Matthews of Jefferson County Ga-Sorting Out Bathshebas
There are some family names who can repeat so often that it can drive you nuts just trying to sort
them and keep them straight.They aregreat clues to research if you can keep them sorted out. Bathsheba is both a blessing and a curse to Matthews family research.
You will find Bathsheba's in the Weeks family of Virginia and the Sharpe families. In addition to the Matthews of Jefferson County you will find them in the Farmers, Clarks, and Parker lines among others.The following may help those who follow.
Bathsheba Sharpe Matthews the wife of William, the brother of Aquilla Senior.After the death of William Matthews in 1808 she married Joel Darsey (of the famous family of soldiers of the Revolutionary War) in Jefferson County on October 1, 1811.They were enumarated on the 1820 census
of Jefferson County along with Joel's three children from a previous marriage to Elizabeth Butler. Soon after they both moved to Decatur County (not to be confused with the city of Decatur).They both died there in the late 1840's.They are burried there in a family cemetary near the Florida line.Joel's children, Jessee, John, and Elizabeth Darsey Whidon stayed there and raised families.
Bathsheba Matthews Parker, the daughter of Aquilla and Elizabeth,married William Parker in Jefferson County on March 2, 1809.The Parker family were neighbors and it was on William's land that Bathsheba Parker burried her father Aquilla Matthews.Later she would bury her nephew Aquilla
Jr. next to him to create chaos and confuse Matthews reseachers for over 100 years.Anyway, Bathsheba and William went on to raise a large family.Bathsheba died in 1844 and William in 1857.The irony is that there are apparently no markers on their graves today even though the Mt. Moriah grounds and the Woodland Babtist Church are on lands contributed by William and Bathsheba.
Bathsheba Sharpe Matthews, the daughter of William Matthews and Catherine Collins, married Henry Jordan Farmer in Jefferson County on August 27, 1835.They raised a large family and both died in Jefferson County.She died July 30, 1875 and is burried at Mt. Moriah beside Henry Jordan Farmer who died in 1889.
Bathsheba Weeks was the daughter of Alderson Weeks, brother of Benjamin Weeks of Westmoreland and Bedford Counties Virginia.She was born around 1810.
Bathsheba Sharpe was a daughter of Thomas Sharpe, father of Elizabeth Sharpe wife of Benjamin Weeks.This family was from Westmoreland and Spotsylvania Counties Virginia.Bathsheba Sharpe can also be found in Culpeper County Virginia.My research on this family has just begun and much more needs to be done to confirm facts on this family.I can tell you that this is not the same family who settled Burke County in the late 1700's.
While there are more Bathsheba's in Jefferson and Burke Counties I won't elaborate on them here.
This would be a great place to post your Bathshba.
Before I leave you I will deal very briefly with the Elizabeth's in the family.Elizabeth Sharpe married Benjamin Weeks; Elizabeth (daughter of Benjamin Weeks) married Aquilla; Elizabeth Matthews (daughter of Aquilla) married William Darsey (nephew of Joel Darsey who married Bathsheba Weeks); and Elizabeth Matthews (daughter of William and granddaughter of Aquilla Sr) married Rhesa Jordan Farmer.
If you don't have an Elizabeth or Bathsheba in your family during the 1800's you probably aren't related to Aquilla and should immediately check your sources.
I will deal with the Charles in the family at a later time.Right now I am getting ready to list all the children of Aquilla Sr. and Elizabeth Weeks.
Jim