I've been working on my family tree for a long, long time -- twenty-one years now. I've come across a lot of interesting names of direct ancestors and some neat ones in collateral lines as well. The topic for this week (Week 31) is "Favorite Name" or in my case... "Favorite Name(s)."
I could probably go all out and include names of distant cousins that are a favorite of mine, but, I think I'll just stick to direct ancestors for this. Of course, with each name, I'm going to give you a little biography about that said ancestor. I hope you follow along and enjoy.
Mina Geneva
This is the name of my paternal Grandmother. Unlike the usual pronunciation, her name is MY-NUH, instead of MEE-NUH. The middle name, Geneva, is just like the little town in Henderson County named Geneva. JUH-KNEE-VUH.
My Grandmother Mina was born on July 5th, 1934, in Wyatt, Mississippi County, Missouri to parents Edward Lee "Doc" Jones and Lorene Gertrude White. Grandma was the eldest of seven children.
Her first marriage was to Donald Lee Hendrix in about 1952 -- shortly after, he went off to fight in the Korean War. I don't believe he was over there very long before he got injured and was brought home. By September 29th, 1954, they became parents of a bouncing baby girl. On December 31st, 1957, they added a little boy to their family. At the time of births of their children, they lived in California.
Marriage life wasn't bliss for Donald and Grandma... they eventually divorced. Sometime in late 1964 - she met my Granddad Glen. I believe they met in the town he was stationed in the Army -- Hammond, Indiana. By January 30th, 1965, they married in Evansville, IN.
For them, they welcomed their first child, my father, on August 20th, 1965 - and then a daughter on August 26th, 1967. Both were born while the couple lived in Indiana. By about late 1968 or early 1969, they moved back to Kentucky. For sometime, they lived on the Henderson/Webster county line at a place called "The Tapp Farm" but then eventually bought a farm at the corner of Highway 416 and Upper Delaware Rd in Niagara.
This is where they were living in 1970/1971 when my Dad met my Mom and Uncle Jay for the first time. Dad and Uncle Jay became immediate best friends and remained so until my Uncle's sudden death on July 5th, 2014 -- what would have been Grandma Mina's 80th birthday.
Dad bounced around a lot when his parents decided to separate and he's lived in, I jokingly say, probably all of the lower 48 states. But primarily he's lived here in Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas.
It was here in Henderson where Grandma Mina was living, Woodland Apartments actually, behind where my other set of Grandparents lived, when she drew her last breath on July 10th, 1982 - just five days after turning 48 years old. She died of a massive coronary infarction -- heart attack; and yes, heart problems run rampant in the family.
My Grandma Mina died almost a full 11 years before I was born. You know they say that you can't miss something you've never had. You know, they say you can't grieve for a person you never met, or never knew, or passed long before you existed.. but I mourn her and grieve her and miss her every single day. Ever since I was little, I've wondered what she would have been like to know in person.
The closest I've come to that is in my dreams. I've NEVER heard her voice... never. Not on a recording, no video tapes, no cassettes... but I've heard her and spoke with her in my dreams. The closest I've come to actually 'meeting' her was using the enhance and animation tools at MyHeritage and the Remini app.
That little animation might be weird to some people.. might creep some out. It might be morbid to others. For some who actually knew my Grandma, they might say, that it's nothing like her.. but it's my favorite photograph of her (one with my Granddad) and she's just so beautiful... and to see her move around, to look around, and smile.. it's just incredible. The animation tool for still photos reminds me a bit of Harry Potter and how pictures can move. Like the photos of Harry's parents - Lily and James. They died when he was just a toddler.. The moving photographs, in a way, make me feel like the person isn't really gone. That they're still here, living in everything we write about them, say about them, talk about them, etc.
Glynda Jane
My maternal Grandmother's name has always been ever bit as beautiful to me as my other Grandmother's. I love the unique spelling of Grandma's name - even though it's still pronounced GLEN-DUH. Her middle name, Jane, whether she had realized it or not until she was much older, came from her Grandmother's middle name, Janella.
