Finding the Parents of George Enoch Smith

George Enoch Smith

b. 10 Feb 1873, Frankfort, Kentucky

d. 13 Jan 1938, Louisville, Kentucky

m. 28 Sep 1897 to Ellen "Ella" Newhouse (b. Jan 1878, d. 7 Apr 1935)

George Smith and friend, Obie Lampton (abt 1900)

I have had success in discovering most of my ancestors beyond four generations. However, the Smith line is the only line that I have yet to move into the 5th generation. This is due to the lack of family information regarding my 2nd great-grandfather, George Enoch Smith. Additionally, the extremely common name has made finding records and evidence difficult.

The only records that I can match with certainty are as follows:

Indiana Marriage Record

Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana

Date: 28 Sep 1897

Groom: George E. Smith

Bride: Ella Newhouse

1920 Federal Census

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

George E. Smith

Age 48 [est. birth year: 1972]

Occupation: Engineer

Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky [Native State for self/father/mother]

Ellen Smith

Age 47 [est. birth year: 1973]

Kentucky/Georgia/Germany

Benjamin Smith

Age 15 [est. birth year: 1905]

Occupation: Errand Boy

Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky

1930 Census

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

George Smith

Age 56 [est. birth year: 1974]

Occupation: Painter/Contractor

Kentucky/Kentucky/Kentucky [Native State for self/father/mother]

Ellen Smith

Age 55 [est. birth year: 1975]

Kentucky/Germany/Georgia

Kentucky Death Record

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Death Date: 13 Jan 1938

Full Name: George Enoch Smith

Occupation: Engineer, Plaza Hotel

Wife: Ellen Smith

Date of Birth: 10 Feb 1873

Birthplace: Frankfort, Ky.

Father: Enoch Smith

Father's Birthplace: Beattyville, Ky.

Mother: Unknown

Informant: Ben F. Smith

Now, one would think that since this death record indicates George's father as "Enoch Smith," that we could use this find further records. However, upon extensive searches, there are no records that show a "George Smith" as the son of an "Enoch Smith" that would correctly match the birth years and locations we would expect.

It is interesting that the identity of George's mother was not known by his son, Benjamin Franklin Smith, the informant on the death record. This could be as a result of three plausible scenarios:

1. George's mother died at an early age and George never knew her, or perhaps, never talked about her to his son, Benjamin.
2. George's parents were divorced and Benjamin Smith never knew his grandmother.
3. Benjamin does not know much about either of his grandparents and even listing his grandfather as "Enoch Smith" is a mistake.

As I sift through census records, I am more inclined to believe the third possibility: that Benjamin Smith may have been grasping to satisfy the parent fields on the death certificate. It would make sense to assume that George's father was named "Enoch Smith" because George's middle name is "Enoch." Or, perhaps George's father went by Enoch later in life, while appearing on earlier census records under a different name.

The father's birthplace on the death record is very specific, being recorded as "Beattyville, Ky." This specificity could indicate that Benjamin actually does know about his grandfather. But, again, he could just be pulling this from an old memory.

In any case, things just do not add up. There are no census records to support the fact that George's father is named Enoch. So, again, we have three plausible scenarios:

1. The family did not actually appear on any census records in 1880 and 1900.
2. Either George or George's father went by a different name on these census records.
3. George's father is not named Enoch.

I have found evidence that may support that George's father is actually Milton Smith instead of Enoch Smith. In the next part of the post, we will examine the census records to determine if this is a possibility worth considering.

Finding the Parents of John Maxwell

John Maxwell

b. abt 1807, South Carolina

d. 1860-1870, DeSoto County, Mississippi

m. 25 Jul 1832 in Lauderdale, Alabama to Martha Jackson (b. abt 1816, Tennessee)

One of the most disappointing things about genealogy research is hitting the dreaded brick wall. Many times, especially in older generations, there is just not enough information to make the necessary connections to continue the line.

However, sometimes plausible connections can be drawn utilizing the data that is available. This can yield valuable information that can be used to find more supporting evidence.

