Sarah Elizabeth Western

Hello Hadley family researchers,

I have found a few magazine articles that I will be posting in the

near future. This first article is about Sarah Hadley Carroll Western.

Although short, it adds some data not in the HS data base. The first names

of her two husbands for instance. Also, she refers to her parents as JB and

Nancy Johnson Hadley. The HS has them as Jesse and Julia Johnson Hadley.

This solves a few riddles for some of us. I have never seen Jesse listed as

having a middle name but I would bet the B stands for Benjamin, his

father's name. Her place of birth is listed as Baldwin county AL and the HS

info was not certain of this. The second article below was sent to me by

cousin Dora Singleton. There are some conflicts between the two articles,

but no surprise there. Since Dora is not on the internet I would ask John

Dean to please get this to her as they are neighbors as well as cousins.

One statement that is of interest to some of us is that she is reported to

be of Indian blood. We have been trying to figure out just where this came

into being and now it appears that the Johnsons may be this link. It has to

be the Johnsons or Jesse's mother Betsy Kenderson Hadley. Jesse reported in

a Texas census that his mother was born in Germany and I don't think there

were many Indians in Germany. So this leads us to think it must be the

Johnsons. Jesse's brother John Hadley married a Nellie Johnson in Baldwin

county AL. Perhaps they were sisters or cousins ? Any help or comments

appreciated.

John Hadley

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A Short Story

Mrs. Sarah Hadley Western, of Blum, born Baldwin County, Alabama, daughter

of J. B. and Nancy Johnson Hadley, more than 100 years old. She came to

Texas as a small child, she says she will never forget her fear of the

rivers and the perils of the wilderness. On Red River, near Shreveport,

the boat in which they were sank and had it not been for a big log in the

river all would have drowned. They lost all provisions and household

goods. The ship "L. E. Roberts" picked them up. They stayed near

Shreveport a few years then to Erath County, Texas. For more than 40 years

she has lived on the Brazos River, sometimes on the Hill County side and

sometimes on the Bosque County side. The Hadley's had a large number of

children but only 2 now living, Mrs. Western and Jim Hadley, of Bosque

County. Mrs. Western married 2 times. Her first husband was John Carroll,

they had 1 child; her second husband was Jim Western, deceased. She is

part Indian, has 5 living children, 13 grandchildren and 5 great

grandchildren.

(From Mamie Atwood Kelly's column in the January 14, 1925 MIRROR,

Hillsboro, Texas.)

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Blum's oldest Person Dies

Hillsboro Mirror 7/6/1927

Mrs. Sarah Western, age 94 years, came to Texas when 10 years

of age, settled in Erath County, moved to Brazos Valley forty years ago,

and to Blum nine years ago-- Leaves five children, 17 grandchildren and 34

great-grandchildren.

Saturday night about 11 O'clock Mrs. Sarah Western Blum's oldest

citizen, died at her home after nearly four weeks illness. She was buried

at the Dodson Cemetery Sunday afternoon, Rev. C.B.McCormick, pastor of the

Methodist Church, conducting the funeral services at the grave.

Mrs. Western was 94 years old, having been born in Alabama in

1833; her family moved to Texas and settled in Erath Co. when she was about

10 years old; she moved to the Brazos Valley section forty years ago and to

Blum nine years ago.

Despite her advanced age, Mrs. Western was very active, doing her own

housework until four weeks ago when she was taken sick. She had been a

member of the Methodist Church for many years. She was a good woman and

had many friends.

She had been a widow fifty years and is survived by five children: Jim &

T.F. Western, Mrs.Nancy Ryals, Fowler; Mrs. Eliza Hauff and Mrs. Bettie

Hadley, South Texas; by seventeen grandchildren and thirty-four great-grand

children; by a brother, half-brother and half-sister and a number of other

relatives.

Blum Bulletin