The Children and Grandchildren of Samuel McCorkle Jr.
 of Green Co., Kentucky

 

 

The Will of Samuel McCorkle Jr.

 

When a family historian finds a will, it is a wonderful genealogical event. In most cases a will is an enormous asset in tracing the descendants named in the will.  The 8 March 1840 will of Samuel McCorkle Jr. of Green Co., KY is no exception, but it does not tell the whole story by far. The descendants named in Samuel’s will, in the order that they were entered, are as follows:

Daughter Nancy

Daughter Betsey

Grandson Johnston (Johnson)

Granddaughter Lovina Jane (Lavina)

Grandson William Ward

Grandson Alexander Green

Grandson Hardin Woods

Son John

Son Andrew

Daughter Polly

 

No wife was mentioned. John & James Buchanan were named executors.

The will was proved 20 April 1840.

 

With the exception of Andrew Jackson McCorkle, the following information and analysis is focused on the above named children and grandchildren of Samuel McCorkle Jr. Andrew Jackson McCorkle seems to be a son of Andrew McCorkle of Orange County, Indiana and thus another grandson of Samuel McCorkle. The analysis associated with this proposition is lengthy and can be found here. In addition to the children named in the will of Samuel Jr., I have concluded that he was the father of two other sons that died before he made his will. The names in parentheses below are my guesses at the individuals listed in the pre-1850 censuses. 

 

  

Samuel Jr. in 1810

 

1810 Green Co. Census data

Greensburg

Saml McCorkle

1 male b. 1794/1800               (Alexander)

1 male b. before 1765            (Samuel Jr.)

2 females b. 1794/1800          (Polly & Elizabeth)

1 female b. 1784/1794            (Nancy)

1 female b. before 1765         (Wife of Samuel Jr.)

This was Samuel Jr., son of Samuel & Sarah McCorkle of Augusta Co., Virginia. Next to Samuel Jr. was Alex Buchanan and Buchanan families occupied the next three homes.

Eleven homes away from Samuel was his brother John:

 

 

John, brother of Samuel Jr. in 1810

 

Greensburg

John McCorkle

John was enumerated with a wife & 10 children. This was certainly John, the brother of Samuel Jr., who was allegedly killed in 1814. We have proved this assertion to be untrue; however, John did seem to disappear about this time. The complete story of John's disappearance can be viewed here. After his disappearance, John’s widow Lydia and her 13 children moved to west central Missouri.

 

 

John McCorkle in 1810

 

The enumeration of this John McCorkle does not reconcile with the John McCorkle family enumerated in the 1820 Green County census and in the 1840 and 1850 Missouri censuses. This seems to be another McCorkle mystery. To read more about this situation, click here.

 

 

Samuel Jr. in 1820

 

1820 Campbellsville, Green Co., KY census:

Samuel McCorcle

3 males b. 1810/1820             (Johnson & ?)

1 male b. 1794/1804               (Alexander)

1 male b. bef 1775                  (Samuel Jr.)

1 female b. 1810/1820            (Lavina)

1 female b. 1794/1804            (Elizabeth or Nancy)

 

Samuel’s wife seems to have died between 1810 & 1820. Also, the young children residing with Samuel Jr. would indicate that their parents were dead or somewhere else and/or that they were the children of the female born 1794/1804.

 

 

John, son of Samuel Jr. in 1820

 

Next to Samuel Jr. in 1820 was:

John McCorcle

1 male b. 1810/1820               (?)

2 males b. 1804/1810             (James & Samuel)

1 male b. 1775/1794               (John)

2 females b. 1810/1820          (Sarah & Nancy)

1 female b. 1775/1794            (Patsy)

 

This John was almost surely the son of Samuel Jr. John married Patsy Redmond 2 Feb 1815 in Green County after Ann Spears died and then Nancy Wright on 7 Dec 1824 in Green County after Patsy died. About 1825, John and his family moved to Lincoln County, Missouri, then on to west central Missouri to join the descendants of his uncle John McCorkle who was disappeared about 1814. See the “John & Nancy of 1850 Clinton Co., MO” link on the Home Page.

 

The last Green County Tax Book entry for John, husband of Lydia, was in 1813. (Most of the 1814 Tax Book is unreadable.) The last entry for John, son of Samuel Jr., was 1823, although the Tax Books for 1824-1826 are not extant.

 

Some of the other children of Samuel Jr. are also something of a mystery.

 

 

Alexander, son of Samuel Jr.

