John Wiley Farmer, was born in Dent County, Missouri on 18 March 1859 to Hiram David Farmer and Mary “Polly” Jones.[1] When his father Hiram died, “Wiley” was four years old and was compelled to work tending to the family garden and other chores with little time for school.
On 26 February 1881, when Wiley was twenty-one years old, he married Virginia Belle Johnson. Virginia’s mother had died in 1861 when she was young. Her father was William F. Johnson of Tennessee, a prosperous farmer, an active member of the Christian church, and a cousin of President Andrew Johnson.
Wiley rented his family farm for one year until he sold his Missouri property and set out for Montana with his father-in-law and family, the Mark Morris family, the William B. Daniel family, the Hills’ family, the Warner Johnson family, and the Hedricks family.
After traveling up the Missouri River, Wiley and Virginia arrived into Fort Benton on the General Terry on Saturday, 06 May 1882.[2] The family spent two months in Fort Benton and then took secured pre-emption claims on Little Belt Creek near the Highwood Mountains, twelve miles northeast of Belt. Wiley and his father-in-law were still improving their Highwood land months later in February and March of 1883.[3]. The Farmers homesteaded on the ranch farming, raising cattle and many fine horses.
In February 1900, a smallpox outbreak occurred in the “Missouri Ridge” despite quarantine efforts. Afflicted were the Crocker family and Mrs. L. Nottingham, whose husband was arrested for breaking the quarantine. Other reported diseases in the area included a virulent case of diphtheria, a prevailing epidemic of mumps, scarlet fever, whooping cough, chicken pox, and a disappearing outbreak of measles.
The brother of the children’s school teacher, Dr. Vidal, discovered that two persons in Wiley’s household had a mild case of smallpox. The house was immediately quarantined. A barbed wire fence surrounded the house and a special officer was stationed to watch the house, day and night, and to prevent any of the vaccinated schoolchildren from playing near it.
Within a month, all eight persons in the household were showing mild symptoms – except Wiley, who “was in country when the disease developed” and was forbidden to see his family. This left Virginia, who was six months pregnant, to care for eight children alone: William Addison had turned eighteen a few weeks earlier, Abraham Jeffrey “Jeff” had turned ten a few weeks earlier, seven-year-old Wiley Lawrence, six-year-old Mary Viola, four-year-old Effie Victoria, four-year-old Louisa Virginia “Lulu”, Alfred Marion who was about to turn two, and Braxton Franklin “Frank” who was under the age of two.
By the end of March 1900, all eight members had recovered. The family was the last case of smallpox in town, and with the quarantine lifted, the family moved out to their country home.[4]
Wiley and Virginia’s daughter Mabel Marian was born in May 1900 but the joy of a newborn child soon disappeared when after a brief illness, Virginia passed away at her home on Saturday, 30 June 1900.[5] About five months later, on 26 November 1900, 18-month-old Mabel died at about 5 o’clock that evening.[6]
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. A sequel is currently in work.
Click for more information
[1] Hiram David Farmer (12 August 1827, Harlan, Kentucky – 16 March 1863, Youngs Point, Louisiana) the son of David M. Farmer (1801-1889) and grandson of Stephen Farmer; Mary “Polly” Jones (1832-1916) the daughter of Wiley Jones (1811-1893) and Sarah Hendrickson (1814-1900).
[2] “What the Boats Brought,” The River Press (10 May 1882), p.5
[3]The Benton Weekly Record (24 February 1883), p.5; The Benton Weekly Record (10 March 1883), p.5
[4] “Disease Spreading,” The Anaconda Standard (09 February 1900), p.11; “Spray of the Falls,” Great Falls Tribune (03 March 1900), p.3; “State News,” The Butte Daily Post (06 March 1900), p.5; “In Belt,” The Anaconda Standard (26 March 1900), p.11; The Anaconda Standard (02 March 1900), p.11; Great Falls Tribune (21 March 1900), p.6.
[5]Great Falls Tribune (09 July 1900), p.7; “Of Local Interest,” Great Falls Tribune (08 July 1900), p.12. There are two 1900 United States Federal Census that enumerate Virginia. The first was completed by Thomas Gordon on 05 July 1900 for Highwood Township, Choteau County, Montana (Twelfth Census of the United States, Schedule No. 1 – Population, SD #155, ED #192, sheet 31, line 16) and the second was completed by William G. Light on 26-28 July 1900 for Belt Township, Cascade County, Montana (Twelfth Census of the United States, Schedule No. 1 – Population, SD #155, ED #144, sheet 29, line 46). It would reason that Virginia was enumerated when the census was started, and passed away before they were completed.
A lot of family trees incorrectly have Rachel Astley as the wife of Edward Farmar. Is his wife Rachel Ellis/Roberts as other researchers suggest?
In an earlier post, it was related that the Astley surname first appears in the Philadelphia region around the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Yet, on a July 1685 land deed between William Penn and the local Indians, appears the name of Will Asley. The purchased land becomes the land inherited by Edward.
Jim White in his book Boone Family to America, 1670-1720, Volume II (2009) has Edward’s wife as Rachel Ellis, the daughter of Robert and Elin Ellis who immigrated in 1690 from Tyddyn Y Garreg, Merioneth, Wales, to Philadelphia. More research was required to determine the validity of White’s claim, as the book cites a source with no mention of Edward.
Tyddyn Y Garreg Meeting House
Further, White’s book claims that John Farmer, Edward’s brother, is the “Quaker of Essex” who traveled throughout the America’s from 1711-1714. Julie Miller’s research of John Farmer’s diary shows White’s claim to be untrue.
Using publicly available books, I started a family tree for Rachel’s siblings, who all adopted the surname “Roberts.”
I then used my father’s autosomnal DNA results to find the name “Ellis” or “Roberts” in the family trees of 6-8 cousin matches. I had purchased an AncestryDNA kit as a Christmas gift for my father in 2017; his DNA results became an invaluable tool that proved Samuel Chase Early was his great grandfather.
It was a very tedious process of elimination for a LOT of family trees. Not only did the Ellis or Roberts surname have to appear as a direct ancestor in the cousin’s pedigree, but no other surname in my father’s pedigree had to appear in the cousin’s pedigree, or match with other surnames in the Ellis/Roberts’ pedigree.
Why? To rule out any other DNA possibilities. If a cousin descended from a Farmer, is it a match due to the Farmer DNA, or Ellis/Roberts DNA? If an ancestral Farmer married an Osborne, and the cousin’s ancestor married an Osborne, is it a match due to the Osborne DNA? This also means that some descendants of Robert Ellis were eliminated if they married into families common with my father’s pedigree.
I needed trees that ONLY share the Ellis/Roberts connection. And in doing so, could also irrefutably prove that Stephen Farmer was the great grandson of Edward Farmar.
This is not an easy task. A full pedigree will have 196 persons across seven generations. And of course, family trees have to be correct. This can be a problem when family lines abruptly stop with limited information, or when family lines have children associated with the wrong parent (e.g. a son as offspring to his step-mother). Trees with good documentation were sought and used.
Out of THOUSANDS of trees, below are eight possibilities that were considered as examples of the painstaking effort to prove the identity of Edward’s wife.
The pedigree of R.M. and J.M., sharing 16-26 cm across one segment. 5ggp Jane Roberts (1750-1820), parents unknown, married James Maxwell (1745-1821). Common surnames? 5ggp William Long (1750-1770) who married Martha Davis (1754-1840).
The pedigree of R.B., sharing 19-23 cm across one segment, and whose mother Roberts can be traced 11 generations to William Roberts (1630-1670), including those in Pennsylvania at the same time frame as Rachel Ellis. Common surnames? 7ggp Alexander Cummins (1736- ).
The pedigree of S.M., sharing 14-22 cm across one segment. 4ggp Thomas Roberts (1790-1837). Common surnames? 9ggp Peter Krehbiel (1656- ) of Switzerland with name changes through the generations similar to Grabeel of Switzerland.
The pedigree of C.C., sharing 14-16 cm across one segment. 8ggp Alice Roberts (1640-1704). Common surnames? 7ggp Thomas Worrel (1686-1732).
The pedigree of M.W., sharing 13-15 cm across one segment. 7ggp Edward Ellis (1659- ). Common surnames? 5ggp Henry Gay (1704-1779), along with Thomas and Thompson.
The pedigree of T.S., sharing 14-17 cm across one segment. 5ggp Adonijah Roberts (1755- ). Common surnames? None.
The search continues for the perfect tree, especially one that has a direct descendant of Robert and Ellin Ellis with no other surname matches. The pedigree of T.S. listed above is very promising, with further research needed into the identity of Adonijah Roberts.
For now, DNA results do suggest that the identity of Edward Farmar’s wife is Rachel Ellis.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. A sequel is currently in work.
“Very well written and researched…” L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…” D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!” E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” E. Farley
The following is excerpted and edited from the book “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh.”
The relationship between America and England had been
deteriorating since King George III’s Royal Proclamation in 1763, and after a
series of parliamentary taxes in the 1760’s,[1]
many questioned whether England had any jurisdiction over the colonies. By
1774, the argument was that Parliament was the legislative body of England
only, and the colonies with their own legislatures had the respective authority
within America. After the 1774 Coercive Acts stripped Massachusetts of their
self-governance for their role in the 1773 Boston Tea Party, the First
Continental Congress with delegates from the other twelve colonies met in
Philadelphia from 05 September to 26 September 1774. As their appeal to King
George III had no effect, the Second Continental Congress met again on 10 May
1775 and the delegates urged each colony to establish and train their own
militia. By then, the first shots of war had occurred on 19 April 1775 at the
Battle of Lexington and Concord. Many had hoped for reconciliation, but the
king rejected Congress’ petition and issued a Proclamation of Rebellion after
the Battle of Bunker Hill and Siege of Boston in June 1775. King George sought
foreign assistance to suppress the “open and avowed rebellion” and encouraged
citizens to “use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such
rebellion” including reporting anyone engaged in “traitorous correspondence.”
Elizabeth “Eliza” (Halroyd) Farmer, the wife of Dr. Richard Farmer of Philadelphia, was dismayed by the actions of the British, evidenced in a letter to her nephew Jack Halroyd, a clerk at the East India Company in London.
“June 28th, 1775 My Dear Jack- We have nothing going on now but preparations for war… there is hardly a man that is not old but is leaving, except the Quakers; and there is two Companys of them, all in a Pretty Uniform of Sky blue turn’d up with white. There is Six or Seven different sorts of Uniforms beside a Company of light Horse and one Rangers and another of Indians: these are all of Philadelphia; besides all the Provinces arming and Training in the same Manner for they are all determined to die or be Free. It is not the low Idle Fellow that fight only for pay, but Men of great property are Common Soldiers who secretagogue hgh say they are fighting for themselves and Posterity. There is accounts come that they are now fighting at Boston and that the Army set Charles Town on fire in order to land the Troops under cover of the Smoak… The People are getting into Manufacture of different Sorts particularly Salt Peter and Gunpowder; the Smiths are almost all turned Gunsmiths and cannot work fast enough. God knows how it will end but I fear it will be very bad on both sides; and if your devilish Minestry and parliment don’t make some concesions and repeal the Acts, England will lose America for, as I said before, they are determined to be free…”[2]
With the Declaration of Independence
signed on 04 July 1776 in Philadelphia, a handwritten copy was sent to John
Dunlap who printed more than two hundred copies of the “broadside” for
distribution. While the document had been printed in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on 06 July 1776, the first formal public
reading took place on 08 July 1776 under an order of the President of Congress
on Friday, 05 July 1776.[3]
At eleven o’clock that sunny morning,
the church bells and the bell at the State House began to summon the citizens
of the city and from the surrounding countryside to the State House yard.
Having entered through the large gate on the south side, a crude platform was
to the east, constructed in 1769 by the American Philosophical Society for
observing the transit of Venus. They looked around the walled area, including
the prison, from which Tory sympathizers and other convicts looked down from
the windows. Soldiers manned the cannons lining the sides, while wagons
carrying ammunition, powder, and military stores were positioned around. Everyone
waited patiently on the hard, rutted ground, with nearby willow trees offering
shade.
At the first bell, the Committee of
Safety, charged with the defense of the colony, assembled in their chamber. Present
were Chairman George Clymer, Joseph Parker, James Biddle, David Rittenhouse,
Owen Biddle, Thomas Wharton, Jr., Michael Hillegas, John Cadwallader, George
Gray, Samuel Howell, Samuel Morris, James Mease, and John Nixon. Meanwhile, the
Committee of Inspection, including Christopher Marshall, convened at the
Philosophical Hall and soon met with the Committee of Safety.
The bells stopped at noon when a
two-by-two procession entered the State House yard. At the head were constables
and staff, then the Sheriff of Philadelphia William Dewees[4] and Coroner Robert Jewell, and their deputies following behind. The
Committee of Safety and the Committee of Inspection followed as a body behind
the procession. The restless crowd began to quiet as Sheriff William Dewees climbed
the observatory stairs with his acting deputy, Colonel John Nixon, close behind,
along with members of the Committee of Safety and local dignitaries.
Dewees approached the railing and
addressed the crowd.
“Under the authority of the Continental Congress and by order of the Committee of Safety, I proclaim a declaration of independence.”
Colonel Nixon then stepped forward and, having
been appointed by Dewees for reasons unknown, proceeded to read the document.
“In Congress, July 4, 1776. A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation…”
A loud applause erupted with the
opening sentence. Colonel Nixon, in a loud and resonant voice that could be
heard as far as Mr. Norris’ house on the east side of Fifth Street, continued
to read, while those in attendance listened attentively, occasionally
interrupting with applause. When he finished, the State House bell rang once
more to the excitement of the audience and three hearty huzzahs. There was
little conversation as some of the crowd made their way to Armitage’s tavern.
Others followed the speakers to the courthouse, where the document was again
read. The Committee of Inspection removed the king’s arms first from the
courthouse and then from the statehouse. They were carried to the common, where
later that evening, the citizens cheered and celebrated with a great bonfire while
church bells tolled through the clear, starry night.
In the spring of 1777, Colonel William Farmar Dewees, Edward Farmar’s grandson, was asked to store army supplies at Valley Forge based on its suitable location and number of storage buildings, “contrary to [his] wishes and remonstrances.”[5] His Mount Joy iron works, in partnership with David Potts, the brother of William’s wife Sarah Potts, were essential in manufacturing cannonballs, bullets, rifles, knives, bayonets, and other military supplies.
In September 1777, British Lieutenant General William Howe sailed from New York and invaded Pennsylvania from the Chesapeake Bay. After defeating the American forces at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, Howe, with information from a Tory supporter, sent Lieutenant Colonel William Harcourt with three companies of light infantry and part of the Sixteenth Light Dragoons to Valley Forge.
They arrived on September 18 and found Dewees, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, and Captain Henry Lee trying to move the military supplies across the Schuylkill River.[6] As the British force of 400 men advanced and fired, the Americans fled by barge across the Valley Creek, where Colonel Dewees’ horse was shot while trying to cross. The British remained until the night of September 22, but not until after they had proceeded to burn the forge, sawmill, two large stone dwelling houses, two coal houses, four hundred loads of coal, and 2,200 bushels of wheat and rye as witnessed by Major Caleb North of the Tenth Pennsylvania Infantry. Losses also included his household belongings and livestock.
After the defeat at the Battle of Germantown,
Washington’s army retreated along several paths and encampments until November
2, when Washington marched his forces to Whitemarsh Township. Howe, on his
return march, burned all of the houses and businesses between Germantown Township
and Philadelphia, including the Rising Sun Inn which was owned by William
Maulsby, the son of Merchant Maulsby, Sr.[7]
Meanwhile, Colonel Dewees and a neighbor, Joseph Cloyd,
were captured on 24 October while travelling along Ridge Road. They were imprisoned
at British headquarters in Philadelphia for three and a half days with no food
or provisions until they were transferred to a new jail for six days, again
with no food, with exception to food provided by Joseph’s wife. To avoid
starvation, and to ensure their release, they both swore an allegiance to King
George III.
At the conclusion of the “Battle of White Marsh,” and
with the British thirteen miles away in Philadelphia for the winter, the
Continental Army left Whitemarsh on December 11. After an eight-day journey to
travel thirteen miles, Washington and his army of 12,000 arrived at Valley
Forge.
Valley Forge’s high terrain overlooking wide, open
areas and the proximity to the Schuylkill River provided advantages for supply
movements, training, and protection against surprise enemy attacks.
Approximately 1300 to 1600 huts of varying size, material, and construction
were built for living quarters by cutting down the trees and dismantling the
split rail fences, which were also used for heating and cooking fires. For six
months from 18 December 1777 to 19 June 1778, the army faced supply shortages,
malnutrition, starvation, and disease where 11,500 horses and 700 to 2,000
soldiers died.
Colonel Dewees and his second wife, Sarah Waters,
endeavored to relieve the suffering of the army at Valley Forge at their great
expense. While the army was stationed in their vicinity, General Washington and
his wife Martha were frequently entertained at the Dewees mansion. General
Washington had sent Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Stewart to defend the manor
house. During this visit, Thomas first met Edward Farmar’s granddaughter,
Rachel Dewees, a young and very lovely girl who was not quite eighteen years
old. In a case of love at first sight, both were married only a few months
after they first met. After the wedding, the bridal party and their host of
friends were returning to Thomas’ home in Bucks County on horseback when they
met Washington. The General drew up his troops on each side of the road, then
dismounted and congratulated Stewart and his bride. He also claimed the
privilege of a kiss from the bride, who was well-known to General Washington.[8]
Dr. Richard Farmar and his wife Eliza were presumably
Loyalists, and it may be no surprise that when Richard’s daughter, Sarah, fell
in love with Major William Bowers, a Continental soldier, her parents were
averse to the marriage. Tradition says that “Miss Sallie,” under the cover of
darkness, climbed out of a second story window and eloped in 1778.
Following the British destruction of his iron works at
Mount Joy and the army’s “destruction” of Valley Forge, Colonel William Farmar
Dewees moved his family into his father-in-law’s home in Tredyffrin Township.
He was in financial ruin, and after the war, Dewees tried to resurrect his
business, but became bankrupt in 1784 when the sheriff confiscated his property
and returned to Tredyffrin Township. In 1785, Dewees petitioned Congress for
compensation claiming,
“a merciless enemy had either carried off or burned his property [and that the American soldiers’ destruction of the] greatest part of his standing timber and all of his fences deprived [him] of the Power to erect New Buildings, and rendered the Premises of less Value than they previously were…”
The petition was referred as early as January 1791 to the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton – the same person who was with Dewees moving military supplies when the British attacked in September 1777. It was Hamilton’s opinion that…
“it is advisable carefully to forbear a special interposition of the Legislature in favor of special claims [that the] lapse of time has added to the difficulty of investigating satisfactorily claims which generally rest on evidence merely oral, and which, instrinsically, are liable to much vagueness and abuse…”[9]
Although sympathetic to his cause, Congress never acted
on the claims during William’s life for his losses for which Congress had no
monies to cover the funds.[10]
A petition was presented again on 25 January 1794, referred to a select
committee, and rejected on 15 December 1794. Before he died in 1809, Dewees
again petitioned Congress to no avail. After his death, his son William and
wife Sarah continued to pursue the claim when Congress introduced a bill on 5
February 1817. President James Monroe signed a petition in 1818 granting
Dewees’ widow $8,000 for the damage caused by the British, but not for the
damage caused by the American army. Sarah Dewees finally received an additional
$900 compensation in 1820 from the State of Pennsylvania – forty-three years
after the destruction at Valley Forge. Sarah Dewees died in 1822.
Today, Valley Forge National Historic Park preserves and protects over 3,500 acres of the original site.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
[3]
Various accounts differ on the events of 08 July 1776. This account summarized
from: Keyser, The Liberty Bell, p.20-22; Hart, “Colonel John Nixon,” p.195-196; “We
Declare Independence.” American Heritage.
[4] Edward’s son-in-law William Dewees, having married Rachel Farmar. One resource erroneously states “Thomas Dewees” (Hart, “Colonel John Nixon,” p.196)
[5] 33rd
Congress, 1st Session, Rep. No. 108, “Heirs of Col. Willis Riddick
[To accompany bill. H.R. No. 274]”, per the report from the Committee on
Revolutionary Claims dated 17 April 1834.
[6]
Henry Lee III (1756-1818), later served as Governor of Virginia (1791-1794) and
father of General Robert E. Lee, commander of Army of the Confederate States of
America during the Civil War. Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), first Secretary
of the Treasury, and founder of the nation’s financial system, the Federalist Party,
the United States Coast Guard, and the New York Post newspapers.
[7]
Barnard, Early Maltby, With Some Roades
History and that of the Maulsby Family in America, p.153. William Maulsby,
son of Merchant Maulsby, Sr., married Hannah Coulston, the granddaughter of
Jacob and Ann Rhodes, at the Old Swedes’ Church, Philadelphia, in 1756. In 1763
he removed his certificate from Gwynedd to Philadelphia. He was owner of the
Rising Sun Inn, on the Germantown Road, in Germantown Township, eleven miles
from the city of Philadelphia.
[8]
Jordan, et al. Personal Memoirs of The
Lehigh Valley, p.42-43.
[9] 28th
Congress, 1st Session, Report from the Committee on Revolutionary
Claims dated 15 January 1844.
