My aunt Charlotte .. was married to a man by the name of James Conner, a Kentuckian by birth.

See note from Morrison's store stating that James Conner was Charlotte's husband.

They lived ten miles north of us.

James and Charlotte Conner lived in Williamsburg township in the Prairie du Rocher area.

My sister went to live with her aunt, but ... she was taken away from her aunt and bound out to Dr. Fisher, with whose family she lived until she became of age.

Dr. Fisher was Eliza's guardian.

In the meantime the Doctor moved to the city of Vandalia, Illinois.

Though Dr. Fisher moved to Vandalia in Fayette County, the people of Randolph County held him in high regard and a monument has been erected near Chester, Illinois to his memory.

I remained with my nurse until I was eight years of age,

This would be about the time that John Doyle died.

when I was taken to my aunt Charlotte's, to be educated. I had been in a family which talked French so long that I had nearly lost all knowledge of my mother tongue. The children at school called me Gumbo, and teased me so much that I became disgusted with the French language and tried to forget it--which has been a disadvantage to me since that time.

He knew enough French to be able to read his baptism record and decipher the birth date there.

I lived in the [Conner] family eight years...

(p. 39) Aunt Charlotte had five children, four girls and one boy: i.e., Minerva C., Amanda, Eliza, Maria and John Edgar. ...

When I was sixteen years old, I concluded to leave my aunt's house.

Family information given to us by JDL

(p. 40) ...I got a letter from my sister, informing me of her marriage to Josiah Nichols, a nephew of Barker Berry, the sheriff of Fayette county, Illinois, and inviting me to visit them. Nichols was a wealthy man, and lived sixteen miles north of Vandalia.

Eliza Virginia married Isaiah Nichols, rather than Josiah Nichols. This could have been misinterpreted by the person who "co-authored" the book.

All I know of my father, after I was eight years of age, is, that he went to Texas in the year 1820, and I have never heard of him since. What his fate was I never knew.

If Ralph went to Texas in 1820, he returned in 1826. He is involved in a court case in Randolph County at that time. Mr. Archambeau owed Ralph money and Ralph won the case. His lawyer was Sidney Breese. John D. Lee would be fourteen at this point in time. It does not look like Ralph looked his son up at that time. Charlotte could have been ornery enough that he didn't dare visit his son.

The phrase, "went to Texas" frequently referred to a person who left town and was never heard from again.

When my mother died, my uncle and aunt Conner took all the property--a large tract of land, several slaves, household and kitchen furniture, and all; and, as I had no guardian, I never received any portion of the property...

The slaves were set free by an act of the Legislature; the land was sold for taxes, and was hardly worth redeeming when I came of age; so I sold my interest in all the land that had belonged to my mother, and made a quit-claim deed to it to Sidney (p.41) Breeze, a lawyer of Kaskaskia, in consideration of $200. My sister, by the kindness of Dr. Fisher, her guardian, received a much greater price for her interest in the land than I did.

I was born on the point of land lying between and above the mouth of the Okaw or Kaskaskia river and the Mississippi river, in what is known as the Great American Bottom--the particular point I refer to was then called Zeal-no-waw, the Island of Nuts. It was nineteen miles from the point of the bluffs to the mouth of the Okaw river; ten miles wide up at the bluffs and tapering to a point where the rivers united. ... This point of land is one of the finest on the globe; there I spent my early years;...

The course of the Mississippi River has changed since John D. Lee lived there. The Mississippi now uses the old Kaskaskia River channel. Where JDL lived is now on the western side of the Mississippi, part of what is now called Kaskaskia Island. It is only accessible from Missouri. The area where his home was is probably now in the Mississippi channel.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I know I have contradicted many things that John D. Lee said. There could be several reasons for the discrepancies. His family information was not from primary sources. His mother did not live long enough to pass family information on to him. The only relatives he had living were his Aunt Charlotte and his elder sister, Eliza. Charlotte's relationship with John D. Lee and his father, Ralph Lee, were not the best. Charlotte was also the younger sister and probably didn't know as much information as her older sister, Elizabeth, would have known. Charlotte may not have even known her mother's name if Chloe died in childbirth having her. I am actually amazed at how much information John D. Lee knew, considering the circumstances.


Sources:
(More will be added to this as I get time.)

Black, Henry Campbell, M.A. Black's Law Dictionary. West Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1968.

Lee, John Doyle. Mormonism Unveiled.

Randolph County Circuit Court. 1832-43 Probate Record.

Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol XIX, No.1, Spring 1987. "Kaskaskia-Randolph County Manuscripts".

Ralph Lee son of Ralph Lee as in IGI or new.familysearch

I received the following comment, at the bottom of the John D. Lee Ancestry blog. It is worth discussing since I have had others email and ask similar questions: ashes said..."Gen 3: Could Ralph Lee b. 1742 d. 1806 and married to Mary b. 1746 potentially be Ralph Lee's b. 1768 parents? I found that info on IGI and am not sure what to do with it...."

If the information for Ralph Lee and Mary in new.family search and the IGI is accurate and in a good location, it could be correct. The ages are good.

The problem is: Are the dates of the parents made up to match Ralph (Jr.'s) age or are they the actual real data? The information needs to be sourced. Even I am guilty of not sourcing in the John D. Lee's Ancestry blog! But I am working on posting why I think the information there is accurate. If you read the rest of the blogs you can see where the information came from and even scans of some of the original documents.

If the Ralph and Mary are the ones I am thinking of, they were found by my grandmother in the late 1960's. She was so excited! But I believe that when my mom and I checked it out Ralph and Mary were a generation older. I don't have good documentation for all of this. My mom was working on the Lees while I was working on the Smiths.

The Ralph Lees that I have in my PAF file from our research are: 1) Ralph Lee b. abt. 1735, died after 1810. I have him as a son of William Lee and Hannah. He was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We have children for him. This is info from my mom so I don't have real good sources on it. 2) Ralph Lee b. about 1685, also a son of a William Lee who also had a wife named Hannah! We figured he was not the son of Hannah, but of William's first (unknown) wife. This Ralph had two wives named Mary, the first (possibly Atkinson), the second Mary King, and a third wife named Sybella. I believe this is the one that is erroneously put as Ralph Lee's father. The temple work on this one was done pre 1970, so I think it was my grandmother who submitted it. Many of this Ralph Lee's records are found in Christ Church of Philadelphia records and History of Bucks County, PA. This Ralph is the half brother to the William Lee who is the father of the first Ralph.

There is another Ralph Lee who married a Mary. Again, this could be the one my grandmother discovered. This Ralph's information is based upon a query by Norma Griffith. This Ralph and Mary were supposed to have died in Baltimore in1783, before the end of the Revolutionary War. Ralph was supposed to have a brother whose name was unknown and Norma Griffith was looking for information on this family. This was the only reference we found about this family.

The Ralph and Mary thing needs to be looked into and either verified or discarded. If it is info my grandmother found, she is long since gone (my mom is 91!) and she won't be able to give us the source, although I do have some old letters and cards she sent me while she was searching that might give some clues.

John D. Lee's Ancestry (as we currently have it)

1st Gen: John Doyle Lee birth:. 6 Sept 1812 Kaskaskia, Randolph County, Illinois. (baptism certificate see copy in July blog titled “John D Lee’s Birth and Ralph Lee”)

Death: 23 March 1877 Mountain Meadows, Washington, Utah.

2nd Gen: John Doyle Lee's parents are:

Ralph Lee

birth: 1768 (if he was a carpenter apprentice in Baltimore, MD as JDL said he was. Verified by apprenticeship paper. See copy in July blog titled “John D Lee’s Birth and Ralph Lee” )

m. 26 February 1811 Randolph County, Illinois (Verified by marriage certificate. Copy in July blog titled “Elizabeth Doyle’s marriage to Ralph Lee and children”)

Ralph Lee’s death date and place are unknown
and Elizabeth Doyle (NOT Sarah Elizabeth Doyle. See March blog “Ralph Lee married Elizabeth Doyle Reed.”)

born. abt. 1785 in Randolph County, Illinois. (estimated. Her father was the head of a household before 1783. He came to the area in 1781, so probably married in 1782. Elizabeth’s first child was born in 1806. If she were 20 when she had her first child she was born in 1786. She needs to be born between 1783 and 1790. According to the 1810 census she is born between 1784 and 1794.Elizabeth Doyle married 1) Oliver Reed (church records say Henry Oliver Reed) no marriage date is given and no record has been found of the marriage, but their first known child was born in 4 Aug 1806 (baptism record). Estimated marriage 1805, estimated birth for Elizabeth 1785; If JDL’s info that she married her first husband in 1799 is correct, she needs to be born before 1790!

