Introduction

In this blog, I am sharing some of my family history along with a description of the techniques and resources I used in the search and some tips for your own research. I am also sharing this story for my family and others who may be interested in this Kerr family and their journey from Erie County, New York, to Bates County, Missouri.

My mom (now deceased) did family genealogy research for over 30 years (pre-internet). She had gathered copies of multiple records about the Kerr and Hussey families, including census records, George C. Kerr’s handwritten Will, Phebe Addis’ handwritten divorce papers, and land records for Cyrus and Diadama Hussey and for Ben and Phebe Addis in Bates County, Missouri. She also had a note about the location of George C. Kerr’s burial in Lake County, Illinois. Her records included a collection family pictures with information on the back, which has been very beneficial in creating the family tree.

I continued the family research with the assistance of the internet, including verification of records in my mom’s collection (verified!!!) and location of additional sources. For my research, I used Ancestry.com as my primary genealogy platform, Newspapers.com, Google Chrome, Find-a-Grave, and email communications with the Ela Township, Lake County, IL, historical society. I am sharing a overview of the our Kerr family story, a sample of the records, and pictures I took recently of the area where our Kerr and Hussey family lived in the 1850’s/1860’s (Cuba Township, Lake County, IL).

Note: I typically use Ancestry.com for my searches, but there are other very good genealogy platforms available. I have provided an overview of some of these genealogy platforms and resources on the “Resources” page, which you can access from the blog menu. If you have another preferred genealogy platform or other resource you would like to share with the readers, please send the information in “Comment”.

The Alexander Kerr Family of New York

George Crawford Kerr and Phebe Ann Morris were my maternal 3rd great-grandparents. He was the son of Alexander Kerr and wife Elizabeth¹ who were both born in Ireland². Alexander and Elizabeth had 11 sons and one daughter: Robert, William, John, Ruth, Alexander (Jr), Peter, Elijah, James, George Crawford, David, Patterson, and Thomas Jefferson¹. Note: Some family trees include Elizabeth. Census records show that this Elizabeth was the aunt of Michael Kerr of Washington County, NY. The records show that Michael was the son of Robert Kerr who also lived in Washington County. One record that suggests that Elizabeth was not the daughter of Alexander was the 1800 U.S. Census. The census did not include names, but it recorded one daughter (under the age of 10); no daughters > 10 years of age. Alexander had one daughter, Ruth, born about 1795.

The Alexander Kerr family settled in Deerpark, Orange County, New York, by the late 1700’s. How long they lived in Deerpark is unknown, but records show Alexander in Deerpark from at least 1799 to 1812. These records include the New York State Census (1800), tax assessments of real and personal estates³, and a record of Aliens in 1812⁴. The record of Aliens was collected by the U.S. Marshals during the the time of the War of 1812 on behalf of the U.S. State Department. This information was self-reported. At the time of collection, Alexander (Sr.) and his oldest son Robert lived in Deerpark, Orange County (not to be confused with Deer Park, Suffolk County). His second son, William, lived in Newburgh, Orange County, New York. Alexander (Sr) was a farmer. Robert and William were merchants. This document supports the possibility that Alexander and Elizabeth’s two oldest sons were born before they arrived in the United States, even though census records give the place of birth as New York⁴.

Migration to Erie County, New York

After the American Revolution, indigenous people whose home land included what is now western New York were forced to relinquish claim to their land. In 1800, the Holland Land Company purchased this land from the state and laid claim to the title to land that now forms eight counties on the western side of New York, including Erie County. The Holland Land Company then sold lots, spurring white settlement in the region. The first white settlers came to the region in the early 1800’s⁵. The town of Eden, originally called “Hills Corners”, was established in 1812⁶. The nearby town of Collins was formed in 1821⁵. Small communities, known as hamlets, which had stores, businesses and post offices to support the community and those passing through the area. One such hamlet, which lied in the northwest corner of the the boundaries of Collins Township (now North Collins Township), was initially called Rose Corner, named after Chester Rose, who ran a store at the location. John and Alexander (Jr) Kerr purchased the store and this small community became known as Kerr’s Corner. Other Kerr brothers established businesses, including a hotel, and Isiah and then John served as the post master. Kerr’s Corner was located at the corner of Main and Brant streets⁹. Through the years, the population grew as well as the businesses and services to support the community. With this growth, Collins township was divided. In 1852, the northern section was established as North Collins township. The town of Shirley was established, which encompassed Kerr’s Corner. The town was renamed North Collins in 1853¹⁰.

