Compiled by Teresa
Martin Klaiber 2023
Sarah
Fannin was born 16 August 1813, in Virginia, one of nine children born to John
and Keziah Fannin. By 1820 the family
was living in a portion of Greenup County that would become Lawrence the
following year.
Sarah
Fannin married George W. Howe, born in Greenup County, 20 October 1836 in
Lawrence County, Kentucky “having produced a certificate from John Fannin,
father of Sarah consenting” to the marriage. Women had no contractual rights under early
Virginia and Kentucky law and two parties were needed to obtain the marriage
license, one usually the father acting as bondsman.
George
W. Howe was the son of James and Martha Ann Hood Howe. Sarah first appears on a land document, with
George, in Carter County, 10 October 1841 when George and James Howe of Greenup
make a deed with Alexander Hannah. The deed does not give the land
description. Both George and Sarah sign
the deed[i] George’s father James died in 1845.[ii] Howe’s lands were extensive and George W.
along with siblings were involved in various suits and partition deeds
following James Howe’s death.
It
is the compilers believe that George W. Howe, made a serious mistake becoming
indebted to Richard Apperson, a Kentucky lawyer and politician. A Carter County, Circuit course case ended in
a deed dated 19 May 1849[iii]
transferring land from George W. Howe to Richard Apperson whom he was indebted
to for the sum of $980.50. The debt
involved bonds of James W. Davis and Alfred Low, thus Howe mortgaged a tract in
Lawrence county to Apperson. The tract
also included his right, title and claim to the “landed estate which descended
to him from his father James Howe, deceased”.
George
W. (as an heir of James Howe) appears again 4 November 1852 along with his
siblings involving Carter Circuit Court with Apperson acting as commissioner
involving land described in the Grayham
Survey to John Fannin “in Lawrence County where John Fannin now resides…”[iv]
This is Sarah Fannin Howe’s father.
John, died, shortly after on 25 June 1853.[v]
When John Fannin wrote his will (after providing for his wife) he included the
equal division of property to his children citing Sarah as the wife of George
Howe.[vi]
Keziah
Fannin, Sarah’s mother died 31 October 1854.
Keziah also wrote a will about the same time her husband did[vii]
In the midst of the Fannin deaths there was also another case in Lawrence
Circuit Court with Richard Apperson against George W. Howe (defendant) and
others for a mortgage on 101 acres of land on the East Fork where “the
defendant Howe resided.” The Land was
sold to George W. Prichard.[viii]
As a woman, I can’t imagine how stressful this would be, especially with small
children.
There
are several more deed transactions involving George W., his siblings and the
James Howe estate in both Lawrence and Carter County in the 1850s and into the
1860’s. But reading between the lines,
Sarah must have had enough, and by 1860 George is no longer on the Federal
Census records for this area. Sarah
first appears, in her own right, on the Carter County Tax list, on Garner, with
no values in 1857. Their youngest child, Matilda Rebecca was only four years
old.
The
1860 census lists Sarah doing house work, born Virginia, next door to the Hiram
Gallion Family[ix]. Sarah has eight children living with her and
no adult male within the household. The
eldest child Martha has turned 21, James 19 and John 17 both day laborers along
with Hiram 16, Philip 13, Sarah 11, Andrew George W 9 and Matilda Rebecca the
youngest.
Several
researcher’s claim that a George W. Howe, born circa 1810, Kentucky, who went
to Oregon, is Sarah’s estranged husband.
This George W. Howe is said to have arrived in Oregon 30 October 1853[x]. We continue to see Sarah’s husband, George W.
Howe cited, as late as 1868, on documents, in Carter, Lawrence and Boyd
counties in Kentucky, including his father-in-law’s will written in June 1853.
However, the deeds are all signed by commissioners or agents beginning in May
1853. The last transaction dated 13
January 1868 has his brother-in-law, William P. Hood, acting as his agent[xi]
The
George W. Howe of Clackamas County, Oregon received donation land in 1853.[xii] But if he is the same George W. Howe, folks
in Carter, Lawrence, and Boyd County, Kentucky, were unaware of his death. The census for Oregon City was taken June 6th and George W. Howe appears
as a brick burner [xiii]born
in Kentucky.
The
George W. Howe, of Oregon City, Clackamas County came to a tragic end. The Weekly Oregon Statesmen reported on
26 June 1860 “While firing guns at At Oregon City on Thursday evening last, the
vent hole of the cannon was carelessly left open and two men, one of whom is
named Howe and the other a carpenter is known as Curly who was loading the gun
had each arm blown off above the elbow. One of them the right and the other the
left…” On 3 July the paper reported “the
names of the men injured by the premature discharge of a cannon in Oregon City
are George Howe and Fred Curley. Their shattered arms have been amputated and
they are both doing well.” On July 21st the paper simply posted
“George Howe of Oregon City who was injured by firing a cannon is dead.”
In
George Howe’s probate packet is listed books, brick molds and the statement
that there are no heirs.[xiv] Thus if the Oregon Howe was one and the same,
Sarah and his own siblings were unaware of his tragic death back in Kentucky. There is no indication among the receipts,
inventory and other documents that anyone within the court system in Clackamas
County, Oregon had contact with anyone in Kentucky.
Tragedy
struck when 9 December 1861 Sarah’s son John W. Howe, a soldier, died of
typhoid fever while at Camp in Hardin County, Kentucky.[xv] John had joined the Second Cavalry on 14 July
1861 at Camp Joe Holt. The unit was
moved to Camp Nevin in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Harpers Weekly showed a sketch of
the camp in their publication just a few days before John died. Dan Master’s Civil
War Chronicles
gives a good description of the sickness and what it was like at the camp.
By
1870 Sarah Fannin Hood is living next door to Matilda Howe Hood, sister of her
estranged husband George W Howe and Matilda’s husband William P. Hood, Sarah is living with son Phillip Howe,[xvi]
who is farming, along with other family members. The next census entry is Sarah’s son James W.
Howe[xvii]
and wife Sarah Elizabeth Hood Howe[xviii].
Sarah
Fannin Howe died 6 June 1874, age 66 years 9 months and 31days. She was laid to
rest in Klaiber Cemetery. In June 1996
the Klaibers repaired the tablet stone that had been broken.
[i]
KY, Carter dbk 6 page 373
[ii]
James Howe and wife are buried in Oldtown Cemetery, Greenup County, KY
[iii]
KY, Carter dbk B 275
[iv]
KY, Carter dbk 7 p 88
[v]
John Fannin is buried Stewart Cem., Rt. 3, Lawrence County, KY
[vi]
KY, Lawrence Wbk p 43
[vii]
Kozee, Wm., Eastern Kentucky References,
p 166
[viii]
KY, Lawrence Dbk D p 419
[ix]
Hiram Gallion is buried in Klaiber Cemetery
[x] https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/personProfileSearch.do
[xi]
KY, Boyd dbk 3 p 458
[xii]
Oregon Land Claim OC 2548; roll 29
[xiii]
Brick burner in charge of kiln and responsible for correct temperature during
firing.
[xiv]
Oregon, Clackamas Box 13 #6 A-40
[xv]
Fhl 994030 KY death records…Carter County cites parents, residence as Carte r Co
and death in Hardin Co.
[xvi]
Phillip later removed to Oklahoma
[xvii]
James W. Howe eventually removed to Kansas
[xviii]
Sarah Elizabeth is the daughter of William P Hood and Matilda Howe Hood, while
James W. is the s/o George W. Howe and Sarah Fannin Howe.
