Blog Caroling 2011

It's that time of year for the annual Blog Caroling tradition from footnoteMaven. This is a tradition that definitely lifts the spirits this time of year, and since I've been blogging, I always look forward to it. This year especially it means more than ever.

My carol from this year isn't necessarily a carol but I've always loved it and loved hearing my dad with various choirs sing it. As I was putting up Christmas decorations, I just started singing For Unto Us a Child is Born from Handel's Messiah. The song is based on Isiah 9:6.

The Lyrics are as follows:

For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a Son is given,
And the Government shall be upon His shoulder;
And His Shall be Called
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.



Video of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was obtained from You Tube.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

It's Saturday night, which means it's time for Randy Seaver's, Genea-Musings, Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.


I've not participated in Saturday Night Genealogy Fun in quite awhile.


Tonight's activity is as follows:


1)  Go to the Historical U.S. County Maps page on Randy Majors website (http://randymajors.com/p/maps.html ) .Read the whole page for tips on how to use the tool by entering a current geographical place in the United States and a year (from the drop down list) at the top of the page.

2)  Pick one place of interest and enter the name of the place (a current town/city or county) and choose a year from the dropdown list.  Use the Back < and Forward > arrow links to move forward or backward in time.

3)  Note the Historical jurisdiction for the place you selected for each year.  Write down the list from 1790 to 1900.

4)  Post the place you selected and the historical jurisdictions for that place in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook Status or google Plus Stream post.


5) Think about  the jurisdictions that came up - have you looked in those jurisdictions for information about your ancestral families that were in that place?


I chose Williamston, NC. Williamston is located in present day Martin County, North Carolina. 

The jurisdictions it's been in over the years are as follows:


1790: Located in Martin County, NC (Martin county was formed in 1774 from Halifax and Tyrrell Counties.)
1800: Located in Martin County, NC (Martin County lost some area to Edgecombe County in in 1794.)
1810: Located in Martin County, NC (Martin County gained some area from Pitt County in 1805.)
1820: Located in Martin County, NC (Martin County gained some area from Beaufort County in 1816.)
1830: Located in Martin County, NC
1840: Located in Martin County, NC
1850: Located in Martin County, NC
1860: Located in Martin County, NC
1870: Located in Martin County, NC
1880: Located in Martin County, NC
1890: Located in Martin County, NC
1900: Located in Martin County, NC


As I continue to try to determine the last slave owner of my paternal ancestors, I may need to venture into Halifax and Tyrrell Counties, also, as well as Pitt and Beaufort.

Sentimental Sunday - Last Game

Growing up, believe it or not I was the football expert. Dad was always asking me the players names on the various NFL teams. Back then, I usually could rattle them off without batting an eye. Dad was always impressed and would comment that if I knew my studies as well as I knew football, I would be getting somewhere.


However, it was different football remembrances that came to mind when I recently came across tickets from Dad's and my last game together.

For as long as I can remember, one of dad's and my special times was traveling back to the ancestral hometown to attend games at his undergrad Alma Mater, Winston-Salem State (WSSU). From junior high on, probably even prior, I remember going to the games with dad.


Our favorite spot was always by the band. For those of us who grew up in the atmosphere and history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the game was always a distraction until the real game begin at half time, between the two bands. Daddy, who had been a band director prior to integration, always commented on what he thought the bands were doing right and wrong.


For about 8 years, dad and I missed out on this special time. I decided to move out of state for awhile, almost to the other side of the country, and only saw the folks twice a year. So, for 8 years there were no games, no homecoming parades, no half-time shows.


I moved back home to NC in 1998 and dad and I slowly picked up where we had left off. By this time, dad seemed to be more interested in attending games at his Grad School Alma Mater, North Carolina A&T. I personally, still preferred going to games at WSSU.


As dad's health begin to fail, and he didn't like traveling as much, we begin to attend the games of our  local HBCU, Johnson C. Smith (JCSU).


Last years game in Charlotte between dad's undergrad Alma Mater, Winston-Salem State, and the local school Johnson C. Smith would be our last game together. Since this tends to be a big game, the game was held at Memorial Stadium instead of Johnson C. Smith's on-campus stadium.


