Documentation for Samuel Kerr / Carr Junior
(13 February 1812 to 16 July 1852)
son of Samuel Kerr / Carr Senior
(06 August 1778 to 23 September 1823)
Download Adobe Acrobat File - Documentation for Samuel Kerr / Carr Junior, son of Samuel - (The file has the following text plus images.)
[Note: See Appendix A for a discussion of the dual spelling, i.e. Kerr/Carr, of the last name or surname of this family.]
Samuel Kerr/Carr Junior was the son of Samuel and Nancy Kerr/Carr Senior of Franklin County, Ohio.(1) His father, Samuel Kerr/Carr Senior was a son of Lt. John Kerr/Carr and his wife, Mary Dougherty Kerr/Carr, of Cumberland/Franklin County, Pennsylvania.(2)
Samuel Kerr Junior was 9 years of age according to the 1823 estate papers of his father, Samuel Kerr Senior.(3) He was born 13 April 1812 in Franklin Co., Ohio, and he died 16 July 1852 in Champaign Co., IL., aged 40 years, 3 months, 3 days.(4) He was buried in Tomlinson Prairie Cemetery, Champaign Co., Illinois.(5)
Samuel Jr. married (Elizabeth) Betsy Ann Taylor on 19 October 1837 in Warren County, Indiana.(6) She was the daughter of John Clark Taylor and Rachel C. Cole.(7) Elizabeth Betsy Ann Taylor was born 15 January 1820 in Fleming, Kentucky.(8)
John Clark Taylor was born 18 January 1775 in Richmond or Hampshire Co., VA.(9) He was the son of Tarpley Taylor and Siball "Libbie" Clark.(10) John Clark Taylor was elected twice to the House of Representatives, Fleming Co., KY.(11) He moved to Kent Township in Warren Co., IN, about 1828.(12) He was a Justice of the Peace in Warren County between 1836 and 1838.(13)
John Clark Taylor married Rachel C. Cole on 12 March 1798 in Mason, Kentucky.(14) She was the daughter of Joseph Cole and Elizabeth Beeson.(15) She was born 22 March 1782 in Virginia and she died 27 July 1838 in Warren Co., IN.(16) She was buried at the (New) Gopher Hill Cemetery east of State Line, IN.(17) John died 16 September 1838 in Mound Township, Warren Co., IN.(18) He was buried in the (New) Gopher Hill Cemetery.
John Taylor of Fleming County, Kentucky, acquired 80 acres of land in Warren County, IN, on 2 November 1831.(19) This land was in Township 20 North, Range 9 West, Section 19. John Taylor of Warren Co., IN, also acquired 80 acres on 2 November 1831 in Township 20 North, Range 9 West, Section 18, Warren Co.(20) John Taylor and William F. Taylor acquired 80 acres of land on 10 July 1832 in Township 20 North and Range 9 West, Section 17, Warren Co.(21)
Samuel Kerr/Carr Jr., son of Samuel and Nancy Kerr/Carr Sr. of Franklin County, Ohio, should have been 21 years old, no longer a minor, in 1835. According to land patents, Samuel Kerr of Fountain County, Indiana, purchased three tracts of land in the northeast corner of present-day Champaign Co., Illinois, on 16 September 1835.(22) These three tracts were in Township 22 North, Range 14 West:
Section 6 - Northwest Quarter, Lot/Tract 1
Section 8 - East Half of Southeast Quarter
Section 9 - West Half of Southwest Quarter
The above land was measured from the 2nd Principal Meridian in Indiana and not from the 3rd Principal Meridian in Illinois.
Samuel Kerr of Vermilion Co., IL, purchased a fourth tract in Champaign Co. on 1 November 1839, also in Township 22 North, Range 14 West: Section 9, the Southeast Quarter of the Southwest Quarter.(23) Samuel Kerr of Champaign Co., IL, purchased a fifth tract in Champaign Co. on 10 May 1848, also in Township 22 North, Range 14 West: Section 8, the Southwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter.(24)
The children of Samuel Kerr Junior, and Elizabeth Betsy Ann Taylor Kerr were: (25)
1) Russell T. (Taylor) Kerr, born 2 March 1841 in Champaign Co., IL, married Frances J. Lamb. She was born in Fountain Co., IN, on 31 October 1847. He died 20 July 1911 in Hollenberg, Washington, KS.
2) John C. (Clark) Kerr, resident of Vermilion Co., IL, born 29 September 1841 in Champaign Co., IL, married 21 March 1862 in Ford Co., IL, to Rachel Ann (Rebecca) Smith. He died 15 December 1924 in Danville, Vermilion Co., IL. An obituary for him does exist.
3) Elizabeth Kerr, the wife of Jacob Jones, Vermilion Co., IL. She was born 25 October 1844 in Champaign Co., IL, and died 31 March 1905 in Illinois. She was buried at the Rankin Union Cemetery in Rankin, Vermilion Co., IL.
4) Matilda Kerr, the wife of Jonathan Jones, lived in Vermilion Co., IL. She was born 23 January 1848 and died 4 December 1932. Buried at the Partlow Cemetery, Armstrong, Vermilion Co., IL.
