Monday, January 13, 2014

#52Ancestors (2) Daniel Ackley

Welcome to Week Two of #52Ancestors.

This week's post is the father of last week's subject:

Daniel M. Ackley
(1799-1862)

My early information regarding Daniel ACKLEY (or in older records, AKLEY or AKELY) is still somewhat foggy. He will be a brick wall ancestor with an asterisk: I have some sketchy data but not a lot of definitive information on his early life. He's one requiring more research.

Piecing his life and family together has been an illustration of using collateral lines and group migration. Many researchers have Daniel's birthdate and place as 18 April 1799 in Delaware County, New York. He is supposedly a son on Revolutionary War soldier Jacob ACKLEY and his wife Phoebe JENKINS.

Daniel married Rachel PHELPS, daughter of James PHELPS, in the late 1810's. I do not know if they married in New York, where the families originated, or in Madison County, Ohio where they were enumerated in 1820.

1820 US Federal Census: Phelps Township, Madison, Ohio
(James PHELPS next to Daniel AKELY)

Daniel and Rachel had six known children:

Hiram, born 1820 in Ohio
Francis, born 1825 in Ohio
Nancy, born 1828 in New York
James, born 1830 in New York
Hannah, born 1832 in New York
Sarah Jane, born 1834 in New York

Daniel appeared on the following censuses, including 1820, above:

1830 Rose Town, Wayne, New York
1840 Shiawassee Township, Michigan
1850 Shiawassee Township, Michigan
1860 Shiawassee Township, Michigan

1840 US Federal Census: Shiawassee Township, Shiawassee, Michigan
(Daniel AKLEY next to James PHELPS)

The dates and locations match the locations of their children's births. Nancy, from last week's post, and her brother James were born in Rose Town. I am confident of the family trail during their time in Michigan. Daniel is also listed in the Shiawassee County deed records as having purchased two parcels of land from James PHELPS in 1841.

Rachel PHELPS ACKLEY died in 1844, as did her father. In 1845, Daniel remarried a much younger neighbor, Nancy Martha SECORD and they had two more children.

Daniel ACKLEY died 25 Jun 1862 in Shiawassee Township and was buried in Fremont Cemetery. I was fortunate to be able to visit their graves.

Daniel ACKLEY and Rachel PHELPS ACKLEY
Fremont Cemetery, Shiawassee County, Michigan

Daniel and Rachel are maternal great-great-great-great-grandparents.

Daniel's page in my database

(c) 2014 Sally Knudsen