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Tennessee Paralee Branham was born February 25, 1888, in Arkansas. She was the daughter of James Lacey Branham and Eliza Jane Osborn. She was called "Tennie".
Twelve-year old Tennie appears on the 1900 Searcy County, Arkansas, Wiley's Cove Township, census with her parents, her brother Will, and her sisters Frances and Viona.
Tennie married Mansfield F. Sheridan on November 30, 1905, in Searcy County, Arkansas. Mansfield F. Sheridan, born about 1885, in Missouri, was the son of James Courtland Sheridan and Dollie Louise Hall.
Tennie and Mansfield settled near Formosa, in Van Buren County, Arkansas. They appear on the 1910 Van Buren County census in Culpepper Township. Their children, three year old Homer, and one year old Verlie, are also on the census. Tennie and Mansfield were living near her parents, James Lacey and Liza Jane. Close neighbors included members of the Shipp, Thompson, Drake, Eades, and Hubbard families. Several of these families are related through marriage.
Tennie and Mansfield had three children. They divorced about 1914.
Mansfield married Addie Flory in 1915, in Van Buren County. We have no record of Mansfield after that time.
Tennie married Harlen Edgar VanDusen on May 15, 1918, at Formosa, in Van Buren County. Harlen VanDusen, born about 1875, in Indiana, was the son of Aaron VanDusen and Mary A. (last name unknown).
Harlen VanDusen first married Alice (last name unknown) about 1897. Alice was born about 1870, in Indiana. The couple moved to Arkansas prior to 1910. They appear on the 1910 Garland County, Arkansas census, living in Hot Springs. Harlen and Alice had two children: (1) Algie E. VanDusen (b. Oct 2, 1899, IL; d. Dec 1986, Hominy, OK) and (2) Timothy A. VanDusen (b. abt 1903, IL; d. bet 1910-1920, AR). Alice died before 1918.
Harlen was living near Clinton, in Van Buren County, when he and Tennie married in 1918. They appear on the 1920 Van Buren County census, in Culpepper Township. Listed with them on the census is Harlen's son, Algie E. VanDusen, age 20, born in Illinois; Harlen and Tennie's son, Albert, age 8 months; and Tennie's children, 12 year old Homer Sheridan; 10 year old Verlie Sheridan; and 5 year old Dovie Sheridan. Living with them was Tennie's mother, Liza Jane Branham, age 59, a widow. Living next to Tennie were members of the Drake, Eades, Jordan and McClure families. All of these families are related through marriage.
The family appears on the 1930 Scott County, Arkansas census in Hickman Township. The census shows Harlon E. Vandusen, 47, a farm laborer; Tennie P., wife, 44; Albert W., son, 11, laborer at meat market; Marie W., daughter, 9; Edcar A., son, 7; Dovie L. Sherdon, daughter, 16, housekeeper in private home and Eliza A. Broynom, mother-in-law, 80, widowed, m. at 16. The census was dated April 9, 1930.
Sometime after the 1930 census was taken, Liza Jane moved to Hominy, Oklahoma, with her daughter Tennie and her family. She lived with Tennie the remainder of her life.
Harlen VanDusen died in 1958, at Hominy and is buried in the Hominy Cemetery. Tennie died there on May 16, 1984, and is buried beside Harlen.
Children of Mansfield Sheridan and Tennie Branham
1. Homer Lee Sheridan, b.
abt 1907, Van Buren Co. or Searcy Co, AR; d. 1976; bur. Henderson,
NV; m. Huda Juanita Rolland (Rollin), daughter of Alexander Rolland (Rollin)
and Lenora Ann Shelton (Shelty). Children (order of birth unknown):
(1) Doyle Sheridan,
d. under 1 yr. old
(2) Imogene Sheridan,
d. under 1 yr. old
(3) Lois Geneva Sheridan,
m. Bill Hawkins
(4) Ruby Juanita Sheridan,
m. Thomas Hawkins
(5) Donna Lee Sheridan,
m. Gene Ortiz Magedelano
(6) Larry Dean Sheridan
(7) Paul Wesley Sheridan
(8) Patricia Ann Sheridan,
m. Paul Tate
(9) Frank James Sheridan
(10) Betty Lou Sheridan,
d. as infant
(11) David Sheridan,
d. as infant
(12) Wayne Lee Sheridan
2. Verlie P. Sheridan, b. Jan 21, 1909, Van Buren Co, AR; d. Oct 8, 1997, Hominy, OK; bur. Hominy; m. ______ VanDusen
3. Dovie Sheridan, b. Van Buren Co, AR
Children of Harlen VanDusen and Tennie Branham
4. Albert VanDusen, b. May 18, 1919, Formosa, Van Buren Co, AR; d. Apr 1968, Hominy, OK; bur. Hominy Cem.
5. Wilma Marie VanDusen,
b. Van Buren Co, AR; m. Sam Leonard Bradsher on Dec 7, 1941,
in OK. Sam Bradsher d. 1968, Hominy, OK; bur. Hominy. Children:
(1) Dorothy Fay Bradsher,
m. Louis J. Bradsher
(2) Linda Marie Bradsher,
m. Larry Leon Owens
(3) Carmen Kay Bradsher,
m. Gene Christopher Wallace
6. Edgar VanDusen