=============================================================== Posted to the Strong Mail List on 12 SEP 1998 by Muriel Millwood: -------------------------------------------------------- I have so little on my great-grandmother I have hesitated about posting it, but can't give up without a try. I would have a lot more information if I had paid attention to my grandfather when he told me things but I was very young and not interested in the past. Lydia LaStrange b County Cork, Ireland. m David L. Brigham . One child, George David Brigham b 1867 in Holly Springs, Miss. Lydia died when George was an infant. George moved to Forest City, Ark when he was about 3, then to Johnson County Ark. At some time David L. Brigham married Louisa Looney. This information was given to me by my grandfather, George David, in the 40's. Year later one of George's daughters said that Lydia was 15 when she married. If her child was born within two years--1867--then she would have been born around 1850. But the information about her age conflicts with something else my grandfather told me--that his mother was a nurse during the Union Army and his father was a Confederate soldier and they met during the Civil War. I know his father was a Confederate soldier because he is in a group photo that hangs in the Clarksville Ark. courthouse. But Lydia LaStrange remains a mystery. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to trace her? I would greatly appreciate any help. Muriel Millwood Santa Cruz, CA ================================================================= Greetings, Muriel! There was nothing about your Lydia LaStrange (leStrange, deStrange) on the Family Finder Index at the Family Tree Maker (Broderbund) web site. And I found nothing about Davild L. Brigham there, either. Based on your account, I assumed that David L. Brigham should be in the state of Mississippi at the time of the 1860 census. There was a William Brigham family enumerated on the 1860 census of Pontotoc, MS, Page 536. Check to see if your David Brigham is in that family. In 1870, David "S." Brigham was enumerated in St. Francis Co., AR, Page 449. Keeping in mind that "S." and "L." were easily confused, I feel pretty sure this is your David L. Brigham. Was Lydia in the household in 1870? If so you will know her age and where (state or country) she was born. If you don't find Lydia on the 1870 census, check the soundex for the 1880 census of Arkansas for both David L. Brigham, and the 1900 census for George David Brigham. The entry for George David Brigham on the 1880 and 1900 census will tell where he was born, where his father was born, and where his mother was born. Talk to the Librarian in the Genealogy Collection of a major metropolitan library near you and ask about Civil War records of nurses in the Union Army. If they were considered to be soldiers, you may find Lydia LaStrange in the Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers. The records usually state where the person enlisted and, if you are lucky, there may even be a copy of the enlistment record with additional data. (Don't forget to check variant spellings of the name.] Holly Springs, MS, is located in contemporary Marshall County. When was that county formed and from what parent county? Did Marshall county exist prior to 1870? Assume that Lydia died before 1870 in Marshall County, MS. Check the cemetery records of that county and look for obituaries in the newspapers that served that county. For the latter, you might have to go to the Mississippi State Library and Archives in Jackson, Mississippi. Also consider that Holly Springs was not very far from Memphis. Would Memphis papers have included an obituary?? Maybe other subscribers to the Strong Mail List will have some suggestions that will be helpful to you. Good luck in your search! "BoB T." Robert T. Strong, Jr. 119 Mystic Way Madison, Al 35757-8801