Friday, December 28, 2018

Michael Risner 1790-1864 - Census Records 1810 to 1860



The 1810 census.



In 1810 Knox County was a large county in the south-east corner of Kentucky, along the Cumberland mountain range.  The Risners and the Howards were among the thousands of settlers who travelled through the Cumberland Gap on the southern border of Knox County.

6 August 1810
Knox County, Kentucky
Image 19 of 30
Line 4
Michael Rizener household

1) Head of household: Michael Rizener
2) Free white males under 10: 1; James (1) [born 1809]
3) Free white maes 10-15: 0; 0
4) Free white males 16-25: 0; 1 Michael Rizener (20) [born 1790]
5) Free white males 26-44: 0;
6) Free white males over 45: 0;
7) Free white females under 10: 
8) Free white females 10-15: 0;
9) Free white females 16-25: 1; Sarah Howard (20) [born 1790]
10) Free white females 26-44: 0;
11) Free white females over 45: 0;
12) All other free persons: 0;
13) Slaves: 0.

The 1820 census.


Michael and Sarah now live in Floyd County. They have six children, all boys. Five of them are under the age of ten. The map shows that Knox County is very much smaller than it was in 1810, and that a new county, Perry, is due to be formed from parts of Clay and Floyd counties. Floyd, on the eastern border of Kentucky, is still very large.

Floyd, Kentucky
Page 5
7 August 1820
Line 15
Michael Risner household

1) Head of Household: Michael Risner
2) Free white males under 10: 5; John (1) [born 1819], Archibald (4) [born 1816], Jacob (5) [born 1815], Elias (7) [born 1813], William (8) [born 1812]
3) free white males 10-15: 1; James (11) [born 1809]
4) free white males 16-18: 0; 
5) free white males 16-25: 0;
6) free white males 26-44: 1; Michael Risner (30) [born 1790]
7) free white males over 45: 0;
8) free white females under 10: 0;
9) free white females under 10-15: 0;
10) free white females 16-25: 0; 
11) free white females 26-44: 1; Sarah Howard (30) [born 1790]
12) free white females 45 and over: 0; 
13) foreigners not naturalized: 0; 
14) engaged in agriculture: 2; James (11)?, Michael Risner (30)?
15) engaged in commerce: 0; 
16) engaged in manufacture: 0; 
17) male slaves under 14: 0; 
18) male slaves 14-25: 0; 
19) males slaves 26-44: 0; 
20) male slaves 45 and over: 0; 
21) female slaves under 14: 0;
22) female slaves 14-25: 0; 
23) females slaves 26-44: 0; 
24) female slaves 45 and over: 0.

The 1830 census.


Floyd County, Kentucky
Roll 36, sheet (page) 96, image 194
1 June 1830
Line 13
Michael Risner household

1) Head of Household: Michael Risner
2) Free white males under 5: 1; Elijah (1) [born 1829]
3) Free white males 5-9: 2; Isaac (5) [born 1825], Michael (6) [born 1824]
4) Free white males 10-14: 2; John (11) [born 1819], Archibald (14) [born 1816]
5) Free white males 15-19: 2; Jacob (15) [born 1815], Elias (17) [born 1813]
6) Free white males 20-29: 0; 
7) Free white males 30-39: 0;
8) Free white males 40-49: 1; Michael Risner (40) [born 1790]
9) Free white males 50-59: 0;
10) Free white males 60-69: 0;
11) Free white males 70-79: 0;
12) Free white males 80-89: 0;
13) Free white males 90-99: 0;
14) Free white males 100 & up: 0; 
15) Free white females under 5: 2; Jane (<1) [born about 1830], Catherine (3) [born 1827]
16) Free white females 5-9: 1; Elizabeth (9) [born 1821]
17) Free white females 10-14: 0;
18) Free white females 15-19: 0;
19) Free white females 20-29: 0; 
20) Free white females 30-39: 0; 
21) Free white females 40-49: 1; Sarah Howard (40) [born 1790]
22) Free white females 50-59: 0;
23) Free white females 60-69: 0;
24) Free white females 70-79: 0;
25) Free white females 80-89: 0;
26) Free white females 90-99: 0;
27) Free white females 100 & up: 0;
28) Slave male 0-9: 0; 
29) Slave male 10-23: 0;
30) Slave male 24-35: 0;
31) Slave male 36-54: 0;
32) Slave male 55-99: 0;
33) Slave male 100 & up: 0;
34) Slave female 0-9: 0; 
35) Slave female 10-23: 0; 
36) Slave female 24-35: 0;
37) Slave female 36-54: 0;
38) Slave female 55-99: 0;
39) Slave female 100 & up: 0
40) Household total: 12


The 1840 census.

Look carefully at lines 15 and 16, there are two girls that I do not know the names of. 

Floyd County, Kentucky
Page 267
Roll 110
1 June 1840
Line 2
Michael Risner household

1) Head of household: Michael Risner
2) Free white males under 5: 0; 
3) Free white males 5-9: 1; Abraham (7) [born 1834]
4) Free white males 10-14: 1; Elijah (11) [born 1829]
5) Free white males 15-19: 1; Michael (16) [born 1824]
6) Free white males 20-29: 1; William (28) [born 1812]
7) Free white males 30-39: 0;
8) Free white males 40-49: 0;
9) Free white males 50-59: 1; Michael Risner (50)  [born 1790]
10) Free white males 60-69: 0;
11) Free white males 70-79: 0;
12) Free white males 80-89: 0;
13) Free white males 90-99: 0;
14) Free white males 100 & up: 0; 
15) Free white females under 5: 1; unknown? [born between 1835 and 1840]
16) Free white females 5-9: 1; unknown?  [born between 1830 and 1835]
17) Free white females 10-14: 2; Jane (11) [born 1830], Catherine (13) [born 1827]
18) Free white females 15-19: 0;
19) Free white females 20-29: 0; 
20) Free white females 30-39: 0; 
21) Free white females 40-49: 0; 
22) Free white females 50-59: 1; Sarah Howard (50)  [born 1790]
23) Free white females 60-69: 0;
24) Free white females 70-79: 0;
25) Free white females 80-89: 0;
26) Free white females 90-99: 0; 
27) Free white females 100 & up: 0;
28) Male slave under 10: 0; 
29) Male slave 10-23: 0;
30) Male slave 24-35: 0;
31) Male slave 36-54:0;
32) Male slave 55-99: 0;
33) Male slave 100 and up: 0;
34) Female slave under 10: 0;
35) Female slave 10-23: 0;
36) Female slave 24-35: 0;
37) Female slave 36-54: 0;
38) Female slave 55-99: 0;
39) Female slave 100 and up: 0;
40) Household total: 10; 
41) Engaged in mining: 0;
42) Engaged in agriculture: 4; Elijah (11), Michael (16), William (28), Michael Risner (50)
43) Engaged in commerce: 0; 
44) Engaged in manufacture and trade: 0;
45) Engaged in navigation of the ocean: 0;
46) Engaged in navigation of canals, lakes and rivers: 0;
47) Learned professional engineers: 0;
48) Name and age of Revolutionary or military pensioners:
49) Persons 20 years and over who cannot read and write: 1; ?

The 1850 census.



Morgan County, Kentucky
2 October 1850
Image 369
Household 1057, Family 1057
Lines 3-8

1) Michael Risner, age 60, male, white (blank), farmer, real estate value $500, born Virginia. [born 1790]
2) Sarah Risner, age 60, female, white (blank), born Virginia, person over 20 years of age who cannot read and write. [born 1790]
3) Catherine Risner, age 23, female, white (blank), born Virginia (ditto), person over 20 years of age who cannot read and write. [born 1827]
4) Abraham Risner, age 17, male, white (blank), laborer, born Kentucky (ditto). [born 1834]
5) Amanda Risner, age 4, female, white (blank), born Kentucky (ditto). [born 1846]
6) Elijah Barker, age 21, male, white (blank), laborer, born Kentucky (ditto), person over 20 years of age who cannot read and write. [born 1829]

The 1860 census.


Licking Station, Magoffin, Kentucky
Licking Station Post Office
Page 45
4 August 1860
Household 313, Family 313
Lines 10-12

1) Michael Risiner, age 70, male, white (implied), farmer, real estate value $600, personal estate value $200, born Virginia, person over 20 who cannot read or write. [born 1790]
2) Sarah Risiner, age 70, female, white (implied), midwife, born Virginia (ditto), person over 20 who cannot read and write. [born 1790]
3) Mandy Risiner, age 14, female, white (implied), born Kentucky. [born 1846]

Links to Census record images on FamilySearch - will open in a new window.


Also published on my research Website:

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Trim That Tree! - Rollin Coffee Lykins Edition, part 2 - Harrison and Harry J.

Harrison Lykins (born c. 1851) and Harry J. Lykins (born c. 1851 or c. 1853) - sons of Rollin Coffee Lykins and Sarah Buffington.

Dozens, maybe hundreds, of family trees have these family members. But I don't think they ever existed.

I firmly believe they are the results of transcription errors from the 1860 census.

Why do I believe this? It started with the census records. I found these names and birth dates only in the 1860 census. No other census record for any other member of this family included these individuals. In addition, the girls Narcissa (born c. 1851) and Mary J. (born c. 1853) appeared in 1870 and subsequent census records - but not in 1860. Where were they?

Other hypotheses occured to me, but they seemed a bit far-fetched:

  • these were two sets of fraternal twins, and in 1860 the girls were in a different household (or two different households) [could not find any evidence]
  • the boys died and the girls are adopted [no evidence]

FamilySearch has a name-only index, no access to the film, that runs from 1839 to 1860. It includes the following entries for this family and no other that I can locate:


  • Name James B. Lykins

    • Gender Male
    • Birth Date 27 Oct 1856
    • Birthplace , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY
    • Father's Name Roley C. Lykins
    • Mother's Name Sarah Buffington
    "Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWVS-CZ1 : 11 February 2018), James B. Lykins, 27 Oct 1856; citing , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY, reference ; FHL microfilm 216,835.


