some pretty wild exagerations. First off, census records show that Sampson Rogers was born about 1803, so he could not have been more than 87 or so when this book was published in 1890. Secondly, Henry Rogers must have died before 1850 in Madison Co, TN, because there is no trace of him in the 1850 Census, and his widow, Sarah, is living with Burrell and Ava Womack in Dallas Co, AR.
The strangest exageration is that of Sarah Johnson Rogers's age. If she was truly 115 when she died in 1867, then she was born circa 1752. This is flatly impossible. She would have been about 64 when she gave birth to Spirous, an impossibility. Also, Spirous was the 10th of 11 children, so she had another after him (possibly Isaac Rogers who married Alecy Cook, he was born about 1820). According to this web page, the oldest woman to ever give birth (before the advent of "test tube" babies) was 57. Furthermore, "Medical literature has documented fewer than 100 deliveries in women over age 50." I am always seeing genealogies on the Internet that claim women had children at over 50 years old, and I am always highly skeptical. The census records for the household of Henry Rogers show that Sarah was in her 60s in 1830, and in her 70s in 1840, so she must have been in her 80s in 1850. I think she was in her early 80s in 1850, no older than 82. That would have made her about 48 when she gave birth to Spirous in 1816, and about 99 when she died in 1867, still a very respectable age. Unfortunately, I cannot find her in the 1860 Census. Strangely enough, I think her children actually believed this particular exageration, because it is repeated in another Goodspeed biography, this one for H. W. Rogers. (Note that there are a lot of typos in this bio, including "Ropers" rather than "Rogers".) This was Henry W. Rogers who, in the 1850 Census, was 24 years old and living with his uncle, Sampson Rogers, in Saline Township, Dallas Co, AR. The Spirous Rogers bio suggests that Sarah Johnson Rogers was afflicted with Alzheimers or some similar problem, and perhaps she thought she was far older than she really was.
Anyhow, the thing that was most interesting about the Spirous Rogers bio was that he was born in Bedford Co, TN. From postings at WGN, I knew there were Womacks in Bedford Co, TN. I tried to find Henry Rogers in the 1820 Census of Bedford Co, TN, but the closest I could find was a "Henry Ragen". So, I kind of gave up on the Womack-Rogers connection.
Then, I found an abstract of the marriage of Roland J Womack to Susan Ross at Roger Womack's records. Roland J was the son of Burrell Womack and Avarilla Cook. The abstract lists him as "Rolen Josiah Womack" age 20, married to "Susan Malinda Ross" age 19 on 2 Jul 1868 in Yell Co, AR. Roland's first name came from his mother's father, Rev. Roland Cook. Could that mean that Josiah was the name of his father's father? In other words, was Burrell Womack's father named Josiah Womack?
About the same time, I found that in Genealogy.com's 1820 Census Index for Tennessee, they list a Henry Rogers in Bedford Co, TN. I took a closer look and saw what I think is "Henry Roger" or maybe "Henry Rogers". Judge for yourself. Here is an enlarged image of the first 5 names on the page with the handwritten number 78 (stamped number 50):
I read Joseph Cox, Spirus Johnston, Henry Roger, Eli Roger, David Trammel. The last letter of Henry's and Eli's surnames may be an 's'. The enumerator wrote his small 'o' very similar to small 'a'. However, we know that "Jaseph Cax" is not correct. I can certainly see where someone might interpret this surname as "Ragen".
What is interesting is that 18 households before Henry Rogers, there is the household of "Josiah Wommack". Josiah is part of a clump of Womack households - six Womack households in a span of seven households. In order, they are Michael Wommack, David Wommack, Alexr Wommack, William Wommack, Josiah Wommack, David Butler, Hawkins Wommack. See here for a transcription of the 1820 Census of Bedford Co, TN.
