Benjamin
Oliver and Nancy Robinson or Susannah
Benjamin Oliver was born in IN in approximately 1805.[1] Ben moved to KY by the mid-1830s. Susannah was born in MD in about 1808.
Census records, as described below, indicate that Ben had at least seven children. The identities of only three are known. The first four children were born in the late 1820s or very early 1830s. Their names, birthdates, birthplaces, and mother(s) have not yet been identified. The first known child was Mary A. She was born in KY, most likely in Meade Co., in about 1836.[2]
It appears that Ben’s first wife died between 1836 (after Mary’s birth) and 1839, for on December 24th in that year he married a Nancy Robinson in Meade Co., KY.[3] A search of the 1840 KY census found a Benjamin Oliver family living in Meade Co., KY (north and east of Ohio Co. on the other side of Breckenridge Co.).[4] The head of the house was between 30 and 39 years of age (born between 1801 and 1810). This is consistent with our Ben. His wife, Nancy, was also between 30 and 39 years of age. Meade Co. is directly across the Ohio River from IN and could have been a first step in Ben’s southward migration. The Oliver family of the 1840 census included four sons and one daughter (Mary). The oldest child had been born no earlier than 1826. This would suggest that Ben’s first marriage took place no later than 1825. Ben also appeared in the 1840 Meade Co Tax List. His record reflects someone who was just beginning an independent life rather than a man of 35 with five children. The data recorded by county tax assessors was quite limited in those days. He had a single horse, valued at $15. Lacking other assets that were taxable, his total valuation was $15. It was also noted that he had 2 children between 6 and 16 years of age.[5] His entry in the 1841 Meade Co. Tax List has even less detail than 1840. Neither horses nor children were listed. [6] Ben has not been found in either Meade Co. or the Ohio Co. Tax Lists for 1842.
Ben’s next child was also a girl. She was named
Elizabeth and was born in 1842 in either Meade Co. or in Ohio Co., KY, where the
family reappears in 1843.[7]
Like all of Ben’s moves, the motivation for such relocation is not clear. Ben’s
second wife, Nancy, died sometime during the 1840s. The specific year is
unknown. Thus, his children born during the 1840s could have been given birth
by Nancy Robinson or by his third wife, Susannah, who is discussed below.
[1]
Benjamin Oliver is not a particularly common name, so it is tempting to accept
every ‘hint’ that arises as being ‘your target.’ Frequently a wife with an
unusual name will provide a connection that confirms you have the correct
family from decade to decade. Children can provide that same continuity. Our
Benjamin moved often and lost wives (likely in childbirth) frequently. So far
in my research, I know nothing of Ben’s parents or his youth. Some researchers
accept a Richard Oliver as his father. Richard Oliver’s bounty land application
file (for service in General Wayne’s war of 1792) indicates that he settled in
Dearborn Co. in southern IN, just west of Cincinnati. This certainly makes him
a candidate. I have been unable to confirm the connection so far.
[2]
Mary A. Oliver was born in about 1836, probably in Meade Co., KY. Aside from
her appearance in the 1850 Butler Co., KY census, no other details are known.
[3] Kentucky,
County Marriage Records, 1783-1965, Benjamin Oliver to Nancy Robinson, 24 Dec
1839, Meade, KY
[4] 1840
United States Federal Census, Meade Co., KY
[5] 1840
Meade Co, KY Tax List, p. 21, frame 371.
[6] 1841
Meade Co, KY Tax List, p. 25, frame 402.
[7]
Elizabeth Oliver was born in KY in about 1842, probably in Meade Co., KY. She
married Dennis Reynolds on October 24, 1861, in Butler Co., KY. She died sometime
between 1900 and 1910.
Page -2-
Ben’s assessment in the 1843 Ohio Co. Tax List is very similar to previous Meade Co. entries. Ben had but one horse, valued at $30, and one cow for a total valuation of $30.[8] Very little changed in the 1844 Ohio Co. Tax List. Ben still had one horse, valued at $30, one cow, and a total valuation of $30.[9] The assessor noted that Ben had one child between 6 and 16 years of age. The 1845 Ohio Co. Tax list tells a different story than those that come before and those that come after. Ben was said to have 100 acres, worth $100, and a single horse worth $20. His total valuation was $120.[10] No record of the acquisition or disposal of this land has been located. Ben has not been identified in any Tax List from 1846 or 1847. He next appeared in the 1848 Ohio Co., KY Tax Lists. There is no mention of land. He has a lone horse valued at $30.[11]
Ben’s last-known child, Nancy Jane, was born on May 12, 1848, almost certainly in Ohio Co., KY.[12]
Ben again appeared in the Ohio Co. Tax list in 1849. No taxable assets were noted.[13] The assessor did note that there was one child at home between 6 and 16.
By the 1850 census, the family had moved just south into Butler Co., KY.[14] This census was the first to name both the wife and the children who remained at home. The census taker reported that Ben was working as a cooper. Both Mary and Elizabeth were in school. A 17-year-old male, Felix Roberson, also lived with Ben and Susannah. He was in school and worked as a farmer. It seems possible that Felix ‘Roberson’ was actually a ‘Robinson’ and was a son of Nancy Robinson by a previous marriage. This is a conjecture.
