The following is the brick wall that I am up against. These JACKSONS and CORAMS/CORUMS are free pesons of color from Pronce William county, VA. I don't know whether I have a real question here, but maybe some advice as to how to proceed.

Hal

Which Henry Jackson?

In the 1860 census, I found a Henry JACKSON who is a farm laborer living with a family by the name of Gallaher. I found him living in Prince William County, VA. In the same census count of the Gallaher household were:

Sidney S. Gallaher a fifty-four years of age female head of the house

George C. Sidney’s eleven year old son

Mary Gough a thirty-four year old female

Fay W. Green a fifty-three year old female

Thomas S. Clowe a twenty year male farm laborer

Henry JACKSON a twenty-seven year old mulatto farm laborer

Albert JACKSON a twenty-six year old male Black farm laborer
There is no mention that either Henry or Albert was slaves; therefore, we must assume that they were free persons of color (My father always said that his grandfather was a free person who was from Africa and that he was very Black.). Neither Henry nor Albert could read or write.

Question: Were Henry and Albert related?
Question: Did either of these JACKSONS have families away from the Gallaher

household?
Question: Is this Henry my great-grandfather?
Question: Could I have misunderstood my father?
Question: Was it his great-grandfather and not his grandfather who was African?
Question: Is this Henry our gggrandfather?

• Research 1869 census roll M653_1373

REMEMBER DO NOT MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS!!!

Now in order to wet your appetite for genealogy research and frustrate you at the same time, I present you with another scenario.

Let’s look at the 1870 census. We are researching Henry JACKSON from Gainesville, Prince William County, VA. There we find a Henry living in the household that consists of the following people:

James E. Harrell head of household a farmer age twenty-three

Jane S. age twenty-three wife of James

Robert age two son of James

Maud age one daughter of James

William Harrell age 25 male

Edison Farrell age 15 male

John W. Cross age 20 male farm laborer

Henry JACKSON age 19 Black male farm laborer who could not read of write

Amanda Randall age 36 mulatto female domestic servant

Grace Randall age 16 mulatto female domestic servant

John A. Brick age 49 male retired merchant

Alvin D. Brick age fifty-one retired merchant

Henrietta age twenty-six wife of Alvin

Cora age two daughter of Alvin

Infant age one month daughter of Alvin

Jane C. Shields age seventy-four

Question: Could this Henry be the son of the Henry living in the household of the

Gallaher’s?
Question: Could this be the father of my grandfather Thomas Henry?
Question: Does he have family living away from the Harrell household?
Question: How can we ever know?

The Information for this Henry JACKSON can viewed in roll M593_1673, Gainesville, Prince William County, VA.

Hold on we ain’t through yet. In the 1880 census a Henry JACKSON and family is on the same page that Margaret CORAM appears. In the household directly above that of Margaret CORAM is the family of a Henry JACKSON in which a male son named Thomas lives. Thomas is listed as being sixteen years old. On a death certificate procured from Montgomery County, in PA, my grandfather’s birth is listed as 1866. However on later census records, my grandfather Thomas Henry is listed with dates that indicate that he could have been born in 1864, 1866, or 1872.

The reason that it is important to note that the household of Henry JACKSON is above the household of Margaret CORAM is that in the CORAM household is Margaret’s granddaughter Elizabeth who is eight years old. The name of my grandmother was Elizabeth CORUM before she married my grandfather Thomas. The last name is spelled differently; that could have been the census taker’s fault, because in the 1870 census Margaret’s last name is spelled CORUM.

NO ASSUMPTIONS PLEASE!!

But . . . . .
Hal