Thanks to Lauren for this info.. Goodness I hope I said her name right!

I,  George R. Vanzant, hereby make this my last will and testament, as follows:-

First.    I order and direct that all my just debts and funeral expenses be paid by my executor, hereinafter named, as soon as conveniently can be after my decease.

Item.    I hereby direct my executor to set apart the sum of Fifty Dollars ($50.00), for the purpose of defraying the funeral expenses of my daughter, Anetta Vanzant, if she should survive me.

Item.    All the rest residue and remainder of my estate I give, devise and bequeath to my daughter, Hannah Cowan, wife of Fred Cowan.

              I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my friend, Josiah Smith, to be the Executor of this my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twelfth day of April, 1912.

GEORGE R. VANZANT (L.S.)

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the above-named testator as and for his last will and testament, in our presence, who, in his presence, and in the presence of each other, and at his reuest, have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.

James A. Hodge

Bella M. Carroll

July 31, 1914, as a codicil to this my will I hereby give and will to my son Harry Vanzant my gold watch chain and churn. Witness by my hand and seal.

GEORGE RICE VANZANT,

Signed , sealed, published and recorded as a codicil to my last will and testament in person who in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereto subscribed and names as witensses.

B.M. Carroll

(I typed the last two paragraphs as well as I could.. it was very hard to read.)

Mr. Bud Epps

Origin of the Name Epps

     John Frederick Dorman a certified genealogist indicated in “Ancestors and Descendants of Francis Epes of Virginia Vol. I,” that the American Epps ancestors lived for centuries in the area around Ashford, Kent County, England. They came to the Virginia colony shortly after the Virginia Company of London established Jamestown.

According to Dorman Roger Eppe whose name appears on the Hundred Role of Fourhowe, Norfolk in 1273 is the oldest known reference he found in England’s documents. In 1409 a John Eps and Stephen Eps appear as witnesses on a deed in Kent County. In 1459 William Aps alias Eps of Lamberdherst, Kent County alias Sussex County, was summoned concerning a debt he owed to a fishmonger of London.  Stephen Aps of Sussex County in 1463 was also involved in a court action concerning a dept. There is a Robert Epse who is deputy in the town of Rye, Kent County in 1433 and 1435 and later mayor of Yarmouth in 1436.

It can be seen these early English sources spelled the name in various ways: Eppe, Eps, Aps, and Epse. These variations come from medieval scribes who worked without any spelling rules. The etymology of the Epps name taken from various internet sources says it is an English variant of the names Ebbs of north Germany or Apps which is a Dutch.

Ebbs is the short form of Ebbert in north Germany. In medieval time many different cultural groups lived in the German states. This caused regional variations of German surnames. Some spoke Low German that is the dialect of those living in the northern low lying lands of Germany that is similar to Dutch.

Apps is a Dutch variant of Epps. The Old English, which is of Germanic tribal origin, had a variant of Apps spelled Apse. The root meaning of both of these variants refers to someone who lived near an aspen tree. Both the Dutch “van” and German “von” which mean from or of are used as a prefix to some of the various forms of the Epps name as in van Epps or von Epps.

Some of the numerous spellings of Epps are: Epple, Epp, Eppe, Eps, Ebs, Ebbs, Epps, Epes, Eppes, Eppling, Eppel, etc. Epp and Eppe is a Dutch pet form of the Germanic personal name Eberhardt.  Some of the individual names that appear in ancient German chronicles of various towns are Eberhart and Friedericus von Ebs in 1190, Albertus Dictum Eppelin in 1283, Rudel Eppfeler in 1367, and Nicolaus Eppler in 1390.  Compare these variations with the previous early English forms Roger Eppe 1273, John Eps 1409, William Aps 1463, and Robert Epse 1433.

Clearly the Epps name has its roots among the Germanic tribes living in the European low lands. A review of Kent’s history follows which will document that people whose name would become the English Epes were in Kent at least by the sixth century. This review will also point to a Germanic tribe called Jutes as those who brought the name that became Epes in Kent.

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                                                           February 14, 1952

FITZPATRICK-EPPS WEDDING

Miss Retha Dean Fitzpatrick

daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Roy

Fitzpatrick and Billy Epps, son

of Mr. And Mrs. Sam Epps, were

married on Thursday evening at

7:30 o’clock. The marriage was

solemnized at the First Baptist

Church with the Rev. Mr. Frank

Bowman reading the vows.

The church altar was banked

with ivy and magnolia leaves which

formed a background for candelabra

holding white tapers and

baskets of white gladioli.

Mrs. Orville Ginter was organist

and  Miss Elaine Atkinson sang

“Because” and “Ah Sweet Mystery

of life.”

Miss Janice Fitzpatrick, sister

of the bride, and Miss Janice

Savage lighted the candles.

Miss Margaret Epps, sister of

the groom was bridesmaid. Her

dress was of blue and her flowers

were a corsage of carnations.

The bride was given in marriage

by her father. She wore a suit of

beige woolen gabardine with

brown accessories. She carried a

prayer book topped with a purple

orchid.

The parents of the bride enter-

tained with a reception at the

Woman’s Club following the

wedding.  

Melda Maddox, niece of the

bride, kept the bride’s book and

others assisting in entertaining

were Mrs. F.K. Maddox and Mrs.

Raymond Hammond.

Mr. and Mrs. Epps left during

the evening on their wedding

trip through the south.

Billy Epps, Retha Epps, L to R Karen, David and Chris Epps 1960's Piedmont, Alabama

She was my mother’s sister, daughter of Roy Fitzpatrick and Sadie Mae Taylor Fitzpatrick.

April 8, 1930 – February 13, 2010  R.I.P

Aunt Marion and me, Chris Epps Wheeler back in the 50's

Marion Fitzpatrick Studdard and Wilbur C. Studdard in the 1950's. Uncle Wilbur died February 15, 1994. They were from Piedmont, Alabama

John G. Epps is the oldest son of Hugh M Epps. He was born about 1840 and is listed with the family of Hugh on the 1850 census age 11 which is probably not correct since his parents married in December 1839. The best guess as to his middle name is Graves which was his grandmother’s maiden name, however another possiblity is Gilbert which was the name of his uncle. There is no record of John ever marrying. John enlisted in Company D 8th Tennessee Infantry Regiment on 18 May 1861 at the same time as his cousin John Norris Epps who was the son of his uncle James Craton Epps. He would have been about 20 when he joined the fight. His rank was Sergerant of Ordance. Ordance refers to military firearms, cannons, ammunitin and all equipment supporting the firing of these weapons. It is surprising that at such a young age he had the rank of Sergeant and perhaps this indicates he could read and was better educated than the rank and file Privates. Nothing definite is known about John’s life in the military until the Battle of Stones River near Murfreesboro Tennesse where he was wounder on 31 December 1962. He was captured on the 8th of January 1863 and died of his wounds in a Union hospital in Nashville on 8 February 1863. Before that time we can assume his activities were the same as his cousin John Norris who was in the same unit and gave some information to the state of Tennessee when they interviewed him.  John Norris and John G Epps were first sent to Huntersville, West Virginia to participate in General Lee’s ill fated Cheat Mountain campaign. John Norris said the unit mostly wondered about the moutains in the rain and fog for seven days not ever knowing where they were until their food ran out. From there he went with his cousin to South Carolina for winter camp. Later John G Epps would have been in battles at  Corinth, Mississippi, Perryville, Kentucky, and others until his last at Stones River. Not only was he mortally wounded at the Battle of Stones River but his cousin Lawrence Epps was also severly wounded and captured. Even John Norris was wounded in his foot but escaped capture.

James C Epps is the son of Pleasant Epps who died when James was about 6. Pleasnt is the son of Lawrence and Elizabeth Epps. James married Julia Ann Taylor 24 Dec 1860. Four months later he enlisted in the Confederate Infantry in Lincoln Co. nicknamed  “The Boon’s Creek Minute Men” or “Boon’s Hill Minute Men”. While away at war he died and probably never saw his daughter M Jane Epps born in Lincoln in 1862. James said he was 23 when he enlisted but he lied about his age 1850 Arkasas census records show he was only about 14 or 15 at that time.

The “Fayetteville Observer” 9 may 1861 printed a list of those members of the company at muster. It stated: Herewith may be found the article of agreement of this company, together with a complete list of the members. A friend who knows them well, says that a better company was never mustered into service from Tennessee, and we have no doubt he is correct. We know that it embraces some as choice spirits as ever shouldered a gun. We the undersigned contitute ourselves Minute Men for the service of the Confederate States of America. We pledge our honor and all that is near and dear to us, to stand by this obligation at all hazards, and sign with the full knowledge of the fact that Peter Turney has authority from the War Department of the Confederate States to raise a Regiment of  Tennessee Volunteers for its service, and we are to be ready to march at the shortest notice from the said Tennessee whenever, wherever and however the occasion may require. Let him who backs down be published to the world as a coward, and the fact thrown into the teeth of his kith, kin, and children. As soon as the list shall receive all the names that can be obtained, the Captain is to report to Peter Turney at Winchester, who will report to the proper department.

