Wedding Guests from the Staples Family

Abram Penn Staples (III), c. 1913, with his first child, Jean Lee Staples, the blogger's mother

            In the previous post I reprinted the article describing the wedding of my grandfather, Abram Penn Staples (III), and grandmother, Jean Duncan Watts. The ceremony took place on 5 January 1910, in Roanoke, Virginia. I also identified the guests listed as relatives of the bride, whose families had already been mentioned in this blog – the Wattses, of course, and also the Breckinridges and the Allens. It is now time to identify the relatives of the groom, whose family and its relations are still largely unknown.

            The first Staples whose presence in America can be documented and whose lineage can be traced to my family is John Staples, who patented land in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 1752. This land lay on the south side of the James River, and was in the section of Albemarle cut off to form Buckingham County in 1761. John Staples married Kiziah Norman, and among their children was Samuel Staples, born in 1762 in Buckingham County. Afterwards he moved to Henry County, where on 30 December 1790 he married Lucinda Penn, daughter of Col. Abram Penn and his wife, née Ruth Stovall. In 1791, he played a leading role in bringing about the separation of the western part of Henry County to form Patrick County, where he lived until his death on 23 March 1825. One of the children of Samuel and Lucinda (Penn) Staples was Abram Penn Staples (I), who was born 9 March 1793 in Patrick County and died there 26 April 1856. He married on 23 October 1820 in Henry County his first cousin, Mary Stovall Penn.

            Among the children of Abram Penn and Mary (Penn) Staples (I) was Samuel Granville Staples, born 29 November 1821 in Patrick County, died 6 August 1895 in Roanoke, Virginia. He married 12 June 1855 in Caroline County, Virginia, Caroline Harris DeJarnette, born 4 March 1833 in Caroline County, and died 1 Jan 1892 in Roanoke. Around 1890 Samuel G. Staples moved from Patrick County to Roanoke, where several of his children already lived. Among them was Abram Penn Staples (II), who was born 14 August 1858 in Patrick County and died 30 September 1913 in Roanoke. He married on 18 September 1884 in Chatham, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Sallie Clement Hunt, who was born 10 May 1864 and died 2 December 1934. They were the parents of the groom, Abram Penn Staples (III).

Portrait of Abram Penn Staples (II)

            The convergence of families like the Staples from surrounding counties on Roanoke City reflects an important historical movement. In 1881 the decision was made to locate a major railroad junction in what was then Big Lick, a small village in Roanoke County. It connected the long-established east-west rail line from Norfolk to Tennessee and west, with the new north-south line down the Shenandoah Valley. By the 1890s, Big Lick had been renamed Roanoke and had become a boom town; the population surged from 669 in 1880 to 21,495 in 1900 and 38,874 in 1910.

            Here, then, is the list of guests who were relatives of the groom, with identifications. They are presented here in the order in which they appear in the article. Following the list, they will be shown in tables of family relationships.

Mr. A. P. Staples and wife, mother and father of the groom, that is, Abram Penn Staples (II) (1858-1913) and his wife, née Sallie Clement Hunt (1864-1934); he had practiced law in Martinsville, VA, then in Roanoke, VA, and then became a professor of law at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.

Miss Harris DeJarnette Staples (1896-1958) of Lexington, VA, a sister of the groom.

Mr. Samuel Hunt Staples (1887-1919) of Petersburg, VA, a brother of the groom and best man; he attended Washington and Lee and served as an engineer with the American Expeditionary Force in France in 1918.

Samuel Hunt Staples, c. 1908, best man

Photo from the same group photo as the one of his brother in the preceding post

Judge and Mrs. W. R. Staples, that is, Waller Redd Staples (1871-1927), an uncle of the groom, and his wife, née Olivia Benson Trout (1879-1969). He was a judge of the Corporation Court in Roanoke.

Mrs. D. DeJ. Staples, that is, Mary Rebecca Waugh (1858-aft. 1930), widow of Daniel DeJarnette Staples (1856-1908), an uncle of the groom.

Miss Olivia Benson Staples (1903-1974), daughter of Judge Waller Redd Staples (above).

Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Persinger, that is, David W. Persinger (1880-1967) and his wife, née Lillian DeJarnette Staples (1882-1950). She was a daughter of Mrs. Daniel DeJarnette Staples (above), and a first cousin of the groom. David W. Persinger was a real estate agent.

Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Moir, that is, Edwin L. Moir (1866-1925) and his second wife, née Kathleen Maryon (1869-1950); his first wife was Mary Huldah Staples (1864-1897), an aunt of the groom; he was a wholesale merchant in Roanoke.

