Family Vanishes…The Search Continues

Over the years I have been through a magnitude of human emotions with my family research. There has been many peaks and valley stretching across a gamut from sadness to pure joy.

It is this family that has baffled and saddened my heart for many years. We start our look at the family in 1850 Chesterfield County, South Carolina. My Great, Great Grandfather Shadrach JOHNS[1], his wife Mary, daughter Alice C. and sons Thomas H. and Joseph [my Great Grandfather] are living there and were enumerated in the Chesterfield County 1850 Censuses.

By 1860 they had migrated from Chesterfield County, South Carolina to Russell County, Alabama. We find the Family in the 1860 Census[2] living at Seal Station, Russell County, Alabama. The family has grown and we know have Shadrach JOHNS, his wife Mary, daughters Alice C. and Anna W. along with sons Thomas H. and Henry J.[oseph] in the household.

While my Great Great Grandparents were not aware in 1860, we know the Civil War is on its way to encompass them in its battle. I know that Shadrach, even though he was 60 years of age in 1860, enlisted into the Confederate Army. He served with Co. K, 24th Alabama Infantry[3] and with the Florida Home Guard[4].

Shadrach survived the War and we find him and all the Family members signing a Land Deed in Chesterfield County, South Carolina on 3 December 1866.

DEED[5]: Chesterfield County South Carolina Land Deed between Jas. Eddings & Others recorded in Book 5, Pages 598-599.

Click on image to make larger

The first line in this Land Deed shows the Family living in the Washington County, Florida. Shadrach Johns is mentioned as a participant in the 1864 Raid on Marianna. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fljackso/cox/WFW4.htm

Since Thomas H. Johns is not mentioned in the 1866 Land Deed above and the other 3 children are listed I think it safe to assume that he was a victim of the Civil War. However, I could not find him on the National Parks CWSS database. I haven’t yet searched the Fold 3 website.

On 30 September 1869[6], Shadrach and Mary oldest daughter Alice Catherine Johns weds Joel S. Toler in Bullock County, Alabama. This union would produce two children – Mary Toler and William Shadrac Toler.

Nothing more is known about this family until 1880. In the 1880 Census[7] for Marlboro County, we find Shadrach, Henry Joseph, and two grandchildren - Mary Toler and William Shadrac Toler.

By 1880, Mary Johns, Alice Catherine Johns, Joel S. Toler, Thomas H. Johns and Anna W. Johns had completely vanished. I assume that some Communicable Disease consumed this family but not knowing for the past 35 years has been heart wrenching, disappointing and very sad. At this time, I do not feel that “a reasonably exhaustive search” of the records per The Genealogical Proof Standard has been conducted and somewhere in Bullock County, Russell County, Alabama or Washington County, Florida the answer to this puzzle lies buried in some dusty archive or file. If you are researching in this geographical area please remember my search and drop me a line if you come across any pertinent information on this family. Hopefully someone among you, the readers of this blog, will provide the pieces to solve this mystery.

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[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 109A, Line 11, Dwelling 161, Family/161, Household of Shadrach JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.

[2] 1860 U. S. Census, Russell County, Alabama, population schedule, Seals Station, Russell County, Alabama, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 893, Line 7, dwelling 238, family 227, Household of Shadrick Johns; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M653_22.

[3] LDS FHL GS Film #0821971 and GS Film #821971.

[4] http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm

[5] Land Deed - Jas. Eddings & Others to W. T. Goodwin Deed; 3 December 1866; Deed Book #5; Page(s) 598 & 599; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; 1999.

[6] Bullock County, Alabama, marriage (30 September 1869), Joel S. Toler to Catherine Johns; Montgomery, Alabama, USA, State of Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Record Services Division.

[7] 1880 U. S. Census, Marlboro County, South Carolina, population schedule, Marlboro County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #108, page 460A, Line 22, Dwelling # 43, Family #43, Household of Shade JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm T9_1235.