Visit to Jasper, TN

Back at the end of February, we were able to stop by Jasper, TN --the birthplace of Kate Locke Brower & where she spent her childhood until age of 14 (at which time she moved with her family to Blackfoot, Idaho). Jasper is located about 20 miles to the west of Chattanooga. Down a windy county road not far from the interstate, you find the Pleasant Grove Cemetery across from a small old church. (The actual address of the church is 172 Pleasant Grove Rd, Jasper TN 37347).

Buried in this cemetery are several Parker family members from Kate's maternal side, including her maternal grandparents, 5 aunts & uncles, & 9 first cousins. Kate Locke was named for both this grandmother's maiden name & her aunt Kate Parker, who are both buried there. You should make special note of the Turner family, who Kate Locke said of in her biography,

"Our closest playmates were our cousins, the Turners, Mama's oldest sister's family. They were the only members [our age] of the [LDS] Church we knew. Uncle Poley, Ida, Nettie, Mama [Kate's mom Elender], and the twins, May & Ellen, joined the church when Irene [Kate's sister] & I did. Aunt Harriett would have loved to join, but was so drawn up with arthritis she just sat in the chair. She couldn't straighten her legs & everyone feared that when she died it would be hard to get her in the casket. Mama worried about leaving her behind when we moved to Idaho, but she passed away before we left."

Here's a quick summary of Kate Locke's maternal pedigree:
(I've put an asterisk* next to those buried there. Also, I have only included the cousins buried there)
Joseph Lewis Parker* (1835-1922) & Elender Rebecca Cate* (1839-1920)
.....1. Harriet Parker* m. Napoleon Bonaparte Turner* (Uncle "Poley" to Kate Locke)
..........1.1 Charles W. Turner*
..........1.2 John P. Turner* m. Susan Lambert*
..........1.3 James S. Turner * m. Martha D.*
..........1.6 Ida Turner *
..........1.8 Melvin Turner*
.....2. Elbert Parker
.....3. James C. Parker m. Annie Belk [They moved to Idaho & encouraged Kate's parents to later move, too]
.....4. Martha Jane Parker
.....5. Elizabeth Caroline Parker (1868-1941) m. Gus Thomas Leon Locke
..........5.2. Kate Locke (1899-1985)
.....6. Ellen Parker
.....7. Kate Parker*
.....8. Benjamin F. Parker* m. Lillie May Parker*
..........8.2 Ben B. Parker* m. Mary Lou ?*
..........8.3 Infant Son*
..........8.7 K. Christine Parker*
..........8.8 J.W. Parker*
.....9. William H. Parker

**Remember to click on any image to enlarge

Headstone of Elender Rebecca Cate:

Headstone of Joseph Lewis Parker:

Headstone of Harriet Parker (Child #1 of J.L. Parker & Elender Cate):
Also buried here are her spouse Napoleon Bonaparte Turner, and children Ida, Charles W., John P. (& wife), James S. (& wife & daughter), and Melvin.

Headstone of Kate Parker (Child #7 of J.L. Parker & Elender Cate):

Headstone of Benjamin F. Parker (Child #8 of J.L. Parker & Elender Cate):
Also buried there are his spouse & sons Ben B, J.W., & unnamed infant son, and a daughter K. Christine.

The Case of the Two Stephen Locks

Again I have found a case of confusion due to 2 men with the same name—Stephen Lock. Hopefully as you can see, the mystery is somewhat solved, but a few questions do remain.
(Pardon me as I walk you through each of the documents & facts. My research training just can’t be discarded too easily, and I do want the conclusions I found to be as obvious as possible.)
Don't forget you can click on the images for full sized viewing--

The Background
Fact #1:
Josias Lock (1795-1826)has a Stephen Lock listed among his heirs along with Joseph, Jesse, Benjamin, Asa, Priscilla & Sarah. This has always been assumed (& safely so) that these are the children of Josias Lock.
There are extensive records & info about a Stephen Lock & Nancy Hines who were the parents of Willis, Levi, Martha, Thena, Rebecca, and Nancy. There are good records listing the death of this Nancy Hines Lock in 1847.