Unable to find parking near the stadium, I ended up parking a bit away from the stadium. I had asked dad if he wanted me to drop him off while I found parking but he said no that he could make the trek back to the stadium. So, slowly we ventured back down the street toward the stadium, stopping ever so often so that dad could take a break.


We entered the stadium on the home team's side. Daddy would have been fine right there but since we were there to represent WSSU, I insisted that we go to the visitor's side. On the way to the visitor's side of the stadium, we ran into my younger cousin Reggie, who had come down from Winston-Salem with his dad. Since we had no clue they were going to be there, this was a special treat for dad, who always loved being around his nephews and nieces.


During the game, daddy was a little more subdued than usual. I kept asking if he was okay and he kept saying yes.


WSSU won the game and as far as I'm concerned the game within the game (halftime show). We bid the cousins farewell and wished them a safe trip back to Winston-Salem. As we begin the trek back to the car, daddy realized he just couldn't make the trek back no matter how many times we stopped, so he asked if I could go get the car while he waited. So, I left him with a nice police officer while I went to get the car.


Daddy was silent more than usual for the short trip back home. He thanked me like he always did as I dropped him off at the assisted living facility. 


Unfortunately, that was the only game we attended last year. From Sept - Dec 2010, dad had doctor's appointments practically every week, so I worked practically every weekend for the remainder of the football season and year so that I could have time off during the week to take dad to appointments. My coworkers loved me for taking all the weekends.


I always thought there would be more games and was so looking forward to attending some games with dad this year but it wasn't meant to be.


And so, I'll treasure these tickets that I hadn't even realized I had kept and include them in that yet to be started scrapbook that I keep hoping to make. And even though the journeys won't be the same without dad, I still plan on attending a couple of those WSSU games each year, because even though I didn't attend the "family" alma mater, deep inside I'm a ram at heart.

Ram logo obtained from the Winston-Salem State University website.

National Black Genealogy Summit, Fort Wayne, IN - Oct. 20-22, 2011

The National Black Genealogy Summit will take place October 20 - 22, 2011 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne is home to one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of genealogy records, and an excellent source of documents pertaining to Black genealogy in particular.


The three-day conference will feature a number of nationally-known genealogy and research experts, and a wide variety of workshops for everyone from beginners to experienced family researchers. The event is sponsored by the Indiana Genealogical Society; the Friends of the Allen County Public Library; and Ancestry.com.
For more information, please visit http://www.blackgenealogyconference.info/

Finding Your Ancestors in the NC Archives – Part III

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, I attended the one-day workshop / lecture series entitled, Finding Your Ancestors in the NC Archives. The Friends of the Archives sponsored the workshop. As mentioned in the previous two posts in this series, it had been some time since The Friends had sponsored a workshop.

After the wonderful lecture entitled Tar Heels in the Family Tree? A Genealogical Introduction to North Carolina Records, we broke for lunch. As many opted for the box lunch, which could be purchased during the registration process, it provided an opportunity for attendees to mingle and discuss their research with fellow researchers.

Lunch passed quickly and it was soon time for the third presentation, Get Excited about Your Pre-1870 N.C. African American Research: the N.C. Archives Can Put Great Resources at Your Fingertips!, given by Diane Richard. Diane is the owner and operator of Mosaic Research and Project Management. As indicated in her handout and on her website, Mosiac specializes in Genealogy, Family History and History projects that make extensive use of on-the-ground research, web resources, and more. Although she herself is not African American, Diane has a special interest in African American research and has done work in this area in 70 of the 100 NC counties.

Diane began by reminding us to do our homework before arriving at the Archives. In doing the preliminary work, don’t forget to look at the community in which your ancestors lived.

That out of the way, Diane then took us, virtually, through the various floors and sections of The Archives and discussed materials and records that were available. As Diane provided a lot of information, I will only highlight a few of the materials and records she discussed.

North Carolina Marriage Registers and Licenses are often a gold mine of genealogical information and typically include the names of the parents, if known, and whether they are still living, etc. Diane pointed out that if you have ancestors that were from border counties, be sure to look in the neighboring state for marriage records even if other family members were married in North Carolina.

Slaves were often sold instead of bequeathed. These transactions, if recorded, would be found in the Bills of Sale. Bills of Sale can be found in the Deed Indexes. Sometimes Bills of Sale are in the “Loose Collection” of the county records. 

American Slavery Petition, which can be found on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro website, is a database of slavery petitions. Petitions represent disagreements that developed over the division of slaves. Once a North Carolina petition is located in the database, it can be viewed at the North Carolina Archives.

In wrapping up her segment, Diane pointed out that we should not let record categories stop us as many records can be located under categories that we may want to dismiss.

This concludes my series on the workshop, Finding your Ancestors in the NC Archives. For those with North Carolina roots, I hope that it was beneficial.

By the way, now that I’ve attended the workshop, I’m trying to plan a trip to the NC Archives to get some on the ground research done.

Finding Your Ancestors in the NC Archives – Part II

This past Saturday, September 24, 2011, I attended a one day workshop / lecture series about the records in the North Carolina State Archives. The Friends of the Archives sponsored the workshop, which was the first one they had given in over 15 years.

Tar Heels in the Family Tree? A Genealogical Introduction to North Carolina Records

The second lecture of the day was Tar Heels in the Family Tree? A Genealogical Introduction to North Carolina Records. The speaker was Helen F. M. Leary, CG (Emeritus), FASG, FNGS.

Helen is a noted family historian, lecturer, and author, and this was the first time I heard her speak. Helen provided a wealth of information on doing research in NC as well as what seemed like little know facts even for those of us who are native North Carolinians and have lived here most of our lives.

Helen began her presentation by discussing the different geographical regions of North Carolina and how North Carolina’s geography affected the type of economy that developed within the state.

Outer Banks

If you know anything about North Carolina geography, you know we have the outer banks / barrier islands, which inhibited the development of a deep-water port for money crop sales and for immigration. So, it was pointless to grow things that would be difficult to ship.

Coastal Plains

Slow moving rivers that can take produce out to sea define the coastal plains. The biggest farms and plantations were located in this area of the state.

Piedmont

The piedmont area consisted mostly of clay-type soil. As a result, manufacturing arose in this area of the state.

Mountains

So, due to its geography, North Carolina’s economy was based mainly on subsistence farming, land speculation and eventually manufacturing. There were very few large plantations.

Helen pointed out on several occasions that North Carolina was the daughter to Virginia with regard to laws and immigration patterns.

North Carolina was separated from Virginia by a 1663 charter but the borderer wasn’t surveyed until 1728. When it was surveyed, much of Virginia was found to be in North Carolina. Therefore, south VA records should be checked for this time period.

Early North Carolina was defined as three settlement areas, Albemarle, which became NC, Clarendon, which failed, and Craven, which became South Carolina.

Helen stated that the most valuable North Carolina records for genealogists are Records of the Counties, which were called precincts prior to 1739, Family Bibles and other private manuscripts, and Land Grants.

The Records of the County were created in the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions prior to 1868 and by various county officials after this date. The Court of Pleas and Quarter is also known as the Inferior Court.

Two types of records that Helen talked about and that I found interesting were the Apprenticeship Records and the Bastardy Bonds, Helen pointed out that Apprenticeship Records often provided a clue as to the identification of a father as an illegitimate boy / man often became an apprentice under his biological father. Bastardy Bonds on the other hand are for orphans whose parents were legally married.

Helen also pointed out that Marriage Bonds were filed in the wife’s county of residence and apprentices could not marry. Something I did not realize or know until then.

Other just general research tips that Helen provided are

1. Even if there was not a will, look at estate records since the property had to be listed and given a value.
2. Never take the information from one census and declare that’s it.
3. For “burned” counties, determine what records were not in the courthouse.

However, Helen’s best tip was the following:

Research is finding out. Never stop looking!

To listen to more of Helen’s words of wisdom on genealogical research, be sure to check out some of her videos on the NGSGenealogy channel on You Tube. Here is one where Helen reflects on why people do Genealogy.

Finding Your Ancestors in the NC Archives – Part I

After all this time of researching my family, I’ve never been to the NC Archives. For that matter I’ve not even been to the ancestral homelands of Everetts, Williamston, and Hamilton, NC, which are located in Martin County, either.

