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Author: RoreyCathcart
Surnames:
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.cassity/119.2/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Just returned from a trip to Owingsville & Frankfort, KY trying to track Alvin's
family down as yet to no avail.
Alvin B. and his children are mostly well documented from 1850 forward. Particularly his
time in Hood Co TX. The best case for the accuracy of his pre-1850 info is how well his
post-1850 documentation matches up with his claims on his Mexican War pension.
Born 20 Feb 1826 in Owingsville, Bath Co Ky as you mentioned. Enlisted 13 May 1846 in Mt.
Sterling Ky where he was a resident. He is not listed as a head of household in Mt
Sterling or Owingsville as of the 1840 census though he would have been old enough. After
his discharge from service, 9 June 1847 he returned to Bath Co until the spring of 1850.
To date I have found no evidence of Alvin B. in KY for the 1850 census. However, there is
an Alvin Cassada, occupation carpenter, in Kaw township, Jackson Co, Missouri in 1850
which I believe to be our Alvin B. Others have suggested that the Sally Cantrell on the
same census is Sarah but I have nothing to confirm or refute that theory.
The problem with the pre-1850 search is that the Cassity surname is very well represented
in the area of Bath Co KY. Some researchers tend to co-opt or confuse information for
Alvin Worth Cassity, son of John Cassity Jr. and his wife Margaret Richards for our Alvin
B. In addition to the confusing number of Cassity's in the area, Morgan's Raiders
and others contributed to the burning of some twenty court houses in the state of KY,
including Owingsville and Mt. Sterling, during the Civil War making documentation
difficult.
At this point my lines of attack are thus:
1) A Cassity Surname Study of KY. By this I hope to clearly define certain Cassity family
groupings and thereby exlude them as possible Alvin B. parents. I am not looking foward to
this possibility!
2) St. Louis, MO. We have the affidavit of the pastor who married Alvin and Sarah but I
wonder what the licensing/bonding issues were at the time. I am hoping there are
additional legal documents and possible newspaper notices out there to find which may
indicate additional family info for Alvin B. or Sarah.
3) Hire a professional.
I'm not ready to give up yet but I am out of fresh ideas on this one short of the
Surname Study/St. Louis angles so I am open to suggestions.
Sincerely,
Rorey Cathcart
www.ihopetospeed.com & 'CassCath Tree for Website' here on ancestry
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