Also interesting is the household of Spirus Johnston, right before the household of Henry Rogers. "Spirus" is a Greek-sounding name with a lot of spelling variations. It was a very rare given name, though it also runs in my Ham line. County clerks and census enumerators had a lot of trouble with this name, and thus it is spelled/misspelled many ways in various records - Spirus, Spirous, Spiros, Spiras, Spyres, Spires, Spyrous, etc. I searched records at Genealogy.com, Ancestry.com, and Google, and found that the 1820 Census of Bedford Co, TN appears to be the only record of a Spirus (any spelling) Johnston or Johnson ever. The surnames Johnson and Johnston were fairly interchangeable in old records. Spirus Johnston must have been related to Sarah Johnson Rogers, probably her brother. This would explain why she named a son Spirous Rogers. I think that Spirus Johnston came to Tennessee from North Carolina before 1800, along with Henry Rogers's family. The 1800 Census of Tennssee is missing, and the 1810 Census is very partial. Spirous Johnston may have died before the 1830 Census.
So, at this point, I have located Henry Rogers in 1820 in Bedford Co, TN, near Josiah Womack. I tried to find this Josiah Womack in the 1830 and 1840 censuses.
Please take a look at this map of West Tennessee Counties. Note especially the locations of Gibson, Madison, and Hardeman counties, since that will help quite a bit with the rest of this essay.
There was a Josiah Womack in the 1840 census of Carroll Co, TN, which is adjacent to Gibson Co, TN (where Burrell Womack was married), and also adjacent to Madison Co, TN (where Henry Rogers lived). However, a little digging revealed this to be Josiah Womack, son of Richard "Dicky" and Ruth Owen Womack. This Josiah was enumerated as "J Womack" in the 1850 Census of Weakley Co, TN. He eventually moved to Texas Co, MO, where he died in 1854. While at the Tennessee State Archives, I abstracted tax lists for Gibson Co, TN. Also I found this map showing the old Civil Districts of Gibson Co, TN. In 1850, Hezekiah Carr Womack and his sons were living in 17th Civil District of Gibson, and one son was in 15th Distict. The map shows that 17th District is adjacent Weakley County and Carroll County. 15th District is just to the south of 17th. Hezekiah's sons first appear in tax records of Gibson Co, TN in 17th District in 1847. By 1850, Benjamin Wammack was taxed in 15th District, and Hezekiah, Daniel, Josiah, and Richard Wammack were indexed in 17th District. This pretty much matches up with the Census, except that Josiah, who was Hezekiah's brother, was enumerated in Weakley County. Josiah apparently owned land in 17th District of Gibson County near his brother Hezekiah and Hezekiah's sons. So, this Josiah was from Davidson Co, NC, and was NOT the Josiah I was looking for.
There was one other Josiah Womack in the 1840 Census of Tennessee. This Josiah was in Hardeman Co, TN. Also, in the 1830 Census, there was a "Joseph Wormack" in Hardeman Co, TN. According to tax lists for Hardeman Co, TN, Josiah Womack was there from at least 1826 to 1840. In 1836, Hardeman Co, TN was divided into civil districts. Josiah Womack was listed in 14th District, which was the area around the town of Shandy. There were also Rogers listed in 14th District - John, Sampson, Henry, Hiram, Spiras. Except for John Rogers (who died before 1850 and was the father of Henry W. Rogers), all the others were in the 1850 Census of Arkansas. Spirous Rogers was in Bradley Co, AR in 1850. Sampson, Henry, and Hiram were all in Saline Township, Dallas Co, AR, near Burrell Womack. John, Sampson, Henry. Hiram, and Spirous Rogers were all sons of Henry Rogers (Sr.) and Sarah Johnson. There was another son, Eli Rogers, who appeared in the Hardeman Co, TN tax lists from 1826 to 1831. Eli Rogers was listed next to his parents in the 1820 Census of Bedford Co, TN. In the 1830 Census of Hardeman, John Rogers and Eli Rogers were listed adjacent to one another on p.381 and three households from "Joseph Wormack." Henry Rogers (Sr.) was on p.384.
See Descendants of James King. This is a big page, search for "Josiah" and for "Rogers". According to the deed records abstracted here, Rev. William King bought land ajacent to a survey of 48 acres originally made for Josiah Womack. Also, William King bought a tract of 170 acres that was originally surveyed for Josiah Womack and Eli Rogers, which was adjacent to a survey of 200 acres made for Hiram Rogers. The 1829 tax list of Hardeman shows that Josiah payed tax on 48 acres, as well as one poll (a white male 21 to 50). In all the other years, Josiah had no acreage, just a poll. In West Tennessee, the State of Tennessee sold land to settlers. To begin the process, you made an entry, then had the land surveyed, then actually bought the land. It appears that Josiah Womack and Eli Rogers attempted to jointly purchase a 170 acre tract from the state. They got as far as the survey, but perhaps they could not come up with the cash to actually purchase the land.
In the 1840 Census, Josiah Womack was listed on p.308 of Hardeman Co, TN. Henry Rogers (Jr.) and William Rogers (possibly not related) were on p.315; Spiras Rogers was on p.318; Hiram Rogers was on p.320. Henry Rogers (Sr.) was on p.119 of Madison Co, TN and Sampson Rogers was on p.104. Although Madison Co, TN was divided into civil districts in 1836, the 1840 Census was done county-wide. The 1850 Census of Madison Co, TN was done by district. Some of Henry Roger's neighbors in 1840 were listed in 12th District in 1850, and some were in 16th District. See this map of Madison. I believe Henry Rogers was in 12th District in 1840. Unfortunately, there are no extant tax lists of Madison for this period.
In 1840, Henry Rogers was next to Martha Johnson, and two households from Stephen Johnson. In the 1850 Census, Stephen Johnson was listed in 12th District of Madison Co, TN.
There is a Goodspeed bio for Judge Jesse F. Johnson, son of Stephen Johnson, and grandson of Thomas Johnson. Jesse F. Johnson's full name was Jesse Franklin Johnson. By 1860, Stephen Johnson had moved to Saline Township of Dallas Co, AR, not far from Henry Rogers, Jr. The Jesse F. Johnson bio has typos, including "Ropers" instead of "Rogers". Jesse Johnson married Margaret Rogers, daughter of Spirous Rogers. I believe Thomas Johnson/Johnston was another brother of Sarah Johnson Rogers. Martha Rogers in the 1840 Census was apparently his widow. A Martha Johnston married Rubin Fuel on 20 Sep 1841 in Gibson Co, TN. See Deed Records of Madison Co, TN. In Dec 1840, Wyatt Mooring sold slaves of Thomas Johnston, deceased to William Atchison and Mathew Johnson. In 1843, Reuben and Martha Fuel agreed to convey her 98 acre dower to Nelson Childress to pay debts, and Stephen Johnson agreed to pay the debts and sell the land, and give any remaining money to Martha; one of the witnesses was William McFarlin. So, Martha Johnson/Johnston, widow of Thomas, remarried to Reuben Fuel (also spelled Fewell), and Stephen Johnson sold the land Martha inherited from Thomas to off debts.The William Atchison who bought one of Thomas Johnston's slaves, and the William McFarland who witnessed Martha Fuels's deed were both associated with Rev. Roland Cook, father of Burrell Womack's first wife, Avarilla Cook. See the deed of the heirs of Roland Cook. In 1853, William McFarland bought Roland Cook's 100 acre tract from his heirs. According to the deed, the land was in both Gibson and Madison counties, adjacent to Stephen Johnson. The 1836 - 1838 tax list of Gibson Co, TN shows Rolen Cook in 1st District. 1st Distict was in the southeast corner of Gibson Co, TN, and thus adjacent to 12th District of Madison Co, TN. In the 1844 through 1850 tax lists, Roland's widow, Pheraby Cook, paid taxes on the 100 acre tract in 1st District. William Atchison was the bondsman of the marriage between Isaac Rogers and Alecy Cook 22 Mar 1841 in Gibson Co, TN.
So, when Jesse Franklin Johnson, grandson of Thomas Johnson, married Margaret Rogers, granddaughter of Sarah Johnson Rogers, he was marrying his second cousin.
There is another Johnson connection. In 1828, Josiah Womack was the bondsman for the marriage of Martin Johnson to Mary Jones in Hardeman Co, TN. There is a Martin Johnston near Henry Rogers (Sr) in the 1830 Census of Hardeman Co, TN, but I have had no luck in tracking Martin Johnson/Johnston further.
I should state at this point that I believe that Josiah Womack was married to a daughter of Henry Rogers and Sarah Johnson. I have no idea what was the given name of this female Rogers. This explains the close association of Josiah Womack and later Burrell Womack with this Rogers family.
After the 1840 Census, and the 1840 tax list of Hardeman Co, TN, I have found no further records of Josiah Womack. He may have moved, possibly near his father-in-law Henry Rogers in Madison County. Or, he may have been exempt from the poll tax because he turned 50. In the 1840 tax list of Hardeman, Josiah Womack and Henry Womack were listed in 14th District. I believe Henry was a son of Josiah. I have more info on Henry below.
In the 1830 Census of Hardeman, Josiah was listed as "Joseph". Here are the numbers:
1830 TN Hardeman p.381 - Joseph Wormack 1 M 0-4 1 M 5-9 1 M 10-14 1 M 30-39 2 F 0-4 1 F 5-9 1 F 10-14 1 F 30-39
The male 30-39 was Josiah Womack himself, and the female 30-39 was Josiah's wife, ? Rogers. I believe the three boys were Henry J, Burrell H, and Sampson. One of the five girls was Rebecca Womack who later married James Cozby (more info below)
In the 1840 Census, here are the numbers for Josiah's family:
1840 TN Hardeman p.308 - Josiah Wammack 2 M 0-4 1 M 15-19 2 M 20-29 1 M 50-59 2 F 5-9 3 F 10-14 1 F 40-49
Josiah was listed as a male in his 50s, but I believe he was actually only in his 40s.
Burrell Womack may have met his wife, Avarilla Womack, while visiting his grandparents, Henry and Sarah Johnson Rogers, in Madison Co, TN. Henry Rogers lived in northeast Madison County in 1840, very near Roland Cook in southeast Gibson County. Burrell first appears in tax records of Gibson Co, TN in 1845, and he is listed as a poll in 1st District from 1845 through 1849. From Burrell's age of 40 in the 1860 Census, and his age of 34 in 1850, he turned 21 sometime between 1837 and 1841. So, he should have been taxed somewhere. I could not find him in tax lists of Hardeman Co, TN. He may have been in Madison County, there are no extant tax lists from this period. The Cook family was also in 1st District of Gibson, including Ava's mother, Pheraby Cook, and Ava's brothers, Elias and Roland R Cook. There were also Rogers in 1st District, including Sampson, Hiram, and Issac (married to Alecy Cook).
So, here is the Womack-Rogers connection - Sampson Rogers and Josiah Womack were in 14th District of Hardeman Co, TN in the 1830s. Sampson Rogers and Burrell Womack were in 1st District of Gibson Co, TN in the late 1840s. In the 1850 Census, Sampson Rogers and Burrell Womack were in Saline Township of Dallas Co, AR, and Sampson's mother, Sarah Johnson Rogers, was enumerated in Burrell Womack's household. Also, I believe Josiah Womack had a son named Sampson. Sampson Rogers had a son named Josiah who was 19 in the 1850 Census.
Josiah Womack in Bedford County, Tennessee
Very few early records of Bedford Co, TN survive to this day. I know of only two records which place a Josiah Wommack in Bedford. One is the 1820 Census, and the other is from a list of officers commissioned in the Tennessee Militia. In the list of Bedford County Regiments, Josiah Wamock was commissioned as an ensign (the lowest commissioned rank) in Volunteer Rifile Company attached to 28th Regiment on 14 Jan 1812. Source: Records of Commissions of Officers in the Tennessee Militia, 1796-1811, compiled by Mrs. John Trotwood Moore, Librarian and Archivist, State of Tennessee.
The 1812 Tax List of Bedford Co, TN list 4 Womack men in Capt. McWilliam's Militia Company (John McWilliams was commissioned as a captain in the 28th Regiment on 14 Mar 1812). The Womack men were David, David Jr, William, and Alexander (listed in that order). Josiah was not listed, which is significant - he was not yet 21 years old. The poll tax was paid by white males from the time they turned 21 until they turned 50 and were exempted. I think Josiah was born about 1795, which would have made him about 17 in 1812. He may have been 2 or 3 years older.
The source of the following information is an article, BITS OF INFORMATION ON ONE BRANCH OF THE TRIBE OF WOMACK, by Lucille Womack Bates, published in Womack Geanealogy, Vol 4, N0 2, Dec 1960. Alexander Womack's will was probated in 1784 in Campbell County, Virginia. It lists his sons as Richard, David, and Alexander. Around 1807, these Womack brothers moved their families to Bedford Co, TN. Richard Womack moved on to Wilson Co, TN before 1810. The Womacks in Bedford Co, TN lived near Flat Creek in the southeast part of the county. Some of these eventually moved a few miles away to Lincoln Co, TN (the part which later became Moore County).
From Josiah's age, and his proximity to the other Womacks in Bedford in the 1820 Census, Josiah was probably a son of Alexander Womack or David Womack. Hawkins Womack, David Womack, Jr, and Michael Womack have been identified as sons of David (though I have not yet seen the evidence of this). William Womack has been identified as the son of Alexander. I lean a little more toward Josiah being the son of David, because of an interesting reference I found to Hawkins Womack, a son of David.
See GOODSPEED'S HISTORY OF TENNESSEE, Carroll County. This is a big page, search for "Hawkins Wormack". There is a description of early court proceedings:
The names of the men composing the first grand jury in this court were Samuel Woods, Robert Algee, Joseph Dixon, John Kelough, Lewis Demoss, Stephen Warren, William Patton, Thomas Finley, John Martin, Abram White, Henry Rogers and Peter Honnell. They were sworn and charged at the September term, 1822, and after deliberation they returned into court a "bill of indictment against William Robinson and Hawkins Wormack for an affray," ...
Hawkins Womack is enumerated in Bedford Co, TN in the 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 Censuses. However, I think he may have moved to West Tennessee, along with Josiah Womack, in the early 1820s. He must have returned to Bedford County before 1830. I do not know of any other Hawkins Womack alive in 1822. In this court record, Hawkins was in trouble for brawling. What I find interesting is the names of two of the jurors - Henry Rogers and Peter Honnell. Henry Rogers, Sr was enumerated in the 1820 Census of Bedord Co, TN. I believe that a daughter of Henry Rogers, Sr was the wife of Josiah Womack. Henry Rogers, Jr, son of Henry Rogers, Sr, married Mary Honnell, daughter of Peter Honnell, in 1831 in Hardeman Co, TN. Honnell is pretty rare surname, so I think this conjunction of Henry Rogers, Peter Honnell, and Hawkins Womack is no coincidence. So, it appears that the families of Henry Rogers, Sr, Josiah Womack, and Hawkins Womack left Bedford Co, TN after the 1820 Census, and were in Carroll County by 1822. By 1826, Josiah Womack and the Rogers family were in Hardeman Co, TN, and Hawkins Womack must have returned to Bedford.
Other Children of Josiah Womack
Burrell H Womack was the son of Josiah Womack (c1795 - bet 1840/1850) and ? Rogers. Sampson Womack was probably another son. Josiah was in Hardeman Co, TN from at least 1826 - 1840. According to Hardeman County marriage records, Mary Womack married Enock King 12 Jul 1841. Enoch King appears in tax lists of 6th District of Hardeman County from 1838 through 1847. 6th District was adjacent and south of 14th District, where Josiah lived, so it is possible Mary was Josiah's daughter. I have found no further records of Mary Womack or Enoch King. A W F Womack was listed as a poll 1839-1841 in 6th District, but I have no further information. Besides Burrell and Sampson, I know of two others that I think were children of Josiah, Henry and Rebecca.
