Elizabeth and Mary,
Daughters or Granddaughters?

Prompted by an inquiry from another Porterfield descendant and researcher regarding the parentage of Elizabeth Porterfield (b 1806), 4^th great granddaughter Diane Carrington Bradford of Georgia conducted an in-depth analysis of the census data on Christopher and Susannah (Dudley) Porterfield and on David, Sr., and Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield. As she became immersed in the analysis, she realized that it was not just Elizabeth's parentage in question, but also that of Mary Porterfield (b 1809). It became increasingly obvious that previous researchers either had made parentage assignments based on family legend, or without reviewing all pertinent data—once again proving that "genealogy without verified documentation is mythology." Below are the data from the pertinent census reports along with her analysis and comments.

CHRISTOPHER PORTERFIELD AND FAMILY ON CENSUS REPORTS

CENSUS YEAR:1820 STATE:GA COUNTY:Madison
Christopher was listed as head of household on page 43:
White males: 3 0-10; 1 16-18; 1 16-26; 1 26-45
Females: 1 0-10; 2 10-16; 1 16-26; 1 26-45
Slaves: 0
Occupation: 2 Agriculture

3 males (0-10)= fnu?, Nelson and James; 1 male (16-18)= fnu2?; 1 male (18-26)= fnu3?; 1 male (26-45)= Christopher
1 female (0-10)= Martha E.; 2 females (10-16)= Elizabeth and Mary; 1 female (16-26)= fnu4?; 1 female (26-45)= Susannah

Three males and one female were unaccounted for by Christopher's known children. The "fnu?" male (0-10) could have been a son who died before the 1830 census, but the other three unidentified persons were all 16 years old or older. Could they have been siblings of Susannah Dudley and/or hired help? Christopher and particularly Susannah were not born early enough to have any children born earlier than 1802 when Susannah would have been 16 years old. Therefore, the 1 male (18-26) and one female (16-26) might possibly have been children of Christopher and Susannah IF they were 18 and 16 years old respectively in 1820 and died before 1830 since no similar persons appeared on the 1830 census in either Madison County or Carroll County, GA. That leaves the one male (26-45) who could not possibly be a son of Christopher and Susannah. These three older persons were NOT David, Samuel and Kiziah Graham because their father, Joseph Graham was listed [as Grayham] on the 1820 Madison County Census as head of his own household.

1830 Carroll County, GA Census
Christopher was listed as head of household including
Males: 3 (0-5), 1 (5-10), 1 (10-14), 1 (15-20), 1 (40-50);
Females: 0 (0-5), 1 (5-10), 1 (10-14), 1 (30-(40)

Males: 3 (0-5)=William W., Elijah G., Joseph P.; 1 (5-10)=Christopher, Jr.; 1 (10-15)= James; 1 (15-20)= Nelson; 1 (40-50) Christopher, Sr.

Females: 1 (5-10)= Eliza; 1 (10-15)=Martha E.; 1 (30-40) Susannah

Elizabeth married Anderson Dudley on Mar 3, 1821 in Madison County, GA
Mary married Darrell B. Brazzelle on Mar 16, 1826 in Newton County, GA

CENSUS YEAR: 1840 STATE: GA COUNTY: Paulding
Susannah (widow) was listed as head of a household including
Males: 1 (5-9), 3 (10-14), 2 (15-19), 2 (20-29);
Females: 1 (15-20), 1 (50-60)

Males: (5-10)= fnu?; (10-15)= William W., Elijah G., Joseph P.; (15-20)=Christopher, Jr., and Samuel Graham; 2 (20-30)=James and David Graham
Females: 1 (15-20)= Eliza; 1 (50-60)= Susannah

Nelson Porterfield married Nancy Caroline "Neaty" Dixon on Feb 4, 1832 in Carroll County, GA
Martha E. married Thomas D. Wallace on Jan 29, 1837 in Carroll County, GA
David Graham and Samuel Graham appeared to be living in Susannah's household in 1840. Their sister, Kiziah Graham, had either married or died by 1840 as she was not living with Susannah.

DAVID PORTERFIELD, SR., AND FAMILY ON CENSUS REPORTS

CENSUS YEAR:1820 STATE:GA COUNTY:Madison
1 male (10-16) ; 1 male (45 up): David, Sr.
1 female (45 up): Sarah Nunn

The male (10-16) was probably one of their grandsons living with them, perhaps to help out his aged grandparents. David, Sr.'s second son, Thomas James Porterfield, in 1820 had a 10-year-old son, William Willis, who matched the age group. Third son, David, Jr., also had a son of unknown name born in 1810, according to the 1820 census report. David Porterfield, Sr., died in 1835 and Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield apparently lived with one of her children in 1840 since she was not listed as a head of household. In 1850 Sarah was living with daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Josiah Graham in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Notice that in 1820 there were NO females in David, Sr.'s,household except for Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield. If Elizabeth (b 1806) and Mary (b 1809) had been daughters of David, Sr., and Sarah, they would have been minors at ages 14 and 11 respectively in 1820 and still living at home since neither girl married until after 1820. Also, Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield (b 1760) would have been 46 when Elizabeth was born in 1806 and 49 years old when Mary was born in 1809—not impossible, but highly unlikely in that era.

Also notice that in the Christopher Porterfield household in 1820 there WERE two females in the appropriate age group to be Elizabeth and Mary.

Consider also the fact that Elizabeth and Mary, along with their respective husbands, moved to Carroll County, Georgia in 1830 along with Christopher and Susanna (Dudley) Porterfield. Elizabeth and Mary (and their husbands) would be much more likely to make such a move with their parents and siblings than with a brother and his family. After the death in 1834 of Christopher Porterfield, Susanna and her younger children along with the Dudleys and the Brazelles moved on to Paulding County, Georgia as a group, following oldest son, Rev. Nelson Porterfield, to the various communities where he founded and/or pastored Baptist churches. After Susanna died in 1850 and Anderson Dudley died in 1857, Elizabeth and the Brazelles and most of the other Porterfields followed Rev. Nelson Porterfield to Cass County, Texas and lived out their lives there. Obviously, this was a close-knit family group that lived, worked and moved together.

One additional item of evidence to support the assignment of Elizabeth (b 1806) and Mary (b 1809) as daughters of Christopher is the fact that the 1850 Paulding County, GA census showed that Elizabeth Porterfield and her husband Anderson Dudley named one of their eleven children, a daughter and their sixth child, "Susanna" Dudley. So we must decide if Elizabeth was naming her daughter after her mother or after her sister-in-law (not very likely). Their seventh child was named William A. Dudley, the eighth child was Elijah Newton Dudley, and the eleventh child was Martha Dudley. William, Elijah and Martha were all names that were also given to children of Christopher Porterfield.

Darrell and Mary (Porterfield) Brazzelle also named a daughter "Susan." Note that neither Elizabeth nor Mary named a daughter "Sarah."

So, this in-depth census analysis, the naming patterns and the group migrations provide carefully observant researchers with a preponderance of evidence documenting that Elizabeth (b 1806) and Mary (b 1809) were daughters of Christopher and Susannah (Dudley) Porterfield, not of David, Sr., and Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield.

There was one more Porterfield female for whom no court documents were ever found that positively identified her parentage. The puzzle of Martha A. Porterfield, another typical family mystery waiting to be solved, will be considered in Who Was the Other Unidentified Porterfield Female?

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