Like Father Like Son

Academy Cemetery, Jefferson, Jackson County, Georgia

The Jackson Herald,  October 26, 1894 

 Andrew Ansley  

    Little Andrew Ansley, step-son of Mr. R. L. Dean, who lives about three miles above town, died of dropsy on last Sunday and was buried at the Academy burial grounds Monday.

The first time I knew that my ancestor William Ansley had a brother, Andrew, was the 1880 census for Jackson County, Georgia.  I had been searching for William for some time but until now had not been successful in locating him.  In fact I wasn't even sure it was him for quite some time. 

The 1880 Federal census shows the family as - Ansley, Mary, a white female, age 22, keeps house, can't read or write.  She was born in Georgia as were both her parents.  Ansley, William, white male age 3, son, single, born in Georgia and Ansley, Andrew, white male age 1, son, single, born in Georgia.  

Mary E. aka Marietta Waddel had married Joseph Ansley 17 NOV 1875 in Jefferson, Jackson County, Georgia.  

However, the newspaper clipping is the ONLY time, besides the marriage record that Joseph & Marietta are EVER together.  He appears on NOTHING, no census, no land records no NOTHING.

When Joseph disappears, sometime between 1879 & 1882, I figured I still had Mary, William & Andrew.  With no census for 1890, I couldn't track the little family during that window of time.  The 1900 census comes and Marietta/Mary has remarried and has been busy having babies with the new husband. William is living next door to his mom & her new family.  Only Andrew is NO WHERE TO BE FOUND!   First thing comes to mind is that possibly he is with Joseph, his father.  For years I search to no avail. 

Then one day Mr. Brown Eyes types Andrew Ansley into a search engine and up  pops the clipping on Andrew.  Telling of his death from dropsy, his burial.  Different circumstances, but still alot like his dad.  We know so much but we know so little.  Andrew's little snippet from the paper tells us he died of dropsy, that he was the step son, no mention of Joseph at all.  He rests in an unmarked grave in the cemetery pictured above.  Perhaps that too is like his father, perhaps Joseph rests somewhere in an unmarked grave?  We may never know.