Another look at the children of Moses Southard and
Joseph Southard of Madison Co, Virginia.
Moses
Moses Southard died in Madison Co, Virginia in
1838. In his will, proved 25 October
1838, Will Book 6, page 397, he mentions the names of seven children.
Of the seven children named in the will, we can
document only two where there is a written reference to them as children of
Moses. The will specifically mentions
'daughter Jenny' and later includes Jenny with 'the children'. The marriage bond of daughter Sarah has
Moses approval even though she is 'of age'.
A wife is not mentioned in the will nor are any grandchildren.
An eighth child was not mentioned in the
will. The death record of Lewis
Southard in Page Co, Virginia states that he died on the 16th day of August,
1870 at age 82 years and 3 months, was born in Stafford Co, Virginia and was
the son of Moses Southard with no mother mentioned. From Madison County records we learn that Lewis Southard was
involved in a dispute with Moses over money.
Possibly this is the reason he was left out of the will.
There is the question of all of Moses living
children being identified and wonder if there others who, like Lewis, were left
out of the will? Maybe the reference
to 'the children' in his will is to the only children he wished to remember.
There is now evidence that the family of Moses
Southard was larger than that so far identified. There is positive evidence of two additional sons, both of whom
were older than Lewis Southard.
Is the Moses Southard who was born in Stafford
County, Virginia on 28 May 1753 and appears in the Overwharton Parish Register
as the son of Joseph Suddarth and Jemina Skidmore the same person as Moses
Southard of Madison Co?
Consider the following.
Age - A statistical analysis of the 1810, 1820 and
1830 census indicates a year of birth after 1750 and before 1760. This is consistent with a birth date of
1753.
Jemina Southard - Mother of Moses Southard. Made her will in Stafford County in 1786
beginning with 'Now living in Stafford County…". It is unknown where she was living prior to this time but
possibly Faquier Co where many [Southard] Stafford Co residents took refuge
during the Revolution.
Death record of Lewis Southard indicates that he
was born in Stafford County in 1788.
Stafford Tax Personal Property Tax Books
The
Stafford County Personal Property Tax Books exist, with the exception of 1808,
from 1783. These books, one for each
year, contain listings of each person who is taxable. In this case, each person who is over 21 and other taxables such
as horses, slaves etc. As the sons in
each household become 21, the number of tithables in the household increases by
one and decreases as each son appears on the roll individually. (provided one did not lie to the tax man
about the childrens ages to avoid the tax).
These Tax Books are not as good as
one would like to have through some critical years but they are sufficient to
establish location.
The Stafford County
Personal Property Tax Books show Moses Southard living in Stafford County in
1783, 1784, 1787, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792 and 1793. He does not appear on the list in 1785, 1786, 1788 and after
1793. Moses always appears with 1
tithable person in these records.
Moses appears as
Southard, Suthard and Sudduth in these records.
Madison County Personal Property Tax Books
The Madison County Personal Property
Tax Books exist, with the exception of 1808, from 1793. These books, one for each year, contain
listings of each person who is taxable.
In this case, each person who is over 16 and other taxables such as
horses, slaves etc. As the sons in each
household become 16, the number of tithables in the household increases by one
and decreases as each son appears on the roll individually. (provided one did not lie to the tax man
about the childrens ages to avoid the tax and there is some indication of this
on both the Tax and Census records).
These Tax Books are not as good as
one would like to have through some critical years but they are sufficient to
establish the families. Moses and
Joseph Southard are primarily listed as Southard from 1795 through 1801. From 1802 through 1809 Southards are mostly
listed as Suddoth and then Southard again from 1810 on.
An examination of the books reveals
that the Tax Collector changed in 1802 and again in 1811. Between these dates the data is not as clear
nor does it appear as complete. In
addition, 1808 is missing completely.
