SAMPLER KEY: SOLVING THE FAMILY INITIALS

The first step in solving the initials on the sample was to identify common names used during the first half of the 19th century for each set of initials in the family "key" line, and to write down everything known about my great-grandparents Bunion S. Wierman and Winnie Briscoe.

Bunion Simpson WIERMAN  Born July 1854, Powell County, KY. Died 1939 Rowan Co., KY. Occupation: Farmer. Parents of Bunion-unknown. Also called Bunyan and Burner .Winnie Ann Briscoe  Born May 1862 Hancock Co., TN. Died May 1952, Moorehead, Rowan Co., KY. Children: Lily, Lee, Benjamin, William, Joseph K, Sallie O, Vernon L, and Zannie.

In the 1880 Estill County, Kentucky Federal census, living six listings away from Bunyan and Winnie Wierman is Bunion Wierman's mother, the widow Martha (Ann Nolan) Wierman, b. 1834, with three children: Norval D. Wierman,  b. 1854, Edward W. Wierman, b. 1859, and Lucy A. Wierman, b. 1868, and a grandson, Emerson Wierman, b. 1873.

Norval D. Wierman attended school in the Bowen, Estill Co., Kentucky area. He first married Mary E. Bratton, 14 August 1880. They purchased a farm on Cain Creek, near Stanton in Powell County and had eight children. After the death of Mary Elizabeth in 1920, Norval married in 1921 Isabelle (Belle) Campbell. Norval died in 1936 and was buried in the Stanton Cemetery. (Red River Historical Society, Volume 1, Fall 1993, No. 4).

19th Century Naming Patterns

Traditional naming patterns used in the 19th century involved naming boys in the following order:(1) the first born son after the paternal grandfather, (2) the second born son after the maternal grandfather, and (3) the third born son after the father. For girls: (1) the first born daughter after the maternal grandmother, (2) the second born daughter after the paternal grandmother, and (3) third born daughter after the mother. Middle names tended to be the maiden name of either the mother or grandmothers in the family.

This naming practice resulted in the same names repeating themselves over many generations of a family. Families larger than three boys or three girls reached further back into the family tree using names of great and great-great grandparents.

New names were introduced into the pattern as a result of a child born in transit to a new country, location or occasion-such as Ocean, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgiana, Valentine, April, and Easter. Famous people who influenced their lives-such as a minister of a church (William Bernard Todd of St. Stephen's Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia); military leaders, (Colonel William Campbell-Battle of Kings Mountain 1790 and Robert E. Lee, Civil War, Oliver Hazard Perry-War of 1812), inventors, (Benjamin Franklin and Eli Whitney), politicians, (Henry Clay-Kentucky), or presidents, (George Washington, Jefferson Davis, and Thomas Jefferson).

Focusing on the least common set of initials "V. T." narrowed the field of search to a handful of Taylors. Based on naming patterns the search focused on finding repeating sets of the initials VT. The state of Virginia yields three Vincent Taylor households living in Fairfax, Fauquier, and King & Queen County.

AOL SURNAME QUERY BOARD JANUARY 1998

Based on the scant information that my great-grandmother Winnie Briscoe came from Tennessee, born 1862, I first searched the Tennessee Federal Census. Found the name Keturah Brisco in Hancock County, wife of William Brisco, in both the 1850 and 1860 census if Hancock County. Children enumerated were Elizabeth, b.1845 MO; John Henry, b. 1847 TN; Mary Frances, b. 1849 TN; William Campbell, b. 1850 TN; Nancy Margaret, b. 1853 TN; and Permelia Jane, b.1855 TN. By 1870 this family is not present in the Hancock County, TN area.

I decided to post an inquiry, December 1997, on the America Online Genealogy state message board for Kentucky: "Looking for descendents of Burner S. Wierman and Winnie Briscoe of Lexington, Kentucky. Any connection to William and Keturah Brisco of Hancock County, Tennessee?" Immediately I received a response from Mrs. Helen James Bingaman, of St. Cloud, Florida. "My great grandmother Permelia Jane Briscoe was a sister of your Winnie. Their parents were William Brisco and Kitty "Catherine" Taylor married in Warren County, Missouri, March 16, 1843."

WARREN COUNTY, MISSOURI

The marriage of William and Catherine (Kitturah) provided the key to the sampler. There were many Taylor families in Warren County and the surrounding northeastern Missouri area. Collecting a pool of names, found in marriage records, the federal census, land records, and county court, wills, and probate records, the next step was to classify the Taylors into families: "Pioneer Families of Missouri" by Wm S. Bryan and Robert Rose, published in 1876, provided a wealth of family genealogy for many families in northeastern Missouri. RootsWeb provided additional compiled information by other Taylor researchers.

WARREN COUNTY, MISSOURI MARRIAGES

Three names in marriage records matched initials on the sampler: Fountain Taylor "FT," Vincent Taylor, "VT,"
Maranda Taylor, "MT." and a partial match, Burnard Taylor "BT."

May 1865 Vincent Taylor, Deceased. Warren County, MO, Wills Book C, page 469

After nine months of research I find the evidence that confirms that the individuals pieced together from marriage records and federal census records is a family:

State of Missouri, County of Warren I, Cecilia J. Taylor, do swear to the best of my knowledge and belief that Vincent Taylor died without a will, that Fountain Taylor-Wisconsin, Katy Briscoe-Kentucky, Eli Taylor-Wisconsin; Bernard Taylor-Illinois, Miranda Morris-Wisconsin are all the heirs of said deceased and pay all the debts as far as the assets will extend & the law direct, to account for & pay all assets which shall come to my possession or knowledge. Subscribed & sworn to before me this 6th day of May 1865. (Albert Forsvein, Clerk, Filed May 6th/1865)

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