Sharing Stories Can Solve Someone's Mystery

by Barbara Olivier

It's good to share stories about our family that we found while seaching and sometimes these stories are from your family too, as you will find many new relatives during your research.

From time to time, I'd like to feature stories about other peoples' adventures here in this column, so feel free to e-mail me if you would like to share something. I will get this started with one of the most interesting one I have found, but it a tough one to solve and explain!

READ WITH CAUTION, this story may make you dizzy (I'm kidding, of course).

I found my g.g.g.grand father Thomas Copenhaver who was first my g.g.g.great uncle because he first was married to my g.g.g.grandmothers sister, her name was Nancy Simpson. Mary, her sister was married to my g.g.g.grandfather Jonathan T. Turpin.

After Nancy died with fever at early age, her husband, Thomas Copenhaver, must have had two girlfriends at same time as babies were born a month apart and this son named Perry C. Copenhaver married daughter of my greats Mary and Jonathan T. Turpin and that made him his uncle first but after married to Barnes.

They had a daughter named Nancy Jane Copenhaver who married the Turpins' son named John M.Turpin so that made him his father-in-law and Perry and John M. got into a fight and John M. was killed and both died in spring of 1864!

Don't know if Perry died from fight however! Then son of John M. Turpin named Samuel W. Turpin married Lizzy Parton, a half sister to her moms' child by Thomas Copenhaver..

The real question here is -- AM I MY OWN GRANDMA?

It gets worse... He married second one named Elizabeth Barnes MY G.G.GRAND MOTHER and being a preacher, he married himself or at least signed it. The other baby a daughter born to Elizabeth Partin/Parton became on my other side, my g.g.grandnother! She later married James Nicholas in Wayne Co. Ky where Thomas Copenhaver was a Methodist Minister.

Last on this family is that Thomas Copenhaver's sister married brother to Mary and Nancy Simpson. Then she had a son by first marriage to Thomas Turner by the name of John Turner who married my g.grandfathers sister on other side and these folks all went to Lauderdale co. Al where I was born.

My grandfather went to live with John Turner and sure enough he married Martha Hairell/Hairel's neice Tishe Hairell who was the daughter of John Hairell, Jr, my great grand father, and no I would not have married anyone from this area!

I am finding they are all related and also found that my mothers folks were there also being from Indian background. The Turpins runs into Thomas Jefferson the presidents family and he believed that all should marry into their own people.

I married a man whose father was from Paris France and I am finding for him now that his dad did first married in Paris, France and my husband never heard this story before. He first married into Royalty! Who was his stepmother?!?

Do you have an unknown stepmother?
Can I become the Queen! hehehehhe?

Please let me know if you can put all this together and find if I might be related to you!

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