They say that my great-great-grandfather Mr. B. was a mean old man. No one called him by his first name or even by an affectionate name like "Grandpa"--they called him Mr. B. He was very strong too, probably from working on a farm most of his life.
Well, one day Mr. B and 2 of his grandsons (one great uncle and one 2nd cousin) were traveling on a horse pulling a cart. The cart turned over, trapping the 2 young ones underneath while the horse was bucking dangerously. Mr. B. held the horses legs until the 2 young men could escape from under the cart. Mr. B. surely earned his reputation as a strong man!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Draft Card
I found my great-grandfather (grandfather’s father) World War I draft card while searching around again on ancestry.com. I don’t know how I missed it before, but it could be because the birth date my great-grandfather gave on the draft card was 7 years different from what was reported on the 1920 census (the only other record of him).
Speaking of my great-grandfather, I have been having a tough time finding him. The 1920 census says he was born in Tennessee. Even with the new birth date, it’s hard to find a concrete path of where he was before 1920. He has a common first name but unusual last name for an African-American. I found a few instances of a “J.M.” on the previous censuses, but I can only really rule out one family. The other J.M.’s were married in 1900 and 1910 (to different women!) and had other families. However, the women and families disappear in the 1920 census, where I found my great grandfather J.M. with my great-grandmother and grandfather.
He could have possibly been married to these other women. Afterwards, he could have abandoned their families to marry my great-grandmother. This is especially plausible since the family lore is that he eventually left my great-grandmother. However, this story kills the Michigan connection. How did my grandfather end up being born in Michigan? Supposedly, that’s where the M.’s are from. I will have to do more digging to find out the answer.
Speaking of my great-grandfather, I have been having a tough time finding him. The 1920 census says he was born in Tennessee. Even with the new birth date, it’s hard to find a concrete path of where he was before 1920. He has a common first name but unusual last name for an African-American. I found a few instances of a “J.M.” on the previous censuses, but I can only really rule out one family. The other J.M.’s were married in 1900 and 1910 (to different women!) and had other families. However, the women and families disappear in the 1920 census, where I found my great grandfather J.M. with my great-grandmother and grandfather.
He could have possibly been married to these other women. Afterwards, he could have abandoned their families to marry my great-grandmother. This is especially plausible since the family lore is that he eventually left my great-grandmother. However, this story kills the Michigan connection. How did my grandfather end up being born in Michigan? Supposedly, that’s where the M.’s are from. I will have to do more digging to find out the answer.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
My Grandfather
I am told that my grandfather was a private man. He was born in Michigan, raised in Tennessee, and came to Ohio as a young adult. What made my grandfather move so much? The story about his youth was that grandfather was in Michigan until his father died when he was 9, so he moved to Tennessee with his mother’s family. I found my grandfather in Tennessee on the 1920 census, when he was just a toddler, but traces of the family is all but gone in 1930.
What secrets do our ancestors hold about their lives? Before talk shows, reality tv, youtube, and even blogs, most people kept their personal lives personal. Our private pains were kept to ourselves, and our past was erased by simply moving to another state.
I only knew my grandfather’s mother’s name because one of my aunts was named after her. I didn’t even know his father’s name until I ordered his social security application. My grandfather was a teenager living in Tennessee at the time of the application. A zip code search by my brother showed people with our last name living in that same zip code. Are these our long lost relatives that my grandfather left behind? For now, I don’t know.
If my grandfather were alive, my inquisitive self would probably ask him some questions about his family. I know in my parents’ time, such questions were deemed inappropriate and rude, but now with genealogy being so important, especially in the African-American community, I could at least know one thing: where is my family?
What secrets do our ancestors hold about their lives? Before talk shows, reality tv, youtube, and even blogs, most people kept their personal lives personal. Our private pains were kept to ourselves, and our past was erased by simply moving to another state.
I only knew my grandfather’s mother’s name because one of my aunts was named after her. I didn’t even know his father’s name until I ordered his social security application. My grandfather was a teenager living in Tennessee at the time of the application. A zip code search by my brother showed people with our last name living in that same zip code. Are these our long lost relatives that my grandfather left behind? For now, I don’t know.
If my grandfather were alive, my inquisitive self would probably ask him some questions about his family. I know in my parents’ time, such questions were deemed inappropriate and rude, but now with genealogy being so important, especially in the African-American community, I could at least know one thing: where is my family?
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Price of Research
There are many ways to research free. I’m a frequent visitor of Genweb and I get plenty of information from family members and local genealogical societies. However, to really dig in, sometimes you have to pay a price. I’ve subscribed to ancestry.com off and on for the past few years. I’ve also spent money sending off for social security applications for deceased family members.
