Genealogy of Surname SIAS

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Genealogy of Surname SIAS (and Variations)
and the Bogus Connection between Maryland SIAS and New England SIAS

I am descended from Benjamin CORBIN & Sarah SIAS of Baltimore [now Carroll] Co., MD, hence my interest in SIAS genealogy. The progenitors of SIAS in Maryland are not certainly known, but may be John SIAS & Mary CHAMBERS. Most SIAS / SYAS in early New England (and those migrating through the northern tier of states) appear to be descendants of John SIAS & Sarah Ann PITMAN.

Many secondary sources have a supposed daughter of Benjamin & Sarah, namely, a Sophia CORBIN of Huntingdon Co., PA, married to James SIAS of New Hampshire as either his first or second wife, the other wife being Patience DWIER. According to these sources, this James SIAS (Sr.) and Sophia CORBIN, of Huntingdon Co., PA, were the parents of the James SIAS (Jr.) who married Rebecca ADKINS and became the prolific progenitor of SIAS in West Virginia. Geographically, the connection to New Hampshire seemed to me so highly implausible that I set out to study New England SIAS to see if I could either prove or disprove the connection. The results of my research show:

1) There is no way that the James SIAS (b. NH) who married Patience DWIER (b. NH) and lived in Vermont could possibly be the James SIAS, Sr. (b. VA) who married Sophia CORBIN (b. NC) and fathered the James SIAS, Jr. (b. VA) who married Rebecca ADKINS (b. VA) and lived in (West) Virginia. Just on the face of it, the geography makes equating the James SIAS in Vermont with the one in Pennsylvania suspect. Even equating the one in Pennsylvania with the one in (West) Virginia is a stretch — and, as it turns out, impossible given the timing.

2) Both James SIAS'es appear in the 1830 census, one in Orleans Co., VT, and the other in Huntingdon Co., PA. A man can't be two places at one time.

3) The Junior James SIAS was born 1810/11. He gives his birthplace as Virginia in the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses. In the 1860 census, his birthplace is even specified as Monroe Co., (W)VA. In the 1880 census, he gives his father's birthplace as Virginia and his mother's as North Carolina. The James SIAS in Huntingdon Co., PA, was still there in the 1820 and 1830 censuses: he had not moved to Virginia. So, not only is James Jr. not one of the New England SIASes, James Sr. is not the one in Pennsylvania.

4) If Sophia CORBIN was truly born in North Carolina, she could not possibly be a daughter of Benjamin & Sarah (SIAS) CORBIN, who were born, lived, and died in Maryland and whose children were all born in Baltimore [now Carroll] Co., MD.

5) Regardless of where Sophia CORBIN was born, she could not be a daughter of Benjamin & Sarah (SIAS) CORBIN because their children are known from a solid source (viz., a granddaughter's letter) to not include a Sophia — nor any other daughter who married a SIAS.

(There is more information, including documentation, on the family group sheets.)

Once I became convinced that my southern SIASes have no connection to the New England ones, I ceased research on the northern ones (rather abruptly, which is the reason you will run into obviously unfinished pages for them). Please note that I am no longer researching these northerly SIASes and that I have no additional information on them. Everything I have is online. And while I welcome and appreciate having any errors I've made corrected — please don't hesitate to contact me on that account — I am otherwise not interested in adding new information on these northern families.

As for the Maryland ones, I definitely seek additional information on them, especially the identity of Sarah (SIAS) CORBIN's parents. Note that I have a suspicion that SIAS is actually a phonetic misspelling of SEARS, pronounced with either a strong British or Southern accent (try it).

There is a SEARS Y-DNA Surname Project (including SIAS, SYAS, etc.) in progress at Family Tree DNA, but no SIAS has yet joined. There is also a CYR Y-DNA Surname Project at FTDNA, and a SIAS/SIER/SEARS has joined. If you are a SIAS, please join the project and be tested, so we can discover the origin(s) of SIAS.

Every-Name Indices to SIAS Family Group Sheets
in the
Mid-Atlantic and Southern Tiers of States
or in the
New England and Northern Tier of States
-
Or you may browse the family group sheets by the husband's surname.

Links Hub for SIAS in the Early Censuses

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