Sympathy Saturday

Jimmy Dale Lee 

July 2, 1942 - January 14, 2016

Jimmy Dale Lee, 73 of El Dorado, passed away Thursday, January 14, 2016, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House.

He was born July 2, 1942, to Axion H. and Nola Mae Evans Lee in Oak Grove, LA. He was the Owner of Lee’s Trucking and was of the Baptist faith.

Preceding him in death are his parents; son, Guy Dale Lee; one sister and two brothers.

Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Patsy Lee; two daughters, Lisa Owens (Toby), Tonya Chadwick all of El Dorado; six grandchildren, Jessica Lee (Jamie), Brandy Gaffney (Gary), Kristi DeTraz (Kyle), Cheryl Williams, Cody Chadwick, Chasity Chadwick; and nine great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 17, 2016, at Young’s Chapel under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors with Bro. J.D. Weido officiating.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Way, Memphis, TN 38105; or to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 1 Children’s Way, Little Rock, AR 
72202.

Source

Dignity Memorial Funeral Home https://www.dignitymemorial.com

______________________________________________________________________

Jimmy Dale Lee was born in Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana to Axiom Harrison and Nola Mae (Evans) Lee. Jimmy Dales’ father was known by the nickname Tack. Tack was daddy’s first cousin. Axiom Harrison “Tack” Lee’s father was James William Lee and his mother was Nancy Matilda (Winn) Lee. Tack was one of fourteen children of James and Nancy.

Jimmy Dale was a second cousin on my paternal Lee family line. I was looking for a male Lee cousin who would submit a sample for YDNA testing so that I could verify our Lee patrilineal line. When I was looking for a Lee male cousin to YDNA test he gladly volunteered to submit his sample. I called him to set up a meeting at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant and took the cheek swab before we ate a delicious meal. Then, we then had an interesting conversation about family and growing up in West Carroll Parish. Jimmy Dale was the type of person that was interesting to talk to and one felt at ease with him, and he could tell family stories that made you feel as though you were there when the event was happening. We chatted a while then we went our separate ways and I didn’t see Jimmy Dale again before he died. I was surprised when I heard of his death since he looked to be in good health when we had our visit.

Well, I submitted his sample for testing and the results came back and I was shocked. There were no matches to the Lee YDNA 67 marker test results. I mistakenly thought there would be several matches since the Lee surname was so widely used. There are the Lees from Virginia; everyone has heard of Robert E. Lee; the Lees from North Carolina, the Lees from South Carolina, the Lees of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Florida to name a few of the Lee families in America. My Lee family doesn’t link to any of those Lees. My patrilineal Lee is in a subgroup alone and from England. Eventually after a two year wait a match came back and the two share a common ancestor Jordan Lee; however, I am hoping more Lee descendants of this patrilineal line will YDNA test at least at the 37-marker level.

I am grateful to Jimmy Dale for volunteering for the Lee project.  He has passed on, but his DNA is stored in the Family Tree Testing Company lab.

Friday's Sentiments

Gone but not forgotten

Dorothy Lavada “Bobbie” Coon was my double first cousin and was born to Irma Kamile Coon my father’s sister, and her father was Morris Clifton Coon brother my mother’s brother. Bobbie as her family and cousins called her, was born 5 September 1934 in Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana the second child of Irma and Morris. Morris Clifton was the oldest child of Clifton and Lavenia “Venie” Coon, and Irma Kamile was the second child of Alice (Lee) Eley. My cousin Bobbie and I were unable to visit while growing up since we lived so far apart. West Carroll Parish, Louisiana and Jefferson County, Texas were miles apart. Bobbie’s father was born and reared in Brookhaven in Pike County, Mississippi. His mother died mysteriously about 1926 and the family was working through their loss. Sometime after her death the family migrated from Mississippi and headed west.

The Coon family migration from Brookhaven in Pike County, Mississippi was after the 1920 census since the family was enumerated on the 1920 census. By April 1, 1930 census enumeration they were living in Ward Four, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana surrounded by Coon and related families from Mississippi.

