Joseph Rosson - What I know and don't know

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Greg
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Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:08 pm
Are you directly related to a Rosson?: Yes
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Which Rosson are you researching?: John Rosson Sr of NC and descendents
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Joseph Rosson - What I know and don't know

Post by Greg »

This serves partly as a call for help to fill in evidence I don't know about and partly as a more permanent form of my arguments than my sometimes terrible memory. It also has had the good side effect of causing me to clean up my ancestry entry for him.

What I know and strongly suspect is true
  • Was born in NC [1]
  • Lived in a part of Bedford County in 1820 and 1830 that became a part of Marshall County [2]
  • Was a known relative of William H Rosson [3]
  • Children: John Rosson (1812 - 1897), Samuel M Rosson (17 Dec 1814 - 18 Aug 1885), Osman Rosson (abt 1814 - ?), William Henry Harrison Rosson (2 Feb 1817 - 21 Jun 1901), Andrew Rosson (1820-1880), Mary B Rosson (abt 1825 - 1850-60?, m. George E. Calhoun), and Elizabeth M Rosson (abt 1829 - ?, m. William S Wallace) [4]
  • Wife at death: Rebecca D [4]
  • Died between 1 Sept 1838 and 3 Oct 1838 [5]
  • Served as acting justice of the peace for Bedford County on 14 Jan 1833 [6]
  • Was literate [7]
Things I don't know and what I can't confirm
  • Was born in Chatham Co, NC
  • Is the same Joseph Rosson present in 1810 census for Randolph Co, NC
  • Middle name is Osborn (I refer to him as such despite not being able to confirm it just to help keep the Joseph Rossons straight)
  • Was either a brother or uncle of William H Rosson (i.e. son or brother of John Cummins Rosson Jr)
  • Rebecca D's maiden name was Patterson
  • Rebecca D was/was not his only wife. She appears to be much younger than him, so I'm guessing she was not.
  • When Rebecca D and Jospeh married.
  • Was/was not the father of Joseph Alexander Rosson who appears in Oct 1839 in the guardianship of Andrew Laird
Notes & Sources:
[1] Goodspeed - Biographical sketch of William Rosson, his grandson.
[2] 1820-1830 censuses, Land Deed Genealogy of Bedford County, Land Deed Genealogy of Marshall County, Early History & Genealogy of Bedford Co, TN (shows was in James Patterson's tax district, all of which became a part of Marshall County.)
[3] Land Deed Genealogy of Marshall County: Wm H witnessed a land sale between Osman, on the one part, and Samuel and Andrew Rosson, on the other. You generally see the same groups of people acting as witnesses. Joseph's children generally witnessed for each other. In this case, instead of getting Marcellus Cook or Michael Robinson to witness, two characters Andrew and Osman witnessed for, or even justice of the peace Andrew Laird, who did a lot of witnessing, they chose William. This is highly suggestive to me that he was known to them as a relative.
[4] Joseph Rosson's will.
[5] Joseph Rosson's will written 1 Sept 1838 (in will), probated 3 Oct 1838 (Marshall County Court Minutes).
[6] Hugh McCrary's Revolutionary War pension application (N.B. Jospeh is mentioned immediately after future president Col James K Polk but before James Patterson in the application when listing people who can vouch for him, suggesting to me he was a person of some standing in Bedford County. James Patterson was certainly a person of standing in the community since his household was where election ballots were cast in district 13 of Bedford County.)
[7] Signed his own name on Hugh McCrary's Revolutionary War pension application. His will appears to have been written by the court clerk.
==
Greg

Greg
Senior Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:08 pm
Are you directly related to a Rosson?: Yes
How Long have you been doing Genealogy Research? (Years): 0
Which Rosson are you researching?: John Rosson Sr of NC and descendents
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Joseph Rosson - What I know and don't know

Post by Greg »

Was either a brother or uncle of William H Rosson (i.e. son or brother of John Cummins Rosson Jr)
I think I now have the evidence to say that Joseph was the son of John. I can connect John to Randolph Co, NC through his daughter Misheal's marriage to Marcellus Cook. It looks like from the ages in the 1800 and 1810 censuses and land sales that Joseph was John's son, but it could just have been a younger sibling. (John Rosson's connection to Chatham Co and revolutionary war veteran John Rosson appears a little murky to me at this point, but I'm still waiting to see.) In TN, only a known familial relationship can be discerned based on witnessing in court records and moves by descendants. However, the death certificate of Joseph's granddaughter seems to tilt the balance in favor of Joseph being John's son. Joseph died in 1838, leaving minor heirs that were placed in guardianship. From the court records, we know one child was Mary B and that she married George Calhoun/Calhoon. They moved around a bit before settling in southern IL. The death certificate for her last child, Sarah Calhoun, has the mother as Bethany Rossen. John's wife was named Bethany. Thus it looks like Joseph named his child, Mary Bethany, after his mother. It makes much less sense that he would name her after his sister-in-law. When you add this to the census and land sale evidence from Randolph Co, NC, it looks much more likely that Joseph is indeed John's son.
==
Greg

