Daniel McClane's Revolutionary War Claim

            ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

The first step in looking for any difficult-to-find record should be the Family Search Research Wiki. That's how I located the Revolutionary War Claim for Daniel McLean. I had seen a reference to it in a google book; Copy of the Original Index Book Showing the Revolutionary War Claims Filed in South Carolina between August 20, 1873 and August 31, 1786, Kept by James McCall Auditor General and copied by Jean Revill. However, I could not figure out how to locate the record.

Enter the Family Search Research Wiki. The record I was searching for was referenced on the "South Carolina Military Records" entry in the Research Wiki. The best part about the Research Wiki pages is that they contain links to the various records. Sometimes they lead to a Family Search record group, sometimes Ancestry, and sometimes something else. 

Turns out Jean Revill's book was also listed on the Wiki. Further down the page was a subheading called "South Carolina Revolutionary Claims, 1783 to 1786" with a link to the twelve volumes of stub entries: 

Stub Entries to Indents Issued in Payments of Claims Against South Carolina Growing Out of the Revolution, Book X, pt 1, page 11:  

The footnote reads as follows: "Interlined below is: Mc : Clain."

That would seem to indicate that the original document contains two spellings of Daniel McClean/McClain/McClane's name. 

In 1781, my ancestor Daniel McLean was about 56 years old. At that age, I would not expect him to serve as a soldier. However, a fifty-six-year-old man would probably be able to drive cattle for the Revolutionary army. This claim indicates that Daniel McClane spent 66 days driving cattle in 1781 & 1782. It's interesting to note that he was being paid for service and not being reimbursed for the actual cattle. That suggests to me that he did not own the cattle, but was, in fact, rendering a service. This Daniel McLane was still living in 1785 when he received payment, and I know that my Daniel McLean was still living in 1787. 

However, no Daniel McLean has been found on the 1790 census. Since I have not located any living Daniel McLeans (or any other spellings of the name) in the state in 1790, I am guessing that there was only one man of that name when Daniel McClane was paid for his claim. By 1790, he would have been 65 years old if he was still living. He was either living in another household so that he was not named on the census or he was deceased.

What is exciting about this reference to Daniel McClane's service is that the Ulster Scots in the backcountry of South Carolina had to be "wooed" over to the American side of the Revolutionary War conflict. That is understandable when you consider what they had to lose. Daniel McLean had received his bounty land in 1768, and it was bestowed by the crown. Seven short years later, the rebels were sending emissaries out through the countryside to "convince" the backcountry men to their side. Throwing his lot in with the patriots would mean jeopardizing everything that Daniel had acquired and built since coming to the colonies in 1768 - all of which he could not accomplish in Ireland. He might have felt obligated to remain loyal to the crown while at the same time probably having no great love for the English. Of course, at this point Daniel McLean's son-in-law Archibald Owings was serving on the American side. 

Daniel McLean, Irish Immigrant, 1768

           ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

The 100 acres that Daniel McLean gave to his daughter Mary Hutson in Laurens County, South Carolina in 1786, contained this important tidbit of information - "100 acres of Land which I now dwell on which I had surveyed by a bounty warrant & has a patent for the same by William Bull, Esq. then Lieut. Governor, 29 July 1768, containing 300 acres."

First, it indicates that Daniel McLean was in South Carolina by 1768, and second, it points to the existence of other earlier records.

This 29 July 1768 deed record for 300 acres on Reedy Creek in Craven County can be found in South Carolina Memorial Book 8, page 219:

In trying to determine who was migrating to South Carolina during this period, I found Jean Revill's A Compilation of the Original Lists of Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina 1763 - 1773. Her book provides passenger lists for many ships arriving during that time. Daniel McLean and his family came to South Carolina on the Brig Lord Dunagannon with Master Robert Montgomery under the Bounty Act of 1761. There is the notation that their bounties were four pounds or two pounds sterling depending on their ages. This money was to be paid to the ship owners Torans and Pouag. The remaining twenty shillings in change was to be given to the immigrant. Additionally, at that time, the Secretary of Craven County was ordered to prepare a Warrant of Survey.

Daniel McLean's family group was given as follows:

Daniel McLean age 42

Ann McLean age 40

James McLean age 20

Lettice McLean age 16

Elizabeth McLean age 14

Ann McLean age 11

Mary McLean age 8

For this particular bounty, the head of household was to receive 100 acres, plus 50 acres for each additional person. Individuals age 16 and older were to receive 100 acres each. This evidently included both males and females. For his bounty, Daniel McLean received the 300 acres recorded in Memorial Book 8. Of that, 100 acres was for himself, and 50 acres each for his wife Ann and his daughters Elizabeth, Ann, and Mary. James McLean and Lettice McLean each received 100 acres. This establishes James and Lettice as siblings rather than a young married couple. Had they been married James would have received 150 acres, and Lettice would have received nothing.

The South Carolina Assembly created the Act of 1761 with the purpose of populating the backcountry of South Carolina with poor Irish protestants. Their settlements would act as a buffer zone between the Indian country and the more established settlements. Put simply, they were cannon fodder, the first to be sacrificed in the event of an uprising. Additionally, the immigrants had to provide certification that they were, indeed, protestants, presumably to keep out Catholics. 

Next, I searched for information about the Brig Lord Dunagannon, mastered by Robert Montgomery. It was part of the fleet of a Charleston shipping firm owned by John Torrans, John Greg, and John Pouag, who had lobbied the South Carolina Assembly to pass the Act of 1761 because they stood to profit greatly from transporting poor Irish protestants from Ulster to Charleston. Between the bounty years of 1763 and 1768, all of the ships that ran from Ulster to Charleston were owned by Torrans, Greg & Pouag. They routinely ran advertisements in the Belfast newspapers and sent agents out to recruit immigrants.

In August 1767, the following advertisement was running in the Belfast paper to recruit immigrants to leave on the Brig Lord Dunagannon that October:

While they had originally planned to set sail on 10 October 1767, it looks like they did not set sail from Belfast, Antrim County, Ireland, until 12 October 1767: 

They arrived in Charles Town, Charleston District, Berkley County, South Carolina in February 1768 with 141 immigrants from Belfast and Larne. 

Once I knew that Daniel McLean and his family had come from County Antrim, Ireland, I turned to the records of Northern Ireland. This was my first time to ever have a reason to search Irish records, so I've got a lot to learn. I've heard that not many of their records survive, so I was not expecting much. I did not find the McLeans in any marriage or birth records. However, I did find a Religious Census for 1766. On that census, there was only one protestant named Daniel McLeane in Antrim County. He was living in the village of Glenstaghy in Ballintoy Parish, Antrim County, Ireland. This seems to be the last record that Daniel McLean generated before departing for the New World, where he would go from being a poor Irish immigrant who could not pay his own passage to a man with 300 acres in just a matter of months. 

Archibald Owings' Wife Revealed!

          ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Uncovering the identity of wives becomes nearly impossible in the absence of marriage records and family bibles. Archibald Owings' wife has been particularly elusive. In an earlier post, I discussed that "my" Archibald Owings is frequently confused with his young nephew who was also named Archibald Owings. Unfortunately, the younger Archibald Owings' wife, Jane Kellett is frequently linked to the elder Archibald Owings as his wife.

Archibald Owings, the elder, would have married in the vicinity of Laurens County, South Carolina, and taken his wife and older children with him to Lancaster County, South Carolina by 1790, where he is found on the census, and then removed to Kershaw County, South Carolina before 1800. His wife was deceased by 1820 when she does not appear on the census. 

To date, I had found no mention of her in any records. I was not even able to determine her given name from any records. I needed to examine any books of transcribed records with an every-name index. I was hoping that she would be mentioned in her family's records and that somehow there would be an indication that she was my ancestor's wife.

As luck would have it, I determined that I had never seen Brent H. Holcomb's book Laurens County, South Carolina: Minutes of the County Court, 1786 - 1789. While 1786 - 1789 presents a very narrow timeframe, any Archibald Owings mentioned in it would likely be my ancestor since the nephew did not come of age until perhaps the mid-1790s. Yesterday, I headed to the Dallas Public Library to examine that book, and it did not disappoint:

"A deed of gift from Daniel McClain to Archebald Owins, proven in open Court by Wm. Obennian and John Hutson and Ordered to be Recorded." - 10 March 1788, p. 208

A deed of gift usually represents a family relationship of some sort.  I did not recognize Daniel McClain's name in connection with either Archibald Owings, the uncle, or Archibald Owings, the nephew. Who was he? What was his connection? Could he possibly be "my" Archibald Owings' father-in-law? A brother-in-law?

I explored deed books to see if anything more could be learned about this deed of gift. From Laurens County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts: Books A-D, 1785-1793 (1769-1793) by Larry Vehorn came the following record:

"Page 300 [Deed Bk B] 11 Aug 1787, Daniel McLain (Ninety six Dist., Laurens Co.) residing upon Redy River, freeholder, in consideration of the love, good will & affection I bear towards my loving daughter Elizabeth Owings, [give] 100 acres of land on Redy River, joining McAnalting line. Witness Wm. Obannon, John Hutson. Signed Daniel McLain. Rec. 2 Apr 1788."

Margaret Peckham Motes' book Laurens County, S.C.: Rabun Creek Settlement 1762-1848 reveals that Archibald Owings lost half or all of this tract of land to cover an old debt:

"Richardson, Thomas: 8 September 1787: Edmond Martin, Esquire, Sheriff of Ninety Six Dist., SC., and Aaron Steel, planter, of the same place. Whereas Archibald Owins [Owens], late of the Dist. and State aforesaid was seized of a certain tract of land in Laurens County on the S side of Reedy River containing 50 acres bounded N by the Reedy River, S and W by Daniel McLain, other lands laid out to one McAnulty, as appears by a plat. And whereas the said Aaron Steele in November term 1785 impleaded the said Archibald Owins in the Court of Common Please in the state aforesaid held at Ninety Six in a joint suit with Thomas Richardson for the recovery of the sum of 64 [lbs] Stg. in which action such proceedings was there for had that the said Aaron Steel did obtain and recover judgment against said Archibald Owins. Edmond Martin. Wit: John Downs, Samuel Taylor. Proved by Jonathan Downs 20 August 1789 before Joseph Downs, J.P. [LCDBK C:72-73]"

This record reveals that the Archibald Owens, who was the son-in-law of Daniel McLain, was by September of 1787 no longer a resident of Laurens County since "late of the Dist." indicates that he was previously or formerly a resident of Laurens County. My ancestor Archibald Owings had moved to Lancaster County, South Carolina before the 1790 census. 

Of course, the next thing to do was to find out as much as I could about Daniel McLain. So far, I have not found much, but I did find a sister for Elizabeth (McClain) Owings. 

A few months later, Daniel McClain/McLain/McLean gifted land to his other daughter, Mary (McLean) Hutson:

"169-170 [Deed Bk B] 4 Nov 1786, Daniel McLean of Ninety six Dist. but now called Oxford Dist. in Laurens Co. in consideration of the Love, good will & affection I bear towards my loving Daughter Mary McLean, but now by marriage Mary Hutson, give 100 acres of Land which I now dwell on which I had surveyed by a bounty warrant & has a patent for the same by William Bull Esq. then Lieut. Governor, 29 July 1768, containing 300 acres. The land I give border mouth of my Spring branch. I desire that the improvements & clear land &c may be within the boundaries of the 100 acres. Likewise I give said Mary Hutson four Cows with a mark tht is an over kut & an under kut in the Ear, one big pot & one little pot, one Chest or box, plow, Irons, loom. Witness David Speers. James McClanahan. Signed David McLean. Rec. 11 July 1787."

John Hutson went to court to prove this deed of gift. Later, Daniel McLean sued John Hutson, but the suit was withdrawn in 1789 because of the death of John Hutson. 

Merry Christmas, Mom!!

Daniel McLean, Irish Immigrant, 1768

Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph's Home is Vandalized

         ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

This tidbit appeared originally in the Danville Gazette of Danville, Kentucky in August of 1866.

Someone, probably, a woman vandalized the home of Rev. Duncan Hyder Selph while he was away. 

The culprit had cut the curtains of Rev. Selph's rockaway, broken his windows, and smashed his parlor furniture.

A rockaway was a light carriage similar to the one below. It was probably windowless; therefore, the curtains were needed to shade the occupants or to offer some protection from the rain. This was a carriage popular with families of the upper-middle class or higher in the 19th century

I suspect that the broken windows were the windows of the Selph residence and not the windows of the rockaway. That may be how the culprit gained entrance into the parlor where the furniture was smashed.

Unfortunately, I have not found a follow-up article for this event. There is no easy way to find out who the culprit was or why she was so angry at the Selphs. Was she a disgruntled teacher? A student who was upset about her grades? One of the Selph daughters? Someone with a more salacious connection? 

There is not a lot of information about this Selphs from this time period that would help shed light on this. At this time they were operating the Danville Female Academy in Danville, Kentucky, with Rev. D.H. Selph as president and his wife Lavinia E. Selph as one of the teachers. The Selph children were in attendance as students. In 1864, Lavinia Selph had purchased the buildings of the Danville Female Academy. On 1 September 1866, Rev. D.H. Selph had a large note coming due to C. C. Moore and his wife Mary Moore. From everything I've read, the Danville Female Academy had financial problems through the Civil War, yet the Selphs made several sizable purchases of property. The Danville Female Academy was purchased for nearly $10,000. The note due to the Moores was for about $35,000. Also, in 1866, Rev. D.H. Selph was trying to raise $25,000 to open a school for orphan girls and the daughters of poor Baptists ministers. 

