#52Ancestors: Week 22 – Will the right Elizabeth Vaught stand up!

This is week 22 of the 2015 #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge where a group of u52ancestors-2015 Images blog about a different ancestor for each week of the year.  To learn more about the 52 Ancestor Challenge visit Amy Johnson’s site at Amy’s website.

Post 21 of 2015 #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was about Michael Roll’s revoluntionary pension application.  One of the deposed witnesses to his service was a woman named Elizabeth Vaught.  I wanted to know the relationship of this person to Michael Roll.

I created a research plan which I listed below.  FYI…This is future project for me. Writing the plan now allows me to capture the information that I analyzed for future reference.

Name of subject:  Elizabeth Vaught
Born in Cumberland County of Pennsylvania
About 1768
Spouse:  Unknown

Location:  Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Problem
Elizabeth Vaught provided a deposition confirming that Michael Roll served in the Revolutionary War in his application for pension.  Her creditability to offer evidence was affirmed by Moses Wickliffe, Esq.; acting Justice of the Peace. He states that Ms/Mrs Vaught is a lady of much respectability as of any in the county and to whom credit is due.

  • Who is this much respectable lady?
  • How did she know Michael Roll?
  • Is Elizabeth Vaught her married name? The handwriting abbreviation for Ms/Mrs is not clear and legible on the pension application.
  • There are several generations of women named Elizabeth Vaught within the collateral Vaught family lines.

Analysis
Michael Roll’s May 1834 pension application provides some clues about Elizabeth Vaught.  She knew Michael Roll when she was a child.  That her father’s house was in sight of John Roll house, Michael’s father.  Her age is listed as 66 years old.

Michael Roll was married to Christina E. Vaught, daughter of Christian Vaught and Hannah Crum.
Is the middle initial “E” for Elizabeth?  Her estimated birth year is 1765. There is a headstone for C.R. 1834 at Sears Cemetery located in Muhlenberg Co, Kentucky.

The application also lists names and descriptions people giving evidence. Simeon Vaught provided testimony to verify Michael’s story of serving in the war.  Simeon is describe as a clergyman and is about 71 years of age. How is Simeon related to Elizabeth and Christina Vaught?

In addition to Moses Wickliffe, Solomon Rhoades, Justice of the Peace provides a statement attesting he is acquainted with Ms/Mrs. Vaught. The Vaughts, Rolls, and Rhoades are related through marriage.

There is a will for an Elizabeth Vaught dated 1844, that leaves an estate to her grandchildren.  Does this mean her own children are deceased?  Is this the Elizabeth in the pension application?

Goal
Find out if Christina and Elizabeth are either the same person or two separate people. If two separate individuals how are they related?

Research Plan and Notes
Cumberland County Pennsylvania birth records from 1760 to 1772, and marriage records from 1780 to 1805.
Kentucky marriage records from 1795 to 1830, focusing on Hardin and Muhlenberg counties, then fan out to surrounding areas.
Review historical information about forts in Cumberland County for family information.
Locate and review SAR and DAR applications for family lineage.  Research that the information contained can be verified through other sources.  SAR/DAR are abbreviations for the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution lineage societies.
Kentucky Land Records
Kentucky Death Records
Hardin and Muhlenberg Tax Records
Hardin and Muhlenberg Clerk County Records, for wills and probate records
Muhlenberg County Church and cemetery records

Sources and Repositories
“Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, ca.1775-ca. 1900,” database, Ancestry, (www.ancestry.com, assessed June 12, 2015), entry for Michael Roll, Kentucky, imaged from the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, M804 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1974, roll 2078.

Dorann O’Neal Lam. “Will” Elizabeth Vaught February 1844, Muhlenberg Will Book 3 Page 59, (http://muhlenberg.genealogenie.net/Wills/vaught-elizabeth.htm, accessed June 14, 2015)

Evaluation
This is a future research project
Conclusion
Research not started

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