Mayflower Ancestry - William White & Susanna Jackson

William White and Sussana Jackson would be my 10th great grandparents.  Here is the line through the Tannahill family.  The first 5 generations are in the Mayflower Families - Through Five Generations - Vol 13 (Silver Books)  There are a few comments on a few interesting ancestors.  I have several ancestors who were on the Mayflower.  I suppose most people who have early New England ancestry probably share the same claim.  

William White (10 Nov 1591 - 21 Feb 1621) m. Susanna Jackson (1592 d. 01 Oct 1680 )

William, Susanna and their son Resolved were 3 of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower. They also brought along two servants.  In late November, Susanna gave birth to their son Peregrine having made the voyage in the latter stages of her pregnancy.  The two servants who came with the White family both died that first winter with Edward Thompson being the first to die amongst the passengers.  William Holbek also died soon after they landed. Both were indentured servants.

There were also 30 crew.  They dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod Massachusetts on November 20, 1620.  During that first winter, most stayed on board the ship because of a lack of shelter and food.  There was an outbreak of scurvy, pneumonia and tuberculosis.  Only 53 passengers and half of the crew survived that first winter.

Susanna was the only surving widow and went on to become one of the first brides, marring Edward Winslow in May of 1621, having 5 more children in addition to her two sons with William White. It has only been the past few years that we have actually known her last name thanks to persistent research by some descendants.

Resolved White (1615 d. aft 19 Sep 1687)  m. Judith Vassall (b. 1619 d. abt 3 Apr 1670)

Anna White (b. 4 Jun 1649 d. 26 May 1718 ) m. John Hayward (b. 20 Dec 1640 d. 22 Nov 1718)

David Allen b. 1675 d. bef 1752) m. Sarah Hayward (b. 16 Jun 1689 d. bef 1748)

David Allen (9 Feb 1713 d. 1799-1800) m. Sarah Baker (27 Sep 1715 d. Aft 1762)

Interesting point - I worked with Lucy Kelly Simpson trying to find the connection between Adoniram Allen and Ethan Allen (Green Mountain Boys - Revolutionary War).  We never could make the connection through the Allen family  and it turned out the connection was through the Baker's.  Their mother's were sisters.   David traveled to either NC/GA likely after 1762 and ended up in North Carolina.  Both David and his son Adoniram fought in the Battle of King's Mountain in 1780 which would have made David around 67 and Adoniram at 46 years of age.

Adoniram Allen (b. 1734 d. 1838) m. Elizabeth Morris b. 1777 d. 1815)
Adoniram is possibly one of my favorite ancestors.  He was born near the New Hampshire border in 1734 moved to Georgia and then North Carolina with his father.  He then got a land grant and moved to Kentucky and started a mill there in 1807 at 70 years old.  His nickname was "Teges" because he was "particular" and the creek near that mill is called "Teges" in his honor.  Adoniram retired at 102 and died two years later at 104 years of age.  

Morris Allen (b. 1794 d. 4 Nov 1864) m. Rachel Bishop (b. 1805 d. aft 1870)

Ailey Allen (b 12 Apr 1823 d. 5 Apr 1890)  m. William Kelly (1818 d. 9 Jun 1899)  - on the right is a photo of Ailey Allen.  According to family stories, this was a tintype that was nailed to the wagon that carried John Ward Kelly and family to Kansas and Oklahoma.  The nail hole is still in the upper right hand corner.

John Ward Kelly (b. 8 Aug 1849 d. 20 Feb 1910)  m. Melvina Robertson (b. 19 July 1849 d. 22 Dec 1890) John Ward Kelly and Melvina Robertson had 14 children.  Melvina died in childbirth with that child.  They moved to Kansas around 1885 near the Oklahoma border.  

Sarah Rachel Kelly (b. 17 Dec 1877 d. 21 Jan 1966)  m John Lyons Tannahill (b. 28 Apr 1873 d. 21 May 1945)

They were the parents of:

• Samuel Ward Tannahill (1897-1973)
• Earl Sylvanis Tannahill (1898-1942)
• William Sylvester Tannahill (1900-1988)
• John Theodore Tannahill (1902-1987)
• Goerge Carter Tannahill (1904-1971)
• Elvina Almira Tannahill (1907-1972)
• Rachel Olive Tannahill (1912-1984)
• Oliver Richard Tannahill (1912-1947) (my line)

The Kelley Maze and the Researcher Who Helped Me Find My Way!

John Ward Kelley & Melvina Robertson - My 3rd Great Grandparents

I have been doing genealogical research for over 20 years now.  Hard to believe that I have been doing it that long…but really I have been doing it most of my life.  I learned at an early age to ask a lot of questions and listen to the stories that many of my older relations enjoyed sharing.  There have been a lot of people who have helped me and taught me through the years.  I learned that one of those people passed away this past summer. 

I think that I met “Lucy” through another researcher.  I don’t think that she ever got online.  She was old school and did everything through letters and phone calls.  I learned so much through those phone calls.  She had grown up on the farm that my great great great grandfather was born on back at Sexton’s Creek, Clay Co., KY.  It is one of those amazing things about genealogy when the young and the old get together.  There is a mix of generations that shouldn’t fit.  Lucy’s father died when she was quite young and she lived with her grandparents, Francis Marion Kelly and Fannie Jane Sparks.  Francis Marion Kelly was the younger brother of my 3^rd great grandfather, John Ward Kelly.  (Their parents, William Kelly and Ailey Allen were the parents of eleven children.)  So, I was talking with someone who had memories with her grandfather who was my 3^rd great grandfather’s brother and lived on the home-place that William Kelly and Ailey Allen had lived on in Clay Co., KY.

It is my observation that there is a special kind of “crazy” for anyone who decides to dive in on families lines in Kentucky or West Virginia.  I know it occurs in other areas, but in my experience, these areas are some of the most difficult to get the information correct.  I am not only talking about names, dates, and places but connecting them to the correct families.  There are so many intermarriages, similar names and places.  I have some experience doing this…so I know what it is like to go down in that deep hole.  I have always tried to add siblings of my ancestors and once you go down that road, it has endless branches that seem to interconnect.  This is especially true if you are looking in a relatively small geographic area.  You might wonder why I characterize West Virginia and Kentucky in this category…mostly because I have gone into the maze many times and sometimes it is weeks before I get out.  Having said that, it was an enjoyable experience to get lost in that maze with someone like Lucy.  She knew the area, families and connections like no one else, mostly because she had lived there and could personally share the experience.

Lucy and I spent several years pursuing both independently and together the connection between Adoniram Allen and Ethan Allen.  We had both heard the story and wanted to find proof of the connection.  It was surprising when we both came to the same conclusion almost at the same time.  The connection wasn’t through Adoniram and Ethan’s father,s but rather through their mother’s.  They were sisters with the last name of Baker.

Lucy had heard stories from her grandfather who told her that his father had traveled with his parents from the Clinch mountains by wagon out to Kentucky as a young man.  She was also the one who found documentation about the Hammer family traveling from Pennsylvania through the Cumberland Gap to Knob Creek, Washington Co., TN.  While we never found documented proof that our “Kinchen Kelly” and the one that came from Knob Creek were one and the same – we had pretty good circumstantial proof.  I hope that I can give someone else guidance that is as valuable as what Lucy gave me.  I haven’t been able to talk to my friend for some time because she hadn’t been well.  I will miss her and treasure the knowledge that she gave me and will try to pay it forward.  Writing this family reminds me that I need to dig back into this family.  I am sure is more info to add that wasn't available the last time I went researched the family!

This is the family of William Kelly and Ailey Allen that Lucy and I shared.

William Kelly b. 1818 TN d. 9 Jun 1899 Clay Co., KY
 m. Ailey Allen b. 12 Apr 1823 Clay Co., KY d. 05 Apr 1890 Clay Co., KY

