Follow Friday

Viewing and Reading Inspired by the Ancestors

Several months ago, Dionne Ford, Finding Josephine, mentioned how her journey to trace her family history had broadened her reading tastes.

I agree with her. (Friends and coworkers are always picking at me about the books I read.) For me, in addition to broadening the scope of my reading, it’s also broadening the scope of my viewing pleasure.

The documentary Family Name has been out for a while, but I only recently come across it and decided to purchase it.

Similar to Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball, Family Name documents the journey of a young man, Macky Alston, in exploring his family’s slave owning past. The documentary was the winner of the 1997 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS September 15, 1998. I acquired a copy of the film through Half.com. It can also be purchased via Amazon.

One of the things that drew me to this documentary film was is its ties to North Carolina. Whether book or film, if it documents slave ancestry in North Carolina, I gravitate toward it. I think it is how I make up for the lack of stories on the paternal side of my family.

In the documentary, this seemed to be a spiritual journey as well as a genealogical journey for Macky Alston. Ironically, in the credits at the end of the documentary, it is revealed that Macky really isn’t an Alston at all, since his 3rd great grandfather was illegitimate.

Amanuensis Monday - Parenthood Training Contest

One of my goals for 2011 is to transcribe the newspapers clippings contained in a scrapbook inherited from my Aunt Martha. 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.

Competition For Parents Nears Finish

The Parenthood Training Contest of the Negro Home and Welfare Association will close on Saturday, August 20, when the three winning families will be presented awards at 6:15 p.m. over station WAIR.

Judges for the contest are: Mrs. L. E. Fowler of the Retail Merchants Association; Mr. Lillian Noell of the Department of Public Welfare; Professor George L. Johnson of the Winston-Salem Teachers College; Mrs. Charles W. Ward of the Minister’s Wives Alliance and Mrs. G. W. Rowland of the Negro Home and Welfare Association.

Rev. H. C. Jones, director of the Association, states that the Negro Home and Welfare Association feels very keenly that parenthood training stands first in the educational system. Therefore, it is attempting not only to awaken greater interest in this training, but also to create a greater consciousness on the part of the home and community of their obligation to the child and to society; and to give instructions and suggestions towards the solution of the parent-child problem.

Training Continues

While the parenthood training contest closes within the next week the training offered to parents will continue indefinitely. It is the hope of the organization that all homes will be reached through this program.

During the next year, the organization will give instructions through the Parent-Teachers Associations by radio and through a Family Relations Institute which is now being planned. The Institute will offer courses in courtship, marriage compatibility and parenthood training.

The current contest is being sponsored through the Negro Home and Welfare Association by the Retail Merchants.



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 at TransylvanianDutch.

Surname Saturday - Everett

One of the joys that I experienced during 2010 on my paternal line was finally being able to confirm a 2nd great grandmother on my Everett line. In the process, I also unearthed, by all indications to date, my 3rd great grandparents.


Putting more of the pieces together on my Everett line began when I obtained a copy of my great grandparents’ marriage certificate. Without it, coming across my great grand uncle’s death certificate, and rereading a letter that my aunt had sent me years ago, I would have never arrived at a family I wrote down some 20 years was indeed my ancestors.

I still need to do a series on how I put the pieces together but for this Surname Saturday, I will just introduce more of my Everett line.

My Everett Lineage is as follows:

1. Me

2. Dad

3. Iola Luvenia Everett Jones, born abt May 1895 in the Crossroads section of Everetts, Martin County, NC; died 5 Apr 1969 in Shelby, Cleveland County, NC. Internment Evergreen Cemetery, Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC

4. Peter T. Everett, born abt. 1863 in Martin County, NC, most likely the Cross Roads area; died 27 Jan 1931 in Cross Roads, Martin, NC; possibly interred in Everetts Cemetery, Everetts, Martin, NC

5. Vicy Ann Everett, born abt. 1845 in North Carolina. Internment and date of death are unknown. The additional information leads me to belive that my 2nd great grandmother's first name is Vicy and not Vica has previously posted. Grandma Vicy Ann married John Hargett between 1870 and 1880 and had more children.

