Saturday, June 22, 2019

My bachelor uncle -- Arthur Brown


One of the stories I was often told when I was growing up is that when I was a baby my Uncle Arthur would put my diapers in one pocket, my bottles in another pocket and take me when he visited his girlfriend.  I always loved hearing that but couldn't quite picture it --  my uncle was a BIG man, both in height and weight.  I just could not envision him holding, much less traveling with something as small as a baby.

When my Uncle Arthur made transition and I requested time off for his funeral and to be with family, my supervisor asked if he had had any children.  My immediate response was "Yes, me and my brothers."  One thing my brothers and I knew with certainty was that Uncle Arthur loved us.

I started this post on March 7, 2019 but put it aside, saving it as a draft.  My intention was to post it by March 23 which is Uncle Arthur's birth date.  In all of my family history posts I try to listen to the ancestors --  I firmly believe that they guide us.

As with each ancestor, I know that what I post isn't the whole story.  I was certain that Uncle Arthur never married and never had children.  After all, I grew up knowing him and if either were the case I would have known.  And so I noted in his records that he never married and had no descendants.  On Father's Day weekend 2019, I was happily proved wrong --  at least about his having no descendants.

I manage my mother's dna results on 23andMe -- my mother, Evelyn, is Uncle Arthur's baby sister.  On June 14th my mother's account received an invitation to connect from someone who is her niece!

I quickly responded.  My new-found first cousin and I established that she is the daughter of my Uncle Arthur, born while he was stationed in Germany during World War II. 

On February 21, 1946 Arthur Brown was enlisted into the U.S. Army, Quartermaster Corps. His enlistment was from February 21, 1946 to August 22, 1949. (Source: U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946)  

In 2015, I had requested his military records from the National Archives National Personnel Records Center and received the form letter that "The complete Official Military Personnel File for the veteran named above is not in our files. If the record were here on July 12, 1973, it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed. The fire destroyed the major portion of records of Army personnel who separated from the service between 1912 through 1959 . . ."

"We have located a file created during our reconstruction attempts for the veteran named in your request." From that file I able to confirm that his unit was the 511th Military Police Platoon.  At some point he was stationed at the Heidelberg Military Post in Weddewarden Germany.  Unfortunately the file I received was both limited in information and the copies were of poor condition.
From the military scrapbook of Arthur Brown, circa 1947
This post took a slightly different turn, but it's okay --  actually more than okay.  Thank you, Uncle Arthur, for the belated family gift of your daughter!


Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Putting Together the Family Unit of William Turner and Mary Jane Williams

Recently I have been on a mission to locate, verify and place on a timeline the children of a paternal set of grandparents, William Turner Williams and Mary Jane Brown of Georgia. These are the parents and siblings of my father's father's (his first name William or Willie or Willis, middle name Frances) .

The 1900 U.S. census is first one I have for the family (darn that 1890 census!).  They are living in Ethridge, Jones, Georgia. Turner and Jane were married in 1882 and have five children listed as their sons and daughters:
Year: 1900; Census Place: Ethridge, Jones, Georgia; Roll: T623_207;
Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 61.








Hester, 10
John Tom, 9
William, 4
Fannie, 2
Maggie, newborn

This census also lists that Mary Jane gave birth to eight children of which seven were living.  Where were the other three children?  Since their parents were married for 18 years, could the other children be older and on their own.


The 1910 U.S. census again has Turner and Jane with five children but one from the previous census is gone (Hester) and one is added (Edna).   It is also recorded on the census that Mary Jane gave birth to 10 children and seven were living.
Year: 1910; Census Place: Ethridge, Jones, Georgia; Roll: T624_200;
Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0080; FHL microfilm: 1374213










John T., 18
*Fanny, 16
*Maggie, 14
*Willie, 12 Transcribed as daughter but this is William (male) from previous census
Edna,  (?) The transcription has Ed but I think this should be Edna who was born in 1908 and chronologically would have been the last child listed.

*Ages not consistent with previous census.  The birth order and ages on some the the children are different, but understandable since initial birth years were listed as "about".


The 1920 U.S. census has W.T. and Mary Jane and the family living in Lesters, Jones, Georgia.  I have found no information on Lesters, other than it being Militia District 305. There are ten children in the household, some additions and others from previous census records are gone --  probably on their own.


Year: 1920; Census Place: Lesters, Jones, Georgia; Roll: T625_265;
Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 127
















W.F., 23
G.W., 16 (George,b 1902; where was he in 1910?)
Daisy, 14
Edna, 11
Carl, 10
Mary, 11
Herman, 5
Harris, 3
Louise, 4
Maggie, 20
Not only were there initials for the names of the father and two sons, but the transcription of this census was terrible; Herman was Hem*, Harris was Homer, and Maggie was Maygi --  so I really had to analyze this census. And then there was the Lesters factor.