• Rachel Kelly b. 1842 d. aft 1880 m John R Banks m2 Granville Bishop
• Susan Laura Jane Kelly b. 25 apr 1843 d. 26 Aug 1928 m. Granville Bishop (Yes it is the same one)
• Drucilla Kelly b. 30 Oct 1845 d. 7 Oct 1884 m. Lunsford Banks
• James Kelly b. 01 Oct 1847 d. 01 Oct 1923 m. Sarah Ann Bishop
• John Ward Kelly b. 08 Aug 1849 d. 20 Feb 1910 m. Melvina Robertson m2 Laura
• George W. Kelly b. Jun 1851 d. aft 1910 m. Elizabeth North
• Joseph Matherly Kelley b. 16 May 1853 d. 4 Sept 1929 m. Drucilla Alice Morgan
• Francis Marion Kelly b. 13 Nov 1855 d. 6 Dec 1939 m. Fannie Jane Sparks
• Kinchen Kelley b. 30 Apr 1858 d. 1930 m. Julia A Sparks
• Henry Kelly b. 1 May 1861 d. 1 May 1913 m. Nancy Napier
• Jobe Kelly b. 20 Feb 1864 d. 14 Dec 1941 m. Martha Lucinda Edwards

Leander Franklin Kelley

Since I started researching my family lines, I have always recognized the importance of the peripheral lines as well.  Just as I have spent a lot of time on my direct line, I have also spent a great deal of time on the siblings and families of my direct ancestors.I have always thought that Leander almost seemed like a feminine name to me, but I know it to be a male name.  My great grandmother was one of 14 children.   All but two of them lived to be adults.  Most of the children were born in Clay Co., KY until 1885, when John Ward Kelly and Melvina Robertson moved west to Chautauqua Co., KS.  Melvina died in 1890 after having three more children; the youngest and Melvina dying during childbirth.

Leander Franklin Kelly - abt 1909

  Leander Franklin Kelly was almost 10 years when his mother died.  I’m sure it had to be difficult for John Ward Kelley to take care of such a large family on his own, so within a short time after his wife’s death to a Laura or perhaps Sarona Spivey.  I’ve never found proof of either marriage.  Lee (as Leander was called) had problems with this step mother and he took off at the age of 13 to make his own way.  He started out working through northwestern Oklahoma (which was known as the Cherokee strip) and then within three years he ended up near the Arkansas line.  He stated there until 1902, when got the chance to ride a train to Seattle, WA.  That fall he headed down to Lewiston, ID.  Lee met and married Lucinda Ella Powell in 1906 and married her in Orofino, ID.  Lee and Lucinda quickly added children to their family.  By 1930, they had 5 living children – including 4 daughters and one son.  Lee worked ranch work around Idaho Co., ID and near Teakean, Clearwater Co., ID.  Lee died on 23 Jun 1936 after committing suicide.  Earl, his son, told me that he was in terrible pain from stomach cancer and took his own life to stop the agonizing pain.  His wife, Lucinda married a widower and died in 1961 in Lewiston, ID.

Leander & Lucinda Kelley

Several years ago I had the opportunity to meet Lee’s son, Earl.  I had wondered why Lee had committed suicide and wanted to know if he knew that he had family that had also moved to Lewiston.  Lee’s brother –in-law, John Lyons Tannahill moved to Idaho in the 1920’s.  He had followed his brothers up north from Oklahoma.  I found it interesting that they ended up the in the same area.  Earl told me that his father was aware of the family that had moved to Idaho.  He came home one day from work and told his family that he had helped his niece when she had car problems and had fixed the car.  That niece was my grandfather’s twin sister, Rachel.  I also learned later that John Ward Kelley had actually traveled up to Idaho to visit Lee before he died in 1910.  I’ve often wondered if he made the long trip to mend fences with his son.  Learning about Lee Kelley reminded me of the importance of researching these siblings.  I learned a lot about the Kelley family that I never would have known.

Teakean Cemetery - Teakean, ID

 

Lee Kelley's grave

Lee's baby's grave

One of the other significant things about Lee Kelley for me personally is that it was one of my first cemetery trips.  I had no idea where Tekean, ID was…and had never heard of it until I found out that Lee Kelley was buried there.  So, one stormy fall afternoon, my father and I took off to find Teakean, ID.  We traveled out through Juliaetta, ID and up through Southwick and further on through to the top of the high plain.  There - seemingly in the middle of nowhere – was Teakean, ID.  All that remained of the town were a few houses and a cemetery.   Dad and I got our coats on and started walking the cemetery, and found Lee’s grave quite easily…and 

buried next to him was their young baby that had died shortly after birth.

