Person talk:Abraham Harrell (1)

Research Notes of Bob Mitchell

The following research Notes are contributed by Bob Mitchell 14 Feb 2008.

Proving that Abraham's first wife was indeed Elizabeth d/o Jesse Jackson was my immediate goal as I have seen it in many internet files, but no proof. Most of the internet files have the wrong children for this family as well. Someone found an Elizabeth Harrell on the 1850 Anson Co. census and assumed that she was the widow of Abraham and lists her children as those of Abraham and Elizabeth Jackson.

I was contacted by Lewis Harrell who is a direct descendant of Abraham. He had solid info on the children of the first marriage, second marriage and subsequent marriage of the second wife. He also had read a document (described below) on file at the Scott Co. MS Court House that makes the connection for Abraham's first wife to Jesse Jackson.

Here is the story: Abraham and Elizabeth Jackson are married in Anson Co. Their first four children were born there. They moved to Sumter Co., Alabama where they had two more children. Elizabeth Jackson Harrell apparently died there abt 1839.

Abraham remarried to Elizabeth Meador in Mar 1840 and then died 10 Mar 1841 leaving Elizabeth with his six children from his previous marriage and several months pregnant with their son, A. J. (Jesse) Harrell who was born Sep 1841.

1841: Sumter Co., Alabama, Petition for Sale of Land, Estate of Abraham Harrell, ...To Honorable Henry F. Scruggs, Orphans Court, Sumter Co., Alabama...heirs of said estate are as follows to wit William Harrell, John Harrell, Lewis Harrell, Joel Harrell, Sara Harrell, Caroline Harrell and Harrell children of said intestate (Abraham died without a Will) wherefor your petitioner prays your Honor to grant an order for sale of said land...Drew Williams appointed guardian and executor...final action in February Court Term 1842. James Hair, Petitioner (This land was bought by Elizabeth Meador Harrell, widow of Abraham)

Elizabeth Meador remarried in 1844 to Michael M. Parker. They moved to Scott Co., Mississippi taking the minor children of Abraham Harrell and his first wife and Elizabeth's son by Abraham with them. Elizabeth and Michael Parker had four children in Mississippi. I found them on the 1850 Scott Co., MS census with some of Abraham's children and their children in the same household. Remnants of the family are also found in 1860 and 1870 Scott Co., MS. Certainly by this time the older children were grown and gone.

The interesting fact about this whole scenario are two documents of record: Marriage Contract, Elizabeth Harrell to Jesse Jackson, Indenture made 23 Dec 1844, Elizabeth Harrell, Jesse Jackson and Michael K. Parker filed in the court of Sumter County, Alabama. Elizabeth is about to remarry to Michael Parks, but Jesse Jr. intercedes on behalf of the children of Abraham's first marriage to Elizabeth Jackson and the one child of Abraham Harrell and Elizabeth Meador Harrell to ensure they receive their rightful share of Abraham's estate. These children were considered to be orphans due to both their legal father and mother being deceased. The action occurred in the Orphans Court of Sumter Co., Alabama. It also states that the children will be party to the settlement of the estate of Deliah Meador Jackson, deceased widow of Jesse Jackson, Sr. This action was filed by Elizabeth Meador Harrell on behalf of the children against the estate of Delilah Jackson.

Also on file in the Scott County, Mississippi Court House is a document between Michael K. Parker and Elizabeth Parker attesting to the provisions of the original document filed in Alabama. It was filed on 20 June 1851, witnessed by Ed Cavenah, Clerk. Copies furnished by Lewis Harrell 13 Feb 2008

Note: The Jesse Jackson in the above document is Jesse Jackson, Jr. son of Jesse Jackson and Delilah Meador Jackson. He is an uncle to the sons of Abraham Harrell from his first wife, Elizabeth Jackson Harrell. This document proves the names of the sons of the first marriage, the son of the second marriage and the fact that Abraham's first wife was indeed Elizabeth Jackson, daughter of Jesse Jackson and Delilah Meador Jackson.

Bob Mitchell, 14 Feb 2008

One wife or two? [12 June 2013]

I am not an expert in this family, having loaded the information on behalf of JanieJac, but in looking for an approximate birth year for Elizabeth Meador, I found information that leads me to suspect that Abraham Harrell had only one wife, Elizabeth Jackson, who later married Michael Parker. Here is my thinking:

- Patricia Davis's tree at RootsWeb indicates that Elizabeth Meador, daughter of Clement Meador, was born 9 Jan 1824 and married James W Jones 10 Mar 1840 (the same date given for the marriage of Abraham Harrell and Elizabeth Meador). (The marriage to James W Jones is supported by the note from Bob Mitchell (JanieJac's source) regarding a marriage bond made 8 Mar 1840 by James W Jones, issued on 10 Mar 1840.)

- Patricia Davis's tree also indicates that in the settlement of the estate of Clement Meador, Elizabeth's heirs were listed - all with surname Jones, born 1841 to 1869.

- Thus it appears that there was an Elizabeth Meador who married 10 Mar 1840, but to James W Jones, not Abraham Harrell. It appears that somehow Elizabeth Meador's marriage date has been linked to Abraham Harrell by mistake.

- If Abraham Harrell did not remarry in 1840, there is no reason to believe that he was married twice. His wife Elizabeth Jackson could have been born about 1809 and been the mother of all his children and the children of Michael Parker born after 1844. (She would have had children from the age of 16 to 43 - a long stretch, but not unreasonable). 1809 would fit the age of Harrell's wife given in the 1840 census (age 30-39) and the age of Parker's wife given in the 1850 and 1860 censuses, and would fit into Elizabeth's family of origin (Jesse Jackson and Delilah Meador) better than 1805, since she had a brother born Aug 1805.

- It is entirely possible that the reason 2 wives have been attributed to Abraham Harrell is that early speculation was that his wife was either a Jackson or a Meador, based on her claim against the estate of Delilah (Meador) Jackson. "Either/or" is prone to being interpreted by some as the first and others as the second, and eventually being picked up by yet others as both. Bob Mitchell refers to Elizabeth Meador Harrell in regards to the claim on the estate of Delilah (Meador) Jackson, but this does not necessarily mean that the original document identified her as such - this could have just been Mitchell's way of clarifying which Elizabeth he was referring to (given that he apparently did not question the idea that Abraham Harrell had 2 wives).

If others agree with this assessment (maybe after checking the original document of the claim on Delilah Jackson's estate), I would suggest merging the record for Abraham Harrell's second marriage into the record for his first, and changing Elizabeth Jackson's birth year to about 1809 (and cleaning up the notes accordingly).--DataAnalyst 23:10, 11 June 2013 (EDT)

Elizabeth Jackson as only wife of Abraham Harrall [15 October 2020]

The question of whether or not Abraham had two wives named Elizabeth is solved by the Probate records for Delilah (Meador) Jackson, where Elizabeth Harrell is still living and signing documents in 1843/44 as a child and heir of Delilah and Jesse Jackson, but receives her share of her mother's estate as Elizabeth Parker. --GayelKnott 15:47, 15 October 2020 (UTC)