  • Name Mary J. Lykins (indexed twice)

    • Gender Female
    • Birth Date 15 Mar 1853
    • Birthplace , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY
    • Father's Name Rodey_ Lykins
    • Mother's Name Sarah Buffeton
    "Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWVS-QG4 : 11 February 2018), Mary J. Lykins, 15 Mar 1853; citing , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY, reference ; FHL microfilm 216,835.


  • Name Granville Lykins

    • Gender Male
    • Birth Date 15 Feb 1855
    • Birthplace , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY
    • Father's Name Rolly C. Lykins
    • Mother's Name Sarah Buffington
    "Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWVS-DJY : 11 February 2018), Granville Lykins, 15 Feb 1855; citing , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY, reference ; FHL microfilm 216,835.


  • Name Rebeca Lykins (indexed twice)

    • Gender Female
    • Birth Date 30 May 1859
    • Birthplace , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY
    • Father's Name Raleigh Lykins
    • Mother's Name Sally Buffington
    "Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWVS-N2B : 11 February 2018), Rebeca Lykins, 30 May 1859; citing , , MORGAN, KENTUCKY, reference ; FHL microfilm 216,835.

    It is not simply birth records that I cannot find for "Harrison" and Harry J.", I have not found any other record for them at all. No death records, no marriage or any other kind. So, I theorized that these two boys were actually Narcissa and Mary J. Lykins.

    What follows is the additional evidence that I do have that I believe supports this theory. It is not much, especially in the case of Harry (other than a birth record for Mary and not Harry).

    The Evidence


    This is the family in the 1860 census - this image is from the census uploaded to the Internet Archive - it is a "raw" file image, not cleaned up or processed. An image of the full census page is at the end of this blog post.



    "Population Schedules Of The Eighth Census Of The United States, 1860, Kentucky [Microform]". United States. Bureau of the Census,United States. National Archives and Records Service 2018. Archive.Org. Accessed July 7 2018. https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu385unit#page/n37/mode/1up

    Below is the transcription of this household on FamilySearch.

    Household                     Sex       Age       Birthplace
    Rolly C Lykins                M        30        Kentucky
    Sarah Lykins                   F         28        Kentucky
    Wm S Lykins                  M        10        Kentucky
    Harrison Lykins               F         9         Kentucky
    Harry J Lykins                 M         9         Kentucky
    Green Lykins                  M         5         Kentucky
    James Lykins                  M         3         Kentucky

    "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MZ19-DLQ : 14 December 2017), Rolly C Lykins, 1860.

    Problems with this transcription:
    1. Narcissa is missing
    2. Mary J. is missing
    3. both Harrison and Harry are 9 years old, but not marked twins
    4. Harrison is marked "F", female

    MyHeritage has a similar transcription:


    Relation to head            Name                  Age
    Head (implied)        Rolly C Lykins           30
    Wife (implied)         Sarah Lykins              28
    Son (implied)          Wm S Lykins             10
    Daughter (implied) Harrison Lykins            9
    Son (implied)          Harry J Lykins              9
    Son (implied)          Green Lykins                5
    Son (implied)          James Lykins               3

    Source:
    1860 United States Federal Census
    MyHeritage.com [online database]. Lehi, UT, USA: MyHeritage (USA) Inc.
    https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10127/1860-united-states-federal-census
    Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860, Population Schedule. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls.

    Look closely at "Harrison":

    Now compare the first letter of this name to the first letter of Nancy J from line 11 on this page:











    Now compare it to the "H" in Harry and this other "H" from the profession column on line 24 on the same page:














    This first letter of "Harrison" looks a great deal more like an "N" than a "H".

    Now consider the fact that "Harrison" , a female child  born about 1851, does not appear in any other census record for this family, but "Narcissa" a female child born about 1851 does.

    Harrison never existed, this 1860 census record is Narcissa at age 9.



    Now on to "Harry J." vs "Mary J."

    First - "Harry's" age.

    "Harry's" age is not 9. Compare the "9" for Narcissa to the number for "Harry J.". They are not the same. Look at this number "7" from line #39 on the same page:






    Second - "Harry J." is "Mary J."

    There is no way I can argue that "Harry J." in the 1860 census is not "Harry J." The letter to letter comparison above clearly shows that the "H" in "Harry" is an "H", not an "M", and the child is clearly marked "M" for male.

    I believe that this transcription error happened when the census was originally transcribed from the pages collected from the enumerators by the clerks in the county offices.

    I believe this because "Harry J."

    1. never appears in any other census record for this family, and 
    2. because "Mary J." about age 7, should be in this record, but she is not
    3. I can find "Mary J. Lykins" in 1870
    4. Mary J. Oney in 1880
    5. Mary J. Oney in 1900 
    6. and Mary J. Oney in 1910. She dies in 1916.

    Full Census Page


    "Population Schedules Of The Eighth Census Of The United States, 1860, Kentucky [Microform]". United States. Bureau of the Census,United States. National Archives and Records Service 2018. Archive.Org. Accessed July 7 2018. https://archive.org/stream/populationschedu385unit#page/n37/mode/1up


    Conclusion


    I am going to trim my tree, and combine any "Harrison" and "Harry J." entries with "Narcissa" and "Mary J,", respectively. If evidence to the contrary surfaces I will re-evaluate my conclusions.

    Saturday, July 7, 2018

    Larkin Howard 1802-1852, son of John Howard and Mary Ann Risner, Grandchild of Thomas Howard and Letty Durham

    1850 Kentucky Counties

    Harlan County is on the right, at the bottom edge of the state, along the Virginia border.


    1850 Census, Harlan County



    "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M65W-87Y : 12 April 2016), Larkin Howard, Harlan county, Harlan, Kentucky, United States; citing family 404, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
    Transcription
    1) Larkin Howard, age 47, male, white (blank), farmer, real estate value $2000, born Tennessee.
    2) Elizabeth Howard, age 40, female, white (blank), born Kentucky, person over the age of 20 who cannot read and write.
    3) Elizabeth Howard, age 20, female, white (blank), born Kentucky, person over the age of 20 who cannot read and write.
    4) George Brock, age 22, male, white (blank), farmer, born Kentucky, person over the age of 20 who cannot read and write.
    5) Green Brock, age 20, male, white (blank), farmer, born Kentucky, person over the age of 20 who cannot read and write.
    6) John J. Howard, age 16, male, white (blank), farmer, born Kentucky, attended school within the year.
    7) Matilda Howard, age 14, female, white (blank), born Kentucky, attended school within the year.
    8) Hester Howard, age 11, female, white (blank), born Kentucky, attended school within the year.
    9) Jane M. Howard, age 7, female, white (bank), born Kentucky.
    10) Green A. Howard, age 5, male, white (blank), born Kentucky.

    Trim That Tree! - Rollin Coffee Lykins Edition, part 1 - Bud and Riley

    There are more children than can be accounted for in this family.


    First on the list - Bud Lykins. I found Bud Lykins on FamilySearch - with a different family. So why is he on my family list? I added him in 2012, from a list of the children of Rollin and Sarah in an online family tree. (Citation 1 below)

    Bud Lykins on FamilySearch had four sources - a 1910 census and three copies of a marriage record for two of his children.

    First - the 1910 census record...


    Bud is 39 years old, was born about 1871 in Kentucky and has a wife named Alice and children. The family is living in Grape Creek, Magoffin County, Kentucky.

    Household      Role        Sex  Age  Birthplace
    Bud Lykins Head M 39 Kentucky - born about 1871
    Alice Lykins Wife F 36 Kentucky - born about 1874
    Carlie Lykins Son          M 20 Kentucky - born about 1890
    Ollie Lykins Son          M     16 Kentucky  - born about 1894     Watch these names.
    Ingram Lykins Son          M 14 Kentucky - born about 1896
    Rhode Lykins Daughter F 8 Kentucky - born about 1902
    Vechie Lykins Daughter  F 5 Kentucky - born about 1905
    Luna Lykins Daughter F 2 Kentucky - born about 1908
    (Citation 2)





    This 1930 census map shows the location of Grape Creek, in the upper left in District 3. It was in the same District in 1910. Look above the red label.



    Here is the location of Grape Creek, which is an actual river, not a town. It travels from the lower left to the upper right, where it meets the Licking River.

    Co Rd 1593
    Salyersville, KY 41465
    37.777437, -83.178349

    Grape Creek




    This is the location of Magoffin County in Kentucky. Wikimedia Commons

    The Marriage Record...


    The first marriage record listed under Bud's name is a double wedding - his sons Ollie and Ingram are marrying Cassie and Gracie, daughters of Miles Kirk Ball and Josephine Ida Jackson. (citation 3)

    The wedding is on 24 January 1919, nine years after the 1910 census. It takes place in Harper, Magoffin County, Kentucky. The grooms are listed as having been born in Magoffin County. The grooms' parents are Bud Lykins and Alice Coffee, and the signatures are R. M. Lykins and Miles Ball.

    Double Wedding of Ollie Lykins + Cassie Ball and Ingram Lykins + Gracie Ball (citations 4, 5, 6)
    The wedding takes place in Magoffin County, Kentucky, where the grooms were born. The grooms' parents are Bud Lykins and Alice Coffee, and the witnesses are R. M. Lykins and Miles Ball.

    The Other Family...


    The family that Bud was listed with on Familysearch was the household of James Henry Likins and Mariah York. (citation 8)

    He was attached with no documentation so I checked the census records.

    In 1880, if Bud was born about 1871, he should be about 9 or 10 years old. There is no Bud in the family. If Gabriel's or John's middle initials stand for "Bud", they are too young and too old by at least two years each way.  David might be Bud.

    Household              Role        Sex      Age    Birthplace   Approximate Birth Year
    James H Likens Self         M          42      Kentucky   - born about 1838
    Mariah A Likens Wife        F           39      Kentucky   - born about 1841
    Marion T Likens Son         M          15      Kentucky   - born about 1865
    Gabriel B Likens Son         M         13      Kentucky   - born about 1867
    Cindrilla Likens Daughter F           11      Kentucky   - born about 1869
    David Likens           Son         M           9       Kentucky   - born about 1871
    John B Likens         Son         M           7       Kentucky  - born about 1873
    Mary C Likens Daughter F            5       Kentucky  - born about 1875
    Emma T Likens Daughter F           3       Kentucky  - born about 1877
    (Citation 8)

    This census was taken in Ohio County, Kentucky, and all of these children are listed as being born in Ohio County, Kentucky.

    Ohio County, Kentucky - Wikimedia commons

    In 1910, when Bud is in Magoffin County, are any other members of this family found in Magoffin county?

    Nope, not in Magoffin County.

    (Click on the links to find the citations)

    1. James Henry Likins and Mariah York
      1. 1900 - no census listed
      2. 1910 - Hartford, Ohio, Kentucky.
      3. 1911 - James dies in Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      4. 1915 - Mariah York is buried in Hartford, Ohio County, KY
    2. Sarah L. Likins
      1. 1862 - born in 1862, in Ohio County, KY.
      2. 1864 - passed away, apparently in Ohio County, KY
      3. Buried in Hortan , Ohio county, KY
      4. 1910 - no census
    3. Marion Thomas Likins
      1. 1900  - Ohio County, KY.
      2. 1910 census record is not listed 
      3. 1954 - dies in Owensboro, Daviess County, KY
      4. buried in Hartford, Ohio County, KY
    4. Gabriel B. Likins: 
      1. 1900 -  Hartford, Ohio County, KY.
      2. 1910 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY. 
      3. 1920 - Washington D.C.
      4. 1930 - Washington, D.C.
      5. 1940 - Washington, D.C.
      6. 1945 - passed away, buried in Hartford County, KY
    5. Cindrilla Likins
      1. 1889 - marries Francis Black, in Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      2. 1900 - Hartford, Ohio county, KY
      3. 1910 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      4. 1920 - West Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      5. 1930 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      6. 1940 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      7. 1941 - passed away in Ohio county, KY
    6. David Will Likins 
      1. (no other census, birth, marriage or death records listed as of this posting)
      2. 1900 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY
      3. 1910 - Hartford, Ohio County, KY
    7. John B. Likins
      1. 1880 - Rosine, Ohio County, KY
      2. 1892 - passed away, buried Horton, Ohio County, KY
      3. 1910 - no census
    8. Mary C. Likins
      1. 1880 - Rosine, Ohio County, KY
      2. 1910 - no census listed
      3. 1954 - Dies in Owensboro, Daviess County, KY (no record).
    9. Emma (Edna)T. Likins
      1. 1880 - Rosine, Ohio County, KY
      2. 1890 - buried in Ohio County, KY
      3. 1910 - no census
    10. George H. Likins
      1. 1879 - born in January, Ohio County, KY
      2. 1879 - dies in September, Ohio County, KY
      3. 1910 - no census

    Marion Thomas Likins and Mary C. Likins go to Daviess County, Kentucky. Gabriel B. Likins goes to Washington D.C. All the other records for this family are in Ohio County, mostly in and around Hartford. If Bud is a member of this family, it is very strange that he has no records in Ohio County, Kentucky.

    How far is Hartford from Grape Creek?

    The shortest path is 252 miles, other choices are 261 and 169 miles.













    And Now... Riley M. Lykins

    Riley M. Lykins spent almost his entire life in and around Magoffin County, Kentucky. He spent the last years of his life with his daughter, Fredie Amix, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he passed away. All of his census records are listed under "Riley" or "Riley M", except for the 1910 census, which was missing.


    Household               Role        Sex    Age  Birthplace
    Riley M Lykins Head        M      28    Kentucky age matches
    Allis Lykins            Wife          F       32    Kentucky name, but not age, match
    Green Lykins          Son           M      10    Kentucky name doesn't match, age does
    Myrtie Lykins         Daughter   F        8    Kentucky
    Ollie Lykins             Son          M        6    Kentucky Remember these guys?
    Ingram Lykins         Son          M        4    Kentucky name and age match
    Laura Lykins          Daughter   F        0    Kentucky

    Bud's 1910 census:

