Everyone, I've been working on updating the annotated 1850 Russell Co. census lately and in the process was reviewing an email that Jack Hockett had sent me concerning Jacob (b. abt 1830) & Celia Hess in HH #1684. Jack was pointing out that Jacob's family had moved to Pike Co., KY at some point and had included a copy of the 1880 Pike Co. census entry for his family. When I looked at the census entry, I saw something that immediately peaked my interested. Included in his household were an Isaac (b. abt 1802) & Elizabeth Smith who were listed as his uncle and aunt. Now, knowing that Jacob Hess (b. abt 1830) was the s/o William Hess (b. abt 1799) & Charity Runyon/Runyan/Runion, I knew that Isaac Smith could not have been the direct link, but rather that Elizabeth had to be either a sister of William Hess or Charity Runyon. I then set out to determine just who Elizabeth was and after researching my library, census records as well as information on the net, it was clear that Elizabet! h was a Hess and a sister of William Hess. This also meant then that Elizabeth (b. abt 1801) was a d/o Jacob Hess (Revolutionary War Jacob). The fact that I now claim that Elizabeth Hess, wife of Isaac Smith, was a d/o Jacob Hess (Rev. War Jacob) now brings a new problem. I had always seen claims of, and had recorded in my database that Elizabeth (b. abt 1786), wife of John Ray, was the d/o Jacob Hess (Rev. War Jacob). I had always had some problem with this because this Elizabeth was at least seven years older than any of Jacob Hess' other children and also due to the fact that Jacob's son Samuel Hess (b. abt 1806) had married one of John & Elizabeth Ray's daughters (Mary b. abt 1809), which would have meant that if Elizabeth was Jacob Hess' (Rev. War Jacob) daughter, that Samuel would have had to have married his neice. However, I had somewhat accepted it due to the many times that it had been claimed. Now however, after positively identifying, in my mind, another Elizabeth as the d/o Jacob Hess, I now seriously question whether Elizabeth, wife of John Ray was a d/o Jacob Hess and even if she was a Hess at! all. Unless Jacob had one daughter whose first name was Elizabeth and another whose middle name was Elizabeth (and keep in mind that both of these ladies were always listed only as Elizabeth in every record that I have seen, so I don't think this is likely) then I just don't see how it is possible that Elizabeth, wife of John Ray could have possibly been a d/o Jacob Hess. Further, since there was only one Hess family in Russell Co., if Elizabeth was not a d/o Jacob Hess, then she could not have possibly been a Hess at all. Just for the record, it is now my opinion that Elizabeth, wife of John Ray, was not the d/o Jacob Hess and was not a Hess at all, so now the search is on to find out who she actually was. As a side note, Isaac Smith was the s/o Henry Smith, immigrant from Germany, and Mary Honaker, d/o Hans Jacob Honaker & Maria Goetz. Mary Honaker had several brothers in RCV. Henry Smith & Mary Honaker can be found on the 1820 RCV census. Children of Henry Smith & Mary Honaker include John, who married his 1st cousin, Nancy Honaker, Henry, who married Elizabeth, last name unknown, Mary, who married Jessee Whitt, s/o James Whitt of Russell Co., Martin, who married three times, Isaac, who married Elizabeth Hess, Elias "Aley", who was married three times and Martha who married George Thomas Maynard. James Whitt's son Daniel Whitt also married Margaret Smith, d/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker. I include this info because these families are closely tied together and they all eventually moved to Pike Co. and can be found nearby each other in census records there. Another famly that moved there and can be found nearby in the 1850 census was that of William & Elizabeth Hess' brot! her Samuel Hess who had married Mary Ray, herself a d/o