Very little is known about Sisly Attaway at this time – even her maiden name. She first appears in the 1840 census with two male children in the household under the age of 10, and one female between the ages of 30 and 40. So, at the ages of about 7 and 5, her children were fatherless. In the 1850 census, her age is listed as 45. According to the Craig family bible, she died July 4, 1856 age 51 years and 8 months. So she was probably born in November of 1804. It is not known at this time where she was buried.

The 1840 census lists her name as Sisly Attaway. At first glance, it appears that the first letter might be a “C”, but if you examine the handwriting of the census taker on other pages very carefully, it is clear that he intended to write “Sisly.” The 1850 census appears to have her name as Sesaly. But again, if you examine the handwriting carefully, the first letter after the “S” is an “i” and the census taker mistakenly added an “a” to the name. Also, the Craig family bible bears out the fact that it was Sisly – not to mention the fact that her son John named one of his children Leander Sisly. One has to wonder if “Leander” might have been part of his mother’s name.

Children of Sisly Attaway are:

Genealogical Sources

• 1840 Census Talbot County GA
• 1850 Census Talbot County GA