52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Ancestor 2
Elizabeth Hall, my 3rd great grandmother, was a June bride. An entry in Scott County, Virginia Marriage Book 1, page 56 shows that she and James Tyree were granted a license to marry on 7 June 1836. The ceremony was performed by W.C. Reynolds and his return was dated 22 June 1836. Unfortunately I have not found a marriage bond that might give additional information on Elizabeth's family.
The 1840 census entry for the James Tyree family in Scott County lists 3 children (1 male, 2 female) all under the age of 5. There were both a female and male aged 20-29, presumably James and Elizabeth. So Elizabeth was born sometime between 1811 and 1820. If she was born in 1815 she would have been 21 at the time of her marriage.
By 1850 Elizabeth is gone. The James Tyree family now consists of James age 36, Polly age 25 and seven children:
Malinda age 14
Mary age 12
William age 10 (my 2nd great grandfather)
Ann Tyree age 8
Lucy Tyree age 5
Louisa Tyree age 4
Caroline Tyree age 2
Elizabeth Tyree age 1
Some researchers have said that Elizabeth Hall was Mary "Polly" Elizabeth Hall but I have not seen any evidence that would lead me to believe that is true. James Tyree's second wife is said to be Mary "Polly" Young and I believe that is who we see in the 1850 census.
James Tyree referred to his wife Polly in his 1877 will. There are also chancery court records for Scott County that deal with continued disputes over parts of the estate settlement. At least one mentions Polly Tyree, but the most informative in regards to Elizabeth Hall is case 1907-025. Close to sixty years after Elizabeth's presumed death, 30 years after James's death and shortly after Polly's death the children of the late Caroline Tyree Heron are claiming that their father W H Heron is using land that should be theirs. One of the depositions is by Nathaniel Bloomer, husband of Mary Tyree. When asked if his wife is a sister to Caroline Heron and a daughter of James Tyree he answers that his wife Mary "is a half-sister and daughter of James Tyree".
The first three children that were in the 1850 census match up with the 3 under age 5 in 1840 and are easily attributed to Elizabeth Hall. The rest were so close in age it is hard to pick a point where Elizabeth's children ended and Polly's began. This piece of evidence in the 1907 court case makes it clear that Caroline had a different mother than Mary. It's still unclear who the mother is for Ann, Lucy and Louisa. (Since the original post I have found death certificates that show Elizabeth/Libby as mother to some of the children including up through Louisa).
So what happened to Elizabeth Hall? Did she die and James immediately remarry? Was James starting a family with Polly even as he was finishing his family with Elizabeth? I've found no evidence of divorce proceedings. There is a Find A Grave entry for Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Hall Tyree b 1815, d 1850 and buried in Nickles Cemetery (Looneys Gap). There is no photo associated with the entry. It's possible that descendants that stayed in the area would have known where she was buried.
The bigger question for me, though, is "where did Elizabeth Hall come from?" The census entries I've seen for her children are consistent in giving their mother's place of birth as Virginia. I've kept notes as I come across possibilities in the Scott County area. Rhoden (by any spelling) and William Hall both have females close to age 15 in the 1830 Scott County census. But if "Rhoden" Hall is the same person as Nimrod Hall then I may have enough evidence to remove that family from consideration, as his daughter Elizabeth moved to Floyd County, Kentucky with the rest of the family. John Hall & Sarah Mahon lived in Lee County (next to Scott) in 1813 when their son Preston was born. I have an Ancestry DNA match with a descendant of that family, as well as several other Hall families. I have even more with descendants of John Hash & Rebecca Anderson, who had two daughters that married Hall's. That doesn't really tell me much since my roots are so tangled there that I could easily be related to these DNA matches through another line. I also have in my notes to keep an eye on Masias Hall and Unisiah Simth as possible parents.
As you can see, I've been collecting a lot of clues but not finding any real evidence. Can any of you help me find the rest of the story?
Elizabeth Hall, my 3rd great grandmother, was a June bride. An entry in Scott County, Virginia Marriage Book 1, page 56 shows that she and James Tyree were granted a license to marry on 7 June 1836. The ceremony was performed by W.C. Reynolds and his return was dated 22 June 1836. Unfortunately I have not found a marriage bond that might give additional information on Elizabeth's family.
