By By Lydia Grimes Feature Reporter
I am going to go over some of the families covered in Mrs. Annie Waters' "A History of Escambia County." I don't have much more information than she did on these families, but I thought it would help you if you have not read her book. The Escambia County Historical Society has them for sale and they would make wonderful Christmas gifts. If you are interested, call me at 867-4876 or come by The Brewton Standard office.
John A. Ashton was born on a farm in Ohio in 1813 and died 23 Dec. 1896 in what is now East Brewton. He fought with Gen. Scott in the Mexican War and was later the overseer for Scott's tobacco plantation in Quincy, Fla. He came to this area and worked in the forests for the government making rafts to float down the river to Pensacola. He would later buy land and work in the tar business at a place called Tar Landing.
He married about 1858 to Charlotte Eleanor Matilda Tippins Ellis, a widow. She was the daughter of James Augustus Tippins I and Eliza Edwards. She was born 16 Nov. 1820 and died in 1893.
Charlotte Eleanor Matilda Tippins Ellis and her first husband, William Ellis , were the parents of Philip Ellis (1842-died young), Esther Ellis (1844 who married Elisha Downing, Asa Ellis, 1846 who married Marie Lampkin, and Caroline Ellis (1849) who married George Barnes.
Children of John A. Ashton and Charlotte were Alexander Kennedy Ashton (1860-1939) who married Annie Catherine Schad, John A. Ashton Jr. (2 July 1862-2 Jan. 1930) who married Julia Mantel and William E. Ashton (23 Nov. 1865-17 Dec. 1939) who married first Emma Rosina Schad and second, Lena J. Schad.
Alex Ashton and Annie Catherine Schad (30 Oct. 1868-16 Jan. 1936) had a son, William Minifee Ashton II (10 Aug. 1890-29 Nov. 1917) who married Gertrude Elizabeth Stokes, John Nicholas Ashton (1 April 1892-2 Jan. 1961) who married Jackie Thelma Baggett Shipp, Mary Ella Ashton (11 Aug. 1900-6 Sept. 1929) who married Earl Bowden, George Hamilton Ashton (17 Feb. 1904-10 July 1933), Frank Rogers Ashton (28 Jan. 1909) who married Jessie Matilda Weaver.
John A. Alexander Jr. and Julia Mantel (12 Nov. 1869) were the parents of Walter Lewis Ashton who married Alma Scott, Reul Philip Ashton (25 Nov. 1896-8 Oct. 1962) who married Hattie Lowery, Charles Ashton who married Cecil Mutchler, John Ashton who married Nora Cannon, Minnie Lee Ashton who married Mose Hammac, Ralph Ashton who married Myrtle Corley, Kenneth Ashton who married Inez McNaughton and Esther Ashton who married John Bush.
William E. Ashton and Emma Rosina Schad (25 June 1872-1915) had Alice Ashton who married W. H. Horton who served as Tax Assessor for Escambia County, and Albert Edgar Ashton (30 Nov. 1900-30 June 1955) who married Ruth Lewis.
William E. Ashton and Lena J. Schad (11 Feb. 1884-9 June 1965) had no children.
Alex Ashton and Annie Catherine Schad's son, William Minifee Ashton II who married Gertrude Elizabeth Stokes (16 Jan. 1893) had at least one child, Annie Will Ashton who married Clint Pearson. Annie Will Ashton Pearson is the person who submitted the material on the Ashton family to Mrs. Waters.
I will cover more of these families in the coming weeks. Most of them don't have extensive coverage but considering the amount of material Mrs. Waters covered, she did a remarkable job.
If you have material you would like me to use in a future column, please let me know. The more you share, the more you get back in return. I know this is true. I've seen it in my own research.