Sorting a Mess

Today I am working on trying to sort out some information concerning my Great, Great Grandmother. Her name was Amanda America Clementine McDaniel Eads. For some time now there has been information online concerning her that I feel is erroneous. Therefore I am doing my best to comb through everything and see if I cant straighten it out. I wanted to share the information here in case others are also researching her line.

Amanda America Clementine McDaniel

I show a birth date of 4 November, 1834 in Davie County, North Carolina. However, her tombstone states she was born November 1849.  The tombstone appears to be a newer one and so I am really unsure as to who had the stone placed and who gave the information that is on the stone. I am avidly searching for a death certificate for her as well.

Now, with that being said, here is where it gets complicated. According to Freida Wilkerson,there is a passage written in a book entitled "The Heritage of Iredell County 1980" published by the Iredell County North Carolina Genealogical Society. In said book there is a passage written by the late Hazel Speece Wilson. Mrs. Wilson is quoted to have stated the following:

"Consadie Eades married one Albert McDaniel, son of George and Merkie McDaniel of Davie County, North Carolina.They reared eight children: Nodie/Notie, Daisey M.,Jack, Vance, Henry, John, Jane and Amanda"

Keep in mind I have not read this book so I cannot vouch for the exact wording of the passage. However, I did do some research on Albert and Consadie and this is what turned up:

I located a entry in the North Carolina Death Index for one Sadie Eads McDaniel, died 11 January 1942 in New Hope Township, Iredell County, North Carolina. Sadie was born in the year 1854. Her parents were Gilpen and Patsey Eades. Sadie was buried 13 January 1942 in at Taylor Springs Baptist church in New Hope, Iredell County, North Carolina.


North Carolina, Deaths, 1931-1994," index, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FPPW-3HD : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Sadie Eads Mcdaniels, 11 Jan 1942.

Davie County North Carolina is about twenty-seven miles from Iredell County, North Carolina. 

Puzzle number one: If the date I show for Amanda America Clementine McDaniel's birth is correct this puts her born some twenty years before Consadie/Sadie who is suppose to be her mother! We know this is impossible. Even if we go with the date on Amanda`s tombstone of 1849 this still puts Amanda being born six years before Consadie, which again is impossible.

Now,  Consadie/Sadie Eads and Albert McDaniel did have a daughter named Amanda. This daughter was born in 1878 some forty-four years after the birth of Amanda America Clementine McDaniel. Again, I think this proves that our Amanda America Clementine McDaniel was NOT the daughter of Consadie/Sadie Eads and Albert McDaniel! 

I also have located the following persons on the 1880 Census for Davie County, North Carolina:

• Allen McDaniel-age 45
• Rebecca McDaniel-age 30
• Mary McDaniel-age 12
• Amanda McDaniel-age 11
• Letitia McDaniel-age 10
• George McDaniel-age 8
• Eli McDaniel-age 7
• Lewis McDaniel-age 6
• Allen McDaniel-age 2
• Infant Female McDaniel-0

I had earlier thought perhaps this was our Amanda and her family but I am sense second guessing this, due to the fact that this Amanda was born in 1869 which again was some thirty-five years after our Amanda America Clementine McDaniel was born so I think once again it rules this family out!

At this point in time I feel it is safe to say that I am very uncertain just "who" Amanda`s parents really are. The one thing that I can be sure of is that Amanda married my Great, Great Grandfather William Franklin Eads SR on 10 November, 1860 in Davie County, North Carolina.

Source: Batch No. M516012-Date:1868, Source Call # 6330295 Film 

On the 1880 Census I located Grandmother Amanda and Grandfather William listed as below:

• Franklin Eads-age 50-born North Carolina
• Amanda Eads-age 40-born North Carolina(1840)
• Roxann Eads-age 19-born North Carolina
• Hyatt (Wyatt) Eads-age 17-born North Carolina
• Huston Eads-age 13-born North Carolina
• William Eads-age 9-born Missouri
• Nancy Eads-age 7-born Missouri
• Mary Eads-age 3-born Missouri.

 United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6NJ-1X8 : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Amanda Eads in entry for Franklin Eads, 1880.

We can surmise from the info above then that given the fact their son Houston was born in North Carolina in 1867 and their son William was born in Missouri in 1871 that the family had to have moved to Missouri between the years 1867-1871.

In the 1900 Census we find them living in St. Francois Township, Wayne County, Missouri

• William F. Eads-age 61-Born North Carolina
• Amanda Eads-age 51-born North Carolina-(1849)
• William A. Johnson (Grandson) age 16-Born Missouri
• Wyatt Eads-age 35 born North Carolina   

 United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3D2-Y7Q : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Amanda Eads in entry for William F Eads, 1900.

In the 1910 Census we find them living in St. Francois, Wayne, Missouri still:

• Frank Eads-age 76-born North Carolina
• Manda Eads-age 66-born North Carolina (1844)
• Arthur Eads-age 15-born Missouri   

    United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLMZ-BZC : accessed 07 Mar 2013), Manda Eads in household of Frank Eads, Saint Francois, Wayne, Missouri; citing sheet 5A, family 74, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1374840.

So we get three different birth dates for Amanda from each of the census listings above: 1840, 1849, 1844 if we average these we come up with the date of 1844 which is actually a ten year difference from the date I have of 1834. This still makes it improbable that she is the Amanda who is the daughter of Rebecca and Allen McDaniel as that Amanda was born in 1869. The Amanda who is the daughter of Sadie and Albert McDaniel was born in 1878.

Recap:

Amanda America Clementine McDaniel born 1834-1849
Amanda (Dau of Consadie/Albert) born 1878
Amanda (Dau of Rebecca/Allen) born 1869

More to come soon...