James Rampley was born in 1803 in Harford County, Maryland, and died in 1884 in Hancock County, Illinois. He married Elizabeth Chaney in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1830. Some clues and lessons I learned from researching James:
- Who did you buy that first farm from? James’ first land purchase in Illinois was from a James R. Holden–whose name initially meant nothing to me. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered he was James Rampley Holden, a first cousin of James Rampley.
- You may be briefly discussed in your daughter-in-law’s pension file. James is mentioned as working on the farm threshing in the summer of 1865 or 1866.
- Estate planning works. James and his wife sold all their real estate to their sons before they died, retaining a life estate in ten acres on which their home was located. Because of this there was no estate settlement.
My ancestor table can be viewed on my site. James is my 3rd great-grandfather.
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