I'm having trouble finding sources for an ancestor, William Parks Husband of Catherine Young?

Question

The only thing that I have been able to locate are in family trees, including a possible different husband. I can't locate anything else, no census,no birth, marriage or even a death record. I did find a will from a sibling of Charlotte Ann Kirkland (born Parks) but her parents were not mentioned. William was born c. 1800 in Virginia,  Fredrick c.1790 in North Carolina. Both family trees show the same children, the only parents are for Catherine Young Parks. Having trouble finding sources to back up their relationships as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

  Thank you,

     Regina Ucker

Answer 1

I've got a number of sources for some of your ancestors:

Charles Claude Sneed:

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3F7-PRJ : accessed 1 October 2020), Charles C Sneed in household of William P Sneed, Gainsboro Township, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 38, sheet 6B, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,061.

"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKV9-GVD : accessed 1 October 2020), Charles C Sneed in household of William P Sneed, Gainsboro, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 32, sheet 8A, family 144, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 52; FHL microfilm 1,374,065.

"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDNY-B3S : accessed 1 October 2020), Charles Sneed in household of William Sneed, White River, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing ED 37, sheet 5A, line 39, family 98, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 66; FHL microfilm 1,820,066.

"Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9SY-VXD : 18 March 2019), C C Sneed, 4 Apr 1923; citing Marriage, Cleburne, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 1,033,450.

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2D-MQDK : 10 June 2020), Charles C. Sneed, 1963; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Comments

Mary C E Kirkland:

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHDL-4XH : 18 March 2020), Mary C E Kirkland in entry for Calvin L Kirkland, 1860.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC7-62P : 19 March 2020), Mary C E Kirkland in entry for Calvin Kirkland, 1870.

"Arkansas Marriages, 1837-1944", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F79F-G4J : 11 January 2020), Mary Kirkland in entry for William P. Sneed, 1877.

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWH-CBB : 26 August 2017), Mary Sneed in household of William P Sneed, Gainsboro, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 120, sheet 148C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,047.

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3F7-PRD : accessed 1 October 2020), Mary E Sneed in household of William P Sneed, Gainsboro Township, Independence, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 38, sheet 6B, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,061.

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Charlotte Ann Parks:

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH57-4P8 : 4 April 2020), Charlott Parks in household of William Parks, Marshall county, Marshall, Alabama, United States; citing family 42, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

"Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:29NZ-54Q : 4 November 2017), Calvin C Kirkland and Charlotte Ann Parks, 01 Apr 1851; citing Marshall, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 2,203,730.

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHDL-4XW : 18 March 2020), Carlotte A Kirkland in entry for Calvin L Kirkland, 1860.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC7-62L : 19 March 2020), Charlott Kirkland in entry for Calvin Kirkland, 1870.

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Thank you for all these sources too.. It seems that as we get farther back in time, the more difficult it can be to verify our ancestors, unless they start a church and have thier own family cemetery, lol.. 

Answer 2

To answer your question though... William or Frederick?

1850 Census - household information:

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

William Parks

Male

25

Tennessee

Catherine Parks

Female

50

Virginia

Charlott Parks

Female

20

Alabama

James Parks

Male

17

Alabama

Adaline Parks

Female

13

Alabama

Thomas Parks

 

Male

11

Alabama

So I think the idea of a William Parks came from here.  Note Catherine Parks, age 50, born Virginia, is in the household of her son, William Parks, age 25, born Tennessee. So it wasn't a huge leap to "assume" that they messed up on the "age" part and that William Parks was her husband. However, it is much more likely based on this record that her husband was deceased and her eldest son was supporting his widowed mother.

This doesn't resolve the William vs. Frederick issue, but it brings us one step closer as it implies he (whoever he was) had passed away prior to 1850.

Comments

However, I'm drawing a blank where it comes to the spouse of Catherine. Looks like that one's going to be a challenge...

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Thank you so much for your help. I came to a similar conclusion. I was hoping to be able to find something that would point to Catherine's Husband. Even the son, the William in the census, I'm getting some conflicting info on his date of birth, in family records I'm finding he was born in 1816, but the census puts his birth in 1825. Should I change the older William Park to unknown since I am unable to verify his existence at this time?

Thank you again,

Regina

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When it comes to conflicting data, I generally go by the one that makes the most sense to me. If a date shows up consistently on several records and only has one outlier, then usually I'll ignore it. However, with William, the sequence on the 1850 Census makes more sense than for his birth in 1816. If he was born 1816 and she was born 1800, it's certainly conceivable for that birth to have been physically possible. But for a gap from 1816 to 1830 for her second child to be there is very unusual, and for a gap of 1816 to 1839 (23 years) from first to last child is a little unusual as well (but not impossible). 

I did find what appears to be his 1870 Census and it claims he was born in 1821, so his birth date is all over the board - no consistency.

"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC7-62B : 19 March 2020), William Parks, 1870.