    Household      Role        Sex  Age  Birthplace
    Bud Lykins Head M 39 Kentucky - born about 1871 age matches
    Alice Lykins Wife F 36 Kentucky - born about 1874 name, but not age, match (should be about 42)
    Carlie Lykins Son          M 20 Kentucky - born about 1890 name doesn't match, age does
    Ollie Lykins Son           M     16 Kentucky  - born about 1894 name and age match
    Ingram Lykins Son          M 14 Kentucky - born about 1896 name and age match
    Rhode Lykins Daughter F 8 Kentucky - born about 1902 name and age match
    Vechie Lykins Daughter F 5 Kentucky - born about 1905
    Luna Lykins Daughter F 2 Kentucky - born about 1908 name and age match

    Riley's 1920 census:

    Household                Role         Sex   Age    Birthplace
    Riley M Lykins        Head         M     48      Kentucky age matches
    Alice Lykins            Wife           F      45      Kentucky name, but not age, match (still remarkably young!)
    Rhoda Lykins          Daughter    F      17      Kentucky name and age match
    Lunie Lykins           Daughter    F      12      Kentucky name and age match
    Fredie Lykins          Daughter    F        8       Kentucky
    Woodrow Lykins Son           M        6      Kentucky
    Stanley Lykins         Son           M       4      Kentucky
    Jessie Lykins            Son           M       1      Kentucky


    Please look at the witnesses on the marriage certificate again - R. M. Lykins - Riley signed it twice, once as Bud Lykins, and once as R. M. Lykins.

    Time to Trim...

    I will trim my tree, and merge Bud with Riley. I have not added Riley's wife Alice or their children to my Legacy database yet, so the process will go much faster.

    Citations

    1. Darlene M. MazurikGeneology.com, Family Tree Maker Online, database, Darlene M Mazurik, My Geneology Home Page(http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/a/z/Darlene-M-Mazurik-Norwalk/index.html : Updated July 17, 2004), accessed Jul 26, 2012), View Tree for Rolliy (Rollie) Coffee LykinsRolliy (Rollie) Coffee Lykins (b. February 13, 1832, d. 1860); Citing marraige and children. 
    2.  "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M268-GYW : accessed 30 June 2018), Bud Lykins, Grape Creek, Magoffin, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 112, sheet 11A, family 192, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 494; FHL microfilm 1,374,507.
    3. FamilySearch page for Miles Kirk Ball
    4. "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V65S-RDT : accessed 3 July 2018), Bud Lykins in entry for Ollie & Ingram Lykins & Lykins and Cassie & Gracie B Ball & Ball, 24 Jan 1919; citing Magoffin, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 1,003,622.
    5. "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWT7-V46 : accessed 3 July 2018), Bud Lykins in entry for Ollie Lykins and Cassie Ball, 24 Jan 1919; citing Harper, Magoffin, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 988,583.
    6. "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWT7-JPF : accessed 3 July 2018), Bud Lykins in entry for Ingram Lykins and Gracie B. Ball, 24 Jan 1919; citing Harper, Magoffin, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 988,583.
    7. James Henry Likins on FamilySearch
    8. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCZ2-Z7M : 14 August 2017), James H Likens, Rosine, Ohio, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district ED 184, sheet 595A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0436; FHL microfilm 1,254,436.
    9. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9HZ-D4B : accessed 27 June 2018), Riley M Lykins, Magisterial District 3, Johnson Fork, Magoffin, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 55, sheet 12A, family 210, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,541.
    10. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHGP-PQ1 : accessed 3 July 2018), Riley M Lykins, Grape Creek, Magoffin, Kentucky, United States; citing  ED 75, sheet 7A, line 3, family 116, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 589; FHL microfilm 1,820,589.
    11. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XMF8-LKH : accessed 3 July 2018), Riley M Lykins, Caney, Morgan, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 2, sheet 1B, line 68, family 15, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 771; FHL microfilm 2,340,506.
    12. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K7YD-DYF : accessed 3 July 2018), R M Lykins, Magisterial District 1, Morgan, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 88-2, sheet 4A, line 27, family 58, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627.  Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1343.
    13. "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6PM-Y2Y : 9 March 2018), Riley Menefee Lykins, 06 Dec 1951; citing , reference certificate; FHL microfilm 2,372,879.









    Thursday, June 28, 2018

    I Love This Name - Rollin Coffee Lykins

    I Love This Name - Rollin Coffee Lykins (about 1836 to maybe 1877)

    I just love saying it. I think "Rollin" is a colloquial form of Roland - historically one of Charlemagne's knights (according to BabyNamesPedia I am right, but I don't know how much I trust this). In our family it is pronounced "raw-lin", not "role-in".

    My source records for some of my families in my Legacy Family Tree database became corrupted after a hard-drive crash a few years ago, so I decided to check and re-enter some of the records again this week. Rollin's family was the last one on my list.

    When I checked the family in my Legacy database I discovered that there were a lot of census records I did not have for this family. This chart shows the family before I added the census records and other documents I found.



