Surname Saturday - Alexander

I am related to the Alexander family through my paternal great-grandmother, Gussie Creed. I have discussed the Reece family before here. I was lucky to find Elisabeth's maiden name on her marriage record to William Henry Reece.

They were married December 22, 1836 in Johnson County, Missouri. Note that her name is spelled Elizabeth on this record, yet it is spelled with an "s" on her headstone. I'm choosing to go with what was put in granite until I find information to the contrary. I was also lucky to find Elisabeth's brother, George, living with her on both the 1875 Kansas census and the 1880 federal census.

I adjusted the image a little to show the place of birth. George is quite a bit younger than his older sister; there is a twenty-year age difference. And the Alexander family migrated from North Carolina to Missouri somewhere between the births of Elisabeth and George.

Now I have two Alexander siblings. I received a response to a query on an Ancestry message board a few years back from a fellow researcher, John. Based on information he had received he indicated that Elisabeth and George's parents were John Alexander and Polly Ferguson. His deductions are sound, but I have yet to find documentation that proves this link. I did find a John Alexander living in Johnson County, Missouri in 1850. He is widowed and with him live five children, all born in Missouri, to include a George. This George is a year or two older than "my" George.

It is also important to note the name of the youngest child: Araminta. A unique name, one that Mary Reece Creed uses for one of her own children. And in 1850 Elisabeth Alexander Reece lives with her husband and children in the same township, county and state as the above Alexanders.

I added the above individuals to my practice tree to see what information I can find on them that may connect them to Elisabeth. And it's a good thing, too, because Araminta Alexander came up with 6 Ancestry hints. Each one was a census with the married name of Hull. I decided to look for her marriage record and found the following record from Johnson County, Missouri.

It states that Araminta Alexander and James Hull were married April 24, 1860 by none other than W. H. Reece. Have I mentioned that Elisabeth Alexander married William H. Reece, the preacher? An awfully convenient coincidence. Is it conclusive proof? Nope, but we're getting there. So now I return to the 6 Ancestry hints for Araminta. The first I click on is her listing on the 1860 census.

The last name in the listing? Araminta Hull. The first name? W. H. Reece. I had already found this census listing for the Reeces but had never taken note of the James and Araminta Hull listed in the family because I had no idea what the relationship was. I am calling this conclusive proof. At the very least, I am going to say John Alexander is my fourth great grandfather.