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The Danahers

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, and Photographs

My aunt Carolyn sent me a lot of photos hoping to solve a mystery. In the hopes that perhaps someone might happen upon this blog and help me identify the pictures, I plan to write a series of posts about what I know of the photos. I am going to start with some photos I do have identified. Carolyn suspects the photos are from the same family of Kennedys. My great-great-grandmother Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling was a member of this family.

Michael Danaher was born in Maryland to Irish immigrant parents and married Adelia Parthenia Kennedy in 25 Jul. 1866 in Fayette County, Tennessee. In the 1880 census, his occupation is described as owner and superintendent of a shingle mill, and the family were living in Ludington, Mason County, Michigan. I should note that some of his son’s records identify Michael’s birthplace as Pennsylvania.

Michael Danaher
Photo identified as Michael Danaher

Their daughter May became an artist. Here is her picture.

May Danaher
May Danaher

Isn’t she beautiful? She was my great-great grandmother Stella Bowling Cunningham’s first cousin. In her diary, she recorded that cousin May gave her a breast pin as a wedding gift. Stella married Amos Blakey Cunningham on 30 May 1894. Stella’s mother Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling was sister to May’s mother Adelia Parthenia Kennedy Danaher. The fact that the Bowlings and Danahers stayed close is demonstrated by the fact that Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling named one of her sons Oliver Danaher Bowling. Sadly, the child only lived to the age of two. Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling gave birth to eleven children, but six of them would die in childhood. Stella refers to her aunt Adelia Parthenia Kennedy Danaher as “Aunt Delia” in her diary. Mary and Delia were daughters of William Wesley Kennedy and Cynthia Walker Palmer. I’ve seen some erroneous information on Ancestry.com family trees linking William Wesley Kennedy to a woman named Malinda Richardson. To my knowledge, he was never married to anyone else, and his wife’s name on census records is always given as some variation of the name Cynthia:

  • 1850 Census, Tippah County, MS: Cynthia W.
  • 1860 Census, Tippah County, MS: Cintha W.
  • 1870 Census, Lauderdale County, AL: C. W.

The Alabama Marriage Collection also has a record of his marriage to Cynthia W. Palmer on 10 Mar. 1840. A reminder to check your sources before attaching people to your Ancestry.com tree, folks. This is how major confusion sets in.

May Danaher painted this summer landscape in 1924 (found via Artfull Eye Gallery):

May Danaher art

Here is cousin May with LulaBab Danaher (her name is given as Lulu Babb on the 1880 Census). I am not sure of the exact spelling of her name, as it is given several different ways: Lula Babb, Lulu Babb, Lula, and LulaBab being some variations.

May and LulaBab Danaher
May and LulaBab Danaher

Here is a picture of their brother Palmer, whose name likely derives from his grandmother’s maiden name:

Palmer Danaher
Palmer Danaher

Palmer’s age was given as two on the 1880 census, but his World War II draft card lists his date of birth as July 14, 1879. He looks about four or so here, I estimate this photo dates from about 1883 or 1884. I’m kind of curious about Palmer. The 1920 and 1930 censuses list him as a roomer in what looked to be some sort of large boarding house. His World War II draft card reveals this location to be the Hotel Pines. It was located on Main Street, Pine Bluff, AR. His occupation is given as lawyer. I wonder what he was doing living in that place. He was single, so it stands to reason that he did it as an expedient—someone to take care of the wifely duties he perhaps didn’t want to perform. He certainly lived there a long time. He is listed as living with his parents in 1910, but his World War I draft card dated 12 Sep. 1918 lists his residence as the Hotel Pines, so he lived there over 20 years at least.

This last photo is a mystery. It’s Kent Danaher, but I’m not sure who he is or how he’s connected to the rest of the Danahers, unless he is May, LulaBab, and Palmer’s brother Kennedy Danaher. I can only find him on the 1880 census, so I wonder if he might have died young. He definitely resembles Palmer in the face.

 

Kent Danaher
Kent Danaher

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Posted in Genealogy in Fiction

Readers of this blog may not realize I have a book blog where I discuss all my reading. I am currently reading a book I think would appeal to genealogists, and I want to cross-post a blog entry from that blog here in the hopes that some of you might enjoy it, too.

I am about halfway through The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and what a delightful read it has been so far. Not since I first picked up Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander have I read a book that contains a confluence of so many things that interest me or that I can relate to. First of all, I was taken aback when the protagonist, Connie, referred to her grandmother as “Granna.” That’s what I call my grandmother, and I have always believed I invented it. I had to do a Google search to assure myself that other women have indeed been called Granna. You can learn more about my own Granna here.

Second, Connie studies Colonial American history, a time period I have always found fascinating. She finds a mysterious key with a piece of parchment tucked inside its pipe or barrel or whatever you want to call the hollow part of an old key. The parchment has the name Deliverance Dane written on it. Connie sets out on a quest to find out more about Deliverance, whom she discovers was part of the Salem Witch Trials furor in 1692. I have been fascinated with this aspect of American history since about fourth grade. I just couldn’t believe that people in my own country, which prides itself now on freedom, had acted in such a bizarre fashion. I still don’t understand it.

Finally, in the last chapter I read, Connie is reading the diary of Prudence Lamson Bartlett. I was struck by how similar the diary entries were to my own great-great-grandmother Stella Bowling Cunningham’s own diary—so devoid of comment on emotions (although Stella occasionally discusses being irritated at someone), so repetitive in their description of the seemingly menial tasks of life. But as Connie says, “In some respects, Prudence’s daily work was her inner life” (158). In the last entry that Connie recounts, this is the entire text:

Febr. 24, 1763. Too cauld to write. Mother dies. (163)

I felt tears well into my eyes, despite the seemingly lack of emotion on the part of Prudence. Connie ascribes it to Prudence’s “cold practicality, her obstinate refusal to reveal her feelings, no matter how culturally proscribed” (163). My own Grandma Stella’s diary was so similar in the respects of recounting the weather, the daily work, where she went, what she bought and how much it cost. I could feel her relief when she wrote the following entry for April 4, 1894:

I paid Mrs. Bragg $7.50 for board & am now even. Owe no man anything (i.e. in $ and cts.)

On the day when her own grandmother died, she wrote:

9-3-’94

Homer & I went to town early.
Grandma died at 6 P.M.
Mr. Amos came & we came home.
Bought a buggy from John Houston $20.00.
Papa was at Aunt Panthea’s.

It couldn’t be more like Prudence Bartlett’s diary in the way it recounts so much pain alongside the mundane. It’s so spooky that if I didn’t know better, I’d swear Katherine Howe must have cribbed my genealogy blog! If you like, you can read my Grandma Stella’s journal (PDF). I transcribed it from a photocopy of the original.

Staying up at night reading this book under the low light of a book lamp over the last few nights has been a pleasure indeed, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next in Connie’s research.

The Horse Story

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories

Jasia has challenged genealogy bloggers to share the family stories that make us laugh, the ones about the jokers. Any family members of mine who happen by here might wonder where on earth Dana should begin, given the large number of cards in my family. I decided that in keeping with the nature of this blog, I should tell the one about my great-great-grandfather Amos Blakey Cunningham and the horse.

Grandpa Amos grew up in Georgia, and my grandfather (his grandson) tells me that Amos’s father was a preacher. Amos’s father (Johnson Franklin Cunningham) was staying behind after services to shake hands, and Amos ran on home. Amos used to brag that his horse would follow him anywhere or do anything he told it to. On this particular day, a friend bet Amos that his horse wouldn’t go up the stairs in his house. Well, Amos couldn’t pass that one up, so he led the horse inside and up the stairs in his house. The only trouble is he couldn’t get the horse to come back down the stairs. Amos decided that if he covered the horse’s eyes, the horse might be less afraid. I am not sure if he used actual horse blinders or something else, but once the horse’s eyes were covered, it was fine. The only trouble was that it make a god-awful racket coming down the stairs, and Amos’s parents had come home! Finally, he decided he had better figure out a way make those hooves quiet, so he tied pillows to the poor beast’s feet. I’m not sure how he got the horse down the stairs without breaking its legs.