The following map shows the town of North Collins, Erie County, New York¹¹, which is located in the extreme northwest corner of North Collins township, formerly part of the Collins township.

Most of Alexander and Elizabeth’s children lived in the Erie County, New York, at some point in their adulthood. I found records showing all of their children, except William, Peter, and possibly Robert, living in the southern portion of Erie County, known as the “south towns”. William and Peter’s dates of death suggest that they likely died before their siblings relocated to Erie County. It is unclear whether Robert lived in Erie County. There are records for a Robert Kerr living in Erie County, but I do not know if this is our Robert Kerr^8,9,12,13.

John and Alexander (Jr.) ran a mercantile store and their brother, Patterson, ran a hotel at Kerr’s Corner. In 1827, Alexander (Jr) was elected a Justice of the Peace for Eden. David owned an Inn in Collins in 1938. He lived in nearby Brandt. Elijah and John served as postmasters. James, Alexander (Jr), John, and Patterson all owned land in Collins township in the 1850’s^8,9,12,13. The 1854 map of Erie County¹¹ shows land owned by T. J. (Thomas Jefferson) Kerr in Collins Township. Census records show George Crawford Kerr and family lived in Hamburg, Erie County in 1830. The family moved to Collins, near the other brothers by 1840. Ruth, daughter of Alexander & Elizabeth, and her husband, Hiram A. Hinman lived in Collins in 1850.

Some of the Kerr siblings remained in Erie County throughout their adulthood, but some moved to other locations, primarily near Erie County. In 1840, Ruth Kerr Hinman and family lived in Pennsylvania, but they returned to Collins by 1850 George Crawford Kerr was living in nearby Cattaraugus County in 1850, where other brothers moved and/or owned land, as well as the Morris family, Phebe’s parents and siblings. But George C. Kerr moved to Lake County, Illinois, by 1855, living near his wife, Phebe, Morris Kerr’s, brother. George and Phebe’s daughter, Diadama; her husband, Cyrus Hussey; and their daughter, Ann “Lib”, moved to Lake County, IL, with her parents¹⁵.

George Kerr and Phebe Ann Kerr (nee Morris)

George Crawford Kerr was born in New York about 1806, likely in Orange County. His wife, Phebe Ann Morris, was born about 1809 in Vermont. Phebe was the daughter of John Morris and Ruth Moon. According to census records, Phebe’s father was born in New Jersey and her mother was born in New York. The Morris family lived in Bennington, Vermont, in 1810. They were living in Hartford, Washington County, New York, in 1820, and by 1830, they had moved to Cattaraugus County, New York, where John Morris lived at the time of his death. After John’s death, Phebe’s mother, Ruth, moved to Iowa with her son Cyrus and family. She died in Iowa City, Wright County, Iowa, in 1870. Her body was returned to Cattaraugus County, New York, for burial with her husband¹⁶.

George and Phebe had one daughter. Diadama Cordelia Melvina Kerr. The 1840 U.S. Census also showed a male age 10-14 living in the home of George Kerr, in Erie County, New York. According to the 1855 Illinois Census, an adult male age 20-29 was living with the family. The identity of this male person is unknown; some researchers have speculated that this young male was George and Phebe’s son.

Diadama Kerr married Cyrus Cleveland Hussey, a descendant of Christopher Hussey, Tristram Coffin, and Edward Starbuck, who were considered to be three of the nine Founding Fathers of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the 1600’s. It is important to note that Nantucket was the home of indigenous people, prior to and during the early years of European settlement. I will blog more about Cyrus Hussey’s ancestry in a future blog.

