JOHN P. PINKERTON 

The following bio was taken from page 343 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

 Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

 Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

 In 1882 John P. Pinkerton, with his wife and children, some of whom were married, left Tennessee for Texas.  John, the son of James and Catherine (Satterfield) Pinkerton, had lived in Lincoln County, Tennessee, where he farmed and taught school.  It was there, in 1858, that he married Margaret R., daughter of Edon and Lucinda (Shepard) Templeton.

 The Pinkerton family settled near Minden, where John (1837-1918) and Margaret (1840-1899) were both buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery.

 Their children were: Emeritta (b. 1859) married J.C. George; John William (b. 1861)) married Manda Banks; James Robert (b. 1863); Betty (b. 1865) married William White; George P. (b. ca 1867); Mattie (b. 1871) married J.W. Evans; Thomas Frank (b. 1873); Henry Claude (b. 1875) married Leona Orr; Lela Mae (b. 1877) married George Bosworth; and Ella B. (b. 1881) married Henry Tipps.

  The trip to Texas was not an uneventful one.  They were required to stop for while in Indian Territory.  There James Walter, son of John William and Manda Pinkerton, was born in May of 1882.  It is said that during this time Indians stole a child from the Pinkerton family but that the child was recovered.

 In 1879 John William married Manda Louise, daughter of Solomon and Matilda (Reynolds) Banks of Franklin County, Tennessee.  Manda’s maternal grandparents were John and Malinda (Banks) Reynolds.  John W. and Manda lived for a while in Rusk County, later moving to Tyler.  Manda (b. 1865) died in 1911 and John died in 1916.

 John and Manda’s other children were: Alma (Mary Henry Chapman), Fred W., Cleavie (Mrs. Arby Cox), Ester (Mrs. Bob Higdon), Eva (Mrs. L.T. Anderson), Edna (Mrs. Barham Boles), Ruby (Mrs. Lynn), and Lucille (Mrs. Milas Farris).

 Submitted by Ruth Cohimia