FamilySearch Family Tree has a reputation for having a flawed tree. There are many examples of problems, from an incorrectly linked source record, people connected to the wrong parents, individuals without documentation added to the tree, etc. The FamilySearch Family Tree is a wiki-style tree where users can add or change nearly any profile of the tree and link the individuals however they choose. Most users have good intentions and make changes without understanding the implications. Some of these problems are from legacy data from before the current version of FamilySearch (tree data from before 2012).
I have seen examples of the most common problems on the Family tree as I have worked on the Langford descendancy project. The biggest challenge has been the lack of documentation. I suspect there is a basis for what exists, but it is frustrating to work through it and assume the connections are correct. I ran into another example of the lack of documentation when looking at Joab Langford.
Table of Contents
A linked source record for Joab Langford
According to the FamilySearch Family tree, Joab Langford is the son of James Langford and Nancy Bell. He was born about 1814 and died before 1910. There is no wife or children listed. Joab’s profile had one linked source record. But there were questions and a close examination of that one record was needed.
The linked source record attached to Joab Langford is an 1880 U.S. Census Record.1 This record indicates Joab was in Whitfield County, Georgia, and had a wife named Matilda. FamilySearch tells us similar records are attached to a Capt. Joab Langford. Is Captain Joab Langford the same Joab Langford, son of James and Nancy Langford?
Captain Joab Langford
The FamilySearch profile for Captain Joab Langford was similar to Joab Langford, son of James and Nancy Langford, with a few exceptions. He was born on 2 June 1816 at Marietta, Greenville, South Carolina to Henry and Tabitha Langford. He died on 2 February 1888. He had a wife named Matilda with 3 children. There were a total of seven source records attached to Captain Joab Langford
With a little digging into Captain Joab Langford’s source records, it appeared as though these two individuals were different men. Captain Joab Langford was connected to Henry Langford of Greenville County, South Carolina. Captain Joab had migrated to Whitfield County, Georgia at some point in time. He had a wife and children.
The two men can be compared in a table:
| Fact | Joab Langford | Captain Joab Langford3 |
| Father’s Name | James Langford | Henry Langford |
| Mother’s Name | Nancy Snelgrove | Tabitha Clardy |
| Birth date | abt 1814 | 2 June 18162 |
| Birth place | South Carolina | Marietta, Greenville, South Carolina |
| Death | before 1910(?) | 2 February 18882 |
| Wife | None | Matilda Roper |
| Children | None | Marena Elizabeth, Malinda, Aaron |
| Residence in 1880 | Unknown | Whitfield County, Georgia1 |
Next Steps
More research could be done but there is enough here to feel certain these are two individuals. Oddly enough, the 1880 U.S. Census record was linked to both Joab Langford and Captain Joab Langford. Usually, FamilySearch will prevent a record hint from being attached to more than one profile by alerting the user in the source linker. So it is not clear how this happened in the first place.
The next step is to detach the 1880 U.S. Census record from Joab Langford. This means that Joab Langford does not have any sources for his profile. Is Joab Langford, the son of James and Nancy Langford, an actual child of this couple? James Langford’s will does not mention Joab. The will states that James only had 3 sons, which could mean he only had 3 living sons. Those sons were William B., James, and John J. There is probably some basis for this child such as a family Bible. Until this child has documentation, his status is uncertain.
Sources
- 1880 U.S. Census, Whitfield County, Georgia, population schedule, Lower Tenth District, 629 Militia District, enumeration district (ED) 198, p. 20 (penned), dwelling 163, family 163, Joab Lankford household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 1 May 2024); citing Nara microfilm publication T9.
- Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 1 May 2024), memorial 16910868, Joab Lankford, (1816-1888), gravestone photographed by C. East 46814387.
- FamilySearch Family Tree, “Capt Joab Langford,” PID KZLB-GZG, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 1 May 2024). This profile links to his wife Matilda Roper, father Henry Langford, and mother Tabitha Clardy.
