Any guesses on what Tasal, Virginia might be?

Question

Hi y'all,

I am chasing a lead on an ancestor line and encountered a death record that indicates a possible brother of one of my grandmother's ancestors was born in "Tasal" Virginia. Any idea on what this might be? Tasley is the closest I've come to, and so far, this is the closest thing to narrowing down where my Martins might be from. Here's the death record on Family Search.

Thanks for any insight!

Comments

Have you looked in West Virginia as well as modern Virginia?

---

what about Tazewell? I could see the "Tasel" spelling come from a mis-pronouncing of Tazewell

---

Yes,  Tazwell, I bet! Collateral families from that area, so that makes sense. Thanks!

---

Tasel isn't incorrect. It just seems incorrect to Yankees like me.  ;-)

---

Sometimes it's the name of a plantation. At least that's what I've found.

---

Tazewell County just got adopted & E. did a great job - check out the space page [here]. If you haven't found it already, check out Tazewell's [category page] too.

---

I thought of Tazewell immediately when I saw this; I don't think a Tasal, Virginia exists.

Answer 1

Looking at that record, it suddenly came to me: Tazewell. It's pronounced something like Tazwell -- and the "w" might not be articulated real well.

There are several interesting spellings on that record, so it's reasonable to assume that "Tasal" was somebody's phonetic spelling of the oral information they were given.

And Tazewell, Virginia, isn't far from Johnson County, Tennessee.

Comments

I think Ellen is right on target.  I have been working on numerous ancestors, most of whom lived (and are living) in Tazewell Co, VA.  "Tasal" is a close approximation of how some folks in the area pronoun Tazewell.

Reg Shrader

Answer 2

I looked up Samuel Martin, b. in Virginia, and found four likely suspects 

The problem may be in cramped handwriting.  The town could be Kanawha, Virginia.  

I can load the census record to his profile if you want; then you can decipher the handwriting yourself, and you will QUICKLY understand how the enumerator's handwriting could have obscured the location. 

Name:	Samuel Martin
Age:	29
Birth Year:	abt 1821
Birthplace:	Virginia
Home in 1850:	District 29, Kanawha, Virginia, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	2094
Household Members:	Name Age Converse Reynolds 20 Wm H Carter 27 Samuel Martin 29 Wm Newman 25 Charles Newman 25 John Elan 18 George Weitl 30 Frederick Weitl 22 Hermann Insel 22

Source Citation

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 29, Kanawha, Virginia; Roll: M432_954; Page: 142B; Image: 288

Comments

I don't think this one is mine - he was in Georgia and had been for a few years in 1850, but the numerous possibilities is why this family branch has been brick walled forever.  Thank you,  though!

---

I think Kanawha, Virginia became a part of West Virginia when it became a state in the 1860s.