Eleanor (Williams) Gilkey (abt. 1820 - aft. 1880)

Born about 1820 in Adams County, Ohio

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 1880 after about age 60 in Greenup County, Kentucky

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Biography

Eleanor ("Ellen") Williams was born about 1820 in Ohio, probably Adams County. Her parents were James Madison Williams and Sarah Brewer.

Eleanor's parents, and her brothers, Henry Williams and John Williams, moved to Greenup County, Kentucky from Ohio about 1840. The Williams family settled on Coal Branch and on Pond Run where they farmed but were also colliers and worked at the Amanda Iron Furnace. By collier is meant they supplied charcoal to the Iron Furnace. ^[1]

Proof Eleanor's maiden name was Williams and family connection is shown in the 1870 census for Belle Fonte Furnace, Greenup County, Kentucky. Her brother Henry Williams was age 57 and had Frank Guilkey and Margaret Guilkey living in his household attending school. They were children of his sister Eleanor Williams Guilkey. ^[2] Actually Eleanor's children were enumerated twice in the 1870 census. Eleanor Guilkey (as head of household) and her children Sarah, Francis, and Margaret were living in Greenup County, Kentucky. ^[3]

Additional proof of her maiden name is shown by the death certificate for her daughter Margaret Gilkey Malsberry who died 1920 in Chicago, Illinois. Margaret's mother's name is shown as Elinor Williams. ^[4]

The death certificate for Eleanor's other daughter, Sarah, lists her mother's name as Mary Williams. The informant providing the data on Sarah's death certificate was Frank Bailey. Who was he? It is possible he was connected with the Bailey Family Funeral Home on Argillite Road in Flatwoods, Kentucky and while acquainted with the family was not actually related and therefore inaccurate in the family details. ^[5] This is the only record using "Mary" for her given name. So while we are sure her given name was Eleanor Williams we are not sure Mary was correct. We do know Eleanor named her daughters for their grandmother, Sarah Brewer and great grandmother Margaret Brouwer thus providing evidence of family connections and relationships.

Confusing to this name issue is the fact there was another woman named Mary Williams who lived at Hunnewell Furnace in Greenup County who was the about the same age and born in Ohio. Her husband was John Eifort. However, she never used the given name Eleanor. ^[6]

The 1850 census does not offer any enlightenment to either Eleanor's name, birth date or place because she has not been found in that census. Neither has her brother John and his family been identified in the 1850 census. If her residence in 1850 could be established then we might find her marriage record to William Gilkey which probably occurred about 1855. This date is based on the birth of their first child, Sarah, in 1856. No record of the marriage has been found. Her husband, William Gilkey had been living in Greenup County, Kentucky ^[7][8] but his name is not carried on the tax lists from 1854 to 1859 and where he resided is not known.

Tax lists do show William Gilkey living in Greenup County in 1860 in that part of the county described as below Little Sandy River but he owned no property. ^[9] His family according the the 1860 census included: William Guilky age 53 living in Greenup County, Kentucky with his second wife Ellen Guilky, age 37, and their children Sarah, age 5, and Francis M. age 2. ^[10]

Additional evidence of Eleanor's family connections is shown in the 1860 US census. James Williams (age 73) born 1787 in and his wife Sarah were living with their son John and his family in Greenup County, Kentucky. One household away was the family of William and Ellen Gilkey. Ellen was the daughter of James and Sarah Williams and the sister of John Williams.

Her husband joined the army in 1861 during the Civil War but returned home ill to Greenup County in 1862 and remained there until the end of the war in 1864. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

Her husband was in Indiana in 1866 ^[14] probably visiting his brother and it may have been at this time that he divorced or was separated from his second wife because Eleanor Guilkey was head of household and her three children (Sarah, Francis M, and Margaret) were living with her in Greenupsburg (now the town of Greenup) in Greenup County, Kentucky in the 1870 census. ^[15]

In the 1880 census dated 3rd June 1880 William Guilkey, age 72, was living with his brother Charles S. Guilkey in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. His marital status was listed as "single".^[16] His second wife, Eleanor was enumerated on 28 June 1880 for the census as Eleanor Gilky, age 60, born Ohio and her parents born Virginia. Her marital status was "widowed" and she was head of her own household in Greenup County, Kentucky. Living with her was her son Frank Gilky, age 22, born Kentucky. ^[17]

To recap, Eleanor according to both the 1870 and 1880 census was head of her own household and living separately from her husband William Gilkey. The reason for this is not known. We do know William became ill in 1862 while in military service during the Civil War. He returned home to Greenup County where he apparently lived with other family members and not his wife and children. He was not enumerated in the 1870 census. In the 1880 census he resided with his brother Charles in Boyd County, Kentucky while Eleanor and their children reside in the neighboring county of Greenup. It is presumed both William and Eleanor died after 1880. One of the last documents William Gilkey was connected with was an 1885 application to the War Department to have his military record cleared of the charge of desertion. This was perhaps an effort by his widow to enable her to receive his military pension. There is a reply to the request for amendment to his military record dated Mar 17, 1890 in the records of the General Correspondence of the United States Pension Office.^[18]

There are no records for Eleanor after 1880 and she died after that date.

