Providence Baptist Church

 Cousin Dwight and I have been working on genealogy together for many years now.  We are double related through the Longs and the Grahams.

Several years ago cousin Richard Gannon and I photographed and transcribed many pages from the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jefferson County Missouri.  Although we found many relatives and ancestors we did not find William Graham, Margaret Graham, Thomas Long and Susannah Baker who were early settlers of Jefferson County.  Because of the number of descendants who attended that church  and the Ware Baptist, we thought maybe they were early members and the records had been lost.

Dwight decided to look further down the Big River into Washington County Mo which was settled early because of the abundance of lead and other minerals important in the  early 1800s.  Providence Church interested Dwight because other Long family members attended that church when first coming to Missouri.  Possibly even our 4th grreat grandmother Elizabeth Mitchell Long ("old Grandmother Long" in the document below)  who had livedwith her son Samuel, our Thomas's brother.

Marg. Ann Grahaam is very faded and at the bottom

While looking at the records, Dwight found a "Margaret Ann Graham" and a "Susan Long" along with the Bakers.   We'd known from the McCarrell family Bible that Margaret's middle name was "Ann" but this was confirmation that we had the right woman.

Susan Long Wallace, daughter of Milton Long
granddaughter of Susannah Baker and Thomas Long

It had never occurred to me that Susannah's name might have been shortened to "Susan" and yet, she had three granddaughters named "Susan".  One born 1850 was the daughter of son Samuel, one born in 1848 was the daughter of her daughter Sarah Elizabeth and one born in 1858 was the daughter of Milton Long.

Many years ago, I tried to find Susannah Baker Long's family.  I was pretty sure she was a daughter of Elijah Baker, sister of Orson and Milton Baker because she named one of her children "Milton" which was a name that had never been in the Long family.  But, members of the famuly told me she was NOT from their family.  This might have been during my early days of research when I believed others knew better than I did.  She might have thought I was asking if she was the daughter of Milton.  Dwight found pretty convincing evidence whe was inded the daughter of Elijah Baker since their names were group together:  

McCarrell Bible

Dwight received a note from Margaret McCarrell who owned the Bible which helped us break through our brick wall of Margaret Carroll (Margaret McCarroll Graham).  Click here for information from that Bible.  Here are photos of that note and a transcription.

Hi Cousin

On 10/13/16 I donated the James McCarrell Bible to:  The E. Tenn. Historical Society located @ 601 Gay St. in downtown Knoxville---It's just blocks from Interstate 40. From I-40 follow Downtown/local traffic signs to downtown Knoxville---P.O. Box 1629 Knoxville, TN 37902 www.easttnhistorycenter.org 865-215-8824
[Steve Cotham accepted the Bible]

It's right across from the Tennessee Theater on Gay St.  They have the Bible Room in the basement.  In order to see it (along with all of the loose papers found in the Bible) call them before you arrive.  They are on the 3rd floor.  They will get the Bible, and it will be on the 3rd floor when you arrive.  I believe I did the right thing.  I took it out of the Bank's lock Box and carried it to the McClung Historical Collection on same day.

I copied those direction from I-40 from a pamphlet I read in 2009 " The East Tennessee History Center Bringing History to Life".  They have security at the door (When I got off the elevator on the 3rd floor--I have to put my pocketbook in a locked box---when you leave, you get your pocket book back)

They are open:  Mon Tues 9Am-8:30 PM   Wed-Fri 9 AM-5:30 PM  Sat. 9AM-5PM  Sun. 1-5PM

The first floor has a gift shop, the last street car that went down Gay St, Ellis and Ernest Drug Store that closed on Cumberland Ave. many years ago etc. 

Now, I don't worry about it. The front cover (made for me) reads:
McCarrell Bible
James McCarrell Sr. Bible
Edington: Printed by Mark and Charles Kerr. His Majesty's

Printers
MDCCLXXXIX (1789)
and loose papers from the Bible
The original Bible was donated to the McClung Historical Collection in 10/16. It is very fragile and the title page is missing pages with family entries and the loose pages were scanned.  A copy of all scans was placed in the McCarrell Genealogy vertical file in 2016.  Use these copies to make copies from.  (This is the front page to me)

Steve Cotham has been a friend a long time.  He had some info on the McCarrell Bible already on file.  And they copied all of the hand written minutes of our Mt. Olive Baptist Church.  I did alot of copying of records years ago for my brother Jack.  At that time, records were in the basement of our local library 4 or 5 blocks from Gay St.  This new building is attached to our Old Post Office Building.  TVA at one time was in this old Post Office Building.  This new building cost several millions in 2004.

Before they accepted the bible and made the above notes for me, Steve sad it was printed in 1782 in 10/9/16.  On 10/13/16 the notes say it is dated 1789. Steve said he couldn't believe the Bible still had the cover.

Margaret (over)

In 2009 I picked up this pamphlet "Bringing History to Live"  East Tennessee History Center (has no date).  I wish you had a copy and wonder if you could order one on the internet.  If not, I can make you a copy.  This center was founded in 1834.  This pamphlet has so much information----not very big----M

The Daughters of James McCarrell and Margret McKibbon

We have been fortunate to have made contact with members of the McCarrell family who have sent us some documents which were gathered by Ray McCarrell several years ago.  Some of this information is from the James McCarrell family bible, and "loose papers found in McCarrell's Old Family Bible"

I assume the photos on the left and below were information on "undated loose papers". Combining the two sources, here: 

James McCarrell Sr (1728-1813) was born in Ireland, married twice Mary Bohanan and Margaret McKibbon in Fincastle Boutetourt Co., Va.  Margaret McKibbon (1758-1819) was born in Pennsylvania and died in Knox Co. TN.

