Looking Closer at the Crain Family

Earlier in the week, I pondered the possibility that my 2nd-great-grandmother's last name had actually been Crain and not Cain as it appears on her marriage bond. I recently decided to revisit all of my information on her in the hopes of uncovering a new lead on her family. Below is a copy of the note from Guilford Dudley Read granting permission for Charlie Read to wed Mary Alice. It looks like he is spelling Cran[e].

I have looked for a Mary Alice Cain in the 1880 Census in Barren, Warren, Hart, Edmonson and neighboring counties. No luck. After looking again at this note, I searched for a Mary Crain born in 1878, and found one in Hart County, Kentucky in the household of John K and Martha J. Crain (see Tuesday's post). Hart County is immediately to the north of Barren County.

I did some further research on John K. Crain, and apparently he was born as John Keller Crain, son of Nathaniel and Cynthia Ann Keller Crain. In the 1860 Census, Nathaniel and family are living in District 1, Barren County, Kentucky. The Read family were in District 2, Barren County at that time. By 1870, the Crain family had moved to Hiseville, Barren County. The Reads were in Glasgow, Barren County but this is still relatively close.

John Keller Crain had a younger sister Sammi Alice Crain (born in 1852). Sammi Alice married Colonel William Henry Edmunds, and they lived in Rocky Hill, Barren County (which was the home my Whitley and Matthews ancestors by 1910). Rocky Hill is about 11 miles to the southwest of Glasgow. At this point, I don't have anything else connecting Mary Alice Read to the Crain family. But I have a strong hunch this is the right family. I know a strong hunch isn't enough for establishing proof, so I'm hoping some others will see this and may have information that connects Mary Alice to the Crains. I am also hoping there is a probate file in Hart County or will for John K or Martha J. Crain which references Mary Alice.

Friday Photo - Street Art in Culpeper

Yesterday I was in historic Culpeper, Virginia for another key ceremony (see Internet History in Culpeper for a past blog post on the work done there). While in town I had the chance to do some research at the Culpeper County Library - I will have more on those findings in a future post. Below are some photos taken near the Amtrak station in Downtown Culpeper. I was surprised to find some unique street art.

Photo by Patrick Jones, Culpeper, VA

Photo by Patrick Jones, Culpeper, VA

Photo by Patrick Jones, stencil in alley, Culpeper

Photo by Patrick Jones, Culpeper, VA

Could this be my great-great-grandmother's family?

The most frustrating brick wall in my tree is currently my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Alice Cain Read. I have tried just about everything to look for her, from going page by page through the census in Barren and Warren Counties in 1880, to pulling her death certificate from 1955, to looking for siblings in the city directories in Bowling Green in the 1940s & 1950s. I've had no luck in several years of searching through various Kentucky records.

But earlier today I took another long look at the note written by Guilford Dudley Read granting his permission for Charlie Read to wed Mary Alice in February 1895. Perhaps her last name was spelled Cran[e] on the note. Perhaps she spelled her name as Mary Alice Crain instead of Mary Alice Cain.

I looked again at the 1880 Census. About 20 miles north of Glasgow, Kentucky lies Hardyville, Hart County, Kentucky. And in 1880, a two-year old, born approximately 1878, with the initials Mary A. Crain is listed as living in the household of John K. Crain and his wife Martha. Is this the family of my 2nd-great-grandmother?

If any others are researching the Crain family in Hart County, Kentucky and stumble on this page, and happen to have information on this Mary A. Crain, I would be interested in knowing more.

Friday Photo - Tverskaya Street

This set of photos was taken on 16 March, while walking around the Tverskaya Street area in Moscow. On this day it was quite cold, with frequent flurries and wind, barely above freezing. Following a late lunch near the Kremlin, I wandered around the city near my hotel. The snow had stopped and it had "warmed up" to the upper 30s. This street was a fascinating mix of emerging commercial retail and Stalin-era architecture. Quite a lot of public art on and near these buildings, but very little graffiti (or so I saw).

Photo by Patrick Jones, Moscow, 16 Mar 2014, Metro Entrance

Photo by Patrick Jones, Moscow 16 Mar 2014

Photo by Patrick Jones, Moscow, 16 Mar 2014

Photo by Patrick Jones, 16 Mar 2014

Wordless Wednesday - In Bloom

Photo by Patrick Jones, Cherry Blossoms in DC, 2004