Tuesday's Tip - FamilySearch.org is not all indexed

Ordering Microfilm
I decided I would check to see what microfilm the FHC had since it can now be ordered on-line. I searched for Shackelford County Texas and saw they had "Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910." which included Shackelford Co. for the 1870's . I knew my ancestor Curtis Alexander Galttana lived there in 1870, but I did not know if he owned land, so I wanted to check to see.

I played around to see how to order and then I noticed a little note on the order site that said "...check for a digital copy before ordering." Humm...I had searched the name Galttana and spelling variations but had not seen anything with tax records.

FamilySearch.org records
So I went back to the home page of familysearch and scrolled down to the browse by location. I clicked on US, Canada, and Mexico and then searched Texas and there it was "Texas County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910." Digitized but not indexed.

My Ah Ha Moment
It was then that the light bulb went on and I realized not everything on familysearch is indexed. This is something I should have know but it just didn't sink in. Now, I will be going back and searching locations to see what else they have on my ancestors.

Research Time (I love researching)
So, I then happily spent time going through each year and looking for Galttana and his brother-in-law William Ledbetter.


What I found on Galttana
Curtis and his wife Synthia Galttana (spelled Goltatine on the census) are found in the 1870 census at  Besleys Creek, Shackelford County, Texas as a saltmaker. They lived next to William and Margaret Ledbetter (Synthia's sister) who owned the salt mine.

The tax records started with 1872, it is alphabetical and starts with J. So I found Ledbetter but no G's for Galttana. Then it skips to 1874, but no Galttana.

I first find him in 1875 and then every year till 1878. In 1879  and 1880 the property is listed under Mrs. C.A. Galttana. In 1881 no Galttana's are found.

So, if I ever get to the Shackelford County Courthouse I will look for property records for Curtis Galttana and maybe if I'm lucky they will have probate or orphan records for him and his children. (Or maybe one of my Texas cousins would want to take a trip to Shackelford Co. and check?? :)



Lesson
Realize not everything is indexed and you should always search the collections to see what is available. Lesson learned!

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