Section 5:
Allen Stroud (1797-1867)
Arza Aston (1807-about 1867)
(7th ) George Strode & Margaret
(6th) Thomas Strode & Elizabeth Hollingsworth
(5th) Abraham Stroud & Lucretia Ogle
(4rd) Jesse Stroud & Jane Fields
(3nd) Allen Stroud & Arza Aston
(Great- great) Stephen Brooks Stroud
(Great) George Allen Stroud
(Grand) Laurence
Denison Stroud
Allen Stroud was born in North Carolina around 1797, the second son of
Jesse and Jane Field Stroud. 1 In the 1800 U.S. Census for North CarolinaRandolph-Hillsboro, Jesse Stroud’s household has three male children under the
age of 10. These three boys are believed to be Joel, Allen, and Hiram Stroud.
When the family left North Carolina for Indiana Territory, sometime between
1806 and 1807, Allen Stroud was around nine years old, about the same age his
father had been when he moved from Delaware to North Carolina with his
parents, Abraham and Lucretia Ogle Stroud.
Indiana records show that Allen’s father, Jesse, and his two uncles,
Thomas and John, were all living in Harrison County, Indiana in 1810. Because
the 1810 Indiana Census records were burned by the British during the War of
1812, there are no federal records of the Stroud’s household in Indiana until the
1820 U.S. Census. At this time, Jane Stroud was a widow, and only one of the
children living at home in 1820 was a male between the ages of 16 and 26. The
first official record of Allen Stroud is his marriage record.
1820’sOn February 10, 1825 Allen Stroud married Arza Aston in Orange County,
Indiana- the county adjacent to where his parents, Jesse and Jane Stroud lived.
Arza Aston married Allen Stroud on the same day that her twin sister, married
Abraham Stroud, the son of Jesse’s brother, Thomas Stroud. They were married
by Isom Gwin, a Baptist minister.
Sometime before his death in 1933 John Allen Stroud, one of Allen
Stroud’s grandsons wrote a short autobiography for his family. Like many family
memoirs some of the dates and details do not match those on official records.
One probable mistake in John Allen Stroud’s family story is that the husbands
(Allen and Abraham Stroud) of the Aston twins were not related. According to
my research, they were not brothers, but they were first cousins; their fathers,
Jesse and Thomas, were brothers. In his memoirs (included at the end of this
section) John Allen Stroud begins with information about his grandfather, Allen
Stroud:
My grandfather, Allen Stroud, was born in North Carolina, in
1797. My Grandmother was born in the same state. She was a
twin sister. Her name was Arza Aston and her sister’s name was
Niray Aston. Both were married the same day and both married
Strouds, but their husbands were not related. 2
The Aston FamilyArza and Niray’s names appear with a variety of spellings. In both the
Indiana Marriage Record data base and the original records their names appear
as Arsa Askins and Tersa Seasking (with a question mark after it). The original
records appear to be entered by a clerk from the minister’s notes. On various
census forms their names are spelled Arsa, Arza and Nersa, Nersey or Neray.
These twin sisters are believed to be the daughters of Lucrecia Aston who
appears as a head of household in the 1830 US Census for Indiana-Orange
County. Presumably her husband had died and, most likely, was the Samuel
Aston whose name appears on legal documents associated with Allen’s
grandfather, Abraham Stroud.
Little is known about Samuel Aston. A Samuel Aston appears on the 1810
North Carolina Census with two boys younger than ten, one son between ten
and sixteen, three girls under the age of ten, one female between sixteen and
twenty six, one between twenty six and forty, and two slaves. The names of the
boys are unknown. The three young daughters are assumed to be: Arza, Nersa,
and Elisa Aston. Samuel Aston’s name also appears on several legal documents
concerning the Strouds, including land deeds, bonds, and estate notices. It
appears that Samuel Aston (sometimes spelled Asten or Ashton) was an
attorney.
Arza and Nersa Aston were born sometime around 1807 in North
Carolina. Although John Allen Stroud wrote that, “My grandparents, after their
marriage, moved to Indiana…” 3 The records clearly show that Allen Stroud and
Arza Aston were married in Orange County, Indiana. John Allen Stroud may
have assumed his grandparents were married in North Carolina since they were
both born there.
The Aston family moved to Indiana sometime after 1813, when Samuel
Aston’s name appears on a North Carolina administrator’s bond concerning
Abraham Stroud’s estate and before 1822 when Samuel Aston purchased land in
Morgan County, Indiana. Hiram Stroud, Allen’s brother, and three Stroud
cousins also purchased land in Morgan County in the early 1820’s.4 By 1825, The
Astons were living in Orange County, Indiana.
1830’sIn the 1830 US Census for Indiana-Orange County, Allen Stroud is living
next door to Lucrecia Aston. She is presumed to be the mother of Arza and the
widow of Samuel Aston. Allen and Arza’s family at the time consisted of three
male children under the age of 5. Two of those children were Ira Stroud, born in
1827 and Samuel Aston Stroud born in 1828. The third male child is not known.
Sometime in the early 1830’s, Allen Stroud and his family moved
northwest to Vermillion County. According to The Biographical and Historical
Record of Vermillion County, Indiana, Allen Stroud became the Sheriff of
Vermillion County, Indiana on August 16, 1834, a position he held until 1838.
The book also notes that S.B. Gardner was named a clerk of Vermillion
County in 1827. Allen was living in Vermillion County by 1824 when “Stephen B.
