Hinds-sight

I still have a lot of research to do on the Hinds (variations: Hines, Hindes).  Initially it seemed like I would be okay because I had family reunion documents, one from 1910 and one from 1933.  But the only dates were handwritten in the margins and there were no towns mentioned.  Still it was something to go on.

My maternal great-grandmother, Mary Etta Hinds, wife of Everett Gaskill, was born in New York in 1846 and died in Emporium, PA in 1897, so I at least knew which states to start in.  And I did know a few generations of names so that helped with the census research.  In 1865, Mary Etta’s future husband enlisted in the Union Army in Union, NY—her hometown in 1860.  It looks like the Everett Gaskill followed the Hinds family to Pennsylvania between 1870 and 1880.    So, when the Hinds showed up in the same geographical areas as the Gaskills, I felt I was headed in the right direction.  Because I'm so new to this, I always worry I’m going to rush off on a wild goose chase, but I was comfortable enough to target New York.

Mary Etta’s father was Solomon Hinds, who was supposedly born in Morris, NJ around 1816 and died in Cameron County, PA.  He's listed in the census and in the reunion brochures, but otherwise he is like a ghost.  Except I do have his photo! It’s from the late 1800s.  

Solomon's father, Joseph Hinds, was listed as the head of the clan in the reunion booklets and was married to Hannah Youngs.  I was able to locate him and his family in US census records, the earliest being 1820, in Danby, NY.  In later censuses, his place of birth, in around 1778, was listed as New Jersey.  Directing myself to New Jersey, further research led to the History of the First Presbyterian Church of Morristown, New Jersey on Google Books.  There I found a reference to Joseph Hinds marriage to Hannah Youngs on March 24, 1804.  I’ve been looking for Joseph in the 1810 census, but I suspect he might not have been a head-of-household at that point.

But what a lack of information, especially compared to what I found out about other branches of the family.  My blogging is catching up with my research, so I haven’t had the opportunity to contact the local historical societies in New York and New Jersey, but I hope to get to that soon.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I get some good leads.