A TALE OF TWO MARGARET VAN SCYOCS: Untangling VAN SCYOC, SHIRLEY and CRABBS lines

23.4.11

TALE OF TWO MARGARET VAN SCYOCS: Untangling VAN SCYOC, SHIRLEY and CRABBS lines

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TALE OF TWO MARGARET VAN SCYOCS : Untangling the VANSCYOC, SHIRLEY and CRABB Lines

Originally written April 23, 2011 and published on "Family Face" blog. 

One the issues of family history is the invisibility of females and thus the image of Margaret Ann Van Scyoc Shirley to the left (sent to me by a descendant) clearly illustrates a woman some -intentionally or unintentionally - try to hide.  It is often at such times that issues of social status, family status, race, or gender serve to further hide identity and information.

Once Upon a Time in Fremont Co., Iowa, there were two girls named Margaret VanScyoc.   

In Fremont County, Iowa two Margaret Van Scyocs are confused. One married a SHIRLEY and one a CRABBS.

1) Margaret A. VanScyoc, daughter of Ashbill VanScyoc and wife Sarah Ann Farley VanScyoc. She was born in abt 1846 in Mo or Ia. She married John S. Shirley, had children W.A. and Daisy.  This is proven through a record of her mother estate settlement, Sarah Ann Farley Van Scyoc Fletcher.  She is found on numerous census records for Lucas, Ks.    

There were aunts or cousins in the county named Mustard and Keeler and in 1860 when her father was missing or dead many of her siblings were with these kin while her mother prepared to give birth in June to Almira VanSycoc, her baby sister..   The 1880 Census lists her in Kansas with her husband John S. Shirley.

MEANWHILE - There was also .....

2) Margaret E. Van Scyoc, daughter of John Van Scyoc and wife Julia Winters.   This Van Scyoc and Ashbel Van Scyoc may have been related in some manner resulting in the same surname and similar first names and research is ongoing.  This Margaret, however, married according to the country biographical history of 1881,  on January 17,1869, her father's business parter, Frederick Crabbs. She is in Fremont Co., Iowa on the 1880 census.

According to the Fremont Co., Iowa Biographies of 1881:

History of Fremont County, Iowa Des Moines: Iowa Hist. Co., 1881. Sidney  Township.(Transcribed by Cay Merryman and located in full at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iabiog/fremont/f 1881/f1881-sid ney.htm#)

CRABBS, Frederick, P. O. Sidney, joint proprietor Cromwell House; born July 9, 1837, in Carroll county, Maryland. He there grew to manhood, employing his time in farming. Mr. Crabbs came to Cedar county, Iowa, in the year 1868, where he remained until 1872, when he came to Sidney. From the time he came to Iowa until 1874, he followed the occupation of a farmer. In 1875, formed his present partnership with Mr. Scyoc, and entered at once upon the conduct of the Cromwell House. January 17, 1869, he married Miss Margaret E. Scyoc, the daughter of his business partner, by whom he has two children: Frederick and John.

Same source:

SCYOC, John V., joint proprietor Cromwell House, P. O. Sidney; born January 9, 1816, in Perry county, Pa., where he attained the estate of manhood, and resided many years. His early life was passed as a farmer, and his educational advantages limited to the common schools of that day. He followed the occupation of a tanner for five years, and then, the four years following, engaged in railroading. In the spring of 1865 he moved to Cedar county, Iowa, following farming for one year, when, in 1866, he removed to Jefferson county, engaging in farming until the fall of 1871. He then moved to Fremont county, settling permanently at Sidney. In 1873 he rented the hotel propery, known as the Cromwell House, which he conducted until 1875. In that year he purchased the property, in copartnership with Frederick Crabbs, and these gentlemen still conduct the house. Mr. Scyoc was married June 1, 1843, to Miss Julia Winters, a native of Maryland, born August 12, 1819. They have four children living: Isaac, Margaret, Julia and Jennie, all married, and three deceased. Mr. Scyoc is a member of the Masonic fraternity; and both he and his wife are members of the M. E. church

A look at the census records clearly  indicate the CRABB/CRABBS group stayed in Fremont Co., Iowa and the SHIRLEY group remained in the Russell County, KS area. 


What may have contributed to the confusion was the fact the mother of John S. Shirley was a step-daughter to Margaret's mother Sarah Farley VanScyoc Fletcher.  Apparently the VAN SCYOCS, FLEtCHER, and FARLEY clans may have moved in sync from VA, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri.  This may have been because they knew one another or a mere change of travel at the time.

Marilyn A. Hudson, MLIS

4/20/2011  

Velma Cochren Priest Terry

http://velmasverses.blogspot.com/ - Read about her and her poetry.

Her Life

Married at age 15 in Kansas.  Mother to ten children of which only seven survived 

infancy. Raised five children by herself after being deserted by her first husband in Missouri. Married again to have five more children in Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. 

Became a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church under the ministry of Rev. Sally Flippin in Wichita, Kansas in the early 1950's. Charter member of churches in Wellington, Kansas in the early 1960's. 

Trained as a Nurse's Aide and served as special care attendant at local hospitals in Wellington, Kansas. 

Retired to the Ozarks in the 1970's and published two books of poetry before the death of her husband and her own subsequent failing health. 

She lived to see her dreams fulfilled as almost all of her children became active in church and several in various forms of ministry. She saw too her grandchildren being raised in Christian homes. She lived to see the fulfillment of her ongoing prayers that God would care for, protect, and guide her children.

Ennis Family and Methodism : Arkansas and Missouri

Matilda Terry Ennis - In letter from the 1800's she was described as one of the "liveliest preachers" the local congregation had, there was mention of the Methodist Protestants but the Ozarks of that time period had difficulty finding and keeping ministers. A strong lay leadership emerged and served the needs of varied congregations. Her family migration coincides with the expansion west by several well-known early circuit riders. Her brother would later serve as a lay preacher or leader, and her nephews would marry opposing sides of the church created by the issue of slavery (Martin staying with the northern Methodists and John, with his minister father-in-law with the southern Methodists).

James Wesley Ennis- Described his mother as a strong woman of faith.James would become a Methodist minister and pastor many churches in Barry County, Missouri.

Ollie Monroe Ennes - son of James Wesley would also become a Methodist clergy and serve in Barry County, Greene County and other locations in southwest Missouri.

William Sylvester Boyd and Margaret Niner Boyd Family

The young woman standing in back is said to be Sena A. Boyd who married Charles Reuben Priest. The names and relationship of the children is unclear.

TERRY-ENNIS Lines and Early American Methodism

TERRY'S AND EARLY METHODISM: A POSSIBLE CONNECTION

One of the fundamental elements in any family's evolution is the influence of religion in crafting their traditions, values, and daily life. Like vines, the religious and secular histories are often intertwined. Any attempt to understand the one divorced from the other is often a sure guarantee valuable insights will be lost. Understanding a family's religious history is to understand many of theirmotivations and subsequent actions with far greater clarity.

Evidence from several private records reveal Terry lines that indicate religion was taken seriously. Some joined the Disciples of Christ, Baptist, and other groups, yet there are intriguing clues that seem to suggest some of these early Terry's had a connection to early American Methodism. Not surprising for a group that at one time could claim a church in every county, yet the details are fascinating and illuminate migration and family stories.

William Terry, resident of Boteourt Co. married Rachel Manson on 3 Feb. 1759 in Christ Church in Philadelphia. It was part of the Church of England and, after the Revolution, the group from which the Angelican Church emerged.

The spread of Methodism in America parallels the trek of the early pioneers such as Daniel Boone (who cleared the trail into then largely unknown Kentucky in the late 1700's). The early Methodist preachers were not far behind such pioneers. Even before the formal organization of the "American Methodist Church" or the "Methodist Episcopal Church" (1784), there existed an early circuit (a regular route traveled by one minister in order to preach, baptize, and marry) known as the "Holstein Circuit" (Norwood). It covered the area of NE Tennessee, and SW Virginia through which John Terry, son of William, and his wife Esther Brown Terry migrated circa 1790. Other circuits would form, interestingly enough, in Botetourt Co.,Va, in Kentucky, and southern Indiana. All locations into which John Terry and kin were known to have moved.

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  The "father" of American Methodism, Frances Asbury (1745-1816) traveled some of those same areas of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee on his own circuit journeys of the late 1700's and early 1800's. His journal records that in 1786 he stopped at "Terry's" on the border of Fairfield and Chester Co. Cited, re notes, as "Tar Yard" on some old maps. In 1807 he stopped at "Terry's" in the upper part of Greenville Co., near Marietta. The notes indicate this should not be confused with the Terry at Fork Shoals 20 miles below Greenville in NC. An 1833 letter reporting on ministerial activities noted "...my first efforts were in Botetourt, Holston, and New River Circuits 40 years ago [1793]...I kept up with [information?] Viz. Nathaniel Tery 4 miles distant in the bent of James River. (Clark, Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury, vol 1.;pg. 446,507,374-75,574).


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  Many of the early Tery letters reveal people of great faith, living as best they could by their moral convictions and standards. They bear witness of the faith to their relatives, relations, and from their deathbeds. An interest in the church and religious matters was evidenced early as revealed by an 1848 letter of William Terry (1785-1869, son of John), to his son John Terry in Red River Co., Texas:"...our preacher is not onto circuits again and that brother Standford is presiding elder in place of brother Harrol and that brother Harrol is stationed at Little Rock." According to the North Arkansas Conference, United Methodist Church, Commission on Archives and History, the 13th session of the conference was held in 1848. The event recorded that a John Hormel served the Little Rock Station. A Russell M. Morgan served the Huntsville Church in the Fayetteville district in 1848, and Thomas Stanford was Presiding Elder of the Fayetteville District.


