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Archiver > RAGSDALE > 2007-10 > 1193008413


From: Martha Hardcastle Guthrie <>
Subject: Re: [RAGSDALE] South Central Kentucky
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:13:33 -0400
References: <be8.212657e9.344cf962@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <be8.212657e9.344cf962@aol.com>


Chris et al,

Regarding my Martha Ragsdale, wife of Samuel Willoughby - WOW! These are
the first clues I've ever had, and I consider myself a pretty good
researcher! I knew about the alternate spellings but simply got no clues
via full access to Ancestry or Rootsweb. I may not have mentioned this
line to Sandi - I have gotten help from both her, Sharon Tabor, Mike
Oliver and some other experts in that area.

As my father was from that area, I'm related to nearly every line. In
fact, the Hardcastles and Willoughbys intermarried so much that I have
three Hardcastle male/Willoughby female marriages in my direct line,
starting with my grandparents. I am my own cousin about 19 ways so far -
my mother was from Louisiana and her Cajun lines were all pretty
connected, including her ggrandparents being first cousins.

All lived in the area where Allen, Warren and Barren counties converge.
Samuel Willoughby lived at Big Trammel, which was very close to Warren
County. Others were around Halfway. The Hardcastles lived more in the
Three Forks, Iron Bridge, Elk Springs and Goshen areas. My Meek/s
Grinsteads were on the Warren side of the Barren River. My Pattersons
and Grenade (many alt spellings) were in Smith County, Tenn. and Simpson
County KY.

I'm mentioning these things in case anyone else is married into these
Kentucky families.

I did have one error - Martha was my gg grandmother. The line is Martha
Ragsdale and Samuel Willougby, Atwood Willoughby and Mahulda Patterson,
Aramittie Clay Willoughby and Sidney Phillip Hardcastle, Ian Clay
Hardcastle and Anna Mae Edwards to me.

Samuel Willoughby had seven children by his first wife, Temperance
Norris, and seven more with Martha Ragsdale! I guess he about wore these
poor girls out because I think Martha was dead between the ages of 60
and 70.

Another rather twisted version of Ragsdale was found in Martha's son
Josephus C. Willoughby's death certificate in April, 1930. It said her
name was "Martha Raggen." This information was given by his daughter,
American Ellen Willoughby Austin.

I'm taking your advice and will be digging deep. It would be nice to
find her burial place and that of her parents, too.

Martha : )

wrote:
> Martha,
>
> There was a whole group of Ragsdales in Barren and Warren counties. According
> to other researchers , some of them changed the spelling of their name to
> Ragsdal or Rasdal because there were "too many Ragsdales."
>
> Other researchers believe that they were the children of William Ragsdale and
> Lithey Smith. William is supposed to have died in Warren Co., @1816.
>
> It was customary (and the law in at least some areas) for people to marry in
> the home county of the bride. There were two Ragsdale hh's in Warren County in
> the 1830 census, but only William Ragsdale had a female in his hh who was
> Martha's age. If you don't have access to census records, I have transcriptions
> of the early census data on my web site:
>
> _http://www.ragsdales.net/genealogy/_ (http://www.ragsdales.net/genealogy/)
>
> I would suggest that you search GenForum since I know there are others
> researching this line. You should also check out the USGenWeb. Sandi Gorin hosts the
> Barren County site and is a fantastic resource.
>
> Have you checked the probate and land records for Warren and Barren Counties?
> Even if her father didn't leave a Will conveniently naming all of his
> children, they would have been named in records of the sale of his land.
>
> I would also check the land records to determine how close the Ragsdale and
> Willoughby farms were. They may have been adjacent across the border of the two
> counties, or further apart. If you can't find a Ragsdale farm that was close
> to a Willoughby farm, try checking collateral families -- they could have met
> at the home of relatives. You might also want to check church records. Samuel
> was a 47 year old man with young children at home when he married Martha -- I
> doubt he married her on a whim. They must have known each other and he must
> have been confident that she would be a good mother and housewife and her father
> must have been confident that he would be a good provider and a husband.
>
> Chris
> (mailto:)
>
>
>
>
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