In My Shoes: Seay Family History from Derek's Maternal Family through his Mom, Dixie June Hobson Kunze

This post details the Seay family history of Derek's Grandma Evelyn Irene Dooley Hobson and her mother, Verna Irene Seay.

The Seay surname, also recorded as Sai, Say, Saye, Sey, and probably others, is of French origins, of which it may have at least two. The first is locational from a place called Sai in the department of Orne, or from Say, in the region of France known as Indre. These places were originally named after an early 5th century Gallic invader called Saius. It is likely that the personal name was introduced into the British Isles with the Norman Conquest of 1066, although it does not seem to appear in the famous Domesday Book of 1086. The second possibility is that this is a metonymic occupational surname for a maker or dealer in a particularly finely textured cloth called in England 'say'. (From surnamedb.com)

Seay Family Tree

The Seay family emigrating ancestor was Abraham Seay I, Derek's 8th great grandfather. Abraham was born in Wicres, France in 1665. His family was Huguenot French Protestant and fled persecution from France to England circa 1685. Records indicate that they were devout Baptists. He stayed in England under the protection of a distant relative, a Lord William de Saye. In 1688, Abraham married Mary Katherine Wilson (1658-1753) in England and they had three sons together including Derek's 7th great grandfather, Abraham II . Abraham I was described as a scion of nobility and man of culture and means. Around 1700, he migrated to America. He came alone and was later joined by his wife and 3 sons settling near Richmond, VA in an area with a large Huguenot immigrant population.

Seay Homestead in Virginia (date of photo unknown)

Abraham II was awarded a land grant of 385 acres In what was then Goochland County. (Since it has been called Albermarle and then Fluvanna County) the grant was awarded by King George II of England. It is now located near the town of Fork Union about 10 miles from Palmyra the county seat. A memorial marker sites at the site of the property.

Inscription: Memorial to Abraham Seay, In 1745 Abraham Seay, French Huguenot settler was granted Leters Patent from King George for land which includes these church grounds, Military Academy campus, and the nucleus of the village of Fork Union. Abraham, his son Austin - a Revolutionary War soldier, and other early kin are buried one mile east near the site of the Seay house which stood for 190 years.
Erected 1987 by Point of Fork Chapter NSDAR, Seay Descendants, and Fort Union Military Academy.

William Lawson Seay (1850-1918)

It was not until the arrival of Derek's second great grandfather, William Lawson Seay, that the Seay line left Virginia and settled in Indiana. William Lawson Seay was born in 1850 in Lynchberg, VA to Thomas W. Seay (1810-1856) and Sarah Agnes Hudnall (1811-1870). William relocated from Virginia to Indiana sometime between the 1860 federal census and 1878. In 1878, William married Lois Alice Isaac (1857-1882) in Marion, IN and they had two sons together. Accoeding to the 1880 census, they made their home together in Montgomery, IN where William was a farmer. However, Lois died in 1882 at the age of 25. in 1883, William married Rebecca Hall (1852-1927), daughter of William Hall (1818-1867) and Eliza Jane Rusmisel (1824-1857), in Waveland, IN and they had five children together including Derek's great grandmother Verna Irene Seay. In 1900, the Seay family lived in Niantic, Illinois. By the 1910 census they had relocated to Parke County, Indiana. William died after an illness in 1918 in Parke County, IN. Rebecca followed him in death in 1927.

Verna Irene Seay was born in Niantic, IL in 1891 to William and Rebecca Seay. According to notes recorded in "The Dooley Family of Indiana", Verna remembers her childhood as a happy one. She moved with her family by horse and wagon from Niantic, Illinois to, another, better close-by farm in 1903. SHe moved with her family by train from Illinois to another farm in Guion, Indiana in 1911. Verna had 8 years of schooling.

In 1912, Verna married Purdy James Dooley (1891-1979). They had 10 children together including Derek's Grandma Evelyn Irene Dooley Hobson. Verna and Purdy Dooley separated in July 1932 and officially divorced in 1933. The following was written by Dixie June Hobson Kunze circa 1978 about her Grandmother, Verna, as detailed in "The Dooley Family of Indiana":