Person Page

     Mary Jane Sherard was born in 1824 in Canada.¹ She was the daughter of William Sherard and Jane Garvin. Mary Jane Sherard married Doctor L. I. Jones in January 1849 in Munfordville, Hart County, Kentucky. Once married they "subsequently removed to Warren County, Kentucky, where Dr. Jones engaged in the duties of his profession."¹ Mary Jane Sherard died of consumption on 11 October 1858 in Warren County, Kentucky, at age 34 years.¹
     
As a child, Mary Jane emigrated to the Munfordsville, Kentucky from Canada with her father, mother, sister and brother -- see her mother Jane or brother William for more details.

Her obituary states that Mary Jane became pious in early life and united with the Presbyterian Church in Munfordsville where her widowed mother resided.^2,1

     Jane (Jean) Orr was born in January 1774 in Evish, County Derry, Ireland.^2,1,3 She was the daughter of James Orr and Jean Anderson.¹ Jane (Jean) Orr married Hugh Garvin circa 1790. They lived in Evish, Londonderry, Ireland and Hugh was a farmer.^1,4 Jane (Jean) Orr died in March 1844 in Munfordville, Hart County, Kentucky, at age 70 years and 2 months. She was re-interred in the Garvin Family Lot, 7-10B in Cave Hill Cemetery on 2 February 1860.^3,1
     
Hugh and Jane were the parents of nine children, all born and raised in County Derry, Ireland. The family was strongly Presbyterian. They appear to have stayed in Ireland while first their son William immigrated to America in 1816 and then seven more of their children, lead by Samuel, migrated to America in about 1825/26, settling in the Munfordville area. Their daughters Catherine and Margaret Garvin married and remained in Ireland.

In the winter of 1860, the American Garvin family, lead by son William, had the remains of Hugh and Jane Orr Garvin shipped from Londonderry to Louisville, and, with the remains of James Garvin which were shipped from Philadelphia where he had died, the three were reinterred in the William Garvin lot in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, on February 2, 1860.^5,6

Jane (Jean) Orr appeared on the U.S. Census of 1840 at Hart County, Kentucky. The census shows that Jane Orr was visiting or living with her married daughter, Jane Garvin Sherrard, at this time.¹

Compiler's Note: There is a mystery about Jane Orr Garvin -- from the information I have on the Garvin Family in Kentucky (Hart County Historical Society Quarterly of July 1977), it would appear that Jane did not come to America, died in Ireland, and in 1860 her remains with her husband Hugh's were shipped to Louisville where they were reinterred. But more information, also found at the Hart County Historical Society in their files, a draft of a Orr family history, shows that Jane appeared on the 1840 US Census in Hart County. She obviously was living here because there is an old newspaper clipping from 1844, probably saved by my great grandmother, which has the Obituary of Ms. Jane Garvin. A note on the clipping, written by my mother Margaret Davis, says "probably mother of William (the elder) and Samuel Garvin."

To quote some of the obituary:

Departed this life on the morning of the 12th inst. after an illness of ten days, Mrs. Jane Garvin, in the 70th year of her age.

Mrs. Garvin was a native of Ireland, born in county Derry, 1774. In 1831 she emigrated with her family to America, and settled in Munfordsville, Hart County, Kentucky, where some of her chldren then resided.

In the 16th year of her age, she made a credible profession of religion, and attached herself to the Presbyterian Church, in which she continued an exemplary and worthy member, until she left her native land for America.....she was a most devoted student of the Bible.....her painful illness was borne without a murmur......she expressed a strong desire to see her children once more on earth that she might give to each one a dying mother's last advice; and particularly did she wish to see her youngest child, a son, who lived in Louisville, and to whom she was devotedly attached....she was permitted to see and embrace that son, who arrived about one hour before she expired...language is inadequate to express the joy it afforded the dying saint, once more to embrace her beloved Benjamin...." .....and it continued on in this vein for a few more paragraphs with prayers and some very flowery language about her passage.

