Hi All! Well, the first bit of hard-sought information has come to light. Last night, I shared in this celebration:

""p. 183 (record p. 310) Joe Benefield & Nellie Ames 28 Nov 1893 rec. 5 Dec. 1893 J. M. Clark, M. G." This is my ggreat grandfather and ggreat grandmother. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I swear I looked at every book in the library and didn't find any of this. Zelpha."

And the next continues the saga:

In a message dated 6/10/97 3:37:59 PM, you wrote: "Name: Gorrell
Resident: Rich Hill, MO
sex: F race: W birth: 1886, Jan 16
Father's name: Gorrell, Samuel Mother's name: Benefield, Ellen
Father's age: 26 Mother's Place of Birth: IL
Father's occupation: Day Laborer Mother's Age: 23
Father's Place of Birth: MO Physician: Noland, J. W., M. D
. Physician's Address: Rich Hill, MO Place of Birth: Rich Hill, MO
Birth order: 2nd child Remarks: Record #704"
Also believe this is an aunt to Joe, Lula and Sadie. She eventually moved to Wichita, Kan. THAAAAANNNNNNNK YYYYYOUUUU!!! Zelpha.

So, now the game's afoot! Anybody else have a success to report?

Oakley sends this addition to the history of the name:

Here is a little more history on the Bedingfield name. It seems the Bedingfield's are all descended from Peter de Bedingfield who died about 1371. Apparently he fought with the Black Prince at Cre'cy in France. Peter was a knight and descended from knights all the way back, father-to-son, to Ogerus de Pugys a knight under Robert Malet, a general of William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066.

Peter's son, James married Alice Fleming, and they lived in Fleming's Hall in Bedingfield, a section of Suffolk, England. The house was built in 1306 and is still standing. It remained in the family until the death of Fleming Agugusus O'Brien Bedingfield in 1934 at which time it was sold.

There is another old home of the Bedingfield's in England, Oxburgh Hall,a castle with a moat, in Norfolk, England. The Oxburgh Hall came into possession of the Bedingfields when the heir of Sir Thomas Tuddenhams, the notorious Sir Thomas of the PASTON LETTERS, Margaret married an Edmund Bedingfield of Bedingfield, a village in Suffolk. Edmund died in 1451 and it was his grandson that built the present Oxburgh Hall in 1482. In 1952 Dowager Lady Bedingfield gave the Hall to the National Trust so that it will be maintained by the goverment.

There is another famous house of the family, Bedingfield House, near the village of Eye,in Suffolk, England.

In the United States, we can find some famous namesakes. In Wilson, North Carolina there is the "BEDDINGFIELD HIGH SCHOOL" named in honor of a Doctor Edgar T. Bedingfield, Jr.

There is "BEDINGFIELD INN" in Lumpkin, Georgia built in 1836 by Dr. Bryan Bedingfield and served as his home and stopping places for stagecoaches and other travelers. Dr. Bedingfield was the first physician in Stewart County, Georgia, and his son, Dr. Samuel Bedingfield, who grew up in the Inn was the first white male child born in the county.

James M. Bedingfield, the patriarch of our line of the family was born in South Carolina and his father was born in Georgia. This is information from the Census Records. However, I have not been able to trace our line back beyond James, but am sure that he is a descendent of one of those three brothers that were early colonial settlers in Virginia. Any help as to the father and mother of James M. Bedingfield would be appreciated. James b. @May 22, 1821, m. Amanda Greenlee.

The above info is from a source that is unknown to me, however, this source has done much research on the Bedingfield name. Happy Hunting!!!!Oakley

Norma sends the following obituary, which happens to be a great aunt of mine:

"Tula B Landers-Wills Point

Services for Tula Bedingfield Landers, 89, Wills Point, are scheduled for 3 pm Thursday at Russell Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Mark Young officiating.

Burial will be in White Rose Cemetery under direction of Herschel LyBrand Funeral Home, Wills Point.

Mrs. Landers died Wednesday in Terrell.

She was born Aug. 21, 1904, in Athens, Ala to W. H. Bedingfield and Molly Conway Bedingfield and graduated from Wills Point High School in 1923. Mrs. Landers was a homemaker and vocational nurse in Dallas until the 1970's, when she returned to Wills Point. She was a member of the Russell Memorial United Methodist Church.

Survivors include one daughter, Pat Landers Turner, Mercer Island, Wash.; one brother,Thomas Bedingfield, Kerrville, four sisters, Hattie Breckenridge and Marie Buford, both of Wills Point, Mae Roberts, Houma, La.,and Audrey Longacre, Mesquite; six grandchildren, Patrick Conway Turner, Washington, D.C., Carman Lombardo, Lizanne Lombardo and Gina Lombardo Cudahy, all of Fort Meyers, Fla., Steven Neil Turner, Seattle, Wash, and Mary Virginia Turner, Yakima, Wash.; and five great-grandchildren, John Patrick Maxwell, Robert Neil Maxwell, Virginia A. Maxwell, Anthony Cudahy and James Cudahy.

