Hannah Musgrove Winebrenner

In Search of
Hannah Musgrove Winebrenner

New evidence suggests that Leah Musgrove Glenn had a daughter named Hannah, who married an Eli Winebrenner. It is thought that it was this Hannah that was referred to as "my niece" in William Musgrove's will.
Eli is found in Laurens Co., S.C. at the same time as the other Musgroves, mentioned in the will of Dr. Ross. By 1830 he is in Franklin Co., KY., living alone (no family) right next to a Solomon Winebrenner of the same age bracket, most likely his brother. Solomon has no family listed with him. Eli is again found in 1840, but Solomon is not. The theory is that Eli may have left his family in the care of William Musgrove while he moved to Kentucky.
More research is necessary to prove this.

Recent information from South Carolina Historian, Robert Stevens, suggests that Morris' wife, Hannah, may be the daughter of Edward & Ann Musgrove (of Musgrove Mill which figured in the Revolutionary War) Laurens Co., S.C. It is known that Edward Musgrove had a daughter named "Hannah, who married a Winebrenner". In addition, "niece, Hannah Winebrenner" is mentioned in William Musgrove's will. It is thought that Morris may have been born in South Carolina as well, or perhaps traveled there on business. The Musgroves emigrated to VA. & MD. from England.

Comments by Bob Stevens concerning the address delivered before the Sons of the American Revolution at Spartanburg, S.C., April 2, 1926, by William S. Glenn, Published in The Spartanburg Herald, Spartanburg, S.C., on April 18, 1926, page 10.
Refer to page #3, the second paragraph, in which he gives the children of Edward and Ann Musgrove, which reads as “From records we believe to be accurate, we find that Margaret (1773-1824) married Landon Waters, Ann (1773-1857) married Absalom Bobo, Hannah married Winebrenner, Leah married Glenn, Liney married Robert K. West, and William (1782- Ann Stoves. This leaves Rachel 1848) married an English lady, Miss, mentioned in Edward Musgrove’s will, untraced.”
The last two scrambled lines were the fault of the newspaper type-setter and should read, “…William (1782-1848) married an English lady, Miss Ann Stoves. This leaves Rachel, mentioned in Edward Musgrove’s will, untraced.” (She was Ann Stowe, another mistake by the type-setter.)
Refer to page #4, the eighth paragraph, in the will of William Musgrove (1782-1848), the son of Edward and Ann Musgrove, and brother to Margaret, Ann, Hannah, Leah, Liney, and Rachel Musgrove, which reads, “…and the two sons of my niece, Hannah Winebrenner, Solomon and George…”
It is obvious that William Musgrove had a sister, Hannah, who married a Winebrenner, and a niece, Hannah, who married a Winebrenner.
Can we trust the information given by William Simpson Glenn (1873-1953)? He was a stock broker in Spartanburg and a very dedicated amateur historian of Laurens County, S.C., history. He was born in Laurens County near Musgrove’s Mill, his lineage as follows:
Parents: David Anderson Glenn (1844-1894) married Emma Little.
Grandparents: Simpson Dunlap Glenn (1821-1896) married Sara Templeton.
Great-Grandparents: Francis Glenn (1771-1826), born in Ireland, immigrated to Laurens County in 1788, married Margaret Simpson.
All of those families, Glenn, Simpson, Templeton, and Little lived in the shadows of Musgrove’s Mill, alongside the children and descendants of Edward Musgrove, so would have known the Musgrove oral history. His facts can be trusted, especially in the fact that he was absolutely correct in all of the other marriages of Edward Musgrove’s children, all of which I have documented.
Robert “Bob” J. Stevens
Darlington, S.C.
6 May 2012
bobhist@yahoo.com
Posted May 12, 2012

The Solomon and George Winebrenner Scenario

(This study will not include any of the extended families of the two men.)

