Who was Curtis Alexander Galttana? Part 2

Part 1 of Curtis Alexander Galttana

I have two birth states for Curtis Alexander Galttana that I wanted to follow. Ohio and Indiana. I started with the Galttana Family Bible lead and searched the 1850 census of the state of Indiana. I did not find any Galttana but found many families with the variations of the name Gwaltney. But, none of them had the first name of Curtis or Alexander.

I did find that some of the Gwaltney's in Indiana had been born in Ohio. This was an interest because in 1870 Curtis Alexander stated in the census that he was born in Ohio. So it could be a possibility that he was born in Ohio but grew up in Indiana as Indiana is shown on the Galttana Family Bible. Just a guess so far.

At this point I can not search the 1840 census because only the head of households are listed. Curtis Alexander would have been around 14 so without his father's name it does me no good.

When I did a search on Ancestry I found an Alexander Goltana living in Louisville, Kentucky. When I looked at the record it showed he was 24 (1826, the right age) and born in Ohio. I was getting excited at this point. Had I found him? I still wasn't sure. Looking at a map I remembered Kentucky was south of Indiana with the Ohio River in-between. The Ohio River being a major transportation route.

He was married to Clematine Goltana age 33. Three children were listed, Theresa A. age 12, Thomas age 8 and Harriet age 3, all with the last name Goltana. However, I felt Alexander at age 24 was too young to have the first two children and guessed they were from another marriage. The last child Harriet may or may not have been his, depending when they married. I wrote for the marriage record and hoped I could find some new information. When I received it, it showed they married on February 23, 1850. So none of the children were his. Clematine was widowed from Jewel Allen.

I searched the 1860 census but found no Alexander Galttana. But, I did find Harriet Galtana age 12 living with Jonas and Clematine Trobaugh in Harrison Co.  Indiana. (Directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.) Clematine had remarried, but where was Curtis Alexander Galttana? Wrote for her marriage record and found they married on August 21, 1856. No other information was given. I tried to follow them but they too disappeared from the further census.

So I wondered if this was a different Alexander Galttana from mine and maybe he had died. If he didn't die, why did they divorce? She was about 9 years older than him. Did that make a difference? Hmmm. This made me realize I need to look for a divorce record for Alexander and Clematine. I'll have to order that.

But I soon made a new discovery. Stay tuned!

Curtis Alexander Galttana Part 3

Just who was Curtis Alexander Galttana?

Curtis Alexander Galttana seemed to appear from nowhere and then disappear eight years later. The name is so unique. Pretty much anyone with this name today is related to me.

The name is pronounced Galt-ney so I have often wondered if he is related to the Gwaltney/Gaultney families. But, unfortunally there are no all male Galttana's to test for DNA. The Galttana name continued through an unmarried Galttana daughter.

I first learned of him when I found him in the 1870 Shackelford County, Texas census with his wife Cynthia. As always the name is spelled incorrectly. I viewed it as Goltatine, others have it listed as Goltahne.

He is listed as Curtis Goltatine, age 42 (1828). He was a saltmaker born in Ohio. His wife Cynthia Goltatine (Alverson) was 23 and born in Mississippi. They lived next to Cynthia's sister and brother-in-law William and Margaret Ledbetter who owned and ran the salt mine.

Over the next eight years they had seven children with one set of twins. Then they are both gone. Only four of their children lived to adulthood. In the 1880 census two kids, John and Louisa (Lou) Gattwney are living with their grandfather Henderson B. Alverson. Margaret and Louis are listed as adopted children of Harvey and Margaret Ledbetter. Harvey is their first cousin.

No gravesites have been found for Curtis and Cynthia Galttana.

My next clue for what happened to them came from Henderson B. Alverson's Estate papers filed in 1910. Pg. 4 states:

"Cyntha Ann Galttana, who intermarried with one Alaxander Galttanta, and that said Cyntha die May 15th, A.D. 1878; both having died previous to the death of the said  H.B. Alverson; and that the said Cyntha Ann Galttana and Alexander Galttana left surviving them as their heirs and only heirs at law, the following named persons, to-wit:
(a) John Galttana, who now lives near Newark, Texas
(b) Louis Galttana, who now resides in Carter County, Okla.
(c) Lou Galttana Duke, who has since intermarried with George Duke and lives near Newark, in Tarrant County, Texas
(d) Maggie Galttana Campbell, who intermarried with one_____Campbell, and who now lives at Erick, Okla."

According to this, Cynthia died in 1878 (her last child was born Feb. 1878). Did she die in childbirth? Did Alexander die also or did he leave the children with family after Cynthia died and leave, which was common then? Alverson's estate paper's state that both died previous to H.B. death in 1910 so Alexander could have been alive until that time. However, I did not find him in any census searches. I tend to believe he died. Just wish I could find a record for him.

But the question is: Where was Curtis Alexander Galttana before 1870?

He was 42 in 1870 so where was he before that?

There is a lot of conflicting information on Curtis Alexander Galttana. In the 1870 census he states he was born in Ohio. In the next five census his children list him as born in five different states. Since the children did not grow up with their father they probably did not know much about him. 

Galttana Family Bible Page

A page that is said to be from the Galttana Family Bible shows the Galttana family and all seven children. It is very light and hard to read and some of the information is torn off. I have no way of knowing who or when the information was written. It shows C.A. Galttana as born in Indiana. His birth is in May but the year is unreadable to me.

For a very long time this was all I had on him. Until recently, when I found new information that may or may not be him. I will post that information next time. Stay tuned!

Curtis Alexander Galttana part 2