Looking for information on Benjamin Rackliff born abt 1830.
Wife: Permelia (Lowell) born abt 1835
Children: Clarissa, Lucinda, Eugene P., Mary
and I believe there was 1 deceased child: Purcival

Thank you-

Hello,

Have you checked census information? I can check 1820 and 1860. I found 4 Benjamin RACKLIFF's in 1820 but 3 in Lincoln County and one in Kennebec County. I did find 2 brothers? (father/son?), Benjamin and Phillip living in Washington County in 1860:

RACKLIFF, BENJAMIN (1860 U.S. Census)
MAINE , WASHINGTON, WESLEY
Age: 40, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: ME
Series: M653 Roll: 455 Page: 841

This is the first person I'm finding in Aroostook Co.:

RACKLIFF, ALONZO (1870 U.S. Census)
MAINE , AROOSTOOK, MONTICELLO
Age: 18, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: ME
Series: M593 Roll: 538 Page: 301

There were RACKLIFF people in Caribou and Eaton in 1880, but not a Benjamin. You can check the 1880 census yourself at www.familysearch.org

There was one person in Bangor with the RACKIFF spelling in 1860. And in 1880 there are 2 young girls with the RACKLIF spelling in Augusta. There are other spellings to consider.


Betty (near Lowell, MA)

In the 1850 Census, Benj Rachliff is living in the household of Beng and Betsy Ruchliff in (Plantation) Letter “F”, Aroostook, Maine.
In the 1860 Census, Benjamin Rackliffe (age 30), is living in Presque Isle, with his wife Permelia (age 25) and daughters Clarrissa (age 3) and Lucinda (age2).
Benjamin Rackliffe entered military service in 1863, in Presque Isle. In 1864, he was transferred to the U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps.
In the 1870 Census, Amelia Hall (age35) is living with her new husband Enoch Hall in Lydon. The family includes Clarice (age 13), Lucinda (age 12), Eugene P. (age 7), and Mary E. (age 6) Racklief.
In the 1880 Census, Pamulia Hall (age45) is living with her husband Enoch in Caribou. The family includes children Eliza (age 16) and Eugen P Hall (age 17).
In the 1900 Census, Pamelia Hall (age 65) is living with her husband Enoch in the household of George B. and Carrie Buck. The record indicates that Pamelia and Enoch have been married for 34 years (1866), and that she is the mother of 6 children, of which 4 are still living.
Also in the 1900 Census, Eugene P. Rackliff (age 37) is living in Lake, Price County, Wisconsin. He is shown to be married but no wife is shown in the enumeration.
In the 1910 Census Eugene P Rackliff (age 45) and his wife Minnie (age 40) are living in Atkin, Atkin County, Minnesota. The enumeration indicates that both Eugene and Minnie have been married twice.
Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your reply - the information you provided will be very helpful as I was totally stuck and had no information on my Benjamin's parents ( Bejamin was my great-great-great grandfather ). I look forward to researching with the new information you have provided for me.
Can you give me any tips on how to find information on Benjamin's death - I have reason to believe that Permmalia was widowed some time around 1865.

Thank you-

You will have to look in the Civil War Records for Company A, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The on-line record at Ancestry.com indicates that he enlisted on 30 Nov 1863. On 17 Jun 1864, he was transferred into a Regiment U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps. This could indicate that he had been wounded or was otherwise unable to do his duties.
From the Regimental History, the 2nd Regiment arrived in New Orleans during April 1864; Company A was sent to Alexandria, LA. The record of battles fought by the 2nd Cavalry indicates that on 21 July 1864, they were engaged in operations near Berwick, LA.
There is a Rackliffe connection in my family, so I'm glad to be of help.

Thank you SO much for your message- I am not very savvy with this research ( I'm a beginner )! Question: In some of the cnesus information my great-great grandfather (Eugene P Rackliff) is listed with the last name Rackliff in
some of the census and after his mother remarries he is lsted with the last name of Hall. Was it general practice tto list all children with the same last name as the head of household? Because when he becomes an adult his last name appears as Rackliff again.
What Rackliff connection do you have in your family?

Thank you again- Jill

The more you look at records the more that you will find that the spelling of names can change dramatically. Prior to the 20th century many folks could not read or write. Presumably, the Census enumerator and the Town Clerk could read and write but used a phonetic spelling because the individual being enumerated could not spell or make a correction.
The native language of the enumerator and the individual being enumerated were often different. In Maine, an enumerator transplanted from Massachusetts would have a difficult time spelling the name of a French Canadian or a Swede living in Caribou. You can imagine the enumerator trying to spell Håkan Nilsson or François Pelitier as he went from a Swedish household to a French household.
The Civil War was brutal for Maine. Of my father’s four great grandfathers, three died in the war. Beginning with the 1870 Census one will find many blended families. The work-around is to look for the individual children, by their first name, that were enumerated in the 1860 Census. The last name of the children in the blended family could depend on the age of the children when the father died.
The Rackliffe connection is via my grandfather's sister,Dorothy Louise Hendrix Driscoll (born 1895, died 1993). Aunt Dorothy lived in Augusta from about 1919 until her death. Her daughter married Russell Forest Rackliffe (born 1918, died 1998)in 1947. I’ve traced his family back to Oliver Rackliffe (born about 1831). Up to the 1920s the family lived in Rockland, Knox County.

I don't know if this helps any but my great great grandmother was Clarissa Elizabeth Rackliff from Caribou Maine. She was born in 1852 (This is information I originally got from my grandmother.) The story was that her mother was from England. Three of the Rackliff girls married 3 Sugrue boys (Scotch Irish). They moved to Fifield Wisconsin in 1879.

I have a copy of the obit for Pamelia Lovell Hall which states that "In the early part of the war Mr. Rackliff, who was a soldier, was sent home on sick leave, but died in the depot at New York while en route." She married Enoch Hall, my great grandfather, in 1867. Mabel, one of Enoch's children from first wife Lydia was my great grandmother.

Thanks for the information.
Do you have the obit attached to your tree?
Or would it be possible to send it by email or post? Your help would be much appreciated. My email is syip@cox.net

By the way my tree is at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/42736486/family