Misses Wallace Moir (1892-1977) and Dorothy Staples Moir (1897-1980), daughters of Edwin L. Moir and Mary Huldah (Staples) Moir (above); they were first cousins of the groom.

Mrs. Callie Staples Daniel and daughter, Miss Hilda Daniel, that is, Caroline DeJarnette (Staples) Daniel (1869-1916), an aunt of the groom and widow of Joel Daniel, and their daughter, Huldah Staples Daniel (1898-1983).

Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Hoge, that is, Samuel Harris Hoge (1860-1947), and his wife, née Catherine Craig “Kate” Taylor (1870-1956). He was a son of Mary Anne Hawes “Nicey” (DeJarnette) and Daniel Howe Hoge (1811-1867). Nicey (DeJarnette) Hoge (1824-1876) was a sister of Caroline (DeJarnette) Staples, and her son Samuel Harris Hoge was thus a first cousin of the groom’s father. He was a lawyer in Roanoke, VA.

Miss Kitty Hoge was Catherine “Kittie” DeJarnette Hoge (1890-1927), a daughter of Samuel Harris Hoge (above)

Mrs. Alice Penn, that is, Mary Alice Howe Hoge (1848-1914), a sister of Samuel Harris Hoge (above) and a first cousin of the groom; she married John Edmund Penn (1837-1897)

Mrs. Ernest Penn, that is, Anne Hawes Penn (1873-1960), a daughter of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above). She married Ernest G. Penn (1871-1946), who was her first cousin.

Mrs. I. E. Warren, that is, Mrs. Isaac Michael Warren, née Lucy DeJarnette Penn (1875-aft. 1930), a daughter of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above).

Mrs. Charles Moir, that is, Susan A. Penn (1877-1963), a daughter of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above). Charles Moir was a brother of Edwin L. Moir (above).

Mrs. S. D. Shackleford; Samuel D. Shackelford (c. 1873-aft. 1930) was a lawyer in Roanoke, VA, whose name appears in the 1920 and 1930 census; he appears also in the 1880 census, living with his parents in Fauquier Co, VA. His wife was named Ida P. Shackelford, b. c. 1884, d. aft. 1930; they were married c. 1910, and by the 1930 census had four children. It is my hypothesis that Ida’s maiden name was Penn, and that she was a daughter of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above); the family tree on ancestry.com lists a daughter named Ida, but says that she died before 1880. This might be a second daughter named to honor the deceased first one, or the tree may be inaccurate about her birth and death dates.

Miss Willie Penn, that is, Willie Edmundson Penn (1888- aft. 1930), a daughter of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above).

Mr. G. H. Penn, that is, Gabriel H. Penn (1870-aft. 1920) a son of Alice (Hoge) Penn (above); he was a lawyer in Roanoke.

Judge and Mrs. N. H. Hairston, that is, Nicholas Hardyman Hairston (1852-1927) and his wife, née Elizabeth Seawell Hairston (1855-1945), his first cousin; he was a lawyer and sometime judge from Patrick Co, VA, who moved to Roanoke c. 1900. She was a great-granddaughter of Abram Penn (1743-1801); the groom was his great-great-great-grandson.

Misses Elizabeth and Mary Hairston, that is, Elizabeth Seawell Hairston (1890-1982) and Mary Matilda Hairston (1895-1972), daughters of Nicholas H. and Elizabeth S. Hairston (above).

Mr. D. R. Hunt, that is, Daniel Robert Hunt (1876-1944), uncle of the groom; at the time of his draft registration for WWI, he was working in Roanoke as a commissioner of revenue, and had previously been a clerk for the Norfolk & Western Railroad.

Mr. H. D. Vickers and family, that is, Harry Davis Vickers (1876-aft. 1930) and his wife, née Sallie  Penn (c. 1877-aft. 1930). Sallie Penn was a great-granddaughter of Abram Penn (1743-1801) and a first cousin of Elizabeth Seawell (Hairston) Hairston (above). The family may have included her mother, Ruth (Shelton) Penn (c. 1841-aft. 1920), who was living with the Vickers household in Roanoke at the 1920 census. The couple had a son, Joseph Penn Vickers (1907-1973), but he was probably too young to be invited to the wedding. Harry D. Vickers was an officer of the Roanoke Street Railway Company.

Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Nelson, that is, Alexander Montgomery Nelson (1859-aft. 1920) and his wife, née Sallie Lewis Hart (1866-aft. 1920); he was an important businessman in Roanoke, the founder of Nelson Hardware Company and a director of the First National Bank. I can find no link to the families of the marriage, however, and their inclusion was probably an editorial slip.

Miss Emma Mebane Staples (1888-1953), an aunt of the groom.

Mr. Sam Staples, that is, Samuel Granville Staples Jr (1862-1917), an uncle of the groom; he was a doctor.

Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Hairston, probably Samuel William Hairston (1881-1944) and his wife, née Letitia Richardson Smith (1880-1944); he was a son of Nicholas H. and Elizabeth S. Hairston (above). He was a lawyer, living in Roanoke.

Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Hunt, that is, Alexander Bruce Hunt (1866-1931), an uncle of the groom, and his wife, née Mary Staples Kellogg (1872-1915). He was a lawyer, who built a home in Roanoke, “Shadelands”, on land purchased from the bride’s family’s estate. She was a granddaughter of Abram Penn Staples (I), and therefore a first cousin of the groom’s father.

Miss Bertie Hunt, that is, Roberta Ward Hunt (1881-1976), an aunt of the groom.

The following condensed family trees show only those who attended the wedding, or who were familial links but were deceased or absent. Names in italics were not present. There are four tables, the first headed by Abram Penn Staples I (1793-1856), the second by Abram Penn (1743-1801), the third by Daniel DeJarnette (1783-1850), and the fourth by Daniel R. Hunt (1829-1910). Names underlined appear in more than one table. The plus sign indicates a marriage. Successive generations are marked by hyphens and indentation.

Abram Penn Staples I + Mary Penn

-           Samuel Granville Staples + Caroline H. DeJarnette

-           -           Daniel DeJ. Staples + Mary Waugh

-           -           -           Lillian DeJ. Staples + David W. Persinger

-           -           Abram Penn Staples II + Sallie Clement Hunt

-           -           -           Abram Penn Staples III (groom) + Jean Duncan Watts

-           -           -           Samuel Hunt Staples

-           -           -           Emma Mebane Staples

-           -           -           Harris DeJarnette Staples

-           -           Samuel Granville Staples Jr

-           -           Mary Huldah Staples + Edwin L. Moir + Kathleen Maryon

-           -           -           Wallace Moir

-           -           -           Dorothy Moir

-           -           Caroline DeJ. Staples + Joel Daniel

-           -           -           Huldah Staples Daniel

-           -           Waller Redd Staples + Olivia B. Trout

-           -           -           Olivia B. Staples

-           Mary Penn Staples + Henry G. Kellogg

-           -           Mary Staples Kellogg + Alexander B. Hunt

Abram Penn + Ruth Stovall

-           Greenville Penn + Nancy Leath

-           -           Mary Penn + Abram Penn Staples I

-           -           -           Samuel Granville Staples + Caroline DeJarnette

-           -           Gabriel Penn + Susan Frantz

-           -           -           John Edmund Penn + Alice Hoge

-           -           -           -           Gabriel H. Penn

-           -           -           -           Anne H. Penn + Ernest G. Penn (as below)

-           -           -           -           Lucy DeJarnette Penn + Isaac M. Warren

-           -           -           -           Susan Penn + Charles Moir

-           -           -           -           Willie Penn

-           -           -           -           Ida Penn? + Samuel D. Shackelford

-           -           -           William L. Penn + Priscilla Jane Tatum

-           -           -           -           Ernest G. Penn + Anne H. Penn (as above)

-           -           Thomas Penn + unknown

-           -           -           Elizabeth Penn + Samuel William Hairston

-           -           -           -           Elizabeth Seawell Hairston + Nicholas H. Hairston

-           -           -           -           -           Samuel W. Hairston + Letitia R. Smith

-           -           -           -           -           Elizabeth S. Hairston

-           -           -           -           -           Mary M. Hairston

-           -           -           Joseph Penn + Ruth Shelton

-           -           -           -           Sallie Penn + Harry D. Vickers

Daniel DeJarnette + Huldah Coleman

-           Mary Hawes “Nicey” DeJarnette + Daniel H. Hoge

-           -           Alice Hoge + John Edmund Penn

-           -           Samuel H. Hoge + Kate Taylor

-           -           -           Kitty Hoge

-           Caroline H. DeJarnette + Samuel Granville Staples

Daniel R. Hunt + Emma Pleasants Mebane

-           Sallie Clement Hunt + Abram Penn Staples II

-           Alexander Bruce Hunt + Mary Penn Staples

-           Daniel R. Hunt

-           Roberta Ward Hunt

            Almost all the guests at the wedding lived in Roanoke or very close by. By the time I was born, twenty-five years later, although the family had begun to disperse, my mother still maintained contact with several of the people mentioned here, and I remember meeting them or hearing about them. My sister and I no longer live in Roanoke, and even our first cousins are scattered over many states, so that we seldom see each other. A gathering such as this wedding is hard to imagine in our times.