Roberts Research
Roberts-Barnes-Lister-Strain Line
By Don Taylor

Nancy Strain Lister lived during a time of transition and expansion in early 19th-century America. Born in 1802, likely in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Samuel Strain, a man whose four marriages and numerous children created a complex and intertwined family history. At just twenty years old, Nancy married William Lister in Highland County, Ohio, and together they raised a family whose descendants carried the Lister name well into the next century. Although Nancy’s life was relatively short, ending at the age of forty-two, her story is important because it highlights the challenges of tracing women’s lives in early America, where conflicting records, shifting family structures, and migration patterns often obscure details. Through this study, Nancy emerges as a vital link between the Strain family of Pennsylvania and the Lister line of Ohio, anchoring both genealogical connections and community history.

Nancy (Strain) Lister is found in my [Roberts-Barnes Family Tree], 153 Ancestry Public Trees[1], and is Family Search profile KZVD-GJR.

List of Grandparents

• Grandmother: 5. Essie Pansy Barnes (1903-1982
• 1^st Great-grandmother: 11.  Maranda Lister (1867-1932)
• 2^nd Great-grandfather: 22. Nimrod Lister (c. 1826-c. 1890)
• 3^rd Great-grandmother: 45. Nancy Strain (c. 1802-1844)
• 4^th Great-grandfather: 90. Samuel Strain (1762-1845)

Nancy Strain – Ancestor #45

FamilySearch suggests that Nancy’s father, Samuel Strain, was married four times.

The Four Wives of Samuel Strain

Wife	Married	Death
Hannah Watts	c. 1782	1798
Margaret Miller	c. 1799	1813
Martha Wilson	18 Dec 1805 – CONFLICT	1824
Nancy Johnson	1826	1845

Many of the 153 Ancestry Public Trees suggest that Nancy Strain’s mother was Nancy Johnson. However, Nancy Johnson didn’t marry Samuel Strain until 1826. Also, Nancy Johnson would have been only 13 years old when Nancy Stain was born. Other researchers suggest Nancy Strain’s mother was Margaret Amelia Miller. Margaret married Samuel about 1799 and died in 1813. As such, I believe Nancy Strain’s mother was Margaret and not Nancy Johnson.

Additionally, there is a discrepancy between the death date of Margaret and the marriage date to Martha Wilson. I believe the marriage date for Samuel and Martha is more likely in 1815. Further research is needed to confirm the date of their marriage.

Birth: Nancy Strain was born on 22 Apr 1802.

Likely children of Samuel Boston Strain (1762-1845) & Margaret Amelia Miller (Nancy’s full siblings).

Name	Born	Married	Died
Andrew Miller	1800		1859
Nancy	1802	1822 – William Lister	1844
Rebecca	1806	Unk – FNU Watt	1867
Robert Wilson	1807		1859
Ester D	1808	Unk – FNU Thornton	1835
Malinda Henderson	1811		1835
John Carson	1812		Unk.

It is possible that Nancy’s father, Samuel Strain (1762-1845), had 26 children by his first three wives, giving Nancy 19 half-siblings.

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Marriage

Nancy married William Lister about 17 June 1822[2] in Highland County Ohio.

Children of William and Nancy (Strain) Lister

Name	Born	Married	Died
James Alfred	1822	1842 – Mary Jane Southward?	1869
Nimrod	c. 1824	1853 – Malinda Evans	1888
Sarah	c. 1831	1849 – Aaron Dean	?
William Marcus	1832	1866 – Elizabeth Krohn	1921
James M.	c. 1840	?	?
Elizabeth Ellen	1847	? – George Corkwell	1933

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Adulthood

• 1820 – Presumed female 16-26 in the household of Samuel Strain, Madison Township, Fayette County, Ohio.
• 1830 – Presumed female 20-29 in the household of William Lester [Lister] Walnut, Pickaway County, Ohio.
• 1840 – Presumed female 20-39 in the household of William Lister, Deerfield, Ross County, Ohio.