The place of birth and year of birth match up to Jane Orr Garvin, wife of Hugh Garvin. Her children emigrated to America in 1816 and 1825 -- there was no mention of her being with them, although she could have come over later in 1831 as the obituary says. But what about Hugh? Hugh didn't die until 1834 or 1837, so why would Jane go off and leave him some years before he died? Did he also come to America in 1831? Probably not. What about the fact that the family had Jane's remains along with Hugh's shipped from Ireland to Louisville for reinterrment in 1860? Probably just Hugh's remains were shipped here and he was reunited with Jane in their reinterrment at Cave Hill Cemetery in Kentucky. There's also a bit of a mystery about the fact that, as far as I know, she had no son named Benjamin. Of course the obituary could have perhaps been speaking of a grandson but none by that name has come to light in my data. Or, as newspapers are wont to do, they could simply have made a typo!^7,5

     Samuel Garvin was born in 1805 in Evish, Londonderry, Ireland.^1,2,3 He was the son of Hugh Garvin and Jane (Jean) Orr. Samuel Garvin married Harriett Kerr, daughter of Rev. John Ries Kerr, circa 1830 in Munfordville, Hart County, Kentucky.^4,3 Samuel Garvin died in 1882 in Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, at age 77 years.
     
Samuel's oldest brother William had emigrated to the United States in 1816 and settled in Glasgow, Barron County, Kentucky. In 1825/6, when Samuel was 20-21 years old, he also emigrated to America in company with his siblings: James, Matilda, Catherine, Rachel, Mary Jane and Janet.

Samuel's obituary says he landed first in Baltimore, where his brother-in-law, Wm. Crawford, of the firm of Crawford & McKim, was one of the leading merchants. From there he went to Kentucky and lived with his brother William, who had moved to Louisville, and for many years was one of Louisville's most successful merchants and leading philanthropists.^5,3

Samuel next settled at Mumfordsville, Kentucky, where he met and married Harriet Kerr (sister to Bennet Littleton Kerr who married Samuel's sister Matilda). Samuel became an enterprising merchant there while in partnership with his brother-in-law, B. Littleton Kerr.^6,3

In 1835, Samuel settled in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and commenced merchandizing with the late R. H. Crump, and in 1836, in partnership with C. A. Manlove, established the firm of Garvin & Manlove, doing a large and successful business, until the general revulsion which financially ruined nearly all the merchants of the country, and from that time to his death he engaged in business alone.

His obituary says of him that "during a residence of forty-five years in this city he was distinguished for industry and public spirit and for warm and genereus [sic] sympathy with the needy or distressed. Perfectly unselfish, warm in his attachments, never happier than when doing acts of charity, a host of friends will mourn his death. Mr. Garvin was a member of the Presbyterian church from his youth, and an ardent advocate of that church. He died very peacefully, possessed of his faculties of the end."⁶

     William Garvin was born in 1795 in Evish, Londonderry, Ireland.^1,2 He was the son of Hugh Garvin and Jane (Jean) Orr. William Garvin married Sarah Veech on 2 January 1822 in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky.^3,4 William Garvin died tragically the evening of 4 December 1868 on the Ohio River, near Warsaw, Gallatin County, Kentucky, at age 73 years. He was buried 20 December 1868 at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.^5,6
     
In 1816, William emigrated from Ireland to America -- to New York. But soon he moved to Philadelphia where he clerked in a store for perhaps a couple of years, before moving to Shelbyville, Kentucky, where he met and married Sarah Veech in 1822.

"They were married in the home of Sarah's older sister, Mrs. Francis Veech Brookey in Shelbyville, and on horseback the young couple left for Glasgow, their wedding journey to the new home being made in the saddle, despite the bitter weather of mid-winter."

After their move to Glasgow, Kentucky, William started a merchantile business, and he and Sarah had "four children" while living there (one must have died because later is found only data on three children). In 1827 they left Glasgow and moved to Louisville, Kentucky where they bought a home on Jefferson Street, between Fourth and Fifth. They became involved in the social life of Louisville and William established a wholesale drygoods business, Garvin, Chambers & Co., which later became Garvin, Bell & Co. He was a very successful businessman.

