1860 Census, Eudora, Kansas
My mom and I went to Kansas some years ago to investigate family stories. We knew that Samuel Jeremiah Reel, his wife Polly, and their children lived in Eudora, KS, a small German settlement near Lawrence. We were pretty frustrated when we could not find them in the 1860 census microfilm at the university. After trying just about every way I could imagine to locate them, and having gone over the records several times, we were just about to leave in frustration when I decided to look for a blacksmith in Eudora, since I knew that was his profession. Sure enough, I found them right away! The name had been spelled in a manner that probably made sense for the German speakers of the area. Instead of REEL it was RIGEL. All the family was listed just as I expected, but just the last name was wrong. Oh, one of the children is misnamed also. The record lists a Hannah (male) which ought to be Harmon, but close enough. Here is a copy of that census record:
Reel Family in Eudora Kansas 1860