tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45765480091913929312024-03-14T06:15:15.610-07:00Esther's Roots and RamblingsMy roots and ramblings from where they came.Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-66047879464118295442019-01-16T10:08:00.003-08:002019-01-16T10:12:37.737-08:00<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Timeline of Alfred Edwards<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">3rd Great-Grandfather<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1791-1873<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
Year Age Facts <br />
<br />
1791 0 Birth Virginia <br />
1813 22 Marriage Abt. 1813 South Carolina or North Carolina, Mary Slay, (1795–1840)<br />
1814 23 Birth of Son Charles Edwards 8 June 1814 Chesterfield, South<br />
Carolina (1814-1865)<br />
1816 25 Birth of Son Thomas Edwards 18 Apr 1816 Chesterfield, South Carolina (1816-1875)<br />
1820 29 Residence: Bennet, Anson, North Carolina <br />
1827 36 Captain’s District, Hays, District 13, Lee County, Georgia <br />
1830 39 Residence: Dekalb, Georgia <br />
1840 49 Death of Wife Mary Slay (1795–1840) AUG 1840 (?)<br />
Cherokee, Georgia <br />
1840 49 Residence: District 962, Floyd, Georgia <br />
1850 59 Alfred Edwards is nowhere to be found <br />
1855 64 Lowndes, Alabama <br />
1860 69 Residence: Southern Division, Coosa, Alabama <br />
1865 74 Death of Son Charles Edwards (1814–1865), 9 Sep 1865 <br />
Cherokee County, Georgia <br />
1866 75 Residence: Alabama, USA <br />
1867 76 Residence: Elmore, Alabama <br />
1870 79 Residence: Township 20, Elmore, Alabama <br />
1873 82 Residence: Central Institute, Elmore, Alabama <br />
1873 82 Death: 10 MAY 1873 Elmore, Elmore County, Alabama <br />
1873 Probate 15 Sep 1873 Elmore, Alabama <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sources <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1820 U S Census; Census Place: Bennet, Anson, North Carolina; Page: 25; NARA Roll: M33_80; Image: 33 <br />1827 District 13, Captain’s Hays District, Lee County, Georgia, Georgia Land Lottery <br />1830; Census Place: Dekalb, Georgia; Series: M19; Roll: 17; Page: 46; Family History Library Film: 0007037 <br />1840; Census Place: District 962, Floyd, Georgia; Page: 247; Family History Library Film: 0007043 <br />1860; Census Place: Southern Division, Coosa, Alabama; Roll: M653_7; Page: 128; Family History Library Film: 803007 <br />1870; Census Place: Township 20, Elmore, Alabama; Roll: M593_15; Page: 156A; Family History Library Film: 545514 <br />Ancestry.com. Alabama, Voter Registration, 1867 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015 <br />Probate Records, Wills and Minutes, 1866-1949; Author: Alabama. Probate Court (Elmore County); Probate Place: Elmore, Alabama <br />1865 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 <br />1867 Alabama Voter Registration Records</span>Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-32075605299791973142019-01-11T17:29:00.000-08:002019-01-11T17:29:12.184-08:00Researching the Common Surname Edwards<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is challenging to research an ancestor that has a common
surname such as Edwards. It involves time and effort into researching others
with the same surname who may or may not be connected to your Edwards line.
That is a necessary step though to prove or disprove your line of Edwards. If
you have details for your Edwards line this will help in narrowing the search
and will lead you to search for records for your ancestor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2012 my brother volunteered to YDNA test for our surname line.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the results came back, I connected with
a cousin who shared his Edwards and related families' information with me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This information was valuable in jump starting
research for the Edwards, Kelly, Slay, Teal, Wideman, and Baker family lines. There
may be some challenges for researchers who have common surnames when trying to
track down their ancestral lines. However, there are clues that have been used while
researching my paternal line Edwards ancestors. Research began with Alfred
Edwards and creating a profile for him using the information provided by my cousin.
Detailed notes of Alfred Edwards was used to compare the information that my
cousin provided with that of others with the same surname. His birth year,
occupation, place of birth, spouse, and children’s names made it easy to
identify Alfred Edwards from others with the same surname. There were other
Alfred Edwards but they weren’t born circa 1791 in Virginia, with a wife named
Mary “Polly.” They didn’t have sons with the names of Thomas and Charles.
Creating a timeline of his life helped when looking at records. From those
records I concluded that I had the correct ancestor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Knowing the location for my ancestor was a help in narrowing
the search and the people with the same name. Alfred Edwards migrated out of
Virginia and died in Alabama so the timeline helped to see the places he lived,
placing him in a certain area at a certain time. This allowed me to limit the
search for Alfred Edwards in the locations within a given time period. This also
helped in locating records for Alfred Edwards. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alfred Edwards was a paternal third great grandfather. His descendant
John Houston Edwards was my father’s biological father, my paternal grandfather
and my great uncle. My father’s mother Alice Lee was the sister of John
Houston’s wife Dollie Ophelia Lee. When I began researching there were several
Alfred Edwards, but only one was found who was born circa 1791 in Virginia. Alfred
Edwards was married to Mary Slay. Although a marriage record wasn’t found
family stories has them getting married circa 1813 in Chesterfield County, South
Carolina. It isn’t known by this researcher how many children they had;
however, there are two known children Thomas and Charles. Alfred Edwards died
on May 10, 1873, in Elmore, Alabama, having lived a long life of 82 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Edwards family name was found in the USA,
the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Edwards families
were found in the UK in 1891. In 1840 there were four hundred twenty-nine Edwards
families living in New York. This was about 13% of all the recorded Edwards's
in the USA. New York had the highest population of Edwards families in 1840.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Use census records and voter lists to see where families
with the Edwards surname lived. You can see how Edwards families moved over time by selecting different census years. Within census records, you can often find
information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and
occupations. What did Alfred Edwards do for a living? Alfred was a farmer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1880, farmer, laborer and keeping house were the top three
reported jobs worked by Edwards. A less common occupation for the Edwards
family was farm laborer. The most common Edwards occupation in the United
States was farmer. Thirty-nine percent of Edwards's were Farmers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Edwards surname is a common English name and also common
name in Wales. You can follow the migration of the Edwards family as they were
enumerated in only two censuses that I have found. The 1860 and 1870
censuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the 1860 census had valuable information about Alfred and his son Thomas. A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edwards is sixty-nine
years old and living with Thos. Edwards age forty-four and Thos. was a
physician. Thomas’s real estate value is $4000. And personal estate is $24,550.00.
Thos. was born in South Carolina and attended school. There are ten other
people living in the household. I did not recognize them. On the 1860 Rockford
Post Office, Southern Division, Coosa County, Alabama, A. Edwards is a farmer
with a real estate value of $1000.00 and his place of birth was Virginia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife Mary “Polly” died about 1840 in Cherokee
County, Georgia. Possibly she died after they left South Carolina headed west. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the 1870 Township 20, Elmore County, Alabama census
Alfred Edwards’ occupation was a farmer, with real estate of $400. And personal
estate of $250. 00 states her birthplace is Virginia. He also states his father
is foreign born and his mother is foreign born. That is a tip for me to look
for immigration records for his parents. Alfred Edwards also states he cannot
write. There is an Alfred Edwards listed on the 1870 Agriculture Census living
in Township 20, Elmore County, Alabama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Agriculture Census was for the year ending June 1, 1870. The value of Alfred Edwards
farm produce, including betterments and additions to stocks was $2050.00. The
value of the animals that Alfred Edwards slaughtered or sold for slaughter was
$235.00, and the value of home manufactures was $50.00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Research for Alfred Edwards produced fragments of a paper trail for this ancestor who lived a long and seemingly productive life. . I have exhausted all the records online for Alfred Edwards and
haven’t found a marriage record, pre-1850, 1850 censuses, or land records for Alfred Edwards . Possibly
he was born in England, Wales, or Ireland and brought to the colonies at a
young age. On the 1870 census it stated his parents were foreign born so
possibly they were the immigrant ancestors of the Edwards family line. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Research
is ongoing and as records are found information will be updated for Alfred
Edwards. </div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-66911936957765706512019-01-09T06:48:00.000-08:002019-01-09T06:51:50.640-08:00Using Record Sources Not Another Online Tree as Evidence<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the advantages of people’s online public trees
is that they can be helpful for folks like me who had very little information about
a family line. My Lee family line has been a challenge and other people’s
family trees have provided clues, records, and photos that I have used to guide to
me as I searched for record sources to verify the information. Over fifteen
years ago when I began my genealogy journey I had very little information on my
grandmother Alice Lee’s family line. The only name that I ever knew my father’s
mother by was “Granny Eley.” When I asked Granny her real name, she wouldn’t
tell me, so I grew up never knowing her Lee/Meadows family. Thankfully my
sister Ruby the oldest of the eight children knew about the family.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">The information for my great grandfather William
Alfred Lee was provided by my sister Ruby. Ruby gave me his name, place of
birth in Alabama, his wife’s name, where they were married and who married
them, and that they migrated from Alabama to Jackson Parish, Louisiana. This
information was a great help in getting me started in researching the Lee line,
but I was stumped when trying to link William Alfred to his father. William was
supposedly born in 1847 but he wasn’t found on the 1850 census. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">When I chose an online tree, I looked for errors and
inconsistencies in the trees. I did not want to use a tree that had errors and
inconsistencies in it. William A. was listed with his mother and his siblings
on the 1860 Tallapoosa County, Alabama census. I later found out William Alfred
Lee was born in Oct 1850 after the enumeration date May 1 for the 1850 census. I
analyzed every record source for William Alfred Lee to make sure the names,
date, and location were valid before adding him to my tree. I used those
sources that backed up the information for my ancestor. Now, I know that the
information is accurate (as it possibly can be) for my great grandfather. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Online trees provided the name of William’s
father and there were record sources with them, so I used those records and
researched until I was confident this was the correct ancestor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Genealogists at one time or another have come across an
online family tree with our ancestor in it and when we look at the tree the only
source is another family tree. Family trees are not a valid source. What you
are looking for is evidence or facts for an ancestor. A valid record source is one
that supports the facts such as a birth certificate, marriage license, death
certificate. You take the record source and analyze it to see if it is relevant
to a particular ancestor that you are researching. You continue to collect
sources for that ancestor and analyze them to see if it supports or contradicts
the other sources. You are working to prove this person is your ancestor. You
are looking for evidence of facts and information to support your research for
your ancestor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">It is so much easier to just copy an ancestor and his
family than it is to search for records and carefully review each record for
proof, making sure the evidence from the record supports all the other
information about the ancestor. If you think about it, another family tree
doesn’t support any facts or evidence. The ancestor in the other person’s
family tree may not be your ancestor. That is the reason for researching and
finding record sources and analyzing them to prove that this is your ancestor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Genealogy is about collaborating. Most genealogists
share their trees on a public site. The information collected and shared in an
online tree is valuable to other researchers. I am happy to share the
information in my tree with others and I have worked diligently to make sure
the information in my tree is verified with record sources. Whatever database
you choose to share your family tree on it is your responsibility as a
researcher to make sure the information you are collecting and sharing is
accurate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Keep in mind that an online family tree without sources
is only to be used as a guide for further research. Search for record sources
that prove the information and use those record sources to cite the information
in your tree. You should ask yourself is the proof a valid record and not a
compiled record, family book, or story, etc. Are the dates making sense that
are listed in the tree? Are the children’s ages such that the person listed as
a wife is too young to have children those ages? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Our goal is to have a family tree with record sources
to prove the names, dates, locations, etc. in our family trees.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"> If we all work diligently and use valid record sources as evidence in researching our ancestors, then cite the information in our trees with those record sources, the genealogy community will be better benefited due to our efforts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc-itquj0rBknl7IzkncGEpSu1oA6dBg_aajPQ_wRC91Y3U6dpZNa2mASdb7JsIJ3fCf_nKgr1IOqysLljR2Fhb2oN9IfNSe9ZnWwCBP09R9TX8jwzYWQSsKOhaU63gO8CbPVCgQfwToG/s1600/3c20226_150px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="150" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc-itquj0rBknl7IzkncGEpSu1oA6dBg_aajPQ_wRC91Y3U6dpZNa2mASdb7JsIJ3fCf_nKgr1IOqysLljR2Fhb2oN9IfNSe9ZnWwCBP09R9TX8jwzYWQSsKOhaU63gO8CbPVCgQfwToG/s320/3c20226_150px.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Margaret Mead, 1901-1978<br />
half-length portrait, facing right reading a book.<br />
Library of Congress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-52388763437026997252019-01-06T14:33:00.000-08:002019-01-06T14:35:06.671-08:00Why is DNA Testing Important for Family History and Why Should I DNA Test? <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Those questions are often asked in meetings that I
attend, and the answers vary depending on the person you talk to. DNA testing
is a choice and there are many reasons someone will choose to test. Since I
began DNA testing in 2012, I have tried to learn about DNA, how to interpret
results, and how DNA test results will benefit a hobby genealogist. There are
ways to continue learning about DNA testing and those that I benefit from are
blogs by experts in the field and subscribing to those blogs, viewing webinars
by genetic genealogist, attending genetic genealogy conferences, joining
genetic genealogy Facebook Groups, and reading and studying any book that is
available on the topic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">So why is DNA Testing important for family history and
why DNA test? DNA testing is not a shortcut to traditional genealogical
research. DNA testing isn’t a replacement for the paper trail. DNA testing is a
record and is used in cooperation with traditional genealogical research. Genetic
genealogy is a way for genealogists to go beyond what they learn from relatives
or from historical records. As you look through your DNA test results there
will be clues about where the cousins’ ancestors might have come from and clues
about relationships between your families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">If you have been researching long you use records such
as birth, marriage and death records in your research. Your DNA is a unique
record of you and your family – your parents, your grandparents, and great
grandparents. It is a record of your genetic family tree just as your
genealogical family tree is a genealogical pedigree of your family. Look at it
this way, you have two trees – a genetic family tree and a genealogical family
tree. According to my Ancestry family tree I have sixteen hundred fifty-nine
people in my genealogical family tree. I have my direct line ancestors and
collateral ancestors with sources in this family tree. My genetic family tree
contains those ancestors from whom I received DNA as it was passed down and it
represents me and my family in a way that no other record can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Whether or not you DNA test is a personal preference.
