Thomas Washington Lusby (1835-1906)

I took a couple of hours on Sunday using my genealogy database software, Family Tree Maker 2012, to write up a biography of my 2nd great grandfather, Thomas Lusby.  I've been mainly using the database just as a back-up to my online tree at Ancestry.com, but lately I've been playing around with all the features and teaching myself about what this program can actually.

I gathered all the facts that had been inputted into the database, along with some additional information I've received from a second cousin, and tried my hand at writing his story.  This is something I'd like to do with all of my ancestors that are in my direct line.  By doing this litter exercise, Thomas became a lot more than just dates and facts.  In some ways, he came alive to me.

I hope you enjoy my story, and if you think we are related in anyway, I'd love to hear from you.

Thomas Washington Lusby

Thomas & Francis J. (Dameron) Lusby (ca 1880s)

Thomas Washington Lusby was born on October 31, 1835 in Westmoreland County, Virginia as the first (and only known) child of John Lusby and Margaret B. Self.  Margaret was the daughter of Moses and Maget Self.  According to family records, Thomas was named for the minister that married his parents, Thomas M. Washington.

Based on the information gathered to date, his father died some time before 1845, as his mother, Margaret, married James B. Moxley on January 7, 1845 in Richmond County, Virginia.  The first census that Thomas appears on is the 1850 US Federal Census.  He was 15 years old and living in Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia on a farm with his mother and stepfather, James Moxley. What's interesting is the fact that he was listed as a pauper on this census.  Also listed was a six year old mulatto named Leviticus Lusby, and his stepbrother, James Edwin Moxley, who was one year old.  It is unknown if Leviticus was the child of John Lusby and a slave or just the daughter one that was owned by Thomas’ parents.

On January 22, 1857, at the age of 21, Thomas married Martha A. (Sebra) Dunaway in Richmond County, Virginia.  Martha was the daughter of Edmond Sebra and Nancy Crowder, and she was also the widow of John Joseph Dunaway.  At the time of their marriage, Thomas became the stepfather of Martha's one year old daughter, Maria H. Dunaway.

During the course of their marriage, Thomas and Martha had four children:

1.     Margaret Ann Lusby was born on February 17, 1858 in Richmond County, Virginia.  She died in 1870 in Richmond County, Virginia.

2.     John J. Lusby was born in October 1859 in Richmond County, Virginia.  He died on October 24, 1892.  John married Laura E. Doggett on February 23, 1887 in Richmond County, Virginia.

3.     Luetta Jane Lusby was born on June 3, 1866 in Richmond County, Virginia. She died on January 3, 1936 in Baltimore, Maryland.  She married Caleb Litchfield Bryant on May 3, 1885 in Richmond County, Virginia.

4.     Martha Ella Lusby was born on September 6, 1868 in Richmond County, Virginia. She married Thomas E. Haynie on March 30, 1886 in Richmond County, Virginia.

According to Richmond County Order Book 31, p. 91, a record found by a genealogist that showed Richard B. Mitchell, administrator of the estate of John J. Dunaway was to pay Thomas Lusby $60 for the for the support of Maria H., who was the infant daughter of John J. Dunaway, for the last three years on May 7, 1860.  As shown in the following paragraphs, Maria is listed as living with Thomas W. and Martha Lusby, her stepfather and mother, on the 1860 and 1870 census.

Thomas next appears on the 1860 US Federal Census where he is living and working as a farmer in Richmond County, Virginia.  He is 24 years old and his personal estate is valued at $200.  Also living with him, at this time, is his wife Martha and the following children:  Margaret (age 2), John J. (age 8 months), and Maria H. Dunaway (age 4).

On June 4, 1861, Thomas enlisted as a Private in Company E of the Virginia 40th Infantry Regiment, which was a volunteer infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.  The regiment was organized on May 30, 1861.  Its members were recruited in Northumberland, Richmond, and Lancaster counties.  It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.  Prior to the reorganization after Chancellorsville, it was part of the first brigade of A.P. Hill's Light Division.  Field officers were Colonel John M. Brockenbrough; Lieutenant Colonels Fleet W. Cox, Arthur S. Cunningham, and Henry H. Walker; and Majors Edward T. Stakes and William T. Taliaferro.

After serving in the Aquia District, the unit was assigned to General Field's, Heth's, and H.H. Walker's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia.  It participated in the campaigns of the army from the Sevin Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then was involved in the Petersburg siege nth of the James River and the Appomattox Campaign.

