Sources
The primary documents behind this family history. These transcriptions and compilations were created by family members over several decades — preserving records that might otherwise have been lost.
Stories and Poems, 2nd Edition
110-page family history tracing the Morris, Thompson, McAdams, Bankhead, and Nobles lines from North Carolina to East Texas. Seven generations of the Morris family, the founding of the McAdams Community, and pioneer life in Walker County.
JJLHIST
Biography and genealogy of Col. John Jackson Ledbetter Jr. (1901–1963) — engineer, attorney, and Army officer. Includes professional record, military service history, four generations of Ledbetter descendants, and seven generations of ancestry.
The Ledbetter Diaries, 1928–1938
First-person diary entries spanning the Depression era — from San Antonio and Dallas to El Paso. Job losses, bank failures, law school, births, deaths, and daily life in hard times.
The Ledbetter Diaries, 1945–1961
Post-war diary entries from Ann Arbor, San Antonio, and Austin. Military retirement, Jack's Annapolis appointment, law practice, family milestones, and the final years.
About These Sources
Stories and Poems was written by Margaret Alline Morris Craig, the family's historian, who spent decades documenting the Morris, Thompson, and McAdams families of Walker County, Texas. The second edition was privately printed and distributed to family members.
JJLHIST was compiled by William Burl Ledbetter, documenting the life of his father, Col. John Jackson Ledbetter Jr. — from his education at Texas A&M through his military service and law career.
The Ledbetter Diaries are transcriptions of J.J. Ledbetter's daily diary entries, spanning thirty-three years. They were transcribed by his son Bill from the original handwritten notebooks. The 1939–1944 entries (wartime military service) exist as a separate transcription not yet available here.