Sources

1. ↑ Biggs, Nina Mitchell, and Mabel Lee Mackoy. 1951. History of Greenup County, Kentucky. Louisville, Ky: Franklin Press. p 297, 298.
2. ↑ Household of Henry Willams. US Census 1870; Precinct 6, Greenup, Kentucky; Roll: M593_466; Page: 143B; Image: 455712; Family History Library Film: 545965
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXWQ-PXL : 17 October 2014), Eleanor Guilkey, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 8, family 53, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,965.
4. ↑ "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3W4-FQC : 27 December 2014), Guilkey in entry for Margaret H. Malsberry, 25 Jun 1920; Public Board of Health, Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm 1,852,876.
5. ↑ "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1961", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NSNQ-928 : 12 December 2014), Mary Williams in entry for Sarah Barber, 1933.
6. ↑ Shoemaker, Caryn R. F., and Betty J. Sisler Rudity, compilers. Marriage Records of Scioto County, Ohio, 1803–1860. 1987. Reprint, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co Inc., 2003.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M65Q-XN2), Wm Gilkey, Greenup County, Kentucky, United States; citing family 1, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ Greenup County, Kentucky Tax Lists, [1] FHL Film # 007834445, Image 620
9. ↑ Greenup County, Kentucky Tax Lists. KDLA microfilm, Frankfort, Kentucky
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1860 Greenup County, Kentucky, P.O. Greenupsburg" dated 10 July 1860, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZBN-XY6 : 30 December 2015), Ellen Guilky in entry line #26 for household # 471, family # 468, William Guilky, page 68.
11. ↑ Union Army, Civil War, Company G., 22 Kentucky Infantry (Captain Worthington's Company) from 2 November 1861 to 28 February 1862 Greenup, Kentucky, United States
12. ↑ Adjutant General's Report of the State of Kentucky, Vol II, p 102-103
13. ↑ William Guilky, Corporal --"Remarks, Deserted November 27th 1862 at Ashland, KY". Actual military record shows he was carried as "absent" and "sick at home in Greenup Co., KY" from March 1862 until December 1863. He was dropped from the report as a deserter January 1, 1864.
14. ↑ William Gilkey was witness to the will of Jacob Crull, in 1866, Hamilton County, Indiana. Hamilton, Indiana Will Book D, p 35-38 1866
15. ↑ US Census 1870 Greenupsburg, Greenup County, Kentucky, p 8, #55 Eleanor Guilkey
16. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCC9-16F : 7 July 2016), William Guilkey in household of Charles Guilkey, Upper Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district ED 10, sheet 209B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0404; FHL microfilm 1,254,404.
17. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCCL-Y28 : 7 July 2016), Eleanor Gilky, Greenup, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district ED 42, sheet 175B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0417; FHL microfilm 1,254,417.
18. ↑ "United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDYH-685 : 11 March 2018), William Guilkey, ; citing NARA microfilm publication M686 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,527,812.

• Letter from John Frederick Brewer (Mogadore, Ohio) to William B. Bogardus, 2001-2002; William B. Bogardus Collection (Anneke Jans and Everardus Bogardus Descendants Association, Wilmington, Ohio). Box 8, File D, 394-B. Includes descendant "charts" and correspondence with Robyn Brewer-Ritz.[2]

Maternal DNA confirmed by MY HERITAGE triangulation on Chr 11 at 4039056 - 11452806 for 12.7 cM between Lue Alta Howard a third cousin twice removed of Connie (Daniels) Graves and her paternal half brother Daniels-3574. Their MRCA is William Gilkey. Lue Alta Howard descends from his first wife Harriet Blankenship and Connie and Bill descend from his second wife Eleanor Williams.

DNA confirmed by My Heritage DNA match between third cousins once removed Daniels-3035, Daniels-3574 and Nicholas Crumbley. They are descendants of George W. Barber and Sarah Ann Gilkey. They have triangulated matches on Chromosomes 4 and 16 as well as a match on Chromesome 8. 4 142235493 – 163335329 18.8 cM 9,216 SNPs 16 18779836 55544549. 33 cM 11,392 SNPs 8 118398295. 124888411 8.2 cM 3,456 SNPs