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Facts and Events
Notes
- 1781 November 21, The Grand Jury of Washington Co., VA, charged "HENRY SKAGGS with adultery with NANCY DAVIS" and "AARON SKAGGS for same with SARAH LYON." Henry and Aaron are believed to have been brothers, and the women named with them are believed to have been their wives. Aaron's widow, Sarah, lived in Adair Co. and Edmonson Co., KY, ca. 1800-1820. Their dau., Mary "Polly," md. Henry's son, Martin, in 1809. This court record, our only clue to the identity of Henry's first wife, may not be what it appears on the surface, but may, instead, be an example of one of the principles for which we fought the Revolutionary War -- separation from England and its Church, and the eventual separation of church and state. I have heard it said that the courts did not recognize marriages that occurred outside the officially recognized church, i.e., the Church of England, and I'm searching for documentation for this. However, I'm puzzled by the choice of the word "adultery" because that word has always implied that one of the parties was married to a third person.
- Regardless of the meaning of this court record in its time and place, note that Henry's son, James, named his first son, Abraham Davis, and that Henry's dau., Rebecca, named her first dau., Nancy, presumably for the mother she never knew. Nancy DAVIS SKAGGS may have been a dau. of Abraham DAVIS.
Citations
- http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=thomaswilene&id=I0026
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).
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