calloway county jail

I am writing this in an attempt to sort out the 5 McCager Napier's of Perry County, Kentucky who were born in a 10-year time span and are frequently mistaken for and mixed up with one another. I am hoping this will help sort out who is whose child, who married who, and who served in which unit(s) during the Civil War.

I will start with the 5 listed in the 1850 Census and work forward.

1850 Census - Perry County, Kentucky

No. - Name as spelled - Approx. birth year - District - Page on Census - Parents

1. Michager Napier - About 1832 - District 2 - Page 4/37 - Mother, Elizabeth Napier

2. Micager Napier - About 1834 - District 2 - Page 4/37 - Parents, Micager and Leanner Napier

3. Michager Napier - About 1844 - District 2 - Page 6/37 - Parents, James and Mary Napier

4. Michager Napier - About 1843 - District 2 - Page 4/37 - Parents, Patrick and Mihala Napier

5. Micager Napuer - About 1846 - District 2 - Page 17/37 - Parents, Stephen and Polly Napier

Henceforth, each McCager will be referred to as McCager 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, based on this list.

Now clearly, all of these McCager's were closely related; they were all either 1st cousins, 1st cousins once removed, or had an uncle/nephew relationship. The mother of McCager # 1, Elizabeth, is the widow of James Napier, son of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield. The fathers of McCager # 2 and McCager # 4, McCager and Patrick respectively, are also sons of Patrick Napier and Fanny Brumfield. The fathers of McCager # 3 and McCager #5 are brothers of McCager # 2, sons of McCager and Leanna Lewis Napier. (Note: James Napier, father of McCager # 3, is often attached on family trees as the son of James Napier and Elizabeth Howard Napier, the parents of McCager

It is not known which McCager this sixth Census entry belongs to; clearly, it is either #'s 3, 4, or 5. The problem is that the Martha Napier who married James Guinn is a daughter of McCager Napier and Leanna Lewis, and therefore sister of McCager # 2. This McCager is working as a laborer, and is either Martha's nephew or cousin, but it is not known which. It was not horribly uncommon for a person to appear in a Census twice for one year, especially when they lived in one household and worked in another, as is the case here. (Helen Keller appears in the census twice one year as she is at home the first time, and traveling the second time.) If the person happens to be at both places whenever the Census-taker came by, then they were counted twice. I believe this is the case here, and that this is not a random 6th McCager who was not in the 1850 Census.

McCager Marriages between 1860 and 1880

McCager #3 - to Patience Spencer - about 1867, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1868

McCager #4 - to Armina Davidson - about 1861, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1862

McCager #5 - to Anna Eagle - about 1870, no marriage record found, year based on first child born about 1871