This week's #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt is Challenges. My challenges are My Family.
Working on my family is something I don't do very often. Most of my research was done many, many years ago and I stopped mainly because I had hit some brick walls. These are just some of my challenges!!
Pogue family. I've blogged about the Pogue family before. They are a challenge. I don't know who James Pogue's parents are. He was born somewhere in Kentucky in 1807. It is possible his father was also named James Pogue, but I don't know for sure. There are more challenges with that family.
Rains family. I've done a fair amount of research on my Rains line. They came from Randolph County, North Carolina, to McNairy County, Tennessee, and then migrated into southern Illinois. When I did the research 30 years ago, i was sure I had traced the line back a few generations. But I've now come to realize I need to review everything. John Rains Sr. and John Rains Jr. may not be father and son -- something I didn't understand when I was a baby genealogist.
Denman family. Rachel Denman married Archibald McClerren in Tennessee about 1820. Most records indicate she was born in Georgia about 1805. She may be the child of Moses Denman. But she might not be. She's a mystery and I know I need to dig into Georgia resources to learn more.
Cleveland family. Mahala Cleveland married Nathaniel Jones about 1835 in Franklin County, Illinois. Her father may be a John Cleveland. She definitely has brothers Evan, Jesse, and Andrew, also living in southern Illinois. But more research needs to be done.
Jones family. Well need I say more about researching a Jones family. Fortunately I'm researching Nathaniel and Moses - somewhat less common first names. But Yikes!!
I have some of the same issues with my Edwards line -- it's another really common name. I've tracked them back through Simpson and Logan County, Kentucky, and then into Chatham County, North Carolina. But I swear, half of them are named Hugh.
And then there are the Eastern European lines—my dad's paternal family and my mom's paternal family. I've barely begun that research because it includes geographical and language challenges. I've had better luck with my dad's maternal lines from England and Scotland, but there are mysteries left to uncover.
Someone once said that doing genealogy was like working a jigsaw puzzle without a picture. There's some truth there, but education, collaboration, and hard work can help form that picture and allow you to assemble the puzzle. Oh -- and time. You need to find the time to do the work!!!!