Person:Catherine Kerns (3)

Information on Catherine Karnes

Catherine has two IGI marriage entries. One is 1802 in Russell County, K entucky; the other is 1801 in Bedford County, Virginia.

Her AF entry has her birth date in 1782. Chris Kerns has it 1791. The 1 791 date makes her married at age 10.

Bedford County Marriage Bonds has: Sep. 1, 1801; John Rexroat & Katy Ke rns; Michael Carnes, Surety; Married by Isham Fuqua, Sept. 2, 1801.

F. Landis Weaver writes:

Catherine Karnes was born in 1782 in Bedford County, Virginia. She was l iving about 1810 in Adair County, Kentucky. She appeared on the census i n 1820 in Adair County, Kentucky (shows 3 sons & 2 daughters). She died a fter 1858 in Russell County, Kentucky, probably.

Catherine and her husband (John Rexroat) appeared on the 1850 Census in R ussell County, Kentucky. John was listed as aged 72, and a Farmer who w as born in Pennsylvania. Catherine was aged 68, and born in Virginia. R ussell County Wills (Book 2, page 146) show that Catherine was appointe d as the Administrix of John's Estate on 23 Mar 1858.

Catherine married John Rexroat in Bedford County on 2 Sep 1801. It is b elieved that they migrated to Adair County, Kentucky in about 1810, alo ng with John's brother, Adam Rexroat. John and Adam's father was believ ed to have been Zachariah Rexroat, who came to America in 1773, settled n ear Reading, PA., and died in 1791. Since both John and Adam moved to A dair County, Kentucky, their children can't be identified according to w hich man was their father. John and Catherine (Karnes) Rexroat appeared o n the 1820 Census with 3 sons and 2 daughters. The 1830 Census shows 8 m ales up to age 30, and 4 females up to age 20 living with them. It is a ssumed that John and Catherine had both children and some grandchildren l iving with them in 1830 and 1840. John and Catherine were living alone f or the 1850 Census, and their neighbors looked like city-dwellers. Perh aps they had moved into Jamestown, Kentucky by 1850.

Catherine had been designated to possibly receive one of the two female N egro slaves mentioned in her father's will, with the other slave being s et free upon his death. Probate records from Michael's Estate indicate t hat a slave was valued at 25 cents, and probably set free. It is not kn own if Catherine ever received the other slave (named Lawry). There wer e various notes of depositions in Court records to show that Job Kerns t ransported some Negro slaves from Virginia to Kentucky, and it is very p ossible that the Rexroat family did too. Adair County records show seve ral persons of color apparently adopted the Rexroat/Rexrode surname.