Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Wedding Wednesday: The 1807 Marriage of John T. Bentley & Polly Maxey

I love county courthouses! I know -- to most people, that seems like the talk of a crazy woman. But we family historians tend to be quite fond of the many county courthouses and clerk's offices that contain the historical documents that we covet so deeply. A couple of weeks ago, I got a wonderful present in the mail (well, I paid a small fee for it) from the probate office in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. It was the 1807 marriage record for my 5th great grandparents, John Townsend Bentley (1786-1863) and Polly Maxey (1791-1830).

It reads:
On the 22nd day of October 1807 John T Bentley & Polley Maxey was joined together in holy wedlock by me,                           Nat McClurg, J.P.
Recorded on the 21st day of Jan, 1808              
                                                             Matthew Rainey, C.C.O.
About a month ago, I posted about John's father, Revolutionary War patriot, Jesse Bentley. Here's the bible record from that post that also lists the marriage of John and Polly.

Here's how I'm descended from my 5th great grandparents, John and Polly:
  1. John Townsend Bentley (1786-1863) m. Polly Maxey (1891-1830) in 1807 >
  2. Elizabeth Scott Bentley (1810-1891) m. Richard William Purser (1802-around 1850) in 1837 >
  3. James Monroe Purser (1843-1914) m. Nancy Susan Hodge (1844-1883) in 1867 >
  4. Georgia Frances Ann Purser (1871-1956) m. William Calhoun Hunt (1870-1915) in 1891 >
  5. James William Hunt (1891-1961) m. Ethel Modena Martindale (1896-1977) in 1918 >
  6. Edith Vivian Hunt (1920-1993) m. Woodie Leroy Brittain (living) in 1938 >
  7. William Lee Brittain (1942-2003) m. Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram (living) in 1964 >
  8. Me!

4 comments:

  1. Wow! What a find, Wendy. You're compiling quite a family history book.

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  4. There is no way that Nathaniel Brittain was married in 1760 in Madison County, Kentucky. It was still hunting grounds for the Cherokee and Shawnee. In 1774, James Harrod constructed the first permanent settlement in Kentucky at Fort Harrod, the site of present-day Harrodsburg. Boonesboro was established in 1775, and many other settlements were created soon after.

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