None of this sheds any light on why the Selphs were the target of someone's ire.  

If you've made it this far, I've started a Facebook group for researchers working on the family of Peter Self his wife Elizabeth Vick as well as all allied family lines. Please join us at Peter Self/Selph and Elizabeth Vick Family Researchers. 

Which Archibald Owings Did Jane Kellett Marry?

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

The short answer is not mine. Here's why.

My ancestor, Archibald Owings, was born on 2 March 1750 to Richard Owings and his wife Anna Stonestreet in Baltimore County, Maryland. The Owings family removed to the Laurens County, South Carolina area by 1765ish.

Archibald Owings can be found in Lancaster County, South Carolina by 1790 when his household appeared on the Lancaster County, South Carolina census. His household was composed of one male over 16 (Archibald), six males under 16 (six sons?), and four free white females (wife and three daughters). That would indicate that Archibald and his unnamed wife were not newlyweds. Their household consisted of probably six sons and three daughters, the majority of whom were under sixteen years of age. That means that if they were having children at the rate of one every two years, then they had been married for at least 18 years. That would put their marriage at around 1771 at the latest. There is no way to know how many times Archibald Owings had been married, or if the wife with him in 1790 was his first wife and the mother of all of his children, or if she was a later wife. If Archibald Owings and his wife were married by 1771, then I would guesstimate her birth to be around 1751, give or take a few years. She would have probably been at least 40 years old by 1790. I would also guesstimate that her parents were born by about 1731 or a little earlier. 

My best guess is that Archibald Owings had married prior to his removal from Laurens County so that he was married and had several children by the time he arrived in Lancaster County. 

In October 1792 Archibald Owings witnessed a deed transaction from James Hood to John Hood Sr. in Lancaster County. He was also mentioned in a deed transaction from David Clanton to John Clanton of the Camden District of South Carolina in November of 1792. Since Clanton's land was on Singleton's Creek, which is where Archibald Owings died, Archibald likely died while still in possession of his land. If he did not sell any land while he was living, then it is impossible to learn his wife's name through her release of dower. However, it's still worth searching more thoroughly for land records. 

Meanwhile, back in Laurens County, South Carolina my Archibald Owings had a nephew named Archibald Owings, who was a son of his brother Richard Owings Jr. aka Richard Owings IV. The nephew was coming of age in the mid-1790s, and the two of them have often been confused for each other although they were both generating records in different counties, which is one way to sort them out. Plus, there is their age difference to consider; my Archibald, the uncle, was almost twenty years older than his nephew Archibald. 

By 1820, Archibald Owings, the uncle, was in Kershaw County, South Carolina, which was previously Camden District. His household was composed of just three males - two of whom were 16 to 25 years of age and one male over 45 (Archibald). There were no females in the household which implies that his wife was deceased prior to 1820. This is born out by his will dated 13 June 1826, which does not name a wife. 

Meanwhile, back in Laurens County, South Carolina, Archibald Owings, the nephew, had a large household of young children, and more importantly, he had a living wife. His household was composed of four boys under the age of 10, one boy aged 10 - 15, one man over the age of 45 (Archibald Owings), one girl under the age of 10, one girl aged 10 - 15, and one female age 26 - 44. He and his wife had a total of five sons and two daughters living in the home. 

Then in 1821, Jane Owings, the wife Archibald Owings, and daughter of Jeannette Kellet received a deed of gift from her mother in Laurens County, South Carolina:

The wording of this deed is very clear. On 13 February 1821, Jeannett Kellett deeded a slave woman named Fillis to her daughter Jane Owings, the wife of Archibald Owings. Clearly, Jane, the wife of Archibald Owings was alive and well in 1821 when she received this gift, unlike the wife of Archibald Owings, the uncle, of Kershaw County, who was deceased prior to 1820. When Archibald Owings, the uncle, died in Kershaw County in 1826, there was not a slave woman named Fillis (Phyllis) mentioned in his will. 

More importantly, Kellett can be found as a middle name among the children and descendants of Archibald Owings, the nephew, while it is never found among the children and descendants of Archibald Owings, the uncle. 

What that means for me is that the wife of my ancestor, Archibald Owings of Kershaw County, South Carolina is still unknown. Jane Kellett is ruled out as his spouse, and my hunt continues. 

Archibald Owings' Wife Revealed!

Grandison D. Nevill's Teaching Career

       ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Before Virgil Nevill died, he was interviewed by a great-nephew about the Nevill family. In that interview, Virgil revealed that when he was a young boy, he had gone on a short trip with his grandfather, Granville D. Nevill [Grandison D. Nevill Jr.], from Avery, Texas to Mt. Pleasant, Texas. During their journey, they supposedly visited the grave of Granville's father, and the old man told his grandson that he had negative feelings for his father because of his parents' divorce, that his father had been a horse trader and harness maker, that he had a quick temper, that he had been a school teacher, and that they had run a freight line together from Mt. Pleasant, Texas to Jefferson, Texas. Virgil also recalled that his grandfather had a brother that he visited in Beaumont, Texas. Over the years, I have been able to document everything except the freight line.  

On the 1880 census in Crawford County, Arkansas, G. D. Nevill Sr's occupation was listed as being a school teacher.

Crawford County, Arkansas 1880

Teaching seemed to have been a fallback profession for Grandison D. Nevill Sr. Something he could do when he was not operating a tannery or farming or too old to do anything else. 

Many years prior to 1880, Grandison D. Nevill can be found in Stoddard County, Missouri when he was involved in a lawsuit against Ransom Ladd. That suit was in the courts from September 1851 to March 1853. This was in the immediate years after Grandison lost his tannery and property in Dickson County, Tennesse, and after the dissolution of his third marriage to Annette Travis. There were no other Nevills living in Stoddard County on the 1850 census, so he was likely the only Nevill in Stoddard County in 1851. 

The following information can be found in S. C. Turnbo's Early School Days Near Bloomfield: 

"In speaking of early day schools in Southeast Mo., Mr. Austin Brown who has lived many years at Peel, Ark. gives this account. "I was 12 years old [when] I received my first schooling. This was in 1847 and we lived near Bloomfield in Stoddard County. The school was taught in a little log hut by a man of the name of Macum. Some of my school mates were Anthony and Daniel Clubb who were brothers and there were 3 or 4 of the teachers sons and nephew of his was also named Macum. When I was 16 years old or in 1851 a man of the name of Neville taught on Delaware Creek 4 miles west of Bloomfield and I went to it. The only names other than myself that I call to mind who attended this school was Susan Chappelle and her brother Leiper. I studied my lessons in Noah Webster's old Blue Back speller and during the first school I got to Baker and the next one I reached the pictures which pleased me well." 

It is reasonable to think that this teacher was Grandison D. Nevill, and it indicates that he was teaching school as early as 1851. 

