Parents for William R Carroll
My 4th great-grandfather is a man named William R Carroll who was born in Florida and died very young. He did not leave a lot of records (at least not ones that I have been able to locate as of yet!). There is no direct evidence stating who his parents and siblings were. But there is strong circumstantial evidence linking him to a family unit. I’m going to introduce you to a record that will be our jumping-off point. This record is both wonderful and beyond frustrating. But it is what it is, and we will simply use it to correlate with other evidence.
This is the death certificate for my third-great-grandmother, Mary Frances “Fanny” Carroll Albritton.
Florida death certificates, 1877-1939 Death certificates, v. 94-99, (cert. no. 3001-6000), 1920 "Florida Deaths, 1877-1939," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DYVW-MMT?cc=1595003 : 8 August 2019), > image 1469 of 3082.
Item 14 excited me because it lists the informant as her mother, Mrs. Nancy “Nannie” Newton. Who better to fill out a death certificate than the person’s mother? Well, not necessarily in this case! She notes Fannie’s date of birth as September 4, 1859, and that she was born in Tallahassee. Nancy and William Carroll were not married until August 1860, nor were they living together in the 1860 census. Nor was a baby living in either of their households. Thus, this date of birth is most likely incorrect, even though her mother would generally be considered a primary source.
Nancy does’t even list her own maiden name on the death certificate!
Given that she also lists Fannie’s husband as “E<scribbled over a different letter> W Albritton,” it is likely she intended to write “Mrs. E W Albritton” when filling out the decedent’s name. Other documents indicate that Nancy Newton was illiterate (see her widow’s pension application) and therefore unable to check what was being written down.
Nancy’s death certificate is shown here:
Florida death certificates, 1877-1939 Death certificates, v. 391-396, (cert. no. 13501-16450) 1928 "Florida Deaths, 1877-1939," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6PMS-9WN?cc=1595003 : 8 August 2019), > image 1 of 1.
The informant was W D Carel (her son). He stated that Nannie was widowed and identified her husband as Mr. J R Newton. He noted that her father was Mr. Melton, and her mother was unknown.
When we review John R Newton’s pension application and Nannie Newton’s subsequent widow’s pension application, we are presented with the following corroborating evidence:
"Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2Q1-KWWP : Sat Mar 09 16:13:08 UTC 2024), Entry for John R Newton and Nannie Newton, 21 Jul 1906.
Next, we locate the official marriage record for Nannie and John R Newton:
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-894X-1FPB?cc=1803936&wc=4JHR-W2N%3A1590072868%2C1590072861 : 12 July 2019), Polk County > Marriage licenses, 1862-1902, vol A-B > image 235 of 751; citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida.
As you can see, she was named “Miss” Nancy Carel, but, as noted in the pension application, she had been previously married. Now, let’s trace her and her children in the 1880 census. Nancy and her son Walter were listed in the household of the Willingham family in Polk County. Nancy was listed as a servant.
"United States, Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZH-467 : Fri Mar 08 05:15:15 UTC 2024), Entry for William Willingham and Anna Willingham, 1880.
James and Harmon Carroll were listed in the household of William Milton and his family, also in Polk County, Florida. They were noted to be his nephews.
"United States, Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZH-36S : Fri Mar 08 15:46:58 UTC 2024), Entry for William Milton and Mary Milton, 1880.
“Joel E Milton,” listed at the top of the same page on the 1880 census for Polk County in the household of Frederic Milton as a nephew, is actually Joe E Carroll.
"United States, Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZH-382 : Sat Mar 09 06:35:18 UTC 2024), Entry for Frederic Milton and Eugenia Milton, 1880.
Finally, Fannie Carroll was listed as living in the Mizell household as a servant in Polk County in 1880.
"United States, Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZH-7MC : Sun Mar 10 14:35:10 UTC 2024), Entry for Enoch Mizell and Martha Mizell, 1880.
Thus, all the children Nancy “Nannie” Newton listed in her widow’s pension application were living in Polk County, Florida, in 1880. Of particular interest are the three boys living with their Milton uncles. If you recall, on Nannie Newton’s death certificate above, her father was listed as “Mr. Melton.” Let’s set that information aside for now; we’ll revisit the Milton family in a later blog post when discussing the parents of Nannie Milton Carroll Newton.
Now, let’s review the marriage record for Nancy Melton/Milton and William Carroll, noting that their oldest child, Fannie, was recorded as being born in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, according to her death certificate at the top of this post.
