| The Carmichaels of Gillett, Karnes County, Texas |
I'd searched for some time for any trace of my g-grandmother Flora Carmichael's
family in Jefferson County, MS. She and her husband, Josiah Garrett, lived out their
lives there and are buried in Union Presbyterian Church Cemetery. But I hadn't been able
to locate any of her brothers' gravesites or any descendants in the area. In fact, I'm
still searching for the graves of Flora's parents, Daniel and Nancy McCormick Carmichael,
there.
I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look in Texas, it seems as though everyone
was going to Texas in the 1870's and 1880's! My first knowledge of Karnes County, TX
came from a descendant of one of Flora's sisters, Rebecca Carmichael Fairly. David
Fairly told me that, after Archibald Fairly's death in 1888, Rebecca and her children
moved from Jefferson County to Waco, TX and, later, around 1900, they moved on to
Gillett in Karnes County. By that time, Nancy Naomi had married and remained in Waco.
He believed they may have chosen Gillett because some of the Carmichaels had moved
there and he said he would see what he could find.
Sure enough, on his next visit to the cemetery in Gillett, he located the graves you see
in the photos below. There are tombstones for four of Daniel and Nancy Carmichael's
children and two grandchildren in Gillett Cemetery.
Finding out what happened to Daniel and Nancy's children has been a goal of mine for
such a long time. Sometimes, genealogy (and long-lost cousins!) present us with the gift of
a very good day. NB
family in Jefferson County, MS. She and her husband, Josiah Garrett, lived out their
lives there and are buried in Union Presbyterian Church Cemetery. But I hadn't been able
to locate any of her brothers' gravesites or any descendants in the area. In fact, I'm
still searching for the graves of Flora's parents, Daniel and Nancy McCormick Carmichael,
there.
I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look in Texas, it seems as though everyone
was going to Texas in the 1870's and 1880's! My first knowledge of Karnes County, TX
came from a descendant of one of Flora's sisters, Rebecca Carmichael Fairly. David
Fairly told me that, after Archibald Fairly's death in 1888, Rebecca and her children
moved from Jefferson County to Waco, TX and, later, around 1900, they moved on to
Gillett in Karnes County. By that time, Nancy Naomi had married and remained in Waco.
He believed they may have chosen Gillett because some of the Carmichaels had moved
there and he said he would see what he could find.
Sure enough, on his next visit to the cemetery in Gillett, he located the graves you see
in the photos below. There are tombstones for four of Daniel and Nancy Carmichael's
children and two grandchildren in Gillett Cemetery.
Finding out what happened to Daniel and Nancy's children has been a goal of mine for
such a long time. Sometimes, genealogy (and long-lost cousins!) present us with the gift of
a very good day. NB
| Gillett Cemetery, Gillett, Texas |
| Though the inscriptioin on the right side of this double stone is a little difficult to decipher, I've come to the conclusion that this stone marks the resting places of two of the Carmichael brothers. On the left, as you look at the photo, the inscription reads: "Daniel Washington Carmichael, March 20, 1845 - April 22, 1902" The inscription on the right seems to read: "E. J. Carmichael, November 18, 1831 - February 16, 1905" "E. J." would be Evander J. Carmichael, whose known birth year corresponds with the inscription. |
| "J. B. Carmichael, Sr. Co K 1 MISS LT ART, CSA, February 9, 1844 - May 12, 1926" [John B. Carmichael] |
| "John B. Carmichael, 1876 - 1945, Father" |
| "Rebecca [Carmichael] Fairly, Born, March 14, 1836, Died October 30, 1921, Mother" |
Carmichael Nancy McCormick Union Presbyterian History of
Family Page Carmichael Family Page Cemetery Photos Union Church
Family Page Carmichael Family Page Cemetery Photos Union Church
| To see a photo of two of Archie and Rebecca's grandchildren and the photo of their son's tombstone in Gillett Cemetery, you can go to the FAIRLY FAMILY PHOTOS page |
| I'm the list administrator for the Rootsweb's FAIRLEY e-mail list. If you'd like to subscribe, click on the mailbox below. |
