James Madison Murrah – Unanswered Questions!

As I look through the information I have and decide what I still need to learn, I have come up with a pretty good sized list of questions…

JAMES MADISON MURRAH

1. When and where was James Madison Murrah born? (I have he was born in Virginia, is this correct? If so, where in Virginia?)
2. Who were the parents of James Madison Murrah? (I have Thadeus Murrah and Caity Allen, BUT I have no idea where this information came from!)
3. When and where did James & Paron get married?
4. Why is there a gap in children between William & James?
   1. Is William really Paron’s child? She would have been about 14 when giving birth.
   2. Was James Madison Murrah married prior to Paron? If so, to whom?
5. Does James Madison Murrah have any siblings?
6. Why did his family move from Virginia to Alabama to Mississippi to Texas?
7. James Madison Murrah owned land in Alabama and in Mississippi, are their any records that go along with this?
8. When and where did James Madison Murrah die? (I have 1855 in Hallettsville, Lavaca, Texas, but nothing to prove this information either. Why did he go to Texas after the death of his wife IF the information I have is correct)
9. Did James Madison Murrah have a will when he died? If so, how do I find a copy of it?
   1. Who got his land when he died?

PARON HOLLIDAY

1. When and where was Paron Holliday born? (I have she was born about 1811 in South Carolina, is this correct? If so, where in South Carolina?)
2. How can we prove her maiden name was Holliday (I have no proof of this currently, it is just what I was given!)
3. Who were the parents of Paron Holliday?
4. Did Paron have any siblings?
5. When and where did Paron Murrah die? (I have about 1851 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.)
6. Also, there is that BIG question of did she really marry and have a child about the age of 14? Is William Wells Murrah her son?

Brainstorm time!!

While I am creating this very detailed research plan, I will begin following James Madison Murrah (Son) and his family through the census records to get an idea of their family structure a bit more.

TO DO: List what I know about James & Malinda Murrah and their family.

Research Plan For James Madison Murrah

After spending the last few weeks digitizing my records and family group sheets, I decided it was time to get back to doing what I love… researching!

I began by putting together a beginning research plan. I also need to put together a time line of the events I have to help with this research. For the beginning stages of research I have the following databases that need to be looked at:

Family Search and Family History Library:

• Film 1508564: Index of bible records on file in the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, June 1987
• Film 795931: Bible records index Family History Library Item 19
• Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950
• Alabama, Marriages, 1816-1957
• Texas, Probate Records, 1800-1990
• US Federal Census Records 1820-1850
• Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910
• Texas records from bibles, probate records, wills, cemeteries, 1639-1954
• Original grantee-patentee Texas land titles
• Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

 

Ancestry:

• U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 Ancestry
• U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918
• Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850
• Virginia, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890
• U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858
• U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680-1830
• Virginia Tax Records

 

Also do several internet searches and see what information is out there that could help.

This is my plan for beginning research, also next priority is to put together a timeline for James, Paron and their children to establish what areas in which time periods I should be researching in.

If you have any documentation, suggestions, ideas or corrections, please let me know! Thanks!