Rob's Genealogy

Brickwalls

This page lists the “brick walls” and dead ends associated with this database. I am hopeful that by posting them on this page, someone can and will be able to help make breakthroughs.

The Cobbs

  • David Cobb of Madison County, Alabama (1760-1839) – How the Cobb’s of Madison County, Alabama, relate to the Cobbs of North Carolina is murky. Many family genealogies contend that David Cobb is the son of William Cobb of Craven/Dobbs/Wayne County, North Carolina, and Sara Stancil. In fact, so many genealogists have made this connection that it has begun to be accepted as a fact, even without hard evidence. However, while this link may eventually be proved true, I have found no compelling evidence supporting this claim, which appears to be based primarily on Daughters of the American Revolution applications. That there is a connection between David Cobb and the Cobbs of Bertie County, North Carolina, is fairly clear, since land records show transactions between David and John Cobb, and Henry Cobb’s Last Will and Testaments clearly establishes James and John as his sons. However, is this the same David Cobb who migrated to Madison County, Alabama? If so, why aren’t there any references to William, his supposed father, in those records?
  • William Cobb of Craven/Dobbs/Wayne County, North Carolina (1730-1797) – John E. Cobb Jr. in his book “Cobb and Cobbs: Early Virginians,” indicates that the William Cobb who married Sara “Stanstall” was the son of James Cobb of Bertie County, North Carolina. I do not believe this to be accurate because in James’ last will, written in 1792, he seemed to imply that his four sons (Henry, William, James and Jesse) were too young to inherit his estate, which wouldn’t have been the case if William was actually born in 1730 as JE Cobb also states. Perhaps William was actually the son of James’ father, Henry Cobb (1687-1763) of Bertie County? But if that was the case he was left out of Henry’s Last Will and Testament, in which he only named John and James as his sons.

David Cobb’s son—Bryant—bequeathed his family bible to his daughter—Arminnie Kilgore—when he died in 1881. If that Bible contained the family genealogy as Bryant Cobb knew it in his day, maybe it could answer the questions concerning the family’s origins once and for all. Unfortunately, the Bible has never been located and may have been lost, although I am hopeful that one of Arminnie’s descendants still has it in their possession and is willing to share it with the rest of the Cobb family.

Note that all of the Cobbs mentioned above are contained in this database. However, until such time as compelling evidence linking David and William Cobb is found, I have decided not to acknowledge a relationship between them. While I have maintained the father-son relationship between James and William Cobb, I caution researchers that this relationship is also highly suspect.

Dead-Ends

Although we eventually encounter dead ends with every family line we attempt to trace, some of the dead ends in this database culminate prematurely because the root person was from a country other than the United States, where access to records is sparse and language is a barrier. In this database, this primarily effects the families originating in Germany and Mexico (the root persons for those families are listed below). Any help that fellow researchers might be able to provide in extending those family lines further back in time would be greatly appreciated.

German Ancestors

  • Georg Bauer – Probably born in Germany during the late 1700's. He is the earliest known progenitor of the Bauer family that settled around the town of Forchheim in northern Bavaria.
  • Michael Friedmann – Probably born in Germany during the early 1800’s. He was married to Johanna Christina Mader and is related to the Friedmann family that settled around the town of Streitberg in northern Bavaria.
  • Christoph Pennig – Probably born in Germany during the early 1800’s. He was married to Margarethe Wunder and settled in the town of Streitberg in northern Bavaria.
  • Johann Walter – Probably born in Germany during the late 1700’s or early 1800’s. He is also related to the Bauer family that settled around the town of Forchheim in northern Bavaria.
  • Johann Wolf – Probably born in Germany during the early 1800’s. He was married to Margarete Buttrich and is related to the Bauer family that settled around the town of Burggaillenreuth, near Forchheim in northern Bavaria.

Mexican Ancestors

  • Jesus Cuaron (Quaron) – Probably born in Mexico during the early 1800’s. He was married to Josefa Apodaca, and their son—Florencio Cuaron—was born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico between 1839 and 1842. Florencio immigrated to Doña Ana, New Mexico, in the United States in 1848.
  • Jesus Lopez – Probably born in Mexico during the early 1800’s. He was married to Severiana Marquez, and their daughter—Octaviana Lopez—was born in Guadalupe (probably Chihuahua), Mexico in 1859. Octaviana immigrated to Doña Ana, New Mexico, in the United States in 1880.
  • Senon Reyes – Son of Sebastian Reyes and Abina Moreno, was born on 23 February 1841 in Sonora, Mexico. He was married to Hilaria Samaniego, a Yaqui Indian, and immigrated to the United States in 1880 through Bisbee, Arizona. His actual surname might not have been “Reyes,” as at least one family story claims that he changed his name from something like "Gonzales" when he came to the United States.