Nancy McAdoo

I have been reviewing the records of my McAdoo ancestors in another attempt to break through some “brick walls.” Whenever I go through this exercise, I am often surprised at what I discover. My most recent research has once again surfaced some interesting information, and yes, raised questions with no immediate resolution.

I began with my 3X great-grandparents, Alexander McAdoo (1786-1863) and Martha (1797-1872). Once again, I decided to tackle their immigration to America. Before proceeding, I should say that I still do not have direct evidence that they are indeed my ancestors, but the circumstantial evidence is so strong that I have come to to accept the relationship as fact. Similarly, the relationship among the three McAdoo families living on Savery Street in Fishtown in 1860 (Alexander and family, William [1832-1903] and family, and Daniel [1824-1882] and family) has to be more than coincidence. The theory I have adopted is that Alexander and Martha are the parents of my 2X great-grandfather William and Daniel, as well as Alexander, who immigrated with his parents. The family will no doubt become larger as a result of my research, if for no other reason than circumstantial evidence.

Once again I reviewed the original image of the manifest of the ship Lizzie Harward, which arrived in Philadelphia on 25 Aug 1852 (Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1800-1945). Alexander and his family are listed as follows:

Alex McAdoo, born abt. 1802
Matty McAdoo, born abt. 1802
Alex McAdoo, born abt. 1838
Nancy McAdoo, born abt. 1840

I had searched for information about Nancy before, but without success, so I had chosen not to include her in our tree. This time however, I located a reference to a Nancy M. McAdoo in an Ancestry Family Tree (Descendants of John Elston). The tree contained this information about Nancy: born, 1838 Co. Donegal, Ireland; spouse, James Atkinson (1830-1896); child, Sarah Jane (1863-1919).

I then began to search for marriage information, and found a marriage record in (Pennsylvania Church and Town Records, 1708-1985), which showed the following:

Nancy McAdoo
Marriage: 03 Feb 1857
Philadelphia, PA
Spouse: James Atkinson
Place: First Independent Christian Church

I had not heard of the First Independent Christian Church, and wanted to find out more about it. What I learned was most interesting, and supported my belief that Nancy McAdoo Atkinson was an ancestor. The First Independent Christian Church was organized in about 1845. Today it is known as Pilgrim Congregational Church. It was first known as Union Wesleyan Church, having been formed in 1825 by Rev. Samuel S. Kennard who broke away from Kensington M.E. “Old Brick” Church in Kensington. Further research pinpointed the church’s location at Belgrade and Marlborough Streets, Kensington, Philadelphia, the neighborhood where all three McAdoo families lived at the time.

I checked the 1860 U.S. Federal Census and found that Nancy was not living with her parents, so the 1857 marriage date led me to believe this might be our Nancy. Yet, I felt more evidence was necessary.

I located Nancy and family living in the area of Kewanee, Henry, Illinois in the 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. censuses. I have not been able to locate 1860 census data about James and Nancy, but it appears they moved to Illinois sometime between their marriage in 1857 and 1863, since I found a U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863-1865 for a James Atkinson dated 01 Jul 1863. It gave his birth as 1833 in Ireland, his residence as Henry, Illinois, and that he was married - a pretty close match.

One piece of evidence that I have uncovered is from the Illinois Deaths and Stillborns Index, 1916-1947 is troubling. The record shows the following:

Nancy M. Atkinson
Born: 12 Jun 1839, Ireland
Died: 02 Jan 1921, Kewanee, Henry, Illinois
Buried:  05 Jan 1921, Pleasant View Cemetery
Age: 81
Residence: Kewanee, Henry, Illinois
Father:  Daniel McAdoo, b. Ireland
Mother: Sarah Stewart, b. Ireland
Spouse: James Atkinson

All the data fit except for the parents. Yet, the first names are the same as Daniel (b. 1824), who I have assumed to be her brother and his wife Sarah (b.1822). Also, Daniel and Sarah were married in 1845, five to seven years after Nancy’s birth. Up to now, I did not know Sarah’s surname, so I am not entirely certain that I have the correct Daniel McAdoo and Sarah - but it is a strong possibility.

When Daniel and Sarah immigrated in 1845, there were two other family members, Matty (b. abt. 1821) and Robert (b. abt. 1844). Given Matty’s birth date, I assume she is Daniel’s sister, and the daughter of Alexander and Martha (Matty). I have not located 1850 census data for Daniel and his family, but Robert does not appear in the 1860 census. I have found a Philadelphia death record for a Robert McAdoo who died 09 Feb 1849, age 4. I assume he is Daniel and Sarah’s son. I have located a Martha McAdoo (b. abt. 1821) in the 1850 census working as a domestic at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. I am assuming she is our Matty.

Another interesting, but unrelated fact is that Daniel’s brother Alexander (b. abt. 1837), a civil war veteran had two sons, William (b. abt. 1865) and Robert (b. abt. 1868), both born in Illinois. I wonder if there is a connection? Nancy had sons named William (b. abt 1859) and Robert (b. abt. 1870), both in Illinois.

In summary, I believe the evidence is sufficient to make the following assumptions. Nancy McAdoo is the daughter of Alexander and Martha. She married James Atkinson and relocated to Illinois. Matty McAdoo is Martha, also the daughter of Alexander and Martha. I recognize that these assumptions require further exploration, but the circumstantial evidence is compelling. Meanwhile, I will make these changes to the McAdoo Clan Families Tree.