Previous information for her birthplace has been given as Nashville, Tennessee. The odds are 6/7 that this is not correct. See copy of deposition (in March blog “John Doyle married Chloe Smith”)given by her father, John Doyle, saying that he came to Illinois in 1781 and never left until the fall of 1789. Elizabeth would have to be born in Illinois unless she were born in 1790. The land that John Doyle owned was in Randolph County.

Elizabeth died in November 1815 according to court records in Randolph County. (See copy in July post “John D. Lee’s birth and Ralph Lee.”)

3rd Gen: Ralph Lee's parents are unknown. We are currently trying to get DNA samples from possible relatives to figure where to go next!

Elizabeth Doyle's parents are

John Doyle

b. 20 Sept 1760 Albemarle County, Virginia (History of Albemarle County, Revolutionary War records) (See April blog “John Doyle and John Dyal and Revolutionary Records)

m. abt. 1782 probably in Randolph County, Illinois.

If it were earlier it would have been at Ft. Jefferson or Clarksville, Lincoln County –now Livingston County- Kentucky;

d. October 1819 Randolph County, Illinois

His son-in-law, James Conner said he died about 29 October, (see deposition in March blog “John Doyle of Illinois not married to Evaline”) but I believe he died on the 20th of October. On the 21st of October James Conner is listed in court cases along with John Doyle. Previous to that John Doyle had been listed by himself.

and Chloe Smith

b. abt. 1766; Virginia, probably Bedford County.

(NOT Evaline. See March blog “John Doyle of Illinois not married to Evaline”)

The reason I have her born in 1766: In her father’s will, although she is listed as being married, she is listed with the younger unmmarried daughter, receiving like inheritance rather than with the two other daughters who are also married. Her parents were married in 1761. With children two years apart the earliest she could be born is 1766 if she is the third child. At that rate she would be 16 when she got married.

Bedford County is where her father owned land at the time.

Death after 1794 place unknown. Her daughter, Charlotte, was probably born about 1794. If Chloe died between 1789 and 1796 she didn’t die in Illinois. Charlotte said she was born near Nashville, Kentucky, so that could be where she died. No proof has been found of the Doyle family going to Davidson County, Tennessee.

Censuses showing when Charlotte was born:

CENSUS: 1810 Illinois, Randolph, John Doyle head of household 2 females 16-26 (Elizabeth and Charlotte) b. between 1784-1794

CENSUS: 1820 Illinois, Randolph, Williamsburg township, James Conner is head of household. Charlotte is 26-45, (born between 1775 and 1794.)

CENSUS: 1840 Illinois, Randolph p. 213 James Conner head of household Charlotte age 40-50. (born between 1790 and 1800)

CENSUS: 1850 Census: Illinois, Randolph, Prarie du Rocher. Page 100 line 24. dwelling #7 - family #17, Charlotte Connor age 55, female, born in Illinois. 1850 United States Federal Census. Living with daughter, Minerva Lynch and children.

Estimated birth year: abt 1795

Charlotte may have fudged on her age in her later years. She had a daughter that became 10 years younger between the first census she was on and the last census she was on!

4th Gen: John Doyle's parents are

Dennis Doyle, Jr.

b. 1732, (tombstone) (See April blog “John Doyle Ancestry”) place unknown, but between Massachusetts and Virginia;

d. 30 June 1795 (tombstone) (See April blog “John Doyle Ancestry”)

buried in Stafford County, Virginia.

and Katherine last name unknown

b. abt. 1732; (tombstone) (See April blog “John Doyle Ancestry”)

d. 25 October 1794. (tombstone) (See April blog “John Doyle Ancestry”)

Chloe Smith's parents are

Henry Smith

b. between 1734 and 1736; Virginia

In April of 1755 Henry is NOT 21. His step-father is joint in court cases until this time.

1734 BIRTH: Virginia. Henry sells land in December 1755.

1736 BIRTH: Virginia. Henry was born in 1736 according to his testimony given at court in Kaskaskia. He said he was 45 in 1781.