Gardner of Randolph County, North Carolina made full payment” to the
government for 79 acres of land. 5 (Stephen Gardner’s full name, Stephen
Brooks Gardner, appears on a U.S. General Land Record issued in Fort Wayne,
Indiana in 1831.) Stephen Gardner was born in Guilford County, North
Carolina, the son of Mary Brooks and Shubal Gardner. Stephen B. Gardner’s
sister, Abigail was married to Arza Stroud’s brother, Ure Aston. If Allen Stroud
and Stephen Gardner were business partners, or were just friends is unknown,
but for the next ten years their lives were intertwined.
In 1834 Arza and Allen’s first daughter, Harriet Stroud was born, followed
by Stephen Brooks Stroud in 1836, named after Stephen Brooks Gardner. Laura
Ann Stroud was born in 1839 in Indiana. Shortly after the family left for Iowa
Territory.
IowaBoth Allen Stroud and Stephen B. Gardner are listed in the 1840 US
Census for Iowa Territory-Johnson County. Allen Stroud is listed as head of
household with 1 boy under the age of 5 (Stephen); one boy between 5 and ten
(unknown); four boys between ten and fifteen (Ira, Samuel and two unknown);
two males between 40 and 50 (Allen and unknown); one girl under 5 (Laura); one
girl between 5 and 10 (Harriet); and 1 female between 30 and 40 (Arza). While
there was one unknown child on the 1830 census there are now three unknown
boys and one unknown adult male. Because the 1830 and 1840 census forms only
listed heads of household we do not know their names or if they were related.
The unknown boy on the 1830 census suggests that at least one of the unknown
boys on the 1840 census was Allen and Arza’s child.
Historical Perspective- In 1838 Iowa Territory was made from part of Wisconsin
Territory and encompassed present day Iowa, Minnesota west of the Mississippi, and the
Dakotas east of the White Earth and Missouri Rivers. 6 Following the act of Congress
organizing Iowa Territory “a great tide of people” surged into the territory. 7 The most
populous area of Iowa Territory was along the Mississippi River.
The earliest record for Stephen B. Gardner in Iowa is found in the Year
Book of the Old Settlers Association, Johnson County Iowa- 1866-1897 where it was
noted under Pioneer Women that Mrs. Stephen B. Gardner arrived in the state in
1839.
In addition to the US Census records for Stephen B. Gardner and Allen
Stroud, land records indicate that they were purchasing land in Johnson County,
Iowa Territory in the early 1840s. In January of 1840 Allen Stroud made the
following claim:
…I the undersigned have made this day the following claim
which I wish recorded by the clerk…..to wit the SW Qtr of Sect
11 T 79 N R 6 west in said county and territory…bounded in the
north by Judson and Irish on the south by Adams…
Jany 12 1840 Allen Stroud
F.M. Irish, Allen Stroud’s neighbor to the North is also listed on the 1840
census. In 1901 his son Charles wrote a letter from his home in Elko, Nevada to
the Old Settlers Association of Iowa City. In it he mentioned one of Iowa City’s
first settlers, Allen Stroud:
How many gathered here today can recall Mr. Phelps,
the Indian trader, whose trading house stood on the east bank
of the Iowa River just below where the town of Napoleon, our
first county seat was located? Mr. Phelps told me that he so
early as 1826 “cordelled” flatboats from St. Louis to this trading
house which was built that year. Can many of you recall
Wheaton Chase, also an Indian trader, whose trading post
stood on the bank of the Byington creek down in Pleasant
Valley? Then there was Allen Stroud, whose cabin stood a little
beyond and to the left of Market street in Iowa City. He was a
hunter and a trapper. On the hill lately known as the Gower
place lived, contemporaneously with Stroud, William Brown.8
William Brown is listed beneath Allen Stroud on the 1840 census. In
February of 1841, Allen Stroud and S.B. Gardner filed a land claim together:
Allen Stroud and Stephen B. Gardner have this day made
the following claim…commencing at a black oak at William Alts
E.E. corner…supposed to contain about 300 acres of Land
Broken Prairie & small groves of timber in parts a small run of
water passing through the same on which there is 100 acres of
Botum prairie. This claim is situated in Johnson County Iowa
Territory about 1 & a half miles west of the Iowa River and 4
miles N.W. from Iowa City.
February 18, 1840
Allen Stroud
handed in February 26, 1840}
S.B. Gardner 9
A year later, Allen Stroud was elected president of the Johnson County
Claim Association:
Iowa City February 1, 1841
The Johnson County Claim Association met pursuant
to adjournment…No further amendments being offered on
motion resolved that the association now proceed to the
election of officers for the ensuing year whereupon . Allen
Stroud was duly elected President and Philip Clark Vice
President…Sturgis, David Switzer, Henry Felkner, S.B.
Gardner…Judicial Committee 10
On August 17, 1841 Allen Stroud sold a tract of land to William Henry.
I, Allen Stroud of the County of Johnson & Territory of Iowa
for and in consideration of the sum of Two Hundred Dollars
to me in hand paid by William Henry of the same place have
this day bargained [sp] sold conveyed and for ever quit
claimed unto the said William Henry all my right title
interest claim & demand in & to the following described
tract or parcel of Land…17 Day of August A D 1841
Witness Present
Allen. Stroud [seal]
Stephen B. Gardner
W.C Rayan11
In the winter of 1844 a small group of men and women climbed to the top of the
unfinished Capital building in Iowa City:
Chauncey Swan, F.M Irish, Henry Felkner, Samuel H. McCrory,
with several ladies climbed to the top of the unfinished cupola
of the building to view the surrounding country. .. ‘As far as the
eye could reach was an unbroken stretch of snow covered plain,
no road, no path, and the calm day allowed the smoke from
every settler’s cabin to go straight toward the skies, so that it
could be located without difficulty. Directly to the east was the
house
of
Allen
Stroud,
then
occupied
by
Archibald
Shaw…north of this a short distance was the house of F.M.
