My Trails into the Past

I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (April 2016), where we write 26 blog posts featuring each letter of the alphabet. M is for Elizabeth McCormack & Sarah Milholland: two brick wall ancestors These two women are at the end of the line for myself and my husband. Elizabeth McCormack is my maternal third great grandmother and Sarah Milholland is my husband’s paternal third great grandmother. I am hoping that in writing about these two women others who are also researching these women will contact me. Elizabeth McCormack Elizabeth McCormack was the wife of Samuel Johnston, born 5 Jul 1814 in South Carolina. She died 4 Nov 1891 in Comanche County, Texas. [1] They had seven known children: Isabella Johnston (1840- ) Reuben Mack Johnston (1841-1924). He was my 2nd great grandfather. Luvina J. Johnston (1842- ) Washington J Johnston (1844- ) Marion Jackson Johnston (1846-1838) David Newton Johnston (1850- ) Sarah A. Johnston (1854-1923) ...

I have been working on preparing for a trip to Salt Lake City to research at the Family History Library. Six days of researching in the microfilm- and book-filled library is a wonderful and fulfilling experience. So I began to prepare by looking at the dead-end lines in my family tree, especially those on my mother’s side who lived in the South. My third great-grandparents fit that bill: Samuel Johnston and Elizabeth McCormack. Samuel Johnston was born about 1816 in South Carolina, based on age 34 in the 1850 census and age 44 in the 1860 census. [1] These are the only two census records I have found for Samuel. He did not appear on the 1870 census with his widowed wife and children. [2] It was difficult to find Samuel in the 1850 Yalobusha County, Mississippi census until I searched for some of his neighbors from the 1860 Yalobusha Co, MS census and found him near those same neighbors. I could see why he was difficult to find. His written surname looked like “Dehuson...

Thomas MacEntee asked bloggers to list their surnames and ancestor they most wanted to find. So I decided to write about my mother's side of the family. I have several roadblocks that I'd love to get past and maybe someone will find my blog post and help me. How The Meme Works To participate, do the following at your own blog and post a link back here in the comments: 1. List your surnames in alphabetical order as follows: [SURNAME]: State/Province (county/subdivision), date range 2. At the end, list your Most Wanted Ancestor with details! 1. My Entries COOR; Texas (Erath Co) 1880-present, Mississippi (Lawrence Co, Copiah Co) 1820-1880, North Carolina (Wayne Co, Sampson Co) pre-1800  HALEY; Mississippi (Rankin Co), 1820-1870, North Carolina 1770’s-1820.  HUTSON; Texas (Comanche Co, Hood Co) 1880 to present, Georgia (Cherokee Co, Chattooga Co) 1800-1880, Virginia prior to 1800.  JOHNSTON; Texas (Titus Co, Comanche Co), 1870-present; Mississippi (Yalob...