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? 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