Mary Fern Souder

James Marshall McCorkle, born 6 January 1850 in Ray County, MO, was the out-of-wedlock son of Eliza Ann McCorkle, who later married “a Davis.” Although his children surely knew the circumstances surrounding his birth, this was a situation that he did not want to be common knowledge. As a result, all his grandchildren were told was that James’ parents “separated” when he was a young child and he was reared by his maternal grandparents (all of which is factually true). James’s step-father, whom he did not like, tried to pass him off as his own child, and James left home as soon as he could.

Since this event occurred rather recently in genealogical time, through a study of all available records it became obvious that Eliza Ann was not married when she had James, nor was she married when she had his older sister, Sarah, or his younger sister Bettie. Throughout the years, there had been frequent and friendly contact that included many letters and visits between Eliza Ann’s three McCorkle children and her four Davis children, although they were geographically spread between Missouri, Oklahoma and California. There is also a group photo of six of Eliza Ann’s surviving children taken about 1904, possibly at the time of Bettie’s funeral. The only acknowledgment of the circumstances surrounding any of Eliza Ann's children came in the 1990's when contact was made with one of the Davis granddaughters, who knew that her mother (Bettie) had been born out-of-wedlock. However, none of this granddaughters' siblings knew that Bettie was born out of wedlock.

James McCorkle was enumerated as an infant in the 1850 Ray County, MO, census, in the home of his grandparents, John McCorkle, born ca. 1780 in Virginia, and Nancy Wright McCorkle, born ca. 1802 in Kentucky. Also in the home were the McCorkle’s children Lydia, John, Eliza Ann, William and Eanita McCorkle, along with Eliza Ann’s two children Sarah and James. There are many court records documenting the ancestry and travels of the forbearers of John McCorkle, born ca. 1780. A Y-Chromosome test of one of John McCorkle’s sons would corroborate the early McCorkle paper trail, and a Y-Chromosome test of a descendent of James McCorkle, born 1850, would help identify his paternal ancestry.

People who have been researching the McCorkle family in the United States have been communicating and sharing records for many decades. One of the most devoted researchers was Rev. Louis McCorkle, born 1921, a Catholic priest at St. Thomas Seminary in Hannibal, MO. His comprehensive study of the McCorkle family is entitled “From Viking Glory,” 1982, Herff-Jones Publishing Company, Marceline, MO. Volume II of Rev. McCorkle's research, “From Vikings,” was published in 2003 by Printers and Publishers, Quincy, IL.

Because Rev. McCorkle's books are the definitive authority on the McCorkles, his numbering system will be used to identify the pedigrees of the participants in this study. Participant # 43663 is a descendent John McCorkle, born 1780 in Virginia, through his son John McCorkle (Jr.), born 1826 in Missouri, who were enumerated in the same household on the 1850 census in Ray County, MO. Participant # 73251 has a paper trail back to Eliza Ann McCorkle, thought her son James Marshall McCorkle, also in the household of John McCorkle, born 1780 in Virginia, on the 1850 Ray County, MO, census.

GROUP 1: Participant # 43663

Generation 1: Samuel (4000) McCorkle was born in the 1720's, allegedly in Argleshire, Scotland. One branch of the family called themselves Scots-Irish, so the family may have lived for a time in Ireland before coming to America. Samuel and his parents immigrated when he was a young child to Chester County, PA, where they settled on the banks of Brandywine Creek by 1729. It is thought that his brother was Alexander (1000) McCorkle of Lexington, Rockbridge County, VA (allegedly born ca. 1720 in Ulster, Ireland). James (2000) McCorkle and Robert (3000) McCorkle, both of the Waxhaw settlement in South Carolina, may have been sons of William (300) McCorkle, who was one generation earlier than Samuel McCorkle.

Samuel (4000) married Sarah Buchanan, and they settled in Augusta County, VA. He made his will on 5 September 1785 and it was probated on 17 December 1788 in Augusta County. His will named his wife Sarah, and seven children: Samuel McCorkle, Robert McCorkle, John McCorkle, Martha (Mrs. Callen), Sarah (Mrs. Benjamin Chapman), Mary (Mrs. John McWhorter), and Elizabeth (Mrs. James Hulet). He also named three grandsons.

Generation 2: Samuel (4002) McCorkle, Jr., son of Samuel and Sarah Buchanan McCorkle was born 25 February 1759 in Augusta County, VA. In 1785 Samuel was bequeathed by his father "the lower end of my Plantation where he now lives," southwest of Staunton, Augusta County, VA. Samuel and his wife, Agnes, sold land to Michael Hite on 19 September 1797, in Augusta County, VA. (This deed is the source for the name of Samuel's wife). Samuel's brother John and wife, Lydia, sold to Jacob Swallow in September 1793 in Augusta County, VA.

Samuel and Agnes moved to Kentucky in about 1800. He is listed on the 1810 Green County, KY, census next to Alex Buckhannon and Mary Buckhannon, and near his brother, John McCorkle.

In 1832, as a resident of Green County, KY, Samuel applied for a military pension and the application process continued with his interrogation on 29 April 1833. He first stated the date and place of his birth and then listed his military service. In October 1777 he joined the Augusta County militia to chase some Indian raiders back to the Ohio River. In October 1780 he joined the Augusta County militia commanded by Captain Patrick Buchanan and marched under General Morgan into North Carolina to fight . . . the Tories near the Catawba River in the campaign of the winter of 1780-81. The original documents may be ordered from the National Archives, File S/30956. A summary of his service may be seen in Rev. McCorkle's book, “From Viking Glory,” p. 201.

Samuel made his will on 28 March 1840, and it was probated 20 April 1840 in Green County, KY. His Will named children, John, Andrew, Nancy, Elizabeth, Polly, and Alexander, and five grandchildren. His wife was not mentioned, and it is assumed that she predeceased him.

Generation 3: John (4202) McCorkle was born ca. 1780 in Augusta County, VA, and moved with his father Samuel (4002) and his uncle, John (4004) McCorkle, to Green County, KY. He was married three times in Green County, and was the father of at least eleven children. He moved to Missouri by 1826, and died ca. 1852 in Ray County, MO. His last wife, Nancy Wright, whom he married 7 December 1824 in Green County, survived him. A will for John McCorkle has not been found, but he, Nancy, and their five children were enumerated on the 1850 census in Ray County, MO. Their children were Lydia, John, Eliza Ann (4317), William, and Eanita “Nettie” McCorkle.

Generation 4: John McCorkle, son of John and Nancy Wright McCorkle was born ca. 1829 in Missouri. He married Mahala “Ann” Long in Missouri, and they were the parents of ten known children. Mahala Ann died in 1921 and is buried in the Smith Cemetery in Platte County, MO. The date and place of John's death is not known. There have been six transmission events between Samuel (4000) McCorkle and Participant # 43663.

GROUP 2: Participant # 73251

Generation 1: James Marshall (4348) McCorkle was born 6 January 1850 in Ray County, MO, the son of Eliza Ann (4317) McCorkle, b. ca. 1832 in Missouri. Eliza Ann was the sister of the John McCorkle listed immediately above, both being children of John McCorkle and his third (or possibly fourth) wife, Nancy Wright, who married in 1824 in Green County, KY.

When Eliza was about age 15, she became the mother of her first child, Sarah E. McCorkle, b. 1847. Her son, James M. McCorkle was born in 1850, and she had her third child, “Elizabeth “Bettie” McCorkle in 1853. In about 1856 in Clinton County, MO, she married Charles Davis, a recent immigrant from England. The couple became the parents of four Davis children.

James M. McCorkle married Sarah Catherine "Cassie" Williams on 28 March 1872 in Cherokee County, KS. He and Cassie farmed in Kansas and Oklahoma, and were the parents of nine children.