Another time Amos went to church with his mother, Mary Anne Penelope Anthony Cunningham. He didn’t take his hat off when he entered the church, so his mother told him to take off his hat. He refused. Apparently, she jerked it off his head, only to discover he had hidden a bunch of marbles inside. They scattered and rolled quite loudly all over the wooden floorboards in the church.

My mother remembers Grandpa Amos sticking his cane out to trip her when she ran by his chair. My grandmother tells me he used to put his medication in the toilet. You can learn a little bit more about Grandpa Amos through my great-great grandmother Stella Ophelia Bowling Cunningham’s diary (pdf).

Amos is pictured below in the back row, far right.

Cunninghams

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Music

Posted in Genealogy and History

I have found myself wondering lately what kind of music my ancestors liked. There are clues to be found here and there. For instance, my ancestor David Kennedy was renowned for his skillful fiddling. David Kennedy was a gunsmith and owned a gun factory in Mechanics Hill, Moore County, North Carolina. One of my favorite stories (probably apocryphal) is that Kennedy was tired of paying what he considered to be high prices for the gun locks he imported from New York. The problem was, he didn’t know how to make them himself. Supposedly he rode all the way to New York from his North Carolina home on a horse to discover how the locks were made. He charmed the gun lock factory workers with his fiddle playing, and they allowed him to observe the process of making the locks. Of course, after this, he made his own locks (source: My Southern Family by Hiram Kennedy Douglas).

David Kennedy’s own Bible records his family’s country of origin as Scotland. I would like to think he played those famous fiddle tunes brought over from Scotland and Ireland and helped frame what would become bluegrass, but the fact is, I’m not sure. According to a wise man who knows, the difference between a violin and fiddle is that a violin is carried in a case and a fiddle is carried in a flour sack.

I learned from relatives that my great-great grandfather Amos Cunningham, who married David Kennedy’s great-great granddaughter Stella Ophelia Bowling, was also a fiddle player. Stella mentions it in her journal (after her wedding!):

Thursday May 31st 1894

It was muddy but we came any way.

I left my father’s home to go to a new home.

“I part from love that hath still been true,

“I to into love yet untried and new.” – A new trial I never had before.

We had a very pleasant trip if it was muddy.

Reached Aunt Panthea’s after four some.

I fixed up a little & we came on.

The guests were here when we came and I was so embarrassed — more so than when we married.

They had a real good supper and all went off nice.

Had music on violin, banjo, & organ.

The married ones & all staid all night – only 27 and 30 for breakfast.

All seemed to enjoy it.

Of course, they teased Mr. Amos & I some.

Stella played the organ, and she mentions this fact several times in her journal.  She also mentions that her mother (Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Bowling)  played the organ as well.  On a couple of occasions, Stella complained about others playing music as it interfered with her concentration.  Amos and Stella’s daughter Lillie Manila Cunningham also played the fiddle and was given Amos’s fiddle upon his death.  I’m not sure who has it now, but I assume it would be someone among the descendants of her children Luther Clifford Case or Virgil Amos Case.

My grandfather played trombone back in school, and he still listens to big band swing, which was pop music when he was a teenager.  My grandmother loves country music and Elvis.  I remember hearing her hum as she sewed.  I often asked her what she was singing, but she always said she didn’t know.  I’m not sure if she heard them somewhere or made them up, but they sounded like hymns.

I love music, and I have been a musician myself.  Is such an appreciation genetic?  Is there a reason why the music I have the most visceral appreciation for is blues, Celtic, and bluegrass?  It’s something I have long wondered about.  My mother has often expressed her own appreciation for the sound of bagpipes, which is something I enjoy as well.  My daughter, unlike any other teenager I have ever known, prefers Celtic music to popular music.

Time passes, but folk music can perfectly capture a time and place.  Sometimes listening to it makes me feel as if I am connecting in some small way with ancestors I never met.  We can still play or dance to the same music.

