Unverified Generations

Several internet sources have traced our Fletcher ancestors to Wilfred FLETCHER born around 1651 in Durham, England. Though I do not doubt the veracity of their claims, they did not include the source of their documentation. I include the lineage here and ask that any Fletcher researchers who can document our lineage from James Fletcher to Wilfred Fletcher, please email me. Many of the sources are linked at the end of this report.

Wilfred Fletcher, husband of Elizabeth, and father of John Fletcher. John and Mary Fletcher were the parents of William Fletcher who was born around 1700 in Durham England the husband of Mary Prichard, and was christened October 12, 1707 at St Catherine's Cathedral, in Dublin, Ireland. William Fletcher was the first of this line to arrive in the New World. He fathered several children including William Fletcher born in 1757, all born in Essex Co, Virginia. He died in Southfarham Parish, Essex Co, Virginia.

The 2nd William Fletcher born in 1757 married Margaret Peggy Cargile of Wilkes Co., North Carolina in October 06, 1769. She was the daughter of John and Catherine Cargile both born around 1718. Different sources list different data. The LDS Ancestral File and the various contributed records on Ancestry.com  are in conflict. The contribution to Ancestry which I find to be the most reliable was contributed by James Bond researcher of the Bond Family.  His data on our James Fletcher was accurate. This is his listing for William Fletcher. The Fletcher Family Resource Bulletins lists a William Fletcher which was born in 1851 married to Rebecca Moore with similar migration pattern as they both went to Jackson Co., Alabama from Essex Co., Virginia. Perhaps they were cousins. Visit the Fletcher Family Research Site.

Each of these sources list William Fletcher with a son named James Fletcher born around 1780. Some indicate that James is the brother of Lazarus Fletcher and other sources indicate he is his son. It is possible that James Benjamin Fletcher had a brother named Lazarus born in 1783 and a son named Lazarus born in 1805. James Benjamin Fletcher married Nancy Case arnd 1803 and died before 1850 in Jackson Co., Alabama.

You can understand without original sources, how difficult it is to determine the lineage of our Lazarus Fletcher without contributing to the dissemination of erroneous information. I believe that as with many of our families, certain names were repeated throughout our lineage and it is difficult to separate them. The best source in later generations is the census records, which after 1850 listed the children in a family. The migration of a family is also a clue to our lineage. In this case, before 1850, with similar migration patterns, we can only assume they were all related until original source documents are obtained.

Generation No. 1
LAZARUS FLETCHER stated in the 1850 Logan Co, KY census that he was born in Kentucky in 1805. His wife Milly is the same age, maiden name is not known. He is first found in the 1840 census in Jackson Co., Alabama. He was 35 years but I have not been able to locate a copy to determine who is in the household.

The first record I have found of Lazarus Fletcher is in a Hamilton Co Alabama land grant, July 3, 1833. I do not know where he was married but this coincides with the birth of his first three children; William, John and James are born in Alabama from 1827-1835. So it safe to assume, that though Lazarus states he was born in Kentucky, he returned to northern Alabama, where there is a Fletcher family history. He was there until 1840. His fourth and fifth children; Susan and Willie are born in Tennessee in 1841 and 1844. As Hamilton Co., Alabama and Logan Co., Kentucky are both located on the Tennessee border, one north and one south, it reasonable to expect they may have been in one of the adjacent counties in Tennessee. James' wife, Martha Riddle, was reportedly born in Giles Co., Tennessee and relocated to Williamson Co., Illinois. I have found no evidence that the Lazarus Fletcher family ever lived in Illinois so perhaps they were in Giles Co. I often wonder when doing this research how these families met.

His last two children; Melinda and Joe are born in Kentucky, the first in 1847. Lazarus Fletcher and his family are located in Logan Co., Kentucky in the 1850 census.

Generation No. 2
JAMES1 A. FLETCHER was born 1835-36 according to several census. His parents stated when he was young that he was born in Alabama, he listed his birth place as Kentucky. He married Martha Riddle, November 11, 1857 in Williamson Co., Illinois. They are located in the 1860 Williamson Co., Illinois census with their one year old son William.

After several months of searching I located James and Martha Fletcher in the 1870 Logan Co., Kentucky census. That was my lead to finding his parents. I searched the Logan census for when James was a child. I found two James Fletchers in the 1850 Logan census (linked above) the first was the child of Carville Fletcher, the next the son of Lazarus. However, Carville's son was a year younger and still in Logan in the 1860 census when our James was in Franklin Co., Illinois. It is likely that Carville and Lazarus are related.