On the 1850 census of Laurens County, S.C., George Winebrenner was enumerated as 19, born in S.C., and living in the home of Alexander Washington Glenn and his mother, Leah (Musgrove) Glenn. The fact that George Winebrenner was living in the home with Leah (Musgrove) Glenn contributes an important clue to his identity, and to that of his brother, Solomon Winebrenner.
The 1860 Federal census of Laurens County, S.C., enumerated George Winebrenner as 30, born in S.C., living with his wife, Martha Winebrenner, 22, born in S.C., and son, William V. Winebrenner, 4, born in S.C.
The 1850 Federal census of Union County, S.C., listed “S. Winebruner,” 25, bootmaker, with wife Almira, 21, and William H., 1, all born in S.C. (This information from Patricia Watts. I don’t have the resource to find.)
The 1860 Federal census of Union County, S.C., enumerated Solomon Winebrenner as 35, born in S.C., and his wife, Elmira, 30, born in S.C. Thus we have both men as having been born in S.C., Solomon in 1825 and George in 1830.
According to Confederate Army records, George Winebrenner perished in 1862 and Solomon Winebrenner in 1863, both in Virginia.
There is no record of any Winebrenner (or any deviation of the name) having been in S.C. to have been the father of these brothers. The records searched date to the colonial period.
Leah (Musgrove) Glenn (1773-1860) had a sister, Hannah Musgrove, who was born during the same period of time. The last record of Hannah Musgrove in S.C. was on 4 July 1794 when her remarried mother, Ann, and her second husband, David Smith, Sr., sold to Hannah Musgrove five Negroes, beds, pots, and tables. (Laurens County, S.C., DB-E, 308.)
The 1850 Federal census of Allegany County, Maryland, enumerated a Hannah Winebrenner, 75, born in S.C., living in the home of her son, Jacob Winebrenner. Further research revealed that she was the widow of Morris Winebrenner who died in 1849. She was most likely his second wife because the 1800 Federal census for Allegany County enumerated the family with two daughters over 10 years old (0-0-0-1-0 /4-2-0-1-0), and Hannah was only 25 then.
Many of the Winebrenner researchers claim that Hannah, the wife of Morris Winebrenner, was a Humbertson, but none of them can offer any proof, nor the source of that suspicion. There were no Humbertsons, or any deviation of the name, in S.C. in 1775, the date that Hannah was born.
[NB~ In 1813, "Hany Humberston" signed for receipt of her legacy from her father Thomas Humberston. This indicates Hannah Humberston was still unmarried at that time, proving that she was not married to Morris or anyone in 1813. ~Genie]
I am convinced that Hannah Winebrenner, the wife of Morris Winebrenner, was Hannah Musgrove, and that she married him as his second wife sometime between 1794 and 1800. I can’t explain how they met, but can only guess that he came to S.C. for some purpose, married her, and they went to Allegany County, Maryland.
When William Musgrove of Laurens County, S.C., a brother of Hannah Musgrove, made his will in 1848, he left a legacy to the sons of his niece, Hannah Winebrenner, stating that they were Solomon and George Winebrenner. It is my opinion that at sometime during the latter years of her S.C. residence, Hannah Winebrenner was under the protection of her uncle, William Musgrove. He was very wealthy, then owning the famed Musgrove’s Mill. It’s also very possible that Solomon and George Winebrenner worked at the mill until 1848. Hannah Winebrenner (b. 1809-1811) was the only one of that name in the U.S. that I was able to find that fit the description of the one in the 1848 will of William Musgrove. Combine that with the fact that her mother, Hannah Winebrenner (Mrs. Morris) was born in S.C. in 1775, and it's more convincing. Consider, also, that William Musgrove stated in his 1848 will, "and the two sons of my niece, Hannah Winebrenner, Solomon and George, the two being entitled to what one of my nephews will get in this division." Note that he identified his niece, Hannah Winebrenner, with the suggestion that she was still alive. Why would he leave a legacy to two great-nephews? I can only assume that he was fond of them, which means that he knew them well.
(Courtesy of Robert Stevens ~ South Carolina Historian)
Posted April 21, 2012

Enumerated on the 1850 Federal census of Laurens County, S.C. as 27 years old (born 1823), born in S.C., a bootmaker.

Enumerated on the 1860 Federal census of Union County, S.C., as 35 years old (born 1825), born in S.C. (Solomon had moved to Union County and joined the business of his father-in-law, Gad Clark, a saddle maker.)

Enumerated on the 1850 Federal census of Laurens County, S.C., as 19 years old. (born 1831), born in S.C.

Enumerated on the 1860 Federal census of Laurens County, S.C., as 30 years old (born 1830), born in S.C., a farmer.

