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I have come across a number of family trees with the wrong husband for Mary "Polly" Ann Clingan, daughter of A.A. Clingan and Martha J. Blythe. Although it is true Polly did marry a man named John Spriggs, there seems to be some confusion as to which one. I believe a mixup has happened because there are several men with the same name.
While researching my Spriggs line, I was surprised to realize that the data for Polly Ann Clingan's husband varied from tree to tree, and when I tried to reconcile details against the Census records, it was immediately clear that two of the husbands were were very unlikely. There were big problems with one man in particular, John T. Spriggs, but that left two John M. Spriggs, cousins both born around the same time. In the end, only one man corresponded to the Census records as Polly's husband. Additional genealogical narratives convince me that he is the right choice.
I will give you details about this John Spriggs as well as the other men so that you can make up your own mind. Each of the John Spriggs can be distinguished from another by their birth dates and locations, so I will use those facts to lay out who is, and who isn't, a likely husband for Ms. Clingan. I will also layout some Census details about Polly which I have used as comparison benchmarks to determine who she really did marry.
Mary "Polly"Ann Clingan, born 9 Sep 1831, in Rhea, TN, daughter of Alexander Adam Clingan and Martha Jennie Bythe. Polly was born Mary Ann, but it seems she also went by Polly, a very common nickname for Mary. Polly's first appearance in the Bradley County, Tennessee Census is in 1850 as a teenager named Mary, living with her parents. By 1860, she is a married woman, living with her husband John Spriggs in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Her name is given as Mary. Her husband is a few years older than she is, born in March 1827, in Tennessee, and he is a farmer. His real estate is valued at $5,000, and his personal property is valued at $2,000. Polly appears as M.A. in the 1880 Bradley County, Tennessee Census with her husband John, but by 1900 John is a widower in the James County, Tennessee Census.
Now, let me compare all three men named John Spriggs.
John (T. or Thomas) Spriggs, b. 14 Nov 1787, in Greenville, SC; father: Thomas Spriggs of Greenville, South Carolina. Documented wife: Theodocia McKinney. Residence: Amicalola, Dawson or Lumpkin, GA. Appears in 1850 Amicalola Census, living with Theodocia (though her name is badly misspelled). He is 70 years old.
Problems: While there are historical records, from the Family Data Collection and U.S. and International Records 1560 to 1900, to document John's marriage to Theodocia, his birth, the birth of his children, and death of his wife Theodocia, there are no records that he married Polly. It also appears that Theodocia survived her husband, so unless we can prove John divorced Theodocia before he died, there is little chance he legally took a second wife. Plus, there are no historical records to confirm a marriage to Polly. Nor are there any records or family trees to show the birth of any children outside of John's marriage to Theodocia. This is critical because the 1860 and 1880 Census records tell us that Polly Ann did have children with her husband John.
Also problematical is the fact that Census records place Polly in Tennessee and John in Georgia. Amicalola, GA is at least 80 miles from Cleveland, TN, and travel between these towns would not be easy, at least not according to a narrative from Isabel Cobb, b. 1858, referring to a time when her Aunt Polly got married.
"... there was a large plank for a mounting board - everybody rode horseback in the early day - not even buggies had come into use, so the women and girls had to have an elevation from which to mount their horses which in those days were saddled for them with side saddles - disgraceful to ride astride. What was called the Big Road passed in front of the house running north and south from Cleveland several miles north till it turned West and crossed Candy's Creek bridge and east to Georgetown." found at at http://www.geocities.com/dannyroywilliams/cobb/isabelcobb.html.
All I can say is if John T. Spriggs did find the opportunity to woo Ms. Clingan, travelling a distance of 80-some miles by horseback sounds unrealistic for a man who would have been well over 70 years old at the time.
John T.'s age is the single most damning evidence to invalidate him as the right husband. Based on the 1850 Bradley County Census, we know Polly was born in Sep1831, and the 1860 Bradley County Census gives her husband's birth is given as1827, in Tennessee. Genealogical records give John T. Spriggs a birth date and place of 14 Nov 1787, in Greenville, South Carolina. There is a difference of 44 years between Polly and John T. Spriggs, and this age difference alone means he is not a realistic choice. With a lack of marriage and divorce records, proximity and opportunity, there is no reasonable basis to believe John T. Spriggs married Polly Clingan.