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Genealogy Gifts

Posted in Uncategorized

At this time of year, thoughts turn toward giving (and receiving) gifts. I have received so many gifts related to genealogy. First of all, I have made friendships with distant relatives. Of the three Christmas cards I’ve received so far this year, two are from distant cousins Chris Stofel and Helen Lowry.

Helen sent me a wonderful gift once of a photograph of my great-great-great-grandparents and their family taken in about 1880. Chris has sent me some wonderful information about our family, including my great-great-great-grandfather Shelby McDaniel’s Civil War records (he deserted!)

My grandfather’s cousin Lee probably doesn’t know this, but he is the one who got me started researching my ancestors. Some years ago — and my memory says 1990, but that may be off by a bit — he sent my grandparents a copy of “The Descendants of William Cunningham.” At that point, he had researched the Cunningham family tree back about as far as any of us have been able to trace it — to William Cunningham born in 1792. At that time, Lee’s chart was really more of a complete descendant chart for Amos Blakey Cunningham, William Cunningham’s grandson, as any descendants of Amos’s brothers and sisters, or aunts and uncles, were not included. Since then, Lee has added more of these descendants of William Cunningham and the tree is more complete. I had never thought before about where I came from or who my ancestors were, and I was intrigued. I used library time in the stacks at UGA’s library to do more research, but back in those days I didn’t know what I was looking for and scarcely knew how to take it down if I did find something. Still, it got me started.

My grandfather’s cousin Mary, who is Lee’s sister, has given me the amazing gift of a CD full of family photos. In addition, she gave me copies of several family photos of my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents. She also gave me a photocopy of my great-great-grandmother Stella Bowling’s diary, which I transcribed. It would be hard for me to put into words how much these gifts have meant to me.

The best gift I ever gave myself was a subscription to Ancestry.com. I have balked at paying for the subscription for years on the principle that the information they collect is available elsewhere. However, once they made the census records from 1790 to 1930 available, I had to check it out. I reasoned that I would spend much more than the cost of the subscription fee in traveling to view all the documents they have available online. Frankly, I wouldn’t have been able to travel because of family constraints. I have small children at home and I work full time. My Ancestry.com enables me to learn about my family.

Several years back, I made my grandfather a genealogy-related gift with information about his family tree. If memory serves, there may be some errors in that information I’ve since corrected. There is also additional information that I’ve learned. It is my plan to give genealogy books to family members for Christmas this year.

If I could ask the genealogy fairy for anything, it might be to break through the brick wall I’ve hit with the aforementioned William Cunningham and to learn more about my paternal grandmother’s mysterious antecedents. I would also like more time to do research.

Thomas Bouldinge

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories

Thomas Bouldinge arrived in Elizabeth City, Virginia on the ship Swan in 1610. The colony of Jamestown was established in 1607 and became the first permanent English settlement in America. The winter of 1609-1610 in Jamestown is known as the “starving time.” Over half of Jamestown’s settlers died waiting for supplies; supply ships were delayed. The area occupied by the colony was mosquito-infested, and the brackish water of the James River was no good for drinking. Native Americans were rightfully inhospitable to the colonists, as well. Many historians believe Jamestown’s high mortality rate can partially be blamed on poor planning. The colonists expected to trade with the locals for their food between supply ships and threw most of their cultivating energies into growing tobacco. By 1611, most of the Jamestown settlers had died. The colony’s prospects for survival looked bleak until 1617, when the colony’s tobacco exports finally generated enough income to keep the colony going.

Very little is actually known about Thomas Bouldinge. He is accepted as one of the “Ancient Planters” of America. The Order of Descendants of Ancient Planters, much like the Mayflower Society, is a genealogy society whose members trace their lineage to early American settlers. In the case of the Ancient Planters, members must prove lineage from a settler who emigrated to America prior to 1616, paid their own passage, and survived the massacre of Jamestown in 1622 (i.e., lived at least three years after the attack). Thomas Bouldinge was 40 when he emigrated to America. He may have come to Virginia with a wave of immigrant farmers in order to cultivate the land for the purpose of growing food for the fledgling colony. He married a woman named Mary, whose name is often spelled “Bouldin.” Herein lies one of the major problems that descendants of this family have in tracing their lineage: the name has a multitude of spelling variations, and it would seem our ancestors themselves were not terribly picky about how they spelled it. Some variations on the spelling include Bouldin, Bolton, Bolding, Bolden, Bolling, Bowling, Bollin, Boulding, and Bouldinge.

Another problem with researching this line is that overzealous genealogists in the past have created outright fiction in order to establish family connections to Pocahontas. If I might be granted a moment’s indulgence, I have rarely come across any other historical figure that so many people wanted to claim as an ancestor. It is true that many Bollings may trace their ancestry to Pocahontas, whose granddaughter Jane Rolfe married Robert Bolling. However, Robert Bolling arrived in Virginia in 1660. If he is related to Thomas Bouldinge, it is distantly; therefore, Thomas Bouldinge’s descendants most likely cannot claim Pocahontas as an ancestor (unless they descend through some other line in their families as well). I have examined the problem of the Blue Bollings in another post.

Inconsistency with name spellings and shoddy research done by genealogists more concerned with documenting wishful thinking than actual facts are not the only problems I have encountered in researching this line. I have made the acquaintance of two distant cousins, Larry Bowling and Joe Bowling. Their collective research has traced the Bowling lineage back to three brothers — Alexander, William, and Thomas Bowling, who lived in West Tennessee in the early 1800’s. My ancestor is William Bowling (1784-1870), who is the great-grandfather of Stella Ophelia Bowling — my great-great grandmother. If you are doing math, you have probably wondered how I can possibly maintain a connection to Thomas Bouldinge through a descendancy from William Bowling.

My connection to Thomas Bouldinge cannot yet be proven through historical documentation, but it can be proven through science. Larry Bowling and Joe Bowling participated in the Bolling Family Association DNA Study in 2001. Their DNA results were compared with those of a known, documented descendant of Thomas Bouldinge. Larry summarized the conclusions of the study:

Several descendants of Alexander, one of William and one of Thomas participated in the study. They all matched exactly using the 12 loci y-chromosome test conducted by Family Tree DNA and the Univ. Of Arizona. This proves that they all shared a common Bowling ancestor and proves the relationship of these three men when combined with other evidence. In 2002, John Bouldin, a documented descendant of Thomas Bouldinge 1580-1655, Fh665, who immigrated to America in 1610 on the Swan, also took the DNA test and matched my group 12 of 12. This test was expanded to the 25 allele test and compared with mine. We, again, matched exactly 25 of 25, proving that we share a common Bouldin/Bowling ancestor within 23 generations with a 90% confidence and 7 generations at 50%. Another desc. of Thomas Bouldinge 1580 has also matched this group. Thus it would appear, based upon the DNA evidence collected thus far, that Alexander, William and Thomas are descendants of Thomas Bouldinge 1580-1655 through an as yet undiscovered branch of his tree.

Because my relationship through the Bowling line to both Joe Bowling and Larry Bowling can be established through historical documentation, and their relationship to Thomas Bouldinge can be established through scientific documentation, it follows that I also have a relationship to Thomas Bouldinge.

My husband has Bolton relatives through his father’s mother, and my mother’s maternal aunt Winnie married Arvel Bolding. Despite the different spellings, these family members might find connections to Thomas Bouldinge (or other known Bolling branches) if they are willing to participate in the Bolling Family Association’s DNA test. Participants must be male, as it is a Y-chromosome study.

Thus, I can say my earliest immigrant ancestor in my Bowling line would seem to be Thomas Bouldinge, though I cannot trace my own Bowling ancestors past my ggggg-grandfather William Bowling. My ancestry to William Bowling is as follows:

Dana Michelle Swier
+ Patti Jo Cunningham
++ Udell Oliver Cunningham
+++ Herman Cunningham (1895-1980)
++++ Stella Ophelia Bowling (1867-1938)
+++++ William Jones Bowling (1840-1916)
++++++ Burgess Bowling (Abt. 1819-Bef. 1845)
+++++++ William Bowling (1784-1870)

This post is the fifth in a series about my known immigrant ancestors.

Herman Cunningham’s WWI Diary

Posted in Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories

Herman Cunningham, WWIMy great-grandfather Herman Cunningham, kept a diary of sorts during his tenure in the U.S. Army in World War I. My Aunt Carolyn, Herman Cunningham’s youngest daughter, sent me the following. Note: I’m not sure if this is the entire diary or an excerpt.

Registered for army: June 5, 1917
was examined: March 9, 1918
drafted: July 15, 1918

Camp McArthur, D Co. 4th bn Inf. repl Camp Waco, Texas.

Left Camp McArthur left Sep 16, 1918 A. Co. 5th bn Inf. repl Camp Waco, Texas. My rifle No. 216021.

Started across sea from U.S.A. Monday 23 of September 1918. Landed in France October 6, 1918 Sun. (Note from Carolyn: He didn’t write down the name of the ship…but, I have heard him talk about going over on the Princess Patowka …I don’t know how it is spelled, but he pronounced it the Princess Pa-toe-ka).

Came to the hospital Oct 12, 1918 [this might refer to his hospitalization for meningitis]

Left out hospital #11 BS #1 November 19, 1918

Loaded on the boat at St Nazaire Jan 26, 1919

Sailed Jan 27, 1919 1:15 PM

Come by the Azors Islands, Name this ship U.S.S. RIJNDAM, Bunk No. is 515 Troop space F 4 (decks are named from upper deck down, A,B,C,D,E and F. Troop spaces are lettered and numbered; the letter means the deck. and the number the troop space on the deck, counting from forward.)

Landed in Newport News Virginia from France on February 9, 1919 Sunday.

Left camp Hill Newport News, VA Feb, 16, 1919.

Towns went through:

  • Richmond VA
  • Petersburg VA
  • Raleigh NC
  • Abbeville SC
  • Athens GA
  • Atlanta GA
  • Fairburn GA
  • Longbeech Miss
  • Bay St Louis Miss
  • New Orleans LA
  • Donalds Vill LA
  • Bunky LA

(Some friends names were)

  • Frank Dankert, Clarence, MO
  • Joseph Stern, Route 1 box 48, Clayton S.D.
  • Willie Brown, St. Charles, Ark
  • John L. Moore, Pickrell, Nebr R#1
  • [Miss] Sadie F. Smith, R.R. # 8 Box 85, Waco Texas

Pay from U S Army

July 1918 $15.00
August 1918 $23.50
Casual pay January 11, 1919 $62 1/2 franks
  $11.50

payed in full in France January 25, 1919 $92.50

payed in U.S.A. February 12, 1919 $26.50

this is what I drawed

  26.50
  26.50
15.00 26.50
23.50 26.50
11.50 23.50
92.50 23.50
26.50 15.00
$160.00 168.00

Note from Carolyn: He also said “took a hike in Suedalia [most likely Sedalia] Missouri. Cleveland Ohio. I seen the lake Erie.” This must have been before he went to France.

I have to say that my great-greatgrandfather’s diary reminds me of his mother’s [pdf] in many respects, notably that both recorded what you and I might deem the minutiae of existence (purchases, cost, money earned, places the train went through) rather than thoughts and feelings (though my great-great-grandmother’s diary does get into that somewhat more than my great-grandfather’s does).

Family History with Students

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories

Those of you who just read this blog may not realize it, but I have compartmentalized my various interests across several different blogs. That means that no single blog I write is updated as regularly as it probably should be if I want to attract regular readers, but then, it also means that if you’re not interested in my ramblings about education or Harry Potter, you don’t have to be exposed to them. For the record, these are my other blogs:

You’ll probably recognize a few of the layouts. 😉

For the most part, my various interests don’t intersect much. Once, I dissected J.K. Rowling’s Black Family Tree (Sirius Black’s family) with all the zeal of the genealogist at my Harry Potter blog. At my education blog, I shared a letter my great-great-grandmother Stella Bowling Cunningham, who taught in a one-room schoolhouse in the 1890’s, wrote to my great-uncle Alvin Cunningham about what school was like when she was a girl. Occasionally, I urge readers of my personal blog to pop over here to read something I’m particularly proud of. Aside from these rare instances, however, this blog remains separate from my others, and they, for they most part, remain separate from each other.

