The Facts As We Know Them
-- Barbara Ardis
Coker, Sumter County, South Carolina USA bacoker@sumter.net
John
ARDIS
John
ARDIS was born about 1743 and lived in
Camden District of South Carolina, USA. At this point in our research, the name of
his wife is not known. Apparently she died fairly young since she is not named
in any of the probate records.
In 1784, John ARDIS received an original Grant
for 200 acres in what is now known as Clarendon County (Sammy Swamp area), South
Carolina USA. The
land was surveyed on January 12, 1785.
The
Children of John ARDIS
Sumter County Probate Court Records and
an 1824 Deed, indicate that John ARDIS was the father of 2 daughters:
Daughter
#1: Nancy Ann ARDIS was born about 1770
in Camden District. She married Roland John WILLIAMS (son of John and Mary WILLIAMS, planters who lived in St. Mark's Parish of South Carolina USA,).
Daughter
#2: Elizabeth ARDIS was born about 1772
in Camden District, South Carolina USA.
The
Children of Nancy Ann ARDIS WILLIAMS and Roland WILLIAMS
Nancy Ann ARDIS WILLIAMS and Roland (also spelled Rowland) John WILLIAMS were parents of
Harriott, John Roland,
Juliet and Richard H. WILLIAMS.
[NOTE:
An 1802 deed from John to the first 3
children verify this information and an 1818 deed to the last son is also
proof.]
The
Children of Elizabeth ARDIS
Her brother-in-law, Roland
John WILLIAMS, left his wife
shortly after the 1802 deed was signed... went to live with Elizabeth... and
fathered all of Elizabeth's four (4) children.
The children
of Elizabeth ARDIS all bore the ARDIS name and
were:
Son
#1: John William ARDIS, born about 1806 who married Elizabeth GEDDINGS.
Son
#2: Robert Roland ARDIS, born January 14, 1807 who married Priscilla _______.
Daughter
#1: Elizabeth Ann ARDIS, born about 1818,
married James Dickson WEEKS
Son
#3: James S. ARDIS, born about 1820,
married Sarah _______.
[NOTE:
Each
of the above children were named in a probate record dated March 14, 1823, which
gave them legal rights to a deed given:
"by Roland John
Williams to my late
father John Ardis (Artis), and bef. his death willed to me and my sister Ann
Ardis Williams which property so willed to me is now in possession of the Est.
of Roland J. Williams deceased."]
So, we know that Roland
WILLIAMS died
prior to 1823. We also know, by deduction, that John ARDIS, father of Nancy
ARDIS and Elizabeth ARDIS,
died prior to 1823.
John
William ARDIS
John
William ARDIS was born about 1806, in the area now known as Pinewood, South
Carolina USA. About 1835 he married Elizabeth GEDDINGS. Elizabeth was born about
1815, and was the daughter of Abraham GEDDINGS and Mary P. GEDDINGS.
The
Children of John William ARDIS
John
William ARDIS and Elizabeth GEDDINGS ARDIS were the parents of nine (9) children:
Son
#1: John WILLIAM ARDIS [Jr.], born December
1837.
Son
#2: Thomas ARDIS, born 1839.
Son
#3: Abraham ARDIS, born January 10,
1841.
Daughter
#1: Sarah M. ARDIS, born November 13, 1843.
Son
#4: William S. ARDIS, born 1846.
Daughter
#2: Elizabeth "Betsy" ARDIS,
born 1848.
Son
#5: Joseph M. ARDIS, born August 13, 1854.
Son
#6: Ephraim ARDIS, born 1856.
Son
#7: George ARDIS, born 1858.
The
Obituary of John William ARDIS
The
obituary published in the Methodist newspaper told this story:
"It was my sad duty on the fourth
Sunday in August to funeralize Brother [John] William ARDIS. He was about eighty-six
years old and died in the same township (Privateer, Sumter County) where he was
born and lived all his life. He was always an unassuming man, good neighbor, a
kind friend, and an indulgent parent. He raised seven sons and two daughters,
all of whom survive him except one (Thomas) that died in the war..."
[NOTE:
This obituary was dated 1896 September 17, and is on file in the Genealogical Library at
Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina USA. The newspaper is
called "Southern Christian Advocate."]
The
Sons of John William ARDIS Served The Confederate States of America
The
sons of John William ARDIS -- John William ARDIS [Jr.], Thomas ARDIS, Abraham ARDIS, and Will ARDIS
-- all served on behalf of the Confederate
States of America in Palmetto Battalion, Company C, Light Artillery. Thomas
died at age 22 of illness at Camp Minnott in South Carolina USA.