Irish.’12
This recollection fits in with the timeline established by other records; by 1844
Allen Stroud’s family no longer occupied their cabin in Iowa City, they had moved to the
Republic of Texas. Stephen Brooks Gardner remained in Johnson County, Iowa where he
was the county clerk for many years.
TexasAccording to the Autobiography of John Allen Stroud, Allen Stroud and his
family moved to Texas in 1836. However, census records show that Laura Ann
Stroud was born in Indiana in 1839, and then the two later children were born in
Texas; George W. Stroud in 1844 and William S. Stroud in 1848. According to the
1896 obituary of Allen’s oldest son Ira, “...in 1844, his father moved to Texas....
{Ira} then a boy of nineteen- joined Captain Roy's company of Texas Rangers”
(see Ira Stroud below). 13 The 1844 date fits with the birth date of their sixth
child, George W. Stroud in Texas in 1844. A year later, in 1845, Texas became a
state.
Historical Perspective: The Texas Declaration of Independence is adopted at
Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836. On the 6th a 13-day siege of the Alamo by
Mexican troops led by Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna ends with a battle in which all
remaining defenders are killed. On March 10th Sam Houston abandons Gonzales and
retreats eastward to avoid the advancing Mexican army. On March 2th Santa Anna
orders 350 Texan prisoners, including their commander James Fannin, to be executed at
Goliad. Approximately 30 Texans escape. On April 21, in a battle starting lasting 18
minutes, Sam Houston and Texan troops defeat the Mexican army commanded by Santa
Anna at San Jacinto. Santa Anna and David Burnett, the Texas provisional governor
signed two Treaties of Velasco ending the Texan Revolution. On 1837 the republic of Texas is
recognized by the United States. On August 1, 1839 the first sale of town lots in Austin, the new
capital of the Republic, Austin, is held. 14
Allen Stroud and his family settled in what was then Milam County,
Texas and later became Williamson County. In 1848 the names of Allen Stroud
and his sons, Ira Stroud and Samuel Aston Stroud, appeared on a petition
seeking to form a new county from part of Milam County. The petitioners
wanted a county seat closer to where they lived. On March 13, 1848 Williamson
County was officially formed.15 Georgetown became the county seat and a
courthouse was built there.
In 1849, Allen’s oldest son, Ira, was married to Rebecca McDonald in
Milam County. Rebecca was the widow of Milton McDonald who had been
killed in an Indian raid. She had a two year old son, Hiram Clay McDonald, at
the time of her marriage to Ira Stroud. ***
A short biography of Allen Stroud was published in the spring 1996
edition of the Williamson County Genealogical Society’s magazine, “The
Chisholm Trail.” The article states that records in the Williamson County Deed
Books show that, “Allen Stroud received a third class land grant of 640 acres from
the Board of Land Commissioners in Red River County. He sold 320 acres of this
grant on 28 Mar 1850 to William C. Dalrymple.
1850’sIn the 1850 US Census Williamson County-Milam & Williamson District
enumerated on September 6, 1850, Allen Stroud was listed as 52 years of age, a
farmer owning 300 acres of land and born in North Carolina. Arza is listed as 43
years of age and born in North Carolina. Samuel A. Stroud, their second son,
was 22, also listed as a farmer and born in Indiana. Harriet was 16, Stephen B.
was 14, Laura A, was 11, George W. was 6, and William S. was 2 years old. The
eldest son, Ira Stroud is listed as a head-of-household in the same district, living
with his wife, Rebecca, stepson Hiram, and their new baby boy, four month old
Isaac Stroud. According to The History of Bell County, Ira and Rebecca lived in
Wilkerson Valley on the Lampasas, an area of Milam County that became Bell
County in 1850. 16
1850 was the same year that Allen Stroud became the sheriff of
Williamson County. He served in that position for one year. According to his
grandson, John Allen Stroud, this was the only time that Allen lived away from
his ranch near Florence in Williamson County. While sheriff he lived in
Georgetown, the county seat of Williamson County located at the fork of the San
Gabriel River. “The Chisholm Trail, a cattle trail that led from Texas to the
railcenters in Kansas and Missouri crossed through the heart of Georgetown.” 17
In the magazine named for this famous trail, the biography of Allen Stroud
describes his year in Georgetown:
The year that Allen Stroud served as sheriff was a fairly
eventful one. A check of the criminal Court Docket book shows
the following cases were brought before the District Court in the
1850-1851 term: about a dozen cases of Assault and Battery;
three cases of Assault and Battery with intent to kill; one rape;
one case of ‘willfully and maliciously killing a horse with intent
to injure the owner’; one case of Affray (brawling); five cases of
larceny; one case of cattle stealing; one person was charged with
permitting a road to remain un-worked; and about fifteen men
were charged with playing cards, or allowing cards to be played
in their house.
Historical Perspective- Georgetown, Texas was founded in 1848 and named for George
W. Glasscock, originally from Kentucky, Glasscock later moved to Illinois where he was
“in partnership with Abraham Lincoln in flat-boating on the Sangamon River.” 18 In
1835 he was part in “the famous storming party which captured San Antonio, December
10, 1835. “19
In October of 1850, “George Glasscock acknowledged he was indebted to
James C. Eaves for a quarter of a league of land and executed a bond of $1000.
