Matthew David Fielder Hedrick & Mother, Harriet Pearce

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Mercy! I say that because sometimes these kinks in my tree and DNA Matches make my head hurt.

Every once in awhile I attempt to connect more of my DNA Matches at Ancestry.com to the appropriate ancestor in my tree. Currently I’m at 52 Matches and I’m only into 2nd and 3rd cousins. Its a job, especially when you don’t know who those Matches are but sometimes it works out that we can become acquainted. I have “cousin-acquaintances” in over 30 US states.

But going through my Thru-Lines, where more often than not a DNA Match puts their ancestor under the wrong parent, I found just such a relative.  An instance occurred when I found a Sarah McGraw, born 1857 in Putnam County, WV attributed to Martin McGraw Jr who had returned to Fayette County before 1855 and died in 1858. No way could Sarah have been a daughter of Martin. So I began my research with her: Sarah was actually descended from Martin’s brother Thomas McGraw who had moved to 18 Mile Creek, Putnam County, prior to 1840 – when the area was still Kanawha County. Therefore, the correct lineage goes like this:

Thomas McGraw & Caty Withrow

  • James McGraw b. 1835 Fayette County, WV; d. 1890 Putnam County; m. Eliza Jane Lewis 1856 Putnam County, WV.
    • Sarah C McGraw b. 14 AUG 1857, 18 Mile Cr, Putnam County, WV, d. abt 1893 Putnam County, WV.

What I found is that Sarah C. McGraw/McGrew first married William E. Stotler/Stutler/Statler on 8 December 1872 in Putnam County, WV and the two eventually moved up to Jackson County where we find them living in the 1880 Census at Ravenswood, WV with two children: Sarah M. Stotler, aged 4, and James A. Stotler, aged 1.

1880-JacksonCo-Stotler-McGraw

As of this writing, I know not what happened with the two Stotler children but I’m not dead yet. I could know more if there was an 1890 Census but you know the saying, “if a frog had wings…”

But THEN we find Sarah C Stotler or Statler (nee McGraw) marrying a man nearly ten years her junior by the name of Matthew David Hedrick on 12 July 1892 in Putnam County. Sarah is back to Putnam County from Jackson County and probably, cause I don’t know any better, living with her parents since her first husband likely died. Again, there is no 1890 Census to confirm that.

My DNA Matches give a lot of information about Matthew David Hedrick – after all, they are descended from both Sarah C and Matthew D. Hedrick. So I concentrated on Matthew and found a Death listing for him giving his father as “Unknown” and his mother as Harriet Pierce:

Harriet Pierce? I recognized her name but couldn’t remember why until I searched for her in my tree. Except the censuses and records spelled her last name “Pearce.” In the 1850 Putnam County Census, she is 12 years old and living in the same house with Philip Hedrick and wife Catherine DeBoe. As of this writing, I’ve not figured out the relationship of Harriet Pearce/Pierce to the Hedricks: She could be a granddaughter or a niece.

Come 1865, Harriet “Pearcy” married Jonathan Fielder on 4 November. The minister was Thomas Harmon at whose home the marriage took place which means Harriet and Jonathan were married at Red House, Putnam County, WV.

Then I found son Matthew’s birth record over at FamilySearch.org (you’ll need an account to view this record. Good News: Accounts are free). The year of his birth (1866) contradicts Matthew’s death record (1863):

In the 1870 Putnam Census, we find Harriet Pierce/Pearce living in the household of John Hedrick (son of Philip and Catherine) and his wife – yet another McGraw – Martha A. McGraw (daughter of Thomas McGraw & Caty Withrow). Apparently Jonathan Fielder had died. Certainly Philip Hedrick is dead so it makes sense that Harriet has moved in with John Hedrick and Martha A McGraw:

1870 Putnam Census of John and Martha A Hedrick.

Before you get excited and say, “I don’t see no Matthew,” I can explain. Previously, I stated that John Hedrick was the son of Philip Hedrick and Catherine DeBoe; Martha A., his wife, was the daughter of Thomas McGraw & Caty Withrow. Next in the list come:

  • Harriet Fielder (nee Pearce) aged 35;
  • child “Martha D” Fielder is actually four-year-old “Matthew David Fielder” – you’ll note in the center column he is marked “M” for male;
  • then comes Matthew’s sister Eliza J, aged 11;
  • Lucretia Smith, aged 11 – whom I suspect but cannot confirm was the daughter of Martha A. McGraw Hedrick’s cousin, Lucretia McGraw, eldest daughter of Martin McGraw Jr and his second wife, Sarah J Johnson. Lucretia married David Smith on 17 Feb 1864 in Mason County but died about/before 1873;
  • Finally, Alonzo McGrew, 8 years old, son of Samuel McGraw and Mary Ann Hedrick. Who are Sam and Mary Ann? Father, Samuel McGraw is the brother of “Aunt” Martha A. McGraw; Mother, Mary Ann Hedrick was the sister of “Uncle” John Hedrick (brother and sister married brother and sister). Mary Ann Hedrick McGraw died 15 Nov 1865 at 18 Mile Creek, Putnam County after the birth of her last child John Albert McGrew. 4-year-old Alonzo went to live with Uncle John Hedrick and Aunt Martha A and apparently did not leave there until it was time to strike out into the world.

