Monday, March 10, 2008

I'm Drowning in Daniel Atchley's

I am an EXTREMELY organized person or I always thought I was. I have gone through wills, Revolutionary War Pension applications, deeds, land grants, tax lists, assorted state and county rosters, census files, guardian papers and every other "official" paper I could find. I'm ignoring the mounds of family histories, since it's the mistakes in most of those that I'm trying to correct - as they pertain to OUR line. I'm only looking at FACTS. I've done a TIMELINE to show which Daniel (and sometimes Joshua, Thomas, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Jesse and David) was around in a certain year. That didn't clear things up for me, so I drew a PICTURE. I drew all those states that had Daniel Atchley's (and sometimes Daniel ASHLEY's, AND the other names that keep reappearing) and wrote the names, dates and counties into the little picture to try and figure out who was where and when. My very confusing picture now has New York, Vermont, Connecticut [I think I'm going to drop all those, as most pertain to Daniel ASHLEY and I think I've concluded that he's not "my" group], Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky [not sure about those guys], Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. This has NOT cleared the picture up for me yet.

I think I know the problem, though. The early records of East Tennessee are sparse. I have land grants in east Tennessee for Joshua/Josiah, Thomas and Daniel, but this Daniel, which I believe is mine, died about 1825, per the deed transactions I've followed, so I don't have a pension application for him. He was in Sevier County TN and that courthouse was burned in the 1850's, along with all the early data. I believe the land received in a grant by THAT Daniel was passed on to the Daniel Atchley that I KNOW is a sibling to my Arkansas Atchley's, so the normal ASSUMPTION would be to ASSUME that the Daniels are father and son.

I have a few other loose ends. Mary Russell (of Jefferson County TN) is married to an Atchley per her father's will. Is that the SAME Mary Russell that a grandson of Daniel and Mary Russell Atchley discusses in his 1874 autobiographical sketch? I haven't found a marriage record with Daniel, or a record showing her living with a child. She never applied for a Widow's Pension, so she might have died before 1832 also. I have the will of Thomas Atchley (1775) listing his children. I'm still missing a real link between these folks. I've been going through Atchley's in my sleep this past week. I'm going to take a little break on them and run to Kentucky for a quick mini-reunion with some LIVE relatives.

One of my cousins is turning 80. She's not my oldest cousin either. Her sister is older than her. It should be fun. I think my daughter is driving over too, so it will be extra special. She'll be spending spring vacation in Canada, so a couple of days in Kentucky will be nice.

Maybe I'll have a "Daniel Atchley epiphany" over the next few days.... All suggestions or donation of pertinent documents gladly accepted.

3 comments:

Frederick P Atchley said...

I have notice that you do not have Daniel Atchley Atchley/Achly of Choctaw County AL. I first found this Daniel on the Washington County AL 1830 Federal Census.
Listed as Daniel Achly age 30 under 40 and a family.
I have not been able to find this family on any 1840 Fedeeral census.
Choctaw County AL was formed in 1847 our Sumter and Washington County AL
I found him 1850 on the federal Census of Choctaw AL listed as
Achly, Daniel age 55 born NC
, Mary age 45 born TN
, Darcas age 25 born AL
. Richard age 21 born AL( This is all I know about this person)
, Thomas age 18 born AL
,Mathew age 10 born
, Wm M age 5 born AL
On the 1860 Federal Census of Choctaw County AL he is listed as
Daniel Atchley age 75 born TN
Thomas Atchley son born AL
William Atchley son age 16 born AL
Matthew Atchley ( his son) age 21 Married born AL
Rebecca Atchley wife age 22 born AL
Daniel Atchley son age 1 born AL
Jehu Ivey age 30 born AL(This James Anderson Ivey
Darcas Atchley, wife agae 30 born AL
, Martha age 16 born AL
married Littleton Meek Ivey the brother of Jehu.
I did not find Mary on the 1860 Federal census of Choctaw Count AL
On the 1870 of Choctaw County AL I find this.
Mary Achley age 68 born TN
Jane Achley age 60 born TN
Tobe Atchley age 36 born AL
Caroline age 25 born AL This is my great grand father and great grand mother.
I do not know where Daniel and Mary(Unknow) Atchley lived before they came to AL
Many people have sent me information on Mary Russell but this Mary is not Mary Russell as Mary is listed on the 1880 Federal Census of Choctaw as a Widow living with er son Matthew Atchley. Mary has been listed on several census as being born in Tn & GA Daniel as been listed as being born in VA, NC,TN Daniel died after 1860.
I have more on this Atchley family my e-mail address is lillis-fred@juno.

Deb said...

Fred,
I tried to respond to the email address you left, but I got an error in the address. Please send me a corrected email address.

Thanks,
Debbie

Frederick P Atchley said...

I have been having computer problems.
My e-mail address is

lillis-fred@juno.com
Write me and I will give you more information on Daniel Atchley b.about 1785-1795 in VA./NC/TN and Mary (maiden name unknow) born about 1803 TN/GA.
Fred