John (D. or M. or Milton) Spriggs, b. 5 Nov 1826, in Greenville, South Carolina; father: John T. Spriggs (yes, oddly enough, both father and son appear as husbands for Polly Clingan.) This John Spriggs was born in Greenville South Carolina. He is a grandson of Thomas Spriggs of Greenville, South Carolina. Residence: migrated to Amicalola, Georgia with his parents at age 16, and migrated to California as a young man. Documented wives: Sarah Ann Carroll and Nancy Emiline Hopper. John and first wife Sarah Ann Carroll appear together in the 1860 Cache Creek, Yolo, California Census, but when the 1870 San Joaquin, Stanislaus, CA Census was taken, John has already married his second wife, Nancy Emiline. John and Nancy Emiline also appear in the 1880 Oristimba, Stansislaus, California Census, as well.
Problems: There are no records to prove this John Spriggs married Polly, although his other two marriages have been documented. Also, the lack of opportunity is very hard to overlook. Based on a narrative attached to a One World Tree on Ancestry.com, which gives an account of his life, the likelihood of a marriage between this man and Polly seems highly unlikely.
"Name: John Milton SPRIGGS # Sex: M # Birth: 5 NOV 1826 in Greenville, SC # Death: 10 JAN 1891 in Klondike, Or # Fact 1: See Note Page # Note: John lived in Greenville until the age of sixteen when he emigrated to Lumpkin Co. GA where he was a merchant. In the spring of 1850 he left his wife and child with her parents and went with a wagon train to El Dorado, California. Six of the twelve travelers died of cholera before the journey was over. At Sweet Water, Spriggs and another gentleman left the train and traveled by foot with only a pack pony between them. They survived on prairie dogs and wild rose berries. They reached Georgetown, El Dorado Co. Sept. 1, 1850. His attempt at mining only netted him eight dollars a day, and after a while he returned home. But the lure of California remained with him. In 1852 he brought his family back, wintering at Gold Hill in Placer Co., then moving on to Knight's Landing, Yolo Co., then to St. Helena, Napa Co, where he managed a hotel. On Sept. 11, 1868, Spriggs and his second wife Nancy took their family to Stanislaus Co. where they farmed and raised sheep. The 2500 acre farm was located 25 miles from Modesto, near church, school and an irrigation canal. In rich soil they produced sixteen to thirty bushels of wheat per acre. The remaining 1400 acres of rolling hills were enclosed by an eight mile long fence. One hundred head of cattle roamed the hills. He also owned eight mules, twelve horses and some hogs. Facts about this person: Record Change August 08, 1994 Father: John SPRIGGS b: 14 NOV 1787 in SC Mother: Theodosia MCKINNEY b: 13 AUG 1798 in SC Marriage 1 Sarah Adeline CARROLL b: 26 NOV 1827 in Habersham, GA * Married: 11 DEC 1845 in Blairsville, Union, GA Children 1. Has Children Florida America SPRIGGS b: 2 FEB 1848 in Blairsville, Union, GA 2. Has No Children Signora Carolina SPRIGGS b: 14 NOV 1850 in GA 3. Has No Children Sonora C. SPRIGGS b: 19 SEP 1853 in CA 4. Has No Children John Milton SPRIGGS b: 7 APR 1856 in CA 5. Has Children Georgia Ann SPRIGGS b: 13 NOV 1858 in CA 6. Has No Children Mary Jane SPRIGGS b: 10 SEP 1860 in CA Marriage 2 Nancy E. HOPPER b: WFT Est. 1824-1850 * Married: 1867 in St.Helena, Napa, CA Children 1. Has No Children Lillian E. SPRIGGS b: 25 JUN 1868 in CA 2. Has No Children Etta S. SPRIGGS b: 21 APR 1871 in CA." Found at http://awtc.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=*v50t0635&id=I1441
Because thirty years of Census records in California and a family narrative indicate John M. Spriggs, b. 5 Nov 1826, permanently settled out west. It seems very unlikely that he concurrently married Polly Clingan and lived simultaneously in Tennessee and California. Even if we wanted to believe he was the right John Spriggs, he would be ruled out because his birth year and place do not match the 1860 Hamilton County Census.