The 1930 U.S. census has W.T. and Mary J. back in Ethridge, Jones, Georgia with three children.  Did they ever leave Ethridge or was it renamed for this census?
Year: 1930; Census Place: Ethridge, Jones, Georgia; Roll: 372;
Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0013; Image: 146.0; FHL microfilm: 2340107







Herman, 15
Louise Vinson, 15
Harris 13


It's been fun --  okay challenging -- searching for this family in the census with the slight variations in the parents names and the additions, subtractions and name variations of their children.  By the same token, I feel a bit out of place trying to put together my family who lived in a different time and space.



Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

No "Brick Walls" For Me



Although I've been doing genealogy for a number of years, it's basically only been online research --  getting records and documents via the Internet.  I know this is why I haven't hit any brick walls yet.

In additional to using Ancestry and Family Search, I have been able to get information by calling, writing, or sending an email to places.  Below is a sample of some of the information I have received:

  • The Social Security application of my maternal grandmother, Lucy Washington Brown and a paternal great aunt, Elizabeth Brown Mason through the Social Security Administration website.  Fortunately this was before the heavy redaction process that is now in place for those records.  In both instances I was able to verify where they were born and the names of their parents.

  • Military service records from the National Archives (Military Personnel Records, SF-180) for my father, Willis B. Williams and two uncles, Arthur Brown and Alexander Burkette.  In each case I received letters that original records were destroyed in a fire so I had to submit another form requesting reconstructed files. 



  • Books on the county histories provide me with insight on how my ancestors may have lived. I have also found information on specific family members. (I love Interlibrary Loan!)

  • Death information and documents by contacting cemeteries and funeral homes.

  • Obituaries in newspapers by contacting public libraries and historical societies.

  • Death certificates from various county offices in different states.


As more and more is added to online sites, I've been able to access more genealogy information.  However, I know that I haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg in researching my family history.

I subtitled my blog Georgia and Mississippi Roots because both sets of my grandparents and their families came from those states.  So I know that before I can claim to have hit any brick wall, I must visit those states.  I have to do that reasonable exhaustive search --  which means going to state libraries, state archives, court houses, and the places where my ancestors lived.

Road trips . . .


Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Friday, March 22, 2019

My #12 -- Samuel BROWN


Number 12 on my ancestor chart is Samuel Brown, a great-grandfather, the father of my mother's father.  For awhile now, I have been on a mission of sorts to find his death information. Unfortunately, he's from Mississippi which did not begin recording death records until 1912.

So what do I know about him?  I know his son, Noah Brown, of Simpson County Mississippi is the father of my mother, Evelyn O. Brown.  The only record I have  found of Noah with his father is from the 1900 U.S. census. Although Noah is listed as "Infant" I know that is him because of everyone else in the household.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Beat 3, Simpson, Mississippi; Roll: T623_827; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 97.


Also according to this census Samuel Brown was born April 1864 in Mississippi, had been married 15 years to Mary, they had eight children, and he owned his farm. I was able to find information on his and Mary's marriage on the FamilySearch site.

"Mississippi Marriages, 1800-1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V28X-W4S : 10 February 2018), Sam Brown and Mary Stamps, 10 Apr 1885; citing Simpson,Mississippi; FHL microfilm 886,975.

In the 1910 census Mary Brown is listed as a widow, the mother of nine children, and owner of the farm. The additional child (born after the 1900 census), is five year old Elizabeth. I knew Auntie Lizzie well and her birth date was March 5, 1905.
Year: 1910; Census Place: Beat 3, Simpson, Mississippi; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: .



One document that had me "over the moon" was the Homestead Certificate, issued 7 Jun 1897 to Samuel Brown.

U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907



So in summary, what I know about Samuel Brown:


  • 1864 - Born, Mississippi (U.S. 1900 census)
  • 1885 - Married Mary Stamps, in Simpson County, Mississippi (Mississippi Marriage Index 1800-1900)
  • 1897 (June 7) - Homestead Certificate for Simpson County (US Land Office Record)
  • 1905 (March 5) - Birth of last child, Elizabeth

  • 1910 – Wife, Mary, widow (U.S. census), Simpson County, Mississippi


Conclusion: Samuel BROWN died after June 1904 (nine months before last child was born) and before 13 May 1910 (census date).  While I keep looking to close that span, I also hope to find more on him before that 1900 census and 1885 marriage information.






Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Monday, March 18, 2019

Facebook and Genealogy




Just the other week I was looking for certain genealogy forms that I could fill out online (and save)  to make it easier to transcribe and track information that I found on a great-grandfather.

