Seeking brickwall help - Scott-45586

Question

Hello everyone, 

My maternal great grandmother is quite a mystery. I have been able to locate only one record of her prior to her marriage/family life and I'd love new eyes on this in order to connect the dots. 

Here is what I know, along with a theory from another researcher.

This line is a bit of a conundrum (and a mess) with duplicate names on other parallel lines.

Here is how I am related to Nancy Belle Scott

Melanie -

  Ramer (living mother)

          Gertie Rowlett - grandmother

               Nancy Belle Scott - g grandmother (there are several Nancys - which can get confusing)

                    Unknown Parents - I have James Milton attached at the moment as an uncertain father, just to have a way to connect to Harriett. Pretty positive this in incorrect.

                         Harriett Tucker - ggg grandmother (Tucker-20563) this is an assumption based off of census listing and I could be a generation off - NOTE: we also believe that Harriett was enumerated twice on the 1900 census.

Snowball and Calf Creek, Arkansas has always been (and I think still is) a very rural place with lots of similar names and ambiguous dates and info. Like for instance, Harriet being enumerated twice!

Those unknown parents have been a mystery to me for decades now. No living cousins have any clue. My mother has tried twice to do a DNA test, but unfortunately, neither was successful. I am completely open to any suggestions, ideas, rabbit holes, etc.

Gina diGualco on Ancestry and I worked a bit on it because I had DNA matches to both her mother and aunt, so at least I know I am in the correct family. Here is our correspondence.

“Harriett's family certainly isn't tidy. I don't think I've worked on a branch where so many people can't be found in census records! Here is my line. I believe Harriett and Allen were siblings.

   Barbara Alden - mother (passed in 2019)

      Alvis Ballew - grandfather

         Nellie Bryant - g grandmother

            Lucy Mack Tucker - gg grandmother

               Allen Tucker - ggg grandfather

My only theory about Nancy Belle is a bit convoluted. If she is the Nancy J. Scott enumerated in 1900 as the niece of William J. Rowlett, could she be Harriett's great-grandaughter through Mary Melissa?

Nancy Belle

   unknown

      Mary Melissa

         Harriett

I need to do some more research, but here's my idea. Per the 1900 census, Nancy Belle is either the niece of William Rowlett or of his wife. His wife on the census is Nancy J.L. Rowlett, but William's first wife, Nancy, died in 1888, and William married Dean Scott, Mary Melissa's daughter, in 1896.

If the census taker talked to Edgar, William and Nancy's son, and asked him for info about his *mother* (not about his father's wife), then Edgar would have provided info about his dead mother. Assuming that Dean should have been enumerated in the household, was Nancy Belle the niece of Dean? And, if so, was Nancy Belle the daughter of an unknown child of Mary Melissa?”

YIKES! See what I mean? Thankful for any help, 

Melanie

Comments

Nancy Belle Scott (1889-1957): https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Scott-45586

On the 1900 census, Nancy Belle Scott is possibly a niece of Genera Dean Scott as a daughter of a sibling of Genera.

William J. Rowlett married Genera Dean Scott on 23 January 1896 in Searcy, Arkansas. His former wife Nancy Kirkpatrick passed away on 25 October 1888.

The 1900 census in which Nancy Scott appears has the name of William's previous wife Nancy. This was an error by the census taker. The relationship of Harriet as grandmother applies to Genera Dean Scott.

As a side note, Nancy Scott became a niece of William J. Rowlett when she married his nephew Joshua Rowlett on 8 November 1905 in Searcy, Arkansas. 

Mary Melissa Scott as her mother: Before 1884, Mary had two daughters with an unknown father: Genera and Lucy. Mary married Thomas Yarber in 1884, so it would seem that a child born in 1889 would have his last name unless he was deceased and she had another illegitimate daughter. Mary’s son Grover was living in Joshua and Nancy’s household in 1910 as a boarder (not brother) and on the 1900 census he was living in the household of his half-sister Lucy’s father-in-law.

If "niece" is accurate on the 1900 census, Nancy is possibly the daughter of a sibling of Genera. Genera's sister Lucy was not married until 1898; however, she was too young in 1889 (10 years old) to be the mother of Nancy. If Nancy was born later, perhaps a possibility. Or possibly Nancy is the daughter of an unknown sibling. 

Nancy Belle Scott is updated in FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GHXS-LV3

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Thank you, Julie, for your time, effort and BRAIN! This helps me so very much. I truly appreciate you!

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You’re welcome! Another note to add is that Nancy’s death record does not include her mother’s name. But, it has her maiden name Scott for her father.