In 1850, George Winebrenner was enumerated on the Federal census as living in the home of Alexander Washington Glenn in Laurens County, along with Alexander’s mother, Leah (Musgrove) Glenn. Further circumstantial evidence seems to suggest that Leah (Musgrove) Glenn was the grandmother of George Winebrenner. I have established all of the known children of Leah, whose husband was supposedly William Glenn. Although all of Leah’s children that I have found were sons, the 1830 census for William Glenn in Laurens County enumerated two females, one 50-59 (Leah), and the other 30-39, thus it’s probable that Leah had a daughter, and of the age to have borne a child in 1823-25. Also in that home in 1830 were 2 males 10-14, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 20-29, 1 male 50-59, and 1 male 80-89. Considering that the only other William Glenn in Laurens County at the time had died in 1823, this one must have been the husband of Leah Musgrove.

In the 1848 will of William Musgrove of Laurens County, S.C., a full-blood brother of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn, he left bequests to Solomon and George Winebrenner, whom he named as the sons of his niece, Hannah Winebrenner. There were only two persons who could have been Hannah Winebrenner, the named niece of William Musgrove: (1) The daughter of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn. (2) The daughter of Hannah (Musgrove) Winebrenner of Allegany County, Maryland, who was another full-blood sister to William Musgrove, and who did have a daughter named Hannah Matilda Winebrenner, a niece of William Musgrove, but that Hannah was born in 1815, too young to have had a child born in 1823-25. Not only that, but she married Samuel Beeman in Allegany County in ca. 1832 and eventually moved to Illinois. I had originally theorized that Hannah Matilda Winebrenner of Allegany County may have been the unwed mother of Solomon and George, possibly born a few years earlier than a Federal census report of 1815, even though I was uncomfortable with the theory, but that was before I found Eli Winebrenner in Laurens County, S.C. Due to Solomon and George Winebrenner having been born in South Carolina, there is no indication that Hannah Matilda Winebrenner ever came to South Carolina, or ever had any contact with Solomon and George Winebrenner. Ergo, my original theory that she may have been their mother was wrong. Hannah (Winebrenner) Beeman, on the 1880 Federal census of Bowling Green, Fayette County, IL, stated that she was 65, born in 1815 in Maryland, and that her mother and father were born in S.C. (The father’s birth place must have been a mistake.) In her home were grandchildren William Beeson, 22, James Beeson, 18, Albert A. Beeson, 14, and Hannah Beeson, 13, all born in Ohio, mother and father born in Penna.

William Henry Winebrenner (1850-1927), the son of Solomon Winebrenner of Union County, S.C., went to Texas shortly after 1870 and married there. He named one of his sons as Knox Glenn Winebrenner (1888-1967), thus suggesting that he descended from the Glenn family. He would have been a grandson of Hannah (Glenn) Winebrenner and a great-grandson of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn.

Eli Winebrenner, found in the intestate sale for Dr. George Ross, Jr., 5 January 1826. (See below.)

After twenty nine years of searching for the proof that Leah Musgrove had married William Glenn, I decided to review estate files for persons living close to Musgrove’s Mill hoping to find William and Leah Glenn listed at an estate sale. I found William Glenn listed on 25 April 1817 at the estate sale of Josiah Fowler (LCPC, WB D-1, 382-384.)1 William Glenn was again listed in 1818 at the estate sale of John Rodgers. (LCPC, Bundle 61, Pkg. 8.)2 Dr. George Ross, Jr., who lived adjacent to Musgrove’s Mill, died in November 1825. His estate sale listed not only William Glenn on 5 January 1826, but also Eli Winebrenner on the same date and again in 1828. (LCPC, Bundle 61, Pkg. 6.)3 Eli is the only Winebrenner ever found in South Carolina prior to Solomon and George Winebrenner, plus he was in the right place and time to have been their father. The only other William Glenn in Laurens County, a son of Jeremiah and Ann (Blagrave) Glenn, had died in 1823, so this William Glenn must have been the husband of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn.

Dr. James Craig, who died in 1826 and was in partnership with Dr. George Ross, Jr., had his accounts listed in his intestate. Included in them were Ely Winebruner 4 [sic], George Glenn 5, Edward Glenn 6, William Glenn 7, William Musgrove 8, and Margaret Waters 9. (LCPC, Bundle 15, Pkg. 1.)

John Crage [Craig] plat for 943 acres on Enoree River, Laurens District, surveyed by Lemuel G. Williams 12/20/1826. Names indexed with plat: Mrs. Burke, B. Byrd, John Crage, F. Foster, David Hanner [Hanna], D. Kerr, Lemuel G. Williams, Eli Winebourne. (SCDAH: S213192-0048-00113-000) [This may have been Elijah Winburn, but I doubt it. If it was Eli Winebrenner, it means that he may have owned land in Laurens County, or he could have been just a chain bearer for the survey. Need to get the plat.] [See Note Below From Pat Watts.]

Eli Winebrenner is next found on the 1830 Federal census for Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky, aged 30-40, living next door to Solomon Winebrenner, aged 30-40.

George Winebrinner [sic] advertised his “Eagle Tavern” in the Frankfort Angus newspaper, 12 January 1831, Vol. 48, Issue 24, p. 4, Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky.

The 4 July 1832 issue of the Frankfort Angus newspaper in Frankfort, Kentucky, carried an advertisement for the U.S. Post Office listing unclaimed letters which included one for Eli Winebrenner and three for George Winebrenner.

The 1840 Federal census of the Northern District, Woodford County, Kentucky, enumerated Eli Winebrenner, 49-50, living alone and engaged in manufacture and trade, with no Solomon Winebrenner found anywhere in Kentucky that year.

The 1850 Federal census for Hamilton District, LaRue County, Kentucky, enumerated Sol Winebrenner, 53, a hatter, born in Maryland. He was living in the home of S.W. Topping, also a hatter, seemingly a boarding house.

From research by Larry Winebrenner of CA, he shows Solomon Winebrenner, born 1805 at Warrington, VA, died 1863 in Civil War. Did he confuse Solomon Winebrenner born in 1805 with Solomon Winebrenner born in 1825 in S.C. who did perish in the Civil War in 1863?

George Winebrenner of Kentucky had died before the 1850 Federal census for Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, because his widow, Mary A. Winebrenner, 50, born in England, was enumerated on that census living in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Jonathan G. Stephens, 30, a tailor, born in Virginia, George Anna, 26, born in Kentucky, and their son, Albert, 4. George Winebrinner married Mary Ann Cook 17 July 1819, Franklin County, Kentucky. Mary Ann Winebrenner died 18 May 1859, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. GeorgeAnn Winebriner [sic] married Jonathan Z. Stephens 1 June 1843, Franklin County, Kentucky.

Eli Winebrenner married Elizabeth Riley on 15 July 1845 in Allen, Floyd County, Kentucky. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWY6-B9M). This Eli must have been the one in S.C. in the 1820s.

There was a Hiram Winebrenner who died in 1919 in Waynesville, DeWitt County, Illinois, and his marriage certificate listed that he was born in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, in 1853, his father Eli Winebrenner and his mother Elizabeth Riley. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KFKJ-HLD), Hyram Winebriner [sic] married Caroline E. Eveland in 1879 in DeWitt County, Illinois, a daughter of John and Lucindo Eveland. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KFKJ-HLD)

James C. Winebrenner died in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, in 1938 and his death certificate listed that he was born in 1856 in Kentucky, his father Eli Winebrenner (born PA) and mother Elizabeth Riley (born IL). (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N3VK-2XB) He married Jane Grant in 1879 in DeWitt County, Illinois, and the marriage certificate lists his father as Eli Winebrainer (sic) and mother as Elizabeth Riley. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KFKJ-H2T)
NOTE WELL: The 1860 Federal census for Wapella, DeWitt County, Illinois, enumerated the home of James C. Riley (40, TN), Julia Riley (37, IL), Ruth Riley (13, IL), Margaret A. Riley (8, IL), Mary Riley (7, IL), and James C. Winebrener (3, KY). Was James C. Riley a brother of Elizabeth Riley who married Eli Winebrenner? Does this mean that the parents of James C. Winebrenner, Eli and Elizabeth, were deceased? Or maybe just his mother, Elizabeth? If so, where were Hiram and Memorial Ann (Anna) Winebrenner? It seems that Eli Winebrenner didn’t want to be recorded except where necessary (marriage) because I can’t find him on any census after 1840. This makes me think he deserted his wife in S.C. and was afraid the law was looking for him. Eli could have been married and had children in some state before he came to S.C.!

Memorial A.H. Winebrenner married William Warren Houchins in DeWitt County, Ill., on 13 April 1872. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2GL-2FD), William Henry Houchins, born 1 January 1883 in Waynesville, DeWitt County, Illinois, died 31 March 1941 in Bloomington, Morgan County, Illinois, but lived in Waynesville. His death certificate listed his father as William Warren Houchins and his mother as Memorial Ann Winebrenner. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQRT-3BM)
Frank C. Houchins, born ca. 1870, married Emma Peachore Butler on 28 June 1898 in Iraquois, County, Illinois, the marriage certificate stating that he was a son of W.W. Houchins and Memore [sic] Winebrenner, and she was a daughter of John and Emma (Trumble) Peachore. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KF29-2D8)

I can’t help but to think that Eli Winebrenner was the father of Solomon and George Winebrenner, and that their mother was Hannah Glenn, a daughter of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn. There is still a lot missing and unexplained.

There was an Eli Winebriner (age 10) enumerated in 1860 Federal census in the home of William (age 40) and Elizabeth Winebriner (age 29), born 1850, in Portland, Jefferson County, KY., so this Eli was not a son of the Eli in S.C. in the 1820s, but probably related somehow. This William Winebrenner (b. 1820) could have been a son of Eli Winebrenner, born before Eli came to S.C. Other children in the 1860 home were William (12), George (5), Andrew (4), and John (0). (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZB8-6LX)

2. Eli M. Winebrinner married Maggi Dennis 11 December 1882 in Kentucky. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F436-N92) Margaret Winebrenner died in 1922 in Kentucky, her father S. Dennis. They had one known daughter, Clara Mills Winebrenner (1896- ), married Clarence D. Williams in Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky, on 6 May 1919; then married Benjamin Rufus Andrew on 26 June 1920. On the 1920 Federal census, Clarence D. Williams was still alive, living in his parent’s home, marked as married, but with no wife in the home. Divorce or annulment? They also had a son, Samuel B. Winebrenner ( -1935). (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NSVH-2F6)

1. This William Glenn could have been the son of Jeremiah and Ann (Blagrave) Glenn who died in 1823, or the son of William and Hannah (MNU) Glenn.

2. This William Glenn could have been the son of Jeremiah and Ann (Blagrave) Glenn who died in 1823, or the son of William and Hannah (MNU) Glenn.

3. This William Glenn was obviously not the one who died in 1823, so must have been the one who married Leah Musgrove, probably the son of William and Hannah (MNU) Glenn. [This was William Glenn, Jr., whose father was killed in 1781 in the Revolution.]

4. Eli Winebrenner’s account was marked “desperate” in 1826, meaning the debt was uncollectable.

5. This was George R. Glenn, a son of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn. His account was marked “doubtful” in 1826, meaning it might not be collectable. He may have been named for Dr. George Ross.

9. This was Margaret (Musgrove) Waters, wife of Landon Waters, and sister of Leah (Musgrove) Glenn

Posted on Genealogy.com GenForum 27 Feb. 2001 by Sue (porcelain_heart@yahoo.com): [Her email address is obsolete as of 30 January 2014.]

"Looking for ANY information on James C. Winebrinner married to Alvira Riley 1844 in Richland Co. Ohio. They moved to Kentucky where the following children were born:
1. Hyrum Fredrick Winebrinner b. Apr 16,1851 d. Mar 10, 1914 Waynesville IL.
2. James C. Winebrinner Jr. b. Dec 2,1856 d. Feb 16, 1938 Jacksonville IL.
Hyrum was my great grandfather."

Note by RJS: Hiram and James C. were the children of Eli and Elizabeth (Riley) Winebrenner as proven by their death certificates. If what this lady posted is correct, that they were the children of James C. Winebrenner, Sr., it suggests that Eli Winebrenner may have assumed another name when he married in Ohio!
I think she may have been confused, the reason she was incorrect because she had some dates wrong.

From Pat Watts 2-11-15:
"I went to the courthouse and started with the Plat Book. The farthest it went back was to 1837 and the only plat recorded for Lemuel Williams did not have any of the names listed in email as adjoining nor the acreage. So then I went to the old Grantor book to see if there were any corresponding names there … nope. Then I went to the old Grantee book to see if there were any corresponding names there…nope. So then I went to the “W”’s in each old book, looking for Eli Winebrenner or Winburn or Winebourne or any similar name over about a 40 year span on either side of 1826…still nothing. So then I looked for Byrd, Crage, F. Foster (found a Frederick Foster), etc…..and still no luck. Then I zeroed in on acreage but no luck there either. Asked for help and they said I probably would have to go to the library. So sorry! I was hoping to find at least a little something!"