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Month: March 2014

The Arkansas Claibornes

John B. Claiborne (1812-1874) is a patriarch for one of the main branches of the family, with others originating from his two brothers William Divine Claybourn (1819-1896) and James T. Clayborn (1822-1900). These three brothers all settled in different regions of the country and also spelled the surname differently, and as a result they represent a sort of fork in the road for the family’s history.

William and his children lived in southern Illinois and fought and shed blood supporting the Union during the American Civil War. James and his family lived in Tennessee but remained loyal to the Union throughout the conflict.

John moved from Tennessee to Arkansas in 1859 just before the war broke out, and because some of his sons fought for the Confederacy we have long believed that his branch supported the southern cause. However, recent findings from the Southern Claims Commission now conclusively support that John had in fact remain an ardent Union supporter and suffered much because of it. Additionally, while three of his sons and a son-in-law did fight for the Confederacy, two of them were conscripted (or drafted) against their will. You can now read about these many fascinating updates through the pages of John and separate pages of some of his children:

John B. Claiborne (1812 – 1847)

  1. Matilda Francis Claiborne (1838 – 1888)
  2. John H. Claiborne (1842 – 1932)
  3. Arthur Smith Claiborne (1847 – 1936)

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New Updates

Thanks to the ongoing work by Patricia Brown (a descendant of Sally Claybourn), we have new updates for several branches:

  • William and Mary Claybourn: William (“Bill”) was a Civil War veteran and fought alongside his brother James for about three years in the 80th Illinois Infantry Regiment. He and his wife Mary moved via covered wagons to Kansas, and then to Montana. Numerous of their descendants are listed in detail.
  • John and Ellen Claybourn: John was a Civil War veteran. He and his wife Ellen moved to Minnesota and each lived there to be 90 years old. Many details of their descendants are provided, including separate pages for three of their children listed below.
    • Mourten and Nellie Claybourne: This couple had a falling out with other members of the family and as a result purposefully changed the spelling of their surname. Many details of their well-educated descendants are provided as well, including some who are members of CGS.
    • Leslie William Claybourn: He was married at least three times. Over the years he patented over 200 printing processes and throughout his life was considered a printing process pioneer.
    • John Geronald Claybourn: John was a giant among engineers of his era. He rose in the service of the Panama Canal to become superintendent of the Dredging Division. He was also involved as a consultant in river and harbor improvement projects in several countries, primarily in Latin America.
  • Ephraim and Mary “Jennie” Claybourn: As with other members of the family, Ephraim was instrumental in construction of the Panama Canal and was eventually made superintendent of all floating equipment. Details of his many descendants are provided as well.

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