As I research more and more details about George Larrison, I excitedly read records and then realize everything is about as clear as mud!

Based on the FAN club, I do feel comfortable in saying that the origin of the Kentucky Ketchum and Larrison families is likely Hunterdon County, New Jersey. I also believe that George Larrison may well be Elsee Larrison Stufflebean’s brother. With an estimated birth year range of 1760-1770, he is the perfect age to be her sibling. The 1830 census puts Elsee’s birth year in the same 1760-1770 year range. The Larrisons and Stufflebeans lived near each other and the fact that one Larrison and two Stufflebeans married Dunaway sisters indicates that they moved in the same social group.

Here is another look at the 1810 census for the family and marriage records which help sort out the children to some extent:

Male 45+ (George)
Female 45+ (unknown wife, often called Elizabeth)
Female 16-25(born 1785-1794) (Betsey)
Female 10-15 (born 1795-1800) (Abigail)
Male 10-15 (born 1795-1800) (George)
Male 10-15 (born 1795-1800) (William)
Male -10 (born 1800-1809) (David)
Male -10 (born 1800-1809)

1. Betsey Larrison married John Rogers, 30 December 1811
2. Abigail Larrison married William Rogers, 7 June 1813
3. George Larrison married Nancy Dunaway, 26 June 1817
4. William Larrison married Nancy Parks, 15 January 1822
5. David Larrison married Sally Barnes, 19 September 1822
6. Manerva Larrison married James Barnes, 21 March 1830
7. Mariah Larrison married Elisha Barnes, 6 January 1833
8. Jacob Larrison married Fanny Townsend, 30 December 1835
9. Washington Larrison married Sally Crow, 1 August 1838

Next, can we narrow down the birth years for George’s children? Well, for the daughters, not so much, as they seemed to have died before 1850. The best guess-timates would have to be that they were aged 18-21 when they married, as there are no notations that George gave consent for a minor daughter.

However, Estill County tax lists are intact and require that males aged 21 and up be listed. After several tedious hours reading page by page, Larrisons began popping up year by year.

George Larrison is repeatedly taxed on his 200 acres of land, purchased in 1809. The other Larrisons do not own land, nor were they found in the Estill County land records.

1811 – George
1812 – George
1813 – George
1814 – George, John

Whoa! Here we have John Larrison for the first time. He is at least 21 years old, but no John appears in the Kentucky marriage records. Is he George’s son? A brother? If John is George’s son and born around 1791, he was living in some other household in 1830 if the 30-39 year old male is George Jr.

1816 – George, John
1817 – George, John
1818 – George, John
1819 – George, John
1820 – George
1821 – no Larrisons (trek to Indiana?)
1822 – George, John, William

William was likely born in 1800 (he might have turned 21 the day after the tax assessor came around and didn’t go on the rolls until 1822) or in 1801, but no later than 1801.

1823 – George, John, William
1824 – George, John
1825 – George, John, William, David

In 1825, we have another son coming on the tax rolls. David was likely born c1803 or 1804.

1827 – George, John, William, David
1829 – George, John, David
1830 – George, John, David
1831 – George, John, David
1833 – John, David
1834 – John, David
1835 – John, David, Jacob

Jacob would have been born c1814. If Jacob did reach the age of 21 in 1835, who was his father?  The same question applies to Archibald, who appeared in 1836. He would have been born about 1815. I’d say maybe their ages are off some, but unless they were living outside the county, the tax man would have been on the lookout for them.

1836 – John, David, Jacob, Archibald
1837 – John, David, Archibald

However, the Larrison family disappeared from the Estill County tax rolls by 1840. Using these tax records, a couple more clues have been gleaned.

ALERT: It pays to leave no stone unturned! While continuing to dig for Larrison data, I came across a digital copy of the Stewart Clan Magazine (1962) on FamilySearch.

Here is the image of the marriage record of David Stewart and “Elez” Larrision in Madison County, Kentucky in 1807:

The bride’s name looks like Eliz or Elez. However, the Stewart Clan Magazine article mentioned the story about David Stewart leaving Kentucky in 1835 and moving his family to Jackson County, Missouri. It also mentions that he and his wife ELSEE sold land there in 1840.

Look what I found:

David and Elsee Stewart, grantors
Jackson County, Missouri Deed Book G:266

I think the Madison County clerk perhaps sounded out Elsee’s name. What if he heard it as L-Z? That would account for the Eliz or Elez in the marriage record. A large group of Stewarts migrated from Kentucky to Missouri at the same time so there is no question that David Stewart of Jackson County, Missouri is the same man who married Elsee Larrison in Madison County, Kentucky.

The magazine also mentioned that the marriage record included a letter of consent for George Larrison’s daughter to marry David Stewart!

While Elsee died sometime between 24 December 1840, the date of this deed, and 3 February 1850, when David Stewart married Susan Hensley, the marriage record and land deed prove that George had a daughter named Elsee – the same name as Elsee Larrison Stufflebean!

Added to that bit of information is the fact that David Stewart was born about 1785 in NEW JERSEY! I’m seeing even more FAN club activity here!

That isn’t even ALL that I found. You’ll have to wait until the next post to watch the brick wall begin to crumble away!

Here is an updated look at the family of George and (Unknown) (MNU) Larrison:

Probable Children:

1. Elsee, born c1788; married (1) Daniel Stewart, 31 May 1807, Madison County, Kentucky. George Larrison gave his consent for his daughter to marry “david stuard.” David was born in 1785 in  NJ.
2. Elizabeth, born c1788; married John Rogers, 30 December 1811, Estill County, Kentucky
3. ?John, born c1790; died after 1837, apparently unmarried.
4. Abigail, born c1792; married William Rogers, 7 June 1813, Estill County, Kentucky
5. Daughter, born 1796-1800; no further record after 1810 census
6. George, born c1797; married Nancy Dunaway, 26 June 1817, Estill County, Kentucky
7. William, born c1801; married Nancy Parks, 15 January 1822, Estill County, Kentucky
8. David, born c1803; married Sally Barnes, 19 September 1828, Estill County, Kentucky
9. Son, born 1801-1810; no further record after 1810 census

I now know a lot more about George Larrison, but there is more to share. The FAN club is a concept that most definitely works!