Again, a Pike County circuit court record provides some tantalizing clues. In a nasty divorce action of S634 William J. ESTEP v. S6-128 Mary FRAZIER-ESTEP filed in November 1875, the trial witness depositions give some further information. Within the deposition of George W. DOTSON, he is asked what kin he is to S634 William J. ESTEP. To which he stated:
"His wife and my wife are said to be half sisters and we are nearer than that [.] he is a kin to me otherwise [.] his grandmother was my aunt and his mother is said to be my uncle's daughter."
The first part makes sense if Mary, wife of S34 William J. ESTEP, was the daughter of S6-12 John FRAZIER-ESTEP and which she has been said to have been (see circumstantial evidence given on page 163 of the Estep Book - I have no record showing this).
George W. DOTSON married S6-121 Margaret ROMAN / RHORER-ESTEP SLOAN in 1868 (she was divorced from Franklin SLOAN). Margaret, according to her marriage
records to Franklin SLOAN, was a daughter of John and Sarah FRAZIER-ESTEP (this would be Sarah E. NORMAN, first wife of S6-12 John FRAZIER-ESTEP). S6-128 Mary FRAZIER-ESTEP's mother supposedly was John FRAZIER-ESTEP's third wife, Mary Ann RAINS CHANEY McCOY ESTEP. This would make them half sisters by different mothers.
Then realize that S6 James ESTEP's sister, S7 Sarah, is said to have married Reuben DOTSON, George's father, and you can explain part of the riddle posed by George W. DOTSON. S6 James ESTEP (George W. DOTSON's uncle) would then be Lucinda's father, Lucinda being the mother of S634 William J. ESTEP.
Now to the hard part: How could George W. DOTSON's aunt be William J. ESTEP's
grandmother? Who are William J.'s grandparents? He would have had two grandmothers. The known maternal set are: Sarah FRAZIER ESTEP, wife of S6 James ESTEP, and mother of S6-13 Lucinda ESTEP; and the other being the unidentified mother of S63 Uriah.
Here speculation must take over in the absence of any hard proof. Possible explanations are:
1) A DOTSON woman married an ESTEP and produced S63 Uriah, father of S634
William J. ESTEP.
2) A DOTSON woman had an illegitmate Uriah and he was raised by an ESTEP and
assumed the name.
3) Could the 1840 Tazewell Co. VA census be closer to the truth? Did an ESTEP woman produce Uriah from a WILSON father and Uriah was raised by one of her brothers, possibly S6 James?
4) Uriah could have come from more mundane circumstances, being not of the Shadrack S6 clan, but rather one of the other branches, such as from S1 John or S2 Moses. Suppose that the name game holds true for the children of Uriah and Lucinda. What if Richard M. J. ESTEP's (the first known son of Uriah) initials stood for Richard Moses Johnson ESTEP. A review of the documents shown on pages 93 and 94 of the Estep Book reveals a compelling connection among these given names. In 1830 the Carter Co. TN census shows a Uriah-age
son in the S2 Moses ESTEP household. Other candidates for Uriah's father include the transcient J2 Shadrach, who wandered throughout eastern Kentucky and Virginia (later WV), or the mysterious Joseph, conjectured son of S1 John, mentioned in passing on page 73
of the Estep Book.
As each tidbit is digested, renewed energy is directed at the complex heritage of my Uriah and Lucinda. Maybe we will know all one day, but as of now his origins remain speculation until proven.
[Editor's note: See page 141 of the ESTEP, Thomas Sr. book: Lucinda ESTEP should now be inserted between her brothers, S66 William and S67 Anderson ESTEP. For future reference she will be given the letter/number S6-13, following that of S6-12 John FRAZIER-ESTEP.]
