Charles FAIN, 1796 - 1855?

Charles FAIN was born about 1796 in Georgia, but moved to Johnson County, IL along with his family when he was around 10 years old. He was the brother of Jesse FAIN, born about 1801 in Georgia. I have no record of Charles and Jesse's parents.

Charles appears to have been married twice. His first marriage was to Elizabeth WISE on 16 Nov, 1822 in Johnson County, IL. Together, they had 3 children:

Sarah FAIN (1824 - ?)

Jessie M. FAIN (1829 - ?)

Lewis C. FAIN (1830 - ?)

I am not sure what happened to Elizabeth, but sometime between 1830 and 1843, Charles married his second wife, Hannah. Together, they had 4 more children:

Dicy Ann FAIN (1843 - ?)
Elizabeth C. FAIN (1846 -?)

Emma E. FAIN (1847 - ?)

Louisa J. FAIN (1849 - ?)

On 28 May, 1853, Charles wrote out his Last Will and Testament. It is unclear if he was ill at the time that he wrote this, but there are some indications that he died in 1855.

In the Will, Charles lists 7 children, along with his wife Hannah:

Adult Children:

Sarah SWAIM, wife of Jesse SWAIM (SWIM)

Jesse M. FAIN

Lewis C. FAIN

Children under the age of 18:

Dicy Ann FAIN

Elizabeth C. FAIN

Ama (Emma) E. FAIN

Louisa J. FAIN

Interestingly, Charles listed his adult nephew, Thomas D. FAIN, to be his Executor - thus confirming the relationship between Charles and Jesse. In addition, in the 1880 census, Lewis C. Fain, son of Charles, listed his father's birthplace as Georgia.

So, we have Charles and Jesse, both born around 1800 in Georgia, moving to Johnson County, IL while still young boys. You would think there would be a trace of their parents, but as of yet, I have found nothing. Oh well, the search goes on... :)

Last Will and Testament of Charles FAIN, page 1 of 3

Last Will and Testament of Charles FAIN, page 2 of 3

Last Will and Testament of Charles FAIN, page 3 of 3

The Probate Records of Jesse C. Fain, 1854 - 1876

Jesse C. Fain was the son of Jesse Fain (1801 - 1862) and his second wife Elizabeth Hunter (1821 - ?). Jesse C. Fain died in Johnson County, IL on 9 Mar, 1876. Following his death, his survivors probated his estate. While this doesn't shed a lot of light on Jesse himself, it does give us some very useful information on the rest of his family.

I've posted the 5 page probate record below. I was going to transcribe it, but am really just too busy. Also, there's some of it that I just can't interpret!

Here are the names of family members mentioned in the record:

Jesse C. Fain (deceased)
Elizabeth Fain (Mother of Jesse C. Fain)
Thomas Fain (Jesse's half-brother)
Wiley Fain (Jesse's half-brother)
Charles F. Fain (Jesse's half-brother)
Isaac Fain (Jesse's half-brother)
Tyresa Fain (Jesse's sister)
Isaac Hunter (Jesse's half-brother)
Ida Hunter (unknown relationship)
Margaret Adams (Jesse's half-sister, maiden name Hunter)
Ellen Kennedy (Jesse's half-sister, maiden name is either Fain or Hunter)
Roda McEntosh (Jesse's sister, maiden name Fain)
Dicy Thompson (unknown relationship)
Elizabeth E. Petit (Jesse's half-sister)

I'm hoping that some of you can help me piece together a couple of things:

1. Who is Ida Hunter? The Probate Record seems to indicate she is not an adult at this point.
2. Was Ellen a Fain or a Hunter? It's unclear if Ellen is from Elizabeth's first marriage to John Hunter, or Jesse's first marriage to Nancy Doyle.
3. Who is Dicy?



Estate of Jesse C. Fain, Page 1 of 5

Estate of Jesse C. Fain, Page 2 of 5

Estate of Jesse C. Fain, Page 3 of 5

Estate of Jesse C. Fain, Page 4 of 5

Estate of Jesse C. Fain, Page 5 of 5

Thomas D. Fain, 1821 - 1894

Thomas was born 24 Oct, 1821 in Johnson County, IL. He married Nancy Toler on 16 Nov, 1843 in Johnson County. Together, they had 4 children:

James F. Fain (1845 - ?)
John S. Fain (1847 - ?)
Melissa J. Fain (1849 - ?)
Sarah A. Fain (1852 - ?)

In 1856, Thomas and Nancy left Illinois, along with some of Thomas' siblings and his mother, Nancy, to move to Texas. However, Nancy (his wife) became ill on the journey and the party stopped in Greene County, MO for the Winter. Nancy died 3 days before Christmas, 22 Dec, 1856. They never ended up finishing their journey to TX.

2 months after Nancy's death, Thomas remarried Mary "Rebecca" Phillips, daughter of William J. Phillips and Ruthy McElhaney. Interestingly, it was a double-wedding, with Thomas' brother Wiley William marrying Mary Rebecca's sister Caroline Phillips at the same time.

Thomas and Rebecca had one child together:

William "Calvin" Fain (1857 - 1893)

Calvin died less than a year before his father, on 13 Mar 1893. Thomas died 26 Jan, 1894. They are buried together in the Brookline Cemetery in Brookline, MO.

Thomas served in the Union Army during the Civil War in Company A, 74th MO EM Cavalry. It is thought that he may have fought in the Battle of Springfield.

Thomas was very influential in early Greene County, MO history. He began the First Baptist Church of Brookline, then known simply as "Bulah". In 1883, R. I. Holcombe wrote about Thomas in his "History of Greene County Missouri":

REV. THOMAS D. FAIN. This gentleman is the son of Jesse and Nancy (Doil) Fain, and was born October 24, 1821, in Johnson county, Illinois. He was educated in the common schools of his native county. In June, 1866, he came to Greene county, Missouri, and lived near where Brookline now is until the close of the war. In 1866 he moved to Lawrence county, where he remained until 1879, when be returned to this county and purchased a small farm. Mr. Fain was licensed to preach by the Baptist church in 1865, by George Long, moderator, and Wiley W. Fain, clerk. He was ordained to preach the third Sabbath in April, 1869 by Elders Elisha Clark and George Young, with T. B. Youngblood, church clerk. Mr. Fain was married in November, 1842, to Miss Nancy Tollor, of Johnson county, Illinois. Their union was blest with four children, three of whom are living. Mrs. Fain died December 22, 1857, and in February, 1858, he was married the second time to Miss Mary B., daughter of William Phillips. They have one son, Calvin C., by this marriage. Mr. Fain joined the Baptist church at the age of eighteen, in Illinois and both his wives were of the same faith. His father was a native of Georgia, and went to Illinois when six years of age, where he died at the age of sixty. His mother was a native of Kentucky, and died in Lawrence county, Missouri. They had eight children, six of whom are living, Thomas D., being the second child.

Isaac Reaves Fain, 1838 - 1917

Isaac was born in Johnson County, IL on 18 Sep, 1838. In 1856, when he was about 18, he left with a few of his siblings and his mother to move to Texas. However, due to illness of a couple of people in the party, they stopped in Greene County, MO for the Winter. They never ended up finishing their journey to TX.

Shortly after arriving in Greene County, MO, he married Catherine E. Bowman in Springfield, MO on 27 Mar, 1857. For a brief period of time, they moved back to Johnson County, IL and started having children. They had at least 9 children:

Jesse Franklin Fain (1857 - 1950)

William Thomas Fain (1859 - ?)

Cordelia Jane Fain (1861 - ?)

Louis Kirtley Fain (1867 - 1904)

Isadora Ellender Fain (1869 - ?)

Anna Alice Fain (1872 - ?)

John Kelly Fain (1874 - ?)

