An 1863 Horse Thief

James Rampley apparently had his horse stolen in in 1863. A notice was published in the Baltimore Sun on 27 February 1863--"Look our for a horse thief, with a dark by mare, four years old..."

Date: Friday, February 27, 1863  

Paper: Sun (Baltimore, MD)--obtained on 

 Genealogybank.com

James Rampley indicated that he lived near Parkton and that the horse was worth a reward of $25. Ads of this type may seem worthless, but this one does provide evidence that James living near Parkton in 1863 and that he was still alive. Depending upon the situation, that could be a big clue. And, if there were more than one James Rampley--the residence might have been even more helpful.

Newspaper notices of about anything can help in your research and just how helpful depends upon your probem. It's all about context.

Fortunately the relative was not the horse thief in this article located on  Genealogybank.com.