Taking a Different Approach

 

The beauty of an ancestral search comes when we realize there are more ways than one to find answers to our questions. When one research plan doesn't yield results, it's time to take a different approach.

In the case of my third great-grandmother, Delaney Townsend Charles, I knew she had died young, as a widow, leaving three orphans. While my overarching goal is to determine who her parents were, a clue from a DAR application implied that after Delaney's death, a brother by the name of Light Townsend had come down to Florida to bring his nieces back home to South Carolina with him. Right now, I'm chasing after any record that could confirm that relationship. After all, the father of Light Townsend would also be the father of Delaney. Thus, the search is now on to verify exactly who was appointed guardian of the three Charles children in Madison County, Florida, just in case I can find any mention of Light Townsend's involvement with the Charles family.

Prior searches for these details had not been successful—but when I realized that guardianship proceedings should mention the names of the children, I switched tactics to search by the name of the children rather than the name of the deceased parents. However, looking for my second great-grandmother Emma, or even her sister Frances, left me searching for very common names, but when I switched to look for their older brother's name—Rupert Charles, for whom my great-grandfather was named—the search engines were more rewarding.

Because we had found a death notice for Delaney's husband, Andrew Charles, in the July 27, 1850, Floridian and Journal, I knew my earliest search parameter would be that same year: 1850. Unsure of his wife Delaney's year of death, I expanded my search parameters to 1860, just in case—though some probate information, which we'll view tomorrow, narrowed that date range considerably.

Taking my new research query to the FamilySearch Labs website, I had my answer in no time, thanks to the Full Text search option. And it surprised me. While I didn't expect to see Light Townsend named—after all, the three Charles children were living with their paternal aunt in the 1860 census—I was surprised about the details given in the letter appointing the guardian.

Dated February 28 of 1852, the communication from the probate court of Madison County to "Drusilla" was actually addressed to her maiden name, Charles, rather than her married name. Naming the three orphans and explaining that they were "possessed in their own right of a Considerable Estate," the court designated Drucilla as guardian to secure the estate and oversee the maintenance and education of the three Charles children.

That prompted one question: where was Drucilla's husband, Thomas Hughes Hines? A quick check revealed that while the couple married in that same year—1852—the event was not official until May 22, 1852. So when the guardianship papers were drawn up, Drucilla was indeed still known by her maiden name.

While I was surprised, considering that time period, to see a woman named as guardian, it was quite obvious that she was not in the legal process alone. Posting bond for six thousand dollars, two additional men were named. Thanks to the abysmal handwriting of the clerk noting the transaction, these guesses at their names may not be accurately deciphered, but best I can tell, they were Michael McLeary and Charles Rupell—neither of whom were familiar names from family connections.

One point, though, was clear: none of those names listed was Townsend. Despite that discovery, though, there are other court records to peruse for any sign of Townsends. We'll linger a bit longer tomorrow to see whether anything else might be found.