Was it Everett or Everest?!

If you're not in to genealogy, this will probably go right over your head. But, I am really excited by the possibility of breaking down one of the proverbial "brick walls" we poor researchers generally encounter when we attempt to track down our ancestors.

In my case, the ancestor in question was a lady named Hannah. According to the 1850 Census of Shelby County, Tennessee, she was born in Connecticut about 1785. She was living in the household of her son William H. Macy.

From Sylvanus J. Macy's compiled genealogy dated 1869, I found William H. Macy listed as the son of a Thomas Macy. But, old Sylvanus failed to specify which of Thomas's two wives was the mother of his eight children. His first wife was a lady named Phebe Bunker, and the second wife was the Hannah in question. I had always assumed that Hannah was at least the mother of the youngest, William, as she moved all the way out to Tennessee to live with him by 1850. But, you know what happens when you assume anything, especially in genealogical situations.

Anyway, the one thing that Sylvanus did state was that Hannah's maiden named was EVERETT and that she had been previously married to a fellow whose last name was CHAPIN.

Well, this week I was contacted by a lady named Elizabeth Olsen, who is trying to track down the parents of her ancestors Luther CHAPIN and Hannah EVEREST. According to her, this couple divorced in the early 1800's. She has found documentation on Luther's remarriage and move to Indiana. But, she hasn't found anything on his ex-wife Hannah.

Could her Hannah and my Hannah be the same person?! Seems highly likely!

And, all these years I've been looking for Everett connections when I apparently should have been looking for Everest records instead . . .

Anyway, it's always fun to collaborate with other genealogical researchers, and I'm looking forward to solving this little mystery by working with Elizabeth. The added bonus in this case is that she is currently working as a missionary at the LDS Genealogical Library out in Salt Lake City, so she has the finest collection of family history material at her disposal to help us in our quest!

OK, you non-genealogists can wake up now.