The McKibbon and McCarrell 


marriage resulted in seven daughters (11 children):

Lettis McCarrell (8 Sept 1779-April 1863) who married William Prather in 1795 in Fincastle Va. Later lived in Indiana Jennings County

Mary (Polly) McCarrell(9 Nov. 1780) who might have married a Blake lived in Virginia.  But another note says she married Theopheus Gillaspia and lives in 1819 in Virginia six miles below the mouth of the Elk on the bank of the river[I cannot read the name of the county but it would be Kanawha County today].  Their older son is named Samuel Gillapsia.

Nancy McCarrell(8 Nov. 1782)who is listed as marrying John Blake living in Ohio (Galla County) But another document says she is Nancy Gillespy living in Jasper County Indiana.

Hannah McCarrell(18 Mar 1785) married first John Eddington and second Stephen Wells.  Hannah Wells is listed as living in Missouri and attended Mt. Olive Baptist Church until 1846 when they asked for dismission.

Margaret McCarrell (17 Aug 1787)married William Graham "lives in Missouri at or near the Old Mines.  Her oldest son is named Jefferson Graham."

Janey (Tancy) McCarrell(9 May 1795-20 Dec. 1838/9)married John B. Carter in 1811

Salley McCarrell(21 Oct. 1797- 24 Jan. 1884)married James Robertson 12-14 March 1824.

Although there are many William Grahams in the early 1800's, there shouldn't be that many Margaret McCarrells who are the daughters of James McCarrell and yet we found one who was married to William Williams.  We think the two Margarets were probably related. We think that James McCarrell is the son of our ancestor by the first wife.

We may not know much about William Graham and Margaret McCarrell but we do know they were married (although we can't find the records which might have been in a courthouse which burned) due to a Family Bible belonging to. . . .a 21st century Margaret McCarrell.

I have also seen documents stating that William Graham married Hannah McCarrell which family records don't corroborate.

Bethlehem Baptist Blog

I haven't totally neglected this blog, but I did want to finish posting photos and documents for this blog.  This lovely country church in Jefferson County, Missouri has been the worship place for many of my ancestors.  Although the early records are lost, I feel very deeply that I have ancestors buried here going back to my g-g-g-g grandmother Margaret McCarroll Graham.  Someday, I hope to find some evidence of this. 

Her husband William Graham died in the St. Louis area---we can't find any evidence of his burial either, but click here for a really good possibility.  He died near here, Carondolet,  in 1835.

The Quest to Find William Graham's Land

Looking west toward Big River near Highway H in Missouri

On genealogy web-sites William Graham and Margaret [Mc] Carroll (my 4 greats) were said to live in Fremont which is supposed to be Frumet Missouri. But, we never really knew where they lived until Dwight carefully read an article on the Jefferson County Historical Society web site. Scroll down to the Dugan Cemetery and begin reading on the second page:

28th June 1825 we find deed from William Graham to Stephen Lamarque of Washington County, 640 acres, for $426.26, being the settlement right of Elijah Benton and by him conveyed to Burnell J. Thompson who sold it to William Clinton who sold it to William Graham, as recorded in Book B Page 214.

Scroll down a bit more to see where the red crosses are on the maps which Dave Halleman has provided. Independently, Dwight and I agreed where the land was on a Google map. With the GPS co-ordinates, my husband and I headed to Frumet, Missouri.

I was concerned that I might not be able to find a place to explore on the west side of Big River, so my first plan was to go down Hidden Valley Ranch Lane to see if I could photograph the hill side across the river.

I met two young men who were "processing" a deer they'd just shot. They told me that Norm Valle owned the land---they warmed up a bit when I told them I was related to Norm and had talked to his aunt a few months ago. So, they looked at my maps and pointed me in the right direction.

McCarroll-McKibben

Someone (LM) on Ancestry.com contacted me with information on Margaret McCarroll, my g-g-g-g grandmother. We had thought for many years that her maiden name was Carroll, but another cousin(LL) had information it was really McCarroll or McCarrell. Here is what LM wrote me:

-->

Jaclyn: I began to research my McCarroll ancestry back in the seventies, knowing only that my GGGrandfather John McCarroll came to Louisiana in the early 1800s from Tennessee and in my search I exchange letters with one Margaret McCarroll-McCarrell of McCarrell Lane Rt. 3, Knoxville Tennessee. She wrote the following:

William Graham's Will

William and Margaret Graham are perhaps my most interesting ancestors (4 greats). They are Catherine Caroline Brown Long's (Milton's wife) grandparents. Their daughter (Catherine's mother)was Mary (Polly) Graham Brown who was born in Missouri around 1811.

Originally they were just names, but I gradually began to realize that almost everyone with Jefferson County pioneer blood is related to them (some, like cousin Rick, is related to them three or four ways). Although we aren't sure where they came from, they were definitely early settlers since Missouri wasn't a state until 1821.

At first, we thought William had died before 1830 because Margaret is the head of the household in the census (above). But, then we found William's will dated 1835: