David Bishop's mother, Susanna Stevens, died in 1849 when David was 13. He married Louisa Jane Grantham in 1856. In 1862, he was in the Confederate Army, Co. E, 14 Tenn. Cavalry under Nathan Bedford Forrest; corrier to Col. White. [Anne Montgomery, 2007]
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According to Ruth Godwin Gadbury's GODWIN-HILL AND RELATED FAMILIES:
When David's slaves were freed they left and followed the Yankee soldiers around for a while, but one day a faithful man, called, Jack, came back to David's farm and said he would like to return and work for David, that he, Jack, was hungry. [Note: Ruth gives his exact words in the story told her by David's descendants in her book, but in 2020 some more-modern descendants find them too much to endure, so I have weakened the statement due to that request. But the tribute to David's honor as offered by his former slave still stands - David was a good master, and Jack wanted to return to his employ. pjsw]
A deed dated 18 April 1876 shows Alvin sold to his brother David Bishop 510 acres of land for 1600.00, land in Hardeman Co., Tennessee. The deed was signed and attested at Comanche, Texas, 16 October, 1883. David's family lived on this farm for the next 50 years, however in 1968 when we visited the place, it had been sold, but was still called the "Bishop Place."
A cousin, Phillip Bishop, showed us the place and family cemetery. No once lived there, but the house that David's widow had lived in so very independently in her last days, was still standing. Philip said no one wanted to live there now, it was too far out in the "boondocks."
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1880 United States Federal Census
about David Bishop
Name: David Bishop
Home in 1880: District 12, Hardeman, Tennessee
Age: 42
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Louisa
Father's birthplace: Virginia
Mother's birthplace: North Carolina
Neighbors: View others on page
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
View Image
Household Members:
Name Age
David Bishop 42
Louisa Bishop 34
Asa Bishop 15
Julius Bishop 13
Margaret Bishop 11
John Bishop 9
Everett Bishop 7
Walter Bishop 2
Pitser Bishop 5M
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[Peggy Wolfe, 2012]