52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 5 - Life Experiences

I am certain that Ransom Spurlock (1807-1896), my earliest known Spurlock ancestor, was dropped off in Georgia by visiting aliens. Seriously, trying to break through the brick wall to discover Ransom’s parents is giving me the opportunity to learn about research in the Southern states, particularly in burned counties. 

Ransom was reportedly born in Washington County, Georgia, where courthouse fires in 1855 and 1864 destroyed many records. I have been unable to locate his 1836 marriage record in Barbour County, Alabama. He moved on to Hinds County, Mississippi, and later to Bienville and Claiborne parishes in Louisiana. Other than census records and a couple of tax lists, I have not been able to find much before he arrived in Louisiana.

I am beginning to piece together information about possible relatives and learning to evaluate the evidence I have so that someday I may be able to come to some conclusion regarding his parentage. 


Thank you, Ransom, for making me become a better researcher!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2012) that invite genealogists and others to discuss resources in the genealogy community including websites, applications, libraries, archives, genealogical societies and more. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. If you do not have a genealogy blog, write down your thoughts on your computer, or simply record them on paper and keep them with your files.


© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research