Elvin Brown died . He married Jemima Dora Roark.
Other marriages:Unknown, Unknown
Jemima Dora Roark [Parents] was born on Mar 27 1879. She died on Dec 26 1970. She married Elvin Brown.
Other marriages:Turrentine, J. A. (Jack)
They had the following children:
F i Vivian Brown died Unknown. M ii Willie Elvin Brown died Unknown.
Walter Lee Roark Sr. [Parents] was born on Sep 10 1882 in Cleburne, Johnson County, TX. He died on Nov 29 1932 in Hospital (Madison Cnty) from home in Hardeman Cnty, TN. He was buried in Red Oak Cemetery (FM 342), Red Oak, Ellis County, TX. He married Mildred White on Dec 21 1921 in Whitehaven, Memphis, TN.
Went from Red Oak, TX to McKenzie, TN to apprentice as blacksmith with brother, Franklin. Walter stayed & Franklin went back to Red Oak. He is buried with other Roarks.
Mildred White [Parents] was born on Sep 25 1890. She died on May 13 1972. She was buried in McKenzie, TN. She married Walter Lee Roark Sr. on Dec 21 1921 in Whitehaven, Memphis, TN.
They had the following children:
F i Martha Mildred Roark was born on Aug 5 1925. She died on Dec 25 1967. M ii Walter Lee Roark Jr. was born on Sep 15 1927. He died in 2002. M iii Hugh William Roark was born on Oct 26 1929. F iv Lou Ellen Roark was born on Sep 30 1931. She died on May 31 2001.
Roy Luther Roark [Parents] was born on Sep 19 1887. He died on Aug 2 1965 in AZ. He was buried in Red Oak Cemetery (FM 342), Red Oak, Ellis County, TX. He married Lilly Unknown.
Had no children. He is buried with other Roarks.
Lilly Unknown died . She married Roy Luther Roark.
Had no children
Claude Roark [Parents] was born on Jul 16 1889. He died in Feb 1985. He was buried in Red Oak Cemetery (FM 342), Red Oak, Ellis County, TX. He married Emma E. Stengle.
Spelled "Claud" in the family bible. He had no children. He is buried with his wife, Emma and other Roarks.
Emma E. Stengle was born on Feb 21 1896. She died in Jun 1982. She was buried in Red Oak Cemetery (FM 342), Red Oak, Ellis County, TX. She married Claude Roark.
Had no children. She is buried with husband, Claude, and other Roarks.
Rufus Cortez Roark Sr. [Parents] was born on Jan 30 1891 in Milford, Ellis Co., TX. He died on May 27 1957. He married Ruth Cole Thrash.
Other marriages:Brown, Florence
Spelled "Ruffus" in the family bible. Rufus' birth certificate was filed as a delayed birth in the Ellis County Records in Volume 52DB at Page 223.
Ruth Cole Thrash was born on Sep 9 1886. She died on May 23 1927. She married Rufus Cortez Roark Sr..
They had the following children:
M i Vernon T. Roark was born in 1910. M ii Victor Roark was born on Sep 22 1915. F iii Violet Vivian Roark was born on Sep 22 1915 in Ellis Co., TX. She died on Sep 27 1915.
This is a twin born to Rufus and Ruth, shown as "T" in the Ellis Co. birth records.F iv Mary Velma Roark was born on Sep 27 1919. She died Unknown.
Mary's birth certificate was filed as a delayed birth in the Ellis County Records in Volume 51DB at Page 299.
Rufus Cortez Roark Sr. [Parents] was born on Jan 30 1891 in Milford, Ellis Co., TX. He died on May 27 1957. He married Florence Brown.
Other marriages:Thrash, Ruth Cole
Spelled "Ruffus" in the family bible. Rufus' birth certificate was filed as a delayed birth in the Ellis County Records in Volume 52DB at Page 223.
Florence Brown [Parents] died Unknown. She married Rufus Cortez Roark Sr..
Daughter of Elvin Brown (Ruffus's sister, Jemima, second husband).
