Naughty Daughters Dangling on the Family Tree
My family tree seems to have more than its share of naughty daughters. Maybes it’s a head-strong, stubborn, or a willful gene that runs rampant in our DNA.
For me, family history has always been more than names, dates, and places, so trying to figure out what it was that naughty daughters did or didn’t do that caused them to be written out of wills is right up my alley.
Sometimes the reason for the parent’s displeasure with a child is spelled out, like in Telitha Browder’s 1827 Rockingham County, North Carolina will which states, “bequeathed to my daughter Telitha C. Clarke the sum of 50 cents, she having married against my will.”
That’s pretty clear. However, on 11 September 1838, Lawrence Bankston of Wilkes County, Georgia, made an alteration to his last will and testament (dated 10 April 1834) “for good reasons.”
“Whereas I did convey in said will to my daughter Priscilla Mathews an equal share with other three daughters, which said gift I do hereby absolutely and entirely revoke and instead thereof I do hereby of my good will place my said daughter’s full share as given in my said former will into the possession of my grandsons Griffin Mathews and Isaac Moore for them or either of them to act as agent or trustee [for] daughter aforesaid for her sole benefit during her life and at her death to descend or go to and belong to the heirs of her body.”
Bankston had four daughters who were married and living at the time. He mentions two beloved sons-in-law—Isaiah T. Irvin and Caleb Sappington—but he does not mention Priscilla’s husband (William Matthews/Mathis) or daughter Elizabeth’s husband (Samuel G. Mosley), which leaves room for lots of speculation. Both of these daughters had moved away from Wilkes County, but that seems unlikely to be the reason for him to have made this codicil. Moreover, he penalizes only Priscilla.
Then there was Sarah Pierson Hixson, daughter of Isaac Pierson. In his 1859 will in Preble County, Ohio, Isaac said, “I will and bequeath to my daughter Sarah and her children 30 acres of land off of the north side of my farm that I now own in Twin Township . . .”
But in a later modification, he instructs his executor to give to his daughters, Rebecca, Mary, and Sarah, $25 to make them equal with what he had given their only brother. And he adds “that Sarah is not to have any more after she gets what I have given to her—the 30 acres of land and the $25 she is to have from my estate. And she is not to have any more, the balance is to be divided among my other children and their heirs.”
So that makes me wonder. Oh, Sarah, what did you do to make Papa unhappy with you?
Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, is a former Los Angeles Times Syndicate columnist and the former editor of the RootsWeb Review.
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Yesterday I saw a copy of your magazine which a counselor had at our local Family History Center, and am hereby entering my subscription (qv). Please begin said subscription with the March/April ‘07 issue.
Thank you,
Susan Dannreuther
PS - I had an unusual research challenge which took me 10 yrs to solve - but it was solved!
I’m thinking about writing a book about my “Southern Family”. I have had difficulty finding information. Do you have any suggestions?
Lois Kay Denaut regarding Stiles, Moore, Thomas, Grice, Todd families in North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, and Texas.
Lois Kay Denaut at ldenaut@yahoo.com
A friend once asked me to look up her southern great-grandmother, a woman of supposedly noble heritage, and I found her in Georgia,occupation “Prostitute;” living all around her were more “naughty daughters,” listed likewise.
My husband’s ancestor William Blair omitted his daughter Eliza from his will because he had set up a trust fund for her and her children, to make sure her husband could not get his hands on the money. In those days wives had no property; anything they inherited was controlled by their husbands.
My gg-grandfather, Jacob Friedrich Herb, wrote in his will that in no way was the daughter of his son, William G. Herb to inherit any of his estate. That was his granddaughter, Amelia (Herb) Powell, my grandmother, and he appears so angry with her, he didn’t even state her name! Amelia’s father, William died when she was about a year old. The only thing I can guess, was that I found her husband, Malcolm Powell, my grandfather, owed money to Amelia’s uncle and they had moved two states away….perhaps to keep from being prosecuted for the large sum of $300 that was still owed. At any rate, six months after the death of Jacob Herb, Malcolm and Amelia moved back to the area they left and my dad’s brother, Harold was born. Makes me wonder if Amelia’s grandpa hadn’t died, would my Uncle Harold have been born in Nebraska instead of Illinois?
