This story is an excerpt from A Collection of PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES & GENEALOGIES VOLUME I PERRY COUNTY ALABAMA
JOSEPH RADFORD WATTERS
BIOGRAPHY and GENEALOGY
(1816 – 1901)
Perry County, Alabama
Joseph Radford Watters was the last son born to Samuel and Mary Anna (Radford) Watters in Oglethorpe County Georgia. He was born there on March of 1816. When he was just two, his parents moved with Mary Anna’s family to Perry County, Alabama. As the second youngest child, Joseph witnessed the marriage of his many brothers and one sister, and became close to their children. Joseph married Sarah Ann Frances Griffin on January 17, 1843. Sarah was the daughter of Owen Griffin. They soon began a family of their own. John O. was born October 1845; Gabriella Murvelle on 8 May 1847; Elizabeth Ann on 26 February 1849. In the 1850 census, taken on 12 December, Joseph and Sarah F. lived on a farm valued at 700 dollars. They had three children in each household. William Radford, Joseph’s Uncle, donated an acre in Radfordville to establish the Radford Academy in 1853 and Joseph and several other men of old Perry County families, including his brothers Joseph and Samuel, were asked to function as trustees. His children were educated at the academy. In 1855, Delana F., was born; Sarah J, on 29 July 1856; Joseph Radford in 1858; and Rebecca C. in 1860 then in July 1860 Rebecca was born.
The family lived next door to Joseph’s mother Mary Ann Watters and two houses down from their Uncle William Radford. Three more children were born to Joseph and Sarah, Susan R. in 1861; Pellie in 1862 and William Jackson in 1864. Sometime after William’s birth, but before 1870, Sarah died around the age of forty. By 1870, Joseph’s two oldest children had moved out. As his children grew older and moved out, Joseph remarried to Lucinda Brown. His first child with her was a son Edward, born in 1877. A daughter, Mary, was born in May of 1880.
In the 1880 census of Radfordville, his new wife and children, his 16 year old son William, working as a laborer, was living with him. William did not marry until several years later when he wed Carrie Middleton. They lived in Perryville, a few miles east of Radfordville. Their first child, Sallie, came in October of 1891. Joseph died sometime in 1901. He was one of the earliest settlers of Perry County and many of his descendants live there today.
A Collection of PERRY COUNTY ALABAMA PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES & GENEALOGIES VOLUME I
This Book reveals the relationships between the TUBB, MAHAN, FORD, MCCAULEY, OAKES, WATTERS, EDWARDS, BENNETT, RADFORD, WHITE, WALLACE, OSBORN, MAYES and ABERCROMBIE. Notes and sources are included. Genealogy reports with all supporting evidence, wills, and deeds when available are included. Many of these family descendants moved to Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas. Descendant surnames include: ABERCROMBIE, ALLEN, ANDERSON, APPERSON, ATCHISON, AUBREY, AYCOCK, BAILEY, BAIN, BARNES, BARNETT, BARTON, BATES, BEATY, BEECH, BEEMAN, BELL, BENNETT, BENSON, BIGGS, BILLINGSLEA, BILLINGSLEY, BILLINGSLIE, BLASSINGAME, BLEDSOE, BLEVINS, BLUFF, BOLLING, BOND, BOONE, BOUNDS, BOYD, BRADLEY, BRADSHAW, BRANDON, BRANTLEY, BRELAND, BROOME, BROWN, BRYAN, BUCKLEY, BURRIS, BURROUGHS, CAIN, CAPSHAW, CARDING, CARPENTER, CARR, CHANCELLOR, CHANDLER, CLAIBORN, COBB, COLE, COLEMAN, COLLINS, COMER, COOK, CORBIN, CORLEY, CORNELIUS, COSBY, COTTINGHAM, CRANE, CRAWFORD, CREEL, CROSS, CROTWELL, CROW, CULPEPPER, CUMMINGS, CUNNINGHAM, DANIELS, DAVIS, DAY, DECKER, DENTON, DERDEN, DIGBY, DONAGHEY, DONAGHUE, DOW, DRIVER, DUNCAN, DUNLAP, DUKE, EARLE, EASTMAN, EDWARDS, EILAND, ELLIOTT, ESPETH, FAIR, FALCON, FARRAR, FIKE, FINDLEY, FISHER, FLOYD, FOGARTY, FONDREN, FORD, FOSTER, FREELONG, FRINKS, FULLER, FULTON, GARNER, GARY, GIBBONS, GILL, GLAZE, GOGGINS, GOODWIN, GORDON, GOULDS, GOWEN, GRAHAM, GRAYSON, GREEN, GREGG, GRESSETT, GRIFFIN, GROSS, GULLEY, HACKWORTH, HALL, HAM, HAMBRIGHT, HAMBURG, HAMMOND, HANSON, HARBOUR, HARLAN, HARRIS, HARRISON, HARTLEY, HARVEY, HAYES, HEARD, HENLEY, HENRY, HENSON, HEATLEY, HENDRIX, HERRING, HICKS, HIGLEY, HOGUE, HOLBROOK, HOLLAND, HOLLIFIELD, HOPKINS, HOPPER, HOWARD, HUBBARD, HUBERT, HUDSON, HUFF, HUNTER, HUTTO, IVY, JACKSON, JACOBS, JAMES, JENKINS, JOHNSON, JOHNSTON, JONES, KELLY, KEMP, KENNON, KILGORE, KILLLINGSWORTH, KING, KOEN, KUYKENDALL, LANCASTER, LANHAM, LEACH, LEE, LEFTWICH, LESTER, LOCKETT, LONG, LOWERY, LUMPKIN, LUNDY, MABREY, MAHAN, MARTIN, MASON, MATTHEWS, MAYBERRY, MAYES, MAYFIELD, MAYS, MCCAMMON, MCCAULEY, MCLEOD, MCCULLOUGH, MCFADDEN, MCGOWEN, MCILVEEN, MCMAHON, MEDDERS, MEGGS, MEIGS, MELTON, MIDDLETON, MILLER, MILLOTT, MILLS, MIREE, MIXON, MOFFATT, MONROE, MOODY, MOORE, MORGAN, MORRIS, MORRISON, MORTON, MOSELEY, MURRAY, NALL, NALLEY, NEWMAN, NIX, NORMAN, NULL, OAKES, OAKS, OGLEE, OLIVER, ORENBAUM, OSBORN, OSBORNE, OSBOURN, OSBURN, OTT, PACE, PAGE, PALMORE, PARRISH, PATRICK, PERRY, PHILGREEN, PHILLIPS, PIPER, PITTS, PLUMMER, POLLY, POOLE, POTTS, POUNDS, POWERS, PRATT, PRICE, PUCKETT, RADFORD, RAGSDALE, RAILEY, RAMEY, RAWLS, READ, REDMAN, REED, RESTER, REYNOLDS, RICE, RICHARDSON, ROBINSON, ROGERS, ROLISON, ROSS, RUFF, RUTHERFORD, RUTLAND, SANDEFER, SANDERS, SANDERSON, SANFORD, SAWYER, SENST, SEYMOUR, SHEVERELL, SHIELDS, SIDERATOS, SMITH, SMITHERMAN, SNEAD, SPLAWN, SPROTT, STANLEY, STEVENS, STEWART, STONE, STOVALL, STURDIVANT, SULLIVAN, SUMMERLIN, SUTTLE, SWAIN, TABOR, TANNER, TATUM, TAYLOR, TEPPER,TERRY, THROWER, TIPTON, TUBB, TUBBS, TURNER, UNDERWOOD, VAN DYKE, VARNELL, WAKEMAN, WALDROP, WALKER, WALLACE, WALLS
