Saturday, March 21, 2015

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