Re: Calvin Boswell
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In reply to:
Re: Calvin Boswell
Howard Boswell 7/03/09
Howard,
You are like one-stop shopping for Boswell information! I have Calvin Boswell's obituary from 1937. I need desperately to find living decendants of Calvin who may have knowledge of their lineage from Calvin back two or three generations. I am almost to the point of asking for help with DNA testing to confirm my suspicions of my line and break down the wall staring me in the face for almost ten years. I believe my 2x great-grandfather James Samuel Boswell to be a brother to Calvin Boswell.
Samuel was born in 1841 in Overton County, TN, and Calvin was born in 1849 in Overton County, TN. Three Boswell brothers were prominent in the county during this decade. Two of the brothers were married and census records are consistent from 1850 to 1880 with children's names and ages for these two brothers. The third brother Samuel never married according to oral history, but he purportedly fathered children with two different women.
My Samuel does not show up in the census until 1870 when he was married with an infant daughter. Calvin does not show until 1870 when he is listed "at home" with his mother Elizabeth and sister Margaret Missouri. Elizabeth was head of household and gave their name as Boswell. She was living on the old Samuel Boswell farm and gave her age as 45, born in NC. In 1850 she was living with her family (Reuben Hargis NC) and age was listed as 25, born in NC. The Hargis dwelling/household was next to old Samuel Boswell.
There is no record of marriage between Samuel Boswell and Elizabeth Hargis. Calvin Boswell obituary lists Samuel Boswell as his father but no mention of his mother. When Margaret Missouri married Allen Sewell Ledford she gave her last name as Hargis! So it appears Elizabeth Hargis wanted the Boswell name for the children . . . Calvin took the name but Margaret claimed Hargis.
We have two children of old Samuel Boswell with Elizabeth Hargis. Was there another woman and who was she? The other woman he fathered a child(ren) with could be my Samuel's mother!
There has been much mystery and speculation about the Samuel Boswells of Overton County, TN. My Samuel was born 1841 TN and died 1929 TN. The older Samuel b.1812 TN mentioned above was one of three sons of Andrew Boswell VA. Richard b.1809 VA was the oldest and Andrew J. b.1816 TN was the youngest. The father Andrew from Virginia was the son of Samuel Boswell VA who died in 1850 in Overton County, TN. Another Samuel VA who left TN and moved 1st to AL and eventually 2nd to IL was a brother to Andrew and son of eldest Samuel d.1850. From all I have gathered from many sources the pieces of the Samuel Boswell puzzle fit together as I have described. My Samuel along with Calvin look like good fits to the puzzle but I wish I could shape their edges to make a positive fit.
Thanks for all the family info. I don't know how you do it. If you come across more on this line I welcome all that you discover.
Mike