After many years I finally nailed down my 4th great grandfather's wife as Ester daughter of Margaret McCarter born in South Carolina. Of that I had no doubt last week. (see previous post on this blog and on the Family Roots and Branches blog)
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Even after uncovering my newest 5th great grandmother - Margaret McCarter - I still wasn't convinced who Ester Hurt's father was. You see Margaret McCarter had three husbands and children by all three. I almost immediately ruled out her first husband William Motley. The timeline I had established for John Hurt and Ester just didn't work for him to be the baby daddy.
Since the Ancestry DNA tool picked up on John Lynch Jr and his wife Elinor Henson, I thought I had maybe a path directly to John Lynch Jr's -- John Lynch Sr who was Margaret's second husband. But since he died in supposedly in 1781, I just wasn't feeling right with him either in the timeline. Besides according to one message I read, there is suppose to be a family bible that indicates there were only two sons by that short marriage. I also wasn't getting even a nibble or even a brown leaf (my term for a researched DNA match) on the Lynch family via any of my Ancestry autosomal DNA tests.
Once I made up my mind that husband #1 or #2 weren't going to work, that left husband #3, the best of the three -- Jesse Neville. I purposely stayed away from him until I could rule the other two out since he was the better genealogically and historically 5th great grandfather and father of Ester Hurt.
I used my private tree over the weekend to test my theory and relinked my test to that private tree (a method I like to use often).
I can now say with excellent certainly based on my strong circumstantial paper trail (mostly indirect evidence), and our Ancestry autosomal DNA testing (me and my father) that Jesse Neville (who is buried with Margaret in Walhalla, SC) born-5 Jul 1759 in Fauquier County, Colonial Virginia, and died on 4 Mar 1842 in Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina, is the father of Ester, who is the wife of John Hurt -- my 4th great grandparents.
Grandfather Jesse served during the Ref War. From the DAR GRS database:
NEVILLE, JESSE DAR Ancestor #: A082513
Service: NORTH CAROLINA Rank: PRIVATE
Birth: 7-5-1759 FAUQUIER CO VIRGINIA
Death: 5-4-1842 PICKENS DIST SOUTH CAROLINA
Pension Number: *S21899
Service Source: *S21899
Service Description:
1) CAPTS PARIS,EARLE,PORTER,WOOD,CARRUTH,
2) HAMPTON, TUTT,MUSICK,MILLER & PARSONS
If you want to read a great testimony to service during the Rev War (short of wintering over at Valley Forge with my cousin George Washington), check out Jesse's Rev War pension abstract at the Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements website (http://revwarapps.org/s21899.pdf).
Jesse's father Captain William Neville (my 6th great grandfather) is also a patriot listed in the DAR GRS.
William Neville apparently saw service in two wars. He is shown as an ensign in the Fauquier Co., VA Militia in 1762 at which time we were engaged in the French and Indian War. He was also a captain in the Revolutionary War stationed on the frontiers of Rutherford and Tryon Counties, NC. William never received a pension but references to his service can be found in a pay voucher at the NC State Archives and also in the pension records of his son, Yelverton (S4614), and in the pension of Thomas R. Musick (S16897).
NEVILLE, WILLIAM Ancestor #: A082528
Service: NORTH CAROLINA Rank(s): CAPTAIN, CIVIL SERVICE
Birth: 1740 VIRGINIA
Death: POST 1813 WHITE CO TENNESSEE
Service Source:
*S16987 PENSION OF THOMAS R. MUSICK; HOLCOMBE, TRYON CO NC MIN OF THE CT OF PLEAS & QTR SESSIONS, 1769-1779, P 165
Service Description:
1) MILITIA; JUSTICE OF PEACE
Some of his service is documented in the pension of a man who served under him -- Thomas R. Musick (http://revwarapps.org/s21899.pdf) as follows:
"The said Thomas R. Musick further on his oath states that in the beginning of the year 1778, he went to Rutherford County in the State of North Carolina and volunteered as a private in a light horse company under the command of Captain William Neville and served in that company one year (being the period of his engagement) that after the expiration of this period of service in the [year] 1779, he the applicant took the place of one Hardin and again served as a private in the same company under the same commander for a further period of 3 months -- That the company commanded by Captain Neville was employed during the whole period of the applicants service as aforesaid in the protection of the frontier against the inroads of the Indians."
And now you can see why I was reluctant to jump first on Jesse until I had disproved the other two potential fathers.
Oh BTW - I am now part of the Jesse Neville Ancestry DNA circle, my 13th DNA circle. I will have more on Jesse and the Neville family soon. In the meantime, I need to get an American flag and Gayle and I have to make a road trip over to Walhalla. Wonder if he has a DAR marker?
