Remember with me when Joshua and Ellender were still living in North Carolina. He sold some property on September 6th, 18101. This is the last evidence we have of Joshua and family living in North Carolina. The next time they show up in the records is in 1812. Joshua paid taxes in 1813 for 1812, which tells us that he arrived in Marion County, Mississippi sometime in 18122. Joshua had from the fall of 1810 until sometime in 1812 to make the journey.
Once in Mississippi, Joshua began to establish himself in the community and earn a living. One of the first things that happened to the young family was a new addition. Elizabeth was born on March 18, 18133. In 1814, Joshua joined other members of his community in petitioning congress to build a road through the newly formed Marion County4. In 1815, Joshua petitioned the orphans court of Marion County for permission to sell “Spirituous Liquors”5. During January of 1816, Joshua registered a Mark or Brand with Marion County, which indicates that he had probably selected some land and was raising livestock6. Also in 1816, Marion County took a census and recorded Joshua Seale as a Marion County
property owner7.
You may have noticed the previous paragraph contains a lot of sources that might be considered unusual. There is one petition to congress, a couple of county permits/registrations, and a state census. When we run into those “Brick Walls”, problems that seem unsolvable, researching these “unusual” records can be the key to knocking down that wall.
To get started, think of the records you personally have created in the last year. In my case, I paid property tax, I registered with my county for a DBA permit, I am a member of a local church, I registered an automobile, I paid federal taxes, and probably have interacted with my government in some other ways. Each of these things have generated a record. Our ancestors did the same, although the records will be different.
When the vital records we all hope for on your ancestors are unavailable, start brainstorming about what records might be there. Even if your ancestor is from a county where all of the records have been destroyed, how did they interact with their state or federal government? What about churches or other organizations? Did your ancestor have any dealings with the court, as a juror, a plaintiff or defendant, or being ordered to care for the road in front of their home? Court records were often kept in a different location than the county’s records. You also do not have to travel to the place your ancestor lived to find these records. I found all of the records mentioned in the second paragraph online at FamilySearch.org or at the Dallas Public Library.
One of the most important traits of a Family Historian is persistence. Most of your ancestors left records behind. Some of them are more difficult to find. You just have to keep looking!
- A.B. Pruit, Abstracts of Deeds of Anson County, North Carolina: Books F, G, H2, L, &M (North Carolina:2002), 123 ↵
- E. Russ Williams, Marion County, Mississippi Miscellaneous Records ( Easly, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1986), 368. ↵
- Find a Grave, database with images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 20 August 2016), memorial 9978610, Elizabeth Seale (1813-1893), Naruna Cemetery, Burnet County, Texas; gravestone photograph by Lisa Bass ↵
- Clarence Edward Carter, Territorial Papers of the United States, 28 vols. (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1938), 6:470-471 ↵
- Williams, Marion County Miscellaneous Records, 262. ↵
- Marion County, Mississippi, “Miscellaneous Records Early 1800s,” 10 January 1816, registrations listed by date, Livestock Brand used by Joshua Seale; Chancery Court, Marion County, Mississippi. ↵
- E. Russ Williams, Marion County, Mississippi Miscellaneous Records, ( Easly, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1986), 248. ↵
