Number One in the series investigating William “Billy” Cue, 1781-1865
There are always engaging mysteries to explore in our Family History quest. This is especially true of William “Billy” Cue, Don’s 4th great-grandfather. Answers to questions like “Who were Billy’s parents? What was the name of his first wife (and how many wives)?” are probably the kind of information that everyone in the community who knew Billy would be able to answer for us. Somehow, over the march of time, we have lost the common knowledge and we don’t even have the answer to where his birth community was let alone the answer to the original question “Who were the parents of William “Billy” McCue/Cue who was born about 1781 and died in Linn County, Iowa on 31 July 1865?”
This is a mystery I would like to be able to solve, or at least make progress toward an answer. First, let’s start with what I currently believe to be true. Billy was probably originally known with the surname McCue but by the time of the 1820 Census, when he was living in Richland Township, Clinton County, Ohio, Billy was listed as “William Cue” and continued to be listed as Cue, including on his headstone in Dickinson Cemetery in Linn County, Iowa.
- The family story is that Billy was born in Ireland. However, on the 1850 census record where the question was asked “Place of Birth naming the state, territory, or county,” Billy specifically claims Pennsylvania. His youngest children were alive in 1900 and on that federal census, when asked where their father was born, Elizabeth, Josephus, Joseph, and Benjamin reported that their Father’s Birthplace as “Virginia.”
- Maybe Billy was born in Ireland and landed in Virginia or Pennsylvania when he came to the United States. Maybe his parents were born in Ireland and the generations got mixed up in the story. Maybe he was born in Virginia or Pennsylvania. HIs oldest children were born in Pennsylvania.
- There is a family history book, “The McCues of the Old Dominion,” published in 1912, that explains the ancestry of many with the McCue surname from Scotland to Ireland to North America, specifically Virginia. In this listing, the McCue’s arrived as early as 1731. Sadly, Billy does not appear to be listed in this book.
- About Billy’s wives and children…. The family story is that Billy had three wives and twenty-two children.
- This is perfectly plausible given his long life-span and the span over which his children were born. I can’t yet account for three wives and twenty-two children. As of now, I can identify children born over the span of forty-two years – from 1803 to 1845 (see timeline).
- One of Billy’s wives, of whom he might have had the majority of his children, is reported to have been Rachel Bessie Gallagher. No source is available that supports her name as of yet.
- One of Billy’s wives died in Stark County, Illinois on 21 August 1831 and there is a headstone with the information “Wife of William Cue, Aged 46 yr 6 mo 13 da.” This headstone is attributed to Rachel Bessie Gallaher.
- Billy’s wife, Mary Fuller, died 19 October 1857 in Stark County, Illinois. Her headstone reads “Mary A. M. Wife of William Cue Aged 58 yr 22 da.”
- Billy made big moves several times in his life. According to the information based on where his children were born and census information, Billy lived:
- In Pennsylvania around 1803 based on the birth of his son John Cue.
- In Warren County, Ohio in 1809 based on the birth of his son James.
- In Tazewell County, Illinois around 1820 based on his Bureau of Land Management records.
- In Stark County, Illinois from 1820 to after 1857 based on the death of his wives buried in Stark County. There is also Federal Census Records for 1840 and 1850 for William Cue in Stark County, Illinois
- There is a period of time that we are not sure where Billy was located. Investigation continues!
- In Linn County, Iowa in 1865 based on Billy’s death records and grave location. Billy had children and grandchildren in Linn County, Iowa as early as 1850 while Billy was still in Illinois.
William “Billy” Cue died near Palo in Linn County, Iowa, on 31 July 1865. According to an article about Billy’s grandson, Isaiah M Cue, in The History of Clinton County, Indiana, published in 1913, “A notable incident in the family history is that William Cue, the grandfather, lived to be eighty years of age and was then killed by the falling of a tree.” Billy is buried at Dickenson Cemetery near Palo, Linn County, Iowa.
Watch this space for updates. This is the beginning of this journey; I hope to learn more! This could take a while….