Roster information of the First Tennessee Infantry Regiment Company K: Epps, James C. Enrolled 29 April 61 at Boon Hill, Lincoln County, aged 23; present to Dec 61; present Sep 62 until absent Jan & Feb 63, detailed on recruiting duty; present Mar & Apr; died of wounds received at Chancellorsville, Va., 8 May 63l. Buried at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va., 1 July 63.

Buck Epps, that has Buck’s corner on here sent this to me. I wrote about some info that was given to me about Hepsey Prosser. The below are the corrections.

First the name James Norris Epps is wrong. It was James C Epps Jr. that married her. Yes she is about 13 or 14 when she married and her husband was 10 years older. Their first child was not Ella. Accoding to the 1900 Hickman Co. Tn. census her birth was in March 1866 so she was the last child of Hepsey had at age 19. I don’t know if she got pregnant again and died from that child in late 1866 or 1867. The first child born to Hepsey was Elizabeth or Bettie and I have her b. 2 Oct. 1863. This date is from her grave in Unity Cemetery which is located next to her father James Jr. and her stepmother Addie Fox Epps. Hepsy would have been about 16 at that time and her second child Hepsey Jane
who married the Eaks was born 23 March 1865 when Hepsey was 18. Her last child you will notice was born about one year later and I believe this is the one that caused her death but maybe the story of the Eaks descendant about the fourth child is right?

William Clifford Chesser

Born 22 July, 1895 in Bells, Fannin County, Texas.

Married  04 November 1917, in Cornith, Harmon County, OK

Died 25 May 1960 in Altus, Jackson County, OK

Father was Joseph Chesser and his mother was Narcissa Paron Whitaker

Wife of William Clifford Chesser

Julia Paril Rebecca Ince. Julia was born 26 September 1898 in Derden, Hill County, TX, died 02 February 1982 in Tulsa, Tulsa County, OK. Julia’s father was John Calvert Ince and her mother was Selah Catherine Eslick.

Children of William Clifford Chesser and Julia Paril Rebecca Ince are:

Clifford William Chesser,Male, who was born 15 February 1919 in McQueen Community, Harmon County, OK. Clifford married in Cordell, OK to Dorothy Jean Lackey, and he died 21 July 1980 in Muskogee, OK.

Julia Marie Chesser, Female, born 17 July 1920 in McQueen Community, Harmon County, OK. She was Married 21 November 1984 in Vernon, Texas. Her spouses were John Edgeworth,  Dee Moon.

Lee Roy Chesser, Male, was born 12 September 1922 in McQueen Community, Harmon County, OK. He was married 15 March 1946 in Quinlin, Texas to Betty Ruth House.

Bonnie Katherine Chesser, Female, Born 30 August 1924 in Eldorado, Jackson County, OK. He married 12 June 1942 in Altus, Jackson County, OK and died 31 December 1996 in Altus, Jackson County, OK.  Her two spouses were Ray Southern, Robert Parks.

Cecil Ray Chesser, Male, was born 07 May, 1926 in Eldorado, Jackson County, OK.  Married 23 June 1946 in Quana, Texas to Lowetta Mae Cross.

Loyd Jr. Chesser, Male, was born 8 May 1930 in Southwest of Duke, Jackson County, OK and Married 8 May 1953 in Ponca City, OK to Margarete McEuin.

Stella Mae Chesser, Female , was born 04 September 1933 in Southwest of Duke, Jackson County, OK and married 04 June, 1953 in Abliline, Taylor County, TX. Spouses were Floyd Allen Marin, Clifford Henery Leader.

Born:        27 December 1855, Marshall County, TN

Married:  12 January 1874, Marshall County, TN

Died:          17 December 1927, Norman, Cleveland, OK

Father:     Samuel Beshett or Beckett Chesser

Mother:   Martha Nickles, or Nichols

Wife of Joseph Chesser     

Narcissa Paron Whitaker              Marshall County,TN

Born:            August 1856

Died              1904     at the family’s farm in Texas.

Father:        Francis M. Whitaker

Mother:       Caroline M. Hall  

CHILDREN:

Morgan Chesser, Male,  born August 1878  in Tennessee.

Benjamin Chesser, Male, born February 1880 in Tennessee.

Lee A. Chesser, Male, born July 1881 in Tennessee, his spouse was Nancy.

Oder Chesser, Female, born March 1885 in Tennessee

Ona Chesser, Female, born May 1886 in Tennessee

Birdie Chesser, Female, born  April 1888

Lois Chesser, Female born August 1890 in Tennessee

William Clifford Chesser, Male, born 22 July 1895 in Bells, Fanning County, Tx. He married 4 November 1917 in Cornith, Harmon County, Ok to Julia Paril Rebeca Ince. He died 25 May 1960 in Altus, Jackson County, OK.

Perry Morris Chesser, Male, born 14 November 1897 , died January 1973, his spouse was Minnie.