Then in 1873, a single man by the name of Nevill was teaching in the Black Fork Township of Scott County, Arkansas. Grandison D. Nevill Jr. had married the daughter of John C. Walker and Hannah Holcomb of Scott County, Arkansas around 1867, and they had moved to Titus County, Texas by 1870. They did not stay there long before returning to Arkansas, probably in the vicinity of her family. It is reasonable to think that Grandison D. Nevill Sr was also in the vicinity since he seems to have lived near his son from 1860 on. Grandison Sr. can be found in Sebastian County in 1863, where Grandison Jr's children married years later. Senior can also be found next door to his son in Crawford County, Arkansas in 1880. His exact location in 1870 is currently unknown. This may have been during the period that the Nevills were running a freight line from Mt. Pleasant to Jefferson. 

This description can be found in the book From Memory's Scrapbook: A History of the Early Days of Scott County, Arkansas vol 2 by P.M. Claunts:

"One of the early teachers of Blackfork valley was Prof. Nevills, to whom the writer attended school when a small boy. This was about 1873, not sure about the year. It was taught in a little log house which stood just north of the valley road about one mile west of the John M. Martin Sr. home and on the north side of Blackfork creek. It was made up of all ages and sizes none being larger than the teacher who weighed bout 200. It was a winter term beginning in September and continuing until the following March. Many children, ten or [?] years of age learned their alphabet at this school and the grown-ups all studied the old McGuffey's, a blue-backed speller and the readers from No. 1 and No. 4, and Ray's arithmetic. At intervals during the day he would have the whole school lay their books aside and sing a little sing-song ditty beginning with the words of two letters and continuing to words of three letters, for example: 'Except that I cannot give the tune---' Ba Be bi-biby-bi bo-biby-bi-bo-bu-biby-bi-bo. (One would have to hear it to appreciate it). Another sing-song was the states and capitals. Beginning at Wisconsin, following with the capital repeating each or since each twice; taking in all the states and capitals. This was not so silly as the "Ba's" for we learned these states and their capitals and the writer can yet repeat them in this sing-song way. Special:--(If any of the Waldron readers want this story verified and a sample of the singing, just make an appointment with Judge W.A. Bates and advertise it and you will have an audience and be well entertained for he attended school to this same teacher, at Vise schoolhouse on Jones Creek). The teacher boarded at the R.G. Richmond home and from this home two boys and three girls attended: Jerry, Ben, Lou (who later became Mrs. L.O. Day), Lila who later became Mrs. Bud Gist, and Mollie, who later became Mrs. John Allen and later Mrs. Aikin, the only surviving member of the Richmond family, at this writing. In this school there were bad boys and pranks as is found in modern schools of today. There was one boy in the school who was from a family where the father had died; the widow, in providing pants for the boy, made a pair shorter but no smaller from a pair of the father's trousers and they were supported by a string over one shoulder. This bad boy would be just behind him when he stood up for his spelling lesson as it was called. It was a warm day and the boy had on no coat; when [he] crossed his legs the string slackened and the bad boy from behind with a sharp knife clipped the string and the show started, with the trousers falling to the floor and the boy in his excited effort to pull them up, hobbled himself and fell, all the time making for the door. When he went out at the door he had only one foot in the trousers and was supporting them in his hand. The teacher like the pupils, could not hold himself and announced: 'recess for dinner.'

It was the next day before this boy showed up at school and he never did know the string was cut, but thought it broke."

It is interesting to me to note that years after Grandison D. Nevill Sr was teaching at Black Fork and Vise, Arkansas, his granddaughter Susan Gertrude Nevill married Richard E. Duncan, a nephew of Samuel K. Duncan who became a legal partner with the very same Judge W. A. Bates, who had been a student of Grandison D. Nevill Sr. 

Keywords: G. D. Nevill, G. D. Neville, Granderson D. Nevill, Granderson D. Neville

The Camera Never Lies

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

This is my pride and joy. It's a solar enlargement or crayon enlargement of my great-great-grandparents, Isaac and Susan Poindexter (Reese) Duncan. Prior to her marriage to Isaac Duncan, Susan was married to Anson Hodges. 

Like many owners of one of these enlargements, I had never seen the original photograph from which it was made. Was the original actually two photographs or one? 

A few years ago, I saw another solar enlargement that was supposed to be of Isaac and Susan, but the woman looked very different. She was much older and the enlargement had been damaged and repaired so that the left side of her face (the viewer's right) looked droopy and the eye was very odd looking. While I was sure that the man in the photograph was Isaac Duncan, I did not recognize the woman as being Susan. 

This is the solar or crayon enlargement: 

Last week, Becky Roseman, a distant cousin of mine emailed a photograph of Isaac and Susan to me. After being able to see the original photograph and comparing it to the enlargement, I can see all the liberties that the artist took with the enlargement.

They both look much younger. In fact, Susan looks fifteen to twenty years younger with smoother, firmer skin. Part of this is due to their darker coloring. 

I've also realized that the other enlargement that I saw was a more accurate rendering of the original below: 

Masked Dance in Allison, Colorado - 1923

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

If you are going to play the genealogy game for the long haul, be prepared to be shocked by your ancestor's behavior. Be prepared to be disappointed. 

Keep in mind that they did not share our cultural sensitivities. 

In 1923, my husband's grandfather, Iley Nunn Selph, won second place for his KKK costume, which he wore to a "masked" dance given at the Grange hall in Allison, Colorado in the early days of 1923. Was it a real clansmen robe that he dredged up somewhere? Was it a parody of a clan robe? It's impossible to know, other than it was a costume, so it was likely recognizable as such and possibly out of character for him.

Note that a woman had gone in black face and another dressed as a homeless man. Both would be wildly inappropriate today. 

And the man dressed as a woman? That seems to be high hilarity in every generation. 

 

Andrew Hood Follow-Up

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

When exciting turns to disappointing...

The clue that Andrew Hood of Kershaw County, South Carolina had removed to Chester County, South Carolina and that his wife Elizabeth was the granddaughter of Alexander Archer seemed so very promising in my search to identify who the sister of my ancestor Richard Owens married. If his sister Elizabeth Owens had married Andrew Hood and was the granddaughter of Alexander Archer, then that would mean that Richard Owen's father Archibald Owings had married a daughter of Alexander Archer.

My search got really exciting when I found that Alexander Archer and been a near neighbor of Archibald Owings in Kershaw County before he moved to Chester County.

However, an examination of Alexander Archer's will that was filed in Chester County revealed no connections to the Owings/Owens family. None. Not one.

Alexander Archer did have at least two granddaughters named Elizabeth, probably more than two. At this time there is no reason to think that Andrew Hood married Elizabeth Owings. Instead, I think he probably married Elizabeth Archer.

That means that Andrew Hood and Richard Owens were not brothers-in-law through a connection to Richard's sister Elizabeth Owings, who married a Hood. Although if Richard Owens married Andrew Hood's sister Elizabeth, then they would be brothers-in-law. Got that? Not convoluted at all.

