William C McGahuey (1796-1872) - Find a Grave Memorial

William C McGahuey

Birth

3 Mar 1796

Kentucky, USA

Death

1872 (aged 75–76)

Terre Haute, Decatur County, Iowa, USA

Burial

Miller Cemetery

Decatur County, Iowa, USA Add to Map

Memorial ID

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William married Margery Norman on Mar 20, 1817 in Fleming County, Kentucky, USA. Margery died before Dec 18, 1845 as on that date William married Maria Davis in Putnam County, Indiana, USA.

William and Margery "Norman" McGahuey/McGaughey had ten children:
Sarah "McGaughey" Clodfelter (1818-1843)
John McGaughey (1819-1901)
William McGaughey (1822-1877)
Celia "McGaughey" Bowers (1825-1869)
James McGaughey (1830-1893)
Matilda "McGaughey" Butcher (1831-1911)
Lucinda McGaughey (1833-1898)
Thomas McGaughey (1835-1850)
Artemesia McGaughey (abt 1837-?)
Malinda "McGaughey" Odell (1838-1911)

William and Maria "Davis" McGahuey/McGaughey had thirteen children:
Leora McGaughey (1846-?)
Eldridge McGaughey (1848-1893)
Minerva McGaughey (abt 1848-?)
Nancy McGaughey (1849-1892)
Dulcenia McGahuey (abt 1852-1885)
Bud Lodrick McGahuey (1854-1917)
Martha Jane McGahuey (1854-1939)
Arminda McGahuey (1855-?)
Edward McGahuey (1857-1931)
Henrietta McGahuey (1859-1918)
Calvin Luther McGahuey (1863-1940)
Santford McGahuey (1868-1948)
Charlie McGahuey (??-??)

The following was contributed by Robert Wayne McGahuey by email on 06/29/2012. Thank you Robert for the story.

William C. McGaughey was born on Mar. 3, 1796 in KY and died in 1872 in Terre Haute, Decatur Co., IA and buried at the Miller Cem. in Terre Haute, Decatur Co., IA (FG69139677M). William was married on Mar. 20, 1817 in Fleming Co., KY to Margary Norman (dau. of Thomas Norman, Jr. and Rebecca). Margary was born Feb. 22, 1795 and died in Indiana (FG82070944*). –

In the 1850 IA census, he states that he was born in Kentucky. Margery's family came to Indiana through Kentucky. The original homestead which connects with William was in the possession of E. H. Norman, the great-grandson of Thomas Crone Norman. Mariah's record stated with her father Thomas Norman came to America from England. – William's date of death was taken from the head stone in the Miller Cemetery, Decatur Co., Iowa. As 82 years, 3 months, 10 days does not agree with is birth recorded in his father's Bible, it is believed he was 76 years old when he passed. His death date would be June 16, 1872. William's family history in Indiana has been handed down to his great grandchildren, who has the Bible and original sheepskin deed signed by Andrew Jackson for land in Indiana (the Bible has been located, but the where about of the sheepskin is not know). –

William and his family came to Indiana between 1825 and 1829, here his eldest son John was very young. They followed the old Indian trail through Putnam Co., Indiana. Traces of this old trail can still be found near Fincastle, Indiana. They had an old horse, a few possessions, one of which was a highly prized Dutch oven. –

There are few settlers. Families had moved in the year before and made a settlement called Cairo (Indiana), which has long since disappeared, but spoken today as though it was still standing. In trying to find Cairo, they came to Ramp Creek, this took the family too far West and crossed Raccoon Creek. That night they made camp at an old spring in the hollow. They made a lean-to with bark from a large fallen elm tree. There was plenty of game, so they decided to build a cabin and homestead. He received a deed from the government in 1831 for this eighty acres. He used the McGahey spelling, but on a deed in 1841 he used McGaughey. Later he bought forty acres from David Peffley for $1600 which had the best black walnut trees around. In 1852, he sold his land to his two sons, John and James and started west. His son John later bought it from James and raised his family in the same log cabin where William had raised his children. John later made a trip to Iowa to make his last payment to his father. –

William with two of his brothers and two other men were held captive by Indians in Kentucky in the early days in a silver mine used for making horse shoes and silver bullets. All but one man escaped, to which they never heard from again. –

William was a trader as well as a farmer and liked to go to the new country that was opening up, getting land early and later selling or trading it. When he died he was considered a very wealthy man. He was a pioneer always pushing ahead into new territories. –

William changed the spelling of the family name twice in his life time. First while in Indiana for reasons not remembered now, he and most of his family changed it to McGaughey. His brother Andrew didn't change his and lived and died in Iowa under the McGahey spelling. As records are lost on two of his brothers, John C., and Samuel, it is not known what spelling they used. Later when he went to Missouri and Iowa he changed it again, the story is that there were too many William McGaheys in the area and they were all getting each others mail, so he went to court and changed the spelling to McGahuey around 1845. –

Though research by the descendants of James McGaughey, the name of William's first wife Mariah may be in error, originally being referred to as Mariah. All the research that could be found on her have been the name of Margery and Margary. With this information, it is suspected that someone confused a record that involved William's second wife, Maria Davis, with her. Thomas Norman, her brother, named one of his daughters, Margery.