5) Joseph F. Kerr was born 27 August 1849 in Kerr Township, Champaign Co., IL, and died there on 27 August 1918. John F. Kerr was married 18 February 1869 in Ford Co., IL, to Emma Bradshaw. She was born in 1852 and died in 1940. He died 30 August 1918 in Kerr Township, Champaign Co., IL, and is buried at Rankin Union Cemetery, Rankin, Vermilion Co., IL.
6) Rachel Ann Kerr, the wife of Prince Evans, lived in southern Kansas. She was born in January 1852 in Champaign Co., IL. She died in March 1929 at Grady Co., OK, and is buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Chickasha, Grady Co., OK, Block 7, Lot 1.
A History of Champaign County tells us that: "Samuel Kerr, reputed to have been the first person to become a permanent resident of the northeaster township of Champaign County -- and from whom the township received its name -- in the year 1833 entered land in Section 9, in what has since been known as 'Sugar Grove,' an aggregation of fine timber which grew up under the protection of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, which makes a cut across the northeast corner of this county. Here he lived and died -- with the exception of a very few others who also ventured so far away -- alone in the great waste of timber and prairie which lay unclaimed around him."(26)
A biography of the oldest child of Samuel and Betsy Kerr Junior tells us something about the Samuel and Betsy Kerr family. "He is the offspring of an excellent family, being the son of Samuel and Betsy Ann (Taylor) Kerr, who were natives respectively of Ohio and Kentucky. Both parents removed to Indiana in their youth and in that State were married. In 1836 they settled in Champaign County, Ill., and were among its earliest pioneers, taking up land from which the Indians had just departed. Upon the north and west of them there was not a settler for twenty miles. Deer, wolves and various other kinds of wild animals were plentiful. The elder Kerr entered 500 acres of land from the government and when his township was organized, it was named in his honor . . . The paternal ancestors of Mr. Kerr were originally from Scotland, and a paternal granduncle served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War until its close and was afterward a member of the United States Senate. On his mother's side Grandfather John Taylor, was a second cousin of President Zachary Taylor, and a member of the Kentucky Legislature."(27)
The above statement appears to refer to Lt. John Kerr of Chambersburg/Kerrstown, Cumberland/Franklin County, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolution and to General and United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio, a son of Lt. John Kerr and a brother of Samuel Kerr, Sr.(28) General and United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio would have been Russell T. Kerr's grandfather's brother, a great uncle. However, Lt. John Kerr would have been Russell T. Kerr's great-grandfather.(29)
We have not found a record that indicates a middle name for Joseph F. Kerr, son of Samuel and Betsy, but there is some indication the "F" stood for Foster. Joseph F. Kerr and Emma Z. J. Bradshaw were the parents of a Joseph Foster Kerr who was born 11 December 1873 in Kerr Township, Champaign Co., IL. Joseph Foster Kerr married Cora A. McHaley on 7 May 1894 in Ford Co., IL. The will of Joseph F. Kerr, the son of Samuel Kerr, Jr., of Kerr Township, Champaign Co., IL, was signed 15 March 1915 and was filed 9 September 1918. The will identifies the three children of Joseph F. Kerr and Emma Bradshaw as Nancy Belle Strayer, Rosa Lee McIntosh, and Joseph Foster Kerr. The will was signed "Joseph F. Kerr." It seems likely the son of Samuel and Betsy Kerr, Jr. was also named Joseph Foster Kerr.
A possible link has been found to the names given to Russell Taylor Kerr and Joseph F. Kerr, two sons of Samuel and Betsy Taylor Kerr, Jr. This link goes through a Joseph Foster who settled in Warren Co., IN, where Samuel Kerr, Jr., and his wife, Betsy Ann Taylor, were married.
Joseph Foster was born 23 March 1795 in Maryland and died 17 April 1866 in Warren Co., Indiana.(30) Joseph Foster of Clark Co., Ohio, purchased four tracts of land in Warren Co., Indiana, on 5 October 1826, in Township 20 North, Range 9 West, Sections 30 and 31.(31) Joseph Foster of Warren Co., IN, purchased four more tracts on 3 January 1831, all in township 20 North, Range 9 West, Warren Co., IN.(32)
Joseph was a son of Thomas Foster and Mary Prather.(33) Thomas Foster was a brother of Benjamin Foster who was appointed a guardian for the children of Samuel Kerr.(34) Joseph married Mary Elizabeth Russell (1797 - 2 January 1861) in Pike County, Ohio, on 13 June 1830.(35) She was born in 1797 and died 3 January 1861 in Warren Co., IN.(36) Both are buried at the Foster Cemetery in Warren Co., IN.(37)
Samuel Kerr Junior probably met Betsy Ann Taylor when 1) Samuel Jr. lived at the Joseph Foster home or 2) Samuel Junior visited the Joseph Foster home in Warren Co. John Taylor's land in Section 19 was the West Half of the Northeast Quarter. This land was within about a mile distance of land owned by Joseph Foster in Section 30 which was in the East Half of the Southeast Quarter. Section 19 was adjacent Section 30.
