During my research I have come across several mysterious Kerleys. Although these individuals often lived near other known Kerleys, they just do not seem to fit into any of the known Kerley family groups. Often, these mysterious Kerleys have names that were commonly used by our clan at that time. So, I suspect that these folks are related to us, but the precise link is missing. Most of the time I have absolutely no clue whatsoever about who these folks may be. These folks are listed here with the hope that somebody out there will be able to give us more detailed info about them, and hopefully provide the missing link.
Benjamin Kerley
The 1785 census for Albemarle County, Virginia contains a listing for a Benjamin Kerley, along with John and Henry Kerley. Although I am pretty sure who John and Henry are, Benjamin is a mystery. There is also a Benjamin Kerley listed as having served in the War of 1812. He enlisted in Sept of 1812 probably near Livingston County, Kentucky. Could this be the same person? Maybe? The intriguing point here is that Livingston County, Kentucky, basically neighbors Pope and Johnson County, Illinois where we know a large group of Kerleys settled in the mid-1800's. It seems like Benjamin must be related to our Kerley clan, but, so far, I have had no luck in figuring out who he is.
William Kerley
This William appears in the 1800 Census for Nash County, North Carolina. This is an intriguing entry. The listing is fairly clear. It lists a Will Kerley with the following people in his household: 1 male under 10, 1 male between 10-15, 1 male between 16 through 25, 1 male 45 and over, 1 female under 10, 1 female 10 - 15, 2 females 16 -25, and 1 female 26-44. Although it is somewhat hard to read, the listing seems to indicate that there were 7 slaves in this household. In all of my research I have not yet uncovered any Kerley family who lived anywhere near that part of North Carolina in 1800. (Nash County is located in the north-eastern part of the state - far from the Tennessee and South Carolina borders where known Kerley families were living at that time).
What is particularly intriguing about this entry is that it fits almost perfectly for my William Kerley (1756 - 1849) and his family. The ages and sexes of the kids match almost perfectly with William's known family. See Third Generation: William son of Henry. But, I believe that my William was living in Kentucky or Tennessee at that time. No records have been discovered indicating that my William spent any time whatsoever in North Carolina. So, I suspect that this is not my William.
My suspicions are further supported by the somewhat illegible listing in this entry that this NC William had 7 slaves in his household. As far as I know, my William and his family were never rich enough to engage in this nefarious practice. Now, if this listing for 7 slaves is correct, then it would show a fairly well-off family. Plus, that would make this William a possible source for some of the other unattached Kerleys listed in this section, particularly those who owned slaves such as the Gasconade Missouri gang (see below). In any event, this particular William disappears from all records after the 1800 census. He is not in any subsequent census records, so he simply cannot be traced.
William M. Kerley
This is the guy who lived in Giles Co. Tenn. in the early 1800's and who had the fascinating encounter with Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812. I have posited that he is the son of Major William Kerley of Madison County, but that is just a guess. See William M. Kerley
James M (or W) Kerley
This fellow appears in the 1830 census for Wayne County, TN. He and his wife are in their 20's and are just starting their family. (They have 4 young kids). Wayne County is the location where many of the Burke County, NC Kerleys moved to in the mid-1830's. So, James and his family appear to have been in the vanguard of the Kerley move to that county. The only known Kerley who moved from Burke County to Wayne County before 1830 was Lewis. But, James was not a member of Lewis' family and he just does not fit in with any other known members of the Burke County Kerleys. (Since this James was born between 1800 and 1810, that limits the candidates from the Burke County Bunch who could be his parents. As far as we have been able to determine the only member of that clan who had a recorded son born before 1810 is Daniel. But as we have seen, this Daniel did not acknowledge any James (or offspring of James) in his will. We have no records of any children from the James of the Burke County Bunch. So, it is possible that this James M. was the son of the Burke County James.)
Interestingly, the listing for James in this census is on the same page as listings for two members of the Simmons family. There was a very close connection between the Kerleys and Simmons at this time. They often traveled together in family groups. My belief is that this James had to come from Burke County, NC but from which family in that area I am not certain. (Could he be a son of Larkin?)
Adolphus and Andrew Jackson Kerley
A large number of Kerleys descend from a guy named Andrew Jackson Kerley (1823 - 1901). Family legend in that family is that Andrew Jackson was the son of a guy named Adolphus Kerley who was born sometime around 1790 in North Carolina. There are no records of anybody named Adolphus that I could find. And, Andrew Jackson does not seem to pop up anywhere until the 1870 census. So, I am not sure where this family group fits into. He theoretically could be a son of Larkin, but we cannot say so for sure.
Andrew could also be the son of James Kerley (who was born on March 26, 1787) (Son of the Burke County, NC, Henry). The 1840 census record for Wayne County, TN shows that James did have a son who was born in the mid-1820's. So, it is plausible that Andrew could be a son of this James (who might have used a middle name of Adolphus). But, we know so little about this particular James that it is hard to make any definite conclusions.