The Curious Case of Elizabeth X
... and other Fireworks
Dear Reader:
There are times when genealogy is much like a game of horseshoes.
Oh, it's not supposed to be. Genealogy, of course, is supposed to adhere to an unequivocal command of unswerving truth. You know, the stuff found in vital records, Last Wills and Testaments, and all sorts of "original things." No doubt, all of that is as it should be. These things are meant to guide us to the undeniable facts of who our ancestors were, how they related to each other, and indeed, of who each of us is today.
Spoiler alert: It doesn't always work out that way. I think any good genealogist will secretly admit to you that this isn't always possible, or, at the very least, they might stare blankly into space when asked: What constitutes absolute proof? Is it DNA? Is it a family Bible record? Is it contained in the oral history of a deathbed confession? The proofs are often only as good as the knowledge of the person who prepared them.
Genealogists may only whisper about this, that is, about the idea of what constitutes proof. They may cloak it in terms like "genealogical analysis" or "achieving the proof standard." Really, though, it's just approximating what is (or isn't) known with any certainty and to what degree they will either 'decree' something "true" or what they will definitively declare as false.
Such is the case of Elizabeth X.
As usual, please allow me to digress...
You may recall me blathering on about trying to fill in the branches of any family tree with a couple of what I think are cool or somehow necessary folks that everyone should have – that is, beyond the myriad of ordinary lives that often get lost in the mists of time. Not to bore you, but they're the usual: I look for Revolutionary War patriots (or a decent Loyalist), a Mayflower ancestor (or if that won't work, someone on the Welcome), a connection to a Salem Witch (or, failing that, to your mean old fifth-grade teacher!), a Hollywood or otherwise notable celebrity worth their weight (again, preferably no Kardashians), a Gateway Ancestor (because who doesn't want a pinch of decent snobbery), and of course, a Jamestowne Ancestor.
So lately, I've been trying to find those things for Kevin.
Last we spoke, I mentioned his O'Neal ancestors Katharine and Zachariah, or as I like to call them, "Katy and Zach." Those two might just hold the clues to each of these things.
So let's get started:
Above: The marriage record for Katharine "Katy" Perry and Zachariah O'Neal - Kevin's great-great-great-grandparents.
This genealogical near-miss, starting with Katharine (Perry) O'Neal, became the thread that unraveled major family connections. Not only did it lead me to the mysterious Elizabeth X, but also to Stephen Hamlin, Kevin's Jamestowne ancestor, and even to a royal lineage for Kevin through the Gateway Ancestor, Henry Wyche.
Hear me out... We can start with "Jamestowne."
There is a lot of genealogy here and much of it unfinished. However, I'm only going to include a brief overview and some pointers to guide anyone interested in looking at these lines for further research, and it will come over in two parts: a part for Stephen Hamlin and a part for Henry Wynche.
I think you will quickly see that an interesting portion of it hinges on the discussion of "Elizabeth X." I'll try not to give more information than needed. (The generations from Zachariah O'Neal and "Katy Perry" to Kevin are pretty self-evident.) However, I do want to make sure that Kevin will see that I've done my best to support the "proof standard" and provide what I can.
And, of course, I wanted to introduce you to Elizabeth X.
Okay, let's back up and go to Jamestowne first to get to Kevin's ancestor Stephen Hamlin...To get there, I needed something to show a marriage of Katharine (Perry) O'Neal's parents, Cecelia "Celia" Horton and Phillip Perry. To do this, I fell back on a DAR lineage application - while not strictly proof, I think it will do for our purposes here:
Above: DAR lineage application for National no 869736 for ancestor A058725
Note: The lineage linking Katharine (Perry) O'Neal to her parents is lacking in this instance. The specific relationship needs to be augmented beyond submitted family trees. That being said, the US Census for 1820 shows both Zachariah O'Neal's father, Britain O'Neal, and Katharine Perry's father, Phillip Perry, both living in Habersham County, supporting the idea that the families were connected, and implying that Katharine was indeed Phillip's daughter.
As you will see in the DAR records, I'm not the first person to encounter this particular Elizabeth X. Further, I think it's interesting to note that no one seems to disagree that "Elizabeth, wife of William Horton," was in fact born Elizabeth Brewer, daughter of George Brewer,II. There are records and family associations all around this, but none that will say so definitively. There are so many records that fall outside the pale that support that William's wife was "Elizabeth Brewer," that everyone thinks so, but they just won't commit to it.
Check this out:
"...There is substantial evidence that the Brewer and Horton families were closely associated. In 1748, the Brunswick County, VA, poll list showed the presence of George Wyche (brother of Abigail Wyche, who married George Brewer, Jr.). Continuing down the list, William Wyche is listed, and then almost adjacent, Amos Horton (father of Capt. William Horton), adjacent George Brewer (George Brewer, Jr.), father of Elizabeth. Other close relatives are listed nearby, including John Peebles, Richard Lanier, and William Brewer..."
Getting from Captain William Horton (who married Elizabeth [X] Brewer) to Jamestowne ancestor Stephen Hamlin can be mostly traced in printed sources.
Above: John Bennett Boddie, Historical Southern Families, vol. 19 (Baltimore: Clearfield Publishing Co., 1974), 90–91.
Above: Hazel Parker John, Book Two of the Samuel Jones Family, Kershaw County, South Carolina (Privately Published, 1991), 13.
While the above image is a transcription from a secondary source (Yes, I know, somewhere a DAR and Mayflower State Historian are screaming into their pillows at such a genealogical faux pas), this book is still under copyright, so I wasn't able to see what sources it used. The information contained here, though, is consistent with what I found elsewhere. It is, however, hearsay. And while I am comfortable presenting the line from Kevin to Jamestown ancestor Stephen Hamlin, I would be remiss not to say that the generation of "William Horton, son of Amos Horton and Sarah Peebles" needs additional documentation.
But what about our heroine in this story? What about the wife of William Horton, Elizabeth X?
What about getting to Henry Wynche?
Check out her father, George Brewer II's Last Will & Testament:
And especially this part:
Well, it looks like "Elizabeth X," presumed to be "one and the same" in several sources as "Elizabeth Brewer, daughter of George Brewer II, and wife of William Horton," came with her own "Negro wench."
Anyway, getting from here (that is, from Elizabeth "X" [Brewer's Horton) to Henry Wynche is, aside from navigating around Elizabeth's presumed identity, a cinch. Elizabeth's X's presumed mother, Abigail (Wynche) Brewer, ties it all up:
Above: William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 14 (1906): 59–61, from Henry Wyche to Abigail (Wyche) Brewer
Above: Gary Boyd Roberts, Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants... (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2008), 526;
(Signed, of course, by) ... none other than,
"Elizabeth X."
☮
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