Henry J Womack was born about 1815 in Tennessee, probably Bedford County. A Henry Womack married Mary Bookers or Brookran 22 Sep 1835 in Hardeman Co, TN. The Hardeman marriage records on microfilm at the Tennessee State Archives are not the originals, but a typed-out version. I guess you can see the originals at the county clerk's office in Bolivar, the county seat of Hardeman. Anyhow, the typed-out marriage record says "Bookers (Brookran)". A Henry Womack was taxed as a poll in 1840 in 16th District, Hardeman County, along with Josiah Womack. A Henry Warmack was taxed as a poll in 1st District, Gibson County in 1848, along with Burrell Warmack. Henry "Warmath" married Mary "Jarratt" on 5 Nov 1842 in Madison Co, TN. In the 1850 Census, "H J Womack" was listed in 1st District, Madison Co, TN. The 1st District was in the southeast part of Madison County, adjacent to Hardeman County. The household consisted of H J Womack 35, Rebecca 23, John 7, Wesley 5, Joseph 3, and William 1; all were born in Tennessee. On the same page, I found Jonathan Garrett (22, TN). On the previous page, I found the family of John (65, SC) and Nancy (55, NC) Garrett. According to Madison County Deed Records, in 1854 Henry J. Wommack sold his share of the estate of John Jarrett to Jonathan Jarrett. The Garrett surname was sometimes pronounced (and spelled) as Jarrett. According to posts at WGN, Henry J Womack married Rebecca Garrett. I'm pretty sure the "Henry Warmath to Mary Jarratt" marriage was their marriage. They married in 1842, and their oldest child was 7 in the 1850 Census. Rebecca's full name may have been Mary Rebecca Garrett. In the 1860 Census, Henry J Womack was in Simpson Township of Jefferson Co, AR. This part of Jefferson County later became Grant County. Henry obtained a land grant in Grant County on 1 Mar 1860. The land grant is indexed as "Henry I Womack", but I and J were often difficult to distinguish in old handwriting. Henry apparently died before 1870; his widow, Rebecca Womack, is listed in the 1870 Census in Darysaw Township of Grant Co, AR. In this household, the census taker listed Joseph Womack as "Josiah". Could this have been a slip of the tongue because his grandfather was Josiah Womack?
Rebecca Womack was born about 1819 in Tennessee, probably Bedford County. She married James L. Cozby on 21 Feb 1839 in Hardeman Co, TN. James L Cozby (or Cosby) was listed as a poll in tax lists of 14th District of Hardeman County from 1839 through 1841. Josiah Womack also lived in 14th District. In the 1850 Census, James and Rebecca Cozby were listed in Darysaw Township of Jefferson Co, AR. This part of Jefferson Co, AR later became Grant County. The enumerator wrote "James L Crosby". The household consisted of James L Crosby 47 TN, Rebecca 31 TN, Margaret 10 TN, John 8 KY, Jane 6 MO, Nancy 3 AR, and Martha 2 months AR. See this Rebecca Womack listing. According to this info, Rebecca died 14 Sep 1892 in Pine Bluff, Jefferson Co, AR. In the 1860 Census, Rebecca was listed as Rebecca Yarbrough in White Oak Township of Jefferson Co, AR. She was listed as 37, born in TN. The following Cosby children were listed in her household - John 18 KY, Jane 15 AR, Nancy 11 AR, Martha 9 AR, and James 7 AR. The last child is Mary Yarbrough 5 AR. So, apparently James L. Cozby died around 1854. Rebecca remarried a Mr. Yarbrough, who apparently also died before 1860. I can find no trace of Rebecca in the 1870 Census, but in 1880 she was enumerated twice in Washington Township of Grant Co, AR. She was enumerated with the Cosby surname. On p.228A, Rebecca was enumerate right after the household of Joseph and Mary Womack. This was Joseph H Womack, son of Henry J Womack; he married Mary "Mollie" Crossett on 5 Feb 1880 in Grant County. On p.229B, Rebecca Cosby was enumerated a second time. Joseph Womack was also listed a second time, about eight households away. So, the families of Henry J Womack and Rebecca Womack Cozby were in the same area at the same time. I think Henry J Womack and Rebecca Womack were siblings, and thus Joseph Womack lived close to his aunt in the 1880 Census.