Mary Polly Beard, married Lingan Selby

The parents of Mary Polly Beard 
Mary "Polly" Beard was born about 1790-1800 in either Tennessee or Kentucky.  She married on 3 September 1815 in Adair County, Kentucky to Lingan F. [Fowler, perhaps?] Selby, the son of Lingan Wilson Selby and Drucilla Fowler. Lingan was born 1790-1800 in Kentucky.  We have limited knowledge of the history of this couple.  They seem to have left Adair County, Kentucky as a young married couple and moved into either Indiana or Illinois before 1820.  Lingan had many Selby relations who were in Pike County, Indiana on the 1820 census and he may have been there.  Pike County is very close to Wabash County, Illinois, where we find Lingan on the 1830 census.  He was 30-40 years old, and his wife was 20-30.  We believe that our Mary Beard had died before 1830, and this female listed was a second wife.  Some later family accounts say that her name was Jane, and we are grateful to a Ms. Meyer, a descendant of one of the children of Lingan and Jane, who provided these clues.   Ms Meyer also has a recollection of a vey old summary of graveyards in Wabash County, and that a "Mary Selby" was listed possibly in Oreo Cemetery in Wabash County, no dates or other information.   She actually went and searched this cemetery, but many old stones were gone, and she found no stone for Mary there.  Lingan had three children in his home on this 1830 census, a female 5-10 and two males under five.  This would fit the children that we believe he had with Mary Beard---an unnamed daughter and two sons, Jeremiah and Abraham.  Abraham was born about 1827-1829, and it is possible that Mary Beard Selby died from childbirth and that Lingan, as most widowers with young children did, married again quickly.  In 1840, Lingan "Selly" is listed again in Wabash County, Illinois.  He was 40-50, with a wife 30-40.  A female 20-30 is in the home, and this is probably the eldest child listed in 1830, a daughter.  There is also a male 15-20 and a male 10-15.  These three children, we believe, would be the daughter and two sons born to Lingan with his first wife Mary Beard.  Also in his home were two younger children, a male and female under five, which would be his children with second wife Jane.  On 10 March 1843, Lingan Selby applied and was given land in Wabash County, Illinois.  There is a record of him selling land in same in 1849, which makes sense, for in 1850 Lingan (indexed as "Funning/Finning/Linning Selvey") is found on the census in Burton, Adams County, Illinois.  His eldest son Jeremiah was also listed in Adams County in 1855 and in 1860. This county is clear across the state from Wabash County and it borders the state of Missouri.  Although the land sale listed both Lingan and his wife, on the 1850 census he is a widower again.  His age was written down as forty, which is twenty years too young, but we are certain that this is Lingan, as the rest of the family is correctly listed.  In his home were four children, his youngest child with Mary Beard, Abraham, was seventeen, then there was a five year break in children, with Elisha, Nancy and Deborah all under twelve.  The family lives next door to a Washington Baugher, and he is no doubt a relative of Charity Baugher, who eventually married Elisha Selby.  
We believe that Lingan Selby passed away before 1860, as we find no evidence of him on a census.  No burial place is known.
We note that in the court documents of 1850 in Adair County, Kentucky, Mary Selby was listed as " when last heard of living in state of Illinois", so obviously the family had lost touch with the westward pioneering Lingan Selby family, since Mary had been dead quite awhile by 1850 and her children should have been listed as heirs.  (Had they been, we would have known the name of that daughter listed in the 1830 and 1840 censuses.)
Lingan's children with first wife Mary Beard are listed and traced below.  His children with Jane, last name unknown, were Elisha Henry, Nancy Ann, and Deborah Jane Selby.
The three children of Lingan Selby and Mary Polly Beard were:
: 1.  A daughter Selby, born 1820-1825, who was in the home in 1830 and in 1840.