Grandma Glynda was born on Friday, June 13th, 1941, at a house that's no longer standing on Letcher St. here in Henderson. She was delivered by Dr. Walter O'Nan, the father of Dr. William O'Nan, who delivered me. Grandma was the fourth born child of Henry Lloyd Sandefur and Anna Elizabeth Thompson. In all, they reared six children.
She primarily lived out in Niagara for most her young life and graduated from Henderson County High School, Class of 1959. Right after graduating, she moved for a year up to Chicago, IL, to live with her eldest sister, Carolyn. She ultimately returned home to Henderson - the Chicago life just wasn't what Grandma wanted after all.
I believe my Grandparents met at the bowling alley through mutual friends -- little did they know at the time, they were third cousins. Fate eventually took its course and they were wed on March 31st, 1962, at Bellfield Baptist Church out in Anthoston.
They had two children -- Mom on January 8th, 1963, and Uncle Jay on January 11th, 1965. They lived out in the Niagara area until finally moving to town in I believe 1976.
Employment wise, Grandma did a little bit of everything when it came to bookkeeping, secretarial style work. The last job she worked was bookkeeping for Dodge Store and she retired in February of 2010 I believe. Sometimes I wonder if that's what slipped her into this sickness was stopping working and losing her 'routine' so to speak.
I could type out the Lifetime movie or New York Times bestselling novel that needs to be told about the whole kidnapping and wrong-doing of my family involving my Grandma's heartless, no-good younger siblings but.. I'll refrain.
My Grandma Glynda was my best friend.. she tried her best to make up for the fact that my other Grandma, Mina, was already deceased. In fact, they'd been friends with one another for a small time - their sons being best friends and all. I always wondered what Grandma Mina would think about sharing a Granddaughter with Grandma Glynda.. Now I guess they're in heaven together and Grandma Glynda is filling Grandma Mina in on everything about my childhood. I have no doubt when I get up there, my Grandma Mina will know me like the back of her hand.
I miss my Grandma a lot. I played around, too, with her photos on the enhancement and animation features on MyHeritage and Remini app. It's nice to see her smile and come back to life again. Especially at an age that's much younger than I knew her as.
Grandma was my first genealogy best friend. I'm so, so, so thankful to her for encouraging my love of genealogy and my curiosity to know our family history. I thank her so much for taking me out to the Gibson Cemetery that very first time and letting me soak in the love my ancestors had to give. Without that, I'm not sure the genealogy bug would have ever bitten as hard as it did.
Janella and Camilla
I've always loved the name of my Great-Great-Grandmother and her twin sister. Mary Janella and Camilla (it's rumored Camilla had a first name as well. They, perhaps, might have both been named Mary as a first name) were born on October 20th, 1882, the twin daughters of Henry Oliver Nally and Vandalia Delia "Vannie" Gibson.
They were the second and third children of seven -- the last two being another set of twins. Twins run in the Nally or the Gibson... or perhaps both families. It seems all my Catholic last names - even Thompson and Mattingly - are known for twins... but the Nally's especially so.
Janella and Camilla married brothers -- John Rowan and Samuel "Sam" Thompson. Janella and John R. married on October 28th, 1902, in Henderson County - likely at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. I know on July 1st, 1903, she was 'baptized' in Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church... so perhaps they married elsewhere and she converted to Catholicism. The Gibson's were not Catholic but the Nally's generally were.
Janella and John reared eight children, one of which was my Great-Grandmother, Anna Elizabeth. When Janella was a child, they lived more in the Corydon area (typical of Gibson's) but after she and John married, they moved towards Smith Mills. My Great-Grandma, Anna, attended and possibly graduated Smith Mills High.
Later in life, John and Janella bought land out in Niagara. Matter of fact, oil was found on their land and they became quite wealthy from it. They sold a portion of land for the new Niagara Elementary School that still exists today - they lived next door. The house, unfortunately, was torn down sometime in the 1990's.
After John's death in 1959, Janella continued living in the house with her son T. Stron and her daughter, Margaret "Milka." Milka suffered from St. Vitus Dance in which she got from having strep throat as a child that went untreated. Milka passed in 1964, then it was just Janella and Stron living together in the old house. It never had indoor plumbing (shocking, I know.)
