RootsChat.Com

Have you contacted the cemetery, just in case they might have records that go back that far? It's a long shot, but it doesn't hurt to try.

Ah, the cemetery in Ontario? No, that’s an interesting suggestion. I will try that.

Hello Rootschatters,

I’m researching a family in the South and hoping someone may know of online resources I haven’t tapped yet.

This family (as far as I have traced) is from around Covington, Alabama (appearing in the 1850 and 1860 US censuses), but emigrated to Leon County Texas by 1870. I lose track of them until 1900 and then have some missing details up until 1920.

Head of the household is
William A. BONDS, b.ca. 1828. Online trees list him as “William Ashley”, but I can’t find confirmation of that.

First wife “Milley” / Amelia (MN unknown) b.ca 1818-1821, likely d.ca 1860-1862.

Children born in Alabama:
George BONDS b.ca 1848 d. 6/22/1898 in Derry, Natchitoches, LA
Mary BONDS b.ca 1850
Alexander BONDS b.ca 1852
Peter BONDs b.ca 1853
William A. BONDS b.ca 1854
Baker BONDS b.ca 1856
Mandy BONDS b.ca 1856
Pink BONDS b. 8/4/1860 d. 5/8/1934

(Some of the children may be repeats - not all names carry across the census records)

Second wife Nancy MAY b.ca 1845 married William in 1863 in Sabine, Louisiana.

Children:
Sarah BONDS b.ca 1864 likely in Sabine, Louisiana
Dock BONDS b.ca 1869 in Texas

The family shows up as BARNES in the 1870 census, where we have William Sr., Nancy, George, Peter, William Jr., Mandy, Pink, Sarah and Dock living in Middleton, Leon, Texas.

After this I can’t find them until 1900 when different individuals show up in different households in Louisiana.

I would like to find the family in the 1880 US Census, and then any other gap records.

1900 onwards, I can mostly follow George and Pink and their descendants, and I know about Dock’s children and have some sense of what happens to him, but everyone else is harder.

I’d like to at least determine deaths of all individuals.

And I’m hoping to get more information on Dock. Really any info in addition to confirming his birth in 1869 and death in 1915.

Tracing the BONDS further back - the generation ahead of William, would also be helpful.

Thank you for any leads!

My ancestor James Steele emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the late 1850s. A newspaper article lists his place-of-origin as Berwick-on-Tweed. He was a blacksmith working on the railroads.
http://www.glanbrookheritage.ca/deathsjanjune1897.htm

Looking around in census data for that area of England between 1820-1860 (before James emigrated to Canada), the 1851 England Census for the Twizel district has a James Steel listed as an Apprentice at the Smithy. Seems like a possible lead: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SG6K-TBQ?lang=en

Likely this is the same individual born in Norham here -> https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/sources/L42V-XCD

However this other individual looks promising https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/L8WQ-L1G -> his mother, Jessie Martin, could be the namesake for my James Steele's daughter, my 2ndgg Jessie M. Steele (not clear what the M. stands for, could be Martin if Jessie Martin was her grandmother).

His wife was Mary Young, also born ca. 1827 in England/Scotland.
Children (approximate birthdates and accurate marriage dates):
Jane Steele - b. 1853 in England (m. 1873  Benson Chrysler)
Jessie M Steele - b. 1855 in Canada (m. 1871 James Mungo Main)
Mary "Mamie" Steele - b. 1857 (m. 1881 James Delmer Mills)
Eliza Steele - b. 1859 (m. 1882 Frederick Elias MacDonald)
James Steele - b. 1864 (m. 1888 Jane Ellen Patrick)
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Steele - b. 1868 (m. 1889 Walter Dixon Jackson)
Isabella Steele - b. 1872 (m. 1889 to John Hamilton Terryberry)

Would love to find info on James & Mary's marriage, and know at least their parents' names to keep tracing these lines as I've been stuck for awhile. Thank you!

(previous thread with more info on this family once in Canada at this link:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=783557.msg7631668#msg7631668)

Thank you, both good suggestions.

I haven’t found a will, but that could definitely open things up. For some reason - maybe because the name is so common - it’s hard to narrow down anything for Charles Robinson.