This is for the very few people who are working on the line of Alexander
Casteel
(b.abt 1800), who died in McMinn Co TN in either 1862 or 1867.
Some researchers have believed that the maiden name of Alexander's wife, Susan
or Susannah, might have been Camp, since Alexander was involved with a large
land purchase with John Camp, and appeared to trust him (re: Jean Casteel
Brown). I spent several hours, searching wills at the Tennessee Archives in
Nashville last week, and finally found John Camp's will. In the will, it
notes all of John's children, and Susan is not named. I guess even negative
results are better than no results.
The only mention of Alexander Casteel is in reference to persons who purchased
items from the estate of John Camp. Alexander Casteel purchased "40 doz Oats
at
10-1/2 -- 4.20".
We still are looking for Alexander Casteel's parents, and where he was born --
and where he was married.
One additional mystery -- several litigations around 1870 note that Alexander
died in 1867, and this is the year that we have always accepted for his death.
However, Last week, I found the following entry in the Athens Post, the local
newspaper, for volume XIV, Number 712, "16 May 1862 Alexander Casteel, in his
63rd yr., d. 4th ult in McMinn Co. three miles southwest of Athens. Also on
7th Apr at the same place, Mrs. Susannah Casteel in her 60th year. They had
been married nearly forty years."
It seems highly unlikely that this information would be incorrect, since it is
listed along with other obits of the same time-period.
Any comments?
Best regards,
Jim Patrick
Tampa, Florida