Elizabeth "Betsy" McNeal McElhany (1768-1849) and a "Family Bible"

Elizabeth (Betsy) McNeal McElhany

1768–1849

BIRTH 1768 • Dauphin County Pennsylvania, USA

DEATH 30 OCT 1849 • Lyme, Huron County Ohio

I shared about this 5th great grandmother a bit yesterday on my Booth Family Tree.

But since I did talk before about her husband, William McElhany, the veteran from the War of 1812, I wanted to give a bit more about her life.  I covered the lives of his parents just a few weeks ago HERE.

 

The following says" The Original Bible Record Pt. II of (Elizabeth) William McElheny printed by hand at the top on the title page.

What a wonderful resource of marriages and births! And written by hand by maybe someone in the middle the line.  Wish I could see the Part 1.  But this is still thrilling.

First the Bible had been printed in Edinburg in 1795

So early events were added after they had happened

Now to transcribe what I can, so I have it listing these names...

 

William McElhaney and Elizabeth [illegible]

was married April the 22 1784 their first child

Mary McElhaney was born April the 23 1785

Thomas McElheny was born March the 26 1789 [?]

Margaret McElheney was born July the 24 1789 [sic]

Jane McElheney was born July the 26 1792

Elizabeth McElheney was born October the 24 1794

Isabel McElheney was born February the 8 1797

William and John McElheney was born July the 10 1799

Martha McElheney was born October 13 - 1801

Rebecka McElheney was born December the 4 1802

------------------------------------------ [end of that person's handwriting]

William McElheney [arrow to b.1799] and Mary Smart was

married the 9th of October 1822 their first child

Letticia Ann McElheny born July 23rd 1823

William Garner McElheny  born the 3 May 1825

John McElheny  born the 5 March 1827

Elizabeth King McElheny born the 28 February 1829

--------------------------------------- [end of that person's handwriting]

Isabel McElheny [arrow to b. 1797] married 1822 Livingston Carman

children

Elizabeth Carman born 1824 married James Alexander M. [illigible]

Mary Carman born 1826 married John Thompson

Rebecca Carman born 1828 married James Bell

Margaret Carman born 1830 married DeCorme Imbril

Isabel Carman born 1832 married David Rambo

John Carman born 1834 died 1836

That's all of the record that I have, and many thanks to a cousin at Ancestry!

Now there's a bit of a problem with the records of the William and Elizabeth McElhany family here in the Bible...like the census data doesn't show all those children.  And two of the children who have various primary sources, Robert (b. 1811) and Mathew William (b.1793), aren't even listed in that Bible. These brothers have various census reports that prove they existed in these times.

Mmm, I am beginning to think these various people in the first listing of siblings in the Bible might be somewhat fluid.  The descendants who moved away often didn't have the information, or it was remembered by grandma for whoever wrote it down.  But this Bible is like many of them, and looks to have authentic information.  But only 3 people did the recording according to the handwriting.

So once again, what looked like an easy addition to the family tree ended up having more problems than anticipated!

Anything else that might refer to Betsy McElhany? Tomorrow I'll give more information about the life she led according to census reports.