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Journeys Through Jackson 1994 Vol.04 No.09-10

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  • Journeys Through Jackson is the official journal of the Jackson County Genealogical Society, Inc. The journal began as a monthly publication in July 1991, was published bimonthly from 1994 to 2003, and continues today as a quarterly publication. The journal issues in this digital collection are presented as annual compilations.
  • J o u r n e y s ' T h r o u g h J a c l ( s o n The OfficialJournalof the Jacfcon County QeneahgicalSociety, Inc. Vol W, 9{p. 9-10 Septem6er-Octo6er, 1994 President's Message I went back to Cullowhee to get a VCR repaired and came away with a whole lot of memories about growing up within a hundred yards of the repair place. When I was a small boy my daddy had a T-model Ford and Bill Ingram had four small lots in Cullowhee facing the highway. Bill wanted that Model-T and my daddy wanted a place to build a house, so it's not surprising that they got together and made a trade—then came the building of a house. This was even before the Depression and the only lumber that was to be had for the price that my daddy could afford was green oak. It did dry after some time, but we had some pretty good cracks to deal with. This was no major problem because we also had newspapers and cull paper from the paper mill in Sylva to fill up the cracks and cover the walls inside. We lived there many years and survived many cold nights. We never even knew that it was hard because it was all that we had at the time. I'm getting away from my story a little, which was to be about that big hole in the side of the hill facing the highway. We grew up with a lot of business coming to Cullowhee; most of the people who came on later never knew of them. First of all we had Moss's Store which was general groceries and feed and connected to that was a dance hall. Then there was a dry goods store with rooms above. Also, a small restaurant in the next building. But then comes the surprise. There were two car dealerships—one was in the two-story brick building, but on the corner next to the river was a Hudson dealership. They had at the time three or four Hudson Terraplanes. The thing I remember about the Hudson was that the floorboard was lower than the bottom of the doors. You would step down to get in and at that time it was different Robert Brown owned one of them and somebody in Dix Gap owned another, but this is still not what I'm writing about One morning about one o'clock somebody was yelling real loud down at the road and we thought it was Alvin Henson, known to us as Chink, and also known to us that he did some celebrating on several occasions. He seemed to be saying that the town was all high, but actually he said the town is on fire. The first four buildings from the edge of our yard were burning by the time we could get out. There was an outside stairway between the cafe and the brick building that was the Chevrolet place, and that opening must have saved the rest of Cullowhee. There was no Are department to help and the Tire just burned out and the walls fell in the right direction. We carried water and threw on our house which was so hot that steam would come off the walls and the window glass broke from the heat It survived the big fire back then but burned down recently after being partially demolished. I'm going to send somebody to pick up that VCR. I could probably write a book with one more visit Our genealogical society is alive and well. We are selling some books all along and the same faithful members attend the meetings. If you are not one of them, we would love to have you back. Set aside the second Thursday nite and mark your calendar. If you grew up in Cullowhee in the twenties and thirties you could possibly tell some good stories. See you on October 13. Archie * * * * * * * * CALENDAR Regular Society Meeting, October 13, 7:00 p.mn Jacksoa Comity Public Library. October 28-19, NCGS Workshop, Raleigh (see flyer at back of this issue). Regular Society Meeting, November 10, 7:00 pan., place to be announced Society Annual Meeting, December 8, 7:00 p-m., place to be announced. Edd Dong Davis, Jackson County's First Sheriff A. M. Bumgarner. I was elected to the office of Sheriff, and so have the distinction of having been the first sheriff of this county. When the business of electing county officers was dispatched, the court moved its sitting to an old log church which stood near the present residence of ex-sheriff W. A. Henson, and there appointed road overseers and patrollers. The organization of the county was completed by drawing the following list of jurors, of whom all are now dead except Thomas Henson and George Bumgarner: Wm. Candler, Bazee Lusk, Aaron Butler, John B. Wilkes, H. T. Galloway, John Davis, Frederick Huffman, George Bumgarner, Hugh Rogers, Albert Hyatt, James Connelly, Absolom Woodring, Silas Green, Ben Williams, Isaac Mason, A. C. Coleman, James Wilson, J. M. Henson, Wm. Henderson, J. J. Hooper, W. R. Buchanan, James Fisher, George Buchanan, John Monteith, Joel S. Conner, Wm. Norton, Josiah Watson, James Kirkland, Amos Ashe, Philip Dills, E. D. Brendle, Abe Hyatt, Ben Harris, A. M. Gocher, arid G. W. Clayton. The following is the list of magistrates who qualified at the organization of the county, all of whom have passed away: Allen Fisher, Wm. R. Crawford, A. M. Bumgarner, Peter King, Jonas B. Sherrill, John Wilson, Jacob Wike, L. C. Hooper, W. H. Higdon, W. R. Buchanan, James McKinney, and John Zachary. I held the office of sheriff for twelve successive years. When my last term expired, I engaged in farming for the three ensuing years and then made the race for clerk of the Superior court, against M. M. Brown, the father of the present incumbent of the office. I was successful in this race and held the office for six years. While still in this office I made the race for representative against G. W. Spake, Dr. J. M. Candler, and Harve London. I was again successful, and served in the legislature of 1874-5 in which-1 voted in favor of the constitutional convention which amended and removed from the county its "carpet bag" features. Some years afterwards I was elected a member of the Board of County Commissioners and served in that capacity for six years. In all, thirty years of my life have been spent in office, taking into consideration —years term as justice of the peace my official life beginning in the office of Sheriff when I was twenty-five years old. The first election held for the elections of members of the General Assembly was in 1854, when CoL T. D. Bryson, was elected, having defeated John B. Allison. Bryson was defeated in 1856 by J. R.- Dills by 11 votes. Bryson was re-elected in 1858. In 1860 Col. Jas. R. Love was elected. Joseph Keener succeeded him in 1862. He was succeeded in 1864 by W. A. Enloe. In 1866 T. D. Bryson was again returned to the Legislature. E. M. Painter sncceeded him in 1868. T. D. Bryson was again elected in 1870, and he was succeeded in 1872 by J. N. Bryson. The recollection of the present generation will reach back this far, and I shall not mention the representatives chosen since that time. From the Historic Webster newsletter Edd Doug Davis, known as Doog Davis, became in 1853 the first sheriff of Jackson County. With the exception of the period he lived, while sheriff, in the jail at Webster, he spent his adult life on his large farm located between Webster and Cullowhee. Today this area is called Rolling Green. Sheriff Davis and his wife Nancy Allen, daughter of Nathan Allen of Webster, were the parents of seven sons and two daughters. Mr. Davis, who died at his home August 25, 1911, is buried in the family plot in Webster Cemetery along with his wife, two of his sons, Nathan A. and Joe W., and other members of later generations of Davises. 100 Table of Contents Journeys Through Jackson, September-October, 1994 Edd Doug (Doog) Davis, Jackson County's First Sheriff 99-100 "One Ark Short" 101-104 1870 Jackson County Mortality Schedule 105-106 Nation Family Roots in Jackson County 107-108 Queries 108 A Connected Gathering 109-110 Long Distance Research (A Research Aid) 111-116 Jerry Frady Carlisle Pedigree Chart 117 Charles Williams Pedigree Chart 118 Index 119-121 Announcements 122 * * * * * * * * * * * * EDD DOUG (DOOG) DAVIS, JACKSON COUNTY'S FIRST SHERIFF (The Jackson County Journal of January 29, 1906, carried the following autobiography of the county's first sheriff and has some interesting information about the county's formation. This same article was printed in the Historic Webster newsletter in April, 1974, with some parenthetical, explanatory comments.) The author of this article was born in Buncombe County (now Transylvania) Sept 4, 1827. My father lived where the late George C. Neil lived to the time of his death, on what was then known as Lamb's Creek which was a tributary of French Broad River. Its head waters were near where Davidson's river has its source, with which it ran parallel but being much smaller. It was then known as Ben Davidson's river but of late years the "Ben" has been dropped. There has been a postoffice at this place for more than seventy years. Davidson's River postmaster, Ben Davidson, was my great-grandfather. When I attended school the course embraced reading, writing, and arithmetic My teachers were David Hadden, Benj. D. Gullick, and James Patton. During the winter of 1839-40 I attended a school at an old Presbyterian camp ground, this school being taught by Charles McDowell Paxton, under the same conditions as the other teachers. In the spring of 1840 my father moved to Caney Fork (then Haywood County). I worked on the farm and attended several little schools taught by E. B. Erwin and B. B. Edmonston. My last school days were spent under the instruction of that whole-souled clever young man, J. Newton Bryson, in the year 1857. The old log school house stood near where the store house of Henson Brothers, of Painter (Cullowhee), now stands. (The store house was at the northwest end of bridge.) This now brings us to the time when Jackson County was organized, the statute under which it was done providing that it be organized at the dwelling house of Daniel Bryson. This was done about the 20th or 21st day of March, 1853. His Honor J. W. Ellis (afterward Governor) was holding the spring term of the court and appointed J. Newton Bryson, Clerk of the Superior Court Ellis was Governor when hostilities broke out between the states. President Lincoln called on him to furnish 7500 soldiers to bring the South under subjection, to which Ellis sent an indignant refusal, of course. When the magistrates appointed had qualified, they proceeded to the election of the following County officers: Clerk County Court, J. Keener; Coroner, Charles Bumgarner; Register, J. D. Buchanan; Trustee (now treasurer), 99 (Editor's note: You will recall that we left Leo Cowan and friends seeking direction from a higher source as they struggled to deal with the great flood of August, 1940. Now for the rest of the story.) .ONE ARK SHORT (Continued from July-August issue) I stood there in that raging creek, trying my best to get some of my religious teaching straightened out in a hurry. I remembered Aunt Etta, my junior Sunday School teacher, telling us some Bible stories. Naturally, the first one I thought of was Noah and the Ark in a flood that must have been at least as big as this one, and to hear her tell it, it was probably a lot bigger. However, there did seem to be two big differences in Noah's predicament and ours: we didn't have any wine to celebrate our survival, if we survived, and even if our flood was smaller, we were still up one angry .creek and were one ark-short. The Noah bit didn't seem to apply to our situation. I decided that prayer was the next best hope, so I started with, "AH things bright and beautiful,, all things great arid small..." and knew right off that this would not cut it The only other prayer that came to mind was, "Now I lay .me down to sleep..." which was downright depressing at a time when I needed all the uplifting I could get At this point I decided to go whole hog and ask for divine intervention. There seemed to be precedent for such a request I remembered Aunt Etta telling us about the Israelites' trials in their exodus from bondage in Egypt Aunt Etta could never just say Israelite. She always upped it to a whole host of Israelites. According to her, a whole host of Israelites were high-tailing it out through the desert, leaving bondage and Egypt, seeking the land of milk and honey, and if it took them as long as Aunt Etta said, it was probably buttermilk and honey by the time they got there. The whole host of Israelites that were hot-footing it through the sand were being chased by the mighty Pharaoh's, mighty army, and just at sundown, the Israelites realized they were trapped between the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh's army behind them .and darkness and gloom settling round about them and they should have been sore afraid, but Moses, their leader, knew the Israelites had found favor in the eyes of the Lord. The Israelites practiced a.peculiar kind of pruning that pleased the Lord, so He had a strong wind blow out of the East all night When morning came, the Red Sea had a wall of water on the right and-a wall of water on the left and a dry sandy path between the-walls that allowed the whole host of Israelites to cross without even getting their sneakers wet When Pharaoh's army marched up to the sea and saw the two walls of water, the drill sergeant said, "Ahabah," which being interpreted, means, "Twph, halt and at ease until we can see if the Israelites, whose little Lebanese tennis shoe tracks we see in the sand, are actually going in the direction the tracks are going or were they walking backwards to make ns think they were coming from a place, when in reality they were actually goipg somewhere!" After they decided their late guests had crossed the Sea and even now were entering the wilderness, the little drill sergeant with the big drill voice yelled, "Ten-shun, for hor, hup, trap, ree, or," and marched forth between the water walls. When they were halfway through, the Lord pulled a, Jericho on them,.and Pharaoh's army got drownded. It may have been the situation I was in that made me see Aunt Etta's Bible lesson in an entirely different light to which I had always seen i t Up to this point, I had always thought of the Israelites as the good guys and Pharaoh and his draftees as the heavys. If someone had told me at suppertime that before the rooster crowed I'd be standing in a raging .torrent -up to my ear lobes, pulling for the Egyptians, I'd have said their belfry was in desperate need of an exterminator. Even remembering all the tribulations they had when Moses led them wandering pell-mell through the wilderness of forty years because he didn't have a.road map didn't change my mind. Aunt Etta explained Moses' shortcoming in this matter by telling us that Moses started out as a river man, 101 One Ark Short and as far as she knew, he never owned a car in his life and had no need for road maps. Aunt Etta may not have been a great Bible scholar,'but she was one mean story teller. We were in the same situation that the Egyptians were 3,000 years ago, and I knew that the males of Appalachia in the early 1900's did not practice the peculiar pruning that pleased the Lord, and I knew the Lord knew I knew this. I also knew that if we were ever to be on dry ground again, it was time for us to get our own selves out of this mess or join Pharaoh's army. Bernice was the next to leave the truck. Her left hand interlocked with mine while Ray held her other until she could get in the creek and grab the door handle. When she stepped in the creek, her skirt and slip came up around her waist She released Ray's hand, tucked her slip and skirt to their proper place in the water, then grabbed the door handle. A woman will be a woman come hell or high water. After Bernice got in the creek, I tried to move toward the bank, but the current was too strong, the footing too precarious to go any direction except downstream. We followed Winston's directions until he left the truck, closed the door, and grabbed the door handle. Now we were all in the drink. The truck's headlights were still shining but beneath the water most of the time now. The rain continued hard and steady; the rocks banged, ground, and tumbled around, over, and on our feet The creek kept rising, and the sand and gravel it carried kept stinging our legs and finding its way into our shoes and socks. Misery was shifting into overdrive. We slowly worked our way closer to the bank of the creek. The creek seemed to have taken on a new personality. It was hard to realize that this angry, raging torrent was the same creek I had known all my life. For as long as I could remember, I had gone to sleep with its gentle lullaby singing in my ears. We had fished this stream, waded i t made swimming ponds and learned to swim in it, and now it acted as if we had never known each other. Some of the happiest times of my life were spent on a make-shift hammock swung low over the creek in the Laurel Thicket It was there that I read Little Men, Riding Pete from Powder River, oodles of Zane Grey, and hundreds of Big Little Books. The creek's gentle murmurings even kept me focused enough to wade through a tome called Anthony Adverse, but deep down I always felt the creek owed me on that one. That may have been the reason it was determined that as my hand probed the darkness, it would find nothing more substantial than dark, wet air. I have known the feel of flannel and slippery elm, but I have known nothing that equals the feeling of the first alder bush I caught that night It was a small twig, no bigger than a pencil, but it held until I could get to a larger one. After I got a firm grip on an honest-to-goodness full-grown alder bush, the word went down the chain to Winston. He turned the door handle loose, and slowly they swung downstream and then into the bank where they had the luck and the fun of finding their own alder bush. Five cold, wet scared, grateful people scrambled onto solid land, crossed Grandpa's hog wire fence, then went through his hog lot back to the truck. It still sat in mid-stream, still had headlights shining in the night The lights were the only thing that seemed normal on this night that somehow had gone completely mad. It had already been a long, long night but there was still a lot of night left Winston, Ray, and I got as close as we could get to the truck, bunkered down, and tried to think of some way to save i t The stream kept rising, and it was obvious the truck would soon wash away if something was not done to anchor i t Bennie and Bernice had not discovered how hunkering helps the thinking process, so they stood behind us, and they stood far enough behind us to be sure there was plenty of high ground between them and the creek. They were followers of the fool-me-once school. Winston, being the driver, decided to go to Grandpa's 102 One Ark Short house and get a log chain to tie the truck to a maple tree that stood on the bank. 