In 1930 Morris Coon was twenty-one years old living with his Uncle E. “Edward” M. Coon, Clifton’s (his father) brother and cousin Henry Hampton. As I looked at the West Carroll census, I noticed the majority of people living around the Coon family were from Mississippi. Why was that? Life in Mississippi was difficult after the Great Depression. Agriculture was the main income for the majority of the residents living in Mississippi. My Coon ancestors were all farmers with a limited education. There was widespread unemployment, poverty, and lack of food for some families during the Great Depression years. One of the questions on the census was did the family own a radio and the Coon family didn’t own one. Industrial jobs were also impacted by the Great Depression. During those years there was a serious racial divide in the state. Rural schools were affected by the economic difficulties during the 1930s and children suffered because of lack of funding. Most rural families couldn’t afford supplies and were unable to attend school throughout the 1930s explaining why so many of my ancestors had a limited education. I noticed on the 1930 census that Uncle Morris could read and write but he had no school. However, as I looked back at the 1920 District 92, Ruth Precinct, Lincoln County, Mississippi census Uncle Morris had attended school, and he was eleven years old at that time.

Social services in Mississippi during the 1930s were almost non-existent so families had nowhere to go for help. Folks in Mississippi weren’t the only ones suffering all America was experiencing nationwide suffering and deprivation in the 1930s. In 1935 America was dealing with the Great Depression and inching towards World War II. All the events were reasons families were leaving small town Brookhaven in Pike County, Mississippi looking for better opportunities.

Then, by 1935 they were in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana. On the 1940 census Morris Coon was thirty-one married and had three children living in his household. Mary Alice’s birth year was conflicting with the other dates in my mind and I couldn’t understand how the children were born in East Carroll Parish and they were living in West Carroll Parish. True that East Carroll borders West Carroll Parish and Ward 4 is in close proximity to Lake Providence, but I had to resolve these dates and where they were living. It was time for a courthouse research road trip. I made a trip to the courthouse in Oak Grove to research. I hit the jackpot! I found marriage records on several family members including Morris Coon and Irma Ealy (Eley). That was one of those genealogical aha moments when I found those marriage records! I examined Morris Coon and Irma Eley’s marriage certificate and discovered they were married in Oak Grove, September 27, 1930 after the April 1, 1930 census was taken. Therefore, I determined they moved to East Carroll Parish after they were married. The family was living in on 120 Hudson Street, Ward 3, Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Dorothy Lavada was six years old on the 1940 census, Aunt Irma was twenty-nine, Mary Alice eight years old, born in 1932, and David Lloyd was three. The census taker listed David as a daughter. This is an example of why it is important to carefully analyze records and verify information found on them. That is the place they were living in 1935 also. Uncle Morris’s occupation was listed as an Ind wood salesman and the industry was firewood. Aunt Irma wasn’t working at that time. They were renting their home at that time and paying six dollars monthly. Prior to the census he worked forty hours. He was self-employed. Mary Alice was in the second grade and Dorothy Lavada and David Lloyd hadn’t started school. 

The next record that I searched for to track the family to determine where they were living was the U.S. WWII Draft Card for Young Men 1940-1947. The Morris Clifton Coon family were still living in Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish when Uncle Morris registered for the draft. He was thirty-one years old, so he possibly signed up in 1940 since he was listed as thirty-one years old on the census. He was born 7 November 1908 in Pike County, Mississippi. I searched for a Social Security Application form for him but couldn’t find one; however, on the Social Security Death Index it show he signed up before 1951.

He apparently signed up for Social Security sometime before 1951 in Louisiana. Therefore, I concluded he signed up and his Social Security card was issued in Louisiana before leaving East Carroll Parish.

The 1950 census has not been made public yet, so I had to look at other sources to track the family’s migration. Five years ago, I made a trip to visit my cousin, Bobbie’s oldest sister, for an interview. She gave the details of their journey from East Carroll Parish to Port Arthur. The trip from Louisiana to Texas was a long difficult journey. Mary Alice said she was in school when they moved from Louisiana and that Uncle Morris worked along the way. Mary Alice said her parents placed her in school wherever they stopped for Uncle Morris to work. They were traveling by automobile and headed west. She said she went to a few schools along the way. She is now eighty-six years old and her memory is unable to recall facts from that long ago. After, interviewing Mary Alice I continued searching for records for Morris and Irma Coon.