But that’s all about to change, hopefully, as this past Saturday, I ventured toward our state capital for the first time in a long time to attend a one-day workshop / lecture series on the Old North State’s Archives.

The workshop was a series of 4 lectures and was put on by The Friends of the Archives. We were informed that it has been over 15 years since The Friends have done anything like this due to “competition” from the various genealogical societies and other groups sponsoring these types of events.

The workshop covered the following topics in the order given:

• A Virtual Tour of the North Carolina Archives
• Tar Heels in the Family Tree? A Genealogical Introduction to North Carolina Records
• Get Excited about your Pre-1870 NC African American Research
• Finding Your North Carolina Revolutionary War Solider or Patriot

I attended all 4 sessions, although I must admit that I really wasn’t paying attention for the last one, Finding Your North Carolina Revolutionary War Solider or Patriot.

 A Virtual Tour of the North Carolina Archives

Debbi Blake, the Public Services Branch Head of the North Carolina State Archives, presented “A Virtual Tour of the North Carolina Archives.” Debbi began her presentation by stating that any serious researcher will need to visit the archives at some point in their research.

The first and definitely the most valuable piece of advice that Debbi gave was be prepared when visiting the NC Archives. Know what you are looking and why you are looking for it so that you can make the most efficient use of your time at the NC Archives. Debbi pointed out that it is easy to get distracted by all the records. Don’t ignore the other records. Make note of them so that if time permits you can come back to them after accomplishing your goals for the visit.

Debbi also took the time to remind the audience that an Archivist job is to provide documents not make decisions about the relevancy of the documents. Understanding this is another reason to be prepared. We, the researchers, are the only ones who can determine if a document is relevant to our search efforts.

We were also provided with a map that showed which NC counties had suffered loss of records due to fires or other mishaps. 

The map is located in the Guide to County Records in the North Carolina State Archives, which I finally broke down and purchased during one of the breaks. The Guide provides a county-by-county listing of the records located in the NC Archives.

Debbi also covered some of the basics of doing research at the NC Archives, which are:

• Upon arrival at the Archives, you will need to go through security. Inappropriate materials such as briefcases, large tote bags, maps, manuscripts cannot be taken into the Archives Search Room. If you arrive with these materials, a locker area is provided for storage while you are in the Search Room.

• In order to enter the search room, you will need to register at the security desk, providing positive identification after which you will be issued an ID card in order to request material.

• Once inside the search room, materials are requested via a call slip. The call slip must contain the patron’s ID number. The patron submits the ID card to the archive staff while records are checked out.

Finally, during the question and answer session, some of the best ways to search on the Manuscript and Archives Reference System (MARS) were addressed. MARS frustrates many folks. The Archives are looking into moving to another system but for now have not come across anything else that can handle everything that MARS does. So, as with most database search systems, the key to working with MARS is to start broad and then narrow it down. How many times have we heard this, regardless of whether we are working with Ancestry’s database, FamilySearch’s database, etc.?

We were also informed that tutorials are available on the website to assist in learning how to use the system.

That concludes the highlights of the first lecture. The remaining lectures will be addressed in future posts.

Wordy Wednesday - A Name But Still No Clue

What do you do when you have a name but still have no clue who the person is?

Per the inherited photo album from my Aunt Martha, the man pictured above is William Gaynor and he's one of our cousins.

During my research I've never come across any Gaynors, so I have no clue how he fits in. I'm not even sure where he was born and raised, and I definitely have no clue who his parents were.

Aunt Martha also had pictures of some of Mr. Gaynor's descendants and per conversations with and letters from Aunt Martha during her lifetime, some of the Gaynors settled somewhere in Texas. Yes, when I was a beginning genealogist, I made the cardinal mistake of not being interested in the collateral lines and it's always coming back to haunt me.

Aunt Martha always wanted to know how and where the Gaynors fit it. Perhaps one of these days I can unearth the answer to that question.