I have an American literature lesson idea book I keep at school. One suggestion was to have students do some research into their family histories and connect those to American history on a timeline. I thought perhaps some might argue this is not exactly an English class assignment. My counter-argument is that history and literature are inextricably connected, and in many places, they are combined into courses, such as American Studies. Events going on in the world had a direct impact on the kind of literature that writers created. I thought it might be interesting to see what the students’ families were doing while the works we studied were written.

So many of the students really put a lot of work into their research. All I asked for was a simple timeline, but they created elaborate posters, complete with pictures and documents. They were fascinating. One boy told us of an ancestor who was taken to a concentration camp. She had been a violist in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and her playing for the Nazis enabled her to be freed. Another student told how she discovered her immigrant ancestor arrived at Ellis Island on Columbus Day in 1892 and was dazzled by the celebration in her new country. Still another student told a fascinating story of her ancestors’ initial immigration to South Africa — her direct ancestor looked at the label inside his coat when asked his name and gave the spelling he saw; his brother gave a different spelling; his other brother was confused and thought officials wanted his occupation and gave the name “Miller.” To this day, she has relatives from the same family with these three different names. Students told of emigrating from Russia to escape the pogroms, or from Eastern Europe prior to WWII, sensing the climate of the times.

It really underscored for me how each of us has a fascinating story to tell about our own families, and I’m really glad I did the assignment. I think I will take pictures of their projects and post them on the web. I told them I would share mine next week, so I guess I had better get it written out!

Education and Genealogy

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories

Everyone is heading or has headed back to school. In honor of the start of a new school year, I posted my great-great grandmother Stella Bowling Cunningham’s letter to her son Alvin about what school was like when she was a girl over at my education blog.

I was surprised and happy by the reaction to the letter. The post appeared the in 81st Carnival of Education. College professor Cyril Kesten plans to ask his students to read the letter and write about their own school memories (link to his comment). Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub linked the post so that other history teachers in Texas might be able to use it as an educational tool. I think that Grandma Stella would be very happy that so many people enjoyed learning about her school days.

I do want to clarify that while the picture I provided is of a class of Stella’s, it was a college class at the Parker Institute. She attended the equivalent of grade school in the 1880’s and not the 1890’s.

Thanks to everyone!

Roscoe M. Payne

Posted in Family Biographies/Histories, and Primary Sources: Letters, Documents, Diaries, Histories

In researching my great-great-grandmother’s former beau, John William Tolleson, I was most interested to discover some of his family members living today are genealogists. My grandfather’s cousin Mary had some letters that she believed were from John William Tolleson; however, once she took them out of storage, she realized they were actually from Roscoe M. Payne. It turns out that my great-great-grandmother Stella was popular!

After reading the letters, I can verify that Stella was, indeed, engaged to Roscoe M. Payne. It seems that their falling out had something to do with his running a pool hall, which was associated with other vices such as alcohol; however, it is not clear (and he vehemently denies) that Roscoe M. Payne himself had a drinking problem.

As with John William Tolleson, I was able to discover at least one genealogist related to Roscoe M. Payne, with a Family Tree Maker website. It was last updated two years ago, but I will try to contact the page’s owner, Ora Mae Byers. If you are descended from Roscoe Payne or related to him, I would love to hear from you.

I located Roscoe M. Payne in a One-World Tree family tree. A caveat: information in these trees varies from the precisely accurate to the totally inaccurate, depending upon the genealogist compiling the information. It would appear that the genealogist(s) concerned with this branch of the Payne family descend from Roscoe’s sisters Terry Alberta Payne and Belle Payne.

According to this family tree, Roscoe Miller Payne was born January 20, 1864 in Texas. His father was Jones William Payne, who was born August 6, 1830 in Bridgeport, Jackson County, Alabama, and his mother was Harriet Smith, who was born July 19, 1834 in Smithfield, Henry County, Kentucky. They married in Rockwall County, Texas on April 29, 1855. I verified this information through Ancestry.com‘s U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900.

