Manerva F Sapp (abt. 1845 - bef. 1891)

Born about 1845 in Alabama, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

The surname and parents of Manerva, wife of Josiah Thomas, has been unknown to researchers. No marriage or death records seem to exist, and six of her eight children disappear from the records before becoming adults. Of the two remaining, one (Bettie) died a childless newlywed^[1], and the other (Wilburn) died when his children were young. The 1870 ^[2] and 1880 ^[3] censuses have been the only sources of information about Manerva. Namely, she was born around 1845 in Alabama to parents also born in Alabama.

Genetic genealogical research, including segment triangulation, has led to the eventual hypothesis that Manerva is likely to be Manervy/Minerva Sapp, daughter of Jasper Newton Sapp and Mary A. Bates. ^[4]. Contributing factors (per cited site) for this theory include the following:

• Triangulated DNA segments suggest a reasonably close connection to John Sapp of 1850 Shelby County, Texas, especially via sons Jasper Newton and Baron Dekalb from his last wife.
• Shared matches at Ancestry suggest a sustained connection to the Sapp family via each of John Sapp's known children.
• The triangulated segments and the shared matches take into account descents from at least three different grandchildren of Manerva. These descendants are all at least second cousins to each other.
• Manerva Sapp of the 1850 and 1860 censuses can't be accounted for in another way.
• Jasper Newton Sapp's son James was buried in a small cemetery used by Manerva's close family members (sister-in-law's family, daughter-in-law's family).

Manerva's approximate year of death can be guessed due to the identification of her remarried husband in the 1900 census with a final child presumably born to Manerva in 1885.^[5] Josiah Thomas remarried about 1891, according to that census.

Sources

1. ↑ "A Demon's Deed". (Clipped as "Murder of Aunt Bettie".) The Galveston Daily News. 27 March 1890. Page 4. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88906916/murder-of-aunt-bettie/
2. ↑ United States Federal Census. 1870. Texas. Fannin County. 217b. Josiah Thomas household. Image of original document at Ancestry.com.
3. ↑ United States Federal Census. 1880. Texas. Smith County. 260c. Josiah Thomas household. Image of original document at Ancestry.com.
4. ↑ "Manerva: A Sapp-ling of Hope". Shari S.. 29 April 2022. WeddingGenes.com
5. ↑ United States Federal Census. 1900. Texas. Anderson County. 1b. J. S. Thomas household. Image of original document at Ancestry.com.

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confident based on a triangulated group on 23andMe who share a 21 cM segment on chromosome 7, consisting of Sandra Massey and JB, her 4th cousin, and TK, her 3rd cousin 1x removed. (JB and TK are 3rd cousins 1x removed.) Their most-recent common ancestors are Jasper Sapp and Mary Bates, the 3x great grandparents of both Sandra Massey and JB and 2x great grandparents of TK. (See notes above for a better overview.)