documenting my very southern genealogy from the plantation to the frontier
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 couple of weeks ago I started on another pandemic-inspired genealogy project. While it didn't lead to a fully conclusive result, I did learn some interesting things along the way. I have always wondered whether the black Bembrys who come out of eastern North Carolina are connected to "my" Bembrys. As Bembry is such a … Continue reading Looking into North Carolina Bembrys
It took a pandemic lockdown, but I finally tackled my dad's Smith line a couple of weeks ago. I had traced it back his second great-grandfather a few years ago, but stopped there when confronted by an entire county full of Smiths—who all share about five given names! I knew that George Washington Smith, my … Continue reading Finally Sorting Out Smiths
I am still working on my Rives line, and yet more wills and estate records have popped up. Joseph Darnall was my 6th great-grandfather, born in 1741 in Culpeper County, Virginia. His daughter, Jane or Jennie Darnall, married Nathaniel Cunningham. Joseph died in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1812. Joseph's wife and Jennie's mother, Winifred … Continue reading Will of Joseph Darnall, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 12 August 1812
Nathaniel Cunningham was my 5th great-grandfather. I have actually posted his will before, however, that was transcribed from a barely legible copy in a court record. Recently, I found the original will, which is not only easier to read, but differs slightly from the copy. This version makes clear that Nathaniel effectively put his property … Continue reading Will of Nathaniel Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 26 Oct 1830
Slaveholding families held much of their wealth in human capital. And so, they often argued about slaves. When they did, they left court records which provide a lot of information about both themselves and the enslaved people that they were arguing about. David Neal's family is a case in point. In his will, dated 4 … Continue reading Reconstructing an Enslaved Family from Court and Probate Records
I am still unearthing more Virginia ancestors, and finally got "back to the boat" on this one. My 7th great-grandfather, David Neal, was an Irish immigrant. His daughter, Eleanor, married William McGuffey Rives. The grandchildren listed in the will are her children, William Rives, my 5g grandfather, and his sister Joanna Rives Turner. David Neal … Continue reading Will of David Neal, Amelia County, Virginia, 4 June 1775
Last week, family business took us to Blacksburg, Virginia. We had time for a little sightseeing, and decided Smithfield Plantation would be a good option in these COVID times, since the tour is mostly outside. Once I arrived, I realized that this plantation could be comparable to those of the Virginia ancestors I've recently been … Continue reading Smithfield Plantation
A Long Way to Tennessee 