In this case, I hit a wall with John Maxwell, my 4th great-grandfather. As always, we start with what we know about the subject and go from there.

• John appears in the 1850 census living in DeSoto County, Mississippi. He lists his age as 41 [est birth year: 1809] and his native state as South Carolina.
• John appears in the 1860 census still living in DeSoto County, Mississippi. He lists his age as 53 [est birth year: 1807] and his native state as South Carolina.
• In the 1870 census, John's wife, Martha, is listed as the head of the house in DeSoto County and John is no longer found. Thus, we can assume he died between 1860 and 1870.

From these records, we know that John was born in South Carolina around 1807-1809. It is always good when an individual in this era is born around a decade change. The closer in time that they are born to a census being taken, the more likely it is that we can correctly find a set of individuals that could be the subject's parents.

The census in 1810, children under 10 were enumerated. Thus, we can begin searching for Maxwells living in South Carolina in 1810 with a male child under 10 (John would have been 1-3 years in age at this time based on later census information).

We searched "Max*" (notice the wildcard) to return any families where the last name begins with "Max." This is a good idea in case the family name was changed or transcribed incorrectly.

Search: 1810 Federal Census, Last Name "Max*" in "South Carolina" with at least 1 male child under 10

• Francis Maxey (Female) - St. Johns Colleton, Charleston, South Carolina (1 male under 10)
• Rev John Maxey - Columbia, Richland, South Carolina (3 males under 10)
• John Maxon - York, South Carolina (2 males under 10)
• Chas Maxwell - Abbeville, Abbeville, South Carolina (1 male under 10)
• Hugh Maxwell - Abbeville, Abbeville, South Carolina (2 males under 10)
• John Maxwell - Pendleton, South Carolina (1 male under 10)
• John Maxwell - Newberry, South Carolina (1 male under 10)

It is likely that one of these individuals is the father of our subject. I will concede that this method is not flawless. For example, if our subject's father moved away from South Carolina before the 1810 census and after our subject was born, we would be looking at an incorrect data set. However, it can give us something from which to work.

We also have a marriage record from 25 Jul 1832 in Lauderdale, Alabama reflecting our subject's marriage to Martha Jackson.

Looking at 1830 census records, we find several Maxwells living in the area of Lauderdale County, Alabama. These could be members (mother, father, brother?) of our subject's family:

Search: 1830 Federal Census, Last Name "Max*" in "Lauderdale County, Alabama" and adjacent counties

• James Maxwell - Lauderdale County, Alabama
• James Maxwell - Limestone County, Alabama (east of Lauderdale)
• John Maxwell - Limestone County, Alabama (east of Lauderdale)
• W Maxwell - Giles County, Tennessee (northeast of Lauderdale)
• Isaiah Maxey - Giles County, Tennessee (northeast of Lauderdale)
• Nancey Maxey (Female) - Giles County, Tennessee (northeast of Lauderdale)

We cannot place too much value on this information. It is possible that none of these people are even related to our subject. Perhaps John was not even living in Alabama at the time. Or, maybe, he was living with another family. This was common if a young person set off and migrated to an new area without family.

The John Maxwell in Limestone County, Alabama cannot be our subject because this individual is 40-49 years of age (and married). Our subject would be around the age of 21-23 at this time. However, this could prove to be our subject's father. Though, there is no individual in this John Maxwell's household that would match our subject.

In fact, the only household where the enumeration fits our subject is the home of Isaiah Maxey from Giles County, Tennessee. It is possible that this individual is related to our subject, but it is highly unlikely because of the last name. But, we cannot rule it out.

We do know that our subject's first two children are thought to have been born in Mississippi:

• Adaline M Maxwell (b. abt 1836, Mississippi)
• James Harvey Maxwell (b. 30 May 1838, Mississippi)

Thus, we can assume that by the time of the 1840 Federal census, John's family was living in Mississippi. We do find a young John Maxwell living in DeSoto County, Mississippi in 1840. However, no children are enumerated. Additionally, the head is enumerated in the 20-29 column. At this time, our subject is thought to be 31-33. It is possible that he marked himself younger than he actually was, but it does not explain the children that should be enumerated (1 Male under 5, 1 Female under 5).

