Richard King's 1853 Obituary

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

My ancestor, Vincent Meadows, who was the son of Daniel Meadows, married Martha E. King in Taliaferro County, Georgia on 9 August 1827.

So far, I cannot positively link her to any other Kings in Taliaferro County even though there were several Kings living there. Most family researchers link her and several other Kings who were close to her age to supposed parents Richard King and his wife Rachel Dearman.

At this point, the strongest case I have for linking my Martha E. King to Richard King Sr. is proximity. I've done a little poking around and can see that both the King and Meadows families lived in the same area of Taliaferro County when Vincent Meadows and Martha King married. One big factor is that both families attended the Bethel Baptist Church in Crawfordville during the same time period although neither Vincent nor Martha appear in those records. I have a lot more information to check and organize before I can draw any conclusions for myself. I've been checking tax lists, church registers, census records, obituaries, land records, and Richard King's Revolutionary War pension. So far, a definitive list of Richard King's children eludes me. I can attribute some children to Richard King, but not all of them, and not my Martha. 

It was exciting, however, to find Richard King's detailed 1853 obituary in the 12 August 1853 Daily Chronicle and Sentinel of Augusta, Georgia. Unfortunately, as detailed as it was, it did not name even one of the members of the large family of children he left behind: 

Obituary

Another Revolutionary Patriot Gone!

Departed this life, on Friday, the 5th inst., at his residence in Taliaferro County county, Mr. Richard King, in the 93d year of his age.

Mr. King was born in North Carolina in 1760, and when sixteen years old took the place of his father in the continental army, and continued in service during the greater part of the war of Independence. He was at the battle of Eutaw Springs. After peace was secured, he moved to Georgia; and for the last fifty years he lived near where he died. He was a man of strict integrity, sterling worth and unquestioned piety--at Church his seat was never vacant. He was a member of the Bethel (Baptist) Church, which he joined in 1802, and of which was ordained a Deacon in 1807.

In politics he always took a lively interest, but without giving offence to any one. He was seldom absent from the polls on the day of election--he exercised his right of suffrage from a sense of public duty--he was a Republican in the beginning, and adhered to the same faith through life.

He left a large family of children and grandchildren, an aged widow, and a wide circle of acquaintances to mourn his loss.  It is true, we shall never see him again--neither at home, nor on the way, nor on the camp-ground, nor in his well known seat at Church--"These places that once knew him shall know him no more." But so long as the virtues of a good citizen, an obliging neighbor, a kind father, an affectionate husband, a humane master, an honest man, a true patriot and ardent Christian, shall be esteemed and cherished by those with whom he associated in life, so long will the memory of the venerable Richard King live in the hearts and affections of his striving friends.

Crawfordville, Ga., 8th August, 1853. 

 

John Lewis and Susan Daniels' Unsourced Marriage "Record"

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

I've been told by various researchers at various times that John Lewis and Susan Daniels married in Kentucky in 1795. When asked where in Kentucky this couple married, because I am always in hope of finding a primary document, they respond that the source is in Ancestry or on an Ancestry tree. The response always gets a little vague from there.

If it could be documented that John Lewis and Susan Daniels married in Kentucky, then surely a location is known. A document should reside in a courthouse or other collection somewhere. 

So what is in Ancestry that indicates that John Lewis married Susan Daniels in Kentucky? What leads so many researchers to this conclusion?? 

Here is what appears on Ancestry: 

The source for this record is the U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560 - 1900. The question every researcher should ask at this point is why isn't this record more specific? What was the location? What was the exact date? Wouldn't a primary source provide that information?

At the very least, the researcher should ask, "What on earth is the U.S. and International Marriage Records?" As luck would have it, Ancestry provides that information:

"The marriage records in this database were provided by Yates Publishing. Yate Publishing has been publishing genealogical books, periodicals, and quarterlies since 1972. In 1981, the founder, Bill Yates, began a service to provide and collect the family history information in family group sheets. Called the Family Group Sheet Exchange, this service collected over 200,000 pages of family group sheets on paper and several hundred thousand on disk. For more information or to order an original Family Group Sheet on the Family Group Sheet Exchange, please visit Yates Publishing."

The specific source citation for the marriage record for Susan Daniels and John Lewis:

"Source Citation

Source number: 1347.230; source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1."

For the low, low price of $97, you could find out what is on this particular family group sheet by ordering all of the Lewis family group sheets. 

However, in the overwhelming absence of any known marriage record filed in any Kentucky courthouse at any time, the only logical conclusion to draw at this time is that this "source" is an unsourced family group sheet. It is entirely possible that this source just loops back to the family tradition expressed in the Blaine Deposition with an estimated date and location. 

So what is the point? Those of us who are actively searching for the record of John Lewis's first marriage need to keep looking rather than stalling out at the information on this family group sheet. Now, of course, I need to point out the uncomfortable notion that John Lewis may not have even been married to Susan Daniels. That is blasphemy, I know, but there is not one primary source that documents her name. The only source for her is...wait for it...the Blaine Deposition. That means that in addition to continuing to search, we have to be open-minded and deliberate.

Daniel Meadows' "New" Obituaries

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

A new, to me, obituary for my ancestor Daniel Meadows has emerged. He died in Coweta County, Georgia on 28 December 1875. This "new" obituary is rich in genealogical detail. It is a little difficult to read because of the ink that bled through the back of the paper.

Obituary

Daniel Meadows departed this life on the 28th day of December 1875, at his son's residence near Grantville in Coweta county aged 96 years 9 months and 28 days, he was born in North Carolina Warren County, on the 1st day of March 1779, moved to Georgia and settle in Wilkes, now Taliaferro county in the year 1800, married in the year 1801, united with the Baptist church in the year 1802, was ordained deacon in the year 1804, was a delegate to the Georgia Association for many years. Served a tour in the war of 1812, moved to Coweta county in the year 1836, attended the Western Association as a delegate as long as he was able to travel. His wife died the 4th day of July in the year 1873 after living with her 72 years. He was a member of the Baptist church 73 years and never had a charge brought against him by the church nor any member during that time. He left one hundred children, grand children, and great grand children to grieve for him, but we believe that he has gone to reap the reward, of the faithful followers of our blessed redeemer.

A shorter version of this obituary appeared in The Christian Index the following March:

Brother Daniel Meadows who died last December near Grantville, was nearly ninety-seven years old. He joined the Baptist church in Wilkes county in 1802. His venerable wife, who died in 1873, was over ninety-two years of age, and was baptised in 1806. Their bright and useful Christian lives were blended, as man and wife, for the period of seventy-three years, six months and four days.