Looking for information and documentation regarding the family of Edward Gabbard, born about 1798, probably in Carter County, TN. He was the son of Jacob Gabbard and Margaret "Peggy" Smith - this relationship proved when his father gave permission for his son Edward to marry Sarah "Sally" Bowman, daughter of Elijah Bowman. Edward and Sarah married 8 Mar 1818, Clay County, KY. Sarah's father also gave his permission, so apparently both were underage.
Edward and Sallie Gabbard were living in Jackson County, KY in 1880 with their daughter Susan and her husband Thomas Lakes. They are not found after that date and I do not have a date for when either of them died - I do not believe graves ever actually been found, although new markers have been placed by descendants in the Roberts Cemetery, Jackson County, KY and a death date of circa 1885 has been added. Edward Gabbard's marker has the nickname "Ned" but I've not found his name that way in any actual record.
Both Edward Gabbard's father Jacob Gabbard, and his maternal grandfather, Edward Smith, are approved DAR patriots and I would like very much to add them to my own supplemental patriots. I have all the documentation necessary for both EXCEPT for adequate proof that Edward Gabbard was the father of a daughter Sarah Ann "Sally" Gabbard, born about 1825 - Sally married Nathaniel M. "Nathan" Harrison, 20 Feb 1845, in Madison County, KY and Nathaniel's father, Elisha Harrison, gave permission indicating Nathaniel was not yet 21, but Sally must have already been 18 and no permission was necessary as none exists in the Madison County records - or the permsission has been lost. If I cannot find direct evidence of the relationship between Edward Gabbard and his daughter Sally, perhaps I will eventually be able to build enough circumstantial evidence.
Since Sally married prior to 1850, she does not appear as a named person in any census in the household of Edward and Sarah Bowman Gabbard. Nathaniel & Sally Harrison were living next door to Edward Gabbard in 1850 in Madison County. I also have the Kentucky Land Grant records showing their surveys were adjoining and that Edward Gabbard, his son John Wesley Gabbard, and Nathan M. Harrison, shared in the chain carrier & marker duties at the time of the surveys. The 1840 census reveals an uncertainty because there were two Gabbards living in Madison County and both have daughters of the right age to be Sally [between the ages of 10 and 16]. Edward did have a daughter of that age in 1840. John Gabbard, an older brother of Edward, had three females in his household of that age - if I could find out enough about them to eliminate any of them as being Sally, that would also be helpful. Lists of his family online do not indicate any daughter for John that was named Sally, but neither do they offer proof documents.
John Gabbard's household in 1850 seems to indicate that his daughter under 5, and three daughters ages 10-15 back in 1840, were all still at home. In 1850 there is a possible extra fifth daughter, born between 1830-1836, plus a 13-year-old who would have under 5 ten years earlier. These daughters were Margaret, Eliza, Mary, Susan, and Elizabeth. The four older girls are all so close together, it would not seem there could have been a daughter Sally in there anywhere. The Madison Co marriage records show no marriages for any daughter of John prior to 1850.
I can find no deeds of gift from Edward Gabbard to his children, nor does he seem to have left any sort of property that was divided among his heirs. The genealogies online have less information that I have on this family, although the children are seen as I have them. I was given much of the Gabbard data by an Ira Gabbert some years ago, but documentary proof was not provided, nor have I found anything since.
Here are the children as I believe them to be, but I would welcome additional documentary proof for any of them. Birth years, are primarily from census records or correspondence with descendants of a particular line. Those for which I have some sort of proof document [mostly marriage permissions] are starred. The only child listed for which I find nothing to indicate a relationship is a suggested daughter, Mary.
1. Elijah G. Gabbard, b. 14 Mar 1818, married Sarah Stevens, 1836, Madison Co and died 1901 in Johnson Co, AR. Edward Gabbard was bondsman for the marriage and signed consent but did not specifically state he was the father. Most state laws even today specify consent by a parent or guardian. Elijah named a son Edward, a daughter Sarah, and the information was shared with me by a descendant. He seems to have been born a bit early but dates are often "off" a year, plus there is a difflugity in the marriage documents of Edward & Sarah Bowman Gabbard - one is dated 1818, another 1817.
** 2. John Wesley Gabbard, b. Sep 1822, married Alitha Harrison, Madison Co. His father Edward Gabbard gave consent for his son to marry. Alitha was a sister to "my" Nathaniel Harrison. He married a 2nd time, had a total of at least 20 children. John W. died 1909, Jackson Co KY. The grandfather, Jacob Gabbard, age 80 was living with John W. & "Alithy" in 1850 - although it of course doesn't state the relationship, the implication is there. John Wesley Habbard's obit did not name his parents. His grave marker apparently has his birth as 1812, but I believe that to be an error, as it is not consistent with the census data.
** 3. Nancy Gabbard, born 1823, married John Lakes, 1848, Owsley Co. Her sister married Thomas Lakes on the the same day, Edward Gabbard, father of the brides, gave permission for both to marry.
4. Jacob B. Gabbard, b. Aug 1824, married Mahala Marcum, 1845, Owsley Co KY. In 1850 they were living in Madison Co KY; Jackson Co KY in 1860 and 1870. Jacob named his first two sons John Wesley and Edward. This family moved to Crawford Co AR where Jacob received a land patent in 1890. He applied for his Civil War pension and is buried Crawford Co; he died in 1907. Mahala received her widow's pension after his death. His service was Company A, 47th Kentucky Infantry, Union.
5. My lady - Sarah Ann "Sally", born circa 1825, married Nathaniel Harrison, 20 Feb 1845. they were next door to Edward Gabbard in 1850, but by 1860 had moved to Schuyler Co IL. Nathan Harrison's death was noted in the "Rushvile Times" newspaper in 1880, but no family was named - her death is unknown. One of their sons, my gg grandfather, moved to Crawford Co AR.
** 6. Susan Jane Gabbard, b. 26 Dec 1829, married Thomas Lakes, 1848, the same day as her sister Nancy married John Lakes. Edward Gabbard gave permission for both daughters. Edward & his wife were living with Susan in 1880, Jackson Co - Susan and Thomas Lakes both died in Jackson Co KY.
7. Siretha Gabbard, b. 3 Feb 1830, married Jacob Sebourn, 1849, Laurel Co KY, as Cyntha Gabbard. They are found living next door to Nathan & Sally Harrison in Schuyler Co IL in 1860 - Iowa in 1870 - but Crawford Co AR in 1880, where both are buried. It is true that John Wesley Gabbard later named a daughter Cynthia. Siretha/Cyntha did not use Gabbard given names for her children except for daughters named Sarah and Nancy were are so very common anyway. There was a son named Jacob, but of course that was her husband's given name as well.
** 8. Elizabeth Gentry Gabbard, b. 23 Apr 1833, married William C. Harrison, younger brother of "my" Nathaniel Harrison, 1849, Madison Co. Edward Gabbard, father of the bride gave consent for the marriage. This family also moved to Crawford Co AR. Three Harrison siblings married three Gabbard siblings.
9. Mary Gabbard, born maybe 1834, said to have married James Brandenburg. There is no James Brandenburg of proper age in Kentucky in 1850, nor was there a daughter Mary still at home with Edward in 1850. I have not found additional proof that this daughter actually belongs here - the age given is the same as Margaret and I doubt there were twins. There really doesn't seem to be a place for a daughter this age based on the known ages of the others. Another version of the daughter Mary, places her born in 1831 which would fit better in the family - but then this database gives her 1st husband as James Brandenburg, a second husband as John M. Peters. Unreliability is high as this database found on Ancestry has Mary and both husbands attached to widely random and impossible census records - none of which seem to apply as most relate to Marys of varying ages who are married to Gabbards, not Brandenburg or Peters.... There is one census, 1870, Owsley Co KY when a John J. Peters, age 24 [born 1846] has a wife Mary J., 22, born (1848) which cannot possibly be this Mary since her mother would have been past childbearing years.
** 10. Margaret E. Gabbard was age 16 in 1850 and still living at home with her parents - and she was still there as Margaret Gabbard, age 23 in 1860, with a possible son Elijah, age 1. She is thought to have married a Sebourn. There were Sebourns in the area in Kentucky and later in Crawford Co, AR. I have no further information, after 1860. [I have wondered if she and Mary were confused and they are the same daughter]
** 11. Eliza Jane, b. 9 May 1839, age 14 in 1850, which indicates she was older than born 1839, and at home with her parents. Married George M. Baker, 1860, Jackson Co KY. Only the two youngest daughters were still at home with Edward Gabbard for the 1850 census.
I would welcome correspondence with anyone about any members of either the family of Edward Gabbard or his older brother John who married Elizabeth Loar. I do have more information, children for the couples above, some exact dates, etc. that I would be happy to share.
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