It is solely left up to you and there is nothing that says you have to DNA
test. You alone are the one who knows how important DNA testing might be for you.
You might ask yourself, “Why DNA test? Do you want to learn about ethnicity
estimates? DNA testing will give you that information. What am
I trying to learn from DNA testing?" If you have been researching for
years, then DNA testing will help in verifying your ancestors and your
research. There are some places where the documentation can't be found but
finding a DNA match will let you know that you descended from that particular
ancestor. DNA testing can help in a family line where you are stuck and
can’t go any further with that line. Unless there is a misattributed parentage
in the line DNA is a record for that family line where the paper trail ends.
Even though there may be a misattributed parentage, if relatives from that line
have tested there will be relatives show up in your match list from that line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Another question to ask is, “What family secrets might
DNA test results reveal?” Some people have gotten surprises when their DNA
results comes back. There were secrets in families and some may have been
revealed and shared down through the family; however, there were those that
remained secrets. If you choose to DNA test prepare yourself for anything that
may show up when you receive your results. If your results shows up with
unexpected results it can be a shock if you haven’t prepared yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;">DNA is a powerful record that is available for
genealogists that is used to confirm our ancestors and the physical connection.
You can connect with cousins and collaborate with those cousins and they may
have information about family that you don’t have that will help fill in a gap
in your research. DNA proves or disproves relationships.</span></div>
<br />Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-12049291568195778312019-01-05T13:55:00.000-08:002019-01-05T13:55:50.469-08:00Saturday's Tip<h2>
Online Family Trees</h2>
You found an online tree that has your ancestor in it. You have been searching for this particular ancestor for a while but have been unsuccessful in finding him. Now that you have found him what do you do? You may ask yourself how do I know for sure this is my ancestor? First, is the information sourced? How do you know the information is correct? Look for gaps, inconsistencies, and conflicting information in the tree. The following list will help you as you look through the tree.<br /><ul>
<li>Birth of a child before the mother was of childbearing age</li>
<li>Inconsistencies in christening locations</li>
<li>Mother passed childbearing age</li>
<li>Siblings too close in age</li>
<li>Inconsistent marriage date</li>
<li>Incorrect gender</li>
<li>Person beyond normal life span but not marked as deceased</li>
<li>Duplicate birth or death dates or places</li>
<li>Inconsistent surname spelling</li>
<li>Inconsistent place names</li>
<li>Married name entered as a maiden name</li>
<li>Siblings with same first name</li>
<li>Person duplicates</li>
<li>Persons not connected to others in tree</li>
<li>Connection between generations</li>
</ul>
<div>
Online trees are notorious for errors. Resist the temptation to just take the information and add to your tree.<br /><br />The information from an online tree needs to be examined very carefully making sure it the correct information about your ancestor before using it in your tree. Every genealogist would like to have a robust family tree; however, you would like to have your ancestors not someone else’s ancestors in your family tree. You do that by searching for additional records for your ancestor following solid genealogical methodology and verifying the accuracy of the information you use in your family trees. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No matter how long you have been doing genealogy it is always a good practice to continuously review your work, and when you scrutinize an online tree you are reviewing someone else's tree. As you go along in your research always cite your sources and that saves time in the long run. If the online tree has sources you cite those in your tree if that is your ancestor. This will help you trace back to where you found the information and verify whether your conclusions about your ancestor are true. Other researchers will have confidence that your information is correct when you have records to back up your work. Sources are a great way to point you to family members such as an ancestor’s siblings. They also give you clues for further records and leads to more research.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even the best genealogists have errors in their research. By checking for gaps, inconsistencies, and conflicting information in an online tree and following up with sources that backup the research will you build an accurate family tree. <br /> </div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-1870069079701383542018-12-30T17:22:00.000-08:002018-12-30T17:22:03.227-08:00Census Sunday<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finding Your Ancestors in Censuses</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Census records are a valuable resource for family
historians. They have the potential for information that connects one
generation to the next. Census records can reveal details about your ancestors
and can give you a snapshot of their lives at a particular time in the past. When
searching for your ancestor in the U.S. censuses verify the correct ancestor by
looking at the whole family – his wife, children, parents, etc. Families
migrated in groups and tended to keep close and stay together. As you collect
information from the censuses about your ancestor you will see a profile emerge.
As you look at a census compare it to the previous census. Take notice of any
contrasting information and make note of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Family historians can access censuses from 1790 to 1940 and
the information for each census year varies from census to census. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Information is a little more difficult to
glean from censuses before 1850; however, if you have information for an
ancestor such as birth information you can look to the head of the family, the
age categories and estimated birth years and identify possible ancestors. I
have an ancestor Jordan Lee who left only fragments of a paper trail and has
been one of my most difficult ancestors to research. Jordan Lee has been listed
on censuses in South Carolina in the area where Benjamin Hodge and John Rains (Jordan’s
wife Lidia’s family) was listed. I have carefully looked through each census
from 1810 to 1840 hoping to find a clue that will lead me to vital information
about Jordan Lee. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jordan Lee was either born in South Carolina or Ireland. It
was important to remember the possibility that he was an immigrant to the
colony of South Carolina and that he wouldn’t be named on records prior to
1810. The information that I had to begin my research came from Lee relatives.
They have researched the Lee line and the information provided by them was
vital in jump starting my research for my grandmother’s ancestors. Although I
knew very little about my Lee ancestors. I used the information with sources
that they provided, then verified it using records that were available.
Censuses were found for Jordan Lee in 1810 to 1840, and he is named on a land
record, estate record for Thomas Hodge, and a record for Benjamin Hodge, his
father-in-law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this information
about Benjamin Hodge, Thomas Hodge, and John Rains I kept a close eye on the
neighbors or those people listed on the censuses with Jordan Lee. Also, I looked
for any familiar names such as the brothers-in-law of Lidia Hodge Lee. Those
names were clues when searching for Jordan Lee and that I had the correct
ancestor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMiowu67ksQWdemj0EghvNhB6_Bqub_jxEccfLgl5zWLpu8sWTJzdeXlYWWv1Xi3KhhQhG7M9xUS_uxKMPo1XYwjiEVZYMqthDwNDbpsEEhIG_VDP6RHeuxU1w92zdNi4gcvac60KRXPn/s1600/Clipboard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="1073" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMiowu67ksQWdemj0EghvNhB6_Bqub_jxEccfLgl5zWLpu8sWTJzdeXlYWWv1Xi3KhhQhG7M9xUS_uxKMPo1XYwjiEVZYMqthDwNDbpsEEhIG_VDP6RHeuxU1w92zdNi4gcvac60KRXPn/s320/Clipboard2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pt2U78wZxHgWxilUgBhuimLV9rElf7__I65fykd5SpFxy3tZRQP-UGyX6UJoYbRokJ_NUGAFssk-a0f82U8a85LPwSQ-urfCxpnS9EoYBMHtPxqK4TRM8qw14Makc-_95_cYUWoACfWQ/s1600/Clipboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="465" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pt2U78wZxHgWxilUgBhuimLV9rElf7__I65fykd5SpFxy3tZRQP-UGyX6UJoYbRokJ_NUGAFssk-a0f82U8a85LPwSQ-urfCxpnS9EoYBMHtPxqK4TRM8qw14Makc-_95_cYUWoACfWQ/s320/Clipboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I looked at the 1810 Richland, South Carolina census I
noticed in the left column the words Columbia town and Richland District were written
down the side of the census. That caught my eye since there was not a heading
on the census. The name of town, city, or county, names of heads of families,
free white males, free white females, and all other persons were on page one and
since my ancestor was on page 5 of the census, I had to refer to page one for
the age categories. There is a Jordan Lee on the 1810 Columbia, Richland
District, South Carolina census. His estimated birth year is 1778 and on the
1810 census is one free white male listed in the column that shows the age
category of 26 and under 45 including heads of families. Jordan Lee would be
about thirty-two years old at that time. Lydia his wife would have been about
twenty-five years old. A free white female is listed in the age category of 16 under
26 including heads of families.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I had a location for Jordan Lee, I continued my search
in Richland, South Carolina. Next was the 1820 census. I noticed on the 1820
census there were categories that I had not seen before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1820 census shows additional information
added such as: Number of foreigners not naturalized, Number of persons engaged
in agriculture, Number of persons engaged in commerce, Number of
persons engaged in manufacturing, and Number of slaves, Number of other free
persons, except Indians, not taxed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMhIU9tFOq5Ax-ezxkzFsDv8kiH2CP212-zUysCh5YcJh382RhREGWXm1yaqHKCSZ91hqytONfHJieas4RftH0fcapTvawDJVHzNzhVIDeE-pdfIQejdLVC0zFv-Vg46Bi5_of4KjbeL3/s1600/Clipboard3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="1092" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMhIU9tFOq5Ax-ezxkzFsDv8kiH2CP212-zUysCh5YcJh382RhREGWXm1yaqHKCSZ91hqytONfHJieas4RftH0fcapTvawDJVHzNzhVIDeE-pdfIQejdLVC0zFv-Vg46Bi5_of4KjbeL3/s320/Clipboard3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The 1820 Richland, Richland District, South Carolina census
has a Jordan Lee listed on it; however, in the column that states “Foreigners
not Naturalized” there is no check leading me to believe that he isn’t an
immigrant. A male is checked in the age category of free white males of
twenty-six and under forty-five including heads of families. There is a female
in the same category for free white females and possibly his wife Lidia. One
interesting note is Benjamin Hodge father of Lidia, wife of Jordan Lee, is
listed on the census one page to the left of the page where Jordan Lee is
listed. The column for “Foreigners not Naturalized” was not checked for
Benjamin Hodge either, indicating to me that he most likely was born in the
colonies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjiwlvRqyOD-SmpReFdUYsuEGwO8XUo988BBaiRhCqzDt7qDrMX15F7BU7XaASKHxyBJ-kTBpX6TRaEaGy9jE9ufuXRZM_Xhez_TWR2pqTJ76R8YB3labtyq8vTw3ZvfGCbdjBV221MjJ/s1600/Clipboard4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="1166" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjiwlvRqyOD-SmpReFdUYsuEGwO8XUo988BBaiRhCqzDt7qDrMX15F7BU7XaASKHxyBJ-kTBpX6TRaEaGy9jE9ufuXRZM_Xhez_TWR2pqTJ76R8YB3labtyq8vTw3ZvfGCbdjBV221MjJ/s320/Clipboard4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQzIrvfhQRupGFJVRYbm3eYBDXcJXOJCcaFWFcTRSUm_7NmKYNTmurO6BwU54upmyG9rYG41HrHOQleVU3ry0KXB5Lr6sxtVKQSAnEEw0AlVpulthznmYkj1NZ3C2rNMxIPFDZiuxKPcC/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="44" data-original-width="1200" height="11" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQzIrvfhQRupGFJVRYbm3eYBDXcJXOJCcaFWFcTRSUm_7NmKYNTmurO6BwU54upmyG9rYG41HrHOQleVU3ry0KXB5Lr6sxtVKQSAnEEw0AlVpulthznmYkj1NZ3C2rNMxIPFDZiuxKPcC/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had difficulty reading the headings on the 1830 Richland
District, South Carolina census so I used a blank 1830 census form to determine
what information was in the columns. There is a mark in the of fifty and under
sixty age category so possibly this is Jordan Lee and he would be about
fifty-two years old at that time and a female with a mark in the same female
age category. There are not any marks in the “Aliens – Foreigners not
naturalized column.” Family stories passed down have said that Jordan Lee was a
young boy when they immigrated from Ireland. What is his father’s name? There are nagging
questions that need to be answered. First,
did the census taker ask “Aliens – Foreigners” information? Second, was Jordan
Lee an immigrate to the colonies? Lastly, what is his father’s name?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each census question is answered by an informant (or someone
who gave the information). That person was anyone who answered the door when
the census taker came to the door. The 1840 U.S. Census requested persons who
were “pensioners for Revolutionary or military services” to indicate that
information. That information was not noted on the census for Jordan Lee and no
military records have been found for him. That is a question that I have asked
repeatedly but can’t answer since I haven’t found records for him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod7_idAcW_bc2epOB9pERQ7-gb79_DoQaPYZHr5ES9F0dAUHxp9NVBT-1xitn23294G3ZWfdHJLBzWxOLQzPJ7xvolkoIBIuF_xfcSX9-iPVe6sF4RlF63h8DYbn2roZEUm-5_qWRbf2_/s1600/Clipboard9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="1174" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod7_idAcW_bc2epOB9pERQ7-gb79_DoQaPYZHr5ES9F0dAUHxp9NVBT-1xitn23294G3ZWfdHJLBzWxOLQzPJ7xvolkoIBIuF_xfcSX9-iPVe6sF4RlF63h8DYbn2roZEUm-5_qWRbf2_/s320/Clipboard9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYHtJ5EMkrh3gm9lXJffwdDZ4lwEqdWHz2EtsoLuJzk-LzLyDdbbZM6hMra370WFVD9ARycqMJurs-uy5LmtzLhZJns00gEVbkJlRbTQ-faGaHA7TM7THkrkZIec2erd7nnKNgXrlW1En/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="1148" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYHtJ5EMkrh3gm9lXJffwdDZ4lwEqdWHz2EtsoLuJzk-LzLyDdbbZM6hMra370WFVD9ARycqMJurs-uy5LmtzLhZJns00gEVbkJlRbTQ-faGaHA7TM7THkrkZIec2erd7nnKNgXrlW1En/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Researching further I followed Jordan Lee to the 1840 census
and found a Jordan Lee listed on the Tallapoosa County, Alabama 1840 census. He
is listed in the free white persons including heads of families in the 60 and
under 70 age category for males and there is a female in the 40 to 50 female
age category. Lidia’s estimated birth year is 1785 therefore she would be about
fifty-five years old. Is that female Lidia? Lidia Lee is listed on the 1850
Tallapoosa County, Alabama census living alone, she was born in South Carolina,
she is sixty years old, and her estimated birth year 1790. Based on the
previous censuses and the 1850 through 1870 censuses I concluded this to be
Lidia Lee. There is a land record for Jordan Lee for 40.14 acres dated 1 June 1845 Tallapoosa County, Alabama. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bNbsPltf-gQPn5BqPG7FoO_KejZ4BLZaV_jE0fHqv0wHD8kjP1oVnC3XJxRAD0DaHcrGt2QvxA7euWQGmsPbQaFl19szFA4lUL03f4Thuaskp3v-9Mvfbq6tGWYsnHkTKFGBcbUWAmJ-/s1600/RHUSA2007B_AL4340-00053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1018" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bNbsPltf-gQPn5BqPG7FoO_KejZ4BLZaV_jE0fHqv0wHD8kjP1oVnC3XJxRAD0DaHcrGt2QvxA7euWQGmsPbQaFl19szFA4lUL03f4Thuaskp3v-9Mvfbq6tGWYsnHkTKFGBcbUWAmJ-/s200/RHUSA2007B_AL4340-00053.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowQToxLBbPmjEzTibgl2-r2A3YKiM7yYGhw4yAKjGrBg16YIPmIaIqaFKr6jr0D4B_5siA1bcFA7oBpotPcMob0o5RBp1pKnnF34KpvL8BHGF60WkPn5bs9J1Z9po8uD4uUv0GicJLbfY/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="647" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowQToxLBbPmjEzTibgl2-r2A3YKiM7yYGhw4yAKjGrBg16YIPmIaIqaFKr6jr0D4B_5siA1bcFA7oBpotPcMob0o5RBp1pKnnF34KpvL8BHGF60WkPn5bs9J1Z9po8uD4uUv0GicJLbfY/s200/10.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Although the question of whether or not Jordan Lee was an
immigrant was answered by researching the 1820 through 1840 censuses there are
questions about Jordan Lee that I will research to answer. Who are his parents?