Wordless Wednesday - DigitalNC and College Yearbooks

If you have ancestral roots in NC, be sure to check out DigitalNC. Many of the colleges and universities in the Old North State have posted their yearbooks on "DigitalNC: North Carolina's Digital Heritage." The years covered are 1890 - Present. Of course, not all the schools' yearbooks go back that far and not all years are posted within a given schools set of yearbooks, and sometimes folks just didn't take pictures. But, if your ancestor's decided to have their picture included in the yearsbook, it is invaluable in  finding out  what ancestors and family members looked like in their younger days. It's also a terrific way to see how styles and fashions have changed over the years.

Among the postings for the The Ram, Winston-Salem State Teachers College / University's Yearbook, I found my two aunts.

Winston Salem State Teacher's College
Class of 1946
Martha Jones "Sister"
Band
URL(s) =http://library.digitalnc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/yearbooks/id/3273/rec/1

and from the Class of 1950

Winston Salem State Teacher's College
Emmanuline Jones
URL(s) = http://library.digitalnc.org/cdm/ref/collection/yearbooks/id/3278

In some of the more recent yearbooks, I was able to see some pictures of my cousins from back in the day.

And if any relatives or friends get any bright ideas about trying to find me among yearbook listings on DigitalNC, I am one of those wonderful people that never took a picture.

Amanuensis Monday - Tours Planned

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.


I am continuing to work on transcribing the many newspaper clippings contained in an old scrapbook that I inherited from my Aunt Martha after she passed. Many of these old clippings contain references to my paternal grandfather, Rev. H. C. Jones, during his time as Director of the Negro Home and Welfare Association in Winston-Salem, NC.

People and Events
Tours Planned


Rev. H. C. Jones, director of the Negro Home and Welfare Association, requests that all club members interested in attending the tours and the lectures on home decorating, which will be sponsored by the association with the co-operation of Morris Early and Company, Inc., please contact their respective club presidents at their earliest convenient time so that schedules for the tours may be made accordingly.

***

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.



Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch.

Amanuensis Monday - Garden Prize to Be Awarded

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.


I am continuing to work on transcribing the many newspaper clippings contained in an old scrapbook that I inherited from my Aunt Martha after she passed. Many of these old clippings contain references to my paternal grandfather, Rev. H. C. Jones.

Association Will Award Garden Prize

Among the project now under way by the Negro Home and Welfare Association are the Fall vegetable gardens, in which the Garden Club Council of the city will award a prize to the club reporting the largest number of Fall and Winter gardens planted by the October Council meeting.

As an aid to the gardeners, Rev. H. C. Jones, director of the Associations states that some of the vegetables which may be planted now are: carrots, Early Jersey and Charleston Wakesfield cabbage, chard, corn, salad, cress, dandelion, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, martynia, mustard, onion seeds and sets, parsley, radish, sorrel, spinach, turnip greens, horseradish, rhubarb and Florence fenel.

Rev. Jones also said that one of the most important of the project now under way is the effort to build up rural community centers. This need for the centers has arisen due to the consolidation of many of the rural schools which were formerly the meeting places for social and community affairs.

Upon the request of the Youth Welfare Movement, clubs are asked to furnish fellowship friends for delinquent youths who will attempt to give moral, spiritual and vocational guidance. Several of these clubs have already been organized in churches under the leadership of Odell Spease, director of recreation of the Youth Welfare Movement. Assisting Mr. Spease are Thurmond Greenwood, William J. Johnson and H. W. Sinclair.

***

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.


Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch.

Amanuensis Monday

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.


I am continuing to work on transcribing the many newspaper clippings contained in an old scrapbook that I inherited from my Aunt Martha after she passed. Many of these old clippings contain references to my paternal grandfather, Rev. H. C. Jones.

 

Hear Rev. H. C. Jones Easter Sunday

There will be a special Easter Service at Bright Hopewell Baptist Church Easter Sunday Morning.

At eleven o'clock, Rev. H. C. Jones, Pastor, will preach from the subject "The Clarion of the Risen Christ." The Choirs of Bright Hopewell Church and Laurinburg Institute will render special Easter Music.

The public is cordially invited to attend the services. Every member is asked to be present and bring one friend with you.

