It's Been a Search of a Hale..

My Gr Gr Grandfather Wm. P. Hale & his parents have probably been the biggest brick wall opportunity that I've faced in the 18 years I've been researching. It took me a while to sort through information on Wm. P. Hale and find that he had been married not just once...but three times. I did find him in the census with each of his three wives between the years 1880 & 1920. I've not been as lucky with his parents.

How can a family escape being listed in both the 1860 & 1870 Federal Census? The answer is most likely that they didn't & that they are in fact listed but not in a location or with the expected names that would allow me to recognize the family. The family is that of Wm. Taylor Hale and his wife Eliza Adaline Elzey(spelling varies) They had Two Girls(Lucinda Caroline, Mary A.) & Three Boys(James Arvil, Wm P. & John Nathaniel). Here is a time line I've worked out for the family covering the years 1850-1880.

Wm. Taylor Hale (1820/22-1861)
Eliza Adaline Elzie(1820-1906)

1843  Marriage Wm Taylor & Eliza Adaline Elzie/Elsie(June 29) 
1844  Birth of Lucinda Caroline Hale(dau of Wm & Adaline)
1846  Birth of James Arvil Hale(son of Wm & Adaline)
1849  Birth of Wm. P. Hale(son of Wm & Adaline)
1850  Census Wm & Family --Van Buren Co. TN Dist 6(Sept 13)
1855  Birth of Mary Hale(Dau of Wm & Adaline)
1861  Death of Wm T. Hale(drown in Collins River)
1861  Birth of John Nathaniel Hale
1865  Marriage of Lucinda Caroline Hale to John Bishop(Van Buren Co. TN Aug 8)
1866  Birth of Lucinda & John's son--James Monroe Bishop
1876  Birth of Lucinda & Mr. Davis' son--Luther Davis
1880  Census Adaline & Lucinda living same household (Van Buren Co. TN Dist 8) 
1880  Census James A. Hale & Family(Van Buren Co. TN Dist 8)
1880  Census Wm P. Hale & Family(Bledsoe Co. TN Dist 1)
1880  Census Mary Hale Johnson & Family(Bledsoe Co. TN Dist 1)

They could have left the Van Buren/Warren Co. TN area after Wm. Taylor Hales Death however they were back for Lucinda's marriage & births of both children. I've searched in 1870 for the Bishop surname in the chance that the family might have been enumerated under that name. I've tried creative spellings of Hale. Also have tried creatively spelling Adaline and Lucinda Caroline. Searching age groups within the Hale variants to cut out false positives(hopefully). No signs of them--not sure what to do at this point.