Hopkins County Kentucky, very specific records search help needed.

Question

I'm searching for the parents of my ancestor Vachel Clark Sisk (b 1815 in Hopkins County Kentuck).   His name appears in a Hopkins County deed book and I have only the following information:

1841 Meredith Sisk bought from Willis Sisk estate. et  al (George W. Sisk, Stephen Sisk, Vachel Sisk) DB  (deed book???) 9 page 575 2 tracts Clear Creek.

I hope this records clarifies Vachel Sisk's relationship to Willis Sisk.   (Willis died in 1830 at the age of 41, when Vachel was 15).    I know that George W. Sisk and Stephen Sisk were sons of Willis Sisk.

On the internet, I've not found a will for Willis Sisk (probably died 1830), nor a death record nor a court record establishing guardian ship of his minor children.

If no one from the area is available to look up this record,  I'd imagine some day I'll make the 8 hour trip to Hopkins County.

Grateful for your consideration,

            Peggy McReynolds

Answer 1

V C Sisc, born 1815 was living in Pope County, Pope, AK during the 1850 US Census.  https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M67D-Z5Z   There were two George Sisks, one was the son of V C Sisk, per the 1850 census.  

Do you have bith, marriage and or death years for Geoge and or Stephen Sisc, both being sons of Willis? There was a William H. Sisk who was married to Permcia Obryan. They had a daughter born Sep 1858 in Hopkins, KY. Could William be Willis?

PS I lived in KY for a time, but it was at Fort Knox. That was a long time ago.

Comments

Thanks Frank.   You're quick!    I always appreciate people responding.

V.C.  (Vachel Clark) Sisk first appears on the Pope County Arkansas Tax list in 1843.  I also have his 1850 U.S. Census  (he was a blacksmith).....  Haven't been able to locate his grave in Arkansas,  but his wife  (Mary "Polly" Timmons) and one of his children are buried in the McReynolds Cemetery in Arkansas.

Positively identifying his parents is proving tricky.  This will just give me an excuse for a road trip.   I'll probably make the trip to Kentucky and stop by some  "family genealogy sites" in Tennessee on the way.

Wow,  you have a lot of points.

           Peggy McReynolds

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Hey Frank were you an extra in the bond film "Goldfinger"?

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No, I wasn't. Why, was there someone there with the same name?

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I don't know about someone there with the same name but it happened at Fort Knox a long time ago! :D

Answer 2

Vachel Clark Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1815 - Hopkins
Death:  date - Arkansas, United States
Marriage:  date - Hopkins, KY (Kentucky)

F:	John Sisk
M:	Elizabeth Leona "Oney" Strutton

Willis Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1880 - Hopkins, United States

F: John B Sisk  M: Mary B Vannoy

Willis Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1772 - Wilkes, United States

F:	Daniel Sisk
M:	Rachel Loving

 

Comments

Thanks Chris......   I have also seen that a few family trees offer John Sisk and  "Oney" Strutton as parents of Vachel Clark Sisk.   What bothers me about this couple is that the same family trees offer April 19, 1813 as John's date of death.  (No source provided) and then  the widow "Oney" married  Lewis Howell  December 15, 1814.  (I have a source for this Kentucky marriage in 1814.)   According to the 1850 U.S. census, Vachel Clark Sisk was born about 1815.   I realize his birth date was calculated from the 1850 census and could be wrong.... but on November 13, 1850 the census taker gave him an age of 35.....if this is correct he was born between Nov 13, 1815 and Nov 12 1816.   This would make  Oney's second husband,  Lewis Howell, the father of Vachel  not John Sisk (who supposedly died April 19, 1813).

I've seen nothing to support John and Oney Sisk being the parents of Vachel Clark Sisk but I haven't ruled out the possibility.

Up until now,  I've thought Willis Sisk (born 1789 died 1830) was the son of Barnabus Sisk.    I'll look into the possibility it's Daniel Sisk ,  he's the brother of Barnabus.  There are several Willis Sisks from Hopkins County.

Looks like you found the right Stephen T. Sisk,  son of Willis and Rebecca.

Thanks for the ideas.   If  you have a source for Vachel's parents being John and Oney Sisk,  I'm really interested.

                Peggy McReynolds

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Robert Barnabus Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1775 - Wilkes, United States
Death:  date - city, Hopkins, Kentucky, United States
Marriage:  date - city, Anderson, South Carolina

F:	Daniel Sisk
M:	Rachel Loving

Looks like Barnabus would have been to young to be the father?

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Looks like he had a daughter?1850 United States Federal Census

V C Sisk

Birth:	Circa 1815 - Place
Residence:	1850 - Place
Schedule:	Schedule
Wife (implied):	Name of spouse
Children (implied):	Sarah L Sisk and names of 2 more children

Sarah L. Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1841

F:	V. C. Sisk
M:	Mary L "Polly" Sisk

 

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Isn't it strange that a family would perpetuate a first name like  "Barnabas",  but my ancestors certainly did.   There are three male Sisks in Hopkins County alone with the given name Barnabas.   Do you think Barney from Mayberry RFD was a Barnabas?

The Barnabas I consider to be a candidate as Willis Sisk's father was born in 1769  (probably Virginia), married Sarah Sally Woodridge in 1789 and died in Hopkins County Kentucky in 1841.

Yes  "Sarah L" is one of Vachel Sisk's daughters.  His other two children are Lucinda and George W. Sisk.   George W. Sisk and his wife  "disappeared" between 1860 and 1870;  leaving their two young children to be raised by their grandmother who was Vachel's wife, by now Vachel has died.   Living in northwest Arkansas was treacherous for civilians.  Bushwhackers were abundant between 1862 and 1870.  Apparently, they had no problem hanging or shooting unarmed civilians.

Thx for your time.

   Peggy

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Mayberry's Barney was Bernard Fife.  Much pleasanter than Barnabus in my opinion.  Wasn't Barnabus a bible name?

Answer 3

George W Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1844 - Hopkins, USA
Death:  date - city, Shelby, Illinois, USA
Marriage:  date - Shelby, Illinois, USA
 

F:	T W Sisk
M:	Nancy Sisk

 

Comments

T.W. Sisk was my 3rd great grandfather and George W. Sisk was my 2nd great grandfather.  Timothy W. was born in 1810 in Hopkins Co., Kentucky, have not been able to figure out who his father was.  Family "rumor" was that there were 3 brothers and they all went their separate ways.  May have been a sister that stayed back in Madisonville. George W. Sisk was born in 1845 in Madisonville, Hopkins Co., but had moved on to Illinois by 1850 with his father Timothy.   Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Sharyn Sisk

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Timothy W. /SISK/

View Tree

Gender

Male

Birth

22 June 1810

2

1. Knox-Laffoon.GED
2. Stefanie L

Father

Timothy /SISK/

Mother

Ann /JENKINS/

MARRIAGES (1)

Spouse

Nancy /HUNTER/

Marriage

3 August 1835

Hopkins County, Kentucky

2 Knox-Laffoon.GE

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:SB3M-GV9 : accessed 2016-07-15), entry for Timothy W. /SISK/.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=%2055603455

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Yes the findagrave link is my GGG grandfather.  The tree however is still a little uncertain.  My Timothy was born in 1810 for certain in Hopkins County.  A number of researchers suggest that a Timothy Sisk and Annie Jenkins never left Virginia per a revolutionary war pension:

Timothy Sisk, husband of Anney Jenkins, applied for a Revolutionary War
Pension. This application was applied for through the court system in
Culpeper County, Virginia on the 13th of August 1832...where Timothy
personally appeared. He got his pension and it was retroactive to March 4,
1831...He got 40 bucks in arrearages and a $10 semi-annual payment on 4 Sep
1833. At the time he applied, Timothy was 70 years old...birthdate of abt
1761.

 

For certain there is another Timothy Sisk on the 1820 census in Hopkins Co, but the son listed as being under 10 is probably Milton Sisk.  Unfortunately there were a lot of Timothy Sisk's

 

I thank you for "taking a shot" at my continuing mystery.

Answer 4

Stephen T Sisk
Birth:  dd mm 1808

F:	Willis Sisk
M:	Rebecca Timmons

 

Answer 5

I live in Hanson, Kentucky. Email me if you still need help.