I went to my go-to sites: Cyndi's List (Charts & Forms),  National Archives (Charts and Forms) --  and of course, forms on Ancestry, and FamilySearch but didn't see exactly what I wanted. 

Yesterday the ancestors called out to me when someone from a Facebook group posted a link to free interactive research forms available on the St Louis Genealogical Society website.

Many people complain about the content they get on Facebook and I always tell them what they see on their FB page depends on what they "Friend", "Like" and "Join.

I happen to Like and Join a number of genealogy pages --  representing a variety of topics.     BGSAD - Buffalo Genealogical Society of the African Diaspora  is my local genealogy group.  We share a camaraderie and love of genealogy during our monthly meetings.  Even through many members have roots in various parts of the country, we are Buffalonians by birth, through migration or transplant.

While I don't attend meetings of WNYGS (Western New York Genealogical Society (WNYGS) Discussion Group), I do attend some of the seminars and workshops they sponsor.  Through my mother I'm only second generation born in Buffalo.  My father and none of his family members (his generation and above) were born in Buffalo. So I don't look for many Western New York records.

Most FaceBook genealogy groups are private and a few are even secret.  They vet those who request to join and monitor posts to make sure they are on track --  informative and respectful. For me, keeping up with all these groups and posts can be overwhelming at times but member posts are serious to the topic and very helpful.  I've loosely grouped the FaceBook groups I follow by topic:

GeneaBloggersTribe
We Are Genealogy Bloggers
African American Genealogy Blogging Circle

Technology for Genealogy
Generations Cafe
RootsMagic Users
Evernote Genealogists
Excel-ling Genealogists
Legacy User Group

Georgia Genealogy Network
Mississippi Genealogy Researchers
MISSISSIPPI Genealogy "Family Tree" and History Group

AfriGeneas African American Genealogy Community
Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI)
I've Traced My Ancestor's Slaveholders
Our Black Ancestry
IAAM CFH (International African American Museum Center for Family History)
African-American Genealogy Forum
Genealogy of the United States Colored Troops

Genealogy! Just ask!
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness - RAOGK USA
Genealogy Do-Over
The Organized Genealogist
Genealogy - Improving your searches
Genealogy
DearMYRTLE

AncestryDNA Matching
Ancestry DNA for Dummies
DNA Newbie
Gedmatch.com Discussion Group
GEDmatch.com User Group

Genealogy and Newspapers
Genealogy & Historical Databases

Ancestry.com
Ancestry Dot Com - Helping, Sharing, and Venting
FamilySearch
FamilySearch Indexing




Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Two-Mississippi: Ashtabula bound: We're Going North



My mother's maternal grandparents are Peter Washington and Mary Barrett Washington.  They were married on December 31, 1894 in Floyd County, Georgia.

Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978


Peter was born in Georgia December 1872.  In the 1880 U.S. census he is 8 years old, living with his parents, Ned and Darcus Washington and his four brothers: Silas, Newton, Elijah, and Ned.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Barkers, Floyd, Georgia; Roll: T9_146; Family History Film: 1254146; Page: 314.1000; Enumeration District: 71; Image: 0635.


By the 1900 census my great great grandparents --  Ned and Dortes (her name is different in every census) had moved to Holmes County, Mississippi. The family unit included Peter, his wife Mary and their two children: Lena and Estella.

That census is the earliest information I have found for Mary Barrett.  It shows that she was also born in Georgia with the birth month/year given as April 1875.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Beat 1, Holmes, Mississippi; Roll: T623_810; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 34.












According to the 1910 U.S. census, my great grandmother had given birth to seven children of which five lived: Lena, Estella, Ned, Gilbert, and Lucy (my grandmother).  All of the Washington siblings eventually left their home state of Mississippi and moved Ashtabula Ohio.  So far, it seems to be between the years of 1918 and 1924.


Also in the 1910 U.S. census, Lena had already left her parents' home. She and Howard Huggins had been married one year and had a four-month old daughter, Bessie. They lived with his parents and his siblings in Holmes County, Mississippi. On July 3, 1919 they had their first child in Ashtabula Ohio, Amos Huggins,.
Year: 1910; Census Place: Beat 1, Holmes, Mississippi; Roll: T624_742; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1374755


By 1918 Estella (aka Aunt Stella) was living in Ashtabula, Ohio. She and her husband, William David Tyus had their first child, Leroy Tyus, in Ashtabula Ohio on April 20, 1918.

Ashtabula, Ohio, City Directory, 1918


In 1920 Uncle Ned, 20, was living in Ashtabula OH with his wife Virginia (from Mississippi) and newborn son, George. Also in the household was Uncle Gilbert, age 18 -- both men are listed as laborers on the railroad.





