Henry LEWIS Sarah S LEWIS John B LEWIS William H LEWIS James Henry GREGORY Julia A GREGORY Andrew Jackson GREGORY Dock Patrick GREGORY Henrietta GREGORY Sarah E GREGORY Malinda Caldonia GREGORY George GREGORY Cora F GREGORY William Richard GREGORY James Henry LEWIS Addison LEWIS Mary MILLS Mini tree diagram
Rachel LEWIS

Rachel LEWIS4,1,2,5,6,7,3,8,9,9,9

Jun 18301,2,3 - before 19101

Life History

Jun 1830

Born in Jefferson County, Tennessee.1,2,3

20th Nov 1847

Married James Henry GREGORY in Jefferson County, Tennessee.1,7

about 1848

Birth of daughter Julia A GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.9,10,5,11,12,13

between 1850 and 1860

Residence1 in District 3, Cherokee County, Alabama.2,3

7th Sep 1850

Birth of son Andrew Jackson GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.6,10,5,14,15,16,17

8th Sep 1852

Birth of son Dock Patrick GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.18,19,5,17

about 1853

Birth of daughter Henrietta GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.10,20,5,21

about 1859

Birth of daughter Sarah E GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.5,10

12th Apr 1861

Birth of daughter Malinda Caldonia GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.20,5,9,17

about 1865

Birth of son George GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.20,5

about 1868

Birth of daughter Cora F GREGORY in Cherokee County, Alabama.5,20

23rd Sep 1871

Birth of son William Richard GREGORY in Dandrige, Jefferson, Tennessee.22,23,17,20,24,25,8,26

after 1880

Death of son George GREGORY.20

before 1910

Death of James Henry GREGORY in Dandridge, Jefferson, Tennessee.1

before 1910

Died in Jefferson County, Tennessee.1

before 1910

Buried in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Other facts

 

Residence2 in Jefferson County, Tennessee

Notes

  • The record of Rachel Lewis' marriage to Henry Gregory and was originally reported as Tennessee based on circumstantial information.  Her maiden name was unknown until May 2013, when the marriage record was found in Tennessee records made available by Ancestry.com.

    Her family was unknown, despite extensive periodic searches.  Suddenly in September 2016, several census records from 1850 to 1880 and some marriage records in Jefferson County became visible on research indexes and revealed they were living very close to Rachel and her husband James Henry Gregory in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

    Rachel's father was Henry Lewis, born also in Tennessee, and by some indications, born in Jefferson County.  Her mother was Mary Mills, born in Virginia.  Other Mills households are next door or nearby in the censuses.

    In her marriage record, her name is spelled Rachel.  In some records and family genealogies it is spelled Rachael.  This record gave me Henry's full name, recording him as James H.

    Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
    Rachel Lewis
    Spouse James H Gregory
    Marriage 20 Nov 1847 Jefferson County

    1850 Federal Census, Cherokee  County, Alabama, 7 February 1851 [sic], District 26, page 118, Hse/Fam 821
    Henry Gregory  25 M  Farmer  born Tenn  Cannot read and write
    Rachel Gregory 21 F born Tenn  Cannot read and write
    Julia Gregory 1 F born Ala

    The 1860 Cherokee, Alabama, Federal Census spells her name Rachael.

    1860 Federal Census, Cherokee County, Alabama, 11 June, District 3, PO Ringgold, page 7, Hse/Fam #37
    Henry Gregory 35 M Farmer born Tenn
    Rachael Gregory 30 F Domestic born Tenn
    Julia Gregory 11 F born Tenn
    Andrew G Gregory 10 M born Tenn
    Henrietta Gregory 7 F  born Ala
    Patrick Gregory 4 M  born Ala
    Sarah Gregory A 1 F  born Ala

    Census reports are inconsistent in reporting the age of Rachel.
    1850 Cherokee County, Alabama, Federal Census indicates 21 years old (thus born in 1829-30).
    1860 Cherokee County, Alabama, Federal Census indicates 30 years old (thus born in 1830).
    1870 Jefferson County, Tennessee, Federal Census indicates 43 years old (thus born in 1827).
    1880 Jefferson County, Tennessee, Federal Census indicates 58 years old (thus born in 1822).
    1900 Jefferson County, Tennessee, Federal Census indicates 69 years old.
    Actual birth month and year are reported in 1900 as June 1830.

    The censuses indicate that Henry and Rachel moved to Alabama soon after they married and their first daughter was born there in about 1848.  Henry was born in Tennessee and the Gregory family later moved back there, between 1860 and 1870.  It would seem most likely that Henry and Rachel met when Henry was still living in Tennessee, or when he had made a trip back from Tennessee for some reason, and they married there, then moved to Cherokee County, Alabama.

    Gregory family tradition also records a memory of another sibling of Dock Gregory named Lynn.  Censuses indicate no child by this name.

    Other names in family tradition match with names found in censuses that seem to correlate with the family of Dock Patrick Gregory's parents:
    Bill = William
    Jack = Andrew Jackson
    Retta = Henrietta

    I estimated the marriage in 1848, as an estimate based on the birth of their first child.  In the 1850 Federal Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee, Julia A is reported as 1 year old.  The marriage record, found only in 2013, reported the date as 20 November 1847.

