Ancestors of Robert Elliott?

Question

b. 1775, VA
m. 16 Nov 1797, VA to Ann Wyatt
d. 1832

children:
Robert
Edward
James
Margaret
Sarah
Elizabeth
Rachel
Julia Ann

Looking for his ancestors.

Thank you.

Answer 1

You've got a great start! Here's where I would go from there:

First of all, do you know WHERE in Virginia he lived? If you are unsure, look for him in the 1830, 1820, 1810, 1800, and 1790 Censuses. Many of these are online at Heritage Quest, a site you can access through your library. Put his name in the search engine.

Realize that you won't get too much information except for the number in his household and his location, but that is the key.

Next step is to write or visit the county courthouse/local history center/genealogical society. Your first foray may be via the internet:

http://www.usgenweb.net/va

Once you are on the Virginia site, you can click on the county where he lived. There may be information there on him or his children--and you can always post a query there. I did this for one of my Virginia relatives--and struck up a wonderful correspondence with a cousin who had been doing research on the family for over 40 years--gave me five or six more generations, all cited and documented!

If you go to the courthouse, look for land records. These are extant from the earliest days of the Virginia colony, and can give hints about ancestors. For example, does Robert get a large tract of land given to him or sold at a nominal sum from another Elliot? Check out that Elliot--find his will--see if Robert is mentioned. Definitely check out all wills with the surname Elliot.

Another thing to do is to access Heritage Quest again--this time go to Revolutionary War pension records. Search for Elliot from Virginia--if Robert's father was a veteran and lived long enough, there is a chance he applied for a pension--and in doing so listed his children.

One more place to look are the local cemeteries. Usually families were buried in a family plot. See who is buried near Robert Elliot--find out if they are siblings. I was able to find an elusive direct ancestor via a sister of my great great great grandfather.

Another place to check, just to see if anyone has done work for you, is World Connect at http://www.rootsweb.com

This is a collection of family trees submitted to the site--over 900 million names--could find Robert and his family there.