Martha Jane Newell was born 9 Jul 1833 in Conway Co AR, daughter of William H Newell and Temperance Sanders.  Her family is shown on the 1840 Conway Co AR Census and they came to Texas prior to 1846, as her father is listed on the Poll Tax List of Henderson County for that year.  Her father received land through Mercer's Colony.

   In the year 1849, Martha married James Terrell Rayel, probably in Henderson County.  He was son of William Harris Rayel & Jane Broyles Terrell, born circa 1822 in Boonville, Cooper Co MO.  James moved to Texas with his younger brother, William Willis Rayel to join their uncle, Robert Adams Terrell, with whom William was living in 1850.

   James was well-educated and is listed on the 1849 Henderson County Voters List and was the Henderson County Clerk at the time.  He was also the Postmaster in Buffalo, the first county seat of Henderson County from 5 Feb 1850 - 20 Jul 1850, and his brother W. W. served as the Confederate Postmaster of Kaufman County from 31 Jan 1862 - 25 Jul 1865, appointed by their friend, John H. Reagan.

   James and William both received 320 acres of land through Mercer's Colony on 23 Apr 1850.  They were founding members of the first Masonic Lodge in Kaufman County, Bloomfield Lodge No. 112 AF & AM.

   James & Martha are reflected on the 1850 Henderson County Census, living next door to her parents.  The census is marked that they had been married in the past 12 months.

HH# 95 / 95

HH# 96 / 96

James & Martha Jane Rayle had three known children, all born in Kaufman County

   In 1857 an unknown epidemic took many lives in Kaufman County, and that year Martha Jane died.  Her exact cause of death is not known, but some researchers feel she died from complications of childbirth with daughter, Mary Jane.

   She is buried in the old Love Family Graveyard, now known as the Kaufman Pioneer Cemetery.  Her grave is marked with a hand made dark gray cement stone inscribed:

Martha Jane Rayel
Born July 9th, 1833
Died Dec 19th, 1857
"Wife of James T Rayel"

   Within a year of Martha's death, James Rayel married Martha's younger sister, Mary Magdalene Newell.  They had the following known children:

Susan Julia "Jude"	F	10 Nov 1859	30 Nov 1926
Temperance Elizabeth	F	26 Nov 1860	12 Jun 1947
Samuel H	M	Born circa 1864	Died unknown

   During the year 1858 James Rayel was an appointed as a field agent for the staff of Gov. Hardin R Runnels.  In the Texas archives there is a letter written by Rayel to Runnels dated 1 Aug 1859, where he resigns that position to accept the elected position as Kaufman County's District Clerk.  James is mentioned in a letter written by George Noble to his brother, Sebron, dated 15 Aug 1859.  A transcription of that letter can be seen HERE.

   The Smithsonian Institutional Archives in Washington, DC lists James Rayel as serving as the Meteorological Observation Agent for Kaufman County during the years 1859 & 1860, responsible for recording all significant weather records to the government.

   According to Kaufman Co Probate records, file #'s 360 & 361, dated 28 Dec 1859, Martha Jane and Mary's mother, Temperance Newell, died that month and James Rayel was appointed executor of her estate and was made legal guardian of her youngest daughter, Nancy M. B. Newell.

   James & Mary were enumerated on the 1860 Kaufman Co TX Census with all three of his and Martha Jane's children in the household, and their first child.

HH#  59 / 59 - enumerated 3 Jun 1860

   On 1 Apr 1862, James Rayel enlisted in the Confederate States Army at Kaufman, enrolled by Dubart Murphy.  He joined Co G 19th TX Cavalry for the duration, but was discharged from service 22 Dec 1862.

In 1870 James and family were still residing in Kaufman County:

1870 Kaufman CO TX Census -  HH#  820 / 820

   It is thought that George was away at School when the census was made and that is why he is not reflected with the family in 1870.

   Late in the 1870's, along with several other families in Kaufman County, James and Mary took 2 orphaned girls into their home.  These two girls were incorrectly enumerated as "daughters" of James on the 1880 census.

   By 1880 James Rayle had moved his family to Lampasas Co TX, where he was enumerated on the 1880 Census living in District 5.

HH#  52 / 52

A copy of the original census record is inserted here to show the names as they appear on the census, especially the spelling of the one girl third row from the bottom.

   By 1880 Susan Rayel had moved from her father's home.  She married Henry Elton Summers on 23 Aug 1878.  In 1880 Temperance Rayel married Thomas Jefferson Murdock and moved from the home.

It is not known when and where James Terrell Rayel died.