As we search for the identity of another brick wall ancestor in my mother-in-law's line, it's time to rely once again on that helpful concept of the F.A.N. Club: the friends, associates, and neighbors of that mystery relative. In this case, I'm wondering whether a neighbor of William Gordon and his wife, the former Lidia Miller, might also have been a family member.
Looking at the far end of the same page in the 1840 census where William Gordon's name had been entered, I spotted someone by the name of Johnathan Miller. Granted, with a surname as common as Miller—one of three of the most common surnames in the entire state of Ohio—musing about relationships between neighbors named Miller may turn out to be a fool's errand. After all, searching for all Millers listed in Perry County for the 1840 census results in nearly forty hits—and that's just the names of heads of households. Even narrowing the parameters to those Millers living in William Gordon's neighborhood of Reading Township puts us chasing eleven heads of household.
Granted, we have to start somewhere. Since Johnathan Miller was the name listed on the same page as William Gordon's entry, I'll assume that is a good sign. We'll spend some time this week exploring what can be found on this other Miller family, in hopes of finding some documentation which leads us to family connections for our Lidia.
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