By 1970, they had moved Janella to the old Medco rest home here in Henderson and she passed away on December 29th, 1972, at the age of 90. She outlived her twin sister, Camilla, by just over ten years.
Of course, I had to enhance and animate the old photograph of Janella and Camilla from 1898 -- they were only sixteen years old when the portrait was taken. Seeing my Great-Great-Grandmother come alive again after 49 years gone. In 2022, she would be 140 years old. Hard to imagine, right? Oh what I wouldn't give to talk with her and learn what her entire life was like, especially her childhood.
DeAnn "Ann" Conger
My 5x Great-Grandmother DeAnn "Ann" Conger was a surprise to me when I was able to get a bit further back on my Grandma Mina's side of the tree. Her name is interesting to me because MY middle name is DeeAnn. It's said that her name might have possibly be Cynthia DeAnn, and I know she also went by "Anny" on her marriage record.
She was the daughter of John Conger and Sarah Dorris, at least, I think so anyway. She was certainly born in Indiana about 1803. On December 10th, 1825, in Clay County, Illinois, she married Levi C. Jordan. She was his second wife and I have DNA matches coming through both their marriage and his first one. (Actually the most descendants through the first one, to be honest.)
Levi died sometime between 1840 and 1850 - likely in St. Francois County, MO or Madison County. In the 1850 census, DeAnn is living with her youngest children in Madison County, MO. By 1860, she's living with her youngest daughter, Esther Jane and her family, in St. Francois County. I believe DeAnn died between 1860 and 1870.
It is unknown where either of them are buried. Levi C. Jordan fought in the War of 1812 - he was about 20 years old at the time. The Jordan's were rather well known, or at least the sons of Levi Jordan.. read up on Fort Jordan in Illinois sometime. That's my family.
I descend through a female line -- Louisa Jordan who married Henry Tucker. But the Jordan boys are very fascinating to learn about.
Jordan's Fort History
Unfortunately, there are no pictures existing of DeAnn. There is one on Ancestry of Levi Jordan, but I'm not 100% sold that it's him.
Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" Raley
The name of my 3x Great-Grandmother always struck me as interesting. I could have understood her name being Mary Olive, but the Olive Oatman part had me stumped for a many years. Her mother's maiden name certainly wasn't Oatman and I had no idea where it came from.
That was, until I watched the show Hell on Wheels on AMC and learned a character on the show was based on Olive Oatman... I was stunned. This absolutely had to be the character in history that my Ollie Raley was named after.
The real Olive Oatman was born in 1837 - my Ollie was born February 3rd, 1864; she was the daughter of George Washington Raley and Mary Francis Martin. The Raley's were of Catholic religion but I'm not sure the Martin's were.
I believe that it was the book "Life Among the Indians" that one of Ollie's parents must have read that led them to naming their daughter after Olive Oatman. Matter of fact, Olive Oatman and her brother went around the country on a book tour with the author of the book.. for all I know, George Raley or Mary Martin might have actually MET the real Olive Oatman.
Anyway -- my ancestor, Ollie, was one of at least ten children (I might be missing some infants that died young.) On October 8th, 1883, at Sacred Heart Church in Saint Vincent, Union County, KY, she married Samuel "Sam" Blandford. They were in the presence of Joseph Alvey and Alice Blandford.
Ollie and Sam became the parents of at least eight children - one of which being my 2x Grandfather, Martin Allen Blanford.
Ollie was said to have died at 42 years old on June 16th, 1906... I have, however, found no proof of this. She is also believed to be buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery/Saint Vincent Cemetery. Her husband, Sam, who died ten years later, is also buried here...as are a number of their descendants.
I have yet to find any type of death ledger or obituary for Ollie. I need to go to the actual church and see if they have a burial record for her. I do know, absolutely, she died between 1903-1910. I do believe she lived all of her life between Waverly and Morganfield in Union County (between those two cities is the general vicinity of Saint Vincent.)
Unfortunately, I have no photographs of Sam Blandford or Ollie. I know after Ollie's passing, he remarried to Minnie Mullins and had a few more children. Sadly, after Sam's passing, Minnie's life got hard for quite a while. She got behind in money and payments and was evicted from her home at one time or another. Very sad.
