Andrew Jackson Bandy was the eighth child born to Andrew Bandy and his wife, Rebecca Wooldridge of Lawrence County, Ohio. Jackson’s birth year is open to interpretation, but I am sticking with born c1836, given that he was 14 years old at the time of the 1850 census of Lawrence County, Ohio, the earliest record which provides an age for him.

Aside from the issue of his changing birth years, I need to address Ancestry and some of its hints/links.

Andrew Bandy, Jackson’s father, had a brother, George Bandy, who also lived in Lawrence County and, in fact, lived in the same village – Symmes Township, in 1850.

George had a son, William A., born c1835 and found at home with the family in 1850. I have not seen a record with William’s middle name spelled out and therein lies the problem. His middle name is said to be Andrew and he was only about a year older than A.J., as he was enumerated in the census.

However, these are two distinct people who married different women and lived in different counties during the same time periods. In addition to that, Andrew and Rebecca Bandy also had a son named William H., born c1839 and at home in 1850.

There is one more Andrew Jackson Bandy to throw in the mix. Andrew and Rebecca’s son, Samuel Coleman Bandy, had a son named Andrew Jackson, but he was born c1846. That Jackson Bandy lived in Peoria County, Illinois growing up, served in the Civil War as an Illinois soldier, married and had a family all in Illinois.

Now, back to the subject of today’s family sketch, Jackson Bandy. I have looked and looked and cannot find A.J./Jackson Bandy in 1860. He would have been in his mid-20s and I wonder if he was traveling for work when the census taker came around and got missed?

By 1870, Jackson Bandy was living in Gallia County, Ohio, married with wife, Mary J. and they had one month old daughter Rebecca living with them.

No marriage record has been found for this couple, but other records name Mary as Mary P. Queen. The young Bandy family lived next door to William W. Queen in 1870.

The census was taken on 8 July 1870; William Queen died soon after as his will was dated 4 August 1870 and ordered to be recorded by the court in November of the same year. One of his heirs is daughter Mary Bandy.

Note that in 1870, Jackson Bandy’s age was listed as 28 and Mary as 23. However, Mary is found at home with her parents in Meigs County, Ohio in 1850, and is listed as being 4 years old, so born c1845 or 1846. It is impossible to say who gave information to the census taker, but the 1870 ages of both don’t match their 1850 ages.

I also wonder if Jackson purposely shaved a few years off his age, as he would have been a full decade older than Mary.

A census pattern was beginning to emerge because I couldn’t find him in 1880 either. However, that issue was solved by paging through Vinton County, Ohio census records, as he had a son born there in 1881. He did turn up, but his name was indexed as “Baudy.”

In 1880, Jackson Bandy was enumerated as being 38 years old, so born c1842, but Mary was only 30, so born c1850. Note, too, that both Jackson and Mary had the 1880 boxes ticked off with “can’t read/write.”

By 1900, Jackson Bandy was widowed and living in Beaver, Pike, Ohio and reported that he was born in March 1850.  Also at home are daughter Lucinda, 17, son Edward, 12, and little Emma, aged 9.

Therefore, we know that Mary died between 1890, when Emma was born, and the 1900 census. I wonder if she died after a difficult birth and I mention this for a specific reason.

Emma Bandy died from consumption on 22 July 1909 at a state hospital in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio. She was buried in the “Imbecile Cemetery” and her record notes that she had lived there since 1904.

Jackson Bandy reportedly died about 1903, which might have triggered the need for outside care for Emma.

Jackson and Mary Bandy have grave markers placed at Givens Chapel Cemetery in Pike County, Ohio. However, they are matching markers in a slightly more modern style than I think was common for the time and look to not have been placed at the time each died. This suspicion is supported by the fact that both their markers give a death year of 1903, but Jackson was widowed before 1900.

Between several birth records found for Jackson’s and Mary’s children and the census records, a list can be assembled:

Children:

1. Rebecca Martha, born 7 May 1870, Gallia County, Ohio; died 1959; married Ansel Wendle Sherritt, 21 February 1892, Gallia County, Ohio. He was born 22 December 1864; died 7 August 1947. They divorced sometime between 1920 and 1930, but were the parents of seven children, six living in 1910 – Walter George, Anna Laura, James Wilber, Ansel Elmer, Zoe F. and Celesta Jane.

2. Grant Ulysses, born 7 August 1874, Gallia County, Ohio; died 26 April 1935, Urbana, Champaign, Ohio; married Mahala Margaret Denny, 9 December 1897, Pike County, Ohio. Mahala married (1) Frank Reisinger, who died 17 October 1896, Pike County, Ohio. She had three children with him. Grant and Mahala were the parents of five children living in 1910 – Charles, Herman, Phoebe, Mary and Gertrude.

3. Jane, born 6 July 1875, Gallia County, Ohio; at home in 1880; no further record.

4. Lewis, born 28 February 1878, Vinton County, Ohio; died 21 May 1969, Montgomery County, West Virginia; married Stella Lucas, 22 February 1901, Pike County, Ohio. Stella was born c1883; died 17 January 1965, Toledo, Lucas, Ohio. They were the parents of three children – twins Floyd & Flora and Eveline.

5. Cynthia, born 2 April 1881, Gallia County, Ohio; no further record unless this is daughter Lucinda, born c1883 and for whom no birth record has been found.

6. Lucinda, born June 1882, Ohio; at home for the 1900 census; no further record.

7. Edgar Edward, born 22 August 1889, Washington County, Ohio; died 8 November 1918, in the flu pandemic; married Bertha McMann, 10 November 1909, Pike County, Ohio. However, in 1910, Bertha was living at home with her father, enumerated as Bandy and married, but Edgar/Edward was not in the home. She was widowed and living in Buffalo, New York in 1920 with a married sister, who apparently was separated from her husband. They apparently had no children.

8. Emma, born 22 September 1890; died 22 July 1909, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; handicapped and buried in the State of Ohio Feebleminded Cemetery there. No known descendants.

There are several unknowns in this family because of a lack of information for Jane, Cynthia and Lucinda Bandy. If you recognize this family and are descended from them, I would love to trade notes with you. 🙂