Tnthall68 on Family Tree Circles

Did you ever have that one ancestor that just refuses to be found? I have been beating my head on this particular wall for a while. I only have one Census record that I can positively identify him in, and his name is... Wait for it. John Stuart! Well, there can't be more than 50 variations in 1880 in my state within +/-2 years. Actually there are probably way more than that I am just afraid to look. I have scoured the internet to no avail. I don't live close to the area he was living so visiting each county and searching records may take years. That is if I can find any records for poor dirt farmers. Who said genealogy was for the faint of heart.

It was suggested that I add more information to my post so that others might help with the hunt so here it is.
I do not have verifiable parentage only what has been accepted due to lack of proof. The only census that I can prove is him is the 1900 census for SC, Marion, Carmichael John stuart with his wife laura and children Harvey, Charlie, Pauline and India (real name is Sudie).

Between this census and the next they would have more children, separate, and she would be with a different "spouse" in a different state. I use quotes because I have found no marriage record for either "marriage".
There are many family stories but no one that can say positively that he was alive at any point after that census.
One daughter put the stepdad as her father on a marriage license and listed him as dead when the stepfather is the one that applied for the license.
My grandmother listed him as dead on her marriage license with in 1923 but no living family can pinpoint "last seen alive" for John.
He is reported as John L Stuart and you will find multiple records with different reports of names for that L. I have seen: Lonnie, Lonzo, Lon, Alonzo when looking for BC, DC or marriage records.
It is generally accepted that his parents are Charles and Percy of Harnett, North Carolina. I think there is a reasonable chance that his parents are Archibald and Mary of Robeson, North Carolina.