Origins of Thomas Naves of Louisville KY

Thomas Naves b between 1817-1824 somewhere in Kentucky.

m Mary Rose

d. 5 Jun 1866

lived in Louisville KY, occupation in 1850 census was steward for steamboat and in 1860 cook on steamboat.

children (all born in KY, most likely Louisville):

Frances ("Fanny") Nave 1847-1917

George W W Nave 1849-? (d. bef 1860)

William T Nave 1849-1928

James J Nave 1850-?

Jacob Nave 1853

Charles Nave Dec 1853

Sarah Nave 1857

Absolom A Nave 1860

Francis Jefferson Nave 1862-1942

Jefferson D Nave 1862

Edward Nave 1864 (d. betw 1890-1909)

 

The surname would be either Naves or Nave (the "s" would come and go, but most of his children seemed to drop it)

I have the 1850 census, 1860 census, death record and the death records of some of his children, but no real leads so far on his origins.  (There is another Thomas Naves in MO with a similar birthdate but he was a carpenter by trade and married to someone named Julia...he was still having children after the death of the KY Thomas Naves and even appears on the 1880 census.  He is frequently confused for the one in KY, but they are clearly two different men.)