Who are the cousins?

[jrmrea]

Thanks Tara for sharing your thoughts on this!

Was the full quote re Samuel and David John plus their relation as cousins to the others on an actual headstone ?

Yes, I tried uploading the original image with this post but it doesn't seem to work.

Your post makes a lot of sense but the only thing putting a wrench in the theory (for me) is that there's another Samuel listed as a "cousin". He's the only one I wasn't able to find anything on yet...

I was initially thinking it might be David John's grandfather, moving William and others up one generation. However writing this out, I just thought that he might have more likely died young and the name was repurposed. In this case your version would still hold, and honestly make more sense.

[taramcdsmall]

Again, just thinking out loud . . .

But a headstone was a big expense back then . . .

Most families would struggle to afford one for immediate family . . . Further out would be a sibling . . . And while not unheard of, to get a headstone for a cousin would be a further stretch indeed . . .

Also, if Samuel was a more distant relation would William not have gotten the Patterson's to put his affairs in order ?

It just leads my gut instinct to say that those interred were Samuel's siblings . . . Given the age gap they probably did a lot of the rearing on him ☺️

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

Re Griffiths Valuation . . .

The Samuel Rea stated was most likely Samuel Rea Sr, the father of William, Eliza, David, John, Jane and Samuel Jr.

Given it being the late 1840's / early 1850's that the GV was done our William born in the 1820's would have been old enough to have been farming his own plot of land . . .

OR It could also have been a brother to Samuel Sr . . .

OR . . . It could have been father to Samuel Sr . . .

OR . . . It could have been a dreaded 'COUSIN' 🤯🤯🤯

The possibilities are endless 😂😂😂

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

Just a quick note re your 'wrench' ie cousin Samuel . . .

As you have alluded to yourself I would put good money on this being a brother, an earlier Samuel who died in infancy and the name was repurposed, as you theorized yourself, to be given to your direct ancestor to whom I shall refer to as Samuel Jr from now on to avoid confusion . . .

So, now we have . . .

Samuel Sr
Samuel Infant
Samuel Jr

(Does that make sense 😁😁😁)

Repurposing Christian names was common, in my experience, especially with a Christian name that meant a lot to the family . . .

I hope that unwrenches your wrench 😂

Tara

[taramcdsmall]

Another musing of mine . . .

We know that Samuel Jr and William were close but another closeness that I have observed is that of Samuel Jr son David John . . .

I was 99.9% sure that Samuel Jr was a sibling to those interred BUT for Samuel Jr to have given his son the double barrel Christian names of DAVID JOHN those exact same names as those interred . . .

Well . . .

I'm sorry but that's a 100% bingo in my book that these were siblings, absolutely no questions asked . . .

I do tend to get soppy about family trees but for Samuel Jr to have gotten a headstone for those people AND to give their names to his children means that they were super close siblings . . . And not the distant relations that the 'cousin' term on the headstone is inferring 120 years later . . .

I do hope I am making sense ☺️

Tara