Greg
Senior Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:08 pm
Are you directly related to a Rosson?: Yes
How Long have you been doing Genealogy Research? (Years): 0
Which Rosson are you researching?: John Rosson Sr of NC and descendents
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Joseph Rosson - What I know and don't know

Post by Greg »

Let me revise my 1st post:

What I know and strongly suspect is true
  • Was born in NC [1]
  • Lived in a part of Bedford County in 1820 and 1830 that became a part of Marshall County [2]
  • Was a known relative of William H Rosson [3]
  • Children: John Rosson (1812 - 1897), Samuel M Rosson (17 Dec 1814 - 18 Aug 1885), Osman Rosson (abt 1814 - ?), William Henry Harrison Rosson (2 Feb 1817 - 21 Jun 1901), Andrew Rosson (1820-1880), Mary B Rosson (abt 1825 - 1850-60?, m. George E. Calhoun), and Elizabeth M Rosson (abt 1829 - ?, m. William S Wallace) [4]
  • Wife at death: Rebecca D [4]
  • Died between 1 Sept 1838 and 3 Oct 1838 [5]
  • Served as acting justice of the peace for Bedford County on 14 Jan 1833 [6]
  • Was literate [7]
  • Was brother of William H Rosson [8]
  • Was the (at least nominal) father of Joseph Alexander Rosson who appears in Oct 1839 in the guardianship of Andrew Laird as a minor orphan of one Joseph Rosson. [9]
  • Rebecca D was not Joseph's first wife [10]
Things I don't know and what I can't confirm
  • Was born in Chatham Co, NC
  • Middle name is Osborn (I refer to him as such despite not being able to confirm it just to help keep the Joseph Rossons straight)
  • Rebecca D's maiden name was Patterson
  • When Rebecca D and Jospeh married.

Notes & Sources:
[1] Goodspeed - Biographical sketch of William Rosson, his grandson.
[2] 1820-1830 censuses, Land Deed Genealogy of Bedford County, Land Deed Genealogy of Marshall County, Early History & Genealogy of Bedford Co, TN (shows was in James Patterson's tax district, all of which became a part of Marshall County.)
[3] Land Deed Genealogy of Marshall County: Wm H witnessed a land sale between Osman, on the one part, and Samuel and Andrew Rosson, on the other. You generally see the same groups of people acting as witnesses. Joseph's children generally witnessed for each other. In this case, instead of getting Marcellus Cook or Michael Robinson to witness, two characters Andrew and Osman witnessed for, or even justice of the peace Andrew Laird, who did a lot of witnessing, they chose William. This is highly suggestive to me that he was known to them as a relative.
[4] Joseph Rosson's will.
[5] Joseph Rosson's will written 1 Sept 1838 (in will), probated 3 Oct 1838 (Marshall County Court Minutes).
[6] Hugh McCrary's Revolutionary War pension application (N.B. Jospeh is mentioned immediately after future president Col James K Polk but before James Patterson in the application when listing people who can vouch for him, suggesting to me he was a person of some standing in Bedford County. James Patterson was certainly a person of standing in the community since his household was where election ballots were cast in district 13 of Bedford County.)
[7] Signed his own name on Hugh McCrary's Revolutionary War pension application. His will appears to have been written by the court clerk.
[8] I can connect John to Randolph Co, NC through his daughter Misheal's marriage to Marcellus Cook. It looks like from the ages in the 1800 and 1810 censuses and land sales that Joseph was John's son, but it could just have been a younger sibling. (John Rosson's connection to Chatham Co and Revolutionary War veteran John Rosson appears a little murky to me at this point, but I'm still waiting to see.) In TN, only a known familial relationship can be discerned based on witnessing in court records and moves by descendants. However, the death certificate of Joseph's granddaughter seems to tilt the balance in favor of Joseph being John's son. Joseph died in 1838, leaving minor heirs that were placed in guardianship. From the court records, we know one child was Mary B and that she married George Calhoun/Calhoon. They moved around a bit before settling in southern IL. The death certificate for her last child, Sarah (Calhoun) Lingle, has the mother as Bethany Rossen. John's wife was named Bethany. Thus it looks like Joseph named his child, Mary Bethany, after his mother. It makes much less sense that he would name her after his sister-in-law. When you add this to the census and land sale evidence from Randolph Co, NC, it looks much more likely that Joseph is indeed John's son.
[9] Given [8], the only Joseph Rosson in the area was the one who is known from court records to have died in 1838. The use of minor orphan appears to be figurative in the sense that his mother was still alive. He was not a minor heir because he was not listed in his father's will, probably because Joseph did not know Rebecca was pregnant when he died or he did not have time to change his will before he died. He was a little on the old side to have been fathering children, but certainly it is possible. Rebecca was younger than him and in the prime of her child-bearing years.
[10] Given Rebecca's younger age, [8], and the connection to Randolph Co, NC, it appears more likely than not that Joseph married Mary McMaster prior to Rebecca D.
==
Greg

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