This writing reflects on an ancestral puzzle that I have been working on for quite some time. It involves the origin of Charles Henry Davis b.4 Nov 1851 and his spouse, Columbia Jane b.13 Aug 1855; Also, the origin of Virginia Ann (Ginnie) Wood b.17 Sep 1864 (spouse of George Miner Shifflett). I believe, as I will speculate, that the origin of these three are closely related through the unfortunate activity of birthing children out of wedlock, which makes genealogical research and proper documentation a real challenge. Based on some factual information and much circumstantial evidence, I feel there is a strong case to be made for what I believe to be the “probable truth” regarding this matter.
I have come to my present conclusions after many hours of viewing family and vital records and talking personally to relatives (many of which are now deceased). I am not “locked” in to this theory. I present it to those who may be descendant from the primary subjects, and to others who are interested in finding out about this particular ancestral line(s). I welcome any additional information that would shed new light on this subject. I also welcome anyone to disagree with my findings and upon further analysis will be open to revising my conclusions if need be. I will not mention the names of living relatives from whom I have obtained a verbal record. Most of them will be referred to only as relatives, older relatives, etc.
I begin with the following documented information. According to the death certificate of Charles Henry Davis, his father was Edd Shifflett and his mother was Mary Wood. So, where did the name Davis come from? I have heard very little information from family members as to the reason for the Davis name. What little I did hear included the possibility of his being orphaned, or adopted into the Davis family. I have not found any supporting information to bear this out.
Regarding Columbia Jane: Her maiden name, as listed on the death certificate of her daughter Ella Jane Davis, is Columbia Jane Herring. Contrary to this, her maiden name, as listed on the death certificate of her son J. Warren Davis is Jane Shifflett. Other similar supporting document's only have her maiden name listed as Columbia or Columbia Jane (?).
Moving to Virginia Ann (Ginnie), spouse of George Miner Shifflett: Her maiden name on her marriage record is Ginnie Ann Wood, with her father listed as Joseph Wood and her mother listed as Mary ?.Ê Other records from other Davis siblingsÊ reflect similar information regarding Virginia.
Now to the verbal evidence. George Davis, deceased son of Charles, stated several years ago that Charles was originally a Shifflett and that he was orphaned during the Civil War. This seems to coincide with the Edd Shifflett on the death record. Relatives have also indicated to Cathy Phillips, whose submissions appear on the Shiflet website, that Edd Shifflett was the father of both Charles and Andrew Jack. I have no other information on this Edd. Also have not been able to locate a marriage record for Edd and Mary. I have talked to two different relatives who both indicate that the mother of Charles was Mary Wood. Another relative stated, “A couple of men came through the community in a wagon and Mary Wood took up with one of them.....Joseph Wood. The other man may have been a Davis”. This statement, although ambiguous, may indicate how Mary met Joseph and became a Wood.
Now, regarding Mary Wood: I believe that Mary Wood is listed in the 1850 Rock Co. census (pg.189) as Mary Davis, age 21, daughter of Francis Davis. In the 1860 Rock Co. census (pg.321) she is found as Mary Wood, age 24, spouse of Joseph Wood, with a son Charles, age 9. The census age of Charles agrees with his birth year. I know there is a considerable discrepancy in the census ages of Mary 1850/1860. This is not unusual in that I have found numerous other such discrepancies that were a result of mis-information, etc. According to Cathy Phillips, the marriage record of Mary Davis and Joseph Wood indicate Leonard and Francis Davis as Mary's parents. Another piece of evidence that connects Mary to her mother is reflected in the appearance of Mary Wood (without Joseph Wood) in the 1870 Rock Co. census (page 98) next to Fanny Davis (Francis), with Charles, age 16, still in Mary's household. Along with Charles are Jackson, 14, and Joseph, age 12. A number of older relatives have personally told me that Charles, Jackson, and Joseph were half brothers. SEVERAL relatives have told me that Joseph (age 12 above) was the only legitimate child of Joseph and Mary Wood. Therefore, I believe that it is reasonable to assume, from the information at hand, that Charles was conceived outside of marriage by Edd Shifflett and Mary "Davis", hence later hetook the name Davis instead of Shifflett. One additional fragment of evidence that supports this assumption is that in the 1880 Rock Co. census (pg. 346) Mary A is listed as a Davis (not Wood), age 39, HH, with Andrew J(ackson), age 21, Joseph, age 17, and Ginnie A, age 15. This brings me to the discussion of Virginia Ann (Ginnie) Wood.
