Success!

The below was written in January of 2012...now we are cooking!

I have been trying to find proof for weeks now that the family line I have put together is correct.  But I have based my information on a lot of "what ifs."  Well, I found out a couple days ago from my grandfather's sister that their father's name was Chester Arthur Spragen.  Well!  There goes Arthur Clayton out the door!  I thought, oh great!  Now I have to start all over again!  And on top of that, I could find a Chester Arthur in any records!

Last night I gave it another shot though and was extremely surprised and excited about what I found.  My first result was a World War I draft card for a Chester Arthur Spragens.  And better yet was the other three pieces of information I found!  Listed as his nearest relative was....wait for it....Napoleon Spragens!  That was the link I had been waiting for!!!  I knew now that my connection was correct.  But then it got better because when I called my dad to tell him, he gave me another solid confirmation that I had the right person.  Listed under physical description was missing three fingers.  My dad said that he remembered his grandfather missing three fingers and even recounted a story to me of when Chester had come over to see my dad as a child and shown him the missing digits.  He had said, "Don't chew on your fingers, because this is what will happen."

Now I know was absolute certainty that the information I have found is right; even though there is some discrepancy problems between birth dates and places of birth.

Now, the next big hurdle is finding the proof of Chester's marriage to Mary who is my grandfather's mother but a bigger problem is becoming finding the existence of a Mary Duncan in the first place.