Are we really related to Robert E. Lee?

The family story on my mom's side says we are related to Robert E. Lee. No one has proved it yet, and I have read that most of the time people are not related to him.

If we were related then it would probably be through Juda Frances Lee who married William Thomas Hardee.

Juda's parents were Burrell and Lucinda Ramsey Lee. They married December 31, 1833 in Clark Co., Georgia. They had six daughters; Ruthy born about 1835 in Georgia, Lucinda born about 1837, Juda born about 1837/8 (twins maybe), Sarah born about 1841, Jane born about 1842, Mary born about 1844. All but Ruthy were born in Alabama.

Lucinda is found in the 1850 census at Hatchett Creek District, Coosa Co, Alabama (1)
Lucinda        Lee    36 F    Spinster        born in Georgia
Ruthy           Lee    15 F                        born in Georgia
Lucinda       Lee     12 F                        born in Alabama
Judy            Lee     12 F                        born in Alabama  (My line)
Jane            Lee       8 F                        born in Alabama
Mary           Lee      6 F                        born in Alabama

A daughter named Sarah is not listed in this Census. I do not know where she is. Need to look for her. I have found her in the 1860 census with her mother Lucinda and Mary living with her and her husband and baby boy.

Burrell is a mystery. I do not know what happened to him. Why is Lucinda listed as a spinster? A few definitions for spinster are an unmarried, divorced, or widowed women, or a person who spins fibers. She wasn't unmarried but could have been divorced or widowed. She could have been a spinner too, who knows.

I found a Lee in the 1840 Census, Talladega Co., Alabama listed as Bunell:

Name: Bunell Lee [Burrell Lee]
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):     Talladega, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:     1  [Burrell]
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:     3  [Lucinda, Juda, Sarah]
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:     1  [Rutha?]
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:     1  [Lucinda]
Free White Persons - Under 20:                4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:               2



I know Burrell and Lucinda were in Alabama by 1838 when Lucinda was born so they would most likely be in the Alabama 1840 census.  I am unsure if this is my Burrell Lee but I have added names in brackets that correspond to the family members. I added Sarah to the Females under 5 but I am not sure if she was born by then, so this may be incorrect. Just another clue till I find more information.

Some Ancestry trees show Burrell's father as Wyatt Lee of Clark Co. Georgia. I found Wyatt's obituary and it states he had 26 children. I have looked into his children and contacted other researchers who have information on Wyatt and none show a son named Burrell, so I do not believe Wyatt was his father.

So until I can find out more about Burrell Lee and who his parents were we will not know if we are related to Robert E. Lee or not.

(1) 1850 U.S. census, Coosa Co., Alabama, population schedule, Hatchet Creek District, p. 114b, dwelling 365, family 365, Lucinda Lee; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432.

I've got New Jersey Ancestors!

I would have never imagined I would have New Jersey ancestors. But, you never know where your research will take you.

I had previously written about my Great Great Grandmother Mary Jane Hill Simpson. Her parents were Henry Roby & Elizabeth Masters Hill. I realized I needed to search for Elizabeth Masters in the 1850 census and she should be living with her parents since she married about 1851.

I was able to find her and her parents in the 1850 Census in Goshen, Clermont County, Ohio. (1)

1. Masters, Samuel, age 42, male, carpenter, Value of real estate owned $450, born in New Jersey, can read and write.
2. Masters, Elizabeth, age 40, female, born in New Jersey, cannot read and write.
3. Masters, Elizabeth, age 18, female, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
4. Masters, Mary, age 16 female, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
5. Masters, Eunice, age 14, female, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
6. Masters, John, age 12, male, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
7. Masters, Ann, age 10, female, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
8. Masters, William L., age 8, male, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
9. Masters, Emily, age 6, female, born in Ohio, attended school within the year.
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10. Masters, Barbery, age 4, female, born in Ohio.

If you notice, her parents Samuel and Elizabeth were born in New Jersey. I was a little surprised I would had New Jersey ancestors. Nothing against New Jersey but I consider myself a Southern girl and New Jersey just seems so foreign to me.

From some searching I believe Samuel's parents were John and Eunice Elston Masters who were also born in New Jersey and Eunice's parent may have been Samuel and Charity Quimby Masters also from New Jersey.

So I have a long line of New Jersey ancestors which I need to do more research on. Can't wait to see where it leads me next. 



(1) 1850 U.S. census, Clermont, Ohio, population schedule, Goshen, p. 157, dwelling 1496, family 1496, Masters, Samuel; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Jan 2014); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432.

Mary Jane Hill Simpson 1862-1918

I have been working on finding the parents of my Great Great Grandmother Mary Jane Hill Simpson. I spent today typing up all the info I had on Mary Jane and my conclusions. Trying to be very thorough and included all my sources. Let me know what you think or if you are connected to any of these ancestors.

Mary Jane Hill Simpson

My first record for Mary Jane Simpson was from her daughter’s death certificate. Her daughter Grace Simpson Hefley died 20 Oct 1959 in Downs, Osborne Co., Kansas. [i] Grace’s death certificate states her parents were William Simpson and Jane Hill.

I then located William and Mary J. Simpson in the 1900 census in Cornith Township, Osborne Co., Kansas.[ii] The household included their four children Henry, Edward, Grace and Earnest Simpson. Mary J.’s age is listed as 37 years old and born in 1862, the space for a birth month to be written only contains a small smudge. It also shows her as being born in Ohio and her parents born in Ohio.

Next William and Mary are found in the 1910 census in Ross Township, Downs, Osborne Co., Kansas.[iii] The household includes their youngest son Ernest Simpson, William’s mother, Margaret Simpson and Christie Niles a 16 year old listed as a servant. Mary is 47 years old and born in Ohio and parents born in Ohio. This would put her birth year about 1863.

Mary Jane Simpson died 15 August 1918 per her death certificate. [iv] She died in Ross Township, Osborne Co., Kansas and was a widow. Her birth is listed as 3 August 1862 and born in Warren Co., Ohio. Her son W.E. Simpson [William Edward] was the informant. Her father is listed as Knotley Hill birthplace unknown and her mother is listed as Emma Masters.

I searched censuses in Ohio for Knotley Hill, but I was unable to place Mary Jane Hill with any family headed by Knotley/Notley Hill. I searched census in Warren and Clermont County Ohio for Hill family’s and was still unable to place Mary Jane with any family. I then remembered that Grace’s two older brothers were born in Iowa per the 1900 census. I was able to find a birth record for William Edward Simpson and he was born in Prairie Township, Keokuk Co., Iowa.[v] This gave me a place to look Mary Jane Hill. 

I found a marriage index for William Henry Simpson and Mary Jane Hill. [vi] I have written for the original but the database shows Mary was born in 1862 and was 19 years old. They were married 29 November 1881 in Keokuk Co., Iowa.

I searched the 1880 census in Keokuk Co., Ohio but still could not locate Mary Jane Hill. I had found her future husband William H. Simpson living with his widowed mother Margaret and William’s younger sister Hannah (and a boarder named Robert Crossman) in the 1880 census in Van Buren, Keokuk Co., Iowa.[vii]  My breakthrough came when I looked at this 1880 Census again and noticed that the family listed before them was a Hill family. It was the Henry R. Hill family and I had looked at this family before in earlier census and knew he had a brother named Notley and their parents were Notley and Rachel Hill. But the 1870 census[viii] listed a daughter for Henry Hill as Jenny. I now believe the 1880 census which lists Henry’s daughter as May J. and the 1870 Census which lists Henry’s daughter as Jenny are indeed the same person as Mary Jane Hill. I can only guess that they said Janie and the census taker heard Jenny and wrote that instead.