I put 1734. He may have forgotten or wanted to be a little younger in the court case. He was 15 to 20 years older than the rest of the people concerned in the case.

m. 26 May 1761 Bedford County Virginia; (marriage certificate) (See copy in May blog “Henry Smith’s marriages: 1) Mary Burks/Birks, 2) Margaret widow of Gideon Garrett”)

d. between 19 August 1789 and 15 Sept 1789. Killed by Indians place unknown. Will probated in Lincoln County, Kentucky.

and Mary Burks b. abt 1740 Amherst County,Virginia;

She did not need consent when she got married in 1761.

d. 1781. (See Mary’s death segment in May blog “Henry Smith’s marriages: 1) Mary Burks/Birks, 2) Margaret widow of Gideon Garrett”)

5th Gen: Dennis Doyle, Jr's parents are

Dennis Doyle, Sr

b. abt 1700 in Ireland;

m. 9 December 1731 Boston,, Massachusetts;

d. abt 1760 Albemarle County, Virginia

and Elizabeth Cunningham.

This information is from the late Stella Shamo of Hurricane, UT. Her presentation at our family reunion is included in my April blogs “John Doyle and John Dyal and Revolutionary Records” and “John Doyle Ancestry.”

Katherine's parents are unknown but she and her husband are buried in the Brent Catholic Cemetery, a small family cemetery in Stafford Co., VA.

Henry Smith's parents are

Edmond Smith

b. abt. 1710; place unknown (estimated from Henry’s birth)

m. abt. 1733; place unknown (estimated from Henry’s birth)

d. May 1746 Lunenburg County, Virginia (probate court records)

and Anne

b. abt 1714. (estimated)

Anne married William Hays/Hayes after Edmond's death and before September 1747. (Court records)

Mary Burks parents are probably

Samuel Burks, Jr.

b. abt 1704;

m. abt. 1725;

d. 1753 Albemarle County, Virginia (probate records)

and Elizabeth last name unknown

b. abt. 1709.

Mary and her sister Elizabeth’s guardian was John Peartree Burks, brother of Samuel Burks, Jr.

6th Gen: Dennis Doyle's parents in Ireland are unknown.

Elizabeth Cunningham's father is John Kunningham. (Information from Stella Shamo – see above.)

Edmond and Anne Smith's parents are unknown.

Samuel Burks, Jr.'s parents are

Samuel Burks, Sr.

b. abt. 1680;

m. abt. 1703;

d. bef. 12 Feb1756 Saint Anne's Parish, Albemarle, Virginia, (probate records)

and Mary Davis

b. abt. 1685; d. 1770.

7th Gen: * The parents of Mary Davis are
Nathaniel Davis
b. abt 1650;
m. abt 1680
and Elizabeth Hughes
b. abt 1654.

8th Gen: The parents of Nathaniel Davis were
an unknown son of 9th Gen: William Davis and Elizabeth Jonathan.

The parents of Elizabeth Hughes were
a "trader" Hughes, possibly Rice or Rees
m. abt 1650
and an Indian maiden, Nicketti.

9th Gen: There is controversy as to who Nicketti's father was, but Davises say that he was a Cayuga Chieftan and
her mother was Cleopatra (her Anglicized name), half sister of Pocahontas.

* The lineage from Mary Davis (7th Gen) back has not been proven. The information is from the Davis family tradition.

Henry Smith's marriages: 1) Mary Burks/Birks 2) Margaret, widow of Gideon Garrett

Henry Smith married 1) Mary Birks/Burks in Bedford County, Virginia 26 May, 1761.

Henry Smith married 2) Margaret, widow of Gideon Garrett about 1781 probably in Kentucky. By the time Henry died, Margaret was living in Kentucky. Historians in Garrard County, Kentucky did not know the first wife's name, but knew that Margaret was the widow of Gideon Garrett, so she was probably from Kentucky.

Steps used to find Henry's marriages:

1) Look for spouse of Henry Smith.

