Elihu Maxwell-15561 is my second great-grandfather. He was born in Tennessee in 1822 and died in Arkansas 21 May 1887. I have been researching him for 40 years and still do not know who his parents are or if he had siblings. Any way around this brick wall?
I have his Union Army records; I know the names of both wives (I descend from his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Hatfield [Hatfield-5534]) and I have the names of all 18 of his known children, 10 from 1st wife and 8 from 2nd). Some of the other descendents sometimes name parents (William, Elihu, Bazil) but there are no citations for any of the guesses which seem to originate in yet other people's guesses.
I THINK I have identified a brother (Elisha Maxwell) who was born about 1817 in TN. Both Maxwell men named sons William F. (so maybe dad Was William??). Elihu named a son Elisha, and Elisha named a son Elihu. Both lived in the same area of KY in 1840s, and both lived in Allen, Kansas Territory in 1860s. But, this is the only evidence--conjecture.
Any advice on getting around this brick wall, or am I at the point where I need to quit beating my head against it?
