Born in 1831, George is around 20 years old in this census and one would assume he might show up in the household of James and Rachel, right? WRONG! George shows up in the household of an Absolom Dailey. WHAT?! Why is he not listed in the household of James Dailey, his supposed father? This case would be simpler if that were the case. Let's dig in a little more.
In the 1850 US Census, the Head of Household and all the people in the house are listed, but relationships to the Head of Household are not listed. This makes things a little trickier when reviewing these records. Given this, I am unsure how George might be related to Absolom. Let's look at the record a little closer for some clues. I am guessing that Absolom is married to Margaret and the three children listed are theirs.
- Absolom - Age 27
- Margaret - Age 30
- Basil E. - Age 4
- John A. - Age 2
- Not Named - 9 months
George is then listed after the family and not listed with an occupation but born in Virginia and listed as 20 years old. There is one last person listed in the household, an Eliza Bullett, age 12 and a black female.
I am thinking that Absolom might be an uncle, cousin, or brother to Rachel or James (since Rachel's name was listed as Dailey on the marriage bond from the last blog post). Because Absolom would have been born around 1823 and James and Rachel did not get married until 1825, brother to George is possible, but not likely.
Knowing that Absolom is listed as a Merchant on the census could help me find additional records for the future, and I did discover that Absolom married Margaret Grove on the 20th of February 1845 and the bond was dated the 11th of February.
Now to compile some possibilities for where James and Rachel Dailey in are 1850.
- One or both are deceased
- They are alive but George is living with Absolom, possibly working with him in his merchant store
I did a little more research and found that Rachel died in March of 1842. I found this Find a Grave listing with a good picture of the gravestone. George would have been around 11 years old at the time of his mother's death. I could not find any death records or listings for James before 1850.
The transcription for her gravestone is as follows:
In memory of
RACHEL DAILEY
Wife of
JAMES DAILEY
Who was born on the 5th day of February
AD 1805,
and departed this life on the 18th
of March AD 1842
Beware of him and obey his voice
provoke him not; for he will not
pardon your transgressions:
for my name is in him. Exodus 23 chapter
21 verse and verse 22
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice,
and do all that I speak;
then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies,
and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
I had the privilege of visiting Rachel's grave in October 2021 when my cousin and I visited Frederick County, VA for a genealogy trip. We traveled to Wesley Chapel Cemetery, and it was a lovely cemetery with a small chapel. I love visiting the lands where ancestors are buried. It makes me feel closer to my four times great grandmother (if she is, in fact, my grandmother). When we arrived at the cemetery, it did not take us long to find her grave. The grave was in worse shape than the picture shown below and that makes me sad. But one of my biggest discoveries of the trip was in this cemetery. Guess who was buried beside her....Absolom Dailey.
So....given this fact, maybe Absolom is her brother? At the time of writing this, I am still unsure of exactly how they are related but being buried next to each other does say they might have been close. <sigh> More mysteries!
The next blog post will focus on Absolom Dailey.
Me and Rachel's grave and Absolom's grave to the left.
FAN Club Listing (I will continue to add to this)
- John Parlett (bondsman listed on James and Rachel marriage)
- Absolom Dailey (1850 US Census Head of Household)
- Margaret Grove (Wife of Absolom Dailey)
- John Grove (Minister for marriage of Absolom and Margaret)
Sources
Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data:Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Ancestry.com - 1850 United States Federal Census
Marriage Bonds and Licenses, 1773-1904. Marriage bonds, v. 15-20 1828-1850; Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1952. Marriage bonds and licenses, 1773-1904; ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9XF-2984-8?cat=363549 (familysearch.org)
Vogt, John, and T W. Kethley. Frederick County Marriages, 1738-1850. Athens, Ga. (548 Cedar Creek Dr., Athens 30605: Iberian Press, 1987. Print.
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current; Ancestry.com, Find A Grave, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012, Provo, UT, USA https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67326022
