James Edwards, the Brick Wall I Built All By Myself

I had the disdainful task of pruning off a large branch of my family tree last month. This article explains why I believe that my ancestor James Edwards is NOT James McClanahan Edwards, son of Thomas and Mary Ann (McClanahan) Edwards, as has been perpetuated throughout countless family trees. Settle in.

I was given a great deal of information on the Edwards branch of my family tree in some papers belonging to my great-grandfather Christopher "Carson" Wilson. Carson Wilson was one of many victims of an elaborate scam promising descendants of a certain Robert Edwards a share of money they were entitled to relating to land Edwards purchased on Manhattan in the 1700s. Family trees were fabricated with no documentation, linking potential "heirs" to this estate. All the heirs had to do was pay a fee to get their piece of the pie. Trust me, Carson Wilson never got his share of the Manhattan fortune. Perpetrators of the fraud did serve time.

Poor photocopy of Carson Wilson's claim to the Edwards fortune

So, back to these fake family trees. They seem to be taken as gospel these days, with hundreds of online trees containing the links back to the Manhattan Edwards clan. Let me place my family in this web. The above Carson Wilson was the grandson of Susan T. Edwards and Andrew McIntyre. Much of this family's business took place in Grayson County, Kentucky where most old courthouse records have been lost to fire. However, it is known that Susan T. Edwards was indeed the daughter of James Edwards and Nancy England. The Edwards Heirs fraud claims that this James Edwards was the same person as James McClanahan Edwards who was the son of Thomas Edwards and Mary Ann McClanahan of Greenville County, South Carolina. I claim they are not the same man. Let me start with what I know about my ancestor, James Edwards

James Edwards and Nancy England were granted a license to marry in Garrard County, Kentucky on 1 Jun 1805. I have not yet been able to find the original record, but a transcribed record book exists.  The couple later moved to Grayson County, Kentucky which has precious few records, so I decided to search Garrard County for any crumbs I could find on this couple. 

Fortunately, FamilySearch has Garrard County tax lists and deeds available online. I located a deed in which James Edwards and Nancy his wife sold 50 acres of land on Paintlick Creek to Samuel Reed on 25 Oct 1806. I then found the deed where James purchased the land on 11 Jan 1799 from David Rice. Using this information, I was able to track the "right" James Edwards on the Garrard County, Kentucky tax lists, which list his 50 acres on Paintlick Creek. He was taxed on the land from 1800 to 1806, at which time he stopped appearing on the Garrard County lists. There is a James Edwards on earlier lists, but without any land, so I cannot at this time confirm it is my James Edwards.

Now I have a slight gap in the tax records before picking up James in Grayson County, Kentucky tax lists. A James Edwards first shows up in Grayson County tax lists in 1815. He appears there many years, lastly in 1851. The first time he is taxed for land was 1842. I have census records for James in Grayson County for 1820, 1830, and 1840, with the right number and ages of children. I have NOT been able to locate James and Nancy Edwards in the 1850 census, nor found a true record of James' death. Nancy's gravestone still stands in what is now called Sandrock Hill Cemetery in Ohio County, Kentucky.

Gravestone of Nancy England Edwards taken by Vonda Heverly

James and Nancy England Edwards had nine children that I am aware of. Of the children that lived to be enumerated in the 1880 census, they listed the birthplaces of both parents as Virginia.

From all of these records, my ancestor James Edwards seems to have lived his entire adult life in the state of Kentucky. In NONE of these records does he use a middle initial or middle name.

Now, let me tell you what I know about James McClanahan Edwards. The Edwards Heirs group seems to have picked up this name from the will of Thomas Edwards, which was written 8 Jul 1825 and entered probate in 1832, in Greenville District, South Carolina. Thomas Edwards left a very detailed will, outlining what he had already given to each of his children. He wrote: "I have given to my son James McC Edwards at his marriage and afterwards" items including a tract of land valued at $400.

I located the deed for the land that Thomas Edwards mentioned in his will. It is for 400 acres in Greenville District, South Carolina and was deeded in 1821. It specifically says "my son" and calls him "James McClanahan Edwards"; it also describes the land as the parcel "where he [James] now lives". I have not yet located a deed where James McClanahan Edwards sold this land.

What I have outlined so far is enough proof to me that my ancestor James Edwards, who was living in Grayson County, Kentucky in 1820, is NOT James McClanahan Edwards (son of Thomas and Mary Ann McClanahan Edwards) who was deeded land that he currently lived on in 1821 in Greenville District, South Carolina.

I did find further records for a James McClanahan Edwards that I believe to be the son of Thomas and Mary Ann. I found a land grant in St. Clair County, Alabama to James McClanahan Edwards for 40 acres.

Land record for the REAL James McClanahan Edwards

From this point, this man was fairly easy to find more information on. He was the subject of a paper written up in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly on manumission. Because the middle name "McClanahan" is so unusual, I feel certain this is the son of Thomas and Mary Ann, cementing the fact that he is not my ancestor living in Kentucky.

I have not included extensive sources for this article at this time so I can get it published and online for others to read. I have all of the documents I mention on my computer and am happy to share them with others.