It seems reasonable to believe the first son of Samuel Kerr Junior was named Russell for the maiden name of Joseph Foster's wife and was named Taylor for the maiden name of Samuel's wife. It also is reasonable to believe Joseph F. Kerr, son of Samuel Kerr, Jr., was named after Joseph Foster of Warren Co., IN, where Samuel Kerr, Jr. met his wife, Betsy.
William Chenoweth signed a document, part of the probate records of the Samuel Kerr estate, in which he states that "Samuel Kerr late of said county departed this life on or about the 16th day of July last and that he died intestate as he verily believes and further saith not."(38) The document was dated 6 August 1852.
Guardians were appointed in 1855 to care for the minor children of Samuel Kerr, deceased. Those children were Russell T. Kerr, John C. Kerr, Elizabeth S. Kerr, Matilda M. Kerr, Joseph F. Kerr and Rachael Ann Kerr.(39) The guardians appointed were: Absalom H. Wood, Caleb P. Evertson, Edward Edwardly, and Lindsey Corbly.(40)
Absalom Wood purchased land in Township 22 North, Range 14 West, Section 19 and 20 on 20 January 1851.(41) Caleb Evertson purchased land in Township 22 North, Range 14 West, Section 33, on 2 January 1854.(42) Lindsey Corbly purchased land in Township 22 North, Range 14 West, Section 17, on 1 October 1856.(43) All of these individuals lived fairly close to Samuel and Betsy Kerr, Jr.
Kerr Township in Champaign Co. was named after Samuel Kerr Junior.(44) Kerr Township is in the extreme north-east corner of the county, and occupies Township 22 North, Range 14 West, 2nd Principal Meridian and Township 22 North, Range 11 East, 3rd Principal Meridian.(45)
The 1840 Illinois, Champaign Co., census lists Samuel Kerr, 1 male age 20 - 30; one male under age 5; one female age 20 - 30; one female age 5 - 10.(46) The 1850 census for District 21, Champaign County, Illinois, listed the Samuel Kerr Junior family as follows: Samuel, age 38, farmer, real estate $7,000, born in Ohio; Betsey, age 31, born in Kentucky; Russel, age 11, born in Illinois; John, age 9, born in Illinois; Elizth, age 6, born in Illinois; Matilda, age 2, born in Illinois; and Joseph, age 1, born in Illinois.(47)
Betsy Taylor Kerr remarried on 28 February 1856 in Danville, Vermilion Co., Illinois, to Daniel Allhands.(48) Betsy Ann Taylor Kerr Allhands must have died prior to 1860 as indicated by the Biography of Russell Kerr and by the fact that Daniel Allhands married an Elizabeth Wilson in early 1860.(49)
Russell Kerr, age, 21, a son of Samuel and Betsy Kerr Junior, is included in the Daniel and Elizabeth Wilson Allhands family census of 1860.(50) Elizabeth is listed as having been born in Ohio. We know this is not Elizabeth Betsy Ann Taylor Kerr since 1) Betsy was born in Kentucky; 2)went by Betsy, not Elizabeth, in the 1850 census; and her son, Russell, indicated she died not long after her husband, Samuel.
ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL to support the RELATIONSHIP between
SAMUEL KERR / CARR SENIOR and his son SAMUEL KERR / CARR JUNIOR
1) The 08 October 1823 estate records for Samuel Kerr of Franklin Co., OH, lists his minor children as Orson (age 18), Joseph (age 16), Nancy (age 14), Clarissa (age 11), Samuel (age 9), Robert (age 8), Elijah (age 6), and Jackson (age 4). Benjamin Foster, Elijah Chenowith, and Samuel Dyer were appointed guardians for the minor Kerr children in 1824.
2) According to DAR RC#722981, Elijah Chenoweth married Rachel Foster, daughter of John Foster of MD, and died in Franklin Co, OH, on 05 December 1828.
3) The will of Elijah Chenoweth names among his heirs, sons Thomas, Joseph, John F., youngest son Elijah Chenoweth, and daughter Ruth Davidson. (Franklin Co, OH will book A, page 196, dated 21 July 1828, probated 7 April 1829)
4) James Davison married Ruth Chenoweth, daughter of Elijah Chenoweth, on 3 April 1828 at Pleasant Township, Franklin Co., OH. (Ohio Marriages, 1789 - 1898, original image: #1074, 1828, James Davidson to Ruth Chenoweth, April 3d Anno Domini, Samuel
I. Shaw. Also see History of Vermilion County, Illinois by Lottie E. Jones, published in 1911,
Biography of Andrew Davidson, father of James Davison.)
