This week, our #52 ancestor challenge topic is about Brick Walls, those ancestors of ours that we just can’t seem to find out about.

I have written about one of my brick walls before, my great-grandfather Tompkins. The Tompkins family is not the only branch of mine with brick walls. I am taking an Advanced Best Practices study group through the Family History Academy. We are working through creating a research question and plan, and executing that plan in the effort to solve it. I am researching my great-great-grandmother Barber, Leah McGee. This is a great opportunity to show you the steps I go through when working to solve a genealogical question.

First, the objective: Determine if Thomas McGee b. 11 July 1807, Guilderland, Albany, New York, and Elizabeth Winter, b 16 May 1807, Charlestown, Montgomery, New York, are the parents of Leah McGee Barber. Leah was born 12 September 1831 in New York State, and died 18 February 1908 in Elba, Genesee, New York.  She married Martin Freeman Barber, in 1855. He was born 26 April 1833, Elba, Genesee, New York, died 21 October 1925, Elba, Genesee, New York.

Next, what do I know? I write those down.

Known Facts about Leah McGee Barber:

• Leah McGee was born in New York State in September 1832, according to Federal and State census records from 1860, 1870, 1875, 1880, 1892, 1900, and 1905. Find-A-Grave lists the date as the 12^th, but no birth or baptismal records have been found.
• Leah McGee was likely from Stafford, New York. No record has been found to substantiate this.
• She married Martin Freeman Barber of Elba, New York in March 1858, according to the obituary of her husband, in the Batavia (NY) Daily News, 24 October 1925. No marriage record has been found.
• Leah McGee’s parents were born in New York State, according to Federal census records from 1880 and 1900.
• Leah McGee died in Elba, New York, 18 February 1908 of pneumonia, according to an obituary published in the LeRoy (NY) Gazette. The date was also published in the obituary of her husband in the Batavia (NY) Daily News, 24 October 1925.

Known facts about Thomas McGee:

• Thomas McGee was born 11 July 1807 in Guilderland, Albany, New York, and died 01 April 1864, in Flushing, Genesee, Michigan, according to a pedigree resource file listed in FamilySearch. This information has not been verified.
• Thomas McGee married Elizabeth Winter, on 25 April 1827, in Schoharie, N.Y., according to a pedigree resource file listed in FamilySearch. This information has not been verified.
• Thomas McGee lived in Stafford, New York, according to the Federal census reports from 1840 and 1850.
• The 1850 census includes the following household members:
  • 1 male born about 1835-1840.
  • 1 male born about 1831/1835.
  • 1 male born about 1801/1810
  • 1 female born about 1831/1835.
  • 1 female born about 1826/1830.
  • 1 female born about 1801/1810.
• Thomas McGee’s household in 1850 included:
• • Wife Elizabeth, age 43, born about 1807.
  • Daughter Sarah, age 20, born about 1830.
  • Daughter Lea, age 19, born about 1831.
  • Son Cornelius, age 16, born about 1834.
  • Son Thomas, age 12, born about 1838.

All were born in New York State.

• Thomas McGee, of Genesee County, Michigan, purchased 160 acres of land in Genesee County, Michigan, in township 9, according to a land grant patent dated 15 December 1856.
• Thomas McGee was living in Flint, Genesee, Michigan according to the 1860 census. The household members included:
  • Wife Elizabeth, age 53, born 1807.
  • Son Cornelius, age 26, born 1834.
  • Son Thomas, age 21, born 1838.

All were born in New York State.

Known facts about Elizabeth Winter:

• Elizabeth Winter was born 16 May 1807 in Charlestown, Montgomery, New York, and died 29 July 1867, in Mt. Morris, Genesee, Michigan. This is from a pedigree resource file from FamilySearch and has not been substantiated.

Next, my hypothesis: Thomas McGee and Elizabeth Winter are the parents of Leah McGee Barber. His household contains a female of the appropriate age in the 1840 and 1850 census records. The McGee family lived in Stafford, New York during those years.

Leah McGee married Martin Freeman Barber, of Elba, New York. The town of Elba borders Stafford. Martin and Leah’s firstborn son is named Thomas. A second son is named Freeman, which is Martin’s fathers’ name. The name choice could be to honor their respective father’s.

Next, I list potential resources, which are below.

• Birth or marriage records for Leah McGee from Methodist Church records in Genesee County, NY (pre-1880 NYS).
• Census records to eliminate any other Leah McGee’s in Genesee County, NY.
• Land records for Thomas McGee in Genesee County, NY, and Genesee County, MI.
• Probate records for Thomas McGee in Michigan or New York State.
• Death certificate for Leah McGee Barber in Genesee County, NY.
• Newspaper announcements for Leah McGee Barber, Thomas McGee, or Elizabeth Winters McGee in Genesee County, NY and Genesee County, MI.

All the documented information is kept in my research log (see below).  I include the citation, a description of the document, what it tells me, who the possible informant is, and what type of evidence the source provides.

Over the next few week’s, I’ll go through the list of these potential resources to find any evidence that proves or disproves my hypothesis about Leah’s parent’s.

I didn’t include DNA as a possible resource, although it’s uploaded to several sites. The Barber family has thousands of potential cousin relationships. I am choosing to focus on the paper trail first. I will keep you posted on what I find out!