WILSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE Which James Vaughan Was the Husband of Maria Martin? |
From the Internet and familysearch.org Family Tree: James (Jim) Vaughn 1804-1857 And Mary Carnop Vaughn 1814-1891 James (Jim) Vaughan was born September 21, 1804 in Wilson county, Tennessee. He Married Maria Martin May 10, 1828. Maria died the following year in childbirth. Jim and his brother William (Billy) migrated to Picken's county, Alabama sometime before 1833. About the same time Fredric Mires and Rebecca Carnop came into the county. They had three daughters Mary, Ann, and Permelia. Jim met Mary and they were married on the night of November 12, 1833. Mary Carnop was born December 26, 1814 in South Carolina. http://vaughnfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/p/jim-mary-vaughn.html It is my understanding that this narrative is strongly held belief of genealogical researchers of James Vaughn. I came to a slightly different conclusion and made adjustments to familysearch.org Family Tree. This prompted a phone call from a descendant of Jim & Mary Vaughn. He informed me among other things that Jim Vaughn was raised in Robertson Co., Tn. which is two counties away from Wilson Co., Tn. My conclusion is that Maria Martin married a different James Vaughn. I can find no evidence of any Vaughn in Wilson County prior to 1806, hence I question if Jim Vaughn was born there in 1804. I have no quarrel whatsoever with the balance of the research on Jim & Mary Vaughn. Understanding pre Civil War Wilson Co. Tn. genealogy requires a study of the extant tax digests. At any given time, Wilson County is divided into 25 or more civil districts. From 1826 to 1830, the districts are numbered. From 1831 to 1833/34 the districts are identified by the commanding militia captain. This is followed by a gap until the 1842-1854 when the districts are again known by numbers, but the districts have been realigned. The 1854 tax digest is inexplicably dated 1834. There are two James Vaughn living in Wilson County in 1828 when Maria Martin was married it is my understanding that Jim Vaughn (1804-1857) was not a resident in 1828. My focus has been on James Vaughn who lived in District 11 and who died there before 1832. The other James Vaughn lived in District 20 1827-1834. Neither James Vaughn can be Jim Vaughn of Robertson Co., Tn. Civil District 11 (1827 to 1834) / Civil District 7 (1842-1854) Abraham Vaughan and later his widow Margaret lived here. Early tax digests and other records suggest a relationship with James Vaughan who d. before 1832. Neither appear in the 1820 Census. Abraham is in the 1830 census records. It is possible James and his wife are the younger people in his family at that time. Per Revolutionary War Pension Application W610: Abraham was b. in 1764 in Amelia Co., Va.; he moved to Wilson County in 1807; and he d. 31 Jul 1836, survived by his widow Margaret, age 51 on 5 Jul 1853. This dovetails nicely with personal property tax digests of Va. showing Abraham moving from Dinwiddie Co. to Brunswick Co., to Lunenburg Co. and then leaving Va. in 1807. From his will we learn that he had a son Peter B. Vaughan and a grandson Samuel Eason. As shown in the following three exhibits, there is a nexus between James Vaughn, his widow Mariah Vaughan and Abraham Vaughn. The name Maria and Mariah is more or less interchangeable during that time frame. It is far more likely that Maria Martin married James Vaughan, the son of Abraham Vaughn than she married James Vaughn from two counties over, who may have lived in Wilson County as an infant. Compiled By: David H. Robertson, 159 Hickory St., Roswell, GA 30075 davidhr@hushmail.com Exhibit 1 Sale of the Estate of James Vaughn, deceased. Wilson County Will Book 1830-1832, p. 24. Note: Purchasers included Abraham Vaughan & Mariah Vaughan. Thomas E. Partlow, Wilson County, Tennessee Wills Books 1-13, 1802-1850,page 85. Exhibit 2 Settlement of the Estate of James Vaughn, deceased. Wilson County Will Book 1832-1834, p. 21. Note: The administratrix was Mariah Vaughn and one of the Commissioners appointed to settle the estate was Thomas Martin. |
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Exhibit 3 Sale of the Estate of Abraham Vaughn, deceased. Wilson County Will Book 1837-1839, p. 20. 29 Sep 1836. Note: The second purchaser listed is Mariah Vaughn. |
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Compiled By: David H. Robertson, 159 Hickory St., Roswell, GA 30075 davidhr@hushmail.com |