William Zeno Stapleton ^{3 4 5 6 7}

   Cause of his death was chronic interstitial nephritis and arteriosclerosis. He fractured the neck of his femur 4 days earlier in an accident at home..⁹

  General Notes:

Granddaughter Iva Stapleton Sims said in a 1994 interview on tape that he was a large, dark man with black hair. He had a temper, but had the biggest heart towards everyone. He was loving, kind, and tender hearted. He was "the best man I ever saw in that way." He was a rancher, worked cows, broke horses. He could train a horse to wagon or saddle. He got into trouble with the Texas Rangers during the early years of his second marriage (Iva thought it might have been for stealing cattle.) When the rangers got near, he gathered up his new family and Willie and Zeno and went to Old Mexico for the next 7 years. Willie was 7 and Zeno was 5. (Note: Iva said about 1881 on tape, but the ages of the boys and the time of the second marriage would make it about 1889.) His first wife stayed in the Kerrville area with the two girls.

His parents were born in Alabama according to his census reports. At the time of the 1900 census, William was a stock raiser in Edwards County, Texas. He owned his farm free of mortgage. His sister in law Willfred Hickson born Apr 1882 was living with the family. At the time of the 1910 census, he was a farmer in Uvalde, Uvalde County, Texas. He owned his home free of mortgage. At the time of the 1920 census, he and his family were living in Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona. He wasn't working. At the time of the 1930 census, he was a patient in the Arizona State Hospital for the Insane, Del Rey, Maricopa County, Arizona. His wife was still living in Bisbee. He was living back home at the time of his death. He was a cattleman. His wife Nancy Elvira was the informant on his death certificate. ¹

  Additional Information:

• Alt. Birth, Abt 1844, Alabama, United States. ³

• FindAGrave: Memorial# 52743131.

Bill married Caroline Antoinette Andrews, daughter of Alfred Green Andrews and Grace, on 9 Dec 1875.¹ (Caroline Antoinette Andrews was born on 14 Sep 1856 in , Wharton County, Texas,^{8 11 12} died on 12 Jul 1947 in Kerrville, Kerr County, Texas ^{8 12 13} and was buried on 14 Jul 1947 in Nichols Cemetery, Ingram, Kerr County, Texas ^{12 14}.)

Bill next married Nancy Elvira Hickson, daughter of William J. Hickson and Mary E. Wiley, on 25 Nov 1890 in Medina, Bandera County, Texas.² (Nancy Elvira Hickson was born on 5 Oct 1869 in Texas,⁸ died on 14 Jan 1949 in Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, United States ⁸ and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, United States ¹⁵.)