Sevilla Catherine French
My 4x Grandmother, Sevilla Catherine French, has always had an interesting first name in my opinion. Sevilla.. it's also spelled Cevilla or Civilla a few times but the most often it's spelled Sevilla. I assume it's pronounced SUH-VILL-UH.
She was born on May 8th, 1836, in Union County, Kentucky, to Joseph French and Priscilla Bowles. I believe she was one of about six children - possibly more. The French's and the Bowles' were well known Catholic families.
On December 2nd, 1856, in Union County, Kentucky, (likely in Saint Vincent or Saint Peter's Church) she married William Henry "Joe" McBride. In the 1900 census - she reports they've had 10 children and only 4 are living. One of those four was my 3x Grandmother - Matilda Catherine (McBride) Nally.
It appears Sevilla lived all of her life in Union County and ultimately died likely in the Waverly area, supposedly, on July 26th, 1908. Again, I've found no death ledger entry, no tombstone in the cemetery, and no obituary. She's said to be buried in St. Peter's Cemetery in Waverly. I've been there and I found no tombstone for she or her husband, Joe, who died after her in 1917.
Unfortunately, once more, I have no photographs of Joe McBride or Sevilla (French) McBride. There is an old photograph that I've seen, but do not have access to now, of my 3x Grandparents - Thomas Sidney Nally and Matilda Catherine McBride. I'd love to have a copy of that but I don't know who to go through to get it.
Mary Philapine Lawrey
My 3x Grandmother and her entire family has plagued me as a bit of a mysterious enigma for a many years until DNA testing came along. With my DNA, I was able to unravel a bit of it, but with my Mom's DNA, I was able to unravel a bit more.
I always thought her middle name being Philapine (or a similar spelling to that) was interesting and possibly could have been a family name. I knew already that her parents names were Robert Lawrey and Elizabeth Hill... but their parents, well, that's where the mystery was.
The last name Lawrey could be spelled A MILLION different ways including: Lawery, Lowrey, Lowery, Lowry, Lawry, Laurie, Laughary, and more. I pieced together through censuses and DNA that Mary Philapine had at least eight siblings. In the 1900 census, Elizabeth (Hill) Lawrey says she has birthed 10 children and only 4 survive. My 3x Grandmother I do not believe was one of those.
Mary Philapine Lawrey married Benjamin Hardin LaRue on September 3rd, 1867, in Henderson County, KY. They were not Catholic - I don't believe anyway. I know the original LaRue's were French Huguenots. I'm unsure of the Lawrey religion.
I believe Ben and Mary had at least eleven children but the real number, honestly, has been lost to history. Among their children was my 2x Grandfather - Charles Clarence LaRue. At one time, Charles had his daughter, my Great-Grandmother, Lorene, write into a newspaper for information on his father's side of the family. Apparently once Ben LaRue's parents passed away and he moved away from the area he was raised - he no longer spoke about his family... not his brothers or sisters or their children, so Dad LaRue (my 2x Grandfather) was completely clueless of his LaRue origins.
The Lawrey's however lived here in Henderson and Evansville, so I believe he probably knew at least a few of them, but probably not all of them. I believe Mary Philapine died sometime between 1880 and 1900, because her husband Benjamin is absolutely widowed by the 1900 census. It is said he died in 1901. It's also said that they are both buried, unmarked, in the Smith Mills Cemetery. This very well could be. I would imagine they're very close to where their son, my 2x Grandfather, is buried with his wife. There is absolutely room there for an unmarked burial. Perhaps they do have a tombstone and it's just not been found/recovered.
The Lawrey line still remains a bit of an enigma to me, but I've pieced together that I believe my 6x Grandparents might have been John Patrick Lowry III and Dorcas Montgomery. I have DNA matches through them so.. it's a possibility.
As for where the Philapine name came from... I finally came across Elizabeth (Hill) Lawrey's death certificate. She died in Evansville on February 24th, 1916.. On her death certificate it gives her parents names as John Hill and Philipine Stanfield. The Hill line stumps for me there, but I do believe Philipine was the daughter of Thomas Stanfield and Elizabeth Michaels. Why? Because Thomas' parents were John Stanfield and Phillippina Jones... you guessed it, it's a family name, and I DO have DNA matches through them -- well, Mom does anyway, as they'd be my 7x Grandparents.
I hope with more time and as more people DNA test, I can get a much clearer idea of my Lawrey, Hill, and Stanfield lines. I wish with time that I could get to know a bit more about Ben LaRue and Mary Philapine Lawrey. There's a number of photographs of their children that appear to have been taken at a studio in about 1900. If they were truly taken in 1900 - Ben would have still been living, but perhaps, he felt like he was too old to be photographed.
No photographs exist of Ben or Mary - but there is a photograph of Elizabeth (Hill) Lawrey with her son and his family. I'm extremely grateful to have that photo.
Susannah "Susan" Schweitzer
The first name isn't the favorite here - it's the last name. For a long time, I believed my 4x Grandparents were John Byrd and a Susan Sweilzer - that's what all the family trees on Ancestry had. It wasn't until I was really able to sit down and dig, get better at genealogy, and do some DNA until I realized the last name is actually SCHWEITZER.
The last name is commonly misspelled as Sweilzer, Switzer, and countless others. I knew the Byrd's hailed from Posey County, Indiana, but I wasn't sure of where Susan came from until I looked at censuses. They consistently listed her place of birth as Pennsylvania. Wow. How'd she end up in Posey County, IN?
I finally came across her death certificate from July 5th, 1902, and learned she was 100 years old. It did confirm she was born in Pennsylvania. It also confirmed the spelling of the last name for me -- Schweitzer, not Sweilzer. That helped a lot.
The first appearance of Susan that I had was that she married John Byrd in Posey County on March 12th, 1831. They had at least seven children, one of them being my 3x Grandfather, John Byrd. I looked at censuses to see if any other Schweitzer's lived near them and hit a dead end. I turned to DNA and looking into if any other Schweitzer's married in Posey County relatively close to 1831 that could point towards being a sibling to Susan.
Sure enough, a sister Mary "Polly" Schweitzer married Samuel Davis in Posey Co, on March 24th, 1830. Polly's birth place in census is Ohio. So this is starting to make a little sense that perhaps the Schweitzer family migrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio then to Indiana.
My best information came from something I found in the newspaper once I finally had a Genealogy Bank subscription.
"Came to this county early in the last century with her husband, one of the pioneers of Posey County. She was from Pennsylvania and her ancestors were prominent in that state in the days of William Penn." I was absolutely FLOORED! So my family were PIONEERS of Posey County, IN? Wow.
I started scouring mine and especially Mom's DNA matches for Schweitzer's or any variation. I kept hitting the same Schweitzer family from Berks County, Pennsylvania. So I was determined I had to be a descendant of one of their children - the couple being Peter Schweitzer and his wife, Elizabeth Heffelfinger. I had Schweitzer DNA matches AND Heffelfinger DNA matches to my surprise so... one of their sons HAS to be the father.
I finally researched enough to realize it was Jacob Schweitzer who was their son and had married Elisabeth Hoke, and they'd moved from Berks County, Pennsylvania to Columbiana County, Ohio. Jacob and Elisabeth lived in the 1840's. I'm unsure why their two daughters went into Indiana unless they went to Posey County travelling with friends, other family, with their church/religion.. I don't know. I know my Byrd's didn't come out of Ohio so I highly doubt Susan Schweitzer met John Byrd BEFORE coming to Posey County. I'd love to know how they met. I'd love to ask her why she came to Posey County with her sister, Polly.
It does seem that some other Schweitzer's came to the Evansville area - they eventually changed the spelling to just plain Switzer. Several are buried in Evansville's more predominantly German cemeteries/areas of cemeteries. They absolutely have to be related to Susan Schweitzer Byrd in one way or another -- probably distant cousins. Evansville and the surrounding area (like Gibson County and the like) attracted lots of German immigrants. That said - I don't believe my Byrd's hailed from Germany. I believe Byrd is an English surname.
