The origins of my maternal line are shrouded in the mists of time. Family historians know, it can be difficult to track females. Women usually change their names when they get married, they’re not always named in documents, and some U.S. Census enumerators either didn’t think it important to ask the women’s first names or were too embarrassed that they’d be considered disrespectful.
My 4x Great Grandmother Docia/Doshia/Dotia/Theodosie changed her last name twice. I found the second marriage record, where Mrs. Dotia Rik– (the last name was inside the fold of the book) married Jacob Thompson, but I believe Rikard (or sometimes Rickard) was the name of her first husband.
Last year, I somehow made the connection of Docia’s daughter Mary Ann Rikard to Mary Ann Rackard, who married Andrew Carlisle in 1866 in Escambia County, Florida. I can’t remember exactly how it started. It may have been an Ancestry tree, but I started taking a closer look at the records, and I was confident I was on the right track when I realized that Mary Ann and Andrew Carlisle were living right next door to Theodosie and her son Samuel (last name enumerated as Raccord) according to the 1870 Census.
Then I spent a couple of hours untangling that Andrew and Mary from another Andrew and Mary who lived a little farther north in Alabama. This was on FamilySearch, by the way.
I have not found any DNA matches descended from that couple, although I always have hope. I haven’t finished the descendancy work on their branch. I did however look for and find some other Rikard/Rackard-related matches. Interestingly, they all lead back to Laurence Rikard (1786-abt 1806).
This made little bells go “ding, ding, ding” in my head, because according to my cousin’s notes from a family Bible, Docia’s daughter, my 3rd Great Grandmother’s full name is Elizabeth Lawrence Rikard. I knew that name had to be important – either her unknown father’s first name or a family name in Docia’s line. Several of Laurence Rikard’s sons, grandsons, et.al, are named Lawrence.
Of course, I’m trusting that the tree work on this line is correct. Laurence doesn’t have any real sources attached, just a single reference to an old family tree.
Docia sometimes uses the middle initial P, and some family trees (unsourced, of course) suggest that her maiden name was Pittman. This is interesting, because I have Pittmans on another of my maternal lines. I know there are other Pittman families in Northwest Florida and South Alabama, who I have not been able to connect to my Pittmans, either through paper documentation or DNA.
Rhyme Schemes and Daydreams 