Stephen Fannin family -son of John & Keziah
August 30, 2002
To:
Paul Leadingham
From:
J. Patric Fannin
221 North Fifth Street
Ironton, Ohio 45638
Dear Paul,
I wanted to contact you before I did anyone else, so you could have the first chance to respond to some new evidence I uncovered this past year on Stephen Fannin. Stephen being the son of the Reverend John Fannin,Sr. and Keziah of Lawrence County, Kentucky. Since this directly affects you or your wife's line of Fannin's, I wanted to give you the courtesy of seeing it first.
I have been able to trace the family of Stephen Fannin with an unusual amount of success and have acquired in the process a huge folder of facts on this family hitherto unknown. I have news articles, obituaries, marriage records, cemetery records, wills, a published history containing this family, Civil War records and so much more. I have tried not to leave any stone unturned since I was so interested in this supposedly lost branch of our family. Back as far as 1968, when I first saw the references in the Lawrence County, Ky. deeds to Stephen Fannin's heir, Montraville Fannin, of Lee County, Iowa, I was captured by the intrigue of following this absent branch of our tree.
The first break came when I found Montraville Fannin's Obituary and it mentioned that he was the grandson of Thomas Hartley, a Revolutionary Soldier.
The breakthrough came when I found a researcher of the Hartley family who had a booklet entitled: "A History of Thomas Hartley of Virginia, A Soldier Of The Revoltionary War, and His Descendants. Gathered from the Traditions of the Hartley Family by Joseph C. Hartley, Grandson of Thomas Hartley. Quincey, Illinois, 1894. Quincy, Illinois: T. M. Rogers & Co., Printers, 520 Hampshire Street. 1894." (Yes, all of that is on the cover!)
Without going into all the details for now ( I will provide as much as you would like at a later date), I will summate the Hartley Book as follows:
Thomas Hartley married Elizabeth Williams around 1783 and they lived in Berkley County, Virginia until 1794 when they emigrated to Nicholas County, Ky near the town of Carlisle, not far from the Licking River. Thomas Hartley drowned in the Licking River in 1806.
Thomas & "Betsy" Hartley had nine children, one being John Hartley who was born August 5, 1784 in Berkley County, Va. He was their eldest child.
John Hartley lived in Nicholas County, Ky. until around 1812. He went to Greenup County shortly before his marriage to Sallie Goble. John & Sallie Hartley had thirteen children, one being Jennette Hartley who was born August 7, 1823 in GreenupCounty, Ky.
[Jennette's name is found in other records as Janette, Jannetta, Jennetta, Genetta and even Sennetta, the last is an obvious error on the transcriber's part.The Hartley Book says John & Sallie were married in 1812, but Greenup County Records have the marriage as October 11, 1811. "History of Greenup County,Ky by Biggs & MacKoy 1951" says: Thomas Hartley born 1760 in Berkeley Co,Va. His son John Hartley of Greenup Co,Ky married Sally, daughter of Abraham Goble in 1811 and had thirteen children --one was Jennette.]
Jennette Hartley married Stephen S. Fannin, March 25th, 1841. There were three children born to them, as follows:
Ann, born May 19th, 1842. She married Eli Sheets. They had three children - two girls and one boy.
Montraville C. Fannin was born September 13th, 1843; he married Ann Charlotte Hayden, January 1st, 1868. There were four children born to them, viz: George E., born September 19th, 1870; Charles D., born October 14, 1873; Della, born October 19th, 1879; Winifred, born February 24th, 1889. Montraville Fannin enlisted in the 7th Iowa infantry, Co. E, on January 24th, 1864; he was wounded at Atlanta, Georgia, August 24th, 1865( actually May 27, 1864); he served one year and five months.
John Fannin, the youngest son of Jennette and Stephen S. Fannin, died at the age of seven years.
Stephen S. Fannin, the husband of Jennette, died July 17, 1846, and after she had remained a widow five years she married David F. Pugh, July, 1851. There were seven children born to them .....Benjamin F. Pugh, Caroline Pugh, James Wilson Pugh, Sarah E. Pugh, Laura B. Pugh, George E. Pugh & Francis M. Pugh........."
Greenup County, Ky Inventory of Stephen Fannin says he was deceased May 12, 1848. Will Book 4 page 152.
I believe this was the day the Inventory was filed, not date of death.( Hartley Book said Stephen died July 17, 1846)
Greenup County Marriages Book 1 Page 68
Fannin, S.S. & Sennetta Hartley
March 14, 1841 ( I copied this from Book 1 before it was lost, but my date disagrees with Mrs. Biggs date -- see below. For many years I had this information right under my nose, but was blinded as to who S.S. and Sennetta Fannin were.)
I believe this is the record of Stephen S. Fannin's marriage to Jennetta Hartley ( The Hartley History says: March 25,1841).
I have been told that the original marriage bonds were destroyed by floods and that the Groom Index was all that remained. This index was complied several years ago by Mrs. Nina Mitchell Biggs from Greenup County for her book "History of Greenup County, Kentucky" and is now found in the Greenup County Courthouse. It was compiled from various sources that I have not been able to trace, but were accepted at the courthouse and are now part of the public record. I believe that Sennetta was an error and that the name in the census as well as the Hartley history shows us that David Pugh married Jennetta Fannin. The S & the J would be very easy to mix up. Mrs. Biggs recorded 16 Mar. 1841 Fannin, S.S. - Jeanetta Hartley.
As I said before, I actually saw Marriage Book 1 around 1968-1969. Somewhere since that time it was lost and only the groom index and Mrs. Biggs book remain.
Greenup County, Ky. Marriage Groom Index
Pugh, David T.
Fannin, Sennetta
July 15, 1850
Wm. Corum, Bondsman
David & Jennetta Pugh lived in Jackson Twp, Lee County, Iowa.
Montraville Fannin& Ann Charlotte Hayden were married Jan. 1, 1868 - Lee County Marriage record book #3 page 38 #329 listed as Monterville C. Fanny.
Montraville C. Fannin & wife Ann lived at 1915 Reid Street, Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa.( The 1900 Federal Census of Lee County, Iowa has Montraville indexed as Monroe C. Fanning. In 1880 Federal Census M.C. Fannin, wife Annie & children George, Charlie & Della are in Lyon, Lewis County, Missouri).
In 1868 Lee Co., Iowa Gazetteer is listed: M.C. Fannin, farmer, Jackson, pp Keokuk. He died in 1920 at Keokuk, Iowa. His will is found in Will Book 4, page 495 in Lee County, Iowa written 19 Jan. 1910 and probated 15 Feb. 1921 - Exec: Daughter Della M. Fannin.
Death Record Lee County, Iowa
Montroville C. Fannin
Date of Death November 3, 1920
Age 78 yrs. 1 mo.20 days
Cert. No. Bk. 2-222
I have searched these families with great diligence and have found that Montraville's family has totally died out.
The last member, Margaret W. Fannin, age 68, formerly of Keokuk, died on Friday, November 19, 1976 at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. She was the daughter of Charles and Alma Martin Fannin. Charles was Montraville's son.
Montraville & Ann are buried in Buena Vista "Big Mound" Cemetery in Jackson Twp.,Lee Co.,Iowa, so is their son George and daughter, Winifred Y. Fannin, along with grandson: Donald. Also, Montraville's daughter, Della Fannin Glebe, is buried in Buena Vista Cemetery.
Montraville's son, Charles and wife Alma and daughter, Margaret W. Fannin are all buried in Oakland Cemetery
Ann Fannin, daughter of Stephen & Jennette Fannin, who married Eli Sheets remains a mystery to me. I have searched everywhere I could think of and have not found a trace of them. I once thought I found Eli Sheets in the 19th Iowa Infantry, but after obtaining his military record I found he was married three times but never to our Ann Fannin. This Eli Sheets ends up in Clark County, Mo., very near Lee County, Iowa.
I find it a real mystery that more is not said of Ann, except her date of birth, husband's name and fact that she had two girls and one boy. This seems strange since in the front of the Hartley History Ann's mother, Jennette, is quoted in the present tense by the writer. I would have thought that she would tell a little more about her daughter and at least name the grandchildren. I have not quit and continue to pursue this family since they are my only hope of finding living cousins from Stephen Fannin's line.
The David Pugh family is found in the 1850 Greenup County, Ky. Census with David & Genetta and David's children by his first marriage. The Fannin(g) children are living with their grandparents, John & Sallie Hartley in the same census. I say Fanning because that is how this family is sometimes listed, including Montraville. The same thing happens with the family of Philip & Rebecca Clay Fannin(g) who went to Daviess County, Missouri.
1856 State Census of Iowa, Lee County:
( Several of the Pugh children listed in 1850 have apparently died.)
David Pugh age 42 b. Virginia
Jennetta Pugh 34 b. Ky
Joseph Pugh 16 b. Ky
David Pugh 14 b. Ky
Ann Fannin 15 b. Ky
Matraville Fannin 14 b. Ky
Benjamin Pugh 5 b. Ky
Caroline Pugh 4 b. Ky
Infant Pugh 1 b. Ia.
In 1860 Fed. Census Jackson Twp, Lee Co.,Iowa
David F Pugh age 46 b. Pennsylvania
Jannetta " age 36 b. Ky
Montreville " age 17 b. Ky ( This is Montraville Fannin)
David " age 16 b. Ky
Benjamin " age 9 b. Ky
Caroline " age 6 b. Ky
William " age 5 b. Iowa
Ellen " age 3 b. Iowa
1880 Jackson Twp.,Lee Co.,Iowa Federal Cesus:
Pugh, Janette age 55 widow birthplace Ky. Father b. Ky. Mother b. Tn. Occupation: Keeping house
" , Caroline daughter age 26 born Ky Father born Va. Mother born Ky.
" , Laura daughter age 18 born Iowa
" , George son age 16 born Iowa
" , Francis son age 14 born Iowa
I have Census Records for Montraville & family from 1860 - 1920 ( except 1890).
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In conclusion, I feel that I have exhausted the material on Stephen Fannin's family and conclude that:
1. Stephen Fannin's wife was Jennette Hartley, not Rebecca (unknown).
2. Stephen & Jennette Fannin had only three children: Ann, Montraville and John (who died at age seven). He did not have a son George Bryant Fannin who married Louisa Clay, contrary to popular belief. Also, George Bryant Fannin’s 1825 year of birth would be out of line.
3. Stephen Fannin died in 1848.
4. With the possible exception of Ann Fannin & Eli Sheets' descendants, there are no living members of Stephen Fannin's line. The last died in 1976.
5. Finally, I have not found a record to establish Stephen Fannin's birthdate as 1806, but I do consider this a fair guess and I am open on this issue.
Paul, I hope this helps you. I am sorry that I cannot tell you who George Bryant Fannin's father really was. Perhaps it was Stephen's brother, Philip, but I don't think so. It may have been he came through Joseph Fannin's line or even Carter County David Fannin. I just don't know at this time, but it wasn't Stephen, that's for sure.
I welcome your comments and offer you any documentation you may need to satisfy your questions. I am going to send a copy of this to Lewis Fannin, Gerland Hay and Jim Fannin and post it on the Fannin Message Board. I just wanted you to have time to comment first.
Sincerely,
Pat Fannin