When all else fails,,,,,,,,
Greetings!
I know it has been over a month since I have written. I am sorry. I have been obsessed with finding one of my ancestors. He has been quite the mystery.
My great great grandmother Emeline Elen Bennett Parker's sister was Frances Bennett Anderson (according to her aunt's will.) However, I have never found any records of Frances with this Anderson person. In 1840 she is still single and living with her mother and sister. The mother is a widow by 1840. Both sisters seem to marry sometime between 1840 and 1842, but no marriage records to prove it yet.
In 1850 Frances shows living with her two youngest children, Edward L Anderson and Isaac H Anderson. Her other 3 children are living in the home of her mother and step father. Frances never shows with her husband and I have no idea who this Anderson person is. Keep searching!
In 1855 Frances is living in the home of her mother and step father with all 5 of her children, still no husband.
It appears that Frances has died by 1860 as all of her children are now living with her mother and step father but she is no longer there. Her sister Emeline died in 1861. That is proven. There were many articles of diphtheria and influenza in the area during those years.
The odd thing is Edward L Anderson is now listed as Edward L Tillotson in the 1860 census. Could there have been a death bed confession of an affair? Why the name change? In 1860 Edward was just 13 years old. Not likely the name change would be his doing without a good reason.
Edward is the one I am currently focusing on. I found he left home and enlisted in the 15th Kansas Volunteer Calvary in 1862, at Leavenworth, KS. He mustered out at Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory in 1865. Obviously he survived the war. But then he just disappears!! Poof!! Gone!! Cannot find him anywhere!!
When all else fails, it's time to start a process of elimination. What a job this has been!! So far, no luck!! Tillotson is not as common name as Parker or Smith, but there are still several Edward Tillotsons in the country in 1865 and forward. I thought for a while I had one in Missouri. I chased this guy down like a hound dog. But late last night, I ruled him out. :-( I lost sleep trying to figure this guy out. Then someone on a facebook genealogy page said, maybe he went back to using the last name of Anderson after he got out of the military. Not sure if that is likely, but here we go again, time to search all the Edward L Andersons in the country during that time frame. And boy are there a lot of them!! I have no idea if he stayed in the west or moved back east. He could have gone anywhere!!
I have also been trying to find siblings in the hope that one of them mentions him in an obit or some other record. So far, no luck!! Sometimes you have no choice but to research each lead until the end trying to find the needle in the haystack.
Until next time,,,,,
I know it has been over a month since I have written. I am sorry. I have been obsessed with finding one of my ancestors. He has been quite the mystery.
My great great grandmother Emeline Elen Bennett Parker's sister was Frances Bennett Anderson (according to her aunt's will.) However, I have never found any records of Frances with this Anderson person. In 1840 she is still single and living with her mother and sister. The mother is a widow by 1840. Both sisters seem to marry sometime between 1840 and 1842, but no marriage records to prove it yet.
In 1850 Frances shows living with her two youngest children, Edward L Anderson and Isaac H Anderson. Her other 3 children are living in the home of her mother and step father. Frances never shows with her husband and I have no idea who this Anderson person is. Keep searching!
In 1855 Frances is living in the home of her mother and step father with all 5 of her children, still no husband.
It appears that Frances has died by 1860 as all of her children are now living with her mother and step father but she is no longer there. Her sister Emeline died in 1861. That is proven. There were many articles of diphtheria and influenza in the area during those years.
The odd thing is Edward L Anderson is now listed as Edward L Tillotson in the 1860 census. Could there have been a death bed confession of an affair? Why the name change? In 1860 Edward was just 13 years old. Not likely the name change would be his doing without a good reason.
Edward is the one I am currently focusing on. I found he left home and enlisted in the 15th Kansas Volunteer Calvary in 1862, at Leavenworth, KS. He mustered out at Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory in 1865. Obviously he survived the war. But then he just disappears!! Poof!! Gone!! Cannot find him anywhere!!
When all else fails, it's time to start a process of elimination. What a job this has been!! So far, no luck!! Tillotson is not as common name as Parker or Smith, but there are still several Edward Tillotsons in the country in 1865 and forward. I thought for a while I had one in Missouri. I chased this guy down like a hound dog. But late last night, I ruled him out. :-( I lost sleep trying to figure this guy out. Then someone on a facebook genealogy page said, maybe he went back to using the last name of Anderson after he got out of the military. Not sure if that is likely, but here we go again, time to search all the Edward L Andersons in the country during that time frame. And boy are there a lot of them!! I have no idea if he stayed in the west or moved back east. He could have gone anywhere!!
I have also been trying to find siblings in the hope that one of them mentions him in an obit or some other record. So far, no luck!! Sometimes you have no choice but to research each lead until the end trying to find the needle in the haystack.
Until next time,,,,,
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