'The rest of us, being mere passengers, waited until Winston -returned with a log chain and Uncle Hampton with an oil lantern. Uncle Hampton fastened one end of the chain to the tree as Winston took the other and once again entered the creek. All he had to do to save the truck "was to Tasten the chain to the front bumper. He was within five feet of the truck when its rear end swung downstream, with its headlights now shining upstream, leaving Winston in the dark holding a now useless log chain. The rest of ns, being conventional passengers, sat open-mouthed and watched. When' the rear end swung downstream, the truck held that position—but not for long. While the back floated, the front wheels, bearing the weight of the motor, remained in place for some thirty seconds before a surging current picked the truck up and started it on its driverless journey into the night The headlights continued shining as we sat there watching in disbelief: We were in no mood-for and probably were completely unappreciative of the track's spectacular farewell. The creek flowed with swells and troughs as it followed the contour of the land. When the track topped the crest of a swell, its' lights scribed brilliant arcs of light in the night sky, then disappeared as the rear end climbed the crests. We continued to watch our on-again, off-again unexpected luminary as it followed the creek and finally disappeared behind a distant hill. We stood there dumbfounded, each waiting for someone' to say something. Nothing was said. There was nothing to say. Uncle Hampton turned and started back to Grandpa's house. We followed him and his pitiful lantern. The headlights that had kept us attached to a Visible world that we were comfortable in were gone. I looked at that smoky old kerosene lantern making its pathetic attempt to overcome the darkness that would soon swallow * us, and being young and not too far removed from the age of wishing, I wished we could have a great big helping of Mr. Edison's brilliant lights. Some twenty yards from the ford there was a storehouse by the roadside, and just beyond the storehouse was a driveway to Berlin's house. Berlin's family did'not live in the house in the summertime. They lived in another house on the farm and rented this house to a Mrs.' Lewis each summer. Mrs. Lewis, who came from Washington, D. C, found the summers on East Fork to her liking, as did her daughter Marion and the many visitors who came calling. She had a Boston terrier named Skippy that was no visitor. Mrs. Lewis considered Skippy a member of the family and treated him as such. Skippy had his own stool on which he sat and ate his meals with the rest of the family. He slept in his own bed in his own doggie pajamas and in general enjoyed all the privileges of sonhood. Mrs. Lewis once decided Skippy had tonsillitis, and as there was no veterinarian in the county at the time, she took him to see Dr. Wilkes. -When Dr. Wilkes realized that his patient was a dog and that the dog's mistress'had already diagnosed the ailment, decided what the treatment was to be, and only needed the doctor to get the medicine, he told her to get that s.o.b. out of his office, and informed her that dogs had no damned tonsils. I always wanted to check and see if dogs really have tonsils, but the fear of what I may find out about dogs always overcame the fear of what I may find out about Dr. Wilkes. As soon as we passed the storehouse, we saw what at first seemed to be some .weird apparition but actually turned out to be Mrs. Lewis and her little dog Skippy. Mrs. Lewis held a huge blue and white beach umbrella that sported a Cape May, New Jersey, logo. She obviously had departed her bedroom in a hurry as all she wore was a sleeping gown that was intended for bedroom use only and then only if the night was unusually warm. She did wear a pair of granny glasses perched on the end of her nose and a quizzical expression. Skippy wore a two-pieced pajama outfit that was not handling the rain real well. He pranced at the end of a sequined leash and seemed totally unconcerned that he was losing the bottom of his pajamas. Mrs. Lewis moved her flashlight from side to side in a vain attempt at finding some place that was drier than some other place. When 103 One Ark Short she saw our lantern, she peered from beneath her umbrella and hollered, "Mr. Lantern, Mr. Lantern, I want to know if you can tell me what I've been seeing? The galloping rocks in the crick kept me from sleeping, so when I saw a light shining in the night, I went to the window to investigate. At first I thought it was auto lights on the country road, then I saw it and didn't see i t then saw it as it went on again, off again down the valley. I finally decided it was some sort of heavenly lights, but whatever it was, that was the most beautiful sight I have seen in my whole life. Good Lord, Skippy, you're showing your bottom." Mrs. Lewis didn't seem to be aware that Skippy was not the only one showing their bottom. We were not aware that night that Mrs. Lewis was the first trickle of another sort of flood that would change our area more than all the natural disasters combined. Uncle Hampton felt obligated to stay and explain to Mrs. Lewis that what she had seen was something less than heavenly lights. We left them there light talking as we silently began the long walk home. We were now in total darkness. It was impossible to see any reference points anywhere, no lamps in windows, no break in the overcast, 'and no hope for a change anytime soon. So we groped and stumbled on. The creek was on our right and fields or fences-were on our left and a road with some twelve inches of water in it beneath us. We followed this wet-weather creek, each with our own thoughts. We knew that every square foot of land in the county was saturated and there was nothing left to absorb the torrent of rain that kept falling. I worried that some sleepy­head down around Whittier might jiggle the wrong handle and flush the whole county down the river. I also thought about us as we moved in a now loose-knit group. I knew what each one would be doing even though I could not see them in the darkness. Ray would be out front and left, his arms hugging himself for warmth except for the occasional times his left hand checked the condition of the waves in his hair. Winston would be a little behind and to the right of Ray. He would have both hands in his back pockets, except for the thumbs that moved in time with the sums that danced in his head. Bennie and Bernice would be in the middle of the group, close together, helping each other maintain balance as they stumbled and giggled at their stumbling in the darkness. We had been close all our lives. We were children together during the giddy twenties, were teenagers as we endured the depressing thirties. Now we had started the forties by escaping the frying pan only to jump into the fire. We had never been closer than we were that night We would never be that close again or have a need to be. I did not know as we fumbled along in the driving rain that we had already come to the parting of our ways and would never be together again. Winston went back to work and from there to the Marines. Ray and Bernice earned their degrees in education. Ray went east and Bernice went west to try to improve the ignorance situation. Bennie and Winston died too soon and now rest in the East Fork cemetery. I took a circuitous route that eventually brought me to Tuckaseigee where I live at O'Leo Acres, The Cheaper Spread, and sit on the front steps watching whatever crosses my field of vision. Sometimes I see a gentle rain that reminds me of a flood we had long ago. I always intended to write a story about that flood, but I could never be sure if all, or pari, or any of what I remembered actually happened. The only thing I know for sure and would swear to on a stack of Bibles yea high is that every drop of rain that fell during that flood was he rain. 104 1870 MORTALITY SCHEDULE FOR JACKSON COUNTY (The 1870 Mortality Schedule for Jackson County is a particularly important document because it lists the community where the deceased resided and because it gives the specific family number from the census text Remember that the date of death will be 1869 for those persons who died July - December and 1870 for those who died January - June. Unless indicated otherwise,-the deceased was white, a farmer or • * housewife (if adult), and was born in North Carolina.) Caney Fork Township Watson, Rebecca S., age 3, died March, whooping cough, family 11 Moffett, Mary M., 35, December, childbirth, family 31 Price, Alice, 2, July, worms, family 41 Huffman, Manerva, 18, October, bowel disease, family 44 Wood, Thadeus, 1/12, January, unknown, family 48 Woodring, Mary, 44, July, milk sickness, family 75 Morgan, David, 85 (widowed), December, not