Olive / Olif Forbis / Forbush
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Gravestone of Olive aka Olif Forbis. Photo: Anne J Puryear Many websites, including Findagrave, where the above photograph was downloaded from, show Olive's maiden name as Ferree, daughter of Philip Ferree. However, I could not find any documentary evidence for this, not even in the comprehensive Genealogy of the Ferree family or, most notably, in the will of Philip Ferree. |
Given the complete absence of any contemporary documentary evidence linking our Olif (Olive) Forbis to the Ferree family, it is my considered opinion that this supposed connection is entirely unfounded. Neither George Forbis’s 1765 will, nor any surviving Rowan County probate, land, or court record from the period, contains even a passing reference to a Ferree (or any spelling variant) in connection with George, Olif, or their immediate descendants. The only “evidence” for such a link appears to originate from modern, unsourced online trees and misreadings of Olif Forbis’s name in 18th-century script.
For the sake of accuracy, genealogists undertaking serious research into George and Olif’s lineage should discard the Ferree association entirely and focus on verifiable records—wills, deeds, court minutes, and tax lists—that reflect the actual documented history of the Forbis family in colonial North Carolina.
Her full name was Margaret Olive "olif" Ferree
ReplyDeleteBased on the surviving documentary trail, George’s wife appears in-period only as Olive/Olif. The “Margaret Olive” form looks to be a later genealogical embellishment.
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