Finding Your Folks: Robert H. Boyd, the Wagners, Emfingers and Webbs

We all know that when your story doesn't quite fit right there's usually a flaw in your research. I had struggled over this part of Robert Boyd's story for at least five years, juggling, moving the pieces, going over the records again and again until I had almost memorized parts of them, and Robert's story still wouldn't fit together right. His marriage to Martha Wagner, the two children she brought with her to the marriage, their marriage contract, her death and estate with no mention of Robert ... none of it jelled. Well, earlier this week I found out what was missing - the Wagners, Emfingers and Webbs. And I found them right under my nose.

There on my bookshelf was a book I had completely forgotten I had - The Early History of Upson County by Nottingham & Hannah - and that book held the Wagner, Emfinger and Webb stories. It was only a simple Bible record but it answered all the questions.

Let's go back to the marriage of Robert H. Boyd and (Mrs.) Martha Wagner in 1848 in Pike County to get Martha's real name. Martha, according to the Wagner Bible records, was Martha Thompson Osborne Wagner, the widow of Nicholas Wagner of Upson and Pike counties, who died 12 April 1847. The Bible states that Nicholas Wagner and Martha Osborne were married 11 June 1816. No location was given.

I uncovered a huge error when I found Martha's correct birth year. According to the Wagner Bible, Martha Thompson Boyd died 8 Dec. 1851 in the 53rd year of her age (this answered the question about the "T" in Martha's name on her estate records). In the 1850 census with Robert H. Boyd, Martha's age was erroneously read and transcribed as 32 when she was actually 52. This meant that she was definitely old enough to have the two children Martha J. and Augustus B. Wagner, ages 18 and 17, who appear in the census with her. In fact, the Wagner Bible records show Martha and Nicholas Wagner's full family as Mary Ann Etheldra Wagner (b. 1817), Cordelia Simpkins Wagner (b. 1818), Rebecca Smith Wagner (b. 1820), Amanda Bibb Wagner (b. 1821), William Henry Wagner (b. 1823), George Osborn Wagner (b. 1825), Thomas Hamilton Wagner (b. 1827), Martha Jane Wagner (b. 1830), Lucius Wagner (b. 1831), and Augustus B. Wagner (b. 1833.)

Would you look at all those surnames used as middle names? One would wonder if Martha and Nicholas used every female's maiden name in their family for several generations. What an adventure it would be trying to figure those out.

I still don't know why Robert was not mentioned in Martha's estate or why he wasn't the administrator. The fact that she died in December of 1851 and the administrator wasn't appointed until May of 1852 may indicate there was a problem. I did find out that Amanda Emfinger, the administrator, was Martha's daughter, Amanda Bibb Wagner Emfinger, the widow of John W. Emfinger by 1852 when Martha's estate was administered. John W. Emfinger died 25 Feb. 1846 " ... in the 34th year of his age..." according to the Wagner Bible. He and Amanda had one son, George B. Emfinger, b. abt. 1843 (1850 Pike County census). Amanda remarried in 1856 to widower John Nicholas Webb, a Maryland-born, Virginia-raised hotel owner and casket maker who was a noted citizen of Upson County. According to the Upson County history book, Webb helped make the casket in which George Washington's remains were interred. He was married first to Emily Jacobs and had several children.

Martha Wagner Boyd's estate settlement which was begun in Meriwether County was moved to Pike County at Amanda's request and annual returns were made there. Securities were Martha J. Wagner, Amanda's younger sister, and Archibald Nall, whom I believe was Amanda's brother-in-law, husband of her sister Cordelia Simpkins Wagner. Cordelia was listed as Cordelia S. Nall in death records in the Bible.

In 1852, Robert remarried yet another time and to another Martha. I believe she is the Martha McCra (probably should be McRae) on the record in Meriwether marriage book B, p. 124 as marrying a Robert H. Boyd. Robert's estate settlement mentioned his wife, Martha. Since I found Robert's estate before I found Martha Wagner Boyd's, I naturally thought that Robert had only one wife named Martha. And that led to another merry chase through the Meriwether court records. There were definitely two Marthas.

Robert died in June of 1857 and there appeared to be a squabble over who would administer his estate. Proceedings were begun in August of that year. His wife, Martha, applied for the job and so did his son-in-law, Benjamin White, husband of his daughter, Julia. Benjamin and Martha agreed to be co-administrators and posted separate bonds of $15,000, each with his own securities.

Posting security on the bond for Martha Boyd were John Horn, Drewry M. Allen and Robert McCrary. Posting security on the bond for Benjamin White were James C. Allen, Stoddard C. Powell and McDuffie C. Boyd, Robert's youngest son.

In September, Martha Boyd applied to the court for 12 months support and the court appointed Robert McCrary, Geo. W. Milner, James B. Glass, Sutley Rogers, and William Hodnett to assess a 12 months support out of Robert's estate. That is the last we hear of Martha. In subsequent records, a Sarah Boyd is listed as the co-administrator with Benjamin White and the two apply for permission to sell the land and Negroes owned by the estate. In the 1860 census, three of the four living children are settled on Robert's land and Martha is nowhere to be found.

Next week: What happened to the Boyd children?

Stories and family histories about your ancestors who lived on Atlanta's south side are always welcome. Send them to jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com. Mail to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. All letters and e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.