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The "Magic" Deed
"This deed made this [?] 15th day of May 1880 by Elizabeth Hall formerly McCormack wife of Andrew J McCormack deed S H McCormack, Charles B McCormack, & Ballard P McCormack the last three infant sons of Andrew J McCormack deed & Elizabeth his wife witnesseth that whereas Andrew McCormack departed this life without first having set apart to himself & family a Homestead as provided by law, now the above named Elizabeth Hall & her said infant children doth by these presents claim and set apart as Homestead Exemption in the property of said Anderson J McCormack the entire estate both real and personal of which the said Andrew McCormack deed seized and possessed consisting of a tract of land lying in Franklin County on what is known as the Middle Ridge......containing 50 acres more or less and personal property consisting of household and kitchen furniture the value of all of which is about $200.00 and the said Elizabeth Hall claims said property as exempt from [?] seizure garnishee or sale unto herself and the said infants in pursuance of the Statute in such cases made and provided."
-- Homestead Deed, Franklin County Deed Book 33, page 594
The Deed's Importance.....
The vital records from West Virginia on the three brothers (Samuel, Charles, and Ballard) had many wrong dates, including incorrect tombstone engravings. Ballard's death record gave his parents' names as William J. and Elizabeth McCormick. Further add to the mix the many related McCormack families of Franklin County, Virginia, with their many shared given names. And for a bit more fun, the three brothers very often used their middle names (Henry, Berry, and Preston). In short, I had many Franklin County records which appeared to be kin, but very few dates matched up. To be certain, we needed that one "magic record" to tie it all together.
Tracking the Andrew McCormack/Elizabeth Beckner Family
Abt. 1819 Andrew Jackson McCormack born to Anderson & Betsey McCormack
in Franklin County, VA (Marriage Record of Andrew and Elizabeth)
Abt. 1831 Elizabeth Beckner born to Samuel Beckner & Margaret Rupe (Marriage Record)
1846 Andrew marries Mary Marcey in Franklin County, VA (Marriage Record)
1848-1863 Andrew and Mary have...Ruth, Mary, Sallie, Minerva, John, Joel, Peter
1864 Andrew marries Elizabeth Beckner in Franklin County, VA (Marriage Record)
1865 Samuel Henry born in Franklin County, VA (tombstone, census)
1868 Charles Berry born in Franklin County, VA (Birth Register)
1870 Ballard Preston born in Franklin County, VA (Birth Register)
1874 Andrew passes away from rheumatism in Franklin County, VA (Death Register)
1876 Elizabeth re-marries John Hall in Franklin County, VA (Marriage Record)
1880 Census shows John, Elizabeth, Preston, & Berry Hall + The "Magic Deed"
both records from Franklin County, VA
As the three brothers (Samuel, Charles, & Ballard) grew older and move to West Virginia, their surname switches in spelling to consistently "McCormick". To date, the time of the move to West Virginia is unknown. Nor has a date of death been identified for mother Elizabeth; I have yet to find a record for her after the 1880 Census. Family oral history has her coming west with her sons, possibly after a disease strikes the household.
abt. 1892 Ballard Preston marries Martha ???. Location unknown (census records)
1898 Samuel Henry marries Alice Paul in Putnam County, WV (Marriages, Book 5, p290)
1899 Charles Berry marries Mary Meddings in Putnam County, WV (Marriages, Book 5, p476)
1910 Ballard Preston re-marries Lucy Lunsford in Putnam County, WV (Marriages, Book 9, p379)
1932 Samuel Henry passes away. (tombstone)
1938 Charles Berry passes away. (tombstone)
1949 Ballard Preston passes away in Winfield, Putnam County, WV (Death Register Vol.6, p225)
Some of Andrew's Descendants
Andrew Jackson McCormack 1819 - 1874 (son of Anderson and Elizabeth)
+Mariam Marcey 1825 - 1864
.....Ruth McCormack 1848 -
.....Mary McCormack 1850 -
.....Sallie McCormack 1852 - 1864
.....Minerva McCormack 1854 -
.....John William McCormack 1857 -
.....Joel McCormack 1861 -
.....Peter McCormack 1863 -
*2nd Wife of Andrew Jackson McCormack:
+Elizabeth Beckner 1831 - (daughter of Samuel and Margaret Beckner)
.....Charles Berry McCormick 1868 - 1938
+Mary Telitha Meddings 1882 - 1970
Children: Lyle, William, Willie, Ruth, James, Helen, Charles, Mary
.....Ballard Preston McCormick 1870 - 1949
+Martha M. ??? 1872 -
Children: George, Annie, Virginia, William, Alma, Verdie, Nelson, Inez
*2nd Wife of Ballard Preston McCormick:
+Lucy Lunsford 1886 -
.....Samuel Henry McCormick 1865 - 1932
+Alice Belle Paul 1880 - 1934
Children: Charles, Ollie, Lena, Gladys, Everett, Velva
The Next Steps
It appears that Andrew J. was possibly the son of Anderson McCormack and Elizabeth Armstrong. If this is true, a great amount of research has already been done on these lines. In fact, information found on-line places takes this Anderson McCormack line back two more generations to a William McCormick born in Londonderry, Ulster, Ireland. But the first step is finding more on the parents of Andrew J. McCormack and Elizabeth Beckner, along with the eventual whereabouts of Elizabeth.
Some Leads
Per the Franklin County Death Register, an Anderson McCormack appears to have died of "flux" on August 1st, 1880 at age 85. However, two things are troubling....
#1 The name given for his parents is "Elizabeth McCormick", which is inconsistent with
other information found on-line. Could this be a mistake and his wife's name given
instead?
#2 An A.J. McCormick reported the death. Who is this A.J., given that Andrew had
already passed away?
Per the Franklin County Death Register, Betsy McCormack, daughter of Thomas Armstrong, dies of "old age" on March 27, 1866 at age 74. Her death is reported by husband Anderson McCormack.
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