Hound Dog on His Families Trail
I received an e-mail from Tom Coumier this morning to see if I was alright. I guess I am alright sort of . Just hung up on my genealogy. That’s all.I tell my wife it’s like an hound dog on a trail . you can’t quit. When I started ,y genealogy a little over five years ago I knew myGrandpa Spratt’s name and he was born in Missouri. That was all Iknew about the family. My parents said they thought the name Spratt was a German name. Now I know that my GGrandfather was Wilson Marion Spratt born about 1834 in Kentucky and according to the 1880 census his parents were born in Virginia. That’s as far as I have been able to get. My GGrandfather was married in 1855 in Platte County Missouri but had moved to Franklin County Kansas by 1860 . He was in the 16th Kansas Calvary in the Civil War and by 1866 he was getting divorced in Frankiln County Kansas. I have been un able to locate him in the 1850 census or the 1870 census. I have an Enoch Spratt born 1793 in Virginia that married Sally Samples born 1797 Virginia in 1818 in Kentucky and Enoch was in the Green County Kentucky Census 1830 and 1840. He was performing marriages as a minister in 1832 and 1835 in Green County Kentucky then I find Enoch Spratt in the Ray County Missouri marriage books performing marriages in 1841 . With all of my research no one else is researching Enoch Spratt. Everyone is researching his brothers and sisters but not him . Sally Samples had a brother Charles Samples that moved to Clay County Missouri and Enoch Spratt had a brother Elijah Spratt that moved to Clay County Missouri. Ray County ; Clay County and Platte County all three boarder each other in northwest Missouri. Everything I research points to Enoch but I can’t find proof positive connection saying that Wilson Marion was his son. That’s what I have been doing for the last two months. Doing some more digging.Maybe someday I will hit pay dirt. When I do if I am correct I will have about three more generations on the Spratt family. Oh by the way. I haven’t found a bit of German in the name Spratt. Looks like Irish. But in the 1860’s if the name was spelled SPRATTE or SPRATTS they came from Germany . I don’t know if they were Irish that went to Germany then United States or what but that is what the census says.All I knoiw mine goes back to Virginia.
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I know what you mean. Once you start uncovering bits about ancestors, it becomes almost an obsession. Recently I spent a weekend sorting through a box of old photos I got from my cousin. I unearthed all kinds of treasures. I found out my grandmother was a member of the DAR--who knew? That led to the discovery that there is a statue in North Carolina dedicated to the relative from the American Revolution. Can't wait to see what else is in there!
On my mothers side of the fence. My GGGGrandfather was married 1809 in Giles County Tennessee. The first recorded marriage in the county. He is also found on the " Intruders List" for Tennessee when they first opened up Tenneswsee for settlement. They made a deal with one Indian Tribe but forgot about the Cherokee Indian's and the Cherokee Indian's raised cane with the US Government so of course good old Uncle Sam wanted to cover his rear and decided to run the settlers out and called them Intruder's "OOP'S" So my GGGGrandfather had to pull up stakes and move to Alabama.
Go Charles go!!!!!!! Okay maybe one of our PLA's can shed some light on your pondering questions about the Spratt name and the members you can't prove positive on?
Best of luck on your journey, Christine
Good luck buddy. Embrace your inner hound dog and keep your nose down on the trail. If you seek, you will find. I love reading your stuff.
JC
My brother Gene did boo-koo geneology research long before computers. I know what he went through, but he enjoyed it and I enjoy the fruits of his labors. I really enjoy doing research myself but I haven't done much genealogy. Trying to trace my wife's family tree is really difficult. Her grandparents on both sides came from Italy right after the beginning of the 20th Century. But I'm digging into it. I'd like to get her pedigree.
This is quite a story Charles. If you have your genealogy in a software program with a GEDCOM file you're gong to love what we're about to launch in the next few days. We partnered with a web based software company that allows us to offer our vault members their own family history website. This way all the hard work people do on their desktop can be proudly displayed on their own website where people from around the world can share in their findings with full control of who sees or can't see any particular information. Coming Monday! I'd love to see your tree and when you have your website I can. Pretty cool huh? And, you can set it all up in about 15 minutes.
