User:Southern Vickery

Joseph is believed by some researchers to be the son of Hezekiah Vickery, who died in Orange County, Virginia in 1736. While I have not seen specific evidence of the relationship, I know of nothing that suggests that it is not correct. Joseph's projected date of birth fits well with the other children of Hezekiah. He would be about 15 years younger than Marmaduke Vickery, who is the oldest known sibling.

Joseph's place in Hezekiah's family group also seems to be supported by the names of his probable older brother, given by some researchers as Luke Holland Vickery (based on what evidence, I am not certain), and the name of his probable son, Luke Vickery, who was listed in the 1800 and 1810 censuses of York County, South Carolina, which is the same period when Joseph lived in that area. (Joseph appeared in the 1800 census in the same county and was the right age to be Luke's father.)

Accepting the common belief about Joseph's parents, that would make him the son of Hezekiah Vickery and Merci (or Mercy) Holland. Possibly, he was born in Orange County, Virginia, where his father died within just a few years of Jospeh's birth. Thus, he was probably raised by his mother or older siblings and never really knew his father.

Again accepting Hezekiah as Joseph's father, it narrows the possible range of birth years. According to the 1830 census, Joseph was born between 1730 and 1740. Hezekiah's death limits that to 1730 to 1736.

Marriage I myself know of no documents mentioning Joseph until the 1790 census, but based on later evidence, it is possible to fill in some of the empty time. He seems to have stayed in Virginia and married there some time before 1770 (based partly on the age of his son Aaron as given in the 1830 census, and based on Aaron's place of birth, which was given as Virginia in the 1880 census listing for Aaron's daughter Mary Peek). Considering that Joseph would have been at least in his mid-thirties by 1770, it seems likely that he married before that time. Aaron is the oldest child that I personally know of, but that does not eliminate the possibility of older children and an earlier marriage date.

The name Sarah Hightower has been has been given as the name of Joseph's wife. It is my *recollection* that her surname, Hightower, came from an old family bible of a distant descendant, which mentioned Joseph being married to a "Miss Hightower." However, recent efforts to locate this source information, which I saw almost 20 years ago, has not been successful. I believe that the bible was for a William Vandiver Vickery, but again, that is based on a 20 year old memory. In any case, I know of nothing else to explain the surname, and nothing at all to explain the first name Sarah. I myself look at it with some scepticism, however, I use the name Sarah here for the sake of convenience.

It seems from later census listings that Joseph and Sarah had no less than six children. There were five listed with them in the 1790 census of Montgomery County, NC. The sixth I believe to be Aaron, who was too old to be any of those in Joseph's household and so may have already married by that time, or was simply living elsewhere as an adult. If there were older children, they most likely would have married and left the home by that time as well.

I believe that it is unlikely that they continued to have any more children after these we find in 1790 for the following reasons. First, the births of the known children range over a span of at least 16 years, from Aaron (b. 1770-1775) to Joseph Jr (b 1784-1790) and possibly a daugher Delila (b.c. 1786), and up to 20 years. That is as wide a span that is normally found for one woman to have children. Further, if there were any older or younger children, older ones seem more likely given Joseph's age at the time of Aaron's birth (mid-to-late-thirties). Finally, there do not seem to be any younger children (born later than those in the 1790 census) in any later census with Joseph, or at least none who could reasonably be considered his own children. Thus, I think that the family group for Joseph Vickery Sr and Sarah Hightower contains the following:

Aaron Vickery Sr (b.c. 1770-1775) Luke Vickery (b. aft. 1775) Joseph Vickery Jr. (b. bet. 1784-1790) daughter listed in 1790 census daughter listed in 1790 census daughter listed in 1790 census (poss. Delila Vickery, b.c. 1784-1786)

