Who are the real parents of Clarissa Boswell?

 Over 30 years ago there was a great debate among Boswell researchers about who the parents of Clarissa Boswell 2 November 1811 – 9 June 1884) KHQQ-7XC was. 

Additional research and DNA testing have proven conclusively that the parents of Clarissa was 
James Boswell LQZP-LZS and Lena Seane Mullin K2FD-4MH.

Research Notes/Emails

Email from Larry Van Horn (3/24/2002)

As most of you are aware I have been searching long and hard for some time now for the parents of Clarisa Boswell-Hurt-Zumwalt. After many, many false starts and strange twisted paths, I might have finally found a very promising lead and a possible breakthrough in this search.

This breakthrough is courtesy of my wife Gayle, my father WL, and Jay Mercer's parents. Let me backtrack a bit. Several years ago my father met with Jay's family and they passed on to him copies from the family bible, several letters written by Burford to his brother AHD (Hamy), some pics, Mary Susan Redus's diary, and a very interesting letter written by AHD's cousin Maud. This letter is enclosed below.

 Several years ago Gayle transcribed this letter and I have been looking ever since for this possible connection. I conducted many census searches over the last two years looking for a Maud Hurt but I could not find one. One quiet evening here in my office while studying the letter a light bulb went off and it dawned on me that this might not be a Hurt, but could be a family member for Clarisa -- a Boswell. Since the letter was written in Oct 1870 in Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS (birthplace of AHD Hurt) I immediately checked the census index for Lowndes Co, MS 1870 for Boswell and bingo. I got a hit.

Here is that enumeration:

1870 Lowndes Mississippi U.S. Federal Census, Page 227, 506/749

Boswell, Ira        46    M    W    Carpenter   $1500  GA
          Jane     36    F     W    Keeps House           AL
          C.        18    M    W    App?Shop               MS
          Maud   16    F    W    At School                 MS
       Thortant  9    M    W    At Home                   MS
          John      7    M    W                                    MS
            Emilie      4    F      F                                MS
              Ira         4    F     F                                MS

506/750 Goodrich, Sarah  54  F    W                                VA

If you examine Maud's letter to AHD she mentions her brother Johnny being sick. Notice that we have both a Maud (16-year-old school girl) and a John (7-year-old brother) in the above family. This is the only Boswell family I have found in Lowndes Co in 1870 so I am convinced this family and the one mentioned in the letter below are the ones I have been seeking.

 What makes this family more interesting is the names. My great-grandfather was named James Ira Hurt. I have always wondered where the Ira came from, now I think I know. More on the James name in a moment. One additional note on Maud who wrote the letter below, my wife Gayle has always felt that the lady who wrote the letter below was a young girl, and the census info above bears that theory out quite nicely.

 Having seen the above I felt that Ira was probably a brother to Clarisa Boswell. So it was time for me to go back in time to see where Ira above and Jane were married. With the elder Sarah Goodrich living in the house with them I theorized that she was probably an older sister but more than likely Jane's mother making her a Goodrich. With that bit of information, it did not take long to find a marriage record for Ira M. Boswell marrying Jane Goodrich on 11 July 1850 in Lowndes Co, MS.

 Now if they were married there in July 1850 and the census enumeration date for 1850 was 1 June, I was hoping to get lucky and maybe find the young couple either living at home with their separate families or maybe even married and enumerated together for the first time. Again it was back to the census index at Ancestry.com and again I struck gold. I did indeed find them not in Lowndes Co but in Winston County just SW of Lowndes. And they were living with an older couple named "Boswell."

 From the 1850 Lowndes Co Mississippi Federal Census, page 324, 124/127    Enumerated 3 Sep 1850

James Boswell    68    M    W    Farmer    $580    NC
Lena                   60    F     W                               GA
 

Note: this is an exact match to the birthplace locations Clarisa gave for her parents on the 1880 census in Medina Co.

 Continuing to something strange, the next four people in the household were crossed out but I do not have a clear indication of why. The way they were listed they all had the last name Boswell.

Henry              21    M    W                                MS
James              19    M    W                                MS
Elizabeth          16    F     W                                MS
Josephine         12    F     W                               MS
 

And finally in the same household (124) but family #128

 
Ira Boswell      31    M    W   Mechanic              GA
Jane                 17    F      W                               MI
 

Even though her birth location was different from this enumeration from 1860 there is no doubt who this couple is. It is the parents of Maud. Of course, my immediate thought was if Ira M. Boswell above is Clarisa's brother and James Boswell above is his parents then this is Clarisa's parents. The age of the head of household #127 and his wife above are certainly within range to be Clarisa's parents.