[10]
“…in June 1783, and appraisement was, on oath, made of the property destroyed
by the enemy at the sum of £3,404 3s 4p… and wood destroyed at £300… and that
these accounts were submitted to the Board of Treasury about the year 1784 or
1785…” (16th Congress, 2nd Session, No. 538 “Loss of
Property at Valley Forge” dated 20 December 1820). In 2018, this is the
equivalent of $828,250.
On this St. Patrick’s day, you may find yourself raising a pint of Guinness at Jasper’s Backyard, a popular bar and grill in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
From their website,
“The earliest purchase of land in the vicinity of Conshohocken can be traced to deeds from the Tammany Native Americans to William Penn in 1683. In that year, William Penn sold 5,000 acres to Jasper Farmer, an Irishman, whose family established the first limestone quarry in the area. Son Thomas Farmer sold 1250 acres of land, 200 of which were in what is now Conshohocken, to Radnor Quaker David Harry in 1700. In 1710, David Harry met David Jones at the Friends Meeting and subsequently sold him 160 acres of land. At the time of the borough’s incorporation 140 years later, the Jones and Harry families would own the entire east side of Conshohocken…”
Major Jasper Farmar was an officer in the English Army. For his military services, he was granted a 5000-acre plantation in Garranekinnefeake Parish, village of Midleton, County of Cork, Ireland. Although living in Ireland, the Farmar’s were English, and hated by the Irish for living on confiscated land. By the end of the Irish Uprising in 1641, most of the land was confiscated from the Farmar’s and the family lived in exile in Exeter, England. Although, some of the land was returned, life in Ireland was never the same.
One of Major Jasper’s neighbors in Ireland was William Penn, who encouraged Major Jasper to immigrate to “Penn’s Land” in the Americas.
Major Jasper sent his son Jasper Jr. to investigate the Province of Pennsylvania. Liking what he saw, Jasper Jr. purchased 5,000 acres of land by patent dated January 1683 on behalf of Major Jasper and his sons Jasper Jr. and Richard Farmar. This land would become known as Farmersville (or Farmer’s Town), although most commonly known as Whitemarsh Township.
During the trans-Atlantic voyage on the Bristol Merchant in late 1685, Major Jasper, his son Jasper Jr., and his daughter Katherine Farmar, died and were buried at sea.
During the disposition of the wills, Major Jasper’s wife, Mary Batsford Farmar (“Madame Farmar”), along with Jasper Jr.’s wife, Katherine Batsford Farmar (“Widow Katherine,” the daughter of Mary), partitioned the 5,000 acres. 2500 acres went to Edward Farmar (Major Jasper and Mary’s son), and 1250 acres each went to Richard Farmar and Widow Katherine.
Through a series of transactions, Richard sold his land to his step mother Madame Farmar and returned to Ireland. By the end of 1685, Madame Farmar was now the owner of 3750 acres of land upon which a large deposit of limestone was found. Madame Farmar died in late 1686, and her son, Edward Farmar inherited the land.
Edward would continue limestone burning, build the first grist mill, build St. Thomas Episcopal Church, become a judge, and serve on the Provincial Assembly from 1710 until his death in 1745. His daughter, Rachel, would marry William Mehls Deweese, and their children would own Valley Forge when George Washington’s troops camped there in the winter of 1777-1778.
Edward’s son, Samuel Farmer, would move from Whitemarsh Township to Rowan County, North Carolina. Samuel’s son, William Farmer, would later move north into Grayson County, Virginia. While William’s son, David Farmer, would remain there, his other son, Stephen Farmer, would later move to Harlan County, Kentucky.
Sometime between 1685 and 1689, Widow Katherine remarried to Captain Christopher Billopp. Her Staten Island home, Billopp Manor, is now the Conference House, where Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge met with Lord Admiral Richard Howe in 1776. The meeting was hosted by Major Jasper’s great, great grandson Colonel Christopher Billopp to negotiate a peaceful means out of the American Revolutionary War.
Katherine Billopp died before April 1700. In June 1700, her son, Thomas Farmer, sold the 1250-acre tract to David Harry, who in later years, parceled the land to other buyers. Thomas Farmer was personally appointed by William Penn to be High Sheriff of Philadelphia City and County in June 1700. It was an office he held until he resigned in 1703 to travel to England and marry Anne Billopp, the daughter of Captain Christopher Billopp. Thomas would return to America and enter politics in New Jersey.
The Farmar’s weren’t true Irish, but having lived in Ireland, they adopted Irish customs. It is reported that in the 1800’s when they demolished Widow Katherine’s home in Philadelphia, two Irish pennies were found.
So on this St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate the Irish spirit in all of us!
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out the current discounts through our printing partner LuLu.com which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
The conclusion of a tutorial on deductive reason when branching your family tree using Hiram Fee as the example.
If you happened upon this blog, recommend you read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Having performed the prior steps, it’s time to move on to Step #8.
STEP #8: NEVER STOP SEARCHING
Searching for answers on Hiram Jones Fee has been a two-year undertaking. When I first encountered Hiram as the “son” of Henderson and Sarah, he just sat there on the branch… just a leaf that needed to be completed later.
Then a few months ago in branching Stephen Farmer’s son, Lewis C. Farmer (1798-1870), I find a great granddaughter Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie” Farmer (1888-1986). Sarah was the daughter of Lorena Jane Yeary (1861-1945) and Leonard Farmer (1857-1938) who was the son of Catherine Fannie Branson (1831-1920) and William C. Farmer (1824-1910). William was the son of Lewis. Then I find another Hiram Fee as the wife of Sallie Farmer. It was through more searching that I was able to conclude that the two Hiram’s were one and the same.
Never stop searching, especially if you continue to have that nagging question that your leap of faith may have been in error. By continually searching, I found additional information about Hiram Fee that really helped with the assumptions and conclusions.
Websites are constantly updated or added. Pay attention to the emails from Ancestry.com, Family Search, or Newspapers.com about their records updates. New records added to their repository may have what you are searching for. The same goes for the notices that someone has added a story, photo, or record to someone in your family tree. That’s how I came across a “Stephen F. Lee vs. David Lee” lawsuit from 1903 that was added by another Ancestry member. In it,
“Hiram Fee above named was a son and an heir of the decd. [John Fee]… that said Hiram Fee left two other children and heirs whose names and place of residence these plaintiffs cannot after diligent inquiry ascertain, they are here sued as ‘Unknown defendants’…”
Search engines are fallible. Type in some search words on Ancestry.com and nothing. Do another search, and there it is. The same goes for Newspapers.com. After typing in numerous variations of Hiram Jones Fee, Hiram J. Fee, H.J. Fee, Hiram Fee, etc., I find another obituary for Hiram Jones Fee… and I wasn’t searching for Hiram. The obituary explicitly states Lee is his son… information omitted from the other obituary. The leap of faith was correct!
Obituary of Hiram Jones Fee Source: The Tribune, IN (29 May 1950), p.1
Countless times I’ve done a Google search and have nothing come up. Then out of the blue, conduct another search using the same phrases and, voila, there’s the information you’ve been looking for. Like this website on John Fee and Jane Lee with this additional information [edited for content and errors]:
“Hiram Fee was born ca 1843 – he was killed 188_ ‘when a gun went off accidentally in Pineville.’ He married #1 1861 Sarah J Daniels born ca 1847 daughter of __; md?? #2 Rebecca Ann Jones [Hiram and Rebecca were indicted for adultery in 1875, ‘the parties being married but not to each other’] and #3 1871 to Joyce Howard [1852-1915] daughter of James T and Minerva Lee Howard. [check marriage order – Joicy had married Jasper Jones by 1903 Circuit Court LEE case] Hiram’s children, Hiram, Sally, Polly Jane and Boyd are named in the LEE vs LEE Circuit Court case in 1903 which also states that there were 2 more children of Hiram, whereabouts and names unknown!”
