Documentation for Joseph Kerr / Carr
(1 April 1807 to 12 February 1872)
son of Samuel Kerr / Carr Senior
(6 August 1778 to 23 September 1823)
Download Adobe Acrobat File - Documentation for Joseph Kerr / Carr, 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.]
Joseph Kerr was 16 years of age in 1823, the year the probate papers for his father, Samuel Kerr, Sr., of Franklin Co., OH, were filed.(1) Benjamin Foster, Elijah Chenowith, and Samuel Dyer were appointed guardians for Joseph and his minor brothers and sisters in 1824.(2) Two of Joseph's brothers, Orson and Andrew Jackson, and one sister, Nancy, moved to Fountain and Vermillion Counties in Indiana along with their guardian, Benjamin Foster in the mid-1820s.(3) Joseph and another brother, Samuel Jr., also moved to western Indiana about the same time, but they do not appear to have lived in the Benjamin Foster household.(4)
Joseph Kerr was born 1 April 1807 in Franklin Co., OH.(5) Recorded in Volume 8 of the Franklin County, Ohio, Record of Deeds at the Recorder's Office is a deed between Joseph Kerr of Vermillion County, Indiana, and John Chenoweth of Franklin County, Ohio, dated 6 September 1828.(6) This deed was signed in the presence of a William
?Gardener? and James Davison. James Davison was a son-in-law of Elijah Chenoweth, a guardian of the minor children of Samuel Kerr, Sr. of Franklin County, OH.
Joseph Kerr turned 21 years of age in 1828 and was no longer a minor. Perhaps he became the owner of land previously owned by his father, Samuel Kerr, Sr. Perhaps Joseph, deciding to remain in Vermillion County, IN, transferred the property to John Chenoweth for $150 and severed his ties with Franklin Co., OH.
Joseph Kerr of Vermillion Co., Indiana, purchased 80 acres of land on 1 December 1830 in Vermilion Co., Illinois.(7) This land was in Township 21 North and Range 12 West, Section 24. Vermilion Co., Illinois, was formed in 1826.(8) Joseph Kerr purchased four additional tracts of land in Vermilion Co., IL, from 1831 to 1839.(9)
Joseph Kerr married Jane Davison on 11 March 1830 in Vermilion Co., Illinois, where she apparently was living with her family at that time.(10) She was born 25 June 1809 in Franklin Co., OH.(11) She was the daughter of Andrew Davison.
"Andrew Davison came here (i. e., Vermilion Co., Illinois) from Franklin Co., OH, with his wife and family in 1828 and took up land in section thirteen. There were seven children in the Davison family, viz.: James, Robert, Sally, Jane, Susan, Betty and Polly. Two of these were married when they came here, James and Mrs. Joseph Grundy. A short time after the arrival of the Davison family Joseph Kerr came here. He married one of the Davison girls."(12)
The Davisons settled in Vermillion Co., Indiana, for a brief period before moving a short distance to Vermilion Co., Illinois. Andrew Davison of Vermillion Co., Indiana, acquired his first tract of land in Vermilion Co., Illinois, on 5 November 1830. This land was in Township 21 North, Range 11 West, Section 7.(13)
James Davison was the brother of Jane Davison, the wife of Joseph Kerr. James Davison was born 3 June 1805 in Ohio.(14) He married Ruth Chenoweth on 3 April 1828 at Pleasant Township, Franklin Co., OH.(15) Ruth Chenoweth was the daughter of Elijah Chenoweth (1762 - 1828), a guardian for the minor children of Samuel Kerr, Sr., and his wife, Rachel Foster (1768 - 1825).(16) The James Davison household appears in the 1830 Vermilion Co., IL, census. James was listed as age 20 thru 29 and his wife, Ruth, was listed as age 20 thru 29. They had one female child under 5 years of age.(17) James Davison died on 3 January 1875 in Vermilion Co., IL.(18)
Joseph Kerr and his brother-in-law, James Davison, of Vermilion Co., Illinois, purchased 80 acres of land on 8 December 1830 in Vermilion Co., IL.(19) This land was in Township 21 North, Range 11 West. The east side of Range 11 West in Vermilion Co., IL, is adjacent the Indiana state line.
Samuel Kerr, Jr., brother of Joseph Kerr, was born 13 February 1812.(20) He was eleven years old in 1823 at the time of his father's death, contrary to the age of nine years shown on the Samuel Kerr, Sr. probate records.
Samuel Kerr/Carr, Jr., son of Samuel and Nancy Kerr/Carr, Sr. of Franklin County, Ohio, was 23 years old and no longer a minor in 1835. 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.(21) These three tracts were in Township 22 North, Range 14 West. He later bought two more tracts in this Township and Range.
Samuel Kerr, Jr. died 16 July 1852 in Champaign Co., IL.(22) William Chenoweth signed a document, part of the probate records of the Samuel Kerr, Jr. 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."(23) The document was dated 6 August 1852.
Guardians were appointed in 1855 to care for the minor children of Samuel Kerr, Jr., deceased. The minor children were Russell T. Kerr, John C. Kerr, Elizabeth S. Kerr, Matilda M. Kerr, Joseph F. Kerr and Rachael Ann Kerr.(24) The guardians appointed were: Absalom H. Wood, Caleb P. Evertson, Edward Edwardly, and Lindsey Corbly.(25) John Carr, son of Samuel Kerr, Jr. and Betsy Taylor, was living with the Evertson family in the 1860 Champaign Co., IL census.(26)
The Biography of Russell T. Kerr, a son of Samuel Kerr, Jr. 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."(27)
The above statement appears to refer to Lt. John Kerr of Chambersburg/Kerrtown, 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 granduncle. However, Lt. John Kerr of the American Revolution would have been Russell T. Kerr's great-grandfather.
Joseph Kerr was called the brother of Samuel Kerr Junior by Samuel's widow in her request to have Joseph Kerr appointed Administrator of her husband's estate.(29) Land tracts owned by Samuel Kerr, Jr. were in Township 22 North, Range 14 West, perhaps 10 to 15 miles distant from land owned by his brother, Joseph Kerr.(30)
An O. Kerr, an A. J. Kerr, and an Andrew Kerr purchased several items at the Samuel Kerr, Jr., estate sale.(31) 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 in Catlin, Vermilion Co., IL.(32) 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 sons Andrew J. Kerr after his brother, Andrew Jackson Kerr.(33)
Children (Kerr / Carr):
i. Andrew J. Kerr, born 2 July 1833, died 13 July 1919, Gundy Cemetery
ii. Samuel H. Kerr, born unknown, died 30 October 1832, Gundy Cemetery
iii. Mary Kerr, born 25 February 1835?, died 23 August 1862, Gundy Cemetery
iv. Mary Elizabeth Kerr, born 5 August 1835, died 14 December 1912, Gundy Cemetery
ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL to support the RELATIONSHIP between
SAMUEL KERR / CARR, SENIOR and his son JOSEPH KERR / CARR
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
The Foster, Chenoweth, and Kerr families were closely related in Franklin Co, OH. There is substantial evidence that between 1824 and 1830, Benjamin Foster; his nephews - Thomas and Joseph Chenoweth; and three of his wards -- Orson Kerr/Carr, Andrew Jackson Kerr, and Nancy Kerr/Carr; moved to Fountain Co, IN. The strong connection between the Davison, Chenoweth, and Kerr families is sufficient to conclude Joseph Kerr, husband of Jane Davison and brother-in-law of James Davison and his wife Ruth Chenoweth, must be the son of Samuel Kerr, Sr. who died in 1823 in Franklin Co., OH.
Joseph Kerr of Vermilion Co., IL, husband of Jane Davison, was a brother of Samuel Kerr Junior of Champaign Co., IL. 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/Kerrtown, PA, and the uncle was United States Senator Joseph Kerr of Ohio, the son of Lt. John Kerr and the brother of Samuel Kerr Senior.
