Mr. Ross Cameron & Listers: I just recently realized I was unsubscribed from the Lawrence Co., MO Rootsweb list so I missed the exchange about the family of ABEL LEE, b. Oct. 8, 1783 VA or NC, d. Dec. 25, 1859 in probably Lawrence Co., MO. Thank you Mr. Cameron for posting the various census & other data. I will repost the data I have proven up on my ABEL LEE in hopes of helping to tie him into his proper parentage, etc. I believe the Daniel Lee, Sr. listed in Barry & Lawrence Co. Mo as next door to my Abel Lee is in fact my Abel Lee's brother. Mr. Cameron, this Abel Lee is my great great great grandfather and I would be very happy to know more about him if you do find additional information. In going over the information Mr. Cameron posted, I too believe the 2 older Abel Lee's listed in the 1850 Lawrence Co., MO Census, 1 page apart and both with about the same wife's name and mix of children must be a mix up by the enumerator. I think they are the same Abel Lee & family. I have posed this same scenario previously but did not have anyone respond to the query. After retracing ABEL and his oldest son, WILLIAM G. LEE, b. Sept. 11, 1805 KY, d. Jan. 14, 1873 in Hunt Co., TX, I am even more inclined to believe that my ABEL LEE is the REVERAND ABEL LEE that married for the 2nd time to MRS. LUCY HILL on Aug. 20, 1848. ABEL LEE's 1rst wife, PHEBE (unknown maiden) died Nov. 21, 1846, and Abel would have had plenty of time to remarry before he died in Dec. 1859. I have not ever been to BARRY/LAWRENCE CO., MO but I have not found a reference thus far to ABEL LEE or PHEBE LEE's burial place even though I think it is probably in LAWRENCE CO., MO. ***Could someone that has access to the Lawrence Co., MO cemetery rosters help us out here and see if there is a listing for Abel Lee and/or Phebe Lee with the above cited dates? ***Mr. Cameron indicated recently, as did Bill Landers-Cape Cod, MA back in 2002, that Abel Lee is not listed in the Lawrence Co., MO Probate Index. Is there an index for Court Proceedings, i.e. Estate Settlements, Suits maybe over the clearing of Land Titles, or suing for Guardianship of minor children or maybe a Deed Index that might cite an Abel Lee, deceased and his descendants? Is there someone in Lawrence Co., MO that could do a lookup on this? I have requested my oldest known male LEE cousin to take the Family Treemaker DNA test in order to hopefully confirm or deny my theory. Here is the data I have proven on my ABEL LEE and I would appreciate hearing from anyone that thinks this coincides with their LEE line or anyone that can shed some light on (citing obtainable proofs) or assist in proving who this ABEL LEE's parents & siblings were. ABEL LEE born October 8, 1783 VA or NC & son, WILLIAM G. LEE b. Sept. 11, 1805 KY ABEL LEE's granddaughter, PHEBE ANN LEE, b. Feb. 11, 1851 in Hunt Co., TX, wrote her family's genealogy outline in her Bible. Based on this information, I have confirmed the following with Census, Will, Deeds, Government Land Patents, Marriage License, Military Service & Pension Records and Cemetery data. ABEL LEE was born October 8, 1783 in VA or NC. Family story was that he was born in VA but according to census, he was born in NC. He married PHEBE (UNKNOWN MAIDEN) about 1804, probably in KY since their first child, WILLIAM G. LEE, was born September 11, 1805 in KY. Note: PHEBE ANN LEE's Bible was very specific about the dates and maiden names for other members of the family but she wrote "PHEBE LEE " in as her grandmother and did not mention if that was PHEBE'S maiden name or her married surname. Evidently PHEBE ANN wrote this genealogy after her parents had already died and she didn't know her grandparents' exact marriage date. I have not found an ABEL LEE in the 1800 or 1810 Federal Census. There are 2 ABEL LEE's in the 1820 Census, 1 in VA & 1 in GA but they are the wrong ages and they stayed in VA & GA in later census. Evidently, he was still