One of the great mysteries of my genealogical research is why James B. & Mary [Jones] Crail went into hiding every 10 years, you know, like 1840, 1850, 1860 & 1870.
Various sources identify the parents of Aaron, John & Sylvester Crail as James B. Crail & Mary A. Jones. James & Mary married in Ohio [probably] about 1834. Sylvester was born in Hamilton Co., OH in 1835 & John was born there two years later. Aaron was born in Marion Co., OH in 1839. [source for all three: Civil War service records]
The family was in Shelby Co., IN from at least 1851 [when Mary purchased lots in Marietta, Shelby, IN] & 1854 [when she & James sold the lots.] The three brothers married during the '50s & were easily tracked until their deaths.
James & Mary have yet to be located in any other records. I found a church contributors list in Cincinnati in 1836 & tax lists for 1838 that could have been the correct James B. Crail. Mary next appeared in the Indy city directories beginning in 1876 as a widow of James & generally residing with son John. She died in 1887. [Death certificate: born Kentucky, father - T. Jones] There is no record of James from 1854 until his death prior to 1876.
James was probably the son of James Berry Crail, Sr. The elder James & his family never show up with the younger James.
I have been in contact with another Crail researcher over the years who is a descendant of George Berry Crail purported to be the 4th son of James & Mary. Inconsistencies in research, misidentification of familial relationships & zero records placing George with the rest of the family have prevented me from fully accepting the connection. The supporting evidence FOR George is that he doesn't appear in the 1850-70 censuses either. His death certificate does name his parents as James B. Crail & Mary Jones.
I guess I'm bull-headed. Until I can find more supporting evidence, I just can't fully accept the story.
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