Cuz Fran and I have been brainstorming and burning up tons of bandwidth on the internet working on questions I raised in that post on America. Due to the small issue of some missing/burnt records (sadly, not uncommon in Southern States), we have some holes in the research, happens when there are no records. But, we have decided that we agree that America Gill is NOT America Bowen Gill, but is instead America Woods Gill.
We believe that America Woods was born to James Jackson Woods and his first wife Nancy Davis. America was born around 1855 and appears on the 1860 and 1870 US Census reports in Bulloch County, Georgia with her parents.
Between the 1870 and 1880 census several things happen in this family.
1. Nancy passes.
2. James Jackson takes as his second wife, Annie Bowen. Annie is the child of Hezekiah and Pharaby Bowen. Just to keep this muddled, Annie Bowen Woods would be the aunt of the America Bowen I have been searching for. Yes, Annie married a man with a daughter named America. Yes, our heads are spinning.
3. America Woods, daughter of James Jackson Woods and Nancy Davis Woods marries one Peter Gill and appears with him on the 1880 census enumeration.
We followed America and Peter in my last post. Peter (Petter) Gill appears in the 1900 census for the last time and America Gill appears in the 1910 census for the last time. At least in Bulloch County Georgia. Neither has been found elsewhere, anywhere, yet. Cause you know, they could show up somewhere, sometime.
America and Peter Gill’s daughter, Emma, is buried in the Woods Cemetery. James Jackson Woods and Annie Bowen Woods are buried there as well. Emma, if our logic and research hold, is Jackson's granddaughter.
Here are Annie's and Jackson's headstones. I took these photos in 2014 when another cousin gave us a fabulous "cooks" tour of Bowen highlights of Bulloch County Georgia. Cousin Fran has a different date for Annie's death, that being 1888. I know, I know, this is never easy.
Find A Grave has the Woods Cemetery online, here.
So, after burning up a bunch of bandwidth and sharing the frustration and some dark evil laughs, we agree, America Gill, wife of Peter, is one America Woods Gill, daughter of James Jackson Woods and his first wife, Nancy Davis.
Which still leaves us wondering - - America Bowen, daughter of Hezekiah Bowen and his wife, Martha Sikes Bowen - - where is she, or where did she go?
So, there is a family tradition/story that I was unaware of, Fran knew it. It goes like this:
America married a dude by the name of F. M. Davis. They moved to Arkansas where she died prior to 1908, that being the date of the death of her father Hezekiah. Family stories that have been passed down (but not to me until now! LOL), that Hezekiah was quite distraught to have learned of his daughter’s death.
If you remember from my last post on America, I mentioned that there was indeed an America Davis enumerated on the 1880 Emanuel County Georgia census with one F. M. Davis.
And, then, NOTHING. I could not find them on any 1900 census, anywhere. I could not find any grave memorial, no death records, NADDA.
UNTIL one day last week, when I found an Application for Letters of Administration for one America Davis following the death of one F. M. Davis in March of 1892 in Sevier County Arkansas. (There is an accompanying Administrators Bond in Sevier County records, not shown here.)
And, then, I burned up another big bunch of band width, over at least 2 full days, looking all over the internet at anything to do with Sevier County Arkansas for any additional clue to find America OR F. M. Davis.
And, NOTHING.
AND
The search continues.
* One of my first research tactics this week was to review every female named America in the 1870 census of Bulloch County Georgia. There were 28. Many were too young, too old, or married with children. They were easy to dismiss. But, still 28 ladies named America in just one county of Georgia in the 1870 Census?? Kissing away the bandwidth!
** Fran, contact me if I have errors. Of course, you will! Thanks for the fun this week.
*** As always, we all know it takes a village and a good number of genie angels to collect our family stories. If you have hints or photos or documents or family stories, I welcome your feedback. (And, yes, you may tell me all about the typos too! LOL)
.
No comments:
Post a Comment