Lafayette Lee - Who's His Daddy?

Private User

12/1/2023 at 7:11 AM

have been able to confirm from Familysearch records (*not* trees) that *a* Lafayette Lee married Eliza Massey in Orange County, Virginia on 24 Feb 1851, and that they had several children, including a James Lee, William Montgomery Lee, Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" Lee, Cora Lee, and others. (By 1870 the family had apparently removed from Virginia to Indiana.)

I have not, however, been able to find a reliable birth or baptismal record for him - he is cited in several references as born "18 April 1825", but none of them is an actual birth record. The 1850 Census has him listed in the household of a Sarah Lee (she is not cited as household head) along with a Richard Hughes. However, the 1850Census did not yet list household relationships and this record is in among a whole clutch of Lees and Hugheses and a Waugh family, all of whom were living in close association.

The 1850 Census record associates Sarah Lee with Sarah "Sally" Terrill, who married William H. Lee in Orange County, VA, on 19 May 1812. On the other hand, the Familysearch tree for Lafayette Lee places him under ABNER Lee and Sally Dodd, married 6 January 1806. (William H. Lee and Abner Lee were apparently brothers, and *this* Abner Lee is not the one referenced in the GW Lee Letter.)

Note: Sally Dodd Lee has a thoroughly improbable death date of "about 1900".

Robert Joseph Puentes

12/3/2023 at 12:16 PM

I've relied on a document from Barbara Little called "Lee Report 1991" that includes a section "Information about Lafayette Lee's parents". In it she "establishes the father of Lafayette Lee as William Lee." I dropped that document into the Sources tab for Lafayette.

A few documents refer to Lafayette's father as William "Mountain Leader" Lee. This Lee family is established in and around Rockingham County, Virginia - migrating from Richmond County (which was formed in 1692 when the first Rappahannock County was divided to form Richmond County and Essex County) to the then-adjecent Orange County, and down the old colonial road to Rockingham.

Here's one problem:
Lafayette's (first?) wife Eliza Massey dies in 1868 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52400559/eliza-lee
but Virginia marriage records have a Lafayette marrying Isabella Lee in 1867
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9ZG-4QP4
Parents are William and Sarah Lee.

Also, in those marriage records, Lafayette's age is listed as 39 years, 5 months, 11 days. Which does not match up to him being born on April 1925.

This obit does not indicate Lafayette lived in Indiana, "having resided at the home [in Rockingham County] where he dies for many years."

Robert Joseph Puentes

12/3/2023 at 12:40 PM

Actually, I just calculated Lafayette's age from the marriage records to Isabella May. In the records he's 39y/8m/11d, which puts his birthdate as April 13, 1828.

His obit (https://www.geni.com/photo/view/6000000190318000877?album_type=phot...) has his birthdate as April 13, 1825.

Private User

12/3/2023 at 9:45 PM

Do you suppose there were two of him? One lot of the Richmond Lees *did* up and move west in company with Hankses and Lincolns (yes *those* Lincolns), and then met up with LaFollettes (as in "Fighting Bob" LaFollette).

Robert Joseph Puentes

12/4/2023 at 10:09 AM

[reposting to correct typo]

There are definitely more Lafayette Lees and so many William Lees.

• There’s a Lafayette Lee born 23 Feb 1824 in Bedford, Virginia. It’s next to Lynchburg, about 100 miles SW of Rockingham County (where Lafayette of Orange County wound up.)
• Bedford Lafayette married Amanda H. Cofer 19 Sep 1848 in Bedford and died there 12 Nov 1864.
• His father Garett was born and died in Bedford (1777–1862)
• Garett’s father is William Lee (b 1734 Campbell County adjacent to Bedford; d 1803 Bedford). Garett’s brother is William Lee (b 1753 Bedford; d Franklin County, Kentucky) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144345217/william-lee

The Lees/Hanks I have moving out west from Richmond County/Orange are:
• Joseph Hanks (b 1725 Richmond, d 1793 Henderson, KY) m. Ann “Nannie” Lee (b ~1742 Richmond, d 1794 Henderson, KY).
• I have Ann Lee as the daughter of William Lee (b 1704 d~1764 Richmond) m. Mary Ann Thorton (b ~1714 Richmond)
• That William is the son of William (d ~1717 Richmond)

Does that sound right? I do see I have Lee profiles that are duplicates of the ones you manage.

Lafayette Lee - Who's His Daddy?

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