Telling Their Stories
archy story
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Archy Story was born August 26th, 1875.
Archy’s father was William Story born in Illinois in March of 1838. William Story was an early settler of the Sowers community when he, his father Marmaduke Story, born in 1800, and possibly up to 9 siblings came to the area from Illinois in 1855. He subsequently served in the Civil War.
Archy’s mother was Frances E. Hawes born in 1846. Frances was either born in Arkansas, per census records, or Illinois according to Worthington Family history.
Frances E. Hawes was the daughter of John Hawes, Jr. and Catherine Caster who were married on December 27, 1837. They lived in Illinois and had son Thomas, born in 1841 and daughter Frances 5 years later.
Delfin Lanotte
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Delfin Lanotte was born in 1862 in Indiana.
She is the daughter of Nicholas Lanotte b. 1817 and Mary Lanotte b. 1831 both born in Belgium.
In the 1860 census Nicholas, Mary and their 4 oldest children were farming in Leopold Township, Perry County, Indiana.
Leopold Township was a community with many Belgian and French immigrants and their families.
Between 1860 and 1880 the Nicholas and Mary Lanotte family added 5 more children, for a total of 9 children they would have, and all born in Indiana.
John Matthews
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
John Matthews was born about 1873.
According to John Matthews’ headstone in Sowers Cemetery he was born in Hatfield Heath, England.
Hatfield Heath is a village in Essex County, England. Essex is in the southeastern part of England and Hatfield Heath is about 30 miles northeast of central London.
In the 1910 census John was living in Precinct 8, Enumeration District 109 (Sowers community). John is listed as Jack Matthews, a single Englishman that farms on rented land. The year he immigrated to the Unite States is listed as 1892.
The Census taker for Enumeration District 109 was Otis Brown.
Marie Octavie Joffre
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Marie Octavie Joffre was born March 28, 1835 in France.
She was the wife of Christopher Joffre born in France in 1832. Christopher was a lifelong farmer. All 3 of their children were born in France.
Son Joseph was born in 1861 and married literally the girl next door. He married Mary Lanotte whose family was listed as the next entry in the 1880 census. Joseph and Mary had 2 sons Fred and Henry. Joseph died in 1889 at 28 years old. His 3-year-old son Henry also passed in 1889. Both are buried at Sowers. Mary remarried into the Dorety family and had at least 5 more children.
Daughter Louise was born in 1864. She last appears in the 1880 US census at age 16. No other information found. Son Eugene Alexander Joffre was born in 1868. He lived to age 71 and is interred at Oak Grove.
Benjamin F. Slater
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Marie Octavie Joffre was born March 28, 1835 in France.
She was the wife of Christopher Joffre born in France in 1832. Christopher was a lifelong farmer. All 3 of their children were born in France.
Son Joseph was born in 1861 and married literally the girl next door. He married Mary Lanotte whose family was listed as the next entry in the 1880 census. Joseph and Mary had 2 sons Fred and Henry. Joseph died in 1889 at 28 years old. His 3-year-old son Henry also passed in 1889. Both are buried at Sowers. Mary remarried into the Dorety family and had at least 5 more children.
Daughter Louise was born in 1864. She last appears in the 1880 US census at age 16. No other information found. Son Eugene Alexander Joffre was born in 1868. He lived to age 71 and is interred at Oak Grove.
Victoria Lanotte Santerre
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Victoria Lanotte was born in 1857 in Indiana.
Victoria was the daughter of Nicholas Lanotte born in 1817 and Mary Lanotte born in 1831 and both born in Belgium.
In the 1860 census Nicholas, Mary and their 4 oldest children James, August, Victoria, and Frank (listed as Leon) were farming in Leopold Township, Perry County, Indiana. Nicholas Lanotte’s younger brother Frances, his wife Margrette Munser Lanotte and their two children are listed on the same page of the 1860 census. Leopold Township was a community with many Belgian and French immigrants and their families.
Between 1860 and 1872 Nicholas and Mary Lanotte added 5 more children, for a total of 9, all born in Indiana.
As of the 1880 census Nicholas Lanotte’s family and Frances Lanotte’s family were farming their own land in the Sowers Community. Nicholas’ oldest son James is not listed in the Sowers 1880 census. No other information about James Lanotte has been found as of this writing.
Alexander Elliott
Historical interment in Sowers Cemetery in Irving, Texas:
Alexander Elliott was born July 17, 1847, in Kentucky.
As of this writing Alexander Elliott’s parents and siblings, if any, have not been found.
FindAGrave.com lists Alexanders parents as Hugh Jacob Elliott born in 1823 and Mary Lydia Engle born in 1824, both born in Kentucky. Hugh and Mary Elliott were married September 12, 1843, in Knox County, Kentucky and had at least 10 children. But there are no documents showing Alexander as being their child. The 1850 Knox County Kentucky census lists Hugh and Mary Elliott along with their three oldest children, Jesse Vail Elliott born about 1846, Jacob Caleb Elliott born about 1847 and Sarah A. Elliott born about 1849. These three children lived to be adults, married, and died in Kentucky, in which all is documented in FindAGrave or FamilySearch.org.