1860 U.S. Census, Lucas County, Ohio, Toledo, Population Schedule, page 218, column 3, line 8, dwelling 1982, family 1982, James Gurley; digital mage, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm 805003, roll M653-1003.
U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records, Consolidated Enrollment Lists, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : 1 July 1863), James D. Gurley, age 37, birthplace Ireland, registration in Callao, Macon, Missouri, ARC ID: 4213514; National Archives.
1870 U.S. Census, Macon County, Ohio, Macon, Poplulation Schedule, Page 36, Column 3, Line 11, dwelling 277, family 279, J D Gurley; digital mage, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm 552289, roll M593_790.
1880 U.S. Census, Ten Mile, Macon County, Missouri, Population Schedule, enumeration district (ED) 121, Page 1, Column 3, Line 8, dwelling 2, family 2, J D Gurley; digital mage, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm 1254701, roll 701.
1900 U.S. Census, Ten Mile, Macon County, Missouri, Population Schedule, enumeration district (ED) 87, Page 8, Column 3, Line 42, dwelling 168, family 168, James D. Gurley; digital mage, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2014); citing NARA microfilm 1240873, roll 873.
Phyllis E. Mears, Mears Obituaries: Volume 2 - Macon County, Missouri Obituaries 1889-1903; Copyright 1987 (Decorah, Iowa: The Anundsen Publishing Company, 1989), page 207, James D. Gurley.
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Norwalk, Ohio, [Series], Estate of Susan Gurley, application for appointment of administrator (22 January 1895), Next of Kin: Thomas Gurley of Olena, Ohio; James Gurley of Macon, Missouri; Matilda Hurlbut of Jasper, Michigan; and Maria Hurlbut of San Diego, California, 23 January 1895; Huron County Courthouse, Norwalk, Huron, Ohio.
Searching for James after the 1850 census proved to be quite difficult. I first got a clue to where he was when I found 1860 court records for a James Gurley in Norwalk, Huron, County that stated he was a resident in Lucas County, Ohio and had a wife named Jane L. I was pretty sure this had to be him because Norwalk was where many of his family lived. However, I didn't have any proof that this was him. Using this information, I started searching for him in the 1860 U. S. Federal Census in Lucas County, Ohio. This would've been an easy task, but his name was indexed wrong and is listed as Jas Gerly. I was lucky to have found that record. It had this particular James living in Toledo at the age of 32, however it said he was born in New York. It was close, but the birth place was wrong. Then the trail went cold. I couldn't find a James Gurley in the 1870 census in Lucas County or for any other censuses. I did find a James Gurley living in Macon County, Missouri in 1863, but I had no proof that this was him. This was a Civil War Registration record that lists James D. Gurley as being 37 years old and being born in Ireland. It very well could be him, but the age was a little off. This would put him as being born in 1826. I continued following this particular James throughout Missouri. He lived in the city of Macon in Missouri in the 1870 census and had a wife named Jane Gurley and a daughter named Allice who was 9 years old. This census record listed James as J D Gurley, age 41 and a birthplace of New York. Still no concrete evidence that we had found the right James Gurley. So, I continued my search into the 1880 census. This one lists James as J D Gurley, a 50 year old farmer who was born in New York and living in Ten Mile, Macon, Missouri. Still that New York birth place that doesn't match up. The next census was in 1900 where James is listed as a widow living with the family of Mark Nelson in Ten Mile, Macon, Missouri. He is listed as being 64 years old and birthplace as New York. Everything looks a little off, but we do find the daughter, Alice, as the wife of Mark Nelson who was the head of household. So, now I have traced this James Gurley through the 19th century, but still no proof that I had found my James.
Next I started to search for death records for James and his Jane. I wanted to see if their obituaries would give me any indication if I have the right James Gurley. I did finally find James' obituary which gave some wonderful information including a statement that said in 1837 he immigrated with his parents to Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio. It also goes on to say that he married his wife, Jennie, in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1861 and then came to Missouri in 1863 where he located in Callao, Macon County and then to Macon and finally to Ten Mile where their farm was located and where his wife died 12 years earlier. So, no mention of any of his family beyond his wife and daughter who it actually says was his niece!
Will the information about his marriage to Jane, I thought maybe his marriage record would give us more information about whether or not this was our James Gurley. I found the marriage of James Gurley and Lousia Jane High in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin on 2 February 1859. The obituary was a little off on the year of the marriage, but this had to be them. However, once again the record gave me no indication if I had finally found my James Gurley. At this point I didn't know where else to search. There was no death certificate, will or probate, burial records or anything else I could find to prove this was him.
I ended up setting it aside for awhile and focusing my research a little more on his siblings. I had ordered the court records for his sister Susan's will. I was very surprise to find that Susan's will was my final piece of information for James. Susan's will had some problems and therefore produce many more documents than were usual for that time frame. One on document they wrote all of her next of kin. Susan never married or had children, so her next of kin were her living siblings. Four of them were still living in 1895 when the document was produced. Thomas Gurley who still lived on the family farm in Ohio, Matilda Hurlbut who was living in Jasper, Michigan, my 3rd great grandmother Maria Hurlbut who was living in San Diego, California and then the final sibling, James Gurley who was living in Macon, Missouri. The final piece of the puzzle that proved that James Gurley left home after the 1850 and was living in Wisconsin where he met his wife Louisa Jane High and was married in 1859. In 1860 he moved back to Ohio to settle a court case and at that time was living in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio until 1863 when he moved to Missouri. He registered for the Civil War at this time in Callao, Macon, Missouri. He never actually served in the Civil War. He then moved first to Macon City and then later to his farm in Ten Mile, Macon, Missouri where he lived out the remainder of his life with his wife and daughter. We had finally found uncle James!
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