Top five discoveries in my ancestry

Admittedly none of the top discoveries were made specifically by me. I will admit to prodding other researchers of my lines and asking way too many questions. Whatever works...lol.

1. Acuff- Proof of Wm. Leon Acuff's father was found(by Billie McNamara)in Bledsoe Co. TN court records when under oath Wm. L. Acuff was asked how he knew Jonathan Acuff whose case was being heard. His answer was "He is my Father". Case notes and statements further verify that this Wm. L Acuff was indeed the one who lived in Van Buren Co. TN(where my GG grandfather is found on census records)

2. Millie Hitchcock's maiden name--I believe it was Agnes Jones & another researcher who found the marriage record from March 11, 1806 for George Hitchcock and Millie Riddle in Roane Co. TN records.

3. Comfort Pittman's maiden name-- This is the first of 3 breakthrus that came about from one record. That record was the Application to the Eastern Cherokee of Comfort's Grandson, John R. Dunham--discovered by Royce Dunham & Jan Hicks. John was denied but the application stated Comfort was a Hatfield before she married Daniel Pittman.

4. Finding older Children of Daniel & Comfort Hatfield Pittman--These were listed on Annie Pitman Dunham's son's Eastern Cherokee application. These were children who were out of the household before 1850 census.

5. Comfort Hatfield's parents--The Eastern Cherokee application doesn't plainly list her parents names but it does say her mother was Annie Ross and that her dad was a Hatfield. There is record of an Annie Ross who was the first wife of James Hatfield which we feel is correct considering several key factors. There is also a sworn statement that Annie Pittman Dunham(Dau of Daniel & Comfort Pittman) was at Tahlequah in Aug of 1866 though I don't even pretend to know how to go about finding those records I'm going to try. I need to review the copy of the Eastern Cherokee Application. Thankfully the Wallace College Library where I attend classes has those on Microfilm.

My Top Five Brickwalls

1. My Hale family's whereabouts in the 1860 & 1870 census. More on this in my previous post.

2. My Cook(e) ancestry--My Dad's father's lines have been difficult to say the least and is the line on which I feel I've made the least amount of progress. They were in Bedford Co. TN and were originally from NC. We have the traditional three brother story but nothing proven. My Gr Gr Grandparents William Clifford Cook married Elizabeth Putman in Sept of 1831 in Williamson Co. TN. Elizabeth's parents did live in Williamson Co. I think the best bet on getting an idea of where to search with such a common surname is DNA research.

3. John Fleming--I'd love to know more about John Fleming since there are so many conflicting stories and so many of them to try and sort out. My John Fleming(well actually I have two) was the son of John Fleming and Martha Jane(or Nancy) Edwards. One family story says they didn't immigrate until the early 1800s which I find a bit hard to believe. Another says that John(the youngers) mother was in VA & KY and that his half brother William Marrs Logue married there. They then moved to the Warren Co. TN area which is where I find them in the 1830s. I had initially thought he might be kin to the Williamsburg SC Fleming line but DNA has disproved that so now I'm trying to find his connection.

4. My Pitman/Hatfield line--What happened to Daniel & Comfort Hatfield Pitman family between 1860 & 1870 that caused the entire family to move and be in Rutherford Co. TN before some of them moved on to Gibson Co. TN and then on to OK. There is a native american connection on the Hatfield side but I suspect alot of the cause might have been the upcoming war. I do not know where Daniel was in 1870 as it seems that Comfort was widowed by then. She is not found in the 1880 census so I feel that she too must have passed on. Where are their graves? Are they buried in Rutherford Co. TN? If so it would probably be in the area that was then known as Florence. This area is right next to the Stones River National Battlefield & Cemetery which makes me wonder if Daniel died in the War though I've not found any indication that he served.



1860 Census Dekalb Co. TN Daniel & Comfort(w children)

1869 Marriage Rutherford Co. TN E. M. Burkett & Mourning Pittman

1869 Marriage Gibson Co. TN Daniel Monroe Pittman and Josephine Tolbert

1870 Census Gibson Co. TN Daniel M Pittman & wife Josephine

1870 Census Rutherford Co. TN Comfort(and family)Elder Daniel perhaps deceased.

1870 Census Rutherford Co. TN David & wife Mary are next door to Comfort

1870 Census Rutherford Co. TN Mourning & E. Burkett & family

1877 Marriage Dekalb Co. TN(May 8) Wm. Pain to Betsy Pitman

1879 Death Gibson Co. TN Daniel M Pittman of Typhoid Fever

1880 Census Dekalb Co. TN David & Mary Adcock Pittman & Family District 11

1880 Census Dekalb Co. TN Bettie Pittman Payne & Family

1880 Census Dekalb Co. TN Nancy Pittman Lawrence & family

1880 Census Gibson Co. TN Jane Pittman & husband, Joseph Oneal

1880 Census Gibson Co. TN Mourning Pittman Burkett & Family

1880 Census Gibson Co. TN Thomas Lee Pittman & wife, Nancy & Family

5. I've found no proof as to who Thomas Adcock's father was. I have been over the Names of the Adcock men who were in the Warren Co. TN area in 1830 with males in their household who would have been Thomas' age but have not been able to narrow that down as of yet. Perhaps a will or court records exist which would fill in the blanks. I do have Thomas and his widow's pension application but it didn't mention his parents names. Thomas Adcock(1817-1905) lived in the Dekalb Co. TN area the majority of his life.

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.

FamilySearch & Ancestry.com

I have mixed feelings about the collaboration of FamilySearch & Ancestry.com. Sure it is exciting in some ways...but in others its a let down.

Personally, I feel it was a move on Ancestry.com's part to keep from having a competitor who was giving away what Ancestry.com was selling. Granted the census records are only a small portion of what Ancestry subscribers get, they are probably the most valuable in that the census records cover the largest area. Some yrs back I had an Ancestry.com subscription but the most valueable part of that subscription was the census records. This might have been because most of my ancestors were in TN early on and they really don't have alot to offer for that area database wise. I no longer have the need for an Ancestry.com subscription as I have access to HeritageQuest census images. I would hope that this venture will allow FamilySearch to get the indexes online alot faster than they would have had this not been an option. While I've been helping with indexing for FamilySearch I am not sure if I will continue. I will most likely be one of those who will be checking the index at FamilySearch and then locating the Images at HQ.

More on Jim's Michigan Ancestry

I've been working on Jim's Leonard lines with another Leonard researcher. We both feel there is a connection though we've not been able to narrow it down just yet.

Thomas H. Leonard has his Uncle John living with his family in the 1900 Cheboygan Co. MI census. I believe I may have found Thomas Leonard & brothers(if this is him) living with his father in 1880 census. It also appears given the age that this Uncle John & wife were living next door. If this is him then finding the names of John's parents on his death records from 1901 in Cheboygan should give me John & Thomas's Dad's parent's names. Now to write for that.

I received Irving Piercie Sutherland's Naturalization papers. While it wasn't overly revealing it did feel in some blanks we had and verified information.