I have a traditional history that I gained from my grand-mother the early history of our branch of the Kiker family, which I have preserved in my memory. About the middle of the eighteenth century one Christian Kaiser, which later became Kiser, and still later the �S� was transformed into �K�, which made it Christian Kiker, who was the father of three boys, George, John and Coonrod. Whether he had any girls or not I am not informed. This family settled in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, near Charlotte. I have the Bible of Christian Kiker, which contains a record or partial record in German, which shows that he died in 1794. This record has considerably faded and is barely legible. George remained at the old homestead; John went Westward, and nothing is known by our family as to what became of him, or whether he had any family; Coonrod settled in East Tennessee and raised a good large family. I never met any of them, but have heard of them from people who knew them, and a large family grew up from Coonrod. I did meet a gentleman who married one of the girls and had a short conversation with him about thirty years ago. He promised to return to my town at a later date to become acquainted with my branch of the family and see if we could trace a relationship. We did not have time to communicate with regard to the family, having casually met on the cars just before reaching my station. He was a minister of the gospel. My grandfather was a son of George and was raised in North Carolina as were his brothers. His name was Evan C. Kiker, Evan Christian. His brothers were Benjamin and Charles. Whether he had any sisters I am not informed. I think he had, but I am not sure. If he had any I do not know whom they married.
Evan C. Was the father of Edward Jackson, my father, Charles, Wilson, and William Addison, and Elizabeth, Susan, Catherine, and Fannie who reached maturity. Edward Jackson, my father married Sarrah E. Hamilton, and raised one boy, John Newton, myself, Margrette Catherine and Martha Lenora. Sarah R. Died in 1890, and Edward Jackson married Belle Turner and had to them Edward Jackson, Jr., who now lived in Clyde, Texas. John N. (Myself) married Mary Arrington Boisclair in 1875 and had born and raised to maturity Edward Louis Kiker, Sarah Elanor, Margrette Wyatt, Mary Louise, John Ewing, and Forman Boisclair. Mary Arrington died in 1890, and John N. (Myself) married Mrs. Catherine Clegorn Scoville. No issue.
Edward Louis, who now lives in Cordele, Ga., married Miss Mary Sews Clarke, to whom has been born Mary Boisclair, Edward Louis, Jr., and Dorothy Christine. Sarah Elanor married James H. Kaigler, and to them has been born Boisclair Kiker Kaigler, Margrette Wyatt married Harrel P. McCrory, and has born John Montgomery, Harrel Boisclair, Mary Floyd and William Beers. John Ewing married Miss Emma Estelle Argo, and has born unto them John Ewing, Jr., and George Edward. Louise and Boisclair are yet unmarried. McCrory and Kaigler live at Oglethorpe, Ga.
Charles lives in the suburbs of Nashville, Tenn. He married Martha Cooper, and they had born unto them two boys, William L., who is an Architect, and lives in Atlanta, Ga., and Charles. William L. married and has a family, but I am not intimate with them, having seen him but twice in forty years, and have not seen him in twenty. I do not know what has become of Charles, Jr.
William A. married, I do not know whom, married at Bristol, Tenn. during the war between the States, and lived about two years at Carrolton, Mo. He had no issue.
Wilson married Alice Haysand, had one son, went to the war between the States and was killed. His son was named James, who went to Mississippi and married. I have not heard from him in several years.
Elizabeth married one Zachariah T. Gray. They had born unto them James A., John, and Henry B. James A. married Sarah Malone and had born unto them James, Joseph, Tommie Lou, Louise, Max, Dorothy, Cloe, Charles, Bessy and two or three more, who names I do not remember. James A. and his family live in New York.
John married Lucy Sears and they had born unto them Zachariah, Minnie, Pauline, who lived about Calhoun, Gordon County, Ga. Zach, and one of the girls and mabe both married, but I do not remember just whom.
Henry B. Gray married Bessy_________, lives in Birmingham, Ala., and has one boy, Henry B. Jr.
I did not finish with the family of Edward J. Kiker, my father. Margrette Cathrine married Roten F. Wyatt. They had born unto them Roten F., Jr., Mary Lou, John, Julian, Dow, Emerlize, Jack, Madge and Edith Nell. Mary Lou married Clifford Barnes, of Comer, Ga. recently.
Martha Leonara married G. L. Chastain and had born unto them Irene and Eddie Mae.
