Seven Degrees of Susan Phillips - Part I: Main Character Energy

 Of the past 7 years that I have been researching family history, I have spent a vast majority of that time on my Pierce and Bader lines of Franklin County, Missouri. My grandma had spent a lot of time on those families too, and there was just so many records and heirlooms already collected which made it an exciting group to research. Out of all the names and faces that came with grandma's research, Susan J. Phillips has stood the test of time as my favorite subject and biggest mystery. 

Susan's descendants at a family reunion circa 1910

Because so much of my research has surrounded Susan and because I'm wanting to document my genealogy process more closely, I decided it was time for me to walk my (very few) readers through the life and environment of Susan J Phillips. Within 7 degrees of her is a copious amount of family, friends, locations, and general historical information that myself and my grandmother have accumulated over the past 40(ish) years which build a picture of a life taken took soon, and a story that was almost lost to time. 

While Susan lived, I can imagine that she wouldn't have anticipated being remembered, even celebrated, in this way. With a gg granddaughter who craves to know her, and her name even posted on the internet. She passed away too soon, and we will never know what her life could have been, but I love knowing that she hasn't been lost, not completely. 

So, who is Susan J Phillips you ask? Let's meander our way back through the generations. 

My grandmother was Naomi Bader (married Marler) and her parents were Elmer Bader and Mabel Pierce. 

Naomi Bader as a teenager

Mabel Pierce and her husband Elmer

Mabel's parents were William "Jasper" Pierce and Susan "Susie" Hogan. 

Susie Hogan 

William Jasper Pierce

Jasper Pierce's parents were Susan J Phillips (Smith) and Abraham Kinsey Pierce. 

There she is, our main character. 

Susan holding her son James

Susan was most likely born in Tennessee on the 14th of February, 1830 (I know, what a romantic birthday). She likely traveled west to Missouri before she turned 10. Her family settled along the Meramec river in an early Missouri settlement called the Whitmire Settlement where they hosted camp revivals every year and where a cemetery still stands. Susan would spend the majority of her life in this little area. 

When she turned 18 she married a man named Solomon Smith whose family most likely traveled west with Susan's. They had a son, Peter, in 1849 but had no other children after him. Sometime between 1849 and 1858 Peter must have passed away because in 1848 Susan married Abraham "Kinsey" Pierce. The couple had 7 children in their time together. 

In 1870 Susan and Kinsey can be found in the census living with their young children and owning land. But by 1872, Susan has passed away and Kinsey follows soon after in 1874. 

Their 7 children are spread to nearby family and friends and poor little Jasper somehow ends up living with a family in Oletha, Kansas. The two youngest children are never found in records again under their family names. 

I have two main research objectives regarding Susan. First, I would like to figure out who her father was and continue following the line back. Second, I would like to know what happened to their property and their children after her death. An extra bonus would be to find the place where she was buried. 

So why the 7 degrees of Susan Phillips?

This is the kind of research problem that doesn't just get solved with one detailed record. I think it will take several layers of hypothesizing, researching, and readjusting to get to the final answers. I don't think I will ever find that needle in a haystack, but I think I could put my mind at ease by really taking the time and diving into the records to make sense of it all. 

I have always wanted to write about Susan, and to do so on a blog that I can share with others. This series gives me an opportunity to write about Susan and about the people, places, and things that are related to her. To share my research in a more narrative form and hopefully to inspire other people to find the amazing brick wall women in their family and dedicate the time to solving the mysteries of their lives. 

Love always and happy hunting!

Morgan