Brick Wall #1

Up until this point, I have focused most of my posts on my maternal line.  There is a reason for that.  There is much more known about my mother's side than my father's.  My maternal line is made up of well-documented old New England families for the most part.  That's not to say there isn't any brick walls on her side.  There just seems to be more on my father's side.  So today I'm going to focus on my paternal line. My Wimsatt line. Otherwise known as the line that makes me bang my head on the desk and conceive of various new ways to use every curse word known to man!

  I can make it back five generations on my Wimsatt line.  Me, my father, my grandfather(Richard L Wimsatt), great grandfather(John Collins Wimsatt), great great grandfather( Arland Wimsatt) and great great great grandfather (George Will Wimsatt).  To put it bluntly, George Will is a pain in my....well, you get the point.  So here is what is known about good ol' George:

George Will Wimsatt was born on 4 July 1820 in Nelson County, KY.

 He married Sarah A Wright on 12 December 1842 in Nelson County, KY. 

He's found in the 1850 US Census living in Ohio, KY with his wife Sarah, three children, Mary, Lorenzo and Goldena, James Wright (brother-in-law) and Ignatius, his brother.

He's found in the 1860 US Census living in Campbell, Warrick Co., IN with wife Sarah, kids Mary, Lorenzo, Goldena, Rawlin [Roland], Wayne, Arlin [Arland], and Willis.  Brother-in-law James is still with him along with James Nicholson, a farm laborer.  I believe James belonged to James and Margaret A Nicholson, the neighbors of George and Sarah's.

He's found in the 1870 US Census living in Upper Town, Henderson Co., KY with wife Sarah, kids, Lorenzo, Goldena, Roland, Wayne, Orland[Arland], William , James, Wheeler,  and Lucretia and a Valson Wimsatt who I believe was a son of Lorenzo.

He found in the 1880 US Census living in Blue, Jackson Co., MO with wife Sarah, and kids Roland, Wayan [Wayne], Ailand[Arland], James, George W [Wheeler] and Lucretia.

George Will Wimsatt died on 6 June 1890 in Jackson County. MO.  He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Independence, Jackson Co., MO.  Wife Sarah died on 7 November 1910 in Kaw Township, Jackson County, Mo.  Joseph Wright is listed as her father on the death certificate.  The informant was L. Zumwalt or Lucretia (Wimsatt) Zumwalt, her daughter.  Sarah is also buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Independence, MO.

There were some Wimsatts that migrated from England to St. Mary's County, Maryland and then to Nelson Co., KY.  These Wimsatts were Catholic and had fled England due to the Church of England.  I have found one baptismal record for George and Sarah's daughter Mary Ellen who was baptized in St. Catherine's Church in New Haven, Nelson Co., KY.  So this leads me to believe that my Wimsatt line was at one time practicing Catholics. 

There is some speculation that George Will and Ignatius were the sons of  Ignatius and Nancy (Thompson) Wimsatt.  Ignatius and Nancy Thompson's marriage bond was dated 24 April 1818 and the surety is John Ballard.  Ignatius filed for divorce on 15 May 1840 stating that they had been together for  "10 or 12 years" but that she had "left his bed and board".  It is strange that he couldn't remember how long they had been married which at this time would have been over 20 years, if you consider the date of the marriage bond.  Of course we don't know when she exactly left.  If it was after 10 years of marriage, I find it hard to believe that there wasn't children conceived.  There is an estate settlement dated 12 December 1840 for Ignatius and the Administrator was James Ballard.  On another estate settlement there is a Linus Wimsatt listed as plaintiff.  He states that he "holds a note under seal on the defendant, James Ballard, Administrator of Ingnatius Wimsatt, dec. in substance as follows, to wit, Twelve months after date I promise to pay Linus Wimsatt one hundred and twenty-five dollars fifty cents. As witness my hand attest this 4th of September 1839. [note signed by] George and Ignatius Wimsatt.   Are these the brothers George and Ignatius? 

I have been unable to find what happened to Nancy (Thompson) Wimsatt after her divorce.  Nor have I found her parents.  And this is pretty much all the information I have on this line.    There are subtle clues to the parentage of George Will and Ignatius Wimsatt but nothing concrete.  Maybe it's time for that DNA test I've been wanting to get?