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Disentangling the Timothy Hixsons of Tennesee: Who was REALLY named Timothy Stringfield Hixson and what is the likely source of the name “Stringfield”????
From the time Zella Armstrong and James E. Hixson published the book "Hixson-Hixon of Tennessee" in 1955, confusion has reigned over the various men named Timothy Hixson in the period from 1775 to 1875. Set forth below is a PROPOSAL for further research to disentangle the various men named Timothy Hixson.
First, how many men named Timothy Hixson were there? Here are the ones relevant to this discussion:
1. Timothy Hixson, born about 1775, possibly in Maryland, to Joseph and Susannah (Maiden Name Unproven) Hixson. Joseph, Susannah and their children (including Timothy) moved to Greene County, TN between about 1786 and 1789. This Timothy married Rebecca Hughes about 1795. Some assert that this Timothy’s full name was Timothy Stringfield Hixson.
2. Timothy Hixson, born sometime between about 1804 and 1820, the son of Timothy and Rebecca (Hughes) Hixson. He was reportedly a teacher in Bledsoe County. Some assert that this Timothy’s full name was Timothy Stringfield Hixson.
3. Timothy Hixson (1842-1919), son of Ephraim Hixson, Jr. and Margaret (Hixson) Hixson. He married Adeline Lewis. Some assert that this Timothy’s full name was Timothy Stringfield Hixson, and in the Armstrong book (probably 1st edition) , at page 65, the authors stated, “He was named for his mother’s father, Timothy Stringfield Hixson, son of Joseph and Susannah Hixson.”
The Armstrong book (at page 21), in discussing Timothy No. 1 (above; b. ca. 1775, son of Joseph and Susannah) states, “He is called Timothy Stringfield Hixson in Bledsoe, Marion and Hamilton County records, although Joseph does not give him the middle name [when naming him in his 1803 will]. In some of the Bible records he is listed as Timothy Stringfield Hixson.”
I would suggest that the public records mentioned (but not precisely cited) should be examined for dates and context. The purpose of the examination would be to see if at least one of the apparently multiple records undeniably refers to each of the three men named Timothy. In other words, is there at least one document with the full name Timothy Stringfield Hixson which could ONLY refer to Timothy No. 1 and could NOT POSSIBLY refer to either of the other two? Similarly, is there at least one document with the full name Timothy Stringfield Hixson which could ONLY refer to Timothy No. 2 and could NOT POSSIBLY refer to either of the other two? Finally, is there at least one document with the full name Timothy Stringfield Hixson which could ONLY refer to Timothy No. 3 and could NOT POSSIBLY refer to either of the other two? If this rigorous test cannot be met, then the ambiguity means that somebody has transferred the middle name “Stringfield” where it does not belong.
I would suggest that all of the public records might refer to Timothy No. 3 (above; b. 1842).
Furthermore, does the Bible record refer to all three of these individuals and give each of the three the middle name “Stringfield” or has someone overgeneralized across generations and confused these three men, transferring the middle name of one of them to the two others without solid evidence?
Even if either Timothy No. 1 or Timothy No. 2 is referred to in some record as “Timothy S. Hixson”, with the middle initial “S.”, that is not conclusive evidence that his middle name was Stringfield.
This research is important because some Hixson descendants have started posting on the internet that Timothy No. 1 was Timothy Stringfield Hixson and have then inferred that his mother, Susannah, must have been born a Stringfield (and gave her maiden name to her son as a middle name). The problem is, there were no Stringfields in the areas where Joseph lived and likely courted and married Susannah (that is, Maryland, or even possibly New Jersey). Stringfields from that era are concentrated in far southern Virginia and in North Carolina (and thus, close to Eastern Tennessee).
I believe that the one and only TRUE Timothy Stringfield Hixson (b. 1842 to Ephraim Hixson, Jr. and Margaret Hixson) was NOT named for his maternal grandfather (that is, Margaret Hixson’s father, Timothy No. 1, b. ca. 1775) as the Armstrong book asserts. Instead, I would offer as a THEORY (not proven) that the true Timothy Stringfield Hixson (b. 1842) was named for the family of his paternal grandmother (the mother of Ephraim Jr.). Ephraim Jr. was the son of Ephraim Sr., another son of Joseph and Susannah (MNU) Hixson. Some researchers have submitted information either to rootsweb or the LDS, or in Genforum queries or personal websites, that the wife of Ephraim Sr. was named either Margaret or Rachel, but, as far as I have been able to ascertain, no one had discovered her maiden name. There were Stringfields in the area of Greene County, TN. I found a reference to a possible source.
http://tngenealogybooks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=127
“Greene County, TN Marriage License & Bonds: 1780-1837
“Compiled by WPA Workers **
“248 Pages, 8.5"x11", Full Name Index, Perfect Bound
“This hefty oversized volume contains marriage records for Greene County, Tennessee from 1780 through 1837. Each entry includes the name of the bride and groom, date of marriage, and officiating authority. A full-name index makes look-ups as easy as 1-2-3.” The index includes the surname Stringfield.
I would suggest that some descendant of the Tennessee Hixsons locate this book and check to see if there is a marriage record for Ephraim Hixson (born about 1779 and married about 1796???) and some woman surnamed Stringfield. Even if there is no specific license or bond, at least the geographic proximity of people surnamed Stringfield should provide some clues for the adoption of this name by certain Hixsons.
To come full circle, I return to Susannah, wife of Joseph Hixson. As stated above, I do NOT believe that she was born Susannah Stringfield. Instead, I believe that this could be Susannah Fidler, of the New Jersey Fidlers (Hunterdon County). I believe that Joseph and Susannah were married in Hunterdon and then migrated to western Maryland and then on to Tennessee. Because Susannah is the ancestress of so many Hixson lines in TN, being accurate and finding the truth about her surname should be of interest.
Will anyone take up the challenge?
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