documenting my very southern genealogy from the plantation to the frontier
I recently discovered that Edward Hood was my 6th great-grandfather. I don't know all that much about him yet. I do know that he was born before 1740, died about 1811 in Wayne County, NC, and owned several hundred acres along Black Creek, just south of the present-day city of Wilson, NC. One of Edward … Continue reading Will of Edward Hood, 22 July 1807, Wayne County, North Carolina
Years ago, I had traced my maternal Dickerson lineage back to my 4th great-grandfather, a John Dickerson who lived in Benton and Carroll counties, Tennessee. I knew that he was from North Carolina, and I figured he was very likely the John "Dickinson" on the 1820 and 1830 censuses in Wayne County. The name, age, … Continue reading Another Brick Wall Down: John Dickerson, North Carolina to Tennessee
(Note: this post has been updated from a previous version) Joseph Townsend was my 6th great-grandfather. He was born in Virginia, and is likely the Joseph Townsend found on the 1810 census in Frederick County, Virginia. By 1814, he had moved to Overton County, Tennessee where he was granted 55 acres on the Roaring River. … Continue reading Will of Joseph Townsend, Carroll County, Tennessee, 25 August 1843
My Cole line produced a lot of descendants, but not a whole lot of records. They were not especially well-off, and so land and property transactions were few and far between. They weren't equipped to leave behind their own records either: at least four generations of Coles up to my second great-grandfather signed their names … Continue reading Will of John Cole, Wake County, North Carolina, 3 August 1803
The Butlers of Carroll County, Tennessee were a long-lived and exceptionally prolific clan. They were also fond of repeating names, making sorting Butlers almost as difficult as sorting Dickens. "My" Thomas Butler lived near at least three other Thomas Butlers, two in Carroll County and one more for good measure in neighboring Madison County. There … Continue reading Thomas Butler, 1792-1866
George Griggs was my 10th great-grandfather, and takes the line "back to the boat." He was from the village of Lavendon, in Buckinghamshire, England. George, his wife Alice Siptharpe (or Sipthorpe) and their children emigrated to the American colonies as part of the Great Migration of Puritans that took place from 1630-1635. They traveled with … Continue reading Will of George Griggs, Boston, Massachusetts, 4 May 1655
Robert Latimer was my 8th great-grandfather on my one and only New England line. His detailed will and later estate inventory reveals a prosperous man, with numerous tracts of land, herds of livestock, and luxury items such as featherbeds "check'd coverlids" and 24 books. The tracts of land mentioned are easily identified as being on … Continue reading Will of Robert Latimer, New London, Connecticut, 12 August 1727
Yesterday, during coverage of Joe Biden's presidential win, I heard his full name for the first time. "Joseph Robinette Biden Jr." And I thought, I'm sure I've heard that middle name (which is his mother's maiden name) before. I checked my database, and indeed, my 5th great-grandmother was Rachel Robinette Beasley, daughter of a John … Continue reading Cousin Joe
John Burney was the father of this John Burney and my 6th great-grandfather. I have been researching him for the last week—going down a Scots-Irish rabbit hole!—and I have more information to write about, but I first wanted to make his will available as a separate post. Note the mention of "my Negroe man Jeffrey." … Continue reading Will of John Burney, Guilford County, North Carolina, 22 August 1794
William Latimer was a prosperous Middle Tennessee farmer, and my 4th great-grandfather. His wife, Catherine, had been one my brick walls, until, as part of my Pandemic Project of identifying female ancestors, I came around to examining the Latimer line again. So many Ancestry tree hints identify people without providing any evidence to support the … Continue reading Will of John Burney, Robertson County, Tennessee, 6 January 1819
A Long Way to Tennessee 