John & Elizabeth Ray. Samuel died abt 1849, but his widow and children are there. Below are some of the census records that I reviewed for those that are interested. I include several from the 1850 Pike Co., KY census to demonstrate just how close and intertwined these families were. Mike 1850 RCV census Record: 1684 Hess Jacob 20 Russ. s/William Hess & Charity Runyon 1684 Hess Ceily 19 Russ. 1850 Pike Co., KY Census Records: 628 White David 47 (Daniel Whitt, s/o James & Mary Whitt) 628 White Margaret 40 (d/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker) 628 White Mary 21 628 White Wm 19 628 White Charles 15 628 White Sela 13 628 White Orrena 11 628 White John 9 628 White Elizabeth 7 628 White Eliza 4 628 White Sarah A 2 671 White Jesse (Whitt, s/o James & Mary Whitt) 671 White Mary 45 (d/o Henry Smith & Mary Honaker) 671 White Nancey 17 671 White Eda 10 671 White Louisa 7 676 Smith Henery 26 (s/o Isaac Smith & Elizabeth Hess) 676 Smith Lucretia 17 676 Smith Malinda 2 676 Smith James M 3/12 677 Smith James 24 (s/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker) 677 Smith America 20 677 Smith John 1 678 Smith Jesse 25 (s/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker) 678 Smith Esther 18 679 Smith John 37 (s/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker) 679 Smith Eliza 24 679 Smith Alexandre 6 679 Smith Nancey 4 679 Smith Findlay 2 679 Smith Mary 12 680 Smith Henery 33 (s/o John Smith & Nancy Honaker) 680 Smith Mahala 31 680 Smith George H 12 680 Smith Susan A 10 680 Smith John W 8 680 Smith Hiram J 6 680 Smith Nancey 4 680 Smith Joseph 3 680 Smith Eliza 2 680 Smith Cressa 8/12 681 Smith John 63 (s/o Henry Smith & Mary Honaker) 681 Smith Nancey 60 (d/o Jacob Honaker & Mary Foley) 681 Smith Isaah 22 681 Smith Isaac 18 681 Smith Christina 31 681 Smith July A 2 702 Hess Mary 34 (Widow of Samuel Hess, d/o John & Elizabeth Ray) 702 Hess Elizabeth 16 702 Hess Milla 14 702 Hess Wm P 6 702 Hess Nancey J 4 705 Smith Martin 50 (s/o Henry Smith & Mary Honaker) 705 Smith Nancey 44 (2nd w/o Martin Smith) 705 Smith Nancey 16 705 Smith Wm 14 705 Smith Davidson 12 705 Smith Marion 10 705 Smith Colbert C 8 705 Smith Martin 5 706 Smith George 22 (s/o Martin Smith & 1st wife Elizabeth) 706 Smith Elizabeth 21 707 Smith Johnethan 24 (s/o Martin Smith & 1st wife Elizabeth) 707 Smith Levaniah 20 708 Whit Henery 36 (s/o William & Mary Whitt of RCV) 708 Whit Matilda 32 (d/o Edmund Dickenson & Mary Honaker) 708 Whit Nancey A 14 708 Whit Selicia E 12 708 Whit Isaac M 11 708 Whit John H 5 708 Whit Mary J 3 708 Whit Saml M 3/12 709 Smith Isaac 30 (s/o Martin Smith & 1st wife Elizabeth) 709 Smith Mary A 20 709 Smith Wilburn 12 709 Smith Curtis 10 709 Smith Sarah 7 709 Smith Elizabeth A 6 709 Smith Matilda J 4 709 Smith Wm N 1 719 Smith Isaac 48 (s/o Henry Smith & Mary Honaker) 719 Smith Elizabeth 50 (d/o Jacob Hess) 719 Smith Jacob 28 719 Smith Martin 24 719 Smith Sarah 22 719 Smith Callihan 17 719 Smith John 16 719 Smith Lavinia 14 719 Smith Eda 11 1860 RCV Census Record: 957 Hess Jacob 31 (s/o William Hess & Charity Runyon) 957 Hess Celia 28 957 Hess Martin 9 957 Hess Charles 3 957 Hess Sarah Jane 1 1870 RCV Census Record: 154/151 Hess, Jacob 39 (s/o William Hess & Charity Runyon) 154/151 Hess, Celia 34 154/151 Hess, Charles 14 154/151 Hess, Sarah 12 154/151 Hess, Melissa 7 154/151 Hess, Elizabeth 4 154/151 Hess, Rachel 2 1880 Pike Co., KY Census Record: Jacob HESS Self M Male W 50 VA Farmer VA VA (s/o William Hess & Charity Runyon) Celah HESS Wife M Female W 46 VA Keeping House VA VA Martin HESS Son S Male W 26 VA Farm Laborer VA VA Rachel HESS Dau S Female W 12 KY VA VA Nancy HESS Dau S Female W 8 VA VA VA Caroline HESS Dau S Female W 6 VA VA VA Jacob HESS Son S Male W 2 KY VA VA Isaac SMITH Uncle M Male W 76 VA HOLLAND VA (s/o Henry Smith & Mary Honaker) Betsy SMITH Aunt M Female W 79 NC Knitting HOLLAND VA (d/o Jacob Hess)