Children's guardianship

Henry Smith's will, found in court records of Lincoln County, Kentucky, named his current wife, Margaret, and living children. (See information under "John Doyle married Chloe Smith" proving that Henry Smith of Illinois also lived in Kentucky.) His three eldest daughters, Leddy Duff, Sarah St. Onge and Chloe Doyle were married and are not mentioned in later guardianship proceedings. The other two living children from his first marriage, Henry and Elizabeth, were over fourteen years of age and were old enough to select their own guardians, Samuel and Isham Burks.

Found: Henry Smith married to Margaret, widow of Gideon Garrett.

Margaret, was assigned to be the guardian of her son Liberty Smith, son of Henry, and her son, Henry Garrett-Smith, son of Gideon Garrett. These boys were younger than fourteen, so they were assigned a guardian rather than getting to chose a guardian. When Margaret married a third time to Joseph Jones in 1791, guardianship for Liberty and Henry Garrett was changed to Henry's brothers. The two sons were still less than fourteen years old. Because Henry Garrett, Margaret's son by a previous marriage, and Liberty Smith, her son by Henry are younger than Henry's other children, this shows that Margaret was a second wife for Henry.

2) Find Henry's first wife.

Henry Smith, Jr. and Elizabeth Smith were wards of Isham and Samuel Burks. Court records and the division of Henry's estate show this.

"By Henry Smith Junr Lagacy paid to Isham Burks his guardian 73.9.5
By Chloe Dials Lagacy paid to her husband John Dial agreable to the will 46.8.5
By Elizabeth Smiths Lagacy paid to Samuel Burks her guardian" 69.7.5
(amounts in pounds, shillings and pence)

In researching Samuel and Isham Burks, the guardians for Henry's middle children, it was found that they did not live in Lincoln County, Kentucky at the time, but in a more distant county in Kentucky. They must have some relationship to the family. With both of them having the last name of Burks, it was highly likely that Henry's first wife had the last name of Burks.

3) Look for Henry Smith married to a woman with the last name of Burks.

In court in Illinois, Henry Smith stated that he was a native of Virginia.

4) Look in Virginia for Henry Smith married to a woman with the last name of Burks.

Virginia Records

Records in Botetourt County, Virginia had Henry transferring land with a John Burks. When Henry sold land, his wife was listed as Mary.

5) Look for Henry Smith in Virginia married to a Mary Burks.

The search was expanded to Bedford County, Virginia where at an earlier date, Henry was found having land dealings again with Burks.

In Bedford County a marriage record was found between Henry Smith, bachelor and Mary Birks, spinster. Because consent didn't have to be given, Mary must be of age. The security was John Partree Burks.

Marriage certificate of Henry Smith and Mary Birks showing Henry's signature and the signature of John Partree Birks

Found!! Henry Smith married Mary Burks in Bedford County, Virginia 26 May 1761.

Children listed for John Partree Burks were Samuel, Isham and John Burks. This is the Samuel and Isham who become Henry and Mary's children's guardians. The boys (Samuel, Isham and John) are quite a bit younger than Mary. John Partree Burks also gave consent in Bedford County to the marriage of Elizabeth Burks. Neither time does he give relationship as their father.

Mary's father

In doing further research, John Partree Burks' father was Samuel Burks, Sr. Samuel Sr. had a son, Samuel Jr. who died before Samuel Sr. did. Samuel Jr., John Partree's brother, left many under-aged children. Two of his younger daughters were Mary and Elizabeth. John Partree got married about the time Samuel Jr. died. I believe that John Partree Burks became the guardian of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth would be raised in John Partree's home and Samuel, Isham and John would be raised as their younger brothers.

John Partree Burks died in Bedford County, Virginia, but his son John Burks was found in many of the same areas as Henry. They both lived in Botetourt County at the same time, having land dealings with each other. They were both at Ft. Jefferson on the Mississipi River at the same time. This is also an indication of family ties.

Mary's death

We learn information about Mary's death in the Draper Papers from correspondence between Col. John Floyd, Mary's second cousin, and Col. William Preston, a neighbor of Henry Smith's family on Pott's Creek in Botetourt County.

1781 APRIL 26 Letter from Col. John Floyd to Col. William Preston. "...and poor Henry Smith has lost his wife and almost the whole family by sickness at Illinois."

The previous letter was written on September 5, 1780.

