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Michelle,
Here is part of something I wrote in 2000. I have not been able to find the Waldrop family in 1860. This might be a good discussion topic for the Hardin Co. List?
The Thomas Waldrop family,
In the spring of 1862 Grant and his Army had moved south across the State of Tennessee to Hardin County and were resting and regrouping at Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River on high ground near Shiloh Church. Grant and the Union Army were welcomed by Savannah businessman, William Harrell Cherry. Cherry saw this as his best opportunity to market a large cotton crop he had accumulated which otherwise would be confiscated as contraband by the US government.
To this end, for his headquarters, Grant was given the run of Cherry's house which was known locally as the Cherry Mansion. While in Savannah, Grant and his staff were entertained by W. H. Cherry's wife, Annie Irwin Cherry, and her sisters. From that date, there has been speculation and rumors of affairs and or improper activities involving Grant and one of the women of the Cherry Mansion. However, this lady was not a Cherry or an Irwin but instead, a servant who had come to live and work at the Cherry Mansion in 1860. She was Milly Paralee Waldrop the daughter of Thomas and Isabella White Waldrop.
Thomas was born in 1797, probably in Rutherford County, North Carolina, while Isabella was apparently born in Whitley County Kentucky. Thomas Waldrop was first married to Levica "Dicy" Inman on 27 May 1824 in Whitley County Kentucky. Dicy was the daughter of Elisha Inman, Jr. and Morning Saunders Inman and was born 14 March 1808 in Knox County Kentucky. Thomas and Dicy had two children, Morning and Elisha Waldrop. Morning Waldrop was born 08 April 1832 in Whitley Co. Kentucky, and died 25 March 1900. She was married to Rev. George William Sego, son of James and Sally Sego. George and Morning Waldrop Sego had the following children: 1. Baby born in 1852; 2. Susannah born in 1853; 3. Melton E. born in 1857; 4. Martha E. born 08 December 1860; and 5. Sarah A. born in 1872, married S. G. Sutton.
Elisha Waldrop was born about 1835 in Whitley Co., Kentucky. He married Margaret Meadors, born 18 June 1836, died 30 December 1920, daughter of John Middleton and Anna Smith Meadors. Elisha and Margaret had three children: 1. Darcus Elizabeth Waldrop born in 1859, married first, Lige Chitwood and second Jack Meadors; 2. Martha L. Waldrop, was born 11 December 1860 in Whitley Co., Kentucky and was married to Dan Hinkle; 3. G. Gillis Waldrop, born about 1867 in Whitley Co., Kentucky, was married to Sarah Jones.
In 1837 Dicy Inman Waldrop died leaving Thomas a widower with two children, Morning and Elisha. On 18 March 1839, Thomas married for the second time to Isabella "Ibby" White. The 1840 census of Whitley Co., Kentucky shows the family as
follows:
1840 Census Whitley Co., Kentucky
Thomas Waldrop 1000001-10001
This census indicates a boy and a girl between 0 and 5 years old, an adult male aged 40 to 50, and an adult female ages 20 to 30. The children shown in the 0 to 5 age group are likely Nathan W. born in 1836 and Elizabeth born in 1840. Nathan W. (White ?) appears to be the child of Isabella "Ibby" White by a previous marriage. Thomas' two children by his first wife, Morning and Elisha, went to live with their grandfather, Elisha Inman, after their mother's death. They were shown in the 1850 census as follows:
1850 Census Whitley Co., Kentucky
Elisha Inman 75 TN
Patty Inman 60 NC
Morning Waldrop 17 KY
Elisha Waldrop 15 KY
William Inman 30 KY
About 1840-41, Thomas Waldrop moved his family to Tennessee, where he later appears in the 1850 census of Hardin County, Tennessee as follows:
1850 Census Hardin Co., TN 7th Civil District
48-48 Thomas Waldrop 53 NC
Isabella 39 KY
Nathan W. (White) 14 KY
Elizabeth 10 KY
William 9 TN
Hugh 7 TN
Milly P. 4 TN
Daniel 1 TN
After 1850 the whereabouts of the Waldrop family is not known. There is some speculation that the family moved to adjacent Tishomingo County in Mississippi. Census information is not yet available. However, from family knowledge, we know that in 1860-61, Milly Paralee Waldrop was living in the household of William Harrell Cherry in the Cherry Mansion in Savannah, TN. The 1860 Census shows the following:
1860 Census Hardin Co., Tennessee, 4th CD
391 William H. Cherry 37 TN
Ann (Irwin) 29 TN
Edgar 19 TN
Mary 10/12 TN
403 Nancy Irwin 50 TN
John 29 TN
Lute V. 26 TN
James W 24 TN
S. C. (f) 21 TN
Hetty 18 TN
Juliet 16 TN
Mary 15 TN
Cornie 12 TN
Some time after this census was taken, Milly Paralee Waldrop age 14-15 became a domestic servant in the Cherry household. In 1861, the unmarried Paralee gave birth to a daughter, Tennessee Waldrop. According to family tradition and community rumors, Tennessee was the child of William Harrell Cherry. Milly Paralee continued to work at the Cherry Mansion and was there in the spring of 1862 as the Yankees descended on Savannah following their success at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.