5) Joseph Kerr married Jane Davison on 11 March 1830 in Vermilion Co., IL. (Illinois Marriages to 1850, Joseph Kerr, Jane Davison, 11 March 1830, Vermilion Co., IL)
6) The Davisons came to Illinois from Franklin Co., Ohio by way of Indiana.(Jack Moore Williams, History of Vermilion County Illinois, 2 vols., (Topeka - Indianapolis, Historical Publishing Company, 1930), 1:295) They settled in Vermillion Co., IN, for a brief period before moving to Vermilion Co., IL.(Bureau of Land Management, 5 November 1830, Andrew Davison of Vermillion County, Indiana, Township 21 North, Range 11 West, Section 7, East Half Southeast Quarter Vermilion Co., Illinois) Andrew Davison of Vermillion Co., IN, first bought land in Vermilion Co., IL, on 5 November 1830. This land was in Township 21 North, Range 11 West.(History of Vermilion County, Illinois by Lottie E. Jones, published in 1911, Biography of Andrew Davidson, father of James Davison.)
7) The S. A. R. Supplemental Ancestor Certificate of Curtis L. Older, descendant of John Kerr, approved 4 November 2015 supports the conclusion that Nancy Kerr, Orson Kerr, and Andrew Jackson Kerr, minor children of Samuel Kerr, Sr. of Franklin Co., OH, came to the western Indiana counties of Fountain and Vermillion in the 1820s with Benjamin Foster, a guardian appointed for the Kerr minor children.
8) Joseph Kerr of Vermillion Co., IN, purchased 80 acres of land on 1 December 1830 in Vermilion Co., IL.(Bureau of Land Management, Joseph Kerr, 1 December 1830, Township 21 North, Range 12 West, West Half of Northeast Quarter, Section 24, Vermilion Co., IL.)
9) Joseph Kerr and James Davison of Vermilion Co., IL, purchased 80 acres of land on 8 December 1830 in Vermilion Co., IL.(5) This land was in Township 21 North, Range 11 West.
10) Samuel Kerr of Fountain Co., IN, purchased land in Township 22 North, Range 14 West, Champaign Co., IL, on 16 September 1835. This land was within 12 miles of land owned by his brother, Joseph Kerr.
11) Joseph Kerr was appointed Administrator for the estate of Samuel Kerr, Jr. who died 16 July 1852 in Champaign Co., IL.(Samuel Kerr Probate Records, Champaign, Illinois, 4 October 1852, Case Number 104, widow's request to have Joseph Kerr appointed administrator. "The undersigned widow of Samuel Kerr Decd, late of Champaign Co. Ill, hereby resign my right to administrator on the estate of said decd, and request that Joseph Kerr, the brother of the Decd, may be appointed Administrator of said estate. Betsy Ann Kerr Aug. 5, 1852")
12) An O. Kerr, an A. J. Kerr, and an Andrew Kerr purchased several items at the Samuel Kerr, Jr., estate sale. We assume that O. Kerr was Orson Kerr, brother of Samuel Kerr, Jr. and Joseph Kerr. Joseph Kerr and Jane Davison Kerr had a son named Andrew
J. Kerr who was born 2 July 1833 and who died 13 July 1919. The A. J. Kerr of the estate sale could have been Andrew Jackson Kerr, brother of Samuel Kerr, Jr., or he could have been the son of Joseph Kerr. We assume Joseph Kerr named his one son Andrew J. Kerr after his brother, Andrew Jackson Kerr.
13) Guardians were appointed in 1855 to care for the minor children of Samuel Kerr, deceased. Those children were Russell T. Kerr, John C. Kerr, Elizabeth S. Kerr, Matilda M. Kerr, Joseph F. Kerr and Rachael Ann Kerr.(Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, Samuel Kerr, Probate Date: 4 Oct 1852, Champaign, Illinois, Case
#104, Packets No., 102-149, 1852-1855. Cover Page 1, Order Papers 2-9, Account Papers
10-14, Sales Paper 15-18, Account Papers 19-23)
14) The Biography of Russell T. Kerr states: "The paternal ancestors of Mr. Kerr were originally from Scotland, and a paternal granduncle served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War until its close and was afterward a member of the United States Senate."(Portrait and biographical album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties, Kansas (Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1890), pp. 44-5, Biography of Russell T. Kerr.) The previous statement refers to Lt. John Kerr of Chambersburg/Kerrtown, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolution and to General and United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio, son of Lt. John Kerr and brother of Samuel Kerr, Sr.(George P. Carrel and Marie Dickore, General Joseph Kerr of Chillicothe, Ohio: "Ohio's lost senator," (Oxford, Ohio: The Oxford Press, 1941)) General and United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio would have been Russell T. Kerr's grandfather's brother, a granduncle. However, Lt. John Kerr of the American Revolution would have been Russell T. Kerr's great-grandfather.
CONCLUSION
Samuel Kerr Junior of Champaign Co., IL, husband Betsy Taylor, was a brother of Joseph Kerr of Vermilion Co., IL, as indicated in the probate papers, Case #104, of Samuel Kerr Junior. The biography of Russell T. Kerr, son of Samuel Kerr Junior, gives adequate proof that Samuel Kerr Junior had an ancestor in the American Revolution and an uncle who was a United States Senator. The American Revolution ancestor was Lt. John Kerr of Chambersburg/Kerrstown, PA, and the uncle was United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio, the brother of Samuel Kerr Junior's father, Samuel Kerr Senior. Samuel Kerr Junior must have been a son of Samuel Kerr Senior.