Fact #2:
There is a Stephen Lock listed as the husband of Rhoda Reeves, an heir (and daughter) of William C. Reeves in a land transfer in Oct 1839 [Chester Co Deed Book BB Pg 287]. Interestingly, also listed as heir (and daughter) is Ruth Reeves, wife of Levi Lock (the son of Nancy Hines & Stephen Lock) and listed as heir (and wife) is Mary Culp Reeves Lock, wife of Joseph Lock.
Rhoda Reeves Lock is later listed alone in TN with her children in 1850, suggesting her husband Stephen died about 1847.

Question: Which Stephen Lock is the son of Josias Lock?? Is the other Stephen somehow related??
The online threads at ancestry.com all seemed to indicate that Stephen Lock (husband of Nancy) is the son of Josias Lock. However, no real evidence was ever listed as the source. I also found that was the obvious choice, but then who is the other Stephen??

Other Points to Ponder:
--Since Nancy clearly dies in 1847 and Rhoda is already married to her Stephen Lock in 1839, this cannot be dealing with 2 different wives of the same man.
--Since the families are clearly tied, "Stephen Lock" is likely a family name.
--Since this issue arises before 1850, the censuses do not list spouses or children which does not help much—a major problem.

I will refer to each Stephen from now on as follows:
Stephen #1—husband of Nancy Hines. Father of Willis, Levi, Martha, Thena, Rebecca, and Nancy. Likely born before 1784 (to allow for birth of Willis in 1804). Death date unknown.
Stephen #2—husband of Rhoda Reeves (step-daughter of Joseph Lock, step-sister of Josiah Lock). Listed in land transfer in 1839. Died about 1847. Likely born in 1800-1810 (age listed on 1840 York census).

The Search…
I was able to obtain the microfilm containing the probate of Nancy Hines Lock and the will and probate of her father Thomas Hines. These sources were listed in a reference book as the source for an implied marriage of Nancy Hines and Stephen Lock. I was hoping this could shed some light on the issue and at least clarify info about Stephen and Nancy that I had seen online. I will admit I was secretly hoping that Stephen #2 might be a missing son of Stephen #1 to make this quick & easy to solve. But that was not the case... but I did find some other great info!

As you can see in the document pictured below, the last will and testament of Thomas Hines dated 15 July 1826 says,

“I, Thomas Hines, snr, of the State of South Carolina & District of Chester. Being very weak & frail of body. But of sound mind & memory. Blessed be God for the same. Do make this my last will of testament in the manner following viz.
...
3rd I bequeath to my daughter Nancy Lock (widow woman) my negro girl and at her death fall to and belong to her heirs.”

The will of Thomas Hines dated 15 July 1826

The phrase "widow woman" shows that Stephen #1 definitely died before July 1826. This made me remember that a Nancy Lock was listed in the 1820 Census for Chester Co, South Carolina [shown below] and is listed next door to her brother Ignatious Lock. Women are not listed on the census before 1850, unless they are the head of household—something that would only occur if widowed or with an absent husband (& maybe not even then). This would indicate that Stephen #1 died before 1820. This also is strengthened by the children listed (2 boys and 4 girls under 18 and 2 women) which match with the ages of the 2 sons and 4 daughters of Stephen #1 and Nancy. There is no indication of who the extra woman is, but perhaps a sister or helper since Nancy Hines Lock had 4 small children and no husband.

1820 Chester Co South Carolina listing Nancy Lock living next door to her brother Ignatious Hines

The death date estimation is aided by the census records for birth dates of the children. Stephen #1 & Nancy's son, Levi is listed as born around 1816 and their daughter, Nancy as born June 1817. This would indicate that Stephen #1 died 1817-1820.

1850 York Co South Carolina census listing Levi Lock as born in ~1816/1817

The 1840 York Co South Carolina census [shown below] has a Stephen listed. However, this is definitely Stephen #2 because the age of the oldest male is listed as 30-40yrs, which would indicate a birth in 1800-1810. Since Levi Lock, the youngest son of Stephen #1 & Nancy Hines was born around 1816, it would be impossible for this to be Stephen #1.

1840 York Co South Carolina Census --Stephen Locke is the last one listed

Additionally, when I was in South Carolina I was able to look at the original probate documents for Josias Lock (posted here). Other than being really amazing to be holding in my own hands the originals of my 5th great-grandfather’s documents, it showed that Stephen Lock purchased several items from the estate sale (sometime after Oct 1826) and signed a land transfer as an heir on 14 March 1827. This confirms that Stephen #1 could not be the son of Josias Lock, since he would not be alive to be listed in the will or on the land transfer.

