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ESCOE 

The Escoe surname is quite rare throughout the United States.
The same families have spelled it Escoe, Esco, Eascoe, Easco and other variations as well.

Nancy Oglesby was born in Georgia, possibly Elbert County.  She married  first) Johnston Pledger on
06 July 1820 in Elbert County, and  second) John Eascoe on 13 May 1826 in Jasper County. Nancy and Pledger had a daughter named  Mary.  She is listed as the orphan of S. Johnston Pledger.
Nancy is the mother of our Escoe family.

John Eascoe appeared in GA about the same time as George Esco.  It is possible that they are brothers.  The line of George Esco is well documented and he has many descendants.  George married Nancy Tiller and the Tiller lineage is prominent in both families, both in GA and Texas.  There is a record of indenture for John Eascoe.  A suppliment to the "History of Oglethorp County GA" states that the Esco family was of Spanish descent.

Court records located in Troup County, GA indicate that Nancy had an illicit affair with Zachariah Estes lasting 12 years.  They were sued by the State of Georgia for openly engaging in the affair. Estes acknowledged paternity of the Escoe children in a deed.  His Estes sons considered the Escoe boys as half-brothers.  Zachariah deeded property (slaves and cows) to the Escoe children as a way to appease their mother Nancy who was mad at him for getting married during their affair and he said he did not want the liason to cease.  Before and after his death, Nancy sued his estate and won.  The court documents listed the children as "Escoe alias Pledger".   Reuben C. Estes, half-brother, acted as the Trustee for the Escoe children in a suit against his Estes brothers James H. Estes and Miles H Estes.  Those children were:  Thomas J. Escoe, Lindsey J Escoe , Rhoda Escoe Johns, Clark L. Escoe, Bartell Escoe, Amanda Elizabeth Escoe Bagwell, Nancy Elizabeth  Escoe Henderson.
 

Georgia Troup County  Know all men by these presents that I Zachariah Estes, Senior, of The county and  state aforesaid for and in consideration of the sum of  five dollars to him in hand  paid by Reuben C. Estes  and William Lawrence the receipt whereof ishereby acknowledged as well as for and on account of  the natural  love and affection which I have and bear towards my children Thomas J. Eascoe alias Thomas J. Pledger, Lindsay J. Eascoe  alias Lindsay J. Pledger, Amanda  Elizabeth Eascoe alias Amanda Elizabeth Eascoe alias Amanda Elizabeth Pledger, Bartlett M. Eascoe, alias Bartlett M. Pledger, Rhoda Ann Pledger,  alias Rhoda Ann Pledger, Clark L. Eascoe, alias Clark L. Pledger, Nancy M. Eascoe Junior, alias Nancy M. Pledger junior,children of Nancy M. Eascoe Senior, alias Nancy M. Pledger senior and the said Zachariah Estes, seniorhas given granted bargained sold alined and conveyed and doth hereby give grant , bargain sell aline and convey to the said Reuben C. Estes and William Lawrence as trustees for the aforesaid children the following property-to wit, a certain negro girl slave by the name of Adaline about nine or ten years of age- and two cows and calves to have and to hold said negro girl slave and cows and calves to them the said Reuben C. Estes and William Lawrence in trust for the sole and exclusive benefit use and advantage of the said Thomas J Eascoe alias Thomas J. Eascoe alias Thomas J. Pledger, Lindsey J. Eascoe alias Lindsay M.  Pledger, Amanda Elizabeth Eascoe alias Amanda Elizabeth Pledger, Bartlett M. Eascoe, alias Bartlett M. Pledger, Clark L. Eascoe alias Clark L Pledger, Nancy M. Easco Junior, alias Nancy M. Pledger, junior until the youngest one comes of age or marries which event and at that time said trustees are hereby directed to sell and equally divide the proceeds of the sale of said negro girl slave and cows and calves, among said children to become theirs absolutely, and the said Zachariah Estes senior doth hereby warrant and defend the right and title of the aforesaid property to the said trustees for the use and disposition aforesaid against himself  his heirs executors Administrators and assigns and against all and every other person and persons whatever provided that nothing in this conveyance shall be so construed as to depry the said Zachariah Estes Sen. of the possession use benefit and advantage of said  property during his own life.  Given under my hand and seal this the fifteenth day of December in the year Eighteen hundred and forty seven.                                                        Z. Estes (LS) Test: A.L. Harris                         L.S. legal signature(MSA) B. M. Wilkes James M. Breland J.P.

