John Campbell and John Jenkins Campbell
My g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, was born about 1779, and lived in his later years in Jackson County, Alabama. Extensive research has been done on his family. However, many descendants of this John Campbell identify him in their records as John J. Campbell, or John Jenkins Campbell. I believe that this is an error resulting from a mis-identification by researchers in the past, which is now being passed on from researcher to researcher. The goal of this report is to provide enough evidence of a mis-identification to convince descendants of my g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, that he should not be identified as John J. Campbell or John Jenkins Campbell.
My g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, first purchased land in Jackson County, Alabama, in 1831. John Campbell and his sons, Eli, George, Willis and John, made several purchases of land in Jackson County. All of these tracts were located roughly four miles northwest of the village of Princeton. John Campbell appears in the 1840 and 1850 Jackson County census records, and we believe that he died on his farm northwest of Princeton between 1855 and 1860.
John Campbell is a fairly common name, and there are several early purchases of land in Jackson County, Alabama, by a man, or men, named John Campbell. The earliest of those was the purchase of 160.80 acres, for $201.00, by a John J. Campbell, of Jackson County, on August 3, 1830. The land was located immediately southeast of the village of Trenton, Alabama, and is described as the Northwest quarter of Section 31 in Township 3 South of Range 4 East. A "John Jenkins Campbell", of Jackson County, purchased an additional 80.40 acres just south of the original 160.80 acres on January 31, 1837.
We can be sure that John J. Campbell owned this land near Trenton until at least July of 1840. On July 2, 1840, "John J. Campbell and his wife Ann S." signed a Deed of Trust, using approximately 110 acres of this land as collateral. The Trustee was an E. W. Williams, and the purpose of the Deed of Trust was to guarantee payment of a promissory note made on May 1, 1840, by which John J. Campbell borrowed $584.22 from a Samuel Hughes of Madison County, Alabama. The note was payable on January 1, 1841.
I believe that the evidence is overwhelming that this John J. Campbell was not the same person as my g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell. First, it would have been very unusual for one man to have been acquiring multiple tracts of land in two separate locales, ten miles apart, during the same time period. Second, the John Campbell who purchased land northwest of Princeton ("my" John Campbell) consistently used the name "John Campbell", while the John Campbell who purchased land near Trenton consistently used the name "John J. Campbell" or "John Jenkins Campbell". Third, we know that my g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, was married to an Aney (Webster) Campbell, who never, to our knowledge, used a middle initial. The wife of the John Campbell who lived near Trenton was referred to in a land record as "Ann S. Campbell". And fourth, and most importantly, I believe that we can separately locate both of these John Campbell’s in the 1830 and 1840 census records.
In the 1830 census of Madison County, Alabama, there is a census record for a John Campbell who we are confident, for a number of reasons, was my g-g-g-grandfather. He was categorized, in this census, as being 40-49 years of age. In the 1830 census of Jackson County, Alabama, there is an entry on page 138 for a John J. Campbell family. The entry indicates that the household consisted of one male 30‑39, one male 10‑14, one male 5‑9, one male under 5, one female 30‑39, one female 5‑9, and one female under 5. I believe, due to the use of the middle initial of "J.", that this was the John J. Campbell family who lived near Trenton.
In the 1840 Jackson County census, there are three consecutive entries on page 55 for the families of Pleasant Bennett, Elijah Campbell, and John Campbell. There is very strong circumstantial evidence that this John Campbell, categorized by the census as 60-69 years of age, was my g-g-g-grandfather. However, the 1840 census records for Jackson County, Alabama, include two John Campbell's. The other John Campbell appears on page 67. That John Campbell household consists of one male 40‑49, one male 20‑29, one male 10‑14, one female 30‑39, one female 10‑14, and one female 5‑9. There is certainly enough similarity between this entry and the 1830 entry for the John J. Campbell family to justify our suspicion that they were the same family.
My g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, appears in the 1850 census as a widower, living with some of his younger children. There was no John J. Campbell, or Ann S. Campbell, listed in the 1850 census of Jackson County, Alabama.
My g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, first purchased land in Jackson County, Alabama, in 1831. John Campbell and his sons, Eli, George, Willis and John, made several purchases of land in Jackson County. All of these tracts were located roughly four miles northwest of the village of Princeton. John Campbell appears in the 1840 and 1850 Jackson County census records, and we believe that he died on his farm northwest of Princeton between 1855 and 1860.
John Campbell is a fairly common name, and there are several early purchases of land in Jackson County, Alabama, by a man, or men, named John Campbell. The earliest of those was the purchase of 160.80 acres, for $201.00, by a John J. Campbell, of Jackson County, on August 3, 1830. The land was located immediately southeast of the village of Trenton, Alabama, and is described as the Northwest quarter of Section 31 in Township 3 South of Range 4 East. A "John Jenkins Campbell", of Jackson County, purchased an additional 80.40 acres just south of the original 160.80 acres on January 31, 1837.
We can be sure that John J. Campbell owned this land near Trenton until at least July of 1840. On July 2, 1840, "John J. Campbell and his wife Ann S." signed a Deed of Trust, using approximately 110 acres of this land as collateral. The Trustee was an E. W. Williams, and the purpose of the Deed of Trust was to guarantee payment of a promissory note made on May 1, 1840, by which John J. Campbell borrowed $584.22 from a Samuel Hughes of Madison County, Alabama. The note was payable on January 1, 1841.
I believe that the evidence is overwhelming that this John J. Campbell was not the same person as my g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell. First, it would have been very unusual for one man to have been acquiring multiple tracts of land in two separate locales, ten miles apart, during the same time period. Second, the John Campbell who purchased land northwest of Princeton ("my" John Campbell) consistently used the name "John Campbell", while the John Campbell who purchased land near Trenton consistently used the name "John J. Campbell" or "John Jenkins Campbell". Third, we know that my g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, was married to an Aney (Webster) Campbell, who never, to our knowledge, used a middle initial. The wife of the John Campbell who lived near Trenton was referred to in a land record as "Ann S. Campbell". And fourth, and most importantly, I believe that we can separately locate both of these John Campbell’s in the 1830 and 1840 census records.
In the 1830 census of Madison County, Alabama, there is a census record for a John Campbell who we are confident, for a number of reasons, was my g-g-g-grandfather. He was categorized, in this census, as being 40-49 years of age. In the 1830 census of Jackson County, Alabama, there is an entry on page 138 for a John J. Campbell family. The entry indicates that the household consisted of one male 30‑39, one male 10‑14, one male 5‑9, one male under 5, one female 30‑39, one female 5‑9, and one female under 5. I believe, due to the use of the middle initial of "J.", that this was the John J. Campbell family who lived near Trenton.
In the 1840 Jackson County census, there are three consecutive entries on page 55 for the families of Pleasant Bennett, Elijah Campbell, and John Campbell. There is very strong circumstantial evidence that this John Campbell, categorized by the census as 60-69 years of age, was my g-g-g-grandfather. However, the 1840 census records for Jackson County, Alabama, include two John Campbell's. The other John Campbell appears on page 67. That John Campbell household consists of one male 40‑49, one male 20‑29, one male 10‑14, one female 30‑39, one female 10‑14, and one female 5‑9. There is certainly enough similarity between this entry and the 1830 entry for the John J. Campbell family to justify our suspicion that they were the same family.
My g-g-g-grandfather, John Campbell, appears in the 1850 census as a widower, living with some of his younger children. There was no John J. Campbell, or Ann S. Campbell, listed in the 1850 census of Jackson County, Alabama.