New member introducing myself - and a question about a brick wall

Question

Hi - I'm very excited to be a new part of this community.  I have been researching my geneology off and on (mostly off) for the last few years, but have a renewed interest in it as we are planning a trip to the UK and I'd love to visit parts of England, Ireland and Scotland where my ancestors originated.

I am discovering how difficult it can be to find accurate information. Have hit a brick wall with my great-great grandfather, John Evans.  Can't believe how many "John Evans"'s there are in colonial America, and how many different ways it was spelled!  And they didn't often use middle names!  The one I'm looking for was born in 1797 in Prince Georges County, Maryland, but he ended up heading west after he married his wife Nancy Parmer McDonald in Pennsylvania. Based on family stories, we know they lived in Virginia, Ohio and Indiana before settling finally in Henderson Co, IL in 1836. They had 8 children.  After his first wife died, he married Sarah Mills Wagy, and they had two more children, one of them my great-grandfather, Commodore Perry Evans.  John died in Henderson County, IL in 1884.  John Evans' time in IL is pretty well-documented.  Have been impressed with what Henderson County has available.  But before he was in IL, it's hard to find anything.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  I've already developed such an appreciation for the need to be accurate.  Went down a couple of rabbit trails that seemed "close" but ultimately were so wrong. Shared trees on Ancestry.com were my first mistake, lol.

Thanks,

Janet

Comments

"Trees" can be quite dangerous.  Rabbit holes might be dangerous, are definitely addicting, and can be fun and fruitful.

 

If you think you have a problem with <name> Evans in the States, just you wait.  Someone once told me that the way they differentiated between which "<name> Evans" (or many another Welsh last name all with the same first name) was to use the occupation, thusly" Evans the Fish, Evans the School, Evans the Meat, Evans the Bread. or Jones the Fish, Jones the School . . . . 
Just how accurate that was, I leave to you to discover.  I have been unable to progress very far with a couple of Welsh lines, having had far more good fortune with my own Smith line in England.  

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My 2nd great grandparents were a Welsh couple named Evans and Jones.  In Wales if your name isn’t Evans it’s probably Jones. Both come from patronymics meaning the son of Evan (in Welsh) which is the same as John (in English).  And of course one of their sons, my great-grandfather, was John Evans.

Answer 1

Welcome aboard, Janet!

You might want to check out the project list. Project usually have lists of regional resources that may help you with your research. Some have self-directed courses that will teach you more about researching your family. The project list can be found under the Find drop down menu.

Good luck with your research and enjoy your journey into the past!