Deacons
Frank Patterson
D. D. McPhatter
A. M. Barry
Henry Mateerson
E. M. McDuffie

John Bethea

Rev. L. L. King, Church Clerk

Rev. H. C. Jones, Pastor

***

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.


Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch.

The Everett 1870 Brick Wall - Part III - 1870 Census (X2) vs. 1880 census

Previous post in this series are Everett Brick Wall Part I and Everett Brick Wall Part II. 

The next step in the journey of finding and confirming my Everett ancestors was to find documentation / evidence prior to the 1880 census to indicate that the Frank Hargit and Peter Hargit enumerated in the household of John and Vicy Ann Hargit in 1880 were actually Great Grand Uncle Frank Everett and Great Grandpa Peter Everett.

So, I turned to the 1870 census. For whatever reason, I initially was unable to find my ancestors listed on the 1870 census via Ancestry.com, so I turned to FamilySearch.org. Of late, I’ve obtained many more leads and information using Family Search than I have from Ancestry and depending on the information I’m seeking I prefer it to Ancestry. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Family Search is free.

Okay, back to my findings. The 1870 census as listed on Family Search provides the following enumeration:

Everette, Frank, living in Williamston Township, Martin, NC, Age 72, Male, Black, Farm Hand (Dwelling 530, Family 545)

·        Venus, Age 70, Female, Black, Keeping House

·        Frank Jr., Age 23, Male, Black, Farm Hand

·        Mariah, Age 20, Female, Black, Keeps House

·        Nicy A, Age 25, Female, Black, Farm Hand

·        Frank, Age 12, Male, Black, Farm Hand

·        Peter, Age 4, Male, Black

·        Lurenee, Age 2, Female, Black

·        Wiley, Age 1, Male, Black

Frank Jr. and everyone that follows him are listed as Family 546. This enumeration was performed on 1 Sept. 1870.

Comparing Nicy Ann, Frank, and Peter Everette to Vicy Ann, Frank, and Peter Hargit / Hargett in the 1880 household of John Hargit / Hargett (refer to previous post) provides strong circumstantial evidence that these are the same persons.

The discovery of my great grandfather, 2^nd great grandmother and great grand uncle on the 1870 census lead to what appears to be the peeling back of another layer of my family. Based on the ages of the household members, 3 generations of Frank Everetts, etc., it appears that Frank and Venus Everett(e) are my 3^rd great grandparents and Frank Everett, Jr. is more than likely their son and Grandma Vicy Ann’s brother.

I would later find Frank Everett, Jr. death certificate on Ancestry, which indicates his parents as Frank and Venus Everett. I’m still hoping for similar evidence for grandma Vicy Ann.

I’m sure you are wondering about the X2 for the 1870 census. Well after finding that initial grouping on Family Search, I eventually found a second 1870 census listing for my Everett ancestors.

The second listing is actually the first as far as chronological order. It was done on 26 Aug, 1870.  This enumeration is as follows

Everette, Frank Jr. living in Williamston Township, Martin, NC, Age 22, Male, Black, Farm Hand (Dwelling 350, Family 364)

·        Mariah, Age 19, Female, Black, Keeps House

·        Wiley, Age 1, Male, Black

·        Frank, Sr., Age 77, Male, Black, Farm Hand

·        Venus, Age 53, Female, Black, Farm Hand

·        Vessy, Age 28, Female, Black, Farm Hand

·        Frank, Age 10, Male, Black, At House

·        Peter, Age 4, Male, Black

·        Lorena, Age 2, Female, Black

Frank, Sr. and everyone that follows him are listed as Family 365.

The first thing I noticed between the two enumerations was the order of names was different and Venus’ age was drastically different, but otherwise, clearly this was the same 1870 family. My family was enumerated not once but twice.

By the way, back in the early 1990’s, during the early days of my research, I had written down the enumeration in which Frank Everette Jr. is listed first. I did something similar with the research on my maternal side but unlike my maternal side, I didn’t know much if anything about any of the collateral relatives on my paternal side. Therefore, there was no gut feeling when I recorded this family way back when but I think deep down, I must have known this had to be them.