One curious coincidence: Stella’s father was named William Jones Bowling and her beau Roscoe’s father was named Jones William Payne. Stella had an aunt named Panthea Kennedy who married a George Payne. I do not know if he is related to Jones William Payne, but according to the family tree I found, he does not have a brother named George. However, I must emphasize again that the accuracy of these trees varies widely, and often researchers do not include family members from whom they do not descend.

Stella does mention Roscoe in her diary:

  • November 28, 1893: In eve Uncle Jeff came by and brought me two letters, one from Rosco & one from Sadie & my Chautauquan
  • December 10, 1893: Wrote to Rosco.
  • January 19, 1894: At noon came up to house & had two letters one from Rosco other from Edna.
  • January 20, 1894: Rosco came down to Aunt P. and invited us to a party at Mr. Payne’s [this is probably Jones William Payne].
  • February 4, 1894: Finished my letters to Edna and Rosco and wrote one home.
  • February 14, 1894: Valentine’s Day, I received a letter from Rosco, one from Mary Hutton & one from Annie Price.
  • March 4, 1894: Wrote a letter home & one to Rosco.
  • March 28, 1894: Wrote to Rosco and told of my going to marry.
  • April 24, 1894: Wrote to Rosco and started to write to Mary but did not finish.
  • May 25, 1894: Got a letter from Rosco.
  • June 5, 1894: I got a letter from Sarah Buster & one from Rosco they [the letters] had been sent to Allen.

Though the spelling Stella uses is different from that used in records I found, I believe this is probably the same person. Stella was inconsistent with spelling (and, indeed, so are many official records of the era). I do find it interesting that Roscoe visited Stella’s aunt Panthea Kennedy Payne with an invitation to a family at Mr. Payne’s house. I do believe there may be a connection between Roscoe’s family and Panthea’s in-laws, but I do not know what it is just yet.

Let’s go backwards with the most recent census record I could find. This is Roscoe M. Payne and family in the 1920 census of Rockwall County, Texas (City of Rockwall):

R.M. Payne, 1920 Census, Rockwall County, Texas

From this census, we learn that Roscoe Payne was 54 years old, owned his home on Fannin St., and was a Real Estate Agent. His father was born in Alabama, and his mother was born in Kentucky, but he himself was born in Texas. This means that his family came to Texas relatively early.

Roscoe’s wife Lula was 48. She was born in North Carolina, as were both of her parents. Roscoe and Lula had two sons living with them — Frank, who was 17 and a clerk, but I cannot read the type of workplace, and Jimmie, who was 12. Both children were born in Texas.

In 1910, we find Roscoe Payne and family in the same town and county. He is not yet on Fannin St., but must be nearby, because Fannin St. families appear just before families on his street in the census. The name of Roscoe’s street is indecipherable, but starts with San–.

Roscoe M. Payne, 1910 Census, Rockwall County, Texas

From this census, we learn that Roscoe is 45. His birthplace and parents’ birthplaces are the same as on the 1920 census, but it appears the census-taker originally wrote “Pennsylvania” for his father’s birthplace and wrote “Alabama” on top of it. His occupation as listed on this census is Deputy Sheriff for Rockwall County.

Roscoe’s wife Lula E. Payne was 39 in this census, and her birthplace and parents’ birthplaces are the same. She and Roscoe have been married 15 years (which dates their marriage to about 1894), and she has given birth to five children, four of whom survive. In this census, we find two more sons that must have moved out and established their own homes by 1920. These are Roscoe and Lula Payne’s children in 1910:

  1. Roscoe B. Payne, age 14
  2. William L. Payne, age 12
  3. Frank C. Payne, age 8
  4. Jimmie S. Payne, age 2

All of the children were born in Texas. I think it is safe to assume that these four children are the four surviving children referred to on the census.

Interestingly, two prisoners were enumerated with Roscoe’s family: Dee Pipes, a black male, age 30, who was married, born in Texas, parents born in Texas; and Maynard Abe, a white male, age 65, single, born in Texas, parents born in Texas. Also interesting is that Roscoe Payne’s neighbor is a Real Estate Agent. