Living

Notes:

The San Augustine Tribune
Thursday, August 19, 1999, page 7

Willis Palmer Conner

Willis Palmer Conner, 83, of Pineland died Aug. 11, 1999, at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 13, 1999 at Pineland First Baptist Church with burial at Memorial Park in Jasper under the direction of Starr Funeral Home Hemphill.

Born in Hemphill, he lived in Pineland many years and was a self-employed rancher and former U.S. Postal Service rural mail carrier.

Survivors include his wife, Essie Conner of Pineland; son, W. P. "Buddy" Conner of Baytown; daughter, Charlotte Harris of Raleigh, N.C.; sister, Ima Hall of Shreveport, La.; and three grandchildren.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, June 2011)

Willis married Essie Sutton about 1942. Essie was born on 23 Feb 1916 in Texas; died on 16 Dec 2008 in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JD61-72B
name: Willis Cannon Conner
death date: 01 Jun 1959
death place: Pineland, Sabine, Texas
gender: Male
race: White
death age: 77 years 6 months 6 days
estimated birth date:
birth date: 25 Nov 1881
birthplace: Texas
marital status: Widowed
spouse's name:
father's name: Fredrick Conner
father's birthplace: Dk
mother's name: Nancy Pauline Travis
mother's birthplace: Dk
occupation: Farmer & Merchant
place of residence: Pineland, Sabine, Texas
cemetery: Memorial Park Cemetery
burial place: Jasper, Texas
burial date: 03 Jun 1959
additional relatives: X
film number: 2115901
digital film number: 4165925
image number: 0835
reference number: cn 34809
Collection: "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," Willis Cannon Conner, 1959

(Research):

Census Listings:

1920 Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP One
Enumerated 20 and 26 Jan 1920
SD 326 ED 168 Sheet 20B
Brookland Road
402-424
Conner, Willis C Head M W 38 m Tx Fl Tx Farmer
Conner, Nora Wf F W 36 m Tx La Ga
Conner, Vera Dtr F W 16 S Tx Tx Tx
Conner, Tressia Dtr F W 13 S Tx Tx Tx
Conner, Willis P Son M W 4 2/12 S Tx Tx Tx
Conner, Ima N Dtr F W 1 2/12 S Tx Tx Tx
Conner, Nancy P Mother F W 67 Wd Tx Tx Tx
403-425
Conner, William C Head M W 36 M Tx Fl Tx Farmer
Conner, Emma Wf F W 26 M Tx Tx Tx
Conner, Willis C Son M W 5 S Tx Tx Tx

Willis married Nora M. Tatom on 6 Feb 1903 in Sabine County, Texas. Nora (daughter of Samuel Plummer Tatom and Elizabeth Ella Dent) was born on 21 Dec 1883 in Texas; died on 5 Mar 1950 in Pineland, Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Jasper, Jasper County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JXFY-PJ1
name: Nora Tatum Conner
death date: 05 Mar 1950
death place: Pineland, Sabine, Texas
gender: Female
race: W
death age: 66 years 2 months 14 days
estimated birth date:
birth date: 21 Dec 1883
birthplace: Sabine Co, Tx
marital status: Married
spouse's name:
father's name: Plumer Tatum
father's birthplace: Tx
mother's name: Ella Dent
mother's birthplace: Ga
occupation: Housewife
place of residence:
cemetery: City
burial place: Jasper, Tx
burial date: 06 Mar 1950
additional relatives:
film number: 2074338
digital film number: 4165885
image number: 1628
reference number: 13981
Collection: "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," Nora Tatum Conner, 1950

Notes:

Married:
They had four children. Are they the parents of Willis Palmer Cannon, or is he a son of Fed Conner and Emma Smith?

Notes:

Fed, along with his father Willis, and brothers William, John and Charles were indicted for the murders of Eli Low and Kit Smith after a short trial and based on a longstanding feud over free-ranging. Charles and Fed's trial was held first and they were found guilty. Charles was sent to prison for twenty-five years. Fed was given life in prison, but successfully appealed his case and was retried. He was again found guilty. He would never serve, however, as the jail was broken into and Willis, Fed, William and John escaped into the countryside- where they began a running war with the law enforcement of the day.
The Texas Rangers were called in to assist in arresting the Conners, but were ambushed and one Ranger, J.H. (Jim) Moore was killed. William Conner was also killed and many others were wounded. Willis, Fed and John escaped the battle. The Rangers, having suffered a grievous defeat, left Sabine County and did not return.
The people of the county, wanting to end the violence, began to pressure local officers to arrest the Conners. Eventually, a private investigator was hired and disguised as a cattle buyer went through the county looking for clues to the Conner's whereabouts. He learned that Willis and Fed's families left food and supplies for them on a trail somewhere deep in the woods. An ambush was set up and Fed Conner was killed. Willis escaped, but was killed a few weeks later, when his young grandson, a boy of twelve, was coming to give him food. The boy had been tracked and followed by a posse and in the ensuing gunfight, Willis and the boy were killed.
This sad situation finally ended the Low-Conner Feud which had divided the county for so long. For years, no one wanted to discuss what had occurred as it was simply too divisive and the families too intermingled to be considered a worthy subject of conversation. Courtesy of Ed Wetterman (edwetterman@hotmail.com), as posted on his website http://clikto/sabinefeud

(Research):

Census Listings:

1870 census
not located

1880 census
not located

Frederick married Nancy Pauline Travis after 1870. Nancy (daughter of James Cannon Travis and Sophronia Pauline White) was born on 2 Sep 1852 in Texas; died on 26 Sep 1927; was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

At the time of the 1910 Federal census, she was living with her son and daughter in law, William F. and Emma Conner, in Sabine County; and in 1920 she was living with son Willis and his wife Nora.

(Research):
Census Listings:

1900 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Precinct No 1
Enumerated 19 Jun 1900
SD 8 ED 68 Sheet 8A
125-129
Conner, Nancy W F Sept 1852 47 Wd 8/5 Tx La Miss Farmer
Conner, Robt W F Feb 1880 20 M 0 Tx Fla La Farm Laborer
Conner, Ada Dtr-in-Law W F Dec 1880 20 M 0/0 Tx Tx Tx

Samuel married Elizabeth Ella Dent about 1870 in Sabine County, Texas. Elizabeth (daughter of Richard Hezekiah Dent and Elizabeth Walker) was born in 1855 in Alabama; died after 1900. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]