Counting to 10

#52ancestors Week 40
 (Oct. 1-7) --Ten

Counting to 10 

by Myra Vanderpool Gormley (C) 2018

William Vanderpool (1808-1884) had 10 known children by his first wife, Mary “Polly” Fuson (1803-1849). They married in 1828 and never seem to stay in any place very long. He was a restless soul and they lived in North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. 

Their children, born about every two years, were born in six different states. Of these 10 children, their daughter, Artemissa Vanderpool, born ca 1842 in Missouri, also had 10 children. She married Christopher Columbus Pitts, son of John Pitts and Frances Ann Gaulding, soon after the Civil War ended — somewhere in Missouri. Their children were apparently all born in and grew up in Hickory County, 

Missouri Christopher Columbus PITTS and Artemissa M. VANDERPOOL had the following children: 

2 i. Lucy Josephine "Josie" PITTS, born 1 May 1867, Hickory County, Missouri; married Ruzan H. GIST, 22 Mar 1885, Hickory County, Missouri; died 29 Nov 1939, Wheatland, Hickory County, Missouri. 

3 ii. Charles Lysurgus PITTS, born 1 Oct 1868, Wheatland, Hickory County, Missouri; married Sara Etta SANDERS, Dec 1902, Hickory County, Missouri; died 15 Jul 1959, Argus. San Bernardino County, California.

 4 iii. James Edwin PITTS, born 31 Mar 1870, Hickory County, Missouri; married Margaret Elizabeth MASHBURN, 10 Apr 1892, Hickory County, Missouri. His place of death has not been determined, perhaps Oklahoma or California about 1967. 

5 iv. Annie May PITTS, born 1 May 1872, Hickory County, Missouri; married Daniel HEWITT, 9 Oct 1889, Hickory County, Missouri; died aft 1940, Texas. 

6 v. Gussie G. PITTS, born 16 Mar 1874, Hickory County, Missouri; married John W. JORDAN, 11 Dec 1891, Hickory County, Missouri; died 29 Apr 1952, Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas.

 7 vi. Oliver Silvester PITTS, born 25 Apr 1876, Hickory County, Missouri; married Grace BRYANT, 18 Apr 1899, San Bernardino County, California; died 1957, Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon. 

8 vii. Mary Beach "Beachie" PITTS, born 24 Apr 1879, Hickory County, Missouri; married Edward Monroe BASS, 27 Dec 1896, Hickory County, Missouri; died Nov 1964, California.

 9 viii. Viola Frances PITTS, born 10 Jun 1884, Hickory County, Missouri; married Robert Marvin DAVIS, 14 Jun 1908, Missouri; died 25 Aug 1967, Mentone, San Bernardino County, California.

 10 ix. Alfred Foster PITTS, born 17 Apr 1886, Hickory County, Missouri; married Elsie Retta WATKINS, 25 Aug 1907, Wheatlands, Hickory County, Missouri; died 12 Mar 1960, Atwater, Merced County, California. 

11 x. Arizona M. "Zona" PITTS, born 14 Oct 1891, Hickory County, Missouri; married Paul Emil HERZOG, 17 Apr 1907, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado; died 15 Feb 1968, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. 

These 10 children had approximately 35 children and most of these grandchildren of Artemissa Vanderpool and Christopher Pitts have been identified. The Vanderpool family has been researching all of its American branches since about 1974 and has created a large one-name database. One of the unsolved mysteries pertains to Artemissa Vanderpool. She was born about 1842 in Missouri (the county is in dispute). 

She is listed as an eight-year-old, with her father, stepmother, six brothers and older sister, Rachel, in 1850 in Dade County, Missouri, taken on 27 August 1850. But, she is not with them when they were enumerated on 6 November 1850 in Decatur County, Iowa. She is not with the family in 1860 when it was recorded at Fort Riley, Kansas Territory. 

She did not marry until 1866, but the marriage record to Christopher Columbus Pitts has not yet been found. No known pictures of her have surfaced. Her 1932 Missouri State Death Certificate lists her birthplace as Madison County, Missouri, but I have been unable to confirm or find any evidence her family was ever in that county. 

Hopefully, with the wonders of the Internet some of her descendants will make contact and somewhere out there someone has a picture of Artemissa to share. 

If so, that will be a No. 10 day for me.