Teddlie, William James

Submitted by William "Bill" R. Holly, Jr., 500 Holly-Moore Drive, Pineville, LA 71360-4537; WRHolly@aol.com
See Also Teddlie Family Legend
The History of the Teddlie Family
Part I
By William J. Teddlie Age 86, July 1930

William James Teddlie came from Ireland in the latter part of the 1700s. A young sailor he landed at Wilmington, Delaware. Locating there, he served as an apprentice hatter for ten years. From there he went to Jackson County, Georgia, where he married Miss Mary Pearrie (WRH NOTE: Warren County, GA 1809 Marriage Records reflect William Teddley married Polly Perry) of Welsh descent. He then moved to Jasper County, Georgia, raised a family of eleven children, six boys and five girls; and nearly all of them lived to be grown. He died in 1843.

Willis, oldest of the boys, married Sarah Burns of Jasper County. Two children were born to them and both lived to be grown but neither ever married. Sarah died when they were young and Grandmother Teddlie reared the children. Bettie, the girl, died when she was about grown, and Jeff the boy, moving to Louisiana, joined the Confederate Army and died from a wound received at Vicksburg and his body was brought home and buried at Jerusalem west of Winnfield. Willis then married Miss Susana Baten of Baker County, Georgia. They had several children and she died about the close of the War. Then he married Mrs. Prisella Allen, after which he presently died and was buried at Jerusalem. (WRH NOTE: This is the New Jerusalem Cemetery on US 84 West of Winnfield, LA. It is on the immediate East side of the old salt mine/rock quarry.)

Sarah "Aunt Sallie" Teddlie, next oldest child to Willis, married Mr. Richard Morris of Stuart County, Georgia. They moved to Alabama and raised four children and he died. Aunt Sallie then moved to Winn Parish where she died and was buried at Jerusalem.

The rest of the Teddlies moved from Jasper County, GA, down into Baker County of the same state.

Edward Teddlie, my parent, worked with his father at the hatters' trade until his pa the sailor died in 1843. Edward then married Sarah Johnson of Randolph County, Ga. She was my mother. I was her only child, she, having died when I was four months old. Grandma Teddlie also raised me, as my father remained single until I was eleven. Moving at last to Winn Parish, LA, he arrived in Winnfield on the first day of January 1857. He bought land out near the Marble Quarry West of town and established a home. In December of the same year he married Emaliz Herrens, a young lady, who came to Louisiana with J.A. Mathis from Georgia. Edward and Emaliz had three children, two girls and a boy. One of the girls died very young, but the other grew up and became Mrs. Lou Dean who now lives in the city of Alexandria, LA. The boy, E.L. Teddlie, now lives in Harlingen, Texas. My father, Edward died in November 1865 of typhoid pneumonia. Burial was in Jerusalem Cemetery.

Miss Kiddie Teddlie, daughter of the Irish sailor, and next to Edward in age, married Mr. Flemen Shumake of Georgia and lived in Randolph County until they moved to Winn Parish in 1857 and made their home on Cedar Creek six miles below Winnfield and raised a large family. I cannot recall the dates of their deaths but both lie buried in Jerusalem Cemetery.

Next in age after Kiddie was Jesse B. Teddlie, who married Miss Eliza Shepard of German descent whose family came from South Carolina. They first settled in Randolph County, Georgia, but moved to Winn Parish in 1858, buying land and building a home near Zion Hill above Winnfield, where they lived many years and raised three boys and four girls. These children are all living now except one. In time Jesse B. and Eliza died and were buried out at Jerusalem Cemetery along with the others.

Ellen Teddlie, next in age to Jesse B. Teddlie married John A. Mathis of Randolph County, Georgia and she and John moved to the community of Morgan in Calhoun County, Georgia. To them were born three childen, two boys and a girl. In 1857 they left their Georgia home and moved to Winn Parish, and settled West of Winnfield near the Marble Quarry. Of their children, two were reared to adulthood, C.P. Mathis and Mary Elizabeth Mathis, known sometimes as "Coot". The other boy died in 1857. John A. Mathis and his wife Ellen died and were laid to rest in old Jerusalem Cemetery.

