The Relief of Polly McNeff

Tensions in 1802

2012-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

EarlyAmerica.com

You may recall that David T. McNeff's bio says John T. disappeared in 1802. I recently had the chance to travel briefly to New Orleans, and though I wasn't able to find newspaper's from the period - a trip to a State museum did set me thinking about the Louisiana Purchase.

Tensions seemed to be running high over US access to the port in New Orleans. In April of 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the US ambassador to France:

Every eye in the U.S. is now fixed on this affair of Louisiana. Perhaps nothing since the revolutionary war has produced more uneasy sensations through the body of the nation.

In October, Spain had signed Louisiana over to France, and the port of deposit was closed to American trade.vThere's a nice summary on the Louisiana Purchase here.

Two lines of query present themselves:
1. What is the most likely time of year for John T. to have departed Kentucky by flatboat and when would he have arrived in New Orleans?
2. It's time to read an authoritative book on the Louisiana Purchase to better understand the political atmosphere of that summer.

The Concurrence of the Senate

2010-12-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

Felix Grundy was US Attorney General from 1838 to 1839. In 1804, he was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He also served on the committee which oversaw Polly's case, and delivered same to the Senate for their concurrence.

Day 2 in the musty journal of the Kentucky Legislature. Well, it would be musty if it hadn't been on microprint. I didn't learn anything new, but in the interest of a complete accounting, I submit for your concurrence the following records from the Kentucky Senate, 1804.

Journal of the Senate
of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
At A General Assembly
Begun and held at the capitol in the town of Frankfort,
On Monday the Fifth Day of November, in the year
of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and four,
and of the Commonwealth the thirteenth.
Being the fifth session of the General Assembly under the
present constitution of government.

Frankfort
from the press of William Hunter
Printer to the Commonwealth
1804

Wednesday, November 21, 1804, p30f
A message from the house of representatives by mr. Grundy;
Mr. Speaker,
The house of representatives have passed a bill entitled "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff," so which they desire the concurrence of the senate. And then he withdrew.
... and the said bills, being severally read the first time, were ordered to be read a second.

Thursday, November 22, 1804, p32
A bill from the house of representatives entitled "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff;" and a bill entitled "an act for the conditional divorce of Rachel Branham;" were severally read and referred to a select committee of mr. Lancaster, mr. Henderson, mr. Hughes, mr. Ewing, mr. Pemberton, and mr. Thompson.

Tuesday, November 27, 1804, p44
Mr. Lancaster from the select committee to whom was referred the following bills, viz. A bill from the house of representatives entitled "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff;" and a bill entitled "an act for the conditional divorce of Rachel Branham," now reported on the same without amendments.
Ordered, That the first bill be recommitted to the further consideration of the same committee; and the second bill be laid on the table.

Wednesday, November 28, 1804, p46
Mr. Lancaster from the committee to whom the bill from the house of representatives was recommitted, entitled "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff;" reported the same with some amendments, which being severally twice read were agreed to. The said bill with the amendments was read the third time.
Resolved, That the same do pass with the amendments and that the title be "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff."
Ordered, That the clerk do acquaint the house of representatives and request their concurrence to the said amendments.

Ordered, that Miss Clark read the Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1804

2010-12-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

Christopher Greenup was Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from September of 1804 to September of 1808. On December 6, 1804, he signed "An act for the relief of Polly McNeff"

Over Thanksgiving vacation, I found a journal article called "The Myth of the Abandoned Wife: Married Women's Agency and the Legal Narrative of Gender in Eighteenth-Century Kentucky" by Honor R. Sachs. It's an interesting piece, and essentially argues that regardless of the circumstances under which a marriage disintegrated in late 18th and early 19th centuries in Kentucky, the lawmakers that approved legislative divorces had a certain set of expectations. Marriages didn't fail because a woman wanted to leave her husband or make her own way in the world. They failed because these poor women were abandoned by their way-ward husbands. So, that's the grounds on which most divorces were based.

It was interesting - but I was looking for instructions. I got them. The article included an explanation of the legislative process that divorces underwent. I learned that each of these were debated in the legislative bodies, and that there are references to them in the Journals of the legislature.