: 1.  Jeremiah Selby was born about 1825 in Illinois, probably in Wabash County. He married before the 1850 census, in 1849 or in 1850, as he is listed "married within the year" in 1850.  The bride was Phoebe Allen, the daughter of Joseph and Cynthia  Allen, who was born in June, 1830 in Illinois.  They probably married in Pike County, Illinois, as in 1850 as newlyweds, they lived right next door to her parents in that county with no children.  In 1860, they had moved across state and lived in Burton, Adams County, Illinois, next door to Jeremiah's half brother Elisha Selby.  Jeremiah and Phoebe had four children under ten listed.  In 1863, Jeremiah was listed in Civil War draft records in Payson, Adams County, Illinois. By 1870, they were listed at their new home in Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.  They had just moved there, as their youngest child was only one and was born in Illinois.  They had eight children with them at home.  Before 1880, the family moved further west to Iowa, and were enumerated in Valley, Page County there.  Their five youngest children were listed at home.  In 1885, they were listed on the Iowa State Census still in Page County.  "Jerry Selby" with spouse named Phoebe is on the Death Index in Iowa, but we see no death date.  In 1900, Phoebe was listed as a widow in Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska and her son William and his children lived in her home.  In 1910, she was in same place, with William and his now wife, Stella.  Phoebe was 79.  In 1920, Phoebe lived or visited with her daughter Mary E. Baty, both widows, in Weeping Water, Cass County Nebraska.  Phoebe is listed in the Iowa Deaths Index with no date given.  We have not found a burial place. From the 1910 census information, we know that Phoebe and Jeremiah had twelve children, with four living at that time. The nine known children were:
::: 2.  Joseph Selby was born on 26 March 1850 in Pike County, Illinois.  He married in 1876/7 to Sarah Jane Biddison, probably in Putnam County, Missouri.  She was born 2 February 1846, daughter of John and Nancy Martin Biddison.  This was her second marriage, from information given on the later 1910 census.  In 1880, Joseph and Sarah lived at Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.  Also listed in their home was Charles Bowers, a four year old.  This may have been a child of Sarah's first marriage, but in 1910 the census stated that she had no children.  In 1900, Joseph and Sarah Jane had moved to Iowa and were listed in the census at Calfwell in Appanoose County.  In 1910 they were at same, and stated that they were married for 34 years.  Sarah Jane Selby passed away on 4 September 1915 in Caldwell and was buried there at the Exline Cemetery.  In 1920, Joseph was a 66 year old widower in Appanoose County. In 1930, his age was listed as eighty, which was correct, and he was still in the same place.  Joseph died on 7 July 1933 in Appanoose County and was buried beside Sarah Jane at Exline Cemetery.  We do not believe they had any children.
::: 2.  Mary Emily Selby was born in October 1852 in Illinois.  She married in Missouri on 20 July 1873 to Meyers William [or William Meyers] Batey/Baty/Beatty.  He was born about 1852 in Missouri, the son of Leonard and Sarah Ann McNeal Batey.  In 1880, listed in Douglas, Page County, Iowa, William and Mary Baty had two young children.  William is said to have died three years later, in 1883, leaving Mary with three children to raise.  She is next found on the 1900 census in Nehawka County, Nebraska, a 47 year old widow with her youngest of three children still at home.  In 1910, Mary E. Baty was enumerated in the home of Samuel and Angeline Snyder in Weeping Water, Cass County, Nebraska.  It appears that Angeline was the sister of Mary's late husband Meyers Beatty.  Mary is listed as sister in law.  In 1920 Mary was still in Weeping Water in Nebraska, a 67 year old widow, and with her was her aged mother, Phoebe A. Selby at age 88.  We have seen her death date to be 1926 but have no proof, and no burial place is found.  Her children were Eva, John William, and Richard G. Batey.
::: 2.  Elisha W. Selby, born in Illinois on 5 November 1854, married a Missouri girl in 1877, probably in Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.   She was Laura Ann Kerby, born June 1856 in Missouri, daughter of David Robert Kerby and Sarah Ann Humphrey. They were still in Liberty in 1880 and listed on the census with two baby daughters.  In 1900 they had had five children, all five still alive, and four living at home in Caldwell, Appanoose County, Iowa. In 1910 in Caldwell, the nest was empty.  In 1920, still living in Caldwell, Laura's mother Susan was an elderly widow in their home.  The 1930 census shows Elisha 75 and Laura 73 in Caldwell, Iowa.  Elisha died right after this, on 10 August 1930, and was buried at the Exline Cemetery in same.  Laura is buried there as well, with a death year of 1944.  They had a family of five daughters:  Dorra E., Emma Evelyn, Josie, Mattie, and Bertha Selby.