Come the 1880 Putnam Census, a little has changed in the John Hedrick-Martha A McGraw household. Harriet Pearce Fielder is gone, I presume dead. The census is faded but still somewhat legible: You’ll note that Matthew’s surname is no longer “Fielder.” He is now “Matthew Hedrick.”

Listed are:

  • John Hedrick, aged 62
  • Martha A (McGraw), aged 60, wife
  • Eliza J (Fielder) Fore_ aged 18, Boarder
  • Jno B Fore_, aged 3, son (of Eliza J Fielder)
  • Lucretia Smith, aged 18, Boarder
  • S Whittington (female) aged 18, Boarder
  • Alonzo McGrew, aged 17, Boarder
  • Matthew (Fielder) Hedrick, aged 12, Boarder
  • not shown/turn the page in the census: Joana Whittington, aged 3 mos. Relationship is marked “none” and is perhaps daughter of S Whittington, listed above.

I get the feeling John and Martha were fostering children since they had only one child of their own.

Side Note: John Hedrick and Martha A. McGraw only had one biological son: William Phillip Hedrick born 1844. I won’t go into too much detail here but William Phillip married his first cousin Alice Luella Hayes, daughter of William H. Hayes and Mary L. McGraw – sister of Martha A. McGraw Hedrick – both daughters of Thomas and Caty McGraw. William Phillip Hedrick and Alice Luella Hayes had a son by the name of James Marion Hedrick who was – get a load of this – the second husband of my great-grandmother, Nora Belle Jacobs McGrew. Those two birds didn’t realize they were 4th Cousins.

Now back to Matthew David Fielder Hedrick. After his marriage to Sarah C. McGrew Stotler, the couple had a daughter, Harriet Rachel Hedrick, born 29 Mar 1891 at Buffalo, Putnam County, WV; died 15 Feb 1950, where else, Bancroft, Putnam County, WV.  Harriet or “Hattie” married William Henry McKneely in 1912 and proceeded to have seven sons and daughters: Belva M, William Ralph, Naomi S, Charles Denver, Ada B, Margaret E, and Elberta Elizabeth Mae McKneely.

Sarah C McGrew Stotler Hedrick apparently died in 1893. I haven’t found a death record – yet – but come 9 October 1895, Matthew David Fielder Hedrick married a second wife: Angeline Frances Edens who was apparently a widow surnamed Brown:

Angeline had two daughters: Ethel Brown (b 1890) and Grace Brown (b. 1892). Matthew D and “Angie” had two more daughters of their own: Gustavia Hedrick (b. 1905) and Cora Edith (b. abt 1906). Another interesting side note: Gustavia Hedrick married Winford Judson Withrow, a descendant of William Withrow Sr and Susannah Skaggs, grandparents of  Martha A. McGraw Hedrick, referenced above.

Poor Matthew.  He didn’t have much luck choosing sturdy wives, or so it appears. About 1917, his wife Angeline died. He again married yet another widow, 55 year old Rachel Jane Null, nee Milam – no doubt a relative on my mother’s side of the family – on 20 December 1919. I’ve not found a death record for Rachel but let it be known that come the 1940 Putnam County Census, 73 year old widowed Matthew David “Nordsick” is living in the household of daughter “Stalla Witham” and her husband “Winefred Witham” (Gustavia and Winford J Withrow). Gotta love those computerized screen readers.

Matthew David apparently went by his middle name David because that is the name under which his death record is listed at WVCulture.org. Matthew David died 25 October 1943 at Plymouth (nka Bancroft), Putnam County, WV and is buried at Big Cherry Cemetery (directions from Raymond City: turn onto Heizer Creek Road, the cemetery is located 0.9 miles on the right). The Find a Grave listing gives his name as David Mathew Hedrick and his birth date as 1863. More importantly, someone had done their homework by stating in his bio that he was “son of Harriet Pierce.”

In conclusion, Matthew David or David Matthew was born a Fielder, son of Jonathan Fielder but died a Hedrick. If you’re trying to work your family tree in this line and keep running up against a brick wall, I hope this blog post helps you work the kinks out.

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