By 1953 Morris and Irma were divorced and Morris had a son Morris Clifton, Jr born 12 May 1954 in Santa Monica, California. Morris Jr. died 1 Jan 2003 in Los Angeles California. Emma Delvin Copes was Morris Clifton’s second wife and mother of Morris Jr. In 1953 Morris and Irma’s daughter Lillie Dorothy Lavada Coon was about sixteen and her picture was in the Thomas Jefferson High School Yearbook. Dorothy Coon was listed in the 1953 Port Arthur, Texas City Directory living 2220 Seventh Avenue and listed as a student. Neither of her parents were listed in the directory.

Then 12 June 1954 Lillie Dorothy Lavada “Bobbie” Coon married George Joseph Underhill. They married in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Port Arthur. Father Crosswaite officiated. Like most newly weds they were happy and began their lives as a couple. The marriage record for the couple shows that Bobbie’s name was Lillie Dorothy Lavada Coon. Where did the given name Lillie come from? I don’t know. I only knew her by the name Bobbie. I recall that she had pretty red curly hair and she was pretty. When I discovered picture in the yearbook, she looked like I remembered her.

Morris, Irma and Bobbie are all three gone now but they aren’t forgotten. Memories of them are etched in the minds of their loved ones. Aunt Irma was my favorite aunt out of all the aunts on both sides of the family. She was a kind generous person. In my mind’s eye from when I was a young girl she always was dressed to perfection. She made several trips to Louisiana to visit family, and when I heard she was coming I very excited. My mother from the family stories I’ve heard took care of her brother Morris. He died of cardiac arrest on 8 March 1977 in Silsbee, Hardin County, Texas. Irma Kamile died 7 Dec 2001 in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas. Bobbie their beloved daughter died at the young age of thirty-five 4 September 1969 in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas leaving behind her five children and a family who loved her and misses her to this day.

Bobbie leaning out the window. Uncle Morris with the cigarette 

hanging out his mouth. Aunt Irma was taking the picture. Uncle 

George in the uniform. This photo was taken in Feb 1944 in 

West Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Picture from the author's 

private collection. 

Traditional Genealogy and Genetic Genealogy

Everyone at some point in life have thought about the origins of their families and have got involved in genealogical research to learn about their family’s origin. When I began researching family over fifteen years ago there was lots of legwork in researching family. Trips to libraries, courthouses and cemeteries where our families lived was a laborious task but one where research skills were honed and over time you became an experienced genealogists. When preparing for research trips to courthouses it took planning to be successful in searching the records. It is important to learn such things as the hours, what department to go to once there at the courthouse, what records are there, where they are located, how to find them. You also need to know what you are allowed to bring in whether a camera, iPhone, small scanner, or if they makes copies of the records and the cost of each page. As you walked cemeteries you learned the layout of the cemetery plots, how to look for family, and folks connected to them. Today with all the large record collections online those days are all but gone. However, there are search tips you need to know to have successful online searches.

Entertaining ad campaigns for DNA testing companies have made the public aware of DNA testing for genealogy and increased public interest in genetic genealogy. Genealogical DNA testing is an essential tool for genealogical research. People are interested to learn about their genetic ancestry and their family origins. One of the misconceptions people have is they no longer need to do the research that the DNA will tell them everything.

Traditional genealogical research is a needed tool along with DNA testing to determine relationships between individuals and identify family lines. When you use DNA testing it is helpful to test multiple descendants of an ancestor, so you will need to document as many descendants of an ancestor as possible using traditional research. You will be researching the parents, their children, and their descendants and documenting your research as you go along. DNA testing prices are now affordable, and a useful tool used to connect to living cousins and the cousin matches will increase as long as DNA testing continues to gain in its popularity. 