Interestingly, we also find a David Maxwell and his family in DeSoto County on the 1840 Federal Census. This individual is 50-59 and has several children. It is possible that this could be John Maxwell's father or uncle (as mentioned, the John Maxwell that we find in DeSoto County in 1840 may not actually be our subject). This David Maxwell does not show up in DeSoto County in the 1850 Federal Census. I believe that he died before this time.

There is a Thomas Maxwell that shows up in 1850 that could have been living with David Maxwell until his death. Thomas has a large family, and one of his sons is named "David."

It should be noted that we find two individuals by the name of "John Maxwell" in DeSoto County, Mississippi in the 1850 Federal census. One is our subject, John Maxwell. The other is probably the individual that we find living in DeSoto County in the 1840 census.

So, the question becomes, "Where was John Maxwell and his family in the 1840 Federal Census?" There are no other John Maxwells found in Mississippi that would fit the profile of our subject, but evidence leads us to believe that he was indeed living in Mississippi at during the time of the census.

Also, is our subject related to these other Maxwell families that we find in DeSoto County?

Many times the attempt to solve a question will just result with more questions. However, if we keep digging and find other sources of information, we may just have a moment where we break through.

This exploration will be continued in a future post.

The Family of Dorothy Ann (Brown) Mason: Part 2

Dorothy Ann Brown

b. 23 Sep 1836, Mississippi

d. Feb 1918, Durant, Oklahoma

m. abt 1857 to George W. Mason (b. 28 Feb 1837, d. 8 Mar 1902)

In part 1 of our exploration of Dorothy Ann (Brown) Mason, we analyzed the census records and other hard evidence that points to several different names and nicknames for our subject:

• Dartha (1860 Census)
• Ann D (1870 Census)
• Elizabeth (1880 Census)
• Anna D (1900 Census)
• Dollie (1910, George's will)
• Dorthy (headstone)

While normally I would discount some of these records because of the glaring inconsistencies, each one has specific evidence to support accurate connections to the Mason family in question. From my analysis, it seems to me that each of these names refers to the same individual. See part 1 of this post for more details.

Normally, as I try to identify parents of any individual in my tree from this era, I begin to search for individuals living within a known area by the same first name. We know that our subject was born in Mississippi around 1837, as was her husband, George W. Mason. It could be assumed that they were married in Mississippi and, shortly after, moved to Arkansas.

We also know that our subject's parents are either from Tennessee or North Carolina.

Unfortunately, we are unable to find a marriage record for our subject to George W. Mason. This would have given us more supporting evidence. However, it was not uncommon for courthouse records to be destroyed during fires or other natural events. In fact, the courthouse in DeStoto County suffered from destroyed records in 1940 due to fire.

Despite the missing marriage record, we do have another option to explore. We have not yet found an 1850 census record for our subject. This would have been before she was married to George W. Mason (m. abt 1857). And, lucky for us, 1850 is the first year the Federal Census recorded each individual in the household.

A search for females born 1835-1839 in Mississippi named "Dorothy" in the 1850 federal census returned 5 results. But, only 3 of them were still located in Mississippi in 1850: Dorothy Golden (b. 1837, living in Winston), Dorothy G. Martin (b. 1839, living in Hancock), and Dorothy Spencer (b. 1836, living in Oktibbeha).

Out of curiosity, I also ran the same search for "Dollie," thinking that this may also have been our subject's childhood name. Out of 5 results, 3 were still living in Mississippi at the time of the 1850 census: Dolly Ann Brown (b. 1837, living in Marshall), Dolly Hartwell (b. 1839, living in Smith), and Dolly Rymer (b. 1836, living in Hinds).

From all these potential options, one really jumped out at me: Dolly Ann Brown from Marshall County, Mississippi. If Dolly's real name were "Dorothy," we would actually have almost a perfect match for our subject... Dorothy Ann. She could fit into all but one (Elizabeth) of the names that we discovered on records for our subject.

The other fact to support this as being our subject is her proximity to where we believe George W. Mason is living at this time: DeSoto County, Mississippi. We know that the couple marries around 7 years after the 1850 census, so it would make sense to find them in the same county or close in proximity. Dolly Ann Brown is living in Marshall County, Mississippi in 1850... directly adjacent to the west of DeStoto County. With this information, Dolly Ann Brown becomes our number one possibility.

Diving into the 1850 census record for Dolly Ann Brown, we find her parents to be Elijah and Sarah Wroten. Sarah's birth state is listed as Tennessee, which would be a match for what we know about our subject's mother. However, Elijah is listed as being born in South Carolina. This does not really match with what we know about our subject's father, but we will proceed and check the importance of this fact later. Eventually, we discover that there is a reason for this perceived inconsistency.

Upon researching Sarah Wroten, we find that her maiden name is Sarah Ellen Ammons (b. 14 Feb 1814, d. 15 Mar 1892 in Prentiss, Mississippi). She marries twice. Her first husband is James Jenkins Brown (b. 1811 in Tennessee or South Carolina, d. 20 May 1843). Presumably after James passes, she remarries, this time to Elijah Wroten (b. 1807 in South Carolina, d. 8 Oct 1887 in Prentiss, Mississippi).

We find Dolly Ann living in the Wroten household in the 1850 census. However, we know that Dolly Ann is born around 1837, meaning that he father would have been James Jenkins Brown, not Elijah Wroten. While we are unsure whether James Jenkins Brown in born in Tennessee or South Carolina, this is beginning to match with what we know about our subject.

I wanted to find out more about Sarah Ellen Ammons and James Jenkins Brown in case they held any more clues to support this connection. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out identity of Sarah Ellen's mother: Dorothy Elizabeth Bright (b. 1787 in Barron, Kentucky, d. 3 Sep 1881 in Conehatta, Mississippi). Not only does this point to the family name "Dorothy," but I also discovered that this Dorothy Elizabeth also went by the same nickname of our subject... "Dollie."

This circumstantial evidence seems to point to the fact that Sarah Ellen Ammons and James Jenkins Brown are likely the parents of our subject, Dorothy Ann Brown. If this is true, we can assume that Dorothy "Dolly" Ann Brown was named after her grandmother, Sarah Ellen's mother. Dorothy went by the nickname "Dolly" or "Dolly Ann" as a child.

After she is married to George W. Mason, she begins to have a minor "identity crisis" - first going by Dartha, which may be a nickname given to her by George. Then, by 1870, she has decided to go by her middle name, and we find her on the 1870 census as "Ann D."

By 1880, it could be thought that the health of Dorothy's grandmother "Dollie" is deteriorating and she decides to take on her grandmother's middle name: Elizabeth. By 1900, she has changed to an alias similar to the one she uses in the 1870 census, going by "Anna D." In 1902, she is referred to as "Dollie" in George W. Mason's will, and then is recorded with the same nickname in the 1910 census.

When she passes in 1918 in Durant, Oklahoma, her real name is inscribed on her tombstone: Dorothy A. Mason.

While several assumptions are made in reaching this conclusion, this may be the closest we can get to the true identity of our subject and her parents. Additional research will need to be done to rule out some other less likely possibilities. But, for now, I am accepting Sarah Ellen Ammons and James Jenkins Brown as the parents of Dorothy Ann "Dollie" (Brown) Mason.

The Family of Dorothy Ann (Brown) Mason: Part 1

Dorothy Ann Brown

b. 23 Sep 1836, Mississippi

d. Feb 1918, Durant, Oklahoma

m. abt 1857 to George W. Mason (b. 28 Feb 1837, d. 8 Mar 1902)

Please note that some of the information above is derived from the process detailed in part 1 and part 2 of this post.