Virginia was born in 1864 but does not show up in the 1870 Rock Co. census in Mary Wood's HH along with Charles, Andrew Jack, and Joseph. I do not know what happened to her in the 1870 census. There is a Virginia, age 6, in a surname Lamb HH. Lamb has never been mentioned in our family discussions.......and I have no other supporting information involving the Lamb surname. Virginia does appear in the 1880 census in Mary A. Davis (Wood) HH with Andrew Jack, Joseph, and a Mary J, age 11 also known as "Skrimp". According to a number of "older" relatives who lived in different areas, and were conversed with at different times, Ginnie Ann's Father was George Herring and her mother was Mary Wood. Her marriage record indicates Joseph and Mary Wood as parents but I do not believe Joseph to be the true father. It would be likely that Ginnie and her husband thought, at the time of their marriage, that Joseph was her father hence the name Joseph on the marriage record. Interestingly enough, in this 1880 census, Mary A. Davis is living next to none other than George Herring, & wife Margaret w/children. As I have previously stated, relatives have indicated to me that Joseph Wood (Jr) was the only legitimate offspring of Mary Wood and Joseph Wood.Ê Another strong piece of evidence connecting Mary and George is the 1880 marriage license of Andrew Davis and Julia Lawson.Ê This record shows the parents of Andrew as George Herring and Mary Davis.
According to my mom, some older relatives, including her mother...when she (my mom) was younger, were very hesitant and unwilling to talk about how folks were related. Mom has told me on several occasions that every time she would bring up the subject of who “grandma's” father was, her mom would somehow change the subject. It was all kind of “hush..hush” talk.
Lastly, we have the origin of Columbia Jane to deal with. As I stated previously, Columbia's maiden name was listed on one document as Shifflett and on another document as Herring. I believe they are BOTH correct. Relatives have indicated to me that Columbia's father was George Herring. The 1860 & 1870 Rock Co. census both have Mary Shifflett, HH, with a Jane, age 8 & 15 respectively. This Mary Shifflett is listed next to George Herring & family. (This Mary not to be confused with Mary Davis Wood (mother of Charles and Virginia) who also lived next to George Herring in 1880). I also believe that this Mary Shifflett is the same as Mary Ann Lawson Shifflett (spouse of Kennel Shifflett & d/o John & Eva Lawson) found on the Shifflett website and in the Shiflet book. Kennel and Mary had a son, Theophilus, who is found with Jane in the Mary Shifflett HH, 1860 Rock Co. census. By the 1870 census, Theophilus is also listed next to George Herring & family. Eva Lawson, age 80 (Mary Ann's mother), was next to Theophilus. I have not found any evidence to indicate that Kennel was the father of Columbia Jane. One interesting note........I have a letter, written (late 50's) by my Aunt, a granddaughter of Columbia Jane. In it she states that George Herring was Columbia's father and that a Polly Kennel was Columbia's mother. I was always baffled by the name Polly Kennel until just recently when I observed on page 152M in the Larry/Barbara Shifflett book, Mary Shifflett (above) is referred to as Mary (Polly) Ann Lawson, spouse of Kennel. It then occurred to me that Columbia's granddaughter may have been referring to Mary (Polly), spouse of Kennel Shifflett when she wrote in her letter the name Polly Kennel.Ê Is it possible that my Aunt got the names mixed up? This piece of the puzzle finally seemed to fit!
CONCLUSIONS:
My mom and I both remember Moses James Shifflett (son of Ginnie and George Miner Shifflett) speaking of a Herring being the father of either Ginnie or Columbia Jane or possibly both. All of this verbal information supports my conclusion.
SUPPORTING ROCK CO. CENSUS INFORMATION:
1850: Mary Davis was living with her mother Francis in the 1850 Rock Co. census. About 16 families away on page 188 of this same census, George Herring was living next to John and Eve Lawson. Next to them was Mary (Lawson) Shifflett, HH (dau. of John and Eve Lawson). Mary's children are Matilda, 13, Theophilus, 9, Eve, 11, Henry, 7, Male, 5, and Scott, 2. Next to Mary Shifflett is Theophilus Lawson her brother.
1860: Mary Davis is living with her husband Joseph Wood. Further down the census line, Mary Lawson Shifflett is living next to George Herring and wife Margaret. Two households from George & Margaret is Eva Lawson, age 75. In the Herring HH was an infant daughter. Children in the Mary Lawson Shifflett HH are Matilda, 23, Theophilus, 21, Eva, 19, White, 16, Mary, 14, Francis, 9, and Jane, age 8.
1870: Mary (Lawson) Shifflett, with children (Matilda, 30; Eva, 28; Mary, 20; Fanny, 18; and Jane, 15), is still living next to George Herring and wife Margaret. Theophilus Shifflett is next to George, and Eve Lawson, age 80, is next to Theophilus Shifflett. Down the census line, as stated previously, Mary Wood is living next to Fanny Davis. Children in Mary Wood's house are Charles, Jackson, and Joseph.
1880: In successive households are.....
Land Deed: George Herring and Margaret his wife, Mary A. Shifflet (widow) and Mary A. Wood (widow) dividing their interest (all eight shares) in the John Lawson dec'd tracts of land. 15 Feb 1880 Rockingham Deed Book? page?
Land Deed: Mary A. Wood to George M. Shifflett & Virginia A. Shifflett his wife, 21 May 1901, Rockingham Co. Deed Book ?, p. 546
The Roach family has been a stumbling block for us for some time now. On the Henry Fisher Ross/Frances Shifflett marriage bond, it states that Henry was the stepson of Joseph Ross, who we believe married Winnie Roach. On the second page of the bond one sees that Elizabeth Ross stands up for Winnie Ross. Do you have an idea who Elizabeth Ross may be? Is Winnie Roach Ross the birth mother of Henry Fisher Ross? Are there any records of a Winnie ---- marrying a Roach prior to the the marriage to Joseph Ross? In other words, is Winnie Roach a Roach or did she marry a Roach making Roach her given name? Could she have been a Fisher or married to a Fisher?
As you probably know, William Shifflett married Frances Roach. See Family Chart. This Frances seeems to be a a road block for a lot of people. It is interesting that Willis Herron stood up for Frances Roach as stated on the William Shifflett and Frances Roach marriage bond. It is noted that she "usually" resided in Augusta Co., VA. Where might she have resided some of the time? We know Willis Herron married Elizabeth Roach. It would seem that this Elizabeth Roach Herron and this Frances Roach were related. Why else would Elizabeth's husband, Willis, stand up for Frances? Where was her father?
To further demonstrate the closeness of these families, I have checked the VA 1840 Augusta County (Western District) census. William Shifflett, Killis Herron, Willis Herron, Jacob Herron and Joseph Ross are listed together in sequence. Killis and Jacob Herron are sons of Willis Herron. I do not believe it is a coincidence that William, Willis and Joseph live next to each other. These three men have a common bond. This bond is that they all married Roach women. My best guess is they were sisters. From what I can tell, Elizabeth Roach was the daughter of Absalom Roach. Do you know if Winnie and Frances were also daughters of Absalom? Are all Absalom's known daughters accounted for? Is it possible that Winnie and Frances used names which were different from their birth names? We have copies of Absalom's pension application and records, which state specifically that the names of his children were not mentioned.
Joseph and Winnie Roach Ross had a son named Absalom Ross. Was he named after his grandfather, Absalom Roach? Henry Fisher Ross, the stepson of Joseph Ross and Winnie Roach Ross, married Frances Shifflett, daughter of William Shifflett and Frances Roach Shifflett. William Shifflett and Frances Roach Shifflett had a son named Absalom Shifflett. Was he named after his grandfather Absalom Roach?
If Absalom Roach is not the father of Frances Roach, is it possible that she is the daughter of Richard Roach of Louisa Co., VA? I see that he had a daughter named Frances who was born c. 1800. There were Shifletts that settled in Louisa Co. There also seems to be a connection to the west. My great grandfather Walter Lewis wrote in his papers, that Absalom Shifflett came from Fincastle, Ireland. I known this is not correct. Absalom Shifflett was born in West Virginia, which was still Virginia at the time of his birth. Could my great grandfather have meant to say Fincastle Co., VA which essentially made up all of West Virginia and Kentucky prior to 1800? Willis Herron and Elizabeth Roach Herron moved to Monroe Co., West Virginia around the time of the War of 1812. Absalom Shifflett, Willis and Killis Herron ended up settling in Randolph Co., WV prior to around 1850. What brought them there? Do you think the Roach, Herron and Shifflett ties go back to the old Fincastle Co., VA days? Did any of the Roachs come from Fincastle or Fintown, Ireland?
Any comments or observations on the above will be appreciated.
Response to: There were Shifletts that settled in Louisa Co.
This statement, while technically true, has lead many researchers astray. Shiflets were in the northern section of what would become Albemarle Co. and in the southern section of what would become Orange Co. These two areas adjoined each other. What in 1722 was the Spotsylvania/Hanover Border, would, in 1838, be the exact SAME line dividing Albemarle and Greene Counties. The Albemarle area of land was orginally Hanover County, and before that, New Kent. For a very brief period of time (2 to 6 years depending on the source) it was part of Louisa. However, when Albemarle was officially formed, that northern area became Albemarle, and remained Albemarle. Over a 30 year period, a family living in that section of Albemarle along Buck Mountain Creek would have paid taxes in New Kent, Hanover, Louisa, and Albemarle, as the years progressed, without moving an inch. Researchers need to take care when a location is cited. Attention should be paid not only to the time period of the event in question, but also the time period of the source itself.
