Indiana McCaslins

In the 1850 US Federal Census for Mill Creek, Franklin, Arkansas, 40-year-old Kentucky-born farmer P M [transcribed as T M] and his 30-year-old Kentucky-born wife Serilda [Lamb] Cradduck have in their household their children, 16-year-old Mary, 14-year-old Moses, 12-year-old Elizabeth, 10-year-old Margaret, 9-year-old Albert [sic], 6-year-old William,4-year-old Henry C and one-year-old Sarah. Mary, Moses, Elizabeth and Margaret were born in Missouri. Elbert, William, Henry and Sarah were born in Arkansas. Mary and Moses have attended school in the past year. Serilda can neither read nor write.

In the 1860 US Federal Census for Cedar Creek, Crawford, Arkansas, 24-year-old Missouri-born Moses M Craddick [sic] owns $200 worth of personal property, but no land of value. He and his 24-year-old Arkansas-born wife Mary A [McCaslin] Cradduck have in their household their 6-month old Arkansas-born son David B. Moses is illiterate.

From 15 Nov 1865 to 23 Aug 1865, Moses M Cradduck served in Company D, 1st Regiment Arkansas Cavalry.

471659 Applicant Mary L Cradduck, Widow
Veteran Moses M Cradduck
Call No 1647 Bundle 11

Mary Lucinda Dotson Cradduck filed a claim 8 Sep 1890 and abandoned it. (GW McCaslin sent a letter threatening to tell all to the appropriate authorities and told Mary Lucinda that he had)

Mary Ann McCaslin Cradduck McCurdy filed a claim 20 Oct 1916 as remarried widow.

Index to Special Examiners Report
Claimants Statement (Good)
Daniel B Cradduck (Mary As son) (Good A1)
Nancy A Cradduck (daughter-in-law) (Good A1)
Delphia L Morrison (Moses sister) (Good)
James K McCurdy (Moses son-in-law) (Good)
James P Cradduck (Mary Lucindas son) (Good)
George W McCaslin (Mary Anns younger brother) (Good)
Certified copy of remarriage
No marriage of Moses in Lawrence County, Missouri
No marriage records prior to 1877 in Crawford County (Courthouse burned down)
No divorce records in Marion, Stone, Lawrence or Greene Counties, Arkansas

Index to Special Examiners Report
Claimants Statement (Good)
John N McCurdy (step-son) (Good)
Mary Emily McCurdy (Mary Ls daughter) (Good)
James C Cradduck (Mary Ls son) (Good)
Martin Lafayette Cradduck (Mary Ls son) (Good)
George C Kumpe (neighbor) (Good)
Fred N Correll (neighbor) (Good)

23 Oct 1916 Mary Ann McCurdy filled out a Declaration for Widows Pension stating that she is the widow of Moses M Cradduck (Co D 1st Reg Vol Ark Cav) who died 17 Dec 1886. William Hartgraves married her to Moses M Cradduck 15 Aug 1854 in Crawford County. Neither had been previously married [sic].
19 Jul 1917 prima facie case is missing date of marriage to McCurdy and his death date. She has witnesses who have testified to her marriage to Cradduck. More testimony is needed.
In her deposition, given 4 Sep 1917, Mary Ann Elizabeth McCurdy states that her full maiden name was Mary Ann Elizabeth McCaslin, that she was born 9 Oct 1835, and that she is totally blind and has been living with her son Boone Cradduck for about two years. Her birthplace was Frog Bayou, Crawford, Arkansas. Her mothers name was Rachel and her fathers name David McCaslin. Her only living brother is George Washington McCaslin and she has a sister named Mandy Melvina Lane, wife of Marion [sic] Lane who lives in Missouri, but she doesnt know where.

Mary Ann lived at home with her parents until she was about 18-years old. She didnt get married at her parents house as she had to slip off to get married to Moses Cradduck, whom she had known all her life. They were married at the house of old Elijah Lewis by Bill Hartgraves who was a Justice of the Peace. She has no certificate and her bible record got burned up, but witnesses to the marriage were her brother John McCaslin, her sister Winnie Temple, Doc Lewis and John Lewis.

Mary Ann figures that she lived with Moses for twelve years and bore five children, Lockie Drusilla (dead), Daniel Boone Cradduck, Presley Morehead (dead) Mandy Melvina (dead) and Moses Monroe. Theyd separated a half a dozen times in those twelve years, before Moses left for good. She said, He was just like a heap of other men and took a rambling notion to leave. Moses took up with another woman [his brother Bills widow Sallie] and left just before Moses Monroe was born. Moses just packed all Sallies things in a wagon and they went to Missouri. Moses didnt stay long and came back and lived with Mary Ann for two to three months and then he just left for good. She stayed on the place and farmed it. Her comment about Moses is, He just went off and worked and fooled around in this county. He married Cinda Dotson, a single woman. He was charged with living in adultery with her, he was not able to prove his marriage to Mary Lucinda and the man who he claimed performed the marriage said he never did. Mary was called as a witness but it never came to trial. She says that she did not divorce Moses, and that although she was told that hed applied for a divorce, she never was notified. The case for adultery just wore itself out and never came to court.

