Amanuensis Monday is a genealogy blogging theme. It was started by John Newmark who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog.
His definition of Amanuensis is:
Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.
Today’s subject is the Chesterfield County WILL of Elively Thurman, 1912.1 2
State of South Carolina
County of Chesterfield
I, Elively Thurman of the County of Chesterfield and sate of south Carolina, being of sound mind, memory and understanding, do make, ordain, publish and declare this for my last will and testament, revoking all wills and instruments of a testamentary nature, inconsistent with this Will, but not revoking a former paper or will made by me for the benefit of W. W. Davis of Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
Item 1. I give, devise and bequeath to Allie Gardner daughter of W. W. Davis her heirs and assigns twenty five actress of land to be cut off the Northern portion of my tract of land and taking in the portion known as the Allison Parker house place the original tract is designated as Lot No. 3- and contains Sixty five (65) acres.
Item 2. I give, devise and bequeath to W. W. Davis his heirs and assigns all the remainder of that certain piece parcel or tract of land lying being and situate in the above written county and State and the whole tract originally containing Sixty five acres.
Bounded and described as follows- Beginning at a stake by the Jackson Road near Piney Grove Church and runs S 79 E 32.40 chains to a stake 3XN by the Cheraw Road, thence with the various courses of said Road 5.60 chains to a stake 3XN in the fork of said road and the Jackson Road, thence with the various courses of said Jackson Road 37.30 chains to the beginning, for further description of the land herein willed see plat made by Jas E. Jones on Feby 12, 1879- in the division of the Estate of Miles P. Thurman and also to said deed made in said division. {Also 20 ¼ acres of land being mu one half of a 40 ½ acre tract deeded to me and my sister Thetus Thurman by our Father Wm. A. Thurman See Book #12, p. 348-350 also plat made by Jas. E. Jones , Feby 12, 1879}
Item 3. I hereby appoint W. W. Davis and R. E. Rivers Clerk of court executors of this my last Will and Testament.
In witness Whereof I Elively Thurman, the testatrix have to this my last will and testament set my hand and seal this the Twelfth day of July A.D. 1912.
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the above named Elively Thurman, as for her last Will and Testament in the presence of us, who have hereunto subscribed our names at her request as witnesses thereto, in presence of the said Testatrix and of each other.
W. C. West}
R. S. Perkins} Elively X (her mark) Thurman {S.S.}
J. I. Adams}
Witnesses
In the 1910 census for Chesterfield County, William Washington Davis referred to Elively and Theatus Thurman as his Aunts. I couldn’t figure out how this could be until I looked at the above chart. They are in fact his Grand Aunts.
William Washington Davis is my 3rd Cousin, twice removed.
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[1] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Will Books: Will Book 3, Pages 373-374, Elively THURMAN; Probate Office, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
[2] "South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19383-20195-30?cc=1911928 : accessed 9 June 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > Cases 1315-1407 > image 1514 of 1626; county courthouses, South Carolina, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia.
This past week I did some census work of several allied lines in my extended family.
One of the lines I worked on was the family of William Washington Davis. William is my 3rd cousin twice removed. It was time to fill in some blanks. For years I have had William family in my database with his wife and four children, one of which was deceased.
The family looked like this:
- William Washington Davis, b. 12 Jan 1874
- Hattie Eugenia [Teal] Davis, b. 10 Oct 1879
- Minnie Allie Davis, b. 19 Oct 1893
- Iva Davis, b. 22 June 1896, d, 22 Oct 1896
- Clara Grace Davis, b. 1 May 1900
- Dewey Thurman Davis. b. 22 Aug 1905
Just looking at the family composition no red flags stand out. Yes, Hattie was a mere 14 years of age in this picture but it’s not a big issue for this area and this time period.
So I wanted to take a look at the census and get solid sources for the data I already had and just tidy everything up with real facts and sources.
Taking a look at the 1910 census it showed the family thus.
The family is just as depicted above with little Iva Davis missing and two elderly Thurman Aunts living in the household.
But there is a red flag here. 1910 Census shows you how long a couple have been married; how many children they have produced plus how many of those children are still living. Hattie, I presumed, told the Census taker she had been married 12 years with 2 children and 2 living. The other Red flag is that William states that he this is his second marriage.
The 1900 census reinforce what we learned from the 1910 Census.
In this census it shows marriage of 3 years with 1 child with one child living and at this point it’s unnamed.
Based on these facts we know that William and Hattie were married about 1897 and that the two youngest children are of this marriage.
So who is the mother of Minnie Allie Davis and William Washington Davis’ first wife.
The passage of the Social Security Acts in 1935 results in the creation of documents that will aid us in determining the name of the mother of Minnie Allie Davis and William Washington Davis‘ fist wife.
Searching on Ancestry using Minnie Allie Davis name and date of birth I found a delayed birth certificate for Minnie Allie Davis.
This certificate shows that Minnie Allie Davis was born 19 October 1893 , a child of Willie Washington Davis and Albinie Sellers in Chesterfield, South Carolina.
The 1st wife and Mother of Minnie Allie Davis is – Albinie Sellers.
Little Iva Davis was delivered in June 1896 and passed away in October 1896. I feel certain Albinie Sellers Davis passed away during this same time period.
A search for Albinie Sellers revealed no results. I do have a Albany F. Sellers, born abt 1874 in my database. She is a daughter of Samuel Joseph Sellers and Mary Elizabeth “Betty Hurst. I suspect that Albany and Albinie Sellers are the same person.
Pay attention to the small detailed about marriages and children contained within the 1900 and 1910 censuses and you may find some surprises in your family research.
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[1] 1900 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Court House, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0020, Page: 2A/74(stamped); Line 26, Dwelling 26, Family 26, Household of William W. DAVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed 6 June 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm T623_1523.
[2] 1910 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Court House, Chesterfield, South Carolina;, enumeration district (ED) 0036, Page: 19B/122 (stamped); Line 79, Dwelling 339, Family 342, Household of William W. DAVIS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 6 June 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm T624, Roll 1455.