Can they be entirely believed? Maybe not, but finding references to Polly's suit would certainly shed light on the situation. Much to my surprise, the University of Utah library has the records. They're found on an archaic medium - and it took me three library trips to finally access the information. But I did it. I now submit for your approval, dear reader, the results of my evening's perusal.

***********

Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Begun and held at the capitol in the town of Frankfort, on Monday the Fifth of November, in the year of our Lord One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Four and of the Commonwealth the Thirteenth.
Frankfort, From the Press of William Hunter, Printer to the Commonwealth, 1804.

Friday, November 9, 1804, p. 18
Also a petition from Polly McNeff, praying that a law may pass, granting her a divorce from her husband, John T. McNeff; were presented and read, and ordered to be referred to the committee of religion.

Wednesday, November 14, 1804, p26
Mr. Russell from the committee of religion, made the following report viz.
The committee of religion have according to order had under consideration the petition of Polly McNeff, to them referred, and come to the following resolution thereupon to wit:
Resolved, as the opinion of this committee, that the said petition, setting forth that the said Polly did some years past, intermarry with John T. McNeff, who about two years past left the said Polly with three small children, without the smallest means of support; that the said Polly by industry, has procured a bare and scanty maintenance for herself and children, and is apprehensive that the said John will return and take that little earning from her, and praying that she may be divorced from the said John T. McNeff - is reasonable.
Which, being twice read, was concurred in.

Monday, November 19, 1804, p40
"A bill for the relief of Polly McNeff;" was read a second time, and committed to a select committee of messrs. F Grundy, Watkins, Spaulding, and J Grundy.

Tuesday, November 20, 1804, p42f
Mr. F. Grundy from the select committee to whom was referred "a bill for the relief of Polly McNeff, reported the same with an amendment, which being read, was agreed to by the house. The said bill with the amendment was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 21, 1804, p47
The engrossed bills with the following titles, were severally read the third time viz "An act for the relief of Polly McNeff" ...
Resolved, That the said bills do pass, and the titles be as aforesaid.
Ordered, that mr. F. Grundy carry the first bill to the senate and desire their concurrence.

Wednesday, November 28, 1804, p67
A message from the Senate by mr. Lee their secretary;
Mr. Speaker,
The senate have passed a bill entitled "an act concerning attornies at law;" in which they desire the concurrence of this house. They have also passed the bills from the house with the following titles, to wit; "An act for the relief of Polly McNeff." And "an act for the relief of Rachel Branham;" with amendments, in which amendments they desire your concurrence. And then he withdrew.

Thursday, November 29, 1804, p69
The house then proceeded to consider the amendments proposed by the senate to the bills with the following titles, viz. An act for the relief of Polly McNeff. An act for the conditional divorce of Rachel Branham. And an act erecting sundry counties into election precincts; and the said amendments being severally read were concurred in.

Monday, December 3, 1804, p76
Mr. Kercheval from the joint committee of enrollments, reported that the committee had examined the enrolled bills with the following titles, viz. "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff;" and "an act giving Alvin Montjoy the further time of one year to erect a slope upon South Licking;" and that the same were truly enrolled. Whereupon the speaker affixed his signature thereto.

Friday, December 7, 1804, p84
A message from the Governor by mr. Gano:
Mr. Speaker,
The Governor has directed me to inform this house that he did on the 6th inst. approve & sign the enrolled bills with the following titles, viz. "an act for the relief of Polly McNeff;" "giving Alvin Montjoy the further time of one year to erect a slope upon South Licking;" "for the conditional divorce of Rachel Branham;" "erecting sundry counties into election precincts;" "for the relief of John Lewis;" "adding a small portion of Cumberland to Adair county." And he withdrew.

**********

And he withdrew. Did it solve anything for Polly? Make her sleep better at night? May I point out to those of you keeping count that it says she had *THREE* small children. (Let's hear it for Nancy McNiff Chamberlain! Daughter?)

With most discoveries, this increases my "to-do" list. Next up, the journal of the Senate ...

