Margaret Jane McKeehan Farnsworth (1750 – ?)

This lady needs further investigation. Margaret was the wife of our patriarch Maj. Henry Farnsworth. Many personal records say she died in 1870. Seriously? She would have been 120! Her daughter Mary died in 1870, so that may be the source of the confusion. Someone referenced a death record for in her in Tennesse in 1836 which makes a lot more sense, BUT her last name would have been Farnsworth, not her maiden name, right? Maybe if she divorced* it would make sense.

Another thing I have issue with is her being born in Greene County, TN. If that were so, why was her marriage in Virginia and her children born in Virginia and Tennessee, with most dying in Tennessee? Yes, she could have gone to Virginia for awhile, but did people travel back and forth like that in the early 1800s?

Did Henry and Margaret divorce?
Another issue I have is that according to various records, Henry remarried* while Margaret was still alive. That was definitely not normal--usually there was a death. Tennessee records cite a Margaret McKeehan marriage to John Lauderdale 26 Jul 1796 in Greene,Tennessee. She could have reverted to her maiden name.

(Henry remarried in 1807.)

BOTTOM LINE: I need to visit Greene County to view their records. I don't know who this Margaret person is. Need more proof!

Further research on Margaret

http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/a/r/Melvin-C-Martin/GENE3-0001.html


Something more to chew on...Her son John married Jane Jamison. He was 15 and she was 22 at the time?

Major Henry Farnsworth, Sr. (1748-1816)

This family line started with the Farnsworths of Loudoun, VA. No one seems to know where Henry came from. There is speculation, but nothing concrete. As far as I can tell, there is no relation to the "famous" Mathias Farnsworth. (If you Google Mathias, you will find a wealth of info., which is of no help to me! HA)

This is the generation path to me:

1. Henry begat
2. John M. (Abt 1772-1830) begat
3. Elizabeth Jane Farnsworth (1789 – 1859) begat 
4. Nancy McAlpin (1827 – 1902) begat
5. Arabella Savilla Collier 1855 – 1945 begat
6. Dr. Leslie Elmo Elliott 1878 – 1952 begat
7. Marvin Lee Elliott begat
8. Me

History Repeats Itself

It was purely a twist of fate that my family located to the southeastern U.S. My grandmother relocated from New England to Greeneville, TN, in the late 70s/early 80s where we often visited and gathered many friends in the area. Grandma is gone now, but last year my brother accepted a position as administrator of a Greeneville assisted living facility and moved his family from Ohio. All of this happened BEFORE we knew our ancestors came from the beautiful area that is Greene County, TN.

Our family follows the line of descendents from Major Henry Farnsworth, Sr. and continues to the McAlpin clan and onto Iowa. My grandmother who lived in Greeneville, TN, with her 2nd husband, first married a Farnsworth descendent, but she never knew about this.

As a genealogist buff, I have seen this happen before. Is there something in our genes that calls us to the places where our ancestors walked? I think so!

More details to come!