Migration of Reeves, Samples, Morgan, and Rudd Families, by Bobby Joe Lamm
One of my interest in genealogy is the migration info on my family - how and when they got where they are. I've got the Samples figured as follows, please correct me where you can. In the 1840's they lived on the Graves - Ballard county line in Western Kentucky. Their neighbors were the Reeves, Morgans, Rudds, Gills, Ransoms and Lamms. Matthew Richey Samples and Rachel Susan Morgan married in the late 1840's in Graves County. They had two or three children before moving to Ballard County in about 1854. I bet that their move wasn't more than 3 or 4 miles. Matthew's Mother, Mary Ransom Samples along with one of Matthew's younger brothers, were living with them when the 1860 census was taken. Rachel died mid 1860's and Matthew married Nancy Hilton Gill (one of his brothers was married to Nancy's sister). Matthew died in the 1870's and Nancy married Jack Morgan.
My grandmother, Ardella Samples married George W Reeves in 1872. In 1878 they left for Texas probably accompanied by Ardella's younger and single sister, Serena. They went by wagon across the Mississippi where they sold their team and wagon and caught a train for Dallas. They were met there by a family member who took them to Grayson County. Matthew's brother Moses B Samples was already in the area so it may have been him. Serena married Andy Lytle there the following year. In 1883 George and Ardella relocated to Hunt County where they purchased some acreage from James H Lamm (my g-grandfather). Another brother, Alfonso Jasper Samples, came by covered wagon in 1890 or 1891.
Jack and Nancy Hilton Morgan left Ballard County for Hunt County Texas sometime prior to 1889. Nancy's four children by Matthew Richey Samples (Safronia, Roscoe, Charles and Steve) all married in Hunt County in 1889 or 1890. She and Jack Morgan had some children also, but I don't know their names. I don't know what happened to Jack Morgan, but Nancy died in 1930 and is buried at Money Cemetery in Hunt County.
Several of the older children of Matthew and Rachel stayed in Kentucky and I know almost nothing about them. One of Serena's daughters is still living. She's mentally incompetent now, but several years ago when she had a better memory, I asked her about any siblings that her mother had back in Kentucky. She said that Serena had never mentioned them. I talked to a Jimmie Samples when I was in Graves county several years ago and he didn't know anyone beyond his grandfather. He did have a bunch of old pictures, probably from the 1800's with some that were identified as Samples and Rudds. A couple were identified as studio photographs made in Wolfe City and Greenville, Texas.