They had the following children:
M i Ruffus Cortez Roark Jr..
Hugh Barclay White died . He married Lou Pickney Wall.
Lou Pickney Wall died . She married Hugh Barclay White.
They had the following children:
F i Mildred White was born on Sep 25 1890. She died on May 13 1972.
Elvin Brown died . He married Unknown Unknown.
Other marriages:Roark, Jemima Dora
Unknown Unknown died . She married Elvin Brown.
They had the following children:
F i Florence Brown died Unknown.
William M. Roark [Parents] [scrapbook] was born on Sep 16 1803 in Smith County, TN. He died on Dec 10 1862 in Cherokee County, TX. He was buried in Selman-Roark Cemetery, Alto, Cherokee County, TX. He married Margaret (Margarete?) Reed - Jan 1 1826 in Franklin County, TN.
In 1834 William resigned his position as Deputy Surveyor of Henderson County, TN & went to TX in 1834-1835 with wife, Margaret, and children Franklin and Elizabeth from Miflin, Henderson County, TN. They brought William's parents (John & Nancy Roark), William's brother's (Russell, John, and Napoleon Bonaparte), Napoleon's wife, Ellen, and daughter, Katherine, and also Margaret's parents (Isaac & Elizabeth Reed) and several of the Reed's grown children and families.
William's Certificate of Entry into Texas was sponsored by William B. Reed.
William settled in Cherokee County, TX. He built a log home on the Angelina River (still standing though modernized & occupied by a descendent). He surveyed & laid out the town of Alto & may have named it for the village of Alto near Roark's Cove, TN.
William was appointed surveyor for the Mexican government by the land commissioner in Nacogdoches early in 1835. Soon after, he was also surveying for the colonies of David G. Burnet, Lorenzo de Zavala, & Joseph Vehlein. On 7-31-1837, he was commissioned by Sam Houston (President of the Republic of TX) to the office of Justice of the Peace in the Captains district of Nacogdoches County. In 1838, he was appointed as overseer of the road from Nacogdoches to John Durst's on the Angelina River.
In the late 1830's, William was a partner in Durst & Mitchell Mercantile Co. located on the east side of the Angelina River. He was one of the first 2 Deacons when the Old Palestine Baptist Church was organized in the home of Thomas Selman. When there were no schools he provided tutors for his children (he had long interest in education). In 1845 when the Nacogdoches University was organized, he was one of the original subscribers. On 7-13-1846, in the 1st election held in the county, he ws elected as one of the 4 county commissioners.
William died of diptheria in his home near Linwood, TX. He is buried in the Selman-Roark Cemetery (which he designated in 1838). That cemetery is now a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Cemetery marker says “ROARK" over William & Mary and then says "WILLIAM 1803-1862" with a DRT marker (Daughters of the Repulic of Texas)
The following account was researched and prepared by J. A. Moore, great-grandson of James Roark, son of William Roark (September 1971):
Before the American Revolution there were several Roark families in this country. Several Roarks were in the Continental Army, including two Williams and a James who enlisted in Warren County, North Carolina. Probably before the Revolution there were several Roark families in Ashe County, North Carolina, and it is likely that John Roark was born there about 1770. By 1800 or shortly thereafter, some Roarks had moved to Smith (now bacon) County, Tennessee, north of Nashville. Early arrival of the Roark Family in Tennessee is supported by the fact that John's brother, William, had a son James, born there in 1804, and John's oldest child, William, was born there the year before. On Sept. 26, 1817, William Roark sold his land in Smith County to some other Roarks after he had moved his family to Franklin County, Tennessee, and settled on land located in a cove of the Cumberland Plateau. The site of his home became known as Roark's Cove, and this name is still carried on Franklin County mops. The 1820 census of the county shows a Barnet Roark family adjacent to William's, and very likely he was another brother of John's. (John's daughter, Lucinda, mentions Uncle Barnet in one of her letters.) The 1820 census of Smith County shows the families of John, the subject of this narrative, and James, another assumed