Tenn? to Arkansas about 1870

Huge brick wall:
O.H. (Oliver) Perry, born 1823 in probably Tennessee (according to the few censi found). No known wife. Educated enough to read/write.

His only known child, a son: Rob Perry, born October 1847 in probably Tennessee. Even Rob's full name is a puzzle. He is listed as variously, Robert C., Robinson C., simply R.C.. Rob married Mary Elizabeth Lynn (Linn) on 9 March 1870 in Stone County Arkansas. She was the daughter of John F. and Jane LYNN and was known as simply "Liz". Rob and Liz had seven children. They, with their children, moved from Arkansas to Bell Co, Texas after Sept. 1883 and before Dec. 1890.

These two (O.H. and Rob) seem to drop from nowhere into Stone Co. Arkansas and are found in the 1870 census with Rob married to Liz. They're still there in 1880. I can find no trace of them (with precious little clues to go on) prior to 1870.

My father shared his room with Rob (his grandfather) for many years. Dad said his Grandfather Rob never spoke of his mother (O.H.'s presumed wife). He never mentioned any siblings, either. He did talk about a childhood on "the river", seeing paddle-wheelers, and living on "a plantation" as a small child.

Both O.H. and Rob consistently stated they were both born in Tennessee on every census from 1870 through 1930 (the last census where Rob was alive). Rob gave varying accounts (to his grandchildren) of his whereabout during the war - sometimes saying he "got out of it by unmitigated lying" or that he "sold horses to the Confederacy". Evidently a very secretive sort, he even related to the census enumerator in 1930 that his given name was "Horace". (and according to my father, who was living close by at the time, he was quite sound of mind at the time)

Numerous theories have sprung up amongst my extended Perry branch as to why this is such a mysterious line to trace. Some thinking that Rob's mother must have died in childbirth; hence, no remembrance of her by Rob and no siblings. Some think O.H. must have run off and left Rob's mother, taking young Rob with him. There's even one or two who wonder if O.H. Perry was his real name! And it's such a horrifyingly common name for someone surnamed Perry.

So, that's the biggest brick wall I have in any of my lineages. The earliest find-date in 1870 is so recent, it is beyond frustrating to not find them earlier. To make matters for me worse, my father, who died in 1987, was the last Perry male in this line. He died before DNA in genealogy was available to me.

I'm down to clutching at any straw. Any lead at all would be appreciated. If you have a Perry, born in Tennessee about the time my "O.H." was in 1823, who dropped off the face of the earth by 1870 ... contact me. He just might be my man.

Thanks for reading! (and better luck in your Perry searches than I've had with mine.)
Penny Perry Hayes
Seagraves, Texas

Funny you speak of this mysterious Perry. My Perry is also shrouded in mystery. I posted before about a Wm. F Perry b.1838 in alledgedly, MD. He died in the 1880's ('85 or '88?) in TX., so I thought. A pension application from many, many years later by whom I think was his wife (my gggrandmother) states death in Fort Smith, TX. Could it be Arkansas? I found in census transcriptions from years later after his children were adopted by stepfather Bunell that their father was born in MD. or Louisiana (was this their biological father or adoptive dad?). I have no info on Wm.'s parents or why he ended up fighting in the Civil War for Louisiana and why he moved to Georgia post war...not back to Maryland. Am assuming family was dead or had moved elsewhere. And then for some reason he moves to Longview, TX in 1872. There were Perrys on census records wherever he lived, but cannot connect any of them to Maryland or even Louisiana. These people moved around alot back then and people say we are NOW a mobile society. If I come across anything I'll let you know.