Some people might think that the costs of doing these things are too much, but I think it’s worth it. Especially since the research and transcription that these services provide is worth a lot more than the $20 or so a month I pay for my subscription or for the copies of the records. I also use my purchases wisely by researching as much as I can while I have a subscription.
So, once you get at a point where you need to take your research to the next level, I’d say that you pay to get access to these records.
Some people might think that the costs of doing these things are too much, but I think it’s worth it. Especially since the research and transcription that these services provide is worth a lot more than the $20 or so a month I pay for my subscription or for the copies of the records. I also use my purchases wisely by researching as much as I can while I have a subscription.
So, once you get at a point where you need to take your research to the next level, I’d say that you pay to get access to these records.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Welcome
My passion for genealogy started when I was a mere 10 years old. “Queen,” the 1993 movie about Alex Haley’s grandmother, was a miniseries on television. Just like when “Roots” came on in 1997, families, especially African American families, began tracing their family tree more extensively.
My class took a field trip to the Paul Lawrence Dunbar house, where I bought My Family Tree Workbook by Rosemary Chorzempa. I eagerly sat with my parents and asked them questions about their family. My mother’s story took me across the Pacific to Fukuoka, Japan, where her family owns a restaurant. My father’s stories told me of this mother’s side in Cartersville, GA, and a family mystery of his father, who was born in Michigan and raised in Tennessee, but never discussed his family.
When I was around 12, my class had a family tree assignment and we were given the same workbook that I had purchased a couple years earlier. I filled it out with my previous information, plus some new information that my parents remembered. Even with the Internet in its infancy, I didn’t think to look up any more information about my family and I rested on my information until I became and adult.
After going to college, I discovered ancestry.com. I had a trial, which I looked up my grandfather’s name. I found him on the social security death index. Eager to learn more information about him, I sent off for a copy of his social security application. I almost forgot about it until it came in the mail. I happily showed my father, who learned the name of my great-grandfather. We already knew my great-grandmother’s name since one of my aunts was named after her. I interviewed a couple of my aunts and gathered some more information, and sat on this information for a few more years.
In 2005, I subscribed for a year of ancestry.com. I dug deeper into my family tree, and found my grandfather and his parents in Tennessee. I then turned to my grandmother’s side and dug deeper there. Through 2006, I was able to trace that side back to 1870. I compiled my information and created a book that I printed and bound for a few family members by Christmas 2006. I was happy to give my father the book, and it brought up more memories for him.
I expanded my family search on my grandmother’s side to her cousins, but my search died down when my subscription expired in 2007. Unfortunately, my father passed away unexpectedly in July 2007. I was devastated and my life changed a great deal. I moved back home to take care of things and started a new job. However, this year, I’m back on the search again to tie up my family’s legacy. I have also started to help my friends trace their family trees.
I started this blog to take note of my journey of genealogical research, and I hope to help my friends and others who may need help in their family search.
My class took a field trip to the Paul Lawrence Dunbar house, where I bought My Family Tree Workbook by Rosemary Chorzempa. I eagerly sat with my parents and asked them questions about their family. My mother’s story took me across the Pacific to Fukuoka, Japan, where her family owns a restaurant. My father’s stories told me of this mother’s side in Cartersville, GA, and a family mystery of his father, who was born in Michigan and raised in Tennessee, but never discussed his family.
When I was around 12, my class had a family tree assignment and we were given the same workbook that I had purchased a couple years earlier. I filled it out with my previous information, plus some new information that my parents remembered. Even with the Internet in its infancy, I didn’t think to look up any more information about my family and I rested on my information until I became and adult.
After going to college, I discovered ancestry.com. I had a trial, which I looked up my grandfather’s name. I found him on the social security death index. Eager to learn more information about him, I sent off for a copy of his social security application. I almost forgot about it until it came in the mail. I happily showed my father, who learned the name of my great-grandfather. We already knew my great-grandmother’s name since one of my aunts was named after her. I interviewed a couple of my aunts and gathered some more information, and sat on this information for a few more years.
In 2005, I subscribed for a year of ancestry.com. I dug deeper into my family tree, and found my grandfather and his parents in Tennessee. I then turned to my grandmother’s side and dug deeper there. Through 2006, I was able to trace that side back to 1870. I compiled my information and created a book that I printed and bound for a few family members by Christmas 2006. I was happy to give my father the book, and it brought up more memories for him.
I expanded my family search on my grandmother’s side to her cousins, but my search died down when my subscription expired in 2007. Unfortunately, my father passed away unexpectedly in July 2007. I was devastated and my life changed a great deal. I moved back home to take care of things and started a new job. However, this year, I’m back on the search again to tie up my family’s legacy. I have also started to help my friends trace their family trees.
I started this blog to take note of my journey of genealogical research, and I hope to help my friends and others who may need help in their family search.
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