Witnesses were Allen Stroud and D.H. McFadin.” 20
The Williamson County Historical Museum has a collection of the
photographs of the Sheriff’s of Williamson County. 21 Unfortunately, the only
sheriff listed who did not have a photograph was Allen Stroud, the second
sheriff of Williamson County. . There is, however, a photograph of the building
that served as the Williamson County Court House from 1850 to 1855. A copy is
included in Documents, Maps, & Information at the end of this section. The horse
and buggy outside might well have belonged to the sheriff- Allen Stroud.
Allen wasn’t the only member of the family involved in law enforcement;
in 1850, his oldest son Ira was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Bell County. But, by
the end of 1851 Ira Stroud was making plans with a contingent of other local
people to head for California. In March of 1852 Ira, Rebecca, his stepson Hiram,
and baby Isaac left Texas with the Aker’s Wagon train bound for California. Ira
and his family became some of the first settlers of Fresno, California (see
children- Ira Stroud below). 22
On May 5, 1852, Allen Stroud purchased five lots of land in Georgetown, Texas for
$35.00 and a James Armstrong received the deeds. On December 4, 1852 Mr. Armstrong
reciprocated:
‘Be it known that I, James Armstrong in consideration of one
dollar and the friendship and esteem which I have for Allen
Stroud, and his removing from Georgetown to the
neighborhood of the following tract of land, do hereby bargain,
sell, donate and convey unto the said Stroud…..100 acres, part
of the head right league of Charles Myers.’ (The Charles Myers
league* is in the northern part of the county, about ¾ ‘s in
Williamson County, the rest in Bell County.)
*Following the Texan Revolution, land grants of one league were granted to
each male who had been in Texas prior to 1836. A league is measure of
length, varying in different countries from about 2.4 to 4.6 English statute
miles of 5.280 feet each, and used (as a land measure) chiefly on the continent
of Europe, and in the Spanish parts of America.
1860’sIn the 1860 U.S. Census for Texas-Williamson-Williamson Division Allen
Stroud is listed with his last name spelled as Straud. Another error occurs with
his age which is listed as 53 and should be 63. This census record is probably
why his biography in “The Chisholm Trail” article gives his birth date as
“around 1807.” But this date is not consistent with the 1850 census or the
recollection of John Allen Stroud. The 1860 Census lists Allen’s occupation as a
stock raiser, born in North Carolina. Other family members listed are: Arza
Stroud, age 53 and born in North Carolina; Stephen Brooks Stroud, age 24 and a
stock herder; and William Stroud, age 12. Also listed in Allen’s household were
his daughter, Harriet (Stroud) Williams and her children: Emaline, age 6; Arza
B.Z., age 4; and Allen W., age 1. Harriet’s husband, Francis Marion Williams was
not listed, but was not dead since he appears again with his family in the 1870
Census.
Allen and Arza’s oldest son, Samuel Aston Stroud was married in 1851 to
Tabitha Jane Lawler, and they were listed in the 1860 U.S. Census living in Bell
County, Texas with their two children. One of these children was John Allen
Stroud who, years later, wrote the autobiography quoted above.
In 1859, Allen and Arza’s second daughter, Laura Stroud was married to
William S. (or Wiley S.) Spencer. They are listed in the same census living in
Williamson County with their baby boy (see children below).
Historical Perspective: The American Civil War began in 1861 when Confederate
Forces attacked Fort Sumter in Charlston, North Carolina.
In April of 1861, news of the firing upon Fort Sumter reached Texas, and
Governor Clark began to make preparations for the war. Clark and later
Governor Lubbock supported the Confederacy. Many Texans joined armies of
southern states or Texas Militia units. In addition to fighting the war, Texas had a
vast frontier to protect against Indian raids. Three of Allen Stroud’s sons joined
the Confederate army. 23
Samuel Aston Stroud served in the 30th Regiment, Texas Cavalry (Gurley’s
Regiment), 1st Texas Partisan Rangers. Stephen Brooks Stroud also joined the 30th
Regiment, entering as a private and farrier. He was enrolled on July 1st, 1862 at Camp
McCulock by E.J. Gurley into Captain J. M. Wright’s company, 1 Regiment Texas
Partisans which subsequently became Company A, of the 30th Cavalry Regiment.
Records show that Stephen had traveled 80 miles to join on a horse valued at 175.00 and
equipment valued at 25.00. His duty was for three years or “during the war”. This
regiment:
was organized at Waco, Texas, during the summer of 1862. It
was formed with about 800 from Waco and Round Rock, and
Hill Country. Assigned to D.H. Cooper's, Gano's, and Parsons'
Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Department, it fought in Arkansas
and later in the Indiana Territory. The unit reported 16
casualties at Poison Spring and 19 at Cabin Creek. During May,
1865, it disbanded at Austin, Texas. Colonel Edward J. Gurley,
Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas W. Battle, and Major John H.
Davenport were in command. 24
George W. Stroud served in the Fifteenth Regiment of the Texas Cavalry.
Harriet and Laura Stroud’s husbands, Francis Williams and Wiley Spencer, also
served in the war. Allen’s youngest son, William was only thirteen at the onset
of the Civil War and was presumably too young to be a soldier. In Indiana, their
Stroud cousins, were fighting for the Union, including Isaac Stroud, the son of
Nersa Stroud (Arza’s twin sister) who was killed in battle at Carolton,
Louisiana on August 16, 1863.
Allen’s grandson, John Allen Stroud described what life was like for
those at home in Texas during the Civil War in his memoirs. During the war his
mother, Tabitha Lawler, died following childbirth, and John and his siblings
went to live with their grand-parents, Arza and Allen Stroud. John recalls
memories of his grandmother Arza, her garden, and her “particular’
housekeeping, and how he “saw red in those little English black eyes of hers”
when he tracked grease across her clean kitchen floor.
In 1866, following the Civil War, Stephen Brooks Stroud was married to
Nancy Georgeanne Elliff. Stephen and Nancy Stroud are your great-great
grandparents, and they are the subject of the next section in this binder.
Allen Stroud’s will was probated on September 7, 1867 in Bosque County,
Texas where “a deed was filed by his son, Samuel A. Stroud, executor of the Last
Will and Testament of Allen Stroud, deceased, and Arza Stroud, surviving wife
of the deceased.” The homestead (640 acres deeded by W.G. Lang to Allen
Stroud in 1860) was sold to pay off debts. The deed was witnessed by Stephen
Brooks Stroud and his father-in-law, E.G. Elliff.
During the summer of 1868, Samuel Aston Stroud, Stephen Brooks Stroud
and other members of their families began making plans to move to California; it
is likely that these plans were made following the death of their mother, Arza
although the exact date of her death is unknown. Like his father and grandfather,
Allen Stroud had “pioneered” several times. As a young boy he moved from
North Carolina to Indiana and later, with his wife and children, he moved to
Iowa territory and then on to Texas. His sons, Stephen and Samuel, born in
Indiana and raised in Texas were now about to continue the Stroud pioneer
legacy.
Children
Ira Stroud- born July 4, 1825 in Indiana. He moved to Texas with his family in
1844 at the age of nineteen. According to his obituary, Ira “joined Captain
Roy's company of Texas Rangers and during several years that followed, took
place in many an exciting combat with both Mexicans and Indians.”
The Wagon Train West- in March, 1852 Ira left for California, one of many who
formed the Gold Rush. With him were his wife Rebecca, his stepson Hiram
McDonald, and their infant son, Isaac Stroud. They were traveling on the
“Akers wagon train” which had 200 ox drawn wagons when it left Texas.
Known members of the train include: Delilah Akers and her childrenSarepta, Elizabeth, Mary Jane, Margy Ann, Smith, Harvey, Anderson, Bud,
and Burtus. According to Donna Hull’s well researched account of the Akers’
journey, And Then There Were Three Thousand, the boys over fourteen had to
walk and “Bud Akers walked all the way in his bare feet.” Another Akers’
daughter, Viney, was also on the train with her husband, “Doc Jim Lewis”
and their six children. Members unrelated to the Akers included William
Deacon, Ira and Rebecca Stroud, (although not mentioned by Hull, two year
old Isaac Stroud was also aboard) Hiram McDonald and a Methodist minister
named Hethan. An African-American, Gabriel B. Moore, traveling “under the
protection of Richard Glen and his brother William was not listed as a slave
but as cattleman.” 25
The train crossed the Rio Grande River near El Paso sometime around
May where the route branches into a northern and southern trail. Here they
took the southern route through Janos and up to Tucson. According to Hull,
the train was only bothered once by Apache Indians in an unsuccessful
attempt to stampede the cattle. Although the Apaches “had been committing
so many depredations” that some of the families who had planned to settle in
Arizona decided to go to California. Amanda Lewis, the two year old
daughter of Viney and Jim Lewis died of an illness in Arizona and was
wrapped in a blanket and buried along the trail. The wagons ran over the
grave to pack the earth. It has been reported by another Stroud researcher
that two year old Isaac Stroud also died in Arizona and was buried along the
“Old Maricopa Trail.” 26
The wagon train camped along the Gila River in the Pima Indian
villages. “ The Akers remained in the Pima Village for quite a time,
recuperating from the first part of their journey and gathering supplies for the
second.” 27 Because of reported Indian trouble along the trail, many of the
wagons decided to wait longer with the peaceful Pima Indians. But, “ten
wagons decided to leave despite all the warnings...of the ten wagons leaving
the Pima Village only four arrived safely in Millerton. Some wagons broke
down beyond repair and some people decided to settle along the way.”28 The
timeline established by other sources suggests that the Stroud family was
among these ten wagons.
The long journey was not without loss or difficulty for Ira and Rebecca
Stroud, baby Isaac died and another child, Arza Jane Stroud, was born in
Yuma, Arizona. From Yuma they continued along the Gila Trail to Warner’s
Ranch in California. The young couple, who had welcomed one child and
buried another on the trail finally arrived in California and settled in
Millerton, (Rootville) California. According to The History of Fresno County:
In that fall of 1852 there came to the narrow flat along the south
bank of the San Joaquin, a mile below fort Miller, a family who
rested here from their long journey across the plains, and raised
their canvas tent among those of the miners...this was the family
of Ira Stroud. Here they stayed. Stroud at first engaged in
mining, but later concluded that there was an easier and more
certain profit in aiding the miners to keep up their
enthusiasm...so he opened an institution in a tent-generally
called a saloon by modern chroniclers; but referred as a grocery
or doggery by the common custom of that era. Stroud
flourished, and kept a popular open house for several
years...members of the Richards and Williams families
accompanied the Strouds to Millerton. Except the respective
wives of James McKenzie and Hugh Carroll, at fort Miller, these
emigrant women were the first women to arrive on the San
Joaquin, and the first at Millerton-then called Rootville...”
