John Hurt-Ester Brick Wall Update

As some of you may know who attend my genealogy classes at Tri-County Community College in Peachtree, NC, I recently solved a long standing brick wall using Ancestry DNA newest tool -- "New Ancestor Discoveries."

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)

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?

Update: The Brick Wall Got Knocked Down on My Carr Family

2nd Great Grandmother Elizabeth A. Carr-Meredith-Smith

Update: Thanks to Mike Harmer and Autosomal DNA testing I have been rewriting this 2008 post. Will be doing further updates shortly, but some of the info in my original post have been changed below and further changes are in the works.

============================

Original 2008 Post with changes.

For several years now I have built a circumstantial case on the identity of the father of my 2nd great grandmother, Elizabeth A. Carr-Smith. She came out of Wilkinson County, Georgia, a burnt county, and it has been tough to do any research on this line. It has been painstaking to put this line together as some of the clues could have led me off on the wrong Carr generation, but the best evidence pointed to the following.

Elizabeth A. Carr
b. 1 Oct 1825, Georgia
m. (#1) Samuel Meredith Jr. 28 February 1847, Wilkinson Co, GA
m. (#2) John B. Smith, 12 March 1865, Caldwell County, TX
d. 28 April 1925, San Antonio, Bexar County, TX

Father: Aaron Carr, b. ca 1800 in either Georgia or North Carolina (This relationship was proven through circumstantial evidence, and in 2008 via a primary record source - her Texas Death Certificate)

Mother:  Still an unknown, but not Elizabeth Faulk-Brazeal-Carr that married Aaron in 1851.

Aaron Carr's father was Balis Carr. Some sources list his name as William Balus Carr, but I have seen no proof that it was his full name. He came out of North Carolina, probably Anson County. Evidence indicates that his wife's name was Ann Mann and not Charity as I once believed1.

In addition to 1. Elizabeth A. Carr, who was the oldest child of Aaron Carr and Elizabeth Faulk, she had the following siblings (all my second great grand uncles and aunt).

2. Charity Amanda Carr m. James E. Butler
3. Private Joseph A.J. Carr m. Elizabeth Stuckey
4. Private Balus Carr m. Elizabeth Sawyer
5. Private Thomas A. Carr m. Elizabeth ?

One source indicated that Joseph AJ Carr was with the 14th Georgia Infantry, Company B. That is not the case. I have now confirmed that all three of my 2nd great grand uncles served with Company I (Carswell Guards, orignally Wilkinson Invincibles), 3rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry of the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee, commanding.

Excerpted from Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861 - 1865 Compiled by Lillian Henderson, ca 1900

This company left Irwinton, Wilkinson County, Ga. August 27, 1861 and proceeded by railroad to Portsmouth, Va. Arrived there August 30, 1861, and on the evening of that day went into "Camp Gwynn". Mustered into the service of the Confederate States August 31, 1861. It was assigned to this regiment August 30, 1861, taking the place of Blodgett's company, which was transferred to artillery August 5, 1861.

Carr, Balus - Private May 5, 1862. Surrendered, Appomattox, VA April 9, 1865. (Died in Laurens County, GA in 1914.)

Carr, Joseph A. J. - Private May 5, 1862. Died, Strasburg, Shenandoah County, VA on October 21, 1862.

Carr, Thomas A. - Private August 21, 1861. Lost leg, Spotsylvania, VA May 14, 1864. On wounded furlough through the close of the war.

History of the unit from NPS CWSS website:

3rd Infantry Regiment was assembled at Augusta, Georgia, in April, 1861. Its companies were recruited in the counties of Clarke, Burke, Dawson, Dade, Madison, Baldwin, and Oconee. This regiment served in the Departments of Norfolk, North Carolina, and Middle and Eastern Florida before being assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia. Here it was under the command of General A.R. Wright and after November, 1864, General Sorrell. It participated in the difficult campaigns of the army from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor, then was involved in the Petersburg siege north and south of the James River and various conflicts around Appomattox. The unit reported 25 killed, 110 wounded, and 22 missing at Malvern Hill and had 10 killed and 129 wounded at Chancellorsville. It lost more than forty-five percent of the 441 engaged at Gettysburg, and there were 75 casualties at Manassas Gap. The 3rd surrendered in April, 1865, with 12 officers and 236 men. Its commanders were Colonels Edward J. Walker and Ambrose R. Wright; Lieutenant Colonels A.B. Montgomery, R.B. Nisbet, James S. Reid, and Claiborne Snead; and Majors George E. Hayes, John F. Jones, Augustus H. Lee, and John R. Sturges.

So is anyone researching my Wilkinson County, GA/North Carolina Carr family lines above? Would like to share some information. I hope that this line ties in to the Colonial Virginia Carr families.

Mary Jane Hutchson-Redus Information

Recently a query was posted to the Redus-L family newsgroup regarding Mary Jane Hutchinson who married Robert Lutellus Redus. Here is my response to that query. If anyone is a descendant of this couple and have any additional information or pictures to add, please drop us some email. For Russell Dailey and the Redus gang:

Mary Jane Hutcheson (spelling and birth location per Redus in America book by cousin George Redus) was born in Feb 1855 in Carrollton, Pickens Co, GA. I disagree both the spelling and birth location based on original records. I believe she was born in Morgan County GA. She was the daughter of James M. Hutchinson (LDS spelling), born 1827 Georgia, and Martha Ann Harrison, born 1832 Georgia. Martha Ann had a mother Ann [--?--], born 1797 North Carolina.

James and Martha married 6 Jan 1850 in Morgan County GA. On the 1850 census (11 Sep 1850), they were living in Morgan Co GA, his occupation - farmer. On the 1860 census (14 Aug 1860), they were in Shepherds, Morgan Co GA, his occupation overseer. James died sometime between 1860-1870 since Martha is the head of house on the 1870 census. I have not been able to tie down if James was a soldier during the Civil War and I have not found the cemetery records I want from Georgia on this family. Again the surname spelling is the limiting factor here.

Based on the records I have uncovered they had seven children:

1. Sarah Hutchinson b. 1852 Morgan Co GA
2. Mary Jane Hutchinson b. Feb 1855, Morgan Co GA; d. 27 May 1907 TX, bur. May 1907, Palestine, Anderson Co TX, married Robert Lutellus Redus on 19 Oct 1871, Morgan Co GA.
3. Georgia O. Hutchinson b.1857 Morgan Co GA
4. Leon Hutchinson b.1858 Morgan Co GA
5. James Hutchinson b.Jul 1860 Morgan Co GA
6. Lela Hutchinson b. 1860 Morgan Co GA
7. John Hutchinson b. 1863 Morgan Co GA

I have seen a lot of variant spellings for Mary Jane and her families surname in original records. This is typical of any of the Hutcheson, Hutchinson, Hutcherson, Hutchison, etc families. I have some very deep Hutchinson ancestral roots and this always makes finding them a challenge.