William Taliaferro Bridgman

My great grandfather, William Taliaferro Bridgman, was born January 25, 1835, in Campbell County, Tennessee.    He was the eldest child of Isaac Bridgman and Jane Butler.     He was the grandson of William Bridgman and Mariam Brown, and Taliaferro Butler and Mary "Polly" Miller.     William was named for both of his grandfathers.     He is referred to in our family simply as "William T".

William's family moved from Campbell County, Tennessee to Walker County, Georgia, in 1849.

The 1850 Walker County census shows 14 year old William with his parents and siblings in West Chickamauga Township, near Rock Spring.

William T. Bridgman was married four times.    His first wife was Elizabeth Stanfield, who he married about 1859, in Walker County, Georgia.

Elizabeth Stanfield was born about 1842, in Tennessee, according to census.     She was the daughter of James Sampson Stanfield, born May 8, 1815, in Knox County, Kentucky, and Hannah Rosanna Broyles, who was born in 1818.      James Stanfield died September 12, 1886, in Sebastian County, Arkansas.     James Stanfield was the son of Sampson Lafayette Stanfield (b. Jan 19, 1768, Anson Co, NC; d. July 11, 1837, Whitley Co, KY) and Nancy Elizabeth Thomas (b. 1770, Anson Co, NC; d. 1855, Whitley Co, KY). 

 James Sampson Stanfield and Hannah Broyles had several children including: (1) Joseph Sampson Lafayette Stanfield, b. abt 1837, KY; m. Mary Catherine Bridgman (sister to William T. Bridgman);     (2) Nancy Stanfield, b. abt 1838, TN; m. James F. David;     (3) Rachel Stanfield, b. 1840, TN; m. William Jefferson David (brother to James F. David);     (4) Elizabeth Stanfield, b. abt 1842, TN; m. William T. Bridgman;     (5) Aaron Allen Stanfield, b. 1844, TN; m. Annie Elizabeth David (sister to James F. David and William Jefferson David);     (6) Mary Ann Stanfield, b. abt 1846, TN;     (7) Sarah Jane Stanfield, b. abt 1848, TN;     (8) Felix Stanfield, b. abt 1850, TN;     (9) Susan Josephine Stanfield, b. abt 1856, GA and     (10) William Calvin Stanfield, b. abt 1859, AR.

The 1840 Campbell County, Tennessee census shows the James Stanfield family as one male 20-30 (James); one male under 5 (Sampson); one female 60-70 (James' mother or mother-in-law); one female 20-30 (Hannah); and 2 females under 5 years old (Nancy and Rachel).     The family was living in the same area as the Bridgman family.    That may be when Elizabeth and William T. first became acquainted.

The 1850 Campbell County census shows the James Stanfield family living very near William T.'s grandmother, Mariam Bridgman, in the 17th Subdivision.    The census shows James Stanfield, 34, a farmer, real property valued at $750, born in Kentucky; Hannah, 32, born in Tennessee; Sampson L., 13, born in Kentucky; Nancy, 12, born in Kentucky; Rachel, 10, born in Tennessee; Elizabeth, 8, born in Tennessee; Aaron, 6, born in Tennessee; Mary Ann, 4, born in Tennessee and Sarah J., 1 year old, born in Tennessee.

Prior to 1860, the James Stanfield family left Tennessee and settled in Searcy County, Arkansas. The 1860 Searcy County, Arkansas census, Locust Grove Township shows James Stanfield, 45, a farmer; Hannah, 45; Aaron, 15; Mary, 14; Felix, 10, born in Tennessee; Josephine, 4, born in Georgia; and Calvin, 6 months old, born in Arkansas.

The 1860 Walker County census, Rock Spring Post Office, shows William T. and Elizabeth (Stanfield) Bridgman with their four month old son, James Isaac Bridgman, who was named after both his grandfathers.     Living nearby was William's widowed mother and his siblings.

About 1861, William T. moved his family from Georgia, to the mountains of Searcy County in north central Arkansas, near where Elizabeth's family was living.

Civil War military records show that William T. served in Co. E, 45th Regiment Arkansas Confederate Militia of Searcy County from December 22, 1862, to December 20, 1863.     This regiment was formed in November 1861, under the command of Col. Sam Leslie.

William T. enlisted in the Union Army in Co. H, 3rd Arkansas Cavalry in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 13, 1864, as a private.     He appeared on a muster-out roll dated June 30, 1865, Lewisburg, Conway County, Arkansas.     Although William T. enlisted for a period of three years, he was discharged at Little Rock on July 18, 1865, after only 17 months, under an order for troop reduction because of the end of hostilities.

In his military papers, William T. was described as 5' 7 1/2" tall, with blue eyes, light complexion and light colored hair.

After the war ended, William T. settled in Sylamore Township of Izard County, Arkansas, where he homesteaded 80 acres of land.     He acquired an adjoining 80 acres on January 10, 1866.

 Elizabeth died about 1868 in Izard County, possibly in child birth.

William T. married his second wife, Martha Ann Maxey, about 1869, in Izard County.      Martha Maxey was born in 1846, in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the daughter of Bennett Hail Maxey and Frances Eason.

The 1870 Izard County census shows William T. and Martha living in Sylamore Township, Blue Mountain Post Office.     Listed with them on the census was their son John B., age one month, and William T. and Elizabeth's son, James I., age 10 years.

Martha and William T. had but a short time together, however.     Martha died September 16, 1870, in Izard (now Stone) County, Arkansas.     Martha's son John B. was named in her father's will dated June 26, 1875.

About 1871, William T. married his third wife, my great grandmother, Dicey Jane Maxey.     Dicey Maxey was a sister to Martha.     Dicey Maxey was born 1843, in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the daughter of Bennett Hail Maxey and Frances Eason.     Dicey was named in her father's will.

In 1873, Izard County was divided and a portion of it became Stone County, including Sylamore Township where William T. lived and owned property.     On July 19, 1873, William T. purchased 55 acres of land in Stone County (formerly Izard County) from James M. Farris for $300.

The 1880 Stone County census, Sylamore Township, shows William, 46; Dicy J., 41; James I., 20, born in Georgia; John B., 11, born in Arkansas; Thomas H., 7; William H., 5; and Rufus C., 2 years old.

Dicey died July 5, 1885, in Sylamore Township of Stone County.

Dicey's death left William T. with small children to care for.     On September 20, 1885, just two months after Dicey's death, William T. married his fourth wife, Mrs. M. Eliza A. Bradshaw, age 46. No children were born to this union.

William T. died December 27, 1887, in Sylamore Township of Stone County.     We believe William T., Elizabeth, Martha and Dicey are all buried in Big Springs Cemetery, near Newnata, in Stone County. 

Eliza Bradshaw Bridgman married A. L. Ramsey sometime after the death of William T.

The Stone County court awarded guardianship of the minor children of William T. to Rufus M. Broyles of Stone County.     The 1900 Stone County census shows William's children living with various Broyles families in the county.

Records show that William raised cotton as a money crop and owned 345 acres of land at the time of his death.

Child of William T. Bridgman and Elizabeth Stanfield

Child of William T. Bridgman and Martha Maxey

Children of William T. Bridgman and Dicey J. Maxey

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