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  Another interesting thing to note relates to names. William's son Martin is thought by some to have also bear the name Francis; this could relate to the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary fame or to the early Methodist leader. There is evidence of naming for both in several lines. A strong point of support may be he named one of his sons Lorenz (or Lorenzo) Dow Terry (1845-1894). Lorenz Dow was a fiery, evangelical preacher and one-time Methodist who crisscrossed the early circuit locales of Tennessee and Kentucky in the early years of the nineteenth century. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that at some point the paths of Terry's and Dow actually intersected.


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  Certain letters of Martin Terry from the 1850s-1870s reveal a man of strong moral convictions. He comments about the need for prohibition in the Ozarks to curtail the victimization produced in order to create a market for liquer. The problem was the quality of the product sold was often literally deadly and many families were ruined by the death or addictions which resulted. He also had strong political views but that is for another study.


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  Martin and his brother John married sisters;Mary Ann and Lucinda Reed were children of Joseph Reed, and a transcript of an oral history project interview with a descendent of this same Reed states he was a Methodist minister. Reed went to Red River, Texas in 1839 and with him was John Terry, whose biography includes mention of a long membership in the Methodist Episcopal South Church. [see "Fine Points of History" interview with Juanita Stiles Cornwell of Clarksville (1980) in East Texas University Archives pg.10,104.;Biographical Souvinir of the State of Texas (1880),pg.817,794-5].


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  Joseph Reed is an interesting study in himself. He is probably a nephew or cousin of a Rev. Joseph Reed/Reid who accompanied the noted Rev. Stephenson into the area of Red River County, Texas between 1817-1820, a time when our Joseph Reed was also in the area.(Steely, Six months from Tennesse, 1982) This other early Reed also came out of Kentucky and Tennesse and resided in Hempstead, Arkansas for a time. He was a slave owning minister, a vocal supporter of the south, and thus part of the split creating the Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal South prior to the Civil War. Our Reed died in TX in 1839 but from the letters and notations in a family Bible he was in Oklahoma and Indian Territory (Ft. Towson) prior to 1830.


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  Letters of the 1860's and 1870's mention Methodism in relation to meetings or revivals in areas of their southwest Missouri relatives. Also mentioned are Cumberland Presybeterians (Reed may have been associated with them as well for a time) and Baptists.


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  In one letter dated 9 Nov. 1877, William's daughter, Matilda Terry Ennis, is said to "be one of our liveliest preachers" and a "Northern Methodist". It is possible she was a "deaconess" or merely a very active church woman, but it is interesting to note that in the Holiness Movement of the same period noted Phoebe Palmer, for example, was part of many revival efforts in the New York period from as early as 1857. This reveals a trend toward greater female participation - and some acceptance of the same - among some groups of Methodists.


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  The ten year silence between the two Terry brothers during and after the Civil War has been attributed to the devastation and rebuilding of the conflict. The conflict took a heavy toll on the families as both sides contributed family to the cause or lost family as part of the illnesses that followed the troops. It may be, however, that once again religion plays an important role in interpreting the silence as the result of conflicting theological and ideological views. Martin's line in Missorui had clear connections to the North via "Northern Methodist" church membership and John in Texas was connected to the "Methodist Episcopal South". This allegiance reveals that probably the brothers took two different sides in the conflict (and military records seem to support this). The wording of the letter that broke the silence (written by the wives) suggest something beyond disrupted mails was at fault. The letter dated 27 September 1867 reads in part: "I am no politician and take no part in political controversy and I exceedingly regret the unhappy circumstances that has made such a deep and lasting wounds in the minds of those that once was friends and are bound by the nearest and dearest ties of kindred relation." The fact the letter was written by Martin's wife to her sister, and the fact she notes the severing of family ties, seems to pointedly highlight the silence was brought on by more than merely the hardship and grief of war. It may have been caused by differences of deep idealogical and theological significance to the brothers.


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  John King Terry, Martin's son was married in 1861 in Cassville, Mo by "Methodist minister, Keith Hankins" (County record/Civil war pension record).


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  There is a persistent story that Martin was a minister as well. No definitive records exist but if he were a Methodist he may have been a lay pastor and records for those individuals were not usually kept at the time. However, the area of the Ozarks where Martin lived was well known as a place difficult to keep ministers and a tradition of lay ministers evolved in many locations, including Barry Co. This may be what is referred to by the oral tradition. [Clark. Ozark Baptizings, hangings, and other diversions, 1984, pg. 78, 98, 147].

Further research may minimize or correct any Terry connections to early Methodism, but at this point the cumulative evidence presents a strong case for the serious consideration of this relationship, no matter how short-lived. It certainly serves to clarify the dominate role that religion played in the areas through which all the Terry lines traveled on their way west to Missorui.

Marilyn A. Terry Hudson, 1993.

Marilyn holds a B.A. degree in History and a Masters in Library and Information Studies. Image was taken at the Wesley House, London, and shows the prayer room of John Wesley.

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Hudson Grave - Okmulgee 2020

The stone for Jess Hudson - it is very sandy soil in the cemetery,

The Family Face