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I have been working on this for several days and making slow progress. But to start, in the 1880 Whitley co Indiana census, a Henry Turnbull is listed as a laborer in the household of Leander and Nancy Jeffries, mulattoes. He is listed as white? But he marries Minerva Josephine Jeffries. She is the grandaughter of a Stott/Jeffries marriage. This being in the 3rd great grandparent line of my Stotts in Southern Indiana. The fourth great grandparent Stotts of mine were cousins. Anyway, there are various Jeffries connected in Rush co Ind and then Whitley co Ind. Some end up in Michigan and some in Iowa. They marry into Stuart, Dyer, Kelsey, Blackburn, Butts, Rhoads, Lane, Long, etc. Various people out of Ohio that ended up in Indiana. Some came through Ky and ended up in Indiana too. There is a lot I still don’t know about some of my direct lines but we just need to keep digging. Saj
Hey Techteach!
I have a Henry Rhoads Jr. married Ruth Jeffries 9-1-1864 in whitley co and a James R Butts married Annie M Jeffries Oct. 14, 1894 also Whitley co. And the branches of Iowa seem to be heavily in Jasper co Iowa. Saj
Hi,
I will note that by 1880 or thereabouts, the Jeffries families and their kin in Whitley had pretty much started to marry whites. It was a frequent source of annoyance to the editors of the local newspaper, who frequently wrote irate article on “miscegenation” in Smith township. The Jeffries descendants that I have met there today, and in adjacent Allen County, are solidly in the White community, altho’ many still remember that they have Indian ancestry.
I’ll dig out my family notes on the Whitley County families and see if there might be anything of use for you. Leander Jeffries, son of Mortimer Jeffries, was involved in the Smith Township school controversy in 1866, which resulted in the integration of the township school in their community.
Jasper County would be on the line that I have noticed some members of my family taking as they went west. The Stotts I knew were in NE Iowa, around 50 miles from where my mixed folks were.
The Rhoads I had in my line are a mystery to me. The first I know of them was near Fort Wayne in 1814. He married in Portage, OH and is buried in Tuscarawas, OH. I suspected that it might have been a mixed line, but mtDNA tests are solidly European, although I know that does not rule out a mixture.
The Butts line that I come from comes out of WVA, to Licking County, OH, and then my line continuing on to Iowa. This Butts group intermarries with Greens and Sinkeys. I know that at least one Sinkey son, my ggg-something uncle, settled in Noble County, Indiana during the 1850 census.
Techteach
That Henry Turnbull is listed as “Ind & W” on the 1920 Whitley Co., In Census for Smith Twp.
He’s living with Sarah Jeffries, b.Jul 1845, as he was in 1910 (divorced per 1910 census). Sarah (widow of David, b.Jun 1823 Va) was also listed “In” on 1910 census.
Techteach,
The James R Butts had a Ralph, Russel, Juanita and Esther but I know nothing else on the family.
Forest, Thank you so much. I was just surprised to see the name of Stott marrying into Jeffries. My grandmother was a Stott and this family was originally Scottish.
There is a marriage of Martha Stott and James Jeffries in 1834 and Nancy Stott and Robert Jeffries in 1827. Some of the children or grandchildren…Cassius Jeffries died young, about 4 yrs old. Several Minervas…Milton born 1841, died in the Civil War. Sarepta, Phebe, Salem, Isaac. Etc.
Bill, thank you for that info. I wonder who the Sarah is who is living with Henry Turnbull. There are Turnbulls in Ky early 1800’s who supposedly changed their name from Bull to Turnbull, which has made researching the name Turnbull very difficult for this line.
This is all so interesting and I’m really amazed! Saj
Hi all,
I will also point out that there is a Jeffries family in the Whitley Co./Allen Co area, associated with the Eel River Church, that does not appear to be associated with the Indian Jeffrieses. It gets confusing because they both live in the same area, some are buried at the same church, but the one set is nt related to the other, odd as that may seem. I’ll go back and check my notes on the non-Indian set.
Forest
“Jeffries, David died May 17 1906 northeast of Churubusco Ind., aged 83 years. He was born in Virginia to Herbert and Ridley Jeffries who moved to Smith Township Whitley Co., Ind. about 1845 and acquired a large farm. He married 3 times. His last survives him. A son Henry by his first marriage is still living.” Whitley Co. Obituary Records. 1858-1910.
He is buried at Eel River. His death record lists him as “C”
Now, to confues the issue:
“Jeffries, David, b. Indiana;married Keene, Sara (Hamer Keen and Mary—) b. 15 July, 1849, Ind., died 31 March 1926 pb. Eel River”
Sonday Funeral Home Records 1906-1932 I initially believed this was another David Jeffries referred to, but I now believe that the 1926 death is actually that of Sarah Keene Jeffries.
“Two other families by the name of Keen, from North Carolina, settled in the township sometime previous to 1850, who were of Indian and French extraction….” Whitley Co. History
When David’s family is listed in the 1900 Census of Smith Townsship, it is obvious that the race was left blank at the time of listing, and that later “W” was written in, probably after the enumerator either asked the neighbors or made up his own mind.
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