The Sykes
Families of DeKalb County, Tennessee
Researched and Written by James M. (Jim) Sykes
This is a work in progress and is being provided at this time to assist other
researchers.
DeKalb County shares its northern
border with the southern border of Smith County. We believe that the Sykes
families who settled in, or passed through, DeKalb County can be traced to
Smith County ancestors. All of the known Sykes family members currently
residing in DeKalb County are descendents of Smith County residents William
Elias (Buck) Sykes and his first wife Huldah Drushane Basinger.
Another early Smith County resident with family
connections to DeKalb County was Major Lewis Sykes. He was the grandson of
Joshua Sikes, Sr., the first known resident of Smith County with the surname of
Sikes/Sykes. Some of Major's descendants lived in DeKalb County during part of
the time they resided in Tennessee and were shown in the 1860 DeKalb County
census. Major is shown living in Smith County during the 1830, 1840 and 1850
census and appears in other Smith County records until the early 1850’s. No
additional records have been located on Major after the early 1850's. The
incorrect spelling of his surname in the 1850 census created some confusion.
Some typed copies have the surname spelled Silkes and others have Silker or
Selker. Major married Elizabeth (Betsy) Shores and they had at least six and
possibly seven children. Betsy had a family Bible that has been microfilmed by
the Mormon Church and the records in her Bible appear elsewhere on this web
site. The microfilm can be ordered for viewing at one of the local churches.
The Bible records indicate that Major’s name might actually have been Robert
Allen Sykes. Betsy’s husband is shown as Robert Allen Sykes in the introduction
to her Bible records microfilmed by the Mormon Church but there is no
indication who wrote this introduction or where the name Robert Allen Sykes
originated. Elizabeth Shores Sykes who lived in Smith County was always shown
in the census records as living in the household of Major Lewis Sykes. Betsy
was the daughter of Wiley and Didama Shores. She was born on April 13, 1800 in
Georgia and died on July 29, 1852 in Smith County. She is buried in the Prichard
Cemetery in Smith County near Lancaster. Their known children from
Betsy’s Bible are, Levander M. Sykes, Catherine Haldane Sykes, Mayer Allen
Sykes (used the name Robert M.), Margret Elizabeth Sykes, Rhody Sykes and
Yeatman W. Sykes. Another child listed in Betsy’s Bible records is Mandy
Elizabeth Sykes but it is not clear if she is the child of Major and Betsy.
Additionally, there is an indication in Betsy’s Bible records that there was
another child who was born on October 26, 1833 but no name is shown in the
Bible records. This child is believed by the writer to be Dicy A. Sykes who
married Daniel M. Justice on April 13, 1852 in Smith County. One of the main
reasons for this belief is that there is a female child by the name of Ann
listed in the 1850 census at the age of 16 living with Major and Betsy. The
only known record that shows the name Dicy A. Sykes is her marriage to Daniel
M. Justice. We have located a Daniel Justice and wife, Dicy A. Justice (who
appear to be the right ages to be this couple) living in Bradshaw, Clay County,
Arkansas when the 1880 census was taken. They are believed to have had a son,
Ozias J. (Oscar) Justice born on April 4, 1853 in Hickman, Kentucky who is also
shown on the same 1880 census. We have not yet located any additional
information on this couple. Information on the descendants of Ozias Justice can
be found on the Internet. If the reader has any additional information or would
like to discuss the information contained herein, please contact the writer
through my e-mail address in the “Surname” section of the Smith County web page
or by using the "link" at the bottom of this page. Additional
information that has been collected on the children of Major L. and Betsy Sykes
indicate that Mayer Allen Sykes (who used the name Robert M.) and his wife,
Elizabeth and their daughter Elizabeth (later listed as Sarah E.) lived in
Smith County when the 1850 census was taken. Major and Betsy's sons Levander
and Mayer (Robert M.) lived in DeKalb County with their families when the 1860
census was taken. They then moved to Kentucky and from there moved to Arkansas
between the 1860 DeKalb County census and the 1870 Arkansas census. Mike Sykes,
John Sykes and Sandra DeHart who are descendants have extensively researched
this part of the family. The writer of this presentation is not aware of any
detailed information currently available on the Internet on this line of
descendants. However, all information on this family that is available to the
writer can be obtained by contacting the writer. John Sykes of London, Arkansas
had a web page that detailed the descendants of this family but this web page
has not been active recently. John Sykes and Sandra DeHart have an e-mail