The name Delila is mentioned as one of the daughters on the chance that the woman, Delila Vickery, who was listed in the 1860 census with Aaron & Sarah McDougal in Hart County, was Joseph Sr's daughter. She was 74 years old at that time, the right age to be a daughter, rather than granddaughter of Joseph Sr. And since I cannot find any evidence of a Vickery man married to a woman named Delila (though of course it's possible), I assume that she was an old maid and indeed the never married daughter of Joseph Sr.. A girl of the right age is listed with him in the 1800 census, as well as the three possibilities in the 1790. I have not found Delila's whereabouts in the period between 1800 and 1860 (quite a gap); so anythings possible. On the same census page that year were *several* households known to be closely related to Joseph Vickery's children & grandchildren (though McDougle & wife were NOT). In any case, her placement in the family group of Joseph & Sarah is speculative.

Additionally, I think that there is a remote possibility that there was an older son named William, though that is based on nothing more than the presence of a William Vickery in the very early records of Elbert County, Georgia. That man was first found in the Wilkes County (parent county of Elbert) tax digest in 1790, and was last seen in an 1808 Elbert County deed, mentioned as owner of adjacent property. If he were at least 21 by the time of his tax digest listing, he would have been born before 1769, and so could have been the son of Joseph and Sarah. However, the above stated information is absolutely everything I have to connect him to that family. It is really just speculation.

By the time of the 1800 census, Joseph Sr and his extended family had moved to York County, South Carolina. It appears to me that son Aaron and his wife Millie (along with two of their children) were living with his parents Joseph & Sarah. Also, son Luke had married and had one daughter. Two of the Vickery daughters had married or died and were no longer found in Joseph's home. The third daughter (Delila?) seems to still be in the home, as well as the youngest son Joseph Jr.. That is *my* inturpretation of the census listing anyway. Others may see it differently.

I am not aware of any records for Joseph Vickery Sr between 1800 in South Carolina and 1820, when he had already relocated to Elbert County, Georgia. His son Aaron had presented a claim for land the previous year in Elbert, and had 10 people in his family. Usually a claimant had been living on the land well in advance of such a claim. So the family had probably been in Elbert for at least a few years before the 1820 census. Also, Joseph was not listed in the 1810 census of York Co., SC, though son Luke was still living there. Possibly the extended family had already moved before that date. (Georgia's 1810 census no longer exists; so it is not possible to look for him there.)

In the 1820 census, Joseph and Sarah, who would have been quite advanced in years, were living with only one young girl, who was under 16 years old. If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that she was most likely a granddaughter who took care of the elderly couple. Possibly she was the granddaughter given some personal property in 1824 (see below).

Joseph was next mentioned (as Joseph Vickery *Sr*) as a winner in the 1821 land lottery. Then next (again as Joseph Vickery *Sr*) in an 1824 deed giving various items of livestock and personal property to one Ester Vickery, his "granddaughter." (See documents at bottom of page.)

It makes sense to me that a granddaughter who took care of the older couple might be given such gifts out of gratitude. It might also have been that the girl needed those items if she had no other expectation of support or inheritance (for example, if she were a child born out of wedlock to one of the Vickery daughters). Please keep in mind, though, that Joseph's motives can only be wild speculation, and Ester's parents are not clearly known, nor can any circumstances of her birth ever be.

Also, it should be mentioned that the identity of the girl with Joseph Sr in 1820 is not known, and connecting her with the Ester who recienved the property in 1824 is just a guess. Another distinct possibility is that the girl was Elizabeth Vickery, who later married Aaron Vickery Jr. She was the right age and her parents are not known either. Nor can she be found in other Vickery households. Both the 1860 census and 1880 census give her birth year as c. 1808, and there is no girl of that age living with Joseph *Jr*., while there are two girls in his home who could have been Ester.

As mentioned, both Joseph Vickery *Senior* and Joseph Vickery *Junior* were heads of households in Elbert County in 1820 (the only year when that is true), which clearly proves the existence of two seperate men by that name. It seems to me that many researchers have overlooked the existence of the younger Joseph, lumping all the Vickerys in the county as either children of Aaron Sr or as simply of unknown parentage.

