One Name Place Study: Elisabeth Townsend in Columbus
According to the Guild of One-Name Studies , "People often start one-name studies when they get stuck on part of their own ancestry, and believe that if they were to collect all references they find to the surname then this will lead to a break-through." I am in the process of investigating the Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of William James Townsend who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. So far, most Townsends do not seem to be close relations, but I haven't given up yet. The next individual listed 1880 US Census is Elisabeth Townsend. Elisabeth indicates in this census that she was born about 1867 in Ohio, with parents also originally from Ohio. At age 13, she's listed as a servant in the home of Wm and Ruth Wildermuth (though the handwriting looks like Wildersmith). The Wildersmith's have children aged 22-13. Her servant position was certainly not that of a governess based on her young age! ...