(Page last updated Feb 09, 2024)

Polly, wife of Benjamin White was the daughter of John C and Sarah [Howard] Nix.

The grand daughter of Benjamin & Millicent 'Milly' Weeks Nix.

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**PROPERTY MAP to left - Ben & Polly's land below John G White

**& to Right of Charles Tapp's land.

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Polly & Ben married bet 1840/1841, in Union County South Carolina.

they had at least 8 known children.

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Ben and Polly [Nix] White, had the following children:

Thomas M--1841-1923---m. Marthia O Harris--11 Aug, 1875 TX.

Marion C----1844-1884---m. Louise C Helms-----23 Dec 1869 TX.

William P----1846-1919---m.1st.WinifredCollins 1871,2d AnneWebb 16Jan1898 TX

Susan V------1848-1855---Believe this is actually Louise V...

Louise V------1848-1904---m.Archibald Conner--abt. 1876 TX.

Benjamin F--1851-1930---m.AbilouHelms 1876, HattieShelby1878, SallieJacobs 1917 TX

Charles-------1853-1860---Died as young child.

John G--------1855-1892---m. Samantha Stafford 1882 TX.

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Polly's known siblings were:

baby Nix--------------1819-1819--------m. Died as baby

Polly-------------------1821-1855--------m. Benjamin White--------------------------abt1840/41

Sarah Ann------------1825-bef1860----m.1.Benjamin Nix-1stcousin------ ----------abt-1843

Caroline C------------1828-1865?-------m. N Butler Thomas---------------------------------1849

Ann 'Annie'-----------1830-1903--------m. Rodger Watson------------------------------------1849

Ellen S 'Elinor'-------1834-1866--------m. 1st Jas Hurt 1855, 2d Nathan Jackson------1861

John B Clemmons--1835-1926--------m.1st Nancy Akin 1859/60,2dEleanorHerring-1886

Martha-----------------No Info. -----------m. said to have married a N Jackson--------No date

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**The fate of Ben and Polly's children after the parents early deaths:

1) Thomas M White 1860 Census living with his grandfather Elias White

2) Marion C White 1860 Census living with his Aunt Martha Alford (Elias's dau)

3) William P White 1860 Census living with Uncle John G White (Elias's son)

4) Susan V White Possibly died before 1858 (this may be Louisa V White instead

of Susan V White?)

5) Louisa V White Born Oct 1848, 1858 enrolled in school for the deaf, Ellis Co TX,

1870 Census Louisa is living with Brother Wm P White,

1876 marries Archibald Conner, also deaf, met at deaf school.

1880 Living in Pottsboro Grayson Co TX, 1892 Martin Springs.

Update: Jan 30, 2014: Recent discovery by descendants Janet

and Betty.

6) Joseph F White 1860 Census living with Aunt Mary C Tapp (Elias's dau)

(This is actually, Benjamin Franklin White, also called

Frank and Franklin... The Joseph may be an error, or

changed his name to Benjamin, after his father...

7) Charles White Born 1853 may have died before 1860 no records.

8) John G White 1860 Census living with a John Dunaway family.

Note: In 1869 there was a J. Dunnway - member

Boston Masonic Lodge #69.

1870 living with Brother Marion C White.

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Polly's Mother Sarah Howard Nix Story:

Pioneer Story

Sarah A. [Howard] Nix

[Tanscribed]

SOURCE: Article

From Chris Hobson's

Column: Texarkana Ark-Tex

Two States Press

Thursday, December 16th, 1948

Out of the long ago comes the Story of Sarah Nix, a courageous Pioneer, who made the first settlement inside the corporate limits of Texarkana. As Sarah Howard She was born in 1800 in Union District South Carolina, where her father had moved his family from Buncombe County, Virginia, during the latter part of the 18th Century. In 1816, she was married to John C. Nix and that she was the mother of seven children, all girls except the youngest, John B. The first Child died six months after birth, but the others lived to be grown and married. Mrs Nix became a widow when John B. was but three days old, which was on the 30th of November 1836.Some years later two of her daughters had married. One of them was the son of her cousin William Nix, and the other was with Benjamin White xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx And as Sarah Nix wanted to be near her daughters, she decided to migrate with them. Soon a company of five families, with 13 wagons, started overland to Texas, in the year of 1845. The Party consisted of the families of Mrs. Nix, William Nix, Benjamin White, Samuel and Jerry Bobo. After a long and tedious journey, beset by much trial and sickness, they at length arrived at the present site of Texarkana on Feb. 14, 1846. A considerable distance still lay between them and the place of destination. The season was growing late and they realized that they would be unable to grow a crop after getting to Houston county, so they decided to stop here and grow a crop, then go on to destination the following autumn. Sarah Nix stopped the first season at what was then known as the Dr, Birmingham place. Benjamin Nix rented farming lands from Eli Moore's. Samuel Bobo worked around from place to place at first, but later made a settlement on the Sulphur river, which became known as Bobo's Ferry. .Jerry Bobo settled about 12 miles west of Texarkana at first, but finally moved across the Sulphur River into what later became Cass County, Texas. He died soon afterward.

The Union Army, enroot to Mexico, passed along the Boston road, & John B. Nix, then 9

years of age sold his crop of watermelons to the soldieries. In the fall of 1846, Mrs. Nix looked around for a suitable site for a homestead, and selected section 39, township 15, range 28, in the present Miller county Arkansas. Soon a small house , made of pine poles, was erected. Mrs. Nix lived there until John B. was grown, and then he built a hewed log house for her. When she reached this part of The country, Mrs. Nix had little money, and depended on obtaining her home by homestead or public entry. In 1853 congress made a public grant of lands to the Cario and Fulton railroad, to aid Them in building a road, and all lands were withdrawn from the market, however, actual settlers already on a settlement were permitted to file claims in the land office to perfect titles by payment of the government price when the Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Her claim according to law in 1863, When the railroad came to Texarkana in 1873, the charter had passed from the Cairo and Fulton to the Iron Mountain, and it was not possible for her to obtain a perfect title under 20 years from the time when she filed her claim at the land office in Washington Ark. When John B. Nix was an infant, his grandfather in South Carolina made a deed of gift to forty acres of land in the state, which was for his grandson. The land could not be sold until John B. was old enough to select his own guardian, which he did in 1852. His brother-in-law, Ben Nix, was chosen, and he in turn, employed a lawyer in South Carolina to attend to the sale. The property was worth $1200. It was sold and the lawyer sent Nix a check for $50, which was cashed by Cuily and Edwards who had a short time before, begun a mercantile business at Rondo. In his anxiety to secure a home for his mother, Nix requested that the money be put on deposit in the land office at Washington Ark., to be held in trust until such time as it could be used in the purchase of their home. The $50 was all he ever received from the sale of the land in South Carolina. The government held that money in trust for 20 years, under pledge to keep Mrs. Nix's claim in trust until such time as she could be allowed to take a full and final payment, but eventually the government compelled her to accept a title to only one-fourth of the file claim, on the plea that she had paid for that amount at a time when the government denied her right to make purchase at all. Sarah Nix braved the trails of frontier life, and had endured the hardships that went with the making of a settlement in a wilderness country. She had traveled hundreds of miles overland, in the midst of high waters, with but few facilities for crossing them, endured the discomforts of winter and sickness to open up a new home for herself and her children, yet, through a plea that was justifiable on Mrs. Nix's failure to comply with red tape requirements, much of her property was taken from her. John B. Nix made an outstanding fight to secure a just settlement, and the money for his fight was earned by hard arduous labor by his blacksmith shop which was at that time situated near the present site of the water works on East Ninth Street. Finally, he realized that the fight was hopeless, and submitted to the ruling. Mrs. Nix remained a widow to the end of her life. When in her 63rd year, an accident caused her death as she rode horseback. She was on her way to visit her daughter. Mrs. Nathan Jackson, when rain began falling. As she endeavored to open her umbrella the umbrella the horse became frightened and ran away. When the excited animal brushed under a slooping tree, Mrs. Nix was fatally injured. She was found and cared for, but lived only a short time three of her daughters, who were single when she came to this part of the country, married, One became Mrs. N. B Thomas, another Mrs. Rodger Watson, and the third, Mrs. Nathan Jackson, John B. Nix marred and had four daughters xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Crow, Mrs. Julia Tullus, and Mrs. Martha E. McDonald, S. R. McDonald, who married Martha E. Nix, was Texarkana's first machinist of importance. He established the Twin City Foundry and Machine Company, which is now operated by his sons, Charles P. and Sam Jr. Other sons and daughters of the McDonalds are Douglas, Allen Idele, Chris, Clarence, Lofton, of Shreveport, and Doris, Mrs. P. O. Baxter. Sam McDonald married Ethel Williams, and they have a daughter, Martha J. and a son William Howard (the Howard is in honor of the family of Sarah Nix) Charles P. married the former Gertrude Slaughter, and they recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. Many years have passed since the widow Nix and her fellow pioneers drove their wagons to what is now Texarkana. At that time they thought their stay was but for a season, but they remained to help blaze the trail for a bright and prosperous future for a proud city. There were no – Flowersy beds of ease in the frontier life of Sarah Nix. She knew hard work, trails, and disappointments, but she walked tall in the sum, fearless, indomitable, honorable. And so 102 years later, we salute the arrival in Texarkana of Sarah Nix, the courageous pioneer who made the city's first settlement.

Notes From Mike White:

Sarah is my 3xGr Grandmother, mother of Polly [Nix}White wife of Benjamin White.

lines marked 'xxxxxxx' Equal=missing text, or I just couldn't figure it out...

I had volunteer's at a local Texarkana college attempt to locate and send me a copy

of this article, they couldn't locate this article???.If the article is lost this may be

the only record we have...

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