John H. Choice, son of Jane (Haygood) and John Choice, was probably born in Franklin County, Virginia. John H. Choice married Elizabeth A. Arnold, 7 Jul 1845, in Franklin County, Virginia (MR/GCM). No information is available for this family.

MARTHA E. (COPELAND) AND FRANKLIN CHOICE, FARMER, STOCK RAISER, TOBACCONIST, AND UNION CIVIL WAR VETERAN, OF VIRGINIA, AND ST.CLAIR COUNTY

Franklin Choice, I am speculating, was the son of Jane (Haygood) and John Choice. Some of the data I have collected supports that speculation, other data definitely refutes it. The family researcher must proceed with caution. Start at square one and conduct your own research. Do not accept my speculation.

The point which bothers me most is that Franklin was not mentioned in the will of John Choice along with his other children. Franklin may have been born after John died, which would have placed his birth in late 1821, or early 1822. These dates are five years earlier than the bulk of information I have collected.

The only thought I have toward reconciling the discrepancies for Franklin, which will be presented here, is that John Choice may have written his will in 1821, but perhaps he did not die for another five years. (I'm not happy with that either.)

I copied the following excerpt from THE HISTORY OF HENRY AND ST. CLAIR COUNTIES, MISSOURI (see Bibliography) which was published in 1883. This information presumably came from Franklin Choice himself, since he was still living.

I do not feel that I am on firm ground here. A family researcher must challenge the composition of this family as I have constructed it. However, I shall continue under the assumption that Franklin was the son of Jane (Haygood) and John Choice.

There is a record of marriage for Franklin Choice and Martha E. Copeland for 3 Jan 1848, in Franklin County, Virginia (GCM). The bride's parents were named in the marriage record as "W.C. & B. Copeland" (GCM).

The rank of the children, as presented in the above excerpt, does not agree with their placement according to age in U.S. Census records. I have ranked the children on my Family Chart according to Census records.

Before I learned that Martha and Franklin were married in Franklin County, I had hunted for their marriage record in the brides's territory of Cumberland County, Virginia. In response to my query, Carol O. Henshaw, Deputy Clerk, Clerk's Office, Circuit Court of Cumberland, Virginia, 23040, reported:

I have checked wills, deeds, marriages, births and deaths, and I find nothing for a Choice/Choyce. There are a few Copeland/ Couplands listed on the deed indexes.

Franklin Choice

Franklin Choice, farmer and stock raiser, is a Virginian by birth, and was born in 1820. His father, John Choice, who was also born in Virginia, was married to Miss Jane Haygood in 1813, and they had five children of whom Franklin was the youngest. He resided with his parents until 1842, and in that year was married to Miss Martha E. Copeland, of Cumberland County, Virginia. To them were born eight children: William F., Mary A, Laura V., Augusta M., Charles, Mattie J., Louisa and Anna. In 1859, Mr. Choice, leaving his native state, emigrated to Missouri and settled in St. Clair County, on the place which he now occupies. He has eighty acres in his farm, it being very productive land, and upon it is a good residence. He is most thorough in his transactions, and this is the cause of his success. In politics he is a Republican. He was a member of the militia under Captain Cook during the last war.

Franklin could not have "resided with his parents until 1842" if John Choice died in 1821 or 1822. Franklin was not married in 1842, but in 1848. Franklin (if he was the source of the information) mentioned only eight children with Martha E. (Copeland) Choice. He does not mention a second wife. Franklin had ten children all told. Perhaps John remarried and had two more.