On April 10, 1924 Lucy and Noah Brown were married in Erie Pennsylvania -- I don't know why when all their siblings were in Ohio. Maybe they eloped???


However on their marriage license, Noah listed his address as 79 Bancroft Street in Ashtabula OH. Granny listed her address as 20 Depot Street in Ashtabula OH. Their first child, Verlie, was born in Ashtabula on March 1, 1925. Their second child, Arthur, was born in Buffalo, New York on March 23, 1927. Their last two daughters, Vivian and Evelyn were also born in Buffalo.


Ashtabula, Ohio, City Directory, 1926


So both sides of my mother's family --  her Washington aunts and uncles and her Brown aunts and uncles (earlier blog post One-Mississippi) moved from rural Mississippi to Ohio.  Why?


Whatever the reason, they were part of that Great Migration of Black folk leaving the south and moving to the north.  And as was the custom then, it seemed that each family member that moved north, reached out and helped those who followed.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Claiming "Radical Asa" Carrington

On the death certificate of my paternal great grandmother, Mary Lane Button,  Acey Carrington is listed as her father and Henrietta Davis is listed as her mother. The information was provided by her daughter, Anna Mae Button Davenport.


In a previous post, I wrote about the wide time span of birth years for my great grandmother in various documents (Mary Lane Button -- I'm trying to do the math!)  After several searches on different sites, I find no records for Acey Carrington in Georgia for the appropriate time period -- mid to late 1800s.  However I find several records for Asa Carrington.

Asa Carrington is listed as residing in Hancock County, Georgia on 30 July 1867 according to the Georgia Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1879.


Ancestry.com. Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.


During the November 3, 1868 elections in Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia a number of "colored" Republican voters were either turned away from the polls or their votes were torn up and substituted by Democratic votes. Asa Carrington was among the group of those colored voters who was listed in a formal complaint to the chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Georgia on November 30, 1868.
from Shivers, Forrest. The Land Between: a History of Hancock County Georgia to 1940, pp 177-178.

In the 1870 U.S. census,  Asa Carrington, age 29,  is still in Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia living in the household of Emeline Green, age 28 and her five-year-old son, John.  Also in the household was Edward Casero, a 60-year old white man who was a clerk in a hotel.  Asa is a day laborer.
Year 1870; Census Place: Sparta, Hancock, Georgia; Roll: M593_155; Page: 485B; Family History Library Film: 545654


Asa Carrington testified to the voter suppression that occurred in Hancock County, Georgia in a Congressional hearing on February 7, 1871.  The section header for Asa Carrington's testimony is February 7, 1861; however, it is sworn and sealed to on February 7, 1871. What a time for a document to have an incorrect date!   I'm going with the 1871 year since the election was in 1868 and Asa was probably not allowed to vote in 1861.



United States Congress. United States Congressional Serial Set, Volume 1463. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1871, pp 90-92.

It seems good ole Asa was full of himself. The paragraph below is listed in three separate newspapers in 1877: the Cuthbert appeal. (Cuthbert, Ga.) November 23, 1877; the Georgia weekly telegraph and Georgia journal & messenger. (Macon, Ga.) 1869-1880, November 27, 1877; and the Columbus daily enquirer-sun. (Columbus, Ga.) December 04, 1877.  


In 1879, Asa Carrington's name was among dozens of individuals listed by Postmaster Henry S. Glover in a public notice that uncalled-for mail held at the Macon, Bibb County Post Office would be sent to the Dead Letter Office after thirty days.  From The Macon telegraph and messenger. (Macon, Ga.) April 12, 1879.  
Newspaper articles information from The Georgia Historic Newspapers database, a project of the Digital Library of Georgia
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu

In 1880 I find no records for Asa Carrington in Georgia. I find myself concerned about his safety and his possible death, especially since in the year before he had mail piled up in the post office.

I am LOVIN' the spirit and boldness of Asa Carrington after touching the surface of his life and I so want to claim him!

I present my case that Asa Carrington is my 2nd great grandfather with additional information from the 1870 census of Hancock County Georgia. (1) Henrietta Davis, my 2nd great grandmother, is living in Sparta, Hancock County Georgia at #1515 with her two daughters, one of which could be my great grandmother Mary (possible birth year 1868).  (2) My great grandmother, Mary, named one of her daughters Anna.
Year 1870; Census Place: Sparta, Hancock, Georgia; Roll: M593_155; Page: 484A; Family History Library Film: 545654

(3) Living at #1540, was Asa just down the street, around the corner? Was he tippin'?

I rest my case. But I also can't help but wonder . . . Did he break Henrietta's heart?  Did he support his children? Did he abandon his down-the-way family?