Thomas
ARDIS
Child
#2 of John William ARDIS [Sr.], Thomas ARDIS (1839 - Sept 29, 1862), never married and died of disease during
the War.
[NOTE:
Thomas ARDIS is listed, with other Confederate dead, on an impressive
monument erected by The United Daughters of the Confederacy at the corner of
Washington and Liberty Streets in Sumter, South Carolina USA.]
Abraham
ARDIS
Child
#3 of John William ARDIS [Sr.], Abraham ARDIS (also listed in Census
Records as Abel P. ARDIS) was born January 10, 1841. He served with his
brothers John William ARDIS [Jr.] and Thomas ARDIS and was taken prisoner in 1864, at Fort Gaines,
Alabama.
Abraham
ARDIS was released from Ship Island Prison, Mississippi on January 4,
1865, and returned to Sumter County, South Carolina USA, where he married on
January 6, 1869.
The
ANDREWS Family
The
bride of Abraham ARDIS was Augusta Sylvesta ANDREWS ARDIS, who was a daughter of
Robert W. ANDREWS and Mary CONNERS (CONYERS) ANDREWS.
[NOTE:
Captain Robert ANDREWS, at age 96,
had traveled more than 7,000 miles on foot throughout the country. He was born
in Stateburg, South Carolina USA,, on July 4, 1790 and was one of 12 children
whose parents came to South Carolina USA,, from Northampton, Virginia USA. It
is reported that Captain ANDREWS kept records of his long pedestrian trips
(trips of less than 100 miles were not recorded).]
The
Children of Abraham ARDIS and Sylvesta ANDREWS ARDIS
Abraham
ARDIS and Augusta Sylvesta ANDREWS ARDIS were parents of eight (8) children:
Augusta ARDIS JACKSON (June 23, 1871 - April
8, 1967)
Mary Elizabeth ARDIS KOLB
(Oct 15, 1873 – Jan 1, 1909)
Frank
Benjamin ARDIS (July 1875 - 1950)
Albert Jacob ARDIS (January 1878 - May 25, 1945)
Abram L. ARDIS, Sr. (January 31, 1879 – Jan 21,
1965)
Oregon Texas ARDIS (May 28, 1883
- December 23, 1954)
Nora Rose ARDIS Jenkinson (July 15, 1885 - Jan 30,
1981)
Charles P. ARDIS (Feb. 16,
1891 - Nov 29, 1917)
[NOTE:
The above information was taken from Sumter County
Probate Records, Federal Census Records and Cemetery inscriptions.]
The
Families of Sumter County, South Carolina USA
The
children of John William ARDIS and Elizabeth GEDDINGS ARDIS constitute a major
portion of those who claim ARDIS roots in South Carolina in 1999. Researchers
will also note the close connections between the several prominent early families of Sumter
County, South Carolina USA.
Therefore, it is difficult to do research on the ARDIS Family without including
extensive research into GEDDINGS, KOLB, GRIFFIN, GRAHAM, HODGE, EVANS, etc.
Hulda
GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS and the GRAHAMS
Child
#1 of John William ARDIS [Sr.], John William ARDIS [Jr.], born December
1837 in the Pinewood area of Sumter County, South Carolina USA, married Hulda GRIFFIN
GRAHAM, the
widow of Milton Robert GRAHAM.
[NOTE:
It is important to include in our discussion the first marriage of Hulda
GRIFFIN, to Milton Robert GRAHAM. After his death, the children of Milton and
Hulda were raised (and much loved) by Hulda's second husband, John William ARDIS.
The
descendants of those children are included in both our ARDIS Reunions and Family
History. To this day, a strong bond
remains between the ARDIS and GRAHAM Families in South Carolina USA.]
Milton
Robert GRAHAM was a son of John Christopher and Rebecca
Helen STUKES GRAHAM. He enlisted on January 1, 1862 at South Santee, according
to Confederate War Records found in the South Carolina USA, Department of History
and Archives in Columbia, South Carolina USA.
A letter written to his mother from Huguenot Springs, Virginia USA, and dated July 11,
1864, gives evidence of the deep affection of Milton Robert GRAHAM for his family,
"...Do Mother, don't forget me. I send you a
little of my hair for you to remember me. Do my dear Mother pray for us...I am,
Dear Mother, your affectionate son until death. Milton Robert Graham."
Milton
Robert GRAHAM died of disease in July of 1864 and is
buried at Rehobeth Cemetery on Old River Road, near the Santee Dam just beyond
Manning, South Carolina USA.
[NOTE:
A 500-page hardbound "Graham Family History" was written by Helen GRAHAM CARPENTER and
published in 1942, by The Monastery Hill Press of Chicago, Illinois. The
information about Milton Robert GRAHAM was largely extracted from that reliable
source.]
The
Children of Hulda GRIFFIN GRAHAM and Milton Robert GRAHAM
Hulda
GRIFFIN GRAHAM and Milton Robert GRAHAM were parents
of four (4) children:
Robert Chovine GRAHAM (Aug 31, 1858 - Sept 20,
1929)
Mary Camilla GRAHAM (1859 - 1861 according to the 1860 Census)
Lawrence A. GRAHAM (Sept. 24, 1860 - July 4,
1925)
Milton Maxwell GRAHAM (Jan
15, 1863 - June 15, 1914).
Hulda
was a daughter of J. Dempsey GRIFFIN and Alicia WEEKS GRIFFIN of Pinewood, South
Carolina USA, according to the Census Records of 1850.
John
William ARDIS [Jr.] and Hulda
GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS
Hulda
GRIFFIN GRAHAM married John William ARDIS [Jr.]
after his release from Ship Island Prison, Mississippi USA on April 15, 1865 and
his return to South Carolina USA, later that year.
John William
ARDIS [Jr.] had enlisted on
March 19, 1862, at Minott's Bluff, South Carolina USA, with The Army of the
Confederate States of America, Palmetto Battalion, Company C, Light Artillery.
He was captured at Blakely, Alabama USA on April 9, 1865.
[NOTE:
In November of 1997, the
ARDIS Family erected and dedicated a Confederate Marker in memory of John
William ARDIS [Jr.] at WEEKS
Cemetery, near Pinewood, South Carolina USA.]
The
Children of John William ARDIS [Jr.] and Hulda GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS
John
William ARDIS [Jr.] and Hulda GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS were parents of six (6)
children:
Henry ARDIS (March 10,
1867 - June 23, 1960)
Sarah Lucille
ARDIS GEDDINGS (Oct. 23, 1868 - June 26, 1906)
Lewis Levi ARDIS (1871 - March 6,
1944)
John Howard ARDIS (November 1873 -
???)
Virginia ARDIS
[later Virginia ARDIS ARDIS] (March 1874
– July 8, 1946)
Jeffrey F. ARDIS
(1876 - 1951).
[NOTE: Virginia ARDIS
ARDIS was the paternal grandmother and Jeffrey F. ARDIS was the maternal great-grandfather
of Barbara Virginia ARDIS COKER, your present writer.]
The
Descendents of John ARDIS
Below
is the descent chart for John ARDIS, as it is presently known. Additions and
corrections would be appreciated. The author may have additional information in
this area for ARDIS Family members, or serious researchers, on request.
(1st Generation)
John ARDIS, about 1743, in South Carolina USA, (wife not
known)
(2nd Generation)
Nancy Ann ARDIS WILLIAMS, about 1770
in South Carolina USA, (Roland J. WILLIAMS)
(3rd Generation)
Harriott WILLIAMS, John Roland WILLIAMS, Juliet
WILLIAMS, Richard WILLIAMS
(2nd Generation)
Elizabeth ARDIS about 1772 in South
Carolina USA,
(3rd Generation)
John William ARDIS Sr.(about 1806) (
spouse: Elizabeth GEDDINGS ARDIS)
(4th Generation) John William ARDIS Jr.(Dec 1837) (spouse:
Hulda GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS)
(4th Generation) Thomas ARDIS (1839) (never married)
(4th Generation) Abraham ARDIS (01/10/1841 (spouse: Augusta Sylvesta Andrews ARDIS)
(4th Generation) Sarah M. ARDIS GEDDINGS (11/13/1843) (spouse:William W. GEDDINGS)
(4th Generation) William S. ARDIS (1846) (spouse: Julia GEDDINGS ARDIS)
(4th Generation) Elizabeth "Betsy" ARDIS Burket (1848) (spouse: Ashby L. Burkett)
(4th Generation) Joseph McDuffie ARDIS (08/13/1854) (spouse: Aller McLeod ARDIS)
(4th Generation) Ephraim ARDIS (1856)
(4th Generation) George ARDIS (1858)
(3rd Generation)
Robert Roland ARDIS (01/14/1807)
(spouse: Priscilla ARDIS)
(4th Generation) James Lawrence ARDIS (05/09/1836) (spouse: Martha McElveen ARDIS)
(4th Generation) William Joseph ARDIS (03/21/1844) (spouse: Anjelica WEEKS ARDIS)
(3rd Generation)
Elizabeth Ann ARDIS WEEKS (1818)
(spouse: James Dickson WEEKS)
(4th Generation) James West WEEKS (1836) never married
(4th Generation) Amanda C. WEEKS (10/17/1837) ( never married
(4th Generation) Glovenor B. WEEKS (01/16/1840) (never married)
(4th Generation) Elizabeth Ann WEEKS Munnerlyn (08/01/1842) (spouse: T.W. Munnerlyn)
(4th Generation) Julia F. WEEKS WEEKS (1844) (spouse: James Washington WEEKS)
(4th Generation) A. Scott WEEKS (10/07/1845) (spouse: Sarah E. Gayle WEEKS)
(4th Generation) John Wesley WEEKS (01/27/1849) (spouse: Mary Broughton WEEKS)
(4th Generation) Placidia T. WEEKS Rollings) (1854) (spouse: John W. Rollings)
(4th Generation) Infant Daughter (born and died 1857)
(4th Generation) Natalie Boyce Rollings (1858) (spouse: Alonzo R. Rollings)
(3rd Generation) James S. ARDIS (1820) (spouse:
Sarah J.A. ARDIS)
(4th Generation unresearched as of 1999)
(4th
Generation) John William ARDIS and Hulda GRIFFIN GRAHAM ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Henry ARDIS (03/10/1867) & spouse Mary Elizabeth GRIFFIN ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Sarah Lucille ARDIS (10/23/1868) & spouse John Nathaniel GEDDINGS
(5th
Generation)
Lewis Levi ARDIS (1871) & spouse Anna Belle Pritchard
(5th
Generation)
John Howard ARDIS (11/1873) & spouse Salley Avins ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Virginia ARDIS (03/1874) & spouse John Thomas ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Jeffrey F. ARDIS (1876) & spouse Anna Liza Childers ARDIS
(4th Generation) Thomas ARDIS - no children
(4th Generation) Abraham ARDIS and Augusta Sylvesta Andrews ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Augusta ARDIS (06/23/1871) & spouse Benjamin James Jackson
(5th
Generation)
Mary Elizabeth ARDIS (10/15/1873) & spouse James Jervey KOLB
(5th
Generation)
Frank Benjamin ARDIS (07/1875) & spouse Beulah Bernice Watts ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Jacob Albert ARDIS (01/1878) & spouse Ella Winkles ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Abram LeGrande ARDIS, Sr. (01/31/1879) & spouse Annie Lewis ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Oregon Texas ARDIS, Sr. (05/28/1883) & spouse Tabitha Ann J. ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Nora Rose ARDIS (07/15/1885) & spouse William R. Jenkinson
(5th
Generation)
Charles P. ARDIS (02/16/1891 - 11/29/1917) never married
(4th Generation) Sarah M. ARDIS GEDDINGS and William W. GEDDINGS
(5th
Generation)
John Thomas GEDDINGS (08/03/1868) & spouse Caroline Camilla Lackey
(5th
Generation)
Jessie D. GEDDINGS (03/16/1870) & spouse Lizzie T. GEDDINGS
(5th
Generation)
Septimus M. GEDDINGS (09/25/1874) & spouse (1) Henrietta GEDDINGS spouse
(2) Emma Timmons
(4th Generation) William S. ARDIS and Julia A. GEDDINGS ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
John Thomas ARDIS (04/14/1868) & spouse Virginia ARDIS ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
James Henry ARDIS (03/10/1870) & spouse Hattie GRIFFIN ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Annie Gertrude ARDIS (05/04/1876) & spouse James Robert GRIFFIN
(5th
Generation)
Priscilla ARDIS (1874 - 1880) no children
(4th Generation) Elizabeth ARDIS Burket & spouse Ashby L. Burket
(5th
Generation)
Henry Samuel Burket (04/25/1872 - 05/06/1873) No children
(5th
Generation)
Beulah Burket (06/20/1876) & spouse L.N. Barwick
(4th Generation) Joseph McDuffie ARDIS & Aller McLeod ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
John Hydrick ARDIS (06/19/1888) & spouse Lena Ollie Bartlette ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Cornelia ARDIS (11/29/1890) & spouse Thomas D. WEEKS
(5th
Generation)
Mary Lee ARDIS (06/13/1894) & spouse Don J. GEDDINGS
(5th
Generation)
Twin: Joseph McDuffie ARDIS, Jr. (10/29/1900) & spouse Amber Ida ARDIS
(5th
Generation)
Twin: Aller Ruth ARDIS (10/29/1900) & spouse Bennie Brewer
(5th
Generation)
Lottie ARDIS (10/31/1906 - 01/27/1908) No Children
(5th
Generation)
Catherine ARDIS (09/191907 - Feb. 15, 1973 ) Never Married
(4th
Generation) Ephraim and George ARDIS -
No children listed
To be
continued...