John Thomas Poe
1836 - 1917

The Suits Boys Great Grandfather
Rev. John Thomas Poe
Genealogy provided by Walter Baughman
Librarian, Mount Pleasant (OH) Nazarene University

John T. Poe was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, August 30, 1836. He was the son of Larkin C. and Rachel Harrington Poe of Chatham County, South Carolina. He was said to have been one of the pioneer preachers of Texas, who came into the vineyard at the third hour, and helped to bear the burden and the heat of the day. He lived and worked for years in central and east Texas. He helped to strengthen the churches at Corsicana, Dallas, San Marcos.

He was 25 years old when the Civil War broke out. He volunteered for service, reaching the position of Corporal in Company F, of the 4th Regiment of Texas Volunteers. He, along with other pioneer preachers like B.F. Hall, and Gen. R.M. Gano, did their part in fighting for the cause of states’ rights.
Rev. John Thomas Poe


After the war for a number of years he served as Texas editor of the Gospel Advocate, and wrote for other papers as well, including the Firm Foundation.

In 1874 the church in Longview was organized. Poe was the minister. Until 1884, the congregation did not use a musical instrument in their worship services. Poe opposed their entrance. It was not until 1895 that an instrument was added under the influence of L.A. Dale. Poe, along with 25 others, left the group to form a congregation after the simple New Testament order. Heartbroken, he ended up leaving for a few years, but returning in February, 1900. The church of Christ in Longview increased under his influence.

Through his writings, and personal trips to struggling churches, he fought against the additions of instruments into public worship assemblies. He also fought against the Missionary Societies. In 1899 he helped to have instruments removed from the church house at Dawson, Navarro County, Texas.

He wrote articles in the Gospel Advocate, and other papers encouraging brethren to stay and fight for their buildings rather than give them over to those who wanted to bring musical instruments into the assembly. When efforts to reunite with brethren who had added an instrument, he opposed it saying that decisions of whether to use or not to use instruments in worship had to be decided on the congregational level, and not through a state run meeting.

He organized a number of churches including the Christian church at Wills Point, Van Zandt County, in 1886.

He passed from this life December 23, 1917, and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Longview, Texas. Buried beside him are his wife Caroline and his son William.

—Sources: Texas Pulpit by Christian Preachers, The History of the Catoma Street Church, Gospel Advocate; Firm Foundation Vol. 35, No. 1 Jan. 1, 1918;


 

John Thomas Poe - 1908
John Thomas Poe
 
   
John Thomas Poe
in center with friends
John Thomas Poe at 80
with a friend

 

 

 

An Incident
In the life of J. T. Poe

There is an incident concerning the church building of the West End congregation that is of interest. The congregation, once it was settled in a permanent place, began to grow. Among the preachers who would hold meetings for it was Brother John T. Poe of Clearview, Texas. Brother Poe had held a number of meetings for the church and was well acquainted with the members. At the time of one of his meetings the need for additional space was being discussed by the Elders and the members. The need for additional space was there, but the problem was what to do about it. Because of sentimental feelings attached to the building the members of the church were reluctant to change or alter it in any way. It was their first meeting house, and not only theirs, but had been the first meeting house of the church in Montgomery, and the desire was to keep it as it was. Brother Poe told them that he would take his knife and cut splinters from one of the boards and give a splinter to each member and when they felt sentimental about the building they could chew on the splinter, but that, regardless of their feelings, they needed to enlarge the building. 

 
The following genealogy is courtesy of Walter Baughman

He is an archivist and librarian for the Mt. Vernon (OH) Nazarene University. His great grandmother was Carrie Poe Hensley, sister of Eleanor Josephine Halyburton,
the Suitsboys grandmother.
Carrie Poe Hensley was my great-grandmother. I remember her well as she spent her last winters with my grandmother in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Then, the two ladies would troop to Groveton, Texas, for the summer.

Walter Baughman
Great Grandson of Carrie Harrison Poe Hensley
June 2007

Carrie called J. T. Poe Grandpapa Poe and his wife, Grandmama Poe.

She remembers as a small child seeing him do drawings with his sermons - decades ahead of "visual aids."
He was a Texas Reformer in the church. He was quite opposed to musical instruments in the building. He and his wife are buried in Longview, Texas.

At the moment, I will take you back one generation from John Thomas and his wife. J.T. lived from 30 Aug, 1836 (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) to 21 Dec., 1917 (Longview, Texas). On 28 May, 1863 in Huntsville, Texas, he married Caroline Heydon Wright (21 Feb. 1843, Astoria, New York - 13 Sep. 1922, Groveton, Texas).

Their children:

1) Ella Josephine Halyburton (the Suitsboy's grandmother)
15 Nov. 1863 Moscow, Texas - 11 Sep. 1953 Kirkwood, Missouri

2) William Francis Poe
15 Oct. 1866 - 22 Feb 1909 Waco, Texas

3) Minnie Heydon Myers
5 Dec. 1881- ?