::: 2.   William James Selby [his name is styled this way on his gravestone] was born in Illinois in March 1859.  He married about 1886 to an unknown bride who apparently passed away before the 1900 census, when William was listed living with his mother Phoebe in Nebraska City, Oboe County, Nebraska.  He was noted on the census as married for fourteen years and four children were listed with him, but no wife was present. Note: we have seen one family account that her name was Jennie Kelly, but no further information yet.  William married again in 1903 to Stella S., last name unknown to us.  Stella may have been married before and may have had a child, as on the 1910 census William and Stella had been married seven years, but Ray, listed as a son, was twelve years old.  This census was taken at Fourmile, Otoe County, Nebraska, and there was also a seven year old daughter. We cannot find Ray on the 1900 census, as he is not with William Selby.  It is also possible that Ray was the son of William James Selby and was listed somewhere else on the 1900 census; at this point, we just do not know. William died in April of 1914 and on 16 April he was buried at the Wyuka Cemetery in Otoe County.  We do not find any record of Stella, remarriage or death.  Their daughter Hazel may be the Hazel Selby buried at Wyuka Cemetery in Otoe County with a burial date in December 1924.  William's children with his first wife, possibly Jennie Kelly, were Everett Edward, Lee, Ora, and Grace Selby.  His children with second wife Stella were Raymond Roy and Hazel Selby.
::: 2.  M. H. Selby was a daughter who was born about 1861 in Illinois.  She only appeared on the 1870 census with her family and we have no further information.
::: 2.  Ulysses Grant Selby was born 2 June 1865 in Illinois.  He married in Gage County, Nebraska on 12 September 1888 to Mary Ellen Reynolds.  She was the daughter of Patrick Reynolds and Ellen McAleer, and she was born in Marshall County, Illinois on 10 November 1864.  In 1900 they had three children and lived at Tonica, LaSalle County, Illinois.  They moved to Otoe County, Nebraska before 1909 and Grant Selby seems to have gotten himself in a bit of a mess and spent some time in jail in Nebraska.  The problem seems to have been that a local woman took her two children and ran away to Illinois with Grant.  He seems to have patched things up with his wife Mary, however, as in 1910 they were together on the Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska census with three of their four children still home.  We do not find them in 1920, but on the 1925 Iowa State Census they lived at Benton in Fremont County.  Their youngest child lived with them, as did their granddaughter Helen Reed.  In 1930 they were back in Nebraska, listed at Rock Bluffs in Cass County with granddaughter Helen.  On 22 October 1937 Mary Reynolds Selby died of a stroke in Rock Bluffs, Cass County, Nebraska. She was buried at the Wyuka Cemetery in Otoe County, Nebraska. In 1940 we find widower Grant Selby living or visiting with his son John "Jack" Selby in Longview, Cowlitz County, Washington.  He passed away on 31 January 1945 in Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska and he was buried at Wyuka Cemetery. He and Mary Ellen had four known children:  Annabelle Birtie, John, William J., and Theodore Selby.
::: 2.  Thomas C. Selby was born in Illinois about 1868.  We do not find information about Thomas after his childhood.
::: 2.  Charles Selby was born about 1869 in Missouri, probably Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri.  We find no records for him after his childhood.  Some family accounts record him as living in Scotland County, Missouri, but that is definitely a different Charles Selby.
::: 2.  Margaret Elizabeth Selby was born about in March 1876 in Illinois.  She married in 1893, according to the 1900 and 1910 census.  The groom was Franklin Robert Compton, the son of Elias and Nancy Jenkins Compton.  Frank was born 10 July 1866 in Iowa.  In 1900, they lived at Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska with one living child.  They reported three children had been born, and they had been married for seven years. [Note that they are incorrectly indexed as "Tompson" on this census. Some family histories report that Otis was the son of an earlier marriage, but this is not correct.  Because no one had yet found them on the 1900 census, it was assumed that they had not been married as long as they had, and Otis must therefore be of a former marriage.  Margaret Elizabeth was only married once, in 1893, and Otis, born 1895, belonged to her and Franklin Compton.]  In 1910 in Avoca, Cass County, Nebraska, they were married 17 years and had added two more children to the brood.  In 1920 they were enumerated at Fourmile, Otoe County, and their two youngest children were still home.  They still lived at Otoe County in 1930 and in 1940, when their eldest son and his family were also listed. Frank died on 3 December 1949 in Nebraska and was buried at Wyuka Cemetery in Otoe County.  Margaret Elizabeth Selby Compton passed away 4 May 1955 in Nebraska and she is buried beside Frank at Wyuka Cemetery.  Their three children who lived were Otis Foster, Paul Elias, and Dorothy F. Compton.
: 1.  Abraham Selby was born about 1828/9 in Illinois.  He was listed on the 1850 census living with his father in Burton, Adams County, Illinois, age listed seventeen.  We do not find him on any future records.