FAMILY
HISTORY OF BOB BLAKELEY
By
William R. (Bob) Blakeley
The following is extracted from my reply to another doing resaerch with the subject surname. I also sent a copy to the BLAKELEY@rootsweb.com list. I though that some background would be appropriste to let you understand where I am coming from. Also, I would caution you not to be too dependent upon any one spelling of the surname over another variant. To start with, my father, Wiliam Ervin BLAKELEY (still alive and living in Michigan)) recalls a trip in 1927/28 to Xenia, Ohio when he was a young boy. His father (Irvin) drove the entire family, which included William Ellis BLAKLEY and his wife Rebecca Ann Boroff, my Great Grandparents. The purpose of the trip wasa to visi relatives around Xenia, Greene County. Before continuing it should be noted that some of my genealogy was not available at this time due to a move of home. From Internet sources census transcriptions, I found no BLAKELEY variant spellings in Greene County in 1820. The 1830 transcriptions contained three candidates: Robert and John BLAKELEY in Silver Creek Township and Thomas BLAKELY in Caesar Creek Township. I then moved to the 1860 Census for Greene County as my Great Grandfather William Ellis BLAKLEY was born January 13th 1850 and I had found a reference (Ancestry.com) to a William E. BLAKELY in the 1860 Census. The 1860 Census revealed three candidates, all in Silver Creek Township: Thomas BLAKELY (P313)32 Sarah 24 Clara M. 6 Martin V. B. 4 Unnamed (F) 3/12 Robert 75 John BLAKELEY (P310) 36 Lucinda 30 John L. 11 Ann 9 William E. 4 Mary M. 2 Unnames (M) 2/12 William BLAKELEY (P311) 40 Julia 38 John 14 Sarah E. 12 William 10 Phebe 9 James 5 Albertina (F) 2/12 EDITORIAL NOTE: It appears that Robert is living with/in son Thomas' household. The absence of Sarah would tend to confirm that she passed away between 1850 and 1860, very possibly 1851 as otherwise noted. John BLAKELEY's son, "William E." seemed to be too young to fit what I believed I knew, and the "William" aged 10 son of William and Julia seemed a perfect fit. Additionally, a time limited review of the 1870 Census found only the John BLAKELEY family in Silver Creek Township, and for some reason his William E. son was not in the enumeration. Reason ?? About the same time I found a reference in Ancestry.com - WORLD TREE CONNECT, to a Robert BLAKELY born 1787 in Augusta County, Virginia, who died on the 30th of August 1873 in Darke County, Ohio, who married in October 1917 in Augusta County. Wife: Sarah Jane Campbell, born 1787 in Augusta County and died in 1851, in Greene County, Ohio; Son: George Washington BLAKELEY born on the 19th of April 1818, in Augusta County and died on the 29th of December 1906 in Darke County Ohio. He married Elizabeth Cultace and had lots of kids; Daughter: Nancy BLAKELEYwas born in 1815 (this doesn't seem right to me); Son: William BLAKELEYwas born in 1822 and died in 1870; (This 1870 date is also suspect to me) * SON: JOHN BLAKELEY was born in 1823 and married Ucinda (unknown); Son: Thomas J. BLAKELEY was born on the 14th of September 1826, and died on the 14th of June 1916. family living in Caesar's Creek Township. The 1840 Census for Greene County list but one BLAKLEY. The 1850 Census is much more revealing: Robert BLAKELY 63 Silber Creek Twp.(P397) Sarah
63
Thomas 23 EDITORIAL NOTE; It appears that son Thomas is living with parents Robert & Sarah. John BLAKELY 27 Silver Creek Twp.(P381) Lucinda 22 John L. 1 Thomas BLAKELY 52 Caesars Crk.Twp(P439) Jane 48 Elizah M. 22 George 20 Nancy 16 Thomas 14 Undecypherable 11 (F) Francis 9 Geo. BLAKELY 29 Caesars Crk. Twp.(P439) Elizabeth 31 Sarah 5 Undecypherable 3 (F) Mary 2 Undecypherable 1 (F) Unnames 3/12 (M) Mary ?? 3 Other Tidbits: My Grandfather, Irvin, only son of William Ellis BLAKLEY and Rebecca Ann, was born in 1885, in a place listed as Springfield, Ohio. I cannot recall the source, however, but Robert, Sarah and all of their children were from Virginia. John's wife Lucinda, and William's wife Julia were both born in Ohio. I also cannot recall the source, however, William's wife Julia in census records, has otherwise been identified as being, in fact, Julia Jacks. I am also of the belief that Patriarch, Robert BLAKELY (b.1787),, went to live with his son George Washington BLAKELY in Darke County, Ohio sometime after 1860. The coincidence of father and son being buried in the same cemetery, makes other conclusions challenging. From the 1870/80 Census information you sent, it looks to be an "almost" fit. I am, however, puzzled with the idetified births in Illinois of James, 1858, and Samuel, 1861, when, as I theorize, the family should have been in Greene County as confirmed by census records. Do you have any indications of where in Illinois they might have been? Maybe I will have to chalk that one up the world of ambiguities that bedevil genealogists. Editors note: Bob, Places of birth given on census records are not always "Gospel". Sometimes when the Enumerator called he appears to have found only children present and taken details from them. They did not always know where each had been born and so guessed! In one census my grandmother from County Cork, Ireland was listed as having been born in Gateshead, Co. Durham! Jim Blakeley. UPDATE from Bob. I now believe my lineage is through the John BLAKELY, son of Robert BLAKELY, NOT William BLAKELY, son of Robert BLAKELY! |
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Updated 4th January 2010
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Website Built by Sylvia Blakeley