Riley Rampley was born in 1835 in Coshocton County, Ohio (in the general area of Jackson Township, probably), served in the US Civil War (78th Illinois Volunteer Infantry), married Nancy Jane Newman in Hancock County, Illinois, and died in Walker Township, Hancock County, Illinois, in 1893. A few lessons and clues from Riley’s life and genealogical story:
- Never assume a private will have a small pension file–Riley’s is 207 pages!
- When there is no probate file after death and real estate was owned by the deceased, look for an affidavit regarding the death filed with the land records.
- When “new people” from Indiana buy the farm that borders your folks on the east, pay attention–you may marry their daughter.
- Plan your estate before you die and your widow won’t have to sue her children to sell her farm because she wants to move to town before the youngest son turns twenty-one.
My ancestor table can be viewed on my site. Riley is my great-great-grandfather.
