John Harman and Martha Langford had several children. FamilySearch had a different family listing from my Ancestry tree. This is a fairly common problem as many individuals are added to FamilySearch without sources. With some work, it is sometimes possible to add sources and verify the relationships. Sometimes, it is almost impossible. Even then, the un-sourced individuals may have existed and the sources still need to be found. Those sources could be family bibles, personal papers, or perhaps personal knowledge for which a source could be created if it is known.
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John Harman and Martha Langford in the Census
In this mini-research session, I compared my Ancestry tree listing with FamilySearch. The children of John Harman and Martha Langford listed on my tree came from the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Censuses. I then focused on the first three sons of Martha. The first two had no sources, and the third likely died in the Civil War. There are some oddities with the names, though checking records should help clear that up.
Here is a comparison of the family on FamilySearch and the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Censuses.
| FamilySearch Name | Birth Year | 1850 Census1 | 1860 Census2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Harman | 1836 | X | X |
| James W. Harman | 1837 | X | X |
| Patrick Henry Harman | 1840 | 1840 | 1840 |
| Anna Delphia Harman | 1845 | 1843 | 1843 |
| James William Edwin Harman | 1846 | 1846 | 1846 |
| Nancy Rebecca Harman | 1850 | X | X |
| Margaret C. Harman | 1852 | X | 1852 |
| Nancy Ann Rebecca Harman | 1854 | X | 1855 |
William Harman (1836-1842)
FamilySearch lists Martha Langford’s oldest child as William Harman born on 17 April 1836 and died about 1842 in South Carolina. The difficulty with this profile is there are no sources. The profile was migrated in 2012 to the current version of FamilySearch, so it is not clear who may have originally submitted the information.
William’s birth and death year suggests he may be in the 1840 U.S. Census. He would be represented by a tick mark in the under 5 years column in his father’s household. A search of the 1840 U.S. Census returned 7 possible listings for John Harman in South Carolina. A close look at each listing did not match the family listing on FamilySearch. It is possible that John Harman was missed in the census or is included in another family listing.
Because William may have died in 1842 at age 6 years, it would be unlikely there would be many, if any, records. A family bible entry or perhaps a gravestone may support the dates on his profile. I added William Harman to my Ancestry tree, but tagged the Ancestry profile as unverified.
James W. Harman (1837-1837)
James W. Harman is the next child listed on FamilySearch. The listing says he was born on 17 April 1837 and died on 29 September 1837 in South Carolina. Once again, there are no sources. The birth and death dates are very specific, so these dates would need to come from somewhere.
Since he only lived a few months, his life was likely recorded in a family bible or gravestone. He would not have been included in the 1840 U.S. Census if the family could have been located.
A search of the FamilySearch changelog shows James was part of the migration in 2012, so the original submitter is unknown. The profile was likely created from the International Genealogical Index (IGI). It is sometimes possible to search Genealogies on FamilySearch to find a submitter, but the submitter for James is unknown.
James was added to my Ancestry tree with an unverified tag. Adding an unverified person to an Ancestry tree allows the hinting system to suggest possible records. This can be problematic if the unverified person is connected incorrectly or never existed because it can mislead other researchers. Adding the tag unverified can provide some clarity.
Henry Patrick Harman (1840-1863)
The next child of Martha Langford is Patrick Henry Harman. He was born on 1 June 1840 in Lexington County, South Carolina. He died about 1863, likely during the Civil War. He likely did not marry or have children.
There are two sources for Patrick, or is it Henry? The 1850 U.S. Census listed him as Henry and the 1860 U.S. Census listed him as Henry P. Harman. His name may have possibly been entered incorrectly on FamilySearch, which will need to be corrected.
If he did serve in the Civil War, there should be military records. A search of both FamilySearch and Ancestry indicates there are records for a Henry P. Harman. However, it appears there may have been more than one soldier with that name, so scrutiny is needed to find the correct records. If he did die in 1863, there could be a notation on a muster record or other document. These records can be viewed either at Fold3 or the National Archives. The search is easier at Fold3, but the database requires a subscription. Fold3 can be viewed for free at a FamilySearch Center. There are also a lot of possible military units to look at.
South Carolina newspapers may also list the death. I was able to find a death notice for Peter Shealy in a South Carolina newspaper. South Carolina newspapers have been digitized (not complete) and are available at the University of South Carolina.
Sources
- 1850 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington District, p. 384 (stamped), dwelling 654, family 654, John Harman household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 31 May 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432. ↩︎
- 1860 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington Post Office, p. 9 (penned), dwelling 70, family 70, John Harman household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 31 May 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M653. ↩︎