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-894X-TJD2?cc=1803936&wc=4JHR-WYX%3A1590072844%2C1590073099 : 12 July 2019), Leon County > Marriage applications, 1850-1867, white > image 787 of 1322; citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida.
A huge clue to the identity of William R Carroll comes from the Leon County Register of Marriages, Volume Y.
"Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9KJ-GJ7F?i=276; Florida State Archives and various county clerks of courts.
On the exact same day that William and Nancy applied for a marriage license, so did James Spears and Dotia White. Both couples also got married on the same day by the same officiant. Dotia White is... drumroll... Dotia Carroll!
"Florida Marriages, 1830-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L94X-TDP3?cc=1803936&wc=4JHR-WYX%3A1590072844%2C1590073099 : 12 July 2019), Leon County > Marriage applications, 1850-1867, white > image 618 of 1322; citing multiple County Clerks of Court, Florida.
But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s tighten this up a bit before moving forward. We find Dosey and William R. Carroll living in Leon County as part of Jesse and Alsey Carroll's household in 1860.
"United States, Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6C9-SD9 : Mon Jul 08 04:56:57 UTC 2024), Entry for Jesse Carroll and Alsey Carroll, 1860.
Admittedly, Dosey should have been listed as “Dosey White” in this census, but as she had been married for less than two years before her husband, James White, either passed away or their marriage ended, it is possible that whoever spoke with the census enumerator still thought of Dotia as a Carroll instead of a White. Further, on the 1870 census, the household of Jesse and Alsey Carroll was as follows:
"United States, Census, 1870", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZN-8J1 : Tue Mar 05 10:10:43 UTC 2024), Entry for Jessee Carrol and Alsey Carrol, 1870.
The 1880 census for the household of J. and Elsie Carroll provides some more corroborating evidence and some conflicting evidence. This is definitely a case study where we have to consider the body of evidence in its totality to get the complete picture.
"United States, Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNZ7-J8H : Sun Jul 14 03:59:41 UTC 2024), Entry for J. Carroll and Elsie Carroll, 1880.
The ages for Jesse Carroll are consistent with the ages reported on previous censuses. The ages reported for Elsie Carroll, however, not so much. However, fluctuating ages for women in the 1800s were not unheard of, but this was likely due to discrepancies in record-keeping or self-reporting. Actual ages were not always known during that time period. Additionally, the name “Elsie” is only similar to “Alsey,” as previously reported. Elsie is also reported as being from Kentucky instead of South Carolina, as previously reported. Amanda Carroll, a daughter aged 19, is reported in the household compared to a granddaughter, Amanda Spears, aged 14, who was reported in the household on the 1870 census. Jane White and Joshua Spears do not reside in the 1880 household, but now, a son named Daniel Carroll, aged 17, resides in the home with Jesse and Elsie Carroll. Census records are a good starting point, but additional evidence is obviously needed to help sort this all out.
By 1885, Jesse Carroll appears to be deceased, as he cannot be found in a household in Leon County. But Elsie appears, age 67, and born in North Carolina, with two grandsons living in the household, one of whom is named Daniel Spears, age 22.
"Florida, State Census, 1885", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNJW-GQ6 : Sun Mar 10 12:34:42 UTC 2024), Entry for Elsie Carroll and Daniel Spears, 1885.
But, to put a bow on it, let’s look at the following deed:
So, let’s remind ourselves why we just went through this exercise —> Amanda and Daniel Spears are the grandchildren of Jesse Carroll. Jesse and Alsey (Elsie) Carroll’s daughter, Dotia “Dosey” Carroll, married James White in 1858. Dosey White then married James Spears on August 2, 1862. Amanda and Daniel Spears, the grandchildren of Jesse and Alsey Carroll, must be the children of James and Dosey Spears. James and Dosey applied for their marriage license and got married on the same day as William R. Carroll and Nancy Melton/Milton. William R. Carroll and Dosey Carroll appear in the 1860 and also the 1850 household of Jesse and Alsey Carroll. Circumstantial evidence suggests that William R. Carroll, married to Nancy “Nannie” Melton/Milton and father to Mary Frances “Fannie” Carroll, is the son of Jesse and Alsey Carroll.
Are you having fun yet?
I thought so. Let’s keep going.
We’ve got William R. Carroll nailed down. We need to do some more work on his parents and a couple of DNA studies to confirm everything, but from a documentary standpoint, we’ve got the evidence we need to feel confident his parents were Jesse and Alsey Carroll. But who were Nancy’s parents? We will address that question in a later post. Stay tuned!
