John William Voris All Photos are courtesy of Jennifer Hoy Orton |
He left Kentucky sometime before Dec. 23, 1898 when he was married to Virginia Pearl Coffee in Albany, Shackelford Co., TX.
"J. W. Voris and bride, nee Pearl Coffey, who were married December 23, at Albany, Texas, are expected to arrive tomorrow night. Mr. Voris, who is a well known resident of Globe, will receive hearty congratulations from his many friends. Mr. Voris will serve as deputy to Sheriff-elect W. T. Armstron."¹[sic]He and Virginia appeared in the 1900 census in the Globe Pct., Globe, Gila Co., Arizona Territory. In March of that year he was a deputy sheriff in Gila Co. and covered the county collecting taxes on, among other things, sheep and cattle.²
Virginia Pearl Coffee Voris |
When Voris and other deputies appeared at the camp to take the Indians into custody a skirmish broke out and Voris ended up killing one of the Indians known as Nock-ay-det-Klinne and referred to in local newspaper articles as Nan-tan-go-Tayz. He was acting chief in place of his brother Cooley who was apparently away at the time. According to newspaper reports, the lawmen had given up on arresting the two Indians and were attempting to leave the encampment in peace. They were set upon and in the course of defending himself, Voris shot and killed the acting chief.
John William Voris continued to work as a lawman from time to time but spent more time raising cattle. He quit law enforcement in 1905 and went to work in Pinal Co., AZ Terr. for the A. C. Sieboth mines. In 1910 he and Virginia were raising cattle on their ranch in the Tonto National Forest near Gila. He died on Jun. 18, 1917 of an apparent heart attack while driving in an automobile near Globe, AZ. He was buried on the 21st at the Globe Cemetery.³
Kentucky Mildred Voris |
Kentucky Mildred was born Oct. 28, 1899 in Globe According to her death certificate, she died of Typhoid Fever on Apr. 29, 1918 in Tucson, Pima Co., AZ. Descendants say she died of "Spanish Flu" and was never married. She is buried at the Globe Cemetery in Gila Co.
Robert Edward Voris |
Emma Marie, born c1905 in AZ, died unknown. She married Oscar Elihu Clendennen [sic] who was born in Haskell Co., TX on Oct. 24, 1900. He died in Jan., 1964 at Midland, Midland Co., TX and was buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, Ector Co., TX. I have not yet found Emma's death date or place of burial. There were at least three children born to this union: Marion Bradford, born 1925; Melba Marie, born 1926; and Minnie Charlotte, born 1927.
Georgia Virginia Voris |
Additions and corrections are welcomed!
Sources:
¹The Daily Arizona Silver Belt, Globe City, Pinal Co., AZ, Dec. 22 [sic], 1898, Page 2, Col. 3.
² The Oasis - Arizola, Pinal Co., AZ 1893-1920, Mar. 10, 1900, Page 10, Col. 2; citing the Globe Silver Belt newspaper,
³ William Voris, death certificate No. 527 (18 June 1917), Arizona Department of Health Services, Health Services, Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ. http://tinyurl.com/o5fyv2c
For context see: http://tinyurl.com/oepozyg, ttp://tinyurl.com/muenm47, and http://tinyurl.com/nyaofb6