John Lindsey, who's your daddy?

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Permalink Reply by GeneJ on July 23, 2009 at 2:19pm

Have you found John Lindsey's death in the collection "Shelby County Deaths" online database and images? One James, ae 36 died there 1867 [cites file number 10933]; one 10 mos old "A" (female) died there 1867 [cites file number 10713].

See
Shelby County Registrar of Deeds, Tennessee, "Shelby County Deaths," (http://register.shelby.tn.us/ ); use the drop down box at the right, under ARCHIVES, and search "Death Records, 1848-1958).

Perhaps share with us the source of the information you have on John's death. Ditto, do you have a specific date?

Comments about experience with this dataset welcome. A cousin used it recently and found the death record we sought (1855), albeit I could only find the records when I'd entered the surname as the first name. Had no such luck with your John Lindsey. Encourage you to be even more creative. --GJ

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 3:01pm

Hi Gene,

Yes, I have checked this database, under various spellings, with no luck.
I have also had officials searchthe records at Elmwood Cemetery and the National Cemetery in Memphis, as many Union soldiers were buried there, but to no avail.

As the family was basically destitute, my best guess is that he was buried in a grave without benefit of marker.

A witness to his death only said he "was buried at the cemetery at Memphis"...but that, of course, could be anywhere!

Permalink Reply by GeneJ on July 23, 2009 at 4:05pm

Thx. If you have the specific date of death, I hope you will share it with us. --GJ

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 4:19pm

Hi Gene,

Margaret seems to be confused as to whether he died in 1869 or 1870...but two witnesses list the date of death as January 10th, 1869. John was buried the following day. John was sent to a hospital in memphis during his war service (the record doesn't sat why) and while there he contracted smallpox. He spent quite a bit of time "sick at hospital" after that, and according to one fellow soldier, returned to service heavily pock marked.

His widow states John was never really able to perform physical labor after the war, and says he eventually died from the lingering effects of the disease.

I have checked pauper burials at Elmwood, but didnt find a match.

I have tried to find records of John's hospital stay, as well, but as so many facilities were at Mepmphis during the War, it's tricky!

Permalink Reply by GeneJ on July 23, 2009 at 2:21pm

You wrote, "There is strong evidence he MAY be the son of Henderson Lindsey."

Have you obtained probate records for Henderson Lindsey. Do you have dates, locations for events pertinent to Henderson?

Thank you. Let's get John's daddy! --GJ

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 3:07pm

Thanks, Gene!

I do have birth and death dates for Henderson, but have not pulled the probate...good call!

I do know for a fact he had a son named John...it's just proving he was MY John that's tricky!

My evidence is this:

-Same DNA family group (I had my grandfather tested)
-My John lists his birthplace as Lauderdale County, AL. Henderson was living in Colbert County at the time...these two counties are adjacent; in fact, I believe part of Lauderdale eventually became Colbert County (or vice versa).

I haven't been able to piece the proof together...but haven't found anything that would disprove my theory, either!

Permalink Reply by GeneJ on July 23, 2009 at 4:53pm

Thank you for supporting DNA studies.

Hope you'll check to see if a probate file is available for Henderson. Hope you'll also post here dates of birth and death you have for Henderson; ditto, the name of his wife, and her dates and details.

I wish we'd found John's death record in the Memphis death records. Perhaps another member knows about the completeness of that record set? Several questions peppered here:
(1) Have you considered that perhaps he died near Memphis or on the way to Memphis?
(2) What is the most "timely" (oldest) record you have that calls out his date of death, and what is the date of that record; who made the record?
(3) Have you exhausted newspaper archives of the time of John's death both at Memphis and where Henderson (if alive) would have been at the time. His wife's home town, or where her family lived at the time of John's death? (I mentioned I'd worked with the Memphis records earlier; it was an 1855 newspaper item in his W.V. home town that directed us to the Memphis death index.) .

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 6:18pm

Hello, again, Gene!

Every reference in Margaret's pension file (I believe there are four) mentions Memphis itself...there is a passing reference to a hospital, which also suggests a large town. This information comes from witness statements, which of course were made at least ten years after John's death. I do not have any primary source documents.

Margaret returned to her family after John's death (a fellow veteran put her and her children...including a six week old baby...on a boat) and can be found living with them in the 1870 Census, in Hardin County, TN. They were still living there in 1880...Margaret migrated to Texas sometime after that year, and I lose track of her parents. Their names were Charles and Margaret Ingram. Charles was born ca 1800, in Virginia or South Carolina.

I have checked Memphis and Hardin County newspaper accounts...at least, the best that I can online, over the phone or via kindly research volunteers. I have two children under five...my "research vacation" will have to wait awhile! Anyway, I have turned up no obituaries.

I had not thought to check Colbert County, where Henderson lived...excellent idea! As John was poor, and he did not live in Memphis, his death most likely would not have been published.

I will keep thinking of any info I left out, and look into Colbert County newspaper archives.

Your advice is wonderful...PLEASE let me know if you have any more thoughts.

Best,

Jenn

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on July 23, 2009 at 6:37pm

Forgot to add Henderson's info:

Birth: 20 Sep 1806 - North Carolina, USA
Death: 20 Aug 1890 - Colbert, Alabama, USA
Parents: Robert Lindsey, Mary Thamir Morris
Spouse: Martha Patsy Hammonds

*this info comes from other researchers, but I believe it to be reliable...

Permalink Reply by GeneJ on September 25, 2009 at 10:51am

Hi Jenn:

You wrote, "just proving he was MY John that's tricky"

You wrote, "I do have ... death dates for Henderson 20 Aug 1890 ."
Hopeing you had success with the probate on Henderson. Since your John predeceased him, you'd be looking for mention of John's children.

BTW, might you start a thread in this challenge and overview John's children?

In case I missed it ... do we have more inforamtion about his cause of death. Asking because we should try to rule out particular deaths 1869-1870 from the 1870 Census mortality schedules. Nothing yet has jumped right out at me ... actually seemed his death could have been reported there more than once (only one of which might be where he actually died). The mortality schedules do ask for cause of death. Since the Mortality indexes seem especially subject to creative names, could take several passes by all of us to rule out an entry there. --GJ

Permalink Reply by GeneJ on September 25, 2009 at 10:53am

P.S. @Jenn
For that Mort. Census research log ... there is an indexed John Lindsy, reported in Mort. census of Red River Texas ... d. 1870, b. ca1828 (ae 42), said b. TN.

Permalink Reply by jennifer mclaughlin on September 26, 2009 at 5:21pm

Hi Gene!

John Lindsey contracted smallpox during his Civil War service. Apaprently, after the war, he was never really able to work again due to the lingering effects.

His widow and other witnesses say that he became ill at Memphis en route to Texas with several other families. He died there from complications of smapllpox...apparently "lung problems".

He was sent to "the hospital at Memphis" several times during the War. From what I have researched, it seems many Union soldiers were sent to Overton Hospital (a former hotel) but have no way of verifying this.

I also don't know if John was in the hospital when he died, a hotel, or other residence.

I have been unsuccessful in finding any kind of database with hospital records from that place/era.

Thanks for your continued assistance!

jennifer

PS

Should I start this new thread with the information I have on John Lindsey's surviving children? Just want to be clear before I post! :)

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