REFERENCES
(1) Rings, Blanche Tipton, Francis Herbert Obetz, Margaret Scott, and Ohio Genealogical Society. Franklin County Chapter. Abstracted Wills, 1805-1831, from Franklin County, Ohio, Court Records, with Genealogical Notes. Columbus, Ohio (P.O. Box 09696, Columbus 43209): Franklin County Genealogical Society, 1982. No. 0422, KERR, Samuel - Dec’d., 8 Oct 1823. The estate records for Samuel Kerr of Franklin Co., OH, list his minor children as Orson (age 18), Joseph (age 16), Nancy (age 14), Clarissa (age 11), Samuel (age 9), Robert (age 8), Elijah (age 6), and Jackson (age 4). Benjamin Foster, Elijah Chenowith, and Samuel Dyer were appointed guardians for the minor Kerr children in 1824; see Sons of the American Revolution Supplemental Ancestor Certificate for Curtis L. Older, descendant of John Kerr, approved November 4, 2015. The line of descent from John Kerr goes through his son Samuel and then through Samuel's daughter, Nancy. The documentation for the Certificate provides conclusive evidence Nancy Kerr/Carr, who married Thomas Gouty in 1830 in Vermillion Co., Indiana, was the Nancy listed in the 1823 Samuel Kerr/Carr estate papers in Franklin Co., Ohio. Orson Kerr/Carr, brother of Nancy and son of Samuel, bought land adjacent Thomas Gouty and Nancy Kerr/Carr Gouty in Highland Township, Vermillion Co., Indiana. Orson later moved to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, as also did Jackson Kerr who was listed in the 1823 estate papers. Nancy's brother Joseph lived briefly in Vermillion Co., Indiana, as well. As documented in this article, Samuel Junior also lived for a short period of time in Vermillion County, Indiana. Benjamin Foster, one of the guardians listed in the 1823 Samuel Kerr/Carr estate papers moved to Fountain Co., Indiana, adjacent Vermillion Co., in 1826. See Older Family Tree on Ancestry.com for information about the children of Samuel Kerr/Carr Senior.
(2) Will of John Kerr, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Will Book "B", page 331, #918, made 25 August 1807 and probated 21 October 1807; Will of Mary Kerr, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Will Book C, page 420, #1583, made 13 December 1809 and probated 02 April 1815; Edythe T. Kahn, John and Christiana Nisewanger Kerr, Jr., Their Ancestry and Descendants, 1745-1991 (LaSalle, MI: E. T. Kahn, 1991), 17, which includes the text of a letter written by John Kerr, Jr, January 20, 1851, to his grandson, Augustus Pomeroy Kerr, which states, "my second brother and his wife died about 26 years ago on Big Darby 10 miles west of Columbus. He left a large family of which I know nothing."; Marie Dickore, ed., General Joseph Kerr of Chillicothe, Ohio, "Ohio's Lost Senator" (The Oxford Press, Oxford, OH, 1941), 43; Sons of the American Revolution Supplemental Ancestor Certificate for Curtis L. Older, descendant of John Kerr, through his son Samuel, approved November 4, 2015; Curtis Lynn Older, John Kerr, Founder of Kerrstown and Soldier in the American Revolution, A Journal of Franklin County History, Volume XXVIII, 2016, Franklin County Historical Society - Kiottochtinny.
(3) Rings, Blanche Tipton, Francis Herbert Obetz, Margaret Scott, and Ohio Genealogical Society. Franklin County Chapter. Abstracted Wills, 1805-1831, from Franklin County, Ohio, Court Records, with Genealogical Notes. Columbus, Ohio (P.O. Box 09696, Columbus 43209): Franklin County Genealogical Society, 1982. No. 0422, KERR, Samuel - Dec’d., 8 Oct 1823. The papers list as a son, Samuel, age 9.
(4) Findagrave.com, Memorial #72189988, Tomlinson Cemetery, Champaign County, Illinois, tombstone reads: "Samuel Kerr, died July 16, 1852, aged 40 Ys, 5 Ms, 3 Ds".
(5) Findagrave.com, Memorial #72189988, Tomlinson Cemetery, Champaign County, Illinois.
(6) Indiana Marriages to 1850, Betsey Ann Taylor, Samuel Kerr, 19 Oct 1837, Warren County, Indiana.
(7) Ancestry.com family trees.
(8) Ancestry.com family trees.
(9) Ancestry.com family trees.
(10) Ancestry.com family trees.
(11) Ancestry.com family trees.
(12) Ancestry.com family trees.
(13) Ancestry.com family trees.
(14) Kentucky Compiles Marriages, 1802-1850, John Taylor, 12 Mar 1798, Mason, Kentucky, USA, Rachie Cole.
(15) Find A Grave Memorial# 72189988.
(16) Find A Grave Memorial# 72189988.
(17) The (New) Gopher Hill Cemetery, where John Clark Taylor is buried, is located near W 950 S on S 1000 W in Warren County, IN. The Old Gopher Hill Cemetery is located about 1 mile north of the intersection of 1100 S and 1000 W, southeast of State Line, IN.