The 1840 census entry for the James Tyree family in Scott County lists 3 children (1 male, 2 female) all under the age of 5. There were both a female and male aged 20-29, presumably James and Elizabeth. So Elizabeth was born sometime between 1811 and 1820. If she was born in 1815 she would have been 21 at the time of her marriage.
By 1850 Elizabeth is gone. The James Tyree family now consists of James age 36, Polly age 25 and seven children:
Malinda age 14
Mary age 12
William age 10 (my 2nd great grandfather)
Ann Tyree age 8
Lucy Tyree age 5
Louisa Tyree age 4
Caroline Tyree age 2
Elizabeth Tyree age 1
Some researchers have said that Elizabeth Hall was Mary "Polly" Elizabeth Hall but I have not seen any evidence that would lead me to believe that is true. James Tyree's second wife is said to be Mary "Polly" Young and I believe that is who we see in the 1850 census.
James Tyree referred to his wife Polly in his 1877 will. There are also chancery court records for Scott County that deal with continued disputes over parts of the estate settlement. At least one mentions Polly Tyree, but the most informative in regards to Elizabeth Hall is case 1907-025. Close to sixty years after Elizabeth's presumed death, 30 years after James's death and shortly after Polly's death the children of the late Caroline Tyree Heron are claiming that their father W H Heron is using land that should be theirs. One of the depositions is by Nathaniel Bloomer, husband of Mary Tyree. When asked if his wife is a sister to Caroline Heron and a daughter of James Tyree he answers that his wife Mary "is a half-sister and daughter of James Tyree".
The first three children that were in the 1850 census match up with the 3 under age 5 in 1840 and are easily attributed to Elizabeth Hall. The rest were so close in age it is hard to pick a point where Elizabeth's children ended and Polly's began. This piece of evidence in the 1907 court case makes it clear that Caroline had a different mother than Mary. It's still unclear who the mother is for Ann, Lucy and Louisa. (Since the original post I have found death certificates that show Elizabeth/Libby as mother to some of the children including up through Louisa).
So what happened to Elizabeth Hall? Did she die and James immediately remarry? Was James starting a family with Polly even as he was finishing his family with Elizabeth? I've found no evidence of divorce proceedings. There is a Find A Grave entry for Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Hall Tyree b 1815, d 1850 and buried in Nickles Cemetery (Looneys Gap). There is no photo associated with the entry. It's possible that descendants that stayed in the area would have known where she was buried.
The bigger question for me, though, is "where did Elizabeth Hall come from?" The census entries I've seen for her children are consistent in giving their mother's place of birth as Virginia. I've kept notes as I come across possibilities in the Scott County area. Rhoden (by any spelling) and William Hall both have females close to age 15 in the 1830 Scott County census. But if "Rhoden" Hall is the same person as Nimrod Hall then I may have enough evidence to remove that family from consideration, as his daughter Elizabeth moved to Floyd County, Kentucky with the rest of the family. John Hall & Sarah Mahon lived in Lee County (next to Scott) in 1813 when their son Preston was born. I have an Ancestry DNA match with a descendant of that family, as well as several other Hall families. I have even more with descendants of John Hash & Rebecca Anderson, who had two daughters that married Hall's. That doesn't really tell me much since my roots are so tangled there that I could easily be related to these DNA matches through another line. I also have in my notes to keep an eye on Masias Hall and Unisiah Simth as possible parents.
As you can see, I've been collecting a lot of clues but not finding any real evidence. Can any of you help me find the rest of the story?
Don't give up cousin. I really like your work. We, Gary Daugherty, my wife Kathy, and I visited the Nickels/Tyree cemetery on 20 October 2014. It is terribly overgrown but there are many visible grave markers. Gary feels certain that Elizabeth is buried there with a covered marker. There is no reason to doubt that. My mission is to clear that cemetery off so we can see what is underneath all the overgrowth. I intend to complete that goal soon. Joe Nash Dillion Maryville, TN
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that we didn't show up as cousins through my Hall side on 23andme. Maybe it goes too far back. Good work on your blog Nan.
ReplyDelete