Dorothy Ann Brown, my 3rd great-grandmother, has been one of the most challenging individuals to research. Changing names from one census record to the next and a missing (or destroyed) marriage record have created many road blocks in trying to find her true identity, along with her parents. In this post, because of the consistently changing names, I will refer to Dorothy Ann Brown as "our subject."

This is what we know about our subject:

1. She was born in Mississippi. This is evidenced and consistent in each of the census records that we can find for her (1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910).

2. Her parents were both born in either North Carolina (noted in the 1900 census) or Tennessee (noted in both the 1880 and 1910 census).

3. She was married to George W. Mason in 1857.

4. The Mason family lived in Lonoke, Arkansas until abt 1902, when they moved to Durant, Oklahoma.

Record Evidence:

Headstone of DORTHY A MASON

Our subject's headstone, located at Highland Cemetery in Durant, Oklahoma reads "DORTHY A MASON" and cites her birth date as 23 Sep 1836 (this could also be 1838). Her death date is cited as Feb 1918 (again, this could be incorrect since the transcription in the photo of the headstone is difficult to read). She is buried next to George W. Mason and other members of the Mason family.

George W. Mason's Will

George's will from 1902 (filed in Lonoke County, Arkansas from Durant, Oklahoma) names our subject, "Dollie," as his wife. He also names the following children: William J., George, Albert D. (already deceased), John H., and Sallie (Jackson). Two grandchildren are named as well: Albert and Annie George. We know from other sources that these are Albert D.'s children.

1910 Census in Durant, Oklahoma

Dollie A Mason

Widowed

b. abt 1838 in Mississippi

Father: b. Tennessee

Mother: b. Tennessee

We find grandchildren Annie G. Mason and Albert W. Mason living with our subject, "Dollie," in 1910. This is consistent with the story that son, Albert, died shortly after the Mason family moved to Oklahoma around 1902. "Dollie" apparently took the children in as her own.

1900 Census in Lonoke, Arkansas

Anna D Mason

b. Jan 1838 in Mississippi

m. 1857

Father: b. North Carolina

Mother: b. North Carolina

Children (Living/Total): 5/10

George W Mason

b. Mar 1837 in Tennessee

m. 1837

Father: b. Mississippi

Mother: b. Mississippi

This record offers the first major inconsistency in the identity of our subject. "Anna D" is definitely a different name than the "Dollie" we know her by in George's will and in the 1910 census. However, the name of the spouse is consistent and we know the fmaily is living in Lonoke, Oklahoma at the time. And, as evidenced in earlier records, our subject does use the alias "Ann D."

It should be noted that there is another possible record for George W and our subject in the 1900 census in Durant, Oklahoma. However, it is thought that the family did not move from Lonoke, Arkansas to Durant, Oklahoma until around 1902. The identity of George's spouse in the alternative record is "Dorsey." This couple was also married in 1857.

1880 Census in Lonoke, Arkansas

Elizabeth Mason

b. abt 1837 in Mississippi

Father: b. Tennessee

Mother: b. Tennessee

with:

George W. (43), William J. (18), Lula (12), George A. (7), Alfred (6), John H. (4)

We know this is the correct household of the family because of William J. and Lula that appear on the 1870 census record with consistent birth years. No other Lula is found in this area with the age in 1870 and 1880. We also know from the 1900 census record that George and our subject have been married since 1857, so this is not a case of a different marriage.

While it seems odd to say the Elizabeth that appears in this census is the same person as "Dorothy A" and "Dollie" and "Anna D" that we have uncovered so far, evidence mentioned in part 2 of this post may explain where this "Elizabeth" name originated.

1870 Census in Pulaski County, Arkansas

Ann D Mason

b. abt 1837 in Mississippi

With:

G W (34), Sarah J (13), William J (9), Joseph (4), Lula (2), Austin (<1),>

We are back to a name for our subject that is at least fairly consistent with some other records, Ann D. In 1870, the Mason family is living in Pulaski County, a short distance from their 1880 home in Lonoke. It is unknown how Emma Lank and/or Martha Smith are related (if at all) to the Mason family. This is the only record on which they appear.

