Britta in the 1866 Census, Part 1

What hints can the 1866 AL State Census give us about Britta's relatives?
In the 1866 State Census for AL, Mrs. Brittan McGuire is living in Shelby County at Township 24, Range 12 East. This location may be in Shelby County, but it’s right next to Bibb County. It’s just below Montevallo and just above Brierfield. In the household are one female over 20 (Britta, 32), one female 10 - 20 (Ellen), two females under 10 (Mary Drucilla and Unknown), and one male under 10 years (Douglas).

Neighbors in the same township and on the same page are E. M. Carlton, R.D. Campbell, Henry Backus, J.M. Whitfield, T. Hatcher, and Jacob Howser (Hauser). Neighbors on the page before include Robert Dennis, T. P. Merony, James Adams, Willis Woods, L.V. Fancher, A. Woods, James Coshatt, George R. Allen, Mrs. Mary Large, J. B. Broadhead, Mrs. Adaline Holsombeck, Mrs. Ellen Garrett.

This blog entry could run really loooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggg if I put all my notes here. So let's look at just the six people on the same page as Britta for the moment. Here's how each of these people relate to Britta:

I. E. M. CARLETON

A. Edward Moore Carleton was a bigwig in Bibb and Shelby Counties. He performed  the marriage ceremony of Susan Green Stringfellow to Joseph D. Neely in Bibb County in 1853. He was witness and executor of the will of Richard Fancher in 1849.

II. R. D. CAMPBELL

A. In 1850 R. Davis Campbell lived in the same Shelby County neighborhood as Elijah Green, McKeithen, Jesse Coshatt, Joseph Neeley, Phillip Meroney, Broadhead, George Allen, Fredrick Smith, Robert Dennis, Moses Johnson, William Deshayso. Possible connections to Britta:

• Joseph Neeley was married to Susan M. Green, daughter of Joscelin B. Green.

• Frederick Smith lived a few doors from Britta and John McGuire in Jefferson County in 1860.

• Moses Johnson and son Alphonzo were taken to court in Shelby County in 1851 for assault and battery on John L. McGuire.

B. In 1860 R. D. Campbell is living in the same neighborhood as:


• Noah Haggard & his daughter Lucy, who married Willis Wood;


• J. D. Neeley, who married Susan M. Green, daughter of Joscelin B. Green,


C. In 1870 Dennis is living in the same Shelby neighborhood as Alamoth Woods, James M. Whitfield, both in the same township and range as Britta in 1866.

III. DR. HENRY BACKUS

A. Henry Backus was a physician.

B. Henry Backus's daughter Kate married the son of Nancy Ellen Elizabeth Green Garrett.

 

IV. JAMES M. WHITFIELD

 

A. James Whitfield is living in Monevallo in 1860.

B. In 1870 Whitfield is living in the same neighborhood as Alamoth Woods (married to Noah Haggood's daughter) and J. Hatcher.

 

V. T. HATCHER  = J. HATCHER

A. Andrew Jackson Hatcher married Sarah Bisheat May 24, 1866. The marriage certificate is here:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-9821-37462-15?cc=1743384

Judge Gardner approved the ceremony; F. M. Fancher performed it. The marriage bond shows that Jackson Hatcher married Sarah Reinheart, not Bisheat. James Barnes is the bondsman on May 24, 1866.

V. JACOB HOWSER/HAUSER

A. Was born in Rowan County, NC. The birthplace of Britta's parents is consistently listed as either NC or SC.

 

B. In Shelby County in 1850. In Mapleville, Bibb, East Side Cahaba River in 1860.

The children of Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn

How many children did Britta Ann have?


That depends on which source you believe. 


We know that Britta had four children who grew up and themselves had offspring. She had three with John L. McGuire:

• Ellen Nora McGuire, born 1857
• 
  
• Mary Drucilla McGuire, born 1858
• 
  
• Stephen Arnold Douglas McGuire, born 1860

After the death of John L., she married Mike Flynn and had:

• Margaret Ann Flynn, born about 1874

These children are well documented and have living descendants. 


However, several censuses suggest that Britta had several other children. The 1900 Federal Census for AL says that she had seven pregnancies, of whom four are still living. The 1910 US Census for AL says that she had six pregnancies, of whom three are still living (Ellen Nora died in 1904).


When were the other children born?


It's possible to identify only one other child, a girl. In the 1866 State Census for AL, Mrs. Brittan McGuire lives in Twp 24, Range 12 East in Shelby County. In the household are one male under 10 (Douglas), two females under 10 (Mary Drucilla and Unknown), one female 10 - 20 (Ellen), and one female over 20 (Britta).


This child was most probably the daughter of John L. McGuire, as he was home in Jefferson County until February 1, 1863, when he joined the Alabama Infantry mustering at Cedar Grove. She was probably born between September 1860, when Douglas was born, and October 1863, nine months after John L. left for war. She had most certainly died by 1870, as she is not listed in the household for Mike and Britta Flynn in the Shelby County Census. 


Britta's sixth/seventh child could have been with either John McGuire or Mike Flynn. Britta married John L. on January 24, 1854, but Ellen wasn't born until May 4, 1857. In those three years Britta and John could easily have had a child—even two—who died. Mike Flynn married Britta on December 19, 1868, but Margaret (Maggie) wasn't born until May 24, 1873. In the intervening three years Mike & Britta could have had a child who died, too. 


When you look at the Mortality Schedules for that time, you see dozens of children who died of diphtheria, typhoid fever, teething, and other causes. Makes you happy that anyone at all survived. And it REALLY makes you happy for the modern medicine that keeps our children alive and spares us the sorrow Britta must have felt at the deaths of at least two and maybe three children. 

Drucilla/Drusilla/Druscilla/Drusillar

Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn's second daughter was named Mary Drusilla. Often she went only by the name Drucilla, Drucillar, or Drusillar. The spellings are not consistent from record to record, so forgive me if I'm not too careful about spelling the name with an "s," a "c," or an "sc."


The name has come down in the family. Which family members carried the name through the generations, and where did it come from? 

The first question is much easier to answer than the second question. 

Here is a list of women who carried "Drucilla" or a variation (Drusilla, Druscilla, Drusillar, etc).

• Mary Drucilla McGuire Eddins/Edins, Britta's second daughter

• Minnie Drusilla Hill, daughter of Britta's first daughter Ellen Nora McGuire Hill

• Mary Drusilla Edins/Eddins, daughter of Jessie Douglas, Mary's son. 

• Carrie Drusilla Edins Barksdale, daughter of Mary Drucilla McGuire Edins. 

• My sister Druscilla

There are probably more. I just discovered that Carrie Edins's middle name was Drusilla. 

----

The first question is much, much harder to answer. But I have two theories. 

Theory #1:

One of Britta's direct or close ancestors or relatives was named Drucilla. Names in our family get passed down a lot, so it's a viable theory. The theory leads one to consider: 

• Drucilla Jensy Crump (wife of Burwell Green)

• Elizabeth Drucilla Williamson and 

• Drucille Howard (who both lived in Shelby around the same time as Britta)

• Drucille Dearman (related to Roadlander, Jourdan, Dill, and Green families in St. Clair County)

• Mary Drucilla Sawyer from Talledega County who married Nunley and Rushing

And so on. 

Theory #2:

What I consider the more plausible of the two.

• In the 1860 US Census for AL, Britta and John McGuire lived in Jefferson County next to Dr. James M. Ragsdale and his wife Drucilla. Britta named her second daughter for sister Mary (Ann Green McKinney) and great friend Drusilla (maiden name unknown) Ragsdale. 

Conclusion: 

While I may never know why Britta and John named their second daughter Mary Drusilla, it could be an important clue in breaking down the brick wall of Britta Ann Green McGuire Flynn.

Martha Isabelor McKinney Dailey Lawley

I first started investigating Isabella McKinney as listed in the 1850 Census. Slim pickins! Next I noticed that a Martha I. McKinney got married in Bibb County about the right age and time for this woman. Better. Then I found Martha living with John in Shelby in 1860. Great! And then -- she disappeared...until by chance or luck misspelled her name as "Isabelor." WHAM!!! A whole new line of inquiry! Yippee!!

Here's the scoop:

Martha Isabelor (or Isabella) McKinney was the first daughter of John P. McKinney and Mary Ann Green/e. Her parents were married Thursday, April 8, 1841, in Shelby County, AL. A source on Shelby County burials that I have not seen yet lists her birth as November 5, 1842; November 1842 is confirmed by the 1900 Census. She was most likely born in Shelby County, as her parents were married in there, and the family was still living there in 1850.

In the 1850 US Census for AL, Isabella McKinnie, nine, born AL, is living in the household of John and Mary Ann McKinnie in Shelby County.

On June 6, 1860 in Martha I. McKinney marries John Dailey in Bibb County. Indeed, we know that this is the right Martha because her father's name is on the marriage license. John W. Dailey was the son of Jane Caroline Smith and Owen A. Dailey. In 1850 John was living with his father and mother in Bibb County.

In the 1860 Census she is living with John Dailey in Bibb County, Centerville P.O. She is 18, born AL; he is 22, born AL and has money: $1000 in real estate and $400 in his personal estate. Neighbors include Pratt, Champion, Cleveland, Loveless, Langston, Nolen, Rogers.

Between 1860 and 1865 they have two children: Marion J. Dailey, born about 1862, and Mary Jane Dailey, born 26 May 1865.

Several public trees list John as dying at Vickburg during the Civil War in October 1864. There's a discrepancy here, because Vicksburg was fought in 1863. In addition, the Civil War Soldiers List at the Alabama Archives lists John as being a private when mustered out of the AL 20th Infantry. So my guess is that John died of wounds received at Vicksburg, but not actually at the battle. Either way, he likely died before 1866 because it looks like Martha, Marion, and Mary Jane are living with in-laws Owen and Jane Caroline in the 1866 AL State Census; only one male over 20 in the household (Owen). In 1870 Martha, Marion, and Mary Jane are still living with in-laws Owen and Jane at Beat 2 of Shelby County. But maybe not too happily...

Down the street from them in 1870 just happens to be the household of Newton J. Lawley, 24, his mother Mary, 60, Mary 16, and Doctor, 14.

Even more interesting:

Samuel Lawley, listed as Newton's son in later years, is a bun in Martha's oven at that time, because the census date is July, and Samuel was born in November 1870 (1900 Census). Proof: the AL Deaths 1908 - 1974 database at FamilySearch.org lists his parents as Newt Lawley and Martha Dailey. 

With John dead, Martha marries Newton Jasper Lawley/Lolly on November 23, 1873, in Shelby County (Shelby County Historical Society webpage. Bless 'em!).

In the 1880 US Census for AL, Jasper N. Lawley is living on Beat 4, Montevallo, Shelby County. He is 37, a farmer, born AL, father born AL, mother born SC. Also in the household are wife Martha, 39, born AL, father born SC, mother born NC. This jives completely with what we know about John P. and Mary Ann. In addition we find daughter Mary Jane, 16, who is actually the daughter of John Dailey, at home, born AL, parents born AL. Then there is a big gap in the ages of the children: from Mary Jane, 16, to Samuel, 10 (November 1870), then again to Susan, 5, John J or T, 3, and Lucy, 10 months, born August. Mary Jane is misidentified as Newton's daughter and not his step-daughter.

In the 1900 US Census for AL, Newton J. and Martha are in Montevallo with children Charles, Emma, Barney, Horace D. and Willie. She's had eight live births and eight are still living. Samuel lives down the street. The census taker got the number of live births wrong (Marion, Mary Jane, Samuel, Susan, John, Lucy, Charles, Emma, Barney, Horace, Willie.)  Or, if you consider that they've been married 28 years, and you count ONLY the children from within this marriage and not Martha's first marriage to John Dailey and subsequent pregnancy with Samuel, then the number fits. (Susan, John, Lucy, Charles, Emma, Barney, Horace D., and Willie.)

In the 1910 US Census for AL, Newton J. and Martha L. are still in Montevallo. Only now she's had seven live births, of who six are living. Crazy census takers. 

Several Member Public Trees on Ancestry.com show Martha's death date as 7 November 1911 and her burial place as Macedonia Cemetery, Pearidge, AL. While this may be true, as yet I have been unable to prove it from online resources. Hopefully Findagrave.com or another cemetery census site will soon publish a listing so we can tick off proof for that fact. Or I can check it when I get to AL this year.

It's really amazing how one small piece of serendipity -- the spelling of "Isabella" as "Isabelor" can open a whole new avenue of investigation and facts. Thanks, RELS!

Britta in the 1870 US Census for AL

In the 1870 US Census for AL, Mike and Britannia Flynn are living in Randolph, Bibb County, on the first of June. Brierfield Post Office. Mike is 50, a pudler, born Ireland, parents of foreign birth, cannot read or write, male citizen of the US. Britannia is 36, born in AL, keeping house, can read and write. Also in the household are Ellen McGuire, 15, and Douglas McGuire, 9, both born AL. This family is listed on Page 4 of 53.

