This is for Laura - My gg grandfather Bryant (Hiram) was in the 1870 census in Illinois but not in the 1880. His wife died in 1878 and her death certificate said she was a widow. There was no state census for 1875. There was no death certificate for Hiram. So, I didn't know when he died 1870 - 1878 or where. There was no record of him in any cemetery. The courthouse told me that the old tax records had been given to the Gardner Museum of Architecture in Quincy. It is housed in the old Quincy Public Library on the corner of the town square (park in the center). It is one of those old Victorian stone structures. Very nicely done. I made an appointment for the next day. They went down to their basement and brought up the years that I needed. The books are divided by townships then by property taxes and then personal taxes, then delinquent. I looked at 1840, 1845, 1855, 1875. I was searching for other ancestors in the Quincy area also. When I got to 1875, Hiram was listed with a note that he paid his taxes and his return address was Canton, Missouri. That is directly across the Mississippi River from Quincy. I would never have known that any other way. Tax records are fascinating. There you are paging through books that were written in 1850, etc. Little notes from the tax collector - moved, gone to Missouri, died, etc. So, now I know that Hiram was alive in 1875 and in Canton, Missouri. I will write to the historical society there to see if they have any city directories and/or cemetery books to see if he died there. Of course, I am also open to the possibility that he was not dead in 1878. He might have just abandoned his wife and moved off. But, he was older so that is not likely. To my knowledge, tax records are the only annual records that are available. Judy Oklahoma City

There is a very nice historical society in Canton, MO, but uncertain the days they are open. You may find it on-line. ----- Original Message ----- From: <JBURNS407@aol.com> To: <ILADAMS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, 10 November, 2002 8:00 AM Subject: [ILADAMS] Obit - Dr. Samuel Thompson > This is for Laura - > > My gg grandfather Bryant (Hiram) was in the 1870 census in Illinois but not > in the 1880. His wife died in 1878 and her death certificate said she was a > widow. There was no state census for 1875. There was no death certificate > for Hiram. So, I didn't know when he died 1870 - 1878 or where. There was > no record of him in any cemetery. > > The courthouse told me that the old tax records had been given to the Gardner > Museum of Architecture in Quincy. It is housed in the old Quincy Public > Library on the corner of the town square (park in the center). It is one of > those old Victorian stone structures. Very nicely done. I made an > appointment for the next day. They went down to their basement and brought > up the years that I needed. The books are divided by townships then by > property taxes and then personal taxes, then delinquent. I looked at 1840, > 1845, 1855, 1875. I was searching for other ancestors in the Quincy area > also. When I got to 1875, Hiram was listed with a note that he paid his > taxes and his return address was Canton, Missouri. That is directly across > the Mississippi River from Quincy. I would never have known that any other > way. Tax records are fascinating. There you are paging through books that > were written in 1850, etc. Little notes from the tax collector - moved, gone > to Missouri, died, etc. So, now I know that Hiram was alive in 1875 and in > Canton, Missouri. I will write to the historical society there to see if > they have any city directories and/or cemetery books to see if he died there. > Of course, I am also open to the possibility that he was not dead in 1878. > He might have just abandoned his wife and moved off. But, he was older so > that is not likely. > > To my knowledge, tax records are the only annual records that are available. > > Judy > Oklahoma City > > > > ==== ILADAMS Mailing List ==== > Planning a family reunion? Get some great ideas for activities at Icebreakers: Warming Up The Family at www.genealogy.com/54_reunion.html > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >