The 1860 and 1870 U.S. censuses of Fairview Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, both indicate that Christian/Christopher Garner/Gardner owned property. (And he probably continued to own the same property in 1880 based on neighbors in the 1880 census.) But if that's so, why is his name and the location of his property not shown on the 1874 map of Fairview Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania? (You can enlarge the map by clicking on it. It will open in a new window. If you click again, it will enlarge again.)
On the right hand side of the map from about the middle up, you can see the names of Christian's near neighbors. In fact, you can almost follow in the footsteps of the census takers in 1860 and 1870, going from south to north:
--> A. McAlroy (or Andrew McElroy)
--> A Story (Alex B. Story)
--> S. Wiles (Simon Wiles)
Christian should be here according to 1860, 1870, and 1880 census reports.
--> W. McGurvey (or Wm. McGarvy)
Other neighbors mentioned in the 1870 census and shown on the 1874 map include Mrs. Mortimer, T. Jamison, S. Farringer, and J. Kaylor, among others.
As far as I can see, C. Garner/Gardner's name does not on this map in the neighborhood or anywhere else. Am I blind? Have I missed C. Garner/Gardner/some other variation of his last name?
Do you ever feel like an ancestor just doesn't want to be found? Hmph!
--Nancy.
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And, sometimes I've had the feeling that a distant relative who is very tangential to what I'm working on wants to be found. Sometimes a "random" name pops up so many times when I'm doing research that I end up getting very curious about someone who I originally thought I had no interest in.
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean, Sheryl. Sometimes it's a record that does it for me, sometimes a "tug" because of a memory or a story I've heard. It's interesting how things happen in family history.
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