Following my Everett / Hargett ancestors has been fun and exciting in getting back to the proverbial 1870 brick wall. I’ve discovered quite a few collateral line along the way, which I hope to pursue further but the time has come to stop procrastinating and attack that 1870 wall with al I’ve got and knock out a few brick or at least chip a few of them. I’m sure the journey from here on will be both exciting and frustrating. 

Follow Friday - The USCT Chronicle - Angela Walton-Raji

April 12, 2011 marked the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. I've never been particularly interested in the Civil War, its battles or its participants but that attitude has been slowly changing over the past couple of years.

Sure, I was interested in the Civil War momentarily when the movie Glory came out in 1989 documenting the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry, but as the years rolled by that interest waned mightily. So, to what or shall I say whom do I owe this growing interest in the Civil War? Angela Walton Raji and her blog The USCT Chronicle. Through Angela, I've learned a great deal about the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and other aspects of the civil war such as contraband camps. I've also been so inspired by her work in this area that I'm even pursuing my own USCT solider, Simon Everett, who quite possibly could be an ancestor.

While at this time, I don't know if Simon is an ancestor on my Grandmomma Jones' paternal line, I definitely wouldn't have thought of trying to locate a possible ancestor amongst The USCT if it hadn't been for Angela's work in this realm.

While at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expo, I actually got a chance to meet Angela as well as attend her lecture on Discovering an African American Community's History Through Civil War Research.

So, be sure to check out Angela's blog as well as some of her other work which is listed below

My Ancestor's Name

The African-Native American Genealogy Blog

African Roots Podcast

Beginning Genealogist - Her YouTube Channel

The Everett 1870 Brick Wall - Part II - Death Certificates and Census Records

This is the second in my ongoing series to explain how I got back to the 1870 Brick Wall on my Everett line, my paternal grandmother's, Iola Everett Jones, paternal line.

1880 Census


In my last post, I concluded with my great grandparents' marriage license / certificate, which indicated that my great grandfather's mother was Vicy Ann Hargett. Therefore, I decided to check the 1880 census for Martin County, NC and came across the following enumeration:

John Hargit living in Cross Roads Township, Martin, NC, Black, Male, Age 50, Farm Laborer

• Vicy, Black, Female, Age 30, Wife, Keeping House
• Frank, Black, Male, Age 20, Son, Farm Laborer
• Peter, Black, Male, Age 14, Son, Farm Laborer
• William, Black, Male, Age 8, Son
• Loronna, Black, Female, Age 6, Daughter
• Joel, Black, Male, Age 3, Son
• Harrett E, Black, Female, Age 1, Daughter

I felt I was on the right path when i came across this enumeration. However, I would need further evidence to prove that the Peter enumerated in the Harget household was my great-grandfather. As you will soon see this enumeration totally debunks the theory that you can always assume that the children are the husbands, although not necessarily the wives, unless otherwise indicated.

Great Grand Uncle Frank Everett's Death Certificate

Back in September of 2010, trying to find something to post for Tombstone Tuesday led me to discovering Great Grand Uncle Frank Everett's Death Certificate, which I came across by doing searches on grandma Vicy Ann Hargett. On Frank Everett's Death Certificate, Vicy Ann Hargett, is listed as the his mother.

Back to the 1880 Census

After finding Uncle Frank Everett's death certificate, I went back to the 1880 census. The Frank Hargit enumerated in the 1880 census in the household of John Hargit is the appropriate age to be Uncle Frank. I had initially assumed that Frank was John Hargit's child, Peter was my great grandfather, and the rest of the children were grandma Vicy Ann's and John Hargit's children together. But all indications are now pointing toward both Frank and Peter being Grandma Vicy Ann's children but not John Hargit's children, but I need further evidence to support my theory.

To Be Continued

The Everett 1870 Brick Wall - Part I

In 2010, one of my goals was to bring down the 1870 Brick Wall for my Ewell Ancestors, my paternal grandmother's maternal line. Try as I might, none of the paths I ventured down trying to find the last slave owner of my Ewell Ancestors panned out. So, this year, I've decided to change gears and explore my grandmother's paternal side. Hopefully, I will be more successful following my Everett line.