Kerr and Hussey Family Move to Lake County, Illinois

Sometime between the collection of the 1850 U.S. Census (New York) and the 1855 Illinois State Census, George and Phebe Kerr, and Diadama, Cyrus, and Diadama’s daughter, Anna Elizabeth “Lib”, moved from Cattaraugus County, New York, to Nunda Township, McHenry County, Illinois. In the 1860 U.S. Census, George and Phebe Kerr, and the Hussey family were living in Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois. Diadama and Cyrus had two more children, Catherine Estella “Stelle” and John Ellis, born while the family was living in Illinois.

TIP: If you are using a genealogy platform, you may have difficulty finding persons in the database using the search feature. One reason this may happen is the transcription of records, such as census records, may be done electronically. The older documents are difficult to read and/or the names may have not be recorded accurately. I use various techniques to search for the records, including searching for persons in the census images by using a known family member as a starting point. Close relatives frequently lived in the same vicinity. I also search other member’s family trees that include the person or persons I am looking for because they may have located the records. Sometimes I use other genealogy platforms and/or a Google search.

Initially, I was unable to locate my Hussey family in the 1860 census using the Ancestry. com search feature. I did locate the Kerr family, after several attempts. The challenge was that George C. and Phebe Ann’s initials were recorded as “J. C.” and “F. A.” rather than “G. C.” and “P. A.” I then searched for the Cyrus Hussey family. The traditional search did not produce a result, so I reviewed the image. I found Cyrus and Diadama living at the next dwelling recorded in the census. The entry is difficult to read, and the transcription of the image was recorded as “Lynas Hersey” and “L. D. Hersey”. I included the image below to show how it looked. Note: the record did include the three children, but I did not include them in this image.

George Kerr died on the 9^th of Jul 1863 in Lake County, Illinois. He was buried in the Bennett Cemetery (Ela Township) located in the mile section east of the Kerr property (Cuba Township). The abandoned Bennett Cemetery is on private property and requires permission to go onto the property^16,17. I have driven by the property, but was not able to determine the exact location of the cemetery. It has been reported that the few remaining stones are lying down as shown in the picture of George Kerr’s gravestone below. The president of the Ela Township (Lake County, IL) Historical Society provided the picture of George’s headstone. TIP: Local historical societies and genealogical societies can be helpful resources when searching for family genealogy.

Kerr and Hussey Families Move to Bates County, Missouri

After George’s death, Phebe married Benjamin Addis on 24 Dec 1864 in Chicago, IL. Benjamin was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War. By 1868, the Phebe and Ben Addis and Cyrus and Diadama Hussey owned land in the Charlotte and Elk Hart Townships, Bates County, Missouri.

Cyrus Hussey died in January of 1886 in Bates County, Missouri. Diadama died in the following year, 1867. The 1891 Map shows their property was located in the southern part of Elk Hart Township, near their youngest daughter, Anna and her husband John Hedger, who lived in the neighboring Charlotte Township. Diadama and Cyrus’ son, John Ellis Hussey, was also living in Charlotte Township. The map below shows where the Cyrus Hussey property was located in relationship to the Howell Cemetery, where the family is buried.

Diadama’s mother, Phebe, died sometime after 1891.The following map shows the Addis Estate, where Phebe Morris Kerr Addis lived. This map validates the family story that Granny Addis, as called by the family, owned property north of the Christian Church.

The Christian Church on this map is no longer there, but the Methodist (M.E. Church) continues to have services to this date. The Grange Hall (building) was moved to a property about one mile south of Virginia many years ago. There were two general stores located across the road from each other. Stores were operated at those locations until the store on the east side of the road closed for business in the 1960’s and the store on the west side of the road closed for business about 25 years later. Today, a retail pecan business operates on the east side of the road. The post office closed years ago.

Researching Where My Ancestors Lived in 1850s and 1860s

In addition to the census records, I used several resources to determine where my Kerr and Hussey families lived. One document I reviewed was George C. Kerr’s Will, which I accessed as a public document in Ancestry.com. The Will gives a specific description of the property. According to George Kerr’s Will, his property was located in Section thirteen in Township forty-three Range nine East of the third principle meradion [sic].

Next, I searched for a plat map of Lake County, Illinois, that showed the sections, townships and Range to compare to the written description of property in the Will. I searched Google Chrome for a “Plat Map of Lake County, Illinois”. I located the 1861 Map of Landowners in Lake County, Illinois^18,19. The map is maintained by the Library of Congress (Hale, G. (1861) Map of Lake County, Illinois. St. Louis: L. Gast Bro. & Co. Lith. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013593105/). TIP: Be sure to check copyright and how to cite source. This citation was provided by the Library of Congress.

I have included an excerpt of the map showing the portion of Cuba Township (section 13 and Ela Township (section 18) below. The map shows Geo. C. Kerr property in 1861, highlighted in purple and marked with a yellow arrow, and the location of George C. Kerr’s burial in the now abandoned Bennett cemetery, marked with a yellow arrow.

Tip: Some plat maps are available through genealogy platforms, such as Ancestry.com, but I find an Internet search usually results in available maps. You may also find maps for purchase, which may include additional information.

What Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois Looks Like Today

I traveled to Lake County, Illinois, in August of 2021, and visited the area where the Kerr and Hussey families lived. I have included two pictures I took that show how the area looks now. There are houses nestled in these wooded areas, but I did not take pictures of those properties to respect privacy. The creek seen in the photo below is the creek that ran through the George Crawford Kerr property.

Wrap Up

I hope you enjoyed reading about the my Kerr family and the Diadama and Cyrus Hussey family. I will blog more about Cyrus Hussey’s ancestors in a future blog, taking the family tree back to the early years in the colonies and Nantucket.

Soures:.
¹The Kerr Clan of New Jersey: Beginning with Walter Ker of Freehold and including Other Related Lines, Vol. 1., compiled by William Clinton Armstrong, The Sawver Publishing Co.: Morrison, IL, 1931. Note: The book is available through several sources, including (1) Hathi Trust Digital Library, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com or purchase online.
²U.S. Census Records, accessed through Ancestry.com; available in FamilySearch.org or other genealogy platforms.
³New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804; accessed thru Ancestry.com.
⁴New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804
⁵Wikipedia: Erie County, New York, retrieved 04 Feb 2022
⁶Wikipedia: Eden (Erie County), New York, retrieved 04 Feb 2022
⁷Wikipedia: Collins (Erie County), New York, retrieved 04 Feb 2022
⁸Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York, Vol. 1, Edited by Truman C. White, The Boston Historical Publishers: Boston, 1898; This work is available online viewing and purchase through multiple sources, including the Cornell University Library Internet Archive
⁹Reminiscent History of North Collins (Erie County, New York) by Emily Stewart, 1914; digitalized copy owned by the Western New York Library Resources Council, Western New York Genealogical Society, 2011. This document was a hand written history of North Collins, New York, from 1809 to about 1889. The book includes the sons of Alexander Kerr, who were living in the area: John, Elijah, Patterson, and David.
¹⁰Wikipedia: North Collins (Erie County), New York, retrieved 04 Feb 2022
¹¹Map of Erie County, New York: from actual surveys, Philada:Robert Pearsall Smith, Publisher ; Buffalo : John Angell, Publisher, 1854. Retrieved 06 Feb 2022.
¹²Buffalo Commercial Advertiser (Buffalo, New York) 21 Jul 1838, p. 4: David Kerr; Newspapers.com
¹³Buffalo Commercial Advertiser (Buffalo, New York) 22 Oct 1860, p. 4: T. J. Kerr; Newspapers.com
¹⁴Illinois State Census, 1855, Nunda Township, McHenry County, Illinois, accessed through Ancestry.com; available in FamilySearch.org or other genealogy platforms.
¹⁵Find-a-Grave ID 37869647 Ruth Moon Morris
¹⁶Find-a-Grave ID 68585055 George C. Kerr
¹⁷Ela Township, Lake County, Illinois, Historical Society, e-mail communication with society president
¹⁸Plat Book of Bates County, Missouri, 1895: Elk Hart Township. The State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved 06 Feb 2022.
¹⁹Plat Book of Bates County, Missouri, 1895: Virginia P.O., Burdette. The State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved 06 Feb 2022.