An important step in our research is to make a plan. Rather than haphazardly clicking on record sets in various websites, we can think through our research objective and what we know about the family and locality, then plan searches in specific record sets. For this part of the Research Like a Pro process, we have several steps that help solidify what we know and prioritize the research.

Previous posts in this series are:

Research Objective

With the discovery of a new location for Cynthia’s husband, Thomas B. Royston, in Cass County, Georgia, I had a new place to look for Cynthia’s family. I hadn’t researched this area for the Dillards yet and let the objective fairly open-ended.

Discover a candidate for Cynthia (Dillard) Royston’s father residing in Cass County, Georgia, during the 1830s. Cynthia was born about 1815 in Georgia and died on 22 August 1882 in Collin County, Texas. Cynthia married Thomas B. Royston about 1833 or 1834, possibly in Cass County, Georgia.

Summary of Known Facts

The summary of known facts is the step where we list the relevant facts about our research subject. I had previously discovered Elijah Dillard, a probable brother or cousin of Cynthia, through DNA, so I included him in the summary.

Person	Date	Event/Fact	Locality	Source Citation
Cynthia Dillard	1811-1820	Birth	Georgia	1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb Co., AL, Northern District, S.C. Newnan, p. 7 (penned), line 31, F.B. Royston household; NARA microfilm M704, roll 4
Cynthia Dillard	ca. 1833	Marriage to Thomas B. Royston	Georgia or Alabama	Estimated from birth of oldest daughter Mary E. Royston, 4 May 1834
Cynthia Dillard	1850	Census – age 35	Chambers Co., AL	1850 U.S. Census, Chambers Co., AL, 19th District, p. 318, dwelling 749, family 749; NARA microfilm M432, roll 2
Cynthia Dillard	21 Sep 1868	Widowed (death of Thomas)	Chambers Co., AL	Chambers Co., AL probate records, testimony of Cynthia Royston
Cynthia Dillard	22 Aug 1882	Death	Collin Co., TX	Death certificates of children Martha Ann, Richard A., and Adeline Royston
Elijah Dillard	1801-1810	Birth	Georgia	1840 U.S. census, Cass Co., GA, District 973, p. 78 (penned), line 16; NARA microfilm M704
Elijah Dillard	1848	Land patent resident	Macon Co., AL (now Lee Co.)	Cash entry patent no. 9349, General Land Office Records
Elijah Dillard	1855	Marriage to Winny Grubbs	Pike Co., AL	“Alabama County Marriage Records, 1805-1967,” Pike > 1809-1885; FHL 001033193
Elijah Dillard	1860	Census residence	Pike Co., AL	1860 U.S. Census, Pike Co., AL, Eastern Division, p. 327, dwelling 1053; NARA microfilm M653, roll 21
Elijah Dillard	6 Sep 1886	Death, age 68	Coffee Co., AL (Spring Hill)	Pike Co., AL Death register, p. 12, cert. 21; FamilySearch film 008497822
Thomas B. Royston	1831	Residence	Morgan Co., GA	Morgan Co., GA Superior Court, 1831 Tax Digest, page 2
Thomas B. Royston	1836	Moved to Alabama	DeKalb Co., AL	Cash entry file, state volume patent no 5969, Lebanon, AL Land Office; Record Group 49
Thomas B. Royston	1840	Census residence	DeKalb Co., AL	1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb Co., AL, Northern District, p. 7 (penned), line 31; NARA microfilm M704, roll 4
Thomas B. Royston	21 Sep 1868	Death	Chambers Co., AL	Chambers Co., AL probate records, Cynthia Royston testimony

Background Information

For the background information, I had AI help me summarize the main points of the history of Cass County that would impact my research.

