Mary (Smith) Brake (abt. 1789 - bef. 1839)

Born about 1789 in Virginia, United States

Wife of Abraham Brake — married 5 Apr 1807 in Hardy Co. VA

Descendants

Died before 1839 before about age 50 in Licking, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: LuAnn Foor [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Monroe Township, Licking, Ohio One Place Study.

Abraham Brake and Mary Smith, 05 Apr 1807; citing Marriage, Hardy, Virginia (later West Virginia).^[1]

Mary and Abram had thirteen children;

1. Suffnach 1805 (may be Sophronia?)
2. Sarah died 1833
3. William 1808-1841 Tuller Cemetery
4. Nancy Miller 1810-1891 Tuller Cemetery
5. Jacob 1812-1890
6. Robert twin 1814
7. James twin 1814-1861
8. Hiram 1816-1836
9. Charles Hamin 1818
10. Elaher Bigelow 1823-1840
11. Samuel W or Hopper 1824-1915
12. John R 1826
13. George 1830^[2]

In the 1840 census Abram was in Monroe Township, Licking, Ohio, United States.^[3] A table of household occupants (by gender and age range) needs to be created, with an explanation that shows Mary was not in the house and had probably died before this.

The common headstone of Abraham and Sarah is weathered and hard to read. The Find-a-Grave memorial for this burial has Mary Sarah Smith Brake, a conflation of Mary Smith, who appears to have died before 1840, and Sarah Green Butt, who apparently married Abraham after 1840.

Abraham drafted his will August 1863 therefore he died in 1864, not January 1861, as read by the Johnstown Genealogical Society.

Research Notes

Probably the first comment here needs to point out that Robert M. Green stated up front that there was no connecting proof between the Abraham Brake of Hardy County, Virginia and the Abraham Brake of Monroe township in Licking County, Ohio. That hasn't stopped family history from accepting the connection, at least as circumstantial. The work being done on these profiles is attempting to at least close the gap between circumstantial and probable.

The biggest problem encountered is the shared gravestone which only has name of Abraham Brake's wife as Sarah (not Mary).
Robert M. Green says in his 1978 book, "A Branch of the Green Tree" on pages 538-542, that Abraham Brake was first married to Mary Smith on 5 April 1807 in Hardy County, Virginia (later West Virginia). Mary's birth is unknown, but estimate is age 18 in 1807, or 1789, referenced above. Abraham and Mary had about 13 children between 1808 and 1830. We do not know when Mary died, but there is not a woman of the right age in the 1840 census, so it appears that Mary died between 1830 and 1840.
"A Branch" goes on to say that Abraham second married Sarah Green, the apparent widow of John Butt. No records for this marriage nor her previous marriage have been found. A combination of cumulative family history and two census records, 1850 and 1860, plus their shared gravestone, indicates that Sarah was Abraham's wife from at the latest 1850, or the earliest 1841 until he died in 1864.
If Find-a-Grave, FamilySearch and WikiTree profiles have conflated the identities of Mary Smith and Sarah Green, then the same inaccuracies probably are common throughout the genealogy and family tree sites on the internet. Therefore it has become difficult and complicated to correct in any one place and a continuing problem of these errors being reintroduced in every place corrections are made. WikiTree has the advantage of somewhat better ownership and responsibility of profile integrity. Corrections will begin here.

Sources

1. ↑ FamilySearch.org, [1], Virginia Marriages.
2. ↑ "A Branch of the Green Tree" by Robert M. Green, [2] Page 541.
3. ↑ 1840 Census: "United States Census, 1840"
   citing p. 373, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .
   FamilySearch Record: XHTC-QWK (accessed 25 March 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYBW-KJX Image number 00761
   Abram Brake in Monroe Township, Licking, Ohio, United States.

• Harriet and Capt. Harold (Jack) Piper USN ret. research.

• West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2ZX-L9PT : 28 November 2018), Abraham Brake and Mary Smith, 05 Apr 1807; citing Marriage, Hardy, West Virginia, United States, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm .

See Also

• A Branch of the Green Tree by Robert M. Green

Gateway Press. 1978. 835 pages + 66 page index. No known digital version online. Hardcover copies are available through the Licking County Genealogical Society http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohlcgs2/lcgspub.htm (includes list of corrections for known errors)

"A Branch from The Green Tree" Compiled by Robert M. Green

• Frank L.M. Wolford & Laura May Green, Their Ancestors & Descendants

Compiled by Loraine Russell Kerns & Alma Wolford Russell 2004 One known digital version online is available at http://dennis-william-butt.com/. On his web site are also smaller individual pdf files broken out by families. The complete book is also available in pdf file from the author on CD or by email. 562 pages.

Title page of "Frank L.M. Wolford & Laura May Green, Their Ancestors & Descendants"

.