NIMROD-SMITH-L Archives

From: "BARBARA H. SWIRE" <>
Subject: Rester Family
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 21:52:00 -0500

Hello,

I am sending in info on the Rester family as we have not done much
research on this surname and I thought maybe we could pool our info and
see what we do have. Except for info from the Wiregrass Georgia books
and the book by Gahn on the German immigrants, this is all I have on
Rester.

Frederick Rester (father of Martha Ann Rester m. Jeremiah Smith)
m1. UNKNOWN
m2. Mary Ann Goleman 16 Dec. 1841 Mobile, AL
m2. Priscilla Bilbo 20 Sept. 1862 Hancock Co., MS

It is believed that Frederick Rester married before he m. Mary Ann
Goleman as his oldest child married only 15 yrs. after his marriage to
Mary Ann Goleman. (Edward Ripley Rester m1. Middy Evans 19 Feb. 1857
Harrison Co., MS; m2. Sarah Missouri Dearman).

The info given above is from "My Burge and Hughes Family Record" by
Donna Burge Adams.

Donna was also the editor and publisher of Florida Parishes Genealogical
Newsletter. In Vol. 11 No. 6; Nov.-Dec. 1989, p. 42, she wrote the
following:

Rester Family Questions

For some time Rester researchers felt that FREDERICK RESTER and LOUISA
DENMARK had a son FREDERICK who married MARY GOLEMAN. The 1850 Harrison
County, Ms., Census showed two household for Frederick and Mary Rester.
The children varied, but both households had a MALVINA and both had a
MARTHA. The 1860 census had at that point shown only one household with
a Frederick and Mary; the children listed then did not precisely match
either 1850 listing.
It seemed at the time that maybe the 1850 census-taker had somehow
listed the same group twice. It now seems that instead, there really
were 2 families headed by a Frederick and Mary A. Rester. We'll call
them `A' and 'B'.
`A' Frederick had children born as early as 1834 on the 1850 census;
`B' had children from 1842 on, which fits in more with the marriage of
Frederick and Mary Ann Goleman in Dec. 1841, Mobile, Alabama. Also, the
wife of `B' is shown as born in Alabama--where Mary Ann Goleman marriage
took place.
`A' wrote a letter to JERRERSON DAVIS in 1864 concerning his son, age
30 (born 1834). In 1853 `A' had signed an application for pension funds
due his late parents, Frederick Rester and Louisa Denmar, and signed his
name.
`B' on the other hand, signed his marrriage bond to Mary Ann Goleman
with an X.
Once it is possible to check the 1870 census, `A' was found in Lawrence
Co., and `B' in Hancock County. Most likely the Frederick in Lawrence
County in 1860 was also `A', and `B' was in Hancock County in 1860. But
since there is no 1860 Hancock County Census, `B' was not found that
year.
So it now seems that `A' was the son of Frederick and Louisa, while it
was `B' who married Mary Ann Goleman. That leaves several questions:
Who were the parents of `B'? What was the maiden name of Mary A., wife
of `A'? Can anyone send in information to further clarify this confusing
family?
Here are the 2 Harrison County listings in 1850:

Household 114/635 [`A']Household 118/690 [`B']
Frederick Rester, 42, b. Ga.Frederick Rester, 35, b. Ms.
Mary A., 33, b. Ga.Mary, 27, b. Ala.
Edward 14, b. Ms.William 8, b. Ms.
Elizabeth, 12Malvina, 7
Malvina, 9Martha, 4
Martha, 6Isalene ? [unclear] 1/12
John, 4
Albert, 2
Missouri 3/12
Maria, 7
-------------------
So, it seems that we cannot be sure of the parentage of Frederick
Rester. And, if Edward is not the son of our Frederick Rester then our
Frederick Rester would have only married two times (1st to Mary Ann
Goleman and 2nd to Priscillo Bilbo.)

Also, I bet Sherrod Smith is also in the missing 1860 Hancock Co., MS
census. It makes since that they were living in the same area as
Jeremiah and Martha m. in 1865 in Hancock Co. In 1870 he is probably
still out in limbo with Jeremiah. We will find them someday.

BTW, I have the Harrison Co., MS marriages index July 1841-through Dec.
1899 if anyone needs a lookup.

Barbara

This thread:

• Rester Family by "BARBARA H. SWIRE" <>