To identify Robert McCall's family we have his Will which names 16 children. There could have been other children but they would have died before he wrote his will in 1853 and they would not have had any descendants. Robert's daughter Sarah was dead but he made provisions for her children in his will.
The will did not identify which children were by Elizabeth Thomas (Thompson) and which children were by Hannah McGarrah. It also didn't indicate the order the children were born, although in some limited instances, Robert may have identified the children in order of birth.
The second document is a Biography of Alexander Stewart, whose maternal grandfather was Robert McCall. It was published in 1898 and there are some errors, but he also names 16 children. In addition, Alexander identifies the mother of the children, the daughters spouses and whether they ever married.
Robert McCall (1777-1856) & Elizabeth Thomas (1785-1819) Robert McCall's Will (1853) Alexander Stewart Biobraphy (1898) Sarah (Dead) Sallie (Dead) (Robert Stewart) William William Hetty Esther (Dead) (Unmarried) John John Thomas Thomas Eliza Eliza (William Stewart) Peggy Margaret (Dead) (Unmarried) Alexander Alexander
Robert McCall (1777-1856) & Hannah McGarrah (1798-18??) Robert McCall's Will (1853) Alexander Stewart Biobraphy (1898) James James (Dead) Matthew Matthew Ellen Elanor (Dead) (John McKibben) Jane Jane (Widowed) (William Stewart) Harriet Harriet (Samuel Logan) Robert Robert Walker Allen Allen Lavina Lavina (Isaac Latshaw)
If we compare the names of the 16 children in Robert's Will and Alexander's Biography, we find 12 of the children named identically. In Robert's will we find a Walker Allen, Hetty, Peggy and Ellen, while in Alexander's Biography we find Esther, Eleanor, Margaret and Allen.
1. Walker Allen and Allen are the same person. (In some cases Walker and Allen have been identified as two people). From the 1850 Census, Robert has a son listed as Walker A. who is ten years old and in the 1860 Census Hannah (Robert was dead) has a son listed as Allen who is 20 years old.
2. In Robert's Will, we have Ellen and in Allen's Biography she is listed as Eleanor. This would be the same person.
3. In Robert's Will, we have Peggy and in Allen's Biography she is listed as Margaret. Peggy is frequently used as short for Margaret. This would also be the same person.
4. The remaining name from Robert's will is Hetty and from Alexander's Biography there is an Esther. We have found Esther living with Hannah and her family in the 1860 Census. (We have searched in the LDS database, for Esther and a surname, and it always provides listings for Hester, Hesperina and Hetty along with Esther.) We feel safe in assuming that Hetty and Esther are the same person.