Britta and Mike have been married about 18 months at this point.

Starting on Page 1, here is a list of people associated with Britta and her family.

• Household #7: William Hayden, Adeline, Sarah; Drucilla McGuire. Drucilla is Britta's middle girl. She's a domestic servant, probably a mother's helper in the household.

Page 2:

• Household # 9: Wesley Stamps and family. He often lives near Britta. In 1860 he lives in Montevallo near R. C. Ryan, Holsombeck, Epha McInis.

Page 4:

• Household # 28: Mike, Britta, Ellen, and Douglas are on this page.

• Household # 31: Jesse Mahon/Mahan and family. Father of Mary Eveline who married Wiley Large. He is a muck-a-muck who appears on as bondsman on many marriage licenses. Represented Bibb County in the legislature.

Page 6:

• Household # 43: John McKinney, Mary Ann, & family. Mary Ann is Britta's sister/mother/cousin/relative. Britta lived in this household in 1850 in Shelby County.

Household # 45: Charles Rea, brother to James Ray/Rea, whose third wife was Jane McClung; James and Jane lived a few doors from Britta and John McGuire in 1860 in Jefferson County.

Page 7:

• Household # 48: Tempa Wheelis Blankenship and family. Her brothers-in-law/cousins-in-law James and Washington were cited for violence in Shelby County. Also, Washington committed adultery with Nancy Dennis Greene, wife of William Greene. William Greene may be a son of Elijah Greene or a brother of Britta.

• Household # 50: John Oakley with wife Lucinda Espy and mother-in-law Teressa Espy and family. Teressa is the daughter of Mary Calhoun Green and granddaughter of Jane and John Green, Esq.

Page 9:

• Household # 72: Charles Green from Virginia in the household of William Bailey. Probably no relation.

Page 10:

• Household # 73: Alex and Cinthia Hill, parents of Britta's son-in-law, William Randall Hill.

• Household # 75: Joseph Espie, son of Teresa Espy, and great-grandson of Jane and John Green, Esq. He's also in Randolph in 1880.

Page 11:

• Household # 86: Sam and Martha Green and family, including probable brother John and mother Joan (Joanne).

Page 12:

• Household # 92: Jonathan Newton Smith and wife Fanny Green Smith and family. Fannie (Frances) is the daughter of Joscelin B. Green, granddaughter of Jane and John Green, Esq.

• Household # 93: John Mathis and family. Probably J. N. Smith's brother-in-law from a former marriage.

Page 13:

• Household # 94: Charles Carleton and family in the household of Dan Lyon. The Carletons often live near Britta and family.

Page 15:

• Household # 116: Thomas Ferington and Angeline McGuire. Angeline is the daughter of Neeley McGuire, who may be a cousin of Britta's first husband John L. McGuire.

Why, oh why, have I listed all these people???????

It's an attempt to put the evidence all in one place and to find connections. Britta is my brick wall. Argh!!!!! I keep trying to figure out who her parents were. One day the evidence will point out these people. The next day the evidence points to another family. Some day, some day — if I keep finding facts and learning about her — one special day, one piece of evidence will leap out at me and say, "Here I am! I am your missing link!!!!"

And I will rejoice!!!!!!!!

Then publish.

Jno Flin = MIke Flin? And other connections in the 1866 Bibb Census

I suspect that Mike Flin, who married Britta Ann Green McGuire, is the same as Jno Flin in Bibb County in the 1866 AL State Census.

In the 1866 State Census for AL, John Flin is listed in in Bibb County. In the household are one male 20 - 30, one female 0 - 10, and one female 20 - 30. Curiously, there is an odd entry on the line for John Flin's household. It looks like a "1" that's been made into a "0."

The entry for Mr. Flin is right here:

http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=1576&path=1866.Bibb.30&sid=&gskw=Jno+Flin

Here are the reasons I think that John Flin might be Mike Flin:

• Same last name and same spelling in various places

• John Flin is living in Bibb County in the same area as people who live in Brierfield, Randolph, Bibb County in 1870. Mike Flin is living in Brierfield, Randolph, Bibb County in 1870.

• P. Bean (Pendleton C. Bean) who was the bondsman for Mike Flin, lives nearby. He probably worked with Mike at the Brierfield Ironworks.

Reasons the two men might be different people:

• According to the 1870 and 1880 US Censi for AL, Mike Flynn was born between 1818 and 1820. In 1866 he would have been 46 - 48. John Flin was either 20 - 30 or 30 - 40. (But census takers can make mistakes. Yes, they can.)

