I am assisting a friend in finding info on her father's Forbes line which is from Franklin County, VA.

I searched the trees on Rootsweb World Connect. All of them, without exception, show that Robert P Forbes, who married Harriett Louise Wray, was a son of John R Forbes, who married Lydia Wright. They also show that John R was a son of John Forbes who married (1) Sarah Bernard, and (2) Agnes ________. Some of the trees have lists of children for John Forbes. The sparse documentation given on the trees indicates that Sarah Bernard died shortly after 1800 and John and Agnes married around then, but no evidence of this marriage is given. There is even one tree which assigns three children to this second marriage.

I had already done a lot of searching through Census online prior to looking at the trees so I had no immediate arguments against what the trees showed. Recently I started looking at original records for Franklin County.

The probate records I have found do NOT support the conclusions about John Forbes and his two wives. His will, dated 22 July 1832, and presented for probate and proved in court on 6 Aug 1832, shows something very different.

1. This gives a very narrow window for his death, between 22 July and 5 Aug of 1832. Dates given in the various trees, when a date was given at all, are much later than this.

2. He refers to "my beloved wife Sally" three times in the will, and also names her as an executrix of the will, along with John R Forbes. This is presumably the Sarah Bernard that he is supposed to have married, although I have yet to find proof of her maiden name. If this is the same Sarah (Sally), then she obviously did NOT die shortly after 1800.

3. So, where did the second wife Agnes, who is named in so many trees, come from??

A single reading of John Forbes' will provided me with the answer to that question. His will names the following legatees.

a. "My beloved wife Sally"
b. Daughter Agnes Forbes and her heirs forever
c. Daughter Sally Wray, Patsy Bradley, and Polly Lyon
d. Grandson Philip Forbes
e. Son John R Forbes
f. Son Peter B. Forbes
g. Son Thomas J Forbes
h. Heirs of my son William Forbes

4. Obviously Agnes Forbes is the daughter of John Forbes, NOT his second wife. Her estimated birth year of 1786-87 fits in very well with her being an older child of John and Sally Forbes. Whether Agnes never married or whether she married someone whose surname was Forbes is unknown at this time.

5. Since the will refers to "her heirs" [Agnes'] it seems entirely likely that the Otey Forbes found living with her in the 1850 Census in Franklin County is her own son. If Otey had truly been a child of John Forbes, then he should have been listed in the will, as he was certainly alive in 1832 when the will was written.

6. Philip Forbes is listed in some of the trees as being a child of John and Agnes. Well, he might still be a child of Agnes, but he is obviously a grandson of John Forbes.

Another document in the probate records gives further info about Sally Forbes. On 7 Jan 1850 John R Forbes submitted a record of the sale of the estate of Sally Forbes. In case there is still any doubt as to whether or not Sally survived her husband, John R makes reference in his final accounting in the probate files, at a still later date, to the proceeds from the sale of the personal estate of "Sally Forbes, the widow of John Forbes, deceased".

These two records show that Sally did indeed survive her husband, John Forbes, and probably did not die until late in 1849 and possibly even at the very beginning of January 1850. In other words, she just missed being on the 1850 Census.

So, where has everyone who submitted trees been getting their information?? Are they just passing around gedcom files, which are all incorrect?

Has no one ever looked at the original records from Franklin County? These probate records are easily available on microfilm through your nearest FHC.

It's time to stop perpetuating the myth that John Forbes had a wife named Agnes and put her in the tree where she belongs, as his daughter.

Has anyone got any reference as to the maiden name of John's wife, Sally?? Is it really Sarah Bernard?? Where did this come from??

I haven't even gone back any further than John Forbes yet. Who knows what errors I am going to find in lines further back.

Carol Sullivan
mcsullivan@juno.com