In this blog I ordinarily feature ancestors who have proven to be a challenge to research, so that the methods used to find them might help someone else with a similar issue. The ancestors written about in this post weren't particularly difficult to research, but the situation does present a certain mystery. This case is unique in that the mystery lies not in the who, but in the why.
Many years ago, when I first became interested in genealogy, I found my name in a descendant report for Martin Pettry, who was supposedly an ancestor my Great-Grandpa Quinn through his mother's side. Grandpa Quinn's mother, Nancy, was listed as the daughter of James Pettry and Lucinda Brown. Being a newby genealogist, I took this as fact and didn't question it. When I decided that I needed to start keeping all of my genealogy info in one place and started using Ancestry.com, I was surprised to find that all of the hints I was getting for Nancy Jane Pettry referred to her as Nancy Jane Bradley.
Nancy Jane Petry Quinn, circa 1920. |
After successfully joining the DAR last month, I started looking around in my tree for ancestors that I could easily find records for in order to submit as supplemental ancestors. I decided to get records together for James Madison Crews, an ancestor of Joshua Bradley; since he already had many descendants listed in the DAR's database, I knew that they would have many of the records that I needed in order to prove descent. I began working from myself backward, making sure that I had birth, marriage, and death records for each ancestor in the line of descent.
Nancy "Bradley"'s birth record (highlighted). |
A look through my mother's DNA matches turned up about half a dozen forth cousins who all descended from James Pettry's father, and none that descended from Joshua Bradley's father. The DNA evidence confirmed Nancy's birth record - she was the daughter of James Pettry after all. The original researcher who made the Pettry descendant report had been correct, and I had to do some major editing to my tree.
Lucinda Brown Bradley with her husband, Joshua Bradley. |
Was Lucinda assaulted, and this was her way of making sure that James was held responsible? Did James' family have money, and this was a way to make sure her daughter was provided for? Was it as simple as Lucinda having an affair? All of these thoughts and emotions ran through my mind when I saw Nancy's birth record. I'm still not sure what to think or feel, but I desperately want to know why Lucinda made sure that James was recorded as Nancy's father. I will never know for sure, but I can at least try to make an educated guess.
Can anyone give me some insight into this situation? Why would a woman purposefully admit that she gave birth to an illegitimate child out of wedlock in 1855, when the model of femininity was the "Angel in the House"? Please let me know what you think.