G2G: seeking the parents of John Napper/Napier born 1855 Kentucky

Question

I am at a very large roadblock in my genealogy work. the following information is all I have. I have the census and marriage record but My John Nappier vanishes. I do know that some point the spelling of the name was changed to Napper.

John T. Nappier born abt 1855 in Kentucky. He married Amanda J. Hunter on 8/14/1875 in Jackson County Indiana. Amanda was the daughter of James Hunter and Susan Stark born abt 1859 in Indiana. She died on 11/30/1898 in Jefferson County Kentuky the spelling of the name by then was Napper.

I have only been able to find John T. Nappier in one census the 1880 Clark County Indiana Census.He is listed as 25 born in Kentucky with his wife Amanda and the following children:
Daisy Nappier born abt 1860 she was two at the time
Minnie Nappier who was five months at the time

They also had the following children:
George D. Napper born 1891 KY died 10/4/1964 Jefferson County KY married Bessie Willard Dorton(this is my great grandparents)

William L. Napper born 1896 KY and died 10/27/1957 Jefferson County Kenucky he married Eckie Dorton (Bessie's sister)

James Oliver Napper born 05/16/1893 KY and died 09/23/1954 Jefferson CO Ky he married Edna Johnson.

I do know that in 1900 The Children are listed as living with Jacob Hunter in Louisville Jefferson CO Ky as Amanda is deceased.

I have not been able to find John in anywhere even with spelling variations. His parents are not listed on his marriage record.

Answer 1

Crystal,

Whenever I am stumped I do first a rootsweb worldconnect search. I did that and ran up against others who have this challenge with this individual. You might contact those people who have him in their trees and come up with some clues. (I like to study the names connecting to the name and do as much research on their lines as well.)

 I ran a basic google search and found several message board links--there was a Crystal in one of those asking the same question. Given the location and times, they could have moved due to rumors of war. One of my family lines (Sharp/Pritchard) in that wider area and time moved to MO before the war. The reason I am writing is because I have done autosomal dna and have everything up on Gedmatch. I am running into the Napier family surname occassionally in my tree searches. I don't know if you can sign up to Gedmatch without loading autosomal dna, but I would try and look at the gedcoms they have there.

I would also do a census search (I do mine on Heritage Quest) and give loose limits. I always allow 2 years wiggle room on birthdates.

Comments

Barbara,

Thank you for the suggestions.Nothing popped. All the post from Crystal are mine I have been searching this brick wall now for quiet a few years. I am on gedmatch,ancestry and FTDNA and dna land  and no luck for my Nappier/Napper. There is so much rumor to this family John disappeared before 1900 the family story is he died and another is he abandoned the family. Amanda came back to Louisville where her family was and died of TB a short time later. It seems for a  brief time till the Amanda's brother could get the children they were in an Orphanage. I called the orphanage and the records were destroyed in the big flood here in Louisville so no records. All this is family story but I do know from census records after 1900 they were with Amanda's brother and then they went and lived with their older sister Daisy because she had gotten married. So hopefully one day I will find the answer to this line. I have done so many tree of Nappers of Kentucky I have lost count and can not get my line to fit.

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Have you tried using something like Heritage Quest and doing a "loose" search. Possibly surname with approximate birthdate but no given name or just first initial of given name? Also, on Gedmatch have you searched other gedcoms for possible clues using different spelling or tried following trees of siblings he may have had? I like rootsweb for entering surname, location, but add birthdate with +/- 10 years to find possible siblings or to find him listed with family. Using user look up from gedcoms you can find Gedmatch #'s and do one-to-ones.

I once did a search on a line where the person moved to another state in an adjacent county and changed his name to end in ee instead of ey because he was wanted for selling liquor on a reservation. He told those searching for him they were confused because he spelled his name differently.

The only other idea would be (depending on generational distiance) to find anyone with that surname who have Gedmatch numbers and try running a series of one-to-one comparisons. I have gone through Wikitree finding people with common surnames as those in my line and running one-to-ones. Have come up with a few matches.

If he died, have you done any funeral home searches in the area he was last known to live in the time frame he disappeared? He could have been buried in unmarked paupers grave but if no money, the funeral home may have been paid by the county or a church and may have a record.

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Barbara,

Yes I did a search on heritage quest even uploaded my raw dna to nothing. I have no matches on gedmatch with the surname in any spelling variation. I have him in the 1880 census in Indiana and of course no 1890 and then in 1898 I have Amanda dying of TB I have checked with the cemetery since all of our Napper/Baker's are buried in the same cemetery nothing. So at some point between 1881 and 1898 he vanishes. I have all his kids documented as they went to at some to live with the Hunter family that is Amanda's maiden name and then Daisy Napper the oldest daughter got married and took her siblings with her. I am at brick walls with Amanda's parents also I was hoping they might all be from the same county but the only birth location I have for them is Kentucky so I have no county in Kentucky to search. Though all the Napper children settled in Louisville Jefferson CO KY and Clark CO IN is just across the way so not sure where he went after 1880 if he even came to Louisville with Amanda and the kids.

 

Rootsweb trees are my cousin's and mine. I have all the Napper surname on every watch list with numerous websites to no avail as of today.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions please keep them coming as I am at a lost with this line. I have one FTDNA match for Napper and I am hoping that the person reads emails but it has been weeks sent I emailed them so who knows.

 

Regards
Crystal

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do you have a calloway napier in your ky ancestry? his dad was james who married clarissa (clarecy) griffith

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Patricia,

I do not have a Calloway Nappier sorry. All I know is my John Napier's name and that is it. Even hitting brick walls with dna on the family

Answer 2

I don't know if this is the same John Napier your looking for but I have a John Napier in my mother in laws family. John Napier b-April 7, 1855 d- May 18, 1930 Perry Co. Ky. Married 1st to a Winnie Kelly and 2nd to a Laura Shocky they had 6 children. Parents were- James Napier b abt. 1823 d- March 5, 1889 buried at Sandy Ridge. Wolfe Co. Ky. married to a Mary "Campbell  on May 15, 1842 ( by Perry Co. Records). She was b- April !7, 1827: d- March 23, 1893

Comments

I have never heard of this Napper/Napier line. I did find my John's parents they are Henry Napper and Saray Jewell. I will have to look at this line and see if there is a connection

Thank you for sharing

Regards

Chrissy