The regiment sustained 180 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles which was about half its effective force.  The unit lost 4 wounded at Cedar Mountain, had 14 killed and 73 wounded at Chancellorsville, and of the 253 engaged at Gettysburg more than twenty percent were disabled.  Many were captured at Sayler's Creek and only 7 men were included in the surrender on April 9, 1865.  The regiment mustered out on April 9, 1865.

According to his Civil Ward Records, he was present and paid on June 20, 1861, August 31, 1861,

credit:  Fold3.com

October 31, 1861, and February 28, 1862.  He was recorded as a deserter on May 25, 1862, which was the day before his regiment took part in the Battle at Hanover Court House in Hanover County, Virginia.  Based on the history of his regiment, it appears the last battle he took part in was on April 18, 1862 at Falmouth, Virginia.

Thomas was arrested on May 27, 1863 by the Provost Marshal of the 1st Calvary Division, and was paroled to go north on May 29th, 1863.  No records have been found to explain where he was from the time he deserted in 1862 to when he was arrested a year later.

On June 20, 1869, Martha Lusby died in Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia at the age of 37.  Cause of death and where she is buried is unknown.

Thomas remarried on May 25, 1870 in Richmond County, Virginia.  He married Francis Jane Dameron,

daughter of Charles Y. Dameron and Lucy S. (Douglas) Dameron of Richmond County Virginia.  Thomas was 35 years old, and Francis was 21 years old.

During their marriage, Thomas and Fannie had 12 children:

1.     Charles Edward Lusby was born on August 20, 1871 in Richmond County, Virginia.   He died on June 3, 1886 in Richmond County, Virginia at the age of 14.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

2.      Lucy Margaret Lusby was born in December 1872 in Richmond County, Virginia.  She died in Maryland of Tuberculosis in 1910 at the age of 38.  She's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

3.     Fanny May Lusby was born on August 19, 1875 in Richmond County, Virginia.  She died in Richmond County, Virginia of Diphtheria on September 29, 1878 at the age of 3.  She's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

4.     Thomas Kirk Lusby was born on April 9, 1877 in Richmond County, Virginia, and died on July 15, 1954 in Charlottesville, Virginia.  He married Ina Virginia Richardson on September 7, 1925 in Petersburg, Virginia He's buried at Lebanon Church in Newport News, Virginia.

5.     Frederick Claybrook Lusby was born on January 8, 1880 in Richmond County, Virginia, and died on November 3, 1881 in Farnham District, Richmond County, Virginia of congestion of the brain.  He was only a year old.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

6.     Harry Calhoun Lusby was born on November 7, 1882 in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia, and died on February 18, 1950 of a Cerebral Hemorrhage in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Virginia  He married Anna Dora Cowling in July 1902, and was married again to Kate N. Moore on March 16, 1927 in Alexandria, Virginia.  He's buried at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia.

7.     William George Lusby was born on February 2, 1884 in Richmond County, Virginia, and died of Typhoid on August 18, 1926 in Richmond County, Virginia.  He married Nena Lillian Fones in 1912 in Virginia.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

8.     Theodore Washington Lusby was born on April 10, 1887 in Richmond County, Virginia, and was murdered at the age of 31 in 1918 while living in Ellicott City, Maryland.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

9.     Benjamin Franklin Lusby was born on April 20, 1889 in Richmond County, Virginia and died on June 19, 1968 in Lancaster County, Virginia.  He married Edith Irene Raitz, probably between 1914 and 1915 in Washington, DC.  He also married Willie Ann Perciful around 1949, probably in Lancaster County, Virginia.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia with his first wife, Edith Irene (Raitz) Lusby.

10.   Walter Blair Lusby was born on November 7, 1892 in Richmond County, Virginia, and died about 1904 in Richmond County, Virginia at the age of 12.  He's buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

11.   Asa Allin Lusby was born on November 7, 1894 in Richmond County, Virginia and died of Lung Cancer on April 5, 1960 in Arlington, Virginia.  He married Louise Armida.  He's buried at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

12.    Infant Lusby was born in Richmond County, Virginia, and is buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

On the 1870 US Federal Census, Thomas is listed as living and working as a farmer in Farnham Township,

Thomas W. & Francis J. (Dameron) Lusby w/children
 (ca 1890s)

Richmond County, Virginia.  He is 33 years old.  His real estate is valued at $600, and his personal estate is valued at $125.  Living with him is his wife Fannie (age 21) and the following children:  John J. (age 10), Luetta J (age 5), Martha E (age 1), and his stepdaughter from his first marriage, Maria H. Dunaway (age 14).  There is also a Martha A. Lusby, age 38, also living with them.  (It has not yet been determined who she is.)

When the 1880 US Federal Census rolled around, Thomas is living and working as a farmer in Farnham Magisterial District, Richmond County, Virginia.  He's now 44 years old and his wife, Fannie, is 30 years old.  The census shows the following children living in the household:  John J. (age 19), Luetta (age 15), Martha E (age 12), Charles (age 7), Lucy M. (age 7), Thomas K (age 3 months), and Frederick (age 0 months).

On July 24, 1880, Thomas is listed on the 1880 Agricultural Schedule for Farnham District, Richmond County, Virginia.  At this time, Thomas owned 50 acres tilled land and 119 acres of woodland/forest.  The land was valued at $400 and live stock was valued at $120.  The estimated value of all farm production (including sold, consumed, or on hand) was $150.  The following live stock was recorded:  1 horse, 4 working oxen, 1 milk cow, 1 calf, 20 swine, and 25 barnyard poultry.  In 1879, the farm produced 150 dozen eggs; and he had 12 acres of Indian Corn, which produced 125 bushels; and 6 acres of Wheat, which produced 40 bushes.

Almost all of the records for the 1890 US Federal Census were destroyed in a fire in Washington, DC, and that information is lost forever.

According to Richmond County Virginia: A Review Commemorating the Bicentennial, 1776-1976, Thomas W. Lusby was appointed as the Justice of the Peace in the Farnham District effective July 1, 1895.

At the time of the 1900 US Federal Census, Thomas is living and still working as a farmer in Farnham District, Richmond County, Virginia.  He's now 66 years old, and has been married to Fannie for 30 years.  This census recorded a lot more information about each member of the household.  It showed that Thomas could read, write and speak English.  He owned his farm free and clear.  Fannie is 50 years old, and she's the mother of 11 children, 8 or 9 of whom are still living (the handwriting of the census taker was hard to read).  The following children are living in the household:  Harry (age 17), Willie (age 15), Theodore (age 13), Frank (age 11), Walter (age 8), and Acy A. (age 6).

Thomas Washington Lusby died on February 2, 1906.  He was 65 years old, and according to an inventory of his personal property after his death, Thomas made his share of moonshine

A notice of his passing ran in a local paper, and it sounds like he died of a stroke.  The notice was published in The Virginia Citizen:  Irvington, Virginia on Friday, February 16, 1906.  It reads:

Thomas Lusby, of near Downing's, died very suddenly Friday night before last.  He was stricken with paralysis about five o'clock in the afternoon from which he never rallied, dying at eleven that night.

He is buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County Virginia.  His original tombstone read:

"In Loving Memory of My Husband

Thomas W. Lusby

Born Nov 31, 1833; Died Feb 2, 1906

Not dead, but sleepth"

Unfortunately, his tombstone didn't survive the test of time and has since been replaced by Dennis Smith and Thomas K. Lusby, Jr., my 1^st cousin 1x removed and 2x removed respectively.  The headstone lists Thomas and Fanny, as well as many of their children that are also buried at Farnham Baptist Church in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia.

Amanuensis Monday - August Raatz: A Letter From My 2nd Grand Uncle to His Niece

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted.  I was working hard and heavy on my family history research, and I guess I got a little burned out.  That all changed last week when I received a scan of this letter from my 2nd cousin that he had found.

I had hit a major brick wall with my 2nd great grandfather, Frank W. Raitz.  All I had on him prior to his immigrating to the United States was his birth year and place - May 1857 and Germany.  This made it pretty impossible to find out where he actually came from and who the rest of his family was.

Now comes this letter from his brother, Carl August Raatz.  To say I was excited doesn't really describe the feeling I had when I read the letter.  It contained enough information that I believe I have now found Frank's father and grandfather, as well as two additional brothers.  I'm still sifting through the information and finding more information.  It's a nice feeling to feel the bricks falling down.

The letter was written in 1934 to my 2nd great grandmother, Edith Irene (Raitz) Lusby.  The letter is dated March 31, 1934, and at the time August Raatz was living in Stettin, Germany.

  

Mrs. B. F. Lusby

Dear Niece and Children.  I received your letter of Feb 25th 1934 and before I opened it I felt that you are blood from my blood.  I feel very sorry with my family for the fate of your Father, my Brother. To be sure each other that we are relatives, I send you a photo of your parents wich your Father send me in 1889.

I served in the german Army and did not hear anything of him since as long as our Father was alive we had regular corresponding and after his dead I still corresponded with your mother, but only a short time fore she could not read the german language.  Before that your mother wrote me about the accident of your Father.  He is born on May 11, 1857 in Tempelburg, Neustettin (county).  My Father died on April 1894 in Stettin.  Besides me there is only one sister living of your Father, with the name Auguste Raatz.  She is widow and 70 years of age.  Julius and Karl are dead.  There is only the wife of Julius living, my wife and I, my children, wich all send you hearty greetings.

I am married since 1892, had 13 children. Voun of them are still alive, three are married and one daughter 24 years of age is living right at home.  Since 1895 I am working fore the Reichsbahn (Raylway) and was living the last 18 years of service first conductor and foreman.  Since the 1 of Aug 1931 I get a pension from the State of Prussia (Raylway).  On May 18, I will be 68 years old.

Right now I am compiling my pedigree and fore this I ask you fore your help.

Would you please send me the names of your father, mother, sisters, brothers?  All names, first, middle, and
last name with date of birth, marriage and dead and if no such date can be obtained any other date about something that happened on another date.  And if possible the same of your and there children.

If the Lords will and your desire, we can correspond as long as it please you.

Many hearty greetings
Your Onkel
August and Family

p.s.  Can you read the German language

Mappy Monday - The Northern Neck of Virginia

My dad's paternal line takes us knee deep into Virginia.  My 3rd great grandfather, Thomas Washington Lusby, was born in 1835 in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  By the age of 15, he was living not very far away, in Richmond County.  He was a farmer all of his life.  One of his sons, my great grandfather Benjamin Franklin Lusby, ended up setting in Lancaster County after spending many years in Washington, DC working for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company.

County Map courtesy of geology.com

(click on each map for a better view)

The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the South.  it encompasses the following Virginia counties:  Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. ^[1]

Arial view of the Northern Neck - Google Earth

Virginia's Northern Neck is the early home to many of this country's Founding Fathers, and is the birthplace of three of the nation's first five presidents - George Washington (Westmoreland County), James Madison (King George County), and James Monroe (Westmoreland County).

Arial view of Farnham, Richmond County, VA - Google Earth

Thomas owned a farm in Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia, and raised a passel of children there also, including my great grandfather.  In total he had about 16 children - 4 with his first wife, and 12 with his second wife, Francis Jane Dameron (my 2nd great grandmother).

According to the 1880 Agricultural Schedule for Farnham District, in the County of Richmond, State of Virginia, Thomas W. Lusby owned 50 acres of tilled land, 119 acres of woodland and forest, 1 horse, 4 working oxen, 1 milk cow, 1 calf dropped, 20 swine, 25 barnyard poultry, and 150 eggs produced in 1879. 12 acres was devoted to growing 125 Bushels indian corn, and 6 acres was for growing 40 bushels of wheat.  He also grew flax, but I couldn't make out the amount.

I really need to figure out a way to see if I can get the land records for when he owned the property.

Farmham Baptish Church (picture was taken from
their website)

The area is still mostly farmland and very rural.  I took a trip there tonight via Google Earth.  The area is very flat and there isn't much of anything around.  I was able to find the current Farnham Baptish Church, and Thomas, both wives and a few of his children are buried in the cemetery on a family plot.  I hope that I can find pictures of the original church someday.

View of the Church from Google Earth.  Make a left

If you make a left turn on the dirt road, the cemetery will be on the right hand side.


________________________________
[1]  Wikipedia contributors, "Northern Neck," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_Neck&oldid=524424597 (accessed May 27, 2013).

Travel Tuesday - Disney World in Orlando, Florida

Way back in April 1972, the Lusby family took a little trip over Easter Break.  At the time, we were stationed down in Key West, Florida.  My grandmother, (Dad's mother) came to visit and we all traveled up north with our pop-up campers to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  

The park had just opened the previous October (1971), and there was still construction going on in and around the park.  I was 8 years old at the time, and my sister was had just turned 7.

Becky (l) and Betsy (r) with a Dwarf

That's my sister and I with one of Snow White's dwarves.  I have no clue as to which dwarf he is.  Anyone care to hazard a guess?

At the time we went, there was Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Main Street, and Tomorrowland.

