In 1930 GW's son Samuel, then a 36-year-old auto mechanic with his own large brood, told census takers -- apparently incorrectly -- that his father was born in Texas, while his mother was born in the "United States".
This is odd because most (all?) other censii recording the early whereabouts of GW's wife, Millie, establish her place of birth as Texas.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Researching the Early Whereabouts of George Wallace Hurley
George Wallace Hurley (b. July 27, 1862 d. June 9, 1951) was my great-grandfather. His son, George Lawrence Haskell Hurley was my grandfather, and Gerald Lawrence Hurley is my dad. But GW is the earliest known Hurley male in my lineage. Who were his parents or siblings? Nobody in my family seems to know. Answering that question is the purpose of this blog.
Three U.S. censuses (1900 OK, 1910 OK and 1930 KS) definitely record GW's whereabouts. But when asked where he was born he gives a different state on each census (Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi), making my research a bit tougher.
I have it on pretty good authority that GW was actually born in Ozark, Franklin County, Arkansas. We know he was born in July of 1862, but unfortunately, neither birth nor death certificates were required in AR until 1914. So actually proving his birth or his father's death is tricky.
What follows is some research I've recently done, along with a few leads that might pan out. First, the fact is that if everyone was to extend their family tree out far enough, eventually we're all related. So, someone is eventually going to build their family tree out to GW for me -- I just have that hunch. Secondly, there are a lot of amateur genealogists out there who are cataloging all manner of early records, from deeds to court records to everything else you could imagine. One such guy happens to be concentrating on Franklin County, Arkansas!
Okay, so family trees. On the website Ancestry.com, where I do my best digging, members are allowed to create family trees. (The links I provide are to screen shots of the websites I'll be discussing.) One individual has created a tree that purports to show the parents of GW, although the mother, Margaret A. Herring, is certainly incorrect, so it casts some doubt on the father's name. (Because MH is shown on the 1910 OK census in the capacity of "mother", this person incorrectly assumes that MH is GW's mother, when in fact she is his wife, Millie's, mom). But where did this person get the father's name? It lists a William C. Hurley, b. 1830, as the father. This is interesting, but unsourced. We can still do some digging though.
Another person claims GW's parents were Asa C. Hurley and Caroline Evans. I've dismissed this theory because this clan of Hurleys was based on Tennessee, both before and after the 1860 census. They did, however, have among them a George W. Hurley that was born in 1862. But I really don't think this is our GW, both because GW never claimed to have been born in TN, and because this family is too large. The legend is that GW's dad was killed by Indians when he was two-years-old, and his mother fell ill and sent him off into the world when he was 12. GW is thought to have had one sibling, a brother, at the most.
I say GW was born in Ozark, Franklin County, AR. I say that because three different apparent cousins of mine have posted it on the web. (Here, here and here.) So I'm thinking they must know.
So GW was born in 1862, and his dad supposedly died when he was two. Based on the first family tree linked above, were there any William Hurleys in AR in 1860? Well, there was exactly one William Hurley living in AR in 1860, and in that year he is 13 years old, and has a sibling (cousin?), Rachell Hurley, who is 15, and another relative, Araminta, who is 7. Kind of unlikely, though, to be GW's father, because of his young age.
What about Hurleys living specifically in Franklin County, AR in 1860? I did find this family which lived in Franklin County and, intriguingly, includes a "Wm. Hurley", although his age at 12 is probably too young to father GW two years later. And I don't see any other males in that family who are old enough to be GW's dad.
Going back to 1850, there is an AR-based William Hurley, b. 1833, with a whole mess of kids. It kind of seems unlikely to be GW's father, though, because of the huge family. (GW supposedly died a widower, with no contact from siblings or others upstream.) How could he have all these relatives, then be all alone later in life? Then again, this same family includes a 17-year-old William Hurley born in Alabama. In 1862 he would be about 30, which is an ideal age to be GW's father. Unfortunately, this WH seems to be absent from the 1860 census which, if he was GW's father, would have been his last, based on the theory that he was killed when GW was two (i.e., ca. 1864.)
So that's where I am. Three possible angles to explore would be to contact the county clerk in Eastland County, TX. This is where GW and Millie were supposedly married. Might they have a marriage license on file? GW might state his parents' names.
Another angle would be to contact the sheriff of Harper County, OK, where GW had supposedly once been sheriff. Maybe they have records going back that proves he held that office.
Finally, I could contact the Ford County, KS clerk, who might have a death certificate for him. This might shed some light on his heritage.
I will post more to this blog as leads develop. If you know anything, leave a comment!
Three U.S. censuses (1900 OK, 1910 OK and 1930 KS) definitely record GW's whereabouts. But when asked where he was born he gives a different state on each census (Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi), making my research a bit tougher.
I have it on pretty good authority that GW was actually born in Ozark, Franklin County, Arkansas. We know he was born in July of 1862, but unfortunately, neither birth nor death certificates were required in AR until 1914. So actually proving his birth or his father's death is tricky.
What follows is some research I've recently done, along with a few leads that might pan out. First, the fact is that if everyone was to extend their family tree out far enough, eventually we're all related. So, someone is eventually going to build their family tree out to GW for me -- I just have that hunch. Secondly, there are a lot of amateur genealogists out there who are cataloging all manner of early records, from deeds to court records to everything else you could imagine. One such guy happens to be concentrating on Franklin County, Arkansas!
Okay, so family trees. On the website Ancestry.com, where I do my best digging, members are allowed to create family trees. (The links I provide are to screen shots of the websites I'll be discussing.) One individual has created a tree that purports to show the parents of GW, although the mother, Margaret A. Herring, is certainly incorrect, so it casts some doubt on the father's name. (Because MH is shown on the 1910 OK census in the capacity of "mother", this person incorrectly assumes that MH is GW's mother, when in fact she is his wife, Millie's, mom). But where did this person get the father's name? It lists a William C. Hurley, b. 1830, as the father. This is interesting, but unsourced. We can still do some digging though.
Another person claims GW's parents were Asa C. Hurley and Caroline Evans. I've dismissed this theory because this clan of Hurleys was based on Tennessee, both before and after the 1860 census. They did, however, have among them a George W. Hurley that was born in 1862. But I really don't think this is our GW, both because GW never claimed to have been born in TN, and because this family is too large. The legend is that GW's dad was killed by Indians when he was two-years-old, and his mother fell ill and sent him off into the world when he was 12. GW is thought to have had one sibling, a brother, at the most.
I say GW was born in Ozark, Franklin County, AR. I say that because three different apparent cousins of mine have posted it on the web. (Here, here and here.) So I'm thinking they must know.
So GW was born in 1862, and his dad supposedly died when he was two. Based on the first family tree linked above, were there any William Hurleys in AR in 1860? Well, there was exactly one William Hurley living in AR in 1860, and in that year he is 13 years old, and has a sibling (cousin?), Rachell Hurley, who is 15, and another relative, Araminta, who is 7. Kind of unlikely, though, to be GW's father, because of his young age.
What about Hurleys living specifically in Franklin County, AR in 1860? I did find this family which lived in Franklin County and, intriguingly, includes a "Wm. Hurley", although his age at 12 is probably too young to father GW two years later. And I don't see any other males in that family who are old enough to be GW's dad.
Going back to 1850, there is an AR-based William Hurley, b. 1833, with a whole mess of kids. It kind of seems unlikely to be GW's father, though, because of the huge family. (GW supposedly died a widower, with no contact from siblings or others upstream.) How could he have all these relatives, then be all alone later in life? Then again, this same family includes a 17-year-old William Hurley born in Alabama. In 1862 he would be about 30, which is an ideal age to be GW's father. Unfortunately, this WH seems to be absent from the 1860 census which, if he was GW's father, would have been his last, based on the theory that he was killed when GW was two (i.e., ca. 1864.)
So that's where I am. Three possible angles to explore would be to contact the county clerk in Eastland County, TX. This is where GW and Millie were supposedly married. Might they have a marriage license on file? GW might state his parents' names.
Another angle would be to contact the sheriff of Harper County, OK, where GW had supposedly once been sheriff. Maybe they have records going back that proves he held that office.
Finally, I could contact the Ford County, KS clerk, who might have a death certificate for him. This might shed some light on his heritage.
I will post more to this blog as leads develop. If you know anything, leave a comment!
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