living in his father's household in 1810. There are 5 ABEL LEE's in the 1830 Census but only the one in RAY CO., MO can be ours because the others are the wrong ages. ABEL LEE appears on the RAY CO., MO, Census, p. 395 as follows: ABEL LEE Males: 20-30 (2) Son, William G. would have been 25, other son unknown at this time 40-50 (1) Abel would have been 47. Females: Under 5 (1) 5-10 (1) 10-15 (1) 15-20 (2) 40-50 (1) Phebe would have been 42. ABEL LEE is on the 1833 GREENE CO., MO. TAX LIST. (Barry Co., MO was formed from part of Greene Co. in 1835.) ABEL LEE was issued Land Patent #2587 in what was Barry Co., MO on the date of Sept. 10, 1844; however, the original document was signed and sworn to on June 16, 1836. The documents include an affidavit given by GEORGE M. GIBSON & DANIEL LEE swearing to the fact that ABEL LEE did settle and cultivate a certain tract of land viz: the south west quarter of Section No. five in Township No twenty six in Range No. twenty six in 1833. NOTE: Two significant items of importance here are the occupation time of "1833" and the witness named "Danl (Daniel) Lee". There is a Daniel Lee, Sr. and a Daniel Lee, Jr. on the 1850 Lawrence Co., MO. census as neighbors to Abel Lee. (Lawrence Co. was created from part of Barry Co. in 1845.) They are probably closely related. Another tidbit of interest is that George M. Gibson was a close neighbor to Abel's son, WILLIAM G. LEE, in the 1840 Barry Co., MO Census. ABEL LEE appears on the 1840 Barry Co., MO Census, page 38. Mt. Pleasant Township was first originally written in across the end of this page by the enumerator but that has a line through it and Sugar Creek Township written in over the original entry. Abel's entry is as follows: ABEL LEE Males: 20-30 (1) Son, W.G. is gone and married leaving this unknown son still living w/parents. 50-60 (1) Our Abel would have been 57. Females: 10-15 (1) 15-20 (1) 20-30 (1) 50-60 (1) Our Phebe would have been 52. There are only 5 ABEL LEEs listed on the 1840 Fed. Census and only 1 in MO. PHEBE (UNKNOWN MAIDEN) died November 21, 1846, presumably in Lawrence Co., MO. (Lawrence Co. was formed out of part of Barry Co., MO in 1845.) LAWRENCE COUNTY, MISSOURI, EARLY MARRIAGE RECORDS 1845-1856, page 4: Rev. Abel Lee & Mrs. Lucy Hill, 20 AUG 1848, by Joseph W. Ellis, M.G. There are only 18 ABEL LEEs in the 1850 Fed. Census and only 2 listed in MO. We find another ABEL LEE in the 1850 Lawrence Co., MO census but he is only 25. The 2 ABEL LEEs listed on the index appear to be the same person. Here is the older ABEL LEE on the 1850 Lawrence Co., MO Census as follows: 1850 LAWRENCE CO., MO. CENSUS, P. 316B ABEL LEE, 68, Farmer, NC (the females and 1 male at home in 1840 Barry Co. would have been old enough to be married and out of this house by 1850 Lawrence Co. Census.) Lucinda (Bobbitt-Hill), 53, VA Nancy (Hill), 20, VA, idiotic Elizabeth (Hill), 15, MO Mary (Hill), 13, MO James (Hill), 11, MO Eliza (Hill), 9, MO George (Hill), 6, MO Lucy (Hill), 5, MO Thomas J. Lee, 3/12, MO ABEL LEE purchased another 80 acres on Land Patent Certificate #12940 dated April 15, 1853; however, the original paperwork was signed May 3rd, 1852. This acreage was the North West Quarter of the South West Quarter and South East Quarter of the South West Quarter of Section No. fifteen in Township No. twenty six of Range No. twenty seven in what was by then, Lawrence Co. According to PHEBE ANN LEE's Bible, her grandfather, ABEL LEE, died December 25, 1859. Thomas J. Lee, 10, appears on the 1860 Caldwell Co., TX Census, p. 195, with Lucy Lee, still 53, James Hill, 20, George W. Hill, 14, Lucy A. Hill, 13, George W. Nolen, 31, MO, Mary J. Nolen, 28, TX and James C. Nolen, 1, TX. WILLIAM G. LEE, s/o Abel Lee, was born September 11, 1805 KY and died January 14, 1873 in Hunt Co., TX. He married first, Melissa Shelley, on January 21, 1836, probably in Carroll Co., AR. She was born March 26, 1818 in AR, died August 9, 1846, Hunt Co., TX. WILLIAM G. LEE is on the 1837 Carroll Co., AR Tax List, page 6. Children of WILLIAM G. LEE and MELISSA SHELLEY were: Abel G. Lee, born Feb. 6, 1837 in AR, d. Feb. 19, 1899 probably in Wise Co., TX. The only marriage record I have found for Abel G. Lee is to widow, Mrs. Martha E. (Thompson) Gipson, on Feb. 22, 1869 in Hunt Co., TX. John William Lee, born April 22, 1839 in Barry Co., MO, died July 20, 1887 in Wise Co., TX. He married Nancy Jane Hamrick on March 28, 1867 in Hunt Co., TX. Robert W. Lee, born January 4, 1841 in Barry Co., MO, died January 12, 1841, Barry Co., MO. William C. Lee, born December 10, 1841 in Linn Co., MO, died September 7, 1914 in Lone Wolf, Kiowa Co., OK. He married Sarah E. Greenwood on September 19, 1867 in Greenville, Hunt Co., TX. There are descendants from all these children except Abel G. Lee unless he had children from a marriage previous to Mrs. Martha (Thompson) Gipson/Gibson. WILLIAM G. LEE married second, Mrs. Mary (unknown maiden) (Jeffers) Roberts on July 15, 1847 in Hopkins Co., TX. She had 1 daughter, America Jane Jeffers by a previous marriage. Mary A. (unknown maiden) was born on January 13, 1818 in AR (maybe Scott Co.) and died July 1, 1872 in Hunt Co., TX. Children of WILLIAM G. LEE and MRS. MARY (unknown maiden) ROBERTS were: Robert H. Lee born June 10, 1848 either in Hopkins or Hunt Co., TX. I don't know what happened to him but he was present in October 1873 at the Estate Sale of his parents' things in Hunt Co., TX. Phebe Ann Lee born February 11, 1851 in Hunt Co., TX, died June 24, 1925 in Gillespie Co., TX. She married Daniel Webster Sageser, Jr. on November 4, 1866 in Hunt Co., TX. Melissa Lee born April 15, 1853 in Hunt Co., TX, died between 1877 and 1880 Hunt Co., TX. She married John Wallace on December 31, 1868 in Hunt Co., TX. Thomas H. Lee was born November 22, 1855 in Hunt Co., TX. He was living with his brother, William C. Lee in the 1880 Wise Co., TX Census. Nancy Lee born October 25, 1857, died February 14, 1932. She married Thomas Jefferson Greenwood on November 26, 1874 in Delta Co., TX. James Henry Lee born July 29, 1860, died December 24, 1927. He married Sarah Lucy Wilson in 1893 Winfield, KS. There were children born to all these unions with still work to be done in trying to locate Robert H. and Thomas H. Lee after 1873 and 1880 respectively. WILLIAM G. LEE received Land Patent Certificate #2586 dated May 1, 1845, in Barry County, MO for 80 acres but the papers were actually signed on August 9, 1839. "Daniel Lee & Robert Lee being introduced as witnesses in the above case, depose and say that William G. Lee is a man of family, having wife and children and that he was a house-keeper by personal residence on the land above described, on the 22nd day of June, 1838, and for four months next preceding, which term commenced on the 22nd day of February, 1838. Signed, Daniel G. Lee & Robert Lee" The signatures of the witnesses, Daniel G. Lee and Robert Lee, are very interesting. I think they may have been his brothers or uncles. There is a Robert Lee on the 1833 Greene Co., MO tax list and on the 1840 Barry Co., MO census in Spring River Township on page 20. There is a Daniel Lee in the Barry Co., MO census for 1840, on the 1833 Greene Co., MO Tax List (Barry Co. was formed out of Greene Co. in 1835) and a Daniel, Jr. and Sr. on the Lawrence Co. MO census for 1850 & 1860. Lawrence Co. was formed out of Barry Co. in 1845. There is still a Daniel in the 1870 Lawrence Co., MO census. I think they have to be closely related to our William G. Lee. William G. Lee also bought 40 acres for $1.25 per acre on Land Patent Certificate #5854 dated June 1, 1845 in Barry Co., MO. The original receipt for payment was signed on March 25, 1840, when it was still Barry Co. rather than Lawrence Co., MO. Thank you for your time and patience. I hope to hear back from some of you, Lynda Green Stephenville, TX