Amanda Melvine McQueen & W. W. Orr

Amanda Melvine McQueen, born on 19 May 1843 in Franklin County, Tennessee, was the sixth child and fifth daughter born to Milton and Susan (Simmons) McQueen. Her eldest sister, Elizabeth, was already twelve years old at her birth. Amanda was six years old when her family moved to Texas. We know little else of Amanda’s childhood, except for the fact that she was eleven years old at the time of her mother’s death from pneumonia.

On 30 Oct 1860, just before the beginning of the Civil War, Amanda married W. W. Orr in Tyler County, Texas (marriage recorded in county). On 1 March 1862 he enlisted in John Thomas Bean’s company which served in Company H, 13th Regiment of Texas Cavalry. This company participated in engagements at Fort Bisland, Bayou Teche, and near Centreville in Lousiana to name a few. Bean was the nephew of Milton McQueen and the cousin of Amanda. His parents were Jane McQueen and Leroy D. Bean.

On 7 March 1864, near the end of the war, Amanda gave birth to a son whom the couple named Charles Milton Orr. After the war, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. Amanda, W. W., and their son Charles were all buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Dallas, Dallas Co., TX. Both W. W. and Amanda have slabs over their burial, but another large monument stands at the head of Amanda’s with the words “our mother,” so it is likely there were other children in the family as well.