Lessons in Genealogy: Revisiting the Past with Fresh Eyes

Unraveling the Mystery of Joel Webb’s Wife: Was She Really Nancy?

Image created by AI DALL-E Tool

Genealogy is a puzzle, and sometimes, the pieces we think fit perfectly turn out to be misplaced. My great-great-grandfather George H. Peterson married Nancy Webb, the granddaughter of Joel Webb, and for years, I believed Joel’s wife was Nancy Estes—a widely accepted assertion among researchers. However, as I trace my paternal lineage and piece together my Webb and Estes ancestors' migration patterns, I’ve had to reconsider that assumption. Upon closer scrutiny, I found compelling evidence that Nancy may not have been Joel Webb’s wife at all. Instead, another name has emerged: Fanny Estes."

I thought I had hit a roadblock in proving the identity of Joel Webb’s wife. Now, that roadblock has taken a new turn. It appears to be Fanny Estes rather than Nancy Estes.

Revisiting the Will of Elisha Estes

It is easy to accept commonly held beliefs in genealogy, especially when multiple researchers cite the same information. For years, it was assumed that Nancy Estes was Joel Webb’s wife because of her ties to the same families found in his migration path. However, when I took a closer look at the 1819 will of Elisha Estes (Roane County, Tennessee)—a document I was already familiar with—I realized that it does not name a daughter Nancy Webb at all. Instead, it lists Fanny Webb.

The will includes several daughters (spelling may be off):

"A closer look at Elisha Estes’ will."

• Elizabeth Crumbless
• Wilmouth Mullican
• Jenney Neighbors
• Susanna Estes
• Fanny Webb
• Mary Brister

Since Nancy does not appear in the will, I now have to consider the possibility that Joel Webb’s wife was actually Fanny, not Nancy. This is a critical distinction because Fanny was commonly a nickname for Frances, but not for Nancy. Now, the challenge is to confirm whether Fanny Webb was the same person previously believed to be Nancy or if a mistake had been made in previous research.

What This Means for Webb Family Research

 If Fanny Webb was actually Frances Estes, then some of the past assumptions about Joel Webb’s wife need to be reconsidered:

• Did Joel Webb’s wife appear in census records as Frances Webb?
• Are there land or probate records listing Joel and Frances (Fanny) Webb together?
• Could earlier Estes family documents confirm that Fanny and Nancy were different people?

While this discovery does not change the broader connections between the Webb, Estes, Mullican, Brister, and Neighbors families—who frequently appeared together in land records, wills, and migration patterns—it does shift the focus of research to confirming records for Fanny (Frances) Webb rather than searching under the name Nancy.

Final Thoughts: The Importance of Revisiting Assumptions

This finding serves as a valuable lesson in genealogy: just because something is widely repeated does not mean it is correct. By going back to the original sources, questioning assumptions, and avoiding reliance on secondhand information, we can uncover details that change the narrative of our family history.

It is also a reminder that even the best researchers make mistakes. No matter how respected or thorough someone’s work is, we must verify information for ourselves. Anyone reading my blog should take that same approach—use my research as a guide, but always confirm the facts independently.

Moving forward, my research will focus on confirming whether Fanny Webb was indeed Joel Webb’s wife and whether she was the same person as Nancy (Nany) Estes or someone entirely different. Genealogy is a process of constant discovery, and this is one more step toward uncovering the truth.

Have you ever found an error in your family research that changed everything? How did you go about correcting it? Share your experiences in the comments!