Did Jordan Lee serve in the military? He would have been about thirty-two years
old when the War of 1812 was going on. What was his religious affiliation? I
haven’t found church record for him. I continue to research and hope for more
records to be added online that will help in answering these questions and
others that might come up.<br />
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-67357824498301079832018-12-23T04:55:00.000-08:002018-12-23T04:55:03.607-08:00 Sunday's Censuses and More <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Life Story of Santa Clause<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now for
all of you doubters of whether or not there really is a Santa Clause this is a
fact, “there is a Santa Clause!” Santa Clause was born April 4, 1887 in
Liberty, Saline County, Missouri, to William and Henrietta S. Clause. Missouri
is a great place for him to be born because he didn’t have to travel from far
to deliver all the children’s toys. The best I can tell is that Santa had nine
siblings and their names were Emma, William, Pearl, Nellie, Earl and Harvey.
Yes, I know this is a bit confusing for you since initially Santa employed six
elves. But the more help available the better for Santa Clause! Right!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Santa's father tells the census taker that his father's birth place was Germany. If the family was of German descent this brings to mind interesting questions. How was Clause pronounced in German? How did this family pronounce the Clause? Was the name originally Klaus? Or Claus? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVG1ax4F_Xrje-kJ92QY2oGs_7Y3VtKG0exWIIvb2xxTOjM8AQtf2AsCNLcjfjWiFS9RfNgO7zrmByWrC53iU1Gp2lEptDD7LErPvM0O0vMzzD1NjNSg2i6Us0OJ79OwBosL-H7RP1cFS/s1600/1900+Census.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="1130" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVG1ax4F_Xrje-kJ92QY2oGs_7Y3VtKG0exWIIvb2xxTOjM8AQtf2AsCNLcjfjWiFS9RfNgO7zrmByWrC53iU1Gp2lEptDD7LErPvM0O0vMzzD1NjNSg2i6Us0OJ79OwBosL-H7RP1cFS/s320/1900+Census.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As you can
tell from the census in 1900 Santa was living in Liberty, Missouri with his
parents and siblings and he was thirteen years old. Both of Santa’s parents
were born in Missouri. In 1910 Santa Clause was twenty-three years old and
working as a hired hand on a farm, and still living in Liberty, Missouri. On
June 9, 1912 Santa Clause found the woman of his dreams who would be a lifetime
partner and a helpmate. As you can see on the certificate h</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">er name was Minnie Mabel Hill and they were married in
Marshall, Saline County, Missouri.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW1sYCqPPSFsHHPnoIfdbqvpHEmsA36TKzeSJCz98V9bDl45ebXcxae8roztRnHFCnCmyTNBrAF5wR_KvKkfPOHPxAzXQ7dT0XDbbY3wMTMAfOPTgqfX21wjmigfwBEnKjNnmGqAh-IkE/s1600/Marriage+License+Cover+Sheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="656" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW1sYCqPPSFsHHPnoIfdbqvpHEmsA36TKzeSJCz98V9bDl45ebXcxae8roztRnHFCnCmyTNBrAF5wR_KvKkfPOHPxAzXQ7dT0XDbbY3wMTMAfOPTgqfX21wjmigfwBEnKjNnmGqAh-IkE/s320/Marriage+License+Cover+Sheet.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rC92Omb-qYB8YWEiZ5cb7qqE0MuWTqZfGlQRaBb56qK5_U3DjX64gfxpEFCyWk99dx_xKG4nl_f7-HDG7Pjoo-NDCz2e1UbuOXcVAvLGv1Au0QVedaO_rFRUdTU01fyw3PWoo0B7tuv/s1600/Marriage+License.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="871" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rC92Omb-qYB8YWEiZ5cb7qqE0MuWTqZfGlQRaBb56qK5_U3DjX64gfxpEFCyWk99dx_xKG4nl_f7-HDG7Pjoo-NDCz2e1UbuOXcVAvLGv1Au0QVedaO_rFRUdTU01fyw3PWoo0B7tuv/s320/Marriage+License.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">He signed
up for the draft and he is listed on the U. S. World War I Draft
Registration Card 1917-1918 living in Powers, Colorado on Lamar Route A. He
states he is a natural born citizen of the United States. At that time, he was
a farmer and employed by J. W. Paste. He was married and his wife and two children living
with him. He states he is a Caucasian. Contrary to what we all believe Santa
Clause had light brown hair, medium build (not short and not heavy built), medium
height, not tall and not short. His eyes were blue, and he wasn’t bald. And
there was no mention of a white beard! I know that this is disappointing to us
but that is his description of himself. Therefore, it is a fact!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOw7WfbU5MC29VfpVjvBUdfYTtzd4sXLnJnanaV03YWphGfrmUtzc3mcMBMx7LTMDJn3PLmGkv40oXf3FcMrj9RfUtlgSpTa2lpDPEpYTSxVsRTcXx8vGAqCCSYHzmW9JSLOzQw9ad8igT/s1600/WWI+Draft+Registration+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOw7WfbU5MC29VfpVjvBUdfYTtzd4sXLnJnanaV03YWphGfrmUtzc3mcMBMx7LTMDJn3PLmGkv40oXf3FcMrj9RfUtlgSpTa2lpDPEpYTSxVsRTcXx8vGAqCCSYHzmW9JSLOzQw9ad8igT/s320/WWI+Draft+Registration+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Well, by
1920 he was back in Missouri living as a border in his brother Earl Clause’s
household. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Dear old Santa Clause was thirty-one
years old and living in Blackwater in Pettis, Missouri and the census states
that he was single. Where is Minnie? Or is that a census taker’s error that he
was single? He might have been; he might have been away working; they could
have been separated at the time of the census taking; or he might have been
divorced. We don't know his marital status at that time, so we just have to save the information on that census and continue our fact hunting of Santa Clause. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED303ufBig7QzjIpDKGKI30-8OQA-RFSxvAesQC-hyvJxHgeArrskT5uFd-00fTrFaRdX3Rfr4fuhq06aw5Q2M8jCt_g3gJVqu0_L06HiaiSE4Xc-pveYx-BeBj8uhk3HUO0P8s4RtQVS/s1600/1920+Census.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="1083" height="63" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhED303ufBig7QzjIpDKGKI30-8OQA-RFSxvAesQC-hyvJxHgeArrskT5uFd-00fTrFaRdX3Rfr4fuhq06aw5Q2M8jCt_g3gJVqu0_L06HiaiSE4Xc-pveYx-BeBj8uhk3HUO0P8s4RtQVS/s320/1920+Census.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Whatever
the case in 1920 by the taking of the 1930 census Santa Clause was back in
Saline County, living in Marshall on South Redman Avenue and he was married with
six children living in his household with him and Mabel his wife. Santa Clause
was a laborer working in River Construction and forty-two years old. Santa and
his wife didn’t own a radio at that time. His home value was $15.00 so he most
likely couldn’t afford a radio. Remember that one of the questions added to the
1930 census was do you own a radio?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCil6AgXSjck5-rNijrz3jwIQNCHEXvw5fxmwsM3fBg2Ljp0JfYvmtHa4KleBzfPmjl_188Skr2Akgtdhos-BYYuR8NG_h3O0OJM29JdttNtxcw_QMFD9u4zhtfLj0Nu3Ow0aLjBtU8Qx/s1600/1930+census.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="1081" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCil6AgXSjck5-rNijrz3jwIQNCHEXvw5fxmwsM3fBg2Ljp0JfYvmtHa4KleBzfPmjl_188Skr2Akgtdhos-BYYuR8NG_h3O0OJM29JdttNtxcw_QMFD9u4zhtfLj0Nu3Ow0aLjBtU8Qx/s320/1930+census.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">On the 1930
census Santa’s age at the time of his first marriage was twenty-four years old.