6. Frank Everett, born abt. 1798 in North Carolina. Date of Death – unknown. Internment – unknown.

Venus Everett, born abt. 1800 in North Carolina. Date of Death – unknown. Internment – unknown

Amanuensis Monday - Presenting an Award

Part of my inherited artifacts includes an old scrapbook with various newspaper clippings, many of which include my paternal grandfather or references to him. As the pages of this old scrapbook have longed since yellowed and are beginning to crumble, I thought that participation in Amanuensis Monday would help accomplish two goals: 1) provide material for Conversations with my Ancestors and 2) help me to finally transcribe these items.


As provided by Dictonary.com, an Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Based on the other articles in the scrapbook, this undated article is probably from around 1945 and most likely appeared in either the Twin City Sentinel or the Winston Salem Journal.

School Given Funds to Buy New Uniforms

A donation of $288 to be used for glee club uniforms was made to Columbia Height Elementary School last week by the school’s Grade Mothers.

Mrs. Mattie DeBerry made the presentation at the final meeting of the PTA organization.

Mr. and Mrs. Agnell Muldrow received an award from the Negro Home and Welfare Association for having done the most toward curing juvenile delinquency. The award was presented by the Rev. H. C. Jones, director of the association.

Mrs. Margie Ingram Muldrow was elected president of the PTA. Others elected were: Mrs. Ruth Patterson, secretary; Mrs. Julia McCoy, assistant secretary; Mrs. Eva Mae Harris, treasurer; and Mrs. Annie D. Moore, reporter.

G. A. Hall, who retired as president after three years, was presented a gift from the PTA by Mrs. Christine Sawyer, president of the Grade Mothers.

The Re. Jerry Drayton was principal speaker.

The caption under the picture reads A PRIZE for success in helping to build children’s character was presented to Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Muldrow by the Rev. H. C. Jones, left, director of the Negro Home and Welfare Association, during a meeting of the Columbia Heights Elementary School.

Rev. H. C. Jones was my paternal grandfather.

*****

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.

Happy New Year - 2011

Goals for 2010

2010 is coming to a close and I must apologize to the readers of Conversations With My Ancestors. I’ve not done nearly enough blogging this year about the research on the paternal side of my family. I even had some successes on the research front. Unfortunately, I never managed to get them posted to the blog.

My plethora of excuses for not blogging include: 1) For whatever reason, I had a problem with a spammer on this blog that sort of deterred me a little but probably the biggest problem is 2) on my paternal side, I simply don’t have the family stories as I do on the maternal side of family. That’s partly due to having grown up around the majority of my maternal aunts, uncles, and cousins while my much smaller paternal side was scattered. It’s also due to the fact that yes, that side of my family simply did not talk about the past. I’ve refused to use that as an excuse in my research, so it definitely will should not be an excuse for my blogging.

With regard to my research for my paternal ancestors, I only have three goals for 2011.

1. A research trip to Martin, Pitt, and Bertie Counties, NC.
2. Scan all the pictures I inherited from Aunt Martha and distribute them to my cousins. 
3. Blog more!!!!!

Advent of Christmas Memories, Day 4 - Christmas Cards

While the maternal side of my family loved to send and receive all sorts of beautiful Christmas cards this time of the year, it was the paternal side of my family, specifically my first cousin LaLeatrice, who introduced us to idea of the annual Christmas letter.

I was so hooked on the annual Christmas letter that the year Cousin LaLeatrice announced that she was discontinuing the annual letter that it didn’t register. When it finally did register, I was a little distraught. But not to fear, her daughter LaZealtrice picked up the torch and we now look forward to her annual Christmas letter. And somewhere along the way, I even started sending out my own letter about the adventures of mom, dad, the granddog, and yours truly.

I had thought that I wouldn’t send out cards / letter this year but in writing this post on Christmas Cards, I find myself getting motivated to do it one more year. However, I have to warn you, it may be a tad late.

The following is the 2005 letter from Cousin LaZealtrice. What a genealogical gem this is and will be.

This 2005 Christmas letter is part of the personal collection of the owner of this blog.