    Issues:

    • Rollin and Sarah have shaky birth and death dates
    • Sarah has no parents
    • there are fifteen children
    • most children have no spouses 
    • no death dates
    • calculated birth dates
    • very few sources
    • many of those sources are questionable
      • poorly written (before I owned Evidence Explained)
      • derivative or indirect in nature - not original or primary

    Fortunately I have a great tool for helping me deal with these issues.

    Last year I began putting families in census tracking charts on Google Sheets. It has transformed my research. At a glance I can tell if...
    • a family migrated as a group, or if the borders changed around them. 
    • they lived close together. 
    • there may be a misattributed family member: someone is on the family list, but they never show up on the census, even by another name.
    • someone's age jumps around illogically.
    • there are gaps where children may be missing.
    • there are "too many" children to fit into a time frame.
    • kids show up after dad is dead, or mom past child-bearing (could be grandchildren or foster kids)
    This is the sheet I currently have for Rollin's family after a day of looking up census records. (This will change as I find more census records).

    Rollin Coffee Lykins census tracking chart

    I programmed my sheet to automatically fill in ages in each census year when I put in birth and death dates.

    I color code everything. It really helps me see patterns. When I do not have a death date, I set the person's age to 100, so that I can see how old they would be in each census year.

    The blue columns show when the family was listed under Rollin as head of household, dark pink when his wife Sarah was head of household. The colored rows show when each child went out to found their own households.


    Monday, June 18, 2018

    Mitochondrial musings


    This is my maternal ancestry, highlighted in yellow.

    This is the path, through these women, that my mitochandrial DNA took across the landscape of this county.

    Letty Durham is my "Most Distant Known" maternal ancestor, following my mother's line. She was born about 1744, probably in North Carolina. In 1776, when the Revolutionary War began, she was about 32 years old and had about 5 children (the birth dates of her children are not certain). She had a total of about 10 children by 1790.



    Some time after 1790 she migrated from North Carolina (or possibly Georgia) to Kentucky, with her children, through the Cumberland Gap and lived the rest of her life in Kentucky.

    The "Wilderness Road" through the Cumberland Gap - my people took a sharp right after they passed through the "Gap" and travelled up the Licking River.

    The woman at the bottom of this tree, Dora Howard, is my mother's maternal grandmother. She was born in 1903 in Magoffin County, Kentucky.

    In the family tree, above, you may notice the places "Licking River" and "Middle Fork". These are not towns, they are farms built by the banks of the Licking River, and the "Middle Fork" of the Licking River, in the mountains of eastern Kentucky in what became Magoffin County in 1860.




    My mother was born in her grandmother's house, by the banks of the middle fork of the Licking River, in 1939, near a place called Gullett. She spent the first few years of her life there. Her parents (Josephine Risner and Seville Gose) moved to Ada, in Hardin County, Ohio before 1944.

    Maureen Gose, about 1941.


    Class, and teacher, at her one-room schoolhouse in Magoffin County, Kentucky. She circled herself in the left of the picture.

    Maureen Gose, by the front porch in Ada, Ohio, 1962.

    Christmas, 1970's, Ada, Ohio. Maureen Gose is seated in front.


    Dora Howard (in back), John Henry Risner (right). Maureen Gose (white hat).

    Dora Howard, her husband (John Henry Risner) and their other two children moved to Winchester, in Clark County, Kentucky.



    Dora Howard, 1970's, Winchester, KY.




    I used the following website, along with a Chrome extension called PhyloTree MT AddOn, to plug my FamilytreeDNA mitochondrial test results into the Haplotype tree.

    Phylotree.org

    My results:

    http://www.phylotree.org/tree/R0.htm

    This is a  a link to the results for my FamilyTreeDNA test kit #747482 on Phylotree.org for my mitochondrial DNA.

    If you use your browser to search the page for T16189C! it will get twelve "hits".

    This site maps a haplotype on the "phylogenetic tree", showing you where your mitochondrial haplotype is in the larger tree.

    Unfortunatly for me my haplotype, H1-T16189C!, is a back-mutation that has occured at at least 12 points in the tree. Since my mutation begins with H1, I think I can discount all but 5 of the possible hits.

    The particular version of the tree I used for this is current as af 18 June 2018 (this is the day I ran my analysis.)

    PhyloTree.org - mtDNA tree Build 17 (18 Feb 2016): subtree R0

    My haplotype is under subtree RO-H1, it could be one of these five:

    H1a-T16189C!
    H1a6-T16189C!
    H1c3b-T16189C!
    H1j9-T16189C! (listed as unstable)
    H1ap1-T16189C!

    I really have no idea which it may be, or if I am on the right track in my understanding of how the mutation mapping works.

    I belong to the Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup H & HV Project on FamilyTreeDNA and submited this as a question. I hope to add the answer to my website soon.

