The Shemwell Family

Mileage Lindsey Dunham - Data Merge SUMMARY: Records and detailed analysis support that Mileage Lindsey Dunham is the eldest son of William L Dunham and Tennessee McGehee. DETAILS: Previously, there were 5 sons listed in the family; but, 3 of those sons were actually the same person. Specifically, (1) Jesse D "Linzy" Durham (G32L-946), (2) Milerage L Durham (G3DD-8WN), and (3) Sendrey Durham (GHPS-PG8). It appears that the confusion arose as the son's name was entered into various records as a birthname, nickname, middle name, and transcribed incorrectly (Sendrey instead of Lindsey). Various records support that the birth name of the child was probably Milerage Lindsey Durham. In some records he was referred to as Milerage L, Lindsay, Jesse, "JD". I believe that the Jesse and JD variations may have resulted from a name change or nickname adopted in his later years. In reviewing the various Census records, we can see how the name was changed and estimated birth dates. 1870 Census -> Sendrey (Lindsey) Durham -> born Feb 1870 1880 Census -> Milerage L Durham -> born 1870 1900 Census -> Jesse Durham -> born Feb 1870 1910 Census -> Jessie Durham -> born 1870 1920 Census -> J D Durham -> born 1871 1930 Census -> Jesse Durham -> born 1872 1940 Census -> Jessie Durham -> born 1870 1950 Census -> J D Durham -> born 1870 What led to the suggestion that there were 3 separate brothers was that (1) Sendrey was only listed in the 1870 Census, (2) Milerage L was only listed in the 1880 Census, and (3) Jessie D "Linzy" only appeared in the 1900 and later Census'. It seemed odd that Jesse (who was born in 1870) only surfaced in the 1900 Census and not earlier; but, he did under various names. There also appears to be some errors in the birth and death years. One can use the 1870 Census, Jessie's Death Certificate, and Findagrave site. Clearly, the birth date is Feb 1870. That is very credible as the 1870 Census was taken in August 1870 and listed Sendrey (Lindsey) as 6 months old. However, the Jessie Linzy Death Certificate reports a Feb 10, 1868 birth date whereas the Tombstone photo shows a Feb 16, 1867 date. I think that he was probably born in February; but, the Tombstone photo and Death Certificate seem to contradict the Census data. Considering the 1870 Census was taken within 6 months of his birth, I feel it the most credible. Note that the Death Certificate and Tombstone photo reflect data supplied in 1951 which is 81 years after he was born ... and perhaps supplied by people who really didn't know his birth year. The death date has a slight error. The Death Certificate is the most credible as it states he died on August 23, 1951. It further states that the Death Certificate was recorded on August 27, 1951 which is the date shown on the Tombstone photo. Clearly, his death date should be August 23, 1951 and not the date the Death Certificate was recorded.