Unfortunately, Aaron Vickery Sr is not in the 1820 census of Elbert County. I do not know where his family was living, but as a note for possible future research, they may have been in Alabama. Aaron Vickery Jr's son, James V Vickery, gave his birthplace as Alabama in the 1880 census. The year of his birth was around 1826-1827, and since he was the eldest child of Aaron Vickery Jr & Elizabeth Vickery, it would stand to reason that they married in Alabama just before that time. (Their marriage did not take place in Elbert or Franklin Counties in Ga, nor can I ind record of it in the state.) Possibly Aaron Sr, with Aaron Jr in his home, was in Alabama with his family in 1820, and that is why they cannot be found in GA.

After the deed of 1824, when Joseph was well into his eighties, he was next mentioned as a winner in the 1827 land lottery, with four draws, two for being a head of household, and two for being a Revolutionary War soldier.

By the time of the 1830 census, Joseph was exceptionally old, even by today's standards. He was head of a nine person household, and was listed as being 90-100 years old. His wife Sarah had aparently died, and he seemed to be in the home of his son Joseph Jr, who was not himself listed that year as a head of household. Not surprisingly, that is the last record I've found for Joseph Vickery Sr, though I have read that he did live to be over 100. So he evidently lasted a few more years after the census.

If there was a will or any probate for Joseph Sr, I am not aware of it.

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Joseph Vickery, Junior

b. bet. 1784-1790 m. bet. 1804-1809 wife unknown d. aft. 1870

Though he has consistently appeared in records in Elbert County, Joseph Jr has usually been overlooked by earlier researchers. I am writing all of this now in the hope of clearly outlining the events of his life, explaining his place in the Vickery family, and establishing the names of his children. So that most of the confusion about early Elbert County Vickerys can be cleared up and research focussed on the tougher issues (such as the identity of his wife, for example).

Joseph seems clearly to be the son of Joseph Vickery Sr, though I know of no documentary evidence that establishes that as fact. Nonetheless, he seems to be found in Joseph Sr's home at various times throughout his life, and in the same areas during other times. His name also makes his father's identity fairly obvious.

The 1820, 1830, 1850 and 1860 censuses consistently place his birth date between 1784 and 1790, among the last of his father's children. His father's residence at that time was Montgomery County, North Carolina, where Joseph Sr was listed in the 1790 census with two boys under 16, one of whom was probably Joseph Jr.

In Joseph Sr's 1800 census listing in York County, South Carolina, there is a boy between 10-16 years of age, which seems likely to be Joseph Jr..

Joseph Jr was NOT a head of household in the 1810 census in York County, SC, though he had married by that time. It is assumed that he had already moved away from the area. The 1820 census of Elbert County shows Joseph Jr as having a child over 10 years old; so he married before 1810. It is not clear whether he was in South Carolina or Georgia, but the birth places for all of his possible childen have been consistently given as Georgia.

Unfortunately, South Carolina did not record marriages at all at that time, and Elbert County, Georgia only began recording them around 1806; so there is no way of knowing his wife's name, nor exactly where or when the marriage took place. However, the oldest possible child I have for him is the Elizabeth Vickery who married Aaron Vickery Jr. She was born in 1808 in Georgia, and if she were Joseph Jr's daughter, that would give him two children born before 1810 (along with the son over age 10 in Joseph Jr's home in the 1820 census). And that would make a marriage before 1806 in Elbert is a distinct possibility.

About Joseph Jr's wife, little is known. According to the 1830 & 1840 censuses, she was born about 1790, making her a teenager (possibly as young as 16) when she married. I have not seen her name on any document so far, though it might be out there. I have not found Joseph's 1850 census listing anywhere, and she may have still been living at that time (and her name recorded). She was last recorded with Joseph in the 1840 census, but probably deceased by 1860, when Joseph was living alone.

As for Joseph Jr's children, various censuses give no less than eight possibilities, specifically:

daughter born 1804-1810 (in home of Joseph SR in 1820) son born b. 1804-1810 daughter b. 1810-1815 son b. 1815-1820 daughter b 1815-1820 son b. 1820-1825 son b. 1820-1825 son b. 1825-1830

The eldest daughter given above is really just a guess. The most likely identity for the girl, as mentioned previously, is either Esther or Elizabeth Vickery, niether of whom were Aaron Vickery Sr's children. So I have placed them as possible children in Joseph Jrs family. Probably it was Elizabeth, since only she was the right age.

The others were found in Joseph's household; so he definitely had at least seven, born between 1804-1830, a normal time span for a woman to have children.

Marriage records in Elbert & neighboring Franklin County show marriages for several Vickerys other than those known to be children of Aaron Sr.. Specifically:

William Vickery m Sarah Ann Craft 1841 Mary "Polly" Vickery m James Jordan 1837 Joseph H' Vickery m Lucy Cawthon 1847 David Vickery m Rebecca Craft 1853 James Harrison Vickery m Mary Cornelia Powell 1849

These and other Vickerys with unknown parents show up in the census as well. Elizabeth Vickery (b 1808) has been mentioned. There is also Moses Warren Vickery (b 1820-1825), and I have noticed a woman named Hester (b.c. 1810, wife of Lewis Carter) in the census living next to Joseph Vickery Jr., who could be the Esther who received the property from Joseph SR. (though again that is mere speculation).

Puting them all in order according to birth, they seem to fit Joseph's possible children remarkably well:

daughter born 1804-1810 = Elizabeth Vickery bc 1808 son born b. 1804-1810 = William Vickery b bef 1820 daughter b. 1810-1815 = Esther (poss Hester) Vickery bc 1810 son b. 1815-1820 = Moses Warren Vickery b 1820-1825 daughter b 1815-1820 = Mary Vickery b 1820-1825 son b. 1820-1825 = Joseph H Vickery b 1824 son b. 1820-1825 = David Vickery b 1828 son b. 1825-1830 = James Harrison Vickery b 1829

The last person on the list above, James Harrison Vickery, is someone I've seen written about as the subject of some confusion. Noone could place him in any family with confidence. Many placed him in Aaron Sr's family, though I tend to think that given his birth date of 1829, he was a full 9 years younger than his closest possible sibling and at least 35 years younger than Aaron's oldest children. Seems unlikely; so I think he fits well as a child of Joseph Jr, since Joseph & his wife were definitely having children at that time.

Another very very important note is that I have no evidence of any kind linking Hester, Mrs Lewis Carter, to Ester Vickery, the girl who recieved property from Joseph Sr.. It is a wild guess based on the fact that there is a similarity of names, Hester Carter was the right age to be a daughter of Joseph Jr, and Joseph Jr lived, essentially, right next to Lewis & Hester Carter in 1860, the year he was living alone (in his 70s) in the census.

That said, what's nice about the above list is that it clears up most, if not all, of the loose ends for the early Elbert Vickerys.

Other than census listings, I have found no documents for Joseph Jr.. His place of residence seems to have been Elbert County as long as he was head of a household with children and his wife was still living. By 1860, he was in his 70's and living alone in Franklin County, which suggests to me that he had family very close by who took care of him. Next door to him were Lewis & Hester Carter. In 1870, he had moved to Moses Warren Vickery's home in Hart County (which sits in a wedge between Elbert & Franklin Counties), where he was described as a retired farmer, and as 98 years old, which was obviously incorrect (by at least 10 years).

I know of no other census listings for Joseph Jr, nor any other documents that would help shed light on the details of his life, however, it seems as though there must be more information out there somewhere. I am especially interested in locating his 1850 census information, as well as any tax digest or deed listings (though none of those seem to exist).