Jane Barnett Messer (Freeman) - Birthdate seems unlikely.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XXD3-J9G?i=177&amp...

This is not my direct line, but a quick google / ancestry search for primary source documentation reveals the marriage bond you speak of between Christian S. Messer and Jane Barnett Freeman recorded on 2 February 1835 in Haywood County, North Carolina (source: Haywood County Marriage Bond, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina)

Jane B. Freeman is clearly the wife of CSM Jr, and not CSM Sr. Jane must have been born about 1815 as she is listed as 35 years old in the 1850 Cocke County Tennessee census, 45 years old in the 1860 Cocke County Tennessee census, before dying of Dropsy at age 65 in July of 1879, once again in Cocke County. (source: U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules, Cocke County, Tennessee 1850-1885 .)_

Her husband is shown by the census and other records to be CSM Jr. (nicknamed Jackson / Jackie ?) He outlived her, and after a rather short grieving period, he remarried as his second wife Jane Gregory. This marriage is recorded on 21 December 1879 in Cocke (source: Cocke County Tennessee Marriages Book 1-2. p. 498)

From the 1880 census he was 72 years old, and his blushing new bride was 24. I'm sure the children were thrilled.

Also, I'm pretty sure Christian Sergeant Messer's wife is unknown at this time. As discussed above, Jane Barnett Freeman was not his wife, but was instead the wife of his namesake son Christian Sergeant Messer, Jr.

Sarah "Sally" was the wife of the other Christian Messer, of Surry/Stokes NC and later Hawkins County, Tennessee. She is mentioned in several Surry North Carolina records, and named as his wife in his 1831 Hawkins will (source: Hawkins Will Book 1-2, p. 353)

While CSM of Haywood could have also been married to a Sarah "Sally" this one surnamed Hunter, further doubt is cast since Frederick Messer, the eldest son of CSM and the source of much of the early family information, was married to Anna Hunter . This marriage occurred in Haywood on 17 October 1828 (source: Haywood Marriage Bonds - Abstracts 1812 - 1869, p. 64)

I think like so much else in this tangled knot, this is the result of a faulty conflation. The most probable explanation - someone grabbed Sarah from the "other" Christian Messer, and then poached the Hunter maiden name from CSM's daughter in law, and presto - a new ancestress!

BTW I believe the late family historian Brenda Messer could never find CSM Sr.'s wife.

Private User I'm finding about the same things, so we seem to be in agreement on all of the proven facts.

Christian S. (Sargent) Messer was "Jackson" in the 1850 census, but apparently he went by that nickname.

And yes I also found evidence of a completely different "Christian Messer" from Surrey Co., NC, who resettled in Hawkins Co., who was also quite a lot older than Christian S. Messer ("Jackson"), Jr. I too suspected that the two Christians were conflated somewhere along the line.

Christian, Sr. and Jr. of Haywood Co., should be well enough documented to prevent future confusion, at least here on Geni.

I was prepared to create profiles for all the known children of Christian (Jackson) Messer, Jr. and Jane Barnett Freeman; but couldn't proceed with that project due to the long-standing mixup which originated back in 2019.

And hopefully Wiki now that they are becoming so stringent on sourcing for older profiles, thank God. Maybe Geni will get there one day. Ancestry seems to be a lost cause.

There is a book about the Hawkins family. And that clan may be tied to the Mosers from Pennsylvania, an old Moravian family that helped found Winston Salem

Erica, I don't know when or how it was subsequently changed, but Christian S. “Jackson” Messer, Jr. was originally added to the tree on Jan 25, 2009 as >> christian s. "jackson" Messer <<

His wife who was added at the same time, Jane's surname "Gregory" has zero documentation, and the original creator of her profile is inactive and has been replaced by another manager. Jane Messer

I would merge these two with Christian S. “Jackson” Messer, Jr. and Jane Barnett Messer as a married couple, since we have their marriage certificate and censuses for proof.

I see that both are currently locked against any editing.

John Messer Jane's (not "Janet") current husband, is not her husband and has no documentation for proof.

So I would also merge that one with her true husband, Christian S. "Jackson" Messer, Jr.

Christian S. Messer, Jr. and "Jackson" Messer are one and the same person. Jackson was his nickname.

I found the second marriage certificate, referenced in one of my loquacious messages above.

