Doctor Grandma

This is the current file of information I have on James Agnew. The only for sure place I KNOW is our James Agnew begins w/ his marriage in 1879. All else comes from many various documents & records, as well as a family letter.

File on James Agnew, my great-grandfather

James Agnew b. July 10, 1841

I rec’d a letter from Norma Agnew ________, daughter of Gertrude Agnew, my grandpa John Agnew’s twin sister, years ago. In that letter, she lists his birth date definitely as July 10, 1841. This is the only record I have of his birth date, as it never shows up anywhere else, so far. I once wrote Norma when I started researching family history again. The letter did not come back, but I rec’d no reply. She used to communicate w/ my mother.

1850 census, James should be 8.

Shows up in Fulton, Hamilton County, Ohio census, a James age 8. He is listed at bottom of census page, name showing incorrectly as “Agnewe”,

Family is further up the page: James age 38, “ship carpenter”, b.Ohio, (1812?)

Mary (“H.”?) Agnew, age 22, b.PA, (1828?)

Alfred Agnew, either age 1 or 7 (can’t read the age),

SAMUEL AGNEW, age 72! b.PA (If he is 72, he was born 1778)

Further research on Samuel Agnew brings me to one who was a physician & died of dysentery— but supposedly in NOVEMBER 1849. Record says, “persons who died during year ending June 1^st, 1850. In that case, it cannot be the Samuel Agnew in the 1850 census which was done Aug.2, 1850. Very frustrating.

—Where do this James & Mary go from here in 1850?

1860 census

William Agnew, no wife, with James age 18 (b.1841-42), Ann  age 15 (b.1845), and Jennet age 12 (b.1848). Living in Hamilton County Ohio, P.O. FULTON.

Jennet shows up in later records around Cincinnati area, as “boarder”. (records from Cinci public library)

Public library says a William Agnew died in 1868—don’t know where they got this record?

1870 census

A James “A.” Agnew is married to a Mary C. Agnew in New Albany, Indiana. They have 2 children, Annie age 5, and Clith age 3. He says he “drives a team”.

(IS this a different James Agnew, born same year as ours, in Ohio & ending up in New Albany the same as ours?? Did Mary & children die in a fire or something??)

1879: OUR JAMES AGNEW for sure, married Carrie Bybee, in New Albany, Indiana. James is in his late 30s, Carrie is 18 years younger than he.

1880 census

In New Albany, James and Carrie live at 207 Market St., and have a 2-month-old son, Robert, born in April. James was unemployed 3 mos. of the past year & lists himself as a painter. He says his parents were both born in England. Carrie lists her father as born in Indiana, her mother in Kentucky.

They later have: Fred (b.1883), Edward (b.1886), and John Wesley and Gertrude Myrtle, twins, b. Aug.17, 1892.

John Wesley is my Grandpa Agnew, father of my father.

The 1890 census was destroyed in some fire, I believe.

He is listed in 1888-89 city directory of New Albany as a painter at 117 East 4^th St.

In the 1900 census, the twins are 7 years old. Carrie is listed as “Clerry”. She is 40, James is 58. They have been married 21 years. He lists his own birthplace as Ohio, July 1841. He says his father was born in Virginia, his mother in Germany. I think he is flat out lying.

They live at 323 East 4^th St., New Albany, IN.

James Agnew dies from a 20-ft. fall off a ladder, where he was painting a house with his son, June 27, 1906. It says his injuries were so extensive, he only lived a few minutes after falling. He had a fractured skull, several ribs and his arm were broken. In this death record, his birthplace is listed as Indiana (*I don’t think so.) His father’s NAME is listed as JAMES AGNEW. Mother’s name and birthplace are listed as UNKNOWN. Carrie is not listed, but she was still alive. She may have already been committed to the Madison County Insane asylum, which is where she died in 1916.

On his gravestone it lists his birth date as July 7, 1841. This may be where the date came from in the family letter.

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I’m about reaching my limit on James Agnew. It is too confusing & frustrating. I need to hire an expert.

In an 1850 census, an 8-yr-old James shows up, at the bottom of a census page. He belongs w/ a family further up the page. He was somehow left out in their first interview, evidently, & added as an afterthought. A * beside his name links him to a bunch of Agnews further up the page: James, age 38; Mary A. age 22; and Alfred, age 1 or 7 (can’t read it).

There is also a “Samuel Agnew” age 72.

In the transcription, Agnew ends up as “AGNEWE” for little James, as the lady writing his name puts a curly-Q at the end of her “W”.

So I thought I’d research James & Mary, & perhaps Samuel.

In NO 1850 census search do these James, Mary &/or Samuel Agnew show up…….. on their own……… I do not know what that means. I also search for James, Mary and Samuel Agnewe just in case. Nothing. Are their names transcribed somehow differently? Who the heck are they? Why is James at the bottom of the page? I am at a loss.

At some point, our real James Agnew says his father’s name was James. Could this be his father? (They are in Hamilton County, Ohio.)

