Evidence for the parentage of 91Elizabeth Sutton and 183Mary Chambers

Part 1: 91Elizabeth's parents and 183Mary's father

The following diagram summarizes the evidence I've found to identify the parents of 91Elizabeth Sutton and the father of 183Mary Chambers, and how I've interpreted that evidence. The diagram is followed by a citation and description for each source noted in the diagram, then lastly some additional commentary and closing thoughts.

ASOURCE: Wilkinson County, Georgia. Probate records 3 (1827-1838), pages 341-342. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9QM-2DSL?i=619&cat=576587>, accessed 18 April 2023.


These excerpts from 366William Chambers' will prove that he had a son Joel. Full page. Transcription.

BSOURCE: Weekly Chronicle & Sentinel (Augusta, Georgia), 1 November 1854, page 4, next-to-last column, about ⅔ of the way down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014777/1854-11-01/ed-1/seq-4/>, accessed 17 April 2023.


This newspaper notice proves that Joel Chambers had a daughter Phoebe.

CSOURCE: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Warren County, Georgia. Page 12, dwelling 98, family 98, Mary Sutton household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 86. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XCMK-F2?i=11&cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZYD-XXY>., accessed 11 February 2020.


The 1850 census proves that Phoebe lived with 183Mary (Chambers) Sutton. Considered in light of the other two records shown above, this census is the most persuasive evidence I've found that 183Mary was a daughter of 366William Chambers.

DSOURCE: Wilkinson County, Georgia. Marriage records book #9 (1823-1828), page 14, the marriage of Rodie Johnson Sutton and Polly Chambers. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C919-PQWB-1?cc=1927197&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQ21Z-VTCR>, accessed 13 April 2023.


182Rodie Johnson Sutton's and 183Polly (i.e., Mary) Chambers' marriage certificate

Although no record explicitly states that 182Rodie is 91Elizabeth's father, such a conclusion seems essentially certain thanks to this marriage certificate, when considered in light of several of the other sources described below.

ESOURCE: Warren County, Georgia. Inferior Court book for the years 1848-1861, page 155. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H3-49CV-K?i=237&cat=214790>, accessed 10 February 2020.


This Warren County, Georgia Inferior Court record dated 15 February 1856 is addressed to "Mrs. Elizabeth Black" (i.e., 91Elizabeth) and mentions "your brother Henry Sutton of alleged Lunacy." Compare this with Henry's description as "Idiotic" in the 1850 census (see source C above).

FSOURCE: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Militia district 1167, Glascock County, Georgia. Page 10, dwellings 76 and 77, families 77 and 78, William Black and William H. Bales households. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 124. FamilySearch, .


1860: William Sutton (91Elizabeth's presumptive brother) worked as a laborer next door to 91Elizabeth's father-in-law, 180William Black. This evidence is circumstantial, of course, but supports the overall proposal of 91Elizabeth's parentage.

GSOURCE: Warren County, Georgia. 1849 tax digest, section for Kent's militia district 151, page 9, entries for William and B. B. Black; and page 14, entries for Mary and Elizabeth Sutton. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2Q38-Z?i=305&cc=4130006&cat=306985> (page 9) and <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2QW5-5?i=310&cc=4130006&cat=306985> (page 14).

HSOURCE: Jefferson County, Georgia. Marriage book A white (1803-1880), page 133, marriage of William Black and Judah Thompson. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPPX-99BZ?cc=1927197&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AFWHK-HQX>, accessed 26 January 2020.

ISOURCE: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Warren County, Georgia. Page 130B, dwelling 62, family 62, William Black household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 86. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XCML-2N?cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZY6-7VC>.

JSOURCE: Warren County, Georgia. Marriage book for the years 1848-1873, page 50, marriage of Benjamin Black and Elizabeth Sutton. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BZ3-ZLB?cc=1927197&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AKXJK-6C7>, accessed 27 January 2020.

As you can see, the 1850 census (source C above) is a critical piece of evidence: Phoebe Chambers' presence helps to affirm 182Mary's identity; 91Elizabeth's siblings (Henry and William) as shown here help us identify 91Elizabeth and her family with more certainty in later records; and it strongly implies who Henry's and William's (and thus also 91Elizabeth's) parents are. Ultimately, all of the other sources simply reinforce the conclusions that one might draw from this census.