W. J. Teddlie, Sr., commonly called "Buck" also married into the Mathis family, taking Martha as his bride in 1851 in Early County, Georgia. They went to Randolph County, Georgia and lived among their kindred until 1858 when they moved, with other family members to Win Parish and settled six miles northwest of Winnfield. Three years later, as the Civil War broke out, Buck enlisted in the 27th La. Infantry, CSA, and marched away with Capt. Cooper's Co. He was slightly wounded at the siege of Vicksburg by a pellet called "grape shot". Meanwhile, his wife had the misfortune to lose her mind and become violent. Her father, Tom Mathis, took her to his old home in Florida and cared for her until she died. Althogether Buck and Martha managed to raise four children, two boys and two girls. In 1868 Uncle Buck married a widow from Mississippi named Mrs. Lucy Ann Ogden and he lived with her 25 years, rearing two girls and one boy. Mrs. Lucy passed away in 1896 and Buck died in 1907. Both were laid away in old Jerusalem Cemetery. After the wife died, one of the daughters, Miss Cora, and her father lived together near St. Maurice until a few weeks before Uncle Buck's death, when they moved to Winnfield and made their home with J.W. Teddlie, the son, until the old man departed from this world, and was buried at Jerusalem. Another daughter, Ella, died about 1923 or 1924 but Miss Cora now lives in Shreveport and J.W. is still a resident of Winnfield.

Benjamin "Ben" Teddlie married two sisters named Emanuel. First he married Lucy Emanuel, who lived but a short time. He then married Susan the other sister, all of Georgia. One child Laura was born of this marriage in Georgia. After that Ben moved to Louisiana, in 1848, and was said to be fhe first settler in the village of Winnfield, though others like C.F. Womack and John Worner claim this distinction, which was surveyed out in 1852, and incorporated in 1854. In the new home Asa "Ace" Teddlie was born, said to be the first child ever to see light in Winnfield, arriving on August 9, 1850, and dying June 2, 1934. Susan then went to her reward and was buried at old Jerusalem. Ben then married Evaline Teagle and established a new home two miles west of Winnfield. Several children were born to Ben and Evaline but all died young but three boys, Ben Jr., Willis and Solomon. Old man Ben and his third wife eventually passed on and were buried at Jerusalem Cemetery.

Mary Teddlie, last in the line of the girls, descending from the Irish sailor, married Mr. Thomas D. Milling in Baker County, Georgia, and lived there until 1868 when they moved to Winn Parish, settling on Cedar Creek about six miles South of Winnfield. There were born to them five children. Two girls, Mariah and Edna, and the boys Thomas, David, and Robert. David died in 1868 when a small boy suffering from a throat injury, which accidentally occurred when he fell with a sharp piece of wood in his mouth. Eventually Milling and his family moved to Winnfield and lived in a house on what is now West Main Street. And the fields joining this house were later known as the Milling Bottoms. Mr. Milling and Mary died and were laid to rest out at old Jerusalem.

Solomon Teddlie, the next son, moving from Calhoun county, Georgia, in 1858, married Rebecca Womack of Winn Parish and settled about ten miles below Winnfield. He remained there only a few years and then moved on to La Grange, Texas in Lafayette County. He lived there until the Civil War got going and joined up with Gen. Tom Green's Cavalry and fought until the end of the War. Meanwhile his wife died. There were three children born to them, Ed who is now dead, Mary who married George Anders of Grant Parish, and another girl who died young. I do not recall her name. After the Civil War Solomon moved back to Winn Parish, married a Miss Price and settled in Rapides Parish, La. There he lived for several years and then moved up in Grant Parish, where they both died. To Solomon and his last wife were born three boys but I cannot recall the names of but two of them. William of Tioga, La. and Jeff who died and was buried at old Sardis Church (WRH NOTE: This is now Alpine First Baptist Church of Tioga.) near Tioga.

Louise Teddlie, youngest child of Grandfather and Grandmother Teddlie, lived to be about fourteen and died in Baker County, Georgia, now called Calhoun County.

"NOW THIS IS AS TRUE A HISTORY OF THE ENTIRE TEDDLIE FAMILY AS CAN EVER BE WRITTEN OF THE OLDER GENERATION."

Signed: W. J. Teddlie, Pineville, LA. July 1930.