The first record I have found of Samuel Bivins I have found is when he married Esther Garran in Campbell County, Kentucky on the 17 January 1828. David Badgerow is listed as their bondman. Since the bondman is normally close family and David's wife was Keziah Bevins I believe that Samuel is likely her brother.
The next record for Samuel Bivins is the 1830 USA census. Samuel's family is still living in Campbell County, Kentucky. They are listed as:
Samuel Bivins
2 males under 5
1 male 20 to 29
1 female 15 to 19
1 female 20 to 29
3 persons under 20
2 persons 20 to 29
The 2 males under 5 are likely his first two sons Nathaniel and John. 1 male 20 to 29 is Samuel. There are 2 females listed in the house hold 1 between the ages of 15 and 19 and 1 between the ages 20 and 29. One of these would be Esther Garran, Samuels wife. She is most likely the elder female as later records give her birth date around 1806. Who is the younger teenage girl? Perhaps a sister to Samuel or Esther? Or possibly Samuel was married before his marriage to Esther and had a daughter? It would be so helpful if these early census listed all members of the family wouldn’t it!
I have not been able to find Samuel's family in the 1840 USA census. The next census I do find Samuel's family in is the 1850 USA Census. They are now living in Mahaska County, Iowa.
Samuel Bevins, age 50, male, farm, born in NY.
Esther Bevins, age 44, female, born in PA.
Nathanel Bevins, age 22, male, farm, born in KY.
John Bevins, age 21, male, farm, born in KY.
James Bevins, age 19, male, none, born in KY.
Joseph Bevins, age 16, male, none, born in Ohio.
Menirva Bevins, age 14, female, born in Ohio, attending school.
George Bevins, age 10, male, born in Ohio, attending school.
Bonapart Bevins, age 4, male, born in Ohio, attending school.
From the ages and birth places of their children it seems that Samuel lived in Kentucky until at least 1831 and had moved to Ohio around 1834 when their son Joseph Bivins was born. This census lists all their remaining children as born in Ohio. However Napoleon Bonaparte Bivins their youngest child does later list Indiana as his birth place.
Samuel Bivins gives his age as 50 so born in 1800 and in New York. Esther gives her age as 44 so born in 1806 in Pennsylvania. If the were living in Ohio why are they not recorded there in the 1840 census? Perhaps the record is badly transcribed. I will have to look again for them.
This census is the last record I've found with Samuel Bivins so far. It seems that he died between 1850 and the next census in 1860.
In 1860 Esther is recorded as the head of house, living in Liberty, Marion County, Iowa.
Ester Bevans, age 53, female, born in PA, can not read or write, insane caused by fetr [sic] (fetor).
Napoleon B. Bevans, age 13, male, born in Ind., attending school.
John Bevans, age 31, male, born in KY.
Eliza J. Bevans, age 22, female, born in Iowa.
Andrew J. Bevans, age 4, male, born in Iowa.
Samuel H. Bevans, age 10/12, male, born in Iowa.
Her youngest son Napoleon Bonaparte is living at home and attending school. Her second oldest son John is married to Eliza J. and has two son's Andrew J. Bivins age four and Samuel H. Bivins 10 months old both born in Iowa.
That is the last record I can find for Esther Bivins (Garran). I’ve continued to trace their children and will share what I’ve found soon. So far I have not found anything that proves what the relationship between Samuel Bivins and my Keziah Bevins is. So far I know they both state they were born in New York, they were a few years apart in age. Keziah born 1797 and Samuel 1800 and Keziah’s husband was the bondman for Samuel’s marriage.
There were some Bivins/Bevins who moved from Springwater, New York where Keziah married David Badgerow and settled near where David would have lived. They were on the Ohio side of the boarder, perhaps this is why Samuel moved into Ohio? I will be working on these families in more detail soon and I hope that something will turn up to connect this group together.
Labels: Badgerow, Bevins, Bivins, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio
