The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-And-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors (35 page)

Chart 1 at the bottom of the page is a typical census record for a family living in Greene County, Missouri. We'll use it to help us find Archibald C. Morris's parents, and his place of residence before he moved to Missouri.

Because we can deduce from the ages of the children listed in Chart 1 that the family must have been in Missouri at least since 1850, the next step is to check the 1850 Missouri census to verify their county of residence and perhaps obtain more helpful information.

CHART 1

CHART 2

Notice that the family in Chart 2 includes two people with rather unusual names. Archibald had a son named Philander, and now we find another household member who also is named Philander. Even though the census says that he was just a laborer or a hired hand, we know it's important to note those individuals as well. A name as unique as Philander is a revealing hint towards a relationship, but it pays to look into every individual in your household of interest.

Again, data from the two censuses tell us that the family was apparently in Tennessee in 1840, so we check the census index:

No Archibald Morris. Maybe the census taker in Missouri made a mistake when he wrote down the ages of the children, or perhaps he was given incorrect information and the family was actually in Kentucky by 1840.

There were plenty of Morris families living in Kentucky too — but no Archibald. Leaping across the decades has brought us to a dead end, so we had better go back to the censuses of Greene County and this time not just concentrate on the nuclear family. Let's also look at the neighbors listed in that census and see if they can give us more information about Archibald. Archibald is a rather unusual name, so let's see if there were any others by that name in the neighborhood.

The family listed above Archibald Morris in Chart 3 had a child named Archibald, one named Patsy, and one named Simon. The ages and birth places given for the children living in that household follow a pattern similar to that of the Morris family. That should help us. Listed on the other side of Archibald Morris's household was a man named Caleb Morris. His age was given as forty-seven, so he was obviously not Archibald's father, but he could be a brother. Do you notice anything else from his listing that might give you any further clues? How about the naming patterns? Simon Morris was listed next to Caleb. Apparently, Simon lived with Caleb because he was not listed in a separate dwelling, even though he had a separate household. As a farmer, Caleb Morris owned real property. We can see from the second number after Simon's name that although he had personal property, he owned no real property. Simon was probably just starting out, so there is a good possibility that Simon was Caleb's son.

Have we overlooked anything in our census work? Shouldn't we look for Archibald Morris in North Carolina, where he was born? The answer is no. Moving census research to an individual's state of origin before later censuses listing him as head of household have been fully explored is a common mistake. If we couldn't find Archibald Morris in Tennessee or Kentucky, the last places he was thought to have lived before moving to Missouri, how could we hope to find him way back in North Carolina? Certainly no birth certificates for that time period are available there. Even if we did find an Archibald Morris in North Carolina, it is unlikely to be our man from Missouri because the gap between the two time periods is too wide to establish a definite connection. In this particular search, we have gone from the 1860 census to the 1850 and then to the 1840, and although we've learned a little more from checking some of the neighboring households, we're stuck. Instead of continuing to move backward in time, let's go forward and see what we might learn from a later census. I have heard so many genealogists protest, “But I know all about the family at that time period already.” You'd be surprised what later censuses can reveal. By 1870, there was an older man living with Archibald, probably his father. Simon was born in North Carolina, as was Archibald. This new household member may have generated some records of his own. This is what we are looking for: new people coming and going.

CHART 3

CHART 4

Caleb Morris no longer appears in the immediate vicinity, so he probably moved some distance away — although he still could be in the same county. Archibald's neighbor in the 1870 census was Burwell Davis (See Chart 4 on page 188). We can't ignore him; remember that Archibald had a son named Burwell. Also remember that another Davis — Philander — was living with Archibald in 1860. We now have several possible avenues for further research: Simon Morris (possibly Archibald's father), Caleb Morris (possibly Archibald's older brother), Burwell Davis, and Philander Davis (both possible relatives). And of course, we are dying to get back in North Carolina, aren't we? Before we proceed there, however, we still need to discover where the family was in 1840, so let's go to the censuses for Tennessee and Kentucky.

Simon and Caleb Morris were listed in the 1840 census index and were in the same county. Archibald apparently was too young to be listed as a head of household. Now that we have a possible county of residence in which to search, we can focus our study to see if we can find corroborating records that indicate our Archibald Morris belongs in this family. As you can see, it is important to build a web of family relationships in the area where you can confirm individual identities, so that when you are ready to follow the trail into a new state, you have more people to look for. This example was a simple one, but the method also works for more complex problems if you examine enough records.

Remember that the best clues to origin lie in the community where your ancestor's place of residence already has been established, not in the county where you think he might have been earlier.

Mistake 8:
Go after those surnames.

Welcome all Name Gatherers! The contest is about to begin. How many records of people of the same surname can you find? Compete with your friends. Fill file drawers, stuff cabinets, and load databases. Cover the dining room table, cram closets, and shove records under the bed. Don't prejudice your search by looking only where your ancestor lived; look everywhere! Gather names from all over the country.

Seriously, no one would recommend that you stop looking for a particular surname, just don't confine your search only to people who bear that surname. To be a successful researcher, you must also seek and study the people who associated with your family. Broaden your horizons. When you hear of someone else who is researching a surname of your interest, learn what time period and geographical location they are working with so that you can determine whether or not that family might be connected with yours.