Susan was buried in the Mount Pleasant Baptist Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Posey County, Indiana. If she's buried there - I feel her husband is likely there as well, unless he's buried out on the old family farm or something such as that.
I really wish an old photograph existed of Susan.. I know the Byrd's were big on family reunions and photographs and the like. But I guess it didn't start until Susan's children and grandchildren.
Although John and Susan only had at least seven children -- they had many, many grandchildren and by extension, even more Great and Great-Great and so forth Grandchildren. Their descendants populate Posey County and even Henderson County today.
Shilo Watson
I think we can all say we love the name 'Shilo', mainly because of the dog, Shiloh, from the 1996 film. I loved it even more when I learned I had an ancestor with the name - even if she was a bit of a mystery.
For many years, I believed Shilo most likely was a daughter of John Tarlton Watson and Betsy English. They have MANY Watson children and many descendants in Henderson County, today... but after my Mom and I did our DNA, things just weren't adding up with her being their child.
I had many Copeland DNA matches and with time, I came to realize, Shilo was the daughter of Thomas Watson and Rebecca Copeland. She was born in about 1814 in Henderson County, KY. I believe she was the first child of her parents who married here August 5th, 1813. Funny enough, she has a brother named Tarlton, and in fact, it could be a twin brother as his estimated birth year, too, is 1814.
She had at least ten siblings and it appears her mother had children from the years 1814 through at least 1840. That's QUITE a span of age of the children. For some reason, it appears, that Thomas Watson and Rebecca Copeland left the Henderson area and moved to Graves County, KY, by 1840. Thomas was widowed between 1850-1860.
I have many DNA matches through Rebecca's parents - Abel Copeland and Sarah Berry. However - Thomas' father is meant to be Peter Watson, born 1764. I believe this is the same Peter Watson that appears in the Henderson County census in 1810. The age is given "45 and over." Peter likely died here between 1810-1820.
Going back to John Tarlton Watson - he was the son of Robert Watson, born 1757. I ponder if he was a brother of my Peter Watson, born 1764. I know my Peter hailed from North Carolina, and I believe John Tarlton's father, Robert, might have as well. At the very least, Virginia.. and back in those days, Virginia and North Carolina, the difference between the two was quite fickle. Families hopped across the border of the two states for decades and decades.
Anyway - back to Shilo and her life. On December 20th, 1831, in Henderson County, KY, she married widower Charles Tandy Sandefur. Sometime between I believe 1840 and 1850, the family moved from Henderson County, KY to Hoodsville, Jefferson County, Arkansas. Hoodsville ONLY existed in the 1850 census. It got a post office that year, and its post office was discontinued later that year. Hoodsville is located in Jefferson County, Arkansas, which the county seat of that county is Pine Bluff.
Now, family legend says that Shilo and Charles both passed away during an accident that occurred while the family was moving back from Hoodsville, AR to Henderson, KY. Supposedly that accident took place on August 23rd, 1852. We know they had at least ten children - one of which being my 3x Grandfather, Philo Hilyer Sandefur.
I ponder if Philo was named after his mother in a way, her name being Shilo. Their youngest son was named John and he was born in 1850 -- and he, if he was in that accident, survived and didn't die until 1901. Their youngest daughter, born 1847, didn't die until 1874.
One thing is for sure, Shilo and Charles both disappear between 1850 and 1860, whether they died in an accident between AR and KY or not. One thing is certain: between his two wives, the first being Martha Robards and the second being Shilo Watson -- Charles Tandy Sandefur is the forefather of ALL Sandefur's in Henderson County and the surrounding area today. The man had at least fifteen or sixteen cildren total.
In the 1850 census, their last name is given as "Stanifer." I have found in my DNA matches that Sandefur can be spelled many different ways - including Stanifer, Standifur, Sandford, etc.
Once again, like with many of my other ancestors -- no photographs exist.. and sadly, no known burial location exists either. If they truly died in an accident on the road between Hoodsville, AR, and Henderson, KY... somewhere along the journey... then they're likely buried off the side of the road somewhere, or in that area's pauper graveyard. Sad.. but likely true.
