There has been confusion about Evan Carmack & spouse for decades. It is
my belief that over time two Evan Carmacks have been mixed up so I offer
the following information.
Evan Carmack was born February 25, 1740/1 in Prince George's County, MD
to William & Jane Carmack
· Note 1 - Evan was not born in Frederick County, MD - it didn't exist
until June, 1748; All Saints Parish (where the birth was recorded) was
in Frederick County (Reference: Counties USA 1997)
· Note 2 - According to those same parish records, Evan was born in
1740; however, this was "Old Style" when the new year started on March
25 (a Christian holiday called Annunciation Day); in 1752 the colonies
in America adopted the Gregorian calendar which has January 1 as New
Year's Day so, using that calendar Evan was born in 1741; a shorthand
version is to write the year of his birth as 1740/1 (Old Style/New
Style) (Reference: World Book Encyclopedia)
Evan married Mary Wolfe, daughter of Paul & Margaret Wolfe (Reference:
Last Will & Testament of Margaret Wolfe 1779) sometime before March,
1769 when their oldest known child, Jacob, was baptized.
Evan & Mary were living in Taney Town, Frederick County, MD during the
1800 census; in April, 1803 Evan sold his land in Frederick County and
in December, 1803 Evan "of Frederick County, Maryland" purchased farm
land from Caleb Wilson "of Bedford County, Pennsylvania". In 1810, Evan
sold his land to his daughter, Catherine, reserving some for his wife
Mary. (Reference: Bedford County, PA Deeds Book H 1810-1814)
Evan then disappears from known records. Mary, a widow, appears in the
1814 tax list of Bedford County, PA owning 100 acres of land. She also
appears in the 1817 tax list. She does not appear in the 1820 census of
Bedford County.
So, it would appear that Mary outlived Evan by a few years. However,
printed sources going back many, many years have Mary dying in 1805 in
(West) Virginia & Evan marrying again - this time to Catherine Darkas,
then dying in 1830 in (West) Virginia. Did a 65 year old man marry
again, move to yet another state, & die there at the age of 90?
I propose Evan (son of William & Jane) has been confused with at least 1
other Evan Carmack, specifically Evan the son of William & Margery
Catherine Hartsook Carmack, who was born c. 1796 in Lee County, VA.
Consider the following:
Notes from The Pittsburgh Conference Journal "Vol. 1, No. 51, page 203.
15 Jan. 1835 Mrs. Catherine Carmack, the consort of Evan Carmack, died
18 Dec. 1834 in Weston, Lewis Co., Va., aged 28 years, 7 months and 9
days. She was born in Frederick Co., Md., on 9 May 1806. Her parents
were Lutheran. She married Evan Carmack in the fall of 1820. Her husband
and five children survive." Notes from The Central Methodist, Christian
Observer, The Central Methodist, and The Pittsburgh Conference Journal
submitted by Ted Wolfe and posted on the Internet at:
http://swcp.com/~dhickman/journals/V6I4/wolfenotes.html.
Evan appears in the 1840 census of Lewis County, VA (which became Lewis
County, West Virginia in June, 1863). He is mentioned in Elliott and
Nye's Virginia Directory and Business Register 1852, Lewis County:
"Physicians-Wm. J. Bland, Newton B. Barns, James A. Hall, J. M.
Hamilton, Evan Carmack". Weston is where the state mental hospital is
located which would explain all the physicians in town. Posted on the
Internet at:
http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/enye1852.htm
Evan appears in the 1880 census of Gilmer County, West Virginia, living
in Glenville (ED 139, page 3). The head of house was Elmer H. Dodson,
28, a physician, born in Virginia as were his parents. Living with him
was Evan Carmack, 86, grandfather, physician, born in Maryland as were
his parents.
Comments?