My great grandfather, CHRISTOPHER(CHRISTFORD) RECORD appears in the 1850 Montgomery County census, Eastfork tnshp. along with wife NANCY(Gibson) and children. He also appears in the 1855 IL State census. After that, he disappears. Family lore has it that he died from pneumonia after riding a horse in the rain. Is anyone else tracing this name in Montgomery County? I have searched for some kind of death record for Christopher...perhaps an old publication or notice. Any help or feedback would be most welcome. Christopher was born bet. 1800-1820, supposedly NY or Scotland; have heard both and Scotland appears on death certificates for some of his children. I seek siblings for Christopher and Nancy as well. Thank you. Patty

Dear Patty, If his death occurred bet. 1855-80, there would not likely be an official death record---just too early. And without a specific date, it would be pointless to search for an obit or news item about his death. I have had good luck in these difficult cases finding a probate file. Look for one in Montgomery Co. There should be an index that can be checked for it, and the index and the actual records may be available on LDS films so you could do it yourself. Usually somewhere in the probate file a mention will be made of the date of death, the heirs to the estate and their location, and listing of minor children with ages for purposes of establishing guardianship. I have found grown daughter's married names and where they lived this way. They can be a treasure trove of info for the genealogist. Would list any real estate owned by the deceased, and list personal possessions and their value, and who purchased what at an estate sale. This gives you the names of neighbors and an idea of the person's primary occupation and socio-economic status. If you find a probate file and get a date of death, then you can ask the IL State Historical Lib to check for a newspaper item about it. If he died tragically, there might be a news item. Good luck, Juli Claussen Search & Genealogy Services ----- Original Message ----- From: <gtfetch@juno.com> To: <ILMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 8:57 AM Subject: [ILMONTGO] RECORD/RECKERD SURNAME > My great grandfather, CHRISTOPHER(CHRISTFORD) RECORD appears in the 1850 > Montgomery County census, Eastfork tnshp. along with wife NANCY(Gibson) > and children. He also appears in the 1855 IL State census. After that, he > disappears. Family lore has it that he died from pneumonia after riding a > horse in the rain. Is anyone else tracing this name in Montgomery County? > I have searched for some kind of death record for Christopher...perhaps > an old publication or notice. Any help or feedback would be most welcome. > Christopher was born bet. 1800-1820, supposedly NY or Scotland; have > heard both and Scotland appears on death certificates for some of his > children. I seek siblings for Christopher and Nancy as well. Thank you. > Patty > > > ==== ILMONTGO Mailing List ==== > Montgomery County Genealogical Society was formed in 1978 and its holdings are housed at the Litchfield Carnegie Public Library in Litchfield IL.P.O. Box 212, Litchfield, IL 62056-0212 >