Five wives, nine lives, and an understated obituary.
He Was Useful in His Day
Category: Genealogy
Valentine’s Day Couples
For Valentine's Day, four photos of couples from my family tree.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Slave Records on Ancestry.com
It is very common for white genealogists not to know about, or not to know the full extent of, slave holding in their own families. Until a few years ago, I was one of them! One reason is that genealogy websites do not put this kind of information front and center. In fact, it is … Continue reading Hiding in Plain Sight: Slave Records on Ancestry.com
Consolidating My Family History Blogs
While this blog covers my maternal line, I've also kept a similar blog for my paternal line, Bembry Roots. I just merged that blog into this one so now everything is in one place. Phew! I also took the opportunity to streamline and update the design. I'm still working out the last kinks, but hopefully, … Continue reading Consolidating My Family History Blogs
(Finally) Adding Enslaved People To My Family Tree
If you are a descendant of slave holders, there are two parts to researching that aspect of your family history. 1.) Finding the enslaved people in records and documents. I am learning a lot about that, through trial and error, and will post more about it later. 2.) Figuring out an accurate and respectful system … Continue reading (Finally) Adding Enslaved People To My Family Tree
Chunky Bob Shaw and the Old Lady
Please note that since this post was published, I have discovered that these Robert Shaw is not, in fact, my ancestor. However, I have left the post online for anyone else who may find it to be useful to their research. I've recently taken a deep dive into the Revolutionary War pension file of Robert … Continue reading Chunky Bob Shaw and the Old Lady
Slaves Held by the Shaw Family of Sumner County, Tennessee
Please note that since this post was published, I have discovered that these Shaws are not, in fact, my ancestors. However, I have left the post online for anyone else who may find it to be useful to their research. Whenever I find a slave holder in the family, I try to post as much … Continue reading Slaves Held by the Shaw Family of Sumner County, Tennessee
Slaves Held by Thomas Bembry
Thomas Bembry was my 4th great-grandfather, and an unlucky man. The slaves that he held were also unlucky, as they were all eventually sold off to settle debts. The first mention of slaves held by Thomas Bembry that I have found occurs in 1821, when his wife, Patsy Dicken, inherited slaves from her grandfather, Nathan … Continue reading Slaves Held by Thomas Bembry
The Right Butler!
The family story was always that my great-grandparents, Carzy Clifford Cole and Ruth Esther Dickerson, both from Carroll County, Tennessee, were some how related. In fact, as the story goes, Carzy, one of the multitudinous Cole clan, told Ruth shortly after they started "walking out" he was so glad that he'd found someone in the … Continue reading The Right Butler!
The Wrong Duncan!
Several years ago, I had researched the family of Ruth Ann Duncan, my great-great-great grandmother. I thought I had easily located her as a "Ruth M Duncan" in the household of a Jonathan Duncan in Henry County, Tennessee in 1850. This Jonathan Duncan was frankly a pain to research, since he wandered all over three states … Continue reading The Wrong Duncan!
A Long Way to Tennessee 