In The History of Fresno, written in 1882, Ira Stroud is listed as one of the
foremost settlers of Millerton which it described as “in full blast in 1853.” 29 Ira
and Rebecca’s son, Allen John Stroud, was born in 1856. Ira Stroud and his
family are listed in the 1860 US Census in the Second Township of Fresno. Ira’s
profession was: Stock raiser. An Indian named Sam is also listed with the family
as a vacquero. In the same year, the first public school in Fresno County was
opened in the hospital (and the home of Judge Winchell) situated above Fort
Miller. The teacher was Rebecca Baley and among the eleven students were Allen
and Arza Stroud, both named for their grandparents. 30
During the “1856 Indian troubles of Visalia” “Ira Stroud rode in at the
head of a detachment from Millerton...” 31 This detachment had been sent for to
settle an ugly controversy fueled by rumors of Indians stealing cattle. The rumor
was disputed by “high minded and substantial citizens of the county” but, they
were unable to stop a “crowd of lawless men” who were set to attack the
Indian’s camp. The Indians were moved into town for protection, but tensions
between the Indians and settlers continued 32. In 1913, Frank Dodge described
the “Indian War of ‘56” in The History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California and
the culminating events:
...In a few days a company from Millerton, under command of
Ira Stroud, and one from Coarse Gold Gulch under command of
John L. Hunt, arrived. From Fort Miller was sent a detachment
of twenty-five soldiers under Captain Livingston, bringing with
them a small howitzer; and from Fort Tejon half as many
mounted cavalry under the command of Alonzo Ridley, an
Indian sub-agent... The Indians unexpectedly made a vigorous
attack on this party, precipitating the engagement. Livingston
ordered a charge and with his officers, led the men in. They
forced their way through the brush, at the same time firing
upon the Indians, who became demoralized and fled from their
strong position into the mountains where they had left their
women and children. The Americans continued the pursuit for
several days but, failing to discover another camp or any large
body of Indians, retired to the valley.
A notice dated- Millerton, March 1, 1865: “...we the undersigned,
pledge ourselves to receive and pay out GOLD-DUST at the following
rates...” is signed by Ira Stroud and other miners. 33 The notice has historic
significance since it lists all of the placers being worked in Fresno County in
1865: Fine Gold Gulch, Cottonwood, Big Dry Creek, etc. On the California Tax
Assessment List for California –District 3 dated December, 1865, Ira Stroud,
Millerton is listed as owning 82 horned cattle, 9 hogs, and 7 sheep. 34
On October 17, 1869 Ira’s brothers, Samuel and Stephen Stroud, and their
families arrived at Ira’s ranch in Fresno. This ranch was later known as the
Sample Ranch. Ira Stroud and his family are also listed on the 1870 US CensusFresno. In 1877 Ira ran for Sheriff and received 77 votes, coming in second. A
notice in the February 2, 1878 issue of The Fresno Republican stated: “Ira Stroud
has ceased to run the Magnolia Saloon. It is now being run for the owner, Mr.
Morrow." By 1880 Ira and Rebecca had left California and moved to Arizona
where Rebecca’s son Hiram Clay McDonald had settled. Hiram McDonald had
married Sarah Williams in Millerton, CA in 1865. Sometime after 1870 Hiram and
his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he became a sheriff and later a
deputy U.S. Marshall. His mother and stepfather were listed in the 1880 US
Census for Arizona- Maricopa – Phoenix; Ira Stroud age 53, saloon keeperRebecca Stroud age 53. In The Bensel Directory Co.’s Phoenix Directory for 1892, Ira
Stroud is listed as a butcher living on Jefferson between Apache and Arizona. In
the Arizona Directory Co.’s Phoenix Directory for 1895 Ira Stroud is listed as a
milkman, living on 747 East Jefferson Street. Ira Stroud died in Arizona in 1896.
His obituary appeared in The Arizona Republican on January 21, 1896:
Ira Stroud, one of the oldest residents of the valley, died Sunday
morning at his residence. The remains were interred yesterday.
Deceased was a man of many friends and of many simple
virtues and kindly attributes. In the early days he was one of the
most prominent citizens of the county, but adversity overtook
him in his declining years.
On January 22, 1896 another obituary appeared in The Arizona Daily
Gazette:
In Memoriam- Ira Stroud whose funeral took place on
Monday afternoon was born in Indiana, July 4, 1825, and had
consequently fulfilled the allotted three score years and ten of
human life.
In 1844 his father moved to Texas, where the subject of
this sketch- then a boy of nineteen- joined Captain Roy's
company of Texas Rangers and during several years that
followed, took place in many an exciting combat with both
Mexicans and Indians.
In 1852 at 27 years of age, he crossed Arizona by the
southern trail and while at Yuma his first child was born- since
well known in Phoenix as Mrs. Brawley.
Settling in the San Joaquin valley in what is now known as
Fresno County, he soon became actively engaged in freeing the
country of the Indians- at that time raiding the valley in
dangerous numbers. In a final engagement Captain Stroud in
connection with Lieut. Colcord and a few hundred men utterly
routed 1500 Indians and put a final stop to their outrages.
In 1877 Mr. Stroud moved with his family to Phoenix,
where he has since resided, an honorable and respected
citizen. He was strict and careful in business matters- owing no
man anything, and instance of his integrity is the circumstance
known to many of his friends, of his sending back $3000.00 to
Fresno to fully satisfy creditors he had left in that town.
An active, energetic and honorable life was that of the old
timer now sleeping his last sleep beneath Arizona soil. A life mostly
spent on the frontier where a man's caliber is soon taken, and though
during these latter years he made no great stir and was probably
unknown to thousands of the new population, there are scores who
knew him and loved him, whose hearts will warm as they read these
lines to his memory, and whose thoughts as they glance back over
the nineteen years of his life among us will recall no act of his that
was not in accordance with the golden rule.
