The John West Gurley Family
Excerpts from Forgotten Ancestors copyright 1991 by Kenneth O Sims
John West Gurley was born about 1761 (1850 U.S. Census) in North Carolina (statement of Pharaby Hix in 1880 U.S. Census). Some researchers have speculated that he was born in Anson or Johnston County, North Carolina. Some genealogists without citing proof have given his father's name as William Gurley who moved from Virginia to North Carolina about 1745. Others, specifically Mrs. Ida Grace Shippley Brown, late of Arlington, Virginia, a professional researcher..., have speculated that he was the brother of Jeremiah Gurley who died in Madison, County, Alabama October 28, 1843.
Jeremiah Gurley was a Revolutionary soldier who, according to his military records, was born on December 29, 1759 in Johnson County, N.C. According to Alabama Soldiers (Revolution, War of 1812, and Indian Wars) Volume 9 compiled by Pauline Jones Gandrud, Jeremiah Gurley's parents were John and Elizabeth Gurley. Gandrud sites the will of John Gurley (d. 1794), planter of Johnston Co., N.C. which she says lists sons: Edwards Gurley, Jeremiah Gurley, Capt. Lewis Gurley, Lazarus Gurley, George Gurley, and Joel Gurley, executor. This list does not include our John West.
Mrs. Brown left the following undocumented statement in her notes ...::
"Gurley Brothers:
Name Date of Birth State
Gurley, Lazarus 4 Dec. 1757 North Carolina
Gurley, Jeremiah 29 Dec. 1759 North Carolina
Gurley, John 11 Sep. 1761 North Carolina
Gurley, George 29 July, 1762 North Carolina
Jeremiah Gurley died in Alabama 28, Oct. 1843." While the parentage of John West Gurley is not known, we do know that he lived in the Pendleton District of South Carolina in 1800 and migrated to Blount County, Alabama in 1818.
Mrs. Brown, in a letter to the Alabama Department of Archives and History dated September 20, 1971, again without citing any source, stated:
John West Gurley married Mary Ferebee and had 12
children....On November 12, 1818, nine months after the legislature of the newly created Alabama Territory declared that Blount County, previously of the Mississippi Territory, was a county of the Alabama Territory, and thirteen months before Alabama became a state, John West Gurley sold 216 acres of land on Came Creek in the Pendleton District of South Carolina to Jesse Hall. Also, on this same day, he attended the wedding of his daughter Farabe to Elisha Hix. Both of these events probably were in preparation for the move to the Alabama Territory. Evidently these families left together almost immediately for Blount County. There are two reasons for arriving at this conclusion: First, on August 2, 1819 West Gurley purchased his first land in Blount County, in that part which became Jefferson County, Alabama in December, 1819. This purchase indicates that he had arrived sometime before August 2. Also in August, 1819, nine months after their marriage, Elisha's and Ferabe's first son was born in Alabama. Farabe would have known that she was pregnant within weeks after November 12, 1818 and it is not likely that they would have started a trip by wagon or horseback if she had known before starting the trip.
The land acquired by West Gurley on August 2, 1819 was purchased from the U.S. Government. It consisted of the entire Northwest quarter corner of Section 30 of Township 14 South, Range 1 West (158.6 acres). Today, this land lies just inside Jefferson County. The Masseyline Church of God is in the southeast quarter of what was West Gurley's first land purchase. It is not surprising that the family's first recorded burial William T. Hix (1846) was in the cemetery there which existed many years before the original church was built and was referred to by some as the Self Graveyard. Research indicates that, long before that, it was the "Gurley Graveyard".
Gurley Creek which was probably named for John West Gurley runs southwest towards the Masseyline Church of God from the northeast. Right at the church it enters West Gurley's original land and curves north, then west where it continues under the bridge on Highway 79 just north of the Masseyline Church of God. The creek then continues almost due west across the top of the northwest quarter of West Gurley's original land about one mile southeast of the Bethel Church and about three miles southeast of the community named County Line.
Quite probably West Gurley's house was near the bend in Gurley Creek, which runs next to today's Masseyline Church of God, and was on, or quite near to, what is now the church's property. This would place it near what was the family's cemetery and is now the cemetery at the church.
On February 6, 1826, West Gurley purchased the entire half of the southwest quarter of Section 30 which begins at the road which is just south of the church, extends south for one half mile on both sides of today's Highway 79 and covers 78.3 acres. On February 10, 1838 he sold this 79.3 acres to his son Adam Arron Gurley who, within the next few years, went west where he died in Springfield, Missouri (Gurley surname file microfilm, Alabama Department of Archives and History). On October 25,1844 Arron Gurley and his wife Martha Gurley conveyed this same land to Joseph B. Glen (page 104 Deed Book 9).
