A while back, I thought I had put Edy to rest. However, she
has reappeared, and I am happy about that!
As many of you recall from my blog of March 10, 2015, that I
created a Facebook site named the Descendants of Alexander West, born
c1730. It is a closed group which is
open only to those descending from Alexander or from his presumed father, John
West. Recently, I was pleased to add a
member to the group who descends from my Alexander and his presumed daughter,
Edith “Edy” West, who married Archibald Fowler.
I have previously written two posts about Edy: “In Pursuit
of Edy,” posted February 28, 2012, and “Finding Edy,” posted January 12,
2013. And now, here’s another one!
I am very thankful to my blog reader, Anne, who descends
from Edy and Archibald through their daughter, Luna “Lucy” Fowler who married
Tilmon Miller. Anne provided some
information from Mrs. Allie Everhart-Miller, who published Everhart-Miller and Allied Families, in 1931. In her book Mrs. Allie Everhart-Miller
indicated that Edy’s father was Alexander West, Jr. She also stated that his father, Alexander
West, Sr., was thought to have come from North Carolina. She also stated that Alexander West, Jr. had
five children—Edith, Phoebe, Polly, Isaac, and William. However, when Mrs. Everhart-Miller published her book in 1931, she must not have been aware that quite a few Alexander Wests existed:
· Alexander West, b c1730 and unknown spouse; the presumed
son of John West and Mary Madden
· Alexander West, 1751-1834, who married Hannah
Langley; son of Alexander West born c1730
· Alexander West, 1783-1864, who married Patience
L. Allen; son of Alexander West and Hannah Langley
· Alexander West, 1776-1860, who married Sarah
Hawkins (1773-1839); son of Solomon West and Isabella Boyd. Solomon is the
presumed son of John West and Mary Madden and the brother of Alexander West,
born c1730.
· Alexander Balus West, 1828-1864, who married
Nancy Land; the great grandson of Alexander West, born c1730.
· Alexander West, 1844-1919, who married Sarah
Jane Brazeal; the grandson of Alexander West and Patience L. Allen.
· Alexander T. West, 1892-1917, unknown spouse;
the 3rd great grandson of Alexander West, born c1730.
Another aspect that must be considered is Edy’s birth
year. She was born about 1772 and
married about 1790. Her spouse,
Archibald Fowler, was born about 1758.
Their first child was born in 1791.
Furthermore, she would have been too old to have been the daughter of
the Alexanders born in 1776, 1783, 1828, 1844, and 1892.
Based on her birth year, she could have
feasibly been the daughter of Alexander West, born in 1751, who was the son of
Alexander West, born c1730. However,
this Alexander married Hannah Langley in 1777 and has a well-documented
Revolutionary War pension file naming his children—Bethian Beulah West, Margaret
West, Alexander West, Elizabeth West, Thomas Jefferson West, and Mary West. These children were born between 1779 and
1791. Edith “Edy” is not listed as one
of his children in his pension documents. In reality, she was most likely the sister of Alexander West, born in 1751.
Mrs. Everhart-Miller stated that Edy’ father, Alexander,
had, in addition to Edith, children named Phoebe, Polly, Isaac, and
William. I cannot place these children
with any of the Alexander Wests that I have previously listed. Alexander West, born c1730, may have had a son named William who
died in 1812, but this is definitely speculation. The only Phoebe West, about whom I’m aware,
was the daughter of Isaac West and Susanna Anderson. Their daughter, Phoebe, was
born in 1770 and died in 1868. She
married Isaac Green in 1795. Isaac West
and Susanna Anderson also had a son named Isaac (1776-1864) who married Hanna
Russell. Isaac was a very common name
among the early Wests and may have been a name that was passed down with
respectful recognition of Isaac West, the presumed brother of Alexander and
Solomon.
I tend to think that Mrs.
Everhart-Miller’s information about the children is incorrect and that she has
not correctly identified the Alexander who was the father of Edith. Again, we must remember that much more information
is presently available to us than would have been available to her when she was
conducting her research. According to WorldCat.org, Mrs. Everhart-Miller
conducted her research for her book between 1923 and 1931.
Therefore, I conclude with a greater degree of confidence
that Edith “Edy” West was the
daughter of Alexander West, born about 1730.
Perhaps, we have found our Edy!
Hello....I am related to Alexander Metompkin West (1673-1727), his son John (about 1707-1755); his daughter, Agnes, is my 5th Great- Grandmother who married Richard Clanton. Yes, THAT Clanton gang! :o) Do you have any research on this Alexander? Is my information correct? I really don't know after reading your research material. The Wests are a fascinating group. My Wests are from Accomack....I think.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, Thanks for your comment. I find your Alexander Metompkin West and his son John very interesting. Do you think that Metompkin is an Indian name? I have never encountered them in my research. The father of my Alexander West, b c1730, was likely a John West who would have been born about the same time as your John West. His wife was likely Mary Madden. Their children may have been Solomon, John Jr, my Alexander, Mary, and two other daughters. I have researched the Wests who lived in Accomack but could never make a connection with them. Have you looked at the Miles Files that are on the Internet. Most of the Wests from Accomack are recorded in those files. If you would like to correspond with me through email, please include it in an post on this blog. I won't publish it but will contact you.
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