(18) Findagrave.com, Memorial #7436778, John Clark Taylor Sr., 16 Sep 1838, Gopher Hill Cemetery, near State Line, Warren County, IN. Tombstone indicates, "aged 63 years 7 months and 28 days".
(19) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, John Taylor of Fleming County, Kentucky, acquired 80 acres of land in Warren County, IN, on 2 November 1831.
(20) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, John Taylor of Warren Co., IN, also acquired 80 acres on 2 November 1831 in Township 20 North, Range 9 West, Section 18, Warren Co.
(21) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, John Taylor and William F. Taylor acquired 80 acres of land on 10 July 1832 in Township 20 North and Range 9 West, Section 17, Warren Co.
(22) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(23) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(24) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(25) This listing is taken from various sources. Some of the information has not been traced to primary source records and therefore some information may be incorrect. Some of the information is from Portrait and biographical album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties, Kansas (Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1890), pp. 44-5, Biography of Russell T. Kerr.
(26) Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Champaign County, Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1905, page 686.
(27) Portrait and biographical album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties, Kansas (Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1890), pp. 44-5, Biography of Russell T. Kerr.
(28) George P. Carrel and Marie Dickore, General Joseph Kerr of Chillicothe, Ohio: "Ohio's Lost Senator," (Oxford, Ohio: The Oxford Press, 1941).
(29) Curtis Lynn Older, John Kerr, Founder of Kerrstown and Soldier in the American Revolution, A Journal of Franklin County History, Volume XXVIII, 2016, Franklin County Historical Society - Kiottochtinny.
(30) Dixon or Foster Cemetery, Warren County, Indiana, tombstone inscriptions. Located in the east half of Section 31, Range 9 West, Township 20 North. Joseph Foster, died 17 April 1866, 71 years, 24 days.
(31) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(32) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(33) Ancestry.com, family trees.
(34) Ancestry.com, family trees; see Sons of the American Revolution Supplemental Ancestor Certificate for Curtis L. Older, descendant of John Kerr, approved November 4, 2015.
(35) Ancestry.com, family trees.
(36) Ancestry.com, family trees.
(37) Dixon or Foster Cemetery, Warren County, Indiana, tombstone inscriptions. Located in the east half of Section 31, Range 9 West, Township 20 North. Joseph Foster, died 17 April 1866, 71 years, 24 days.
(38) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772 - 1999, Ancestry.com, Samuel Kerr, Probate Date: 4 Oct 1852; Probate Place: Champaign, Illinois, USA; Inferred Death Year: Abt 1852; Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA; Case Number: 104; Item Description: Packets, No. 102-149, 1852-1855, 23 images.
Also see, 22 September 1857, Champaign County official record, Probate Court Guardianship Case 105: In the Matter of the Guardianship of Russell, John, Elizabeth, Matilda, Joseph F., and Rachel Ann Kerr.
Also see, Champaign County Probate Court Guardianship Case 284: In the Matter of the Guardianship of Joseph F. and Rachel Ann Kerr. Dated February 15, 1867. Other names in the file were Samuel Kerr, their father, and Jesse Piles, possibly their guardian.
Also see, 1925 - Title: CHAMPAIGN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT CHANCERY CASE 7353. Bill to Quiet Title. Name(s): Kerr, Elizabeth; Kerr, Joseph Foster; Kerr, Russell T., Kerr, Samuel.
(39) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772 - 1999, Ancestry.com, Samuel Kerr, Probate Date: 4 Oct 1852; Probate Place: Champaign, Illinois, USA; Inferred Death Year: Abt 1852; Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA; Case Number: 104; Item Description: Packets, No. 102-149, 1852-1855, 23 images.
(40) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772 - 1999, Ancestry.com, Samuel Kerr, Probate Date: 4 Oct 1852; Probate Place: Champaign, Illinois, USA; Inferred Death Year: Abt 1852; Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA; Case Number: 104; Item Description: Packets, No. 102-149, 1852-1855, 23 images.
(41) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(42) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(43) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
(44) History of Kerr, IL, J. S. Lothrop's Champaign County Directory With History of the same, and Each Township, Therein, Published by: Rand, McNally & Co., Printers & Binders, Chicago 1871: KERR TOWNSHIP.
(45) Historic Map Works, Kerr Township, Published by Geo. A. Ogle and Co., in 1893.
(46) 1840 Illinois, Champaign Co., census.
(47) 1850 Illinois, Champaign Co., District 21, census.
(48) Illinois Marriage Index, 1851-1900, Daniel Allhands, Betsy Ann Kerr, 28 November 1856, Vermilion Co. This record is contained in County Court Records, Film #1298746-1298749.
(49) Illinois County Marriages, 1800-1940, Daniel Awlhands, Elizabeth Wilson, 1860, Champaign Co., Illinois, film number 000338048; Biography of son Russell: "He (Samuel) improved the whole of his land and there spent the remainder of his days, departing this life about 1852. The wife and mother survived her husband only about four years."
