1850 Census, Knox County, Tennessee

Nepthan Peters was a free black at a time when slavery was still in effect.  There are no other Peters living nearby, nor do I recognize other surnames living nearby as being those associated with my Peters family.  So I have no idea who Nepthan Peters was.  (He really was living alone.  This is not part of a larger census entry.)

Sarah Mariah (Sallie) Bryan age 37 was the daughter of Allen S. Bryan Sr. and his second wife Elizabeth McSpadden.  As such, she was the niece of my fifth great grandfather Peter Bryan.

John Fouche Henry age 43 was the son of Samuel Henry and Elizabeth Garner.  James Henry age 52 was John's brother.

There is a mystery in this census entry with respect to Elizabeth Henry.  John Fouche Henry and Sarah Mariah (Sallie) Bryan had one child.  She was Elizabeth Jane (Lizzie) Henry who was born about 1832.  In this census entry, Elizabeth J. Henry was listed as if she was a daughter, but she was only 11 years old.  Elizabeth Henry age 18 was the correct age to have been a daughter, but she was listed as if she was connected with James Henry age 52.  James never married or had children, so the exact identity of the two Elizabeth Henrys is unclear.

I'm assuming that the three students were boarders, probably not related to the family.

The place of birth was missing for both John F. Henry and for William R. Baker.  It's not just that I failed to transcribe it.  It really was missing.

Martha Ann Martin age 6 married James Scarbro (Jim) Peters in 1868.  Martha's mother was Charlotte Walls.  James Scarbro (Jim) Peters was the son of Tobias Peters Jr. and Louisa Henderson.

Sampson D. Cole was the grandfather of Thomas Clyde (Clyde) Cole who married Ella Mae Peters.  Aunt Ella was the sister of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Bryan Jr. married third James M. Carter on 31 Jul 1860 in Sevier County, Tennessee.  I believe that James M. Carter age 37 from this census entry may have been Betsy's third husband.  Assuming I have the right James M. Carter, his first wife was Rebecca Johnston.  They were married on 30 Jul 1833 in Knox County.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Bryan Jr. was the daughter of Allen S. Bryan Sr. and Elizabeth McSpadden.  Allen was the son of my sixth great grandparents Thomas Bryan Sr. and Elizabeth, and the brother of my fifth great grandfather Peter Bryan.

Betsy was listed as Elizabeth Bryan Jr. in the Allen S. Bryan Sr. family bible.  She had an older sister named Elizabeth who died the year before she was born.

Catherine Starr/Stair married Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Prosise.  Catherine was Frank Prosise's first wife.  Frank married second Jemima Jane (Jane) Peters, which is my interest in the family.

Catherine had a son named William F. Prosise who was probably named for Catherine's brother William.

William Detemer May was the son of Michael May Sr. and Catharine Detemer.  As such, William was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

William's wife was Margaret E. Clark.  They were married on 29 Oct 1847 in Knox County, Tennessee.

John J. May was the son of Thomas May Jr. and Margaret Spore.  As such, John was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

John's wife was Margaret Ann Gallaher.  They were married on 11 Feb 1843 in Knox County, Tennessee.

Thomas Cole and Margaret Tillery were married on 27 Sep 1827 in Knox County, Tennessee.  I have been looking at them as possible parents for my second great grandfather William Cole who married Vesta Clay England.  Obviously, there is no William Cole here.  My William Cole was born about 1847, so he seems extremely unlikely to belong to this family.

Eli C. May was the son of Michael May Sr. and Catharine Detemer.  As such, Eli was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

Eli's wife was Nancy Hall.  They were married on 8 Apr 1846 in Knox County, Tennessee.

Michael May Sr. was the son of my fifth great grandparents Thomas May Sr. and Maria Catherine Emerich.  As such, he was the brother of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May who married William/Wilhelm Messamore.

The census enumerator made it very clear that "Baker" was Caroline's middle name, not her surname.

Robert C. R. May was the son of Michael May Sr. who was living next door in dwelling number 1601.  Robert's mother was Michael May Sr.'s first wife Catharine Detemer, but Michael was enumerated with his second wife Sarah May in the 1850 census.  Robert was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

Robert's wife was Elvira Hall.

1850, Knox County, Tennessee, page 214b

John W. Peters age 28 was my third great grandfather.  This entry is sometimes transcribed incorrectly as John N. Peters.  But in the microfilm, it is clearly John W. Peters.  Ruby M. Smith age 34 was my third great grandmother.  They were from Anderson County and they were married in Anderson County on 26 Jun 1840.  John was the son of Henry Peters Jr. and Jane England.  Ruby's parents are unknown.

• Washington Blair (Blair) Peters age 8 later married Mary E. Holder.
• William E. Peters age 6 died in the Civil War and never married.
• My second great grandfather John Henry Peters age 6 later married my second great grandmother Hulda Asberine (Asberine) Cross.  They were the parents of my great grandfather Alva Edward Peters.
• James Fletcher (Fletcher) Peters age 4 later married Sarah Jane Turpin.
• Mary J. Peters age 4 later married James Samsel.
• The next child was Charles Nelson Peters who was born about 1850, but he was born after the census enumeration.

Peggy age 32 was Peggy England of Burke County, North Carolina.  Elisha Berry age 31 and Peggy England moved from North Carolina briefly to Tennessee, and then back to North Carolina.  This is the exact same pattern which was followed by Jacob England and Dicy Smith of Burke County, North Carolina.  Jacob England and Dicy Smith were my third great grandparents.

It makes me wonder if Jacob England and Peggy England were brother and sister.  Also, I wonder if it was a coincidence that Peggy England was living next door to Ruby Smith.  Maybe Ruby Smith and Dicy Smith were related.  But Ruby was born in Tennessee about 1816 and Dicy was born in North Carolina 1831/1832.  It remains a mystery for now.  The evidence for a connection between between Jacob England and Peggy England is much stronger, I think than the evidence for a connection between Ruby Smith and Dicy Smith.

Martha Miranda (Marthy) Mays was the second wife of Tobias Peters Sr.  They were married in 1852 in Roane County.  I don't really know how they ended up in Roane County.  Martha Miranda (Marthy) Mays was the daughter of Levi Mays and Elizabeth Henderson.

Daniel Boone (Dan) Letsinger age 41 was the common ancestor of all the Letsingers in Anderson County, Tennessee.

John M. Letsinger age 15 was the common ancestor of the Letsingers who are my second cousins.  My grandfather's sister Elza Cordelia Peters (Aunt Elzie) married Samuel Mabry (Sam) Letsinger, known to me as Uncle Sam.  John M. Letsinger age 15 was Uncle Sam's grandfather.

Daniel's wife was Mary W. Shinpaugh age 37.

Elizabeth McDaniel age 50 was who was living next door was Mary's mother and Daniel's stepmother.  Daniel was the son of Phillip Letsinger and Nancy Ann Pettit..  Elizabeth was Phillip's second wife, and at the time of the 1850 census she was Phillip's widow.

Margaret Elizabeth (Peggy) May was my fourth great grandmother.  She married first my fourth great grandfather William/Wilhelm Messamore on 7 Aug 1799 in Rockingham County, Virginia.  William died between 1830 and 1840.  Peggy married second John Dickey on 29 Jan 1848 in Knox County, Tennessee.

Thomas May III was the son of Thomas May Jr. and Margaret Spore.  As such, Thomas III was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

Thomas's wife was Mary Childress.  They were married on 29 Mar 1949 in Knox County, Tennessee.

I believe that Elizabeth Jane (Jane) Messamore was the daughter of John Messamore and Elizabeth (Betsy) Minton.  It's a little disconcerting that John and Betsy were married in 1827, so that Jane might have been born before the marriage.  But Betsy's age in the census might be off a bit, and she might have been only 22 or 23 years old instead of 24.

John Messamore was the son of my fourth great grandparents William/Wilhelm Messamore and Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.  As such, John was the brother of my third great grandmother Anna F. Messamore.

1850, Knox County, Tennessee, page 53a

Elizabeth B. Green age 18 was the second wife of my third great grandfather William Ramey (Ramey) Underwood.  I'm descended from Ramey and his first wife Martha Langston.  Martha must have died sometime between 1860 and 1867.  Martha was enumerated in the 1860 census, and Elizabeth married Ramey Underwood on 26 Dec 1867 in Knox County.

Nancy Catherine Green age 15 married Ira Nelson Underwood on 16 Jul 1856 in Knox County.  Ira was the brother of the aforementioned William Ramey (Ramey) Underwood.  As such, Ira was my third great granduncle.

Elizabeth and Nancy were the daughters of Rev. James Henry Green age 46 and Anna (Annie) Patterson age 51.

Abner Henry Huffaker age 7 later married Mary Adelia Bryan.  Mary was the daughter of Dr. William M. Bryan, and the granddaughter of Allen S. Bryan Sr.  Allen S. Bryan Sr. was the son of my sixth great grandfather Thomas Bryan Sr.  As such, Allen was the brother of my fifth great grandfather Peter Bryan.

Abner Henry Huffaker was the son of Jacob Huffaker and Mary (Polly) Shearer.

John Pinkney Cole was the son of John Cole and Mary.  His wife was Lucy Park.

William Mark Cole age 5 has been a candidate to have been my second great grandfather William Cole who married my second great grandmother Vesta Clay England.  But William Mark Cole married first Jane Huskey and married second Mary (Polly) Whaley, and lived in Sevier County.  William Mark Cole's children with Jane Huskey were born about the same time in Sevier County as my William Cole's children were born in Knox County.

Mary Cloninger age 4 married Thomas P. Bray in 1864.  Thomas was the son of Joshua J. Bray and Anne M. (Annie) Hall.  As such, Thomas was the nephew of my fourth great grandfather Edward Payne Bray.

Mary was the daughter of Daniel Cloninger age 51 and Mary Ann (Polly) Wilson age 26.  Daniel and Polly were married in 1840.  Thomas F. Cloninger age 18 was the son of Daniel and his first wife Caty Berry.

Dr. Robert Sneed age 28 later married Malinda Bryan.  Malinda was the daughter of Allen S. Bryan Sr. and Elizabeth McSpadden.  As such, Malinda was the niece of my fifth great grandfather Peter Bryan.

I'm not aware of any relationship between Robert Sneed and any of the people with him he was enumerated.  It appears that Elizabeth McMillan age 45 had two children, Elizabeth age 15 and Artimis age 12.  Otherwise, the rest of the people (including Robert Sneed) appear to have been boarders.

James Madison (Madison) May was the son of Michael May Sr. and Catharine Detemer.  As such, Madison May was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.

Madison's wife was Frances F. (Fanny) Smith.

Michael May Jr. was the son of Michael May Sr. and Catharine Detemer.  As such, Michael Jr. was the nephew of my fourth great grandmother Margarethe Elizabeth (Peggy) May.