Perpetuated errors in my Genealogy
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Middle name of John G. BARROW (1798-1875)
of NC and Telfair/Thomas GA They say: John G. BARROW's middle name is Gordon. I say: His middle name is unknown and is likely not Gordon. Reasons: I started this rumor based on what my father told me. After I could not confirm it, he told me that he had assumed that John G.'s middle name was Gordon because that is his and his father's middle name. The name cannot be found in primary sources; everywhere I have seen it can be traced back to me. The first Barrow with a proven name of Gordon is Joseph Gordon BARROW Sr. (1887-1944). It is unlikely that he was named after John G.; the names of his five brothers seem to have no family connection, and it would be unusual for the fifth son to be named after an ancestor when others were not. Also, J. Gordon was born 12 years after John G.'s death; it’s improbable that he would be named after his great-grandfather so long after his death when four other boys were born in the interim. In addition, family tradition says the name Gordon came from Confederate general and Georgia governor John GORDON, who was born many decades after John G. BARROW. How did the error happen? I began this rumor based on what my father told me. He later stated that it was an assumption on his part, that he really did not know. James LOVETT (1787-1844) of Effingham/Thomas GA
Creek Heritage They say: Citing early records, several family researchers have claimed that James LOVETT of Effingham and Thomas Counties, Georgia, was a Creek Indian. I say: Further research proves that the evidence put forth in this claim applies to another man with the same name. Reasons: The claim of his heritage arises from payments to a friendly Creek Indian named James LOVETT for losses incurred in the Indian wars, and later payments to descendants. This James Lovett had a relative named George Lovett, and there is no record of a George in our James’s well-established family record. Most importantly, during the time that our James was a very young boy living in Effingham County (late 1790s), records show that James the Creek Indian was living in a Creek village near the lower Chattahoochee River and making regular purchases at a trading post near Apalachicola, Florida. Obviously, a child living hundreds of miles away would not be making these purchases. How did the error happen? Two men with the same name were confused. Father of Catherine ZITTERAUER (1792-1858), who was the
wife of James LOVETT of Effingham/Thomas GA They say: "Georgia Salzburgers and Allied Families" and other sources list Catherine, wife of James LOVETT, as the daughter of Salzburger immigrant Paulus ZITTERAUER (ZITTROUER, etc.). I say: Catherine could not possibly be the daughter of Paulus. I have theorized (but lack proof) that she is the daughter of John Gottlieb ZITTERAUER. Reasons: Paulus died in 1758, proven by Salzburger church records. Catherine was born 34 years later, in 1792, confirmed by multiple census records. Obviously, Paulus could not have been her father. In following all of the ZITTERAUER males, only John Gottlieb seems to fit as her father. All others do not fit based on age, marriage date, or will (contact me for more). How did the error happen? I believe Paulus did have a daughter named Catherine, who probably died young. A researcher assumed that she must be the one who married James LOVETT, but that is clearly impossible. Husband of Charlotte HORTON DUDNEY (1799-1896)
of Washington and Stewart Co. GA They say: "The History of Stewart County, Georgia," "The Dudney Trail," and other sources state that Charlotte HORTON DUDNEY of Stewart County, Georgia, was married to Abraham DUDNEY, born 1793, died in the 1850s. I say: Charlotte was married to Arthur DUDNEY, who was born about 1797 and died May of 1848. Reasons: It is known that the DUDNEYs were in Washington County, GA, before moving to Stewart County. There are at least eight separate records in Washington from the 1820s which mention Arthur, but no records can be found that mention Abraham. There are census records for Arthur--correct age, location, and family makeup--in 1820, 1830, and 1840. No census records for Abraham can be found in any of those years. Most importantly, in 1892 Charlotte petitioned for a pension for her husband's service in the Creek war, listing her husband's name as Arthur DUDNEY and his death as May 1848. How did the error happen? The author of The History of Stewart County misread the 1850 census. Her transcript of the census in her book shows the following for the Dudney family: Abraham Dudney, age 57 Charlotte, age 51 [kids] But here is how the actual census record reads: Household 908 - Abraham Dudney, age 27 Household 909 - Charlotte, age 51 [kids] The author misread Abraham's age and failed to notice that he lived in a separate house. Instead of being Charlotte's husband, Abraham is Charlotte's son, living next door. Middle name of Joshua STANFORD (1740-1826)
of Somerset/Wicomico MD and Warren/Columbia GA They say: Several researchers have stated that the middle name of Joshua STANFORD who moved to Warren/Columbia Co. Georgia from the Eastern shore of Maryland, is Whipps, and that he is descended from John WHIPPS. I say: The middle name of Joshua STANFORD of Maryland Eastern shore and Georgia is not Whipps, and he is not descended from the Whipps family. Reasons: Parallel records show that there were two different Stanford families in different areas of Maryland during the 1700s: one in Ann Arundel-Calvert Counties, and one in Somerset-Wicomico Counties. No connections can be found between the two families. There was indeed a Joshua Whipps STANFORD, but he did not move to Georgia. His father was John STANFORD; his grandparents are John STANFORD and Susannah WHIPPS (proven by will of John WHIPPS). The family lived in Ann Arundel-Calvert from as early as 1701 until at least 1765. Evidence suggests they were in Baltimore in 1800. My ancestor Joshua STANFORD's father is Jonathan STANFORD (proven by Store Accounts of John Nelms). Jonathan's father is Joseph (proven by Somerset deed E-188). Joseph's parents are Joseph and Jane (proven by Somerset birth records). This family lived in Somerset/Wicomico from at least 1692 until 1803. Deeds in both GA and MD prove that it was the Somerset-Wicomico family that moved to Georgia. No record has been found connecting the other family to Georgia. How did the error happen? Two men in the same state with the same name were confused. Mother and grandfather William H. RAMSEY (c1772-1855)
of Bladen NC and Thomas GA They say: DAR records indicate that William H. RAMSEY's mother, Elizabeth HARVEY, was the daugher of John HARVEY, a prominent colonial North Carolina politician. I say: His mother's name was probably Elizabeth HARVEY, and she might have been the daugher of a John HARVEY, but not the famous politician. Reasons: There are twelve different John HARVEYs listed as heads of household in the 1790 North Carolina census. John HARVEY the politician lived in Perquimans County, in northeastern NC; William RAMSEY, husband of Elizabeth HARVEY, appears to have spent his entire life in the southeastern corner of NC. The published genealogies of the politician do not mention the RAMSEY family. They show John's daugher Elizabeth as born in 1760 and marrying Benjamin BAKER. Since William H. RAMSEY was born between 1771 and 1773, Elizabeth would have had to become pregnant as a preteen. I can find no primary source connections between this Harvey family and the Ramsey family, only contemporary secondary sources. How did the error happen? The first appearance of this assertion is in early DAR records. At the time, DAR researchers sometimes had a strong desire to show descent from prominent historical persons. I believe a researcher came across "John HARVEY of North Carolina" and assumed (or hoped) that it was the prominent one. Death date of Moab HEWITT (b.1795)
of Williamsburg and Clarendon SC They say: A memorial tombstone at Moab HEWITT's burial site indicates that he died "about 1870." I say: He died in late 1863. Reasons: Clarendon deed B-286, dated September 1864, states that Moab's children petitioned "on or about the first day of January" 1864 for the division of his estate. How did the error happen? The modern-looking memorial was apparently erected many years after his death, and the date was recalled incorrectly from someone's memory. HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR BETTER PROOF? Please contact me at the "Contact" link in the left column. If you believe I am wrong, I would greatly appreciate learning why. |
Researching the
following families: BARRINEAU Onslow NC & Williamsburg SC BARROW Lenoir NC Telfair GA Thomas GA CONE Anson NC SE & SW GA COOK Williamsburg SC DUDNEY Anson NC Washington GA Stewart GA GIBSON Williamsburg SC HEWITT Williamsburg SC Sumter SC HORTON Bertie NC Washington GA LOVETT Effingham GA Thomas GA LYNCH Williamsburg SC McCANN Duplin NC Telfair GA Thomas GA McINTIRE Somerset MD McPHERSON Bladen NC MULFORD Bladen NC PARRAMORE Screven GA Telfair GA RAMSEY New Hanover NC Bladen NC Thomas GA SMITH Lynches River SC STANFORD Somerset MD Stewart GA STRAHAN Bladen NC USHER Richmond NC Stewart GA WILLIN Somerset MD ZITTERAUER Effingham GA |