A variety of surnames had been studied as potentials for the paternity of James Marshall McCorkle. With the hope of narrowing down the possibilities for the father of James, one of his male descendents has taken the Y-chromosome test.

By 2014, the only 37-marker matches for James Marshall McCorkle with surnames represented in Ray County, MO, on the 1850 census, are CRAVEN and PHILLIPS, with members of each of these families being perfect matches on all 37 markers. In fact, now that the DNA results are known, and one inspects the close geographic proximity of the McCorkles, Cravens and Phillipses in Ray County, it seems likely that members of all three of these families share a common recent ancestor.

Later notifications show perfect 37-marker matches with some Bookout families, although there were no Bookouts in Ray (or surrounding) Counties.

The Craven Family: One of the Craven matches descends from James M. Craven, a wagon maker born ca. 1822 in Tennessee, and his wife, Sarah, born ca. 1825, who were enumerated on the 1850 census in Ray County, MO. In 1850 this couple had children Emily, age 5, and Atchison (age 2).

This couple lived next door to Joshua Craven, (twin b. 1799), and his wife, Anna Campbell. However, James M. Craven was not the son of Joshua and Anna Campbell Craven. Their oldest son was James Campbell Craven who had previously married Martha McCorkle, half-sister of Eliza Ann McCorkle, in 1840. Information concerning the Craven(s) family can be found in “Craven: Descendants of Peter Craven, Randolph County, NC, USA,” Mary Craven Purvis, 1985, Self Published, Printed by Hunsucker Printing Company, Inc, Asheboro, NC, 350 pages.

Joshua Craven, (twin b. 1799 NC), along with seven brothers and one sister, came to Missouri and all settled in Ray County by the 1840's. In addition to Joshua (twin b. 1799), siblings were Joseph* (b. 1798), John (twin b. 1799), Joel (b. 1802), David (b. 1804), Doctor Franklin (b. 1807), Sarah (b. 1809), Wyatt (b. 1812), and Andrew (b. 1814) Craven.

These were all children of Richard C. Craven, b. 1776 in Randolph County, NC, who died in 1849 in Ray County, MO, and his wife Elizabeth Catherine Raines.

Richard C. Craven had a brother, Joshua Craven, born ca. 1779, who also came to Ray County, with his wife, Nancy Moffitt. He died there ca. 1852, and his children in Ray County were Emsley (b. 1801), Jeremiah (b. 1803), and Jane (b. 1810) Craven.

On the assumption that Eliza Ann may have named her baby son after his father, men named James M. Craven were sought. The first man fitting this description is the James M. Craven mentioned above, born 1828 and married to Sarah in 1850, whose parents are unknown.

The other was James M. Craven was born ca. 1823, unmarried, and who lived with his father and step-mother, Joseph* (born 1798) and Prudence Craven on the 1850 census. This James M. has not been traced, but he is the correct age to be the one enumerated on the 1880 census in Union County. OR. He was listed as age 60 (born 1820), single, a farmer, and born in Missouri.

*It should be noted that the above Joseph Craven (born 1798) lived four households away from Jesse Philips, born 1793 in Virginia, on the 1850 Ray County, MO, census.

The common ancestor of all of the Cravens in Ray County was Joseph C. Craven b. 1746 in Randolph County, NC, and who died after 1840 in Overton County, TN. Joseph C. Craven and his alleged wife, Lydia Hancock, were the parents of the above Richard C., b. 1776, and Joshua, b. ca. 1779, of Ray County, and three additional children who did not come to Ray County. These children were Betsy Craven, b. ca. 1777, Sarah Craven, b. ca. 1781, and Meredith Craven, b. ca. 1806 who died after 1850 in Putnam or Overton County, TN.

There is a Craven Y-chromosome study, and it can be seen here: Craven DNA Study. The paper trail for the Craven DNA participant goes back to Peter Craven, born 1812 in New Jersey, and some researchers connect Peter's lineage back to Robert Craven born 1632 in Middlesex, England. As additional Cravens take the Y-chromosome test, it should become apparent whether these paper trails can be corroborated.

The Philips/Phillips Family: Participant # 75412 traces his lineage back to John Q. Phillips who was born in 1812 in North Carolina and died in 1888 in Putnam County, TN. He is first found on the 1850 Overton County, TN, census with his wife Arrena, and their six children.

Some Phillips researchers attribute the parents of John Q. Phillips as Jesse Phillips, born ca. 1780 in North Carolina, and his wife, Kereign/Caroline. Jesse moved to Tennessee by 1830 and obtained a land grant.

It appears that this Jesse and a slightly younger man named Charles Philips moved in concert to Jackson County, TN, by 1830; Bedford County by 1840; back to Jackson County by 1850, and in 1860 they were in Putnam County, TN. (Putnam was formed in 1854 from parts of Jackson, Overton, White, and Dekalb Counties, so this last address change may not have constituted a physical move).

By 1860, John Q. and Arrena Phillips were also enumerated in Putnam County not far from the elderly Jesse Philips, born ca. 1780, in North Carolina. This is not the same Jesse Phillips as the one born in 1793 in Virginia who lived near Joseph Craven (born 1798) in 1850 in Ray County, MO. However, Phillips family researchers believe that that these two Phillips lines are somehow related.

While it is obvious that the conception of James Marshall McCorkle in 1849 in Ray County, MO, occurred in that county (or nearby), the necessary birth age for his father may exceed the length of time that the Cravens and Phillipses lived together in Ray County. This suggests that the Craven-Phillips liaison may have occurred in their earlier common location of Overton/Putnam Counties, TN.

When more Craven and Phillips participants with lineages back to Ray County, MO, and Overton/Putnam Counties, TN, are tested, this should help place the approximate date and location of the Craven and Phillips Y-chromosome merger.

There is a Philips DNA study, and the McCorkle match is Participant # 75412: Philips DNA Study.

A McCorkle DNA surname project has been formed, and the results of the participants may be viewed at: McCorkle DNA Study.

One can see that the Y-chromosome results for Group 1 Participant # 43663 who descends from Samuel McCorkle, born 1729 of Augusta County, VA, down through John McCorkle of Ray County, MO (born 1829 and a brother of Eliza Ann McCorkle) show that he shares a common paternal ancestor with several McCorkle men who have paper trails back to Scotland, then Ireland and then Pennsylvania.

The results for Participant # 73251 in Group 2 confirm that James M. was not a patrilineal descendent of the McCorkle family first documented in Chester County, PA, in the 1730's, with subsequent locations in Augusta County, VA, Green County, KY, and then to Ray County, MO, where he was born in 1850.

In addition to Rev. Louis McCorkle, I am deeply grateful to the following cousins for their assistance: the late Fannie McCorkle Wagner, Roberta Baird Hesterberg, Margaret Baird Finck, Ricky Burgett, the late Joyce T. Colwell, John Hale Stutesman, Jr., the late Marie Lewis, the late Josephine Tell, Mary McMillan, Dana Waldron, Sue Ellen Grippando, the late Howard McCorkle, Sally McCorkle, Robert McCorkle, Sherry McCorkle, Charles McCorkle, Murthie Guy Washburn Jones, Jack McCorkell, Inez Line Wharf, Nancy L. Smith, Jane Lederman, Virginia Mills, Ben Albertus, Sybil Barnes Coke, Katherine Cummins, JoAnn McCorkle Johnson, Ruth McCorkle Banzet, Katherine Edwards, the late Clarence McCorkle, the late Cynthia Lucy Beach, Darrell McCorkell, Billie Ann McCorkle Taylor, Charles D. Musser, the late Gleava Wheat, the late Robert and Grace Larson, and Dave Woody.