Blair Blunders

  

Part I - Colbert Blair and Sarah Morgan

A few days ago, I read an article titled "The Family of Edward1 Morgan of Pennsylvania," by Stewart Baldwin, published in The Genealogist, Volume 15 Number 1 (Spring 2001), Volume 15 Number 2 (Fall 2001) and Volume 16 Number 1 (Spring 2002).  It shed quite a bit of light on the family of Colbert Blair and Sarah Morgan.  The brightest light regarded their son James.  Most family trees and websites say that he was born in Augusta County, Virginia, married Margaret Sudderth, and died in Pickens County, Georgia.  However, according to the article, Colbert's son James died during the Revolutionary War.  The Blair Family DNA Project confirms this.  According to the DNA test results, Colbert Blair is not related to James and Mary (unknown last name, probably not Colbert) and their son James Blair, husband of Margaret Sudderth, and their descendants are not related to Enos Blair (1750-1834), who is the only proven child of Colbert Blair and Sarah Morgan.  The other children are considered theirs according to geographic proximity, family naming patterns, etc.  Enos Blair is the linchpin:  if a DNA test does not show a match to him or his descendants, then you're not a descendant of Colbert Blair and Sarah Morgan.

Children of Colbert Blair and Sarah Morgan:  unless otherwise cited, source is the above mentioned article.

1.  Enos Blair, born 1750 (a), probably in Pennsylvania (the first record found for Colbert Blair in Virginia is in 1765), married Hannah Millikan 10 May 1775 in Centre, Guilford County, NC, died 13 Jul 1834 in Randolph County, NC (b).

2.  Mary Blair, born about 1752 (c), probably in Pennsylvania, married Moses Guest about 1772 (c), died before 8 May 1829 in Franklin County, GA, when Moses married his second wife (c).

3.  Isabel Blair, born 13 Dec 1761, probably in Pennsylvania, married John Grider in 1781 (d), probably in Burke County, NC (the first record of Colbert Blair in North Carolina was in 1778), died 23 Feb 1857 in Henderson County, TN (e).

4.  James Blair, probably born in Pennsylvania, died before 22 Oct 1783 in Burke County, North Carolina, when his widow Anna was granted administration of his estate, estate inventory taken 10 Nov 1783 (i).  According to John O. Hawkins in his article titled "Caldwell County Area," North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Volume 16 Number 2, May 1990, he was born before 1767 and his widow moved to Pendleton Co., TN with their eldest son George Blair, who was also mentioned in the estate records of his father.  The estate records also noted that James and Anna married in Virginia (i).

5.  Colbert Blair, born about 1771 (f), probably in Augusta County, Virginia, married Jane Murry (g) about 1794, probably in Burke County, NC, died between 28 Aug - 5 Sep 1846 (the dates of his will and probate) in Mongtomery County, IL (h).

Sources:

a.  Gravestone, Springfield Friends Meeting House Cemetery, High Point, Guilford County, NC

b.  The Johnsons and their kin of Randolph, Jessie Owen Shaw, McGregor & Werner, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1955, hathitrust.org

c.  Guest-Guess History and Lineage in America, Alta Louise Biggs Martin, Bowman Printing Co., Atlanta, TX, 1981, familysearch.org

d.  Isabel Grider Revolutionary War Pension Application, W358, fold3.com; The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 22 Number 3, Sep 1934 has an abstract by Jessie McCausland Casanova.

e.  United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872, familysearch.org, citing National Records and Archives Administration micofilm publication T718, Washington, D.C.

f.  United States Federal Censuses 1790, 1800, 1820, 1830, 1840 and Illinois Census Returns, 1810 and 1818, Illinois, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index for 1820 and 1825, ancestry.com

g.  History of Benton County, Oregon, David D. Fagan, A. G. Walling, Printer, Lithographer, Etc., Portland, OR, 1885

h.  Will & Probate records in my personal possession, obtained from the Montgomery County, IL Probate Court

i.  North Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998, ancestry.com

Part II - Colbert Blair and Jane Murry

I recently received some information from the Montgomery County Genealogical Society, and thanks to my new discoveries concerning Colbert Blair and Jane Murry, I've corrected some errors and confirmed information about Colbert Blair and some of their children.

I confirmed that he died on or about 29 Aug 1846 (2, 7) and that he was buried in Clear Springs Cemetery, Hillsboro, Montgomery Co., IL. (7).  I've created a corrected memorial for him at Find a Grave, and you can search under Memorial #221516100.  I don't have him connected to Jane or his children, however.

Little is known about his wife Jane, but she was born between 1771-1780 (1) and died between 1840 and 28 Aug 1846 in Montgomery Co., IL (1, 2).

Children of Colbert Blair and Jane Murry:

1.  Dolly Blair born circa 1795 in Burke Co., NC (1, 4) married Paul Beck 19 Oct 1815 in Adair Co., KY (4).  She died before 23 Jun 1832 in IL when Paul married second Margaret Brents in Montgomery Co., IL (5).  Paul and Dolly are my 5th great-grandparents.