James and Martha Fletcher have 4 children William and Amanda who is 8 years old, both born in Kentucky so they were in Illinois until 1862. Their next child George who is 5 was born in Kentucky. So it seemed logical that since they were in the 1870 Logan, Kentucky census that they moved there before 1865. Then you see that their 4th child Elijah who is only 2 was born in Illinois so they have only been back in Kentucky since 1868.Whether they are moving back and forth to Logan or to the Paducah McCracken Co area where Martha resides in later years, is unclear.

Lazarus and Milly Fletcher are also in the 1870 Logan Co, Kentucky at 64 years old, living next to their daughter Susan Eply and their son Wiley Fletcher. Both Lazarus and their daughter Susan have a minor Stanley child living with them. Relationship is unknown.

 The last two children of James Fletcher are  Ellen born in 1871 in Illinois and Mary born in 1873 in Kentucky. It seemed they moved back and forth every two years. They are in the 1880 Franklin Co., Illinois Census leaving Williamson Co. the home of Martha's family. Two years later on February 8, 1882, their son William marries Rosha Cunningham Shipley.

The last record of James Fletcher is the marriage of his son William. Martha is listed in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census in Paducah, Kentucky and with her daughter Mary in Franklin Co Illinois. In the 1910 census she states that she has been a widow for 3 years. Her family history is listed on my Riddle Family Page. She died March 31, 1933 in Franklin Co and was returned to Paducah, Kentucky for burial in the Oak Grove Cemetery.  A field stone for a James Fletcher is also located in Oak Grove Cemetery. There is no date. The grave site is located in the Old Section 1 Lot 10. (5 rows from street) and approx. 500 yards from Martha's grave. Cannot prove his  identity to be our James Fletcher.

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Refer to Price and Riddle Family histories for biographies of descendants.
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Descendants of James A.Fletcher

1 James A.Fletcher b: 1836 d: Aft. 1882
. +Martha J. Riddle b: June 22, 1840 d: March 31, 1933
2 William Fletcher b: 1860
.... +Rosha Cunningham Shipley
2 Amanda Fletcher b: 1861
2 George P. Fletcher b: 1865
2 Elijah R. Fletcher b: 1868
2 Elen Fletcher b: 1871
2 Mary Isabel Fletcher b: May 17, 1873 d: June 18, 1937
.... +Price
*2nd Husband of Mary Isabel Fletcher:
.... +David Zion Price b: December 19, 1875 d: June 26, 1959
... 3 Ray John Price b: February 03, 1894 d: May 18, 1955
....... +Effie J-Lena?.
...... 4 Lorna Mae Price
...... 4 Mary Francis Price
...... 4 Charles Price
... 3 Buelah Price b: October 01, 1897 d: April 11, 1961
....... +Arlie Stagner
... 3 Nellie Price b: January 15, 1900 d: April 14, 1966
....... +Mayberry
... *2nd Husband of Nellie Price:
....... +Willis Joiner
...... 4 Wanda Joiner
.......... +Behl
...... *2nd Husband of Wanda Joiner:
.......... +Burruss
...... 4 Burnadean Joiner
.......... +Dan O Neil
...... 4 Ruth Ella Joiner
.......... +William Covey
...... *2nd Husband of Ruth Ella Joiner:
.......... +Valdene Stephens
...... *3rd Husband of Ruth Ella Joiner:
.......... +Neibech
... 3 Blanche Price b: May 15, 1902
....... +Omer Cook
...... 4 Eddie Lee Cooke
...... 4 Gene Cooke
... 3 Ethel Marie Price b: January 05, 1905 d: October 11, 1972
....... +Ben Ballard
...... 4 Leland Dayton Ballard b: October 14, 1920 d: August 01, 1921
... *2nd Husband of Ethel Marie Price:
....... +Erich (Harry) August Stratman b: July 12, 1903 d: November 10, 1987
...... 4 Dina Fay Stratman b: November 07, 1924 d: August 13, 1987
.......... +Harold William Groves b: July 22, 1920 d: January 20, 1997
... 3 Agnes Price b: 1908 d: Aft. 1972
....... +Harrell
... *2nd Husband of Agnes Price:
....... +William Sullens
... 3 Lorraine Price b: 1910
....... +Kimmel
... *2nd Husband of Lorraine Price:
....... +Maddox
...... 4 Lee Edward Maddox
... *3rd Husband of Lorraine Price:
....... +Thomas Peek
...... 4 Richard Peek
...... 4 Violent June Peek
... *4th Husband of Lorraine Price:
....... +Vanno
... 3 Everett Price b: October 20, 1913 d: February 12, 1975
....... +Ludene Gill
...... 4 Lannie Ray Price b: 1937 d: June 08, 1974
.......... +Gail Townsend
...... 4 Linda Price
.......... +Willard Gonterman


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