This leaves us with only one person left to consider. His birth date and place exactly line up with the 1860 Hamilton County Census. Also, the 1850 Bradley County Census tells us he was raised in the same community as the Clingan family, and therefore it is reasonable to assume he had the opportunity to marry one of their daughters. For these reasons I believe he is the right John Spriggs.
John (M. or Milton) Spriggs, b. Mar 1827, Bradley County, Tennessee; father: Ezekiel Spriggs, grandson of Thomas Spriggs of Greenville, South Carolina; Residence: 1850 Bradley County, Tennessee, 1860 Hamilton County, Tennessee, 1880 Bradley County, Tennessee, and 1900 James County, Tennessee.
This John M. Spriggs first appears in the 1850 Bradley County Census, still living at home with his father--although the Census taker spells the surname "Sprigs". His age is 23, and his place of birth is Tennessee. Both details match the 1860 Hamilton County Census which include Polly Clingan living with husband John Spriggs. Census records tell us they were part of the same community, and therefore had the opportunity to fall in love and get married. In 1850, Polly and John each lived with their parents in Bradley Co., TN. By 1860, the Hamilton Co., TN Census tells us they had married, had a son and settled in Tennessee-- clearly not out west in California where the other John M. Spriggs and wife Sarah were living in Yolo Co., CA the same year. Polly and John also appear in the 1880 Bradley Co., TN Census. Although it is likely the couple moved a time or two, I have a hunch that they did not move as often as the census records indicates. I have a vague recollection that county lines dissolved or redrawn a few times in the early years of statehood.
Polly's real husband John M. appears one more time in the 1900 Census, as a widower living in James County, TN. His birth month and year are given as March, 1827. This is significant because the other John M. Spriggs, the one who migrated to California, has a documented birth date of 5 Nov 1826. The differing dates helps to unravel some of the confusion between two different men with identical names.
Other clues to the true identity of Polly Clingan's her real husband can be found in the narrative of Isabel Cobb which mentions their courtship and marriage and that they made their home near Ooltewah. Ooltewah is a critical piece of information because it links Polly's husband with Ezekiel Spriggs, an early settler in Bradley County, TN with an extensive farmstead between near Cleveland and Ooltewah. It is very likely that the house and large farm mentioned in the Cobb narrative were given to John by his father Ezekiel.
"Aunt Polly, Aunt Lizzie, Aunt Martha and Mother Evaline all left the home nest before the Civil War broke out. Andrew F. Cowan claimed Aunt Lizzie and carried her off to Morganton, Blount Co. where he ran a store. John Spriggs wooed and won Aunt Polly and lived near Ooltawah in a big 2 story frame house on a farm. Jos. B. Cobb met Evaline at her sister's in Morganton and it was not long till they were married, Dec. 1857 and went to Morganton his home town to live, at first with father's mother, his father having died in 1856 of pneumonia and also his young brother James. But Mother wanted a house of her own, so they moved to a double log cabin where I [Isabel] was born October 25, 1858." found at http://www.geocities.com/dannyroywilliams/cobb/isabelcobb.html.
There is one final reason which I believe proves John Spriggs, b.Mar 1827, TN, was the real husband of Polly Ann Clingan, and that is the fact they named their first son Alexander after Polly's father, and their second son Ezekiel after John's father.
Hopefully I have convinced you that the genealogical information in your tree needs to be re-evaluated and changed. As I see it, only one John Spriggs lines up with the 1860 Bradley County, TN Census, married to Polly Clingan. Moreover, there are clues to her husband's true identity in his other census records and the narrative by Isabel Cobb, and by default, he is the only one who makes sense when we review the census and other historical records available for the other two men named John Spriggs. However, if you have documents or other information to prove that either John T. Spriggs or his son John M. really did marry Ms. Clingan, I would be grateful if you would pass the information along.
Thank you,
Polly Henrikson Morris
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