| Genealogy |
| Robert Douglas |
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| ANDREW DOUGLAS FAMILY CENSUS CHART BIRTH NAME 1787 CENSUS MOTHER'S AGE 1790 CENSUS OTHER INFORMATION ~ AT BIRTH ~ C1725 ANDREW Over 60(62) Over 60(65 d.1797 Kx Co.TN C1747 RHODA Female Female Md C1766 C1767 EDWARD Under 21(20) 20 No other information C1769 THOMAS Under 21(18) 22 Md. 1789 in Kx Co.TN C1771 Female Female (16) 24 Female No other information C1772 Female Female (15) 25 Female No other information 1774 JANE Female (13) 27(Born TN) Female Md. 1794 C1777 Female Female (11) 29 Female No other information 1784 JOHN D Under 21(3) 37 under16(6) Md. 1806 Je Co.TN C1788 Male 41 under 16(2) ~ No information ~ Plenty of confirming to do, but a great start. MARRIAGE DATES VS. BIRTH DATES When using marriage dates to estimate birth dates -assume they married at 20 years of age. Thomas married 1789 (age 24); Jane married 1794 (age 20) and John D. married 1806 (age 22). For example, John D.'s marriage to Mary Camrill in 1806. Spelled it like they heard it. Later facts revealed the Camrill is really Campbell. Assume her date of birth is 1784-86. Remember- Never publish information unless you notethat it is an assumption . BITS AND PIECES On the sale of 200 Acres belonging to Andrew in 1795 there were three witnesses: Matthew Douglas, Joseph, son of Edward Douglas and Andrew Douglas. Who are they? Information received states that Salisbury NC has two archives located there and the librarian spent several years gathering NC records at these locations and he quotes, "Raleigh NC State Archives are difficult. Our records are more complete and organized." Cape Fear- Wilmington, NC was an active landing point for immigrants in the early 1700's and many settled there for some years until they moved on. Do not use married names with females listed. If the maiden name is not known put a"?". List only official names- no nicknames. Ten lashes with a wet noodle if you use initials. Give full names . BOOKS Suggestions for some wonderful reading and understanding Scottish culture. The Kings Jaunt -John Prebble. Story of King George IV's trip to Scotland, the Plaided Panorama, planned by Sir Walter Scott, the social affairs, the dress and the mood. Warden of the Queen's North- Nigel Tranter. Travails of Mary Queen of Scots and her friend and protector, Sir Thomas Kerr. Elizabeth and Leicester -Elizabeth Jenkins, 1961. English Queen Elizabeth and her closest advisor and companion. Lord in Waiting- Nigel Tranter, 1944. Archibald 5th Earl of Angus, Clan Chief of Red Douglas and his brother John Douglas Anne of Green Gables- L. M. Montgomery, 1908. An oldie but read it again; it will lift your spirits. Sower- H. Seton Merriman, 1896. A young laird that went to his vassals in disguise to help them and teach the m, against the govemments regulation. The poor were not to be educated. He was sent into exile and all properties and titles taken from him. A DOUGLAS (my) OBSERVATION You know you are getting older when your fingerprints have wrinkles. Robert Douglas |
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| MORE ABOUT CENSUS RECORDS I bring this subject up again for it is important to be able to figure out your family with sparse information. I had only partial information on my grandfather; but have been able to piece that information into a reasonable census chart with some holes and with the need to be corrected when further information becomes available or confirmed. Some general information about census records is helpful. On most census records, the names and information are listed as the census taker goes down the road(doing both sides of road or just one and returning down the other side). We do not know just exactly what order they do this in but property deeds can help when they list adjoining property owners. When I get census records,I get several families names on either side of the subject you are researching. They could possibly be husbands of daughters. I have found also, in large close together births, that children were boarded out to relative neighbors for care. People helped each other survive. I lived in a high-rise condo in Denver on the 12th floor 10 units only knew two other people on that floor their doors were always closed. Not so then. There was always a barn raising or a quilting bee or an auction sale for property of a deceased neighbor. County names changed and counties divided as populations grew. For example: Surrey County, NC was formed 1771 out of Rowan County. First census in Surrey County 1786. Then Wilkes County was formed out of part of Surrey County in 1777, first census 1787. Your subject probably lived at the same location but his county designation changed. Census records will have a record number by the name as well as a property number. Note these carefully, many clues hidden in those numbers. My grandfather Andrew Douglas that married Rhoda Sarah Anderson census record that I referred to in the last newsletter is a great case in point for this exercise. Get all you facts gathered -pieces of the puzzle. Wilkes County NC census 1787 list Andrew as #173, John as #172 -are they brothers? Wilkes County NC census 1790 list Andrew as #124 -Edward #124 -Thomas #124 -James #123 are they brothers or married children living at the same house or compound? Add another lean-to on the house and you got another married kid living in. Do not get too hung up on ages given in census -1850 Jefferson County TN census took 3 years to complete. Which year was your family recorded? There are dates on each page in the census, take note. Taxpayers' records -Andrew paid taxes on 100 acres on John Creek of Fisher River 4 Sept 1778. We have here a vicinity of where he lived. Go to a map.Marriage records give you some dates. Many times the marriage date is different than the actual day the ceremony was performed. It might have taken the minister a spell to get to the courthouse to record the license. Tennessee has a bond and a marriage license but date of wedding is noted by the minister (Sometimes not). Death records were many times not recorded officially, but cemetery records, some church minutes, family Bibles, wills, witnesses on property deeds are more of the pieces of information. ~ PIECING TOGETHER THE PUZZLE Wilkes County NC census 1787 -Andrew Douglas -4 males under 21 and over 60 and 5 females. Wilkes County NC census 1790 -Andrew Douglas –1 male over 16 (notice the change), 2 males under 16 and 5 females. Two facts to start -Andrew Douglas over 60 in 1787 -not 60 but over 60, that is 61 or 62. I chose 62; therefore, he was born circa 1725. Note: It is possible father, uncle, etc. could be living in this household being over 60 also. I discounted this for I knew from other information that there were 3 sons, Thomas, Edward and John D. Thus, the 4 males. Only listing 5 females as total information –one has to figure out approximate marriage dates and child bearing years, etc. Some of the ladies once started they kept bearing children even past 50 years of age. An old wives tale -as long as the women was nursing her child she was not fertile -nursed till child was over a year old and nine months later another birth. The females are hard to place in this timeframe. Rhoda, (date of birth circa 1747) married Andrew at 19 the other possibility was she was married at 22, then that would make her last child born at age 42. So I placed Edward date of birth as circa 1767, then Thomas coming along 2 years later circa 1769. Now with the known date of birth of Jane in 1774, that leaves 5 years between Thomas and Jane. I assumed that 2 females could fit in here -but maybe only one female in those 5 years. It is probably more accurate to say that the 10 years between Jane and John D. that the 2 females fall in this timeline. The male child was born circa 1788. I made a study form where I list the names down and census years across the top with a space for notes at the bottom of the form. (Notes are shown below for this example.) |
| Melvyn Douglass [meldouglass@yahoo.com] |