The same holds true for Augusta County. Orange was formed from Spotsylvania County in 1734. Nine years later, in 1743, Augusta County was formed from Orange. So from the period of 1733 to 1743, ten years, your physical home may have stayed the same, but politically you were listed as a taxpayer in first Spotsylvania, then Orange in 1734, and third in Augusta in 1743--but you never moved.
The problem is compounded by the fact that Hanover is a burned record county. Therefore the earliest records that may be available cite Fredericksville Parish in Louisa County. In 1920, Blackwell Precinct would be a small part of what was once Fredericksville Parish. The same for other names probably familiar to you, like White Hall Magesterial District. Just different names, but the same location. We do know that there were Shiflets in Orange. Were they also in there in 1733 when this location was called Spotsylvania, or did they truly originate in Hanover (or prior to that King and Queen) and move to the area that would one day be called Orange?
Julia Crosswell and I have been discussing the possibility that there were
two John Shifletts in Albemarle Co. as the records did not reasonably fit
there being only one person.
TWO JOHN SHIFLETTS
Response
submitted by Lee Coleman (leeintn@usit.net) 9 Mar 1997
TWO JOHN SHIFLETTS
Response
submitted by Chester Johnson (cjohnson@fastlane.net) 21 Mar 1997
Debate resolved by discovery of 2nd John Shiflett
prior to 1800 on Albemarle Co. tax lists submitted
by Chester Johnson. See also will of John Shiftlett
Sr. submitted by Larry Shifflett.
From the following sources, I also believe there are two John Shiflets in Albemarle County circa 1780:
1. Abemarle County Deed Book 6, page 228
"This indenture made this 11th day Nov. 1773 between John Ogg and Elizabeth his wife of the first part and John Shifflett of the second part, . . .124 acres on Kidd's Creek . . . ."
2. Abemarle County Order Book 1806-1807, page 22
" An instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of John Shifflett, deceased, was produced into court and proved by the oath of John Lane and Bland Shifflett, two of the witnesses thereto and entering for further proof."
3. Albemarle County Order Book 1806-1807, page 23
" An indenture of bargain and sale between Bland Shifflett and Vina, his wife of the one part, and William McGeehee of the other part, was produced into court and acknowledged by Bland Shifflett, party thereto, and the relinquishment of dower of the said Vina in the lands conveyed by the said instrument taken in open court and ordered to be recorded."
4. Albemarle County Deed Book 15, page 499
Bland and Vina sell 124 acres to William McGee on Kidd's Creek.
It appears that Vina is the daughter of John Shifflett in the previous documents, has relinquished her Dower in the 124 acres on Kidd's Creek, and along with her husband Bland Shifflett, sold the land. Is this logical?
L.F. Shifflett lfsofva@hotmail.com
I was looking at some of the information I had, and noticed that in the 1782 Head of Families (sometimes known as the 1790 census) that Mace Pickett, Ben Powell, and
others were in a different area of Orange Co. than the other Shifletts. They were in the list of Zach'y Burnley. In this list was an Elizabeth Sheflett. William Standard and John Rucker are also in this list so I suspect that this is still in the area that became Greene Co. but not in the area the others lived. I wonder if this has ever been considered. In Elizabeth's house are 5 whites. The marriage record of Frances and Joice
Shiflett both list Elizabeth as the mother. That would leave room for 2 more people. As we can assume neither was an adult male (He would be head of Famliy if he was there) the other 2 must be children also. In the Marriage record of Pickett Shiflett, George Eve performed the wedding. He also performed the wedding of Frances Shiflett. It appears that Elizabeth Shiflett is the mother of Pickett, Francis and Joice Shiflett. Powell would seem to fit best here too. There are problems with this. Elizabeth appears in a couple other places. I throw it out as an idea to someone that knows the area at that time to look at.
In addition:
My idea about Elizabeth is food for thought more than something I can prove right now. Let me give you a few facts.
Orange Co.(Deed Book 12, page 275) May 15, 1786 Thos. Strashley and Matty, his wife, of Westmoreland Co. for £400 currency) conveyed to Mace Pickett, of Orange Co., 1020 acres on west side Rapidan River, Orange Co. (Deed Book 19, page 199).
1796 Mace Pickett, of Orange Co. made a conveyance to Ben. James Powell, and Esther, his wife, daughter of the said Mace Pickett (Deed Book 21, page 72).
Orange County Head of Household List 1782
Zach'y Burnley's list includes
Powell, Benjamin
Powell, Mary
Sheflett, Eliza
Powell, Thomas
Powell, Francis
Rucker, John
Stanards, Wm.
Pickett, Mace
Page, John
Using the reference in the deed and the fact that a Rucker and a Stanard are mentioned I am assuming that the area this group lived in, is in present day Greene County in the area of Ruckersville and Stanardsville. Though not a long way from the area the other Shifletts lived in it is 10 to 20 away.
There are 2 Orange Co., Shiflett Marriages that list Mace Picket.