I have a little brick wall because I am seeking to understand who Patience Marshall’s father is. Sometimes, you need to jump over a wall and work on it from the other side to bust it down.
My process is to:
- Understand what I think I know.
- Postulate a reasonable hypothesis.
- Prove or disprove the hypothesis.
The 1850 Census tells us that six-year-old Patience was living with her mother, Jane, in the household of Thomas Lawson. The 21-year-old Thomas is unknown, but with the same surname as Jane, I suspect that Thomas is Jane’s brother. The census reports Jane as being born in Tennessee about 1819-1820.
Other Records suggest that Jane’s father was Jacob Lawson. Patience was born in Tennessee, so it is likely that Jane and Jane’s father were married in Tennessee between 1840 and 1844. So, I wondered if I could find the Jacob Lawson family in Tennessee. If so, might a Marshall live in the same county that could be Patience’s father?
There was only one Jacob Lawson identified in Tennessee during the 1840 Census.
Jacob Lawson – McMinn, Tennessee
Males: 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 // Females: 0 0 0 0 1 3
| Males
< 5 0 5-10 0 10-15 1 15-20 1 20-30 1 30-40 0 40-50 0 50-60 1 – Presumed to be Jacob |
Females
< 5 0 5-10 0 10-15 0 15-20 0 20-30 1 – Could Be Jane. 30-40 3
|
Most marriages at this time took place between people in the same county. So, I questioned, are there any Marshall families in the same county that could be Jane’s husband.
In 1840, there were three Marshall families in McMinn County, Tennessee.
| William Marshall | John Marshall | Milley Marshall |
| 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 // 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 | 0 0 0 0 1 // 1 0 0 0 1 | 0 // 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 |
| < 5 0
5-10 0 10-15 1 15-20 1 – Candidate 20-30 0 30-40 0 40-50 1 (William?)
Females < 5 1 5-10 1 10-15 0 15-20 1 20-30 0 30-40 0 40-50 1 (William’s wife?) |
< 5 0
5-10 0 10-15 0 15-20 0 – No Candidates 20-30 1
Females < 5 1 5-10 0 10-15 0 15-20 0 20-30 1 (John’s wife?)
|
No Males – No Candidates
Females 10-15 0 15-20 0 20-30 2 30-40 0 40-50 0 50-60 0 60-70 1 (Milley?)
Note: Immediately beneath William Marshall. |
I still don’t know who Patience Marshall’s father was. However, I hypothesize that William Marshall of McMinn County, Tennessee, is likely Patience Marshall’s grandfather. So next, I will research the William Marshall family of McMinn County, Tennessee. That research might give me the answer.
I’ve made notes that I’ve made two leaps of faith.
- Jane’s father is Jacob Lawson (of McMinn County).
- Jane’s husband was a Marshall also from McMinn County.
I think both are reasonable assertions, but both require further research to prove or disprove my hypothesis. Sometimes, that can be easier said than done, but the process provides me with a new direction for research.
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