Before I actually delve into looking for that elusive last slave owner, I should talk about how I arrived at the 1870 impasse of my Everett ancestors. Over the past two years, I've divulged bits and pieces of the journey in researching my Everett Ancestors but don't think I've painted the complete picture. I will break the journey back to 1870 into several post so as not to be too long. Please note that some of this may be reiterations of previous posts.

Great Grandpa Peter Everett

Peter T. "PT" Everett is my great grandfather, Grandmomma Jones' father. I've previously written about Grandpa Peter's death certificate, which listed his parents as Henry Everett and Vica Ann Everett and stated that Grandpa Peter was born in Pitt County, NC.

John Ewell was the informant and is probably one of my grandmother's relatives on her mother's side. I've yet to purse the connection John Ewell may have to my grandmother but hope to one day determine what if any connection there is as I continue to try to track down other descendants.

The death certificate find steered me in the wrong direction initially as I looked in Pitt County, North Carolina for my great grandfather as well as my 2nd great grandparents and was not coming across any documentation to indicate that they were there. That being said, research in Pitt County may still prove to be beneficial since it neighbors Martin County, North Carolina, which is the ancestral home county.

Starting to Put the Pieces Together

In 2010, I requested and received a copy of my great grandparents' marriage license, which I thought I had requested in my early research days.

Their marriage certificate would prove to be launching pad for me finally following my Everett line back to 1870.

While the given names of Grandpa Peter's parents on his death certificate were correct, my great grandparent's marriage license indicate that my 2nd great grandfather's name was Henry Cherry and that my 2nd great grandmother's name was Vicy Ann Hargett and she was still living when my great grandparents married in 1887.

As noted in my previous post on the Hargett surname, this find confirmed the Hargett surname within our family that Aunt Martha had told me about. So, finally, documentation to support the oral history of my family. Further research would prove that the Hargett surname was not my great grandmother's maiden name.

To be continued

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The copy of Peter T. Everett's death certificate was obtained via Ancestry.com. The copy of the marriage certificate for my great grandparents was obtained from the Martin County, North Carolina Register of Deeds.

Amanuensis Monday

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.


I am continuing to work on transcribing the many newspaper clippings contained in an old scrapbook that I inherited from my Aunt Martha after she passed. Many of these old clippings contain references to my paternal grandfather, Rev. H. C. Jones, during his time as Director of the Negro Home and Welfare Association in Winston-Salem, NC.


Home and Welfare Groups to Study Varied Topics

The local Negro Home and Welfare Association announced today project which will be sponsored by adult clubs during the months of January and February in the fields of family relationship, health, gardening, flowers and sewing.

Rev. H. C. Jones, director of the association, stated that “many families have followed devious paths which have resulted in the increase of crime and delinquency because of the lack of the proper training in family relationship.” In order to create interest in this field and to give elementary training to parents and prospective parents, a family relationship project will be sponsored through the adult clubs during the months of January and February by representatives from the Family Service Agency and the County Welfare Department.

It is hoped by the association that this project will lead to establishment of a one-night family relationship institute held periodically in various sections of the city with courses on subjects relation to family life such as pre-marriage, marriage compatibility, family problems, parent-child problems, etc. Such clubs and instates, if made interesting and popular will not only help improve family life and reduce crime but will serve as an asset to the juvenile courts which may recommend parents of the delinquents to attend the courses.

Each club is asked to select the family with the highest percent of its members making a definite contribution to citizenship through leadership in activities in the churches, schools and other agencies. Special honors and prizes will be given to the winning family, it was announced.

The health leader in each club is asked to contact each person in his community and male a list of all who would like a free X-ray examination in February. Time will be allotted in each club for examinations of the group.

Prizes will be given by the Garden Club Council to the person with the highest number of garden units including Winter vegetables planted or growing, compost piles, deep breaking of garden not in use and leaving it in the rough, preparations of seed boxes and hot beds.

Sewing leaders are asked to invite everyone in the neighborhood to bring old clothes made of materials such as rayon faille, bengline, rayon jersey to the next meeting for a contest in making handbags, gloves and scarfs.

This undated article is probably from around 1945 and most likely appeared in either the Twin City Sentinel or the Winston Salem Journal.

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Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them. A fuller explanation can be found here.


Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark atTransylvanianDutch.