brother - all four in the "over 45" age bracket. Soon after 1820, John - and probably James - moved to Roark's Cove and may have acquired land in the area. At any rate, John remained there long enough for his descendants in Texas to refer to the Cove as one of their early family homes. Apparently John was not satisfied with his situation in Franklin County, and moved his family to Henderson County, Tennessee about 1825, where, in 1827, his son William became Deputy County Surveyor. By this time William had married Margaret Reed. The 1830 census lists John's and son William's families, as well as a Barnabas Roark, in John's age bracket. Barnabas had a large family, and he must have been either another brother or a cousin. In addition, there was a Charles Roark (age 20-30 years) and wife (15-20 years). Charles may have been a son of Barnabas. Incidentally, Lucinda referred to a Cousin Charles in a letter. In 1832, John decided to move to Texas, and with wife, Nancy, and children, Russell, John, Napoleon, and Katherine, arrived in Nacogdoces in time for the first Texas census, 1829 - 1836. This census gives John's age as 62, and Nancy's as 54. The children were not listed. It should be noted here that Nancy's name does not appear in any of the references cited in the chart other than in the first census. When John and Nancy moved to Texas in 1832, they had a daughter, Frances, who was married to a Mr. Randolph and was living in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Lucinda elected not to come to Texas with her parents, and went to Holly Springs to be with Frances. Soon after John arrived in Texas, be obtained a grant of land in Walker County, southeast of the present town of Dodge, on the old Nacogdoches-Washington Road, and it was here that his son, Russell, later reared a family with many descendants still in the area. In this connection, there are two cemeteries just off the Crochett-Dodge highway that are essentially Roark cemeteries. (As of 1962, John's grant was known as "the old Stanley place".) In addition to this grant, John acquired other blocks of land, including control of one "labor" of land in Navarro County. In 1834, William (John's son) resigned from his position as Deputy Surveyor in Henderson County, Tennessee, and moved to Nacogdoches. He immediately obtained land on the Angelina River west of Nacogdoches, and in 1835 built a large log home which is still standing, though it has been modernized and is occupied by one of his descendants. Contrary to the account in "The Texas Handbook", William surveyed and laid out the town of Alto, and may have named it after the village of Alto which is near Roark's Cove in Tennessee. He participated actively in both Nacogdoches and Cherokee County affairs, and according to Texas Land Office records, was a surveyor for the Texas and Coahuila governments. (Ref.: "The Southwestern Historical Quarterly - Oct. 1961.") In addition to these records and those pertaining both to William and his sister, Lucinda, which are in the D.R.T. Library at the Alamo in San Antonio, it is said that other records about the family are to be found in the University of Texas Archives in Austin from the collection of the late Miss Jessie Boone. She was a descendant of William's daughter, Emaline, and James R. Boone, who was reputed to have been related to the Daniel Boone Family, With reference to Frances Roark Randolph and Lucinda, further research would probably determine whether or not they ever came to Texas. And, as for John and Nancy's other children, Napoleon, etc., nothing concerning them was found in the references cited. In 1848, John claimed Navarro County as his place of residence, but the 1850 census does not list him. Therefore it is possible, if he and Nancy were still living, that they had gone to William's home before 1850 and died there, for he and his wife are buried in the Roark-SeIman Cemetery, next to William and his wife. This cemetery is a few miles east of Alto on the highway to Nacogdoches.
Taken from "Cherokee County Tx History Book" and from "Nacogdoches, Gateway to Texas"; also received information from the Taken from the East Texas Research Center on the campus of The Stephen F. Austin University.
Census Report of Northwest of Nacogdoches. Blake Collection, Vol. XIX ppg. 265-268. Nacogdoches Archives, 1835, Vol. 84, pp. 47-49.
