Thanks for looking!!  The Wm G you suggested is a brother of the George W.  (1839-1888) about whom the discussion ensued.  William (1821-1897) is buried in the Parsons Cemetery along with most of the rest of the family for a couple of generations. ________________________________ From: "Bluelightning75@aol.com" <Bluelightning75@aol.com> To: lower-delmarva-roots@rootsweb.com Sent: Thursday, November 8, 2012 12:39 PM Subject: [LDR] George Parsons 1880 census I think your George W Parsons is listed as Wm G Parsons in the 1880  census In a message dated 11/7/2012 9:37:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  lizdfamily@comcast.net writes: Searching 1880 census on Ancestry.com for all John Wests with birth  date plus or minus 5 years of 1867 and born in Maryland I get these  results.  Sorry if hard to read (13 results) John T. West    Pittsburg, Wicomico, Maryland    abt 1862      Maryland          John W. West Painter D.,Nancy  E. Colbourne, Worcester, Maryland abt 1871  Maryland Son      John B. West Minous B.,Hetty A. Colbourne, Worcester, Maryland    abt 1873 Maryland Son    John E. West      Jacob W.,Mary E. Parsons, Wicomico, Maryland abt 1875 Maryland      Son    John West North East, Cecil, Maryland    abt  1862 Maryland John West    William, Lizzie      Marlboro, Prince George´S, Maryland    abt 1870      Maryland    Son    John L. West    Mary  Anna Baltimore, Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland abt 1872      Maryland    Grandson    John West      Clement, Mary A. Marlboro, Prince George´S, Maryland    abt 1872  Maryland    Son    John West  Baltimore, Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland    abt 1859  Maryland    Brother-in-law    John R.  West    John J.,Elizabeth    New Windsor, Carroll,  Maryland    abt 1875    Maryland    Son  John West    District 3, Howard, Maryland    abt 1858    Maryland          John T. West    Thomas J.,Caharan M.    Church Hill,  Queen Anne´S, Maryland    abt 1858    Maryland    Son    John West    Joseph, Alice    Martinsburg, Berkeley, West Virginia    abt 186 -----  Original Message ----- From: Miller's Choice  <milchoice@yahoo.com> To: lower-delmarva-roots@rootsweb.com Sent:  Wed, 07 Nov 2012 23:20:56 -0000 (UTC) Subject: Re: [LDR] My West brick wall  - hoping someone can help Hi Traycie, First let me commend  you on a well-written request for information.  Too many ask for help and  provide so little info it is impossible to help them. I looked at  the 1870 census that you had mentioned and it is Geo W. Parsons, not Geoff  Parsons, with whom John H. West aged 2 resided.  Also it is Hettie  Brumbly, not Brimbly (or Primbly).  I was sure I would know the Parsons  and maybe that would be a clue.  He appears to be the son of Jehu  Parsons, because one of Jehu's other sons is on the same census page. (George  is a popular name in the Parsons family.)  George W. inherited 800 acres  of the Parsons farm and I believe part of this is where Parsons Cemetery now  is in Salisbury because George's mother Esther requested in her 1873  will  she wanted to "be plainly but decently interred in the old burying  ground on the farm now owned by my son George". (Jehu, Esther and George W.  are all interred in Parsons Cemetery.) George never married and there is no  Thomas Parsons closely related in that specific branch of the Parsons family  but apparently Thomas Parsons of Jonathan knew the family, as in his 1874  will he appointed George W.'s brother as executor and left a bequest of  property in Salisbury near the mill pond of George W. Parsons. All that  said, if the John H. West is the one for whom you are looking, with whom he  lived is not a clue, thus far  Age 2 is awfully young to be an  apprentice, but there might be some documentation in the Wicomico Orphans  Court records if he was formally bound out.  I tried to see if John H.  West was still with George W. Parsons in the 1880 census but I cannot find  George and I know he is right in Salisbury as he didn't die until 1888.  I, too, use Heritage Quest, and often persons I know are "right there" do not  come up in the index, usually because the transcriber has misread the  name.  I usually find my person with a page by page search or just  looking at all the names under the surname, but you will understand if I am  unwilling to go through the page by page for what may be a wild goose  chase.  Or I ask a friend with a subscription to Ancestry.com to look for  it and send me the page, which is what I suggest you do or sign up for the  "free trial".  Since the Heritage Quest search for a John West of the  appropriate age range only yielded two possibilities, one in Cecil County and  the other in Wicomico, I would take the ancestry.com route to see if that  search found any other possibilities in other counties in  Maryland. <Would there be special records for someone of mixed  parentage?  NO.  Should I check slave schedules?  NO--John born  too late. Bastardy bond  records? YES--in Orphans Court records.  Native American records?  THERE AREN'T ANY.> I've done what I  can in this quest.  Best of luck to you,  Traycie. Becky ________________________________ From:  "EMSCRS@aol.com" <EMSCRS@aol.com> To:  lower-delmarva-roots@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, November 5, 2012 4:35  PM Subject: Re: [LDR] My West brick wall - hoping someone can  help Cancel the Civil War orphan notion - it ended roughly 2 years  before the  most consistent birth year.  Interesting dilemma,  and I will see if I can  find something more useful - have you looked  in Delaware?  Lots of people  (mine particularly) seem to have  commuted back and forth on a daily basis. Elizabeth In a message  dated 11/5/2012 3:12:46 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  mom2rjp3@netscape.net writes: Hello  fellow Delmarva West  researchers!  I'm hoping someone has a hint or idea  that may  help me get over a brick wall that has been plaguing me for a very  long time.  My great-grandfather, John Elwood West, was  born  circa 1867, depending on which document you are reviewing at  the time, in  Maryland.  In the 1900 census in Burlington  County, New Jersey,  his DOB is listed as May 1872, but he was only a  hired farm hand and it was  most likely reported wrong by whomever  was speaking to the census taker.  On his marriage license  application, submitted in Philadelphia in November  1900, (my  great-grandmother, Katie Keenan) he lists his DOB as March 1867 and  born in Maryland.  In the 1910 through 1930 census from  Burlington  County, New Jersey, he always states he was born in  Maryland and his parents  were also born in Maryland.  The  estimated DOB based on age reported  varies from 1865 to 1867.  In  the 1920 census, he reports his birthday  consistent with his  marriage application March 1867.  His death  certificate lists  his DOB as March 14, 1865 and POB as Maryland, as reported  by his  son.  Parents are listed as unknown. I know he went north  and was in New Jersey possibly as early as 1897 because he and my  ggrandmother  had a child (possibly twins based on family legend) out  of wedlock late in  1898 (forgive me, Aunt Kate). My grandmother  told me John was a "taken  child", which she described as being  loaned out to a neighboring farm - labor  in exchange for food and care.  Sounds like an informal indentured  servitude to me.  The  wonderful people at the Cecil County Historical  Society confirmed  that it was not unusual to send children to help on  neighboring  farms during this era. With all this, I've searched the  entire  1870 census for John West's under the age of 10.  There  are  only 19 total and only two born in Maryland (thanks Heritage  Quest) and living  in Maryland, and neither of these two are living  with anyone named West.  One in Cecil County, a Caucasian boy, age 9, living with the Mendenhall family  and one in Wicomoco County, a  mulatto boy, age 2, living with Thomas and Geoff  Parsons and  housekeeper Hettie Brimbly (or Primbly). The Cecil County  John West shows up in the 1880 census living still in Cecil County with  the  Warrington family as an 18 year old farm hand.  I haven't  had any luck  finding the Wicomico County John West in the 1880 census,  but that could be  for a number of reasons. Given the year of  his birth (whenever it  actually was), I've wondered if John was  possibly a Civil War orphan.  I'm taking a closer look at West  families in both counties to see if I can  find a family connection  between Wests and either Parsons or  Mendenhalls. Meanwhile,  does anyone have any idea where I can go from  here based on what I  know?  Even an elimination of a John West is a  valuable step  forward. Also curious as to what exactly mulatto meant to  an 1870  census taker.  Obviously, it means someone with a mixed  heritage,  but those kinds of labels change with the prevailing  prejudices of the  day.  Would there be special records for  someone of mixed  parentage?  Should I check slave schedules?  Bastardy bond  records?  Native American records? Thanks  in advance for any  suggestions or ideas.  Of course, if anyone has a long lost John Elwood  West in their family tree that they have  been itchin' to connect somewhere,  that would be terrific  also. ~  Traycie *************************************** QUESTIONS  about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The  Lower  DelMarVa Roots Mailing List  FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To  unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to  LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe'  without  the quotes in the subject and the body of the  message *************************************** QUESTIONS about  POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa  Roots Mailing List  FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To  unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to  LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without  the quotes in the subject and the body of the  message *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING  GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots  Mailing List  FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To  unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to  LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without  the quotes in the subject and the body of the  message *************************************** QUESTIONS about  POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa  Roots Mailing List  FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To  unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to  LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without  the quotes in the subject and the body of the  message *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message