Discovering Brick Walls Where There Were None...

About a year ago, I decided to start from scratch on my family tree.  This time I was going to make sure every fact had documentation and that I could prove each and every ancestor.  I had been guilty of clicking on online trees and adding them to my own just because I recognized some of the names and my tree had grown exponentially.  Problem was, as I have blogged before, not all of the information in online trees are accurate.

So, I’ve been methodically verifying each and every fact.  My tree is nowhere near the size it used to be, but I know it’s accurate.  That’s my goal and I have been unfaltering in making sure each person belonged where they were.  I have more brick walls that I have to break through, but that’s okay.

About 6 months ago, I literally woke up in the middle of the night with a burning question.  I have an ancestor from Laurel County, Kentucky on my father’s side by the name of Joseph James J.A.C.K. Lickliter.  He married Rebecca Ball from Virginia and they settled in Knox County, Kentucky.  She is my link to DAR membership, the War of 1812 membership and my son’s SAR membership.  I can trace her back, but he is another story.

You see, I always believed that Elias Lickliter was Joseph’s father.  It was a given.  I had believed it for so long that I put it into my tree.  I realized on that dark night that I had never verified it.  No problem, I’ll do it in the morning. 

Morning came and I pulled up the first census (1860) that Joseph would have been in.  Oh crap – he wasn’t listed.  His assumed siblings all were, older and younger, but he wasn’t there.  I pulled the 1870 census, when he would have been between 12 and 15, still no Joe, no James, no Jack, no J.A.C.K.  I pulled marriage records for he and Rebecca.  No listing of the parent’s names on the records.  Looked for a will from Elias or Nancy hoping it would list him as a son.  N0 will exists that I’ve found.  I haven’t found a printed death certificate for him and the Department of Health in Knox County doesn’t have any records.  I even called the funeral home where he would have been and they don’t have records.  I have checked for births in Laurel County around the time of his birth – nothing.  I’ve even contacted some of the owners of the family trees that list Elias as his father to see what documentation they have.  They have none – they saw it on an online tree. 

So, six months of looking, calling, writing, researching, ordering microfilms and I still don’t know who Joseph’s parents are.  I think it has something to do with the middle name J.A.C.K., but so far nothing but dead ends.  Soon I’ll be bald from ripping my hair out.

 

Why am I writing about this brick wall?  I’m writing as a warning to every family history researcher out there.  One small fact that I assumed was correct because I had always assumed it was correct, did not stand up to the scrutiny of verification.  Something that I KNEW was right seems more and more like it was wrong because there is no actual record of him ever being in the Lickliter family.  It is dangerous to assume that the information is correct before you check it out.

I started out by saying that I’m redoing my tree from scratch.  I’d recommend doing this to anyone.  Looking at documents that you’ve had for a decade or two with fresh eyes opens up so many new avenues of information.  When I look at a document now, compared to twenty years ago when I first looked at it,  I see so much that I missed the first time.  That comes from the experience I’ve gained doing this for so many years.  So many subtle clues that can easily lead you to breaking down a brick wall – or in my case, exposing one you never knew was there.

Will I find Joe’s parents?  I don’t know.   I‘ll keep looking, I will try to come up with new creative places to look for verification.  I will hone my skills on tracking down his birth parents.

Is it worth all the time and energy and money to find them?  Yes, definitely.  Because THEY are my kin, and THEY deserve to be remembered.

As always,

Happy Hunting!!!