genealogy

[ntex]

Hi
Hope I am doing this right looking for Ingram, trying to trace family tree and can't get past 4th greatfarther Alexander Ingram lived in NC and Tn

[Marhar]

Hi there
Have you got a date and Location for you 4th ggf, it would help a lot to find him, and yes you are in the right place.


Marhar

[ntex]

4ggf

Alexander Ingram was born 1820 In Carter Co. or Washington Co. Tn.
Married Matilda McKinzie born March 1820 Ashevile NC. Buncombe Co.
Married about 1845 for 55 years
Matilda farther born N.C. Her Mother born in Scotland
They had 11 Children and I will give you their names if you would like.
I have the date where Alexander was born but I am not sure who his farther was, some of my family say it could be a John Ingram but are not sure. The ones who might know have left this world and the notes I have was my dads.
I have gone to Ashevile and looked there but could find nothing.
Mike

[Rachel_E]

I'm probably no help to you at all, but maybe you should try different spellings of the last name. You might find more. So many times back then, either last names were changed, or records were kept by how the name sounded. Not everyone was a great speller back then. The Soundex system came about in the late 1930s, in effort to index the U.S. censuses. The names on the census records were coded and placed onto cards. THe cards were then sorted according to certain Soundex rules which resulted in a listing of people from the censuses whose names, although spelled differently, were grouped together because they "sounded" alike. Now, almost all U.S. documents are arranged by the Soundex system, as well as ship passenger lists adn military records. It's valuable because it allows you to find census records for tha tperson even if their record was recorded with various name spellings.
So... to find out the soundex code for the last name you're looking for goes like this. Every soundex code consists of a letter and a 3 digit number. THe letter is always the first letter of the surname. So if the name is Ingram, the index card will be in hte "I" segment of the index. Then numbers are assigned to the remaining letters of the surname. Here's the coding system:
The number: Key letters or equivalents:
1 b,p,f,v
2 c,s,k,g,j,q,x,z
3 d,t
4 l
5 m,n
6 r

The letters a,e,i,o,u,y,w and h are NOT coded. THe first letter of a surname is NOT coded. Every soundex number must be a 3-digit number.

Oh, if the name has a prefix, like Van or De or something like that, try coding the prefix and try it without coding it as well. But Mc and Mac are not considered prefixes, so code all of that.

VANDEVANTER
V 53 1

the A and E are vowels and once you get the 1 for the second V, you've already completed your 3 digits, so you just drop the rest.

One break to the rule, however. If you have a name like Jackson and you look at the soundex and see that the CKS in Jackson are all to be changed to the number 2, you don't put 3-2's down. YOu just put one 2 and then move on, grouping all of those letters together. SO the soundex for Jackson would be J250 (0 b/c you've run out of letters and need one more digit still).

Wow, this is getting confusing! I'm sorry! Anwyays... I hope it helps a little bit. It might help you in finding more info. And try the census records for when Alexander was born. Or the next census after his birth. You'll be able to find his parents names in that.


But by the way, I found this info, if it helps at all.
Alexander INGRAM
Sex: M

Marriage(s):
Spouse: Matilda MCKINNEY
Marriage: 13 Mar 1845
Carter, Tennessee

Here they spelled Matilda's name differently.
And they have listed that Matilda's parents were
Samuel MC KINNEY SR and Sarah GRINDSTAFF