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Research Trip Rambles: A Postcard from Buffalo, New York

Henry Sheridan, cordwainer, is listed fifth line from the bottom.  (Reproduction by permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, New York.)   This post marks the first in a series about discoveries made during my trip to western New York and Ontario, where I've been researching my Becker/Baker, Cassidy, Sheridan, Cailteux, and Schiltz families. I'm on my second last day of the trip and it's been jam-packed.    July 11, 2025 Dear Family, I've made the most incredible find at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library ! Remember my stories about my ancestor Mary Jane Sheridan who began her life in the 1840s in Buffalo? You might remember that her father Henry Sheridan—my fourth great-grandfather—worked as both a teamster and later as a shoemaker.  During my time at the library I discovered a whole section of Buffalo city directories from as far back as 1832 (can you believe that they had directories back that far?). I'd previously found ...
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Churchwell Kite & the Second Creek War

Churchwell Kite's Georgia Militia Muster-In Roll card.

 

Churchwell Kite cuts a mysterious figure. My husband is distantly related to him through Churchwell's marriage to Mahulda "Huldy" Kite, a daughter of my husband's 4th great grandfather David Kite. But I've been unable to piece together who Churchwell's parents were, or what became of him.

I first learned of Churchwell while researching for my post Tax List Treasures in Fayette, Georgia, where I detailed information besides taxes to be discovered in tax digests. Churchwell Kite appeared in Fayette County, Georgia tax lists twice, in 1831 and 1832; he paid a poll tax each year. This meant that he was over 21 and owned no land.1

On 24 May 1835 Churchwell married Huldy Kite. But in 1837, Huldy subsequently married Major Kite. What happened to Churchwell?

Online family trees assumed Churchwell died in about 1836 and perhaps in the Second Creek War, as he served in that conflict which began in 1836. That year fell between his marriage to Huldy Kite and her second marriage to Major Kite, so it's plausible. Curious if there might be any evidence of Churchwell's death in military documents, I ordered his Compiled Military Service Record.2

I discovered that Churchwell did not die during the Creek War. His service record indicates that he enrolled as a private in the Georgia Militia on 3 June 1836, to serve for three months. He mustered in at West Point, Troup County, Georgia, on 16 June 1836. He mustered out on 31 August 1836, at the same location.3

Churchwell's service record shows he mustered out at West Point, Georgia on 31 August 1836.
 

West Point was located on the Chattahoochee River. Two weeks prior to Churchwell's enlistment, Creek raiders attacked a nearby settlement at Roanoke, massacring fourteen. Two nights later, 300 warriors burned the town to the ground. Their actions were in response to years of illegal encroachment by white settlers into Creek land, as well as the state and federal government's inability or unwillingness to stop the settlers. Churchwell possibly answered a call to arms shortly after these two events. The Second Creek War lasted into 1837.4

While his service record did not reveal Churchwell's death date or circumstances, it does help narrow the window of his death to between 31 August 1836 when he left the militia and 19 October 1837 when his widow Huldy Kite married Major Kite. So, for now, Churchwell Kite's fate remains a mystery.

 

Leaves on the Tree is on hiatus for the next few weeks while I'm on vacation. We'll see you back here in mid-September.

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NOTES

1 Ancestors Unlimited, abstracters, First tax digests of Fayette County, Georgia, 1823-1834 (Jonesboro, Ga.: Ancestors Unlimited, Inc., 1988), 101, 1831, Captain Ginn's District, Churchwell Kite; page images provided by Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Also: Ancestors Unlimited, abstracters, First tax digests of Fayette County, Georgia, 1823-1834 (Jonesboro, Ga.: Ancestors Unlimited, Inc., 1988), 130, 1832. Captain Compton's District, Churchwell Kite; page images provided by Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah,.

2 "Georgia County Marriages, 1735-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLX-KS8Z-F : 25 July 2023), Churchwell Kite and Huldah Kite, 24 May 1835, Fayette, Georgia; citing County Courthouse, Fayetteville. Also: "Georgia County Marriages, 1735-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPPD-DXV : 25 July 2023), Major Kite and Huldah Kite, 19 October 1837, Fayette, Georgia; citing County Courthouse, Fayetteville.

3 Georgia Militia Infantry, Creek War, Compiled Service Record of Churchwell Kite, Pvt., Capt. Stell's Co., Wood's Batt'n, 3 Brig., June-August 1836; citing National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

4 Robert B. Kane, Encyclopedia of Alabama (https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/second-creek-war/ : 14 August 2023), "Second Creek War," last updated 27 March 2023.


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