Saturday, February 23, 2008

Migration to Marengo

It seems to me that people traveled more in the early to mid-1800s than we realize. Think about your ancestors. How many moved after 1810? I will wager quite a few had not yet settled in their last home. But, which way did they go?

In early days, the typical migration trails were from Pennsylvania and Maryland south to Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and eventually Kentucky. Moving from Kentucky to the deeper south was a bit unusual, but that is exactly what a number of families did when they left their Caldwell County homes and headed toward Marengo County, Alabama. Marengo County was created in 1818 from land acquired from the Choctaw Indians and that appears to be about the time the folks from Caldwell County headed down there. Had there been an 1820 Marengo County census, I just bet we would find some familiar Kentucky names. As it is, some of these same families are shown on the 1830 Marengo County census.

One of the people who moved to Marengo County was Levi Greer, who had witnessed the will of Jesse Jenkins in Caldwell County on 18 August 1815. In August 1824, a commission was directed to Marengo County to take the attestation of Levi Greer regarding Jenkins’ will.

In July of 1811 in Caldwell County, Greer and William Barton had witnessed the will of William Gillehen. In Marengo County on 31 Aug 1846, Greer appeared before a justice of the peace and stated he was well acquainted with Stephen H. Doss and his wife, Minerva, now deceased but who was formerly Minerva Barton, daughter of William Barton, formerly of Caldwell County, Kentucky. He also stated that Minerva departed this life in 1825.

Giving a deposition at the same time was Thomas Ringgold, who stated he became acquainted with the parties stated above in 1818 in Marengo County when Minerva was living with her father, William Barton, but afterwards she married Stephen H. Doss. Thomas Ringgold stated that William Barton frequently stated in his presence that he moved from Caldwell County to Alabama.

Henry Woolf went to Marengo County and exchanged letters with his sons back in Caldwell County. Copies of these letters can be found in the family files of the Martin Genealogy Library, Princeton, Kentucky. An obituary for Henry Woolf provides wonderful details of his life.
"October 18, 1823
Died at their residence, in Marengo County, Henry Woolf in his 78th year and wife Elizabeth in her 76th year, after having lived together for nearly 60 years and raising 13 children, eleven of whom are now living. Both fell sick on 25th of September and expired within a few hours of each other on the 3rd and are buried in the same grave. He was a native of Virginia and fought in the Revolutionary War; he emigrated to this state from Kentucky in 1819, since which time he has resided in Marengo County."

Other Caldwell County people who migrated to Marengo County include Jarret Cherry (and possibly Henry and Joshua Cherry), William Selman, Thomas A. Holland and the Wood brothers (see the Hooper divorce mentioned in this blog on 12 January 2008). When you find your family in a new area, look around for families they may have known in their old county. Families usually migrated in a group for safety and convenience.

Sources:
1. File marked "Notes 1846," Caldwell County Clerk’s Office, Princeton, Kentucky.
2. Pauline Jones Gandrud. Marriage, Death and Legal Notices from Early Alabama Newspapers 1819-1823, (Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1981), 8.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Among the families moving from Caldwell to Marengo County ca 1817 was that of Edward and Sarah/Sally (Parent) Jenkins. This family moved west to Bastrop Co., TX ca 1828. A colorful history of the family was published as "Recollections of Early Texas: Memoirs of John Holland Jenkins (Personal Narratives of the West)" edited by John Holmes Jenkins III. The Handbook of Texas entry for John Holland Jenkins can be seen at: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/fje5.html

Pat Oliver

Brenda Joyce Jerome said...

Thanks, Pat. No doubt there were other families who went to Marengo. If you learn of others, please let me know.

wbonds said...

I've been tracking the migration of Richard Bonds and his wife Elizabeth Ann Hughs from South Carolina to Alabama. I'm now fair certain that they stopped over in Christian, Calloway, or Caldwell during the period 1810-1820. Four of their children born during that time all claim Kentucky as their birth state. Land grants were issued in both states, too, at the appropriate times. Please keep me informed as to your findigs with your families and if any of you need help on Marengo, I visit their probate records every couple of months. I also know their local genealogist well.
Wes Bonds

Brenda Joyce Jerome said...

A Richard Bond was a buyer at the estate sale of John Hughs in 1812 Caldwell County. Danl. and Thomas Bond were other buyers.

Also a Richard Bond and Wm. Bond were named named in a road order in 1810 Caldwell County.

