John J. & Nancy (Case) Highfill

John J. Highfill

Born: August 1834 in Hardeman County, Tennessee
Died: 1907

Mother: Margaret Artemcia Scott
Father: Jeremiah Highfill

I looked up Nancy Case in the Polk Co Marriage Book A (to 1859) She is listed as marrying John Highfill in Polk Co Mo Sep 12, 1854.

Married: Nancy Case 12 September 1854 in Polk County, Missouri

Born: 1835 in McNairy County, Tennessee
Died: 1900
Burial: Free Will Baptist Cemetery, Dallas County, Missouri

Mother: Nancy
Father: William Case

Children:

Nancy Ellen
b. Mooney Twp, Dallas County, Missouri
William D.
b. 1856, Missouri
Isam
b. 1857, Missouri
Jeremiah T.
b. 1859, Missouri

Sources and Additional Information:

Subject: Re: William Case b. 1792
Date: 01/04/2000 9:55:51 PM GMT Standard Time
From: timetraveler@apex2000.net (Brian K Luginbill)
To: gcase@arkansas.net (Grace Case)

Hello Grace, and cousins -

I thought gcase@arkansas.net looked familiar, but I didn't realize until after I'd sent the e-mail that we had corresponded a long time ago regarding William Case, Sr. You were the one who forwarded my info about William Sr. to Pat Smith in MS, and she contacted a Mr. John Paul Smith to see if our William was part of their MS Case clan. It's taken over a year or so, but Pat e-mailed me last month to say that Mr. Smith had found documentation "in the archives" that our William Case, Sr. was THE William Case of the MS Case Brothers. I'm still waiting for Mr. Smith to contact me with the verification.

It looks like you may already have that documentation, or other evidence since you include our William Sr. as part of that Case family. All the circumstantial evidence does fit what little we do know about William Sr.'s life. Pat had mentioned that Hiram must have gone to TN at one time since one of his sons was born there, but that was all she said. It sounds like you may have knowledge from Hiram's descendants that they did go to TN together. This is great!

William Sr.'s two oldest children, Thomas James Case and Elizabeth Case listed their birthplace as MS, but his next two had MS or GA listed for each of them on different census records. Therefore, I didn't know if there had been a side trip for a few years to GA from MS before William Sr. moved his family to McNairy Co., TN. Do you know for sure that Eliza and Martin were born in MS? It would be great to finally get that settled.

You asked for the "truth" about Nancy Case. She was born in 1835 in McNairy Co., TN, and married John J. Highfill, a Freewill Baptist minister on 12 Sep 1854 in Polk Co., MO. She is listed with him on the 1860 Dallas Co., MO census along with three of their children:

Highfill, John 25 M TN
Nancy 25 F TN
William D. 4 M MO
Isam 3 M MO
Jeremiah M. 1 M MO

The Nancy Jane Case that is listed as living with Perry Case in the 1860 McNairy Co., TN census is listed as 24 years old, born in MS. She may have been a cousin of Perry's that went to live with them for some reason. She is probably the daughter of one of the MS Case brothers. Unfortunately, since she was about the same age as William's Sr.'s Nancy, and had the same name, a lot of people have thought that it was Perry's sister named Nancy who was living with him.

Thanks for providing the maiden name of Isham Case's wife. Do you know where in MO they were married? I have never been able to find a marriage record for them. I think they were probably married before 1885 as Isham and Molsa, along with four of their children were enumerated on the 1870 Polk Co., MO census. They were also listed with their five children in the 1880 Polk Co. census. Someone may have gotten a date turned around.

Here is the basic data I have on William Sr. and Nancy's children. It is taken from comparing census, cemetery, and marriage records, plus family Bibles and notes.

Thomas James Case, Sr. - b. 12 Aug 1818, MS; d. 4 Nov 1891; buried - Case Cemetery, Mooney Twp., Polk Co., MO married - Mary Ann Jackson on 24 Jun 1840 in Hardeman Co., TN

Elizabeth Case - b. abt 1820, MS; was still in MO for 1870 census married - Jesse Shaw in TN

Eliza Case - b. abt 1823, MS or GA; d. bef 1872 married - John S. Rowland abt 1848 in TN

Martin Case, Sr. - b. 15 Mar 1825, MS or GA; d. 10 Oct 1867; buried - Case Cemetery, Mooney Twp., Polk Co., MO married Barbara Jackson on 2 Jan 1845 in Hardeman Co., TN

Perry Case - b. abt 1826, McNairy Co., TN married Elizabeth "Betsey" ______ in TN

Lovica "Vicey" Case - b. abt 1828, McNairy Co., TN, was still in MO for 1880 census married James Rowland abt 1850 in TN

Cynthia Case - b. 12 Jun 1830, McNairy Co., TN; d. 3 Mar 1895; buried - Mt. Olive Cemetery, Sheridan Twp., Dallas Co., MO married Benjamin Highfill on 18 Apr 1853 in Olive, Dallas Co., MO

William Case, Jr. - b. abt 1832, McNairy Co., TN; d. 28 Feb 1879; Caps Creek Twp., Barry Co., MO married Sarah Self on 24 Jan 1856 in Polk Co., MO married Martha Jane Teal abt 1871 in MO

Nancy Case - b. 1835 , McNairy Co., TN; d. 1900; buried - Freewill Baptist Cemetery, Olive, Dallas Co., MO married John J. Highfill on 12 Sep 1854 in Polk Co., MO

John Case - b. 12 Aug 1837, McNairy Co., TN; d. 28 apr 1913; buried - Schofield Cemetery, S. Benton Twp., Polk Co., MO married Temperance Austin abt 1856 in MO married Margaret J. ______ abt 1890 in MO

Isham Case - b. abt 1839, McNairy Co., TN married Molsa Spivey in MO

Mary "Polly" Case - b. abt 1843, McNairy Co., TN married David C. Cobal bef 1880 in MO

Grace, I noticed in the data you sent that someone has listed incorrect marriage info for Thomas, Martin and Cynthia. It may have come from the LDS data, as I think I have seen it there. I have a copy of the Hardeman Co., TN and Dallas Co., MO marriage records to confirm the dates listed above.

Thomas married Mary Ann Jackson in 1840, not 1884. Someone must have accidentally switched the numbers. Martin married Barbara Jackson in 1845, not 1885. Once again, the numbers must have been switched. It's very easy to do. I've caught myself doing it at times.

Cynthia did not marry Benjamin Highfill in TN. They were married in 1853 in Dallas Co. AFTER the move from TN to MO. The Highfills were among the families who were in the wagon train from McNairy Co./Hardeman Co., TN to Polk Co./Dallas Co., MO. Other known families included in that move were the Nortons, Rowlands, Fortners, Shaws, and Jacksons plus several more.

I'd love to have more complete information on John Case and Temperance Austin, and their children, plus data on his second wife if any of you have it.

Grace, did Hiram Case's descendants also claim a Cherokee connection? Pat Smith said that a story had been handed down about some of the MS Case family being 1/2 Cherokee, and those Cases were called the "Tootie" Cases to separate them from the rest. She wanted to know if I'd heard the same thing.

I hadn't heard it, but one day I was doing some research on the GA/NC Cherokees and saw a reference to the name "Keetoowah". Here's what it said:

"The Cherokee sometimes refer to themselves as Ani-Kituhwagi, "the people of Kituhwa". Kituhwa was the name of an ancient city, located near present Bryson City, NC which was the nucleus of the Cherokee Nation. The common English phonetic spelling today is "Keetoowah", a name used by traditionalist Cherokee groups like the Keetoowah Society (followers of traditional religion) and the United Keetoowah Band (a Federally recognized faction of predominantly full blood Cherokees)."

Maybe "Tootie" was sort of a nickname that refers to the Keetowah, (the Cherokees), and was used to helped distinguish between those of the Case family that were part Indian, and those that weren't. Have any of you heard this story before? All I know is that on an old typewritten sheet, author unknown, that was given to me when I started my search for the Case family, it said:

William Case, 1/2 Cherokee

I know that Curt Walk's family also has a story of Cherokee ancestry through the Case family.

Let me know if any of you have corrections or additions to any of the above data.

Cheryl

This page was last updated on: May 18 2008