Another secondary source, has Elizabeth Owings married to Samuel Hood, so that needs to be followed up. Did they move to Pickens County, Alabama with the large contingent of Kershaw County, South Carolina neighbors who moved there? I'm not sure. I also found that there was a John Hood, who had a wife named Elizabeth, in Kershaw County. Is he the same John Hood who moved to Chester County? And why did all these Hood men married women named Elizabeth?! 

In any event, it's back to the drawing board for candidates for Elizabeth Owing's husband whose surname was Hood. In a roundabout way, I am hoping to figure out if Richard Owens was a brother-in-law to this Hood family. 

Richard Owen's Brother-in-Law, Andrew Hood, Provides Clues

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Sometimes, when I don't have a particular research plan in mind, or I just want to take a break, I cast my net out on Google to see what I can catch.

This morning I searched for Andrew Hood of Kershaw County, South Carolina with simple search terms: "Andrew Hood" Kershaw. He is of interest because he is supposed to be the son-in-law of my direct ancestor Archibald Owings who died in Kershaw County in 1826.  Archibald's daughter Elizabeth married a Hood, and most researchers name Andrew Hood, son of William and Jane Hood, as her husband. Elizabeth's brother Richard Owens, who is my ancestor, married an Elizabeth. His descendants have long thought that she was Elizabeth Hood, Andrew's sister. However, other researchers believe that Elizabeth Hood married Richard's brother William Owens and removed to Pickens County, Alabama. 

I noticed this morning that on family search there are no children for Andrew and Elizabeth (Owens) Hood, and only one source: the 1850 Chester County, South Carolina census. Working on Andrew Hood makes sense just because, for me, the path backward always goes sideways through sibling groups. Andrew Hood has the potential to reveal information about both the Hood and the Owens families.

What I found this morning, is exciting on the surface, but will take a lot more research.

My internet search turned up a tantalizing map of Chester County, South Carolina. Keep in mind that Chester County was not one of my keywords. 

In this close up, you can see why my search terms pulled this map up in my hits:

Andrew Hood of Kershaw and wife Elizabeth, granddaughter of Alexander Archer, were deeded land from John Cooper and wife Mary. This is interesting and odd all at the same time. Usually, the wife of the grantee is not named in the transaction, and certainly, having her grandfather named is unusual.

This raises a slew of questions for me because if Andrew Hood married Elizabeth Owens, then Alexander Archer was her maternal grandfather. That might mean that he was also my ancestor Richard Owens' grandfather.

Is there a record that documents Alexander Archer as Elizabeth Hood's grandfather?

Would that record also name Elizabeth's siblings, clarifying that she was an Owens?

Would that record name her mother, who is currently unknown? 

Then just to the southwest of this tract of land was another tract of land that Andrew Hood acquired, which had also belonged to Alexander Archer:

The later date of 1835 on this deed makes me think that Andrew Hood and wife Elizabeth probably had removed from Kershaw County, South Carolina to Chester County, South Carolina. 

Then a familiar name appeared on the tract just east of this one:

Daniel McMillian was on the early Kershaw County, South Carolina census living near Andrew Hood. 

A closer peek at that map reveals this little jewel:

An abandoned cemetery was located on Daniel McMillian's property at a reasonable distance from Andrew Hood's property. Of course, in that time period, people tended to bury on their own property, so there may not be any Hoods or Archers buried there.

My next step will be a review of Alexander Archer's records. I confess I am a bit hopeful since I know that after Archibald Owings left his father Richard Owings' home in Laurens County, South Carolina, he went to Lancaster County near the Hood family before he eventually ended up in Kershaw County. Since Chester County borders Lancaster County on the west, it is reasonable to think that Archibald may have lived there briefly - just long enough to woo Alexander Archer's daughter? 

Obituaries of the Children of Abner Chapman and Martha Frances Meadows

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Today's sibling obituary study concerns the children of Abner Chapman and his wife, Martha Frances Meadows who lived in the Damascus community near Mt. Pleasant in Titus County, Texas. Obituaries for Vince Chapman and his brother Ike Chapman only appeared recently in Portal to Texas. 

Abner and Martha (Meadows) Chapman moved from Georgia to Titus County, Texas just prior to the Civil War.

Their children in birth order:

1. John Thomas Chapman, called "Tom Chapman" by my grandfather, born October 1853 in Georgia

2. Vincent A. Chapman, born 20 November 1854 in Georgia

3. James Martin Chapman, born 15 May 1857 in Georgia

4. Georgia Ann Chapman, born 10 February 1859 in Titus County, Texas. She married Henry Edward Duffee. Alternate spellings: Duffey and Duffy.

5. Susan A. Chapman, born c. 1860 in Texas.

6. Abner A. Chapman, born April 1862 in Texas.

7. William Sargent Chapman, born 23 February 1868 in Texas.

8. Mattie Chapman, 20 February 1869 in Texas. 

9. Margaret Lee Chapman, called "Maggie," born 1 May 1873 in Texas. She married Gifford Marion Smith.

10. Isaac Roger Chapman, called "Ike," was born 20 February 1874, in Texas. 

Their obituaries in death order:

1. Susan A. Chapman - no death notice or obituary found. She only appeared on the 1860 census and it is thought that she died before 1870.

2. Martha L. "Mattie" Chapman - no death notice or obituary found. She died 30 June 1881 and is buried in the Damascus Cemetery near Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas. My grandfather told me that she got too near the fireplace and her skirt caught on fire, and she died from her burns. A death notice for her might still materialize.

3. Abner A. Chapman - no death notice or obituary found. He died sometime between the conception of his last child in 1888 and the 1900 census. Searching the Titus County tax list would possibly give me a better idea of when he died.

4. William Sargent Chapman - no death notice or obituary found yet. He was killed in a hunting accident on 18 September 1893 and was buried in the Damascus Cemetery near Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas. He had gone raccoon hunting with his uncle Simeon Meadows, among others. Uncle Sim had climbed up in a tree and was trying to shake the raccoon out of tree, causing a tree limb to break, falling on William Sargent Chapman and killing him. 

5. John Thomas Chapman - no death notice or obituary found yet. He supposedly died in 1907, probably in Texas or Oklahoma.

6. James Martin Chapman - no death notice or obituary found yet. However, there was an obituary for his wife. This obituary verifies the names of James M. Chapman's children who were surviving in 1930: Henry Chapman, Will Chapman, Luther Chapman, Jim Chapman, Mrs. Will Scarbrough, and Mrs. Ben Hensley. Like the other Chapmans, she was buried in the Damascus Cemetery.

7. Georgia Ann Chapman, died on 11 May 1939 and was buried in the Bogata Cemetery in Bogata, Red River County, Texas. There must have been a death notice or obituary in the newspaper at the time of her death. However, there was a reference to it ten years later in one of those columns about what had happened 10 years before.