I've been able to find out, thanks to Google and not my memory, the attractions that were there for us to enjoy.  Some of them I remember, others not so much.  I've indicated in the blue the attractions I remember.  My favorites were It's a Small World, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Country Bear Jamboree, Circle Vision 360 - America the Beautiful, The Haunted Mansion, and The Hall of Presidents.

Adventureland included the Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Island Treehouse, and Tropical Serenade.

Fantasyland included 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Cinderellas Golden Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It's a Small World, Mad Tea Party, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Skyway (to Tomorrowland), and Snow White's Adventures.

Frontierland included the Country Bear Jamboree, Davy Crocket's Explorer Canoes, and Frontierland Shootin' Gallery.

Liberty Square included the Adm. Joe Fowler Riverboat, The Hall of Presidents, The Haunted Mansion, and Mike Fink Keep Boats.

On Main Street, there were lots of places to eat and shop.  The attractions included the fire engine, horse

Grandma Lusby & Betsy on the Carousel

cars, a horseless carriage, the Main Street Cinema, an Omnibus, the Penny Arcade, and the Walt Disney World Railroad.

Tomorrowland included Circle Vision 360 - America the Beautiful, Flight to the Moon, Grand Prix Raceway, and Skyway (to Fantasyland).

I remember we stayed in a campground for the week we were there.  As least I think we were there for a week.  Though I can't remember where everyone slept in the trailer.  Usually me and my sister would sleep on one end, and my parents on the other end.  Can't remember where my grandmother slept.  I remember the dining table could be taken down and made into a double bed, and where the stove was on the other end, there was a hard cover for it and a cushion that made a twin bed.  So she probably slept in either of those.


I also remember getting a stuffed Mickey Mouse souvenir.  I loved mys stuffed animals.  I kept it all the up into my early 30's, when I finally got rid of it when I moved from Maryland back to Washington State. 

I'll have to go back to my parents soon and go through my mom's photo albums and see if I can find more picture from this trip.  I haven't been back to Disney world since 1972.  I'm sure it has changed a lot and I'd never recognize it as the place it once was.

Becky, Dad, Grandma Lusby & Betsy in front of Cinderella's Castle. 

If you are wondering about the big, black dot over my dad's face, well he's shy (LOL) and doesn't want his picture flashed all over the internet.

Sunday's Obituary - Clarence Wesley Lusby

This is the obituary for my paternal grandfather, Clarence Wesley Lusby.  He was born in 1913 in Washington, DC, and died in 1966 in Bladensburg, Maryland.  I don't know what paper this obit came out if.  It was a clipping I found in my parent's photo album.  I'm going to assume it came out of a Maryland newspaper because I have all the version that were published in the DC papers, and none of them resembled this one.  I hope that one day I'll be able to find it online.

According to notes I have on the family research his sister did, he died at the same age as his mother and of the same diagnosis, heart disease.  He died 3 years after I was born, so I don't remember him at all.

At his request, his ashes were scattered over the Chesapeake Bay.

Sunday's Obituary - Benjamin Franklin Lusby

This is the obituary of my great grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Lusby.  I've always referred to him as Poppy.  He was my dad's grandfather, and he has fond memories of staying with him in the summers down in Lively, Virginia in Lancaster County.  Unfortunately, I was 5 years old when he died, and have no real memory of him.  But my parents do have a picture or two of him that I recently scanned.  I've enjoyed learning about his life as I research the Lusby branch of my family tree.

The Washington Post, June 1968

Here's a picture of him with his first wife, Edith Irene, in the early 1940's.

Brick Wall #1: John Lusby

When I told my parents I was going to trace my family tree, my mom gave me the report that my Great Aunt Edie (Edythmae Lusby Johnston) had compiled that started with my 2x great grandfather, Thomas Washington Lusby.  The report traced this branch of the Lusby Family down to what was current in 1993, which is when a Lusby Family Reunion was held near the original homeplace in Robley, Virginia.  The report included all her research sources, notes from the Family Bible, and conversations with other family members.  Also included in the report was a snippet of information about Thomas' father, John (my 3x great grandfather).  Thus, I pretty much started my journey with a brick wall - John Lusby.

Since I couldn't find out anything on John at all, I decided to start with Thomas and loaded all the information from my Aunt Edie's research into the tree I started at Ancestry.com.  Then I decided to come back to John, and try again.  Nothing.  So I'd move one to a different branch or work on my mother's side of the tree.  But I'd always come back to John, and find absolutely nothing.