Pallbearers will be Bill Longacre, Larry Longacre, Walter K. Longacre, Scotty Longacre, Steven Turner and Jim Longacre."

This was clipped out of a newspaper and no date was attached, however I think it must have been in 1995 and was probably the Tyler Morning Telegraph Newspaper.

Tula died in 1993, Norma. Thanks for the notice!

Cindy, one of our newest members, contributes this information: My ancestor was George Washington Bennefield...s/o a J.A or J M Bennefield...they were in Barbour Co, c 1870ish. They migrated to Dale and Houston counties before settling in Jackson Co, FL. I have copied all of the early Benefield marriages from Barbour Co, if you ever need these.

And for some older information, still unverified, from my line, consider this:

Charles Yelverton Bedingfield b. abt 1684 in Suffolk, England married 1704 Brunswick,Va. to Mary Isabel Marshall b. Brunswick, Va. Their son: John Bedingfield b. 1708 Brunswick, Va. married unknown, died South Carolina.

John Bedingfield had a son, Charles Bedingfield b. abt.1740 Brunswick, Va., d. Mar. 1773 married abt. 1765 Marlboro, S.C., Mary ? b.abt.1741 S.C., d. abt. 1794 Marlboro, S.C. Their son:

Charles Henry Bedingfield b. 5 Apr. 1773 Marlboro, S.C., d. abt. 1845 Oliver, Lauderdale Co. AL married abt. 1797 to Jane ? (probably Ashley). Their children:

(1)James Ashley Bedingfield b. 17 Jan. 1799 S.C.,d. 27 July 1855 married (1)Tibitha Stafford and (2)Hannah Lentz Speegle. (this marriage verified) (2)Charles b. 1809 TN, married Frances Holbert and lineage given in earlier newletter.

The following information comes from a non-subscriber but seems to tie in with information I've received from some of our researchers, so here it is:

My family seems to have resided in Limestone county, in an area the family refers to as the Little Elk, outside Athens, Alabama. The earliest trace I found was in the 1870 census,(Benningfield),Sheet 191, Range 6, Limestone County.

Head of household: Benningfield, Lucy F Mu 38 Birthplace: Alabama
Mary F Mu 23; Charles M Mu 21; George M Mu 19; Martha F Mu 17; Franky F Mu 15; Alice F Mu 13; Yancy M Mu 11; Rosetta F Mu 9.

I know Lucy had assets worth $100 in 1870. Lucy was residing with her daughter, Alice (Brooks), because she appeared on the 1900 census.

A marina was built on land on the Elk River off Rt.72 out of Athens, named Lucy's Branch Marina.

And Ellen sends this note for consideration and comparison:

I have recently received a genealogy from Jeanette Austin Holland on the Holland family which relates to story about the Hollands coming to Georgia to buy land because the land in Virginia (Holland corners) was no longer of use, being tobacco was grown there so long. This book takes the Holland name as far back as 975!!My ancester John Henry Benefield married Martha Ada Holland and they have a farm in Polk County, Georgia. Anyway the story relates to a time when the merchants were transporting tobacco aross the ocean and how they ended up in Georgia.

If this is your line,let me know.

And speaking of books, there is a new one out on Beddingfields. Below is the information on the book and how to order. I haven't read this book and cannot vouch for its contents, but if it concerns the Beddingfield family, then it contains something of interest, in my opinion.

The Ancestors of Luther Lagrant Beddingfield and Grace Maybelle Stepp Early Settlers of Henderson County, North Carolina

This book is the result of eight years of research of the history of the Beddingfield, Stepp and allied families of Henderson County, North Carolina. It is alphabetically indexed with birth year of each entry if known. It contains 300 surnames with over 2000 individuals. The research begins with the earliest known ancestor of each family, and their settlement in western North Carolina. Surnames examined in detail include Bane, Beddingfield, Bishop, Hart, Stepp,and Justus. The book is hardbound,6x9,326 pages on 60# acid free paper and contains twenty six photographs. Each chapter begins with a pedigree chart and ends with a bibliography of all references. Publication date is early May 1997.

Please enter my order for _______copies of: The Ancestors of Luther Lagrant Beddingfield and Grace Maybelle Stepp, Early Settlers of Henderson County, North Carolina. Cost of book is $35.00 which includes shipping and handling. Mail form and check to: James D. Beddingfield 4714 Shady Waters Lane Birmingham,Alabama 35243-2634 Email: 4714swl@aol.com

Name___________________________________________Phone_______________ Address____________________________________________ City________________ State___Zip_________Amount enclosed_______________.

That's all for now, folks. Enjoy! Remember, always go to the original document for verification of information. Even the most perfect transcriptionist makes an error every now and then! Thressa.