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Recent DNA test results on a descendant of Shadrack Garrison through his son John have shown that he is a perfect 32/32 match to my third cousin. We are haplogroup R1b1b2. My cousin and I are descendants of Zebulon Garrison. All of us are also a perfect match to descendants of Jedediah Garrison and a close match to a descendant of Ebenezer Garrason. Another descendant of Shadrack Garrison, this one through his son Caleb, has ordered a DNA test kit so we will be seeing a second set of results soon.
Meanwhile, I have been pondering the puzzle created by the recent DNA results. Some descendants of James & Hester (Roberts) Garrison long believed that Shadrack Garrison was a brother to James because of a Barren County Kentucky marriage document for James’ son Benjamin to Susannah King.
The marriage record reportedly includes the name Shedrick Garrison and below that “his oncle.” I do not have a copy of that document. However, in the book by Paul Edwin Power, The Garrison and Allied Families, page 29, there is a copy of the marriage bond for another Garrison marriage in the same county and time period. George Garrison and Anny Lard/Laird were married in Barren County, KY January 22, 1807. George was Benjamin’s brother, younger by about three years.
That surety for George & Anny has two signatures, George Garrison and Joseph Lard. Below each signature appears to be written “his order.” The words “his order” and “his oncle” could appear to be very similar in handwritten script. I sent a copy of that surety document for George & Anny to Sandi Gorin, well-known author and THE expert on Barren County Kentucky records. I asked her if in her opinion the document for the marriage of Benjamin and Susannah could have identified the family relationship of the signer. The following is her response, after examining George & Anny’s document.
“That doesn't say uncle/oncle - it says "his order" In other words, tho not commonly seen, those two guys couldn't write. They"ordered" that their names be signed. Normally you'd see an (X) after their name, but this just shows the seal mark. Joseph Lard was the surety and likely her father or close male kin. Normally the father was the surety, sometimes the mother, an older brother or other male kinsman. Then a friend if no one else could qualify.
Wm Logan was our first clerk and likely is the one who signed the men's names. I imagine someone saw this and thought it said uncle. Relationships are seldom if ever shown on a bond - in fact, I've never seen it and I've transcribed thousands of them. This, if interpreted as uncle in each instance would have both George and the groom both as uncles - just can't be!” (end of Sandi’s response)
After reading her response, I realized that the two signatures were the same handwriting and that they match the handwriting of the clerk, Wm. Logan. As a retired legal secretary I should been familiar with the term ”his order” but I was not, so I did some searching. I learned that this practice was frowned on by the courts and was replaced by the practice of having the person make a mark, usually an “X”. This was supposed to guarantee that the person whose name was being signed was actually present. I found references to signatures on Revolutionary War affidavits, a signature of John Adams, and signatures by the Pope, all of which were signed by others followed by the designation “by His Order.”
Shadrack Garrison and members of his family were identified as members of Jacob Lock’s congregation, the minister who performed several of the marriages in James Garrison’s family. Just as deacons and elders today assist members of the congregation, I would imagine it possible that he might have signed as surety for folks associated with his church congregation. The records of that congregation show a Susannah Dunagan accepted as a member in 1810. Members of the Dunagan family believe this is the same person as Susannah King and Susannah Garrison. I have also found a reference which shows that Joseph and Solomon Dunagan, whom others say were likely Susannah’s brothers, were near neighbors of Shadrack Garrison on the North Side of Beaver Creek. This is from The Time of Long Ago: Barren County, Kentucky. It also appears, from Dunagan family research, that members of the Dunagan family followed the same migration pattern as Shadrack Garrison’s family so they may have been connected to him in some way. Both families were Orange Co NC - Greenville SC - Franklin Co GA - Barren Co KY.
I would be happy to send a copy of the marriage surety of George & Anny to anyone who asks. I would welcome a copy of the surety document for Benjamin and Susannah as well as discussion of my findings.
Karen Simmons
Descendant of Zebulon Garrison, a DNA match to Shadrack Garrison
gtskjs “at” mvn.net
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