G. W. Watson, Part 2

We know very little about my grandmother, Vennie’s father G. W. Watson.  We think his name was George. Knowing that he died from a horse accident, led me to search on Newspaper.com to see if I could find anything. I did find a G. W. Watson who was a harness racer up and down the Mississippi River.  Another clue is that he weighed about 106 lbs.  Although Vennie was normal sized, I am not.  I am smaller than all of my grandparents and parents. I know that my grandfather,Wes, Vennie’s husband also was a jockey at one time.  I know that Vennie and Wes were often “across the river” at the horse races.  I think it was in their blood.

I know that G.W. died before 1910.  The last entry for the harness racer G. W. was August 1909.  Sadly I still haven’t found a death notice for him.  Mother never knew either of her grandfathers.  They both died from horses.  She always told the story like they were just kids out racing horses.  But, G. W. was about 50 years old which sounds more like a work related accident not kids out joy riding. If the harness racer is my great grandfather, he appears to have been successful at winning races with Kitty and

G. W. is a hard man to trace for several reasons.  He was too young for a Civil War record, too poor to own land, not found in the census (1890 census  was destroyed), and he lived in small towns whose newspapers aren’t on Newspapers.com. I found him in the 1860 census living in White Co. Illinois and he is 3 years old. The only other official record I have is his marriage license from Dunklin County, Missouri.  He married Mattie Silas (sic) September 2, 1894.  They had 2 children:  John, who died as a baby and Vennie, my grandmother who was born January 1903.

DNA has finally solved the riddle of who his parents are: Arthur Watson (1830-1917) and Minerva Serilla Elizabeth Prince of Dyersburg, TN.  Through the descendant of one of G. W.’s siblings, I learned he had a sister named Vinnie Watson (almost the same name as my grandmother).  My Aunt Billie once told me Grandma’s name was originally Minerva LouveniaAnd, I was then able to find more about his genealogy—Arthur was a descendant of melungeons, a mixed race people living in TN, NC, VA.  DNA had told me I had African and Native American heritage dating back to the 1700’s and earlier.  Arthur’s great grandparents were David Solomon Collins and Thompsie Posey who were known to be melungeons.

David and Thompsie Collins who lived in Tennessee had 10 children including Arthur’s grandmother Margaret Peggy Collins Dodson.  One son was Aaron Collins who died in Douglas County, MO. (1855), Nellie Collins TurnBull died in Taney or Douglas Co. Missouri, Levi Collins died in Oregon Co, MO, Isaiah Cuppy Collins died in Ozark County Missouri, Solomon “Old Sol” Collins died in Douglas Co, MO  Although Arthur’s grandmother died in Tennessee, 5 of her siblings had gone to southern Missouri.

The only clues about G W Watson handed down were that he died from a horse accident and my grandmother remembered going to his funeral in Alton.  For all of these years, we thought he died near Alton IL which is across from St. Louis, but I think his funeral was in Alton, MO.  G. W.’s great uncle Levi died in Falling Springs, Oregon Co Missouri.  The county seat of Oregon county is Alton Mo.  G W’s father was still living and probably knew his grandmother’s family were all in southern Missouri also.

I have still not found where G W is buried but I believe it is with family.