 Interestingly enough on the census page previous (I teach my students to look up and down a census page, the one prior and the one after) I found another Boswell.

 116/119
James Boswell   51    M    W    Farmer    $1500    NC
Louisa               36    F      W                                GA
William              21    M    W                                 AL
Robert               18    M    W   Student                  MS
Mary                 16    F                                          MS
Emily                 14    F                                          MS
Charles               7    M                                          MS
Richard              5     M                                          MS
Laura                 4     F                                           MS
James              7/12   M                                          MS
 

If this family is related, I am reasonably confident they are this could be a brother to Clarisa (probably James and Lena Boswell's oldest son). Keep in mind that in 1850 William P. Hurt (age 43 and Clarissa (age 37) were enumerated in Madison County, MS with their family including my gg grandfather Hamy.

 Going back to the census index I again found Ira and Jane on the 1860 census in Columbus, Lowndes Co. Here is that enumeration:

1178/1198
Ira Boswell        40    M    Carpenter                    GA
Janes                 27    F                                        AL  (notice the state)
Charles             8      M                                        MS
Florence           7       F                                        MS (this is Maud)
Henry                2     M                                        MS
Sarah Goodrich   59  F                                        VA (the age has me a bit baffled)
 

And finally I found Ira and his family on the 1880 Lowndes Co Census.

Florence Maud Boswell was still living at home but was now married to Francis M. Jacob and had children of her own as indicated below:

 
Census Place: Columbus, Lowndes, Mississippi
Source: FHL Film 1254655  National Archives Film T9-0655     Page 224C
 

Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace Ira M. BOSWELL Self M M W 60 GA
 Occ: Carpenter Fa: GA Mo: GA
Jane BOSWELL Wife F M W 48 AL
 Occ: Keeping House Fa: VA Mo: VA
Thornton H. BOSWELL Son M S W 21 MS
 Occ: Carpenter Fa: GA Mo: AL
John G. BOSWELL Son M S W 19 MS
 Occ: Apprentice To Machinest Fa: GA Mo: AL Annie E. BOSWELL Dau F S W 17 MS
 Occ: At Home Fa: GA Mo: AL
Ira M. BOSWELL Son M S W 14 MS
 Occ: At School Fa: GA Mo: AL
Kate T. BOSWELL Dau F S W 11 MS
 Occ: At School Fa: GA Mo: AL
Francis M. JACOB SonL M M W 31 GA
 Occ: Machinest Fa: GER Mo: GA
Florence M. JACOB Dau F M W 26 MS
 Occ: At Home Fa: GA Mo: AL
Charles H. JACOB GSon M S W 3 MS
   Fa: GA Mo: MS
Maud JACOB GDau F S W 2 MS
   Fa: GA Mo: MS
Marian Lee JACOB GSon M S W 10M MS
   Fa: GA Mo: MS
 

Shortly after I discovered this information I checked the Boswell surname board and saw a post of Ira Boswell's family from Marci Shaw Peralez. She has since contacted me via email and here is the info she has passed on. I have now added her email address to our small little group so I can keep her in the loop for anything new we may find.

As most of you know Clarisa was born circa 1811 in Georgia.

Below notice in particular child #2 Maud. This is probably our Clarisa. I would like to take a second and thank Marci for sharing her family info with us and I look forward to working with her in the near future since she does live in the area and can help with research.

 So there you have it cousins. I do believe we have finally found the parents of our 3rd great-grandmother Clarisa Boswell-Hurt-Zumwalt.

 I believe she was born to James Madison Boswell and Lena Mullins circa 1811-1812 in Georgia and her full name was probably Clarissa Maud Boswell.

I would also like to thank Marci Shaw Peralez for her help.  

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Addressed to Cousin Hamilton [Alexander Hamilton D Hurt] from Cousin Maud in Columbus, MS.
 
Columbus, Miss
Oct 22, 1870
 
My Dear Cousin,
 

I received your welcomed letter last week and it is with pleasure that I take up my pen to answer it.  If you think I have treated you badly I think you have treated me equally as bad.  It is nearly always twice as long before I ever get an answer to any letters from you.  I don't think it is hardly fair for you to complain of short-letters, for you rarely ever write much and though little at that.  The idea of you thinking you have said anything to hurt my feelings indeed you have and so I hope you...think so any longer.  You told - and to tell all of the relatives to write - I have told them.  I don't know why they don't write - perhaps they don't have to receive letters as well as I do.  Columbus is quite a sickly place, some are buried nearly everyday.  We have had a great deal of sickness in our family.

