The Battons

The farthest back I have found documented in our Batton family is Daniel Batton born 1795 in Isle of Wight, Virginia.  The general consensus among the research I have found is our ancestor Daniel is a descendent of Ashwell Batten.

Ashwell arrived in Isle of Wight sometime before 1644 and was a man of substance. He was given an English land grant developing Hockley Plantation on the north side of the York River.  He imported many indentured servants and the trials with them show up in the local court records.

He had at least four wives one who was quite possibly on one of the first three ships to enter Jamestown in 1607.  His third wife, Ursula, died in an unlucky accident.  A Mr Whaley was attempting to shoot and kill a “beast” (I assume a cow) in a pen but unfortunately for Ursula, who was standing right by the pen, the bullet bounced off the beast’s horn and into Ursula.

If we do in fact descend from Ashwell it is most likely also from Ursula or Ashwell’s fourth wife, Anne.

Celia Hall Batton 1795-1870

What I know for sure is our Daniel Batton married Celia Hall, 18 January, 1815 in Isle of Wight, Virginia.

Their son, Hansel Batton was born in Isle of Wight but shortly after his birth the family moved to Tennessee, where the rest of the children were born and Daniel and Celia lived out the rest of their days.

 Both Hansel and his brother Samuel Hall Batton married into the Lamberson family. Hansel married Amanda and Samuel married her sister, Sarah. 

By 1850 Hansel Batton and his family were living in Alabama. At first they were in Marengo County but according to the history of Wilsonville they were well settled in Shelby County by the time of the Civil War.

Hansel Batton 1819-1890

“During the Civil War, forts at the Yellowleaf Creek and Coosa River bridges were overrun by the Yankees. As they passed through the area, Yankee soldiers camped at the Fourmile Creek bridge site at the foot of Batton Hill. A family of Battons lived near from which the hill received its name.”

There are records of a Hansel Batton from Alabama serving in the war but I haven’t been able to determine if it is our Hansel.

His brother, Samuel’s service is much better recorded.

Enlistment Date: Dec 10 1861 Age 42, Smithville (near Nashville) 

Taken prisoner and placed at Camp Morten, Indiana

Discharged on the 8th of October 1862 by order of Brigadier General Williamson due to injury.

Samuel Hall Batton 1821-1911

Hansel did leave a different trail of records…the legal kind.  In the 1850 census Hansel lists his occupation as grocer with a total estate value of $5000.  In the 1860 census total estate value was $10,000.  The war obviously took a toll on the family.  In the 1870 census Hansel’s occupation is listed as farmer with a total estate value of $725. There are at least 6 different court cases in Shelby County between 1861-1880. Three cases were brought against Hansel by a Mr Densler who owned the general store in Wilsonville.  Two more were brought by the merchants, Duran & Nelson and one by a Mr Gurrant all over debts.

Hansel was in good company, of the 1000’s of court cases listed in Shelby County for that time, the vast majority of the complaints are about debts, no doubt a direct result of the devastation caused by the war.

Old Chapel Cemetery, Wilsonville, Shelby CO, Alabama