William ROARK 29 Married
Margaret ROARK 25 do
Nancy ROARK 6 Single
Franklin ROARK 4 do
Elizabeth ROARK 3 do
Margaret (Margarete?) Reed [Parents] was born on Dec 31 1808. She died on Jan 20 1856 in Cherokee County, TX. She was buried in Selman-Roark Cemetery, Alto, Cherokee County, TX. She married William M. Roark - Jan 1 1826 in Franklin County, TN.
Other marriages:Moore, Unknown
Cemetery marker says “ROARK" over William & Mary and then says "MARY 1808-1856"
They had the following children:
M i Franklin Reed Roark was born on Dec 13 1830. He died on Jan 18 1863. F ii Elizabeth Harper Roark was born on Sep 2 1832. She died on May 29 1910. F iii Julia (Julian) Ann Roark was born on Jun 6 1835. She died on Jun 6 1913. M iv Calvin Morgan Roark was born in 1840. He died . F v Frances Mary Roark was born on Aug 20 1841. She died on Apr 26 1908. F vi Emaline Roark was born about 1842/1843. She died . F vii Nancy Chambliss Roark was born about 1845. She died . F viii Sarah Adeline Roark was born on Apr 28 1847. She died on Apr 3 1888. M ix John Benjamin (Bunyan) Roark was born in 1850. He died in 1852. The cause of death was Died as a Child. He was buried in Selman-Roark Cemetery, Alto, Cherokee County, TX.
John Roark Jr. [Parents] was born in 1773/1774 in Ashe Co., NC (?). He died . He was buried in Selman-Roark Cemetery, Alto, Cherokee County, TX. He married Nancy Chambliss.
In the first US Census, NC 1790 Heads of Families shows John was located in Salisbury District, Surrey Co., NC, with himself (Free White Male Over 18), one "Free White Female Under 16", and one "Free White Female Including Head of Families" (i.e. over 18). It also shows John as being a "Junior".
John moved to Smith Co., TN about 1800 & (after the 1820 census) moved the family on to Franklin County, TN (Roark's Cove).
About 1825 moved on to Miflin, Henderson Co., TN (the 1830 census shows him still there). About 1834 they moved on to Nacogdoches, TX and in 1848 he claimed Navarro Co., TX as his home. John settled in Nacogdoches County, TX.
The first TX census covered a 6-year period from 1829-1836 and lists John as age 62, having arrived in TX in 1835.
Entry certificate at Nacogdoches, TX shows entry into Mexico (Texas) in 1835.The following account was researched and prepared by J. A. Moore, great-grandson of James Roark, son of William Roark (September 1971):
Before the American Revolution there were several Roark families in this country. Several Roarks were in the Continental Army, including two Williams and a James who enlisted in Warren County, North Carolina. Probably before the Revolution there were several Roark families in Ashe County, North Carolina, and it is likely that John Roark was born there about 1770. By 1800 or shortly thereafter, some Roarks had moved to Smith (now bacon) County, Tennessee, north of Nashville. Early arrival of the Roark Family in Tennessee is supported by the fact that John's brother, William, had a son James, born there in 1804, and John's oldest child, William, was born there the year before. On Sept. 26, 1817, William Roark sold his land in Smith County to some other Roarks after he had moved his family to Franklin County, Tennessee, and settled on land located in a cove of the Cumberland Plateau. The site of his home became known as Roark's Cove, and this name is still carried on Franklin County mops. The 1820 census of the county shows a Barnet Roark family adjacent to William's, and very likely he was another brother of John's. (John's daughter, Lucinda, mentions Uncle Barnet in one of her letters.) The 1820 census of Smith County shows the families of John, the subject of this narrative, and James, another assumed brother - all four in the "over 45" age bracket. Soon after 1820, John - and probably James - moved to Roark's Cove and may have acquired land in the area. At any rate, John remained there long enough for his descendants in Texas to refer to the Cove as one of their early family homes. Apparently John was not satisfied with his situation in Franklin County, and moved his family to Henderson County, Tennessee about 1825, where, in 1827, his son William became Deputy County Surveyor. By this time William had married Margaret Reed. The 1830 census lists John's and son William's families, as well as a Barnabas Roark, in John's age bracket. Barnabas had a large family, and he must have been either another brother or a cousin. In addition, there was a Charles Roark (age 20-30 years) and wife (15-20 years). Charles may have been a son of Barnabas. Incidentally, Lucinda referred to a Cousin Charles in a letter. In 1832, John decided to move to Texas, and with wife, Nancy, and children, Russell, John, Napoleon, and Katherine, arrived in Nacogdoces in time for the first Texas census, 1829 - 1836. This census gives John's age as 62, and Nancy's as 54. The children were not listed. It should be noted here that Nancy's name does not appear in any of the references cited in the chart other than in the first census. When John and Nancy moved to Texas in 1832, they had a daughter, Frances, who was married to a Mr. Randolph and was living in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Lucinda elected not to come to Texas with her parents, and went to Holly Springs to be with Frances. Soon after John arrived in Texas, be obtained a grant of land in Walker County, southeast of the present town of Dodge, on the old Nacogdoches-Washington Road, and it was here that his son, Russell, later reared a family with many descendants still in the area. In this connection, there are two cemeteries just off the Crochett-Dodge highway that are essentially Roark cemeteries. (As of 1962, John's grant was known as "the old Stanley place".) In addition to this grant, John acquired other blocks of land, including control of one "labor" of land in Navarro County. In 1834, William (John's son) resigned from his position as Deputy Surveyor in Henderson County, Tennessee, and moved to Nacogdoches. He immediately obtained land on the Angelina River west of Nacogdoches, and in 1835 built a large log home which is still standing, though it has been modernized and is occupied by one of his descendants. Contrary to the account in "The Texas Handbook", William surveyed and laid out the town of Alto, and may have named it after the village of Alto which is near Roark's Cove in Tennessee. He participated actively in both Nacogdoches and Cherokee County affairs, and according to Texas Land Office records, was a surveyor for the Texas and Coahuila governments. (Ref.: "The Southwestern Historical Quarterly - Oct. 1961.") In addition to these records and those pertaining both to William and his sister, Lucinda, which are in the D.R.T. Library at the Alamo in San Antonio, it is said that other records about the family are to be found in the University of Texas Archives in Austin from the collection of the late Miss Jessie Boone. She was a descendant of William's daughter, Emaline, and James R. Boone, who was reputed to have been related to the Daniel Boone Family, With reference to Frances Roark Randolph and Lucinda, further research would probably determine whether or not they ever came to Texas. And, as for John and Nancy's other children, Napoleon, etc., nothing concerning them was found in the references cited. In 1848, John claimed Navarro County as his place of residence, but the 1850 census does not list him. Therefore it is possible, if he and Nancy were still living, that they had gone to William's home before 1850 and died there, for he and his wife are buried in the Roark-SeIman Cemetery, next to William and his wife. This cemetery is a few miles east of Alto on the highway to Nacogdoches.
Census Report of Nacogdoches--from West to Angelina River. Blake Collection, Vol. XIX, pp. 259-264. Nacogdoches Archives, 1835, Vol. 84, pp. 42-45.
John ROARK 62 Married Farmer
Nancy CHAMBLISS 54 Wife
Children (4)
Nancy Chambliss [Parents] was born in 1782 in Virginia (?). She died in 1837. She was buried in Selman-Roark Cemetery, Alto, Cherokee County, TX. She married John Roark Jr..
The first TX census covered a 6-year period from 1829-1836 and lists Nancy as age 54, having arrived in TX in 1835. Entry certificate at Nacogdoches, TX shows entry into Mexico (Texas) in 1835.
DRT marker (Daughters of the Repulic of Texas)
They had the following children:
M i William M. Roark was born on Sep 16 1803. He died on Dec 10 1862. F ii Lucinda Roark died . F iii Frances Caroline Roark died . F iv Katherine Roark died . M v John Roark died .
Settled in Navarro County, TXM vi Napoleon Bonaparte Roark died . M vii Russell Roark was born about 1815. He died on Sep 14 1897.