Mrs. Nimrod Thacker Part VI *** Genealogy By the Numbers - Conclusions

In the pass week, I’ve looked at a number of different documents trying to find an answer to the question - Who was Mrs. Nimrod Thacker?

I started with the work of other researchers, and tested their conclusions with the available evidence.

Below are my own conclusions.

Month of Birth:
January
Supporting documentation
1900 census for Frances Thacker
Death Record of Frances Thacker

February (I reject)
(No supporting documentation)

Year of Birth
1822 or 1823 (Too Close to Call)

1822
(Supporting documentation)
1. Death Record of Frances Thacker
2. 1870 and 1900 census for Frances Thacker

1823
(Supporting documentation)
1. 1850, 1860 and 1880 census for Frances Thacker

1821 (which I reject)
(Supporting documentation)
1. Frances J. Thacker’s widow pension affidavit given in December 1893 which listed her age as 72.

State of Birth

Virginia
(Supporting documentation)
1. 1850 and 1860 census for Frances Thacker
(However, this doesn’t preclude West Virginia)
2. 1870, 1880, and 1900 census for Frances Thacker
3. 1880 census for Clarinda Marcum, David Thacker, Nicholas Thacker, Mary Francis Thacker, Catherine Thacker, Hiram Thacker, Louisa Garrett. (Census Question – Birthplace of Mother)
4. 1900 census for Martha Thacker, David Thacker, Sara Jane Thacker, Nicholas Thacker, Catherine Thacker and Hiram Thacker (Census Question – Birthplace of Mother.)
5. 1910 census for Clarinda Marcum, Sara Jane Thacker, Catherine Thacker and Hiram Thacker. (Census Question – Birthplace of Mother.)
6. 1920 census for David Thacker, Nicholas Thacker, Catherine Thacker and Hiram Thacker. (Census Question – Birthplace of Mother)
7. 1930 census for Nicholas Thacker and Catherine Thacker. (Census Question – Birthplace of Mother.)
8. Death Record of Frances J. Thacker
9. Death Record of David Thacker.

West Virginia hypothesis (which I reject)
(Supporting documentation)
1. 1910 Census record for David Thacker and Nicholas Thacker (who listed father, Nimrod Thacker’s place of birth as West Virginia also. We know that Nimrod himself listed his place of birth as Louisa County, Virginia.
2. Death record of Sarah Jane Thacker which listed mother’s place of birth as “Old Virginia.”

Spelling of Frances/Francis

Because Frances could neither read nor write, either spelling could be considered correct. However, most people use the “es” to indicate female and “is” to indicate male, so I am using the “es” spelling.

Full Maiden Name

First Name

Frances
(Supporting documentation)
1. Census records 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 for Frances Thacker.
2. Obituary of daughter Louisa Garrett.
3. Death Record for Frances J. Thacker
4. Death Record of children, Sarah Jane Thacker, David Thacker and Louisa Thacker. (Informants were, Hannah Thacker, Hiram Thacker and Charles Garrett)
5. Application for Administration for Frances J. Thacker for estate of Nimrod N. Thacker.
6. Widow’s pension file for Frances J. Thacker, widow of Nimrod N. Thacker
7. Marriage Record of Frances J. Thacker and Nimrod N. Thacker (This is the only primary source available for Frances’s maiden name.)

Mary (which I reject)
(Supporting documentation)
1. Death record of son, Nicholas Thacker (Informant was Frank Thacker)

Middle name or Initial

J
(Supporting documentation)
1. Census record of 1860 and 1900 for Frances Thacker
2. Death record of Frances J. Thacker
3. Application for Administration for Frances J. Thacker for estate of Nimrod N. Thacker.
4. Widow’s pension file for Frances J. Thacker, widow of Nimrod N. Thacker
5. Marriage Record of Frances J. Thacker and Nimrod N. Thacker

Frances (which I reject) – no supporting documentation

Mary (which I reject) – no supporting documentation

Maiden name

Thacker
(Supporting documentation)
1. Marriage record of Frances J. Thacker and Nimrod N. Thacker
2. Death record of son, David Thacker (informant son, Hiram N. Thacker), which gives mother’s name as Frances Thacker.
3. Death record of daughter, Louisa Ellen Garrett (informant grandson, Charles Garrett), which gives mother’s name as Frances Thacker.
4. Widow’s pension file for Frances J. Thacker, widow of Nimrod N. Thacker – affidavit of Ivory Thacker (also to lesser extent affidavits of Cassmir Hawk, Finley Hartley, and William Burk,) which claims Frances was not previously married.
5. Death Record of Grandson Frank Thacker (informant, great grandson, Lloyd Thacker) which gives Frank’s mother as Mary Groves (Grover?)

Grover (which I reject)
Supporting documentation
1. Death record of son, Nicholas Thacker (informant grandson, Frank Thacker,) which gives mother’s name as Mary Grover.


Of course, it is always possible that new documentation will become available that will not support these conclusions. Then, as we did this time, we would look at the evidence, analyze the source, analyze the information, and decide how this new information changes the previous conclusions.

In Genealogy, we have to be willing to look at the evidence before us with a clear and unbiased eye. No matter how much we may be tempted, we shouldn’t try pounding square pegs into round holes, making our evidence conform to a preconceived conclusion.

Not if we care about the truth. Not if we want to get the story right.