The Identity of Elizabeth Barr, or Another Correction!

I've been doing a bit of correcting lately, so in the spirit of that I offer one more.

A Barr reseacher I was in contact with last year made me aware of the fact that a theory that I'd posited as to the identity of Elizabeth Barr of Harrison County was likely unsupported by available facts. For my theory, you can go to this post and read about it there.

(UPDATE:  View the comment below!  My original theory DOES appear to be correct.   Disregard some of the following post, but I keep it here for record's sake.)

For many years, as I said in the above referenced post, this researcher had been searching for the identity of Patrick Barr's wife. I thought that I'd found a clue for him when her name was mentioned in the witness list at William Browning's trial. I thought perhaps that Elizabeth might be Hannah (Barr) Browning's mother and Patrick's wife.

This researcher let me know that he'd taken a trip to the Harrison County (OH) Genealogical Society and poured through some old Barr files.

He told me that amongst the cases of his Barr family (several cases of his Thomas Barr - son of Patrick - and believed siblings involved in mostly food thefts: a domestic turkey, a bushel bag of apples, two geese and then there was one shirt) he had seen another slip of paper that had William Browning released from charges of Larceny.

He said he'd initially considered that Elizabeth Barr could be the children's mother based on the subpoena that I sent him, but upon further review he thought better of it. He based his opinion on two censuses of the Barr family -- the 1810 in Fayette Co., PA (with the mother in the same age category as Patrick) and the 1820 census in Harrison Co., OH (with a missing mother.) Since Elizabeth Barr was called as a witness in March 1821 for William Browning's case he said that it was highly unlikely that the Elizabeth in the subpoena was Thomas and Hannah's mother, but might be a possible second wife of Patrick or an older daughter of his.

Makes sense to me.

I did notice the phrase "released from charges of Larceny" as it pertains to William Browning. Perhaps the slip meant released as in done his time and completed all that was required of him? I don't know and I haven't seen the slip in question.

Anyway, the researcher did find a note in one of the cases and sent me the exact transcription of the paper he found. It follows:

Cadiz Township Feb this 26th 1819

Sir I hope you will be so kind as to collect my Witnesses pay into your own hand for Thos Barr 50 Elizabeth Do 50 Hanna Browning 50 Wm Browning 50
and by so doing you will obledge yours

Patrick Barr

(He said he believed the symbol before the 50 was pounds, as it was a stylized s and capital D.)

Lastly, the researcher and I got to talking about my theory that Samuel and William were brothers. He said he thought that for Samuel Browning to stand up for William Browning and assume equal responsibility of the debt owed, he would be inclined to believe them brothers and both sons of John as well, especially since they were all living in close proximity to each other.

I do wish my cousin Pat was here to share in what I believe is a slow inching toward enough circumstantial evidence to FINALLY assign a father to my Samuel. She would be so happy. I know it gives me thrills!