Martin Alexander Fain (1877 - 1969)

Louisa May Fain (1880 - ?)

*Possibly* Mesdames Lida Slader

Isaac and Catherine were divorced in 1884. Within weeks, Isaac had remarried to Lucinda Josephine Williams on 2 Oct, 1884. Together, they had 2 children:

Martha Jane Fain (1887 - ?)

Francis Reaves Fain (1889 - 1971)

Lucinda died 30 Aug, 1903 in Arkansas. After this, Isaac married Sarah M. Perry on 3 Oct, 1905. Not much else is known about this marriage.

Isaac served during the Civil War in Company K of the 60th Illinois Infantry. Following his service in the Civil War, Isaac traveled around SW Missouri and NW Arkansas as a Baptist Preacher.

Death record published in the Cassville, MO newspaper in Jan, 1917.

Tombstone in "New Hope" Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Butterfield, MO.

Jesse Fain, 1801 - 1862

Jesse Fain was born in Georgia about 1801. When he was around 5 or 6, he moved to Johnson County, IL with his family. He was married on 26 Sep, 1817 to Lucinda Jane Bridges. Not much is known about this marriage. But, just a few months later, on 15 Jan, 1818, he married Nancy Doyle (or Doll/Doil/Dial). Together they had 8 children:

Elizabeth E. Fain
Thomas D. Fain (1821-1894)
Charles Franklin Fain (1829 - 1919)
Wiley William Fain ( 1835 - 1910)
Isaac Reaves Fain (1838 - 1917)
James Fain (1845 - ?)
Margaret Fain (1846 - ?)
Ellen Fain (1851 - ?)

In 1852, shortly after Ellen was born, Nancy and Jesse were divorced. Jesse married Elizabeth Hunter on 26 Feb, 1853. Together, they had 3 more children:

Jesse Fain (1854 - ?)
Tyresa Fain (1854 - ?)
Roda M. Fain (1856 - ?)

Jesse died in 1862, at the age of 60. There is a tombstone in Oliver "Graveyard" in Johnson County, IL for Jesse Fain with the dates 1801 - 1862.

I should also note that Nany Doyle-Fain moved to SW Missouri with her adult children in 1856. She died shortly after the move. I believe she is buried in Ragsdale Cemetery, a primitive graveyard in Brookline, MO.

Just to clear up a LOT of confusion out there. There is a 2nd Jesse "Jepo" Fain that was born in Georgia about 1796. This 2nd Jesse later moved to Alabama and was married to Annie Wyeth or Annie Noble. Many researchers have mistakingly attributed Isaac, Thomas, Wiley and Charles to this 2nd Jessie and his wife Annie. But I have the source documentation (including Probate records), that definetely ties these children to Jesse Fain and Nancy Doyle. However, it is quite likely that the 2 Jesse's were related in some way.

I'm at a brickwall with both Jesse Fain and his wife Nancy Doyle/Doll/Dial/Doil. If anyone has ANY information about any of them that they can share, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you need access to other source documentation that I have of Jesse, ping me.

Fain Family History

A couple of quick notes. At least 3 of the brothers were Baptist ministers (Thomas D., Isaac R., and Charles F.). There is some evidence that the 4th, Wiley W., was at least involved int the administration and organization of the church.

This is a copy of an article in the Genealogy Periodical "OZAR'KIN" Volume III, No 1. The article was published in the Spring, 1981 issue.

This is a copy of an article in the 1990 publication "Johnson County Illinois History and Families" located in the Johnson County Genealogical & Historical Society.

What I know

I've been researching the FAIN family, including 4 brothers, Isaac Reaves, Thomas D., Charles Franklin and Wiley William. They were all born in Johnson County, IL in early 1800s to Jesse FAIN and Nancy Doyle. My brickwall is anything beyond Jesse or Nancy. I've got tons of source documents and records on the FAINs, starting with Jesse on down, but am always looking for more.