Francina Jane Cogar (b. 1835 – d. 1924)

Francina Jane Cogar (my 3rd great-grandmother) has caused more tangles and branches in the family tree than possibly any other ancestor. It took a village to chop through the brambles, along with some genetic DNA testing, partially because of the Cogar name being passed down through the mother, partly because of cousins marrying cousins, and complicated by the prevalence of the Cogar bloodline in the Braxton County area. But here we are!

Francina was born on February 8, 1835 in Braxton County, West Virginia (then Virginia). She is aged 15 on the 1850 census, living with dad Jacob and mother Margaret.

In May 1868, at the age of 33, she welcomed daughter Temperence Cogar. A year later she had Margaret Cora Cogar (my grandmother). Then on February 26, 1874, she gave birth to son Jacob Beauregard Cogar (d. 1949). On December 9, 1876, Francina’s mom, Margaret Hope Mollohan (b. 1790) passed away.

An interesting anecdote about Francina and her children with Elijah Squires Gibson. Elijah Gibson was married to Rosanna Cogar, had children with Rosanna, moved in with Francina, then finished out his life with Rosanna. The two women, it is said, were like the Hatfields and McCoys fighting over him – apparently shooting at one another at varied times when running into each other on the road into town.

A 44-year old Francina welcomed son Benjamin Porter Cogar (d. 1966) on April 24, 1879. [Note* – There are several cousins on GedMatch that link to Francina through Benjamin Porter Cogar]. The family appears on the 1880 Census:

It was almost ten years later when Francina married Benjamin’s dad, Benjamin Willard Williams:

They appear on the 1900 census as being married for 11 years – Francina was 48 and Benjamin Willard Williams was aged 70:

By the time of the 1910 Census, Francina was widowed and living with her daughter Margaret C. This same census entry shows my grandfather, Arden McKinley Cogar, aged 10: