PREFACE

To find the answers to these questions, we must turn to history and its close relative, genealogy. Genealogy makes history come alive. It tells us who we are and where we came from. Sometimes we are fortunate, and can profit from the work other family members and researchers have done. There is always another path to follow, and following the lineage of a female ancestor from the last century and earlier is very difficult.It is a never ending detective game. Our grandmothers are just as much a part of us as our grandfathers. Besides the genetic and blood contributions, they were and are the first teachers of our family. We are indebted to all our grandmothers for any good found in us.

In writing this history and genealogy, I started by asking for names, dates, and locations of births and deaths from living relatives. I received full cooperation from brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins, and was pleased to learn there was so much interest in this work. I was fortunate in being provided with records compiled by other family members long before I became involved. Aunts Grace Estes Magness and Willa Juanita Estes Comstock and my sister Betty Jo Estes Silva had corresponded with and visited Mrs. Ella Lilly Horak of Willow Springs, Missouri for the express purpose of learning about our family. Ella Lilly Horak, Lilly Lee Epps, Jackie Wilbanks, and Rev. Thomas John Wilbanks, all of whom had already passed on before I became interested have done extensive research. Nellie Wilbanks Still, daughter of Rev. T.J. Wilbanks provided photocopies of letters and bible records from the Estes and Epps families written over a century ago. A copy of "A History of the Epps Family" written in 1911 by Rev. Newton Carter Epps, was a help in starting me on the right track. I have attempted to verify and prove whenever possible the accuracy of all those records by searching for official records and source information. Family letters, bible and book flyleaf records, death certificates, census records, wills, estate settlement records, court records, pension applications, land records, military records, and early tax lists have been referenced in this work as supporting earlier generations identities.

The children of Floyd Estes were identified from the family trees and family lists provided by Ella Horak. Letters written by James H. Estes and David L. Estes to Achsa Cates and Thomas J. Estes from the 1830s and 1840s support the identification. Census records from 1850 identify the families of Achsa Cates, David L. Estes, Susan Estes Ray, Thomas J. Estes, and Sidney Ann Estes Epps. Tax lists, marriage records and letters written to Achsa Estes from her Steele and Lea relatives prove the marriage and family relationships of the Floyd Estes family. It is the next earlier generation that proved to be more difficult to identify.

I had a fortunate breakthrough when I made contact with Mrs. Nellie Wilbanks Still in October 1996. Mrs. Still provided me with photocopies of letters written over a century ago. One letter in particular, written by James H. Estes to his mother Achsa Lea Estes Cate, dated May 1834 speaks of grandfather died one year ago. Through process of elimination, I was able to conclude he was writing about his Grandfather Estes and no other. With this date of death I was able to narrow the pool of candidates for the father of Floyd Estes to one individual, Thomas Estes who died June 1833 in Lawrence County, Tennessee. The search continues for earlier generations, but through Revolutionary War pension applications of Thomas and his brother John Estes we are fairly certain of a connection with the Esteses who settled in Virginia Colony in the seventeenth century. All of the immigrant Esteses who settled in Virginia, and of whom records are available, originated from County Kent, and from the towns and villages of Deal, Sandwich, and Ringwold. The trail fades into the mist of time, and most leads are pure speculation, guesses and conjecture. There are wide variations in spelling of the surname Estes, and the present spelling has only become uniform in the past one hundred and fifty years. In America the name is spelled Estes. In England and Australia the preferred spelling is Eastes. Folk not in the Estes family agree the name was derived from East. Bearers of the surname prefer a more exotic origin.

Like most families with the Estes surname, there has been a belief that we descend from the noble House d'Este from northern Italy. The d'Este family is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, house in Europe, and members of that family founded the House of Hanover and the House of Brunswick. Both Houses became royal and produced kings and emperors in several countries of Europe. All the European royal families claim some relation to the House of Este. From the thirteenth century to the early sixteenth century, the Estes family played a major role in Italian politics and consequently in politics of the Catholic Church. The family produced Dukes, Counts, Marquises, Knights and Cardinals. The family was also notorious for the number of bastards produced. One Duke admitted to fathering thirty-two illegitimate children. It is probable that a number of commoners did descend from the Este of Italy, but not all descendants would have been allowed to bear the name. Certainly none would be entitled to display the Este coat of arms. I have not found any evidence connecting our family with the Este family of Italy.

I have strived to uncover evidence and proof for each family member found in this book, and I have listed the source of evidence. It is only with the children of Thomas Estes born about 1761 and his brother, John, that firm proof is lacking. I am as certain as reasonably possible without a will or other such document, which would remove all doubt, that Floyd, John, Canady, and Mary are children of Thomas. The name of R.C. Estes appears once as a witness to the widows application for Cynthia, widow of Thomas, and may be either a son or grandson.

I would impart a world of caution to all readers of genealogy. In ancient times, genealogy was more akin to astronomy, and fraud than to fact and history. Just as the movement of heavenly bodies and signs in the stars were a source of manipulating the common people, so was the claim of descent from some ancient authority. Every king and usurper had genealogies concocted to make him descended from some god or predecessor king. This was simply a way to legitimize and claim authority for a position of power. The farther back we go in pursuing a pedigree or lineage, the more likely our research is going to be contaminated with such fraudulent records. Far better for us to be content with a limited number of generations than to perpetuate such error. Nor do we want to include anyone in our family who does not have a legitimate place there, no matter how exalted their class or status.

[Contributed by Leo R. Estes 1 Oct 2000 12:00am]