This file is a compilation of military and pension records for Ransom Day, Jr. and his widow Catherine Bowman Day. The war was the Mexican War where many Tensenessan's lost their lives. They include many names of people in Hancock, Claiborne and Union counties.

Ransom Day, Jr. died one year, Aug. 18, 1848 after mustering out of James Evan's Company in New Orleans in July 1847. and his widow filed for pension the next year. Through the years widow Day evidently took up with William S. Hurst of Union County and they were living together twelve months before January 1857 at which time the grand jury of Claiborne County charged her and William S. Hurst with "openly, notoriously, unlawfully and lewdly without being married to each other to the great scandal and common nuisance of the good people of the State, to the manifest corruption of the public morals and against the peace and dignity of the State". She and Hurst were sued for immoral conduct where upon they immediately married. They can be seen in the 1860 Union County census with several children (copied below). William Graham Payne in May 1860 acted as J.P. for widow Day to revive her pension claim and a three page letter by William S. Hurst explains their relationship.

Evidently from testimony of widow Day there was only one child of the couple and that was James K.P. Day. I have listed another child on my Patriot Ransom Day page of Ransom Day, Jr., Eliza and that was from information gathered on the 1850 Claiborne County census, but from these documents we find that may not be correct. Eliza and James Knox Polk Day were the same age and the family listed here is headed by Nancy Day, age 52, the grandmother. Catherine Bowman Day is not living with her child. Elizabeth Day is listed here as age 16 and she will later marry Anderson G. Payne, my greatgrandfather.
A letter from the pension office dated March 1850 says that all children must be listed because of being equally entitled. From all the fuss with the pension it is possible that Catherine B. Day, already living with William S. Hurst, decided not to list Eliza Day as a child, but more likely she is another grandchild of Nancy Day. A claim was filed for minor child James Knox Polk Day in 1859 and allowed at $6.50 per month till his 16th birthday on Aug. 4, 1860. No claim for Eliza was ever filed or was she ever mentioned as a child. In fact William S. Hurst makes an affidavit in April 1860 "the said James Knox Polk Day, the only child of the said Catherine B. and only heir of the said Ransom Day".

This William has a brother Eldridge Hurst that also submitted testimony. Also included is a bounty of 160 acres of land by the Governor of Louisiana. I am not sure if this land was in Louisiana, Texas or Tennessee but the widow Day did move to Texas for a period of time after her husband Ransom died.

I can find no record of what happened to James Polk Knox Day although in the 1870 census there is, living with Anderson Payne an assortment of people. Along with his brother and sister are his wife's first husband's child and her mother Nancy Day, 70 yrs. There is also Ransom L. Day, 14, who is the child of John D. Day and Martha Bartlett. A grandson of Nancy Day, wife of John Ransom Day, son of Patriot Ransom Day who died in 1890. In the 1880 census Ransom L. Day is living with an Uncle A.C. Hurst and wife Lucinda. From FamilySearch.com I find that Ransom L. Day married Lydia Barnett after 1880. Since John Ransom and Nancy had only two male children John D. Day and Ransom Day I am guessing that this child was the only male descendant of Patriot Ransom Day. Lydia Barnett and Ransom L. Day evidently had no children, therefore I am pretty sure there are no direct male descendants in my Ransom, brother of Elizabeth, line of Patriot Ransom Day.
There is a great possibility that there were other son's of Ransom Day and Nancy Hurst though. In the 1840 Claiborne County census, living next door to Ransom Day, Jr, grandson of Patriot Ransom, is a William Day, Jr. (age 20-30)listed with four sons (ages 1-10), who would be the right age to be a son of the Ransom Day, Sr. listed on the same page. If so, then William Day, Sr., would have been a brother to my Ransom Day, who married Elizabeth Hurst and another son of Patriot Ransom Day. Now to locate this William Day, Jr with four sons in the 1850 Claiborne census. And, sure enough found is William Day living just beside Wesley Simmons with three boys, William 16, Wiley 16, George 12, the same age as those in the 1840 census but having lost one either to marriage or death,but added five more, one of which is a boy Nelson 3. This should compliment the Patriot Ransom Day line in Claiborne County.
By 1860 evidently William Day has died and the family have moved, just as many of the Hurst families, to Putnam County, Indiana. On the 1860 Putnam Co., In. census,(2nd page) there is Jane Day, age 45, as head with Jefferson Day, age 28, Wiley Day, age 24, Nancy Day, age 15, Nelson Day, age 14, and Amanda Day, age 8. It is possible that William Day, Jr., who would have been abt 17 and George Day abt 22 in 1860, did remain in Tennessee. Now all this is to help establish a direct male descendant of Patriot Ransom Day you understand. A likely close kin of Patriot Ransom Day is Ambrose Day whose family also moved to Putnam County, Indiana. This line can be seen on this Rootsweb Database

Ambrose, Rueben and Ransom Day, Sr. are all listed together on the 1830 Claiborne County Census. Ransom Day, Sr. age 70-80 is the oldest but both Reuben, age 60-70 and Ambrose, age 60-70 are in very close proximitry in age to be brothers. If not brothers then it is very likely that these three are very closely related. If anyone has information regarding these lines please email me Joe Payne

Back to Joe Payne's Ransom Day Genealogy Page

Leon Meyers notes on the Ransom Day line from Claiborne County

The Day DNA Chart - Ransom Day Kit#17835 All DNA connections listed in light green.

1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Wm S Hurst
Age in 1860: 32
Birth Year: abt 1828
Birthplace: Tennessee
Home in 1860: Maynardville, Union, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Post Office: Maynardville
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members: Name Age
Wm S Hurst 32
Catharine B Hurst 28 (widow of Ransom Day, Jr.)
Wm R Hurst 6
Sarah J Hurst 4
Martha A Hurst 2
John W Hurst 2.12

The grave of Ransom Day, Jr. is located at the Big Springs Baptist Church. To see more pictures of this Church and the graves please click here.