In everything I have read about doing genealogical research and dealing with brick walls, they all say to start with what you know and to write down what you know.  I have recently returned to John Lusby, and did just that.  So between my Aunt Edie and a professional genealogist that I hired a few years ago to help me, this is what I know about John Lusby.

• W. John Lusby married Margaret B. Self on 25 Dec 1833 in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  The minister was Thomas M. Washington.  The bride's parents were listed as Moses and Maget Self.  (Source:  Marriage Bonds, 1830-1833, Vol. 11, page 33, 41, 41a, Westmoreland County, Virginia)

• John Lusby married Margaret Self, Dec. 1833; Daniel Hardwick, Sec.  (Source:  Marriage License Bonds of Westmoreland County, Virginia from 1783-1850).

• John T. Lusby is listed as the father and Margaret B. Self is listed as the mother of Thomas W. Lusby on the record of his marriage to to his first wife, Martha A. Dunaway on 22 Jan 1857.  I found the record on FamilySearch.org.  (Source:  Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940)

• John Lusby is listed as the father and Margaret Lusby is listed as the mother of Thomas W. Lusby on the record of his marriage to his second wife, Fannie J. Dameron on 25 May 1870.  I found the record on FamilySearch.org.   (Source:  Virginia Marriages, 1875-1940)

• John Lusby died before 1845, but I can't find any reference to it on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org.  I'm basing this on the fact that Margaret B. Lusby married James B. Moxley on 7 Dec 1845.  Daniel Hardwick, Sec.  The minister was Rev. Elijah L. Williams.  (Source:  Marriages of Richmond County, Virginia, 1668-1853)

• On the 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia, Thomas Lusby, age 15, male, pauper is enumerated with James B. Moxley, Margaret B. Moxley, Leviticus Lusby (4), and James Edwin Moxley (1).

So that's all I have on John Lusby.  Whenever I did a search, I'd find a lot of John Lusby's all over the place, I could never connect the dots.  He had to have come from somewhere, didn't he?  I'm sure he didn't just drop out of the sky.

There is a big group of Lusby's in Maryland, and I thought that maybe I could link my Lusby's to them.  Jim Hartung runs a genealogy database full of Lusby's from Maryland, North Carolina, and Kentucky.  I've searched that database more than once, but none of mine are in there, and I couldn't find a link to them from my line.

So when I hired the genealogist to help me, she was able to confirm the information I had already found, and  believed that one of the records she had found is evidence of a tie between my Lusby's in Virginia and the line from Cecil County, Maryland.  It's a very thin line right now, but it's a place to start.  What do you think?

What the genealogist found is as follows:

• A death record for a Nicholas Lusby who died in Richmond County, Virginia on 19 Mar 1867 at the age of 78.  The record lists his birth date as 1789, birthplace as the Eastern Shore.  He's white, and at the time of his death, he was married to a Rebecca Lusby.  His father was listed as Ed Lusby.  (Source:  Virginia, Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912)

• A record of a John Lusby, born 30 Aug 1782 in Saint Stephen's Parish, Cecil County, Maryland.  The father listed is Edward Lusby and the mother listed is Ann.  (Source:  Maryland, Births and Christenings, 1650-1995)

• A record of John, son of Edward Lusby and Ann, his wife, born 30th Aug 1782.  It also shows a record of Nicholas, son of Edward Lusby and Ann, his wife, born 4th Jan 1791.  (Source:  A Copy of the Records of St. Stephens Parish (Episcopal), Cecilton, Maryland)

So what conclusions can I draw from the above?  If this John Lusby is the one I'm looking for, he would have been about 51 years old when he married Margaret Self in Westmoreland County, Virginia in 1833.  Maybe that would explain why he only had one child with Margaret.

But it raises a whole slew of additional questions:  What brought him to the Northern Neck Region of Virginia from the Eastern Shore of Maryland?  Is Nicholas Lusby really the brother of my John Lusby?  Did John have a wife or two before Margaret?  Were there other children with those previous marriages?  Do I have enough to continue this line of research or should I stick to searching for a John Lusby born in Virginia?

I have a copy (from the genealogist) of Cecil County, Maryland Marriage References 1674-1824, and there are two more John Lusby's that could be possibilities:

• Lusby, John, m. Ann Walmsley, circa 26 Sep 1805.

• Lusby, John, son of Thomas Lusby, m. Emeline Neal, circa 3 Oct 1815

Anyone reading this, what do you think?  Is there enough there to warrant further investigation?  I think there is, but am looking for suggestions on what do to next?