“Hiram J FEE was born 16 Feb 1876 and was raised from the age of three by his uncle and aunt, Henderson and Sarah OSBORN FEE. He married first in June of 1892 to Louisa “Ludie” Adeline HENSLEY born April 1879 died 1967. They set up housekeeping on Henderson’s farm on Turtle Creek. When she and Hiram divorced, Ludie took Annie Ethel with her and left the other six children with Henderson & Sarah. Hiram married #2 17 Feb 1907 to Sallie FARMER who is believed to have married next to a HUDSON [sic, HUTTON]. Hiram married thirdly to Susie REED who had been married to an EVERSOLE by whom she had two daughters, Maud and Flora. Hiram deserted her and she married Lewis HENSLEY. Hiram spent his last years in the homes of his son J. Lawrence and daughter Arta, dying at the former’s home in Brownstown, Indiana 27 May 1950.”
I wish the website had a better bibliography. The search is
on for the 1875 indictment!!
Join or search as many online sites that you can. For example, even though you have a Newspapers.com account, search the digitized newspapers at the Library of Congress. Newspapers.com doesn’t have the Harlan Daily Enterprise, but NewspaperArchive.com does!
Fulton History has obscure newspapers that have solved countless brick walls. For many years, my mother and her cousin have searched state libraries and many, many dead ends to find information on their grandmother, Sallie (Sexton) Addington. With newspaper articles on “Little Johnny has a runny nose today,” surely there is some article about a woman who died from a stove explosion? Within a few minutes on Fulton’s, there it was as front page news.
Connect with other family members by joining a Facebook
group, or contacting the owner of a tree, or contacting living relatives. Since
publishing this blog series, I’ve been in contact with Ms. Jan Fee, the
granddaughter of Hiram Jones Fee through Hiram Jr. Her personal accounts of the
family history have been very educational and fill in a lot of blanks that
records don’t disclose. After countless fruitless searches, she sends the 1920
Kentucky marriage bond for Hiram Jones Fee in which he marries widowed Susie
Eversole and discloses that his mother is Rebecca Wells. Another leap of faith
was correct!
1920 Kentucky Marriage Bond of Hiram Jones Fee and Susan (Reed) Eversole.
Go old school and get offline. Even if distance prevents you from searching paper records, contact local historical and genealogical societies for their assistance. Find someone local who is willing to volunteer their time. Make a tax deductible donation that benefits your search, and their cause. Additionally, new books are published that may have what you are looking for.
Just go slow, document, verify, and never give up.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of Stephen Farmer’s family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out the current discounts through our printing partner LuLu.com which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
A tutorial on deductive reason when branching your family tree using Hiram Fee as the example.
If you happened upon this blog, recommend you read Part 1, Part 2, and/or Part 3. Having performed the prior steps, it’s time to move on to Step #6.
STEP #6: APPLY THE HARD PROBABILITIES TO YOUR POSSIBILITIES.
At this point, there may be no “smoking gun” that outright gives you the information you’re looking for. This is where you really need to dig into the collected records and go back through Step #1 thru Step #5… again. This is where you need to examine everything on a record. This is where we may need to correlate a lot of circumstantial evidence.
By now, we have to question if the obituary of Hiram “Pappy” Fee, Jr. is for the son of Hiram Jones Fee?
Obituary of Hiram “Pappy” Fee, Jr The Courier-Journal, IN (25 Dec 1997), p.9
No death certificate could be found. No marriage record
indicating spouse or parents could be found.
First, we analyze the information in his siblings’ obituaries. That gives us location. Next, we search the city directories of those locations. That gives us possible spouses and occupation. Going back and following Step #1 thru Step #5, we find the 1997 obituary correlates location and occupation. Further research shows that Hiram Jr.’s children listed in the obituary have a mother named Colleen Flannery. Applying Step #5, when placed in chronological order, the collected records suggest that all of them pertain to one person.
1953: Jeffersonville City Directory with wife Colleen and occupation as “A&P Bakery (Lou[isville]).”
1955: Jeffersonville City Directory with wife Colleen and occupation as “mixer A&P (Lou[isville]).”
1970: James Fee’s obituary states “[brother] Hiram Fee, Jr. of Jeffersonville…”
1971: Granville Fee’s obituary states “[brother] Hiram Fee, Jr., of Jeffersonville…”
1973: Garrett Fee’s obituary states “[brother] Hiram Fee, Jr., of Jeffersonville…”
1981: Paul Fee’s obituary states “[brother] Hiram Jr. of Jeffersonville…”
1984: Arta Farmer’s obituary states “[brother] Hiram Fee of Clarksville.”
1997: Obituary for Hiram “Pappy” Fee, Jr., 74, [of Clarksville] died Wednesday [24 December 1997] at Audobon Hospital [Louisville]… a native of Harlan County, Ky., a retired baker for A&P bakeries in Louisville… with burial in Jeffersonville…” The obituary also lists surviving siblings, but neither of them are the children of Louisa Hensley or of Sallie Farmer.
Yet we still have not proven that he is the son of our Hiram Sr. There is still a high probability that there are two Hiram Jr’s in the Clarksville area.
From the obituary, we can deduce that Hiram Jr. was born in or around 1923 and that he was formerly of Harlan County. A records search brings up a 1940 federal census of Knox County in which “H.J. Fee, age 16 (born about 1924), stepson” is living with a “Lee Fee, age 19, stepson” in the household of Lewis Hensley. Hensley’s wife is “Susie” with an additional step daughter, Flora Eversole, age 21.
Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Kentucky, Knox County, Magisterial District #5, Supervisor’s District #9, Enumeration District #61 & 62, Sheet #3A, Line #21-31 (06 April 1940).
Going back through the steps, we find a birth date of 21 January 1923 and “Susan Hensley” as the mother of Hiram Jr. The death date on his tombstone is 24 December 1997 that matches the obituary date. But we still haven’t correlated Hiram Jr. with Hiram Jones Fee.
Going back through the steps, we find a record with a birth date of 12 January 1923 and “Susan Fee” for Lee Clellan Fee. His tombstone is inscribed with a death date of “…son of Mrs. Louis Hensley…” All this information matches the 1940 federal census, but again, we still haven’t correlated Hiram or Lee with Hiram Jones Fee.
It’s a small article on page nine of the Jackson County
Banner (21 August 1957) that states “Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Fee and Mr. and Mrs.
Garrett Fee were called to Cincinnati Tuesday by the death of Mr. Fee’s
brother, Lee Fee.”
Jackson County Banner, IN ( 21 August 1957), p.9
With all of this information, as well as the records for
E.B. Hensley, Bruce Hensley, Keith Hensley, Norma Stopher, and Irene Williams,
we can conclude with higher probability that Hiram Jones Fee and Susan Alice
Reed had sons Hiram Fee and Lee Clellan Fee.
With extremely limited information, yet armed with your
knowledge of family history, local history, social customs, and personal
experiences, start asking “what if…?”
