Yesterday, I presented the facts and clues about the origins of Samuel W. Scott, born c1797, probably in Washington County, Kentucky and the little known about his life in Howard County, Missouri before his death at the young age of about 38.
Today, let’s take a look at what is known about his (presumed) family.
Samuel appeared in only one Missouri census, as the 1820 census is lost and he died before the 1840 enumeration. Sally, his widow, appears in two census records as head of household.
In 1830, the Samuel W. Scott household had an adult male and female, both born 1790-1800. I would assume that these are Samuel and Sarah.
Children enumerated:
Male, born 1821-1825 (Robert J.?)
Male, born 1821-1825
Female, born 1821-1825
Female, born 1821-1825
Male, born 1826-1830
Male, born 1826-1830
In 1840, Sallie was the head of household and the adult female was still in the birth year range of 1790-1800.
Children enumerated:
Male, born 1821-1825 (Robert J.?)
Male, born 1821-1825
Female, born 1821-1825
Female, born 1821-1825 (Sarah Jane)
Male, born 1826-1830
Female, born 1826-1830 (Eramanthus Elizabeth)
Female, born 1831-1835
Male, born 1831-1835
Male, born 1836-1840
Notice that the first five children in 1840 match the 1830 census categories, but the sixth child is a female born 1821-1825 in 1840. Was there a recording error in one of these censuses? I don’t know, but I have to wonder if the census taker was told that “Eramanthus” was born c1827 and he assumed that child was a little boy.
It appears that Samuel and Sarah had three more children born between 1831 and 1836. Sarah may have been expecting a child when Samuel died in 1835.
Who are these phantom children? Besides Robert J. and Eramanthus Elizabeth, I suspect that Sarah Jane who married Jesse Dungan on 14 September 1846 was another daughter.
My first thought about Martha C. Scott, who married Noble C. Cunningham on 20 April 1841 was that she was another child of Samuel’s. However, she was the daughter of William and Luvicy Scott, per William’s 1857 will in which he named not only deceased daughter Martha C. Cunningham, but also left a bequest to his grandchild, Mary A. S. Cunningham, daughter of Martha.
In 1840, this William Scott was only one other Scott living in Howard County, Missouri. He might have been related to Samuel. William was born c1776, reportedly in Virginia per the 1850 census, but he married Luvisa or Levicy Isaacs on 2 January 1807 in, yep, Washington County, Kentucky.
Who these other children were, I don’t know. I’ve said “I don’t know” quite a bit lately, haven’t I?
There is a Samuel Scott who married in Howard County in 1843, but he was born about 1817, based on a later census record, so he is too old to be a child of Samuel’s and Sarah’s and isn’t likely a son of Samuel by a previous wife because there is no child this old in the Scott 1830 or 1840 censuses.
Sarah is last found in the 1850 census of Howard County, Missouri. Sarah is reported to be 45 years old, which is at least 5 years younger than reported in the 1830 and 1840 censuses, but an age discrepancy is not unusual. Jemima A. Scott, aged 16, so born c1834, is in the home along with Rowena F. Scott, aged 11, born c1839.
More frustration is to be found here, as no trace of Sarah, Jemima or Rowena F. Scott has been found after this record. Sarah is of an age where she can definitely be the mother of both of these girls. However, if Rowena was truly born about 1838/9, then Rowena is not the daughter of Samuel W. Scott, who died before 13 October 1835.
Notice, too, that no real or personal property amounts are listed for Sarah. This image has been cropped and the household heads above and below this family have those amounts filled in, so it seems that Sarah owned no property. A search of land records has found no transactions in her name.
The other bread crumb trail is through Samuel’s (presumed) son, Robert J. Scott. In 1850, as mentioned, Robert was living with the Hollens in Sullivan County, Missouri. It was probably around this time that he met Elizabeth Maxey. There was a Patrick Maxey, 24 years old, with a young wife, Almena, 16, living in District 96 in Sullivan County, Missouri. That is the same area in which Robert Scott was living with his sister’s family. Robert may well have met his future wife (possibly the sister of Patrick Maxey, as he is the only Maxey to be found there in 1850) through this connection.
Robert married Elizabeth Jane Maxey on Christmas Day 1853, in Sullivan County. She was born c1828 in Virginia and possibly in Buckingham County, if Patrick was her brother.
They had five children:
- George Hampton, born October 1854, MO; died c19 November 1948, Grant County, Kansas; married Louisa Henshall on 15 December 1874 in Knox County, Missouri.
- John H., born c1856; died after 1870; nothing further known.
- Sarah Martha, born c1858
- Samuel W., born February 1860 (based on aged in 1860 census; died before 1870. Not at home with family in 1870.
- Paul I., born c1862, Missouri; died after 1870; nothing further known.
This young family had a difficult life as Robert died before 3 March 1866, when Elizabeth married (2) James Bowers Crawford in Adair County, Missouri. The 1870 census shows a blended family with James, Elizabeth, the four Scott children – George, John, Sarah and Paul and two Crawford children, ages 12 and 10.
None of these people have been located in 1880, but it appears Elizabeth had died. James B. Crawford was living in Wasatch County, Utah by 2 May 1881 when he married Marion Mann.
Nothing more has been found on John H. Scott. His name is very obviously common and no hints have come up for him anywhere. There is an elderly Paul Scott living in San Francisco in 1940 born in Missouri at about the right time, but he is enumerated as single (not widowed or divorced) so if he is the correct person, he may have died unmarried with no descendants. Sarah Martha Scott may be the young lady married to James W. Morris, who was 10-12 years older than her. If so, Sarah was living with her son, Alfred Irvin Morris, when she died in Liberal, Kansas in 1940, but she had other children so there are descendants in this line. George Hampton Morris also migrated to Kansas, but lived in Grant County when he died on 19 November 1948. He married and left descendants, too.
From the little bit found in family trees, it doesn’t appear that anyone knows much before George and Sarah, as no parental information has been found for either in others’ work.
If you are descended from either of these children, I would love to hear from you!