In the past, I’ve told the stories of Joseph Henry Brasher, his father, Emsley Harrison Brasher and grandfather, Hampton Brasher. Each of those men died at the young ages of 51, 44 and 46, respectively.

I started to think that perhaps this line was a bit jinxed with some sort of genetic health problem, but Joe died of stomach ulcers and Hampton died from pneumonia during the Civil War. Emsley lived the shortest life, but there are no records that indicate his cause of death.

Hampton’s parents, Lawrence and Elizabeth, lived longer lives, each passing away in their apparent 70s. I say apparent because Elizabeth was alive and enumerated in the 1850 census, living with son Elijah’s family.

Being my husband’s side of the family, research is never easy and Lawrence isn’t any exception. This time, the family was actually living in a county where the records didn’t burn to the ground with the courthouse. However, there is another mystery.

The Brashers were in Christian County, Kentucky by 1803, when Lawrence had 200 acres surveyed on “Caselberrys” Fork in Christian County. Now, there had to be at least two Lawrence Brashers in Christian County in the early 1800s because one of them married Sally Edwards there on 24 August 1809. In 1810, Larrance Brazier is enumerated in Christian County with a female who would be Sally.

My husband’s Lawrence had a son named Lawrence, but he was born about 1814, so obviously wasn’t Sally Edwards’ husband. Lawrence Senior married Elizabeth Black about 1792, likely in Greenville County, South Carolina. The Elizabeth Brasher living in Elijah’s house in 1850 would appear to be Lawrence Senior’s widow.

First, although the name Lawrence Brasher appears in land records in 1803, no Lawrence Brasher is found in the Christian County census records until 1840, when two appear. Lawrence, aged 20-29, is in a household with a female in the same age range plus two females under 5. This would be Lawrence who married Ailsie Lindley in Christian County in 1837. He is a son of Lawrence Senior.

The second is Lawrence Sr., himself, but the head of household is called Lawrence T. Brasher. This household has a male aged 70-80, which would fit my Lawrence Brasher. There is another male 30-40 and only one female, aged 70-80, who would fit Elizabeth Black Brasher.

Two doors away is Aquilla H. Brasher, next to William G. Croft and Edward Wooldridge. The crofts were related to the Brashers by marriage and Edward Wooldridge was married to Lawrence and Elizabeth’s daughter, Margaret.

Two doors from Lawrence T. Brasher in the other direction were James Hamby married to Nancy Brasher and said to be Lawrence’s daughter. Next to them was Joshua Croft and a further three doors away we find Jacob C. Brasher, Thomas Brasher, the young Lawrence married to Ailsie and, finally, Hampton Brasher.

Next, throw into the mix that there were other Brashers there who were contemporaries of Lawrence Sr. There was Aquilla, Thomas, Lawrence who married Sally Edwards, 2 adult Johns and an Elijah in the 1810 census.

Some say my Lawrence Brasher didn’t leave Greenville, South Carolina until 1811. That may be or perhaps he went back and forth at least once before remaining in Kentucky. The Lawrence who married in 1809 wouldn’t have been old enough to record a land survey in 1803. One of the neighbors of the 1810 “Brazier” families was Thomas Black, brother-in-law to my Lawrence.

There is still another puzzle. On 18 June 1836, an inventory was filed with the Christian County clerk for Lawrence Brasher, deceased. The inventory was tiny – a gun, saddle, bed, mare and bridle. That was it. That would seem to indicate Lawrence might have been young and unmarried. No heir or spouse was mentioned and no other records were found in the court documents for this man. Who was this Lawrence?

Next, in yet another court record book, also on 18 June 1836, an inventory, much lengthier, was recorded for an Elijah Brasher. I am assuming that this inventory might be for the Elijah in the 1810 census. This Elijah was over 45 in 1810. Could Elijah have also had a son Lawrence? With two probates going at the same time, could they have died in an accident together or from some pestilence prevalent at the time? I don’t know.

As you can well see, part of this problem is due to the fact that there were so many Brasher families living in close proximity to each other and to families to whom they had ties by marriage.

Back to Lawrence and Elizabeth Black Brasher and family. I have seen death dates of 1845 and 1847 for Lawrence online. Oddly, I have not found any mention of a probate for this man between 1840 and 1850.

I did find one land deed where his heirs were selling his property. On Wednesday, we will take a look at that because there is one (or more) odd things there, too.