John Cuppy-Margaret Parker or Devore

Many questions arise about the wife of John Cuppy Sr.; weather her last name was Parker or Devore.No evidence has been found for a marriage to either one.Dr. Walter Shriner (1895-1979) who did his research from about 1945, until his death in 1979 makes a case for Margaret Parker as the wife of our ancestor John Cuppy Sr.His work is contained in “The Cuppy-Shiner Genealogy”; two volumes, which can be found in the Terra Haute, Indiana library, call # 929.273 C921s.The library also contains many file cabinets of his research work and correspondence.

The LDS Family History Center also has an 18-leaf manuscript on microfilm attributed to Dr. Walter Shiner 1977.

Dr. Lyman Draper’s manuscripts, the result of his interview with John Cuppy Jr. in Aug. 1860, plainly reads that “Johns father came from Germany about the middle of the last century and married Margaret Devore”.I believe that John Jr.; almost 100 years old at the time, misspoke.John Jr. was married to Elizabeth DeVore in 1779 and I believe it is his first wife that he was thinking of at the time of the interview.John’s first wife Elizabeth DeVore died in 1803 and had been dead fifty-seven years at the time of the Draper interview, which is further reason that I think that he misspoke his mother’s maiden name.John Jr. married second Lydia Oilar in 1824.She lived until at least 1832.

Two pages further in the Drape interview John Jr. says that he “married his cousin Elizabeth DeVore, daughter of John DeVore”.John DeVore was married to Anne Parker; the sister of Margaret Parker who I believe was John Jr. mother.This would make Elizabeth, John Jr.s cousin.

The Draper papers are very hard to read and it is unknown whether he wrote the papers as he conducted the interviews or whether he wrote them from notes at a later date.If, as I believe, the latter, it is possible that some notes were confused at the time he sat down to write the papers.

The Hampshire Co. Virginia Deed Book 1, page 318-319, June 9, 1766, shows that John Cuppy Sr. purchased 227 acres on Mill Creek from Benjamin Parker.Dr. Shiner believe this Benjamin was the brother of Anne Parker and Margaret (Parker) Cuppy, the children of John Parker and his wife Elizabeth unknown.