The information contained in these books reveals that the Tax Collector
collected names during the first few months of the year, generally before June
in a series of ledgers. These ledgers
were then compiled into an alphabetical Tax Book for the county. In some years the lists are missing some
data, "L" and "O" being missing in one year for example and
in other years the compilation is not in alphabetic order, "R" coming
after "S" and "T" for example. In addition, in some years the ledgers are very poor and almost
unreadable.
Moses Southard appears in these
books every year beginning in 1795 through 1817 which is the last year I have
examined.
I believe then that these are the children of Moses
Southard and his wife, still an unknown person at this time.
1. Benjamin
Southard. Born about 1780/1781,
probably Stafford Co, deceased or moved before 1805. Moses Southard appears on the Madison Personal property Tax Rolls
as Moses Southard / Sutherd / Sothard
and Son with 2 tithables from 1798 through 1800 and as Moses Southard
and Son with 1 tithable in 1801. The
next year, 1802, Both Moses Suddoth and Benjamin Suddoth appear on the Personal
Property Tax Rolls . Benjamin appears
in 1802 through 1804 and then never again.
Benjamin appears to be the son of Moses. Probably deceased as there is no record of him after this time.
This may be the only
record that this person ever existed.
Note: Fielding Southard
first appears on the Personal Property Tax Rolls in 1802, the same year as
Benjamin. An analysis of census records
indicates Fielding is about 27 at this time.
See the separate discussion of Fielding Southard and the Souther family.
2. Susan
Southard. Born c 1781/1782, probably
Stafford Co, deceased before 1850, married Thornton Preston 1 May 1803 in
Fauquier Co, Virginia. No marriage bond
but the record states she is 'of age'.
Named in the will of Moses Southard as Susan Preston. Thornton Preston was a buyer at the sale of
the estate of Moses Southard.
3. Betsy
Southard. Born c 1783/1784, probably
Stafford Co, deceased before 1850, married James Loyd 30 July 1803 in Madison
Co, Virginia. Bondsman Joseph Southard
(uncle?). Named in the will of Moses
Southard as Betsy Loyd. James Loyd was
a buyer at the sale of the estate of Moses Southard.
4. Travis
Southard. Born abt 1784/1785, probably
Stafford Co, deceased 1809/1810, married Rosanna Stanley 7 Dec, 1807. Moses Southard appears on the Madison
Personal property Tax Rolls as Moses Suddoth
and Son with 2 tithables in 1802 and as Moses Southard and Son with 1
tithable in 1803. The next and only
Southard to appear on the Personal Property Tax Rolls in the following years is
Travis Southard.
Travis does not appear in the 1810 census and
disappears from the Personal Property Tax Rolls after 1809. Rosannah Southard (widow on marriage bond)
m. Zachariah Berry 1 Sept, 1817.
Zachariah Berry was a buyer at the sale of the estate of Moses
Southard. There is no evidence of
children of Travis and Rosannah Southard.
[Yet]
5. Lewis
Southard. Born 1788, Stafford Co,
married Mary McAlister 21 Dec 1816 in Madison County. Deceased 1870 Page Co, Virginia. Moses Southard appears on the Madison Personal property Tax Rolls
as Moses Southard and Son with 2
tithables in 1811 and 1812 and as Moses Southard and Son with 1 tithable in
1813 with Lewis Southard as a separate entry.
Lewis is a buyer at the sale of the estate of Moses Southard.
6. Anna Southard. Born
abt 1790, probably Stafford Co, Married Jacob Bricker 17 January 1809 in
Shenandoah Co, Va.
This is still speculative at this time. Information provided by Sue Smith McLean of
Houston Texas.
7. Sarah
Southard. Born abt 1796, probably
Madison Co, married Gabriel Smith, Jr 23 July 1835 in Madison County. Died after 1870 probably Madison Co.
8. Lucy
Southard. Born abt 1797, probably
Madison Co, married William Taylor 20 Dec 1817 in Madison Co. Deceased before 1850, probably Madison Co.
9. Elias
Southard. Born 1798/99, probably
Madison Co, married Elizabeth Davis 29 Dec 1829. Deceased after 1870, probably Greene Co, Virginia.