    It was only after years of searching without success that I finally in May 2013 I found a record reporting Rachel's maiden name.  I found for the first a death certificate for her son Andrew Jackson Gregory, reporting his mother as Rachel Lewis, born in Tennessee.  The death certificate reports that Andrew (A J) died in Dandridge, but was buried in Taft.  Taft is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Tennessee.  Lincoln is in South Central Tennessee.  Here her name is spelled Rachael.

    Tennessee, Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955
    A J Gregory
    Birth 7 Sep 1850 Tennessee
    Age 86, Death 10 Nov 1936 Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee
    Burial 12 Nov 1936 Taft
    Widowed White Male, Farmer
    Father Henry Gregory born Alabama
    Mother Rachael Lewis born Tennessee

    The maiden name opened up a new avenue of searching which led to their marriage record.  This revealed that Henry's full name was James Henry.

    Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
    Rachel Lewis
    Spouse James H Gregory
    Marriage 20 Nov 1847 Jefferson County

    After learning Rachel's (Rachael's) maiden name, I reviewed source information, and found that in the 1960 census, the family enumerated next door to Henry and Rachael Gregory was named Lewis.  Examination of the family configuration and ages suggested that Chrisman and Anna were the parents and siblings of Rachael Lewis Gregory.  Or perhaps Chrisman, at age 48, was an older brother of Rachael, age 30 in 1860.  A quick check on genealogies found no child or sibling of Chrisman Lewis named Rachael/Rachel.  Perhaps they were cousins.  Chrisman and Rachael were both born in Tennessee.

    1860 Federal Census, Cherokee County, Alabama, 11 June, District 3, PO Ringgold, page 7, Hse/Fam #36
    Chrisman Lewis 48 M Farmer born Tenn
    Anna (Webb) Lewis 46  Domestic born Tenn
    Abigil [sic] Lewis 19 F Domestic born Tenn
    Anderson Lewis 18 M Farming born Tenn
    Sarah Lewis 16 F  Domestic born Tenn
    Margaret Lewis 14 F  Domestic born Ala
    Lorenzo D Lewis 4 M  born Ala
    Lewis, George C 10 M  born Ala
    Lewis, James W 8 M  born Ala
    Lewis, Joseph W 8 M  born Ala

    Henry and Rachel moved from Cherokee County, Alabama, back to Jefferson County, Tennessee some time between 1860 and 1870.

    1870 Federal Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 16 August, District 5, PO Trion, page 10, Hse/Fam #71
    Henry Gregory M 50 M W Wagon Maker $767 Personal Estate b Tennessee Cannot read or write
    Rachel Gregory 43 F W  Keeps House  b Tennessee [b abt 1827]
    Julia A Gregory 21 F W b Alabama [b abt 1849] Cannot read or write
    Jackson Gregory 19 M W b Alabama [b abt 1851] Cannot read or write
    Henrietta Gregory 17 F W b Alabama [b abt 1853] Cannot read or write
    Patrick E Gregory 15 M W b Alabama [b abt 1853] Cannot read or write
    Sarah E Gregory 11 F W b Alabama [b abt 1859] Cannot read or write
    Mahala Gregory 9 F W b Alabama [b abt 1861] Cannot read or write
    George Gregory 4 M W b Alabama [b abt 1866] Cannot read or write
    Cora F Gregory 1 F W b Alabama [b abt 1869] Cannot read or write

    1880 Federal Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 16 June, Civil District 5, Enumeration District 177, p 34B, Hse #280, Fam #284
    Gregory, Henry   W M  60      Farmer TN TN TN
    Gregory, Rachel  W F   58  Wife  Keep Hse  TN TN TN Cannot read or write
    Gregory, Henrietter W F  24  Dau  At Home  TN TN TN Cannot read or write
    Gregory, Malinda W F  22   Dau  At Home TN TN TN Cannot read or write
    Gregory, George W M   15 Son   Farm Hand TN TN TN Cannot read or write
    Gregory, Cora W F  12 Dau  TN TN TN Cannot read or write
    Gregory, William R  W M  8  Son   TN TN TN Cannot read or write

    1900 Federal Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 20 June, Civil District 5, Enumeration District 45, page 10A, Hse #162, Fam #169
    Gregory, Henry  Head  W M  Apr 1826   74  Married 53 years TN TN TN Farmer Rents
    Gregory, Rachel  Wife  W F  Jun 1830  69 Married 53 years  10 children/8 living TN TN TN
    - Hse #162, Fam #170 -
    Gregory, William  Head W M  Sept 1871 28  Married 2 years  TN TN TN Farmer
    Gregory, Thula  Wife  W F  Oct 1881  18  Married 2 years  1 child/1 living TN TN TN
    Gregory, George R Son W M  Sept 1899  8mos  TN TN TN

    The 1900 census is the last public record I have found for either Rachael (Rachel) or Henry.  I conclude from this that they died at some time between the 1900 and 1910 censuses.  No searches have uncovered their death records or burial information.  But as far as we know otherwise, Henry and Rachel never moved away from Jefferson County, Tennessee.

Sources

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