Hi Lynne,

On Thu, Jul 2, 2020 at 4:16 PM Lynne Roberts <lnroberts673@...> wrote:

I know - it's like looking for John Smith.  I've had experts tell me that it's hopeless - David Dobson and Bruce Durie gave me some help, but in effect said it was hopeless.  

But hope springs eternal - and I've been looking for him for years - why stop now?

Duncan Campbell - my only immigrant ancestor - my one and only opportunity to research family naturalization and immigration records - is a complete enigma prior to just before 1800. 

My problem is that I have no idea - and have no way of finding out - where in Scotland he came from.  I went to Scotland and spent a week at the National Archives (Scotland's People 

had nothing and sent me there) and found very interesting documents and letters - had a great time but found nothing to further my family research.  When he first arrived with his wife 

Christiana and daughter Katherine, he went to Pennsylvania and stayed a couple of years prior to moving on to Ohio.  Have never found credible proof of them in PA.  I have researched 

and catalogued his life since 1816 - in Licking County, OH.  He then moved on to Radnor, Delaware Co, OH where he remained for the rest of his life - and where I found him being 

naturalized in the court records.  The one way I thought I could trace him in Scotland was through traditional naming patterns.  That appears to be very useful and I think I have a line 

on families in the Killin, Perthshire area.  As an aside, I found it extremely interesting to follow the naming pattern - it didn't identify THE family, but it sure helped to eliminate a lot of others.

Info on family is:

Duncan Campbell 1768 Scotland -1850 Radnor Delaware OH

Christiana (Kider?) 1768 Scotland - 1849 Radnor Delaware OH

Katherine Toothaker 1794 Scotland - 1844 Radnor

Elizabeth Rankin 1798 PA 1861 Newark, Licking, OH

Susanna Wise 1806 PA 1864 Troy, Delaware, OH

Peter Campbell 1808 PA - 1856 Rochester, Racine, WI

William Campbell  abt 1810 - Licking Co, OH bef 5 Mar 1859

Isabella Darst - OH, 30 June 1882 Troy, Delaware, OH

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.  Have been to Radnor and through their court house and genealogy society - helpful but not for origins.  He just wasn't talking 

and before I die I'd love to know where he came from!!!

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have

Lynne

When you have found all you can about a person or family, then it's time to investigate their FAN club. What's that? Family, Associates, and Neighbors. I'm sure we've all heard (and usually

 ignored)the advice to always read the 3 pages before your family in the census, and the 3 pages after. Well, that's one way to start -- look at the earliest records you have, and who the family,

 associates and neighbors are. Move forward through time, and notice who shows up. Who are the witnesses? Pallbearers? What families did the children marry into? 

Begin with doing thorough research of any siblings or other close relatives who may have preceded them to Pennsylvania and then Ohio? Or accompanied them, and came later to join them?

 Have you checked old newspapers for social stories about the family? People usually came to a new place for a reason, and very often traveled with locals if not family.

For a bit more about this tactic, see https://lisalouisecooke.com/2016/10/29/genealogy-fan-club/ among many others. 

Hope this helps,

Valorie