The James McHale Family

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Note
 Research Needed.
Link to our Lanhams

James McHale → Mattie Elizabeth McHale-Ashley 1880 → she married Thomas Berry Lanham 1882 (see The Thomas Berry (T. B.) Lanham Family 1882)

James McHale was born after 1843 [1] and he died about 1880. [2]

Note
 We are investigating a possibility that he was James McHail, born in Ireland, age 30 during the 11 June 1860 Census in Huntsville, Madison, Alabama, making his birth in 1830.[3] That would have put this James McHail in a good position to marry CMJ Sisk in Madison county in 1861. At marriage, he would have been 31 to her 20 years. A reasonable marriage. This could have been the same James McHale that immigrated from the Irish Famine on 25 Aug 1849 in New York on the ship Halcyon that left Liverpool.[4] There were other McHales in Liverpool. Apparently it is a common name.
Note
 A lesser possibility we are investigating is that he was James J. McHale, fourth son of James and Mary McHale from Rhea County, TN, but we have no proof yet.[5] Rhea county is very close to Franklin county, TN. This James J. McHale was born in 1846, which would have made him 15/16 years old when he married then 20-year-old CMJ Sisk. This fact makes this marriage seem unlikely. However, that family, including James J., moved to Columbia Township, Randolph, Arkansas by the 1860 census. [6] One of the brothers, Houston, died in the civil war.[7] He would have been 19 for the birth of their first child, Walt E. McHale. This is circumstantial so far.

James McHale married Cassandra Minerva Jane SISK , a daughter of J. E. and Julia Edith Sisk on 23 Apr 1861 in Madison County, Alabama.[8]

JamesMcHaleMarriageIndexEntry
Figure 1. Marriage Index Entry
JamesMcHale CassandraSiskMarriage
Figure 2. Alabama Marriage Record [9]

James apparently served during the Civil War as a Musician in the 20th Regiment, Alabama Infantry.[10] Someone recieved a Civil War pension from 1890 for James McHale.[11]

Cassandra was born in Franklin County, Tennessee. The 1900 Rockwall Co., Texas census indicated she was born March 1843, the 1880 Franklin Co., Tenn. census indicates she was born 1842, and her tombstone indicates 1841. The tombstone appears to be in error. The 1900 census shows her birthdate as March 1843. The 1910 census where she lived with her son William Harvey in Martha Oklahoma at age 67 shows she was born (1910-67=1843) in North Carolina. There is a disconnect somewhere on her birthdate.

JESisk1870CensusAlabamaMadisonHeader
Figure 3. United States Census, 1870, Alabama, Madison Township 3 Range 15 Header Row
JESisk1870CensusAlabamaMadison
Figure 4. United States Census, 1870, Alabama, Madison Township Shows Cassandra and daughter Waltie.

The 1880 Franklin Co., Tenn. census indicated she was living with her mother Julia E. Sisk, and her name appeared to be Cassandra Mchall, and checked as being divorced or widow, a daughter, Walter, age 13 and Wilburn age two living together. Some members of the Sisk family did recall hearing talk about a girl by the name of Walter and that she stayed in Tennessee when the other Sisk group came to the Rockwall, Texas area.

JuliaSisk1880CensusTN
Figure 5. US Census 1880, Franklin, Tennessee showing Cassandra living with her Mother [12]

James McHale and Cassandra had the following children:

(i.) Daughter, Walter E McHale was born 3 April 1865 in Tennessee, United States. She married Thomas Sisk (b. 1858) and they had children. She died on 6 June 1949 in Franklin, Tennessee, United States and was buried June 1949 in Estillfork, Jackson, Alabama, United States.

(ii.) Son, Gideon Wilburn (GID) McHale , was born 30 August 1877 in Franklin County, Tennessee and married Dovie LEONARD, 21 October 1900 at Garland, Rockwall County, Texas. He died on 13 Mar 1942 at Martha, Jackson, Oklahoma and was buried in Martha, Jackson, Oklahoma. See [The_Gideon_W._Ashley_Family] for details.

AshleyOn1920CensusJacksonCountyOklahoma
Figure 6. Gid’s family census entry indicates that his father is from N. Carolina, but we’re not clear if that is father or stepfather
Note
 Interestingly, the Ashley’s neighbors in the census are the Shipmans. Jessie Kate shows up. Jessie Kate later married Wortha Lanham.

(ii.) Daughter, Mattie Elizabeth ASHLEY , was born 14 November 1880 at Beans Creek, Franklin Co., Tennessee, and married THOMAS BERRY (T. B.) LANHAM of Rockwall, Texas 15 November 1903. (see The Thomas Berry (T. B.) Lanham Family 1882 for details).

CMJ Sisk Worthy 1907 BabyMattie E. Lanham Mother
Figure 7. Cassandra Minerva Jane Sisk with little Mattie Elizabeth ASHLEY

James seems to have died in 1880.

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1. Estimated from first child’s birth, assuming he was at least 15 years old.
2. 1880 Census shows Cassandra as widowed and having two McHall children. So the husband had to have died between the birth of Wilburn about 1878 and the Census in 1880.
3. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHD2-WV2 : 3 October 2017), James Mc Hail in entry for Thomas O Gill, 1860.
4. "United States Famine Irish Passenger Index, 1846-1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDXL-YXL : 27 December 2014), James Mchale, 25 Aug 1849; from "Famine Irish Passenger Record Data File (FIPAS), 1/12/1846 - 12/31/1851," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (http://aad.archives.gov : accessed 2012); citing "Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies. Center for Immigration Research 1976-2002."
5. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDB-97K : 12 April 2016), James J Mchale in household of James Mchale, Rhea county, part of, Rhea, Tennessee, United States; citing family 535, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8WM-7W5 : 30 September 2017), Houston M Hale in entry for Mary Hale, 1860.
7. "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVH-HZ7Z : 13 December 2015), Houston M. Hale, 1864; Burial, Franklin, Williamson, Tennessee, United States of America, Confederate Cemetery; citing record ID 6562428, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
8. Marriage record in Madison County, AL shows marriage as 23 Apr 1861. "Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQVY-JPB : 9 July 2015), James Mc Hale and Cassandra Cist, 23 Apr 1861; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1305698 V. 4B-5.
9. Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950 showing James McHale marrying Cassandra "Cist". The person writing the record could have mis-heard Sisk as Cist.
10. "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSQY-S2D : 4 December 2014), James McHale, Musician, Company CG, 20th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Confederate; citing NARA microfilm publication M374 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 30; FHL microfilm 821,978.
11. "United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N45Q-DZC : 24 March 2016), James Mc Hale, 1890.
12. "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MD77-SKS : accessed 01 Apr 2013), Julia E. Sisk, 1880.

Updated on 01 Jan 0001

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