Does anyone recognize these names? We're looking for relatives of Rev. Jeremiah F. Johnson and his wife Harriet Newman, married 1844 in Perry Co, AL. I received this from another correspondant and would like to find out more about the Johnsons, Colemans, and Newmans named here. For clarification, I have added some names, dates, and places in [brackets]. I feel we are getting close in Alabama and want to focus my attention on Township 21, Range 6 in Perry/Hale County. This is where I found Berry Newmun buying land in 1847 and again in 1850. In those transactions a Charles Coleman and William Shaffer are involved. William Shaffer [JP] is the same one who married Jeremiah [Johnson] and Harriet [Newman in 1844 in Perry Co, AL], and Charles Coleman could be the father of Jane Coleman, Berry Newman's wife. There are Johnsons living in the immediate area and one of these could be the family of origin of Jeremiah. Up until 1868 this piece of land is entirely in Perry County. Afterward it is split down the middle with the western half going into the newly formed Hale County. Berry's holding is just in the Hale half. This explains why he buys land in Perry in 1847 and his daughters marry in Hale in 1868- 1870. Township 21, Range 6 contains 36 sections that are each 1mile x 1mile x 1mile x 1mile. They combine to make a total geographical area of 6 miles x 6miles x 6miles x 6miles. I want to study this 6 square mile area for our ancestors. There is plenty to look at. Between 1821 and 1861 there are approximately 200 land transactions involving perhaps 50 different families. We may want to include a few other families from the immediate area, but Township 21 and Range 6, I think, should be our primary area of study. Using graph paper I have created a map of this area. My map is incomplete, but already I am turning up some interesting names. Within 1 mile of Berry Neuman's house/property are the following- William Shaffer, Charles Coleman, John Coleman, James Johnson, and Frederick Johnson. I would say these names become our highest priority. Incidentally, the two purchases Berry makes in 1847 and 1850 give him 64 acres and 39.9, almost 104 acres. I think we need to correlate the land deeds with the census records for 1830, 1840, 1850 and maybe even 1860. 1860 is a stretch because Jeremiah has been gone 15 years. But 1850 and 1860 are the only census that gives names of children. I believe that the 1850 and 1860 are online. Maybe we can locate 1830 and 1840 on the computer, but if not we will need to go to a library that has them on microfilm, which is a pain. If and when I get back to Perry, Hale and Bibb I need to check tax records, mortgages, and orphan court records. I also want to go back to that area and check cemeteries. I also need to write down the exact description of the properties and look at the deeds to see who sold and who witnessed and who the wives were. I don't feel like a have a handle on the Newmans. I was so sure I would find them in Bibb County, and there are three there- Washington, Henry and James. They don't seem to fit though. Why does Berry go to Bibb and marry Jane Coleman [1844]? Bibb is not that far away and I guess he could have gone there [from Perry Co.], but with a Charles and John Coleman in Perry why would they marry in Bibb (if indeed one of them is the father of Jane)? One thing that is apparent is that some of the poorer young men worked on others' farms as farm laborers. I guess that eventually they saved enough money and bought land of their own, although I have never found where Jeremiah ever owned land. Berry broke that cycle of poverty by becoming a blacksmith, and blacksmithing may have brought him to Bibb County (he did not buy land there). Then there is that Newman with the strange name [Andinon] that I found in Perryville, and we need to follow up on him. Still, Harriet and Jeremiah were married by William Shaffer, and Berry must have bought his land in that area to be near family. The fact that Colemans were involved in that land sale seems to indicate that. I have looked at more of my notes and find that Frederick Johnson married Elizabeth Coleman in 1846. Frederick is around 46 years old at the time, and he is a definite possibility for being the father of Jeremiah. If I recall, Frederick is from Tennessee [or SC?]. The only thing is that he is buried in a Methodist Church cemetery in Hale. Frederick moves to Perry in 1841 (or at least he first buys land there then). He lives very close to where Berry buys his property. 1860 Census- Perry County- PO BOX Marion, entry #746 Berry Newman 40 M Blacksmith $800 GA [transcribed in some records as Bev Newman] Jane " 34 F Wife SC James 11 M School AL Margaret 9 F School " Elizabeth 7 F Evelina 5 F William 3 M James 2 M Florence 2 F S Hamderberg 18 M School Teacher SC J R Satterfield 20 M Clerk SC Researching my father's JOHNSON line, WILKINS, CRUTCHER, ADAMS, and others Researching my mother's VANCE line, ANDERSON, MAPP, HARRALSON, and others Family files may be viewed at <www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/a/r/Cathy-Garrett> Or see the whole compilation at http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~magarr/