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.