Shirleys of Tuscaloosa/Fayette counties, AL
Feb 11, 2024 19:12:25 GMT -5
Post by plinsenmayer on Feb 11, 2024 19:12:25 GMT -5
My g-g-grandmother Samantha Caroline Shirley was born on 18 Oct 1861 (presumably in Tuscaloosa or Fayette Co., AL). Her parents married in late 1860 and were both residing in Tuscaloosa county at the time. She was the daughter of Young Shirley (born 17 Aug 1822 in Laurens Co., SC, died 25 Oct 1864 in CSA service) and Nancy (South) Shirley (born 11 Nov 1838 and died 19 June 1863). Young and Nancy married on 20 Dec 1860 in Tuscaloosa Co., AL. As you can see from these dates, Samantha was orphaned at a young age and likely bounced around among family members for much of her childhood. One of her father's brothers was appointed official guardian of her in Fayette Co records in 1867, but I don't see her with that family (or any other as yet) in the 1870 census. On 20 Dec 1879, she married John McCarver in Fayette Co., AL at the home of one of her mother's brothers. She and John had 7 children together before he died in 1895, and she remarried Eli Perkins in 1897 (having 2 more children with him). Samantha died on 25 April 1941 in Fayette Co., AL, and her death certificate lists her parents as Young Shirley and Nancy South. Samantha's eldest daughter was named Nancy Frances McCarver and my g-grandfather's name was Alfred Young McCarver, further buttressing that she was the child of Young and Nancy.
Young Shirley seems to be one of the sons of Eli E. Shirley. Young was married once before - he married Rebecca Jean Jordan on 8 April 1847 in Tuscaloosa Co. She gave birth to Benjamin Franklin Shirley on 29 April 1849 and Laresa Ann Shirley on 8 May 1851. Rebecca died 24 May 1851 (likely complications from childbirth). Laresa died in June 1851, leaving Young Shirley as a widower with a young son. In the 1855 AL state census, he is enumerated with one male minor under age 10 in his household, and they are listed in the census directly under Eli E. Shirley's household. Young is not listed with Eli and Elizabeth and their children on the Find-a-Grave site or in other listings I've found online. However, his birthdate certainly suggests that he is the other son enumerated with Eli's household in the 1840 census. Additionally, Young appears in the 1860 census living in the household of one of his older brothers (I believe it was Davis but might have been Little Berry Shirley). His son Benjamin Franklin Shirley was not living with him in 1860, and I've not yet located him in the 1860 census, although some online sources suggest that he lived with relatives in MS for some or all his childhood. He did marry in Lee Co., MS in 1867, eventually moving westward to Texas sometime in the early 1870s.
So I do have confidence that I'm on the right track here -- Samantha is the daughter of Young Shirley, who was one of the sons of Eli Shirley. But Eli's parentage seems a little murky to me. According to Wikitree, Geni and Ancestry trees, Eli was the son of Robert Clements Shirley (often listed as simply Robert Shirley), born 1775 in Anderson, SC. However, Elizabeth (Posey) Shirley cannot possibly be the mother of Eli, who was clearly born in 1798 per numerous census records and his gravestone. She was supposedly born in 1789 herself, and she shows up as age 58 in the 1850 census and age 70 in the 1860 census, which does put her birthdate around 1789-1790 time-frame. She could not have given birth to Eli E. Shirley when she was 9 years old.
Also, possibly I just don't fully understand how to interpret DNA results that are coming through in Wikitree, but I do show DNA linkage to Samantha, Young, Eli, and John (1738), but not Robert. So I suspect that Eli is not the son of Robert Shirley (1775 - 1857) unless Robert was married to someone else first and Elizabeth Posey was his 2nd wife. She shows up in the household of her son James in 1850 and 1860, and he was born in 1809 (much more plausible that she gave birth to him when she was 18/19). Is it possible that Eli, Joel and Jonathan Nipper Shirley were all the sons of Robert Shirley with a different mother? Any other theories or information?
Young Shirley seems to be one of the sons of Eli E. Shirley. Young was married once before - he married Rebecca Jean Jordan on 8 April 1847 in Tuscaloosa Co. She gave birth to Benjamin Franklin Shirley on 29 April 1849 and Laresa Ann Shirley on 8 May 1851. Rebecca died 24 May 1851 (likely complications from childbirth). Laresa died in June 1851, leaving Young Shirley as a widower with a young son. In the 1855 AL state census, he is enumerated with one male minor under age 10 in his household, and they are listed in the census directly under Eli E. Shirley's household. Young is not listed with Eli and Elizabeth and their children on the Find-a-Grave site or in other listings I've found online. However, his birthdate certainly suggests that he is the other son enumerated with Eli's household in the 1840 census. Additionally, Young appears in the 1860 census living in the household of one of his older brothers (I believe it was Davis but might have been Little Berry Shirley). His son Benjamin Franklin Shirley was not living with him in 1860, and I've not yet located him in the 1860 census, although some online sources suggest that he lived with relatives in MS for some or all his childhood. He did marry in Lee Co., MS in 1867, eventually moving westward to Texas sometime in the early 1870s.
So I do have confidence that I'm on the right track here -- Samantha is the daughter of Young Shirley, who was one of the sons of Eli Shirley. But Eli's parentage seems a little murky to me. According to Wikitree, Geni and Ancestry trees, Eli was the son of Robert Clements Shirley (often listed as simply Robert Shirley), born 1775 in Anderson, SC. However, Elizabeth (Posey) Shirley cannot possibly be the mother of Eli, who was clearly born in 1798 per numerous census records and his gravestone. She was supposedly born in 1789 herself, and she shows up as age 58 in the 1850 census and age 70 in the 1860 census, which does put her birthdate around 1789-1790 time-frame. She could not have given birth to Eli E. Shirley when she was 9 years old.
Also, possibly I just don't fully understand how to interpret DNA results that are coming through in Wikitree, but I do show DNA linkage to Samantha, Young, Eli, and John (1738), but not Robert. So I suspect that Eli is not the son of Robert Shirley (1775 - 1857) unless Robert was married to someone else first and Elizabeth Posey was his 2nd wife. She shows up in the household of her son James in 1850 and 1860, and he was born in 1809 (much more plausible that she gave birth to him when she was 18/19). Is it possible that Eli, Joel and Jonathan Nipper Shirley were all the sons of Robert Shirley with a different mother? Any other theories or information?