You have received some good information already from Bob Meeks. However, if I were you,
I would try checking out the Gerdes site and see who might have been with him. Read the census.
More than likely you will find, friends, neighbors or kinfolks. That information could lead
you to more on the person you are looking for. Sometimes you need to go in the back door,
to come out the front door, meaning you need to re-evaluate the information.
Good luck.