Re: Ben Franklin Blanton Grayson Co Texas

Sue,

These two newspaper articles may concern your Ben. The background information, although contraindicating him, isapparently distorted.

"Ben Blanton, ex-Sheriff of Cook County, Texas, had a shooting scrape with a man named Todd, near Sherman, last week. Both men were dead when discovered, Todd being shot through the heart and Blantons head being nearly blown off. Blanton was an old Californian and held the office of Postmaster of Sacramento in 1852. His relatives live near Lexington, Kentucky."

----Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman,1 Sep 1881.

The Cooke USGenWeb site does not show any Blanton as sheriff of Cooke County (up to 1991). However, Elisha A. Blanton was the county attorney some time between 1880-1882, apparently replacing another one. He died in 1919.

They seem to be confusing this Ben with Benjamin Harrison Blanton, Jr., who died in 1879 and is buried in KY. His father was fairly prominent so may have been in the numerous biographies printed in the second half of the 19th Century.

His brother, Alexander Mitchell Blanton may be the postmaster in CA. There was no Blanton postmaster in Sacramento (per USPS website), but there was an Alexander M. Blanton, postmaster in Nevada City, Yuba, CA. However, there were two A. M. Blantons in the 1850 census of Yuba County. One was born in c. 1827 in IN and the other born c. 1823 in KY.

The version seems more credible, although Ben is still described as ex-sheriff (possibly he was a deputy). It shows the date as August 24, 1881:

"TEXAS TRAGEDY

Fatal Results of a Law Suit

Sherman, Tex, August 24--News of the most horrible affair in Cook county have been received. Some time since Ben Blanton, ex Sheriff of Cook County, and a very desperate man, met James Todd, who had been a witness against him in a law suit, and abused and insulted him in a most outrageous manner. They separated, each vowing to meet the other for a final settlement The men met today, both drew weapons and fired Todd was shot through the heart and in the breast. The top of Blanton's head was blown off. Both men were living dead when discovered."

----Wheeling [WV] Register 25 Aug 1881

IF the dates of the probate records for your Ben don't preclude his being this Ben, you may want to check local newspapers and court record to assess these accounts.