The Benjamin Wells McCarty puzzler number one question is
who were his parents.
Searching for Benjamin Wells McCarty family trees on
Ancestry.com I find 7 trees naming James Madison McCarty and Nancy Fife as Benjamin’s
parents. This is incorrect. The children
of James Madison McCarty and Nancy Fife are well documented and there was no
son named Benjamin Wells McCarty.
I found one Ancestry.com tree naming Madison McCarty and
Henrietta Lawrence as Benjamin’s parents.
This is also incorrect. Henrietta,
wife of Madison McCarty died before the 1850 census. Benjamin was born in 1853
so he could not be a child of Henrietta, wife of Madison McCarty.
Five Ancestry.com trees name Madison M. McCarty and Nancy
Wiggins as the parents of Benjamin Wells McCarty. This is entirely feasible from records I
found available, but I have failed to find any documented proof of this assumption.
The known facts concerning Benjamin Wells McCarty I have
found is that he was born 24 May 1853 in Louisiana, possibly but not definitely
in Shreveport. The earliest definitive
record we have for our Ben is on the 1860 Liberty, Liberty County Texas
census. This record lists household #
37, family # 40 as Nancy McCarty age 34 female born in Georgia, value of real
estate $1300, value of personal property $100; Benj McCarty age 7 born in
Louisiana; Virginia Kirkpatrick age 30 born in Georgia; Frank Kirkpatrick age 6
born in Louisiana.
Our next definitive record of Benjamin McCarty is the 1870
federal census Liberty County, Texas, dwelling # 301 family # 292. This record
is Ezekiel G. Thompson age 40 born in Pennsylvania with real estate value $3000,
personal property $1000; Virginia G. age 40 born in Georgia, keeping house; Ida
age 5 born in Texas; Frank Kirkpatrick age 17 born in Louisiana, Clerk in Store;
Benjamin McCarty age 17 born in Louisiana, farmer, real estate value $300, personal
property $200.
Ida Thompson in the above census record is recorded on her Iowa
death certificate, death Burlington, Iowa 24 Jan 1948, birth 14 July 1865 in Houston,
Texas. Her father is named as Ezekiel Thompson born Pennsylvania, her mother as
Georgia Wiggins born in Texas. I have not found Ida Thompson on the 1880
federal census. In 1900, she is found in Crawford County, Illinois married to
Bruce Dwight Williams. Ida Thompson Williams life is well documented from this
time until her death in 1948. Nothing in
these records, other than the 1870 census record, connects her to Benjamin
McCarty. Our Benjmain did name a daughter Ida McCarty.
The first record I have found of Madison M. McCarty and
Nancy Wiggins is the 1850 Waynesboro, Burke, Georgia, USA Federal census.
This record is household # 5, Madison
McCarty age 29 born in Georgia; Georgia V. age 20 born in Georgia; Julia R age
11 born in Georgia; Floyd D age 8 born in Georgia; Rodolph S age 1 born in Georgia;
Nancy Wiggins age 24 born in Georgia; Henry Myers age 23 Civil Engineer born in
Georgia; Augustus Kirkland age 22 born Georgia, assistant tavern keeper; Basil R
Arthur age 24 merchant born SC; Sarah age 17 born in Georgia; Thomas M Berrien
age 61 born in Georgia, attorney at law; Virginia age 46 born in Georgia.
I am confident that the Georgia V. McCarty, 1850 Burke County,
Georgia is the same person as Virginia Kirkpatrick in 1860 Liberty, Texas in
the same household as Benjamin McCarty, as well as the same person as Virginia G.
Thompson on the 1870 Liberty County, Texas census in the same household as
Benjamin McCarty. Virginia G. Thompson’s daughter’s death certificate documents
her mother’s name as Georgia Wiggins. This death record along with the 1870
census record for Ida Thompson proves her mother’s maiden name as Virginia
Georgia Wiggins. I am equally confident
that the Nancy Wiggins on the 1850 Burke County, Georgia census is the same
person as the Nancy McCarty listed on the 1860 Liberty County, Texas census with
Benjamin McCarty listed in her household.
There is even one McCarty family tree online that maintains that Virginia
Berrien, wife of Thomas M Berrien on the 1850 Georgia census is actually
Virginia Wiggins mother of both Virginia McCarty and Nancy Wiggins listed above
her on this census. I have found no record to support this assumption
concerning the identity of Virginia Berrien.
The number one discrepancy between the many family trees
documenting Georgia V. Wiggins McCarty and Nancy Wiggins as sisters is that each
and every one of these trees maintains that Virginia G. Wiggins McCarty died circa
1851 in Georgia. I cannot reconcile an
1851 death date for Madison McCarty’s wife Virginia G. with the 1860 and 1870
census records in Liberty Texas. Another problem reconciling actual records
with assumptions is if Georgia V. Wiggins McCarty, wife of Madison McCarty, and
Nancy Wiggins McCarty, another wife of Madison McCarty, are sisters how do they
come to be living together in 1860 with Nancy having a child by the dead
husband of her living sister that is living in her household. This is certainly
possible but seems improbable. Without all these online trees to tell me
otherwise, I would suspect that either Benjamin Wells McCarty was a child of
Madison McCarty and Virginia Georgia Wiggins or that he was a son of Nancy
Wiggins and some male McCarty unidentified relative of Madison McCarty. It is
also possible that Virginia G. McCarty, wife of Madison McCarty on the 1850 Georgia
census is not the same individual as Virginia Kirkpatrick & Virginia G.
Thompson in 1860/1870 records.
All documented evidence I have found, points to Georgia V. McCarty
wife of Madison McCarty being the same person as Virginia Kirkpatrick and Virginia
G. Thompson. Certainty, Virginia G. Thompson
was Virginia Georgia Wiggins born in Georgia.
Madison McCarty is said to have died from a gunshot in a
case of mistaken identity. I have found no document to support this death date
or the circumstances of his death.