Reasons for getting involved in genealogical research and genetic genealogy varies depending on who you talk to. I became interested in genealogy research when I asked my Mother about family and she knew very little about her family or Daddy’s family. Not knowing about the Coon or the Eley families set me on a quest to learn about family and where our origin began. Then, when DNA testing for genealogy was made available, I got involved in it to prove or disprove family stories and to verify family lines. Using DNA test results to identify living relatives is both complex and challenging but worth the time and energy. The rewards come when finding new cousins and collaborating with them to identify our common ancestor couple. 

DNA test results is a tool in the family researcher’s toolbox, but it is an evidence-based tool. One that all serious genealogists needs in their toolbox along with traditional genealogical research.

Dorothy Lavada "Bobbie" Coon married 

George Joseph Underhill 12 Jun 1954. From

the author's personal collection. 

Tips for researching an elusive ancestor

In the years that I’ve been researching the progenitor of the Lee family line, Jordan Lee, I have used various strategies in my research. I had to find new ways of researching this elusive ancestor because I didn’t have any information for him and there were very few records for the Lee family. Genealogists at some point in researching their ancestors come across one who is difficult to find records for or link to parents. It is difficult to know where to start looking for records when you have no information such as family stories, or conflicting information from online trees for the Lee family, and you have an ancestor who didn’t leave a paper trail. There are strategies that I have used when researching this elusive ancestor with few records.

Since I wasn’t fortunate to have family information passed down about Jordan Lee, I had to rely on online family trees to start my search for him. My oldest sister knew about our immediate Lee family. Being the oldest child, she was privy to the family information and she was an inquisitor so very little information got by her. She loved family history and got me started on the way as family historian. Lee cousins who are older than me who were also privy to family information and stories helped in verifying the information that I had about the immediate family. I knew my paternal grandmother Alice Lee and I knew that her father was William Alfred Lee. I also knew that William Alfred was born in Alabama and Alice was born there but William Alfred had migrated with his family and a group of families to Jackson Parish, Louisiana in the early 1900s. After I had gathered all the information for my immediate Lee family, I researched them until I was confident this was my Lee family. Along the journey I connected with long ago cousins and found new cousins and they have helped by providing tidbits of information in the research of this elusive Jordan Lee family.

Using online family trees and verifying information from them. Online family trees are a great source when there is very little information to go on. I took the information from online trees and looked for records to verify it. There were census records and a land record for Jordan Lee. He is mentioned in estate papers for Thomas Hodge, Lydia (Letty) his wife’s relative. He and his wife Letty is mentioned in the probate record for his father-in-law Benjamin Hodge. I am feeling confident now that I have the Jordan Lee who is the progenitor of the Lee family.

What do I know about my ancestor?

Writing down the information that I already knew about my ancestor helped me see where I needed to begin my research. I wrote down life events from birth to death and filling in the years in between as I found information to verify it. A timeline is a great tool to write down life events and will show gaps in your research. If you missed a census record you will see that you will need to go back and look for that census year.  While looking at the census analyze it thoroughly looking for clues for relatives living nearby or any other family with a familiar surname. Those families may provide valuable clues for your research. Save any information that will be of value later on. Once you have written down the information that you already know about your ancestor you are ready to move on to what you want to know about this ancestor. What is it you are trying to find?

What do you want to know about your ancestor and what are you looking for?

What fact are you trying to verify?  I want to know who the father of Jordan Lee is. I am looking for the father of Jordan Lee and verify Jordan Lee’s parentage. Your results will be more effective if you focus on one piece of information at a time or one question at a time to answer. By doing that you will be more focused in your research and won’t be chasing other interesting ancestors that get you off topic. Keep copies of information that may be helpful later on and if possible, keep a record of searches so that you won’t go back to the same records over and over. Do thorough searches until you feel confident that you have explored every record in that collection.  

Research the whole family not just your direct line ancestor.

Your ancestor most likely had siblings so research them looking at name variations and initials in records. They may provide important information about your ancestor. You may find a parent living with one of your ancestor’s siblings or children. I found Letty Lee living with her daughter Naomi Hasten and her family. However, Naomi was listed as N. Hastin, because I had researched Lydia’s children, I knew Naomi had married Hugh Hastin. Naomi and her family along with Lydia Lee were living in Butler County, Alabama in 1860. I had searched for Lydia Letty for a while and couldn’t find her. Then researched the children of Jordan and Lydia and found her living in their household. The same thing happened with Druecila Lee widow of Benjamin Lee, son of Jordan and Lydia. Druecila was living with her daughter, Frances Drucilla Emmaliza Lee. However, on the 1880 Hackneyville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama census Frances was listed as Fannie E. Tompson. This was Druecila’s daughter who married Clem Thompson. Had I not researched the whole family I would have missed finding the daughter and Druecila.