The Yankees under U. S. Grant chose Savannah as headquarters while the bulk of the army was stationed at Pittsburg Landing about 4 miles up river. In Savannah, Grant was offered the use of the Cherry Mansion by W. H. Cherry who professed to be a staunch union supporter. Grant made his appearance in Savannah on March 17, 1862. From that date until the Battle of Shiloh, Grant lived in the Cherry Mansion and enjoyed the very best that Savannah could offer. During this time, Milly Paralee Waldrop became pregnant with her 2nd child. Since that time, it has been rumored that her second child, William H. Waldrop, was fathered by U. S. Grant.
These rumors concerning Grant have been spread in the Savannah Community and elsewhere since his visit in the Spring of 1862. It is generally known that he had an affair while at the Cherry Mansion, however, most people have tried to link Grant with one of the Irwin sisters, Annie, the oldest, being the wife of W. H. Cherry. Several of her sisters spent time entertaining Grant and his general officers during their stay at the Cherry Mansion. Some say the reason the Irwin sisters mingled with the Yankee Officers was to obtain military information for the Confederacy. The information was passed to their brother, then Lt., later Capt. J. W. Irwin of "G" Company First Confederate Cavalry Regiment. During this period Lt. J. W. Irwin was a member of Capt. Charles Sevier Robertson's Cavalry Company known as "The Hardin County Yankee Hunters" operating out of Henderson Station, TN, then in Madison, later to become Chester County. In the Spring of 1862, this unit along with other cavalry units was responsible for determining the intentions of Grant and his army. With several of the six Irwin sisters dining nightly with Grant gave an excellent opportunity for obtaining the needed information which in turn was passed to their brother and then to the Confederate Command at Corinth.
In any case, an Irwin sister did not have an affair with U. S. Grant that resulted in the birth of a child. The census information will confirm this fact. Also, these ladies were at the peak of society as society was known in Savannah - Hardin County, Tennessee in 1862. An affair, a pregnancy, etc. involving the Irwin Sisters would not go unnoticed. However, Milly Paralee Waldrop, an unmarried servant, already having an illegitimate child, was not particularly noticed by anyone outside her family. They, in no manner approved of Paralee's indiscretions and in later years went to great lengths to keep this information private. Until recently, the nineties, descendents have continued to be close-mouthed on the subject. Only recently have family members begin to discuss the possibility of being a descendant of Grant.
Paralee didn't stop here. In 1867, she had a third child, Isabella Waldrop, also born out of wedlock. This child was attributed to W. H. Cherry or by some sources to his son Edgar Cherry who continued to live in the Cherry Mansion after his father moved to Memphis soon after the war. In 1870 William H. Cherry was living in Memphis. Edgar Cherry lived in Savannah and Paralee was living in her mother's household near Savannah. Nearby lived the John Wells family, the Lavina Ingle family and in Wayne County on Second Creek, the family of James H. Hinton, all players connected to the Milly Paralee Waldrop family.
