Individual Details
Nancy Emily Sawyer
(24 Dec 1838 - 21 Apr 1918)
She is in the caption (provided by Deborah Penny in September 2001) to a 1909 photo taken outside her home in Italy, Texas, as being the wife of Daniel Eli Briles, Sr. Thus, we know that she was alive in 1909. That same caption calls her "Mother Briles" and gives her name as "Nancy Emily Sawyer Briles."
The copy of this photo in the possession of the Worthie Elwood Briles family was given to Elwood's son David Elwood Briles by Elwood's mother Leona Connally Briles on one of the numerous visits David paid to Leona and her husband and David's paternal grandfather Worthy Harwood Briles while David was a student at the University of Texas between 1963 and 1967.
Jack E. Briles of New Albany, Indiana, provided the names of her parents. He also gives her name as "Nancy Emily Sawyer."
She is listed as Emily in the 1850 Federal Census for Randolph County, NC, from which her age can be extracted as 1838. As this point, am sticking with the 1839 birth date provided by her descendants.
The 1880 Census (see below) gives her first name as Emily, not Nancy.
However, her headstone (see below) lists her as "Mrs. N. E. Briles," which would indicate that her name was "Nancy Emily" not "Emily Nancy." We give her name here as "Nancy Emily" and assume that she generally went by her middle name of "Emily" rather than by her first name "Nancy."
Other of her descendants provide her birth date as 1838.
Her descendants describe her as a small woman with brown eyes. Several say that her ancestors were from Scotland.
One descendant says that she died in the spring of 1918.
The 1910 U.S. Census in the 8th Judicial Precinct of Ellis County, Texas (Series T624, Roll 1549, Page 274) [Note that this particular census taker was not very careful! A number of mistakes are known in the data below, all of which are noted. Thus, one does not know whether the other data are correct.] The census was taken on April 5, 1910:
Emily M. Briles [We know from other sources that her second initial was "N" for "Nancy."], Head of household, white, female, 71 years old, born in NC, parents born in NC, married 1 time, widowed for 17 years (agrees with facts know from other sources; her husband died in 1893)
Elvin E. Briles [Should be Enoch Elwood Briles], son of Emily, white, male, 48 years old, born in NC, parents born in NC, occupation=farmer
Roy M. Briles, grandson of Emily [He was the son of Emily's son Jasper Briles.], white, male, 14 years old, born in Texas, parents born in NC.
A visit to the Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis Co., TX, on April 26, 2007, provided the birth and death dates for Emily Nancy Sawyer Briles provided above. Her headstone read as follows:
Mrs.
N. E. Briles
Dec. 24, 1838
April 21, 1918
Her headstaone is to the immediate left of her husband's headstone.
The copy of this photo in the possession of the Worthie Elwood Briles family was given to Elwood's son David Elwood Briles by Elwood's mother Leona Connally Briles on one of the numerous visits David paid to Leona and her husband and David's paternal grandfather Worthy Harwood Briles while David was a student at the University of Texas between 1963 and 1967.
Jack E. Briles of New Albany, Indiana, provided the names of her parents. He also gives her name as "Nancy Emily Sawyer."
She is listed as Emily in the 1850 Federal Census for Randolph County, NC, from which her age can be extracted as 1838. As this point, am sticking with the 1839 birth date provided by her descendants.
The 1880 Census (see below) gives her first name as Emily, not Nancy.
However, her headstone (see below) lists her as "Mrs. N. E. Briles," which would indicate that her name was "Nancy Emily" not "Emily Nancy." We give her name here as "Nancy Emily" and assume that she generally went by her middle name of "Emily" rather than by her first name "Nancy."
Other of her descendants provide her birth date as 1838.
Her descendants describe her as a small woman with brown eyes. Several say that her ancestors were from Scotland.
One descendant says that she died in the spring of 1918.
The 1910 U.S. Census in the 8th Judicial Precinct of Ellis County, Texas (Series T624, Roll 1549, Page 274) [Note that this particular census taker was not very careful! A number of mistakes are known in the data below, all of which are noted. Thus, one does not know whether the other data are correct.] The census was taken on April 5, 1910:
Emily M. Briles [We know from other sources that her second initial was "N" for "Nancy."], Head of household, white, female, 71 years old, born in NC, parents born in NC, married 1 time, widowed for 17 years (agrees with facts know from other sources; her husband died in 1893)
Elvin E. Briles [Should be Enoch Elwood Briles], son of Emily, white, male, 48 years old, born in NC, parents born in NC, occupation=farmer
Roy M. Briles, grandson of Emily [He was the son of Emily's son Jasper Briles.], white, male, 14 years old, born in Texas, parents born in NC.
A visit to the Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis Co., TX, on April 26, 2007, provided the birth and death dates for Emily Nancy Sawyer Briles provided above. Her headstone read as follows:
Mrs.
N. E. Briles
Dec. 24, 1838
April 21, 1918
Her headstaone is to the immediate left of her husband's headstone.
Events
| Birth | 24 Dec 1838 | Probably Randolph County, North Carolina |  | ||
| Marriage | 14 Jan 1856 | Randolph County, North Carolina - Daniel Eli Briles II | | ||
| Death | 21 Apr 1918 | Italy, Ellis County, Texas | | ||
| Burial | Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas | |
Families
| Spouse | Daniel Eli Briles II (1833 - 1893) |
| Child | Betty Briles ( - ) |
| Child | Jasper Briles (1858 - 1933) |
| Child | Enoch Elwood Briles (1861 - 1940) |
| Child | Susan (Sue) Briles (1863 - ) |
| Child | Sarah S. Briles (1864 - ) |
| Child | Nancy C. (Nannie) Briles (1867 - 1908) |
| Child | Oliver ("Ol" & "Ollie") Perry Briles (1869 - 1927) |
| Child | Mattie (Matt) Briles (1871 - 1929) |
| Child | Daniel Eli Briles III (1874 - 1940) |
| Child | Wilber Talmadge Briles (1884 - 1951) |
| Child | Cicero Harrison Briles (1877 - 1919) |
| Father | Enoch Sawyer (1813 - 1856) |
| Mother | Nancy Ann Farlow (1817 - 1862) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Sawyer (1837 - ) |
| Sibling | Polly Ann Sawyer (1840 - 1867) |
| Sibling | George W. Sawyer (1848 - 1891) |
| Sibling | Enoch N Sawyer (1855 - 1920) |
Endnotes
1. Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas, Visit by Duane and Susan Kniebes on April 26, 2007.
2. Briles genealogy information from Jack E. Briles, Sr., New Albany, IN, jb50200@aol.com, Feb. 2002.
3. Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas, Visit by Duane and Susan Kniebes on April 26, 2007.
4. Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas, Visit by Duane and Susan Kniebes on April 26, 2007.