4) Florence Sophia Atmar
9 Apr, 1871 Longview, Texas - 5 Jan. 1937 Victoria, Texas

5) Valverde 26 Sep 1880 23 Jul 1884 Longview.
She was named for a place in New Mexico where John Thomas and Caroline's brother, Henry Clay Wright, fought in Civil War. I have a copy of that man's reminiscences. He lived from 9 Jun 1840 - 1942. what a long life!

6) Carrie Harrison Hensley
9 Feb 1883 Longview - 17 Aug 1979 Groveton.

Now the parents:

William Carroll Larkin Poe
23 March 1816 in Alabama - 1862 in Polk, Texas and Ann McCormick (1810 (Belfast, Ireland - Erath, Texas) They married 1831 Charlestown, South Carolina. They had 15 children. I have all their names and dates. Our John Thomas was the eldest; the youngest was born in 1860)

Francis Wright ( April 1808 Canton, Wales - near Cardiff - 01 Feb. 1863, Moscow, Texas) and Sophia Elizabeth Heydon (23 Feb. 1811 England - 16 July 1878 Moscow, Texas) They met on the same ship coming to USA and married 4 July 1833 in Astoria, New York. Sophia is buried in same cemetery as Sam Houston. When I was taken there, she was referred to as "Little Sophie" because of the size of her tombstone.

Carrie's oldest child was my grandmother. Margaret Elinor Hensley (1907-1986). She married in 1925 John Esler Paton. They married in the living room of the family home in Groveton, Texas. A relative still lives in the house. They settled in New Castle, Pennsylvania, where Grandfather was a band and orchestra teacher in two junior high schools. Grandmother taught some private piano.

Alan Suits & Walter Baughman
Mt. Vernon, Ohio June 2007
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University Library

Her piano teacher in Groveton was one Rildia Bea O'Bryan. That name tells you nothing. However, her married name may tell you and Thad (the cellist) something - Cliburn. She gave birth to Van Cliburn. After Rildia Bea married and left town, Grandmother taught Rildia Bea's student for a short while.

When Grandmother Carrie Hensley died, I inherited all of the photos, movies, letters. I suspect that some were given to her by "Mama" Hensley. Who can tell how long she had some of them?

Email from:: Walter.Baughman@mvnu.edu
April 2007

 

 

 

Genealogy courtesy of Walter Baughman

My Aunt Ann vividly recalls her mother, Margaret Paton, referring to Ella Josephine as"Aunt Ella," never Eleanor. Interesting.

My mother, Margaret Jean Paton, was born 19 Dec 1926
her sister, Florence Ann (she hates the first name and uses it as little as possible), was born 12 Dec 1928. Their "little" brother, John Glenn, was born 21 Feb 1934

All were born in New Castle.

Mom was named for her other grandmother, Margaret Jane Esler Paton. Aunt Ann for her mother's sister, Florence, Carrie's sister Florence Sophia.

Mom married Howard Walter (b. 14 Jul 1927 in Akron, Ohio) on 31 Aug 1948 in

Akron. They have two children:
Walter David b. 17 Aug 1953
Margaret Ann b. 20 Jul 1955

I have never married.
Margaret married James Richard Rogers (b. 15 Jan 1952 in Akron) on 16 Jul 1977 in Wadsworth.
Cousin Walter Baughman


They have one child Carrie (named for Carrie Hensley) Ann b. 15 Jul 1988.
Aunt Ann has never married.

Uncle John married Marion Wilma Anderson (b. 26 Feb 1931 in South Sioux City , Nebraska) on 19 Dec 1961 in Marion's parents' house.They adopted a boy, Andrew Werner Paton, b. 29 Mar 1964, adopted 22 Jan 1965. He was killed by lightning on 24 Aug 1979 one week to the day after Carrie Hensley's death.

John and Marion divorced in 1986.
On 17 Jan 1987, Uncle John married Joan Marsha Thompson (b. 9 Jul 1948.) in Los Angeles.

Mom was an R.N. with an earned BSN and MTech. She worked in a doctors' office and taught nurses during their pediatric clinic at Children's Hospital in Akron.

Aunt Ann earned PhD from Univ of Colorado, Boulder, 1963. Taught English at Geneva College for a long time. About a dozen years ago, she was ordained priest in Episcopal Church. She is "ad hoc" priest in a Pittsburgh parish. She travels to Wales about thrice each year.

Uncle John has taught voice at Univ. of Wisc., Madison, Univ. of Colo., Boulder, and recently retired from Univ. of Southern California. Joan teaches music and piano at Moorpark Community College near them. He also writes vocal pedagogy and singing diction in various Romance languages for Alfred Publishing Company. The series is doing extremely well. He was named for 19th century missionary, John Gibson Paton from Scotland to the South Pacific New Hebrides, now called Vanuatu. His parents only knew the man's middle initial 'G.' For a long time, Uncle John did not care for the 'Glenn' and went by 'John G.' When the astronaut, John Glenn, became famous, Uncle decided that the two names do actually sound good together.t