[Genealogy] Proving a Parentage, FamilySearch Catalog, Pre-1850

[Michael John Neill]

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19 February 2026

** How Much to Prove James is Riley’s Pa?
** Using the Catalog at FamilySearch Webinar
** Creating Families from pre-1850 US Census Records

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How Much to Prove James is Riley’s Pa?
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I had never located one record that clearly stated that James Rampley (1803
Harford County, Maryland-1884 Hancock County, Illinois) was the father of
Riley Rampley (1835 Coshocton County, Ohio-1893 Hancock County, Illinois).
Other than printed county histories there are no sources that state the
relationship explicitly. County histories are not always the most reliable
of sources and they weren’t going to cut it for my relative’s DAR
application.

In summary, two records connected James and Riley as father and son.

   - A 1907 court case from Hancock County, Illinois, included testimony
   from witnesses and a judicial decision that indicated that Riley Rampley,
   James Rampley, Thomas Rampley, John Rampley, and Martha (Rampley) Luft were
   siblings. The court case was a partition suit that came about as a result
   of John’s death without children. James, Thomas, Martha, and Riley’s
   children (all of whom were named) were determined to be John’s heirs at the
   time of his death.
   - Martha Luft’s 1923 death certificate indicated her father was James
   Rampley. No place of birth for James was given or any other identifying
   information was given. A granddaughter was the informant.

And so I wondered?

Do I need to connect this James Rampley–father of Martha on the death
certificate–with the James Rampley who was living in Hancock County,
Illinois, in the mid-19th century? That James Rampley was already known to
have been the son of Thomas Johnson and Christianna (DeMoss) Rampley who
died in Coshocton County, Ohio, in the first part of the 19th century. How
much evidence did I need?

After all, the death certificate just says “James Rampley.” I thought I
needed just a little more in case someone else doubted the connection.

So I included the 1850 and 1860 census enumerations for James Rampley and
his wife, Elizabeth (Chaney) Rampley. They showed the children in their
household (admittedly with no relationships stated). There was an Elizabeth
Rampley as a child in the 1850 household who died before 1860 and left no
heirs. That’s why she was not listed in the estate settlement. Otherwise
the children listed matched those named in the 1907 partition suit.

I felt the census tightened up my case.

What do you think?

Keep in mind:

   - there is no estate settlement for James or Elizabeth–the parents
   - there is no death certificates providing parental information for any
   of the Rampley sons
   - there are no deeds that mention relationships
   - Civil War pensions for the sons do not state any parental
   relationships either

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Working with Pre-1850 US Census Records
---------------------------------------------------
If pre-1850 US census records have you scratching your head or if you've
wondered if you've looked at them correctly, our webinar is for you.

Details on our announcement page.
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-families-from-pre-1850-census-records/>
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17, Henderson, IL 61439
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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