Moses lived with that woman about a mile from Mary Ann until he died. Moses and Mary Lucinda had six children. Mary Ann names five of them; Mollie McCurdy, Josie Williams, John, Jim, and Fayette. Mary Ann never heard that Mary Lucinda had married again. In Mary Ann's opinion, Mary Lucinda was not considered a moral woman, the whole family had loose morals and Mary Lucinda's mother never married the father of her ten children. Mary Ann thinks that Moses lied to Mary Lucinda about having never been married. Moses never denied that he married Mary Ann. Mary Ann and Moses lived in the same neighborhood until Moses died, with the exception of a short trip they took to Texas.

Mary Ann states that she bought the home place from Moses after he was living with that woman. She got the money to do so by renting the farmland and buying a pony with the proceeds, which she traded for the land. There was no deed to the land she bought. Moses just had a claim. Her son homesteaded it as it was government land, 3 or 4 acres under cultivation.

She gives Jim Cradduck and Delphy Morrison as character references. She states that they can confirm that she remained single and did not cohabit with any man while Moses was alive. She doesnt know why Moses left and she doesnt know if Moses thought he got a divorce. Moses never told anyone that he got a divorce.
Mary Ann married John Jasper McCurdy three to four years after his last wife died. He had been married three times. His last wifes name was Sarah Oliver. McCurdy was a Confederate soldier and Mary Ann is getting a state pension on account of his service. She lived with him continuously until his death. He died from hemorrhage of the stomach and was buried in the Oliver Cemetery. His grave is unmarked.
Moses Cradduck never used any other name nor had a nickname. During the first part of the war he enlisted in the Confederate Army and then deserted about 1862 and enlisted in the Union Army at Fayetteville. He was mustered out at the end of the war. His service was in Company D, 1st Arkansas Cavalry. He never applied for a pension because he said he was not entitled, since he had not been disabled while serving.

On the same date, Mary Anns son Daniel Boone McCaslin testified that his father Moses told him that he had never gotten a divorce. And, that when his uncle Jim McCaslin brought suit for adultery, Moses was arrested, taken to Van Buren, and Old man George Rudy went bond. He testified that [the case] just dragged through and never got to trial, and I understand that it was the Rudy money that kept it from trial. Moses told Daniel that he couldnt prove the marriage to Mary Lucinda. Jim McCaslin and Moses told him that Minister Strong refused to testify that hed married Moses and Mary Lucinda Dotson. Daniel Boone said that Moses and Mary Lucinda lived together until he died. They had afew little flurries, but not for long.
The family [Mary Ann and children] survived by cultivating just a little land that they rented and Uncle Jim McCaslin backed up up and if it had not been or him I do not know what we would have done as mother had a little baby. We traded around an and got a little pony worth $20 and then traded it to father for this place which just had a few acres under cultivation and we have gradually worked it up until I scratch a living from it.

McCurdy died at Daniel Boone Cradducks house on 14 May 1905. His mother Mary Ann has not remarried since McCurdys death.

5 Sep 1917, James K McCurdy, John McCurdys brother, gave an affidavit that included the following:
I know that he [Moses] stole her [Mary Ann] and married her and the way I know it is that I was at a protracted meeting right over here. No, it was just a neighbor house meeting at old man Colemans and she and her sister came to the meeting and someone slipped over and told her that Moses was right here where Mrs. Monjoy lives and that Moses had a Justice of the Peace over there waiting and she left the meeting and went over there before anyone knew anything about it and the word came back that she and Moses were married before the meeting started... Yes, I heard of the marriage right at the time it took place and the next morning it was all over the neighborhood that they had been married and Mary Anns mother was running all over the neighborhood saying she would rather see her daughter dead, etc.

September to November 1917, a number of additional witnesses testified to the moral character of Mary Ann Cradduck, which was universally agreed to be good .
Mary Lucinda Dotson Cradducks children testified that Moses had lived with their mother most of the time. There were a few short absences caused by disagreement.

7 Feb 1918 The Law Clerk holds that Mary L has title to pension based on the dates of birth of her sons by Moses, John E, Joseph E and James Clay, the length of time Moses and Mary Lucinda lived together and the fact that both families lived in the same area, even though neither Mary A nor Mary L can prove they were ceremonially married to Moses Cradduck.However the case for Mary Lucinda Cradducks pension will not be reopened.

2 Mar 1918 Mary Ann McCaslin Craddock McCurdys claim for pension is refused as there is no proof of marriage, that Moses deserted her after a few years [sic 12 is not a few] and that he married another woman whom he lived with as husband and wife till his death.