If I cannot determine which of 2 brothers is the father, can I create a place-holder profile?

+6 votes
399 views
Hello researchers,

I'm researching the Doby family in Rowan and Davidson County, North Carolina.  The records for the 1700s and early 1800s are few and far between.  I have two guys, Alsey Doby (Doby-35) and John Doby (Doby-386) who I'm pretty sure are brothers.  There 12 male Dobys that should be counted as children on the 1830 Census, but only 11 are counted.  There are 8 male Dobys that should be counted as children on the 1840 Census, but only 5 are counted.  There are no birth, marriage, death, wills, land, letters, etc that I can find to tell which sons go to which father.   So, my question is, can I just create a "place holder" profile that is brother to Alsey and John and put all the children under the place holder with notes about possible fathers?

I have a giant spreadsheet with notes that I've been working on for 5 weeks.  I'll be happy to email it to anyone that wants to help.
WikiTree profile: John Doby
in Policy and Style by Allan Capps G2G6 Mach 1 (11.5k points)

3 Answers

+5 votes
 
Best answer
I've done something similar before. I don't see why you can't, as long you document everything in the profile.
by Eric Weddington G2G6 Pilot (513k points)
selected by Allan Capps
+3 votes
And how can I determine which of 3 brothers Alexander, John and James is the father?

I have a family in 1840s Scotland, on the death certificate for the son of one of these brother's, the father's name is given as Alexander.

That made sense, however when researching Mary the mother of the son, I found that she had filed paternity decrees for support from the other 2 brothers, John and James. Maybe she just didn't know which brother was the father and Alexander was the only one who said 'Yes it's possible that I am the father'.
by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
Is Alexander, John, and James part of the Doby family in North Carolina?     Thanks.
No, just another example of difficulties with determining who is actually the father of a child.

Apologies if I have created confusion.
+2 votes
For anyone that may be interested in the Doby research I mentioned above, here is a free space profile that hopefully explains the results of my research.

https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Space:Analysis_of_Early_Doby_Settlers_in_Davidson_County,_North_Carolina.&errcode=new_profile
by Allan Capps G2G6 Mach 1 (11.5k points)

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