 

In her patient research of the Green County McCorkle's, Inez Warf discovered that Alexander Green McCorkle was the owner of a book belonging to his grandfather, the grandson of Samuel Jr. In this book, Alexander Green, the grandson of Samuel Jr., recorded his birth date and that his father was Alexander. Samuel did not name a son Alexander in his will, so Alexander apparently died before Mar 8, 1840. As far as I can tell, Alexander has gone almost unrecorded in Kentucky records. He is not found in any Green County census or tax list, but is recorded as a witness on the marriage bond of his sister Mary (Polly) in 1818. Also, an Alexander McCorkle purchased at the estate sale of James Caulk in March, 1813. Based on the birth date of Alexander Green and his assumed siblings, Alexander Sr. died circa 1832. To my knowledge, that is all that is known about Alexander Sr. The only candidate I have found in any Kentucky census lived in Jefferson County, but I believe that he was probably a descendant of Alexander and Mary Steele McCorkle of Lexington, Virginia. Also, an Alexander McCorkle was bonded to marry Patsy Barr(Barn) in Pulaski Co., Kentucky on June 21, 1800. Surety was by John Cowan. This Alexander is a possibility since I have found no other records of McCorkles in early Pulaski County. Pulaski was not far south of Green County; however, this bond date does not fit well with the proved and assumed birth dates of the grandchildren named in the will of Samuel McCorkle Jr.

 

1820 Salem Twp., Jefferson Co., KY census:

Alec McCorcle

3 males b. 1810/1820

1 male b. 1804/1810

1 male b. 1794/1804

1 male b. bef 1775

1 female b. 1810/1820

1 female b. 1794/1804

 

Andrew, son of Samuel Jr.

 

In his 1840 will, Samuel McCorkle awared his son  son Andrew  sixty dollars. On 1 Feb 1822, Andrew McCorklehad  married Mary Ann Crabtree in Green County. He was listed only once in the Green Co. Tax Book and that was in 1822; however this listing is a very important one. It gives us a very good idea of Andrew's birth date and it also means that he removed from Green County soon after his marriage. Most researchers, including myself, have concluded that Andrew  moved to Indiana and later had two other marriages. Although Samuel Jr. left much of his personal property to some of his grandchildren, these beneficiaries all seemed to be the children of his deceased sons. In any event, none of Andrew's children seem to be mentioned in the will of Samuel Jr.

 

 

Mary, daughter of Samuel Jr.

 

Sam’s daughter Polly is named in his will. Polly (Mary) seems to have married Joseph Williams 18 July 1818 in Green Co., but I can’t find any record of them later on.

 

 

Nancy & Elizabeth, the daughters of Samuel Jr. & the Four Grandsons

 

A snippit image of the 1850 Taylor County, Kentucky census is shown on the right. Taylor County was formed from Green County in 1848. Living with Johnson (Johnston) McCorkle were Nancy McCorkle, Elizabeth McCorkle,  William (Ward) McCorkle, (Alexander) Green McCorkle and Harding (Hardin)  McCorkle. All were enumerated as being born in Kentucky. Nancy and Elizabeth seem to be the daughters named in the 1840 will of Samuel McCorkle Jr., the son of Samuel and Sarah Buchanan McCorkle of Augusta County, Virginia. Neither seemed to have married and Nancy probably died between 1850 -1860; Elizabeth between 1870 -1880. Johnston, William Ward, Alexander Green and William Ward McCorkle were named as grandsons in the same will.

 

 

 

Samuel III, son of Samuel Jr. (Not in the will of Samuel Jr.)

 

On July 22 1806, a marriage bond was executed for Samuel McCorkle and Jane Black in Green County. Surety was by the groom and Patrick Black. A Samuel McCorkle, Junior is found in the 1807 Green Co. tax list without property. On Oct 29, 1814, Jane McCorkle was married to Cumfret Bruster by John Howe in Green County. The bond surety was by the groom and Patrick Black. This second marriage indicates that Samuel died prior to 1814 and Jane remarried. Cumfret is next found in the 1820 Grayson Co., Kentucky census with a family that includes four males under ten years of age. By 1830, the Bursters had moved to Pike County, Indiana where they were recorded with three males, the oldest born 1810 -1815. Bruster/Brewster researchers have concluded that the Brusters had four male children: David, Benjamin, John and unknown. If Samuel McCorkle and Jane had male children, they adopted the Bruster name or stayed with the McCorkle's.   

 

 

Alexander, William & Hardin, grandsons of Samuel Jr.

 

If Alexander Green was the son of Alexander, then the ages of William and Hardin would indicate that they were also. Further, it would seem that Alexander Sr. died circa 1830.

 

 

Johnston & Lavina, grandchildren of Samuel Jr.

 

Johnston was born circa 1814. According to the research of Inez Warf, Lavina was married 25 Oct 1839 to John Henderson, so she was closer in age to Johnston than the other three grandchildren. She was not in the 1850 census with Johnston and I can’t find John Henderson in any census. In his will, Samuel Jr. left the care and management of the family farm to Johnston. This indicates that Johnston was the oldest surviving male McCorkle living in the area. I conclude that Johnston was almost surely the son of Samuel III and that Lavina was likely Johnson’s sister.

 

If you have waded through this narrative, then you must be interested in these people. If you have any facts or opinions, please share them with me. I will update this page as more data becomes available.

 

 

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Revised Apr 17, 2021