(50) The 1860 census for Champaign Co., Illinois, Post Office - Point Pleasant, page 292, inhabitants in Township 22 North, Range 11 East and 14 West, lists the following for the Daniel Abhans family: Daniel Abhans, 43, Farmer, $4,600, $3,880, born OH; Elizabeth, 39, born OH; Elizabeth, 18, IL; Christian, 14; Marshall, 9; Perry, 7; Russell Kerr, 21, farm laborer, IL.
APPENDIX A
Dual Spelling of the Family Last Name or Surname, i.e., KERR/CARR
An article entitled John Kerr, Founder of Kerrstown and Soldier in the American Revolution by Curtis Lynn Older published by the Franklin County Historical Society - Kittochtinny in A Journal of Franklin County History, Volume XXVIII, 2016, identifies numerous instances where the last name of Lt. John Kerr/Carr (1745 to 02 October 1807) was alternately spelled either Kerr or Carr. See page 7, where U. L. Gordy, writing in 1934, states, "It was from this Kerr that the part of Chambersburg south of Catherine Street got its local name--Carrstown (Kerrstown)." Page 8, a quotation from Wm. E. Gilmore, "General Joseph Kerr", Ohio History Vol. 12 (Chillicothe, OH: Ohio Archives and Historical Society Publications, 1903), 164-6, states regarding Joseph Kerr Senior (1766 - 1837), son of Lt. John Kerr, "Almost every person who knew him spelled and pronounced it Carr."
Also from the Older article, it was Lt. John Carr who was listed in the Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 6, page 527, but Lt. John Kerr who was listed in Vol. 6, page 533. These were two references to the same man. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission website, Pennsylvania State Archives, Rev. War Military Abstract Card File, has a card which states: "Jno Carr, Cumberland, 2nd Lt. March 25, 1778, Capt. William Finley - Duty: served, Fine Book of John Carothers, the basic record proves active duty." This clearly is a record for Lt. John Kerr of Kerrstown, PA.
There has been nothing found in the information on Samuel Kerr Senior, son of Lt. John Kerr, to demonstrate the dual spelling of the Kerr/Carr name. However, there is abundant material to demonstrate the dual spelling of the family name when examining information on the children of Samuel Kerr/Carr Senior.
The 08 October 1823 estate records for Samuel Kerr of Franklin County, Ohio, are found in Abstracted Base Files 1805 – 1831 from Franklin County, Ohio Court Records with Geneaalogical Notes, compiled by Blanche Tipton Rings and Mrs. Francis Herbert Obetz edited by Margaret Hiles Scott, copyright 1932, published by The Franklin County Genealogical Society, a chapter of The Ohio Genealogical Society.
The Samuel Kerr Senior estate papers list Nancy Kerr as age 14 years in 1823. We find that Nancy Carr married Thomas Gouty in Vermillion Co., Indiana on October 14, 1830. See Indiana State Library, Genealogy Database, Marriages through 1850. There is no example we have found where Nancy's last name was spelled Kerr. However, she and her husband, Thomas Gouty, owned land adjacent to Orson Kerr as shown on a map of First Land Owners of Highland Township, Vermillion Co., Indiana.
The 1823 estate papers of Samuel Kerr Senior include an Orson Kerr, age 18. According to a biographical sketch of Orson Kerr found in “Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe, Indiana,” Orson was born in Pennsylvania, the son of Samuel Kerr. He lived in Franklin County, OH; moved to Fountain County, IN, in 1827. Land records show Orson Kerr owned land adjacent Thomas Gouty. Orson married Cynthia Clawson in 1828. The family moved to Tippecanoe County, IN, in 1835. While this source is not well documented, it is corroborated by official documents and, significantly, was published in 1888, during Orson’s lifetime as indicated on his grave marker.
Fountain Co., IN, marriage records confirm that Orson Carr married Cynthia Clawson on 5 December 1828. The Fountain County 1830 census lists Orson Carr as a resident. The Tippecanoe County 1840 census lists Orson Carr as a resident. The Tippecanoe County 1850 census lists Orson Keer born in Pennsylvania. The Tippecanoe County 1860 census lists Orson Kerr, born in Pennsylvania. Also see, Fountain County deed book transactions: Book 3, p. 86. April 12, 1832. Thomas Clawson and Sophia his wife deed of gift to Orson Kerr for dowry, 80 acres in Section 4, Township 21, Range 7. It is obvious this Orson Kerr/Carr was the son of Samuel Kerr of Franklin Co., Ohio, who died in 1823.
Samuel Kerr Junior, son of Samuel Kerr Senior, died 16 July 1852. Some of his estate papers are included in Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772 - 1999, Ancestry.com, Samuel Kerr, Probate Date: 4 Oct 1852; Probate Place: Champaign, Illinois, USA; Inferred Death Year: Abt 1852; Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA; Case Number: 104; Item Description: Packets, No. 102-149, 1852-1855, 23 images. The title page for his probate papers and most of the pages in the file spell his name Samuel Kerr. However, page 24 of the file refers to "The Estate of Samuel Carr Dec." We note that a John Carr, who must have been the son of Samuel Kerr Junior and Betsy Taylor, was living with the Evertson family in the 1860 Champaign Co., IL census.
