I am unaware of any direct evidence of Peter's birth, e.g. church record. The only evidence we have that indicates his age is from decades later. Of course Peter may not have known when he was born or his exact age; this was not uncommon in those days. This lack of birth information means there is a lot of speculation about his birth date with many different dates listed. However we do have relevant US census records from Kentucky for the 1820, 1830 and 1840 census that provide us some clues:
1820 Census – Floyd County, KY:
Peter Skaggs; 4 Males under the age of 25; 1 Male 45 +; 1 Female under the age of 10; 1 Female 25-45
1830 Census - Lawrence County, KY:
Peter Scags, Sr.; 3 Males under the age of 19; 1 Male 60-69; 3 Females under the age of 19; 1 Female 50-59
1840 Census – Lawrence County, KY:
Peter Skeggs; 2 Males under the age of 30; 1 Male 80 – 90; 0 Females; 1 Female 60 – 70
If I assume the census taker recorded this information accurately and that he was provided with accurate information by the family, then here is what I came up with for Peter's birth date:
- The 1820 census indicates one male of age 45+. I assume this was Peter, therefore, his birth date would be <= 1775.
- The 1830 census shows one male aged 60-69. If this is Peter, his birth date according to this census is >=1761 and <=1770.
- The 1840 census has one male aged 80-90. Assuming once again that this is Peter, his birth date according to this census is >=1750 and <=1760.
At first, it appears that the 1830 and 1840 census results contradict one another since their results don't overlap. Peter couldn't have been born between 1761 and 1770 as indicated in the 1830 census and also between 1750 and 1760 as shown by the 1840 census. However, remember that the census wasn't necessarily conducted at the same time during the year in 1830 as 1840. So, if Peter was born in 1761 he could have been just short of age 70 in the 1830 census and could have just turned 80 in the 1840 census. Assuming these census data are correct, Old Peter Skaggs was born in 1761.
Question: Does anyone have any evidence of Peter's birth that was not listed above, e.g. church records?
Assuming Old Peter was born in 1761, he could have been old enough to be in the Revolutionary war. Is there any evidence that a Peter Skaggs was in the Revolutionary War from Virginia or surrounding colonies ?
ReplyDeleteI am unaware of any evidence of Peter's existence before his 1788 marriage to Martha Cothon. Some have speculated that he was kidnapped along with Ruth Skaggs Bishop and sat out most of the War at Chickamauga as a prisoner of the Cherokee.
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