In summary:
It appears that Stephen #1 is NOT the son of Josias Lock, rather Stephen #2 is the son. However, the family connections strongly suggest that Stephen #1 is a relative of Josias Lock. How Stephen #1 is related is the big question still remaining.

So who is Stephen #1??
My suspicion and working hypothesis of the moment is that Stephen #1 is the nephew of Josias Lock, and that Josias' son Stephen #2 is named after this older nephew. It has been indicated by others that Josias Lock had an older brother who also lived in the Chester, SC area named William. This William is listed throughout Chester documents in the early 1800s/1790s as William or Willy Lock. The name of Stephen #1's oldest son is Willis Lock--this suggests to me a possible connection as sons often bestowed on their eldest son the name of their own father. This could be a likely scenario especially since 3 of Josias' other sons (Jesse, Benjamin & Joseph) all named one of their sons Josiah. This would explain the close connections and intermarriages between the families.

This would also agree with DNA testing info I received from Vann Helms (a descendant of Levi Locke) that has shown that a descendant of Stephen #1 (via his son Levi) are directly related to a descendant of Jesse Lock, Josias' eldest son. The DNA marker that is used in this type of testing is linked to the Y chromosome & passed down directly from father to son. Since William & Josias are brothers, they would have both received the same Y chromosome from their father, and thus both carry this marker. They would have then both passed this same marker to their sons & direct male descendants.

Hopefully this has shed some light and sources on the question of the relationship of the Locks in Chester and York Co South Carolina.

Visit to Chester & York Counties in South Carolina

In late August, my husband & I took a trip over to South Carolina to visit the area where Josias Lock lived (grandfather of Josiah Locke & great grandfather of Gus Thomas Leon Locke). We also hoped to find some more information/clarification on the children of Josias Lock. And information we did find... Despite my delay in posting any of the details, we were able to handle the originals of Josias' probate documents (1820s!), land transfers for Joseph & Mary Lock, land transfer with the signatures or marks of the heirs of Josias Lock, obits of the children of Levi Locke & more.

I have scans of photocopies of some, photographs of others--all will be posted soon...

We visited:
Chester Co. Probate Court
Chester Co. Courthouse (for land transfers, deeds, etc.)
SC Archives
Historical Center of York Co. (This place wins my own personal award hands down for being the most helpful!)
York Co Library at Rock Hill (for obits in the Rock Hill Herald)
Catawba Baptist Church cemetery

Here are some brief snapshots of the trip:

The Courthouse in Chester County

The basement of the Courthouse, there was a single light & it was so dirty & musty. The books were just everywhere...



On the way to Rock Hill, York Co.
The Catawba Baptist Church
(Levi Locke's family were one of the original families)

The adventurous amateur family historians

P.S. You can enlarge the images by clicking on them.

Counties in Eastern Tennessee

For those wanting to have an easy reference to the locations (and county records) in Eastern Tennessee, here is a nice map that I use. It will actually link you to the GenWeb sites for each county.

Linkable map of Eastern Tennessee.

The Lockes initially moved into Meigs County from South Carolina. Meigs County is located between Chattanooga and Knoxville along the Tennessee River and was Cherokee country. It was also the origin of the infamous "Trail of Tears". In the 1860 census, Josiah and Elizabeth lived in the area called Limestone Post Office west of Cleveland TN.

The children of Josiah later moved to the Jasper area of Marion County, just west of Chattanooga. McMinn and Bradley counties as well as Hamilton County are also locations with family ties.

-- David

Mary Culp, the mother of Josiah Locke

Mary Culp Reeves Locke was born about 1795 in Chester, South Carolina to John Culp & Elizabeth Hyatt [source #1,3]. She married William Cook Reeves and had at least 4 children with him [source #1-3]. William dies in 1818 leaving her with 4 young children, Rhoda, Mary Y., Ruth, and Linsey [source #1]. She remarries Joseph Lock between 1819-1822 [source #2, 3]. It is possible that there was some family link prior as Joseph's sister-in-law was a Culp [Nancy Agnes Culp, wife of Jesse Lock], but there is no direct evidence for this yet.

