Our Earliest Ancestor

"Our earliest known Rankin ancestor was Samuel Rankin. He was born in Ohio in the late 1700s and eventually settled in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana abt. 1818. His ancestors probably came from Ireland or Scotland."

From Ohio to Louisiana

"There were no Rankins in the 1820 Louisiana census, and just one in 1830.   Samuel Rankin makes his one and only appearance in US Census records as the head of household in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, 1830.   The household included two adult males, age 30-40, and one, age 40-50.   One of the adult men is Samuel, the others may have been farmhands."