Okay, so I am working on my family tree, and I've hit what seems like almost, but not quite, a dead end with one set of great-grandparents. Their names are George Washington Lackey and Dora Simmons. I've located George Washington Lackey on Ancestry.com and found quite a bit of information about him. However, he spent most of his adult life married to a Martha Ada Cook, who is definitely not my great-grandmother. I think Dora Simmons probably got pregnant from George out of wedlock (after he was widowed by Martha Cook), but who knows. Key here is that George lived in Big Creek, Craighead, Arkansas, and Powell Twp, Craighead, Arkansas according to the census.
Now, Dora Simmons is a much more elusive character. The story I've been told is that Dora died during childbirth in 1920 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. That, and a grainy old photograph, are all I have or know of her. I can't find any record of her that I can be 100% sure of. Unfortunately, I don't know parents' names or a birth date or anything else!
However, I have found a POSSIBLE match for her in the census in Little Texas, Craighead, Arkansas. She was 6 years old at the time of the census--1900--and was listed as a "Boarder" in a household. That would have made her 26-27 at the time she hooked up with George W. Lackey and had a son--a reasonable age. Now, Little Texas, Powell Twp, and Big Creek all seem to be within about a 30-mile radius as well. This is all circumstantial evidence, but is it enough, in your opinion, for me to be reasonably confident that this is the Dora Simmons who is my great-grandmother?
Your thoughts will be appreciated.
Now, Dora Simmons is a much more elusive character. The story I've been told is that Dora died during childbirth in 1920 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. That, and a grainy old photograph, are all I have or know of her. I can't find any record of her that I can be 100% sure of. Unfortunately, I don't know parents' names or a birth date or anything else!
However, I have found a POSSIBLE match for her in the census in Little Texas, Craighead, Arkansas. She was 6 years old at the time of the census--1900--and was listed as a "Boarder" in a household. That would have made her 26-27 at the time she hooked up with George W. Lackey and had a son--a reasonable age. Now, Little Texas, Powell Twp, and Big Creek all seem to be within about a 30-mile radius as well. This is all circumstantial evidence, but is it enough, in your opinion, for me to be reasonably confident that this is the Dora Simmons who is my great-grandmother?
Your thoughts will be appreciated.