Kentucky Genealogy: Bays

To help document, here's the Bays part of my family.

• Charlene Riley Bays (born 13 September 1937, Jefferson county, Kentucky - died 11 January 2013, Marion county, Indiana) - my mother
• John Riley Bays (born 30 May 1910, Kentucky - died 21 May 1997, Floyd County, Indiana) - My grandfather
• Joseph Walter Bays (born 2 December 1879, Carter county, Kentucky - died 1 May 1968, Rowan county, Kentucky) - John's father
• Newton White Bays (born 11 December 1853, Magoffin county, Kentucky - died 27 January 1922, Carter county, Kentucky), Joseph's father
• Rufus Garland Bays (born 7 June 1816, Tennessee - died July 1865, Carter county, Kentucky), Newton's father
• Joel Bays (born 1782, Scott county, Virginia - died 28 September 1852, Scott county, Virginia), Rufus's father

Susanna Diehl, My Great-Great Grandmother (Updated)

Here's a genealogy post. We've known for a while that my great-great grandmother on my father's side was Susanna Diehl (spelled various ways) of Pennsylvania. She was married to David Rothenberger on 26 September 1867 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. By 1880, the family is in Clinton county, Indiana (according to the 1880 US Census). Susanna dies later that year at the age of 31, leaving behind four children: Peter J. Rothenberger (12 years old), Sallie V. Rothenberger (8), Olville O. Rothenberger (6, and my great grandfather), and Anna A. Rothenberger (2). The names are from the census, and are in some cases known to be incorrect. Anyway...

Who Were Anna Dora Roberts' Parents? (originally posted to GRothenberger.com, 11 July 2010)

It turns out there's a little disagreement about the mother of my great-grandmother, Anna Dora Roberts Bays. I've always thought she was Sarah Tackett, the daughter of Abner Tackett and Elizabeth Caudill. I've recently found out, though, that one of my cousins believes her mother was Rosa B. Williams. This morning I decided to see what I could find out. Sure enough, in the 1910 US census, I found Hiram Roberts, his daughter Anna D., and his wife Rosa B. I figured I had to be wrong on this one, and started changing my computer records (don't ever do that until you've given things at least a day to settle out). The 1890 and 1880 censuses are incomplete, so I couldn't go back and check them. So I started trying to find out more about Rosa B. Williams. I didn't find much, other than an 1880 marriage between Hiram Roberts and Rosa B. Williams in Morgan county, Kentucky. That was more evidence that I had made a mistake somewhere, although as far as I knew, Hiram was born in Rowan county. So I started checking Rowan county records.

I found a marriage record for Hiram Roberts and Sarah Tackett in Rowan county (22 May 1884) witnessed by his father (Hiram) and her father (Abner). This was my original source for Sarah Tackett. I also found Hiram and Sarah buried next to each other in Caudill cemetery in Rowan county. This is the same cemetery where Anna and her husband (my great-grandfather Joseph Walter Bays) are buried. So that leads me to believe that Anna's mother was Sarah Tackett, who died in 1888 (one year after Anna's birth). However, Hiram died in 1905, so he doesn't show up in the 1910 census. There is a Rose B. Roberts in that census, who is a widow. Her father is living with her, and his name is listed as William "Eaegan." She also lives fairly close to my great-grandparents.

So were there two Hirams? One in Morgan county and one in Rowan county, both born about the same time. Or was there one, who was married to both Rosa and Sarah at the same time? I haven't been to Morgan county yet, so I can't verify that 1880 date for Rosa's marriage to Hiram. I don't know yet, but here's what I suspect happened.

Hiram married Sarah in 1884. They had at least one child, Anna, born in 1887. Sarah died in 1888. In 1890 (not 1880), Hiram remarried, to Rosa (Williams or "Eaegan," I'm not sure which). This explains the widow Rose in the 1910 census (who had no children living at home). It also explains why Anna and Joseph are buried in a Caudill cemetery, since the Caudill's would be Anna's relatives, and Joseph's by marriage. There's still a couple of questions, though, and I think I'm going to have to make a trip to Rowan county (and probably Morgan county) to try and clear them up.

Bentley Kentucky Genealogy

Here's the Bentleys in my grandmother's family:

• Bertha Cymenthia Bentley (1912-1970), my grandmother.
• Moses Bentley (1870-1950), her father.
• Hiram Craig Bentley ( about 1844-about 1899), Moses' father.
• Moses Bentley (1820-1850), Hiram's father.
• Thomas Bentley (1785-1860), Moses' father.
• Daniel Bentley (1752-1839), Thomas' father.

More Eastern Kentucky Genealogy

Here's the Akers on my grandmother's side:

• Anna Akers (1850-1935), married Hiram Craig Bentley (1844-1899). My great-great grandmother.
• John Valentine Akers (1826-1906), her father. 
• David Daniel Akers (1801-1894), his father.
• Valentine Akers (born 1762), his father.

So far, there's no Akers on my grandfather's side.

My Eastern Kentucky Family

I think it's time I started looking more closely at my family history. I've done a little over the years, but I want to get more serious about it. So let's consider this a beginning.

I want to particularly look at the half of my family that comes from Appalachian Kentucky. This is my mother's side of the family, largely from Floyd and Pike counties in Kentucky. My grandfather was John Riley Bays, born 30 May 1910 in Rowan county, died 21 May 1997 in Floyd county, Indiana. My grandmother was Bertha Cymenthia Bentley, born 15 October 1911 in Pike county, died 25 November 1970 in Floyd county, Indiana.

Here is a list of family names I'm pretty comfortable saying are directly related:

• Akers
• Barker
• Bays
• Bentley
• Blankenship
• Bryant
• Caudill
• Collier
• Crase
• Flanary
• Foster
• Hale
• Hammonds
• Howard
• Jackson
• Mullins
• Osborne
• Perry
• Roberts
• Salyer
• Tabor
• Tackett

I'll start putting more information up later. Right now, I need to get to work. If you have any interest in these families, please let me know.