Research on the Langford family has been limited because some records are unavailable for online viewing. FamilySearch completed the digitization of its microfilm collection in 2021. However, certain records have access restrictions and the digitized version is not available online. In such cases, the microfilm must be viewed in person at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.

The library was remodeled in 2021. The second floor has access to the microfilms with access restrictions. The new microfilm readers are much smaller than the older machines and are connected to a computer. The software allows the user to download the images to a thumb drive. The microfilm workstations are huge and give the user much space to work!

Langfords in America at the FamilySearch Library

One film that I looked at was for a book called Langfords in America by George Shealy Langford.¹ The book was published in 1977 and focuses on the earliest arrivals and descendants of the early Saluda River, South Carolina. This includes Lexington, Newberry, Saluda, and Edgefield counties.

The library has a physical book in storage and the microfilm version which is still available. Be sure to check the catalog record page to know how to access this book. In this case, the record had a 35mm film reel icon, indicating this book has restricted access and can only be viewed in the FamilySearch library in Salt Lake City.

After identifying the earliest Langfords in South Carolina, the author focuses on the descendants of John James Langford, the son of James Langford and Nancy Bell. George is a descendant of John James Langford, so it makes sense this is a focus. The book does include some biographical sketches of James Langford’s other children. There is a biography at the end of the book, that I missed downloading.

Revisiting Nancy Langford

One person who required a fair amount of time researching on FamilySearch was Nancy Langford, the daughter of James Langford and Nancy Bell. I felt as though I had to make some educated guesses in cleaning up her FamilySearch profile. Initially, she had no sources, and her descendants needed a fair amount of work. There were also no source records available for her husband, Tyre Snelgrove. Tyre was linked to two different sets of parents.

The book confirmed these things about Tyre and Nancy:

• Tyre’s parents are John Snelgrove and Achsah Gilbert
• Tyre and Nancy married about 1831
• They had two daughters named Martha Ann and Grace Ann.
• Tyre died in 1850
• Nancy remarried in 1854 to William Hipp
• Nancy was still alive in 1870

Tyre is found in the 1850 U.S. Census, but Nancy is not with him. Either that Tyre Snelgrove is someone else entirely, or Nancy was just not recorded.² A search of the 1850 U.S. Census does not return results for Nancy at all, so it is a bit of a mystery.

Now we know that John Edmond Shealy and James William Shealy were living with their grandmother Nancy Langford in the 1870 U.S. Census.³ I had previously speculated it could have been a grandmother, but it wasn’t clear if it was a maternal or paternal grandmother. This book clears that up.

John Edmond and James William were the children of Grace Ann Snelgrove. Their father was killed in the American Civil War in 1863. Grace Ann died before 1870, so the two boys were orphaned. It would make sense for a grandmother to have taken them into her home. However, the boys were living with extended family by 1880, suggesting that Nancy had died.⁴

William Hipp

Nancy Langford’s profile is missing her second husband William Hipp. A search of the census record returns a few different possibilities, but the most likely possibility is William Hipp born about 1810 in South Carolina. He can be found in the 1850 U.S. Census.⁵ His proximity to Newberry County and his age make him a strong possibility.

The William Hipp born 1810 in South Carolina is married to Mary in 1850 and appears to have several children. He is living with George Hipp, who may be a brother or relative, and his wife Martha. It is possible that William’s wife Mary died and he remarried in 1854 to Nancy.

However, a quick look for additional records that might help correlate his connection to Nancy Langford is not readily apparent. He does not appear in later census records. There are some land records with more than one William Hipp in Newberry County, so that will take some sorting.

Because it is not possible to know with any surety this is the correct William Hipp, William cannot be added as a second spouse to Nancy Langford. However, I did add Nancy Hipp as an alternate name for Nancy Langford with a note explaining her second marriage.

Sources

1. George Shealy Langford, Langfords in America : sketches on early arrivals and migrations : genealogical recording on descendants from early Saluda River, South Carolina families (Lexington, Newberry, Saluda and old Edgefield Counties), 1773-1975 : some related families [of] Holley, Waters, Shealy, Timms, Robertson (College Park, Maryland, 1977). ↩︎
2. 1850 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington District, p. 380 (stamped), dwelling 599, family 600, Tyre Snelgrove household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 26 June 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432. ↩︎
3. 1870 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Hollow Creek Township, p. 20 (penned), dwelling 154, family 153, Nancy Hipp household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 26 June 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. ↩︎
4. 1880 U.S. Census, Edgefield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Germanville, enumeration district (ED) 50, sheet 152 (stamped), p. 25 (penned), dwelling 224, family 229, Albert Ergle household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 26 June 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T9. ↩︎
5. 1850 U.S. Census, Newberry County, South Carolina, population schedule, South Carolina District, p. 571 (stamped), dwelling 1217, family 1217, George Hipp household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 26 June 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432.  ↩︎