The Search for William Malone

I was surprised!

“ Insurmountable,” is the pile of people named William Malone who populated the South and nearly match the man who is the subject of this long search and my note to you last week.

William, born in 1849, was the son of John W. and Caroline Little Malone late of Paulding County, Georgia.

My relationship is that Caroline's sister, Sarah Favours Little, married my great-great-grandfather, John Bomar.

It is quite a stretch, this line between me and those great-grands. The only other person who cares is “Little Miss Phillips,” who is too young by generations to be vested in this old stuff, but she is and I'm grateful.

The first public mention of William is in a copy of “The Atlanta Intelligencer” from November 18, 1857, reading: “Whereas Ephriam Pray applies to me for letters of Guardianship of the person and property of William Malone, orphan of John Malone, deceased…. etc.” It was ordered by Ruben Crawford Beavers, Judge of Ordinary of Campbell County, another relative but from another tree.

Then a story in the May 22, 1881, “Weekly Constitution” of William Malone, a brakeman on the West Point Line, “who fell on the tracks and had his right arm severed and three fingers from his left hand.”

The May 20, 1884, edition of “The Weekly Constitution” revealed that Governor McDaniel signed the pardon of William Malone, who was serving a prison sentence at “Lowes Camp in Graysville.” This Malone, hopefully not ours, was pardoned because of an 'incurable illness.” No more on that.

“The Atlanta Georgian and News” of December 16, 1911, carried a story about a man, “who was covered in snow, being chased by woman who trailed him from the Hotel Sherman. Sargent William L. Malone and two detectives tried to hide the man from the woman, but she saw him and . . . .' that's where the story ended.

Finding someone born in 1849 filtered from all the “almost fits” is an interesting task. It should be easier by knowing the name of his parents and younger sister, “Missouri” Malone.

There was a William L. Malone who married Emily Mills in Travis County, Texas in 1876. He was born in 1848 and that is close. They had a son.

There was a man named “Peachy” Malone whose sister “Missouri” lived with him in Alabama and later Texas. It looked good but the dates were all wrong.

There was a school teacher in a nearby town named William Malone. There is a Malone Street up town. There was a William Malone who built chimneys around here but there is something wrong with all of them. None of them fit.

It was so common to spread west in the 1800's that I think William L. Malone and Missouri just dropped off the page somewhere. There might be a family, descendants of William who wonder where he came from, and here we are wondering where he went.

joenphillips@yahoo.com

By Joe Phillips Dear Me