The census showed that poor Santa didn’t attend school; however; on the
previous censuses it stated he was in school. His wife was giving the census
taker the information and she probably didn’t know since she was busy taking
care of her husband and seven children. How did I know that his wife gave the
census taker the information for the census? On the census if there is an x
looking mark by the person’s name, that is the person who gave the census taker the information for that household. Anyhow, Santa could read and write so, he
either attended school or was self-taught. Santa’s occupation was a laborer in
River Construction as shown on this census, so was he a minister or not? He possibly was a minister and just worked on the weekend and Wednesday for Wednesday night service. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJNaKANA1goHR7nWmwnwThotJ6GevrkYWDq4Y8UgWAwkUaVD4tJMkubIvT0B04rd8zpEqZ4LUSJuNlEYuLb4bhpjAY9LtPLea9cfCQa9GYfw_8btnDOJ2qvBCdKp26ZayJPCPLga3PXeU/s1600/1940+census.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="1067" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJNaKANA1goHR7nWmwnwThotJ6GevrkYWDq4Y8UgWAwkUaVD4tJMkubIvT0B04rd8zpEqZ4LUSJuNlEYuLb4bhpjAY9LtPLea9cfCQa9GYfw_8btnDOJ2qvBCdKp26ZayJPCPLga3PXeU/s320/1940+census.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefsmmVA7x8eVJWoF_C4scaOcuvGugb4V2YufudVZKsAPxWtdFUmwx5lHtaBsQPTRLxnGfRVV_jIyr2bHobmqjFzmkxHiMrAaJZDtQqQwj3GNCAC_2izH4ihOzYThjMI110GJaEslVPaD_/s1600/1930+census.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="1081" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefsmmVA7x8eVJWoF_C4scaOcuvGugb4V2YufudVZKsAPxWtdFUmwx5lHtaBsQPTRLxnGfRVV_jIyr2bHobmqjFzmkxHiMrAaJZDtQqQwj3GNCAC_2izH4ihOzYThjMI110GJaEslVPaD_/s320/1930+census.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In 1940
Santa Clause is living on West Jackson Street in a house that he was renting
and his house number was 796. He was no longer living on a farm near town. His
occupation was a sewer man and the industry was drainage work in private work. That
is what it stated on the census, and that would be a job where you get your
hands dirty unlike his job as a minister. In 1936 though he worked sixteen
weeks, and his income was $268.00. His wife didn't work outside the home and her employment as shown on the census was housework. Anyone who has a family as large as the Clause family knows housework is a full time job. It stated on the census that Santa had no other
source of income and was looking for work. Mrs. Clause was not getting paid but she was most likely frugal with their resources. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Santa was giving the census taker the information, and there was nothing stating that he was a minister. Maybe Santa had given up the
ministry. His age on the 1940 census is fifty-two years. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PfpQi9GdVJbYV0-nimd2R6GEkRkLXr9gD5iF2La1gcLg2QSyqKRTLYpnZaoanNd-So1TqO7J-IWYanVBSygDL9mRJWPl9VA-qoeb5wpWHcKjJLXBNKCzLy-gLIqR3rjA68ZoEzILelRo/s1600/Discharge+papers+for+Wm.+Clause+son+of+Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="704" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PfpQi9GdVJbYV0-nimd2R6GEkRkLXr9gD5iF2La1gcLg2QSyqKRTLYpnZaoanNd-So1TqO7J-IWYanVBSygDL9mRJWPl9VA-qoeb5wpWHcKjJLXBNKCzLy-gLIqR3rjA68ZoEzILelRo/s320/Discharge+papers+for+Wm.+Clause+son+of+Santa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Santa Clause had three
sons who signed up for the World War II Draft Registration. William Clause son of Santa's Army discharge card shows the person who will always know your address is Rev. Santa Clause, his father. During those war years families went through some difficult times so he probably was working and another job to support the Clause family.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-mFxLUugV_zxvwH8DdUELGHOd7bI74lBZ5MeQfbOa8gVcnGFPAsLYx_TBDadOWnaHzcwN3ge-OyacqAZo3Ynss9pE7IL20MZAfjcWfaoTQUqkObz_ioF5cKrs5CdvFWQgT46Ff2iZX6n/s1600/44479_10_00006-01953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-mFxLUugV_zxvwH8DdUELGHOd7bI74lBZ5MeQfbOa8gVcnGFPAsLYx_TBDadOWnaHzcwN3ge-OyacqAZo3Ynss9pE7IL20MZAfjcWfaoTQUqkObz_ioF5cKrs5CdvFWQgT46Ff2iZX6n/s320/44479_10_00006-01953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In 1942
Santa Claus signed up for the World War II Draft Registration and he signed his
name as Rev. Santa Claus. He was a minister in Saline County. He was fifty-four
years old. This draft is what some call the “old man’s draft registration.” The
question is was he a minister or not? Will look for records to determine if he
was a licensed minister. This particular draft was needed in case they had to
start calling up these men during World War II. I was conflicted as to why
Santa Clause would be in Colorado in 1917-1918, well I concluded after
analyzing the 1940 census and the World War II Draft Registration Cards for himself
and his sons that he was a minister when he was living in Colorado. Why else
would he be so far away from Missouri?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
lived in Missouri the remainder of his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">His son Raymond Claus is shown as the name and address of person who will always know Rev. Santa Claus' address. On this form Santa's birth year is 1888; however, I am leaving the birth as 1887 since the 1900 had his birth year as 1887 this year was closer to the event and he was living in his parents household and the father gave the information to the census taker. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_BOs42H16kHKQQktLeRdYjYjkJLas11pLOZk_BniR_pfVh_6vMU5ymYDfCzc229CSuETnpRPhciX73RuZv4YTQy8b0uPF-RbXpiP4NWQjWuqcc2FXtO5qr6b9kOmpA2nPWF8vTeQi8I9/s1600/SS+Application.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="644" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_BOs42H16kHKQQktLeRdYjYjkJLas11pLOZk_BniR_pfVh_6vMU5ymYDfCzc229CSuETnpRPhciX73RuZv4YTQy8b0uPF-RbXpiP4NWQjWuqcc2FXtO5qr6b9kOmpA2nPWF8vTeQi8I9/s320/SS+Application.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In
September 10, 1953 things were getting tough for dear old Santa Clause and and he was getting up in years so he
went to the Social Security Office and made a claim. Santa was now sixty-five
years old and had worked most of his life and was ready to retire. His
social security number was 487161823. Santa Clause is ready to relax and enjoy
life now. However, his retirement was short lived because in three years Santa Clause is dead. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbpbAQBxLw6rREVV4tEdrAkd1NoWXpjiBO5xGaYeAHR01XlHiqyqgdxS0-hRXb0yHdPaXiR01eJbEqpggEHLvQqRo3SHUf8J4LpL68G8ISeIaBNqt60WJCzZspkayg484rT82Gy4pdX_m/s1600/Santa%2527s+death+certificate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="617" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbpbAQBxLw6rREVV4tEdrAkd1NoWXpjiBO5xGaYeAHR01XlHiqyqgdxS0-hRXb0yHdPaXiR01eJbEqpggEHLvQqRo3SHUf8J4LpL68G8ISeIaBNqt60WJCzZspkayg484rT82Gy4pdX_m/s320/Santa%2527s+death+certificate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Santa
Clause died at the age of sixty-eight in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri. Was he ill when he retired? Did he die suddenly? If you look at the death certificate the cause of death is on there. Whatever his health was during those last three years Santa left a legacy. Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause had seven children and that is enough heirs to carry on
his work. He had nine siblings so their descendants are left to continue what he started so many years ago. Santa is buried in the Blue Lick
Cemetery in Saline County, Missouri where he lived most of his life. According to a comment on Ancestry from the contributor who shared Santa Clause's headstone, "The "E" was added to the headstone around 2005." He didn't know if the family added the "E" to the end of the surname or if the church officials. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
His death
date on his Find A Grave memorial is April 1, 1957. Dates needs to be verified
using other records. In his memorial it states his occupation: Retired
Minister. Santa Clause is now at peace and can rest after all his many years of
hard work and sacrifices as a laborer and minister. One can only surmise how shocked folks were when they heard that Santa Clause had died. His lifetime partner and helpmate Minnie Mabel Hill Clause died January
29, 1944 at the age of 49 in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">This is
the story of the life of Santa Clause. Now, do you believe there really is a
Santa Clause?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600"
o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f"
stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75"
style='width:295.5pt;height:81pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Admin/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Sources</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">1900-1940 United States Censuses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">U.S. Social Security Applications
and Claims Index, 1936-20007<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Missouri, Marriage records,
19=805-2002<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">U.S. World War I Draft Registration
Cards, 1917-1918<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young
Men, 1940-1947<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">U.S. World War II Draft
Registration Cards 1942<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">U.S. Find
A Grave Index, 1600-Current<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Online Family Tree with sources as a guide in my research</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Photo from Ancestry tree originally shared by wilmclause 4 Jul 2012</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivKrC5-7clIBjvMk0woFd8FGhUq1CbPyOS3K1HsIHCqzayMp9Mn0FkIoejG9Oam0GbuPrfGzAd300dnri-KoRgpT_LkeOKJw9sxa-ousXGDRcYwnUy1TvhS5B9pplmL6QUJfMno-gdECk/s1600/Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivKrC5-7clIBjvMk0woFd8FGhUq1CbPyOS3K1HsIHCqzayMp9Mn0FkIoejG9Oam0GbuPrfGzAd300dnri-KoRgpT_LkeOKJw9sxa-ousXGDRcYwnUy1TvhS5B9pplmL6QUJfMno-gdECk/s320/Santa.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Clause </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-19718809621089026832018-12-17T18:46:00.000-08:002018-12-17T18:46:19.368-08:00Maternal Monday Nancy Caroline Hodges<div>
<br />Researching my Mother’s female maternal line ancestors has been challenging, especially since there are no family stories, family Bibles, photos, or records passed down to me. I have researched her maternal female ancestors infrequently and irregularly because of lack of information. I thought eventually there would be records added online for them, but they are limited for this particular ancestor – Nancy Caroline Hodges. However, honoring her in a blog post may touch one of her descendants somewhere who has information they are willing to share. <br /><br />Nancy Caroline Hodges was born about 1819 in South Carolina. Online family trees are great sources to use if they have records to back up the information. If there are no records the trees are useless and unreliable. I took the information from family trees that had records and searched the records to verify the information. The research lead me to conclude that Nancy Caroline was the oldest child of Edmond and Martha Hodges, and that she married at a young age to my second great grandfather, John Lewis Coon born October 6, 1814 in Pike County, Mississippi. The 1820 Pike County, Mississippi has Edmond Hodges head of the home, and listed is one female under ten. One male twenty-six thru forty-four, one male under ten, and one female sixteen thru twenty-five. <br /><br />Listed on the same 1820 Pike County, Mississippi census is Jacob Coon, father of John Lewis Coon, Wm. Hodges, Sidney Hodges, Jesse Hodges, Drure Hodges along with Edmond Hodges. I have concluded that Drure Hodges is the likely father of Edmond Hodges since Drure’s age was forty-five and up. Drure is listed living in the next household near Edmond on the census. There was a white female forty-five and up also listed. Therefore, I concluded these are the parents of Edmond Hodges. Jesse, Sidney, and William all had children listed in various age categories on the census. Those three Hodges males could be brothers of Edmond. I haven’t found Edmond on the 1830 census; however, he is on the 1840 census living in Pike County, Mississippi. <br /><br />Listed as head of the family is one male in the fifty thru 59 age category and I concluded that would be Edmond. Edmond’s age in 1840 would be about fifty-one years. There is one female in the 40 thru 49 age category and I conclude that is Martha his wife since she would be about 56 in 1840. There were two males in the five thru nine age category, two females under five, two females ten thru fourteen, and one female fifteen thru nineteen which I concluded to be Nancy Caroline. I continued my research and found Edmund Hodges still living in Pike County, Mississippi and place of birth in South Carolina and age sixty-one. That would make his estimated birth year 1789 so I believe that I have the correct Edmond Hodges father of Nancy Caroline. <br /><br />By the time of the enumeration of the 1850 census Nancy Caroline was married and she and Lewis Coon had five children. There is Martha M. (Miranda) eleven-years-old living in the household, so Nancy Caroline’s estimated marriage is about 1838. Nancy Caroline’s age is twenty-eight making her estimated birth year 1822. Sarah J. the next daughter was eight years old making her estimated birth year 1842. John C. age seven, Talitha age five, William C. age 4, and Edmund T. age 2. Their family continued to grow and by the 1860 census they were still living and Pike County and had three additional children – Polly Ann age nine, Isham age seven and Phillip age one. <br /><br />Finding the Coon family in the 1870 census was more difficult. The tip to keep in mind when researching the censuses is to look at all spelling variations and initials. Well, Caroline was listed on page 29 on the census as N. C. Coon and was forty-eight years old and her place of birth was South Carolina. She had a real estate value of $200 and personal estate at $500. Living in Dwelling No. 219 was N. C. Coon and living with her were I. S. Coon male age seventeen, Polly female age sixteen, Phillip H. male age ten, Summers Vic female age twelve. Living nearby Dwelling 220 was E. T. Coon her son and his wife Jane A. Then, living in Dwelling 221 was Martha Miranda (M. M. McDavid) and her family. <br /><br />Lewis Coon was listed as L. C. and was living with W. C. age twenty-three. In Lincoln County. I tracked the family down by looking at various spellings of the name variations. The other tip when looking through censuses is to look at the pages to the right and pages to the left of the page where you find your ancestor. That is the tip that I used and looked on the next page 30 and found L. C. (Lewis). On the 1870 census living in Dwelling 214 was Martha Hodges age seventy-five Nancy Caroline’s mother her place of birth was South Carolina and her value of real estate was $500 and personal estate $125. <br /><br />On the 1880 census Caroline was sixty-one years old and Lewis was sixty-five. H. Phillip was living at home and he was twenty-one years old and the family was living in Lincoln County. Lincoln County was formed from Pike County in 1870. The family didn’t move the county line changed. </div>
<div>
<br />After researching the available records and analyzing them carefully I feel confident that Nancy Caroline Hodges’ father is Edmond Hodges and her mother is Martha. Nancy Caroline died October 2, 1897 in Lincoln County, Mississippi and is interred in McDavid Cemetery in Lincoln County, Mississippi. John Lewis Coon died February 19, 1898 and is interred in the same cemetery where is beloved wife Nancy Caroline is interred.</div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-81863226361794523302018-12-16T15:53:00.000-08:002018-12-16T15:53:29.546-08:00Sentimental Sunday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs_9PASt-1TnIbL0TwAYhAGGlT6DIwodIqhb59iuVa2A8BaFrv9gpgfdSBOKYLZ_4g0n0aTg3aNwGPOJEeGd2TPsITriSJr2nYjrYt6Plg0njqZcyk_VxX_QkrNC3UZy4R1Zc8z6MG6dX/s1600/Bobbie+Coon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs_9PASt-1TnIbL0TwAYhAGGlT6DIwodIqhb59iuVa2A8BaFrv9gpgfdSBOKYLZ_4g0n0aTg3aNwGPOJEeGd2TPsITriSJr2nYjrYt6Plg0njqZcyk_VxX_QkrNC3UZy4R1Zc8z6MG6dX/s400/Bobbie+Coon2.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lillie Dorothy Lavada Coon Age 16<br />Yearbook Date 1953 Thomas Jefferson High School </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8zChzqXZMUUvBzRZIA2KB00JtDtMjeFWq_hinHUfJQGfsKk32D7dPtrSlEDfXJ-KHYS1YrURYvU7LiuGtpdaN3tWkz1I3CcGjFhe-VkfhujT4AlYyH79foyz-9YTti-mm3VM4u1pOufM/s1600/Lillie+Dorothy+Lavada++Underhill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="654" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8zChzqXZMUUvBzRZIA2KB00JtDtMjeFWq_hinHUfJQGfsKk32D7dPtrSlEDfXJ-KHYS1YrURYvU7LiuGtpdaN3tWkz1I3CcGjFhe-VkfhujT4AlYyH79foyz-9YTti-mm3VM4u1pOufM/s320/Lillie+Dorothy+Lavada++Underhill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuumNFNC7iOyujwAe8pTNOuKVjQZ4JHC29O67wAvgU7x88jQDoS8j0XVUgus2Zi8pi6FjrZTZKe7zYMV9rK6ZmrC2Df0_cymiBPRTnhWHnOC-nVI9-TNL-gFo7uOUH4IvGsGURPAXEKPy/s1600/Bobbie+D.+Underhill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="705" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuumNFNC7iOyujwAe8pTNOuKVjQZ4JHC29O67wAvgU7x88jQDoS8j0XVUgus2Zi8pi6FjrZTZKe7zYMV9rK6ZmrC2Df0_cymiBPRTnhWHnOC-nVI9-TNL-gFo7uOUH4IvGsGURPAXEKPy/s320/Bobbie+D.+Underhill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Lillie Dorothy Lavada "Bobbie" (Coon) Underhill</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-34265872964004073242018-12-15T17:57:00.001-08:002018-12-15T17:57:59.431-08:00Sympathy Saturday<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jimmy Dale Lee </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
July 2, 1942 - January 14, 2016</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcWnlGVUFbB6ceKHq9zEvjOQiI4ZVHJXjuRS50Zoa1L8ytE9iqLv55rJ897cjNX8ErNxxN_i2FVVrXIceIZLk0sdJa-zuBdlCvPcG-UWkUICQUrl5qgIZVLJfh1mKflH9xTLIaUJZiTto/s1600/jimmy-lee-el-dorado-ar-obituary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcWnlGVUFbB6ceKHq9zEvjOQiI4ZVHJXjuRS50Zoa1L8ytE9iqLv55rJ897cjNX8ErNxxN_i2FVVrXIceIZLk0sdJa-zuBdlCvPcG-UWkUICQUrl5qgIZVLJfh1mKflH9xTLIaUJZiTto/s320/jimmy-lee-el-dorado-ar-obituary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jimmy Dale Lee, 73 of El Dorado, passed away Thursday,
January 14, 2016, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Preceding him in death are his parents; son, Guy Dale
Lee; one sister and two brothers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">72202.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Source<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Dignity Memorial Funeral Home <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.dignitymemorial.com/">https://www.dignitymemorial.com</a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">______________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am grateful to Jimmy Dale for volunteering for the
Lee project. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He has passed on, but his
DNA is stored in the Family Tree Testing Company lab.</span></div>
</div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-57429049014533314662018-12-14T11:17:00.002-08:002018-12-14T11:26:16.018-08:00Friday's Sentiments<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gone but not forgotten</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />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.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIbutPcu2p1dkhlCBKaAS9XePT6SJ1cO_2by4fqvJxZP3Dclmb4Dzd9BIGT6Ub-751yVUgLclpzxDYa0t2atJV41kVKJbQFkutN3vTejA5kr4QBPPsfEM7mA_h0ESMS0ID5FvrK5wmcYx/s1600/Esther+2.tif"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIbutPcu2p1dkhlCBKaAS9XePT6SJ1cO_2by4fqvJxZP3Dclmb4Dzd9BIGT6Ub-751yVUgLclpzxDYa0t2atJV41kVKJbQFkutN3vTejA5kr4QBPPsfEM7mA_h0ESMS0ID5FvrK5wmcYx/s400/Esther+2.tif" /></a> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bobbie leaning out the window. Uncle Morris with the cigarette </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
hanging out his mouth. Aunt Irma was taking the picture. Uncle </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
George in the uniform. This photo was taken in Feb 1944 in </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
West Carroll Parish, Louisiana. Picture from the author's </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
private collection. </div>
</div>
</span></span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-13237475650532513682018-12-13T15:42:00.000-08:002018-12-13T15:42:27.562-08:00Traditional Genealogy and Genetic Genealogy <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.<br /><br />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.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHDOPH9hd0-ra-dNJLKcfvMSRxxQyp7VT-IX4N3BLO1Ch-Bv7awV8HAqc1083supxnd_fHpah5oF-fRG2aO49FgfWujIwLQ9fKibRb71NNVbDRwSODvwPbOEUWgP-sPPIChLIjXnG2IhO/s1600/Dorothy+Lavada++Underhill2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHDOPH9hd0-ra-dNJLKcfvMSRxxQyp7VT-IX4N3BLO1Ch-Bv7awV8HAqc1083supxnd_fHpah5oF-fRG2aO49FgfWujIwLQ9fKibRb71NNVbDRwSODvwPbOEUWgP-sPPIChLIjXnG2IhO/s320/Dorothy+Lavada++Underhill2.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Dorothy Lavada "Bobbie" Coon married </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
George Joseph Underhill 12 Jun 1954. From</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the author's personal collection. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-37837548437766788932018-12-09T12:59:00.002-08:002018-12-09T12:59:53.687-08:00Tips for researching an elusive ancestor<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Using
online family trees and verifying information from them.</b> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>What
do I know about my ancestor? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>What
do you want to know about your ancestor and what are you looking for? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What
fact are you trying to verify? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Research
the whole family not just your direct line ancestor. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Names
are important make sure that you don’t get locked into one name.</b> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>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. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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 <a href="https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/">Genealogical Proof Standards</a>
(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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Search
for neighbors of your ancestor. </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I
have a relentless “track-em-down” attitude and I am persistent in finding the
parents of Jordan Lee. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, the search
continues using YDNA test results, autosomal DNA, and traditional genealogy to
prove and disprove the parentage of Jordan Lee.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrbyPsQXb9xM1YaLaORUKGYIsjdIZz4wJ_hyJOmI5Fq0oMahv1ijAq7jfspgYW0z3WJUIILHfb0I9HOPQrKOUQG6blut3JNhHzrnV8enKYQbdl9AH51DIwQsszx-gokLSdeUtU2uk8c_2/s1600/Emma+and+William+Alfred+Lee+from+Ken+Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrbyPsQXb9xM1YaLaORUKGYIsjdIZz4wJ_hyJOmI5Fq0oMahv1ijAq7jfspgYW0z3WJUIILHfb0I9HOPQrKOUQG6blut3JNhHzrnV8enKYQbdl9AH51DIwQsszx-gokLSdeUtU2uk8c_2/s400/Emma+and+William+Alfred+Lee+from+Ken+Lee.jpg" width="321" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">William Alfred Lee and Emer Meadows </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">his </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">wife. My</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">great </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">grandparents the parents </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">of </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">Alice Lee </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">my grandmother. </span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-59676480541413593622018-12-07T13:17:00.000-08:002018-12-07T13:17:09.187-08:00The Elusive Lee family of Richland District, South Carolina<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burrell Jr. and Stephen Lee are listed as
living nearby Burrell Sr. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Research is
on going on the Lee family line. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-3711022720044426382018-11-12T18:29:00.001-08:002018-11-13T15:30:59.924-08:00Motivation Monday<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Incorporating DNA Testing with Traditional Research</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlof_NXHSroMuvLTHcZPrTnMOnIwDFtV0CKDpgH8dzqfgtskLMSY4wGYrUuk3ugKWjgvH6nf-p3VrPk0NqoPNr7BkOM9tYqEiajs3R8L1pMB7ETEKGA7aWpWBick4bfNy88lIB9n5aCKbe/s1600/Rural+Countryside+in+Louisiana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630721/" border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1024" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlof_NXHSroMuvLTHcZPrTnMOnIwDFtV0CKDpgH8dzqfgtskLMSY4wGYrUuk3ugKWjgvH6nf-p3VrPk0NqoPNr7BkOM9tYqEiajs3R8L1pMB7ETEKGA7aWpWBick4bfNy88lIB9n5aCKbe/s400/Rural+Countryside+in+Louisiana.jpg" title="Rural Countryside in Louisiana" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Library of Congress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Source</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. <i>Rural countryside in Louisiana</i>. Louisiana United States, None. [Between 1980 and 2006] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630721/.</span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-42842935656659889192018-11-10T17:37:00.000-08:002018-11-10T17:37:54.165-08:00Saturday Sibling<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jordan Lee, Junior</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIwJ-u1dWMoSex8aso6ClWLY0L5h4l34x7DqGGLhVB6cuhD_0Vs_zuaEzAncBGsDDcmmCcuman0BUGr1cmqP80ZXi8DDryxVAbTSjk5vspoMWyDpxMdhQskgjXV1gjjqUnOwgXA1OsQJ6/s1600/record-image_33S7-8BLC-9QPC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="1600" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIwJ-u1dWMoSex8aso6ClWLY0L5h4l34x7DqGGLhVB6cuhD_0Vs_zuaEzAncBGsDDcmmCcuman0BUGr1cmqP80ZXi8DDryxVAbTSjk5vspoMWyDpxMdhQskgjXV1gjjqUnOwgXA1OsQJ6/s400/record-image_33S7-8BLC-9QPC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvbLZ6it9dDvt4E5SxpfR4_xyJ205AfNGZ_j46qn14P1LeVfrAi09d7Nb661BBN2aSpuorrP4ZYJm11ZX9sZov__QFZnI_lhLXdCaUy7Id-KPcrr7RLITw3xE0cRB_3TQRwBKQjf3hkCP/s1600/Jordan+Lee+Junior+Marriage+Record.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvbLZ6it9dDvt4E5SxpfR4_xyJ205AfNGZ_j46qn14P1LeVfrAi09d7Nb661BBN2aSpuorrP4ZYJm11ZX9sZov__QFZnI_lhLXdCaUy7Id-KPcrr7RLITw3xE0cRB_3TQRwBKQjf3hkCP/s320/Jordan+Lee+Junior+Marriage+Record.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvFCHGc5jT5rqM8RFZAFNF0bhrQSz5u0mgoVmxkw0Of_3BV6S8lsrWfL03REOp8Z-AoKoOFTlXzcDwQNUDg1mmVjlHKN0T8100kZU1Pf0_kABkg_rOZWkayY-8G7wzLnnGQ0NdVNJQqox/s1600/record-image_33S7-8BLX-HKR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1533" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvFCHGc5jT5rqM8RFZAFNF0bhrQSz5u0mgoVmxkw0Of_3BV6S8lsrWfL03REOp8Z-AoKoOFTlXzcDwQNUDg1mmVjlHKN0T8100kZU1Pf0_kABkg_rOZWkayY-8G7wzLnnGQ0NdVNJQqox/s320/record-image_33S7-8BLX-HKR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">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. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6dubjj2N0dArUYn6m0IuDekOid5blSZVSj_edwJHmqC41vCaQ_sUy_DIJxbWDDb9tAs1CN0toQ68qfYtZNwPdeJ4H_j_OgE1DYhtUhvSVYNBpeU89p-P8bOOAXGei61vMpP107vZUaO8/s1600/Lucy+Lee+daughter+of+Jordan+Lee+Junior.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6dubjj2N0dArUYn6m0IuDekOid5blSZVSj_edwJHmqC41vCaQ_sUy_DIJxbWDDb9tAs1CN0toQ68qfYtZNwPdeJ4H_j_OgE1DYhtUhvSVYNBpeU89p-P8bOOAXGei61vMpP107vZUaO8/s320/Lucy+Lee+daughter+of+Jordan+Lee+Junior.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-16512590311631596422018-02-19T12:17:00.000-08:002018-02-19T12:17:41.508-08:00Monday's Memories<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Eley Family from Drew County, Arkansas</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table class="table tableHorizontal tableHorizontalRuled"><tbody>
<tr><td>Robert Lawrence Eley was born 15 March 1857 in Lacy, Drew County, Arkansas. Robert Lawrence married Theodocia Hamby 13 Nov 1880 in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. Robert Lawrence died 29 Aug 1929 in Rayville, Richland Parish, Louisiana. Robert Lawrence Eley was youngest son of Robert Lawrence Eley, Sr. He was the brother of Joseph "Joe" Eley oldest child of Robert Lawrence Eley, Sr. Robert Lawrence Eley, Jr. is interred in the Horn Cemetery in Rayville, Richland Parish, Louisiana. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th><br /></th><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnU2XWQBQQTNsNlgipXIXO9_6QE_C76YI2dQVtGJzD5syzrtvLckKDnrKV-DbQtJ0WCD6fpxEKfcfQlsmtDDjuYhj9cWMeGMB5Do4tCwUjRi3G-aqjoWTK4bCZQCEY1L6I3vT_OxTP9Oc6/s1600/Robert+Lawrence+son+of+Robert+Lawrence+Eley+Sr.+Horn+Cemetery+Rayville%252C+LA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnU2XWQBQQTNsNlgipXIXO9_6QE_C76YI2dQVtGJzD5syzrtvLckKDnrKV-DbQtJ0WCD6fpxEKfcfQlsmtDDjuYhj9cWMeGMB5Do4tCwUjRi3G-aqjoWTK4bCZQCEY1L6I3vT_OxTP9Oc6/s400/Robert+Lawrence+son+of+Robert+Lawrence+Eley+Sr.+Horn+Cemetery+Rayville%252C+LA.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-66909989840681709212017-12-26T18:38:00.001-08:002017-12-26T18:38:33.725-08:00Tuesday’s Tip<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Online Family Trees as Proof<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Family history research has been a fascinating and rewarding journey and a fun filled hobby that has kept me involved since I retired several years ago. Since I began researching family over fifteen years ago there have been new records, tools and research methods made available for researchers. Research methods that have been tested and tried by others are valuable for anyone who is researching family. Family history is about sharing, connections and collaboration. Where would family history research be if we didn’t share with others making those important family connections? However, as it is with any project there are those who take the short cut in researching family. It is easy to grab information from others family trees and claim it as our own. We must be cautious in using information from online family trees. <br /><br />There is nothing, in genealogical research, more frustrating than to search for an ancestor and then the search result comes up and the source is an online family tree. Then to top that off there are numerous family trees with the same information in their tree with no sources to back up the information. I have found while looking through my DNA match list the same method is used in those family trees when there is a tree available. Recently I had a match on my Burnett line and was excited to see that match. When I looked at the family tree it was exactly like all the other family trees online. A very frustrating discovery. Also, the DNA circles with the same information that others have in their family trees. It is a cycle that continues to be repeated. It would be a very exciting to discovery to find a match that would have one record that will link Jordan Lee to his parents, and have the probate record or any record as proof of the parentage. <br /><br />There are family trees that have parents too young to have children, and children attached to parents where there is no proof of the parentage. There are family trees with people married to the incorrect spouse, and they use a marriage record of a child to prove the marriage of their parents. Also, there are some parents who have sixteen children and some with the same names. Will this trend of errors, inconsistencies or copying of trees ever end? Probably not! It is much easier to copy the information and claim it as your own than to take the time to research your ancestors and prove they are your ancestors.<br /><br />One important thing that a good family historian will do is be sure that the ancestor researched is their ancestor and there is proof of it. You do that by research and proof of accuracy.<br /><br />Research your ancestor and find all available records for the period in which you are researching. Make sure the information is accurate. An online family tree isn’t a record; however, those trees may be used as a guide in finding records to prove your ancestry.<br /><br />When I began researching over fifteen years ago I had very little information on my Lee family. I didn’t know my grandmother’s name, other than she was Granny Eley. My sister who is ten years older than me knew she was Alice Lee married to a Jack Eley. She knew that Granny was born in Alabama. She also knew Granny’s mother’s name and where she was married. With that information I began my journey into genealogical research.<br /><br />I visited Daddy’s only living sibling, Gladys, to gather information from her, only to find out she didn’t know anything other than Granddaddy Eley had a brother who lived in Rayville in Richland Parish. Which proved to be inaccurate information. The brother was Granddaddy Eley’s uncle, his father’s brother. Aunt Gladys also told me that families didn’t talk and share information. That was a disappointing visit and I wasn’t sure that my aunt was being honest with me and she didn’t want to give out information. About a year later I made another visit to see if I could get her to talk any more about our family, but that visit didn’t produce any more information. She died a few months later so all that history is gone forever. My quest continued in the search to learn about the Lee family. <br /><br />I turned to online family trees and looked through the family trees that had records such as census, marriage, death, cemetery, land records, and any other records that would help prove this to be my family line. Those online family trees helped in locating records in proving the family link. This was a project that took time and energy. I carefully examined the records making sure this was my ancestor’s record. Those were the days before the mass collection of online data bases. This was during the era of courthouse trips, walking cemeteries, and going to repositories where your ancestor lived. However, the rules for using reliable and accurate information in your research are the same regardless of the period in which you are researching. <br /><br />Family history research has been a journey where I have not been satisfied until I know I have exhausted all searches for information on my family lines. I have used all available resources to research family, connected with new cousins and reconnected with long ago cousins. Connecting with new cousins and reconnecting with cousins have helped in getting their family’s stories, photos, and records. They have provided valuable information for their families. <br /><br />My desire is that my family tree is as accurate as any family historian can be when using the standards of research in proving their ancestry. <br /> <div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UlQVZrB28L6HVi3uYDjOXy2Eav3VL979G1kencNO_vEvuGh_ucDJKIwykGDXGDL0LCKYtSVKAf4ilGk78WQTShppqC38-gePhkqfhCkLwkLHhtcO7KqBvoAvdioWngoavzFZHJY7h8fq/s1600/West+Carroll+Parish%252C+LA+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="870" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UlQVZrB28L6HVi3uYDjOXy2Eav3VL979G1kencNO_vEvuGh_ucDJKIwykGDXGDL0LCKYtSVKAf4ilGk78WQTShppqC38-gePhkqfhCkLwkLHhtcO7KqBvoAvdioWngoavzFZHJY7h8fq/s320/West+Carroll+Parish%252C+LA+Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Pleas Rodden, a farmer plowing with his mule team in </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
West Carroll Parish, Louisiana early 1900s.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ronnie Ainsworth shared it in</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203642540018723&set=g.252347391451072&type=1&theater&ifg=1">You Know You Grew Up in West Carroll Parish if... </a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-37379646453603966042017-12-24T03:31:00.000-08:002017-12-24T03:31:00.761-08:00This Genealogist's Christmas Wish<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My
Christmas Wish<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Written
by Esther Eley Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%;">12 Dec 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dear Santa,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Genealogists have unusual wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As you will see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But this is my Christmas list,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With this year’s new gist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am searching for my Lee ancestor,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And have not found him still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He moved from place to place and didn’t leave a trail,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, Santa I think this ancestor must have been very frail,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Because he left no will,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If only he had left a will,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And had not been such a pill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He seemed to evade the census takers,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And was not a mover and shaker, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although he was a farmer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He didn’t own any land,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, Santa, please help me out here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By finding this elusive man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Others are searching for him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, I ask you Santa, to find him if you can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Santa, I know you can find him,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Because you travel throughout this land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All I want for Christmas is the father of Jordan Lee,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have searched and searched and searched and he is hard
see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And he has been alluding me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For, for too long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, come on Santa bring this man home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If only I could have him, I would feel very strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another desire of life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Is to find him and his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But, I will need their birthdates<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Also, where they were born.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Because if I don’t get that wish, I may become forlorn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Santa, my heart is yearning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For all this family history learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Too know my 4th great grandparents,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Will fill my heart with joy,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So please Santa,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fulfill a genealogist’s dream,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By completing my Lee team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then I will be content for Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And can begin another quest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For that is no gest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Merry Christmas to all</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And Happy Ancestor Hunting!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNkwzDOs4COckpJvsbQzGDd-pnRU5LFjTzxag0yQ3jaUqcBNPjzzYMn17lkSPxmKVSL1aMvUvC_ySXLSrQ7x9x6ShYy4VAmhmwmUfQZJvXU1AN1sZ1RRoP1h-J9MdgKZatpKDtC7oVA6n/s1600/Harvesting+Oats+in+West+Carroll+Parish+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="891" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNkwzDOs4COckpJvsbQzGDd-pnRU5LFjTzxag0yQ3jaUqcBNPjzzYMn17lkSPxmKVSL1aMvUvC_ySXLSrQ7x9x6ShYy4VAmhmwmUfQZJvXU1AN1sZ1RRoP1h-J9MdgKZatpKDtC7oVA6n/s400/Harvesting+Oats+in+West+Carroll+Parish+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Harvesting Oats in Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana<br />Photo from Ronnie Ainsworth from the group,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/252347391451072/?multi_permalinks=1798569390162190&notif_id=1513994447856817&notif_t=group_highlights"> You Knew You Grew Up in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-56281167972923147672017-12-21T18:15:00.000-08:002018-04-20T13:20:01.805-07:00Remembering the Moment<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Silent Thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NdYcgLT2mTGQfa-5sj11PJh1_H51OQwjAr7S8-q30EPs3YV0JGbsSpBlL2DtqSp8TD4UAaRiCytvS_bFBPA52HLpba0uiTPjv2cGxN8Wgy_7c6aEif1UVueUPiGHNJ9uMIRXDHtMNhDm/s1600/Mary+Ann+and+Molly+Kate+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="721" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NdYcgLT2mTGQfa-5sj11PJh1_H51OQwjAr7S8-q30EPs3YV0JGbsSpBlL2DtqSp8TD4UAaRiCytvS_bFBPA52HLpba0uiTPjv2cGxN8Wgy_7c6aEif1UVueUPiGHNJ9uMIRXDHtMNhDm/s320/Mary+Ann+and+Molly+Kate+cropped.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No farewell words were spoken,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I only knew my heart was broken,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As there was no time to hold her hand,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No time to comfort her as she was rolled away, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although I knew she was in GOD’s hands,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And only HE knew HIS plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our prayers and comfort for her continued,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And I knew that HE would hear,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My soft-spoken words for this one so dear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our hearts are heavy now,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And our tears will flow,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saying goodbye to my beloved one,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Is more difficult than anyone will know…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";">_______________________________________________________________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Memory of Mary
Ann </span><span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12pt;">McKinnie Eley, My Sister-in-law</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By
Esther Eley Jones<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">December
11, 2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-7108674645611158162017-12-17T13:32:00.001-08:002017-12-17T13:44:14.723-08:00Sunday's HintsConnecting with Our Ancestors Who Left a Little Paper Trail<br />
<br />
A family without a paper trail is difficult to research, to prove, and to make sure we have the correct ancestor in our family tree. The Lee family from South Carolina has proven to be a family who left a minuscule of a paper trail as they journeyed from South Carolina to Alabama. One might say,” be thankful for the censuses and land record that the family left;” however, proving them to be my ancestors have been a monumental task. <br />
<br />
Some of my ancestors, such as the paternal Meadows line, left a paper trail and are easily researched. But as most family historians know not every ancestor leaves a large trail of records leading to them. Some ancestors may only have census entries and land records. An ancestor may be one who was listed on a census one year, missing on the next census, or may have disappeared altogether. There may be a land record for a given year then after that the ancestor is nowhere to found. Such is the case with my second great grandfather Benjamin Lee. <br />
<br />
On rare occasions our ancestors may have lived in counties where the courthouse burned, and the records burned with the courthouse. Perhaps your ancestors were mysterious people and lived to themselves and didn’t interact in a community; or just wanted to be left alone. Whatever the reasons, for our ancestors being difficult to locate, researching them is a possibility. There are a few hints that may help in finding our ancestors. I have found that DNA testing, connecting with cousins, looking at <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/British_Naming_Conventions">naming patterns</a>, and researching collateral kin help in identifying our ancestors and proving they are the correct ancestor.<br />
<br />
DNA testing is a tool that is used to prove family lines, and a way to connect with living cousins. Using DNA testing with genealogical paper trail I have proven surname lines. I have also found there are some family secrets that are uncovered using the DNA test results. So, be aware of that when DNA testing. For whatever reason, families did not discuss openly or publicly family events or problems as they are in the twenty-first century. Keep in mind there may be a NPE or misattributed birth in your family. I found out from the YDNA test results that the person who I thought was his father wasn’t his father. This is also true when I found a marriage record for my father’s sister. To my surprise, the prospective groom had been married before marrying my aunt. That was a well-kept secret that was uncovered by getting a copy of their marriage record, so their marriage date could be verified. The great thing when you connect with living cousins they may have pictures, family stories, or documents to share with you. DNA testing may put those family stories to rest that have been shared from generation to generation.<br />
<br />
Primogeniture applied only to real property, not to personal property. Throughout the colonial period, all of the land of an intestate person in the southern colonies passed directly to an heir in a specific line of succession completely outside any probate process. That is, the title passed “automatically”, requiring no action on the part of any person or court. Likewise, if a will failed to devise a piece of land, the line of succession determined who inherited. And any real property acquired after a will was written was subject, not to the will’s provisions, but to the law of succession. The southern colonies followed English common law in this regard until after the Revolution, when each state introduced its own succession statutes.<br />
<br />
In the early colonies, the law of primogeniture (the state of being the firstborn child), was in effect. Primogeniture refers to land inheritance, all the land of an intestate person in the southern colonies passed directly to an heir in a specific line of succession. The law was the system of inheritance or succession by the firstborn, specifically the eldest son. It was an exclusive right of the eldest son to inherit the father's estate. To us living in this era, that hardly seems a fair way of distributing the inheritance. Thankfully, the laws have changed since colonial days. One of the ways for the family to ensure that the eldest son inherited, in the event the father died without a will (not making a will before a death is intestate), the eldest son was often given the same name as his father. The second son was often given the first name of one of his uncles, generally the father's oldest brother. Later, families devised their own system to ensure that their offspring inherited. This was done by giving all children the same middle name, denoting the fact that all with that name could inherit, and not just the oldest son.<br />
<br />
In some cultures, children were named for grandparents and parents. Being familiar with these patterns will allow you to make genealogical inferences, identify potential new avenues of research and reveal all sorts of clues about the lives of your ancestors. Just be careful when researching more recent ancestors when using this method. An example of this traditional pattern used was the first son would be named after the father’s father. The second son would be named after the mother’s father. The third son would be named after the father. If the couple had a daughter the first daughter was named after the mother’s mother, the second daughter was named after the father’s mother, and the third daughter named after the mother. These are a few of the patterns the Scots used in naming their children. Also, remember our ancestors might have given their child the mother or grandmother’s maiden name. This pattern of naming a child has been found in my Lee paternal line. These patterns should only be used as a guide when the paper trail is scarce or no paper trail. In some families there will not be a pattern to the names chosen for your ancestors. There were plenty of families who named their child for a friend or a public figure such as Robert E. Lee. The mother might have named the child for her father as the case of Lidia (Hodge) Lee. A more recent great uncle was named for Robert E. Lee. He doesn’t have a middle name, just the initial E. <br />
<br />
One pattern that I have found in my paternal lines is that many families were very large. Collateral kin may be an important part in finding your elusive ancestor. Identify the collateral kin, look at the names of your ancestors’ siblings. You can often make connections by studying the collateral kin, and family connections help in proving an ancestor.<br />
<br />
There are some key principles to remember when researching collateral lines. One is that names may change, particularly with women, but the relationships will remain, no matter how often the name changes. The strongest ties appear between mother and daughter. This bond between mother and daughter last even after the daughter marries. What this means for the family historian is that you may find the daughter is married with a different surname. Researching that surname may yield more information than the direct line you are researching. The wife's ties to her family are generally stronger than those to her husband's, unless there are ties to the husband's occupation. The Lee paternal line ancestors were farmers and their sons were farmers, as were their in-laws. Lidia Hodge Lee’s bond to her Hodge family was strong. She was named in her father’s will as was her deceased husband Jordan. Her mother received a Revolutionary War pension after Benjamin Hodge died, and Lidia is mentioned in that pension application as an heir. And her first son Benjamin was named after Lidia’s father. This pattern for names is one that I am using to link Jordan Lee to his parents. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3s6ceI9yjP6L2ZVi-sVPTxE-ZbXhGAStSHC0t5MKNX2PQhoWz5PCVI8nMPrzrctx0EHSKY8lcjnEw3HeBlmWELzhbQ9c1v-P8YsNc2OznEdqSAkZg2VXk-I7O3jOS32Z8b-vm_yQG0dU/s1600/Shreveport_September_2015_102_Shreveport_Municipal_Auditorium-700x467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3s6ceI9yjP6L2ZVi-sVPTxE-ZbXhGAStSHC0t5MKNX2PQhoWz5PCVI8nMPrzrctx0EHSKY8lcjnEw3HeBlmWELzhbQ9c1v-P8YsNc2OznEdqSAkZg2VXk-I7O3jOS32Z8b-vm_yQG0dU/s320/Shreveport_September_2015_102_Shreveport_Municipal_Auditorium-700x467.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://landmarkunitedstates.com/state/Louisiana"><b>Shreveport Municipal Auditorium </b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-63059678204238627382017-12-13T17:56:00.000-08:002017-12-15T04:22:40.980-08:00Connecting with Lee Cousins<span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Jordan Lee son of Benjamin from Alabama</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thomas Jordan Lee, the second child of Benjamin and
Drucilla, was born on 3 September 1839, in Talladega, Alabama. His parents,
Benjamin and Drucilla, had not lived in Alabama long when Thomas Jordan was
born. The Lee family migrated from Richland District, South Carolina sometime
after the 1830 census, and by 1840 they were in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.
