Ancestors of the Padgetts of Texas -- a Texas Legacy Site

Ancestors of Joseph Allen Padgett, William Major Padgett and James Dingle Padgett.

Martha Castleberry Freeman, granddaughter of Joseph Allen Padgett is the researcher for this site. All of the photographs on this site are courtesy of Martha and her sisters, aunts and cousins.

Descendants are invited to join the developmental site. Send requests for access to the Family Fiddlers - the Padgetts password protected site to webservant: Jimmie Chatham at Chatham@consultant.com.

This site is a work in progress. Please report error and/ or send comments to the webservant.

James Dingle Cook, father of Mary Ellen Cook Padgett

Mary Jane Atchison Cook, wife of James Dingle Cook and Mother of Mary Ellen Cook Padgett

Mary "Polly" Gibson Padgett, wife of William Padgett and Mother of James Allen Padgett

James Allen Padgett, husband of Mary Ellen Cook Padgett.
James was born Jan. 1, 1840 in Harrison County,
near Lee's Lick, Kentucky

Mary Ellen Cook Padgett, wife of James Allen Padgett and mother of Joseph Allen Padgett, William Major Padget and James Dingle Padgett

James Allen Padgett, husband of Mary Ellen Cook Padgett, Father of Joseph Allen Padgett, William Major Padgett and James Dingle Padgett

Carrie Cook, sister of Mary Ellen Cook Padgett

Marriage Record of James Allen Padgett and Mary Ellen Cook Padgett

Joseph Allen Padgett, born Nov. 1, 1871 in KY. Joe married Effa Lee Fergusson on July 5, 1896 in Dallas, Texas. Died May 12, 1955 in Decatur, Texas. Son of James Allen and Mary Ellen Cook Padgett.

Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett was the granddaughter of Lucy Shelton Slayton and Arthur Slaydon of Pittsylvania County, VA. Lucy's father was Thomas Shelton, a tobaccco planter. His ancestors were in Virginia by the 1630s. Arthur's father, Daniel Slaydon, was the great great grandson of John Sladding, a immigrant who was transported to Virginia in 1695 and who was a land-owner and planter in Goochland New Kent Virginia by 1711. Lucy Shelton Slayton was widowed in 1808. She broke with over 200 years of family tradition and moved to the newly established town of Jackson in Madison County, Tennessee in the 1820s. Her son Sanford opened a gold and sliversmiths shop there and purchased an interest in the Lafayette Inn. Lucy's son Hickmond and daughter Sarah Dearmore also moved to Madison County with Lucy. Sanford and Lucy moved to Texas in Dec. 1839 and established residency in the Republic of Texas. They each received Third Class Headright Landgrants of 640 acres each from the Republic of Texas. Hickmond and his wife Caroline Clark spent a few years in Louisiana before joining his mother and brother in Texas.

Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett's parents were married in Marion County, Texas. Her mother, Catherine Augusta "Gusta" Slayton, was the daughter of Republic of Texas citizen, cotton planter, surveyor Sanford G. Slayton and his wife, Mary Annabell Clark Slayton. Her father, William Jefferson Fergusson, settled in Jefferson after serving with the Confederate Calvary with a regiment from Richmond Virginia. Wm. J. Fergusson was the jailer in Jefferson during the incarceration of Abe Rothschild during the Diamond Bessie Murder Trials.

Newlyweds, Joseph Allen Padgett and Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett. Joe was an architect and building contractor in Dallas, Texas. He worked on some of the homes in the McKinney Avenue Historic District. He was also a fiddler and violin maker. He retired from contracting in 1917 and moved to Decatur, Texas where he farmed and made fiddles.

Effa Lee Fergusson and two of her sisters (Ada Virginia and Cora Mae) were placed in Buckner's Children's Home in Dallas in 1872 after the death of their father. Their mother, Gusta Slayton Fergusson, preceded her husband in death in 1871. Ada, the oldest sister, settled in Dallas. She arranged for Effa Lee to leave the orphanage and come live with her. Effa met Joseph Padgett while she was living in Dallas.

Two of Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett's aunts -- Left Lucy Clark Slayton Lawrence, wife of Ed L. Lawrence of Coryell County, Texas and Ada Virginia (Ginny) Slayton Dorgan, wife of John Dorgan of Marion County, Texas.

We have not been able to conclusively verifiy it, but think this is probably a photograph of Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett's father, William Jefferson Fergusson. He was described by Effa and Ida as being tall and slender, over 6' tall, with fiery red hair and a mustache. Linda Ross, a great granddaughter of Cora Mae Fergusson Chatham found this photo in her grandmother (Cora Mae "Sweetie" Chatham Precise's) photos after her death. Sweetie inherited the photos of J.H. Chatham, Sr., a son-in-law of Wm. J. Fergusson.

Ada Viriginia Fergusson Hartman,
Effa Lee's sister had several children.
Jay Hartman was one of her sons.

Rev. Buckner, founder of Buckner's Children's Home maintained a close relationship with the Fergusson girls. He officiated at the wedding Joe and Effa. He traveled to Marion County and visited Cora Mae after she moved near Jefferson.
The Fergusson family were members of the Methodist Church in Marion County. In the orphanage, the two younger Fergusson girls were baptised by the Baptists.

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Sanford G. Slayton's Texas Republic Land Grant. Sanford was Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett's maternal grandfather.

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Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett
with Archie and ? Padgett.

Effa's youngest sister, Cora Mae was only 2 when she was placed in the orphanage.
When she became "of age" she left the home and went to Coryell County, Texas to live with her aunt.
She met James Harvey Chatham and married him. Two of his sisters married two of the sons of Lucy Clark Slayton and Ed Lawrence (Effa's and Ada's and Cora's first-cousins).

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Effa Lee Fergusson Padgett

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All her life people told Effa Lee to "bundle up or you'll catch your death of cold."
She hated being told that.Both of her parents caught pneumonia before they died. She was sure she would not die if she got cold. One day she decided to show them. She went outside, sat in the snow to show her family that she was strong and a little cold wouldn't hurt her.

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