Thank you for your kind offer of help with the Marengo County probate records.

Happy Greer said...

This is interesting. My Greers left Laurens Dist SC about 1798 went to western Ky with a crowd of others including Benj. Kilgore et al. They obtained land on the Dry Fork of Eddy Creek and then with others out of SC to w. Ky went to Alabama ending up in Marengo Co., Wilcox Co. and surrounding counties. I believe the brothers William and Isaac Greer were the ones listed in a census about 1816 - was it a Miss. Terr. census then or Clarke Co.? At any rate, Wm., Isaac, James T. Jr., and eventually their sister Ruth Greer Pennington widow of John of Caldwell Co. KY ended up in Marengo and Wilcox. In the mid-1830's James Jr. died leaving his estate to be divided between his brother William, sister Ruth, and the heirs of his deceased brother Jonathan Greer who d. ca 1808 in Ky. The children of Jonathan were all grown up and were: Elizabeth Woodworth of Crawford Co. IL, Abner Greer of Lawrence Co. IL, Jonathan Greer the younger of Christian Co. Ky, and Mary Laughlin of Caldwell Co. IL. Abner Greer was at that time either a state senator or representative in the IL Assembly, and went from IL to Ky to obtain the powers of attorney for his brother and sister there, already having obtained sister Elizabeth Woodworth's in IL, and he went down to Alabama where court records show that he did, in fact, obtain the inheritance and then went back north.
Your advice about tracking neighbors' names in genealogical research in conjunction with your ancestors is the rule of thumb which has served me well through the years. In addition to being helpful it is just downright entertaining to see the group movements and find the old familiar names over several states and several decades.

Really do love your blog, Brenda.
Best wishes.
Happy Greer

Brenda Joyce Jerome said...

Happy, thanks for the added information and also for the kind words.

David Holland said...

Thomas A. Holland, mentioned in your original post, was the son of Revolutionary War drummer John Holland (born circa 1765 in VA, d. 1842) who also moved from Caldwell County, KY, to Marengo County, AL, in late 1818. While in Caldwell County, KY, John had owned acreage adjoining land owned by (his brother?) William Holland (1774-1843) along the Dry Fork of Eddy Creek. Drummer John Holland gave a brief Revolutionary War pension testimony in "Caldwell County, KY, Court Order Book C, 1815-1818," pp. 238-239, in May 1818 shortly before moving to Alabama.

The widow Mrs. Susan/Susannah Jenkins, 1761-1850, (perhaps John & William Holland's sister) also removed to Marengo County, AL, circa 1818. She was last found listed in the Caldwell County, KY tax lists in 1817 with 130 acres on Eddy Creek originally surveyed/entered by J. Trousdale. In previous years, that same acreage was listed under her spouse, John Jenkins.

Both John Holland & Mrs. Susan Jenkins obtained US land grants in Marengo County, AL on 16 April 1824.

In 1833 at Sumter County, AL, drummer John Holland again gave Revolutionary War pension testimony and provided information about his origins and movements. He stated he was born in Prince George County, VA, and that before the War his family had relocated to western SC where he enlisted. He said that after the War he moved first to Green County, KY then on to western Kentucky to what would become Caldwell County and from there in 1818 he moved to Marengo County and in 1833 to Sumter County, AL.

John Holland testified that during the War he had served under Capt. John Bowie of Ninety-Six District, SC. Two other Hollands, Francis & Dominico, were Privates also under the same Capt. Bowie. There is some evidence connecting a John Holland to Dominico (a John Holland was an assignee of Dominico Holland in a 1789 South Carolina War payment indenture and a 1793 Anderson County, SC, deed transfer shows that a John Holland sold Dominico Holland's SC War Bounty Land. No relationship indicated in either document.)

Likewise, a Francis Holland appears next to a William & John Holland in the 1796 Green County, KY, tax assesment all three enumerated on the same day, 10 August 1796, indicating proximity. Later, a Francis Holland obtained land in western Kentucky in Livingston County in 1803, subsequently Caldwell County, as recorded on the first page of Caldwell County, KY, Plat Book #1. In 1807, a Francis Holland was exempted from the levy due to an infirmity in, "Livingston County, KY, Court Order Book C, 1807-1808," 30 Sep 1807.

Perhaps both Francis & Dominico Holland were also a part of this Holland clan.

Brenda Joyce Jerome said...

Thank you for this information.