A recent post on this blog provided the names
and dates of family members listed on
the H.F. Given Tomb in Smithland Cemetery in Livingston County, Kentucky. That listing did not include relatives buried
within the family plot, but outside the tomb. The entire plot is enclosed
within a wrought-iron fence. Let's take a look at those who are buried there.
James B. Ferguson and Catharine Haydock. They are listed together as they were married
from January 1832 until James died in November of that same year. Catherine then married
Joseph Haydock before she died in 1840 at the age of 30. Catharine's story is more than the names of
her husbands, though. She was the daughter of John P. Given, brother of Dickson
Given and Joseph R. Given, whose names are inscribed on the front of the Given tomb. John P. Given was born by 1784 and died after
1814,[1] possibly
in Pope County, Illinois. He married
Mary "Polly" Johnson 30 December 1807 in Livingston County.[2] John P.
and Polly Given had the following children: William T. Given, born 16 December
1808; Catherine F. Given, born 25 March 1810 and Elizabeth J. Given, born 22
December 1812.[3]
Four Children of D.A. and C. Given: two
unnamed infants plus Ann Given (3 January
1848 - 29 December 1849) and Mary Given (died 11 June 1848). D.A. Given was Dickson Augustus
"Gus" Given, son of Dickson and Nancy Given. He obtained a bond to
marry Clarissa H. Goodall, daughter of Turner Goodall, 11 January 1838 Caldwell
County, Kentucky. D.A. and Clarissa "Clara" Given lived in Paducah
after their marriage before moving to New Orleans, where his brother, Henry F.
Given, had settled and where both were involved in Given, Watts & Co., a commission
house. D.A. Given died in New Orleans. He and Clara are buried in a Given tomb, along
with some of their descendants, in Metairie Cemetery. [4]
Tombstones of children of D.A. and Clara Given
There are
two more tombstones that puzzle me. Just inside the gate to the Given plot, on
the right side next to the fence is a large footstone with the initials J.C.G. This stone was not included in
any of the earlier recordings of Smithland Cemetery so it is assumed the
headstone has been missing for many years. The style of the stone indicates it is from
the 1840s. Dickson and Nancy Given had a daughter, Mary Lucinda Given, who married James Campbell. I would almost bet that J.C.G. was, in fact, James Campbell Given and was a son of D.A. and Clara Given.
J.C.G. Footstone
The other
mystery tombstone is that of Margaret Ashmore, an infant who does not appear to have any connection to the Given
family. Her tombstone is on the ground. Was it moved it from another location
or is there some unknown connection to the Given family ?
The Given
family was among the most influential families of early Smithland. Although all
moved away, they certainly left their mark on the town.
[1]
Livingston County, Kentucky Deed Book C:325, 16 July 1814, John P. Given,
Joseph R. Given and Dickson Given, all of Livingston County; James A. Whyte and
wife Mary, late Mary Given, of York Dist., South Carolina, surviving children
and heirs of William Given dec'd, declare Negro man Cato a free man. On 19 July
1814 Hamlet Ferguson of Johnson County, Illinois Territory released all claim
to Cato. John P. Given did not sign this conveyance, indicating he may have
died between 16 July 1814 and the recording date of October 1817.
[2]
Joyce McCandless Woodyard. Livingston
County, KY Marriage Records, Vol. 1 Oct
1799-July 1839, (n.p., 1992) 20.
[3]
Livingston County, Kentucky Court Order Book H, 3 October 1831 lists the legal
heirs of John P. Given, late of Pope County, Illinois, and their birthdates.
[4]
Find A Grave Memorial #107922635, D.A. Given born in Salem, KY Nov. 24, 1815;
died July 1, 1882. Also Find A Grave
Memorial #107923800, Clara H. Goodall Given, Relict of D.A. Given Born in KY Nov. 7, 1818, died Jan. 20, 1897.
Published 14 March 2019, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
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