Elijah P Gorman (1774 - 1841)

Born 1774 in Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina

Descendants

Died 23 Aug 1841 at about age 67 in Cooksville, Noxubee County, Mississippi, USA

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Biography

This profile is part of the Gorman Name Study.

Elijah was born in Greenville, South Carolina in about 1773 or 1774^[1] (see Research Notes section for details).

His parentage is questionable, with modern genealogies ascribing his parents as William Gorman and Rebecca (see Research Notes below for details). William and Rebecca definitely had a son Elijah, who was Christened, along with siblings Mary and William on July 25, 1774 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[2][3][4] Elijah was possibly twins with William Gorman, given their supposed birth years.

Elijah married Mary Elizabeth Starling, and together they had the following children:

1. Oliver Gorman (1795 - 1846)
2. Starling Gorman (~1796 - 1839)
3. Terrell Gorman (~1799 - 1846)
4. Artimiss (Gorman) Harrison (~1801-?)
5. Nancy Gorman (~1803 - 1840)
6. Mary M. (Gorman) Clement (~1810 - 1848)
7. Felix Gorman (1819 - 1898)
8. Elizabeth (Gorman) Harper
9. Sarah Gorman

Elijah and family apparently lived for a time in Tennessee, as that is where Feliz was born in 1819.^[5]

In the 1840 census for Noxubee County, Elijah is listed as "E. Gorman" and there is one son under 5, one between 5 and 10. There is also one daughter between 5 and 10, one between 15 and 20 and one between 20 and 30, in addition to his wife. ^[6]

Elijah passed away on 23 August 1841 (see Research Notes section for conflicting dates) in Noxubee County, Mississippi.^[7]

He left a will in which most of his estate was left to his wife, and some enslaved persons and property were given to his children. However, he included a clause that should Mary die, the estate be divided amongst his children, and when she died in 1852, this prompted years of legal wrangling over the estate, with documents being filed even 30 years later.

Slaves

The 1840 census lists Elijah as owning only five enslaved persons, two boys and three girls, all under age 20.^[6] This is in stark contrast to the number listed in his will just a year later.

The will of Elijah P. Gorman of Noxubee County, Mississippi named at least 28 enslaved persons (with some duplicates) whom he owned at the time of his death on 23 August 1841, as well as the persons he bequeathed them to. See The Slaves of Elijah P. Gorman for more details.

Research Notes

1. This person was created through the import of Purchase_Smith Family Tree.ged on 10 April 2011, citing mainly member trees, with minimal supporting documentation, which has led to some confusion and doubts about Elijah's parentage.
2. This Elijah appears to be often conflated with another man with the same name born in Pennsylvania. A number of modern genealogies, including the gedcom which originally created this profile, ascribe his parents as William and Rebecca Gorman, citing the record of an Elijah Gorman's christening in Philadelphia. However, such an event in that city is geographically problematic, given that the family was living in South Carolina in an era when long distance travel was rarely undertaken.
3. Genealogist Alvy Ray Smith, in his book on Elijah Gorman's family,^[1] does not mention William and Rebecca as parents, nor the Philadelphia Christening. Indeed, Smith suggests that Elijah's father might have been a Thomas Gorman (pg 11, footnote 1). However, on pg 13, Smith also discusses a William Gorman but does not provide any suggestion of the relationship between the two.
4. The death date used in this profile was from the obituary in the Macon Herald, quoted by Alvy Ray. There are other dates that appear, as well:
   1. A probate suit filed by William B. Reid and his wife Elizabeth.^[7] list the date as "on or about 15 August 1841."
   2. A court filing from 1883 further litigating the estate erroneously gives the year of Elijah's passing as 1846.
   3. The date in the imported GED was May 23, 1841.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Smith, Alvy Ray, FASG. The Elijah P. Gorman Family, 1774-1993, version 8.8, http://alvyray.com/Smith/ElijahGorman_v8.9.pdf Berkeley, Ars Longa 2015.
2. ↑ "Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2NJ-DVX : 11 February 2018), Elijah Gorman, 25 Jul 1774; Christening, citing CHRIST CHURCH AND SAINT PETERS, PHILADELPHIA, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; FHL microfilm 1,490,578.
3. ↑ "Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2NV-DPY : 11 February 2018), William Gorman in entry for William Gorman, 25 Jul 1774; Christening, citing CHRIST CHURCH AND SAINT PETERS, PHILADELPHIA, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; FHL microfilm 1,490,578.
4. ↑ "Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2NN-K8Z : 11 February 2018), William Gorman in entry for Mary Gorman, 25 Jul 1774; Christening, citing Christ Church And Saint Peters, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 1,490,578.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXGF-SKW : 21 January 2022), Felix Gorman, 1870.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTX-K7S : 8 December 2020), E Gorman, Noxubee, Mississippi, United States; citing p. 103, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9Q6-W6BH?cc=2036959&wc=M7MJ-2Z9%3A344582901%2C344666601 : 21 May 2014), Noxubee > Chancery Court case files 1834-1916 no 1458-1488 > image 775 of 1303; county courthouses and public libraries, Mississippi.

See Also

• FamilySearch.org Person ID KJPW-Y2J