Benjamin, would have been about thirty-three years old and Drucilla, would have been about twenty-nine years old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz8lHDk7ZBKaIrYp6VxRPodyNaGcpRI9UKG8kPRji88KO-yUylt1Ql_ZWOioB47CJDeEub75p6kuJE6XMN4BpSXTO1_dWOI19qubcxInaszhu3dbnL5Taj1_le5w4aOpQGl6Nn1Usi6_3/s1600/Marriage+of+Mary+toThomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz8lHDk7ZBKaIrYp6VxRPodyNaGcpRI9UKG8kPRji88KO-yUylt1Ql_ZWOioB47CJDeEub75p6kuJE6XMN4BpSXTO1_dWOI19qubcxInaszhu3dbnL5Taj1_le5w4aOpQGl6Nn1Usi6_3/s320/Marriage+of+Mary+toThomas.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
Thomas Jordan married first Mary Holdridge 09 December 1865. Mary died about 1867, and he then married Mary’s sister, Martha Ann Holdridge, 15 December 1867 in Tallapoosa, Alabama. Martha Ann was born 05 June 1850 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It wasn’t uncommon for men to marry a sister of the deceased spouse. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9KDdvOCX3KPObkYHD3mp833zxx9nMu_FymSHk2cdQ6ALBMaMwxN6Bx3v0LVieE1GK7IuVVOW60zXIh02h4QAmZFLoZsQH_25BLLd27-rg81vUN_P_3RUAPj8MHEVMssTDpa6sbgKcBnb/s1600/Martha+Ann+Holdridge+Marriage+to+Thomas+Jordan+Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="696" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9KDdvOCX3KPObkYHD3mp833zxx9nMu_FymSHk2cdQ6ALBMaMwxN6Bx3v0LVieE1GK7IuVVOW60zXIh02h4QAmZFLoZsQH_25BLLd27-rg81vUN_P_3RUAPj8MHEVMssTDpa6sbgKcBnb/s400/Martha+Ann+Holdridge+Marriage+to+Thomas+Jordan+Lee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
His brother Benjamin William Henry was born on September 27, 1841, in Tallapoosa, Alabama, when Thomas Jordan was 2 years old. His sister Letty Jane was born in 1843 in Tallapoosa, Alabama, when Thomas Jordan was 4 years old. His brother William Alfred was born on October 6, 1847, in Tecumseh, Alabama, when Thomas Jordan was 8 years old. His sister Charlotte Sophronia was born on May 3, 1849, in Tallapoosa, Alabama, when Thomas Jordan was 9 years old. His sister Frances Drucilla Emmaliza was born on September 22, 1859, in Tallapoosa, Alabama, when Thomas Jordan was 20 years old.<br />
<br />
Thomas Jordan Lee lived in Tallapoosa, Alabama, in 1850 in Township 24, Tallapoosa, Alabama. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1Hg9kfFaTJaG-lzbl6QcQ6TbyJHxMa5C2ciVraWhMXhau_tL4sRPBk3fe0q58uYePga7irGOdmWvscaBhBtuohN6XfYlIg59KbiuG6MQ2My_aIv8N7mVWEDYTentuoWVmQVuBI9Muo4b/s1600/TH-1961-25844-8078-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1Hg9kfFaTJaG-lzbl6QcQ6TbyJHxMa5C2ciVraWhMXhau_tL4sRPBk3fe0q58uYePga7irGOdmWvscaBhBtuohN6XfYlIg59KbiuG6MQ2My_aIv8N7mVWEDYTentuoWVmQVuBI9Muo4b/s400/TH-1961-25844-8078-0.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
Thomas Jordan Lee served in the military in 1860 in Alabama when he was 21 years old. His father Benjamin passed away in 1860 in Tallapoosa, Alabama, at the age of 53.<br />
<br />
Thomas Jordan Lee served in the 14th Alabama Inf. Co. G along with John Holdridge, James Holdridge, John H. Holdridge and other Lee family, friends and relatives from the Hackneyville, Alabama area. At the close of the War Between the States, most of these men were at the Appomattox Courthouse at the time of surrender. Thomas Jordon Lee married first Mary Holdridge and then Martha Holdridge, daughters of John Holdridge, and sisters of James and John H. Holdrige.<br />
<br />
Thomas Jordan Lee lived in Chinabee, Talladega County, Alabama, in 1880. His mother Drucilla passed away on September 27, 1895, in Childersburg, Alabama, at the age of 84.<br />
<br />
Thomas Jordan Lee lived in District 9, Wilsonville, Shelby County, Alabama, in 1900. His wife Martha of thirty-six years is still living in 1900. Thomas and Martha married in 1867 so the years are an error by the transcriptionist. Jordan is head of the household and living with him and Martha are sons James T. twenty-one years old, George H. nineteen, Beverly A. thirteen, and William A. eleven years old. Martha was the mother of eleven children and eight of them living. <br />
<br />
In 1910 Thomas Jordan (T.J.) is seventy years old and his second wife Martha was still living, and they reside in District 11, Spearman, Shelby County, Alabama. His fifty-nine-year old wife Martha and he have been married forty -two years is living there with him and one son Arthur age twenty-one and four grandsons. He is married and his relation to head of house was head. Thomas Jordan Lee died September 15, 1916 in Wilsonville, Alabama at the age of seventy-seven years. The grandsons Joe fourteen, Arthur twelve, Otis ten, and Edmond five are probably another of Thomas and Martha’s children’s children. If you consider the age of twenty-one year old Arthur he would have been eight when the Joe was born. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rgmgCO5n-v-iwrn4hrtxCXkV-mCNMDiEVUc8COoSbl2gNFgYVqUjX5pkc7fqUlyxOziAq0G7tXLHCJnVdb9VGwltfl6jxPCUHitn5FdiM_9zSubfQKQypYg3GaH-0ub_WYZconaXnGFX/s1600/Alabama+Census+of+Confederate+Soldiers+1907%252C+1921+Tomas+Jordan+Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1125" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rgmgCO5n-v-iwrn4hrtxCXkV-mCNMDiEVUc8COoSbl2gNFgYVqUjX5pkc7fqUlyxOziAq0G7tXLHCJnVdb9VGwltfl6jxPCUHitn5FdiM_9zSubfQKQypYg3GaH-0ub_WYZconaXnGFX/s400/Alabama+Census+of+Confederate+Soldiers+1907%252C+1921+Tomas+Jordan+Lee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Thomas Jourdin enlisted in the Confederate Army at Hackneyville, Alabama. The muster in roll was dated 5 September 1861 at Camp Johnston. He was a private. He served his country well when he served in the Civil War. Thomas was in Co. G 14th Alabama Regiment. He was captured at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. He was wounded at Williamsburg, Virginia. He suffered from those injuries the rest of his life. He was paroled on 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House Virginia.<br />
<br />
Thomas Jourdin Lee died 15 September 1916 in Wilsonville, Shelby County, Alabama. He is interred in the Union Methodist Cemetery in Wilsonville. His beloved Martha Ann Holdridge lived 07 January 1929 in Arkwright, Shelby County, Alabama.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPWvbI-3Cp0SCtzxvm7PugALN0b5TES3F2tHz3YaqxVmSofGnyclz2pL3dcTfyC8plmoIUarWOPQ8cFZacnajO8TdvpQpcxnXBysPIMfnlsaOEMeBTDvfsCdZbrC3g_MCKDJXpAV59m78/s1600/44012948_125755707225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="732" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPWvbI-3Cp0SCtzxvm7PugALN0b5TES3F2tHz3YaqxVmSofGnyclz2pL3dcTfyC8plmoIUarWOPQ8cFZacnajO8TdvpQpcxnXBysPIMfnlsaOEMeBTDvfsCdZbrC3g_MCKDJXpAV59m78/s320/44012948_125755707225.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44012948/LEE">Photo added by Kitty Walker Lennard </a></span></b> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-89476418335174941032017-12-12T04:53:00.001-08:002018-09-13T12:35:07.814-07:00Connecting with Lee Cousins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz8_VvZYvELV4A0y2ta7SoLB8JfiYK1ZluX43ZzA0eHzgaOsofoMe3bE9q9Ba0L8rP7mIhZF0NLXSp4Vc_AtpVzG26xzxpPrYJhlfWd-zsxciUZkT5I_zrpOjv3kHaHiAgUV-2BobAfFW/s1600/41200885_1399779624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="943" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz8_VvZYvELV4A0y2ta7SoLB8JfiYK1ZluX43ZzA0eHzgaOsofoMe3bE9q9Ba0L8rP7mIhZF0NLXSp4Vc_AtpVzG26xzxpPrYJhlfWd-zsxciUZkT5I_zrpOjv3kHaHiAgUV-2BobAfFW/s400/41200885_1399779624.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Frances "Fannie" Drucilla Emmaliza Lee</span></b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Researching family is a fun hobby, especially when connecting with living cousins. Connecting with living cousins is possible by using all available resources such as social media, blogging, and DNA testing.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
Social media is a great tool for family historians and researchers. Facebook Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinerest, and Linkedin are a few of the social media sites. These web-based technologies allow users to connect with others and share information.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently I connected with a descendant-in-law of Frances “Fannie” Drucilla Emmaliza Lee. Fannie married Clem Thompson. The living cousin is connected by marriage through this family line. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Connecting with this living cousin was made possible by this online site, my blog, using Google Blogger. My living cousin came upon my blog in a search and found the contact information and contacted me. We then corresponded to determine the connection. We are related on my paternal line. Then we connected on a social media site and are sharing information. It has been a fun journey researching and connecting with living cousins. </div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600"
o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f"
stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75"
style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:187.5pt;height:264pt;
z-index:251658240;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;
mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/eejon/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png"
o:title=""/>
<w:wrap type="through"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><b>Mrs Frances Drucilla Emmaliza Lee Thompson</b><br />
<br />
BIRTH 22 Sep 1859 Tallapoosa County, Alabama, USA</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DEATH 5 Dec 1918 Talladega County, Alabama, USA<br />
BURIAL Vincent Cemetery, Vincent, Shelby County, Alabama, USA<br />
<br />
<b>Family Members</b><br />
<b>Parents</b><br />
Father: Benjamin Lee born – 1807–1859<br />
Mother: Drucilla Lee – 1811–1895<br />
<br />
<b>Spouse</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clem Thompson –1839 – 1901</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Married: 14 July 1877, Clay County, Alabama</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVxE7_t8QGBOjKx1X7meGz2j7M2fCeg14neRDQD_C9quyYwAE-m4yOEPBvH8OWDxHzNewRmB9gFhLtsjf2CTRDjNIF_vSF1-o7mOtMKoZBEV3GHA9M4ZXcyIhe9zPLBoNxEoqPqMTvw6b/s1600/record-image_3QS7-L97J-RFQNMarriage+License.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1075" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVxE7_t8QGBOjKx1X7meGz2j7M2fCeg14neRDQD_C9quyYwAE-m4yOEPBvH8OWDxHzNewRmB9gFhLtsjf2CTRDjNIF_vSF1-o7mOtMKoZBEV3GHA9M4ZXcyIhe9zPLBoNxEoqPqMTvw6b/s400/record-image_3QS7-L97J-RFQNMarriage+License.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Siblings</b><br />
Elizabeth “Betsy” Lee 1838 – 1850/1860 <br />
Thomas Jordan Lee 1839–1916<br />
Benjamin William Henry Lee 1841–1882<br />
Lettie Jane Lee Patterson 1844–1914<br />
William Alfred Lee 1847–1917<br />
Charlotte Saphronia Lee Sharbutt 1849–1935<br />
George Washington Lafayette Lee 1855–1932<br />
<br />
<b>Children</b><br />
Alace Stella Thompson Edwards 1877–1966<br />
Sarah D. Thompson Dewberry 1878–1939</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zackeriah B. Thompson (died young) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Albert L. Thompson 1883–1935<br />
Grover Cleveland Thompson 1885–1970<br />
John Harlan Thompson 1889–1973<br />
Mallory S. Thompson 1893–1937</div>
</div>
</div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-16643645330889522232017-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:002018-09-08T18:53:12.299-07:00Life's Earthly Journey is CompleteThe Last Chapter of History<br />
<br />
Another chapter of history was completed on December 7, 2017. What is history anyhow? According to the <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/">dictionary.com</a>, history is a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account. Do you think of the death of a person or a loved one as the completion of history? There are a series of events in our lives as we journey through life. These events happen in chronological order. They end at the time of death. <br />
<br />
Mary Ann McKinney, my brother’s wife, completed her journey through life December 7, 2017, and the last chapter was complete. She was sixty-eight years old at the time of her death. She was a lady who touched and changed many lives. You may be asking what lives did she touch and how did she do that? Mary Ann taught school for thirty-four years. Those who are not teacher/educators may not be aware of the impact that a teacher/educator has on the lives of the students who are assigned to their classrooms.<br />
<br />