Summary for Mary Jane Hill Simpson

Mary Jane Hill was born August 3, 1862 in Warren Co., Ohio to Henry R. and Elizabeth Masters Hill. Henry and Elizabeth had 8 children: Margaret Ellen, Nancy M., Joseph Charles, Eunice, Rachael B., Mary Jane, Sarah Anna, and Emma Hill all were born in Ohio.

In 1870 the family lived in Perry Township, Brown Co., Ohio and Henry was listed as a huckster with real estate valued at $1400 and a personal value of $250. A huckster in 1870 was someone who sold small items door to door or peddled a cart around and yelled out his wares for sell, such as fruits or vegetables.  Elizabeth Hill must have died between April 1870 and 1872 as Henry remarried Amanda Lavina Young in 1872. 

By 1880 the family had moved to Van Buren, Keokuk Co., Iowa and Henry was listed as a farmer. The Simpson family seems to have moved from Clermont Co., Ohio at this same time. I believe the Hill and Simpsons families lived near the borders of Warren and Clermont County Ohio and may have migrated together along with other families. I need to research this further.

In 1880 Mary Jane Hill is 17 and lives next to William Simpson. On November 29, 1881 they married in Keokuk Co., Iowa.  William was 22 and Mary was 19. Their first two sons were born in Keokuk Co., Iowa in 1882 and 1884. Sometime between 1884 and 1890 they moved to Osborne Co., Kansas.

In 1900 the family consisted of William and Mary Simpson ages 40 and 37 and their 4 children: Charles Henry, William Edward, Grace Irene, and Earnest Leroy Simpson. Only Grace and Earnest were born in Kansas. William is a farmer living in Cornith Township, Osborne Co., Kansas.

In 1910 Ernest at age 14 is the only child left at home with William and Mary Simpson. However, Williams widowed mother Margaret Simpson is living with them along with servant Christy Niles who is 16 years old.

William died August 27, 1914 and Mary Jane died August 15, 1918 in Downs, Osborne Co., Kansas. Both are buried at the Downs Cemetery.

Oral history says that the Simpsons lived in a dugout when they moved to Osborne Co., Kansas. Dugouts were common on the prairies of Kansas.

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[i] Kansas Kansas State Board of Health Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 59 016144 (1959), Grace Irene Hefley; Kansas State Board of Health Division of Vital Statistics. 

[ii] 1900 U.S. census, Osborne Co., Kansas, population schedule, Cornith Township, enumeration district (ED) 102, sheet 2A, p. 138, dwelling 34, family 34, William Simpson Family; digital images, Familysearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 2010); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623. 

[iii] 1910 U.S. census, Osborne Co., Kansas, population schedule, Ross Township, enumeration district (ED) 129, sheet 15A, p. 4657, dwelling 381, family 381, William Simpson Family; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624. 

[iv] Kansas State Board of Health-Division of vital statistics, Death Certificates, death certificate 71-795 (1918), Simpson, Mary Jane. 

[v] "Iowa, Births and Christenings, 1830-1950," database, Familysearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 Jul 2012), William Edward Simpson 1884 birth entry. 

[vi] "Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992," database, Familysearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 Jul 2012), William Henry Simpson and Mary Jane Hill marriage 1881. 

[vii] 1880 U.S. census, Keokuk Co., Iowa, population schedule, Van Buren, enumeration district (ED) 153, p. 2, dwelling 15, family 16, Simpson and Hill families; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9. 

[viii] 1870 U.S. census, Brown Co., Ohio, population schedule, Perry Township, p. 72, dwelling 544, family 482, Henry R. Hill Family; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593. 

Surname Tree

I was reading Geneabloggers today and Thomas had new blogs listed. One of them was Crafty Family Tree. I am always looking for ways to display my genealogy so family is interested.

I spent the day working on two projects Lexie had listed.

The first was a Surname Tree. Directions are here.

Here is my Surname Tree

The second project I worked on today was a Power Point Family Tree for a Digital Frame. My parents have a digital frame and I thought this would be perfect for them.

