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:

1. George Hampton, born October 1854, MO; died c19 November 1948, Grant County, Kansas; married Louisa Henshall on 15 December 1874 in Knox County, Missouri.
2. John H., born c1856; died after 1870; nothing further known.
3. Sarah Martha, born c1858
4. Samuel W., born February 1860 (based on aged in 1860 census; died before 1870. Not at home with family in 1870.
5. 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!

It’s time for a Thompson break, at least a short one, if you have been following my travails with the family of Ephraim Thompson. I’ve only casually mentioned Samuel W. Scott in those posts, as he married Sarah (Sallie) Thompson, presumed daughter of Ephraim Thompson and Sarah Curry.

Samuel W. Scott presents even more challenges in uncovering his family history than do the Thompsons. I originally was trying to prove the parentage of Elizabeth Eramanthus Scott who married James Holland in Howard County, Missouri on 9 June 1847 when I began this research.

As I delved into the Thompsons, I discovered that Sarah married Samuel W. Scott and I strongly suspected that Sarah was the mother of Elizabeth Eramanthus when I found her in the 1850 Howard County census.

However, I haven’t had any more luck with actually proving the members of the Scott family as I have with the Thompsons. Preponderance of evidence and (yes) bread crumb trails brought me to this theory:

Samuel W. Scott married Sarah Thompson on 26 February 1821 in Howard County, Missouri. Samuel died about 1835 and definitely before 13 October 1835 when Elmore Thompson, presumed son of Ephraim Thompson, was appointed to serve as the administrator of his estate. Unfortunately, no distribution to heirs is included in the few court minute entries that have been found.

A settlement report presented to the court gives the impression that Samuel was involved in some type of business, based on both the number of debts owed to his estate and to the debts he owed to others, plus a statement by Elmore Thompson, administrator of his estate about Samuel’s poor bookkeeping:

Entry from Court Minutes of S.W. Scott Estate Administration, 1836

The undersigned in presenting the foregoing proceedings
To the honorable county court of Howard respect-
fully state that he found the books of the
Deceased so badly kept that their (sic) is but little
Reliance to be place in them in some instances
Individuals acknowledged themselves
More in debt than the books of the deceased exhibit.

It is not known whether Samuel was related to any of the other early Scotts in Howard County. Samuel’s only mention found in Howard County court records so far is his own estate administration.

In 1823, a Lewis Scott was mentioned as a guardian to Samuel Small and in 1824, it was further mentioned that he was a tanner. In 1825, Anderson Scott, orphan of Hugh Scott (from Woodford County, Kentucky) chose Lewis Scott as his guardian. That may be a clue that this group is not related to Samuel.

Based on the 1830 census, Samuel Scott was born between 1790-1800. While delving into Thompson court minutes in Washington County, Kentucky, I came across the following curious entry (volume D:93):

9 March 1812 noted the apprenticeship of Samuel Scott, aged 15 on 1 January 1812, natural son of Alley Scott, deceased, to George Thompson to learn the art of draper.

It was signed by John Reed, clerk, and George Thompson.

I believe that this is likely “my” Samuel W. Scott. His age fits with the census record. He was apprenticed to a Thompson, although I don’t know right now how George Thompson was related to Ephraim. Further, there is no later record of this Samuel Scott in Washington County, Kentucky records – he wasn’t there at the time of the 1820 census – and he was residing in Howard County, Missouri by the time of his February 1821 marriage to Sarah Thompson. In addition, I have found no other  male Scott relatives yet for Samuel in Missouri, which wouldn’t be surprising if he was the child of an unmarried Scott mother. So far, all the clues fit and none of them conflict.

There is another Samuel Scott who lived in Washington County at the same time, but he is definitely a different person as this other Samuel married Jane Seaton on 8 June 1809. I wonder if this Samuel could be an uncle of Samuel W. Scott and brother of his mother, Alley Scott?

There is a Robert Scott who married Nancy Clifton on 7 August 1795, also in Washington County, Kentucky. Samuel W. and Sarah had a (presumed) son, born c1823, who was named Robert J. Scott. Robert lived with Elizabeth Eramanthus and James Holland in Sullivan County, Missouri in 1850.

The elder Robert and Nancy Scott were still living in Washington County in 1830. Robert hasn’t been found in 1840 and I’ve seen mention, but no proof, that he died there in 1837. This man might also possibly be an uncle of Samuel W. Scott.

There are three land patent entries for Samuel W. Scott in the Howard County, Missouri land records. All three entries were recorded in 1829:

T50N R15W S22, E1/2SE1/4
T50N R15W S24, E1/2SE1/4
T49N R15W S8, NE1/4

Sarah didn’t appear to own any of this property after Samuel died, as there are no land deeds found in her name or those of her children.

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the family of Samuel and Sarah (Thompson) Scott.