199, 200. Claudia J. Gilmour Johnson and M. Gilmour

We are reaching the milestone of the 200th name on the list (more or less, considering--some of the students may be listed with two different names, because of handwriting or name variations).  The roster of Mordecai students I compiled in 1996 has two named Gilmour: Claudia Gilmour of Halifax County, North Carolina, who was at the school in its first session 1809, and then again from second session 1810 to second session 1813; with William Gilmour as the adult name on the account; and M. Gilmour, who was only there in 1809.

Even in 1996, I knew enough about Claudia J. Gilmour Johnson to give her a paragraph in the "Brief Biographical Sketches" appendix of my dissertation. She married Haywood Johnson in 1819 at Petersburg, Virginia; Rachel Mordecai apparently suspected that the match was against their family's wishes. They lived on a farm outside Warrenton, and were friends with Caroline Mordecai Plunkett there in the 1820s. They had a son, Arthur Gloster Johnson. Like a lot of other Warrentonians and Mordecai alumnae, she moved to La Grange, Tennessee, with her family, and helped run a girls' school there. She died by 1835.

So, that's a pretty good start! Let's see what we can find online now.

Eh, not that much, really. I thought her somewhat unusual first name and all the geographic details would help, but "Johnson" is a tough last name to work with. Claudia Gilmour may have continued as a student at Raleigh Academy after leaving Warrenton; a student with that name excelled in drawing and music at the Raleigh Academy examinations in November 1815.

But as for her birthdate? Grave site? Parents? I'm coming up blank. And that "M. Gilmour" might be a sibling, but without the rest of Claudia's picture, it's hard to say. Maybe you know more about these 19c. "Gilmour Girls", blog reader?

196, 197, 198. Eliza, Lucy, and S. Gilliam

There are three students named Gilliam in the roster of the Mordecai school I compiled in 1996: Eliza, Lucy, and S. Gilliam. The are not at the school long--each girl for a single term. Eliza and S. were at the school during its last term in 1818, and Lucy Gilliam was there in the first term of 1816. Ed. Anderson is the adult name that might be attached to Eliza and S.; Mr. Hardaway might be the adult name attached to Lucy Gilliam. (I say "might" because I put a question mark after each name in the appendix of my dissertation, so I must have had reason to be unsure.)

So, that's not much to go on. But let's see what online resources can tell me in 2024.

There are a couple likely candidates for Lucy Gilliam. There's Lucy Ann Gilliam born in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1799--that's exactly the right time and place for a Mordecai girl. She's the daughter of John Gilliam and Hannah Sampson. But there's also her cousin Lucy Skelton Gilliam (1804-1872), daughter of James Skelton Gilliam and Mary Feild, also from Petersburg, Virginia. Their grandmother was named Lucy Ann Skelton Gilliam--here's a portrait of the elder woman at Colonial Williamsburg; she was related by marriage to Martha Wayles Jefferson. 

I don't know if our Mordecai student is either of these girls, but both are the right age and location and class to be possibilities. Lucy Ann would have been 16-17 in 1816; Lucy S. would have been 11-12; the latter is closer to average, but both are in plausible range. 

However, from what I can see, neither girl had a sister Elizabeth who was the right age to attend the Mordecai school in 1818. Elizabeth was a common name, of course. and there were several in their families, but none born in the target range of 1805-1810. 

I don't know where to start with S. Gilliam. S is such a tricky letter in manuscript sources; maybe it was a J. Maybe it was an F. Maybe even an L. I can't go look again, so I'll leave that alone for now.

195. Hannah Gibson

 There is a student named Hannah Gibson in the student rolls of the Mordecai school, which I assembled for my 1996 dissertation. She was at the school from mid-1812 to the end of 1813, so three sessions. I don't have a hometown, a parent name, or any other details in that appendix. So I'm not sure what we'll be able to find now, almost 30 years later, but let's have a look around anyway....

Well, here's one candidate who fits the part: a Hannah Gibson from North Carolina, born in 1800,  daughter of Thomas Gibson (b. 1763). She first married in 1819, to George Crothers (or Cruthers) in Randolph County NC. She married again in 1831, to a divorced man named Pierce M. Nixon Jr., also in Randolph County. They were still living together in Randolph County for the 1850 federal census, along with a neighbor's child, George N. Allred.

So, she's the right age and place for a Mordecai student; still, no "gotcha, aha!" connections so far. And her first and last name aren't distinctive enough, in isolation, to say this is the one. But it's the best possibility I saw.

