Mystery Monday: One Step Closer in the Search for Mary Ann

Mystery Monday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers encouraging bloggers to share mystery ancestors or mystery records – anything which is currently unsolved.  With any luck fellow genealogy bloggers will lend their eyes to what has been found so far and possibly help solve the mystery.

Searching, part 6

As soon as I saw John and Elizabeth Lingle Armentrout with 4 children (including Maria) listed in the “Miscellaneous” chapter of the Armentrout Family History by Russell S. Armentrout, I went to work.

1810 Rockingham County, Virginia Federal Census
Click to enlarge

In studying the 1810 Rockingham County, Virginia Census, I noticed John Armantrout (Ermentraudt/Armentrout) was a neighbor of George Armantrout and near neighbor of Augustine Armantrout, both known sons of Johan Friederich Ermentraudt, the most likely candidate for father of “my” John Armentrout.

Since they were close in age, they look like brothers:

	John	George	Augustine
Males under 10	-	1	3
10 – 16	-	-	-
16 - 26	-	-	1
26 - 45	-	-	-
Over 45	1	1	1
Females under 10	1	2	-
10 - 16	1	-	1
16 - 26	1	-	-
26 - 45	-	1	1
Over 45	1	-	-

The ages of the girls line up with the names identified with this John Armentrout family:

• 16-26 - Maria born 1795
• 10-16 - Elizabeth born 1798
• Under 10 - Linda born 1805
• Over 45 – John’s wife Elizabeth Lingle Armentrout

The fact that there were no male children makes sense since young John was not born until 1816.

Likewise, the ages match what is known of George’s family:

• Male under 10 – Michael born 1807
• Females under 10 – Barbara born 1806, and Magdalena born 1809
• Female 26-45 – George’s wife Elizabeth Michael Armentrout

And Augustine’s family:

• Males under 10 – Emanual born 1801, Charles born 1805, and Frederick born 1808
• 16-26 – John George born 1793
• Female 10-16 - ? Magdalena would have been about 19 but she also was married before 1810 and likely out of the house.  Possibly this is another child for whom other records have not been found.
• Female 26-45 – Augustine’s wife Margaret Schneider Armentrout.

What makes all this even more compelling are the other near neighbors.  These names appear together on the SAME page of a 31-page census recorded by Daniel Bryan for Rockingham County. 

• Jacob Lingle
• Jacob Lingle (senior)
• Martin Snyder/Schneider
• Jacob Stoutemire

Using the theory that people dated and married within a three-mile radius, I conclude that the two Jacob Lingles must be the father and brother of Elizabeth Lingle who married John Armentrout.  Is it possible?  Let’s see:

	John	Jacob	Jacob Sr.
Males under 10	-	2	-
10 – 16	-	1	-
16 - 26	-	-	-
26 - 45	-	1	-
Over 45	1	-	1
Females under 10	1	3	-
10 - 16	1	-	-
16 - 26	1	-	-
26 - 45	-	1	-
Over 45	1	-	1

Obviously John and younger Jacob are of the same generation with children of similar age while Jacob Sr. and his wife are empty-nesters.  Of course, without DNA or at least a marriage record or other document, this is conjecture, but a pretty strong one anyway.

Like a good neighbor, Martin Snyder/Schneider and his wife were the sponsors at the baptism of John and Elizabeth Lingle Armentrout’s daughter Maria, the one I hope was the woman later known as Mary Ann. 

So what about Jacob Stoutemire?  What does he contribute to the solution to the mystery?  The answer reads like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, so pay attention:

• Jacob Stoutemire was the father of Ann Stoutemire.
• Ann Stoutemire married Fielding Jollett in 1822, but she died before 1828.
• In 1828 Fielding married his second wife, Mary Ann Armentrout.
• Mary Ann was the daughter of a John Armentrout. 

This scenario satisfies my curiosity about how Fielding might have met Mary Ann when his farm, which bordered the Stoutemire line, was in Naked Creek while Mary Ann’s family seemed to be closer to McGaheysville.  The theory of the 3-mile dating circle is also reinforced if it turns out that Maria and Mary Ann are the same person and that John and Elizabeth Lingle Armentrout are my 4G grandparents.

Theories!  Everybody has one.  The trick is to make this circumstantial evidence stick, and that will mean proving Maria and Mary Ann are the same person.  Or that possibly Mary Ann is another daughter.  After all, there is a sizeable gap between the births of Elizabeth and Linda and between Linda and John. 

Just for once it would be nice if my family would be predictable:  follow tradition, stay close to one another, leave a trail.  Is that too much to ask?

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.