William Kesterson (1833-1864) is thought to be the son of Samuel & Arina (Bass) Kesterson.
Samuel Kesterson and Arena Bass were married 12 December 1832 in Hardeman County TN. We are assuming a lot here -
none of which is proven yet. We believe that Samuel and Arena settled in Tippah County MS, which is just over the state line from
Hardeman TN. In 1840 the census of 1840 shows that Samuel had a wife, along with 2 sons and a daughter all under the age of 10.
In 1850 we can no longer find Samuel or his wife.. but we do find William Kesterson now 14 years old living in the household Ezekial Alexander.
We find John Kesterson then age 10, assumed to be the brother of William, living in the Christopher Robinson. The little girl who would have been born around
1835, that was in the 1840 census is not found in the 1850 - she could have died, she could have been adopted by someone.
We next find William in 1860 on the Cherokee TX Census. He's 23 now, born in MS. His wife Mary Catherine is
now 27 born in GA. Listed with them are 3 slaves. From notes I have I find that Mary Catherine Kesterson
born Aug. 2, 1831, died August 2, 1889 and is buried with the Merritt's - her sister Sarah married a Merritt.
William Kesterson joined the Confederate 17th Consolidated Dismounted Texas Cavalry
Company C on February 26, 1862 as a Private. He was enlisted by Capt. Johnson at Larissa, Texas, for a period of 1 year. The card number was 50324033. According to RW Broadway, Jr., William was at the Arkansas Post, getting on his horse to come home, when he was killed. This would've been in about 1863?
William and Mary had a daughter named Sarah Francis on the 7th of Jun 1861. She was
sometimes called Fannie or Kate. Sarah married John Middleton in 1879 and had a
daughter named Nancy Catherine Middleton. Nancy Catherine married Bob Burkett
and they had 10 children. Sara Francis Middleton later married Robert William
Broadway in 1892 and they had five children.
The young son who was probably John, raised by the Robinson's, may have been in Harden Co TX 1860.
Listed as a teacher age 21 b GA? in home of Alan & Sarah Hooks as a boarder.
Also of prime interest: On the 1850 Census of Tippah MS Andrew Blackwood and Susannah parents of Wm Blackwood who married Rebecca Kesterson
(who if I am right would be the sister of Samuel) lived 2 doors away from Christopher Robinson. Christopher in turn lived but 4 houses away from Ezekial Alexander who had William in his home in 1850.
Rebecca and her husband moved to AR, along with her brother John Kesterson and sister Lucinda Kesterson Richardson, to AR. Samuel must have decided to remain in MS when the other members of his family moved to
AR -- or, more likely, he had died before he could make the trip with them. Since the children were orphaned out to other families we can only assume that something must have happened to Arena as well.
I do feel that this Samuel was definitely related to the other Kesterson's who moved to Sevier/Howard County AR..
The photo on the left is Sarah with her first husband John Middleton (standing to the left).
The couple on the right in the photo is John Middletons' sister who was only known as "Aunt Bob Butler"
We have to assume she must then be the wife of Bob Butler who would be standing behind her.