• John Flin had a wife and daughter in 1866 (Of course, the wife and child might have died before 1868).

Other connections:

The people and area correspond to the Brierfield, Randolph, Bibb County area in 1870. Indeed on Page 1 of the 1870 US Census for Brierfield P. O., Randolph, Bibb County, we see P. Bean and William Hayden (more on them in a minute).

Neighbors are J. N. Liles, J. W. Mahan, Thomas E. Meroney, F. Ray, Luke Crumpton, William Haden, Thomas Ray, Ward, Brushwood, Thomas Alvis, Mary Gentry. On the next page is P. Bean, Lewis Barnett, Galloway, J. P Wallace, Elisha Fancher, E. T Brasher, B. Edins. On the page before are Elisha Fancher, Pulaski Wallace, Harriet Fancher, L. T McGuire.

Their connections to Britta:

• J. N. Liles is married to Mary Ann Green McKinney's daughter Josephine; probably Britta's niece

• Jesse W. Mahan lives a few doors from Britta and Mike in 1870

• Thomas Meroney is married to Jesse Mahan's sister Catherine

• Luke Crumpton lived next door to the McKinneys in 1850 Shelby

• William Hayden employs Britta's daughter Mary Drucilla in 1879

• Mary Brushwood lives with Thomas Alvis in 1870. Thomas Alvis lives near Britta and Mike in 1870.

• P. Bean is the bondsman on Mike and Britta's marriage license.

• Lewis Barnett's daughter Louquincy is the first wife of Simmin Aaron Edins, who later married Britta's daughter Mary Drucilla.

• Pulaski Wallace is married to Jane Woods, daughter of Robert Woods and Mary Calhoun Green.

• Harriet Fancher is the daughter of L. T. McGuire, who may be related to John L. McGuire, Britta's first husband.

When did Mary Ann Green die?

The quick answer is "probably by 1880, maybe even by 1871 or 1872."

In fact, the 1870 Census is the last time we see evidence of Mary Ann.

In the 1870 US Census for AL, Mary is 49 and living with husband Jno in Brierfield, Bibb County. He is 60, works in a wagon shop, born So. Carolina, a male citizen of the US. In the household are daughters Ellen, 15, Susan, 13, and Antoinette, 12. Also son Abram, 19, who works on a farm. Neighbors are Williams, Garrett, Charles Rea, Oakley, Barnes, Quillans, and a few doors away, Mike & Britta Flynn.

Consider these facts:

1. On April 4, 1872 J. P. McKinney married Mrs. L. F. Morgan in Bibb County at the home of Mr. or Mrs. Quillan. Bondsman was A. E. (Abraham Early) McKinney, performed by James W. Wood; J. Gardner, Judge of Probate. While it’s possible that Mary Ann and John, Sr.'s son, John, Jr., married Mrs. Morgan, it’s likely that it really was the father. They all moved to Leflore County, MS, by 1876, when A.E. married Savannah Davis. (Marriage licenses at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org)

2. In 1879 John Quillan married Mahalia (Antoinette/Armetta J.) McKinney in Leflore County (Ancestry.com). Note that John P. married Mrs. Morgan at the home of the Quillans in 1872.

3. Mary Ann is not in the household in 1880. In fact, the head of household (John's) status is listed as "widowed."

In the 1880 US Census for MS, K.P. McKinney is 71, born SC, in LeFlore County, Beat 3, District 135, widowed. Parents born SC. In the household are daughter J or I Quinnon and son-in-law John Quinnon. Both born AL. Sarah Ellen and husband J. Pinkney Lemly are on the page after them in LeFlore County. Daughter J. is born AL, parents born SC, John Quinnon is born AL, parents born AL. Quillan-Quillan-Quinnon. Coincidence? I think not.

4. J. C. McKinney is listed in the Third District of Leflore County in the 1880 Returns for MS State Census at FamilySearch.org. He is 70. born SC, farmer.

(FYI: By 1880 Lucinda Morgan McKinney was divorced from JP and living in LeFlore County, MS, with her son George Morgan. But I digress.)

So a good theory, supported by plenty of proof, is that Mary Ann died between 1870 and 1872 in Bibb County. I haven't found her gravesite or death certificate. But I will. If it's there to find in Bibb County. I'll find it next trip.

RIP, Mary Ann Green McKinney.