Working notes from the research, kept verbatim — what was read, what it proved, what stays open. Many open with a line grading the parentage; what the grades mean.

Research note · 8 Sep 2026

PROOF CLASS: BOTH PARENTS = UNDERDETERMINED (Owen, 8 Sep 2026). The 1807 Wilkes Co., Ga. will names a son Meredith but gives him no age and no residence, and the Wilkes GA to Franklin TN junction is unproven - three candidates. REVIEWED 8 Sep 2026 AND DELIBERATELY NOT GRADED - both flags stay 0 and work is STILL OWED. This is a review, not a decline. THE DOCUMENT IS GOOD. Anastasia Catching's will, Wilkes County, Georgia loose court records, Georgia Archives Virtual Vault collection wccr id 16800, images at ancestry/sources/ga-vault-wccr-16800-*.jpg, READ ON THE MANUSCRIPT 3 Aug 2026 and re-read 8 Sep 2026: "i leve my Loving son Mereidith Catchings my negro man mose", and in the closing clause "i Leve my son mereidith Cathings and William Lunsford my Executors". Signed with her mark 6 March 1807; witnesses John and Hetty Pelot; sworn in open court 6 Apr 1807. Citation C7003. ⛔ WHAT IT CANNOT DO: the will gives that son NO age, NO residence and no other identifying detail, so it cannot reach THIS Meredith. Grading on it would use the very link under test to prove itself. ⛔ THREE CANDIDATE MEREDITHS - see ancestry/catchings-branch-research.md section 6: (a) the Georgia-to-KNOX CO., KENTUCKY migrant of about 1800 who founded the London-Ky. Catchings; (b) this tree's Franklin Co., Tennessee man; (c) the testator of the 1857 Franklin Co. "Merideth Katchings" will. Our man's own reported age gives b. about 1780 in the 1850 census and about 1773 in 1860; he is in Franklin Co. by 1830 and INVISIBLE IN 1820 anywhere; and this tree's Kentucky window points to LOGAN CO. in west Kentucky, 200 miles from Knox - mildly AGAINST identity with the migrant. ☞ REOPENS ON: the Franklin Co., Tennessee trip (ring-matrix.py --ring 6, row 1, four links) and Knox Co., Kentucky records 1800-1840. Rhoda Scott is dismantled (memo section 2d), so Anastasia is the only documented wife of [853]; what is unproven is that [846] is her son. ✪ Housekeeping: documents-read-index.md still lists "Anastasia's will image" as a pending manual check. It is DONE - the images have been on local disk since 3 Aug 2026. Audited 25 Jul 2026 - Junction #4: censuses 1830-1860 Franklin Co TN read; child list corrected (Garner grandchildren detached, Thomas-J graft detached, Charlotte added). CAVEAT: the Wilkes GA -> Franklin TN junction (is he Anastasia son Meredith Jr?) remains UNPROVEN. See ancestry/catchings-branch-research.md §6. AUDITED 9 Aug 2026 - Franklin Co. TN Marriage Book 1, register p. 64 (FamilySearch film DGS 004486242, ark 3:1:9Q97-YSQK-CYC, read on the page image 9 Aug 2026): the neighbouring Collins-Pearson entry on the same page is signed "Executed by me ... M. Catchings J.P." That signature on register page 64 is consistent with Meredith Catchings serving as a Franklin County justice of the peace in Aug 1844 (initial only; not proof of identity by itself). The same page carries the Benj Catchings x Malisa Ann Rose license now cited on F181.

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