Do you use county histories? If so, have you ever found what looked like a biography for an ancestor to discover the biography is for a different person of the same name?

That’s what happened when I was researching my ancestor, David Ralston. According to the obituary of James Barr Ralston’s Find a Grave site, his parents are David Ralston and his wife Hannah.

Since James Barr Ralston was born in 1811 in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, I started searching for RALSTON information in Armstrong County, PA. Thus, I started looking at county histories for Armstrong county. That’s when I found a biography for DAVID RALSTON.

At first, I thought I’d hit gold. That was until I read the info that this David Ralston died in 1809. Another discrepancy was the name of David’s wife. Agnes Sharp. Since James Barr Ralston was born two years after this David Ralston’s death, this biography is obviously for a different David Ralston.

According to the Find a Grave record for the David Ralston linked to James Barr Ralston, David was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1803.

Thanks to Ancestry, I found an index to a record that shows the family of Anne Ralston aboard the Strafford bound for Philadelphia in 1803.

While I found the passenger list showing David Ralston (actually 3 of them), I haven’t found much else for David or for his wife Hannah. While I don’t have much information, I do have questions.

• Are there any biographies in county histories where David Ralston’s children or siblings lived?
• Can I locate an original copy of the passenger list for the Stafford?
• Can I find a marriage record for David and Hannah?
• Are there any records for the Slate Lick United Presbyterian Church?
• What’s in the ‘Armstrong Co. Genealogy Project’ regarding the Ralston family? This source is mentioned on several Find a Grave sites, including his sister, Mary Ralston Graham.

DAVID FRANKLIN RALSTON

David Franklin Ralston [1] was born on 28 Oct 1785 in Ireland. [1]

He emigrated in 1803 from Londonderry, Ireland aboard the Stafford bound for Philadelphia. [2–4]

He married Hannah Barr in 1810 in Worthing, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

He lived in Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States in 1810. [5] David Ralston was listed on the census with 1 male 16 thru 25 and 1 female 26 thru 44.

David lived in Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in 1820. [6] David Ralston was listed on the census with 2 males under 10, 1 male 26 thru 44, 3 females under 10 and 1 female 26 thru 44. David Ralston was engaged in agriculture.

He lived in Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States in 1830. [7] David Ralston was listed on the 1830 census with 1 male 10-14, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 40-49, 1 female 5-9, 1 female 10-14, 2 females 15-19 and 1 female 50-59.

He lived in Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania on 1 Jul 1840. [8] David Ralston Sr was listed with 1 male 5-10, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 50-60, 1 female 15-20, 3 females 20-30 and 1 female 50-60.

David lived in North Buffalo Township, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States on 24 Sep 1850. [9] David Ralston was listed on the 1850 census as a 63 year old farmer  with $1500 in real estate who was born in Ireland.

He lived in North Buffalo Township, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States on 8 Aug 1860. [10] David Ralston was listed on the 1860 census as a 76 year old male born in Ireland.

He died on 28 Mar 1862 at the age of 76 in Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States. [1]

David was buried at Slate Lick United Presbyterian Cemetery in Slate Lick, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. [1]

ENDNOTES:

1. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online November 2016), memorial for David Franklin Ralston (1785-1862), Find a Grave Memorial no. #21903966, created by Mark Lindahl, citing Slate Lick United Presbyterian Cemetery, Slate Lick, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania; accompanying photograph by Mark Lindahl, David Franklin Ralston.

2. Brian Mitchell, compiler, Irish Passenger Lists 1803-1806: Lists of Passengers Sailing from Ireland to America Extracted from the Hardwicke Papers (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1995), page 19.  digital images, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com viewed online 11 August 2023.

3. “U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 11 August 2023), Anne Ralston.

4. An Alphabetical Index to Ulster Emigration to Philadelphia, 1803-1850, David Ralston, 1803; database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 12 August 2023). Original Source: Raymond D. Adams book of same name.

5. 1810 U.S. Census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Buffalo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Image 2 of 4, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online March 2018)

6. 1820 U.S. Census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, page 296, Image 4 of 5, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online March 2018)

7. 1830 U.S. Census, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Buffalo County, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, page 266, Image 17 of 32, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2017); NARA

8. 1840 U.S. Census Armstrong County Pennsylvania, Armstrong County Pennsylvania, Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Image 19 of 22, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online March 2018).

9. 1850 U.S. Census, Armstrong County Pennsylvania, population schedule, North Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Page 187, Image 20 of 22, househodl 128, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online August 2017); NARA microfilm publication M432

10. 1860 U.S. Census, Armstrong County Pennsylvania, population schedule, North Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Image 6 of 32, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online March 2018).

HANNAH BARR RALSTON

Hannah Barr was born on 21 Jul 1779. [1]

She married David Franklin Ralston in 1810 in Worthing, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

She lived in North Buffalo Township, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States on 24 Sep 1850. [2] Hannah was listed on the 1850 census as a 71 year old female born in Pennsylvania.

She lived in North Buffalo Township, Armstrong, Pennsylvania, United States on 8 Aug 1860. [3] Hannah Ralston was listed on the 1860 census as an 81 year old female born in Ireland.

Hannah died on 1 Aug 1861 at the age of 82. [1]

She was buried at Slate Lick United Presbyterian Cemetery in Slate Lick, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. [1]

ENDNOTES:

1. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online March 2018), memorial for Hannah Nancy Barr Ralston (1779-1861), Find a Grave Memorial no. #21895186, created by Mark LIndahl, citing Slate Lick United Presbyterian Cemetery, Slate Lick, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania; accompanying photograph by Mark Lindahl, Hannah Nancy Barr Ralston.

2. 1850 U.S. Census, Armstrong County Pennsylvania, population schedule, North Buffalo Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Page 187, Image 20 of 22, househodl 128, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online August 2017); NARA microfilm publication M432

3. 1860 U.S. Census, Armstrong County Pennsylvania, population schedule, North Buffalo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, p. 132, Image 6 of 32, household 1026, David Ralston; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online March 2018).