REFERENCES
(1) The 08 October 1823 estate records of Samuel Kerr of Franklin County, Ohio. 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. The Franklin County Genealogical Society, a chapter of The Ohio Genealogical Society. “No. 0422, 8 Oct 1823, Kerr, Samuel – Dec’d. Joseph Kerr, age 16 years”. Index to Administrators, Executors, Assignees and Trustees, Case No. 422, year 1823, Kerr, Samuel Est., Administration Docket Vol. 1, Page 191.
(2) Abstracted Base Files 1805 – 1831 from Franklin County, Ohio Court Records, edited by Margaret Hiles Scott, "Guardianship 1824 - Benjamin FOSTER, Elijah CHENOWETH and Samuel DYER appointed guardians."
(3) S.A.R. Supplemental Ancestor Certificate for Curtis L. Older, descendant of John Kerr, approved Nov. 4, 2015. "Proof Summary that Nancy Carr (Gen 6) is the daughter of Samuel Kerr (Gen 7) of Franklin, OH."
(4) 1830 Fountain Co., IN, census, Benjamin Foster household, 1 male age 5 thru 9, 1 male age 15 thru 19, 1 male age 40 thru 49, 1 female age 10 thru 14, 1 female age 20 thru 29, 1 female age 40 thru 49, total free white persons - 6.
(5) Findagrave.com, Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL, Joseph Kerr, birth: Apr. 1, 1807, death: Feb. 12, 1872. Find A Grave Memorial #58427332. No tombstone picture available. Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL. "This cemetery is located in the old village of Myersville. Named for Jacob Gundy, a soldier of the American Revolutionary War. They cemetery is also sometimes referred to as Davison Cemetery, for Andrew Davison, a pioneer of 1827."
(6) Volume 8, Franklin County, Ohio, Record of Deeds, Recorder's Office, deed from Joseph Kerr of Vermillion County, Indiana, to John Chenoweth of Franklin County, Ohio, dated 6 September 1828.
(7) Bureau of Land Management, Joseph Kerr, 1 December 1830, Township 21 North, Range 12 West, Section 24, West Half Northeast Quarter, Vermilion Co., IL.
(8) Wikipedia, Vermilion County, Illinois. "The county was officially created on January 18, 1826 from a portion of Edgar County."
(9) Bureau of Land Management, Joseph Kerr, Vermilion Co., IL:
16 May 1831 - Township 21 N, Range 12 West, Section 13, W Half of SW Quarter;
16 Mar 1837 - Township 21 N, Range 12 West, Section 13, SE Quarter of SW Quarter; 01 Apr 1837 - Township 21 N, Range 11 West, Section 17, NW Quarter of SW Quarter; 01 Nov 1839 - Township 21 N, Range 12 West, Section 24, NW Quarter of SW Quarter.
(10) Illinois Marriages to 1850, Joseph Kerr, Jane Davison, 11 March 1830, Vermilion Co., IL.
(11) Findagrave.com, Jane Kerr, birth 25 June 1809, death 6 September 1870, Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL, Find A Grave Memorial #58427354. No tombstone picture available.
(12) Jack Moore Williams, History of Vermilion County Illinois, 2 vols., (Topeka - Indianapolis, Historical Publishing Company, 1930), 1:295.
(13) 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.
(14) Findagrave.com, James Davidson, Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL, date of birth 3 June 1805, Find A Grave Memorial #42448385, No tombstone shown.
(15) Ohio Marriages, 1789 - 1898, original image: #1074, 1828, James Davidson to Ruth Chenoweth, April 3d Anno Domini, Samuel I. Shaw; Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958, James Davidson, Ruth Chenoweth, 03 April 1828, Franklin, OH.