given, family 79 Brown, Allen, 5, (black), March, colic, family 84 Wood, Jas. Wm., 2/12, September, unknown! family 147 Hooper, (no name), 1/12 (female), April, bold hives, family 152 Bryson, Arminda, (age not recorded), May, consumption, family 135 Cashiers Valley Township Watson, Lou, 1, June, hives, family 16 Allen, Adda, 30 (born GA), June, childbirth, family 40 Cullowhee Township Jones, Alonzo, 5/12 (black), August, whooping cough, family 26 Mathis, Rebecca, 1, June, diarrhea, family 44 Adams, (not given), 4 (male), January, whooping cough, family 70 Bryson, James M., 17, June, fever, family 74 Brown, Wm., 1, March, burned to death, family 90 Savannah Township West, Wm., 1/12, October, unknown, family 40 Bryson, Laura C, 8, August, unknown, family 70 Buchanan, Martha, 61, July, cancer of breast, family 81 Deep Creek Township Cole, Sarah, 1/12, December, croup, family 38 Shuler, John, 81 (widowed), June, cancer in'nose, family 41 Kilby, Matilda, 45, January, pneumonia, family 13 Scotts Creek Township Mills, John E., 8/12, August, diarrhea, family 16 Henry, Thos. D., 22, December, railroad accident, family 29 Wadkins, Wm., 1, April, teething, family 31 Hedrick, Elner R-, 60 (born KY), September, dropsy, family 31 Webster Township Cannon, Chloe, 92 (black, cook), no month, croupcholic(?), family 7 105 1870 MORTALITY SCHEDULE FOR JACKSON COUNTY (continued) Webster Township (continued) Allison, Mary E., 59, October, hepatitis, family 65 Turpin, Elmina, 2/12, May, jaundice, family 69 Hampton, C. G., 1/12, July, unknown, family 3 Terrell, Harriet A., 2, August, whooping cough, family 12 Frizzle, M. M., I, August, croup, family 28 Fisher, D. L., 24 (tanner), July, hemorrhage, family 36 Felmet, Charley, 10/12, June, consumption, family 43 Leavey, Z. M., 6/12, December, bold hives, family 44 Worley, Erwin, 3, July, yellow thrash, family 47 Bryson, J. M., 1, June, fever, family 51 Alman, Mary, 54, June, paralysis, family 52 Frady, Matilda, 2, March, whooping cough, family 55 Cagle, J. Ulysses, 1, March, whooping cough, family 59 Monteith, Thos. S., 80, November, disease of heart, family 106 Sutton, Allen, 21, May, murdered (stabbed), family 125 Sexton, Jethro, 1, March, croup, family 165 Buchanan, Louisa, 25, July, dropsy, family 171 Qualla Township (Indians) Lee-noh-la-hu-kah, 1, male, March, whooping cough, family 1 Canot, Janet, 1/12, male, March, "Cholera Infantem," family 3 Chuler-que-lu-tan-tchulste, 5/12, female, December, typhoid, family 7 Chum tchi vi si, 1, male, July, cholic, family 8 Cassauga, Cuttaletta, 4, female, August chronic diarrhea, family 9 Cassauga, Waker, 5/12, female, February, diphtheria, family 9 Ben, John, 25, male, farm worker, February, measles, family 9 No-chu A, 40, male, December, farmer, chronic diarrhea, family 13 Charity, 25, female, May, keeping house, consumption, family 14 Adams, Wah lata, 15, male, February, works on farm, measles, family 15 Pigeon, Ailsey, 12, female, works on farm, August, whooping cough, family 16 Susannah, 20, female, works on farm, May, consumption, family 17 Tee-Ian-skee, 6, male, October, disease of skin, family 19 Yeh ki nih, 55, female, March, consumption, family 26 Doh-e-ge-an-ker, 25, male, November, farmer, consumption, family 37 Watt-sih, 1/12, female, April, pneumonia, family 43 Annie, 1, female, July, acute diarrhea, family 54 Johnson, Ola, 90, male, March, neuralgia, family 56 Johnson, Sarah, 80, female, March, neuralgia, family 56 Celia, 1/12, female, September, pneumonia, family 59 Reed, Hunter, 22, male, May, farmer, epileptic fits, family 67 Al-sin-ih, 23, female, April, works on farm, yellow jaundice, family 72 Qual-la-tah, 15, male, April, works on farm, whooping cough, family 76 Stephen, 4, male, July, pneumonia, family 78 Noo-yah-hee, 3/12, female, September, diphtheria, family 79 106 1870 MORTALITY SCHEDULE FOR JACKSON COUNTY (continued) OnaHa Township (Indians) [coatinaedl Lah-Iah-Ioh, 22, male, July, farmer, consumption, family 87 Jensey, 22, female, March, keeping house, disease of uterus, family 100 Sah-we-nih, 9, male, April, whooping cough, family 107 Haw-suo-to-i-ih, 39, male, November, farmer, pneumonia, family 114 Ale-sey, 3/12, female, March, pneumonia, family 132 Sil-v-zah, 18, male, March, works on farm, pneumonia, family 149 Loh-nih, 5, female, April, whooping cough, family 162 (Transcribed from census original in the North Carolina State Archives on July 23,1994, and September 24, 1994, by Larry Crawford.) * * * * * * * * * * BOOK REVIEWS (In response to an invitation, the Society's Board of Directors voted to start receiving sample books from Heritage Books, Inc., to review in our publication. The Society will be able to keep these books for our permanent library. The first of these reviews follows.) What Did They Mean by That? A Dictionary of Historical Terms for Genealogists. Paul Drake, J. D. (1994. 240 pp., paper $23.00, #D604) Relict Dower. Viz. Have you seen these words in your genealogical research? Do you know what they mean, now and in the days when they were common usage? Have you had trouble locating definitions for these and other archaic words? If so, you will be interested in this unusual dictionary. Words from the past give insight to the speech, occupations, material goods—life in general!—of our ancestors. In addition to terminology, such as the names of the many courts and legal processes, this collection of more than 3000 words includes many occupations,-descriptions of early furniture and foods, common medical terms and herbal remedies, and many expressions, once common, yet now all but forgotten. The words found here are seen at every turn of research—in court documents (especially inventories of estates, court entries, and law suits), church records, books, newspapers, letters, and songs. The Virginia Genealogist, John Frederick Dorman, Editor. (Volume 15, 387 pp., index, paper $27.50, #D575) Within these pages is a vast treasure of genealogies and genealogical source materails for the Old Dominion. Highlights of the contents include: A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Jackson, James City, Jefferson, Kanawha, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, and Lee Counties; Westmoreland Co. Legislative Petitions; Charles City Co. 1800 Tax List; British Mercantile Claims, 1775-1803; Tazewell Co. Order Book 1800-1810; Amelia Co. Will Book 1 with Inventories and Accounts, 1734-1761; Frederick Co. Cemeteries; Drummond, a James City Co. Record; Charlotte Ca 1800 Tax List; Wilkes Burial Ground, "Charlie's Hope," Brunswick Co.; Essex Co. Wills No. 7, 1743-1747; Dunlap Cemetery, Hampshire Co, WV; Chesterfield Co. 1800 Tax List; and the usual interesting book reviews. (1971, reprint) (continued at bottom of page 111) 107 NATION FAMILY ROOTS IN JACKSON COUNTY (The following information on the Nation (Nations] family has been compiled by our member Howard Nation, 5904 Tarpon, EI Paso TX 79924. Howard's direct line is shown by the asterisks, and each succeeding generation of that family line is indented. Howard will be pleased to correspond with other Nation researchers; he writes: "I'm hoping that many someones might spot a name that triggers an unshakable desire for more info and write me. I would like to exchange tidbits with one and all. It sure does get lonesome out here at times.") *John Nation Sr. (b. ca 1700) m. Bithia Robbins; their children: Christopher Nation Elizabeth Vickery Anna Buller *John Nation Jr. m. Cathron Joseph Nation Bithia Robbins Frances Nation Christopher Nation Mary Nation Elizabeth Love Hannah Ashmore Sarah Houlk John Nation m. Sara * Jeremiah Nation (b. 1776) m. Nancy Charlotte Steel Violet Duvaul Jeremiah (b. ca. 1800) * James (b. 1806 SC) m. Elizabeth E. Sims John Felix Matson (Mattison) Mary (Polly) Hughes Jerremiah (b. 1829) m. Martha Cockron EMna Elders (b. 1830) Francis M. (b. 1831) m. Mary Gibson *John T. (b. 1831) m. Sara J. Stilwell Alfred (b. 1834) m. Elvira Hughes Angelina Gunter (b. 1836) Eliza Gunter (b. 1838) James (b. 1840) m. Rebecca Bumgarner Asaph (b. 1842) m. Palestine Cochran Nancy Bradley (b. 1844) Sara Jane Jones (b. 1846) 108 NATION FAMILY ROOTS IN JACKSON COUNTY (continned) *Rufus L. (b. 1854) m. Sara Jane Dillard Mary A^Ward (b. 1856) Nancy L. Gibson (b. 1860) Sara Cordelia Revis (b. 1862) Margaret E. Farley (b. 1864) James L. (b. 1867) m. Pearl Denton T. Jason (b. 1873) Albert (b. 1876) m. (1) Rebecca Wike, (2) Lola Wike William (b. 1870) m. Alma Gibson L. Baxter (b. 1872) m. L. Birdeen (Sally) Harris "Thomas S. (b. 1882) m. (1) Julia B. Monteith, (2) Eliza Elders John (b. 1881) Leona (1884) Elsie Edward (1904 - 1974) Annie Victoria (1905 - 1980) m. Henry T. Tatham Oscar Thomas (1906 - 1972) m. Josephine Venable Odell Fred (1911- ) m. Lottie Dills Nellie Janet (1912 - 1994) m. Dallas Howell •Howard Monteith (1917 - ) m. Hazel Churchwell John Robert (1919 - 1987) m. Geneive Haney Clifford Rufus (1921 - 1987) m. Ruth Breedlove (Editor's note: Here is one tidbit for Howard. Since my major research interest is the Cockerham family, I knew that Martha Cockron and Palestine Cochran, shown in generation five, were sisters, the daughters of John Burch and Delphia Hall Cockerham. Rebecca Wike and Lola Wike, shown in generation six, were also sisters aid were the granddaughters of Alfred Newton Cockerham, brother to John Burch.) QUERDXS I need information about the family of Samuel and Ramona Stilwell, listed in 1850 Census of Haywood Co NC #633, House #312, Family #300. Write Howard Nation, 5904 Tarpon, El Paso, TX 79924. 