Who's Your Daddy - Part One

One of the challenges of online genealogy research is the amount of bad data you'll find in the trees of other researchers. You never make a mistake, right? I will certainly admit to my share of errors. Someone, maybe one of us, makes a mistake or an invalid assumption. That person's tree is copied and the error spreads to other trees. Reaching out to those people gives mixed results, from thank you to no response to a nasty response. Some trees are also abandoned and will never be corrected.

One of my favorite sayings is that the best defense is a good offense. Creating correct trees with ample documentation is the very best offense we have in the war on errors. And of course fixing our own errors is critical.

A few years ago I created a tree for an unknown, probably related, couple whose marriage record was often confused with that of my ancestors. Placing that mini-tree online has begun to bear fruit, as that couple is now being copied into other trees. Hopefully, with two marriage records now showing as hints, tree owners are considering both choices.

Lindsay Lake is one of the people in my tree that has both incorrect parents and incorrect children in online trees. Even in the master tree at Family Search, he has incorrect parentage. The frustrating thing about the error is that it is obvious via simple math.

It's also a case of negative evidence, rather than positive evidence, which is much harder to document with the Ancestry methods. I'll take you on a tour of the evidence as an elaboration for all my cousins.

How Old Were They?

Lindsay was born between 1805 and 1813 in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, and lived as an adult in Cass and Morgan Counties, Illinois. First let's examine census records.

• Illinois state census of 1835: Linzey Lake, age 20-30 (1805-1815)
• Illinois state census of 1845: L. Lake, age 35 (1810)
• Illinois state census of 1855: Lindsay Lake, age 40-50 (1805-1815)
• Illinois state census of 1865: Lindsey Lake, age 50-60 (1805-1815)
• Federal census of 1840: Lindsey Lake (Lark), age 20-30 (1810-1820) 
• Federal census of 1850 (many errors): Lindsey Lake, age 45 (1805) 
• Federal census of 1860: Lindsey Lake, age 47 (1813) 
• Federal census of 1870: Lindsay Lake, age 57 (1813) 

Lindsay Lake's tombstone says he died August 19, 1876, at the age of 63 years, 3 months, 12 days. That is very specific and computes to May 5, 1813. That is the date that I have chosen to use as his birthdate. From the census records, the most likely years are 1810-1813.

Not His Daddy

Lindsay Lake's incorrect parentage is listed as Harrison Lord Lake and Jane Branham. Harrison's name varies from Lord to Laird, with either that name or Harrison being used as his recorded name.

Looking at the marriage record, Harris Lake married Jane Branham on  January 27, 1822, in Perry County, Indiana. There is the first obvious clue that there is a problem. Lindsay was born at least 8 years before that marriage!

Could Lindsay possibly be a child of Harrison Lake by another wife? Harrison was in Hancock (formerly Breckinridge County), Kentucky for two census years, dying in 1848 in Illinois.

• Federal census of 1830: Harrison Lord Lake, age 20-30 (1800-1810)
• Federal census of 1840: Harrison L Lake, age 30-40 (1800-1810)

Even if Harrison was born in 1800, he would have been no more than 13 when Lindsay was born. No, he is in no way Lindsay's father. More likely he is an older brother or cousin.

It's so very easy to stop with the census, but there are many other records to explore. You know that stopping research at the census is a pet peeve of mine. Digging a bit further into the evidence for these men turns up more tidbits to piece together the family.

Harrison Paid Taxes

Kentucky tax rolls are a wonderful source  of information. Examining the tax lists for Breckinridge County and Hancock County show that Laird Lake was first taxed in Breckinridge County in 1821, as a man of 21 years of age, who was also taxed on one horse. This tax roll implies that his birth year was 1799-1800.

In 1826, he was taxed on 37.5 acres of land in the Sandy Branch watershed and in later years the land was listed as being in the Indian Creek watershed. In 1828, he also owned three horses. He was accumulating wealth.

Hancock County was created in 1829, and Harrison's land was part of the change. He was taxed in Hancock County in 1829 and thereafter. In the last year he was taxed in Kentucky, 1845, H.L. Lake held 80 acres in the Indian Creek watershed, valued at 500 dollars. He also had three children between 5 and 16, nine head of cattle and three horses. It is humorous that the tax list did not include whether there was a wife.

Biography

Two family biographies expand the story of Harrison Lake and his family. We find the following in the Portrait and Biographical Album of Morgan and Scott Counties, ILLs.,  (Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1889).

The biography of Jesse Lake:

A native of Kentucky Mr. Lake was born in Hancock County, July 15, 1825, and is the son of Lord H. and Jane (Branham) Lake, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Virginia.
...
In 1845, when a young man of twenty years, Mr. Lake emigrated with his parents from Kentucky to Illinois and settled in Cass County, where the father died shortly afterward. Jesse remained with his mother until ready to establish a home of his own, and was married in Cass County, April 9, 1848, to Miss Harriet, daughter of Henry and Patsy (Brown) Phelps. Of this union there were born six children, only two of whom are living -- Isaac and Jesse, Jr. The deceased were Harrison, Henry, Martha and Lindsay.

Mr. Lake came to Morgan County in 1867, and settled upon his present farm where he has since lived.

The biography of Isaac Hale:

Mr. Hale was married in Kentucky, Jan. 9, 1845, to Miss Lurissa J. Lake, who was born in Perry, Ind., but was reared in Kentucky. She was the daughter of Jesse and Mary Lake.

Lurissa Lake is incorrectly presumed by many to be the daughter of Harrison Lord Lake, as he gave consent, as her father, for her marriage in Hancock County. Lurissa was probably Harrison's niece.

Notice that Jesse Lake (the younger) named a son Lindsay, implying a relationship to the subject of this blog post.

Probate

Who do you think was the administrator of Harrison L Lake's Cass County probate in 1848? It was Isaac Hale, his presumed nephew-in-law. Harrison's eldest son, Jesse, was only 23, while Isaac was 25. Lindsay was 35 years old, but was not the administrator, serving as further proof that he was not Harrison's son. Why Isaac Hale was the administrator is certainly a mystery.

County Atlas

According to the Atlas Map of Morgan County, Illinois, 1872, Lindsay Lake came to Morgan County, Illinois, from his birthplace of Breckinridge County, Kentucky, about 1828. That was 17 years before Harrison Lake migrated to join Lindsay and other relatives.

More Census and Probate

Returning to the math of this connection, Lindsay was between 15 and 18 years old when he came to Illinois. There are no men named Lake in the area in the 1830 census. Therefore he came as a hired hand or with a mother or sister who had a different last name. If you've been following the Lake story, you can guess who Lindsay probably lived with in 1830.

Reuben Moore, aged 30-39, had in his household two children under 5, plus one male aged 15-19 and one female aged 15-19. Reuben's wife, Elizabeth Lake, was aged 20-29. When Reuben Moore died in 1840, all the heirs in his probate were minors. Calculating ages indicates that the two oldest children in the household were not Elizabeth's children, but were probably her siblings, Lindsay Lake and Precious Lake.

Obituaries

Lurissa J Lake Hale's brother died in 1906, and had a lengthy obituary in the Meredosia Budget Newspaper - 12 July 1906 -- Vol. I No. 49, Front Page.

Harrison Laird Lake departed this life at the Soldiers Home hospital in Quincy, Ill., at 6:40 o’clock on Thursday evening, June 28, 1906, the immediate cause of his death being given as heart failure.

At the time of his demise, Mr. Lake was 75 years, 5 months, and 28 days old, having been born January 1, 1831 at Hawsville, Hancock County, Kentucky.

When but two years of age his mother was called from family and friends to the great beyond, leaving her two children, the subject of this sketch and the late Mrs. Lourissa J. Hale, then 11 years of age, to the tender care of a near relative, and two years later the father joined the mother on the other shore.

The two orphans continued their home with their relative until January 9, 1843, when the sister became the wife of the late Isaac Hale. 

It's interesting that Harrison Lord Lake (the elder) was called a "near relative", rather than an uncle. This phrase keeps the question open of the exact relationship between the various branches of the Lake family of Morgan and Cass Counties, Illinois.
 

A Precious Pension File

When all the evidence comes together to reveal family relationships, it's an exciting moment. Another Lake researcher finally was able to understand the connections in a document after my recent posts on two women named Precious. She shared with me the document, which is one that I had not seen.

As a quick recap, Precious Moore Weathers and her sister, Elizabeth Moore Muntman, were daughters of Elizabeth Lake Moore. After being orphaned as a toddler, Elizabeth was raised in the household of her (presumed) aunt, Precious Lake York.

Precious York filed for a military pension based on her husband's Civil War service. Wounded at the Battle of Shiloh, John York returned home to Morgan County, Illinois, where he died from his wounds.

There were few birth certificates in Illinois at the time of the Civil War, so the ages of pensioners and minor children needed to be proven via Bible records or through affidavits from neighbors. For elderly soldiers later in life, census lookups were even used to verify age.

Precious had several minor children and in her file is a fascinating affidavit. In July of 1880, a woman named as Lizzie Montman gave an affidavit that listed the names and birth dates of the children of John and Precious York, her aunt. She signed the affidavit as Elisabeth Muntman. The document was witnessed by her sister, Precious Weathers.

One of my theories had been that the 13-year-old Elizabeth in the York household in 1850 was actually Elizabeth Moore. The affidavit confirms there was no Elizabeth York; therefore, the theory holds.

Thank you to the researcher who shared this fascinating look at family members supporting one of their own.

The entire file and this complete document can be found on Fold3.

Precious Serendipity

Precious: of great value (Cambridge English Dictionary)

Serendipity: finding valuable things not sought for (Merriam-Webster)

Precious will be forever 16 years old in my mind. That was her age when she was listed, out of place, in the error-filled 1850 census of my ancestor. Was she really there, or was it just another error in the midst of many?

She did exist, as she married the next year. My ancestor had previously administered the probate for a man of the same surname. Was there a connection? Her lovely name stuck in my brain for over 15 years, but I didn't see any reason to research that family.

Last year another woman named Precious appeared in the same county. My brother had a DNA match to one of her descendants. This older Precious was a member of the family. As I studied the extended family, I found the name again. Perhaps our young Precious was related to the family through her mother. I created a speculative tree for her and set it aside.

Recently I pulled out the heavy county history to see what more I could learn about the older Precious. This particular book is somewhat like a city directory. Within each township is a list of heads of households along with occupation and location. Interspersed are a few short biographical sketches. Lack of an index was no problem, as I could quickly read the sketches for everyone in a couple of small townships.

I turned to the page with my ancestor's bio. Glancing at the facing page, my eye landed in the middle of a bio of a stranger. What jumped out at me was the name of the man who might be the father of young Precious. His wife had my family surname. The stranger had married the sister of Precious! I did a happy dance and started adding Elizabeth's new-found family to my tree.

Returning to research young Precious, I followed her moves between counties, the births of her children and the too soon death of her husband at the end of the Civil War. She had a few grandchildren and died at a very old age. But at that point a problem arose. She appeared in the state death index with a different father. Now what?

Since death records are not primary sources, I searched for any other record to support either father. Having no luck at Ancestry and Family Search, I turned to Google. I did several searches and found another county history.

Precious, in her 70s, had her own bio in the 1907 history of the county where she was living. She named her parents, the same as Elizabeth's, listed their approximate death years and also gave the count of her siblings. Thank you, Precious, for this unusual bio for a woman!

Since that serendipitous finding, I sent for and received the probate file for Precious' father. It is a goldmine of information for that family. It does not prove the relationship to my ancestor, but with all other clues, I believe the connection between these men is important.

Stay with me if you are researching families of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky that are part of or allied with the Weathers, Moore and Lake families of Morgan and Cass Counties, IL. This is a part of my proof case for the Lake family.

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Meet the Elizabeth (Betsy) Lake and Reuben Moore Family

 

Precious Moore states in her bio that she was born November 10, 1833, in Morgan County, IL. She married Joshua S Weathers on November 09, 1851, in Morgan County. She was one of six siblings, with only two surviving in 1907.

Elizabeth Moore was born December 11, 1836, and married John Frederick Muntman on November 23, 1852, also in Morgan County.

They identified their parents as Reuben Moore and Elizabeth (Betsy) Lake. Betsy died about a year before Reuben, who died on December 13, 1840.  His coffin was purchased the next day for $7.50.

Lindsay Lake (probably Betsy's brother) took out letters of administration in Morgan County, IL, on December 16, 1840. The minor heirs were: Polly Moore, Julia Ann Moore, James Moore, Elizabeth Moore, Andrew J Moore and Precious Moore. No bondsmen were listed in the copies of the probate that I received (the Morgan County clerk's office did a very poor job of copying this file). The probate appears to have been closed in 1846.

The children's legal guardian was Charles Coffin, J.P, who was responsible to make sure their assets were protected. However, the children lived with family members.

Andrew J. Moore died on April 20, 1841, and John C. Carter paid the funeral expenses which were later reimbursed from the estate.

Elizabeth Moore resided in the household of John York. He received twelve months support, "for keeping and boarding". She is likely the 13 year-old girl named Elizabeth that was in the York household in the 1850 census.

In January, 1842, Polly Moore is called Polly Turner. I have found no further information, but would certainly like to know what happened to her.

In January, 1844, Juliann Moore is called Juliann Brooks. She was stated as deceased in the accounting of January 15, 1846, but the accounting kept her as an heir. The estate paid in 1845 for her to have medical attention from Dr. J.R. Dowler of Beardstown, so her death year was likely to be 1845. I believe that her marriage was to William Brooks in Pike County in 1843. Did Juliann have children who inherited her share?

The Moore house and land was leased for $2 per acre to Lewis Giberson on April 1, 1841, with the lease ending on January 1, 1844. The crops were ruined by a flood in 1843. The leased land was listed as 40 acres in the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of section 33, township 17 north, range 13 west. Was the lease term due to James Moore coming of age by 1844? I have no further information on James.

The probate lists another 96 acres, but there is no information on the disposition of any of the land.

Elizabeth Moore Muntman died on December 13, 1926, in Morgan County. She is buried with her husband in Hodges Cemetery near Meredosia. The biography for John Frederick Muntman appears on page 759 of the History of Morgan County, Illinois (Donnelley, Loyd & Company, Chicago, 1878).

Precious Moore Weathers moved to Hancock County, IL. Her biography starts on page 699 of the Biographical Review of Hancock County, Illinois (Hobart Publishing Company, Chicago, 1907). Precious died there on August 03, 1925, at the age of 91.