Some thoughts about John L. McGuire

1. John L. was named for an unknown family McGuire family member. Margaret's Kelley family had no Johns that we know of, while in Davidson's family there are several other Johns (son of Isaac McGuire and son of Timothy and Mary Phinney/Finney McGuire) and at least one other John L. (son of Thomas McGuire and Margaret Hayes; lived in Marion County, AL).

2. What the "L" stands for, nobody knows. One family tree by a researcher I respect has "LeTerpsey" as a possibility, but it's just a suggestion. There's no proof.  And if my middle name were "LeTerpsey," I'd use just the middle initial, too. 

Another possibility—but again, no proof—is that John's middle name was "Len." His daughter Mary Drusilla named her first son "Len Franklin." John's other surviving children, Ellen and Stephen, both had sons named "John," but not with the middle initial "L."

3. A sad fact here:

Several of John's in-laws and children named their offspring "John." For example:

• John H. McLaughlin, son of William H. and Mary Jane McGuire McLaughlin

• John McLaughlin, son of Joseph and Alsy McGuire McLaughlin

• John Walter Hill, son of Ellen McGuire and William Hill

• John T. McGuire, son of Stephen Douglas McGuire and Ada Wilson

Yet, in a family that used the same names over and over, none of this couple's in-laws or children named their female offspring "Britta Ann." Makes you wonder what she was like....

4. The 1850 and 1860 Censuses in which John appears both put his birth year as 1833. Assuming that's true, he does not appear in the 1830 U.S. Census for AL, but there are three males younger than 10 (Timothy, James, and Charles). In the 1840 U.S. Census for AL, there's one male 5 - 10 (John L., 7) and three males 10 - 15 (Timothy, James, and Charles). By 1840 John L. had lots of younger sibs, too. (Sarah, Alsy, Robert, Hiram K., and maybe Emily)

5. John L. was a middle child. According to several websites, middle children play off the attributes of older siblings. See this article from Parents.com:

http://www.parents.com/baby/development/sibling-issues/how-birth-order-shapes-personality/?page=3

Since they must negotiate for attention, middle children may be very diplomatic. On the other hand, feeling that the older children get all the positive attention, they may rebel and seek friends outside the family. John L. seems to have been the latter type, though he may have been tight with his brother Charles. 

I base this conclusion on several facts:

• 1851: Fighting and beaten at age 18 in Shelby County 

• 1852: Joining Mt. Hebron Church at age 19 to make amends

• 1854: Marrying Britta Ann Green, an outsider who seems to have come from nowhere

• 1854: Being excluded from Mt. Hebron in 1854 for swearing. No record of  ever returning

• 1854 - 1860: Giving his children names that do not run in his family, even though most of his siblings did

• 1860: Having $50 on hand for the 1860 Census. It was not unusual for children to get their inheritances early; and this would explain why John L. is not mentioned in W.H. McLaughlin's 1867 notes on distributions from Davidson's estate. 

6. I believe that John L. was tight with his brother Charles. They were only four to five years apart in birth order, and Charles was the brother closest in age to John L. I base this theory on several facts:

• John got married just days after Charles. 

• In Leeds, Her Story a soldier reminisces about the 18th AL and mentions "John and Charlie McGuire" in the same breath.

• John and Charles served together in the 18th AL Infantry. 

7. That's all for now, folks.