Genealogy Sources Part 2: Feby Douglas

I recently discovered the 31 Days to Better Genealogy challenge from Amy Johnson Crow and decided I need some motivation to get moving with my research again. Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing my own progress with this challenge. It will take me longer than 31 days – but you will hear from me a few times a week. Tag along, help me out, and have some fun!

Day 2 

I’m writing about the questions I asked in Day 1 in two parts: JD Douglas in part 1, and his wife in part 2.

JD Douglas (b. 1795)^[1]1850, 1860 US Census Records and his wife are my 3rd great grandparents. I descend from them through their son, Winfield Scott Douglas (Scott). I call her Feby.

Genealogy Sources I Have

I used the same tactics in trying to determine JD’s wife’s name as I did in determining his. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much information on her. Let’s take a look at the genealogy sources I do have:

1. 1850 US Census for Weakly County, TN with her named as Ferobe Douglas, born in 1813 in Illinois. 
2. 1860 US Census for Stoddard County, MO with her named as Feby Douglas, born in 1808 in Tennessee. 
3. Marriage License for son, Scott Douglas, with her name as Percy Dunn or Dume – the handwriting is hard to read (see above). 
4. I do have Scott’s death certificate, but “Don’t Know” is written where his mother’s name is
5. My grandfather – a direct descendant – calling her “Ferby” from memory of his own mother’s stories. “Ferby” could be “Feby” or “Ferobe” given the southern-esque accent this family likely had. 

That’s it. Everything I have. It’s Painful.

It’s all Conjecture, But … 

I always read that handwriting as Percy Dunn … others see “Dume”. So, once again, I search the 1830 and 1840 Hickman County Census records for Dunns and Dumes hoping for a clue as to where Feby might have come from. I didn’t find any Dumes, but did find David Dunn and Sampson Dunn living near John Duglass in the 1830 Census and Sampson Dunn still there close to JD Douglas in the 1840 Census. Both David and Sampson are in the same age bracket at JD … could these Dunn men be brothers to Feby? 

Genealogy Sources I Need

Finding information on female ancestors back this far is generally difficult. Some sources I can think of are: 

1. Birth, death, marriage records for Feby and JD Douglas or for their other children where she may be listed
2. Probate records for JD Douglas where she may be listed
3. Military or pension records for JD Douglas where she may be listed
4. Historical accounts in books or newspapers for the places JD and Feby lived. 

I also need to track the two Dunn men from Hickman County and see if there really is a connection. 

What other documents or records might help?