Many of the Stufflebeans/Stufflebeams today are descended from John, the Revolutionary War soldier and pensioner. I’ve written about his service, but I decided that for this year, I needed to meet some new distant cousins. To push that possibility along, I will be writing several posts about John, his wives Priscilla Ross and Alice/Elsee Larrison Ketchum, their children and their grandchildren.

Sorting out the grandchildren isn’t the easiest task because he had a lot of sons and the same names keep popping up in multiple families.

To begin, John Stufflebean was born in 1756 in New York. He ended up living on the frontier in Kentucky by 1790 because he was captured during the Revolution, ended up in Illinois and made his way down to Kentucky.

If John married someone before 1790, the evidence has been lost to time. However, about July 1790, John married Priscilla Ross in Bourbon County, Kentucky. I’ve seen the date listed as 14 July, but that is not documented. Their marriage entry falls between 25 May and 29 July 1790; the date is empty.

John Stufflebean-Priscilla Ross Marriage

Priscilla was likely the daughter of John Ross, but little is known about her except that she died before 12 August 1795, when John Stufflebean posted a bond for his marriage to “Alice Ketchum.” John signed with his “X” mark.

John Stufflebean-Alice Ketchum Marriage Bond

I believe that John and Priscilla had two children, sons, before she died, William and probably Andrew. William’s and Andrew’s  birth dates can’t be pinned down any more conclusively because both died between 1830 and 1840. Census age categories place their births between 1790-1800. However, they were the first two of John’s children to marry and, although Alice/Elsee Larrison Ketchum’s parentage hasn’t been determined, “Andrew” was a common name found in the colonial Larrison family on the East Coast.

William Stufflebean, probably born about 1791. He married Mary Elizabeth Miller on 23 February 1812 in Estill County, Kentucky.

The 1820 census of Estill County shows William and his family, but they removed to Fulton County, Illinois shortly before 1830. This branch of the family took an “m” at the end of their surname and became “Stufflebeam.” Although exact dates of birth and death are found online for this family, some of these children don’t have headstones and I don’t know the source of the dates of birth:

1. Female, born 1810-1815, likely Priscilla Stufflebeam (15 Aug 1815-27 June 1854),  who married Jesse Wilcoxsen on 30 September 1832 in Fulton County, IL.
2. Male, born 1810-1815
3. Female, born 1815-1820, likely Elsie (Ailcy) Stufflebeam (5 Aug 1816-9 Aug 1863) who married (1) Harvey Lee Fitzgerald on 8 June 1834 in Jackson County, Missouri and (2) William R. Clark on 17 February 1849 in Fulton County, Illinois.
4. Female, born 1815-1820, likely Lucinda Stufflebeam (20 June 1819-11 Aug 1906),  who married Mason Eveland on 5 February 1835 in Fulton County, Illlinois.
5. Male, born 1820-1825, likely Joshua Stufflebeam (10 Oct 1822-June 1912), who married Mary Alsbury, 24 December 1840, Fulton County, Illinois
6. Male, born 1820-1825, likely John Stufflebeam, (4 Dec 1823-10 Aug 1888), who married (1) Rachel Alsbury, 18 January 1844 and (2) Sarah Ellers, 4 May 1848, both in Fulton County, Illinois
7. Male, born 1825-1830, likely Jacob Stufflebeam (24 Jan 1830-18 Aug 1904), who married Rachel Willey, 26 December 1852, McDonough County, Illinois

There are two other possible sons:
8. Hiram Stufflebean, born c1832; married Mary J. White, 16 January 1856, Fulton County, Illinois
9. Christopher Columbus Stufflebean (16 April 1836-5 March 1894), married Mary Willey, 26 June 1856, Fulton County, Illinois

William reportedly died about 1838 in Fulton County, Illinois, although I have no proof of that. I do have to wonder if the family had removed to Jackson County, Missouri in the early 1830’s. His daughter, Elsee, married there in 1834 and it’s about 300 miles away from Fulton County, Illinois.

His widow Elizabeth may have brought the family back to Fulton County after William’s death. Elizabeth is likely the woman who married Thomas Alsbury on 2 December 1840 in Fulton County, Illinois. Thomas Alsbury’s probate began on 23 April 1849 when his widow Anna requested that her son, James Payton, be named administrator. Elizabeth seems to have died before him and he married for a third time to widow Anna on 22 January 1846, also in Fulton County, Illinois.

Now for Revolutionary War soldier John’s  second son, Andrew Stufflebean:

Andrew Stufflebean, probably born about 1793. He married Susanna Dunaway on 4 August 1818, also in Estill County, Kentucky. Andrew and Susanna remained in Estill County.

Andrew is found in the 1820 and 1830 censuses; Susan is head of household in 1840. It appears that they had only one son, but about six daughters.

1. Son, born 1815-1820; died after 1840 census
2. Daughter, born 1815-1820
3. Daughter, born 1820-1825
4. Daughter, born 1825-1830
5. Daughter, born 1825-1830, likely Alesey/Elesey/Elsee Stufflebean, born about 1826
6. Daughter, born 1830-1835, likely Perlina Stufflebean, born about 1832
7. Daughter, born 1830-1835, likely “Creca” Stufflebean, as it was written in the 1850 census, but probably short for “Lucretia,” born about 1835.

Susan and the girls are found in the 1850 census of Owsley County, Kentucky, which was portioned off of Clay, Estill and Breathitt Counties in 1843, so they probably didn’t move anywhere.

In 1860, there is a Susan Stufflebean in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana:

The ages seem to be off a bit, but this family is from Kentucky. It seems that Alesey/Elsee married a Baker. There is a Henry Baker, 27 and Anderson Baker, 7, plus Thomas Stufflebean, 12, and Lucretia (Creca?), aged 21. Susan is the eldest household member at age 57, but Henry is listed first as the head of the household. Everyone was born in Kentucky.

The Stufflebeans had many ties by marriage to the Baker family.

I have found no trace of the older daughters from the 1840 census or of Andrew’s and Susan’s son, but I haven’t been able to find marriage records online for Estill or Owsley Counties, Kentucky or Marion County, Indiana.

If either of these families appear to be yours, please leave a comment!