I agree with Frances that it’s quite likely the intent was not to keep the inheritance away from the daughters, but away from their husbands. In Priscilla’s case, the inheritance was to go to the two grandsons, but to be used only for Priscilla’s “sole benefit” and then to pass to her descendants. It sounds as though she were being more protected than penalized. It’s also possible she was incapacitated in some way and unable to manage her own money, and the intent was to make sure her husband didn’t spend it on something other than her care (like himself, or an “investment”).
I can confirm the “prostitute” story if the location is North Georgia; allegation is that the “404″ area code was named for the US Census number of that particular entry. She and her daughters reputedly were descended from a Creole Free Woman of Color who lived sometime in the late 1700’s (as was I). Women of color had few choices of profession in those days and I also know that the Creole now has at least two articulate, educated descendants who are quite respected in far more respectable professions!
I like to have hard copies of the magazine, as well. I have been receiving them until recently - about the time I re subscribed to Ancestry on-line. Is it possible to continue receiving the magazine in the mail (as well as the e-copies)?
Myra, In case it’s of interest to you, my mother’s cousin (but on his mother’s side), is an Irvin of Wilkes County and descended from Isaiah Tucker Irvin. He was a librarian for many years and a life-long genealogist. He is getting on in years but is mentally quite sharp, in case you’d be interested in getting in touch with him concerning mutual lines.
Read your article about naughty daughters with great interest. I’m
having trouble locating the parents of my g grandfather and noticed that he claimed to have been born about 1818 whereas his probable parents weren’t married until 1821. I can find no baptism for him, nor can I find that he inherited any property. The family his father could have been from looks well-to-do, but censuses show he never had any property or wealth. Could he have been punished for his illegitimate birth? Was it common in the early 1800’s for illegitimate children to later have their parents marry?
Sincerely,
Carol Vail Hutchison
This is a reply to Carol H.
It was quite common for “illegitimate” children to later have their parents marry.
The reason for this is simple. In the early 1800’s, there wasn’t a preacher in every town, and rarely in the very rural areas. Therefore, the couple wishing to marry would have a ceremony of sorts with family and friends, consider themselves married and make a life together. Then, when a traveling preacher would come to town, they would “legalize” the marriage.
Even though the children were born before the actual marriage, they weren’t considered illegitimate.
Hope this answers a question or two for you, and maybe helps you feel a bit better about an “illegitimate” ancestor.
How can you find a person in Marion Co. Indiana in 1890 and 1900? There is no Federal Census for these years. He was born about 1856 and died 2 June 1926 in Marion Co. I have tried the message board, and news papers. I was told he was a womans man. He had 4 children which were born in Marion Co. One grandchild very wild the other a home body. Any suggestions on how I would find him between 1880 and 1926. Thanks Theres
Regarding “Naughty Daughters” It sounds to me like Sarah Pierson Hixson may have received the land while her father was living so wasn’t to have more than her share. I’ve found a number of times that the older children had received land while the younger had not received theirs yet and were the only ones mentioned in a will. Sometimes it even leaves confusion as to whether older ones had died. Sarah wasn’t necessarily naughty. Or perhaps father had even had to help Sarah more than the rest already.
This message is for Theresa Crail. Teresa, according to Ancestry.com there is a census for Marion County Indiana in 1900. You didn’t name your ancestor so I was unable to see if that individual was in the census records.
Looking for information on my grandmother Sally Head. I heard her maiden name was Henderson. I found her in the Al census of 1920. That is the only thing I’m positive of. Nobody claims to have known her. My aunt was born in 1925. She heard her mom died when she was 6 weeks old. I think maybe she was 6 months old. We have no pictures of her or family. I am at a loss,as what to do next.