Rebecca Stroud died in Phoenix in 1910. Arza Jane Stroud married Andrew
Jackson Brawley and second, Eugene Bridgeman. Allen John Stroud married
Ella Goodhue. In The History of Fresno County written by Paul Vandor in 1919
states on page 131: "Charles C. Baley names Allen Stroud, late of Coalinga, and
son of the pioneer Ira Stroud, as the first white male child born in the county.”
Samuel Aston Stroud- born in 1828 in Indiana. Samuel was named for his
maternal grandfather, Samuel Aston. In 1851 he married Tabitha Jane Lawler
when he was 22 years old and she was 15. Tabitha Jane’s family had come from
Alabama. Her father died of yellow fever in Louisiana and her mother continued
on to Texas. Samuel and Tabitha had five children; Josephine, John Allen (see
biography of John Allen Stroud at the end of the next section), Adelia, Isabella
(known as Bell), and Samuel. Josephine and Adelia both died as children. In 1857
Samuel Stroud received a title to land in the Milam District of Bell County, Texas.
35
Samuel Stroud served in the 30th Regiment, Texas Cavalry (Gurley’s
Regiment), 1st Texas Partisan Rangers. He became ill and was sent home to
recuperate. Samuel sold his house in Florence and took the family to the summer
resort of Hot Sulpher Springs, Texas to recuperate. During that time his young
son, Samuel had a fall and became crippled for life. Shortly after, his wife died in
childbirth, and the baby died soon after. Samuel returned to his regiment and the
remaining children were sent to their to live with their grandparents, Allen and
Arza Stroud.
After the war, Samuel moved his family to Bosque County, Texas, and
there he married Martha Ann Moss, a widow with seven children. Her first
husband, Harrison Davis Hill had died in the Civil War.36 In 1868 Samuel made
plans with his brother and extended family to travel to California. He was named
the Captain of the wagon train which consisted of fourteen families. Samuel and
Martha’s combined family consisted of eleven children. Their daughter Mattie
was born in Texas and the twelfth child, Laura Ann Stroud was born on the way
in Honda River, New Mexico. A detailed account of their journey is included in
the next section of this binder and in John Allen Stroud’s memoirs.
Samuel Stroud is listed in the 1870 US Census living two doors down from
his older brother, Ira in Fresno. He is listed in The Great Fresno Register in Big
Creek. By the 1880 US Census he was living in Pima County, Arizona. He is
listed as a widower, occupation- miner. Living with him were four of his
children, Samuel, Martha, Laura, and Ira. The Fresno Republican recorded his
death on 1/5/1884, “Died in this city, December 31, 1883, Sam'l A. Stroud, aged
54 years.”
His son, John Allen Stroud married Mary Cole in Fresno (see
Autobiography of John Allen Stroud), his daughter Mattie married Jeffery Keno
Wilson from Visalia. Referred to as a lawman’s lawman Keno became a deputy
sheriff, then chief-of-police and later a U.S. Marshall in San Diego. 37 John Allen
and Ira Wesley and the other Stroud children attended the Academy
Schoolhouse, the first secondary school in Fresno County. 38
Harriet Stroud- was born in Indiana in 1835. She married Francis Marion
Williams on November 5, 1852 in Bell County, Texas. The 1860 US CensusTexas/Williamson County, lists Harriet as living with her parents and her three
children: Emmaline, Arza , and Allen. Her husband may have been serving in
the military because he was not listed. In the 1870 US Census-Texas/Coryell; he
reappears as head of household living with Harriet and their children which now
include Hezekiah and Noney. There is also a William Stroud, age one, living
with them. William may have been the child of Harriet’s brother William, but
this is unverified. In the 1880 US Census, Francis Williams is living with
Hezekiah, Allen, and Noney and living next door to daughter, Arza Belle (also
seen as Arza Bellzora) who had married Fouche Taylor Pollard. Harriet is not
listed and had presumably died sometime between 1870 and 1880. On August 17,
1887, Marion Williams became the postmaster of Grove Ranch, Williamson
County, Texas. 39
Stephen Brooks Stroud- and Nancy Georgeann Elliff are your great-great
grandparents, and they are the subject of the next section in this binder.
Laura Ann Stroud- was born in Indiana in 1839. In 1859 she married William
Smith (or Wiley S.) Spencer. The following year their first child, William Martin
Spencer was born. They are listed in the 1860 US Census living in Williamson
Division-Williamson, Texas. In the 1870 US Census William Martin Spencer is
living in Fresno County, California with his Uncle Stephen Brooks Stroud’s
family. It is believed that Laura Ann (Stroud) Spencer had died; it is unknown
what became of her husband. Their son, William Martin Spencer married Clara
Anderson in California in 1888. They settled in Oakland, California where they
raised eight children. They named their first child Stephen Brooks Spencer after
William’s uncle, Stephen Brooks Stroud, who had raised him. Tragically, Stephen
Brooks Spencer was killed in an accident; his death was reported in The Oakland
Tribune on September 12, 1904:
Stephen Spencer dies of Injury. Stephen Spencer, the 15
year old newsboy, who was run over by a circus train
near 16th Street Saturday morning, died yesterday at the
Receiving Hospital from the shock of the amputation of
his left leg. The lad's father, William M. Spencer, a
mining man, resides at 1238 Filbert Street. The funeral
will take place in Santa Clara, where the family formerly
resided. The boy had attempted to get on the train while
it was moving, but his bundle of papers impeded his
progress. He failed to get a good hold and fell to the
ground, the wheels of the train passing over his leg.