(16) Will of Elijah Chenoweth, 12 June 1762 to 05 December 1828, Franklin Co., OH, will dated 21 July 21 1828, filed 7 April 1829, "to my daughter Ruth Davidson one hundred dollars to be had 4 years after my decease;" Findagrave.com, Ruth Chenoweth Davison, Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL, Parents Elijah Chenoweth and Rachel Foster, Spouse James Davidson, Find A Grave Memorial #42448546, Tombstone picture shown.
(17) 1830 Vermilion Co., IL, federal census, James Davison household.
(18) Findagrave.com, James Davison, death 3 January 1875 in Vermilion Co., IL, burial Gundy Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL, Find A Grave Memorial #58433236.
(19) Bureau of Land Management, Joseph Kerr and James Davison, 16 May 1831, Vermilion Co., IL, Township 21 North, Range 11 West, Section 19, East Half of Southeast Quarter.
(20) Findagrave.com, Samuel Kerr, Jr., Birth: Feb 13, 1812, Franklin Co., OH, Champaign Co., IL, Tomlinson Cemetery, Find A Grave Memorial #72189988, tombstone picture shown.
(21) Bureau of Land Management, Samuel Kerr of Fountain County, Indiana, 16 September 1835, Champaign Co., Illinois, Township 22 North, Range 14 West, Section 6
- Northwest Quarter, Lot/Tract 1; Section 8 - East Half Southeast Quarter; Section 9 - West Half Southwest Quarter.
(22) Findagrave.com, Samuel Kerr, Jr., Death: Jul 16, 1852, Champaign Co., IL, Tomlinson Cemetery, Find A Grave Memorial #72189988, tombstone picture shown.
(23) 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.
(24) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, Samuel Kerr, 4 Oct 1852, Champaign, Illinois, Case Number 104, Packets No. 102-149, 1852-1855; Campaign County Probate Court, Guardianship Case 284: In the Matter of the Guardianship of Joseph F. and Rachel Ann Kerr, February 15, 1867.
(25) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, Samuel Kerr, 4 Oct 1852, Champaign, Illinois, Case Number 104, Packets No. 102-149, 1852-1855.
(26) 1860 Champaign Co., IL, census, Caleb Evertson household. Township 21 North, Ranges 11 East and 14 West, Champaign Co., IL. Post Office Point Pleasant. Caleb Evertson age 61 born in PA, Mary Evertson age 55 born in OH, John Carr age 19 born in IL.
(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) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, Samuel Kerr, 4 Oct 1852, Champaign, Illinois, Case Number 104, Packets No. 102-149, 1852-1855. "The undersigned widow of Samuel Kerr Decd, late of Champaign Co., Ill. hereby resign my right to Administator on the estate of said Decd and request that Joseph Kerr, the brother of the Decd, may be appointed Administrator of said estate. (Signed) Betsy Ann Kerr, Aug. 5, 1852."
(30) Joseph Kerr owned land in Township 21 North, Range 12 West. Samuel Kerr owned land in Township 22 North, Range 14 West. A Township is six miles, north to south. A range is six miles, east to west.
(31) Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, Samuel Kerr, 4 Oct 1852, Champaign, Illinois, Case Number 104, Packets No. 102-149, 1852-1855.
(32) Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, Andrew Kerr, birth date 20 Jul 1833, death date 13 Jul 1919, death place Catlin, Vermilion, IL, burial date 13 July 1919, Cemetery name - Davidson, death age 85, occupation farmer, race white, marital status M, gender male, residence Catlin, Vermilion, IL, father name Joseph Kerr, father place of birth Ohio, mother name Jane Davison, mother place of birth Ohio, FHL Film Number 1562101.
(33) Findagrave.com, Andrew J. Kerr, birth Jul. 2, 1833, death Jul. 13, 1919 Illinois, Gundy
Cemetery, Bismarck, Vermilion Co., IL. No tombstone shown. However, the tombstone of his wife, Mary Elizabeth Brown, indicates "wife of A. J. Kerr," Gundy Cemetery, Find A Grave Memorial #40564000.
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.