1860 Census in Prairie County, Arkansas

Dartha Mason

b. abt 1838 in Mississippi

With:

G W (33), Sarah J (3), George A (<1)

Prairie County is also extremely close to the family's location in 1870 and 1880. In fact, because of the Arkansas county lines that were changing during this era, it is possible that the family did not even move in this time.

We find yet another name for our subject in this record: Dartha. One could argue this could be a nickname for Dorothy, but the inconsistencies are starting to add up.

Analysis

So, if we assume that these records all record the same person, then our subject went by the following names during her life:

• Dartha (1860)
• Ann D (1870)
• Elizabeth (1880)
• Anna D (1900)
• Dollie (1910, George's will)
• Dorthy (headstone)

From this, it could be determined that our subject's real name was either Ann Dorothy or Dorothy Ann and that she went by the nickname of "Dollie" later in life (possibly after her grandchildren were born). The "Dartha" in 1860 could also be a nickname for Dorothy. However, this does not explain the "Elizabeth" from 1880. This was the most puzzling inconsistency for me since I could find no other families that matched the Mason family from 1860 and 1870 other than this one. But, the name "Elizabeth" may have originated from a different source, which we explore in part 2 of this post.

In part 2 I will explain how a few other records may direct us to the maiden name of our subject along with the possible identity of her parents.

Simeon Ashley

Simeon Ashley

b. 8 Mar 1830 in Coffee County, Tennessee

d. 29 Mar 1897 in Coffee County, Tennessee

m. 6 Aug 1856 to Ellender J. Roughton (b. 24 Dec 1844 in Coffee County, Tennessee)

taken by David Tharp, FindAGrave.com

Simeon Ashley is the brother of Nancy (Ashley) Moore, my 3rd great-grandmother. Nancy married Thomas W. Moore in 1848. Based on previous research, I had assumed Simeon Ashley was very close to the Moore family. On the 1850 census, Thomas and Nancy are married and are living with the Ashley family, including Simeon.

In 1860, Thomas and Nancy have a household, and Simeon Ashley, age 28, is living with them.

Recently, I have been researching Thomas W. Moore in depth with hopes to discover the identity of his parents. To gather more clues, I began to research Simeon Ashley because of his close ties to this family. I had theorized that Thomas and Simeon had possibly served in the Tennessee Volunteer army during the Mexican war.

While searching, I stumbled across the following bio for Simeon Ashley:

Simeon Ashley, clerk of Coffee county Circuit court, and a prominent citizen of Manchester, was born March 8, 1830, near Beech Grove, Tenn. He is the son of William and Mary (Weaver) Ashley, of English and Scotch descent respectively - the former born in South Carolina, Lawrence District, February 14, 1789, and the latter, in North Carolina in 1790. Their parents came to Tennessee in early days, and the maternal father was a companion of James K. Polk's father in the then far West. After the marriage of the elder Ashley, in about 1812, they made Beech Grove their permanent home. He was a farmer, a stanch Democrat, and a Primitive Baptist in religion. The mother of our subject was a member of the Methodist episcopal Church. The dates of the father's and mother's deaths were in 1870 and 1869 respectively. One of eight children, our subject received his early education at Beech Grove Academy, and taught and farmed about eight years. With W. T. Moore he established a general store at Bradyville in 1856. In 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate service Company E, Eighteenth Tennessee Infantry. His varied experiences may be seen from the following engagements: Fort donelson, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, etc. After his long military life he returned and cared for his father until the latter's death. Since 1878 he has been in public service, as county clerk twice, and his present position of circuit clerk. He is a popular self-made man and property owner, having a farm in Coffee County, and Manchester lots. August 6, 1856, he married Ellender J. Roughton, born December 24, 1844, in Coffee County, and daughter of Elisha H. Roughton, Esq., of Coffee County. They have four children - three sons and a daughter. Mr. Ashley is a decided Democrat, and although not a church member he believes in the Christian religion. Mrs. Ashley belongs to the Christian Church.