Susan Rebecca Jarrett
Again, this one isn't so much a favorite name or a favorite last name even as much as it is a favorite ancestor in general. Because of Susan Rebecca (Jarrett) Sandefur, I can say I'm related to someone who, might be a controversial figure in history but.. in my eyes, an amazing historical figure -- the outlaw John Jarrett.
Susan Rebecca was born on April 14th, 1841 in likely Jefferson County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Joshua Jarrett and his second wife, Martha Ann Washburn, who married in that county on March 29th, 1840.
Joshua had already been married once previous - Mary Elizabeth Dawson on August 11th, 1828, in Nelson County, KY. Together they had at least two sons, Ben, who I believe died young, and then the outlaw, John Marion Jarrett.
With Martha, it appears they only had one daughter - my 3x Grandmother, Susan. Martha apparently died about two years later, quite possibly in childbirth. Joshua married for the third time after moving to Henderson County, KY, to the widow Julia Harvey (Cheaney) Brooks.
In the 1850 census, Julia is widowed and has Susan in her household. Joshua apparently died in 1849 here in Henderson County. Susan went on to marry Philo Hilyer Sandefur on February 3rd, 1860, here in Henderson County. In 1862, Philo and Susan go to court and fight Julia for things of Joshua's and some inheritance money it appears. All I could find about it is "P.H. Sandefur vs. Julia H. Priest, administrator of Joshua H. Jarrett, December 1862. No.12587 #209A."
If I had to take a guess -- I'm going to imagine that Joshua left Julia some things in his will that were only allowed to go to her if she never married again. I've seen many wills worded that way - "I leave this to my widow for as long as she doesn't remarry." Well, Julia re-married to a Priest in 1850. I imagine that made things she received when Joshua died in 1849 null and void.
Also, it's very possible that Susan only being shy of 9 years old when her father died and Julia being the step-mother, she might have pulled some type of 'Cinderella' act on her and kept her inheritance from her.
Susan and Philo went on to have, recorded by Susan in 1900, nine children and six of them were still living. Her half-brother, John Jarrett, ended up moving to Missouri "with an Uncle of his" which had to be on his Dawson side, not the Jarrett side, and married Josephine Younger... yes, the sister of the Younger's of the "Younger-James Gang."
It was always rumored that Jesse James came to Henderson County at one point and hid out at a cave in Robards, KY. You know, I always wondered why. Why come to Henderson? They didn't rob any banks here. The nearest robbery was Russellville, KY. Well, I believe I solved why they came here. It was because of John Jarrett having a half-sister here.
They might not have shacked up at the Sandefur's house, but I imagine that Susan had a soft spot for her half-brother and she probably helped feed and clothe them, and possibly hide their whereabouts. I'm not even sure historians ever made a connection between John Jarrett and any family here, to be honest with you.
In fact, it was never known he was here until I came across the marriage license of his daughter, Rosella Edwards Jarrett... she states she was born in Henderson, KY on February 6th, 1875. I don't know just how long they were here... but they were absolutely here. In the 1870 census, the family had "faked their death and left Missouri" a few years prior and ended up in Louisiana. By 1876, they're in California. San Mateo to be exact.
The Russellville, KY robbery happened on March 20th, 1868 and it is believed John was with them when that robbery took place. I believe it was after this that he "faked his death" in that housefire in Missouri, and then afterward fled to Louisiana. After the heat died down a bit, so to speak, he came to Henderson and had Rosella in 1875. Then headed west.
John's life and story is a sad one. His wife died. His son I believe died young. And by the time he died in 1906, his daughters wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. John died only nine months after his half-sister Susan, who died here in Henderson on July 16th, 1905.
Until I made the connection with DNA and records - I'm not sure any other Sandefur descendant had ever made the connection between Susan and John. Hell, most historians to this day firmly believe he and his family died in a housefire in Missouri. Then other historians believe he died in California in the 1890's. Again, he faked his death and fled the area after undoubtedly getting in trouble again. He followed his daughters up to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
I'm unsure if Susan ever heard from John again after Rosella's birth in Henderson in 1875. I wonder if she truly believe he died in the mountains of California in the 1890's.. I wonder if John knew his half-sister died nine months before himself. I wish I could talk to them.