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Death/Burial, etc.

Death:       23 Nov 1844, (presumed) Pickaway County, Ohio.
Burial:      New Holland Cemetery, New Holland, Pickaway County, Ohio.

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Events by Location

• New Jersey (Possible Birth Location) – 1802
• Ohio, Fayette County, Madison – 1820
• Ohio, Highland County – Marriage – 1822
• Ohio, Pickaway County (presumed death location – 1844)
• Ohio, Pickaway County, New Holland
• Ohio, Pickaway County, Walnut – 1830
• Ohio, Ross County, Deerfield – 1840
• Pennsylvania (Possible Birth Location) – 1802

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Conflicts

1. Many of the 153 Ancestry Public Trees suggest that Nancy Strain’s mother was Nancy Johnson. However, Nancy Johnson didn’t marry Samuel Strain until 1826. Also, Nancy Johnson would have been only 13 years old when Nancy Stain was born. Other researchers suggest Nancy Strain’s mother was Margaret Amelia Miller. Margaret married Samuel about 1799 and died in 1813. As such, I believe Nancy Strain’s mother was Margaret and not Nancy Johnson.
2. Additionally, there is a discrepancy between the death date of Margaret and the marriage date to Martha Wilson. I believe the marriage date for Samuel and Martha is more likely in 1815. Further research is needed to confirm the date of their marriage.
3. There is a conflict between the birth dates and places for Nancy (Stain) Lister. Some sources (her son, William’s death record) indicate she was born in New Jersey in 1802, and some (such as Nimrod’s 1880 Census record) indicate she was born in Pennsylvania.

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Actions / Follow-up

1. Each of William and Nancy Lister’s children should be researched to gain a greater understanding of the family.
2. Further investigate the conflict in the year and location of Nancy (Stain) Lister’s birth.
3. Additionally, there is a discrepancy between the death date of Margaret and the marriage date to Martha Wilson. I believe the marriage date for Samuel and Martha is more likely in 1815. Further research is needed to confirm the date of their marriage.
4. I believe that Nancy’s father, Samuel Strain (1762-1845) had 24 children by his first three wives, giving Nancy 17 half siblings. Each should be researched to gain a fuller picture of Nancy’s life.

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Sources

• 1820 Census, Various, Samuel Strain – Madison Township, Feyette, Ohio. “United States, Census, 1820”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGQ-4NP : Fri Mar 08 16:14:59 UTC 2024), Entry for Samuel Strain, 1820.
• 1830 Census (NARA), Various, Walnut, Pickaway, Ohio; Series: M19; Roll: 138; Page: 50; Family History Library Film: 0337949. 16th name down, Wm Lister.
• 1840 Census (NARA), Ancestry, 1840 Census – William Lister – Deerfield, Ross, Ohio; Roll: 424; Page: 413; Family History Library Film: 0020175. 11th from bottom – William Lister.
• 1880 Census (FS), Nimrod Lister – Indiana, Sullivan, Gill Township, ED 329, Page 5, Line 18. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHSF-ZKC.
• Family Search Tree, Family Search, Nancy Strain (1802-1844). Accessed 16 Aug 2024. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KZVD-GJR.
• Find a Grave, Find a Grave, Nancy Strain [Lister] 1802-1844. https://(https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38330722/nancy-lister.
• Ohio Probate Records, 1789-1996, Family Search, Highland County – Wills 1809-1849, Vol 1-4, Image 385 of 476. (Pages 267-267). https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M2-XPHL.
• Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016, Family Search, Highland County Marriage Records 1821-1837, vol 1-2, Page 180 – #600 – William Sister [Lister] & Nancy Strain – Issued 17 June 1822. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZZ5F-7T6Z.

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Endnotes

[1] Ancestry Public Trees – This number changes. It is the number of trees on the day I was writing this sketch.
[2] Date of marriage license.