Photo Treasure: Matilda McClintock Scott

Jean M. Hoffman

I wrote before of finding a Kentucky relative, Matilda McClintock Scott (1809-1902), living in East Cleveland, Ohio, and buried in Lake View Cemetery. (Here)That post was discovered by a descendant of Matilda, through her son, who contacted me. In our subsequent discussions I was told of a photograph of this relative. It is especially interesting by not showing a stern expression so common in old pictures. She is shown with her knitting and nearly smiling. I was given permission to share this treasure.

The reverse was annotated by Matilda's granddaughter, Ellen Scott. She wrote:

“Grandma Scott of Paris, Ky—Matilda McClintock Scott. Don’t know when she died.

Was about 90 yr. old at Cleveland, Ohio—lived at time of death with her daughter.”

The photograph is on a backing that has an embossed stamp. Normally that would identify the photographer or studio and I enlarged it to see what I could learn. It reads:

HREDMON at the top

CYNTHIANA, KY below and in the middle on either side of the image

18 - 98.

There were photographers named Hope Redmon in Cynthiana, a father who died in October 1898¹ and son, also Hope Redmon (1854-1917).² Perhaps Matilda was still in Kentucky in 1898 for the photo before going to live with her daughter in East Cleveland, Ohio.

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1. Harry G. Enoch, Family History of George and William Redmon of Pennsylvania and Kentucky (n.p, n,p,, 2006); digital images, Google Books (from Lulu.com, 2015) (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Family_History_of_George_and_William_Red/9Z9hCgAAQBAJ?hl=en : viewed 10 July 2021), p. 173, Notes for Charles Hope Redmon.

2. “Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : viewed 10 July 2021) > Death Certificates, 1911-1965 > 1914- > Film 7016200: All Counties > image 3301, Certificate of Death no. 32996 (1917), Hope Redmon.

Burials in Battle Grove Cemetery

Battle Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery in the outskirts of Cynthiana, county seat of Harrison County, Kentucky. On 28 August 2008 we visited the cemetery and photographed some of the gravestones. Shown here are those of my great-grandparents and their mothers. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Samuel McClintock died young in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky (previous post). His widow, Elizabeth (Waits) McClintock returned to Harrison County with her young son John James. She married again in 1833 to Edmund Martin. Elizabeth lived a long life not dying until 19 June 1887. She was buried in Battle Grove Cemetery. Her son John James McClintock (1826-1892) and his wife Nancy Isabelle (Scott) McClintock (1843-1921) are buried nearby and all three share a monument with Elizabeth's information on one side and the name McClintock on the other. Headstones are also present for John and Nancy.

Elizabeth (Waits) McClintock Martin (1802-1887)

 

McClintock side of monument and headstone row

 Nancy Scott's father Thomas also died young leaving a widow with two small children. She remarried, but had no other children. Elizabeth (McShane) Scott Whaley was also widowed by her husband Caleb Whaley. She was remembered by her great-grandchildren as "Granny" Whaley who made each of them a quilt. She died 16 October 1907 and was also buried in Battle Grove Cemetery, sharing a marker with Caleb Whaley. Both Thomas Scott (1810-1844) and Samuel McClintock (ca. 1794-1827) were buried in older cemeteries.

Elizabeth (McShane) Scott Whaley (1823-1907)

Historical County Boundaries - Cynthiana, Kentucky

This week Randy Seaver's Genea-Musings blog challenge of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (SNGF) is one I find very important and well constructed. The topic is Historical County Boundaries. Randy referred us to the Historical U.S. County Maps page on Randy Majors website ( http://randymajors.com/p/maps.html ) I highly recommend you take a look at this interactive site.

First we needed to read the whole page about the mapping, then choose a location and document its historical jurisdiction each 10 years from 1790 to 1900. Then we needed to post about what we found and how it did or might effect our research.

I chose the location of the ancestors of my paternal grandfather. They had farms outside Cynthiana, Kentucky. I have varied the instructions a bit as the history of the county prior to 1790 is also of interest. Here is what I found.

Cynthiana, Kentucky

1772, Dec. 1 in Fincastle (created from Botetourt) County, Virginia
1780, Nov. 1 in Fayette (created from Kentucky), Virginia
1789, May  1 in Bourbon County, Kentucky portion of Virginia
1792 Kentucky became a state
1800 in Harrison County, Kentucky (created in 1795)
Subsequent changes to Harrison County did not change the location of Cynthiana, the county seat.

Prior to statehood in 1792, some records are in Virginia. None of my Harrison County family was likely in the area to create county records prior to the establishment of Fayette County in 1780, so that is where records might begin. Between 1789 and 1795 county records should be in Bourbon County, but some are still recorded there later in the 1790s (will of Edward McShane in 1796, marriage bond of his daughter Mary to John Waits in 1798.) Everything since then should be in Harrison County. Were any of them there early enough to have records in Fayette County?