Summary

Henry Smith married Mary Burks, ward of John Partree Burks, in Bedford County, Virginia on 26 May 1761. Mary died before April 26, 1781. Henry owned land both in Illinois and Kentucky. Shortly after Mary died in Illinois, Henry married Margaret, widow of Gideon Garrett, probably in Kentucky.

Comparison of John Doyles who served in the Revolution

I am putting these comparisons here so that people can see the differences in the John Doyles who served in the Revolution. Most of this information is from DAR records. Some is from pension records and the information on John D. Lee's ancestor is from research Stella and I did. This newer information on John D. Lee's ancestor, John Doyle, was submitted to DAR in 2007.

No wonder the differences between these four John Doyles has been difficult to sort out. Two came from Pennsylvania, but only one was born there, both served with Pennsylvania troops. Two were born in Virginia, two served with George Rogers Clark, but in different locations, one was born in Maryland and another was married in Maryland, two were privates and two were officers!

1) DOYLE, JOHN (Grandfather of John D. Lee)

Service: VIRGINIA

Rank: PRIVATE

Birth: 1760 Albemarle Co. Virginia

Death: 20 Oct 1819 KASKASKIA RANDOLPH CO ILLINOIS

Service Description: CAPT THOMAS, COL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK

Wife: Chloe Smith.

Parents: Dennis Doyle and Katherine

Children: Elizabeth Doyle Reed Lee and Charlotte Doyle Conner

Note: John D. Lee and Charlotte Doyle Conner filed for a pension for John Doyle. It went to Congress, but was lost in committee. Actions taken are available in the American State Papers.

Note 2: It has long been known that John Doyle married a Smith, a daughter of Henry Smith. Charlotte and Elizabeth, John D. Lee's aunt and mother, inherited land from Henry through their mother. John D. Lee and his sister Eliza also inherited part of the land when their mother died.

2) DOYLE, JOHN

Service: PENNSYLVANIA

Rank: CAPTAIN

Birth: 10 May 1758 WEXFORD IRELAND

Death: 12 May 1850 PHILADELPHIA, PHILADELPHIA CO, PENNSYLVANIA

Service Description: INDEPENDENT CO

Wife: Anna Marie Walsh

Child: James

Notes: There was a John Doyle from Pennsylvania that became a Major. He also went back to Pennsylvania and died. He had several documents in the American State Papers dealing with Congress. This could be the same person. This person could possibly have filed a pension, although it is not listed in DAR records. He was alive late enough to apply.

3) DOYLE, JOHN

Service: MARYLAND

Rank: PRIVATE

Birth: 1748 MARYLAND

Death: 3 Jun 1837 KNOXVILLE KNOX CO TENNESSEE

Pension Number: *S38665 Filed for the pension in person

Service Description:1) CAPT LYNCH
2) COL SMALLWOOD, Lt COL FORREST

This John Doyle had two wives. The first wife is unknown, but the second wife was Evaline Formwalty.

Known children for him are James, John and William. Apparently they are all children of the first wife.

Note: Did not sign his name, but made a mark. This is one of the John Doyle's our John Doyle has been confused with the most. Our John Doyle has had Evaline listed as his wife.

4) DOYLE, JOHN (John Dyal - Descendants are Doyals)

Service: PENNSYLVANIA

Rank: PRIVATE (Later became an officer)

Birth: 27 Nov 1762 WINCHESTER - FREDERICK CO VIRGINIA

Md: on 6 Apr 1797 Christine Davis b. 12 Mar 1778 at Cecil Co. MD

Death: 8 Dec 1845 LEWIS CO. KENTUCKY

Pension Number: S*W2082 He filed for the pension himself and his widow also filed.

Service Description: 1) CAPTS HORD & BENJAMIN WHALEY, Pennsylvania Continental Line.
Also served with Colonel Floyd and George Rogers Clark in Kentucky, Served with Capt Haynes or Hynes company of rangers. John was commissioned a captain in 1789 when his captain died. Also served with Captain Harmer.

Wife: Christina Davis

Children: Rebeckah, David D., John W., Elizabeth, Susanna, Ann, Edward T. and Juan.

Note: He was a Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff of Kentucky.

Note 2: Both our John Doyle and this John Doyle served with George Rogers Clark, but this John Doyle served in Kentucky and our John Doyle served in Illinois. After the Revolution they both returned to the areas where they served.