They moved in 1852 to a home on Chestnut Street, further out of town, which is said to have been the "scene of elaborate entertaining for four generations of the family." It is also said that they had many "beautiful things, objects of art from abroad, and two marble mantels from Italy, exquisitely carved and intended for the Chestnut street house were among the handsome fittings brought from Philadelphia through the Erie Canal and over the mountains in wagons."

Sarah and William were devout Christians and William was a ruling elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Louisville.

Sarah and William had three children, Jane Orr Garvin, Ann Eliza Garvin, and Emmet Garvin. The two daughtes married brothers, John and Robert Bell, from Ireland. Emmet Garvin married Lucy Tomlinson.^4,7

In about 1838, William's brother James joined the business for a few years as William's partner (James later moved on to Philadelphia and continued in the merchantile trade). The company closed between 1861 and 1866 as it owed a debt of $1,000,000 with a million and a quarter in outstanding debts in the South. The company's trade extended to Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and later Kansas and the midwest. The company did reopen in 1866. William personally set about collecting the full amount due, and was able to keep the company solvent.^6,8

William's Death & The Collision of the United States & the America

On the night of Decemer 4th 1868, William was on the mail steamboat the United States steaming down the Ohio River toward Louisville. There were a few bridal parties on board and there had been dancing and much celebration during the evening, but by about 11 or 12 o'clock most passengers were in their rooms or asleep in their berths. The steamboat America was steaming towards them and somehow neither steamer heard, until it was too late, the warnings that the other was coming round the bend in the river, headed towards each other -- there was a tragic crash. The United States burst into flames and quickly sank about 15 feet in the river. Many people jumped from the United States to the America which didn't sustain as much damage. Most of the officers and crew of both boats escaped, as well as nearly all the passengers of the America; but most of the passengers, and many of the deck hands, of the United States were lost. The number of the lost is not exactly known, as the passenger books of the United States were destroyed. The number is supposed to have been about seventy, twenty of whom were ladies, and one newly married couple.

"MR. WILLIAM GARVIN, of Louisville, one of the oldest citizens and oldest merchants, was on the United States, was never seen after the accident occurred, and is supposed to have perished in his stateroom. He was a leading member of the Presbyterian Church, and was held in high estimation by those who knew him."

Another version of the story of William's death is found in "Louisville's First Families" which says "his body was washed ashore, and clasped in his hands was found the Bible which he had been reading."^9,6,7

     Harriett Kerr was born circa 1810 in Virginia.¹ She was the daughter of Rev. John Ries Kerr. Harriett Kerr married Samuel Garvin, son of Hugh Garvin and Jane (Jean) Orr, circa 1830 in Munfordville, Hart County, Kentucky.^2,3
     
In the mid 1880s, Samuel Garvin moved to and settled in Munfordville, Kentucky, where he and Harriet met and married (her brother Bennet Littleton Kerr, married Samuel's sister Matilda). Samuel became an enterprising merchant while in partnership with his brother-in-law, B. Littleton Kerr in Munfordville.^3,4

In 1835, Harriet and Samuel settled in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Samuel commenced merchandizing with the late R. H. Crump, and in 1836, in partnership with C. A. Manlove, established the firm of Garvin & Manlove, doing a large and successful business, until the general revulsion which financially ruined nearly all the merchants of the country, and from that time to Samuel's death he engaged in business alone.

     Ingelrica Maud of England Royals of England married William I King of England after 2 November 1083; they married after the death of Queen Matilda who died in 1083.
     Ingelrica Maud Queen of England was also known as Ingelrica Maud of England Royals of England.

     Richard de Normandy, Duke of Bernay was born in 1054. He was the son of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England. Richard de Normandy, Duke of Bernay died in 1081 at age 27 years.

     Adelidis (Alice) de Normandy, was born in 1055. She was the daughter of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England. Adelidis (Alice) de Normandy, died in 1066 at age 11 years.

     Cecilia of Normandy Royals of England was born in 1056. She was the daughter of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England. Cecilia died on 30 July 1126 and was buried within the abbey walls. Her tomb is walled up without any opening being left through which it can be discovered.¹
     Cecilia was thought to be the eldest daughter of William I of England and Matilda of Flanders, she was entered into the Abbey of Caen at a young age by her parents. She became Abbess of Holy Trinity in 1112.¹