2.  Enos Blair born circa 1798 in Burke Co., NC (1) married Nancy Jones 16 Jan 1817 in Adair Co., KY (6), died between 5 Sep 1846 and 1 Oct 1850 in Montgomery Co., IL (1, 2).

3.  Nancy Blair born circa 1798 in Burke Co., NC (1) married John Beck 3 Feb 1814 in Adair Co., KY (6) and died 3 Jan 1851 in Montgomery Co., IL (7, 8).

4.  John Blair born about 28 Feb 1799 [calculated] (13) in Burke Co., NC (9) married Elizabeth Jane Isaacs 3 Sep 1817 in Adair Co., KY (4) died 22 Apr 1871 in Fillmore, Montgomery Co., IL (13) and died 22 Apr 1871, age 72 years 1 month and 22 days, buried 26 Apr 1871 in Clear Springs Cemetery, Hillsboro, Montgomery Co., IL (9, 13).  He wrote his will 20 Mar 1871, probated 31 Oct 1871 (7).

5.  Elizabeth Blair born about 1801 in Burke Co., NC (1) married first Hiram Beck 26 May 1820 in Bond Co., IL (5), married second Henry Ginger 2 Jul 1855 in Fayette Co., IL (5).  Some family trees incorrectly state that she married a Lee.  She was on the 1860 census in Dry Point, Fayette Co., IL but died before 8 Jul 1870 in Dry Point (1).

6.  Colbert Powell Blair born 30 Jan 1805 in Burke Co., NC (3, 10) married Elizabeth Hill 19 Feb 1824 in Montgomery Co., IL (5).  He was a member of the Oregon State Legislature in 1862 (3) and died, age 101, 16 Jun 1906 in Pendleton, Umatilla Co., OR (9, 11) and was buried 18 Jun 1906 at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton (9). 

 

7.  Meeky Montgomery Blair born 9 Mar 1810 in Adair Co., KY (1, 7) married first Gilham Scribner 16 Jan 1826 in Montgomery Co., IL (5), married second John Wesley Powell 15 Dec 1830 in Montgomery Co., IL (5), married third Jacob Styner 24 May 1857 in Clark Co., MO (12).  She died 12 Feb 1863 in Fort Madison, Lee Co., IA (7).

There may be additional Blair / Powell connections.  Why was Colbert's middle name Powell?  Some claim without providing proof that Meeky Blair and John Wesley Powell were cousins.  Records in the Montgomery County Genealogical Society say that John was the son of Elias Powell and Elizabeth Day, the daughter of Nicholas Day and Miss Blair.  If anyone has records confirming Blair / Powell connections, please contact me at wrxwoman@gmail.com.

Sources:

1.    United States Federal Census

2.    Will and Probate record of Colbert Blair

3.    History of Benton County, Oregon, David D. Fagan, 1885

4.    Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979

5.    Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900

6.    Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954

7.    Montgomery County Genealogical Society

8.    History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, William Henry Perrin, 1882

9.    Cemetery Transcription

10.  Oregon Historical Records Index, Oregon State Archives

11.  Colbert Powell Blair obituary

12.  Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002

13.  FHL #848951, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/montgomery/cem_clearsprings.html

12 Golden Rules of Genealogy

 I just discovered this from gotgenealogy.com and just had to share.  My favorite rule is #8.

Skeletons in every closet

I've spoken to people who tell me that they don't want to do genealogy because they're afraid of what they might find.  My response is that every family has skeletons in the closet and that we are not responsible for the misdeeds, mistakes and outright crimes of those who came before us.  I even had one person exclaim "Aren't you embarrassed?!" after I related what one of my ancestors did (the first story you'll see).  I replied that I wasn't embarrassed in the least at what my ancestor did 100 years before I was born.  I've found that sometimes, the good and the bad come entangled with each other.

My third great-grandfather Philander Gleason married Ruth (probably Chapman) and she fell ill and died from inflammation of the lungs 3 Apr 1870 in Antrim, Shiawassee County, Michigan (1, 2).  During this time, Philander had an affair with a woman named Charlotte Fuller (I believe she was also married) (3) and their son Wallace Philander Gleason was born 16 Mar 1870 (one month before Ruth died) (4).  Wallace was raised by his father and doting half-sisters.  It seems that Philander was appropriately named.

Additional illegitimacies

The following stories also illustrate how the good and the bad go together.  It's frowned upon to be illegitimate, but when you can say you're descended from royalty, it soothes the sting.

Robert and his wife Mabel FitzHamon

I'm descended from Robert FitzRoy (son of the king) born about 1090 in Caen, Normandy, France and died 31 Oct 1147 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England (5).  He was the firstborn "natural" (illegitimate) son of King Henry I of England, 9th Duke of Normandy.  His mother is unknown.  King Henry was called Beauclerc which means Good Scholar because of his translation of Æsop's Fables (6).  King Henry was the son of William the Conquerer, born 1025 in Falaise, France and died 9 Sep 1087 in Rouen, Normandy, France (5, 6).  He was the illegitimate son of Robert II and Arletta (also spelled Herleva), a tanner's daughter (6).  Robert II was poisoned and died in 1035 in Nicaea, Turkey (5, 7).  William the Conquerer's wife Matilda of Flanders was descended from Charlemagne.