Joseph & Mary have 5 additional children: Sarah Ann Lock (1823), Nancy M. Lock (1829/1830), Josiah Lock (1830), Martha Lock (1835), and Jonathan Lock (1836). Sometime before 1837, 3 of Mary's daughters are married: Mary Y. marries Henry W. Horne; Ruth marries Levi Lock; and Rhoda marries Stephen Lock [source #2]. The other daughter, Linsey, dies sometime between 1818-1837 as she is not listed in the land conveyance as an heir [source #2]. Linsey may or may not have been married before her death, but would not have had children if she was married. Levi & Stephen Lock are relatives of Joseph--Stephen is Joseph's brother and Levi is a cousin (the son of Joseph's uncle Stephen to be exact). This is not unusual as marrying cousins/relatives was a common practice in that time.

Below is the 1840 York, SC census that shows Joseph & his 2 step-son-in-laws, Henry W. Horne & Levi Lock all listed as living next door to each other:

Around 1845-1849, Joseph & Mary moved their family to Meigs, TN. Rhoda & Mary Y. also both move their families to Meigs, TN during this time period. Ruth does not move, but dies between 1848-1850 [Not listed in 1850 census, but daughter Ruth A. born in 1848]. It is possible Ruth Reeves was pregnant or already deceased at the time of the moves. Ruth Reeves' widower, Levi Lock, remarried Malinda Shurley before the 1850 census. Rhoda's husband Stephen dies sometime between 1840-1850 [He is listed in the 1840 Chester census, but not in 1850 Meigs, TN census--only Rhoda is listed].

The 1850 Meigs, TN census shows Josiah Locke, his half-sister Mary Y. Horne & her family, and Joseph Lock's families are all living next door to each other. Rhoda is listed on the following page. In 1860, Josiah's family is living next door to his half-sister Rhoda & her family (cont. on next pg of census).

Between 1850 & 1860, Josiah marries Mary Elizabeth McClellan, Joseph dies, and the Hornes move to Morgan, AL. Below they are listed in the Morgan, AL census for 1860 & 1870. Henry dies before 1870 & so is not listed in the 1870 census.

Mary Culp is last listed in the 1860 census as a widow with the 2 youngest children at home. I cannot find any evidence of her after that so she likely died 1860-1868.

The Culp family & Reeves family in South Carolina has had much published & done on it, so all I had to do in FamilySearch was to add Joseph Lock as the 2nd husband of Mary Culp and add Mary & William Reeves' daughters. The information on Henry W. Horne was also complete in FamilySearch, except for his wife Mary Y. Reeves' maiden name.

Other Sources:
1. The LWT of William Cook Reeves lists John Culp as his father-in-law, his wife Mary and his four surviving children Rody, Mary, Ruthy & Linsey (dated 18 Oct 1818; filed for probate Mar 1819).

2. Deed BB287- Land conveyance by Joseph & Mary Lock, Stephen & Rhoda Lock, Henry W. & Mary Y. Horne, Levi & Ruth Lock, the heirs of W.C. Rieves, dec. to Sarah Walker (dated 20 Oct 1837).

3. "A Genealogical Sketch of the Rives Family of Chester County, S.C." by William Boyce White, Jr. in "The Bulletin" produced Chester District Genealogical Society, Vol 12:3, 1989. pg 81, notes that "Mary (Culp) Rives, after William Cook Rives' death, married second Joseph Locke." It also lists Elizabeth Hyatt & John Culp as Mary's parents. Spouses of the 3 daughters are also listed.

The Ancestry of Josiah Locke

Kate Locke's paternal grandparents, Josiah Locke & Mary Elizabeth McClellan, have been somewhat of a "family history dead-end" until recently. Josiah & Mary Elizabeth both died very young, with Josiah dying at 38y in 1868 & Mary Elizabeth dying at 34y in 1866. Their deaths left their four young children as orphans, the oldest child only 11 years old. They were placed into multiple homes and raised apart until the oldest sister was able to bring them back together. It is still not known why the children were not placed with family members [more details to follow].

The death of their parents, leaving the Locke children orphaned at young ages, is likely where the gap in information came. The children were too young to have much information passed down to them, so it is no surprise that the parents names and death dates were all that was really known. Birth locations were inferred from census records, and diligent efforts over the years to gather information on the Lock line in South Carolina resulted in some basic information and a few pieces of the puzzle.

Using the prior information gathered in the 1970's, along with the added help of online census records and other information, I have been able to confirm or find the following information on the ancestry of Josiah Locke:

1. Josiah was born in Chester, SC in 1830.
Sources: 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

2. Josiah was the son of Joseph Locke & Mary Culp Reeves Locke. Mary Culp was the widow of William Cook Rives/Reeves. [See this post for more info on Mary Culp.]
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of William Cook Rives (20 Oct 1837); LWT of William Cook Rives (18 Oct 1818). Notation also made in article titled "A Genealogical Sketch of the Rives Family of Chester County, S.C." by William Boyce White, Jr. in "The Bulletin" produced Chester District Genealogical Society, Vol 12:3, 1989. pg 81, notes that "Mary (Culp) Rives, after William Cook Rives' death, married second Joseph Locke."

3. Other children of Joseph & Mary include: Sarah Ann (born abt 1823), Nancy M. (born abt 1830), Martha (born abt 1835), Jonathan (born abt 1836).
Sources: 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

3. Joseph Lock was born about 1796 & died between 1850 and 1860. Mary Lock was born about 1795 & died between 1860 and 1870.
Source: Joseph Lock listed in 1850 Meigs, TN census but not in 1860 or later. Mary Lock listed in 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses but not in 1870 or later. Birth year is estimated from ages on the 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

4. Joseph Locke (father) was a son of Josias Lock and a sibling of Benjamin, Asa, Jesse, Sarah & Priscilla Lock.
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of Josias Locke (25 Nov 1826).

5. Josias Lock (grandfather) died in Chester, SC in 1826.
Source: Land conveyance for the heirs of Josias Locke (25 Nov 1826), Josias Lock listed in 1810/1820 Chester, SC censuses but not in 1830 or later.

6. Between 1845-1849 Joseph Lock moved his family to Meigs, TN. Two of the married Reeves daughters from Mary Culp Reeves Locke's first marriage also moved to Meig, TN during that period.
Sources: 1830 York, SC census; 1850/1860 Meigs, TN censuses.

7. Joseph's brother, Jesse Lock, had moved from Chester, SC to Meigs, TN earlier between 1832-1836.
Sources: 1830 Chester, SC census; 1850 Meigs, TN census- Indicates 19y son born in SC & 14y son born in TN.

Hopefully that helps as a summary,
Kristen (great granddaughter of Kate Locke)

P.S. The films have been ordered for the documents listed. So as not to have too much source info, I have not included the full reference for the various probate/land record books. Scanned copies will be posted as soon as they are obtained. Otherwise you can contact myself or my dad (David) for the exact film source, or look on new.familysearch.org under the various individuals.

The 3 Josiah Lockes

In my recent research on Josiah Locke's roots in Chester, S.C. I have come across some confusion on various family history sites' message boards. So this post is to help eliminate this confusion & prevent further misidentification.

There are 3 Josiah Lock(e)s born in Chester, S.C. from 1830 to 1840. They are NOT the same person, as you will see below, but it is very likely that all 3 are related. It was very common for family names to get used again & bestowed on grandchildren, sons, nephews, etc. I think this will prove to be the case with these 3 Josiah Lockes. Additionally, a older Josias Lock dies in Chester, S.C. between 1820-1830 (as he is listed in 1810 & 1820 census but not after 1820), so it is very possible that all 3 were named in honor of this recently deceased relative.

Note: Click on the census images to see them larger

Josiah Lock #1
Son of Joseph & Mary Lock & grandson of the above mentioned Josias Lock. Husband of Elizabeth McClellan. Born in 1830 & dies in 1868. Moved to Meigs, TN as a teenager. This is the Josiah Lock of whom Kate Locke is a descendant. He is living in Meigs, TN in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 Meigs, TN census

Josiah Lock #2
Son of Levi Lock & Ruth Reeves. Ruth Reeves or Rives is the half-sister of Josiah #1 [see this post on Mary Culp Rives Lock]. Stepson of Malinda Shurley Lock, whom Levi married after Ruth's death. Born in 1839. He is living in York, SC in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 York, SC census

Josiah Lock #3
Son of Mary & Benjamin Lock [more to come later]. Husband of Dorothy White. Born in 1834 & killed on June 17, 1864 in VA as a Confederate soldier. He is living in Chester, SC in 1850 & 1860.

1850 & 1860 Chester, SC census: In 1850 Josiah is living with his mother, while in 1860 he is listed with his wife & daughter.