Edward Hampton

From the few records found for Edward Hampton, it appears that he was a single man. His birth date and place are not known, nor are any family relationships known.

McCaslin reported the following about Edward Hampton: “Paid taxes in Cooke County in 1857 on 2 horses. He filed a preemption for 160 acres and paid taxes on it in 1861 and 1862 as well as on 16 horses in the latter years according to the 1862 Cooke County tax roll, UNT.”

Hampton was on the Cooke County tax list for 1857, 1861, 1862, so, he should have showed up on the 1860 US Federal Census for Cooke County.  But, he was not found in the records for Cooke or in surrounding counties. A census record would have reported Ed Hampton’s age and birthplace.

Edward Hampton was tried in a double trial along with John A. Morris. Diamond did not give a full account of the trial; instead he stated that “The testimony in these cases is the same as in preceding trials. They were found guilty by the court.” Their crime was that of disloyalty against the Confederacy. They were found guilty and sentenced to hang. According to Diamond, Hampton and Morris supposedly acknowledged their guilt at the gallows and “exhorted the people to continue the work to break up the order that had so ignominiously terminated their existence.” Ed Hampton was hanged on October 10th.

Hampton “scarcely had time to complete his complete his will before being led to the elm” to be hanged. His hangman, Alexander Boutwell, was witness to his will. He left his estate, after his just debts were paid, to be equally divided between A. D. Scott and the heirs of Mrs. Woolsey. Ed Hampton must have been really good friends or connected through family relationships to the Woolsey family, because he left everything to them. A. D. Scott was married to Mary Woolsey, daughter of Elizabeth Woolsey.

Edward Hampton Will & Inventory of Estate