Once I got going I couldn't stop. I made PP Family Tree's for my Hardee's, Hefley's and Stegmans. I also made one of all 11 children of my mother's parents.

Here is one I made for Ziba Hardee:

I used Lexie's Slide Show Sample and moved the tree to the other side and added color. I am very happy with the results and can't wait for others to see the whole slide show.

Not how I intended to spend my day but very happy I found the Crafty Family Tree site and very happy with all my results.

I may have to start on the Signature bag soon.

Dessie Pearl Hardee - Birth Year?

After finding conflicting data on my grandmother's birth year I decided to write up a research paper to help sort everything out. Below is my attempt to get everything on paper.

What is Dessie Hardee’s year of birth?

I do not believe there is a birth record for Dessie Pearl Galttana.

Dessie is first found in the 1910 U.S. Federal Population Census (1) as D.P. Golttana, age 7. We know from all her children that her birthday was July 31. The 1910 Census was taken on April 1910 so she had not had her birthday for that year yet. Which would make Dessie born in 1902.

In the 1920 U.S. Federal Population Census (2) she is listed as Dessie P. Goltana age 16. The 1920 Census was taken on 3 & 5 Jan., so Dessie had not had her birthday for that year yet. Which would make her born in 1903.

Dessie married Joe Hardee on 17 Dec 1923. (3)  No age is listed on the marriage record. 

The Birth Certificate for J. A. Hardee (4) shows he was born 16 May 1926 and Dessie was 22. Dessie had not had her birth date for that year so that would make her born in 1903.

However, in the 1930 U.S. Federal Population Census (5) it is stated that Dessie married at age 20. Since she married in December of 1923 that would make her born in 1903. Joe is listed as being married at age 21. Joe was born 6 Jan 1902 so the 1903 birth year would be correct if they are one year apart.

In the 1930 U.S. Federal Population Census(5) she is listed as Dessie P. Hardee age 26.  The 1930 Census was taken on 26 April. She had not had her birthday yet so this would make her born in 1903.

The Birth certificate for Linda Jane Hardee (6) shows she was born on 14 August 1944 and Dessie was 41. That would make Dessie born in 1903.

Her Death Certificate (7) states she died in 1981 and was age 78, and she was born 7/31/1902.

The Social Security Death Index (8) shows her birth as July 31, 1903.

Conclusion

Two records (1910 Census and her death certificate) show her birth year as 1902. However, all other records point to 1903.  When I visited my Aunt Bonnie (Dessie's daughter) in Texas and showed her my Hardee data, she stated I had listed Dessie’s birth date of 1902 incorrectly. I believe the 1903 date is correct.

To Do

I need to contact the living children of Dessie to see what date they have. 

Check Oklahoma records to see if there may be a birth record for Dessie.

(1)     1910 U.S. census, Tarrant, Texas, population schedule, Decatur, enumeration district (ED) 165, sheet 2b, dwelling 39, family 39, J. C. Golttana and household; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Jul 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624. 

(2)     1920 U.S. census, Texas, population schedule, Precinct 5, enumeration district (ED) 165, p. 2a, dwelling 24, family 25, John C. Galtana and household; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Jul 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll T625. 

(3)     Tarrant, Texas, marriage certificate no. 56397 (1923), Joe Hardee-Miss Dessie Gilttana. 

(4)     Tarrant County, Texas, birth certificate no. 15078 (1926), J. A. Hardee. 

(5)     1930 U.S. census, Wise Co., Texas, population schedule, Newark, enumeration district (ED) 249-14, sheet 9b, dwelling 205, family 170, Joseph A. Hardee and household; digital images (accessed 6 Jul 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 2406. 

(6)     Tarrant, Texas, birth certificate no. 3545 (1944), Linda Jane Hardee.

(7)     Texas Texas Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate 13696 (1981), Dessie Pearl Hardee; Texas Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics. 

(8)     Social Security Administration, "Social Security Death Index," database(accessed 6 Jul 2012), entry for Dessie Pearl Hardee, 1980.