BABCOCK, HENRY MILTON (1844 ~ 1930). Henry Milton Babcock was born January 9, 1844, in Roscoe, Winnebago County, Illinois to Charles Babcock of Massachusetts (or New York) and Nancy Whipple, daughter of Angell Whipple and Celinda Ann Wright of Saybrook, Ohio. (Angell Whipple was a direct descendent of Roger Williams, founder of the Rhode Island Colony).
Charles and Nancy Babcock married November 6, 1834, in Saybrook, Ohio, and then moved to Winnebago, Illinois. The first of their children were born in Winnebago County. They are Celinda Anne, James E., Ora, and Henry M. Their last three children were born in Williamson County, Texas. They include: Josiah Wright, Mary Lorisa, and John L. Upon moving to Texas, Charles Babcock was one of the first settlers of Bagdad, Texas, where he surveyed the townsite.
According to a historical marker at the Bagdad Cemetery, John L. Babcock, son of Charles and Nancy, was the first person buried in the Bagdad Cemetery. Charles later donated the land for use as a public cemetery. Henry Milton and his brother James spent their teenage years in Texas.
Both joined the Army of the Confederacy and served in Morgan's Company of the Texas Cavalry. After the war both Henry and James married two sisters, Narcissa and Emeline Charity Bullen, of Burnet County. Henry married Narcissa on December 7, 1867, while James married Emeline Charity on March 29, 1868. The Bullen girls were the daughters of Elijah and Elizabeth Bullen of Itawamba, Mississippi. The Bullens were some of the first settlers of Oatmeal, Burnet County, Texas.
Elijah Bullen was said to have been a Union sympathizer during the war, but still allowed his daughters to marry two Confederate veterans. Elijah's mother was Naomi Amelia Bolling from Virginia, whose lineage can be traced to John Rolfe and Pocahontas. Henry and Narcissa had two children, Flora and Charles Henry.
James and Henry Babcock appeared to have remained close because they lived near each other for most of their lives. They lived in various counties in the Texas Hill Country, and in later life moved to Calhoun County, near Indianola, and then to Edna, Jackson County. Narcissa died on February 17, 1918 in Jackson County, and Henry spent the last ten years of his life in the Confederate Men's Home in Austin.
He died on February 24, 1930 and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.
Information provided by John A. Reeves. |
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