>Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2002 >From: GrannyMc@aol.com >Subject: [GEN~TIPS] Ward & King ca 1800 > >Does anyone have any knowledge of how you go about finding an ancestor that >came from Holland or Germany around the 1800s. It has been passed down in >the family that my gggrandmother was from one of these countries. She died >in GA, I believe in Richmond Co. but did live in Columbia Co., GA for a >while. I only know the last name and don't have her father or mothers names. > They may have live at some time in SC but She and my gggrandfather were >married in Augusta, GA in 1830 and I believe she was quite young. >Would appreciate any tips that would help me over this brick wall. >Beulah Beulah, Sorry to take so long to send a reply. Are you still looking for ideas? First, I'd look for her and her husband in the 1830 census, starting with Richmond Co. GA, and then Edgefield and Aiken Counties in South Carolina, just across the river from Augusta, since the young couple might have gone over just to get married, and then returned home. The 1830 Census Day was June 1, so if they were married before that, and were living on their own, you should find them living as a married couple with the husband named as head of family. If they married after June 1, they won't show up in the federal census as a family unit until 1840. Since she died in Richmond Co., perhaps they spent most of their lives in that area, or had extended family there. If you can find the husband's parents, you may find the wife's family living nearby. They may also have attended the same church and, as children, have attended the same school. In fact, their families could have come together to settle in the area, either from somewhere else in the States (SC, NC, VA, NJ ?), or from overseas. Next, I'd see what LDS microfilm there is of Richmond County etc. records. Everton's Handy Book for Genealogists says that the Family History Library has microfilm of some marriage, cemetery, civil court, probate, land, and tax records for this county. Maybe there are church records. Other records may be housed with the state. (Unfortunately, Gen. Sherman may have come through Augusta on his march to the sea and burned the courthouse.) If the bride was very young, a father's consent might be with the marriage record, if the record still exists, although maybe some southern states allowed younger brides, so a consent wasn't necessary. I would look for any and all records over in South Carolina too. Tax and land records could place the husband there for whatever years he resided there. Voting lists are another thing to look for. If your gggrandmother's father died with a will, and it happened to mention her, that would be useful, so check probate records. Same with her mother. I assume their names were Ward and King? These don't sound Dutch or German, but English. Maybe the immigrant ancestor was Dutch or German & married a Ward or King. Maybe the name was changed, like from Koenig or Kaiser. You never know about things that were passed down in the family. It was passed down in mine that we were related to William Penn, but a book about him said he has no descendants so I think my ancestors probably just bought land from him. Family legends are often clues only. Finally, you could buy Georgia Genealogical Research, by George K. Schweitzer. He usually has lots of good ideas. There may be a similiar book by him or someone else on South Carolina. If you learn the history of how a state was settled, that can give you ideas on what to try next. Cheryl Wray, jw90013@navix.net