Susan, it appears, was a beautiful lady. I believe, honestly, when I look at her and the known pictures of John Jarrett - that they must resemble the Jarrett side of their family because I see subtle similarities between them. Susan and Philo are laid to rest in Fernwood Cemetery right next door to where I live. I'm proud to call her an ancestor and wish I knew more about the story of her parents - Joshua and Martha, and especially more about her mysterious outlaw brother, John.
The Jarrett's were a tough family to figure out via DNA.. it took a lot of work with Mom's DNA to finally figure out just who Joshua Jarrett's parents were. He was the son of John Jarrett Sr and Sophia Margaret Plott, from North Carolina. The family migrated to Kentucky slowly but surely. A lot of Joshua's siblings ended up further into western Kentucky than Joshua himself (landing in Henderson County.)
I made the connection of Joshua being their son because I have a many DNA matches through the grandparents -- Daniel Jarrett and Mary Moyer, and Johannes Platz (Plott) and Margaret Seitz. DNA is a wonderful thing for breaking down brick walls. Slowly but surely.
Last, but certainly not least Vandalia Delia Gibson, and her mother, Mahala Caroline Busby.
I thought I'd write about them both -- I've written about Vannie a few times previous but, her mother, Mahala Caroline Busby has such a beautiful name as well. So first I'll talk about Mahala and then work into speaking about Vandalia.
My 4x Grandmother, Mahala Caroline Busby, was born in January of 1820 in Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee. She was one of about seven children born to William L. Busby and Elizabeth Denton. Her parents married here on December 28th, 1813, then moved to Tennessee. Her father, William, died there, but Elizabeth returned and died in Henderson County in 1856. She even has a still existing tombstone. That's a topic for another day. (Actually I think I touched on it in the blog I wrote about my direct maternal line.)
Mahala married John Gregory Gibson on November 1st, 1841, here in Henderson County. They became the parents of at least thirteen children and lived out the rest of their lives in the Cairo/Corydon areas of Henderson County, KY. Both she and John are buried in the Gibson Cemetery and their tombstones are in desperate need of some TLC with D/2.
Every child of theirs is in Gibson Cemetery too except for Neosha "Noty" who is buried in Fernwood beside of me. John Gregory Gibson remarried to a woman named Elizabeth on March 16th, 1871. She had previously been married to a 'Young.' I am unsure of Elizabeth's maiden name or where her final resting place is. Probably with her first husband, but, possibly Gibson Cemetery.
Mahala passed away on November 18th, 1868, and John on November 6th, 1890. Without them, my 3x Grandmother, Vandalia, certainly wouldn't exist. It is unknown what either of them died of as death records didn't really exist back then. Maybe at some point I can dig back in old Henderson newspapers and find an obituary for them.
Vandalia was born on December 21st, 1856, in the Cairo area of Henderson County (honestly the area that's between Corydon and Cairo.) She went on to marry Henry Oliver Nally on January 28th, 1880, in Old Highland Missionary Baptist Church in Morganfield, Union County, KY. See, the Gibson's were not Catholic, whereas the Nally's were. I believe Vandalia probably became Catholic for Henry after their marriage. That was usually fairly customary back then.
They had seven children - including two sets of twins, which I've already noted further up in this article when I talked about Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson.
Vandalia lived out her life bouncing between Cairo, Hitesville, Corydon, and then finally the city of Henderson. She became widowed on December 14th, 1925, and she herself passed away on July 5th, 1949. It's amazing that I've NEVER found a photograph of either of them... I desperately want to know what Vandalia looked like. Dying in 1949, there HAS to be an old black and white photo of her somewhere. I just need the right cousin to come forward with it.
The closest to a photo of Vandalia that I can come is a picture of her twin daughters, and one of her sisters.
Well - there's probably a few other "favorite ancestors" I might could write about tonight but I think I'll draw a close on this already much longer than anticipated blog. Thank you, as always, for reading my coffee fueled ramblings.
