We left off with both men taking their large families from Alabama into northeastern Mississippi via the Old Natchez Trace.
The Bouchillons were members of Hebron Presbyterian Church in Mantua, Alabama. A transcription of a letter from the church to John and his wife Elizabeth Doolittle is floating around on the internet, though I have yet to see the original. The document is dated March 28, 1869 and serves as a letter of "dismission", or as we might call it today a transfer letter. This gives us a clue as to the precise time the family headed to Mississippi.
The Session met. Present: Reverend James M. McLean [16], Moderator; Elders William Miller and James G. Harris. On motion, ordered that letters of dismission from Hebron Church be granted to John T. Bouchillon and Elizabeth Bouchillon to join any Church whereever in the providence of God their lot may be cast and we cordially commend them to the Ministers, Elders and Brethren. Brother Bouchillon has been an exemplary member and Elder in this Church and we can but feel that our loss will be his and their gain.
William Miller, Clerk of Sessions
When he was around eighty years of age, John moved one last time. Destination: Falls, Texas. This time, he was a resident in his daughter Martha's home. It's not certain why they were there, but the 1870 census from Chickasaw, Mississippi shows that she was married to a saddle maker named John Turner. As the 1880 census details, both John and his daughter were without spouses by the time they were in Texas.
For now, this is where the story must end for John Bouchillon. His French Huguenot grandparents came to South Carolina on a vessel called the "Friendship" a decade before there was a United States. (Mr. Parker produced a wonderful and extensive history of these events, which I hope to explore, or at least summarize, in a future post.) John took his family line halfway across the land, and to this day, his descendants can be found in the Chickasaw County and Falls County areas. He rests in Live Oak Cemetery in Falls County, Texas. | Click on the image above to go to John's memorial on the Find-a-Grave website. |