King Henry I

I'm also descended from David Yale, died 1626 in Chester, Cheshire, England (8), illegitimate son of John Yale and Agnes Lloyd.  John Yale was descended from Charlemagne, born 2 Apr 742 in Metz, France and died 28 Jan 814 in Aachen, Germany (9, 10), first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne, Emperor Charles the Great

I'm descended from Joan, illegitimate daughter of King John, born 24 Dec 1167 in Oxford England and died 19 Oct 1216 in Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire, England (11).  Her mother may have been Clemence, Duchess of Brittany, who died in 1201 (12).  Joan died 2 Feb 1236/37 in Pen-y-Bryn, Caernarvonshire, Wales (12).

Murder Victims

I'm related to three people who were murdered.  Sometimes our ancestors are the perpetrators and sometimes the victims.  

The first was Elizabeth Evarts, my 8th great grand aunt.  She was killed by her husband Peter Abbott, who became insane, and was convicted of her murder on 16 Oct 1667 in Fairfield, Connecticut (13, 14).

The second was Ammiel Brickell, my 3rd great grand uncle.  He received news that his daughter Louise was going to elope with Samuel Garrett, and he found them at the Golden Eagle Hotel in Sacramento, CA.  Garrett shot and killed Ammiel on 29 Aug 1855 (15, 16, 17).  Louise married Garrett in the jail, and he was convicted and hung one year after the murder.  From this story we also learn that things written in stone aren't always correct.  Ammiel was originally buried in an unmarked grave in the City Cemetery of Sacramento (15), and later was re-interred in the Colfax Cemetery in Colfax, Placer Co., CA (15, 18).  His gravestone is incorrectly engraved with the death date of 10 Aug 1851.

The third was my 3rd great grand uncle John L. Beck, who was stabbed several times at a masquerade ball by Frank Castile, on 16 Feb 1897 in Cleveland, Klickitat, WA.  Not surprisingly, there are conflicting accounts.

"The story as told to Mrs. Whitmore by Ed Kutch, now deceased, was as follows:  It was a custom to have masquerade parties and to award a prize to the best costume.  An area man went masqueraded as a woman. His disguise was so complete that he was awarded first prize. This so angered Frank Castile that a fight began inside the hall.  The men were herded outside into complete darkness. There Castile, who had a stiff, crippled arm, slipped a knife from its storage alongside the arm. In the darkness he slashed out Wildly and split Beck from hip bone to hip bone, causing his death.  Castile then dashed wildly back through the lighted hall to escape on the fastest horse that was tied outside.  Sometime in the darkness his sanity returned and he rode to Goldendale and turned himself in. He was later freed and, as Kutch told the story, finally lost his mind from guilt.  Beck has a tall, white stone in Cleveland Cemetery and it says he was murdered. Beck was the father of one daughter, Hattie R. Beck. Tragedy came again to this family when the little girl died of pneumonia at the age of four years and nine months.  (The Grandview Herald, Grandview, WA., October 26, 1978, page 9 & 11)"

"Tacoma Daily News, Tacoma, Washington, February 17, 1897

KILLED ON ACCOUNT OF A GIRL. Goldendale, Wash., Feb. 17 -- Frank Castile, a stockman, stabbed John Beck in the abdomen, at Cleveland, yesterday, killing him almost instantly. The men were attending a masquerade ball and became involved in an altercation over a young lady. Castile claims that he killed Beck in self defense. He came here and surrendered to the sheriff."

Unfortunately, Frank Castile was acquitted of his crime.

Sources:

1.   U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885

2.   Shiawassee District Library

3.   Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925

4.   Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952

5.   Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22, Sir Leslie Stephens, 1909

6.   A Synopsis of English History from the Earliest Times to the Year 1870, Second Edition, Stacey Grimaldi, F.S.A., 1871

7.   The History of Normandy and of England, Volume III, Sir Francis Palgrave, 1851

8.   The American Genealogist, Volume 56 Number 2, Apr 1980

9.   The History of Charlemagne, George Payne Rainsford James, Esq., 1847

10.  A History of Charles the Great, Jacob Isidor Mombert, 1883

11.  The American Genealogist, Volume 52 Number 3, Jul 1976

13.  The American Genealogist, Volume 65 Number 1, Jan 1980

14.  History of the Colony of New Haven to its absorption into Connecticut, Rev. Edward E. Atwater, 1902

15.  Genealogies of Connecticut Families:  From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 1, Gary Boyd Roberts, Judith McGhan, 1983

15.  California, Mortuary and Cemetery Records, 1801-1932

16.  History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, G. Walter Reed, 1923

17.  Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 9, Number 1383, 31 Aug 1855  Volume 10, Number 1453, 21 Nov 1855

18.  Grave Marker, Colfax Cemetery, Colfax, Placer Co., CA