Names are important make sure that you don’t get locked into one name. Look at all possibilities. There are numerous online trees that have my ancestor’s name as Thomas Jordan Lee. I haven’t found any record to verify that his name was Thomas Jordan. I am not saying it isn’t his name, but the proof isn’t there yet. Others have his name as Jourdan. Again, the proof isn’t there yet; however, there is a Jourdan on the North Carolina censuses, but the best that I can’t tell from my research that is another Lee line. Never just search what you believe is a known name, search to prove or disprove the name variations. There are numerous online family trees that have Jordan Lee’s parents as John Lee and Elizabeth. I have not found the records that link Jordan Lee to John and Elizabeth, and the records shown with the couple are not proof of anything. The link from parent to child isn't in those records. It is just folks copying trees and adding records that don’t prove anything.

Incorporate YDNA test for the male Lee surname and autosomal test results for all others and use the results with traditional genealogy to verify your genealogy research.

Genetic genealogy and traditional genealogy research are my passion. Even though I am not a professional or certified genealogist I do have a graduate degree from an accredited college, and I do my best to follow the Genealogical Proof Standards (GPS) or the best practices for genealogy. I work to come as close as possible to identifying my ancestors and making sure I have the correct line of ancestors in my family tree. Using DNA testing along with traditional genealogy gives me the feeling of confidence that I have fulfilled the reasonably exhaustive research for those elusive ancestors. I have autosomal (atDNA) tested family members and paternal first cousins, half first cousins, and second cousins. There have been several Lee cousins who have tested with Ancestry and 23andme Testing Companies making it helpful to identify the cousinship on the paternal Lee line.  Those cousins are from second cousins to fourth cousins and beyond. Also, I have YDNA tested one of my Lee male cousins and autosomal tested him. The YDNA test results for our Lee line shows that our Lee line isn’t related to the Lees from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, or Robert E. Lee. Our Lee line is in a lone subgroup. Possibly from England. If folks took the time to look at the DNA and analyze the results, they would know which Lee line their Lees descend from. By doing that they could prove or disprove those stories that grandma told them. 

Search for neighbors of your ancestor. 

Your ancestor’s neighbors are probably related to the family or connected to the family in some way whether by the same religious beliefs, migrated together, or through intermarriage. Look at those neighbors thoroughly and look closely at names and places of birth. Families migrated in groups and they usually stayed together in community clusters. Look through the censuses not just the page where you find your ancestor. More than likely there are other family members living nearby.  Marriage records have names of witnesses on them so take the time to research them and find how they are connected to the family. There are usually relatives or people named on wills or probate records who are connected to the family, so take the time to determine how they are connected to the family. 

Everyone at some point in researching their ancestors will experience an elusive ancestor. There will be times that you can’t find a particular person or family in an online record collection. Keep looking and use strategies that you have not used before. If you keep using the same strategies over and over and they aren't producing results, then it is time for new strategies.

I have a relentless “track-em-down” attitude and I am persistent in finding the parents of Jordan Lee.  So, the search continues using YDNA test results, autosomal DNA, and traditional genealogy to prove and disprove the parentage of Jordan Lee.

William Alfred Lee and Emer Meadows his wife. My great 

grandparents the parents of Alice Lee my grandmother. 

The Elusive Lee family of Richland District, South Carolina

The Jordan Lee family of South Carolina has been an ongoing research project for over fifteen years. Progress has been made in tracking down the Lees and their descendants. I began researching family before the internet and online resources became available for the family historian. My research experience came about by traveling to cemeteries, researching in courthouses, libraries, and archives; reading genealogy books, going to genealogy seminars, conferences, watching webinars, and genealogy videos.  If you have not realized it already, not everything is online. You may need to take a research trip and walk a cemetery to find an ancestor’s grave or research in a library or archive where your ancestor lived. I use online resources and love to use those while researching various family lines. It can be challenging to know what online resources are available for genealogists. Also, to get the most from your searches you need to know how to search and avoid random searches. The Jordan Lee paternal line has been a challenge and one that has tested my skills as the self-appointed family historian.