A similar record appeared for Georgia's husband Henry Edward Duffey in a "ten years ago column," but, again, the original death notice or obituary has not been found yet. 

8. Vince A Chapman died 2 October 1942 and was buried in the Damascus Cemetery near Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas. His obituary reveals that he came to Texas at age two, which would be around 1856 or 1857, and that he had lived on his farm for 85 of his 87 years. That indicates that he lived on his parents' farm all his life. Therefore, deed records involving Vince A. Chapman would be very revealing.

This obituary reveals that his surviving children in 1942 were J.R. Chapman, Abner Chapman, and Mrs. Lee Sinclair.

Also of importance, is that his obituary links him to his two surviving siblings: Ike Chapman of Texarkana and Mrs. Maggie Smith of Johntown [Red River County, Texas]. 

9. Margaret Lee "Maggie" Chapman died on 21 May 1947 in Johntown, Red River County, Texas, and was buried in the Bogata Cemetery, Bogata, Red River County, Texas. 

Her obituary reveals that she was born in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. She had nine children who survived her: Mrs. Nettie Thomas, Mrs. Eva Cooper, Mrs. Letha Dowell, Mrs. Joe Herring, Mrs. John Miller, Mrs. Vera Watts, Mrs. Nell Franzen, Mrs. Georgia Smith, and Oscar Smith. It also mentions that she was survived by a brother living in Texarkana, but does not name him. 

10. Isaac Roger "Ike" Chapman died 9 February 1958 in Texarkana and was buried in the Damascus Cemetery near Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas. His obituary revealed that he was survived by three daughters: Mrs. Lennie Regain, Mrs. Ollie Moore, and Mrs. Mildred Traylor.

Catholic Records of Durango, Mexico

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

I am writing this post more for myself than for any other reason. The records of the Catholic Church, including images, of Durango, Mexico are now available on Family Search. The date range for these records is from 1604 to 1985. 

May I just say how much hope that gives me as a New Mexico genealogy researcher?

Most often, records from New Mexico were forwarded to Durango. Pre-marriage investigations and marital dispensations came from Durango. One can hope that marriage and baptism records that were later lost or destroyed might exist in duplicate in Durango. Since most of the records prior to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 were destroyed, my hope is that they are duplicated in Durango's records.

Those records can be viewed here.

John D. Lewis, Not the Son of Col. Charles Lewis and Mary Isham Randolph

           ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

This post is not going to be popular with the descendants of John D. Lewis, who died in McNairy County, Tennessee in 1842 and who is believed to have married Susan Daniel. However, as genealogists, we need to strive for accuracy. To that end, we have all been schooled to start with what we know and move backward. The problem for John D. Lewis's descendants is that at some point, probably in the first half of the 20th century or mid-century, they jumped the shark and claimed, without any primary source documentation, that John Lewis was the son of  Col. Charles Lewis of Buck Island and his wife Mary Isham Randolph. Let me repeat that, there is no primary source documentation to link John Lewis to Col Charles Lewis and Mary Isham Randolph. So how did they get there? It would seem that the link between John D. Lewis and Col. Charles Lewis is based on Charles Lewis naming a son John Lewis in his will, and Merrow E. Sorley's comment in his book Lewis of Warner Hall that "it has not been possible to trace a very large number of the descendants of Col. Charles and Mary (Randolph) Lewis. Most of their children moved westward out of Virginia, and their later descendants are scattered throughout many states of the Mississippi Valley region." That statement gave previous genealogists permission to take a square peg and jam it into a round hole with a sledgehammer. All they had to do was add a birth date [which is persistently given as 1757 without one shred of evidence] and a place of birth [Albemarle Co., Virgina] to John Lewis of  Jackson County, Alabama and McNairy County, Tennessee that approximately matched John Lewis, the son of Col. Charles Lewis, Jr., and presto-changeo, a whole cloth lineage appears. Mind you, this is a lineage that leads to Virginia's landed gentry and Thomas Jefferson. This is a lineage to cling to even if it means clinging to a host of undocumented, secondary sources. 

What happens, though, if we collect what is known about John D. Lewis and attempt to work backward? What happens if we try for even a little accuracy? 

John D. Lewis died in March of 1842 in McNairy County, Tennessee [not Hardin County, Tennessee as generations of researchers believed]. That information was revealed in an 1871 lawsuit in McNairy County, Tennessee when his grandchildren filed a lawsuit against their step-mother over the estate of their mother, Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb, daughter of John D. Lewis. As part of that lawsuit, the other children of John D. Lewis were named. And there was the surprise information that John D. Lewis had a second wife named Jane who was born in Tennessee in 1804. Together they had a daughter named Emily Lewis who was born in Tennessee in 1838. None of the early researchers included this wife and daughter in their information although Henry Lewis refers to his sister Emily Lewis in a deposition that is included in this lawsuit. 

In 1841, John Lewis purchased a tract of land in McNairy County. This is the action of a man who is probably still in reasonably good health with plans to continue farming. 

In 1840, John Lewis entered into an agreement with his two sons Joel D. Lewis and Henry Lewis. Both Joel and Henry signed with their names, but John Lewis signed with his mark. This suggests a man who is not literate enough to sign his name. It could be chalked up to old age, but he was in good enough health to purchase a tract of farmland the following year. It is reasonable to assume that the son of Col. Charles Lewis of Buck Island would have been tutored and well educated for his time. Certainly, he would have been able to sign his own name to a document.

John Lewis also wrote his will in 1840. A copy of it was filed in Deed Bk G. p. 139 of Tishomingo County, Mississippi on behalf of his heirs there. That copy again indicates that John Lewis signed with his mark. Also, James E. Daniel and William Daniel acted as witnesses. 

Additionally, in 1840, John Lewis appeared on the 1840 McNairy County, Tennessee census, which places him in the 60 to 69 age range column. That would give him a birthdate range of c. 1780 to c. 1771. I estimated John Lewis's birthdate in a previous post, but it is worth hitting the highlights here. 

On the 1830 census, John Lewis can be found on the Jackson County, Alabama census, where he is in the 40 - 49 age range column. That would give him a birthdate range of c. 1781 to 1790. The overlap between the 1840 census and 1830 census would place his birth at around 1780/81. Given that birthdates are often off by a couple of years, I would hesitate to give him a birthdate earlier than about 1778. 

Recall that early researchers estimated John Lewis's birthdate at 1757 to make him fit as a possible son of Col. Charles Lewis and Mary Isham Randolph. However, two census entries indicate a man who was younger by about twenty years. This is the point at which the researcher should be thinking, "Oops!"

In 1831, John Lewis of Jackson County, Alabama purchased a tract of land from James E. and Susanah Daniel. Since family tradition holds that John Lewis was married to Susan Daniel, this transaction takes on some importance because it suggests a possible connection to the Daniel family.

Most early and current researchers place John Lewis in Pulaski County, Kentucky; however, that John Lewis does not have enough children of the correct age to be the same John Lewis who died in McNairy County, Tennesse in 1842. "My" John Lewis is much more likely to be the John Lewis who can be found in Knox County, Kentucky in 1810. This was also covered in a previous post. He has enough children and, bonus points, there is a James Daniel on that census. If John Lewis's wife was Susan Daniel, then this strengthens the possibility that these two men are related by marriage. 

At this point, it is not been possible to move John Lewis backward out of Knox County, Kentucky. His place of birth is undocumented. Since he did not live until the 1850 census, the state of his birth is unknown. Certainly, the county of his birth is a mystery. 

Can John Lewis, who was born no earlier than 1778, be proven to be the same John Lewis who was the son of Col. Charles Lewis, Jr., and his wife Mary Isham Randolph of Albemarle County, Virginia?

Col. Charles Lewis, Jr. left a will in Albemarle County, Virginia, dated 1782. At that time Mary Isham (Randolph) Lewis was 57 years old. She would have been 53 in 1778, the earliest reasonable birthdate for John Lewis's birth. If he was born closer to 1780, she would have been 55. It's not believable that she would have been "my" John Lewis's mother. Everything else about Col. Charles Lewis's will suggests that his son John Lewis was an adult by the time that will was written. Charles left his son John Lewis a tract of 1,400 acres of land that had been purchased from John Hoomes. At no point does Col Charles Lewis indicate that John Lewis is not of age. Anyone wishing to pursue this angle needs to track down the records of that tract of land. Also in the will Col. Charles Lewis left bequests to several of his grandchildren which suggests that his own children were mostly adults. Certainly, most of his daughters were married by that time. It is reasonable to think that his children were born in the 1750s and 1760s. It just is not reasonable to think that the John Lewis, who died in McNairy County, Tennessee in 1842 and who was born no earlier than 1778, is one of them.

So what now? My suggestion is that we continue to work from the known backward instead of trying to make leaps to the many, many John Lewises who can be found in Virginia in the late 1700s. 

For those who want to read a transcript of Col. Charles Lewis's will:

I Charles Lewis of the Parish of Frederickville and County of Albemarle do make the following testamentary disposition of my Estate, Real and Personal. I give to my affectionate and virtuous wife Mary Lewis during her life the use of my whole estate Real and Personal. I give to my son Charles Lilburn Lewis and to his heirs all my lands on the Rivanna River containing by estimation fifteen hundred and ten acres, whether the same be more or less. I give to my son John Lewis and his heirs the tract of land I bought of John Hoomes, containing by estimation fourteen hundred acres whiether the same be more or less. I give to my daughter Mary Lewis a negro girl named Abbey daughter of Mary. I give to my daughter Jane Judson a negro girl named Nannie daughter of Phoebe. I give to my daughter Elizabeth Henderson a negro girl named Luck daughter of Judith. I give to my daughter Anne Jefferson a negro girl named Lucy daughter of Phoebe. I give to my daughter Frances Thomas a genro girl named Mary daughter of mulatto Lucy. I give and devise also the tract of land I bought of Thomas Meriwether on the branches of Ivy Creek containing by estimation one thousand acres whether the same be more or less to my said daughter Frances for her life, the remainder there of to my son-in-law John Thomas for his life, and after their death to my grandson Charles Lewis Thomas and his heirs. I give to my daughter Mildred Lewis, my negro girl Amy daughter of mulatto Lucy and my negro girl Hannah daughter of Zamah, as also seven hundred and fifty ounces of silver of the alloy of a Spanish Milled Dollar and its equivalent in gold at the rate of one ounce of gold of the alloy of an English guinea-in lieu of fifteen ounces of silver to be provened by my executor. But if my daughter Mildred should die before she comes of age or marries, it is my will that the articles bequeathed to her be equally divided among my other children. I give to my grandson Howell Lewis my negro boy Bob son of Cate and to my granddaughter Sally Elizabeth Willis Lewis my negro girl named Lucinda daughter of Pati. I give to my grandsons John Henderson, Randolph Lewis and Charles Lewis Tho: mas, a negro boy between the ages of four and seven years, that is to say one to each of them severally. And to my granddaughters Jane Lewis, Mary Lewis Hudson, Sally Henderson and Mary Howell Thomas a negro girl between the ages of four and seven years of age, that is to say, one each to each of them severally, which negro boys and girls bequeathed in this legacy are to be taken out of my estate so far as they may be found therein, and the deficiency if any happens shall be made good by purchase. All the Residue of my estate real and personal not herein otherwise disposed of, I give to be equally divided among all my children and their representations in absolute property. It is my intention that each of the slaves above bequeathed by name as have been, or shall be delivered, to any of my daughters by me in my life time shall be considered as vested in such Legatory from the time of delivery and that their increase subsequent to the delivery shall pass with the mother. That the gift of my negro girl Amy and of the silver or gold to my daughter Mildred shall be demandable by her immediately on my death-and that the bequest to my wife shall extend to all the other parts of my estate and while it leaves the freehold inheritance and absolute property thereof in the respective devises and legatees, shall entitle by way of trust to take the use and profits thereof during her life in such manner as she shall choose. Lastly I constitute my friend Thomas Jefferson and my sons-in-law Charles Hudson and Bennett Henderson and my sons Charles Lilburn, and Isham, executors of this my will and hereby revoke all former wills by me heretofore made, in witness thereof and I have here to set my hand this twenty seventh day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two. Charles Lewis (SEAL) This instrument was declared by the Testator to be his will and the signature thereof acknowledged to be his own. In witness thereof we have subscribed our names in his presence. J.R. Read her Mary Mc X Fitch mark John Bell At a Court held in Albemarle Co. the twelfth day of July MDCCLXXXII this will was proved by the oaths of Mary Fitch and John Bell two witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and on the motion of Charles Hudson, Charles Lilburn Lewis, Isham Lewis, three of the executors therein named who made oath according to law. Certificate is granted them for obtaining a Probat in due form on their giving security, Whereupon they with John Hudson, James Barrett, Minian Mills their securities entered into and acknowledged their Bond according to law.

At Long Last: Joseph Barber, son of Thomas Barber

          ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

On Saturday, I was finally able to get to the Dallas Public Library for a little research. I had not been able to go since well before the pandemic shut it down. Things have certainly changed, and I don't know when the library will return to business as usual. The genealogy collection, which occupies one-half of the eighth floor is currently limited to a "by appointment only" situation. Only four researchers at a time are allowed in that area and research is limited to three hours. I had to stipulate in advance what equipment I wanted to use. I requested a computer, copier, and access to books.

Since the Dallas library is an FHC affiliate, I primarily wanted to get a look at the Sumter County, Georgia deeds that are restricted because I wanted to see if I could find out if my ancestor Joseph Barber bought or sold any land there and if I could find out what happened to Thomas Barber's land, since I heavily suspected that Thomas Barber was Joseph's father. 

To recap: William A. Barber, son of Joseph Barber, stated that he was born in Sumter County, Georgia. He was born in July 1838, so Joseph Barber's family can be placed there by that date. Joseph Barber and family appear on the 1840 Sumter County, Georgia list, and Joseph Barber appears on the first membership roll of Friendship Baptist Church in 1842. By 1850, Joseph Barber and his family were in Russell County, Alabama, and Joseph Barber had $100 in real estate. Then in 1860, Joseph Barber was in Barbour County, Alabama with no real estate. I could not come up with any land transactions in either Russell County or Barbour County that mentioned Joseph Barber. That left me hoping that there would be a land deed in Sumter County, Georgia that would account for that $100 in real estate and possibly connect Joseph Barber to Thomas Barber or Edward Barber. Thomas Barber had won a tract of land in Sumter County, Georgia in the Georgia land lottery. Thomas Barber and his three sons Joseph, Jackson, and Thomas were referenced in the will of Thomas Mashburn of Onslow County, North Carolina because Thomas Barber had married Mashburn's daughter, Sarah. Thomas remarried a woman named Elizabeth and they had children, among them Edward who recounted his father Thomas and their life in Sumter County in a newspaper article. After the death of Thomas Barber Sr., his widow Elizabeth married John Bowen, and I think she had additional children with him. Elizabeth Bowen provided a deposition for her step-son Joseph Barber to help him in his attempt to claim his inheritance from his grandfather Thomas Mashburn's estate. 

Sumter County, Georgia land deed search results: On 3 November 1849, the following people joined together to sell Lot. Number 164 in District 17 to Jesse  Hurst for $500, which was recorded on 30 May 1854 in Sumter Co., GA Deed Bk K, p. 345: Elizabeth Bowen, Joseph Barber, Edward Barber, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber. They were all the heirs of Thomas Barber who drew lot number #164 in District 17 of Lee County, later Sumter County. This indicates to me that Thomas Barber's son Joseph was still living in 1850 although he cannot be found in Sumter County because he moved to Russell County, Alabama. It also accounts for why Joseph Barber had $100 of real estate in 1850 and none in 1860. My guess is that Joseph Barber lived on the property when he was in residence in Sumter County. 

I was surprised to find this particular deed because I thought that Elizabeth's second husband John Bowen had somehow acquired the land in his name since his administrator, Richard Bowen, was trying to sell it as part of John Bowen's estate in 1839. I wonder what sort of legal pressure was brought to bear against him to stop this sale and where I might find it. I was a bit dismayed to see that neither Sarah Barber nor Martha Barber had married by 1854. At that point, Sarah Barber would have been 32, and Martha would have been 27.  I have really been hoping that they left descendants. I have not found either sister living with their Barber or Bowen siblings or on their own after 1850.

All five of Thomas Barber's heirs signed the deed. The women, Elizabeth Bowen, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber, signed with their mark while Joseph and Edward were both able to sign with their names, indicating that the males were literate. 

My conclusion: My ancestor Joseph Barber who was born in North Carolina in 1810 or 1811 was the son of Thomas Barber and his wife Sarah Mashburn. Additionally, he was the brother of Jackson Barber and Thomas Barber Jr., who predeceased him. He was the grandson of Thomas Mashburn of Onslow County, North Carolina, which is probably where Joseph Barber was born. Joseph was also the step-son of Elizabeth, who later married John Bowen, and he was the elder half-brother of Edward Barber, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber. Joseph Barber was also at one time a resident of Jefferson County, Georgia; Pulaski County; Georgia, Lee County, Georgia; and Sumter County, Georgia. He may have also been a resident of Dooly County, Georgia. These are all areas in which he may have met and married his wife Arsenia. 
 

William Dendy, Goochland Co., VA 1728

         ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

William Dendy who died in Halifax County, Virginia in 1757 was sued twice in 1728 by Thomas Prosser/Posser, the administrator of John Shelton's estate. 

The first suit I have found occurred in December of 1728:

It was continued until the March of 1728:

The time sequence of these records is a good example of the Gregorian Calendar at work when the new legal year began on March 25. That system was in place until 1752 when we changed to the Julian Calendar. 

Apparently, William Dendy failed to appear, so the suit was to be taken up at the next court.

In this final record of the May 1929 Court, which would have followed the March 1728 Court on the Gregorian Calendar, the suit was dismissed.

Thomas Prosser/Posser was evidently administering the estate of his wife Elizabeth's former husband John Shelton. John Shelton died in 1725, prior to Goochland County, Virginia's formation from Henrico County Virginia in 1727. 

In order for William Dendy to be indebted to John Shelton, he would have needed to know him before Shelton died in 1725. That would probably make William Dendy an adult by 1725 and probably a resident of Henrico County. 

This early presence of William Dendy in Virginia indicates that he most likely married Elizabeth in Virginia and that his known children, William, Thomas, and Martha, were born in Virginia. 

William Dendy's wife Elizabeth

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

William Dendy, sometimes spelled William Dandy, who died in Halifax County, Virginia c. 1757, is my furthest back Dendy ancestor. I've spent several years collecting information on him. Now images of those records are viewable through Family Search. 

William Dendy's wife Elizabeth appears with him at least twice in the records. Her last appearance was when she released her dower rights in Amelia County, Virginia on 24 July 1752. Her husband, William Dendy, had sold 399 acres in Amelia County to Isaac Ferguson. It is possible to see both the Dendy and Dandy spelling in this single document. 

This document indicates that Elizabeth was still living as of 1752, but had probably predeceased William by the time his estate was being probated in Halifax County, Virginia in 1757. 

Elizabeth Dandy first appears with William Dandy when they both witnessed the will of Francis West in Amelia County, Virginia on 26 April 1738. Following the death of West, William Dandy acted as an appraiser for the estate. 

It is still impossible to determine when and where William and Elizabeth Dendy married. The earliest record I have found of William Dendy is when he was sued by the estate of John Shelton in Goochland County, Virginia in 1728 and 1729. That lawsuit was brought by Thomas Posser who had evidently married John Shelton's widow, Elizabeth. John Shelton had died intestate in 1725. In order for William Dendy to be indebted to Shelton, they would have had to have known each other before Shelton's death, so they were well enough acquainted by 1725 for Dendy to have incurred a debt to Shelton. 

Based on those dates, I would push William Dendy's birthdate back to at least 21 years prior to 1725. That would be a birthdate of at least 1704. Very likely, William Dandy was born in the late 1600s. There is at this point no reason to think that he was not born in the colonies although he may have immigrated to Virginia. 

Based on William Dendy's presence in Goochland County, Virginia by 1725, I would say that he is most likely to have met and married Elizabeth in Virginia so that they were not an immigrant couple. 

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