I guess it’s all relative, but my brick wall goes back 230 years—and since it’s my maternal line, it’s especially frustrating. What is certain is that the Reed family lived in Muskingum County, Ohio, in the early to mid-1800s, and that Stephen D. Reed (pictured) moved to Barton County, Missouri, between 1870 and 1880.
A few years ago, while scouring genealogical sites, I found S.D.’s family, with John Reed as the patriarch. There was a nice listing of all of S.D.’s siblings, along with an indication that John came from Loudoun County, Virginia. In a way, this makes sense—during the Civil War, S.D. seemed more butternut than Union-supporting, and legend has it that when the draft officials came around, he made himself scarce.
With so much information about S.D. and his descendants, why the brick wall? Part of the challenge is that records from this period are scarce. Part of it is simply that Reed is a common surname. But another reason might be that I just haven’t had the chance to dig into this branch—I’ve spent so much time on my paternal brick walls (Naylor and Tharp) that this one has taken a backseat.
Apparently, some Ancestry trees trace this line further, but which ones are plausible? Are there secrets buried in Loudoun County records—land deeds, tax lists—or do I need to look at marks on pre-1850 censuses? It looks like I’ll need to start with what I know and work my way back.
Oh, and another brick wall—23andMe tells me I have Bavarian ancestry, yet I haven’t found a single Bavarian ancestor in my tree. So maybe there are brick walls I don’t even see yet. More research, more work—but also, more discoveries ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment