Women's History Month - #2

In continuing on with Women's History Month, the following challenge question was issued:

March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is my mother, Ida Stevens Clemens.  It was probably taken in the 1940's in either Kentucky or West Virginia.  Mom was born in 1913, so my best guest is that she was in her early 30's.

This photo has always been one of my favorites, because it shows a young and happy woman that seems so happy and vivacious.  It was post-Depression in the hills of Appalachia, yet she glows.

I did not know my mother when she was young.  I was born when she was 41 years old, and in 1955 that was considered "awfully old to be having a baby".  Most of my friends had grandparents that were the age of my parents.

But, this shows my mom just full of life.  What a beautiful young woman she was!

Women's History Month - #1

This month, I have decided to accept the challenge given by Lisa Alzo for Women's History Month.

Half of our pedigree belongs to our female ancestors.  They are just as important, yet many times remain silent entitites.  Many did not have voices in ownership of land and property, or even in choosing their own life partner.

Yet, they are ours.

For the first day of challenge, I include the following:

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

I have thought a lot about this one, and decided that my favorite female ancestor is the unknown one.  We all have one.

The above photo came from a CD that contained many photos of my husband's ancestors.  Many, if not most of the photos are labeled.  This one is not.  It is simply entitled "Unknown Jensen Girl".

She's unknown to us, but perhaps someone knows who she is.  

She must have a story to tell.  She probably grew up with her family.  She was probably part of the early Mormon pioneers making the trek by handcart to the Salt Lake Valley.  She may have fallen in love, married and had a family.  

We just don't know.

Yet her story deserves to be told.  I just wish we knew what it was...

Helping another...just because

A few months ago, I received a phone call from the Temple President in Columbus, Ohio.  A lady who was not a member of our church had called the temple, wanting to know if someone could help her find out something about her family.  She wasn't even sure who her father's family was.

President Brandt said, "Point her to Peggy!"

I called the woman, told her who I was, and reassured her that I was someone she could trust.  She  was African-American,  and was elderly.  I asked her a few questions, again reassuring her that she need not fear me, and told her I would get back with her as soon as I had something.

Her family was not that difficult to find.  I spent part of an afternoon doing some basic research and locating her family in census records, death records and obituaries.

I ended up taking her family back to the Civil War days.  Imagine that!  Clear back to the days of bondage.

I called her again to tell her I found some things she would be interested in, and asked her for her address.  Again, she was a bit hesitant, but I told her that once I sent the items to her I would shred her phone number and address.

I sent sixty pages of her family's history to her.

I didn't hear from her for a couple of weeks.  I just chalked it up to an "Oh, well" moment, and went on my way.

Then, the phone call came.  She was beyond ecstatic!!  She had shared the information with her children and grandchildren, and they were excited to take it to the next level.  I told her that it might be a challenge to get beyond the Civil War, and that she should refer to the web sites I had given her in my letter to her.

This was one of those wonderful, feel-good moments that come in helping another.  I don't know if Miss Pauline will ever know her pre-Civil War family, but what I sent to her brought her and her family great joy - which in turn, gave me great joy.

Do I Have Enough Proof? Reading to the end of the line.

I have been stuck on one of my Collier lines for years.  I guess my parents were, too.

This is a photo of Anna Walker and John Beauregard Collier, my father's grandparents.  He knew them well.  John was named for his father, John B. Collier.  After that, we've always been a bit unsure.

I use this particular slide in the classes I teach, for it shows that not all handwriting was atrocious.  This is actually pretty good!  Once you get into the mode of reading it, the lettering begins to flow.

The record on the left shows that John B. Collier and Rebecca Roberts asking for permission to be joined together in the holy state of matrimony.  It is dated the 20th day of February 1852 in Lee County, Virginia.

The record on the right is the minister's return, stating that he joined them together in the holy state of matrimony on 22nd day of Feb 1852.  It is dated 3 Mar 1852.

I have not ever been able to find the parents of John.  I have scoured the records and the cemeteries and the courthouses of southwest Virginia trying to find something to prove who is parents were.  I did keep running across a man by the name of Aaron J. Collier, a physician.  He is quite prominent.

I ordered microfilm records of Lee County, Virginia and searched them carefully, only to send them back to Salt Lake City.  On a whim, I reordered a birth register for the area to once again see if there was anything I had overlooked.

As a young genealogist, I didn't always look all the way across the page.  In the above slide, you be able to see LeGrand Collier's record of birth.  His father, John, is in the right column.  It is about one-third of the way down.

Now you can see the second page of the ledger where Rebecca Collier is listed as his mother.  This is where I always stopped.

If you continue on to the last two columns, you can see where the informant is listed as A.J. Colier.  His relationship?  "G.F."

I'm pretty sure this is the Aaron J. Collier, physician, that I have seen in so many records.  But, the relationship has me hopefully optimistic.

Could "G.F." be "grandfather"?  Could it?  Please, could it?

Could it be little LeGrand's grandfather and John's father?

I know it will take more work to prove this relationship, but it's more than I've had in the past.  And, I might have had it earlier if I had just read to the end of the line!

How Pawpaw Got His Name

My maternal grandfather's name was Corbett Sullivan Stevens.

Pawpaw was born in 1892 in Winkler, Elliott County, Kentucky.  We think.

Corbett Sullivan is not really a Kentucky name.  It has no hillbilly roots.  And, there is absolutely no namesake, no naming pattern, nothing that would elude as to why he was given this name.

His own father died at a very young age.  He was only 27 years old, and his mother eventually married again.

The Stevens name is quite common in eastern Kentucky.  Many of them are descended from Gilbert Stevens/Stephens, a Revolutionary War patriot who eventually moved to Morgan County, Kentucky.  It has not been difficult to follow his descendants.

My mother often said that Pawpaw didn't really know his own birthdate.  When asked to provide one for military service or Social Security, he basically made one up.  The date he made up was 6 Sep 1892.  Apparently, it was good enough.

Recently, I was talking with my uncle, the last of the long line of children from Corb and wife Bertha's family.  I asked him if he had any idea how his father had gotten his name.  Uncle Dick replied that he thought he was named after a prize fighter.

A prize fighter?

I came home and began to do a Google search on anything about the name Corbett Sullivan.  A whole new world opened up to me.

James J. Corbett was quite the prizefighter.  He was a professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion.  His father brought the family from Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Corbett

His most famous fight was against John L. Sullivan, which took place on 7 Sep 1892.  Now, scroll upwards and look at the birthdate of my grandfather again.

John Sullivan was the first American athlete to earn over a million dollars.  He was born in the South End of Boston to Irish immigrant parents, and was known as The Boston Strongboy.  In 1892, he agreed to defend his title by fighting Gentleman Jim Corbett in New Orleans.  Tickets went for the hefty price of $5-15, and the venue was filled with 10,000 spectators.

Corbett was younger and faster, and was able to dodge the blows from Sullivan.  After 21 rounds, it was over.  Corbett had won the fight against Sullivan.  Later, Sullivan remarked, "If I had to get licked, I'm glad I was licked by an American."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Sullivan

Apparently, news of this fight made it all the way to the hills and hollers of Eastern Kentucky.  And quite possibly, my mother's family knew of it.

Now, do I know for sure that my grandfather was named in honor of this famous fight?  No.  I don't know that I'll ever know that for sure.  What I do know is that for several earlier generations, there is absolutely no one named Corbett or Sullivan in the Stevens family of Eastern Kentucky.

I am grateful for www.wikipedia.com for providing the information necessary for this blogpost.  I would never have known about it otherwise.

A grateful heart, and it's written down!

Can I ever be grateful enough?

My mother was one of the most influential people in my life.  She taught me to appreciate all the parts of my life - both the good and the not-so-good.  She was not a despondent person, and I never once saw her depressed.

One thing she emphasized to me a lot was the attitude of being grateful.  She said that if I whined about things too much, the Lord just might give me something to whine about.  She had learned this from her parents, who learned it from their parents, who learned it from...

Because of her good example, I have tried to be grateful for all things in my life.  I am thankful for the good times, when life has been a bit flush and is going smoothly.  But, I am also thankful for the trials that have come into my life.  They have taught me to appreciate the good times.  And, there is usually a lesson to be learned.

A few years ago, my sister gave me a small, skinny, spiral-bound blank book.  It was cute, but I didn't really know what I was going to do with it.  Then, one day it dawned on me what it would be perfect for - a gratitude journal!

It took me two years to fill it up, for I would do it during the passing of the sacrament (communion) at church.  It was a perfect time to reflect on just how much the Lord has done for me in my life.

Some of the things that are included may seem a bit odd when first looking through it.  There are the normal things, like family, grandchildren, home, husband, parents, etc.

But then, I stretch it out to include things that we may take for granted.  In the words of a very wise man:  "Sometimes the things we take for granted are the things other people are praying for."

These have grown to include:  good dental care, tears, my five senses, technology, windshields, hair, etc.  The list goes on and on.

I could fill volumes with the things I am thankful for.  And, I intend to do just that.  I want my posterity to see and notice those things that their grandmother did not take for granted.

And, it's in my own handwriting.  It would be much easier and much faster to do such a volume on the computer, but I want them to know what my handwriting looked like.  I would give anything to see what some of my ancestors' handwriting looked like.

So, 2012 is coming to a close, and so is my fourth Gratitude Journal.  Next week, I'll begin a new one with a whole new list of things to record.

And, it will be different than all of the previous ones.  The older we get, the more of a reverence we have for life...including our own.

Mapping Our Family's History

I love maps!

I have always loved maps.  From the time I was a young girl, my father would place a road map into my hands and I would follow along the route, never once having to ask "are we there yet?"  He told me how proud he was that I could read a road map, for none of his sisters could.

Mr. Kerry and I taught our own children how to read maps, supplying them with their own mini-road atlas as we crossed the country.  Those children were very good at orienteering during their Army years.

But in tracing one's genealogy, it's nearly impossible to create an accurate history without using maps.  I have my own collection, and they are not up for borrowing in my family.  Y'all just get your own!

Once, when I was teaching a series of genealogy classes, the subject of using maps was being emphasized.  I brought some of the most important ones that I have that show nooks and crannies and creeks that contain family names in Carter County, Kentucky.  

One gentleman suggested to me that I needed a Hildebrand map.  Okay, what's a Hildebrand map?  He said just call the public library in Roanoke, Virginia, and they would direct me on how to get one.  

So, I did.  They said they had all of them, and wanted to know which one I wanted.  I didn't know, so I asked them what they had.  When she told me, I knew I had to have them all.  It would cost $96.  I asked if they took Visa, which they did not.  But, she said just send a check in the mail.  She would go ahead and send the maps.  My sisters shared the cost.

When they arrived, nothing else in my house got done.  Nothing.  I perused these maps for days - and I still do!  Mr. Hildebrand was a cartographer who lived in Virginia.  He devised these Settlement Maps that show the residences of people in the county, and the year they first appeared in the county.

The above map is for Franklin County, Virginia, and comprises the years 1786-1886.

How I wish there were more "Mr. Hildebrands" for all of the areas I research in!!  He has done a project that to me is more valuable than most anything else I have.  My sisters and I have spread these maps out and highlighted family members.  Months later, we return to the same map to highlight more.

Other states may have similar maps.  Some may be called a settlement map, others may be a simple plat map.

He's no longer alive so that I may personally thank him.  But, I will forever be indebted to him.

J.R. Hildebrand Settlement Maps

•Roanoke Farms

•Fincastle County

•Wythe County

•Town of Salem

•Original Grants, Roanoke

•Beverly Patent, Orange & Augusta

•Borden Grant, west of Blue Ridge

•Pulaski County

•Rockbridge County

•Franklin County

•Augusta County

•Botetourt County

•Bedford County

•Montgomery County

Roanoke Public Library
706 S Jefferson St. – Roanoke, VA  24016
540-853-2473