Nunnally's of Chestnut Ridge

02/01/2026

William Jones house was located where the k is located on Brocks Gap

William GW house was located to the left of the c in Black Creek

Added William Jones house in black and William GW in red

02/01/2026

This is who we think is Zilphy. That would mean this picture would have to be taken before 1900

01/20/2026

A couple of you have asked so I'll update everyone.

When we were placing the "in memory of" headstone for William GW and Zilphy we noticed the dates for Jones and Mary Griffin looked "off"

The date for Jones was 1799 to 1836. If you line those dates up with the battle of Horseshoe Bend that would mean he would be a captain at the age of 15. We believe it is more In the 1790 range. The issue is finding enough documentation to change it.

Mary Griffin was living with William GW in the 1870 census. If you line the dates up with her that would mean she would be around 80. A closer look at the census reveals that it was Zilphys sister and not her mother born in 1818

The 1850 census states Mary was 56 which would make her born in 1794. She also homesteaded land next to William GW in 1856. No mention after 1860.

We'll keep digging

01/19/2026

01/16/2026

The mysteries of William GW and Zilphy

1. Burial place of William GW and Zilphy. William GW died in 1873. This was verified after meeting with the descendants of William GW jr. They stated he told them that his died right after he was born. Zilphy died in 1906. That would mean all of her grandchildren would be old enough to remember where she was buried. This was not passed down

2. John C Nunnally. He was the 2nd son of William GW and Zilphy. He was a miner. After his father died, he paid taxes on the farm until the mid 1880s. I did find records of receipts from the Woodward company store around 1882. Family genealogy says he died in the mines. Never married.

3. Sarah Nunnally. She was born in 1856 and died around 1930. She never married. She was more of a caretaker to her mother. The mystery part is after the 1900 census, no records can be found outside of family genealogy

01/06/2026

Hattie's medical report in 1911 mentioned 9 of 12 living children.

We know their adult son John passed in 1908. I have heard the story passed down that a son named Clyde choked on a marble. Don't know when he was born or how old.

The million dollar question is who is the 3rd child. At Mars Hill cemetery William Jones and Hattie have 6 plots. William Jones, Hattie, John and 2 grandchildren Melvin (Lawrence child) and Minnie's child.

Is the other one Clyde? If so, where is their other child.

01/06/2026

William Jones and Hattie's son John is another interesting side story.

The story I heard was he died from exposure or pneumonia after working on a bridge.

The article I found said he passed at his sister's house (Kate) after a "protracted illness" of rheumatism.

He would have been about 3 at the time of the attack. We are not 100% sure he was in the house or at Grandma's.

His oral history would have been valuable as he knew of Grandma and where she would have been buried. Also, probably knew where William GW was buried.

Never passed down

01/05/2026

The true story behind Hattie's stay at Bryce

By 1911, she had been under the care of the local Dr. for a while. Under his recommendation, William Jones and his daughter Kate took her to Bryce hospital.

The transcript stated she was convinced a black spirit was trying to kill her family. They had to lock the doors at night to keep her inside. When you are admitted to Bryce, you submit your medical history. She stated she had 9 living children out of 12. I knew of one child and one adult who had passed but that adds one more child.

She was admitted in October. She was very malnourished and still had visions of the black spirit. Treatment continued and William Jones went to visit and tried to take her home. She refused.

She passed away at Bryce in 1912 of "natural causes"

01/04/2026

By 1885, William Jones and Hattie were married for 5 years and had 3 children. Mother in law lived on the property 1 mile from their homestead. A 30 year old working farm.

Then the incident that everyone heard about, happened. This is about fact. This is about perseverance. This is about survival.

According to the article, William Jones was out working in his field when his wife was attacked, beaten unconscious and r***d. The article stated she was out walking on a trail and was "jumped". Then taken back to the house, beaten and r***d. Lawrence wrote a first hand account of the attack. Lawrence said he ran to Grandma's house to get help.

Of course this made the news. A name was given to the assailant. A description of the assailant was sent to the local cities and the governor put out an award..

The name was Green Harrington, alias Wallace Burks. He had worked as a miner around Helena. Oral history says a group of men searched for the assailant, found him and took care of him. They identified him by scars that Hattie made by throwing hot water on him. The article says he did have a scare on his face. Another article stated he was also accused of murdering a couple in Clanton. Here is where it gets interesting. Oral history states that the family was part of the posse that got him. The newspaper states a man looking like him was brought in to be identified several times but never positively identified. Lawmen looked as far as Nashville.

Where everything lines up is after the murder of the couple in Clanton, he was caught sometime after that and "burned at the stake"

It is not clear the amount of time between Hatties attack and the attack on the family in Clanton. Were they on the trail and finally caught him? The article also states he was wanted for other similar crimes.

What is absolutely clear is his name is never mentioned after this. That is the end of Green Harrington.

01/03/2026

Next up is the barn burning incident.

I had heard that the barn was burned down. Didn't have a date or reason.

According to the newspaper article, William Jones Nunnally was ambushed when he was out in his field.

In 1920 (he was 70) William J was out working in his field when he was fired on a couple of times. The article also states he was shot at while inside the house. His barn was also burned down.

The identity of the assailant was unknown.

01/03/2026

First up, my grandfather, Jones Ernest Nunnally

The question has always been why why he moved away before his father died.

He was born in 1900. He was in the 1910 census, living at home. In 1918 he registered for WW1 while working for Eureka mines. The Nunnallys were skipped in the 1920 census. After his father died in 1926, he had a claim made against his part of the estate. That has always been a mystery.

He ended up in Detroit and married.

Now we know what happened.

He was arrested in 1925 for making whiskey and beer. Went to trial and was convicted. Sentenced to 1 year and he appealed. Lost the appeal and fled to Detroit.

The amount of money he owed (I am assuming to lawyers) was worth 7,500

01/01/2026

I have been doing some research and looking at some old newspaper articles.

Some good things happened out there and some bad things happened out there. I want to clear up the stories that we all have heard. This will focus on their perseverance.

New post coming.