I am looking for a family with the name John Reed Jr?

Question

He must have lived in the early 1800s.

My great grandfather had been a Reed but his mother married another (probably because of death of John) and took two little boys with her. They took on the name of their step father, McCoy. Elisha I think. They were never officially adopted as far as we can find out. One of the little boys was named William Edward.

I was thinking the family might like to know what happened to them.

There are so many Reeds that I can't find out anything.

Answer 1

I think you need to give us a location, nation, state if in the U.S. etc.  I knew a John Reed and I would imagine there are thousands of John Reeds.

Answer 2

Narrow down your info. You already have the name of William Edward..what are his dates? ir birth/death? If he was born in 1855, the original father can be assumed to live at least until within a year prior to the birth.

I assume you are working backwards as you should.. which census records have you found them in, that can pinpoint where they lived? You normally will be looking in that county records for a marriage record with McCoy/ Reed. Check the census index for the prior census, if that is when she would be assumed married to a Reed.

Any records concerning William Edward (or his mother/ siblings) will put you into a place and a time frame. Always a chance it is an adjoining county.. but you do have a place to start.