My little brother Johnnie has had two spells of the Typhoid fever.  He is getting well and is walking about, though he is still very feeble.  Pa has just recovered from a spell of chills.  He is working on the railroad, and we only see him once a week.  That sweetheart I gave you has been having the chills and looks very bad.  My sweetheart sent me his picture the other day.

He lives in Winston Salem, has...don't tell anybody about it.  Just ought to see what a sweet piece of poetry he wrote me about it.  I hope you don't think I am in love by what I write.  Far from that, I do not know what the word means.  But I expect you know all about it.  I think you ought to write me all about your sweetheart and tell me all about her, for I know you have one.  You say I promise to write you a long letter, I think I always do write you long ones.  If you will tell what will interest you - I will always write long ones for I do not know what will interest you period.  You must answer this letter as soon as you receive it, and I want you to write a long letter.  I don't care if it is five or six pages long.  Give my love to your brother.  Ma also sends her love to you and her.  I must bid a good night and goodbye until I hear from you again and do not let that be very long.  Remember me as Ever Your True Cousin,

 Maud

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From Cousin Marci:

 A lot of the info I have is from another Boswell researcher who has since passed away, and I have yet to find time to get up to MS to verify his info.

This is what I have on the James Boswell family:

 James Madison Boswell    b abt 1782  Granville, North Carolina    d 1850
Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS married 15 Oct 1809, Franklin Co, GA
spouse:
Lena Mullins    b 1790 GA    d abt 1850  Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS
 
Children:
1. Mary b abt 1810  Franklin Co, GA    married 19 Oct 1823  James Sampson:Monroe Co, MS
2. Maude b abt 1812   d Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS
3. Martha b abt 1814  d abt 1850    married 24 Jul 1838 to Samuel T. Sappington
4. Ransom Newton b 5 Jun 1814 GA  d 17 Jan 1892 Russellville, Pope Co, AR married 13 Apr 1845, Winston Co, MS to Elizabeth C. Higgason 5. Ira Matthews (Sr) b 1820 GA  d 14 Jan 1898 married 11 Jul 1850, Lowndes Co, MS to Jane Goodrich 6. Olive  b abt 1822 Monroe Co, MS married 9 Sep 1845 Lowndes CO, MS to Samuel Kline 7. Henry N.  b 22 Aug 1830 Monroe Co, MS  d 2 Aug 1884
8. Thomas J.   b 22 Jan 1826 Monroe Co, MS  d 12 Aug 1897 Lowndes Co, MS
9. James Madison (Jr)  b 16 Nov 1828 Monroe Co, MS  d 18 Apr 1897 Lowndes Co, MS married to Cornelia F. Smyth 10. Mary Elizabeth b abt 1833 Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS  d abt 1900 11. Josephine b 1838 Columbus, Lowndes Co, MS  d abt 1923, Lowndes Co, MS married 10 Feb 1857 to William M. Woodward
 

I have children for Ransom, Ira, Olive, Henry, Thomas, James, and Josephine if you are interested in those.

 
The parents of James Madison Boswell Sr. were:
Ransom Boswell b bet 1727/1729   d 1793
Martha d 1812 (second wife of Ransom)
 
children of Ransom and Martha:
1. James
2. Susanna b 1784 Granville Co, NC married 19 Mar 1803 Granville CO, NC to John M. Stovall 3. Joseph b 1786 Granville Co, NC  d 1855 Pontotoc (now Union Co) MS married
17 Jan 1809 Granville Co, NC to Lucy Ann Griffin 4. Elizabeth b 1788 Granville Co, NC 5. William b 1792 Granville Co, NC  d 14 May 1857, Cass, Bartow, GA married
23 Dec 1816 to Louisa Whitworth
 
Ransom Boswell was first married to Mary Holliday.  They had 5 children:
1. John b abt 1753 Spotsylvania Co, VA d abt 1822 Franklin Co, GA married
1780 Mecklenburg, VA to Sarah Wilkinson (John and Sarah were the parents of Ransom Perkins Boswell, and his 5 siblings)
2. Ann b 1756 Spotsylvania Co, VA d Orange Co, NC married 1774 to Bartholomew Stovall 3. Thomas b 1752 Spotsylvania Co, VA  d 1800  Caswell Co, NC married 1785 N.
Mecklenburg VA to Judith Wilkinson (sister of Sarah) 4. Frances b 1762 Spotsylvania Co, VA 5. Ransom (Jr.) b 29 Jun 1766 Spotsylvania Co, VA  d 8 Nov 1835  Locust Hill, Caswell Co, NC married 15 Nov 1790 Granville Co, NC to Elizabeth Moss
 
Ransom Sr. was the son of John Boswell and Ann Ransom
Marci Shaw Peralez

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