address shown in the “Surname” section of the Smith County web page. Rhody
Sykes and Yeatman Sykes also appear in the 1860 DeKalb County census living in
the home of their sister Catherine Sykes Baker and Catherine's husband William
Baker. We believe that Rhody, Yeatman and the Baker family moved to Kentucky
before the 1870 census was taken. The writer is not aware of anyone who is
currently researching this part of the family. In some papers that were
discovered after the writer’s father died, the writer learned that Rhoda (or
Rhody) Sykes married a Belcher. One of their sons, Richard Calvin Belcher, had
a daughter named Anzo Magdalen Belcher who married a Moore. They had a daughter
named Elizabeth Ann Moore who married a Sullivan. This information was shown on
an undated piece of paper and the information was provided to the writer’s
father by Elizabeth Ann Moore Sullivan, named above, who signed the document as
“your 6th cousin, Betty”. All of the writer’s efforts to locate this individual
have not been successful as of this writing. If the reader has any information
on Betty (Elizabeth Ann Moore) Sullivan or any other information on this part
of our family, please contact the writer. We have located a Richard F. Belcher
and wife, Rhoda with four children, one of whom is named Richard C. Belcher,
living in Londons, Butler, Kentucky in the 1880 census and a Yeatman Sikes and
wife, Nancy with five children living in Hadley, Warren, Kentucky in the 1880
census. These individuals were the right ages to be the Rhoda and Yeatman Sykes
who appear in the 1860 DeKalb County census.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The First Marriage of William Elias Sykes
WILLIAM ELIAS SYKES AND HULDAH D. BASINGER
FIRST
GENERATION
William Elias (Buck) Sykes was
born in Smith County on October 16, 1831 and died in Smith County on January
12, 1908. Huldah was born on May 21, 1837 and died on March
25, 1860. Huldah is buried in an unmarked grave on property that was owned by
Bettie Moore in the 1970's. Buck is buried in the Sykes Cemetery in Sykes,
Tennessee. Buck and Huldah had two sons:
1. John Monroe Sykes was
born on June 29, 1856, and
2.
James (Jim)
Hamilton Sykes was born on October 5, 1858 and died on January 7, 1919. Jim is
buried in the Sykes Cemetery.
No additional information has been located on
John Monroe Sykes but it is believed that he died at a young age. After the
death of Huldah, John Monroe’s mother, a lawsuit was instituted to settle her
father’s estate and her share of the estate was distributed to William as
guardian of their minor son James H. Sykes. Since John Monroe was not mentioned
in this July 1869 settlement it is assumed that he was not alive. On October
28, 1860, Buck married Amanda (Mandy) Virginia Turner, Mandy was born on
February 19, 1838 in Smith County and died on her 84th birthday on February 19,
1922, in Smith County. Mandy is buried in the Sykes Cemetery. Buck and Mandy
had eight children and the available information on this family can be reviewed
elsewhere on this web site, "Smith County Descendants of the First
Family".
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
SECOND
GENERATION
Children of James Hamilton Sykes and Minerva Ellen Dowell
James Hamilton Sykes married
Minerva Ellen (used the names Mary and Ella) Dowell in Smith County on January
20, 1881. Mary was born on September 7, 1859 in DeKalb County and died on
September 20, 1920 in DeKalb County. Mary is buried in the Sykes Cemetery in
Sykes, Tennessee. Jim and Mary moved to DeKalb County soon after they married.
Jim owned and operated the hotel in Temperance Hall where he also maintained a
general store and operated his undertaking business. We have been told that his
display of coffins inside the entrance of the hotel was very impressive. The
DeKalb County records indicate that Jim's undertaking and burial business was
very prosperous. Jim and Mary had five children.
1. Carrie
Elizabeth Sykes, was born on November 14, 1881 and died on November 29, 1920;
2.
Minnie Mae
Sykes, was born on September 29, 1884 and died on October 13, 1884;
3. William
Arthur Sykes, was born on January 7, 1886 and died on August 29, 1945;
4. James Cleveland Sykes, was born on August 16, 1889 and
died on February 28, 1919; and
5. Willis
Hershel Sykes, was born on April 25, 1895 and died on January 4, 1919.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
THIRD GENERATION
Children of Carrie Elizabeth Sykes and
Corbin Comer Reynolds
Carrie Elizabeth Sykes married Corbin Comer
Reynolds on December 23, 1900 in DeKalb County. Corbin (C.C.) was born on
September 26, 1877 and is believed to have died on July 10, 1962. Carrie and
C.C. had seven children. Although the names of their children are known from
the 1920 DeKalb County census, very little information has been located on
these children since their mother died in 1920. Their children were (1) Lora L.