Although 366William Chambers' will makes no mention of 182Mary, the omission doesn't necessarily preclude the possibility that she is his daughter. Indeed, there is contemporary evidence that suggests (albeit loosely) that he had daughters not named in the will: Below is an excerpt from a description of a court proceeding initiated by 366William's son Henry, who was challenging the will in court. Notice the phrase "legitimate (son) child then [i.e., in 1837] in life." (The issue of the children's legitimacy is addressed in part 2 of this page; see below.)


This court minutes record insinuates that 366William had "legitimate" daughters not named in the will. Full page. Transcription.
SOURCE: Wilkinson County, Georgia. Probate court minutes book A, page 48. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-99QN-C?i=50&cat=576620>.

Short of a record that explicitly and directly names 91Elizabeth's parents, I feel confident in concluding that they are 182Rodie Johnson Sutton and 183Mary Chambers, based on the robust evidence presented above. Similarly, I feel confident in concluding that 182Mary's father is 366William Chambers.

Part 2: 183Mary's mother

366William Chambers' wife (and 183Mary's mother) might be a woman named Martha Robertson. Consider the following marriage record, dated 19 September 1803 in Warren County.1

An 1803 marriage is consistent with 183Mary's birth circa 1804.2 However, as you can see, the groom's name seems to be William Chamberly, not Chambers, so this could be a different couple altogether.

Another confounder for the above marriage record is 366William Chambers' registration for the 1805 Georgia land lottery: He registered for two draws,3 which (according to the lottery's rules) should mean that he had a wife and child by the last day of the registration period, i.e., by 1 March 1804—a biological impossibility if he had married just a few months earlier on 19 September (unless 183Mary was conceived before the wedding). Some lottery participants registered under false pretenses, however.

I haven't found Martha in earlier records, but notice that early Warren County tax digests include three Rober(t)son men around the time of the marriage record shown above:

(1)
Nathaniel Robertson:
1805: page 70, Captain David Neal's district. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2QQC-M?cc=4130006&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A68B9-T5ZZ>.
(2)
Norwell/Norvell Robertson
1801: page 49, Captain Barrett Brewer's district. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2QQ4-3?cc=4130006&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A68YV-4TPG>.

1805: n.p., Captain Devereaux's district. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2Q3F-G?cc=4130006&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A68YV-DBNX>. Notice that 366William, Henry, and Joel Chambers (discussed above in part 1) are all listed just a few lines further down the page.
(3)
W. A. Roberson
1805: n.p., militia district 159. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H3-PHNL?cc=4130006&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A6CT8-LFGH>.

Confusingly, and regardless of whatever prior marital history he may have had, 366William seems to have engaged in a longterm pseudo-marriage with a woman named Rebecca Stuckey. His will leaves the bulk of his estate to her yet doesn't describe her as "wife." The will introduces several other heirs as "___ Chambers, alias ____ Stuckey." Two heirs (Joel and Henry) are explicitly introduced as "son," but the others are not. (You can read a transcription here.) 4 Rebecca apparently had been estranged from her husband, judging by this newspaper notice printed on 29 September 1818:5

Since 183Mary was born circa 1804,2 and since Rebecca was estranged from her husband in 1818,5 Rebecca is almost certainly not 183Mary's mother.

Sources Cited for Part 2:

1: Warren County, Georgia. Marriages book A (1794-1814), page 13, entry 335. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BZ3-93S?i=40&cc=1927197>, accessed 21 April 2023.

2: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Warren County, Georgia. Page 12, dwelling 98, family 98, Mary Sutton household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 86. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XCMK-F2?i=11&cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZYD-XXY>., accessed 11 February 2020.

3: Paul K. Graham, 1805 Georgia Land Lottery Fortunate Drawers and Grantees (The Genealogy Company, Decatur, Georgia, 2010), page 193, entry #253 for William Chambers of Warren County. You can see the plat map here.

4: Wilkinson County, Georgia. Probate records 3 (1827-1838), pages 341-342. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9QM-2DSL?i=619&cat=576587>, accessed 18 April 2023.

5: The Reflector (Milledgeville, Georgia), 29 September 1818, page 3, column 3, about ⅓ down the page