Number Three in the series investigating William “Billy” Cue, 1781-1865
Before we leave Ohio with the Cue’s, let’s explore the Gallaher family in Warren and Clinton counties in Ohio. Researching Billy requires that we learn more about the people with whom he and his family were associated, especially those that come up in family stories and were in similar locations.
The family story is that one of Billy’s three (maybe?) wives was a Gallaher. Many times the family stories are correct! Unfortunately, I’ve not yet been able to find evidence to prove or disprove the story. Her name has been reported as Bessie or Rachel or Sara. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to find documented information, especially about women, from the end of the 1700’s. I have not yet been able to find marriage records or records from the Gallaher family, such as a will, that confirms a name and relationship.
About the Gallaher Family
The immigrant patriarch of the Gallaher family was Bryant Gallaher (abt 1720-1775), who arrived from Ireland in 1735. He settled in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey and married Elizabeth Reed (or Reid) (1724-1770) there in 1748. Bryant and Elizabeth lived out their lives in Freehold and were buried there. Bryant and Elizabeth had eight children. Their children were in the same generation as Billy.
Of the children of Bryant and Elizabeth, seven moved and settled in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Why are Pennsylvania and Ohio important to our research?
- John Cue (1803-1895), Billy’s son and Don’s 3rd great-grandfather, directly and consistently reported his birthplace as Pennsylvania in many census records throughout his lifetime.
- As reported in the earlier blog post, we have direct evidence of Billy and his family living in Warren and Clinton counties in Ohio between 1809 and 1831.
Here’s what we know about the connection between Billy and the Gallaher family. According to The History of Clinton County, Ohio, published in 1882, Billy moved to Richland Township in Clinton County in 1810. He received land from James Gallaher (1764-1825) “in payment for which he was to clear land for Gallaher.” Both Billy and James had moved first to Warren County and then on to Clinton County, Ohio.
Many family researchers have used that information along with information passed along from their family to assert that Billy’s wife was James’ daughter. There are a couple of challenges to that theory, especially if she was purported to have been Billy’s first wife and the mother of son, John Cue (1803-1895).
First, James Gallaher was married to Leah Porter (1767-1831) in 1796. James and Leah were not old enough or married early enough to have a daughter with a son born in 1803. Second, James’ eight children were named in the Biographical Sketch of Clinton County and the daughters were named and those that were married have known spouses.
- John (1788-1881)
- James R (1791-1874)
- Elizabeth (1795-1873), married Benjamin McDuffee, Sr (1788-1853)
- Rachel (1799-1854) married John Wilson (1780-1854)
- Charles P (1800-1890)
- Nancy (1802-1877) married Morgan Sabin (1803-1851)
- Lucinda (1804-abt 1880) never married
- Catherine Gallaher (1809-1853) married Alfred Sabin (1808-1870)
None of the girls were known to be married to Willam or Billy Cue or any men with the Cue or McCue surname. In addition, all of the named daughters were alive at the time that Billy married his second (or possibly third) wife Mary Molly Fuller (1799-1857) in Illinois in 1836.
This does not prove that James was not the father of a wife of Billy. For example, maybe James had another daughter who was one of Billy’s wives. There could have been other girls not listed in the Biographical Sketch. Unfortunately, James Gallaher’s will did not specifically name his children.
What about the other children of Bryant Gallaher? Could one of them have had a daughter married to Billy? This is a plausible theory; maybe Billy’s wife was related to James Gallaher and the land deal just made people make assumptions that James Gallaher was her father. For example, James’ brother, Lewis, had a daughter, Sarah, who has been reported in some families as Billy’s wife.
- Notably, Lewis was a first name that continued in the Cue family. Billy had a son Lewis (1817-1893) and at least three grandsons named Lewis. While this does not provide proof, it provides food for thought.
In my personal family tree, I have the Gallaher relationship marked as UNVERIFIED until I can find more evidence that one of Billy’s wives was a Gallaher. UNVERIFIED doesn’t mean “Absolutely Not.” It means that I just don’t have enough information to tie this person into whatever family or relationship that is proposed. The amount of documentation about names and relationships for all people that far back (1700’s), ESPECIALLY women, is often very limited.
Research continues!
In this series, I am examining what I currently know and I am learning about the origins and life of William “Billy” Cue (1781-1865). This article is the third in the series.
If you would like more information or need detail about my sources, please contact me at renee@reneecue.com.