There were a lot of children who came through her fourth-grade classroom over those thirty-four years. The students she taught were of average and low ability levels, middle income families and low-income families, but to Mary Ann they were all the same. She loved teaching, her love for her students were evident in the stories she shared of them, and the years that she spent in the classroom. Teaching is a tough profession; however, the reward is knowing that you have touched a life and put a glow of hope into a life. <br />
<br />
Family was an important part of Mary Ann’s life. Her immediate family was her husband, two children, and five grandchildren. Then, there was her only sibling, a brother who was special to her. He didn’t live his life as his sister would have chosen for him; however, she loved him because he was “her brother.”<br />
<br />
She was a talented lady and was as some folks would call it, a traditionalist. “Things need to stay as they are, they work well, and no one should change them,” she would say. When computers were being introduced into the classrooms, she was happy with things as they were and wasn’t interested in learning to use one, and she managed her classroom without a computer. She loved decorating in themes which was a skill she used in her teaching as well as her home.<br />
<br />
One might say that family themes are events in a person’s life and covers many aspects. There are celebrations such as births and deaths, holidays, education, occupation, traditions, spiritual, and social. Mary Ann wanted things to be decorated according to the event that was taking place at that time. <br />
<br />
Once she retired from teaching, she took on the challenge of leading the senior adult group in her church. She worked with the “Joy” group in the church and prepared their events, such as the speakers and the meals. She saved the decorations from her years of classroom teaching and used those to decorate the dinner tables in the Family Life Center, the meeting place for the senior adult group. She was creative in many ways due to her education and training as a teacher/educator. <br />
<br />
Mary Ann doesn’t know how many lives she touched and changed; but she loved the journey she took along the way. As we journey through life we don’t know how many lives we touch. The same is true about our ancestors as they journeyed through life. They didn’t know they would have descendants who would be looking at their lives and mapping their journey. Some of those ancestors’ lives are easy to map and others are a bit more difficult for whatever reason. However, we continue to look for ways to identify them and map their lives so that we can be assured we have the correct ancestor.<br />
<br />
One day Mary Ann will be someone’s ancestor who will be researching and mapping her life. Her descendants will research her life and map it as we do ours. It will be an easy task for her descendants since she lived and died in the area where she was born. She lived and died in the house she grew up in, taught at the same elementary school she attended as a student, attended the same church as a child and adult, married in the same church, attended college in her hometown, and was well educated with a plus thirty in education. Her journey through life from birth up to the time of her death was an interesting venture. She worked to improve the quality of life for others.<br />
<br />
Mary Ann’s death came suddenly and unexpectedly. Humans are not assured of tomorrow, so are you living each day more consciously. Or, are you sleepwalking through life? Life is full of experiences while making the journey. Are those experiences ones that your descendants will be proud of and be happy to say, "this is my ancestor."<br />
<br />
As we journey through life our descendants will we proud to call us their ancestors or they will be saddened by the life we lived? What will they be able to say about us? For each of us our final chapter will come, and we will be someone’s ancestor. How will our final chapter read?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JP2ucg9CpffmzD13sGuDS6PyIiuJp4HwCcNNRpn5DCv8OTMY_G0e2u_NOveDokQ8pMhIGwOdOTYPp0tvrp1FjN2sECFoalCv-BJYULIS1dfBSP8tqRiB1y5SE3r8Ft23bu2hlhdx6wGt/s1600/Louisiana+Peach+Orchard+near+Ruston%252C+Louisiana+Photograph+courtesy+of+the+Louisiana+Office+of+Tourism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JP2ucg9CpffmzD13sGuDS6PyIiuJp4HwCcNNRpn5DCv8OTMY_G0e2u_NOveDokQ8pMhIGwOdOTYPp0tvrp1FjN2sECFoalCv-BJYULIS1dfBSP8tqRiB1y5SE3r8Ft23bu2hlhdx6wGt/s320/Louisiana+Peach+Orchard+near+Ruston%252C+Louisiana+Photograph+courtesy+of+the+Louisiana+Office+of+Tourism.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peach orchard near Ruston, Louisiana<br />
Photograph courtesy of <a href="https://www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/">Office of Louisiana Tourism</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4576548009191392931.post-31016846425664774672017-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:002017-11-21T14:56:09.071-08:00Tuesday's Tip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Land Records</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sKtJvH-8ivjiSO3kah-Eg677AC_PUq_UoxOJ32yLBINbw8X7Vo-nSkCSv9cA2Fk-_MA1moKpVK9blmDh9kKoy9hMi6jA_n5KuyrIR_ERIBH27xweLNjvBStmeSHwHdzw_GVNqeO-HLJV/s1600/land.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="809" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sKtJvH-8ivjiSO3kah-Eg677AC_PUq_UoxOJ32yLBINbw8X7Vo-nSkCSv9cA2Fk-_MA1moKpVK9blmDh9kKoy9hMi6jA_n5KuyrIR_ERIBH27xweLNjvBStmeSHwHdzw_GVNqeO-HLJV/s400/land.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53RCTME7Ekvs1tk6q9Pe6MNHhizSI3MAXA96ORRGeIlqXlOWHyUy6JeaKsMpyhTQNQ4_zGOYiL7DNGEBtmUhWkNv-x3IFk1XRtEbxwuOMmccp2CL9fRvXF1_hSE96kEUGJ9Qi6uavPI8T/s1600/Land+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="823" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53RCTME7Ekvs1tk6q9Pe6MNHhizSI3MAXA96ORRGeIlqXlOWHyUy6JeaKsMpyhTQNQ4_zGOYiL7DNGEBtmUhWkNv-x3IFk1XRtEbxwuOMmccp2CL9fRvXF1_hSE96kEUGJ9Qi6uavPI8T/s400/Land+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuN5NFU0-sEGgiUupkqIUUhUJTZCfUtayB3TjYAjynlBsod12Hj5Lsih7mICKegHz0U4b1CvSZ_mZHOdjalcOYxpMnKLIs_FhCv0hb6-dBq9VlAEkKAy1F_-iCTpDFH4b1pAzNnAhsGws/s1600/land+record.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="521" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuN5NFU0-sEGgiUupkqIUUhUJTZCfUtayB3TjYAjynlBsod12Hj5Lsih7mICKegHz0U4b1CvSZ_mZHOdjalcOYxpMnKLIs_FhCv0hb6-dBq9VlAEkKAy1F_-iCTpDFH4b1pAzNnAhsGws/s400/land+record.png" width="381" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEjQGqX7rc3kDfAYXn4K2qLtRn9JPT-Wvxu4rxOIHJNBRsiFXxr-3gLeoTizrLvftxFobo6M8evtO3rK5nSxhuhhyphenhyphen04uzgo55-bhosGbUFk2KzKd2fs6lFq1bYiFrjyRMoVx05xJto2FK/s1600/plot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="770" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEjQGqX7rc3kDfAYXn4K2qLtRn9JPT-Wvxu4rxOIHJNBRsiFXxr-3gLeoTizrLvftxFobo6M8evtO3rK5nSxhuhhyphenhyphen04uzgo55-bhosGbUFk2KzKd2fs6lFq1bYiFrjyRMoVx05xJto2FK/s320/plot.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVO8eo3HYcNXC29ZHbD5jxxigKSUc4b2RLw3qF4-LfemSzqH_WVcdT5e56LlhZujZI_iJASltURh7asTc4Sxfj6Fyjo_QA_NQBFiEuPS3F2QvhnJ5It6NORM6Q_MvEwBHUgAMHTt1pXrK/s1600/Land.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="824" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVO8eo3HYcNXC29ZHbD5jxxigKSUc4b2RLw3qF4-LfemSzqH_WVcdT5e56LlhZujZI_iJASltURh7asTc4Sxfj6Fyjo_QA_NQBFiEuPS3F2QvhnJ5It6NORM6Q_MvEwBHUgAMHTt1pXrK/s400/Land.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7WGY7A5JFSZ145YaQBvQ2r9pQuRzBHxcwpkYKzJ4JMEUQEv5HR8ytpNtDIxFbRgr-fpvUTYGkRaYm9a965N1Md4O87y6maUp5IfeK9yy4uApNmFKRxJX9cyHFaThqdno5EMO60efiok2/s1600/Township+of+the+Land.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="584" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7WGY7A5JFSZ145YaQBvQ2r9pQuRzBHxcwpkYKzJ4JMEUQEv5HR8ytpNtDIxFbRgr-fpvUTYGkRaYm9a965N1Md4O87y6maUp5IfeK9yy4uApNmFKRxJX9cyHFaThqdno5EMO60efiok2/s400/Township+of+the+Land.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management website has a treasure trove of information for genealogists. It is a time intensive and an educational trove for anyone who is interested in learning about land records and the history of public lands. Since I have been researching my paternal great grandparents, William Alfred Lee and Emma Meadows, I have wondered why they migrated from Alabama to Louisiana. There were events that I have uncovered while researching the Lee family, and one of those events could have been the reason for them leaving Alabama. However, I could not find the evidence to prove why they migrated. I thought possibly the Lee family migrated to Louisiana because of cheap land for sale. <br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">
I have reconnected with two of my Lee second cousins once removed and over the years we have shared research notes and family stories. Recently one of my Lee cousins messaged to tell me that she had land information for William Alfred Lee, her great great grandfather, and that she would email it to me. Well, I did the genealogy happy dance? This was a great find, and answered the question I have asked since I have been researching the W. A. Lee family. Did they own land? This is my first rich find for land records. With the assistance of my husband, I went to the Bureau of Land Management website. He has taught classes on using land records in researching our ancestors. <br /><br />My cousin acquired the land information from another Lee cousin. He took a trip to the Jackson Parish Courthouse to look through the land records. He found the conveyance record for the W. A. Lee land in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. My cousin sent me the land description, not the actual conveyance record. I will soon make a courthouse trip and acquire of copy of the conveyance record. And make a trip to Ouachita Parish Courthouse to check out land records there. The cousin who found the record lives near the plot of land that W. A. owned, and wasn’t aware he owned the land or the location of the land until he found the record. <br /><br />Armed with the new land information, I went to the Bureau of Land Management <a href="https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx">website</a> , put in the location, land description and clicked on search patents. The results came up and the Accession number was LA1280 .356 Duke, Charles the date 5/10/1898, Doc# 7812, LA then the township range 015N-001E, then the Aliquots NE1/4, Section # 14, County Jackson.<br /><br />You then click on the image and a copy of the certificate comes up, then you may print a copy of the certificate. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />When I put in the land description, the patent search results gave me a name for the original owner of the land, Charles Duke. Charles was issued the land May 10, 1898. When I looked at the <a href="https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=LA1280__.356&docClass=STA&sid=bb2k0dm5.pyx#patentDetailsTabIndex=0">Patent Details</a> I noticed this was a Homestead Entry Original. You can check out the history of Our Record Keeping History <a href="https://glorecords.blm.gov/reference/default.aspx#id=01_GLO_Records|01_Our_Record_Keeping_History">here</a>. Public Lands History Timeline <a href="https://glorecords.blm.gov/reference/default.aspx#id=01_GLO_Records|02_Public_Lands_History">here</a>. Surveys takes you to the original survey description. Also, a map of the township is shown. <br /><br />If you click on the Patent Details on that page where the copy of the certificate is, there are details of the land with a map. Where the words Land Description is on that same page, directly below those words, there is the word Map. Click on Map and the township map comes up. This is where you can use Irfranview to snip a copy of the map and save to your computer, or use the Snipping Tool that is installed on your computer.<br /><br />This is my first rich find for land records. Learning how to use land description to plot out your ancestor’s property and locate it on a map isn’t difficult. It lets you see your ancestor in the context of his surroundings such as churches, schools and physical features of the land. Once you discover where your ancestor’s land located then you can take a virtual tour on Google Earth. <br /><br />The question of did William Alfred Lee own land has been answered. Now my next three projects are to research Charles Duke to see if he is connected to the Lee family, make a courthouse trip to the Jackson Parish Courthouse to get a copy of the original conveyance record and any other records available, and make a courthouse trip to the Ouachita Parish Courthouse to look for land records for W. A. Lee in Ouachita Parish. Research for this project is ongoing. </div>
Esther Eleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05485124220872843749noreply@blogger.com0