LINDSEY JOHNSON ESCOE was born near Macon, Bibb County, Georgia on July 24,
1830, according to his granddaughter Frances E. Willard Escoe Bradford's application to the United Daughters of the Confederacy filed in 1938. Records located in Panola County, Texas courthouse state that he was born in Troupe County, Georgia.  There are some inconsistencies in his records.  His son T.J. Escoe supplied the information in Lindsey's death certificate.  He listed the birth and death dates as 1823 and 1923 but stated that Lindsey was 94 years old at his death.  He further stated that Lindsey's parents were Annie Fogle of AL and Lindsey J Escoe of GA.  This is not correct.

Lindsey married several times.  There was a first marriage in AL ( Lindsey's son William, by his first
wife, was born in Alabama. Lindsey held a land patent in AL.). Another marriage, probably his second marriage, to Rebecca Crowder on Nov 23, 1852 with a daughter Mary Ann (Mrs R B Jordan). Rebecca's father was Bartholomew Crowder. Third came a marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth Boykin (Briggs) and a fourth marriage to Indianna V. who must be Virginia Escoe, his widow.  Virginia filed to receive Lindsey's Civil War service pension.  She stated that his name was Lindsey "Jackson" Escoe which is not correct.  Included in the pension papers was an affidavit from Lindsey's daughter, Mrs. Mollie Jordan, who then resided in Randolph County GA in 1928.  She said that she remembered her father during the Civil War years.  Lindsey received a land patent in Randolph County Al in 1860.  Though Lindsey joined the Confederacy in AL, his unit was mustered in at La Grange, GA. Virginia not only got Lindsey's middle name wrong on her application, she also stated her date of birth wrong and was initially denied the pension.

Censuses in Panola County, Texas indicate that Lindsey's and Thomas's  parents were born in Georgia.
Censuses before 1830 have no Escoe names listed.  The reason for this is that a variant spelling was used on those documents.  The brother Clark Leonard Escoe lived in Washington County, Texas.

Records of the General Land Office - Bureau of Land Patents show that Linzey J. Escoe of Randolph County, AL purchased 40 acres of land offered for sale at Centre AL in 1860.  It is signed on behalf of  President James Buchanan.

Lindsey Johnson Escoe The early records concerning LINDSEY JOHNSON ESCOE are his Civil War military records. Lindsey enlisted April 15, 1862 near LaGrange, Georgia in the 14th Batallion, Georgia Light Artillery, known as Montgomery's Batallion. He served in companys C and G, and also in Captain Farrell's Battery and Captain Anderson's Battery. He received $50 bounty in addition to his pay.  Bounties were usually enlistment incentives. The 14th Georgia Light Artillery was a paper organization, meaning that it was a designation shared by 6 different batteries, A thru F, each of which served independently from the others. There was thus no "Batallion" but merely a scattering of bits and pieces that called themselves a batallion but never functioned as a whole. These various parts of the battalion fought in the Army of Tennessee, in the Atlanta Campaign, the Invasion of Tennessee and finally surrendered in North Carolina on April 26, 1865. Battle Flag of the 14th GA Light Artillery Regiment

