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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: John-76 on Friday 25 January 19 21:27 GMT (UK)
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I have information about my Gt Grandfather in Alabama in the 1850's as a young man, but there was another John Blake in the same area in 1817 while Alabama was still a territory. My Gt Grandfather would have been four years old at that time, so I'm wondering if this may have been his father.
Any suggestions on how to research while still a territory would be much appreciated.
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I waited to reply, hoping someone would come up with something more specific, but here goes:
Land records, wills, older family histories in book form, county and local histories of early settlers, hoping to find someone who has the family Bible, and hoping to find someone who has already done the research and is willing to share it.
Their first census was 1820, correct? 1820 to 1840 only listed heads of households and composition by age and sex. Can you make any sense out of them working backward? For example, can you find Blake households that hold males of the age that your great grandfather would have been in 1840, 1830, etc? Can you find the John Blake named on that petition on those censuses? Were there other Blakes in the area? Did that John live long enough to be on the 1850 census with a place of birth?
Did your great-grandfather marry someone from the area? Does her surname appear on any early lists or petitions? Did everyone in Montgomery County come from the same place before that?
Get to know the history of the area and specific resources available, genealogy societies, rootsweb or genweb pages, etc. Google everything - you might turn up someone's small website with what you are looking for.
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What part of Alabama?
The Huntsville Madison County Library has early land records and marriages located on the 2nd floor,
transferred from the Probate Office.
The Heritage Room at the library has many books and bible records of local families plus histories of early settlements in all of Alabama.
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Thanks very much for both of your replies. I will incorporate some of the tips in my searches and since I am over 2,000 miles from the Alabama area I have a cousin that's going to try and get to the Huntsville Madison County library. Maybe she can glean some info. Thanks again to you both!
John