Subj: Bennefield, Bedenfield Research
Date: 04/08/97

Hi gang. I found this little bit of info in the Everton's online site for the Vietnam Memorial.Thought you might find it interesting. Vietnam Memorial Database Last Name: Beddingfield First Name: George Clyde Military Service or SS#: 53423112 Service Branch: A Component within Service Branch: Y Rank: PFC Grade: E3 Military Occupation Specialty: 11B20 Age: 20 Home of Record: Zirconia State: NC Casualty Date: 9Dec1966 Casualty type: A1 Reason for Casualty: G Air, Land, or Sea Casualty: 7 Body Recovered: -- Country of Casualty: VS Province of Casualty: 99 Length of Service at Casualty: 00 Birth Date: 20Feb1946 Race: C Rel: PN Marital Status: Single Gender: M Citizenship Status: 1 Tour Date: 660526 Panel Location on Memorial: 13E Line on Memorial Panel: 023 Reference Number: 3932 Processing Date: 6612.

Essentially, this is a young, white male, unmarried, no preference for religion who was in S.Vietnam less than one year. He was drafted into the army, killed by an explosive device of unknown type, and his body was recovered. His name is listed on the Memorial on Panel 13E, Line 23. If any of you would like to check on others in your line who died in the Vietnam war, the URL is: http://webols.everton.com. Go to the main page, access the free area, and click on Vietnam Memorial.

The following is a memoir written by William Samuel Tilden Bedingfield and sent to W.L.Hardy on Aug.11, 1968. Please be aware that ALL DATES SHOULD BE VERIFIED THROUGH ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. There are date errors involved.

A PARTIAL HISTORY OF THE BEDINGFIELDS BY W.S. BEDINGFIELD
The Bedingfields were among the Pilgrims that came over in the Mayflower in 1620. (Ed note: Not verified. One of the most common unverified family stories.) I have never known or heard of a Bedingfield going to jail or the penitentiary for committing a crime. Neither do I know of any Ministers of the Gospel among them.

So far as I know they were average Americans. All I knew of them were in Alabama and Tennessee. My Grandfather Bedingfield owned several negroes and his home was in Lauderdale County in North Alabama. His name was Charlie Bedingfield. My Grandmother, his wife, was a Holbert. My Grandfather on my Mother's side was Sam Robertson and my Grandmother was a Moore. One child was born to this union and her name was Mary Dorcas Robertson. Her mother's name was Margaret Ann. My Father's name was William Hopkins Bedingfield. He married Miss Josephine Stinnett. One child was born to this union, a girl. The Mother died when the child was an infant. The child's name was Molly (Mary Frances)Bedingfield. My father later married Mary Dorcas Robertson. To this union nine children were born. Their names are:

1. Louisa Eugeniar 2. John Wiley 3. Walter Hugo 4. William Samual Tildon 5. Gertrude Hymen 6. Jimmy-died in infancy 7. Alma Warden 8. Charlie Hosmer 9. Bayless Macklin 10. Molly-half sister 11. Geoffrey Harryway Wooldridge-half brother.

My father passed away March 30, 1890 leaving a wife and eight children. My mother married again in 1893, this time to W.H.Wooldridge. To this union three children were born.

1. Geoffrey-born August 24, 1894 (ed. note: #11 above) 2. Allene D.-born June 13, 1895 3. Willie (daughter)-born June 8, 1895, died June 11, 1896

Mr. Wooldridge died January 15, 1896.

My mother married W. L. Kelly July 7, 1897. No children were born to this union. Jim Wooldridge, a half brother of Geoffrey lived with my mother and Mr. Kelly after they were married for some few years. My father's folks, brothers and sisters lived in Lauderdale County. Florence, the County seat.

His farm was located on Sugar Creek about one mile from where it empties into Elk River. Our farm contained 120 acres and was rough, rocky, and hilly. Our Grandmother Robertson continued to live with us and was our mother as long as she lived. My oldest brother, Wiley, went to Texas. My oldest sister and brother Hugo married in 1897 leaving the six youngest children and my Grandmother Robertson left on the old farm. In 1899 my mother decided to move back on the old farm with Mr. Kelly, her husband and two of his children and Jim Wooldridge, my mother's second husband's boy. So I went and rented a farm in December down on Elk River. Mrs. Jody Sandlin came back to Alabama on a visit from Texas and she asked me to go back to Texas with her as things weren't too pleasant among us. I turned the farm back. On January the 20th we left Athens, Alabama. We arrived in Wills Point January 21st at 8:00 P.M.

I was hired to a man near Alsa for $14.00 per month to pick cotton for him that fall. My employer's name was Tom Fauls. My Grandmother, two brothers, Hosmer and Bayless, and my sister, Alma, wanted to come to Texas so I sent for them in August 1900. We made our living by picking cotton and in the fall of 1901 we moved to Whites Prairie. That year we made a crop on the halves with John Errin and my brothers, Wiley, Hosmer, Bayless, Grandmother and sister, Alma, lived together and made a very good crop that year. In 1902, having a little money left over from the last year,I purchased a team of mules and tools. We rented the same farm for another year on the basis of 3rd and 4th. We had another successful year.

TO BE CONTINUED

This is my family history.My grandfather was born in the same area, my father was born a few miles away,I was born within the same radius and my family still lives in the area now. The nearest big city is Dallas, TX where I grew up and went to school. My family moved to the Dallas area when my grandfather stopped farming.My father moved back to the area while I was in college, and my sisters and I followed later.

If any of you have something like this, please send it to me and I will be happy to put it in the newsletter. This particular history has proven to be invaluable as a finding aid for my genealogy.

Thressa.