109 A CONNECTED GATHERING AT ROY AND RUTH SHULER'S HOME (Editor's note: On September 17 a gathering was held at our home in Cullowhee. Such a get-together is not uncommon, especially when relatives from far away come to visit What made this event special was the fact that everyone attending was related to everyone else there. Those in attendance were Grover and Ernestine Shuler Jones, Darrington WA; Earl and Arvilla Sutton Blanton and Henry and Louise Blanton Buchanan, Sedro Woolley WA; Dewey and Jeanette Whitt Crawford, Lexington KY; Bernice Blanton Clark, Asheville; James Lee and Freida Worley Blanton, Waynesville; Hazel Norman Crawford, Larry Crawford, Audrey Shuler Springer, Ginger Springer Fullbright, Robert Blanton, Rick Frizzell, all of Sylva; Lee and Betty Burr Blanton Ensley, Cullowhee; Risa Shuler Cheney and sons Joshua and Jon, in transition from Hanau, Germany, to Hampton, VA. Larry Crawford composed the following article as a commemoration of our evening together, and, while I usually would not put something purely personal in Journeys Through Jackson, I thought JCGS members might enjoy learning how one group of family relationships in the Jackson County area became entangled. We are pleased to share this article with you.) Bob and Emiline Watson Shuler raised their family of nine children on the Cane Creek side of Cracking Chestnut Gap. Of their children, Annie Belle is still living. Also of their children, five married into the William Riley and Depina Ensley Blanton family: Bessie married Erastus Blanton. Sadie married Bill Blanton, and daughters Betty Burr Ensley and Bernice Clark are here. Fate married Ethel Blanton, and daughter Ernestine Jones is here. Rachel married Albert Blanton, and son Earl Blanton and daughter Louise Buchanan are here. Annie Belle married Glenn Blanton. So the sons and daughters mentioned here are all first cousins on the Shuler side. Of the Blantons, all were first cousins to each other except Erastus, who was the others' uncle, and Bill and Albert, who were half-brothers. Of the 13 original Blanton children, who lived on the Blanton Branch side of Cracking Chestnut Gap, four are represented here tonight: Monroe by granddaughter Ernestine Jones, grandson Jim Blanton, and great-grandson Dewey Crawford. Hamilton (Ham) by granddaughters Betty Burr Ensley, Bernice Clark, and Louise Buchanan, and grandsons Earl Blanton and Robert Blanton. Maria by daughter Audrey Springer and granddaughter Ginger Springer. Hester by daughter Hazel Crawford, granddaughter Ruth Shuler, grandson Larry Crawford, great-granddaughter Risa Cheney, and great-great-grandsons Joshua and Jon Cheney. Of the other Blanton children, we expected the Hute family here (Glenn and Annie Belle). Alice has many descendants in Jackson County. I spoke with Carrie Wagner of the Erastus family this week. We also keep up with the Mann family through their neighbors, and the John family through Betty Blanton Cross. I correspond with Charlie's only living daughter Phyllis Peterson. The Rob family has no descendants, and Cumi and Berry had no children. Now let's get it a step more complicated. Roy Shuler, our host is a great-grandson of Jacob Marion Shuler, who was a brother of Bob Shuler's father Leander. Audrey Springer is a daughter of Milas Shuler, Bob's brother. Dewey is a first cousin of Ruth and Larry on the Crawford side. Lee Ensley is a grandson of John Ervin Ensley, brother of the Crawfords' great-great-grandmother Matilda Pannell. 110 A CONNECTED GATHERING (continued) Rick Frizzell is a great-grandson of William Hamilton Ensley, brother to Grandma Piney Blanton. Grover Jones is a great-great-grandson of Andrew Jackson Parris, who was a first cousin to Piney and W. H. Ensley's mother Lucretia Parris Ensley; a first cousin of Rick's great-great-grandmother Matilda Clementine Parris Shook; and a first cousin to the Crawfords' great-grandfather Samuel Parris. Rick is a great-nephew of Alvin Frizzell, who was married to the Shulers' first cousin Wiltna Morgan, daughter of Jerdie Shuler Morgan. Lee Ensley's great-grandmother Jane Ensley Ensley; Glenn Blanton's great-grandmother Fanny Carolina Ens'ley Bryson; the Crawfords' great-great-grandmother Hannah Ensley Parris; and Rick's great-great-grandfather William Ensley were all brothers and sisters. Henry Buchanan and Rick Frizzell are undoubtedly related through the Buchanan side, but I don't know it well enough to explain how. (Sorry!) Glenn Blanton's great-grandfather, Ruth and Dewey's great-grandmother, and Rick's great-great-grandfather were all first cousins on the Bryson side. Roy is Hazel's son-in-law, but he is also her 5th cousin through the Cockerhams. Rick's wife Freddie Spencer Frizzell is Roy's and Hazel's 6th cousin the .same way. No, this is not all the ways we are related,, but it is all I can remember. Larry Crawford (September 19, 1994) * * * * * * * * * * BOOK REVIEWS (continued) The Virginia Genealogist, John Frederick Dorman, Editor (Volume 16, 386 pp«, index, paper $27.50, #D576) Within these pages is a vast .treasure of genealogies and genealogical source materials for the Old Dominion. Highlights of the contents include: Essex Co. Wills No. 7,1743-1747; Chesterfield Co. 1800 Tax List; British Mercantile Claims, 1775-1803; A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Loudoun, Louisa, and Lunenburg Counties; New Monmouth Presbyterian Church, Rockbridge Co. Cemetery; Virginians Buried in Huntsville TX; Amelia Co. Will Book 1 with Inventories and Accounts, 1734-1761; Rock Enon Cemetery, Frederick Co.; Virginia Executive Papers; An Ancestor to Remember?; Unrecorded Wills of Dinwiddie Co.; Culpeper Co. 1800 Tax List; Loudoun Co. 1771 Tithable List; Yohogania Co. Land Grants; Will of Andrew Edwards, Stafford Co.; and the usual interesting book reviews. (1972, reprint) You may order any of the books reviewed from: Heritage Books, Inc., 1540-E Pointer Ridge Place, Suite 300, Bowie MD 20716. Add $3.50 shipping and: handling for each order. I l l (In the last issue we reprinted part of an article dealing with how to conduct genealogical research by writing letters. In this issue we continue the article, which is reprinted from the Genealogical Bulletin by permission of the publisher, Dollarhide Systems, Beilingham, Washington.) LONG DISTANCE RESEARCH How to Prepare a Genealogical Letter-Writmg Campaign by WBVam Dollarkide (Editor's Note: In the July-August issue we listed the following sequential steps that genealogists typically follow in researching their families: 1. Immediate Family and Personal Sources 2. Contact Other Relatives 3. Write for Vital Statistics 4. Follow up Vital Records 5. Census Search 6. County Courthouse Search 7. Library and Archives Research 8. Exchanging Information with Other Genealogists) To expand on the possibilities, here are some specific ideas for research through correspondence, organized per the typical research sequence steps mentioned earlier. Sequence 1 and 2: Relatives The first contact with family members may be in the form of letters informing everyone that you are now the "family historian" and need their help. By giving whatever fascinating details you have learned already and with a promise to share any more details about the family tree, you may find someone in the family who shares your enthusiasm. (You may find others who think what you are doing is totally insane.) On a personal level, ask family members for copies of memorabilia, such as family Bibles, old journals, business papers, farm logs, insurance papers, old deeds, and so on. Was the family ever included in a history book? Did anyone in the family ever work on the family tree? Are there distant relatives? The article Finding Your Family's Folklore (Genealogy Bulletin #16, Oct-Nov-Dec 1992) described how any genealogist can launch a successful letter-writing campaign to persons with the same surname, just by getting addresses from phone books all over the country. Another method of collecting information from relatives is to send a personal letter along with a family group sheet for that family, with the idea of having them complete details you need and return the form. Add a note asking them to complete the form and return it to you with additions and corrections. Be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope so it will be easy for the relative to respond. And always include your phone number so the relative can call you back with the corrections or additions..some people just don't deal well with mailing things these days. My "if all else fails" technique: When the first family group sheet goes unanswered or unreturned, I send another one; only the second time I make some blatant mistakes on the form, such as showing the wife as 10 years older than she really is. I then add a little note pointing to the wrong date, "Did I get this right" (I have a very high rate of return using this technique.) With a collection of family memories at hand, ideas where further research can be done will be evident The next logical step is to write for vital records. 3. Vital Records Birth, death, and marriage records are generally available from a state's vital registration office. Dating from about 1904-1938, virtually all states have fairly complete records, with some exceptions. Congress passed a law in 1903 requiring all states to maintain state-wide registration of vital records, but it took another 25 years before all states were in compliance. The state copies of vital records were generated first at the county (or town) level, then sent to the state office. It is often possible to obtain an identical certificate by writing to a county or New England town—but there are exceptions here as well. With hundreds of New England towns, and over 3100 counties in the U.S., the rules differ widely. But in many cases, it may cost less, and a particular city, 112 Long Distance Research county, or town office may have fewer restrictions than at the state level. A quick method to obtain an address for a state­wide vital statistics office is to use the Social Security Administration's toll-free- number. This is Khe general information 800 number that can be found in your, phone book under United States Government, Social Security Administration. It is possible to use this number to ask for an address and the fee for birth/death certificates from all U.S. states and territories. This service is offered by Social Security because people applying for retirement benefits need a birth certificate, and survivors of a deceased person may apply for a burial benefit available from Social Security. Prior to state-wide registration, vital records' were maintained 'at the county level, at certain 'larger cities, or in the case of New England states, at the town level, and is usually the place where the earlier records are still stored today. How far back in time these records go varies widely from county to county, and since each state has its own rules, it is important to have a good reference book outlining the vital record sources, addresses, and availability. Unfortunately, some states are now restricting access to vital records, or requiring genealogists to prove they are a direct descendant of the person for whom they are requesting certificates. And in the case of New Jersey, requests for vital records are currently denied due to budget restraints in that state. A worst-case Situation is one Where your request for cdpies is denied. If this happens, it may be necessary to hire a genealogical researcher to visit the vital statistics or county office in person to .obtain the records. 4. Follow Up Vitals If you' receive a death certificate in the mail, it wiir almost always lead you to more records concerning a person's death, such as obituaries, cemetery records, or funeral home records. If you have an exact date and place of death, you can follow-up with more letters immediately. A library in a town nearest the place of death is a starting point Write to that library and ask if photocopies can be made of a newspaper obituary. Addresses for libraries can be found in the directory of libraries published by the American Library Association,- and most libraries have a copy. State libraries are a good source 'for newspapers on microfilm, and if the newspaper you seek has "been microfilmed, there is a good chance your local library can obtain a copy of the film through inter-library loan. If the death' certificate indicates a social security number for the deceased, you can write for a copy of the person's application for a social security card. (See Social Security Records from Genealogy Bulletin #15 as reprinted in our March-April issue.) Funeral'Home records may give more details not found on a death certificate, such as the name of the person responsible for the funeral expenses, or more specifics' concerning survivors of the deceased. Funeral directions are usually cooperative with genealogical requests, particularly from family members related to the deceased, and a letter requesting information is often worthwhile. The best list of addresses for current funeral homes in America and Canada is in a directory called The Yellow Book. This directory is sent to virtually every funeral home in North America every year. Contact a funeral home in your area and ask if you can get an address from their Yellow Book for a funeral home near where-your subject died. Old funeral hbmes did go out of business, but more often, the names changed oVer the years 'as businesses were sold or taken over by another funeral director. A current funeral director is well versed in the old names and the current status of older funeral homes and whether records from the old business were taken over by another firm. Funeral directors -are also the best source for learning where an obscure cemetery is located in an area, and may be a source for learning if there is an index to burials in a particular cemetery in that area. To illustrate how funeral home records can sometimes give important clues, let me share a true story related to me by my good genealogy friend, Leland Meitzler: Some years ago Leland received a death certificate for his Great-Uncle Henry, which gave the name of 113 Long Distance Research the funeral director and cemetery. Leland contacted the funeral home, still operating in San Diego but under a different name. He asked if there was a chance they bad any information relating to the funeral of his Uncle Henry, even though the death had taken place some 45 years earlier. A record was indeed found a copies were sent to a delighted Leland Meitzler. What happened next, however, was due to a good genealogists's undying curiosity. Leland's Uncle Henry had been a lifelong bachelor, and the funeral home's record indicated that two unknown men had signed as being responsible for the funeral expenses, both men having different surnames than the deceased. Thinking these men might be relatives, and possibly still alive, Leland began research in phone books and came up with a phone number for one of the two men still living in San Diego—which led him to a son of the second man living in the Denver area. The man was not a relation at all, but his father was Uncle Henry's old friend—and when he learned that Leland was a close relative, the man said, "Well, then, I should probably send you that package of personal items that the undertaker gave to my father 45 years ago." What Leland received in the mail was an old tin box that contained several letters written to Uncle Henry from his mother, all dated during the time when Henry was a soldier in the Civil War. Henry's mother, was Leland's great-great- grandmother! 5. Census Searching Access to the U.S. Federal Censuses may challenge the idea that one can conduct virtually any kind of genealogical research without leaving home. But with some research tools, anyone can gain access to census records from 1790-1920, even if you are miles away from one of the twelve regional branches of the National Archives. Here are the sources for renting rolls of microfilm for census research. Contact each service directly to receive a quote for rental fees: - American Genealogical Lending Library (AGLLX P. O. Box 244, Bountiful UT 84010. (801-298-5358) For individuals, a $30 initial membership is required, then a member can rent a roll of microfilm for up to 30 days which can be used in your own home. Annual membership renewals are $20. Your local library can participate for no membership fee. Libraries should contact AGLL and request a microfiche catalog listing over 100,000 microfilm items for genealogical research. Members or library patrons can use the film on loan for $2.75 per roll for up to 30 days ($2.25 per roll if ten or more rolls). (Editor's note: This publication was printed in March, 1993, so prices may have changed.) - Family History centers (FHC), branch libraries of the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Use your phone directory and call any Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ask where their nearest branch Family History Center is located and hours of operation. Microfilm can be borrowed and used at any of the more than 1,000 FHC locations in the United States. They are all open to the general public •National Archives Microfilm Rental Program, P. O. Box 30, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0030. (301- 604-3699). Write or call for a free brochure that describes the program. Film rental is primarily through the national inter-library loan system. 6. Writing to Conrthonses Armed with addresses of county courthouses, begin your long distance research by writing short letters requesting information. This is where the letter writing campaign really starts. The family information, vitals statistics, and census searches are really preliminary to the work that needs to be done in a specific location, and they are the finding tools we use to determine which city, town, or county is the place where an ancestor lived. Everything we do in genealogy is related to the place a person lived, because we live in a jurisdictional society. Political boundaries define towns, cities, counties, states, provinces, and nations. Understanding the correct jurisdiction is key to finding records still lying in a facility near the ancestor's home. If writing for documents from a courthouse has the potential for the best possible genealogical rewards, it is also true that this type of research is 114 Lone Distance Research time-consuming and tedious. No two counties are exactly alike, and no two 'clerks will respond the same way to your letters asking for information. One county may .have a sensitive and diligent deputy county clerk who answers letters politely with nice handwritten notes—another may throw your letter in the waste can. Letter Writing Tips The larger a county (in population), the longer the wait you .will have from the over-worked staff. So, write a preliminary letter that simply asks* if a certain type of record exists, and ask for the cost of copies. This request letter should never be more than.one page and should always include-a self-addressed stamped enveloper (SASE). Add space at the bottom of the page for a reply as in the example of a preliminary letter shown on this page. The layout of a request- letter is important Consider the presentation of your letter—write with the idea of easing the clerk's job and to make the letter easy to read and easy to answer. Leaving space on the page for a reply means the clerk can -answer your question with a minimum of effort, and then use your stamped envelope to return the response. To make that happen, write letters, which clearly state the facts of what yon are asking, and in as few words as possible. Typewritten or word-processor-printed letters are easier to read, but handwritten- letters are more personal If yon send handwritten letters, try to write them clearly and legibly, using short sentences and lots of white space on the paper for readability. The envelope, in which you send a request letter is also important, particularly if yon enclose a stamped return -envelope. The standard U.S. legal size envelope is a No. 10, which is 4-1/8 inches by 9- 1/2 inches in size. Office supply stores carry a No. 9 legal size which is slightly smaller, and designed specifically to insert inside of a No. 10 envelope as a SASE. Letter Example The sample letter on this page was written to confirm whether or not an ancestor was in a particular county. The address was found using the Red Book, where I learned that the land records for Tippecanoe County, Indiana, are maintained by the County Recorder. The index to deeds, called the . "Grantor-Grantee"- index, is an excellent source for determining if a person lived in a county and for how long. This letter is an example of a preliminary letter used to determine if certain records exist or not There should be no fee required for this type of request because it is usually a simple task for the clerk to look in an index book. Note that the sample letter specifies a span of years covering the period of time when an ancestor might have lived in thatr county—the shorter the span of years, the easier it will be for the clerk to comply with your request. Jan 13, 1993 William Dollarhide 203 H. Holly St. Bellingham, WA 9822S County Recorder Tippecanoe- County/ Indiana 20 N. Third St. Lafayette, IN 47901 Dear Sir or Kadan, I an vary interested in locating old land records for ay great-grandfather and others who lived' in your county prior to 1860. Would you please .check your Grantor - Grantee index for any reference to any per­son with the nana DALLAHIDE, DOLLAHIDE or DOLLARHIDE as a buyer or seller of land for the period 1820-1860. If any reference to a land transaction can be found, please .indicate the book and page number for each so I can request photocopies, and please indicate the cost per page for photocopies. You can use this sheet for your response, and Z have enclosed a. stamped envelope for your convenience. Thank you in advance for your efforts on ay behalf. Sincerely. ^ ^ Q ^ ^ William Dollarhide l_ 115 Long Distance Research Most county deed index books are indexed in cumulative form, covering a fairly long period, perhaps 100 years in one book. Marriage books, however, are rarely in cumulative form, but indexed at the back of each individual marriage book—in some cases covering only a few years in one book. Keep this in mind when specifying the span of years to search , because the key is to make the job as easy as possible for the clerk. Letters that will go without a response are those that say something tike, "...give me everything you have on the Jones family." The bst approach is to write preliminary letters that are specific and limited to a small piece of work, such as one individual, o9ne surname, or one family. If you ask too many questions, you may not get a response. The sample letter on page 115 relates to a request for a check of deed indexes, and the same type of preliminary letter can be used to request a check of marriage inedexes in the same courthouse, but perhaps in a different office. Here are some types of the records found in a typical courthouse where a preliminary index check can prove helpful: -probate dockets -guardian court indexes -index to testate and intestate papers -index to wills -index of death records -burial permits -deeds (real estate transactions) -mortgage indexes -criminal court dockets -defendant index to criminal cases -plaintiff/defendant index to civil court cases -index to coronor's reports -index of recorded brands and cattle markings -voter registrations -index to marriage bonds -index to divorces Follow Up Letters. A preliminary letter requesting information from the county official needs tro be followed up with another letter if you learn that records of interest exist If a response to the first letter is returned giving precise book/page references, you can now request copies of the recorded deed or marriage, etc, having a quote for the copying fees involved. A request for copies of documents of county officals which includeds a check for copying fees need not include a self-addressed stamped envelope-it should be understood that you are sending money for a service, and the cost of mailing the copies back to you should be inlcluded as a part of that service. If no answer is received after some time passes-=- a correspondence log is your "tickler file"—then a copy of the letter should be sent again, with a note saying you are resubmitting the request If there is still no response, it may be a good idea to find an address for a genealogist living in that county who can visit the courthouse in person. To find aperson living near where you need help, start by contacting a local genealogical or historical society. A local society should be able to give you a name and address for someone who is experienced with accessing and using that county's court records. Addresses for genealogical societies and historical societies with genealogical interest groups are published annually in the The Genealogical Helper, a magazine published by Sthe Everton Publishers of Logan, Utah; and are also listed in Elizabeth Petty Bentley's The Genealogist's Address Book. Some genealogical societies have a "correspondence secretary" who volunteers to help long-distance researchers. If you are fortunate to find such a contact treat him/her with loving kindness—this is a special person to whom you should send flowers, birthday presents, and greeting cards on all legal holidays. You might join the Society, send donation checks, or promise to name your next child after them, because if you have a local genealogist willing to help, you have a tremendous advantage over dealing with courthouse officials. (Editor's note: We will conclude this article in the next issue of Journeys Through Jackson. I have just learned that William Dollarhide has sold his publication and that we will no longer be able to reprint material such as this.) 116 COMPILED BY: Jerry F. Carlisle 138 Lake Lvman HeiRhts Lvman SC 29365 Geraldine (Jerry) Fradv (b.1932) * Norman Wesley Frady (b. 1910) Emma Mildred Campbell (b. 1914) LINEAGE CHART John William Fradv (b. 1883) Susan Catherine Wilson (b. 1885) i - John S. Frady (b. 1846) Minervia A. Messer (b. 1848) James Madison Wilson (b. 1853) Amanda E. Buckner Solomon (Sol) Frady (b. 1822) Margaret F.. Frizzell (b. 1825) Solomon Messer Rosa McMahan Ed Wilson Able Buckner Elizabeth R. Guyer Jason E. Frizzell Margaret P. Gribble - 1 1 1 1 1 22-HAY-1994 £02.4 We§t Roberta ftve. pSlerton. CaHtomia 92633 CHARLES_CALV1N_WILLIAMS Born 05-JUN-1903 in FAYETTEVILLE, WASHINGTON Harr 15 AUG 192S in 1600 CLAY ST, WACO, HCLE Died 02-HAY-1957 in HUSTON.HARRIS CO.,TEXAS JOHN_FRANKLIN_WILLiAMS lorn 05 AUG 1873 in ST. JOSEPH, BUCHANAN CO. Harr 29/0CT/1899 in WASHINGTON CO, GOSHEN TW Died 02 HAY 1944 in WACO,HCLENNAN COUTY, TEX FLORA HAY TODD lorn"267AU6/l876 in (LAN6LEY, MADISON CO.)?, Died 00-SEP-1963 in WACO, HCLENNAN COUNTY, T CHARLES BRUCE WILLIAMS Born 15-JUN-1926 in WACO, HCLENNAN COUNTY, T FRANCES ARDEAN 6REEN Born 11-JUN-1906 in DALLAS, DALLAS COUNTY, T 9B-E£ANCIS_C0LLIN_GR£EN Iorn.09/APR/l874 in FORTE 6ATES, TEXAS Harr 23/AUG/1902 in OGLESBY, CORYELL COUNTY, Died 17/JAN/1957 in LEON JUNCTION,TEXAS JAdiS_CALVIN_HILLIA«S lorn 22 NOV 1840 in N CAROLINA Harr / /1870 in HISSOURI ?? Died 22 JAN 1923 in WACO, HCLENNAN CO. MARY_JANE_6RI88LE Born - -1850 in CLINTON, HISSOURI IENJAHIN_R ILEY_H RL IAMS_ Born"lil4 NANQL_6,R.!?BLE_ Born 1819 TEXAS.JOHN.ALUSON_GRIBBLE. ! Born 18 JAN 1822 ! Died 12 JUL 1907 !LUCY_ANN_WILUS__ iorn"9"APR~?829 Died 9 FEB 1856 _WIkLIAH_TODD :"Born"""":i"B"8" JAHES.CALVIN.TODD ! Born"28"AuTri42 ! in HEHPHIS, SHELBY CO, TENISARAH.EWEL Harr CIRCA 1860 in WHITEOAK TWP, FRANKLIN C Died 05/DEC/1923 in EUREKA SPRIN6S, CAROLL C.NQAH.HAMPTON_LED.BETTER. ! Born CIRCA 1818 ^BI!iA.AN§ILINE_LEDBETTER ! Died CIRCA 1855 "Borii"05/SEP/18"4F "" " " ! in HARION COUNTY, TENNESSEE!LUCY ANN GORDON Died /JUN/1887 B~orn CIRCA 1824 in TROY,BELL COUNTY,TEXAS CURTIS GREEN II _NEWTON_GREEN ! Born 02 JAN Fili ! Died 6 MAR 1871 Born 08/DEC/1840 ! in NEAR CEDARTOWN, FORSYTH ,'HELINDA 6AZAWAY Harr 31 JAN 1870 in NEAR THE HOUND IN CORYEL Died 02/HAY/1922 in NEAR OGLESBY, COERYELL C Born - -1815 Died 23/JAN/1863 AHANDA ELLEN ROSS Born 27/APR/1854 in LITCHFIELD, H0NT60HERY C Died 16/0CT/1931 in OGLESBY, CORYELL COUNTY, _?iy!IOQ§S ! Born oi/FEB/FsOB ! Died 16/JUL/1884 I I •' Ik I ZABEIH_Ej._YENQWINE_ Born 24 HAY FSlF Died 28 HAY 1883 LAyRA_CLARA_REBECCA_ALDRICH___ Born 2070CT7Ia79 in CHAPPELL HILL, WASHINGTO Died 18/DEC/1971 in HOODY,TEXAS EE§DERICK_DAVJD_ALDRICH Born CIRCA 1B52 in (BARNWELL) COUNTY, SC Harr CIRCA 1878 in TEXAS _DAVID HcWILLIAHS ! Born IS/JUL/fiJft SARAH.HELISSA.BcWILUAHS ! Died 12/HAR/1882 Born 04/HAR/1849 ! in ALABAMA Died 09/JAN/1919 in LOA ANGELES, CALIFORNIA :ROXY_GALLAl{AY Born CIRCA 1824 Adams Index, September-October, 1994 Journeys Through Jackson Bryson , Clayton G. W. 100 AMn-ih AMrich Ale-sey Allen Allison Alman Annie Ashe Ashmore Ben Blanton Bradley Breedlove Brendle Brown not given Wan lata Frederick David Laura Clara Rebecca Adda Nancy Nathan John E Mary E. Mary Amos Hannah John Albert Alice ArviUa Sutton Berry BiD Charlie Cnmi Depina Ensley Earl Erastus Ethel Freida Worley Glenn Hamilton Heater Hnte James Lee John Mann Maria Monroe Rob Robert William RBey Nancy Ruth E.D. Allen M. M. Wm. 10S 106 106 118 118 107 105 100 100 100 106 106 106 100 108 106 110 no 110 110 no no 110 110 no 110 110 110 HO 110 110 no 110 no 110 no no no no no 108 109 100 105 100 105 Buchanan Buckner Butter Arminda CoL T. D. Daniel Fanny C Ensley J.M. J.N. J.Newton James M. Laura C. George Henry J. D. Louisa Louise Blantsn Martha W.R. Able Amanda E. Anna Buisginicr Butler Cagle Campbell Candler Caiman Canst Carlisle Cassauga Cclia Charity Cheney A. M. Charles George Rebecca Aaron J. Ulysses Emma Mildred Dr. J. M. Was. Chlee Janet Jerry Frady Cnttaletta Walter Jon Kevin Joshua Risa Shuler Chul«M|tte-ln-tan-tchnlste Chum tchi vi si Chnrcbwell Clark Hazel Bernice Hanton 105 100 99 111 106 100 99 105 105 100 110 99 106 no 105 100 117 117 108 100 99 too 108 100 106 117 100 100 105 106 117 106 106 106 106 110 110 110 106 106 109 110 Cochran Palestine Cockerham Cockron Cole Coleman Connelly Conner Counties Cowan Crawford Cross Davidson Davis Denton Dillard Dills Alfred Newton Delphia HaU John Burch Martha Sarah A.C. James JoelS. Buncombe Haywood Jackson Transylvania Leo Dewey Hazd Norman Jeanette Whitt Larry Wm. R. Betty Blanton Ben Edd Dong (Doog) JoeW. John Nathan A. Pearl Sara Jane J.R. Lottie Philip Doh-e-ge-an-ker Duvaul Violet Edmonston Elders Ellis Enloe a a Eliza Ehina J.W. W.A. 108 HI 109 109 109 108 105 100 100 100 99 99,109 99 99 101 110 110 110 107,110 100 110 99 99 too 100 100 109 109 100 109 100 106 108 99 109 108 99 100 119 Ensley Erwin Ewd Farley Felmet Fisher Frady Frizzell Frizzle Fullbright Callaway Galloway Gazaway Gibson Gocber Gordon Green Gribble Gullick 120 Betty Blanton Jane Ensley John Ervin Lee Lucretia Parris William William Hamilton E.R Sarah Margaret E. Charley Allen D. L. James Geraldine John S. John William Matilda Norman Wesley Solomon Alvin Freddie Spencer Jason E. Margaret E. Rick M.M. Ginger Springer Roxy H.T. Melinda Alma Mary Nancy L. A.M. Lacy Ann Curtis II Frances Ardean Frauds Collin Newton Silas John Allison Margaret P. Mary Jane Nancy 110 111 110 . 110 111 111 111 99 118 109 106 100 106 100 117 117 117 106 117 117 111 111 117 117 110 106 110 118 100 118 109 108 109 100 118 118 118 118 118 100 118 117 118 118 Gunter Guyer Hadden Hampton Haney Harris Benj. D. Angelina Eliza Elizabeth R. David C. G. Geneive Ben L. Birdeen (Sally) Haw-suo-to-i-ih Hedrick Henderson Henry Henson Higdon Hooper Houlk Howell Huffman Hughes Hyatt TwHiaw Jensey Johnson Jones Keener Kilby King Elner R. I Wm. Thos. D. Brothers J.M. Thomas W.A. W.H. J.J. L.C. no name Sarah Dallas Frederick Manerva Elvira Mary (Polly) Abe Albert Ola Sarah Alonzo Ernestine Shuler Grover Sara Jane J. Joseph Matilda Peter 99 108 108 117 99 106 109 100 109 107 105 100 105 99 100 100 100 100 100 100 105 108 109 100 105 108 108 too 100 106, 107 107 106 106 105 110 110 108 99 100 105 100 Kirkland James Lah-lah-loh Leavey Led better Z.M. Martha Angeline Noah Hampton Lee-no b-la-hu-kah Lincoln Loh-nih London Love Lnsk Mason Mathis McKinney McMahan President Harve CoL Jas. R. Elizabeth Bazee Isaac Rebecca James Rosa McWilliams Messer Mills Moffett Monteith Morgan Nation David Sarah Melissa Minervia A. Solomon John E. Mary M. John Julia B. Thos. S. David Jerdie Shuler Wilma Albert Alfred Annie Victoria Asaph Cathron Christopher Clifford Rnfus Elsie Edward Felix Frances Francis M. Howard Howard Monteith James James L. Jeremiah John 100 107 106 118 118 106 99 107 100 100 108 100 100 105 too 117 118 118 117 117 105 105 100 109 106 105 111 111 109 108 109 108 108 108 109 109 108 108 108 108 109 108 109 108 108, 109 John Jr. John Robert John Sr. John T. Joseph L. Baxter Leona Mary Matson Mattison Nancy . Nellie Janet OdeU Fred Oscar Thomas Rufus L. Sara T. Jason Thomas S. William Nefl George C No-chu A Noo-yab-hee Norton Wm. Painter E.M. Pannell Matilda Ensley Parris Andrew Jackson Hannah Ensley Samuel Patton James Paxton Charles McDowell Peterson Phyllis Blanton Pigeon Ailsey Place Names Blanton Branch Cane Creek Caney Fork Cashiers Valley Cracking Chestnut Gap CuHewhee Deep Creek Lamb's Creek Painter Qualla Rolling Green Savannah Scotts Creek Webster 100, Price Alice QuaMa-tah Reed Hunter Revis 108 109 108 108 - 108 109 109 108 108 108 108 109 109 109 109 108 109 109 109 99 106 106 100 100 no 111 111 111 99 99 110 106 110 110 99,105 105 110 99,105 105 99 99 106 100 105 105 105, 106 105 106 106 Rivers Robbins Rogers Ross Sara Cordelia Davidson's French Broad Bithia Hugh Amanda Ellen Reuben Sah-we-nih Sexton Sherrill Shook Shuler Sii-v-zah Sims Spake Springer Steel Stephen StilweB Snssmuh Sutton Tatham Jethro Jonas B. Matilda C Parris Annie Belle Bessie Bob Emiline Watson Fate Jacob Marion John Leander Milas Rachel Roy Ruth Crawford Sadie Elizabeth E. G. W. Audrey Shuler Charlotte Ramena Samuel Sara J. Allen Henry T. Tee-buKskee Terrell Todd Turpin Venable Vickery Harriet A. Flora May James Calvin William Elmina Josephine 109 99 99 108 100 118 118 107 106 100 111 110 110 110 110 110 110 105 110 110 110 110 110 110 107 108 too 110 108 106 109 109 108 106 106 109 106 106 118 118 118 106 109 Wadkins Wagner Ward Watson Watt-sih West Wike Wilkes Williams Willis Wilson Wood Woodring Worley Ychta'nth Yenowine Zachary Elizabeth Wm. Carrie Blanton Mary A. Josiah Lou Rebecca S. Wm. Jacob Lola Rebecca John B. Ben Benjamin RBey Charles Bruce Charles Calvin James Calvin John Franklin Lucy Ann Ed James James Madison John Susan Catherine Jas. Wm. Thadens Absolem Mary Erwln i Elizabeth E. John 108 105 110 109 100 105 105 106 105 100 109 109 100 100 118 118 118 118 118 118 117 100 117 100 117 105 105 100 105 106 106 118 100 121 NORTH GAROLINA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING AND WORKSHOP "RESEARCHING MILITARY RECORDS" NCGS 2 0 t h ANNIVERSARY 1 9 7 4 - 1 9 9 4 Holiday Inn/Crabtree Raloigh, North Carolina October 28-29. 1994 Workshop: $37.SO (members $32.50) Saturday Lunch: $7.50 (optional) Sandwich buffet, soup and salad. ROODS at the Holiday Inn: $49 plus tax for any size roots (1 to 4 persons) 4100 CLENW00D AVENUE HWY.70 at 1-440 Bcltline Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 782-8600 Mention NCGS when making reservations. Book vendors will be present. ******************************************************************* Registration Form Make check payable to NORTH CAROLINA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY and mail with this form before October 25 • Annual Meeting & Workshop P.O. Box 1492 Raleigh. N.C. 27602 _PH0NE_ ADDRESS Pee enclosed: [ ] Workshop. $37.50/S32.50 [ ] Luncheon, $7.50. Number of Lunches_ NORTH CAROLINA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING AND WORKSHOP RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA OCTOBER 2 8 & 2 9 , 1994 "RESEARCHING MILITARY RECORDS" • 6:30 to 7:30 PM 7:30 to 9:00 PM 8:00 to 9:00 AH 9:00 to 10:00 AM 10:00 to 11 :00 AH 11:00 to 11:30 AM 11:30 to 12:30 PM 12:30 to 1:30 PM 1:30 to 2:30 PM 2:30 to 3:30 PM Total amount enclosed S_ PROGRAM: Friday. October 28 Registration and social. Aa Overview of Prm-Ciril War Military /records, by Mr. Robert Scott Davis, Jr., distinguished author of numerous booka and articles, and recipient of the NGS Award of Merit in 1986. Saturday. October 29 Registration and coffee. Overview of tha North Carolina Military Bzpariance, by Sion H. Harrington III, Archivist I, Non-Textural Unit of the NC State Archives, and formerly of the Department of Military Science at N.C. State University. Records of tha War Between tha States." What is (foe Co re red la National Archives form 80, by Robert Scott Davie, Jr. Break Annual Meeting Lunch Civil War Raeords at tha N.C. State Archives, by William H. Brown, Archivist I in charge of the microfilm holdings at the NC State Archives. Military Records In the NC State Archives Prior to tha Civil War, by Kenrick N. Simpson, Archivist III. Supervisor of Loca 1 Records . Sub-Unit of Arrangement and Description at the NC State Archives.