194. Mary R. Gee (might be Mary A. Gee)

 There is a student named Mary R. Gee in the list I made for my dissertation's appendix in 1996. She was from Halifax County NC, attended the Mordecai school for four sessions, from early 1816 to the end of 1817, and the named Neville Gee is associated with her account.

Let's see what the online sources can tell me about this student now. Okay, this one is easier than Virginia Gaulejean(?). I think? Not 100% sure, but this is what I think I've pieced together, mostly on Ancestry:

Neville Gee (1773-1828) of Halifax County NC married Elizabeth Harwell, and had eight children, including Mary. Elizabeth Harwell Gee died sometime in the 1810s. Mary Gee was sent to the Mordecai school in 1816 and 1817; sometimes school enrollment was a way to manage the children of a grieving household.  Or maybe her father was making social connections; the Alston family had several daughters at the Mordecai school over the years, and he was remarried to Elizabeth M. Alston in October 1817. 

Mary Gee married Hutchins B. Mitchell in 1821. In 1828, her father died in Wilcox, Alabama. Did she also move to Alabama? I lose track of her after 1821. Do you know her fate? Leave me a comment.

193. Virginia Gaulejean (?)

There is a Virginia Gaulejean in the list of Mordecai school students I made for my dissertation's appendix from 1996. She was at the school for both 1815 sessions, and the adult name attached to her account is Louis Gaulejean.

Not much to go on, but maybe a distinctive name will help. Let's see what online sources can tell me about her now.... hmmmm. Not much comes up for the name Gaulejean at all. Maybe misspelled? Gaullejean? Gallejean? Galejean? Not turning up much of a clue for those names either. 

Without the original documents or a hometown or something to go on, I don't think this one is going to be solved right now. There was a probably student named Virginia at the school in 1815. Her last name? Might have started with a G and might have been or sounded French. There might have been a father or brother named Louis. If any of this sounds familiar, leave me a comment!

191, 192. Clara and Rosa Garnier

There are two Mordecai students named Garnier in the appendix of my dissertation. Clara and Rosa Garnier may have been from Wilmington, North Carolina; they both seem to have attended from early 1811 to late 1813, and John Garnier is the adult name attached to their account.

Well here's a first: I think Clara Garnier might be the first Mordecai student (that I know of) who was born outside of the United States.  Clara Louise Garnier (c1800-1867) was born in Bordeaux, France (according to her tombstone), and emigrated with her father John Garnier and mother Ann Rosalia Boutet to the United States, settling in Wilmington by 1805. Her mother died in 1810 (which might explain why both girls arrived at the Mordecai school in the beginning of 1811). She married in 1822, to businessman George W. Barkley. They lived in Pensacola, Florida, and had nine children born between 1823 and 1838. Here's a photo of her daughter and namesake, Clara Garnier Barkley Dorr (1825-1899). Clara's granddaughter, Martha Sawyer Gielow, was a writer and public speaker, founder and director of the Southern Industrial Association.

Rosa B. Garnier (c1804-1842) was Clara's younger sister. She married Dr. John O. Smith, and died in 1842, at age 38.

The Barkley House, where Clara Garnier Barkley lived, still stands in Pensacola.

190. Marion Galloway

There's a student named Marion Galloway in the list of Mordecai school students I compiled in the 1990s. She may have been from Halifax County, North Carolina, attended the school from the beginning of 1817 to the end of 1818, and a Robert Galloway is the adult name attached to her account. Not much to go on, but let's see how much more we can learn about her now...

One thought: Marion is not a very common name for the students at the Mordecai school. Mary, Mary Ann, sure, but I don't see other Marions in the list. So I'll definitely check other spellings.

Here's one potential match: Marion Galloway, daughter of Robert Galloway and Mary Spraggins Galloway; her father was a Scottish immigrant and died in 1832. He lived in Rockingham County NC, owned a tavern at Wentworth, and in the 1820 census there are 77 enslaved people recorded at his plantation. In his will, her name is clearly written "Marion" (see snippet from Ancestry).  And she is listed as the wife of James E. Galloway--so she may have married a cousin, or otherwise landed with a matching maiden name and married name. She and her husband were given land in Tennessee, and a dozen enslaved people, in her father's will.

Her husband died in 1833, in Maury, Tennessee, leaving her a young widow with a young daughter, Cornelia, and son, James A. Galloway. James E. Galloway's will is also on Ancestry; here's where she's named ("my dearly beloved wife Marion Galloway"), along with her two children. Her brothers-in-law, Samuel W. Gentry and Reuben A. Gentry, were the will's executors.

The timing, name, class, and locations match up fine; this very well could be a Mordecai student. But I don't have quite enough to feel like this is a definite match.