Temperance Straight (abt.1787-1853) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Temperance (Tempie) [uncertain] Straight [uncertain] aka Eddy

Born about 16 Oct 1787 in Monongalia Co. WV

Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling(s) unknown]

Wife of Aaron B Henry — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Descendants

Mother of Jefferson Straight

Died 22 Jul 1853 at about age 65 in Perry Township, Monroe, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: RL Burrows

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Profile last modified 20 May 2023 | Created 8 Jul 2015

This page has been accessed 210 times.

Biography

Edit: 1 March 2021 A new Henry yDNA match was just added to our two Straight cousins. This match is perfect at the 37 marker level with one of our Straight males. The Henry male descends from a brother of Aaron Henry (1786-1861). This strengthens the assertion that the father of Jefferson Straight is Aaron Henry and that Jefferson and his mother, Temperance, lived with Aaron in 1810.

Edit: 27 Feb 2021 A relative of Tempie recently discovered a letter to her mother from a cousin named Lavada Straight Donelson: Find A Grave Memorial# 39716524.

The letter is dated - 8 January 1981.

Lavada is the Granddaughter of Urias Straight and the Great Granddaughter of Jefferson Straight (Temperance's son). The letters were written to Marjorie Cooper Straight. Marjorie's husband, Charles L Straight, is a grandson of William Milton Straight who is brother to Urias Straight - both sons of Jefferson.

One of our team members, Kathryn Straight Stanziano, is the daughter of Charles and Marjorie Straight. Kathryn is in possession of a collection of many family related items. Among these are Lavada's letters and the Family Bible of Jefferson's wife, Barbara Ellen Eddy Straight.

In that 1981 letter, she indicates that another relative, Ellsworth Eddy (she states he died in the Fall of 1980 - Memorial# 44330430), knew of the location of Temperance's grave at this cemetery

"...was buried in the West Union Church of Christ of Perry township with the Eddys." ___ ___ ___

Many genealogists, researchers, and family historians have tried to unravel the mystery of Tempie. The only certain conclusion is that there are few certain conclusions. Many stories from collateral families concerning Tempie and her family are simply that – stories.

Non sourced accounts have her birth from 1779 to 1787. Many, if not most, use data on the 1850 US Census as her birth year.

The parents of Temperance remain unsolved. It is unlikely that she was 'Widow' Straight- but still possible. Our only clue is that she is named as 'Tempie' Straight under the 'Mother's Maiden Name' heading of Jefferson's death record - 43 years after her death.

Only the 1850 US Census infers a marriage to Samuel Eddy. Another Temperance connection is indisputable. She DID have issue with a male member of the Henry family. We tested two male descendants of Tempie's son, Jefferson, using yDNA with FTDNA. One descends from Silas Jefferson Straight and one from James Thomas Straight. Our team was shocked as neither Straight male matched any Straight participants. Zero matches.

I tried to place results in the 'Morgan' Surname Project as there was a belief that Jefferson's father was Levi Morgan – even though all matches then were from the 'Henry' surname. It didn't make sense to us. The 'Morgan' Administrator sent a message informing me that the results DO NOT belong with Morgan and suggested I join the Henry Surname Project.

At this point our team was immediately joined by a recognized expert on this uncommon Henry line. She was a former Administrator of the site and had long awaited matches to her Henry line. Here we were. She helped us immensely as we learned of this Henry family.

We searched vigilantly to find the most probable male Henry that fathered Jefferson, and narrowed down the possibilities. I also (like others) searched in vain to find the pair (Tempie and Jefferson) in Censuses for the Straight and Eddy families. Judy (our Henry expert) went a different route. She searched in Censuses of the Henry family. She won.

Judy found a family that matched our pair in the household of Aron (sic) Henry on the 1810 US Census in Monongalia County (W)VA. Aaron is the grandson of the Patriot Aaron Henry (1743-1824) who is the Patriarch of this line. Residing that year near his father, Otho, the couple is probably unwed. This might be proven as the family dissolves when Aaron married 17 Apr 1811 Mon. Co. (W)VA Mary 'Arey' Windsor.

Aaron removed with many other related families to Indiana and is found there on the 1820 US Census. He has many more children with Mary and other wives. The migrating families include Aaron's sister, Adah Henry, and her husband, Jesse Bayless Straight. In some form or fashion, Jesse is probably related to Temperance and provides another connection betwixt the families Straight and Henry.

If Temperance married a Mayfield, it would have to have been between 1811 and when she married Sam Eddy. A life long family historian was Lavada Belle Straight Donelson (1901-1992) and her letters to Marjorie Cooper Straight provide insights, including the resting place for Temperance. In one letter dated 15 Jan 1981, Lavada remembers a connection to the Mayfields. She states, “I can remember my father John Straight and his father Urias Straight speak of the Mayfields back in Virginia but was thinking just friends.”

Whatever the reasons, it seems that Tempie was sort of an outcast to at least Lavada's line (see image). In the same letter Lavada wrote, “I tried to ask about Jefferson's mother but would not tell anything that is my my father John Straight and his father Urias Straight.” This was at least 50 years after the passing of Temperance.

As with all genealogy hypotheses, the researchers must decide what they believe to be true. In this case Jefferson's father WAS yDNA proven a Henry. The rest is on the reader. --RLB

Researchers Note

It it reported that Tempie's Find a Grave site is a work in progress and not fit to be used as a source. This has been untrue for a long time. -RLB

Sources

Her son's death record

Below site edited 27 Feb 2021

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 February 2021), memorial page for Temperance Straight Eddy (1787–22 Jul 1853), Find a Grave Memorial no. 176567781, citing West Union Cemetery, Antioch, Monroe County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Leroy30 (contributor 48369453) .