On June 25, 1850, John West Gurley, at age 89 (1850 U.S. Census) gave his land to his son Nathaniel West Gurley with the following deed which was recorded on July 24, 1850 in Jefferson County Deed Book 10, Pages 423 and 424:
West Gurley to Nathaniel W. Gurley for natural love
and affection, West Gurley reserves and keeps unto
himself, his wife Mary Gurley, the occupancy
rights, title, and claim of the above described
lots or parcels of land during their natural life.
John West Gurley died at age 89-92 between June 25, 1850 and June 14, 1853 when his wife Mary executed and had the following deed recorded in Jefferson County Deed Book 11, Pages 381 and 382:
Mary Gurley, widow of John West Gurley, deceased,
for natural love and affection I have for John West
Gurley, son of Nathaniel Gurley....Almost for a certainty, West Gurley and his wife Mary (Ferebee ?) are buried in what was the family cemetery, and is now the Masseyline Church of God Cemetery, in unmarked graves in the northeast most portion of the cemetery to the right rear of the church building. William Hix, son of Robert Anderson Hix and grandson of West Gurley, was buried here in 1846 on his grandfather's land about five years before the grandfather died. Elisha Hix, West Gurley's son in law, was buried there in 1850 within three years of West Gurley's death. There are two unmarked graves to the left of those of Feribe (Gurley) and Elisha Hix which are probably those of West and Mary Gurley.
The settlement of West Gurley's estate is recorded on pages 433-438 of the Court Probate Record dated November 17, 1855. The sum of his estate after all expenses was $291.60 which was divided among his heirs. Those listed as being entitled to distribution were:
John Gurley,
Benjamin Gurley,
Ferriba Hix, a daughter of the said deceased;
and the children of ______ , deceased, who was a daughter of the deceased, to wit:
Zachariah Hall;
Ferriba Reed, wife of Rial P. Reed;
Phebe Bulter, wife of John L. Butler;
Elizabeth Mcgowen, wife of Samuel H. McGowen;
and Delila McGowen, wife of Francis A. McGowen;
the children of Aaron Gurley, deceased, who are to the Court unknown;
the children of Charlotte Spradling, deceased, who is a daughter of the deceased, and who are to the (Court) unknown;
the children of ______ Pryer, deceased (a daughter of deceased), who are to this Court unknown;
and Nathaniel Gurley.
Notations handwritten in the margin area of the above recorded Court record indicate that payment was made only to the following: John Gurley, Zachariah Hall, Francis A. Mcgowen, Delila McGowen, and the children of Charlotte Spradling.
- Research indicates that the children of John West Gurley included:
- 1. John West Gurley
- a son, was born about 1794 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. He married (1) to Polly Huffstutler October 25, 1823 in Blount County, Alabama.
- 2. Ferabe Gurley
- a daughter, was born about 1797 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. She married November 12, 1818 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina to Elisha Hix
- 3. Nancy Gurley
- a daughter, was born about 1799 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. She married January 15, 1821 in Blount County, Alabama to John Hall.
- 4. Adam Aaron Gurley
- a son, was born March 1, 1801 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. He married December 30, 1828 in Blount County, Alabama to Martha Mullings the daughter of Stephen and Dorcus Mullings. On August 20, 1930 Justus R. Moll, an attorney of 305 East Olive Street, Springfield Mo., evidently a genealogist and a descendent of Adam Aaron Gurley, wrote a letter to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The following is excerpted from that letter:
-
Aaron Gurley born March 2, 1801 married Martha Mullings (B. 4-1-1810 d 10-19-1892) in North Carolina. In 1832 they removed to Montgomery, Alabama. In 1845 they started for Springfield, Mo., but Aaron died in Fayettefille, Ark, of pneumonia 2-1-1845. leaving widow and children. A month later another child was born, and Hosea Mullings, brother of Mrs. Gurley brought them into Springfield.... - 5. Benjamin Gurley
- a son, was born about 1803 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. He married August 15, 1831 to Jane E. McCune in Jefferson County, Alabama. Between 1847 and 1850 he moved to Smith County, Texas where he was listed as a laborer in the 1850 U.S. Census.
- 6. Malinda Gurley
- a daughter, was born about 1808 in the Pendleton district of South Carolina. She married August 16, 1829 to John Pryor in Jefferson County, Alabama. The 1850 Mortality Schedule of Mississippi records that she died at age 42 in LaFayette County, Mississippi during December, 1850.
- 7. Nathaniel West Gurley
- a son, was born about 1810 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. He married Julia F. Porter January, 2, 1839 in Blount County, Alabama. John West Gurley and his wife Mary lived with his son Nathaniel in 1850. Perhaps Nathaniel and his family lived with his father John West. Nathaniel is listed in the 1850 Census as head of the household but West Gurley is listed as the owner of $1000.00 worth of real estate.
- 8. Charlotte Gurley,
- a daughter, was born about 1812 in the Pendleton District of South Carolina. She married January 20, 1842 to John Spradling in Jefferson County, Alabama.