The research question that I am working to answer is, who are the parents of Jordan Lee? There are family trees online that have parents but there are no records that link the son to the parents. There are records attached; however, linking child to parent isn’t possible with the records that are there. Sadly, those family trees have been copied along with the records and people mistakenly assume these are their ancestors. Cousins have Lee lines in their trees that are incorrect according to the YDNA test for Lee male cousins test results. Who will tell them they have an incorrect Lee line in their family tree? 

Strategies that I have used in searching for Jordan Lee and his parents have helped me to feel confident that I am researching the correct line. I have searched by putting the surname Lee in the search box Camden District, South Carolina for the 1790 census and there was no results or Lees on the census. Then, I changed the location to Richland District, and there is a Mary Lee living in the area with three free white males under sixteen years of age and four free white females with the number of household members seven. Is Jordan Lee one of those males? Possibly! He would have been about twelve years old.  The next thing that I did was look for other Lee heads of household, related families such as Benjamin Hodge, father-in-law of Jordan Lee, John Rains Benjamin’s father-in-law, and any one who are known who is associated with the Lee family.  Lydia (Letty) wife of Jordan Lee’s sisters married, Brown, Grant, Cusard, and Martin men. Living in the area was my maternal direct line fifth great-grandfather Caspar Coon and his sons Lewis and Adam. Caspar Coon was an immigrant from Switzerland in 1749. Heads of Households with those surnames were living in the Richland District area in 1790. The next search that I did was the to search through the 1790 Fairfield District, South Carolina census.

Fairfield District borders Richland District so there is a possibility there are Lee heads of families listed on the census along with related families. I found living in Fairfield District Burrill Lee with two free white males under sixteen including heads of family and four free white females including heads of family. Is Jordan Lee one of the males? Possibly! But how do I prove it? Jordan and Lydia had a son named Burrell, so if I look at the naming patterns this is a possibility. So, I searched through each page looking for familiar names. Burrell Lee is a name that I will store and work to make a connection to Jordan Lee. Isam Lee is the other male Lee head of family living in Fairfield District, South Carolina in 1790. There were two males and one female and total of four listed. I ruled out Isam because I haven’t found that name in Lee family members through the generations. Living in Fairfield District is Conrad Koon son of Caspar Coon whom I found living in Richland District and his two son Lewis and Adam. There is a Joseph Sims that is a familiar name. Benjamin Hodge’s daughter married a Sims. Living nearby Joseph Sims is Benjn Hodge, father-in-law of Jordan Lee, and he is head of family and with seven females. Aha! Benjamin Hodge and Nancy had all daughters, so this is a promising lead that this is our Benjamin Hodge. His daughter Lucy married John Sims. Also, living nearby was Thomas Hodge brother of Benjamin Hodge.

Cousins who have contacted me said there are family stories that were passed down to them stating that Jordan Lee came to the colonies as a young boy from Scotland. There doesn’t seem to be evidence to authenticate those stories. There is a Thomas Lee who arrived in America in 1774. Departure was London at Middlesex which encloses the city of London. Is this Thomas the father of Jordan Lee? Possibly! There is a convict list with people from the 1700s who were deported to the colonies from England and I keep an open mind that this is a possibility for the father of Jordan Lee. The article that I read about these people who were deported painted a picture of the crimes being minor offenses. It was a sad situation because the people didn’t have a choice in the decision of being deported.

There are numerous online family trees with Jordan Lee’s name as Thomas Jordan; however, all the records that I have found for Jordan Lee have his name as Jordan Lee. The search continued in Fairfield District by searching the 1800 census looking for any Lee living there, and related families to the Lee family. 

