My husbands family had a BUNCH of Alabama folks who went on to Arkansas from Jefferson Co. and then many of them went on to Texas, and most of them, like yours, were AFTER the civil war. I know you've probably already tried these things but not knowing what you HAVE tried, well, if it were me, I'd go to the county in Arkansas and start working my way backward. I'd use census and pension records, even land records if they exist and try to track down when he died. A confederate vet has a good shot at having an obit on him, and it would very possibly mention when he came to Arkansas and when his wife died. Same thing with the kids and even better the aunt!! Their obits might mention there aunt who raised them "from the age of ... 3" for example. Its very very unlikely that you can find any kind of news article without a date, but you MIGHT be able to get a date, with some work. If you can find him in the 1880 census index (try Mississippi as well as the other two states) look at the 1870 and 1880 neighbors. Generally people travelled with friends and family. Then the birthdates/places of the children can help you to figure out WHEN he left. I wouldn't be at ALL surprised if Elizabeth died in childbirth, he sought the new frontier, and his wife's sister raised the children. It wasn't that unusual for the time. Men were rarely considered fit as single parents. THey usually either married immediately or a female relative raised the kids ... sad, but that's just the way they did it ... Bill Allen wrote: > > Is there some way to find out why the Champ LANGFORD / Elizabeth HAGOOD > family disappeared from Jefferson County, AL? > > Champ and Elizabeth married and lived in Jefferson County, AL. From > 1861-1865, Champ served in Company C (Jefferson Warriors), Alabama 19th > Infantry, CSA. Champ's family was in Jefferson County in the 1870 U. S. > census. They had a daughter in July, 1870. Then, in the 1870s, their > children were raised by the children's aunt, Belle (Hagood) Bevins. > After 1870, I've found no trace of Elizabeth. And I lost track of Champ > until he (without Elizabeth) applied for a Confederate pension in 1906 > from Craighead County, Arkansas. > > Why were the children raised by their aunt? What happened to > Elizabeth? Where was Champ for 36 years? What was a good ol 'Bama boy > doin' in Arkansas? Without a specific date, how could I find a news > story, an obit or some explaination? > > (I wonder if they lived in Jonesboro, Jefferson County, Alabama. > Because he's buried in Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas.) > > Bill Allen <misterbill@pdq.net>