Susan Kiker married E. T. Nichols. They had born unto them Evan, James and Wilson, boys and Indie, Dixie and another whose name I have forgotten. Indie married_________Jackson, and they had born unto them one girl named Dessie. Dixie married ____________Johns, and I do not know of any issue. Evan married a girl whose name I do not remember. James married, but was divorced and I do not know whether he ever re-married. Wilson married, but I do not know of any issue from him. The last I heard of him he lived in Savannah, Ga., was a railroad man.
Cathrine Kiker married James A. Gray, and both died without issue.
Fannie Kiker married one M. H. Jackson, and died without issue in Atlanta, Ga., having married the second time to Jasper N. Smith, of Atlanta, Ga.
Benjamin Kiker married Millie Howell and they had born unto them Charles, George W., John, Benjamin, Pickens, and two girls whose names I have forgotten. One of the girls married James Holcombe, went to California and they had born unto them one daughter, whose name I have forgotten. One daughter married one Francis Bowman. They had two boys, Robert and Benjamin. Old man Benjamin, the head of this branch of the family died in 1854 or 55, possibly 1856, when I was quite a small boy. The family soon thereafter moved to Alabama and after the war between the States was over moved to Texas, formed a colony, bought a township, settled it and I understand have been quite fruitful. The whole business married or had been married, have stuck together and now control the politics of Erath County. Their Post Office is Stevensville, Texas. I have seen none of them since 1866 or 1867, and know little about them except a casual hearing since that time.
Charles married I do not know whom, settled in Gordon County, Ga., near Fairmount, and had born unto him John, a George, I think, William A., several girls whose names I cannot now remember. This family was reared in the same County in which I was born and reared, but I was raised at Calhoun and they eighteen miles to the East. I saw little of them, and am not thoroughly acquainted with the family. There was a boy too, the son of Charles by the name of Charles Postelle.
John married and raised quite a family, whom I do not know, except one boy whose name is Homer, and now lives on the old home-stead of his grandfather, Charles. His Post Office is Fairmount.
I do not know what became of George.
William A married, I have forgotten whom, and moved near Dalton in Whitfield County and raised a family whom I do not know.
Charles Postelle married to whom I have forgotten, and raised a family in Gordon County, near Calhoun. I do not know the members of his family or what became of them.
One of the girls whose name I have forgotten married John Gallispie, raised a family, and moved to Sand Mountain, Ala.
One other girl, daughter of Charles, married one Thomas P. Owens, raised a family, who lived when I last knew of them in Gordon County, Ga.
This is our branch of the family so far as I can recall it. There are some members of the Kiker family in North Carolina of whom I have heard, some in Alabama and some other places and sections but I think they are side-lines, as I have never been able to trace one whom I have met. They could give me no idea of their ancestors and I thought possibly they might have sprung from John in the West or Coonrod in Tennessee, or otherwise.
I am very glad to have received your letter and so give you such information as I possess. I will be glad to have your ancestry as fully as you can trace it, and will be glad to have a copy of your family tree when you complete it. If I am not environed by official duties I will be glad to attend your family reunion. I was born in February 1851, and therefore just past 60.
With assurances that any information that my recollections may furnish you is freely and heartily given, I am,
Sincerely yours,
/John Newton Kiker
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Note: This letter would indicate that perhaps Mrs. John E. Turney is a member of the Kiker family?
The following information was obtained from census records on this family - perhaps someone could add to it?
John E. Turney, Lawyer, Nashville Tn., Davidson Co 1900 Census, ED 110, Sh 16, line 21, born Aug 1863, in Al, both parents born Tn wife Mattie, born Jan 1873 in Tn, age 26, father born Va, Mother born Oh, no children, married 5 years. No children of Turney in this household.
John E. Turney, age 47, born in Al, Nashville Tn Census, Davidson Co 1910, Ed 108, Sh 14, Father born Tn, Mother born Va, married twice
Wife Martha, age 36,born Tn Father born NC, mother born Oh, married once, 14 years, No Children
John R. Turney, age 22, son, born Tn, Father, Al, Mother Tn
Hopkins L age 19, son, born Tn, Father born Al, mother born Tn
Elizabeth age 17, daughter, born Tn, Father born Al, mother born Tn
Lorick R. Roy(Ray), age 19, brother-in-law, born Tn, Father born NC, mother born OH
James Taylor, age 52, cousin, born in Tn, Father born Tn, Mother born Tn
(Couldn�t find any of these children listed as living in another household on the 1900 Tn Census)