This names "W.T. Moore" as his business partner when he opened the general store in Bradyville in 1856. This W.T. Moore is obviously our Thomas W. Moore. He had also been called "T.W." earlier in his life. This bio is either a mistype or cites another name for Thomas.

I had wondered why Thomas was listed as a school teacher in the 1850 census. Ten years later, he had changed his occupation to "merchant." After reading the Simeon Ashley bio, this begins to make sense.

I am happy to see traces of entrepreneurship in my family tree. I am also glad to see that Simeon was such an outstanding citizen in Manchester, even serving as county clerk. Plus, this newly discovered bio gives me another name to research further: "W.T. Moore"

My hopes are to find more information that was previously missed or overlooked.

Finding The Parents of Thomas W. Moore: Part 3

Thomas W. Moore

b. 26 Jul 1823 in Indiana

d. 18 Jul 1893 in Beechgrove, Tennessee

m. 1848 to Nancy Ashley (b. 29 Jan 1828, d. 14 Mar 1884)

Following my recent hint regarding the parents of Thomas W. Moore (in part 2 of this search), I began searching through census records for confirmation of a location in Indiana where I think Thomas' family lived at the time of his birth.

The hint came from finding "T.W. Moore" on a list of previous Indiana University students. This student was a freshman in 1845 and was from Jackson County, Indiana.

Investigating the 1830 census records returned some intriguing results. Thomas would have been around 7 years old at the time.

There are only 7 "Moore" households on the 1830 census in Jackson County, headed by the following individuals: Eli, Hugh, John, Joshua, Mary, Samuel, and William.

From this list, the two that caught my eye were Hugh and William, since both these names are repeated in my Moore line. In fact, my 2nd great-grandfather on this line (and Thomas' son) is William Hugh Moore (b. 15 Mar 1852, d. 11 Feb 1911).

I analyzed the household data that is available in these census records in an attempt to rule out some of these options. I narrowed the list down to three households that contained a male, age 5-10, during the 1830 census: Hugh, John, and Joshua.

This is a snapshot of Hugh's household:

2 Males 5-9

1 Male 30-39

2 Females <5

1 Female 10-14

1 Female 30-39

Then, I immediately went to the 1840 census data to see if any of these households still had a male child that matched the calculated age of Thomas at the time. I noticed that Hugh was no longer a head in 1840.. at least not in Jackson County. Doing a quick search for "Hugh Moore" in the area returned nothing.

Since Hugh was my main lead, I decided to begin to look for wills or probate information, thinking he may have died before 1840. I came across a probate record from 20 Aug 1849 that contained some excited information:

p. 436 August 20, 1849--John CRABB & Thomas W MOORE Guardian  of Heirs of Hugh & Rebecca MOORE Deceased --more time allowed for the sale of Real Estate

I was thrilled to find this. It seems to support that there is a Thomas W Moore that is presumably the son of Hugh and Rebecca Moore in Jackson County. This court record reflects a real estate sale after the death of Hugh and Rebecca.

To be sure this Thomas was not an individual other than our Thomas, I checked census data from 1840, 1850, and 1860 for other individuals by the name of Thomas Moore in the area (by 1850, our Thomas was already in Coffee County, Tennessee). No hits.

This information seems to support that we may have finally solved the identity of Thomas' parents.

My theory is that Hugh Moore brought his family to Indiana shortly before Thomas W. was born. Sometime between 1835 and 1840, Hugh and Rebecca move in with their oldest daughter after she is married. Thus, Hugh is no longer the head of the household. Around 1845, Thomas heads to Indiana University a short distance away. Hugh and Rebecca die around 1847 or 1848. Thomas heads to Tennessee to be a teacher in Coffee County. In 1849, Thomas appears on the court probate record regarding the real estate that belonged to his parents. John Crabb, a possible brother-in-law or uncle of Thomas, is in Jackson County and handles the real estate until it is sold.

More fact checking is required before I can update my tree with Hugh and Rebecca, but this is looking very promising, indeed.

I want to get my hands on the actual probate record instead of the index. I also find how John Crabb is related to the Moore family, if at all.

