That's what I'm trying to figure out. My John Essex was born in Maryland in 1794. His son David is born in Illinois in 1832. Then David's son is born in Iowa in 1867. David's son William Cecil Essex is born in 1901, but I don't a location, but he ends up living in Michigan.

So they were on the move, but I don't know where they were going, where they were coming from, and most imporatntly, shy they couldn't stay still.