In a time where large families were needed to work the farm, where are the other children of Henderson and Sarah? Is there any evidence other than an 1880 federal census that Hiram is Henderson and Sarah’s son? Again, “no data is data…”
It’s the 1910 United States Federal Census that has the most interest. Henderson and Sarah now have a household that includes Louise Hensley and Granville, Artie, Finley, Garrett, and Ethel Fee.
Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, Kentucky, Jackson County, Magisterial District #3, Supervisor’s District #11, Enumeration District #94, Sheet #6, Line #72-80 (28-29 April 1910)
Instead of daughter-in-law and grandchildren, Louisa and children are listed as nieces and nephews. Just to double verify, were they the children of one of Sarah sisters who married a Fee (or Hensley)? Mapping out Sarah’s siblings shows no Fee’s or Hensley’s. Are they the children of Henderson’s siblings? No, except Hiram Jones Fee.
What if the 1880 census is incorrect? What if Hiram was
living with Henderson and Sarah, and although he’s listed as a son, he really
isn’t their son? Is there a family situation that justifies this conclusion?
There may be.
HJF’s father Hiram had been previously married to Sarah Jane Daniels and had a son, John who was born in 1867. Later, Hiram married Joyce Howard on 02 October 1871. Together they had Granville (born 1871), Sarah (born 1874), Mary Jane (born 1876), David (born 1879), and Boyd (born 1881).
What if a pregnant Joyce was too busy to care for HJF with 3-year-old Granville, 2-year-old Sarah, and Mary Jane on the way? What if HJF was placed in his uncle Henderson’s home, especially when considering that Henderson and Sarah were married on 21 April 1861, and having no children in the fourteen years since, welcomed HJF as their own?
There may be another family situation. The “Rebecca Jones”
from Hiram Jones Fee’s death certificate may be Rebecca Wells (1845-1924), the
daughter of Clayborn Wells and Rebecca Midgett formerly of Tennessee who moved
to Kentucky. With the birth of David Fee in 1879 and Boyd in 1881 (with
evidence to suggest they were Joyce’s children), Hiram was still married, and
therefore didn’t remarry to Rebecca. With no marriage license, was Hiram
considered an illegitimate child and all of the stigma that it carried in 1875?
What if at the age of thirty, Rebecca did not want to raise Hiram? Did having a child hinder her chances of getting married now that she was in her thirties? What if Joyce refused to raise a child that wasn’t her son, especially due to her husband’s infidelity? With Hiram Jones Fee’s birth date of 16 February 1875, he would have been six months old when Rebecca married Marion Alexander Jones on 16 August 1875. What if Marion refused to raise Hiram because he wasn’t his son?
So which is correct… the 1880 census or the 1910 census? If you can answer the “what if” questions with a degree of certainty, the leap of faith conclusion is that Hiram Jones Fee must have been Henderson’s nephew.
Going back to Step #1 thru Step #7 for both Louisa Hensley, Sallie Farmer, and Susan Alice Reed, our tree now looks like this.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of Stephen Farmer’s family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out LuLu’s current discounts which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
A tutorial on deductive reason when branching your family tree using Hiram Fee as the example.
Assuming you have been following this blog series on determining if your person of interest belongs in your family tree, we’ll skip the introductions and move on to the next step. If you haven’t been following along, recommend you read Part 1 and Part 2.
Obituary of Hiram Jones Fee. Source: Jackson County Banner, IN (31 May 1950), p.2.
By this point you have now amassed a large number of
documents on your person of interest and possible associates such as their
parents, spouses, children, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Time to move on to Step #5:
STEP #5: APPLY THE EASY PROBABILITIES TO YOUR POSSIBILITIES.
Wait, what? Aren’t they the same?
No. Possibility means something may happen. Probability
applies a belief to that possibility, typically based on increasing amounts of
credible evidence. For example, it is possible it may rain today. If you don’t
see any clouds, the probability that it may rain is low. If you see dark clouds
and lightning in the distance, the probability increases. Another example: it is possible that aliens exist. The
probability that aliens exist is, well, dependent on what evidence you want to
believe.
Essentially, you’re “playing the odds.” If you come across five documents that all have the same information, the odds are great and you have high probability that the information among the documents correlate. In most cases, a record with ever-increasing data provides even higher probabilities. For example, if you find a will with a name, what’s the probability that it is the will of your person of interest? What if we add a location? What if we start adding a spouse’s name? Then start adding children? And what if the will was dated near the suspected death date?
Be wary of user-submitted data such as anything from Family Data Collection, other family trees, and even Find A Grave. As they are resources and not sources, they do not increase probability; they simply provide additional possibilities.
To really apply probabilities, it helps to have some knowledge of local history, whether it be city, county, state, country, or other locale, and to have some family history, whether it be true or false. For example, in an earlier blog trying to locate the father of Lucinda Baker, taking that extra leap of faith that Samuel Chase Early was her father was in the fact that he ran for sheriff of Knox County… family history was that Lucinda’s husband John Linville was sheriff (which turned out to be false.)
In genealogy, you may see language like “probably,” or “may have,” or “it is believed,” or other verbiage that makes an argument with the data provided. That is because in some cases, you have to make an educated guess. However, there does become a point where you can’t keep throwing “what if’s” at the problem. Occam’s Razor in problem solving states that “simpler solutions are more likely to be correct than complex solutions.” Or as the US Navy noted in 1960, “keep it simple, stupid.”
Remember the 1880 federal census where Hiram is enumerated as the 5-year-old son of Henderson Fee (age 41) and Sarah (age 30). Henderson’s age matches our known birth date of 1839; Sarah’s age of 30 is five years lower than our expected age of 35. So what do you believe? Sarah “probably” 1) lied about her age, or 2) didn’t know her age, or 3) really wasn’t born in 1845.
The 1880 census shows she cannot read and she cannot write,
whereas Henderson can. Sarah’s death certificate, with information provided by
Henderson, has her birth year as 1845. Her age on prior 1850, 1860, and 1870
censuses all suggest she was born in 1845. It is probable that Sarah didn’t
know her age; maybe the census guy came around when Henderson was away? It is
also probable that Sarah lied about her age; a socially acceptable trait,
particularly with women who want to remain young. But what if it isn’t Sarah
Osborne, which is to say, Ms. Osborne passed away and Henderson remarried
another Sarah? What if aliens abducted her and replaced her? Ok, now we’re
getting silly, but you see where too many “what if’s” can be detrimental to
solving the problem.
Also, sometimes no data is data. What do I mean by that? No
other census could be found for a Henderson and Sarah Fee; therefore, the
probability is high that the 1800 census is of our target couple. Be prepared
to lower your probabilities if/when another record surfaces… this is where most
people start getting into forum arguments because they’ve held onto their
beliefs with what records they’ve located.
In addition to Step #4 with looking at other family trees, obituaries and media articles are my go-to for genealogical problem solving. If you read the obituary of John who has a wife Mary and sons Jim, Jack, and Jose, then read the obituary of Mary who had a late husband John and sons Jim, John, Jack, and Jose, then read an obituary of Jim who was the son of John and Mary and survived by brothers Jack and Jose, then… well, you get the picture. Did you notice one obituary included a son John, whereas the others didn’t? I have solved more brick walls in obituaries and media articles than any other source.
