G2G: How could Amelia Hardeman be daughter of Bailey Hardeman when all documentary evidence about Bailey contradicts this?

Question

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I wanted to share this family photo of Amelia Hardeman with the community. Location: unknown. Date: unknown.

Click here for the image details page.

Comments

The notation saying Amelia was a daughter of Bailey Hardeman was written by my great-grandmother, who knew Amelia and who was generally careful about accuracy in all things.  But Bailey was a famous historic figure whose life is well documented and there is no historic evidence he had a daughter named Amelia.  He wasn't even married at the time of her birth.  Bailey had many siblings.  His father was Tom Hardeman.  I have DNA matches to other people who trace their ancestry back to Tom Hardeman through lineages that do not go through Amelia, so it seems Amelia is related to Bailey's father.  But so far I have found no DNA links to any daughter-in-law of Tom, including none to Bailey's wife.   Also, Bailey's wife signed an affidavit after his death attesting to his heirs, and Amelia was not mentioned.

Answer 1

Family Search: Amelia Hardeman (1818–1898) • Person • Family Tree • FamilySearch    Bailey was married 20 June 1820  and Amelia was born 26 December 1818 So that is a pretty big red flag to me!  Good  luck fixing this!

Comments

Yes, it is pretty clear that Bailey's wife was not Amelia's mother.   Bailey's wife would have been only 12 at the time of Amelia's birth.  Bailey's wife signed an affidavit listing Bailey's heirs at the time of his death and Amelia was not listed.  But Bailey could still have been her father by a different woman he never married.  Another possibility is Amelia was the biological child of one of Bailey's many siblings and was unofficially adopted by Bailey after some family misfortune.   All we know for sure is (a) my great grandmother Alma believed Bailey was Amelia's father and Alma knew Amelia well, their lifespans having overlapped by 27 years,  (b) I have many DNA matches to people who trace their ancestry back to Bailey's father Tom through lineages that do not go through Amelia (and Amelia was my 3 greats grandmother and my only known linkage to the Hardeman surname) and (c) Amelia was living in Roane County TN at the time of her marriage (1836, age 18).  Hardemans who descended from Tom were thick on the ground in TN, he having been a major figure in TN history and a prodigious procreator.

Answer 2

James, I forgot to thank you for joining WikiTree and signing the Honor Code!   

There is an Sourcer App that is FREE.  It will help you find sources on many sites.  I use it mainly to find Find A Grave and Family Search documents.

Sourcer Enjoy!

Answer 3

I hope you are enjoying your time on WikiTree with us James. It looks like you have quite a mystery to solve, Thank you for sharing the photo with us.