I have since located Lee’s wife’s grave in Normal Hill Cemetery in Lewiston, ID and all of his daughters and have learned recently that Lee’s son, Earl had passed away as well.  Leander Kelley was the first relative that I was able to research first hand.  I researched him through records, personal interview with his son, his obituary, and traveled a few hours to go and find his grave.  You might say that he helped me become addicted to genealogy.  

My Mayflower Ancestry - Pt 3

It is fun to study one’s maternal lines – you never know what you’ll find or where they will end up.  In our search for information on my Mom’s Allen line – we kept running into research that just wasn’t quite right.  The family story was that we were related to Ethan Allen of the Green Mountain boys from the Revolutionary War…so everyone was trying to make the Ethan Allen’s line mesh with our Adoniram Allen line…and they never worked.  It turned out that the tie was not with the Allen line but rather with their mothers…who were sisters.  It was a lesson well learned and I have found some interesting family lines on the maternal side of the family…and here is one that ties my father’s family and mother’s family together by marriage!

William White was a passenger on the Mayflower and he died on 21 Feb 1620.  Beyond that there really isn’t much more information.  He was married to a woman named Susanna and traveled on the Mayflower with his son Resolved.  Susanna White gave birth to a son named Peregrine on board the Mayflower while it was docked off of Cape Cod while the Pilgrims were trying to find a place to place their colony.  William White was one of the passengers who died on during that first winter leaving his wife with two young children to care for.  I don’t that anyone has found anything concrete on William White’s ancestry – White has to be almost as common of a name as Johnson to research.  There were a few Whites in Leiden, Holland who were possibilities, but they have been discounted.  No one knows what Susanna White’s maiden name was either.  So, she remains Susanna, wife of William White and Edward Winslow.  After the death of her husband in February, she married another widower who had lost his wife as well, Edward Winslow. 

Edward Winslow was one of the leaders of the Plymouth colony and was in fact its’ third governor.  Edward came on the Mayflower with his brother, Gilbert and his wife, Elizabeth.  Elizabeth died soon after arrival and Gilbert went back to England.  Edward married Susanna in May of 1621.  They had five children but only two lived to adulthood and had children.  Several of Edward’s brothers came within a decade, one of whom was Kenelm Winslow, my 9^th great grandfather.  So…with all of the research that Mom and I did…the only tie we ever found between my parents was when Mom’s 9^th great grandmother married Dad’s 8^th great-granduncle.  Susanna lived to be an old woman and died almost 50 years after the arrival of the Mayflower in 1680.  Edward died in 1655 while on journey to Hispaniola and was buried at sea.

Here are my lines is my line to William White & wife, Susanna.

• William White m. Susanna
• Resolved White m. Judith Vassal
• Anna White m. John Hayward
• Sarah Hayward m. David Allen
• David Allen m. Sarah Baker
• Adoniram “Teges” Allen m. Elizabeth Morris
• Morris Allen m. Rachel Bishop
• Ailey Allen m. William Kelly
• John Ward Kelly m. Melvina Robertson
• Sarah Rachel Kelly m. John Lyons Tannahill
• Oliver Richard Tannahill m. Capitola Friddle
• Betty Jean Tannahill m. Eugene Johnson
• Me!

Here is my line to Edward Winslow’s brother, Kenelm – both were sons of Edward Winslow and Magdalene Ollyver…

• Kenelm Winslow m. Eleanor Newton
• Kenelm Winslow m. Mercy Worden
• Kenelm Winslow m. Bethia Hall & Edward Winslow m. Sarah
• Hannah Winslow m. Edward Winslow (yes they were first cousins)
• Sarah Winslow m. Seth Pope
• Winslow Pope m. Mary Wheelock
• Francis Pope m. Belinda Willey
• Winslow Lonsdale Pope m. Nancy Ann Marie Lyons
• Shirlie Louisa Pope m. Ulpian Grey Johnson
• Frank Stewart Johnson m. Helen Gage
• Eugene Johnson m. Betty Tannahill
• Me!

Both of these lines were branches off of maternal lines in my family.  My advice is to not forget the women in the family.  You might find some of your most interesting ancestors!