Key Facts

Snapshot:	farm laborer's wife
Parents:	66Moor Price mother uncertain
Born:	probably circa 1834 Georgia
Last known record:	1880 census Militia district 1253 (map), Washington County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

33Elizabeth Price was born in Georgia,1-4 probably circa 1834 (as explained below). Her father is 66Moor Price,1,5 but her mother's identity is less certain.

This excerpt from 66Moore Price's will proves that he is 33Elizabeth's father. Full page.5

Problem: Unresolved Who is 33Elizabeth Price's mother? On 20 August 1837 in Washington County, Georgia, 66Moor Price married Mary/Polly Maxwell.6,7 (There are two records that clearly refer to the same marriage, but they conflict on whether 66Moor's wife's first name is Mary or Polly. See more details here.) The 1850 census, however, shows that several of 66Moor's children were born well before 1837,1 and his will confirms that these are indeed his children.5 Therefore, one may doubt whether Mary/Polly is the mother of these older children. Other evidence, though, suggests that Mary/Polly Maxwell may have borne these older children after all: Seaborn Price (one of the sons named in 66Moor's will5) died 6 November 1921. His death certificate reports his age as 90 years, 4 months, 19 days,8 so he must have been born in June 1831—contradicting the 1850 census, which suggests he was born circa 1836. Regardless, both dates are before 66Moor's marriage to Mary/Polly Maxwell in August 1837... yet Seaborn's death certificate still names his parents as "More Price" and "Mary Maxfield" (Maxfield is probably a distortion of Maxwell). 66Moor may have fathered children with Mary/Polly Maxwell before they legally married. Alternatively, Seaborn may not have been as old as reported on his death certificate. Regardless, until better evidence can be found, concluding that Mary/Polly Maxwell is 33Elizabeth's mother seems ill-advised.

Problem: Resolved When was 33Elizabeth born? The chart below lists 33Elizabeth's age (and thus her estimated birth year) from the four censuses that include her. Census Year Age Estimated Birth Year 18501 8 1842 18602 31 1829 18703 35 1835 18804 46 1834 33Elizabeth's age in the 1850 census is highly questionable. As explained above, the age given for 33Elizabeth's brother Seaborn seems to be wrong by four years, so the other children's ages may be wrong, too. Furthermore, census workers typically list children by order of birth (thus from oldest to youngest), yet the children in 66Moor Price's 1850 census listing are in no particular order; this disorder suggests the census worker may have been rushing, or he may have been speaking to a less reliable informant (a neighbor, etc.) who was having trouble remembering all the family members, much less their ages. Of the other estimates, 1829 is plausible, but since the ages in the 1870 and 1880 censuses are fairly consistent, and because men often marry women who are a few years younger than themselves, the 1834/1835 birth year estimate seems more likely.

The 1850 census shows 33Elizabeth with her father 66Moore. Notably, they were living in militia district 92 (map), Washington County, Georgia,9 the same district where 33Elizabeth's future husband 32Russell Knight was living at the time,10 and where they later lived as a married couple.3

1850: 33Elizabeth's family in Washington County, Georgia. Full page.1

33Elizabeth married 32Russell Knight in Washington County on 26 March 1856.11 For more information on their marriage, their lives together, etc., see his profile since that information won't be repeated here.

33Elizabeth appears alongside her husband in the 1880 census, which shows them as residents of militia district 1253 (map), Washington County, Georgia.4 I have found no further record of her thereafter.

Sources Cited:

1: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Division 91, Washington County, Georgia. Page 245B, dwelling 626, family 626, Moore Price household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 87. Ancestry.com, accessed 6 December 2010. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/7thcensus0067unix#page/n348/mode/1up>, accessed 14 October 2021.

2: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Washington County, Georgia. Page 271, dwelling 847, family 827, Russel W Knight household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 140. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu140unit#page/n273/mode/1up>, accessed 14 October 2021.

3: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Lamb's militia district 92, Washington County, Georgia. Page 217A, dwelling 80, family 79, Russell Knight household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 182. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu0182unit#page/n111/mode/1up>, accessed 14 October 2021.

4: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Militia district 1253, Washington County, Georgia. Enumeration district 138, page 384, dwelling 143, family 143, Russell Knight household. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 171. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/stream/10thcensus0171unit#page/n149/mode/1up>, accessed 14 October 2021.

5: Washington County, Georgia. Wills book B (1852-1903), pages 36-37, the will of Moor Price. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-30462-1916-16?cc=1999178&wc=MM1Q-8JL:1192511708>, accessed 27 February 2013.

6: Washington County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1828-1852), page 193, marriage of Moor Price and Mary Maxwell. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXVQ-7V3>, accessed 31 May 2013.

7: Washington County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1828-1852), page 83, marriage of Moor Price and Polly Maxwell. FamilySearch, <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXVQ-7WR>, accessed 31 May 2013.

8: Washington County, Georgia death certificate 33238 for Seaborn Price. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:935D-X495-H?i=122&cc=1320969&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AJDX9-HPX>, accessed 14 October 2021.

9: Washington County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1850, page 17, Moore Price. Ancestry.com (“Georgia Property Tax Digests, 1793-1893,” Washington County, 1850, images 35 and 36 of 131), accessed 16 February 2013. Although I used Ancestry.com, the same record can be seen on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H3-7HRZ?i=580&cc=4130006&cat=307097>.

10: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Division 91, Washington County, Georgia. Page 253, dwelling 755, family 755, Jesse B. Knight household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 170. Internet Archive, <http://archive.org/stream/7thcensus0067unix#page/n364/mode/1up>, accessed 23 May 2013.

11: Washington County, Georgia. Marriage book B (1852-1860), page 275, marriage of Russell W. Knight and Elizabeth Price. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-LBZ6-WYR?i=376&cc=1927197&cat=287695>, accessed 8 October 2021.