How tenacious are you as a researcher in ensuring your research is accurate? So often, bad information just gets perpetuate again and again and again.
Take for instance, the Ancestry.com trees show a Jonathan Pearman Weldon. Only one problem, Jonathan had a brother named Pearman A.K.A. Perman, but no middle name of Pearman. It seems that several of the “researchers” crossed records of his brother with him and thus determining his middle name. So let’s break it down for you.
In 1850, 29-year-old John Weldon is residing in Franklin County, Georgia just down from his brother Welburn Weldon. [i] This family consisted of John age 29, Amy age 30, Jemima age 7, William age 5, George w. age 2, and James age 1.
In 1870, the family is one county over in Hart County, Georgia, once again where his brother Welborn lives. So where is he in 1860? [ii]
In 1860, their brother, Pearman (A.K.A. Perman, Pierman) is living in Sumter County and far too many people have attributed this census to John or Jonathan and thus adding a middle name that does not belong to him. [iii]
How do we know? Simple. While John’s family appears to have eluded the 1860 census, we find Perman’s family enumerated time and time again once the family left the Hart County area and moved south overlapping the same time frames as John’s.
These are two different people and John does not and did not have the middle name of Perman. As a matter of fact, we find him listed in the 1900 U. S. Census as Jonathan H. Weldon [iv]
I’ve already written about some people changing my 4th great grandfather’s name from James Thomas to James R. Thomas simply because the 1830 U. S. Census lists James R. Thomas as the head of household. That is correct, his son James R. was the head and not the 70 year old father.
Please, be tenacious that you a) are accurate in your reporting and b) not perpetuating bad information.
[i] 1850 U. S. Census, Franklin County, Georgia, population schedule, district 30, dwelling and family 555, household of John Weldon, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed XXX), citing NARA publication M432, roll 70.
[ii] 1870 U. S. Census, Hart County, Georgia, population schedule, Reed Creek District, p. 120, dwelling 911, family 891, household of Johnathan Weldon, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed XXX), citing NARA publication M593, roll 157.
[iii] 1860 U. S. Census, Sumter County, Georgial, population schedule, Americus Post Office, Districts 16 and 26, dwelling 186, family 189, hld Pearman Weldon, Ancestry.com, (www.Ancestry.com: accessed xxx), citing NARA publication M653, roll 136.
[iv] 1900 U. S. Census, Hart County, Georgia, population schedule, Bowersville, District 1116 Hall, supervisor’s district 38, enumeration district 50, dwelling 165, family 166, household of Jonathan Weldon, , Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed XXX), citing NARA publication M623, roll 204.