McCauley, Hankins, Hopkins & Taylor Families

John R. Petty was born about 1836 in Tennessee. He married Margaret Thomas 20
Sep 1857 in Whitfield County, Georgia. Census records show John & Margaret in
McMinn County, Tennessee in 1860 and Logan County, Kentucky in 1870. Based on
birth places listed in census records for their children they moved from Tennessee to
Georgia after the 1860 census was taken and before April, 1861 when their daughter,
Samantha, was born in Dalton (Whitfield County), Georgia. Two other children were
born in Georgia in 1865 & 1867. Between 1867 and 1870, they moved to Kentucky
and their 3 youngest children were born there between 1871 - 1874.

John has not been located in the 1880 Census. Oral family history says that he left the
family and that he & Margaret may have gotten a divorce. Most of their children were
living in Forsyth County, Georgia in 1880 with Margaret's sister, Mary Echols and it is
believed that Margaret had died by that time. (There is a record in Whitfield County for
a marriage on 25 Apr 1878 for John R. Petty & M. C. Bohanan. It is unclear if this is
same John R. Petty but it could be.)

There were Petty's in Bradley County, Tennessee that could have been our John's
family. In 1860, there is a family headed by a John Petty (51) living with Martha (21),
Rash (19), James (16), Joseph (14), Angeline (12) & Mary (9). (In 1860, our John &
Margaret were living in McMinn County which adjoins Bradley.) Our John was 24 in
1860 making his age in line for him to be a sibling in this family.

Based on a newspaper clipping about Samantha Petty Hankins, we know that her
father served in the Confederate Army and that they lived in Dalton, Georgia during
the war.

The Tennessee 43rd Infantry, Company I (Confederate Army) had a Sergeant John R.
Petty as well as Pvts. James, Joseph and R. P. Petty. This company was formed in
Bradley County, Tennessee. Our John R. was probably living in Whitfield County,
Georgia at the time he joined the Confederacy but Whitfield is adjacent to the south of
Bradley County so it’s possible that he would have joined from there (especially if
these other 3 Petty’s were his brothers). It seems very likely that James, Joseph & R.
P are the 3 brothers listed in 1860 in Bradley County. (Later census records list Rash
as Rash P. & R. P.)

In 1870, John & Margaret were living in Logan County, Kentucky and there was a
Joseph Petty living near them. Joseph was the right age to be the Joseph from Bradley
County and since he was living near John, this seems to further indicate a
relationship. Three of John & Margaret's children had names found in the Bradley
County Petty family. While Mary & Joseph are very common, Angeline (which was their
daughter Samantha's middle name) is less so.

Please e-mail me if you have information about these Bradley County, TN Petty's or our
John R. Petty.