1870 Census, Shelby Co., TN
W. H. Cherry 46 TN Banker
A. R. 38 TN wife
M. C. 11 TN dau.
W. I. 2 TN son
Carrie Nelson 23 Sweden Servant
Luddy " 21 " "
Elsie Anderson 32 " "
1870 Census, Wayne Co., TN
J. H. Hinton 52 SC
Mark C. B. 17 TN
James D. 11 TN
1870 Census, Hardin Co., TN
83 Isabella Waldrop 63 KY
Margaret 20 TN dau. of Isabella
Milly P. 25 TN "
Tennessee 9 TN child of Milly
William 7 TN "
Isabella 3 TN "
75 William Waldrop 28 TN 4th CD son of Isabella
Charity (Wells) 22 TN
Zebelda T. 1/12 TN
80 John Wells 47 TN 4th CD
Matilda 47 TN
Eliza 19 TN
Huston 14 TN
William 12 TN
Samuel 9 TN
Martha E. 4 TN
21 Lavina Ingle 52 KY 4th CD
Martha A. 20 MS
Lucinda 17 MS
William 16 MS
Thomas J. 14 MS
Celia C. 10 MS
Alice 9 MS
59 Edgar Cherry 27 TN 4th CD
Mary 24 TN
Julia 1 TN
William 2 TN
After 1870 Milly Paralee Waldrop married James H. Hinton, a widower with two children living in his household as shown by the 1870 census. Milly moved with her three children to the Second Creek area of Wayne County where she and Hinton had two more children. Between 1874 and 1880 James H. Hinton died. The 1880 census shows Milly and her family as follows:
1880 Census, Wayne Co., TN
53-53 Paralee Hinton 33 TN KY KY
Tennessee 19 TN
William 17 TN
Isabella 12 TN
Mollie 8 TN
Juda 6 TN
Please note that when Paralee married James H. Hinton, her three oldest children, previously listed as Waldrops, took the Hinton sir name and since that time, all her children have been known as Hintons.
1880 Census, Hardin Co., TN
6-120 Lavina Ingle 63 KY NC NC
William 25 MS GA KY
Thomas 23 MS GA KY
Alice 18 MS GA KY
4-92 Edgar Cherry 37 TN TN TN
Mary 34 "
Juliet C. 11 "
Flora E. 6 "
Mary C. 4 "
8-47 John Sharp 51 TN VA VA
Nancy 53 TN TN TN
James 11 TN
Nancy J. 13 TN
Sometime after 1880 Paralee and her family moved back to Hardin County. On 14 December 1891 Paralee was married a second time to John Sharp. They apparently settled in the Walkertown - Nixon community. During the period 1880 -1900, several of the Waldrop - Hinton family were married as follows: As stated above, Milly Paralee Waldrop Hinton married John Sharp on 14 December 1891. Tennessee Hinton married William Wells on 05 November 1882. William Hinton married Alice Ingle on 28 August 1882. Isabella Hinton married Thomas Jefferson Ingle on 18 October 1885. William Waldrop had earlier married Charity Wells on 31 December 1868. In 1900 William H. "Bill" Hinton lived at Walkertown next door to his mother, and stepfather, John and Paralee Sharp.
1900 Census, Hardin Co., TN
Bill Hinton 37 4th CD
Alice (Ingle) 37
Arthur L. 17
Minnie B. 14
Hugh L. 12
Jack M. 7
Callie 5
Joe M. 1
Will (born after 1900)
John Sharp 72 4th CD
Paralee 55
The 1900 census above lists six of the seven children of Bill and Alice Ingle Hinton. Will, the youngest child, was born after that date. All of these Hintons remained in Hardin County with their children and grandchildren becoming businessmen, teachers, farmers, housewives and community leaders not unlike other families in this area.
This month, March 2000, will mark the 138th anniversary of Grants arrival in Savannah. He remained in the Savannah community for only a few days, however, had time to win the first major Civil War Battle in the West and at the same time be placed in a position to gain credit for fathering a child of Milly Paralee Waldrop, that being William H. (Grant? Waldrop) Hinton.
The Grant people don't believe any of this.
David
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