Formation and Naming

Created December 3, 1832, from Cherokee County territory
Cassville surveyed and established as county seat in July 1833
Renamed Bartow County on December 6, 1861, honoring Col. Francis S. Bartow

Cherokee Removal and Land Distribution

Area inhabited by Cherokee Nation before 1832
Cherokee territory placed under Georgia jurisdiction in 1830
Distributed through 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery (largest of Georgia’s land lotteries)
Over 85,000 people competed for 18,309 land lots (typically 160 acres each)
Treaty of New Echota signed in 1835
Cherokee forcibly removed via Trail of Tears, completed by 1838-1839

Early Settlement

Settlers came primarily from Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Mississippi
Many early settlers were Revolutionary War veterans
1860 census showed only 5 foreign-born residents
Settlement concentrated along river valleys and lottery land lots

Geography and Boundaries

Located in ridge-and-valley region of northwest Georgia
About 40-50 miles northwest of Atlanta, along the Etowah River
Terrain includes fertile river valleys and Appalachian foothills
Northern portion became Gordon County in 1850

Civil War Impact

Union troops burned Cassville on October 30, 1864, during Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign
County clerk Tom Word saved marriage, deed, and probate books before courthouse destruction
Cassville never recovered after the war
County government relocated to Cartersville in 1867

Hypothesis

For the hypothesis, we write out our ideas about our research subject and what we hope to accomplish in the research.

Cynthia Dillard was born between 1815 and 1818 in Georgia. She married Thomas B. Royston about 1833. No marriage records have been found in Morgan and Clark Counties, Georgia, where Thomas lived in 1830 and 1831. He moved northwest with family associates to Cass County, Georgia, by 1832, where he resided for about two years. He likely met and married Cynthia Dillard about 1833 while in this area. No marriage records are extant for this time period, which would explain the lack of a record if the couple married here.

Elijah Dillard, born between 1816 and 1823, was previously proven to be a genetic relative of Cynthia, likely a brother. Elijah could be part of this family group and the name part of a family naming pattern.

Two Dillard individuals who were old enough to be a parent for Cynthia headed households in Cass County in 1840: John Dillard, born 1771-1780, and Elizabeth Dillard, born 1791-1799. Less likely are other household heads, William Dillard and Elijah Dillard, both born between 1801 and 1810.

The Dillards probably moved to Cass County when the area was opened to settlement following the removal of the Cherokee Tribal members. The 1832 Cherokee and Gold lotteries were significant factors, and one of the Dillards may have received a draw in the lottery. These settlers came from Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Mississippi, and Georgia.

Further identifying these Dillards could provide a connection to Cynthia and Elijah.

Identified Sources

Using my Cass County, Georgia, locality guide, I identified several research possibilities. I created the list with specific record links and information about what to search for within the collection. Here are the main categories and record types I added.

• Census Records (1820-1880, including state censuses)

• Land Records (Cherokee Land Lottery, deeds, mortgages, land patents)

• Probate Records (wills, estate papers, administrators’ bonds)

• Marriage Records (county marriage books and abstracts)

• Court Records (Superior Court, Court of Ordinary, tax digests)

• County Histories and Published Works (local histories and genealogical compilations)

• Newspapers (Georgia and Alabama historical newspapers)

• Bible Records and Compiled Genealogies

• Military Records (Confederate service records and pensions)

• Tax Records (county tax digests)

• Online Research Guides and Databases (FamilySearch, Ancestry, Georgia Archives)

County Histories Portion from the Identified Sources List

Prioritized Research Plan

The final step in research planning is to prioritize the identified sources. In creating the plan, you consider how likely the record will provide the information you seek, the availability of the record, and how long it will take to search. I decided on the following prioritized list.

• Census Records (1820, 1830, 1850, 1860 Federal censuses; 1834 State census)

• Marriage Records (Bartow County marriages, 1836-1907)

• Land Records (Cherokee Land Lottery books, Gold Lottery, deeds and mortgages 1837-1902)

• Probate Records (wills 1836-1922, probate records 1858 onward)

• Court Records (court records at FamilySearch for surrounding counties)

• Newspapers (Georgia Historic Newspapers)

• County Histories (Cunyus, Warren, Mahan, and Bartow County Genealogical Society publications)

How did the plan work, and what did I discover? In the next blog post of this series, I’ll share my research findings.

Best of luck in all your research endeavors!