When No Document Exists Prove A Relationship, What Then?
I know that my great-grandfather, Mathew Weatherly, b 16 Dec 1857 near McNutt, MS, was the son of Wm R Weatherly, b ca 1834 Wilson Co TN, but I cannot find a census or document to prove this. Wm R Weatherly was married to Cintha Hanes/Hawes on 25 Dec 1855 in Sunflower Co MS. Wm R Weatherly died as a POW CSA Soldier in the Rock Island IL Prison camp on 10 Jan 1864. Cintha is listed on the 1870 McNutt MS census with Mathew's siblings, Tommy 12 and Julia 10. Mathew is located nearby farmed out to the Etheridge family as a farm hand, but nothing to connect the dots regarding Mathew to his family. Where else should I look?
Answers
-
I found this on Ancestry - it may help https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/12095228/person/102165228200/facts?_phsrc=fej2256&_phstart=successSource
0 -
I looked through the 1870 census for the entire town of Sunflower and there were no other Weatherly people there except Cinthia's family and Matthew and he just 14. That is enough to convince me that he belongs to the family. Mississippi in 1870 had just been decimated by the war and a lot of records I am sure were destroyed. The one thing that would be beneficial is to look for Cinthia's death. There may be his name mentioned on her death record or an obituary. Also finding his death record may be beneficial. If Cinthia lived to 1900 you might want to look at how many children she had. But that might not be as helpful because you would need to account for children who may have died. I don't know if Cinthia may remarried. I hope this helps you feel more assured that Matthew is indeed her child,
2 -
Thank each of you. I was unable to open the Ancestry link. I (Ancestry DNA) match an offspring of Tommy Weatherly, age 12, on the 1870 Sunflower Co MS census. The problem is, the match won't respond. But there is no way I could match him except that Wm R Weatherly, and Tommy Weatherly were brothers. Julia, 10, does not show up again anywhere, so I can't pursue her offspring to send a kit. Their mother, Cintha Hawes Weatherly, remarried to Alick Bates on 25 Dec 1871. Her wedding day to Wm R Weatherly was 25 Dec 1855. Can't find a death date or place for Alick or Cintha.
0 -
@Mary St Amer Were you able to find any sort of probate for Wm R Weatherly? Even dying in a prison camp, he'd have to have some sort of probate. Any minor children should appear in the probate or Orphan's Court to have a guardian appointed for them (yes, even if mom was alive!) Anything on land records? If Wm R Weatherly owned land, who got it after his death? Check years later to see if Matthew or his brother owned it and later sold it. They often mention from whom they got the land. Do you have the 1860 census for this family? If Matthew was 14 in 1870, he should appear on the 1860 census as well.
0