The 1850 non-population census provides a more detailed look at Ben’s farm but also seems inconsistent with the image that existing tax records have formed up to this point.[15] The farm consisted of 75 acres under cultivation with an additional 330 acres of unimproved land. The farm was worth $2,000. At first, this seems impossible, as other records do not paint Ben as prosperous, but a close review of the surrounding families indicates that the Ben Oliver of the census record is the Ben Oliver of the agricultural schedule. Adjacent families in the agricultural census are William Wilson and William Butler. In the population census, William Butler appeared two entries before Ben. William Wilson was the second farm visited after Ben’s. The proximity of all three families in both schedules confirms that Ben is the same person.
Apart from the size of the farm, Ben had one
horse, one milk cow, and seven hogs. The total value of the livestock was $30.
The farm produced 200 bushels of Indian corn (this value is unclear) and $10
worth of home-made goods. Compared to the surrounding Butler Co. farms, this is
the least productive enterprise in the area. To be fair, if Ben had just
acquired the farm, whether via purchase, inheritance, or marriage, the numbers
might be reasonable. Other records may help resolve this.
[8] 1843
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 23, frame 1142, image group 7834494.
[9] 1844
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 22, frame 1088.
[10] 1845
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 23, frame 1127, image group 7634494.
[11] 1848
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 25, frame 115, image group 8188394.
[12]
Nancy Jane Oliver was born in KY on May 12, 1848 (according to her tombstone
inscription). She died April 9, 1917, in the Prentiss community in Ohio Co., KY, and was buried in the Slaty Creek Cemetery. She married James M. Ferguson, a Civil War veteran who served in the 11th KY Infantry Regiment,
Company C.
[13] 1849
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 29, frame 164.
[14] 1850
United States Federal Census, Butler Co., KY, sheet 275.
[15] U.S.,
Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, Butler Co., KY,
1850 data, pages 35 and 36.
Page -3-
Just a few years later, in 1853, Ben appeared in the Butler Co. Tax List.[16] Similar to previous lists, Ben had no assets, including land or livestock. There was one child at home between 6 and 16 years of age. It was his last known appearance in any county tax list until 1863.
Susannah appears to have died sometime between her appearance in the 1850 census and the first half of 1854. Most likely, this occurred in Butler Co., KY. On August 8, 1854, Ben remarried. His new bride was Malinda Anderson. Their wedding also took place in Butler Co.[17] The 1850 Ohio Co. census suggests that Malinda was already widowed and had been living alone with her four children.[18]
Sometime in the second half of the 1850s or early 1860s, Ben moved just a few miles north, returning to Ohio Co., KY. Ben is mysteriously absent from the 1860 census in either county, while the two younger Oliver girls, Elizabeth (16) and Nancy Jane (13), remained in Butler Co., and both were living with other families. Elizabeth was living with the Robinsons, working as a seamstress, while Nancy lived with the Gardners. The two girls were physically close, appearing on the same census page.[19] Malinda Oliver and her four children were living in the Cromwell community in Ohio Co., KY. [20]
Ben did not appear in the Ohio Co Tax List in 1860 or 1861. The 1862 list has been lost. Ben appeared in the Tax List for 1863. He had no land, two horses worth a total of $50, and 135 bushels of corn. The assessor reported that one child between 6 and 18 lived in the home.[21] In November of that same year, the Ohio Co. Court moved to exempt Ben from further payment of the county levy, citing that he was old and infirm.[22] He made one final appearance in the Ohio Co Tax List in 1865.[23] As was typically the case, his holdings were meagre. He had one horse valued at $30 and no other taxable assets.
Based on the above, it is likely that Benjamin
Oliver died in 1865 or early 1866 in Ohio Co., KY, and that he was likely buried
there as well. This is conjecture and requires confirmation.
End Notes and References
1.
Sometimes
it seems like there are claims for additional marriages and children in every
county in a 50-mile radius (well, okay, maybe not every county). I don’t think
that all of those records relate to our Ben, so I have not included that data.
[16] 1853
Butler Co, KY Tax List, p. 24, frame 28, image group 8516062.
[17] Butler
Co. Marriages, Vol C, page 88, Benjamin Oliver and Malinda Anderson (widow),
August 9, 1854. John Watson was the bondsman. This also appears as an Ohio Co.
record in Kentucky, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900.
[18] United
States Federal Census, 1850, Ohio Co., KY, sheet 26.
[19] United
States Federal Census, 1860, Butler Co., KY, p. 9.
[20] United
States Federal Census, 1860, Ohio Co., KY, Cromwell District, p. 118.
[21] 1863
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 44, frame 632, image group 8188394.
[22]
Ohio Co., KY, Court Orders, Vol. 9, November 2, 1863, page 616.
[23] 1865
Ohio Co, KY Tax List, p. 45, frame 49, image group 8516108.