We have found nothing in any information related to Joseph Kerr/Carr, son of Samuel Kerr Senior, which indicates a dual spelling of his last name. Joseph was the administrator of the Samuel Kerr Junior estate and lived not far from brother Samuel, but across the county line in Vermilion Co., Illinois, which is adjacent to Champaign Co.
APPENDIX B
Biography of Russell T. Kerr
Portrait and biographical album of Washington, Clay and Riley counties, Kansas, - PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM, pp. 44-45.
"RUSSELL T. KERR, one of the leading citizens of Hollenberg and an extensive dealer in grain and live stock, has been a resident of Washington County for a period of twenty years and is thus identified with its most important interests. Energetic, enterprising and industrious, he is one of those characters never satisfied when idle and takes as much pride and interest in the advancement of his community as in the prosperity of his own private affairs.
A native of Champaign County. Ill., the subject of this sketch was born March 2, 1811. He is the offspring of an excellent family, being the son of Samuel and Betsy Ann (Taylor) Kerr, who were natives respectively of Ohio and Kentucky. Both parents removed to Indiana in their youth and in that State were married. In 1836 they settled in Champaign County, Ill., and were among its earliest pioneers, taking up land from which the Indians had just departed. Upon the north and west of them there was not a settler for twenty miles. Deer, wolves and various other kinds of wild animals were plentiful. The elder Kerr entered 500 acres of land from the (government and when his township was organized, it was named in his honor. He improved the whole of his land and there spent the remainder of his days, departing this life about 1852. The wife and mother survived her husband only about four years. Their family consisted of six children of whom Russell T. was the eldest born. John C. is a resident of Vermillion County, Ill. Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob Jones and Matilda married Jonathan Jones, both being residents of Vermillion County, Ill; Joseph established himself on a farm in Kerr Township, Champaign Co., Ill., where he now resides; Rachel Ann is the wife of Prince Evans and they live in Southern Kansas.
Russell T. Kerr was reared to man's estate in his native county, but in the early part of 1861, before reaching his majority and shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company I, 2d Illinois Cavalry in which he served over two years. He was principally engaged as a scout, but fought at the battles of Vicksburg, Champion Hill, Raymond. Jackson, Holly Springs, Bolivar, Pocahontas, and was also in numerous skirmishes. He was uniformly found at the post of duty and was promoted to Corporal. He served until the expiration of his term of enlistment and then receiving an honorable discharge on account of disability returned to his native county and resumed the farming pursuits to which he had been reared since boyhood. He also commenced dealing in livestock. In due time, being ready to establish a home of his own, he was married, Jan. 24, 1864 to Miss Frances J., daughter of Plina and Eunice (Sawtell) Lamb. Mrs. Kerr was born in Fountain County, Ind., Oct. 31. 1847. Her parents were natives of New England which they left early in life, removing each with their respective parents to Indiana, where they were married. Later they removed to Illinois and when Frances J. was a small child, changed their residence once more to Champaign County, 111., where the father died and where the mother is still living.
Mr. Kerr, in 1869, came to Washington County. Kan., and entered land in Franklin Township. In addition to the cultivation of this he engaged in breaking prairie a number of years, operating five teams. He effected good improvements upon his land and lived there until 1874 when he removed to Hollenberg and for two years was the Station Agent at that town. He also established a store of general merchandise, officiated as Postmaster, and dealt in grain. He was the first duly elected Trustee of Hollenberg Township of which Franklin now forms a part. He put up the first warehouse in the place, also the first hay scales and shipped the first car load of grain from this point. Having no scales then for weighing that first load of grain it was measured in a cheese hoop.
In addition to the interests above mentioned, Mr. Kerr also operated an hotel for a number of years at Hollenberg, Later he abandoned it and for the last two years has given his attention entirely to his grain and livestock interests. For a time he conducted a lively real-estate business and has had the selling of nearly all the land in this part of the county, having, as the record shows, made the largest list of transfers within its limits. He also officiated as a Notary Public. Politically, during the progress of the Civil War he supported the Republican party, but voted for Horace Greely in 1872. Since that time he has been a third-party man and has frequently been selected as the candidate of the minority party for the various county offices and was given large majorities at home, his own township giving him 120 votes from a ballot numbering only a few more than this. In religious matters, he coincides with the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kerr there have been born eight children the eldest of those now surviving being a daughter, Lilly, who is the wife of John T. Lewis and the mother of two children — Verne A. and an infant unnamed. Samuel P. is living in Montana; Jennie .M. is the wife of Sheridan Henderson and they have one child, a son, Guy. Ella K., James, Belle and Maiy are at home with their parents. The paternal ancestors of Mr. Kerr were originally from Scotland, and a paternal granduncle served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War until its close and was afterward a member of the United States Senate. On his mother's side Grandfather John Taylor, was a second cousin of President Zachary Taylor, and a member of the Kentucky Legislature.
On another page appears a fine engraving of the pleasant home of Mr. Kerr, to which his amiable wife and accomplished daughters welcome their many friends with good cheer and hearty hospitality."
