Help With Dead-Ends In Genealogy Search

[Red Metis]

Hi,

I am looking for some tips in dealing with dead-ends in genealogy research. I am complete novice to this arena and very confused!! It's not as simple as plugging in a name and finding what you want. (Yes, I was naive enough to think that was all there was to it).
If it wasn't for Bill (thank you, sir!!!); I'd never have gotten this far...
In any case, I cannot find my Brown family in Va at all! Lydia Brown was from Va. and moved to Florida between 1860 and 1870 (her children intermarried into the Jenkins family, which were Choctaws). I am descended from Lydia's oldest son, Willie (William). They were supposed to be from Halifax Co.
I found a Lydia Brown--mulatto; 16 y.o. on the 1860 census but it was in Ashe, NC. I also found a marriage btw Charles Brown and Lydia Cook--1847 in Montgomery Co. I have no idea of how to tell if this is her or not. All the other Lydia's I have found do not have her children listed as family members.
I need some demolition help with this brick wall, please! If anyone has any ideas of what to do next, I'd be grateful if you would share them with me (and hopefully it can benefit other novices like me!) Thanks verra much!

Red Metis

[stacey.23]

Hi Red Metis,

Do you know when and where your Willie Brown died? (Based on the census records that Bill posted earlier, I would guess that he died in Duval County, Florida sometime between 1920 - 1930.) Florida recorded statewide deaths after 1917. You could send for his death record, if you don't already have it. It should list his parents' names (including Lydia's maiden name) and might list where in Virginia he was born and you could maybe narrow your census search based on that. If you already have Willie's death record and it doesn't provide any additional information above what you already know, spread your search out. You might go back to the 1870 and 1880 census records and track his siblings forward as far as you can to get their death records and obituaries.

Ancestry.com does have a Florida death index. The title says it is from 1877 - 1998, but if you read the description on it, is states: "This index covers the death records in Florida from 1936 to 1998." So, that won't help narrow his death date down.

Below is a link to the Florida Health Dept. Death records cost $5. It doesn't say what the cost is for a search if you don't know his exact date of death, but there is contact information at the bottom of the page where you can ask.
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/deaths.htm

Hope this helps,

Stacey

[Red Metis]

Thank you much, Stacey. I just have a minute before I get back to the sickroom, so I'll tell you as much as I can right now.

Apparently, he died somewhere between 1910--1920(?) and here in Florida. When the Browns/Jenkins arrived in Duval, they never moved again.
I'll check again when his wife was listed as a widow. If he died before 1917, then I'll have to widen out my search.

Thanks again!!

[Buffalowm]

Hi Me,
I have found that a lot of times when we search we are expected names to be spelled correctly, for instance on my Owens side, some census records have Owen instead of Owens . Then sometimes they list Della Owens as Delka Owen. So maybe it could be listed as Linda, Lillie or whatever it sounded like to the census taker. Could have been planned that way ... another form of assimilation...so we would have difficulty in tracing our Native American ancestry... if using Ancestry.com .. try using the soundex option instead of the exact spelling... that is how I found grandma Della on other records. I have a gr gr uncle Prymus Lynch who is listed as Primus Linch on one census and spelled correctly...Prymus Lynch on another. Also, remembering birth years is helpful in case you do find a name that is spelled incorrectly. Looking for other spellings is how I found out that the Plummers were Cheroenhaka Nottoway. Creator has truly blessed me by pretty much dropping info in my lap... Hopefully this will help. If you need more help please send me a personal message and I will get back with you.

Haliwagirl