The Travis Theorem suggests that because two lineages of Babbs (plural) appear to have resided in Clay County, IL that it demonstrates a connection between the two lines. This is a gross oversimplification of the theorem, but it is the essence of the idea.

Today we start to put that theorem to the test.

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We start with Stephen Arthur Babbs (pictured on the cover image in his Union Uniform). who clearly preferred going by the name Arthur, which is contained in a large number of documents that bear his name over time. The name Stephen seems to have been mostly used by his son Lucious who also named his son Stephen Arthur Babbs. While it seems odd that he would have 3 names when no one else in his family did, we see them used alternatively. But never together.

However, as both names have been used for him, it seems fitting to include both in his entry, even if he didn’t use it in his lifetime. I will refer to him as Arthur as that was clearly his preference.

In the 1860 Census we can see that he was born in Tennessee and married a woman from Kentucky in Indiana. They had two children there before moving to Illinois where they lived at the time of this record. As a basic rule, if you have a good deal where you are, you stay put. It’s the unhappy/unsuccessful people that pick up and look for better worlds. They lived in Clay County, IL at the time of the 1860 Census.

The myriad of places that the family lived in and the meager $50 in personal estate in the 1860 Census shows that Arthur was likely a migrant farm worker. So, he went where the work was and was always on the move. Joining the military might have simply been a method to feed his struggling family.

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We see further evidence of movement on Arthur’s Service Record. He Joins in Aug 1862 in Middleton, IL, but that troop had previously been in Clay County, IL before coming to Middleton. So, that might not mean anything at all. Regardless, his residence is in Marion Co, IL, but his Nativity (the place he called home) is in Bond Co, IL, which isn’t terribly far apart.

Name: Arthur Babbs
Rank: Pvt.
Company: E
Unit: 111 IL US Inf.

Personal Characteristics

Residence: Marion Co. IL
Age: 35
Height: 5’ 8
Hair: Sandy
Eyes: Dark
Complexion: Sandy
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Farmer
Nativity: Bond Co. IL

Service Record

Joined When: Aug 14, 1862
Joined Where: Middleton IL
Joined By Whom: J. F. McGuire
Period: 3 Yrs.

Muster In: Sep 18, 1862
Muster In Where: Camp Marshall IL
Muster In By Whom: N/A
Muster Out: N/A
Muster Out Where: N/A
Muster Out By Whom: N/A
Remarks: Killed Jul 22, 1864 at Atlanta GA

Arthur’s story is a tragic one. He was killed in action just outside of Atlanta, GA not quite 2 years later. However, it is because of the Widow’s pension that we know much of anything at all about the family.

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For this quest to have any substance to it, we need to consider everyone in the vicinity as connections can be proven through what we call collateral relatives. First we will see where each family is located elsewhere in Clay County, IL and in my big tree of Babb. In this 1860 Census we find a total of 6 Babbs households. The first one is our Arthur Babbs and family.

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We will begin to explore those families over the coming days to determine if we can find an association between them.

Stay tuned!