Obituaries provide birth dates, death dates, residence,
parents, spouses, siblings, extended family, occupation, and other information,
that when paired with other records, increases the probabilities that the
record(s) match your person of interest. Again, no data is data. No sibling
listed in the obituary? They probably died before their sibling did. Or they
were a step-sibling. Or they moved away and nobody knows their status. Or
someone just plain forgot in their remorse. Or purposely omitted them due to
the fight they had during the last Thanksgiving dinner. Or they were abducted
by aliens.
Using the sample of records and obituaries collected from
Step #4, we start branching the family tree of Hiram Fee.
Note that so far, we’ve only used death certificates, obituaries, and one marriage record.
The very observant cynic will notice that this is just an incomplete tree about a “Hiram Jones Fee.” But is it the son of Henderson and Sarah? To finish this family tree, we’ll need to get religious and hurdle a few problems.
Coming up in Part 4 of this blog series, taking the leap of faith…
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of Stephen Farmer’s family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out LuLu’s current discounts which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
In this multi-part blog series, we examine “Hiram Fee” to educate genealogical research and deduction methods.
Obituary of Hiram Jones Fee. Source: Jackson County Banner, IN (31 May 1950), p.2.
So you’re researching your ancestors and you’re trying to determine if your person of interest belongs in your family tree. In our last blog, we started with two basic steps to prevent you from adding someone that does not belong on your branch:
Step #1 advised to stop with you what you know (or, what you
have). This is especially true if your person of interest shares a name with another
local person. Step #2 advised to expand the family branches. This will help with
uncovering multiple persons with the same name, and it will assist when coming across
documents that describe a family relationship such as a step relative, niece, nephew,
uncle, aunt, or cousin.
Once you’ve expanded the family branches, it’s time to move on
to the next step:
STEP #3: EXAMINE OTHER FAMILY TREES TO GATHER CLUES.
Note this step doesn’t state “copy other family trees.” Why?
Because there are both good and bad trees out there. There are also branches that
are not complete or properly vetted; information is there as a place holder based
on Step #1 “Stop with what you know (or have).” I am guilty of having incomplete
branches until I can properly research the information and draw the conclusions.
When mapping your family tree, there’s no reason to “reinvent the wheel” when you can start from the work of others. For this blog, we’ll focus on the fifteen public trees on Ancestry.com; however, there are many other public trees on other sites that you could (or should) examine. After looking through the fifteen trees, we now have possible names and dates for Hiram and for his parents, spouse(s), and children… as well as two locations: Kentucky and Indiana.
After analyzing the tree data, seven trees have his name as “Hiram J. Fee” while six have his name as “Hiram Jones Fee.” The other two are simply “Hiram Fee.”
Eight of them don’t have any parents listed. Of the remaining seven, two have Hiram’s parents as Hiram Fee and Rebecca Ann Jones, while the other five have his parents listed as Henderson Fee and Sarah Osborne. Thirteen of the trees have his spouse as Louisa Adeline Hensley (1878-1967). Two trees also show a second wife of Susan Alice Reed (1898-1967), and only one tree has a third wife, Sallie Farmer.
Almost all of the trees agree that Hiram had three sons (James
Lawrence, Silas, Frank Finley, and Garrett Charles) and two daughters (Artie Lissie
and Annie Ethel) with his wife Louisa. Tree #9 adds Alabama, Chester, and Dora.
The two trees showing Hiram with wife Susan show two sons (Lee Clellan and Hiram)
and a daughter (Verna). None of the trees show any children with his wife Sallie.
What do you do if your person of interest is not in any other
family tree? Jump right to Step #4…
STEP #4: GATHER EVIDENCE OF POSSIBILITIES.
This step entails taking the data in Step #3 and finding every possible birth, death, marriage, or legal record for every name in those trees. It also includes searching through newspaper articles and obituaries. At this stage, we’re not attaching those records to our trees… we’re simply trying to find all available data before we can make any conclusions.
I am a firm believer that those who ignore documents because it doesn’t fit a mental picture of what they thought they should find are those persons that encounter their brick walls faster than others.
So although we started our search with an 1880 federal census of a Hiram Fee, son of Henderson and Sarah Fee, we’ll want to search all possibilities. For example, we’ll also want to find any Hiram Fee’s associated with Hiram Fee and Rebecca Wells. We’ll also want to find a record to determine why Tree #13 has a birth date of 1862, regardless of how strongly we may feel that our Hiram was born in 1875 or 1876.
We don’t want to ignore any document we find. For example, if
we find a document with “Granville R. Fee,” we don’t want to reject it because we
have “Granville W. Fee” or “Granville White Fee” on our list.
We’ll want to locate records for every combination of his spouses’
name. Tree #4 and #5 indicate that Louisa married a “Collins.” Therefore, conducting
a search for “Louisa Collins” may yield a death certificate, obituary, or other
document with very important information on it.
As we conduct our records search, more names will appear. For
those names, we may need to revert back to Step #1 and then follow steps two through
four.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of Stephen Farmer’s family immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out LuLu’s current discounts which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
In this multi-part blog series, we examine “Hiram Fee” to educate genealogical research and deduction methods.
Several weeks ago, I was on the telephone with a gentleman who had questions regarding the westward expansion from Grayson County, Virginia into Kentucky. Amidst the explanations of King George’s Royal Proclamation of 1763, Richard Henderson’s Transylvania Company, and Daniel Boone’s development of the Wilderness Trail through the Cumberland Gap, he made an inquisitive statement.
“How do people know that the person they’ve added into their tree is really the person that should be in their tree?”
Good question.
Assume I introduce myself as Phil when you and I meet on a busy
street. You would most likely accept my introduction. But how do you really know
my name is Phil? You could ask for my drivers license. But how do you know the license
is mine? How do you know the information on the license is correct? You could ask
for my birth certificate and verify my age. You could even ask for my utility bill
and verify my address.
Quite simply, given the circumstances in how the information
is presented, you’ll accept a level of data on faith. We live in a time where identification
cards are issued with additional checks and balances. We accept a drivers license
has the correct and necessary information, even if we lied a little on our height
and weight, which does not require proof. And faith only goes so far. If you were
a store clerk and I was to write you a check, you’d need some additional documents
to believe that the check was from my bank account. If you were a coroner in the
absence of verbal statements or written documents, you might verify my dental records
or DNA.
What you have then is a system of people defending their faith
or belief with the available information. I believe you are who you say you are
because you told me. Or because you have some form of identification. Or because
the science proves it. And yes, even with increasing levels of data, some people
will continue to question its validity, or refuse to accept data contrary to their
belief.
The same is true for genealogy. It is a system where you assess
historical documents, examine DNA markers, take a leap of faith, and occasionally
challenge assumptions. And regrettably, get involved in an argument as to who is
“more correct.”
So there have been a few blogs regarding cautionary advice on “user submitted data” and today’s “click and save” software which makes it easy to build your family tree, or makes it just as easy to screw it up. One blog cautioned that even with “leafy hints” you may still have to do some hard work to find the family connections. The blog on Enos “Bear” Hensley was an example of how you might have to really sort out the information at hand. There is a lot of online advice against copying another person’s tree.
One common issue you may face is what to do when confronted with
multiple people with the same name living in the same vicinity at the same time.
For example, there are about six Gary Farmer’s living in Battle Creek, Michigan.