George W. Stroud- was born in Texas in 1844. He served in the Fifteenth
Regiment of the Texas Cavalry during the Civil War. 40 On November 7, 1861 he
married Delilah Ratliff in Williamson County, Texas. In the 1870 US Census for
Williamson, Delilah and her two children, Mahala and Georgeann Stroud are
living with Delilah’s mother, and it is assumed George W. Stroud had died.
Sometime between 1870 and 1873 Delilah Stroud married Andrew Knight.
William S. Stroud- was born in Texas in 1848. He appears on the 1850 and the
1860 US Census living with his parents. I have been unable to locate any
additional information about William S. Stroud.
Charts~
Documents, Maps & Information ~
Photograph of the Williamson County Courthouse 1850-185541
1
Stroud, John Allen. The Autobiography of John Allen Stroud. Unpublished. Written before 1933
2
ibid
3
Stroud, John Allen.
4
Morgan County Original Land Sales from U.S. Government. Morgan county public Library 1996.<
http://www.scican.net/~morglib/genasist/landsal1.html> April 25, 2008.
5
US General Land Office Records, Vermillion County, Indiana. Ancestry.com (Accessed 4/27/10)
6
The Making of Iowa, Iowa History Project. <http://iagenweb.org/history/moi/MOIChp2.htm>
(Accessed 4/27/10)
7
Ibid
8
Year Book of the old Settlers Association, Johnson County Iowa. 1866-1897. P. 14. available online
at Google Books.(accessed 4/25/10)
9
Shambaugh, Benjamin Franklin. Constitution and Records of the Claim Association of Johnson
County, Iowa. State Historical Society of Iowa City. 1894 ed. p.76. available online at Google
Books.com (accessed on April 26,2010)
10
11
Ibid p. 18
Ibid p. 181
12
Aurner, Clarence Ray. Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa. Cedar Rapids Iowa, Western
Historical press. 1912. P. 52. Available online at Google. Books. (Accessed April 24, 2010)
13
Arizona Daily Gazette, January 22, 1896. “In Memoriam -Ira Stroud” received in an
e-mail from Liz Stroud. 2/04/09
14
Texas History Timeline Online. <http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-historytimeline/texas.html > . Accessed 12/26/07)
15
Georgetown, Texas. Wikpedia.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown,_Texas> , (accessed
12/26/07)
16
Tyler, George W. The History of Bell County.Naylor: 1936. Page 96
Georgetown, Texas. Wikpedia.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown,_Texas> , (accessed
12/2607)
17
18
Handbook of Texas Online. <http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgl8.html>
(accessed 11/29/08)
19
Morphis, J.M.. History of Texas. United States Publishing Company.1875. Page 528 Available
online at Google Books.com
20
Joyce, Janey eaves. Bartlett Eaves. J.E. Joyce, 2005. page 119. Available online at Google Books.
21
Sheriffs of Williamson Count. Williamson County Historical Museum. Webmaster:
<wayneware@wchm-tx.org>.<http://www.wchm-tx.org/Sheriffs_of_Williamson_County.htm >
(accessed 3/10/08)
22
Hull, Donna M.. And Then There Were Three Thousand. Donna Hull. 1975 p.13
23
Scribner, BG John C.L. Texas During the Civil War. Texas Military Forced Museum, Fort Mabry,
Austin Texas. Online at <http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/wortham/4345.htm> 9/1/07
24
Confederate Patent #: 395 Texas Troops. National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors
System.
< http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm>. (accessed 1/20/2006)
25
Hull, Donna. p. 13
26
Hill-Woodward-Judd- Butler. Ancestry World Tree, Pat Tift. Ancestry.com. (accessed July 21,
2009)
27
Hull, Donna M.. p. 18
28
ibid
29
The History of Fresno. San Francisco: Wallace Elliot Publishers. 1882. page 88
English, June. Leaves From The Past.( a combination of two articles which were originally
published in the April 1968 and July 1970 issues of the Ash Tree Echo.)
Available online at <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cafcgs/fort_miller.htm>
30
31
Secrest William B.& Secrest, William jr. When The Great Spirit Died. Quill Driver Books, 2002.Page
224 Available online at Google Books.com
32
Dodge, Frank. The History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California. 1913: Historic Record
Company-Los Angeles. Chapter II. Excerpt online
<http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/tulare/tul1913-ch2.txt> (accessed 5/21/09)
33
Bradley, Walter Wadsworth et al. Mines and Mineral Resources of the Counties Fresno, Kern and
King .State Printing Press 1915
34
United States Tax Assessment List 1862-1918. Scanned copies of original records available online at
Ancestry.com (accessed October 25, 2008)
35
Texas Land Titles. File: 1293 Patent Volume: 15 Class: Mil. 3rd Certificate 32 Online database at
Ancestry.com
36
The History of Fresno County, Vol. 1
37
San Diego Biographies. Jefferson Keno Wilson.
<http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/wilson/wilson.htm> (accessed 4/25/08)
38
The Clovis Free Press. February 17, 2004.<http://www.clovisnews.com/AcademySchool.html>
(accessed 4/25/08)
39
Postmasters and Post Offices of Williamson County
<http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:TbCmjVd1iBMJ:www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txpost/william
son.html+william+s+spencer+williamson+county+texas&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us> (accessed
5/15/08)
40
National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System.
<http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm> (accessed 5/21/08)
41
Historic Courthouses of Williamson County. Williamson County Historical Museum. Webmaster:
<wayneware@wchm-tx.org>.< http://www.wchm-tx.org/WC_court_house_1850-1855_med.jpg
(accessed 3/26/08)