Reynolds, born in about 1903, (2) James G. Reynolds, born in about 1904, (3)
Ella J. Reynolds, born in about 1906, (4) Ruby Louise Reynolds, born in about
1909, (5) Carrie Pauline Reynolds, born in about 1913, (6) Cora G. Reynolds,
born in about 1917, and (7) Mary Venice Reynolds, born in about 1918. Mary is
shown in the 1930 DeKalb County census living with her aunt Electa Rose
(Corbin's sister) and Electa's husband Ira B. Rose. Recent
information received from the great grandson of Ira B. Rose indicates that Mary
Reynolds married Frank McDonald. The writer believes that he has located Corbin
C. Reynolds and James G. Reynolds living in separate boarding houses in the
Detroit, Michigan area in 1930. There are many Reynolds families living in the
DeKalb County area and some of these have been contacted in an effort to
complete the genealogy of this family. If the reader has any additional
information, please contact the writer.
Minnie
May Sykes
Minnie May Sykes died young and is buried in the Sykes
Cemetery.
William Arthur Sykes married Flossie Frazier on
December 26, 1907 in DeKalb County. Flossie was born in DeKalb County on
February 7, 1890 and died on June 15, 1945. Arthur was the mail carrier and
owned a general store for a short time and he owned a large farm. Arthur and
Flossie are buried in the Gordonsville Cemetery. Arthur and Flossie had two
children.
1.
Dennis Ward Sykes was born on December 20, 1908
and died on December 26, 1990 and is buried in the Gordonsville Cemetery;
and
2.
Glyn Dowell Sykes was born on June 12, 1912 and
died on June 12, 1950 and is buried in the Gordonsville Cemetery.
James Cleveland Sykes never married and is
buried in the Sykes Cemetery.
Willis Hershel Sykes married
Beulah Mai Close on December 10, 1916. Beulah was born on March 5, 1895 and
died on December 9, 1918 from complications during the birth of their son.
Hershel and Buelah are buried with their unnamed infant son in the Temperance
Hall Cemetery in DeKalb County.
* * * * * * * * * *
Grandchildren of Carrie Elizabeth Sykes
and Corbin Comer Reynolds
There is insufficient information currently
available for the writer to provide any additional genealogy of the Carrie
Elizabeth Sykes and Corbin Comer Reynolds Family. If anyone reading this has
any information on this family, please contact the writer.
Grandchildren of William Arthur Sykes and
Flossie Frazier
Dennis Ward Sykes
Dennis Ward Sykes first married
Bonnie Nixon on September 3, 1932. Bonnie was born on April 10, 1911 and died
on March 2, 1972 and is buried in the Gordonsville Cemetery. On August 7, 1974,
Dennis Ward second married Barbara McCallum in Lebanon, Tennessee. Barbara was
born on November 11, 1914 in Ruston, Lincoln Parrish, Louisiana. Barbara was
first married to Jack Kelly and currently lives in west Tennessee. Dennis did
not have any children.
Glyn Dowell Sykes married Ethel
Love Harper who was born on July 2, 1914 in Smith County and died on December
30, 2004. Glyn and Ethel had three children:
1.
Gerald Shannon Sykes was born on April 17, 1937.
2.
Larry Glenn Sykes was born on June 24, 1943, and
3.
Ronald Harper Sykes was born on June 22, 1947.
After Glyn Dowell died, Ethel married J. T.
Hayes. Ethel and J. T. did not have children.
Comments About William’s First
Marriage
The writer is a descendant from the second marriage of William Elias Sykes to Amanda Virginia Turner and recognizes that the information about the marriage of William Elias Sykes to Huldah D. Basinger is very limited. The writer was not aware of this marriage until August 2003, and was not aware that their son Jim had a family until Jim’s family was located in the 1900 DeKalb County Census in September 2003 while the writer was searching for descendants from Buck’s second marriage. All information that is currently available to the writer on Buck’s first marriage is being provided here for the purpose of assisting others with their research on these families. The writer lives near Smith and DeKalb Counties and is willing to assist any other researchers whenever possible.
The remaining descendants from William's first
marriage remains private at this time. Any member of this family may obtain
additional information by contacting the writer.