Rebecca Martha Corley (1871-1946) was the daughter of Nancy Rebecca Harman and Martin Harrison Corley. She was born on January 1871 in South Carolina and died on 13 October 1946 in Albany, Dougherty, Georgia. Rebecca married Charles S. Beasely in about 1902. Rebecca’s FamilySearch profile had few sources and no spouse. With a bit of research, it was possible to find additional records and to find her spouse Charles S. Beasely. Rebecca is a descendant of James Langford and Nancy Bell.

Rebecca Martha Corley in the U.S. Census

Census	Name	Birth Year	Birth Place
18801	Rebecca Corley	1872	South Carolina
19002	Rebecca Corley	Jan 1871	Georgia
19103	Rebecca Beasly	1876	South Carolina
19304	Becky Beasley	1871	South Carolina
19405	Rebecca M Beasley	1871	South Carolina

The first record for Rebecca is the 1880 U.S. Census. This census connects Rebecca to her parents Martin Harrison Corley and Nancy Rebecca Harman. The 1880 U.S. Census is the only record that connects Rebecca to her parents. However, her name indirectly connects her to her mother. The name Rebecca is shared between mother and daughter. Rebecca’s middle name likely came from her maternal grandmother Martha Langford. As the oldest child of Martin and Nancy, it would be reasonable for Rebecca to be named after her mother and grandmother.

Rebecca appears next in the 1900 U.S. Census with her father and stepmother Sallie Scarborough. It is hard to know what may have happened to Rebecca between 1880 and 1900. Most likely her mother Nancy died, possibly around 1885 when her father remarried Annie Jane Sutton. Sallie Scarborough would have been Martin’s third or fourth wife. Records are lacking to support all of the potential relationships.

Rebecca appears in the 1910 U.S. Census with her husband Charles S. Beasely. In the 1930 U.S. Census, Rebecca was widowed and living with her brother John F. Corley. Her father was listed a few households away. The last census she appears in is the 1940 U.S. Census.

Weaker Hints

Discovering additional records for Rebecca Martha Corley required using Ancestry and FamilySearch together. I started in Ancestry with a barebones profile and several record hints. Working through those, it was possible to update FamilySearch and generate more record hints. FamilySearch eventually provided a weaker hint. Weaker hints are clearly labeled.

Weaker hints are record hints that are considered lower quality by FamilySearch. There are match points that suggest a potential match but there is a lower level of uncertainty. FamilySearch does not provide weaker hints automatically, so these will not be shown until the feature is turned on. Turn the weaker hints on by going to clicking on your username in the upper-right corner and selecting Settings. From there go to the Account tab and turn on the Expand Record Hints option under Family Tree Preferences.

Charles S. Beasely

A Weaker Hint for Charles S. Beasley was for his death record.⁶ The death record matched on several points including his birth date, birthplace, mother’s name, and spouse. Even though the hint was considered weak, it was a good match. It also provided enough information to fill out Charles’ FamilySearch. It led to a duplicate profile in FamilySearch that could be merged and which also linked him to his parents.

Charles S. Beasely was born on 18 November 1860 in Webster County, Georgia. He was the son of John T. Beasley and Sara Ann Slocumb. He married Senia Willa Pope in about 1884 and had 8 children. Charles married Rebecca about 1902 and they had no children.

Sources

1. 1880 U.S. Census, Edgefield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Huiet, enumeration district (ED) 54, sheet 216 (stamped), p. 43 (penned), dwelling 401, family 401, Martin Corley household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 6 August 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T9. ↩︎
2. 1900 U.S. Census, Dale County, Alabama, population schedule, Precinct 4, Newton, enumeration district (ED) 61, sheet 177A (penned), dwelling 210, family 212, Martin H. Corley household; digital image, FamilySearch, (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 August 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T623. ↩︎
3. 1910 U.S. Census, Colquitt County, Georgia, population schedule, Thigpen District 1482, enumeration district (ED) 44, sheet 2B (penned), dwelling 29, family 32, Chas S Beasly household; digital image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 Aug 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T624. ↩︎
4. 1930 U.S. Census, Colquitt County, Georgia, population schedule, Moultrie Precinct, enumeration district (ED) 36-10, sheet 5B (penned), dwelling 79, family 81, John F Corley household; digital image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 August 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T626. ↩︎
5. 1940 U.S. Census, Colquitt County, Georgia, population schedule, District Autreyville, enumeration district (ED) 35-17, sheet 10B (penned), line numbers 66-68, family 165, John L Corley household; digital image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 August 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication T627. ↩︎
6. “Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927,” entry for Charlie S. Beasely, cn. 28657, 27 November 1927, Worth County, Georgia; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 August 2024). ↩︎