Thomas J. Escoe Lindsey's brother, THOMAS J ESCOE, was a Private in the 21st Georgia Infantry, Company F, Army of Northern Virginia, Troup County GA, Ben Hill Volunteers. He was wounded at Hazel River, Virginia on August 22, 1862 and at Charlestown, West Virginia on August 21, 1864. This unit served in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia for most of the war. In early 1862 it fought in Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Then Jackson's troops moved to eastern Virginia to join Lee's Army. It fought in the Seven Days battle and then moved to join Northern Virginia to fight in the 2nd Battle of Manassas where the 21st Georgia lost 76% casualties. The 60 or so who were still on their feet after the 2nd Manassas went to Maryland with General Lee and fought at Antietam. The regiment fought again at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg where it lost 30 more casualties. In April 1864 it fought in the seige of Plymouth, Virginia and then served in the defense of Richmond for several months.  Then the 21st Georgia moved back to the Shenandoah Valley to fight in an army commanded by Jubal Early. This army was defeated by overwhelming numbers of Federal troops under General Sheridan.  Main battles included Winchester, Cedar Creek and skirmishes in the Charleston, West Virginia area, where Thomas was wounded at the battle of Hazel River. After the defeat at Cedar Creek, the 21st Georgia fought in the trenches at Petersburg until it fell and then on with General Lee to Appomattox Courthouse. 55 survivors surrendered with General Lee on April 9, 1865.

(note:  My ancestor Joseph Hutt also fought at the Seige of Petersburg with the 48th Regt NYS Volunteers)

Uncle Tom  - Thomas J Escoe

According to stories told by Lindsey Escoe [son of Edward Carroll Escoe], Thomas J. Escoe returned home after the Civil War to find his farm burned to the ground and his family gone. He was never able to locate them. When "Uncle Tom" came to live with his brother Lindsey, his horse, saddle and rifle and the clothes on his back were his only posessions . THe story appears to be incorrect because Thomas was, in fact, married to Mary Mahalia Barheche, daughter of Unip Barheche who was a full blooded Creek Indian. After the Civil War the family moved to Texas and later to Oklahoma and was registered with the Dawes Commission, part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Thomas was one of 55 men survuvung from his regiment to surrender at Appamatox with General Lee.

LINDSEY JOHNSON ESCOE was married first to a woman with whom he had a son, William Marion, who was born in Alabama in 1859. William appears in the 1880 Panola County, Texas census and is identified as a son from a previous marriage. Lindsey's wife at that time (1880) was ELIZABETH BRIGGS, born in Tennessee. Also listed is Lindsey's stepdaughter, Mattie Boykin, aged 13, and a mother-in-law, Mary Cockrell.  Marriage records in the Panola County courthouse show Lindsey married Mrs. Elizabeth Boykin on July 24, 1869. It appears from that information that Elizabeth was born a Briggs and then she married, first, a Mr. Boykin and, second, Lindsey. Elizabeth died in 1892.

 
In Panola County, Texas, Lindsey and his son Thomas were cotton farmers and they also had a syrup mill known far and wide for the fine quality of ribbon cane syrup produced there.

Lindsey remarried for a third time before the 1910 census which shows him living at the home of his son T.J. with the wife, Indianna, designated by T.J. as "stepmother".

In the 1920 census for Panola County is the following:
Lindsey J Escoe, age 90, birthplace GA, wife Virginia Escoe, age 64, birthplace AL.
This may be Indianna V.  Virginia filed for Lindsey's Civil War pension as his widow.

According to the published obituary of Lindsey J. Escoe, he died October 13, 1923 at the
age of 94 of a long term illness. He resided at Elysian Fields, was buried at Bracken
Burial Ground. He was survived by his sons, Prof. A. Escoe of Marshall, T.J. Escoe,
daughter Mrs. J.E. Whitaker of Carthage. Came to Texas from Tennessee in 1867; was a
good citizen and neighbor. There is some information missing in the obituary, specifically
his other surviving children.  There is no proof that Lindsey was in Tennessee.

Records in Panola County TX also indicate that an L.J. Escoe married a J.O.Smart in 1896. It is possible that this is a son of
Lindsey though he does not appear in any other family obituaries as a son or survivor of
our Escoe ancestors. This may be our ancestor Lindsey with an error made in the date of
death, 1933 instead of 1923. If the dates are accurate, it is likely that he is a son of Lindsey
and that would mean that Annie Fogle was the first wife of our earliest ancestor.
Hard to believe Lindsey married that many times.  To further confuse the names, Lindsey's last
wife had a sister, Mrs. Joe Smart.

The Panola County records show T.J. was born in 1868 though his parents were not
married until 15 months later. Though this is the official record, until the early 1900's,
Texas birth records were not required and delayed records were often filed years later.
This often caused descrepancies in dates.

Lindsey's known children were:

WILLIAM MARION ESCOE, born 1859 in Alabama, from Lindsey's first marriage to
Annie Fogle. He married Mattie Boykin, his stepsister. Mattie was born 20 Dec 1867 at  Mansfield, DeSoto, LA.    Their children: Donie Blanche born in 1908 who married William Arthur Fish, and William Lumpkin Escoe born 1893 in
DeBerry, Panola County.

THOMAS JEFFERSON ESCOE, born 1868 in Texas and married Belle Tiller, daughter of George Carter Tiller and Martha Elizabeth "Mattie" Crenshaw, prominent settlers of
East Texas. Much history has been written in several books about the Tiller family. Thomas's
children were:
     1.)  Lloyd,  born in 1897 but Lloyd died young in 1914 while being transported to
Shreveport, Louisiana for medical assistance for appendecitis. At the time of his death,
Lloyd was a teacher at Mt. Pleasant school in Elysian Fields.
     2.)  Thomas Ewell, born in 1894 and later married to Lillian Mahan. They had a son
Thomas Ewell Escoe, Jr.,  born in 1923 and who later married Elizabeth Anne Davis,
parents of a son Thomas Ewell Escoe III born in 1943 and  still living in Elysian Fields,
Texas..
     3.)  T.J. may have had a daughter named Ivy.
     4.)  twins T.J. and B. were born and died on the same day.

ALONZO ESCOE was born in 1870 and married Anne Taylor in 1895.
Anne was the daughter of Walter William Taylor 1859-1942. Their children were Lonzo
born 1901; Mossie born 1904; Hellis born 1909; Aubrey born 1908; twins L & A who
died at birth.  Alonzo was involved with education in Panola County and was
superintendant of Carthage Public Schools until his death in 1934 from a heart attack.
According to his published obituary, he is buried in Algoma Cemetary in Marshall, Texas.
His survivors are listed as his spouse, Annie, sons Aubrey and Alonzo, Jr, daughters Mrs.
Bell Smith and Belba Escoe and a grandson. These names do not match exactly the 1910
census.  The additional children listed in the obituary were probably born after the 1910
census was taken.

DIDERMA ESCOE was born in 1871 in Texas. She married John R. Jones in Panola
County in 1886.

SARAH JANE ESCOE was born December 9, 1874 in DeBerry, Panola County, Texas.
She married J.E.Whitaker in 1898 and had two children, L.J. (Whit), and Ivie. Her obituary
states that she died December 27, 1931 and had resided at Mitchell Community.
She was survived by her husband, son L.J. and daughter Mrs. Ivie Rhea, brothers T.J.,
Alonzo, and Rev. Edward C. Escoe, sisters Mrs. W.G. Miller and Mrs. J.T. Dean, and was
preceeded in death by three children. Sarah was described as "patient, kind, and tender,
could adapt to view of younger generation instead of condemning their wayward ways."

Mrs. MOLLIE Jordan, who in 1928 gave an affidavit to the pension application of Mrs.Virginia Escoe,
that she was the daughter of Lindsey, and resided in Randolph County, GA.

CHARLEY ESCOE was born in 1872 in Texas and died there in 1882. He is buried at
Bracken Cemetary.

EDWARD CARROLL ESCOE was born June 6, 1878 in Elysian Fields, Texas, about 8
miles north of Beckville.  Panola County records show he was actually born in Deberry.
He married Bessie Crawford June 2, 1897. Edward and Bessie attended early school
together. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren referred to them as "Big Pappa and
Big Mama".   Strong in formalities and the social graces, it is said that Big Pappa arrived
at the dinner table each day wearing his suit coat. Their daughter Bess Adelia had
posession of a school writing slate in which Edward carved the names "Edward + Bess"
into the wooden frame.

Edward Carroll Escoe, Ivy (Whitaker) Rhea, Bessie Crawford  Escoe

 
Their children were:
Frances E. Willard Escoe, born 1898 in DeBerry, Panola County, Texas;
Bess Adelia Escoe, born December 12, 1901 in Panola County;
Edward C. Escoe, born 1905/6  who died at about age 9
Lindsey Johnson Escoe., born 1908.