(Jane Barnett Freeman ) died in July of 1879, in Cocke County., Tennessee (source: U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules, Cocke County, Tennessee 1850-1885 .)_

Christian Sergeant Messer, Jr. (a/k/a Jackson) remarried as his second wife Jane Gregory. This marriage is recorded on 21 December 1879 in Cocke (source: Cocke County Tennessee Marriages Book 1-2, p. 498)

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you Debra, but it looks like the first wife was Jane with the diminutive Janet, as was common. Her marriage certificate calls her Jane Barnett Freeman, her death record calls her Jane Messer, she is called Jane in both the 1850 and 1860 census, etc. Or are you referring to another person / profile??

Ah, okay I missed the part about their being another marriage certificate and a remarriage. I haven't seen Jane Barnett Freeman's death record, either.

I only know her as Jane, haven't seen anything on paper to prove Janet, although that might seem a minor distinction.

But yes, I was trying to articulate that Jane Barnett Freeman (daughter of Joshua Freeman), was married to Christian S. Messer ("Jackson") in Haywood County, in February of 1835.

I attached their marriage certificate to her Geni profile (just in the nick of time I guess, as it is now locked against editing last time I checked), and have provided links to three different censuses showing the same family with Dad being named "Christian S. Messer" in two of them and simply "Jackson" Messer in the chronological middle of their soujourn in Cocke Co., Tennessee.

Jackson Messer was also a veteran of the CSA, listed among casualties.

I also pointed out and it bears reiteration: There's no proof Jane Barnett Freeman ever married "JOHN" Messer. So imo, without proof John Messer is a pretty serious error.

By casualty I mean that he was injured (his hand), not killed by any means.

Great, thank you!

Solomon is in the censuses, though. Along with a few others, I think.

Links to all three censuses I've gathered, so far: 1840 in Haywood County with wife and three daughters under age 5; 1850 and 1860 in Cocke County, Tennessee. Other Messer households can be seen sharing the same data sheets on two of them. John Messer on the 1840; and on the 1850 Thomas Messer and Elihu Messer.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB9-9ZMB?view=ind...

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XXD3-J9G?i=177&amp...

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSH-P56?view=inde...

Jackson Messer with his younger second wife in 1880 Cocke County. Daughter S. C. (age 19) and two grandsons, J. R. Messer (age 13) and S. G. Messer (age 7).

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB2-Z5J?i=16&amp;...

79 year old Solomon Messer (old enough to be Jackson's brother) in the 1880 Cocke Co. census (wife, Sallie). William Messer family on same page with 2nd? wife, Miranda:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYB2-ZLC?i=5&amp;p...

I should point out that the Messer grandsons listed in the 1880 Jackson Messer household are NOT the children of his 19 year old daughter also listed there. The oldest being 13, the younger one age 7.

William Messer family in the 1870 census for Cocke County.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SSW-WK5?i=3&amp;p...

The older Solomon Messer in Cocke County, 1860 (I linked him above in the 1880 for the same area).

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSH-P5S?i=133&amp...

Found Thomas and Elihu on the 1860 (I was under the impression they 'disappeared' from Cocke Co., but no, here they are):

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBSH-L1R?i=104&amp...

Alright! Glad we got it all mostly figured out and settled, although Jackson Messer and Jane Freeman did have a son, Solomon, who remains absent from the family group. He may have died sans progeny; or may be the one who died in Sevier Co., TN. Although I'm near certain I saw him with a family in one of the Cocke Co. censuses (I'll have to look for it again, sometime).

Incidentally, while doing all this research I found yet another set of Messer doppelgangers, named: Doc Frazier Messer (in my personal family tree, he's my Columbus Co., NC uncle); and Dock F. Messer in a 1910 census for Cocke Co., TN. That leads me to suspect a possible common ancestor, somewhere in the tree.

Their dates are so similar it's uncanny, but they must be different because they married different women in different locations at about the same time and had different sets of children.

Not long ago I discovered yet another set of such doppelgangers (for want of a better word), again uniquely named individuals: A Darling Jones (I think in Tennessee); and another Darling Jones in South Carolina in about the same timeframe, or close enough to potentially present some confusion. But again it can be proven that they are not the same person.

I point this out again because these cases too often result in genealogical conflation by people unable or unwilling to make the effort to verify the facts, such as locations, dates, and spouses (e.g. bigamy was not a thing among farmers and socialites).

And with the way public 'world' trees are set up for collaboration (all which has many advantages), it can sometimes lead to over simplification by the hasty or lazy amateur who may feel overly confident about the information found on that type of venue.

Also, as we can see here and on its sister discussion on the same topic: getting them straightened out is extremely difficult and time consuming. It all starts with figuring out what went wrong, when and where.

So yeah, I truly appreciate all the help from Erica and Dr. Walker in making it happen.