Tuesday, July 5, 2011

What Next?

Well, it is obvious that I still do not have proof as to who Robert's parents were for sure. About two months ago, I sent off for the pension file of James C Elzy (whom Alicia and I believe is Robert's dad). James was killed in the Civil War.

Anyway, I found a pension with Mahala Highland's name attached to it. Could there be any mention of Robert in it? I finally got the report -- 19 pages long! My heart was beating so hard when I was reading it.

Basically it said a couple things: James died in the war. His second wife, Mahala Highland, died a couple years before James. Mahala's mother, Matilda, was seeking the pension for James' and Mahala's daughter, Margaret Ann. Margaret was the only underage child (under 16). There was a notation for when and where James and Mahala got married, Matilda's statement that she was present at Margaret's birth (but there was not a doctor or midwife), and mention that William and James (older siblings of Margaret's) were over the age of 16. No mention of Robert, who we believe is the son of James' first wife, Rebecca Caswell.

The file I received was only the small one -- I did not send off for the $75 file. Do I or do I not? Will I ever run down Robert's parents? More searching........