Jerry, have you joined the Gen-Newbie web site? This is for genealogy AND computer help. It's a busy site, but especially right now, they are having a roll call for genealogy where you submit your problems (like you have here) and some of their "guru's" try to give you leads in how to help you. I'm not into genealogy enough to help you, but joining that site may help give you some leads in what to do next. If you want to join, send an email with just "subscribe" in the subject line, with nothing in the body, send to Gen-Newbie-L-request@rootsweb.com This is a possibility for you. Emma ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry Bryan To: BRAY-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 1:50 PM Subject: [BRAY-L] William M. Bray, Tennessee I was working on some Bray census data in Tennessee and ran into a little problem. The 1850 census for Anderson County, Tennessee lists a William M. Bray age 5 in the home of my ggg grandparents Edward Payne Bray and Anna F. Messamore. William appears to have been the son of Edward and Anna, although it cannot be verified for sure in the 1850 census that he was their son. William appears again in the 1860 census for Anderson County, Tennessee in the home of Edward Payne Bray and his second wife Martha (Patsy) Sweet as William age 17. I cannot find this William M. Bray in any subsequent census. I have noticed that a number of researchers list this William M. Bray with a wife Maggie E. who was born about 1857, so I was trying to find out who Maggie was. I found William M. Bray with a wife Maggie E. in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses for Chester County, Tennessee (west Tennessee, a long way from Anderson County). These censuses are apparently the source for William's wife being Maggie E. born about 1857. The census indicates that it was the second marriage for each. Their respective ages were 66 and 53 in 1910, 75 and 63 in 1920, and 86 and 73 in 1930. The age for William is correct in the census for the son of Edward Payne Bray, but I was bothered by the fact that the birth places for William's parents were listed variously as NC NC or NC SC, whereas Edward Payne Bray was born in Kentucky and Anna F. Messamore was born in Virginia. Based on Chester County tombstone inscriptions, Maggie appears to have been Margaret Ewing (Maggie) Davis. I cannot tell from the tombstone inscription alone if perhaps she was Margaret Ewing who married first Mr. Davis and married second William M. Bray, or if her maiden name was Margaret Ewing Davis who married first to Unknown and married second to William M. Bray. She died in 1947, and my library has Tennessee death certificates through 1946. So I will have to write off for her death certificate to verify who her parents were. In the meantime, I found the William M. Bray of Chester County in all the censuses from 1860 through 1900. In 1860, he was in Henderson County, Tennessee, W.M. Bray age 17, (apparent) son of John Bray and M.A. (who was Minerva Ann Walker). This alone would prove, I think, that the William M. Bray who married Maggie Davis was not the son of Edward Payne Bray (but see below for additional evidence). Note that Chester County was created from Henderson County in 1879. In 1870, William was head of household age 25 in Henderson County, Tennessee with his wife Harriet Frances Fuller and four of their children. In 1880, William was head of household age 36 in Madison County, Tennessee (adjacent to Henderson County) with his wife Harriet and several children. In 1900, William was head of household age 56 in Chester County, Tennessee with his wife Harriet and their youngest child was still at home. According to Chester County tombstone inscriptions Harriet died in 1907, and then William married Maggie Davis shortly before the 1910 census. A number of researchers list William Bray of Chester County as William Martin Bray, but I have not found a primary source reference for his middle name. Finally, William M. Bray of Chester County died in 1934 and I have his death certificate. It says that his parents were John Bray and Meneirva (sic) Ann Bray. I believe that John was the son of Harmon Bray, and indeed I think it was likely that John was John Harmon Bray Jr. and that Harmon was John Harmon Bray Sr. I believe that the elder Harmon was the grandson of Henry Bray and Henry Yokley, so the two William M. Brays were from the same family, but from different branches. If my calculations are right, I think that they were first cousins four times removed. So I don't think that William M. Bray, son of Edward Payne Bray and Anna F. Messamore, married a Maggie E. born 1857. That still begs the question of what happened to William M. Bray, son of Edward Payne Bray, after the 1860 census. I can't find him in any subsequent census. I've looked a little bit at Civil War records. There are records for several William Brays, but I haven't found one yet that looks like mine. Any help would be appreciated. Jerry Bryan _________________________________________________________________ High-speed users-be more efficient online with the new MSN Premium Internet Software. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=byoa/prem&ST=1 ==== BRAY Mailing List ==== ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237