[Update 1]

After doing a search for marriage records in Jackson County during this era, I found that Laura Moore married John Crabb on 18 Sep 1839. Thus, the John Crabb mentioned in the court record cited above would have been Thomas' brother-in-law (Laura being sister of Thomas).

[Update 2]

In doing further research on the early settlers of Jackson County, Indiana, I found the following page containing transcribed text from the book, 1886: History of Jackson County, Indiana. Brant and Fuller.

The settlers of this township, knowing the advantages of an education, were not slow in providing their children with the means of learning the rudiments of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic, to the single rule of three, which at that day seemed to be the limit of every teacher's knowledge. The first were subscription schools, and the pay was to be in wheat, corn, venison hams, and sometimes a little money, with the further provision that the teacher should board among the scholars. The first to try his pedagogical skill on the firstborn of Grassy Fork Township was a man by the name of Ellison. This school was kept in an old log house that stood near Hezekiah Applegate's. This house was provided with a dirt floor, puncheon seats and greased paper windows. It is said that the grease gave the paper its translucency. Hugh Moore succeeded Ellison, and next came James Martin. The first schoolhouse erected was on the land of David Sturgeon; the second on Congress land, now owned by Jacob Wascom, and the third near the old Smith place. The families that sent to these schools were the Burges, Tuells, Applegates, Carters, Smiths and Browns. The development was gradual, and at present the township employs eight teachers, at an average daily compensation of $2.10 each. The school property is valued at $3,500, with an annual expenditure of about $3,100.

This account mentions that Hugh Moore served as a school teacher in the early days of Jackson County. This provides additional support to the theory that Hugh is Thomas' father since Thomas served as a school teacher in Coffee County, Tennessee (evidenced in the 1850 census).

[Update 3]

According to this land patent record filed in March 1851, it appears that Thomas W. Moore may have served as a private in the 3rd Regiment of the Tennessee Volunteers during the Mexican-American war. The land is being assigned to James Harvey Thompson.

This could support a theory that shortly after attending Indiana University, Thomas decided to join the war effort. He may have traveled to Tennessee to join the Tennessee Volunteers. Perhaps, at this time, he may have been introduced to Nancy Ashley (his wife) and/or her brother Simeon Ashley.

After the war, Thomas could have married Nancy and sold his Indiana land patent to James Harvey Thompson in 1851.

Finding The Parents of Thomas W. Moore: Part 2

Thomas W. Moore

b. 26 Jul 1823 in Indiana

d. 18 Jul 1893 in Beechgrove, Tennessee

m. 1848 to Nancy Ashley (b. 29 Jan 1828, d. 14 Mar 1884)

Continuing my search for the parents of Thomas W. Moore (from my previous post), I decided to take an entirely different route. Instead of searching census records, I decided to make an attempt at finding miscellaneous records using Google.

I have done this before while researching Thomas; however, I recently learned that he went by "T.W." This gave me new parameters with which to query.

My hopes were that I might find transcribed text from a will or something similar. I did not find a will, but I did find two interesting documents:

1. Notes from a Congress act passed on 20 Feb 1886 that gives T.W. Moore and W.F. Ashley $870.

...To W.F. Ashley and T.W. Moore, administrators of William Ashley, deceased, of Coffee County, eight hundred and forty dollars.

William Ashley is the father of Nancy Ashley, Thomas W.'s wife. William Ashley died 16 Mar 1860. It should also be noted that John Ashley is also on this page of this act, a few items later.

To John Ashley, of Coffee County, one hundred and twenty-five dollars.

I have embed the scanned page from Google Books:

2. I found mention of a "T.W. Moore" in a list containing former students of Indiana University. Interestingly, this student, from Jackson County, attended as a freshman in 1845.

Since our T.W. Moore is from Indiana and would be around college age in 1845 (age 22), this record caught my eye. Also, we know Thomas was a school teacher in Coffee County according to the 1850 census.

This information could finally lead to an identification of Thomas' mother and father. I will be looking for "Moore" families in Jackson County, Indiana around 1820-1830.