10.Isaac
Southard. Born 1800, probably Madison
Co, married Lydia Ann Nicholson 17 Mar 1834 in Page Co, Virginia. Died 29 January 1891 in Darby, Delaware Co,
Pa.
The obituary of Isaac
Southard from the Philadelphia Bulletin.
SOUTHARD -- On January 29, 1891, ISAAC SOUTHARD, in his 91st year. The relatives and friends of the family are
respectfully invited to attend the funeral, on residence, Fifth street, below
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, Darby , Pa.. To proceed to Mount Zion Cemetery, Interment
private.
11.Jenny
Southard. Born abt 1806, probably
Madison Co, died after 1850 place unknown.
An appraisal of the estate of Moses Southard was
filed in Madison Co, Virginia on 11 April 1839, Will Book 7, Page 45.
The sale of Moses Southard's estate was conducted
on 25 June 1840 and is recorded in Will Book 7, page 76.
Among the purchasers of estate items were sons
Isaac and Lewis and son in laws William Taylor and Gabriel Smith, Jr.
Joseph Southard
Joseph Southard.
Born before 1765 (census 1810, age of 45 or greater). Joseph first appears in the Madison County
Personal Property Tax records in 1795, the same year as Moses Southard.
Joseph is the name of the step brother of Moses
Southard of Stafford Co, Virginia and I speculate that this is that
person. I also speculate that Joseph
married in Madison Co, Virginia in the late 1790's a Susannah Blunt although no
marriage record exists. Possibly a
second marriage.
The will of Francis Blunt, 7 September 1809,
Madison Will Book 2, pages 300-301 contains the following statement. "it is my desire that Joseph Southard ,
his wife nor one of their offspring should enjoy one penny of my
estate." I doubt that this
statement would appear unless he was concerned that some inheritance might be
an issue and believe that this establishes a relationship between Susannah
Southard and Francis Blunt. I propose
that Joseph and Susannah married without his permission probably maintained a
less than cordial relationship and he made sure she was not included in any
inheritance. Francis Blunt appears on
the Madison County Personal Property Tax Rolls beginning in 1793.
Joseph Southard, Sr. appears on the 1810 Census of
Madison County but not the 1820 Census.
He last appears on the Personal property Tax Rolls in 1816 which would
indicate he deceased in the last half of 1816 or early in 1817.
The Children of Joseph and Susannah
1 Thomas Southard.
Born abt 1798. Joseph Southard
appears with 2 tithables in his household in 1815 and 1 tithable in 1816.
Thomas Southard appears on the Tax Rolls in 1817. Thomas appears to be the son of Joseph.
2 Joseph Southard, Jr Born abt 1799. I expect to see Joseph Southard, Jr on the Tax Lists beginning in
1818.
Additional Tax Records
I have examined the Tax
records of Stafford Co from 1783 to 1805.
I have examined the Tax Records of Madison Co from 1793 to 1818. I have the Tax Records of Madison Co from 1818-1850
on order.
I expect these records
will help confirm Joseph Southard, Jr and help establish the parentage of other
Madison Co Southards, in particular, Albert Southard and James W. Southard.
Fielding Southard and the Southar family of
Madison County.
Fielding Southard is still somewhat of a
mystery. Fielding appears on the
Madison Tax lists from 1802 through 1810 and on the 1810 Census. Fielding then moves to Kentucky. I somehow do not think it was a coincidence
that Fielding appears in Madison Co. I
believe he is related somehow but that may never be proved. There is one theory
that he is the son of Joseph Southard by a first marriage.
I intend to examine the Tax Lists for surrounding
counties prior to 1802 to try and locate Fielding. Maybe I can gain a clue as to his father.
Madison and Culpeper before it has a family of
Southar. There is some minor confusion
in the records between these families but they can be separated. The Southar family are descended from a
Germanna immigrant who settled in the area which became Culpeper then Madison. I have corresponded with descendents of this
family and they are well identified by wills and deeds. There is no crossover between Southar and
Southard that I can determine.
