Before we continue tracking Alexander #2’s parents, we need to first tell the story of his uncle Noah L Babbs. This is because Noah left a family history that I’ve been able to locate (archive.org).
Noah L Babbs, lived to the age of 95 and told his story in a local genealogical book for Dearborn and Ohio Counties, Indiana 8 years before his death. He makes a large number of claims that we will hold up to the light of evidence. Scroll to the last page of the document below to read the entry dedicated to his story.
Source: History of Dearborn and Ohio counties, Indiana
These types of county histories should be taken with a grain of salt. They are being told by someone who has a vested interest in telling a flattering story of their life. Additionally, Noah is 86 years old at the time of publication, so his memory might conflate things he thinks as facts.
Claims by Noah L Babbs
Born: 13 Nov 1794 in Hampshire County, VA.
Analysis: Unknown – The birth location of Noah is listed as the same as for William Lane. Therefore, by telling Noah’s story we are also partially telling William’s story. I’ll come back to this in my next post on William Lane.
Parents: John and Rebecca (Lane) Babbs, natives of Virginia and Maryland respectively. They were of English and Irish descent.
Analysis: Partial Truth – We can only assume he knows his parents’ names. However, the information on Rebecca’s ancestry is information we don’t currently possess and still up for debate.
Residence #1: Parents moved in 1803 from VA to Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, residing there until 1819.
Analysis: Plausible but may be a partial truth. – It is true that his father John Babb’s Pension was approved in 1818 and at the time his residence was near Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio. We do not yet have evidence that they moved FROM Virginia. At best is doesn’t tell the entire story and I’ll explain when we get to William.
Residence #2: Moved near Rising Sun, Ohio [Co], Indiana in 1819
Analysis: Leaves out important details – This area was initially in Dearborn County but was later subdivided (1844) into Ohio County. However, Noah had purchased land in 1814 in what was to become Randolph Township as we see from page 4 of the Dearborn County History above:
Land Purchase: John & Rebecca purchased land in Dearborn/Ohio County and spent the remainder of their lives there.
Analysis: John is known to have died at the home of his daughter in Ripley County, Indiana. However, Rebecca is recorded as dying in Rising Sun, though in actuality they didn’t live in the town itself.
Age: John Babbs lived to 103 years old.
Analysis: False – John Babbs has a documented Date of Birth, of 11 Aug 1756, in a Family Bible once held by William Melville Babbs (Noah’s Nephew) that was passed down from William Lane Babbs. John died in 1844 as previously discussed at his daughter’s home. This made him 87 years old.
Grew up: Noah claims to have grew to manhood on this farm and left when he was 19.
Analysis: Misleading – The story makes out as though Noah grew up on the farm in Dearborn/Ohio County, IN. However, he would have been 25 when they purchased this land and already owned land of his own. It is possible that he is referring to a farm they owned outside of Cincinnati. But I think more likely he is referring to a purchase of land he made in 1814 when he was about 19. He sold that same tract of land in 1819, which is the date when he claims his family moved to the area.
Noah’s brother William Lane also purchased land in 1818 in Union Township as we see from page 6 of the Dearborn County History above:
This also ignores the fact that Noah is recorded in the 1840, 1850 and 1860 Census in Hamilton County, Ohio and that he is still recorded as a land owner in 1869. He had returned to Ohio County, Indiana by the 1870 Census where he lived until his death.
Military Service: Served War of 1812 in New Orleans.
Analysis: Questionable – There is no record of Noah serving in the war of 1812, but he had a sizeable estate and thus no need to apply for a pension. However, he would have been 16 at the outset of the war (which actually lasted until 1814). I have no way to verify this claim.
Epilogue
Now that I’ve finished raking him over the coals, I want to explain that I did this for a reason. Don’t believe everything you read. Even with the best of memories dates get muddled and stories end up woven together in our minds.
They didn’t have birth certificates and the Internet to keep them on track. What Noah remembers is quite astounding and while the exact details may be off, 80% of it is probably correct. This is the same when you ask your grandmother for the details of her early childhood. Take it with a grain of salt and know that it is well intentioned.
With this post, I have also set the stage for onslaught of my next post. As I was writing it, I realized that it was too lengthy to be considered all at once.
2 responses to “William’s brother Noah”
Interesting! I wonder how many Babb/Babbs fought in the battle at New Orleans.
Research Notes and Comments Posted Sep 12, 2019 by Beverly Horttor
Charles Babb 1775–1815 BIRTH ABT. 1775 • Maryland, USA DEATH 16 APR 1815 • New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, USA See my gallery for Charles Babb bounty land records and Jean Sargent’s book p 455.
Noah L Babbs fought in Battle of New Orleans 1815 Charles H Babb died in 1815 • New Orleans, Louisiana battle Residence for Noah L Babbs son of John Babbs and Rebecca Lane lived after the battle 1815 • New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, USA Noah was in New Orleans after Jackson won the battle of 1815
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