Mystery Monday: Forum Brings Hope

Mystery Monday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers encouraging bloggers to share mystery ancestors or mystery records – anything which is currently unsolved.  With any luck fellow genealogy bloggers will lend their eyes to what has been found so far and possibly help solve the mystery.

Searching, part 8

Following the suggestion of fellow-blogger Jacqi Stevens, I recently posted a query in the Lingle Genforum and in the Rockingham County, Virginia forum on Rootsweb.  I stated that I am trying to confirm John and Elizabeth Lingle Armentrout as parents of Mary Ann Armentrout, my 3G grandmother who was married to Fielding Jollett.  I referenced Martin and Anna Maria Lingle Schneider/Snyder as sponsors at the baptism of “Maria Armentrout.” 

Within an hour of posting on Rootsweb, I heard from Jan Hensley, a dedicated researcher of families in Rockingham County, with whom I have collaborated from time to time on Jollett and Sampson research.  She provided a couple more pieces to the puzzle.

First of all, Jan told me about a chancery cause in Rockingham County between Emanuel Hansberger and Charles Yancey (1835-002) that lists the descendants of Jacob Lingle, the first.  Elizabeth is listed as the daughter of Jacob Lingle, the second.  It states further that she “married John Armentrout of Rockingham, the said John is dead but the said Elizabeth is still living.”

Why I like this clue:  even though it does not list Elizabeth’s children, John’s being dead before 1835 is consistent with the fact that in 1837 Mary Ann and Fielding sold the land she had inherited from her father “John Armentrout, deceased.”

Second, Jan added that also listed among the children of Jacob Lingle, the second, is Elizabeth’s sister Mary who married Martin Snyder.  From the chancery cause, “Martin Snyder and Mary his wife are both dead leaving children and heirs Barbara Snyder who has since intermarried with a certain Philip Parrat of Rockingham, Elizabeth who married a certain Christian Sellers and removed to the state of Indiana, Mathias Snyder of Rockingham, and Catherine who married a certain Jacob Freeze of Rockingham….”

Why I like this clue:  For the first time, I see “Anna Maria Schneider” Anglicized as “Mary.”  Keeping my fingers crossed that the German custom of naming a child for the sponsor at baptism has held true in the case of my Mary Ann.

And finally, in subsequent emails, Jan encouraged me to “follow the land,” to pin down any clues that might be in deeds.  When I casually added that I would also follow up on the sale of Mary Ann’s inherited land to Henry Kisling, Jan told me this:  that Christina Lingle, the sister of Jacob Lingle, the second, married Christopher Kisling and that Henry was their son. 

Why I like this clue:  Isn’t it obvious?  Fielding and Mary Ann Armentrout Jollett must have sold the land to her COUSIN.  The Armentrout-Snyder-Lingle-and now Kisling connection gets stronger and stronger.  

Yes, it’s circumstantial.  But in the court of law, enough circumstantial evidence is enough to convict. But in the world of genealogy, the jury is still out.

© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.