Edward Carroll Escoe was a Methodist Minister for 45 years in the Texas Conference. Some of the towns where he was assigned were Lewisville, Pilot Point, Kaufman, Bullard, Swan, Flint, Mt Pleasant, Whitehouse, Crandall and Cushing. He died of cancer in 1947.

Children Of  EDWARD  CARROLL ESCOE and BESSIE A CRAWFORD were:

Frances E. Willard Escoe Bradford 1898 - 1958

FRANCES E. WILLARD ESCOE, daughter of Edward Carroll Escoe and Bessie Crawford, was born in BeBerry, Panola County, Texas on June 10, 1898. After attending Jacksonville College as a resident student 1916-1920, she married Robert Roy Bradford. They had no children. Frances was active in several clubs and organizations in the Tyler area where she lived throughout her adult life. Her nieces and their families called her "Auntie Frances".  After Frances's death from cancer in 1958, Robert Bradford remarried. He was a career-long employee of Cotton Belt Railroad.

Bess Adelia Escoe was born in 1901.  She married Joseph Winston Hutt in 1926.  They had 2 daughters, Ella Frances born in 1927 and Jo Ann born  in 1929., both children born in Houston.  Bess and Joseph divorced in 1939.  Adelia was a legal secretary in Houston for the firms of Vinson and  Elkins and later Andrews, Kurth, Campbell and Jones. The latter law firm reperesented Hughes Tool and later managed the estate of billionaire Howard Hughes.  Before her retirement in 1972, Adelia was the personal secretary of James Baker III, former Chief Of Staff to Ronald Reagan, Campaign Manager for George Bush,  Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. He led the election campaigns of presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush and served in all three administrations.. Bess Adelia was called "Pabessie" by her 5 grandchildren.  She was a long-time resident of Pasadena, Texas and died in 1983 after a long illness.

EDWARD C. ESCOE, Jr. was born 1905/6. He died at about age 9 in 1912. Adelia took the author to visit his grave in 1958 though I do not remember it's location now. It is somewhere west of Houston

LINDSEY JOHNSON ESCOE,was born in 1908 in Panola County. He served as a Military Chaplain in Europe during WW II. He married first, Mildred Singleton of Vidor, Texas, where they made their home. Shortly before his death, he remarried, and nothing is known of his second wife. He had no children. Lindsey had a vast knowledge of the ESCOE family history and often shared an oral history when the family gathered together for holiday celebrations. His hobby was gardening and a horticultural center in Beaumont, Texas is named for his first wife, Mildred. Lindsey was an Elder in the Methodist Church in Beaumont. He owned his father's family Bible and his grandmother's spinning wheel and the rifle that belonged to his uncle Thomas J. Escoe during the Civil War.

The ESCOE name died out in our direct  family line when the last son had no children.
Descendants of Alonzo and T.J. Escoe still live in the Carthage and Elysian Fields areas of
Panola County.

SEE ALSO ESCOE NOTES

See also Escoe Family Album

________________________________________________________________
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.   Marriage Records, Panola County Courthouse
2.   Panola County History Book, published 1976
3.   Correspondence, Mr. David Hill, Longview, Texas
4.   Correspondence, Dr. Daniel Chamness, Tyler, Texas
5.   Obituaries Recorded in Panola County, Texas 1873-1920
       Published by East Texas Genealogical Society
6.   1936-1949 Panola County Obituaries, Published by East Texas    Genealogical Society
7.   1880 Texas Census, Panola County
8.   1890 Texas Census, Panola County
9.   1900 Texas Census, Panola County
10. 1910 Texas Census, Panola County
11. 1920 Texas Census, Marion County
12. DEEP EAST TEXAS FOLK, a history of Tiller family
13. TILLER COUNTRY, by Mary Lynn Wier, published 1976.
14. INDEX TO PANOLA COUNTY CEMETARIES, p.49
15.  Court Documents, Troup Co, GA
16.  GA Marriage Records before 1850
17.  US Govt Land Records Office
18.  GA in the Civil War
19.  Ancestry.com
20.  Family Lineage of George Escoe
21. History Of Oglethorp GA, suppliment

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