Living n Fairfield County, in 1800 is Burrell Lee, Burrell Lee, Jr., Francis Lee and Stephen Lee. Again, I considered the naming patterns that would fit into the Lee family and recalled the son of Jordan named Burrell. Burrell Lee was a possibility as the father of Jordan and he has a son named Burrell.  Burrell Jr. and Stephen Lee are listed as living nearby Burrell Sr.  Francis Lee is on the following page of the census where Burrell Lee, Burrell, Jr., and Stephen are listed. There may be a connection to the four families. This is the same census that Benjamin Hodge and John Rains are listed on. Therefore, there is a possibility that Burrell Lee is connected to Jordan Lee. The quest continued on with the search of the 1810 Fairfield County, South Carolina census.

John Rains father of Benjamin Hodge’s wife Nancy is living in Fairfield County in 1800. Isom Lee was living in Fairfield with three in his household. Thomas Hodge brother of Benjamin was also living there. A familiar named that showed up was John Hastin. One of Jordan Lee’s daughters, Naomi married a Hugh Hastin. John Grant was living in the county. Remember one of Benjamin’s daughters married a Grant. There was only one Lee family listed on the Fairfield County 1800 census. The next census was the Richland County, 1810 census and that is the place where Jordan Lee was living. Related families in the nearby Fairfield County are John Rains, Jordan’s grandfather-in-law, John Rains, Jr., Dennis Hodge, and Thomas Hodge.

Also living nearby his son-in-law Jordan Lee’s family in Richland, South Carolina in 1810 was Benjamin Hodge, Joseph Martin, Benjamin’s son-in-law, Lewis Coon my fourth great maternal grandfather, and James Strange. Jordan’s daughter Margaret married John Strange.  The Jordan Lee family was the lone Lee family living in Richland County in 1810. Then I moved on to the 1820 Richland County, South Carolina census and continued the search for Lees living in the area during that time period.

The search continued for the parents of Jordan Lee and searching for evidence to link son to father using all the tips that I could find in researching elusive ancestors.

Living in the household was Jordan Lee head of the family, one free white male under ten, two males sixteen to eighteen, one male twenty and under forty-five. Two females under ten years, two females ten and under sixteen, two females sixteen and under twenty-six, and one female twenty-six and under forty-five. There was a Timothy Lee living in Richland County in 1820, but I haven’t made a connection to that family. John Rains, Benjamin Hodge’s father-in-law was deceased by 1820.  Those were the only two Lee families that I found living in Richland County in 1820. So, I moved on to the 1830 Richland County census.

Jordan Lee is head of the family with one male under five, two males five to ten, one male fifteen and under twenty, two males twenty and under thirty, and one male of fifty and under sixty.  There were one female of fifteen and under twenty, three females of twenty and under thirty, and one female of fifty and under sixty. Then by the next census taking the family was on the move and was living in Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1840. Benjamin Hodge died in 1837 and his estate was probated, and Jordan Lee was mentioned in the estate papers in 1843. Jordan Lee and wife Letty were listed as “living out of state.” By the 1850 census Jordan Lee was named on the census or any other census thereafter. He died about Dec 1847 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.

The one dilemma that I have about Jordan Lee is that he acquired land in Tallapoosa County in 1845. What happened that he died? Was there a disease that struck him? Was he suddenly killed? I guess that I will never know. Benjamin, Jordan’s son seems to have died suddenly before the taking of the 1860 Tallapoosa County, Alabama census. Both Benjamin and his daughter Elizabeth were listed with other family members on the 1850 Tallapoosa County census but neither Benjamin or Elizabeth are found on any records afterward.

Research is on going on the Lee family line.   

Motivation Monday

Incorporating DNA Testing with Traditional Research

As I have stated in previous articles my paternal Lee family has been elusive and left fragments of a paper trail. I envy those lucky family historians who have stories passed down by their ancestors through the generations; or have family photos of their ancestors; I would even take a family Bible with dates and places noted in it, and anecdotes that were written by an ancestor and passed down. That would be a wonderful keepsake to have but that is only a dream since no such family treasure exits from my ancestors.  There is a valuable tool that is available in my lifetime that my ancestors didn’t have and that is DNA testing. DNA testing in cooperation with traditional genealogy is being used to prove or disprove a genealogical hypothesis. DNA testing is used to connect with biological related families and verify those family lines.

