In Part One I explored the life of Richard Green of Shelby County to see if it were possible to be Britta Ann Green's father. So far he fits two out of three criteria. Time to delve further!
It looks as though Richard died around or after 1842. So let's look where his family might have ended up.
Doing a search of the 1850 US Census, we find Leacy Green (remember, Leacy was named as Richard's wife in several Shelby County deeds) in Union Parish, LA. In the 1850 U.S. Census for LA, Mrs. Leacy Green is living in Union Parish. She is 50, born SC, no occupation, no money. Also in the household are Caroline, 18, born AL, John, 16, a farmer, born AL; Samuel, 14, born AL; and Lemuel, 10, born AL. Next door is Jonathan Merril, 27, farmer, born TN, $200; Lucinda, 24, born AL, and Mary, 2, born LA. Other neighbors are Fellow, Eckles, Black, Free, Nail, Palmer, Newsom, Funderburk, Carter, Gibson, Bird, Burren, Brasher.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4198714_00257/2930628?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1850usfedcenancestry%26gsfn%3dleacy%26gsln%3dgreen%26gsfn_x%3dNN%26gsln_x%3d1%26hc%3d50%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26uidh%3dwy5%26redir%3dfalse&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults
Is it the same Leacy Green? Let's see:
Well, on July 27, 1845, Lucinda Green married Jonathon Merril in Shelby County, AL. Marriage performed by M.L. Horton, J.P. Those two names match Leacy's next-door neighbors in 1850.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99HV-WZ2J?i=178&cc=1743384
And then there's the fact that Hanson (logged as "Hanson," reads as "Harison") Green married Cynthia Merrell on February 4, 1845, in Shelby County, AL. Guess who turns up living with Harrison and Cynthia in 1860?
Leacy.
In the 1860 US Census for TX, Harrison Green is living in Jasper County, Newton Post Office. In the household are Harrison, 32, a farmer, $1,500, $200, born TN. Also in the household are Cynthia, 32, born TN, Mary, 4, born LA, William 1, born TX; John Green, domestic, $125, born AL; Leasey, 60, born SC. Caroline, 26, born AL. Neighbors: Hamilton, Ralph, Leavis, Dubose, Dabbs, Primrose, Good, Camison, Musick, Breed.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4297440_00264?pid=35092657&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db%3D1860usfedcenancestry%26h%3D35092657%26indiv%3Dtry%26o_cvc%3DImage:OtherRecord&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true
Just FYI:
In the 1850 US Census for LA, Harrison Green is in Union Parish, LA. He is 21 (born about 1829), a farmer, $200, born AL. Also in the household are Sarah, 23, born AL (mistake??); Amanda, 2, born LA; and A. Music, 24, laborer, born AL. Neighbors: B. Merril, Briggs, Wright, Hughes, Miller, Dyer.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8054/4198714_00236?pid=2929786&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db%3D1850usfedcenancestry%26indiv%3Dtry%26h%3D2929786&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true
Did you notice the surname of the next door neighbor? Merrill. Like Jonathon and Cynthia.
So many close associations: children married in Shelby County, where we know Richard lived; Richard's wife named as "Leacy" in several Shelby County court documents; neighbors' names; Leacy living with Harrison in 1860. In my experiences one association is coincidence; two is interesting; three reveal a likely family connection.
But still—do the birth years suggest anything?
Comparing the 1830 and 1840 AL Censuses, we can see that Richard was born between 1780 and 1790. OK. His wife in 1830 was born 1800 - 1810; in 1840 same. There were two males born 1820 - 1825 in both censuses. In 1830 there was one male born 1825 - 1830; in 1840, two males born 1835 - 1840. In 1830 one female born 1825 - 1830 and one female born 1815 - 1830. In 1840, one female born 1825 - 1830 and one born 1830 - 1835.
In 1840 Richard's family consisted of:
• Himself, born 1790 - 1800
• His wife, born 1800 - 1810
• Male, born 1825 - 1830
• Male, born 1825 - 1830
• Female, born 1825 - 1830
• Male, born 1835 - 1840
• Male, born 1835 - 1840
• Female, born 1830 - 1835.
In 1850 Leacy's family was made of:
• The ghost of Richard, dead, dead, dead
• Leacy, born 1800
• Lucinda, 24, born 1826
• Harrison, 21, born 1829
• Caroline, 18, born 1832
• John, 16, born 1834 (age 24 in 1840; alternate birth year 1836)
• Samuel, 14, born 1836
• Lemuel, 10, born 1840
Putting the two together, we see:
• Richard himself, born 1790 - 1800, and still dead
• His wife, born 1800 - 1810 (Leacy, born 1800, SC)
• Male, born 1825 - 1830 (Harrison, born 1829, AL)
• Male, born 1825 - 1830 (Unknown; wait!)
• Female, born 1825 - 1830 (Lucinda, born 1826, AL)
• Male, born 1835 - 1840 (John, born 1834 - 1836, AL)
• Male, born 1835 - 1840 (Samuel, born 1836, AL)
• Female, born 1830 - 1835 (Caroline, born 1832, AL)
• And of course, Lemuel, born 1840, AL, after the Census was taken but before Richard died (if he were born later, that would be a different story altogether!)
The families match up so well that I am willing to conclude that the Leacy and Harrison and Lucinda of 1850 - 1870 are the same family as Richard's of the 1830 & 1840 Shelby, AL, Censuses.
Phew!
Where are we?
We've established two things: 1) Richard Green was in the right place at the right time to be Britta's dad; 2) he disappeared at the right time to be Britta's dad. What about the third—being born in NC or SC?
For a short and sweet answer to that question, we can look at Harrison Green's entry in the 1880 Census: it states that Harrison's father was born in VA—Virginia. Not SC—South Carolina. BUZZZZZ!!!!
Two facts now convince me that Richard Green is NOT Britta Ann's father.
1. There is no room in Richard's family in either the 1830 or 1840 Census for Mary Ann McKinney (born NC 1822), Nancy (born GA 1832), or Britta (born AL 1834). All family members are accounted for in 1850 in LA.
2. Richard was born in VA, not SC. Britta's father is consistently born in either NC or SC.
A loud, resounding "NO!" is the best conclusion I can make in this matter. But there are some very interesting mysteries still to be investigated:
• Who and where was the missing Green son born 1825 - 1830?
• Who is the mysterious Samuel Green who witnessed Richard's and Leacy's deed transaction in Shelby in 1837?? Was he Britta's father?
Stay tuned!
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