One is my father; we have no idea who the other five are and have never met them,
yet we are constantly asked if we are related. For those researching the Osborne,
Skidmore, or any family surname where each of the branches names their children
after the patriarch, you know the struggle. For anyone researching a John Smith,
we definitely feel your pain.
Deepest sympathies for those constructing the family tree of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.
This is probably more evident when reading forums or looking
at family trees in which aspects of multiple people are presented as one. For example,
assume there is a John Doe (1811-1879) married to Susan, and a John Doe (1816-1867)
married to Rachel. Just with two different birth dates, two different death dates,
and two different spouses, if you confused the two, then there are now eight different
combinations of John Doe’s with a John Doe (1811-1867) married to Rachel, a John
Doe (1816-1879) married to Susan, and so on.
One such name is “Hiram Fee” and using him as an example, this
blog is part one in a series that continues the education on genealogical research
and deduction methods.
I first came across a “Hiram Fee” when researching Stephen Farmer’s daughter, Malinda Farmer (1817-1900). Malinda married Enoch Osborne (1811-1860) on 04 November 1834 and together they had a daughter, Sarah J. Osborne (1845-1916). Sarah married Henderson Fee (1839-1918), the son of John Fee and Jane Lee.
The 1870 United States Federal Census shows Henderson and his
wife Sarah. Ten years later, the 1880 United States Federal Census shows Henderson
with his wife Sarah and a son Hiram, age four. The 1900 United States Federal Census
shows Henderson, Sarah, and mother-in-law “Belinda Thompson,” presumably Malinda
(Farmer) Osborne who appears to have remarried after her husband Enoch died in 1860.
1880 United States Federal Census, Harlan County, of Henderson, Sarah, and Hiram Fee.
After adding Hiram as Henderson and Sarah’s son, no leafy hint appeared. So I started a records search. Yet after searching, I had no other document that added a name to what I knew. For example, no death certificate could be found that had Hiram, Henderson, and Sarah’s names, or a marriage document with their names and Hiram’s wife. A Kentucky County Marriage Record has a Hiram Fee marrying a Sallie Farmer on 08 March 1907. But which Hiram Fee? Which Sallie Farmer?
A Hiram Fee marries Sallie Farmer on 08 March 1907 in Harlan County.
It appeared there may be several Hiram Fee’s in Harlan County
at about the same time.
So what do you now?
STEP #1: STOP WITH WHAT YOU KNOW.
If you start attaching a lot of documents and you don’t document
how you came to your conclusions, you’d be painstakingly deconstructing your tree
if your assumption was incorrect and learning the importance to document, document,
document, then verify, verify, verify.
STEP #2: EXPAND THE FAMILY BRANCHES.
When dealing with multiple names in a family surname, you may
need to go beyond a direct ancestor or descendent. I will admit that when I first
started, I didn’t add much information on the spouses’ branches. This is partly
because the amount of work would become overwhelming on family members that were
not direct descendants, and partially because I didn’t need the constant reminder
or spam that I had 1,834,273 hints on those ancestors. If you also adopted that
approach, note that from time-to-time, you may need to research the spouse family
branches, especially when two or more intermarry into the same family (e.g. Mr.
X marries Ms. Y whose brother Mr. Y marries Mr. X’s sister.)
Thus began a process of elimination in branching all of the second,
third, and fourth cousins to determine if more than one Hiram Fee was living in
the same vicinity at the same time.
Click to enlarge. Multiple Hiram Fee’s living in Harlan at the same time.
[Note: This blog edited from an earlier version. The family tree had the spouse of Jane Lee as John Gregg Fee in error.]
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the Farmer family’s immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out LuLu’s current discounts which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
“Excellent book! We highly recommend!”Ms. E. Wolf
“Very informative and interesting. I could not put it down.” Ms. E. Farley
Some folks have family trees. Others describe their tree as a stump, or even a bush. Mine turned into a plate of spaghetti.
Over the past month, I’ve been busy with holidays, work, and other activities. Most of my spare time has been consumed with fixing the “problem child’s” in my family tree while researching material for the next book about Stephen Farmer.
Some of the earlier posts advised to go slowly or cut the family tree down, to be aware of user submitted data, and to be wary of leafy hints. One person in the genealogy of Stephen Farmer personified all of this advice and would live up to his nickname… Enos “Bear” Hensley.
July 1913. Far right is Enos “Bear” Hensley standing next to his eldest son William Henry Hensley.
Enos was born in 1868 to George W. Hensley (1841-1918) and Mary Emaline Hensley (1840-1910). On 12 April 1888, he first married Alice Fee, born 1872 to Abner C. Fee (1833-1914) and Lucy “Icy” Farmer (1834-1915). Alice is the great granddaughter of Stephen through William Farmer and Elizabeth Frost.
Family oral history is that Alice was declining in health and, wanting to ensure the welfare of her son William Henry Hensley, asked that Enos marry her sister, Louisiana Fee (1863-1944). Enos and Louisiana married on 17 March 1891.
This is where the tree turned into a complete mess. Enos is shown in the 1900, 1910, and 1930 United States Federal Census residing with Louisiana. Almost immediately, the 1900 census shows three children Fielding, Nettie, and Gilford… all of them born in April, February, and July 1894 respectively.
Ca. 1913. Louisiana (Fee) Hensley with her children (l-r) Corbett holding Barnett (son of Louisiana’s daughter Dona), Alice, and Myrtle.
Were the birth dates entered incorrectly by the census taker? There’s obviously no way that Louisiana gave birth to all three children. If she was married in 1891, was one of them born to Alice?
Turning to other family trees wasn’t very helpful as it seems a lot of other family genealogists were having the same difficulty.
After a week of poring through census, death, marriage, Social Security, and birth records, along with several obituaries describing step siblings and a newspaper article offering additional clues, the mothers of Bear’s children have been identified.
Along with Alice and Louisiana, Enos had children with Minerva Fee (1870-1897) and Sarah Jane Farmer (1875-?)… while still married to Louisiana. Minerva was the daughter of George W. Fee (1848-1931) and Margaret Lee Wilson (1853-1919).
Sarah is a great, great granddaughter of Stephen Farmer. Sarah was born to William F. Farmer (1853-1927) and Martha Fillmore Hall (1856-1920). William is the son of Stephen Farmer (1811-1908) and Jane Fee (1811-?); Stephen was the son of William Farmer and Elizabeth Frost. And as Stephen’s wife Jane Fee was the sister to Abner C. Fee, this also makes Sarah first cousins once removed to Alice and Louisiana. If your head hasn’t complete spun around with the multiple names and distant relationships, the graphic below helps explain it.
The next blog will be about my next problem child… Hiram Jones Fee.
Philip Farmer is the author and publisher of “Edward Farmar and the Sons of Whitemarsh,” a 500-page, 155-year biographical history of the Farmer family’s immigration from Ireland into Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Harlan County, Kentucky. Complete with bibliography and footnotes that supports the research. Check out LuLu’s current discounts which may save you money than purchasing through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or other retailers.
Click me for more info
“Very well written and researched…” Ms. L. King
“I love your work… Very interesting!” Ms. B. H. Baker
“Amazing research!” Ms. J. Shipley
“Wonderfully researched, well written… recommend it even if you’re not related to the Farmar’s…”Mr. D. Roark
