Teddlie Family Legend

Submitted by William "Bill" R. Holly, Jr., Pineville, LA
500 Holly-Moore Drive
Pineville, LA 71360-4537
WRHolly@aol.com
See Also William James Teddlie Family

From the History of the Teddlie Family by John W. Teddlie, Jr.

"THE LEGEND OF THE TEDDLIE FAMILY

The first Teddlie who came to America was William James Teddlie often called the "Old Sailor" and mentioned by that name in this history.

The legend has passed down through many generations and one that I have heard many times but one that I have no research to prove is as follows:

The O'Teddlies were of the nobility in Ireland. William James O'Teddlie married a pretty girl who was a maid in the household. He was immediately disinherited for his rash deed. The disinherited son took to the sea. One son was born to this couple. He became a seaman like his father.

On reaching young manhood William J. O'Teddlie along with his mother and father booked passage on a tramp steamer and left Cork County Ireland bound for America. On the voyage to America William's parents were stricken with a dangerous fever and both died. They were buried at sea.

The "Old Sailor" landed at Wilmington, Delaware and dropped the "O" and became William James Teddlie.

After arriving in Wilmington he decided to become a hatter. He began his apprenticeship for that trade by working in a hatter's shop.

At the latter part of the 17th century he moved to Jackson County, Georgia. He later met and married Mary Pearrie. (NOTE: The marriage records of Warren County, Georgia reflect her name as Polly Perry) James and Mary raised a family of six boys and five girls.

The "Old Sailor" died in 1843, but his children grew up in Georgia. The sons became restless because Georgia was growing in population and the more people that came the more crowded the country became causing less land and streams for hunting and fishing. The rich planters who had slaves were giving the Teddlies a hard time. They began to talk of a new place where they would have more room and open country for hunting.

Mr. Jim Melton who was a well traveled man began to tell the family about Winn Parish. He related stories about cheap land, abundance of streams for fishing, and plenty of hunting grounds.

Mr. Melton persuaded Mr. Flemmon Shumake, his wife Kiddie Teddlie, and Edward Teddlie to make the trip with him. They arrived in Winnfield January 1, 1857.

The report that Edward Teddlie and Mr. Shumake sent to Georgia was sufficient to entice the other Teddlies to come to Winn Parish.

On December 1858, with Jim Melton as wagon master, they departed Georgia. Twenty nine families joined the wagon train, with fifty two wagons drawn with mules and oxen.

Each family had at least one milch cow and provisions such as cured bacon, ham, sausage, etc., also a coop of chickens. I remember one of the family telling me of sleeping on a two hundred pound sack of coffee throughout the journey.

They crossed the Mississippi River at Natchez, Mississippi and ended their journey on February 15, 1859.

The Teddlies making the trip were Willis, Jessie, William "Buck", Ben and Solomon. Others were Johnny Mathis, Madison Melton, two Jackson brothers, the Wright family, two Martin brothers, Asa Emmanuel, the Graves, the Baileys, the Watsons, the Boltons, Teagles, Durhams, and the Killens. They joined the Millings, who had married Mary Teddlie, and other families who had preceded them.

The mystery of the trip is that no one was seriously ill and no lives were lost."