Mary Shumate Maret Garner, 1000th Identified Family Member!

September 12th marked the three month anniversary that I've been researching Billings and Moran family genealogy.  I knew I was close to reaching the 1000 entry into the family tree but yesterday I was so focused on the Scott family I didn't realize that I actually went over and am now at 1003 identified family members.

The 1000th person was Mary Shumate Maret Garner and the find for her obituary goes to findagrave contributor Honor.  I have been researching the Shumates and been pleased and frustrated by what I find.  Mary Shumate fits in quite nicely as she is the sister of Champ Shumate.  Their parents are Mitchell Shumate and Catherine Champ, two more people on my genealogy "to do" list.

Here is the transcription from The Central Record dated 11-20-1919 for Mary Shumate Maret Garner

Obituary-
On Wednesday afternoon, November the fifth, at four thirty o'clock, Mrs. Mary Maret Garner, died at her home near Paint Lick, after a lingering illness of several weeks.

Though tended by loving hands, and every comfort provided, she feel asleep in Jesus.  Bravely she fought live battles, and as bravely she bore her sufferings with uncomplaining fortitude.

Mrs. Garner was one of Garrard's oldest, highly respected and lovable women.  She was the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Shumate, of Madison county, (who were among the first settlers of Kentucky, coming here from Virginia).  She was born in Madison county, on November 30, 1836, and had she lived until her birthday she would have been 83 years of age.  On September 29, 1858, she was married to John M. Maret, of Madison county, and to this union were born two children, Fannie S. Maret (Mrs. James A. Scott) and Willis Lee Maret, (all of whom preceded her to the grave).

They moved to Garrard county in 1865, at which time she made her home until the time of her death.

She was again married on December 13, 1898 to Mr. George Garner, of Bath county, who is left to mourn her loss, together with her brother, Mr. Frank Shumate, of San Francisco, California, eleven grand-children and seven great grand-children, numerous nieces and nephews, and other relatives in Missouri, Illinois and California.

Mrs Garner was a devout member of the Christian church, having confessed her faith in Christ, at Fairview Christian church, in early life.  She was loved by both old and young alike, and will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

Funeral services were conducted from the home by Rev. Frank N. Tinder, after which the interment took place in the cemetery at Richmond.  The grand-children were all present for the burial except, Mrs. J.C. Warmoth of Wapella Illinois, and Capt. Johm M. Maret, who is stationed at Honolulu, Hawaii.

The heart felt sympathy of the community goes out to the bereaved husband, and other loved ones, who are left to mourn her loss.

Mrs. Simon Bolivar Buckner of Kentucky 1831-1873

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Mary Jane Kingsbury was the daughter of Major Julius Kingsbury and Jane Stebbins of Connecticutt.  She and Second Lieutenant Simon Bolivar Buckner (my husbands first cousin thrice removed) met at Sackett's Harbor when both he and her father were stationed there during the mid to late 1840's.  Buckner went off to the Mexican War and kept up a correspondence with Miss Kingsbury. When he returned they were married in Old Lyme on May 2, 1850. The couple had two children, Lily and Henry.  Henry (1860 - abt 1861) died sometime before the age of two.  Lily (1858-1893) grew to adulthood and married Morris B. Belknap. After suffering from tuberculosis for five years Mary Jane Kingsbury Buckner succumbed to the disease in January 1874.

From the book Simon Bolivar Buckner Borderland Knight by Arndt M. Stickles

Simon Bolivar Buckner was a military man and politician.  He rose to the rank of General in the Confederate States Army and in 1887 was elected Governor of Kentucky. Eleven years after the death of his wife, Mary Kingsbury Buckner, he married Delia Claiborne.  Their son, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr, went on to have his own impressive military career even reaching the rank of General as did his father.

Governor Charles Slaughter Morehead of Kentucky, 1855-1859

Charles Slaughter Morehead from the
Kentucky Dept of Libraries and Archives

Charles Slaughter Morehead, 1802-1868
At least we think it's him.

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Who was Charles Slaughter Morehead? He was many things including Attorney General of Kentucky 1830-1835.  A United States Representative from Kentucky, 1847-1851 and the Governor of Kentucky, 1855-1859.  He was also a Delegate to the Peace Convention in Washington D.C. in 1861.  He was accused of treason because his sympathies lay with the South during the Civil War.  He was even arrested and confined in Fort Lafayette, New York, by Federal authorities for disloyalty, 1861-1862.  He was released after several of his prominent friends asked for his release however, he was not allowed to go back to Kentucky or any southern states and he went into exile in Canada, Europe and Mexico.  After the war, he moved to Greenville Mississippi.  He is buried in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, Kentucky.

The picture we have comes from a very old Album that held a number of CDV's and a few tintypes.  We are fortunate that some of the pictures have names written on them and most of them are Morehead's with a few Gunn's in there as well.  The Morehead and Gunn Family had several connections in their day.  My husband, a Moran,  is related to the Morehead family through his great great grandmother, Caroline Morehead Gunn.  She is the daughter of Turner Morehead and Mary Polly Ann Hewitt Hooe.  Caroline Morehead married Lyman Taft Gunn and the Moreheads have another connection to the Gunn's via the marriage of Sallie Boyd to Lyman T. Gunn's son, Lyman Cephas Gunn.  To see a very messed up family chart take a look here.  Anyway, according to the Consanguinity Chart my husband and Charles Morehead are 1st cousins, thrice removed..

Backside of the image above of Charles Slaughter Morehead.

We think that this picture looks very much like Charles S. Morehead in his later years. Unfortunately, it is one of the unmarked pictures in the photo album.  The photographer's mark is Bogardus, 363 Broadway Cor. Franklin St., N.Y.  Abraham Bogardus was a well known daguerrotypist producing about 200,000 in his career and we know that Morehead was held prisoner in New York in 1861-1862 so it is very possible that after he was released from prison he sat for Bogardus before leaving the country in exile.

We can't say for certain that this is Charles S. Morehead but when you look at the provenance of the picture the odds of it being him greatly increase.