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.

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.

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.