Tracing my ancestry to Zachariah Landrum is quite interesting. Upon discovering him, it quickly became apparent that my mother's parents were 4th cousins. It was also quickly apparent that my grandmother would have been horrified had she known!
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| Signature of Zachariah Landrum [1] |
Zachariah Landrum was born about 1766 in Warren County, Georgia to Joseph and Mary Landrum [1, 2]. As a young man, Zachariah supported the American Revolution in Georgia. Based on his support, Zachariah applied for and was granted land 250 acres of land on 23 Jul 1784 in Franklin County, Georgia Col. Jas. Jackson (warrant No. 6) [7, 8, 9, 10].
Some time after the War, probably about 1797, Zachariah married Letitia Tine. Letitia was born about 1776 in Georgia [1, 2]. Her father is believed to have been a Henry Tine who deserted the British army during the Revolution and joined the American Revolution.
Not many years after the War, Zachariah removed to the Mississippi Territoty. He is first seen there in 1804 when he claims a right of pre-emption and is granted 114 acres of land on the west side of the Tombigbee River on the waters of Laura's creek, Washington County, Mississippi Territory (later to become Alabama) [11]. Zachariah remained in the area until 1830 [12, 13, 14, 15, 16].
At this point, one of the great stories I have heard in the family begins. In very late 1829, Zachariah leads a large migration of families, belongings, and cattle from Washington County, Alabama to the Mexican province of Texas. It is told that this was quite a sight. At least three of Zachariah's children accompanied them (Catherine at least did not come at that time) including daughter Sarah and her husband William Marshall Rankin, Sr. The caravan arrived in Texas in Jan 1830 [1, 2]. Zachariah and William applied to enter Stephen F. Austin's colony in the Town of Austin on 27 May 1830 [1]. Zachariah states that he is 64 years old, his wife is Lettuce who is 54 years old, and he arrived in Texas 20 Jan 1830. He is granted one league of land on 10 Apr 1831 in what would later become Montgomery County, Texas [17, 18, 20].
Zachariah signed a will on 11 Jul 1833 in Montgomery County, Texas [3, 19]. He states that he is sick, and indeed he died only 8 days later on 19 Jul 1833. He was buried in a red brick tomb built by his slaves on his land in what is now called Springer-Landrum cemetery [6]. The cemetery is on private land, two miles south of Montgomery, Texas on F. M. 149, and one mile or so to the west of the highway. The cemetery has also been called Linten or Linton Cemetery. The cemetery had been lost until the 1960s when it was rediscovered by descendants doing genealogy research in the family. The tomb has long since collapsed leaving a heap of worn bricks to mark Zachariah's grave. The new grave marker for Zachariah has the incorrect birth year as his application to enter Austin's Colony had not yet been found in the Texas State Archives.
Letitia lived for a number of years after Zachariah's death. As a head of household in the Republic of Texas, she was granted one labor land on 02 Feb 1838 (Montgomery County, 1st Class, certificate #18) [21]. Letitia also registered a cattle brand of 'ZL' (obviously in honor of her deceased husband) on 23 Apr 1838 [22].
Letitia signed a will on 06 Jun 1846 in Montgomery County, Texas [4]. She died there in Aug 1848 and was buried with Zachariah [6].
(It should be carefully noted that the research of Frances Punchard McCullough in the 1960s confused two men named Zachariah Landrum. She thought the Revolutionary War Veteran buried in Montgomery County, Texas was the grandson of Thomas Landrum and Mary Taliaferro and the son of Samuel Landrum and Hannah Hawkins. That Zachariah Landrum was actually born about 1811 and died 02 May 1852 in Marengo County, Alabama. As described above, it appears our Zachariah Landrum was the son of Joseph Landrum, Sr. of Warren County, Georgia. This information came from Jack Landrum of Marietta, Georgia in 2007.)
The children of Zachariah Landrum and Letitia Tine:
1) Sarah Landrum [3, 4] was born about 1798 in Georgia [23]. She married William Marshall Rankin, Sr. about 1815. She died after 1860 in Texas [24].
2) Catherine Landrum [3, 4, 5] was born on 23 Sep 1799 in Georgia [5]. She married Jeremiah Worsham on 05 Feb 1815 in Washington County, Mississippi Territory [5]. She died in 1851 in Montgomery County, Texas [25].
5) Elizabeth Landrum [3, 4] was born about 1810. She married John May Springer. She died on 22 Mar 1865 in Texas.
References
[1] Texas State Archives: Records of the Texas General Land Office. Spanish Collection. Zachariah Landrum Request for Admission to Austin's Colony, Box 26, Folder 64. Page 1 Page 2.
[3] Minutes of the Probate Court of Montgomery County, Texas. Book A, Pages 222 and 223 (Zachariah Landrum will/probate).
[9] Knight, Lucian Lamar, Georgia's Roster of the Revolution, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1967. Page 114.
[10] O'Kelley, Nicole M. and Mary Bondurant Warren, Georgia Revolutionary Bounty Land Records, 1783-1785, Heritage Papers, 1992. Pages 160 and 234.
[12] Carter, Clarence Edwin, The Territorial Papers of the United States, Volume V, Mississippi Territory, 1798-1817, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1937. Pages 442 and 443.
[13] Carter, Clarence Edwin, The Territorial Papers of the United States, Volume XVIII, Alabama Territory, 1817-1819, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1952. Pages 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, and 198.
[14] Waddell, Barbara and Doris Brown, Records of Washington County, Alabama, 1988. Page 3, Washington County, Mississippi Territory 1808 Census.
[17] Texas State Archives: Records of the Texas General Land Office. Spanish Collection. Zachariah Landrum Land Title, Box 9, Folder 19. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4.
[19] Montgomery County, Texas Probate Records, Black Box Documents, 1867-1885, Volume 4, Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc., Conroe, Texas, 1988. Pages 51 and 52.
[20] Texas State Archives: Records of the Texas General Land Office. Spanish Collection. Zachariah Landrum Land Survey, Field Notes Book 6, Page 408.
[21] Texas State Archives: Records of the Texas General Land Office. File 568, Red River, 1st Class, Letitia Landrum. Unconditional Certificate (#18). Front Back.
[22] Montgomery County, Texas Cattle Brands 1838-1902, Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society. Page 62.
[25] Montgomery County, Texas Probate Records, Black Box Documents, 1849-1857, Volume 2, Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc., Conroe, Texas, 1988. Pages 54, 55, and 56.
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