You may have your own personal reasons for using DNA testing with genealogical research. I have been using DNA test results with my genealogical research since the first DNA test, the YDNA test, was introduced as a tool for genealogists. The main reason that I began using DNA testing was to prove or disprove a family story. Later as autosomal DNA was available, I jumped on board for the autosomal DNA test and also tested family members, cousins, and half cousins. There was a difficult paternal puzzle and I had gone as a far as I could in researching my paternal line. Therefore, it was time to utilize the tool of DNA testing to try and solve this puzzle.  My brother YDNA tested to prove or disprove our biological grandfather, my father’s father. There was also long-standing puzzle on my paternal Lee line, my grandmother’s line so it was time to autosomal test family members and paternal cousins and find a male Lee volunteer to YDNA test. If I could find new cousins on the Lee paternal line, then I could possibly solve the long-standing puzzle. The task at hand is researching the direct line and the collaterals back to my third great grandparents Jordan Lee and wife Lydia. My plan is to identify the parents of Jordan Lee.

Jordan Lee’s parents haven’t been identified but I am using DNA in cooperation with my research to confirm family lines and connect with biological living cousins. DNA testing is not a replacement for traditional genealogical research but is used with your research to prove and disprove your assumptions about your ancestors. DNA is also used to estimate your deep ancestry from many generations’ past. Records are being digitized and added online at a rapid pace, so it is a matter of time and the parents of Jordan Lee will be identified using the two tools, and they will have their place in my family tree.

Another important reason that I use DNA testing in cooperation with my traditional genealogical research is to utilize the best practices of research using all available tools and to make sure that my research is as accurate as possible for each of my ancestors.

If you have been considering DNA testing, then develop a plan and determine your goals for the best results. Having a plan will keep you focused and goal oriented. When I first used DNA testing, I began with one family line – the Eley surname. That kept me focused on that one family line. I have researched the Eley family back to 1860 Drew County Arkansas and could not find Robert Lawrence Eley on records after that year. YDNA testing helped me in solving this difficult problem.

DNA testing is growing at a rapid pace and tools are being developed to use with the test results. Who knows what the future holds for genetic genealogists. But in the mean time it is a tool that I will continue to use and encourage others to use incorporation with their research.

Library of Congress

Source
Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. Rural countryside in Louisiana. Louisiana United States, None. [Between 1980 and 2006] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630721/.

Saturday Sibling

Jordan Lee, Junior

Jordan Lee, Junior is a recently found second great grand uncle. I found a marriage bond for the marriage between Jordan Lee, Junior and Caroline Goodwin. Several online family trees had Caroline Goodwin as the second wife of Jordan Lee Senior, but there was no evidence to prove that Jordan had a second wife. The marriage bond was posted and Jordan Lee Junior and John H. Strange posted the two-hundred-dollar bond. John H. Strange is the son-in-law of Jordan and Lydia. Margaret their youngest known daughter married John H. Strange.  After analyzing the three records for Jordan Lee Junior, the 1850 Beat 15, Randolph County, Alabama Census, and linking John H. Strange to the Lee family I concluded that Jordan Junior was the son of Jordan and Lydia Lee.

The newly discovered marriage records were recently added online. The Lee family has been researched for fifteen years and I haven’t seen those records online previously. DNA is also a great tool in verifying family connections. I have DNA tested several family members and cousins and manage their accounts. One of my paternal Lee second cousin whose DNA account I manage has a DNA Circle with a descendant of Jordan Lee Junior in it with a robust family tree. That was a great find!

Jordan Lee, Junior died about 1864 in Tennessee. Was he killed in the War Between the States? He would have been the age to serve in the military. Sot the search continues. The image is for his widow Caroline Lee and Jordan is listed on the certificate. Caroline and Jordan's daughter Lucy's husband was the informant for the death information. 

Jordan and Lydia (Hodge) Lee probably have other children that I have not discovered in my research. There is a large gap between the births of Burrell and Jordan Junior, and Margaret and Zachariah. Therefore, the research is ongoing for the Jordan Lee family.