    Other links to information (actually, more questions) about this Haplotype:

    https://www.geni.com/discussions/160517

    https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/35184-H1-T16189C!-Help-!!

    https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Gs1006

    http://www.thecid.com/mtdnatree/ppl/c/5/d420cc4cd3c1d579949b3f3745c.html

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25208176

    http://www.ianlogan.co.uk/sequences_by_group/h1-t16189c_genbank_sequences.htm

    Sunday, March 11, 2018

    John "War Jack" Howard - son of Thomas Howard and Letty Durham

    Today's post features the 1810 and 1820 census records for John Howard.

    I use a great tool called CensusMate by John L. Haynes to chart 1790 through 1840 census records. The original is an Excel sheet available at CensusMate. I open it in Google Sheets without a problem.

    When I compared all the John Howards I could find in the 1810 and 1820 Kentucky census records to the known family listed in FamilySearch for John Howard  LK66-VD6, the census records for Knox County 1810 and Harlan County 1820 were the best fit for his family.

    John didn't have to move to get from one county to the other. Part of Knox county became Harlan county in 1819, right before the 1820 census. Another researcher, jcpstoddard, found these census records in FamilySearch, and a record showing John Howard's name was transferred from the Knox County tax list to the Harlan County tax list when the new county was formed. I do not currently have an image of this record.

    Citation
    "1819 List of Males transferred from Knox to Harlan County Tax Lists," digital link, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~seky/datafile/1819list.html :accessed 12 Jul 2015. "This list was transcribed originally by Elisabeth Salyer and first appeared in Knox County Kinfolk, Volume V, Issue 1. With Mrs. Salyer's assistance, we restored its original order and corrected a few names. This version appeared in Harlan Footprints, Volume I, Issue 1." 
    Less
    Notes
    List of men above the age of 21 who transferred from the tax list of Knox co, KY to Harlan co, KY, at the formation of Harlan county in 1819. Originally transcribed by Elisabeth Salyer and published in Knox County Kinfolk, Volume V, Issue 1. 
    Attached
    12 July 2015 by jcpstoddard

    When I charted the census records in CensusMate this is what I found:


    If you look at the bottom of the sheet you will see 3 dates marked with red highlights. 1766, 1769 and 1779. I have seen all three of these dates proposed as birth years for John Howard. If these 1810 and 1820 census records are actually his, then the 1779 date cannot be correct. 

    The John Howard in the 1810 Knox County census is in the "26 to 44" age category. He could have been born between 1765 and 1783 and fall into that age range, it covers all three proposed birth dates. However, if the John Howard in the Harlan County census is the same man, he is now in the "over 45" age category, and must have been born before 1775 to be in that group.

    I am leaning toward the 1769 birth year, but lack proof for it. 

    1800 Kentucky

    Knox County is along the lower right edge of the state, bordering Tennessee and Virginia.

    1810 Kentucky

    The northern borders of Knox County have changed slightly. The biggest difference is that the southwestern section is no longer "Indian Lands".

    1810 Census Record



    23 December 1810
    Knox County, Kentucky
    Page 80
    Line 8
    John Howard household 
    1) Head of household: John Howard
    2) Free white males under 10: 3; John (4), Michael (5), Larkin (8)
    3) Free white males 10-15: 0;
    4) Free white males 16-25: 0;
    5) Free white males 26-44: 1; John Howard (41)
    6) Free white males over 45: 0;
    7) Free white females under 10: 1; Elizabeth (6)
    8) Free white females 10-15: 0;
    9) Free white females 16-25: 1; Mary Ann Risner (25)
    10) Free white females 26-44: 0;
    11) All other free persons: 0;
    12) Slaves: 0.

    FamilySearch Citation
    "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XH2P-W3T : accessed 11 March 2018), John Howard, Knox, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 80, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 181,352.

    1819 Kentucky

    Harlan County is created from Floyd and Knox Counties, along the southeast border with Virginia (slightly darker green county).

    1820 Census Record



    1820
    Harlan County, Kentucky
    Page 110
    Line 8
    John Howard household 
    1) Head of household: John Howard
    2) Free white males under 10: 1; William (8)
    3) Free white maes 10-15: 2; John (14), Michael (15)
    4) Free white males 16-18: 0;
    5) Free white males 16-25: 1; Larkin (18)
    6) Free white males 26-44: 0;
    7) Free white males over 45: 1; John Howard (51)
    8) Free white females under 10: 4; Catherine (<1), Phoebe (1), Sarah (2), Mary (5) 
    9) Free white females 10-15: 1; Elizabeth (16)
    10) Free white females 16-25: 0;
    11) Free white females 26-44: 1; Mary Ann Risner (35)
    12) All other free persons: 0;
    13) Slaves: 0.

    FamilySearch Citation
    "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHLR-KRH : accessed 11 March 2018), John Howard, Harlan, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 110, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 23; FHL microfilm 186,183.
    As I continue my record search I will carefully compare the ages and birth places I find in later records to the information currently listed for all of these individuals. The only age anomaly I found was in the 1820 census for Elizabeth. If she was born in 1804, then she should be in the "16-25" age group, not the "10 to 15". However, it is not unusual for a person at the edge of an age group to be bumped up or down a category sometimes.