There are 3 JAMES AGNEWs born about the time this “father of little James”, who immigrated to America when they were around 30 years old. One was from England, one from Scotland, one from Ireland……… Nothing else is told in the immigration record, so it’s not enough to connect any of them. But more than likely, our James could be one of them. If I could find that one of those 3 James Agnew’s then went to OHIO, that’s probably our guy.

What this DOES tell us is that there are at least 3 James Agnew’s who immigrated to the US, and who were all born about the same time. Each of them would have a different family line emerging.

This is the last I will share about our James Agnew for awhile. He likely served in the 2nd infantry regiment of OHIO, in the UNION Army, which formed near Cincinnati, at Camp Dennison. They signed up for 3 years.

James signed up on 27 July 1861. They fought many battles throughout KY, TN & GA, the last one in 1864. They were released from service 28 April 1864. James Agnew is listed as surviving the war.

The only bit of information that does not gel is, he is listed as age 19. Our James, according to the birthdate on his gravestone, would’ve been 20. This is not significant, because his birthdate when he enlisted, is said to be “about 1842”. So it is not exact.

The entire story of the regiment with all the battles fought, is something I have. If you want a copy, I can send it. (Saved as a file.)

There is a “James A. Agnew” listed as living in New Albany, married to Mary C., w/ children Annie & Clith, by 1870. Then our James shows up as marrying Carrie Bybee, 20 yrs. his junior, in 1879. Same person?? First family disappear somehow?? This is why I have to look in the New Albany city directory, which is only in New Albany public library.

I do have his gravesite and gravestone photo.

Well, if this is correct I found a distant relative in the first census ever done, & he owned 2 slaves. In Rockingham, North Carolina, a John Owen, great great great grandfather of my Grandma Mary (Reid) Agnew. I wonder how he might feel about my Kenyan-American son-in-law?
 
It’s all very confusing. I’ve worked on leads on James Agnew all day long & they led to nowhere. There is a new lead that his father was also named James Agnew & not William. There is a James Agnew married to a Mary Agnew, w/ a son James, in Ohio. Interesting point is James, age 8 in 1850, which fits our James, is listed kind of as an “afterthought” at the bottom of the census page. The * next to his name leads further up the page to James & Mary. James & Mary have another child either age 1 or age 7 (can’t read it), named Alfred.
 
Confusing part is I’ve never run into James & Mary before, & in 1860, there is a James Agnew 10 yrs. older (age 18 now) living with William Agnew (no wife), in the Cincinnati area.
 
Both entries are near Cincinnati, in Hamilton County Ohio.

This is from my husband’s side:

This is a good place to post family history to come back to later. Perhaps someone will make a book of it someday. My part is doing the research.

Shadrack Turner, 1720-1784, Virginia. Evidently some kind of person with a position in the community. This is an entry about him. I don’t even understand what I am reading, some sort of public record:

Source Information:

Index to enrolled bills pertaining to Henry County in the general assembly of Virginia from 1776 to 1910.

“Shadrack Turner for use of his horse and 9 diets to Captain Robell’s Camp Company ordered out against the Tories: also for 4 diets and 15 lbs. Fodder to Colonel Crockett’s regiment.”

Shadrack is the great-great-great grandfather (through her mother, Cora Belle Owens) of Mary Frances Reid Agnew, my grandma Agnew.

I notice another person seems to always appear alongside him: Meshack Turner. They are also listed in Magazine of VA Genealogy,v.23n1, under “Lankford’s List, for “Oaths of Allegiance, 1777, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, p.6.” 

The magazine was publ. actually in 1985, a historical magazine for the purpose of genealogy records. FASCINATING, these are “OATHS OF ALLEGIANCE” that swear loyalty to the Commonwealth of VA. and RENOUNCES allegiance to King George III! Anyone who refused to take this oath were subject to being disarmed, could not serve on juries, hold office, sue for debts, or purchase land.

In 1900, the parents of Cena, Martin and Trena (Trenje) Brink, were living on a farm they rented in Wayne Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Martin was born in 1857 in Holland, Trena in 1858. They were both 42 at the time of the 1900 census. They had 3 daughters living with them, Martha, Clara and the baby, “Sennie” (Cena). They also had 2 servants living w/ them, Dick Brink  (a relative) and Charley Seatson. Two older daughters, Fannie and ______ (I forget her name) had already moved out, and they had 2 OTHER children who did not survive. (I wonder if any were boys.)
 
 They had been married 21 years and in the States for 18. Martin was a “farmer”. (My relatives never say anything else.) They could read, write, and speak English. Cena was 8 years old. She was born 9-21-1892. (Actually this census says 1891, but her legal records say 1892. Either one could be correct.)
 
— just taken from ancestry.com 1900 census.

In a few minutes today on ancestry.com, a record of my great grandfather’s passage on a boat popped up. His first name was Wopka. He left Amsterdam for America on Christmas Day 1889, headed for Roseland, Illinois. My grandfather was born there 4 yrs. later. He traveled 3rd class. If he had sailed on the Titanic 20 years later, he would not have survived.

Another interesting random fact: HIS grandmother, Tilke Hylkema, was supposedly born AT SEA near Indonesia! Fascinating stuff. (This came up from someone else’s family tree.)