Polly's Brothers and Sisters

2010-10-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

This all seems so hypothetical I haven't posted it anywhere - until today. I know Thomas Wright of Washington County, Kentucky signed Polly and John T's marriage bond. So, If I start with the assumption that Thomas was her father - this gives me a list of possible siblings:

Thomas Wright, Jr. m Mary Graham in Washington Co, KY, Aug 8, 1810
Harriet Wright m William Ramsey in Washington Co, KY, Jan 20, 1819
William Wright - who moved to Indiana ~1807 and who I assume brought bros. Thomas Wright McNeff and William McNeff to Indiana. William Wright m first around 1800 to unk and again ~1807 to Mary Inyard.
Andrew J. Wright, born around 1874 and married March 10, 1817 in Washington Co, KY to Mildred Ramsey.
Ann Wright m in Washington Co, KY on Aug 26, 1801 to Samuel Robertson

This information comes from Washington Co, Kentucky Bicentennial History, 1792-1992. Turner Publishing Co, Paducah KY p442.

Mainly, I'm typing this up so that if a researcher is googling last names, they may arrive here.

Always looking for answers ...

Along the Boatman's Trail

2010-03-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

"Old Natchez Trace" Photo by jimmywayne on flickr.com

I've got a new dream vacation. I want to hike the Natchez Trace. If by chance John T McNeff wasn't a rogue and a cad, he was an unlucky traveler on the Boatman's Trail from New Orleans.

In the early 19th century, it was common for farmers to build flatboats to take their crops to market in New Orleans. Abraham Lincoln, for example, made trips down the river in 1828 and 1831.

So if John T's trip had gone as Polly expected he would have floated the cattle (or horses, depending on the account you follow) down to New Orleans. It would have at least been himself and we'll say his slave - John T could have also sold him while there. Would someone else have come along? Maybe a Thompson cousin? (There was a Thompson family living in Springfield after all.) John T would have sold his goods, his flatboat - and if he was a bit of the faux dandy I imagine him to be, he would have bought himself a horse for the return trip. (Though it was frequently made on foot.) To head North, he would have have got on the Nashville Road - the Natchez Trace. From Nashville, The Wilderness Road would have taken him the rest of the way to Kentucky. Except we know he never made it.

Marauding gangs are common in these tales ... indeed they are the stuff of legend. The Harpes, Joseph Hare, Samuel Mason and John Murrell were among the famous. And it wasn't just robbery, there was sadistic cruelty. There are stories of disemboweling the bodies to fill them with weight and send them to the bottom of the river ... of signatures in the blood of their victims to make sure they got proper credit.

John T's bones could be resting in a watery grave - or forgotten deep along a shaded, well-worn path.

I'm sure it's the story that the family told itself to make sense of his never returning. Remember, David T McNeff's bio said that John T was "presumed dead." But Polly's divorce request still nags me. I think she knew more about the man than we'd like to remember.

Learn more about The Natchez Trace Parkway

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Who the Hey is Nancy??

2010-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

I spend a lot of time googling. More times than not - I end up right where I've been before. I guess you'd would call it "spinning my wheels." That is, until something like this happens.

Thomas Wright McNeff and William McNeff were Polly's sons. They were both born in Kentucky - and moved to Indiana sometime before their marriages - both in 1824. William married Mary Chamberlain. Now usually, I'd stare at them on the "M" page of the index, but last week, I ended up on the "C" page. And there, just two entries under William and Mary was Samuel Chamberlain, who married Nancy McMiff.

McMiff?

Now I've seen records of my McNeffs spelled McNiff, McNaff, M'Neff ... and I know there are other variants out there. But apparently, McMiff is actually a name. But that close to my McNeff?

I corresponded with the webmaster Barbara Ziegenmeyer, who researches McNeffs too. She found it as odd as I did. So, I headed down to the LDS Genealogy Library armed with a call number Barbara gave me.

And there it said Nancy ... McNipp!?

Frustrated, I pulled every film relevant to Harrison County, Indiana marriages. I stuck the first one of the 5 on the reader, and it was the original hand-written ledger.

Yes my friends, it said Nancy McNiff. She married Samuel Chamberlain on Feb 1, 1821, 3 years before William married a Chamberlain.

So who is she? I have no idea. Could she be a sister? John T and Polly married in 1798 and Thomas wasn't born until 1800 ... William 1805.

Polly's usually a nickname ... could I finally have found a trace of her after the divorce?

More questions than answers. More questions than answers.

Living Memory

2009-12-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to drive from Indiana to Utah with my father. Luckily, he and I share some common interests: Shakespeare and history. Since we were operating a motor vehicle and weren't interested in staging a tragedy, we talked the latter.

I told dad about my project, and told him what I know about John T. McNeff. Spoilers by damned. If I don't tell you the whole story, I may never learn the whole story.

John T. McNeff went missing in 1802 and no one in the family knows what happened to him. I found the story originally in a high school essay my Great Aunt Dorothy wrote, but she hadn't written what ancestor it was. I suspected it was John T., but confirmed it finally when I found this in a brief biography of his grandson in Iowa:

John T. McN., a dealer in fine horses, mysteriously
disappeared in 1802, while away with a drove of horses; supposed to have been murdered;

So, that's what I told my dad, who replied, "Oh, I know that story."

What?

As a kid, Dad loved to hear these tales as much as I do. He said his grandmother's sisters told him this story. He didn't know the names, but they told him about his ancestor who took horses down the river to New Orleans and never returned. He also told me that a party of men had gone to look for him - to find any trace he may have left behind. He was never heard from again.

A new plot twist! A new piece of the puzzle! They went to look for him. I immediately started theorizing about the search party ... what made them set out in the wilderness to find him. My imagination was going wild when suddenly it struck me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

All this time I thought I was mining a story no one knew for a good narrative. But this story is alive. This story comes to me in an unbroken oral tradition. Over 200 years ago, it has cut so deep into the life of this family, that its children are still telling it ... writing it ... blogging it.

I'm picking at a very deep wound. But sometimes the itch is so great you just can't help it.

***********************************

If you'd like to read David Thompson McNeff's biography, click here and scroll down to the M's.

Of Stories We Want to Know ...

2009-07-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

In June, I produced a RadioWest on Poetry and Politics. Not relevant to Polly's story, but it gave me the opportunity to spend some time talking to the poet Tom Sleigh. I kidnapped him from Park City to bring him to the studio - so we had about an hour of driving.

Now, I try not to bore too many people with my "project," but it came up organically. Of course, you know I'm not actually writing anything - just reading a bunch of books and daydreaming a lot. But as I was talking - this sentence came out with no warning:

"I don't really care if I write the book, I just want to know the story."

"Then you'll write it," said Tom, "because you're the only one who can."

I hope he's right.

Hail, Columbia

2009-05-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

It has indeed been a month since I posted anything, but don't believe that I wasn't thinking about Polly during that time. That's what showering and commuting are for, and as many of you know, I do some commuting.

A few weeks ago while singing in the shower, I began to wonder what John T and Polly's soundtrack might sound like. I don't mean what music would be played when my book gets made into a movie. I mean, when John T was walking a frontier path what tune did he like to sing to himself? What music was in Polly's head on laundry day? In short - what was the Top 40 of 1800?

Well, I'm no where near 40 tunes, but I did add two to my mp3 player as a result of this musing.

The first is "Hail, Columbia." Now really - did you know The Star Spangled Banner wasn't our national anthem until 1931? There was no official anthem until then. But, "Hail, Columbia" was a lead contender before that. It was written for George Washington's inauguration, and I'll be honest, it's no better than the one we have now.

Maybe I've just got an emotional connection to the SSB. I remember watching the 1996 Summer Olympics from my neighbor's house in the West Bank - and crying when our anthem was played. But I digress.

There is one verse of "Hail, Columbia" that I really like:

"Immortal patriots, rise once more,
Defend your rights, defend your shore!
Let no rude foe, with impious hand,
Let no rude foe, with impious hand,
Invade the shrine where sacred lies
Of toil and blood, the well-earned prize,
While off'ring peace, sincere and just,
In Heaven's we place a manly trust,
That truth and justice will prevail,
And every scheme of bondage fail."

And to think of some of the schemes of bondage we've let fly. And Polly? She faced her own sort of bondage. I don't think it was imposed on her. Like most of us - she forged it herself. She also found her own way out of it - like most of us have to do.

"Firm, united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find."

"Hail, Columbia" is Polly's song. She didn't have full membership - she couldn't join the band of brothers. But she knew what they were talking about, and she knew that freedom exacts a price. She just didn't know what it would cost until it came due.

Hail, Columbia on Wikipedia

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Making Choices

2009-04-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest advantages I see to blogging the research for my novel is this: questions. I'm hoping to be challenged by my friends, my family and by the casual reader. It's already happened. Following my post about the number of divorces in 18th and 19th century Kentucky, my friend Larry wanted to know how those compared to the number of marriages in the state. That's going to take some quality time at the genealogy library to answer.

My sister-in-law Canticle also asked me a question: Why Polly? The simplest answer is drama. Her life came ready-made with conflict - and I'm living proof she overcame it. But you can be sure of this. Polly McNeff was not the only woman in history to be faced with difficult decisions.

I could fictionalize the life of Jane Craig, my 8th Great Grandmother. It's reasonably certain that her son Toliver was illegitimate - and suspicion lies with a certain Italian sea captain named Taliaferro. He sailed between Scotland and Virginia, and on one such journey around 1703 or 1704, he seduced Ms. Craig. [Craig Genealogy]

I could write about Sarah Cassandra Boone - my 6th Great Grandmother and the older sister of Daniel Boone. She was Squire and Sarah Boone's first child - and she married a non-Quaker name John Wilcockson. This may sound harmless enough, but on June 26, 1742, her father responded to an inquiry from his church. Squire Boone declareth he did not contenance or consent to the marriage but confesseth himself in fault in keeping them in his house after their keeping company but that he was in a great streight in not knowing what to do, and hopeth to be more careful for the future. He wasn't. Turns out Squire's next child and oldest son Israel did the same thing. [From Wilcockson and Allied Familes]

And yet, I dream of Polly. It's a fair question Canticle. All I can really say is that I'm drawn to her. I've always been drawn to her. Maybe if this venture works out, Jane Craig and Sarah Cassandra Boone will be next.

Kentucky Divorces

2009-04-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

An ACT for the relief of Polly M'Neff
Approved December 6, 1804

This act authorised her to sue in Washington County, for a divorce from her husband, John. T. M'Neff, and to obtain it on a jury's finding that he had a wife at the time he married her, and that he had deserted her for the space of two years, or failed to contribute anything to the support of herself and her children, or that he had since married to, or was living in adultery with another woman.

There's an index of Kentucky divorces from 1795 - 1850 online here. It's where I first discovered that all may not have been rosy in the McNeff household. I have quite a bit to say about 17th and 18th century divorce, but I just spent the last two hours pretending to know *something* about statistics. It's not my strong suit. Still, I hear so many people say, "but divorce was so uncommon back then."

Consider this:
In 1804, there were 7 divorces in Kentucky - the same number there had been in 1798. Granted, there were some years you couldn't find a divorce in the state - and you'd be hard pressed to say the same today. In 1843 the number was 104, and in 1849 it was a whopping 156. Divorce certainly existed. The reasons were many - and varied. My "favorites" are the two poor women whose husbands up and joined the Shakers. It was a sect that required celibacy of its members - and the Shakers actually created rules to prevent a person from joining their church to escape the "duties" to his or her spouse.

Glenda Riley wrote an excellent book called Divorce: An American Tradition. I've just finished reading it. I'm excited about some of the things I've learned. Stay tuned ...

Want to read more divorce acts? It might make you think differently about your own life ... click here

Obsessing on Polly

2009-04-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to the coke machine this afternoon at work, and I was thinking about Polly. I think a lot about her these days. I wonder if her chestnut hair was unruly. I think about her pale, hazel eyes. I imagine how her clothes would fit me - if her shoes would be uncomfortable - walking in the woods on a humid, Kentucky day.

Polly Wright is my 4th great grandmother, and here's what I do know about her. In Springfield, Kentucky, 1798, she married John Thompson McNeff. In 1804, she was awarded a legislative divorce from him. It's not much to go on.

I've always wanted to know her. So, a few months ago, I decided I'd write an historic novel about John T and Polly. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say I decided I'd research an historic novel about John T and Polly. I've been reading books, taking furious notes and doing a lot of day-dreaming.

But it was on the trip to the coke machine that it struck me. I have to start writing about the McNeffs regularly. And so, another blog is born.