Every so often a document reminds me of the importance of neighbors–even when the family’s origins are fairly well documented and the “analyze the neighbors” approach is not really necessary to figure them out.

The 1830 census for Jackson Township in Coshocton County, Ohio, contains Christianna (DeMoss) Rampley. By the time of this enumeration, Christianna had been widowed for seven years and her children had started to leave home and set out on their own. The Maryland native was not isolated in Coshocton County when her husband died. This 1830 enumeration shows that. John Daymoss (actually DeMoss) was her brother and is shown on the same 1830 census page as Christianna. Crispin Treadway appears on the same page as well. Treadway knew the DeMosses and Rampleys back in Maryland when the families lived in Harford County before coming to Maryland in 1830.

And James Shores? He’s Christianna’s son-in-law.

And it looks like only one individual on this census page lived by himself–not certain it has anything to do with my family at all, but an interesting thing to notice.Many of the families had young children in the household–there are not many “empty-nesters” listed either.

Always good to look beyond the entry of interest to see what else you notice.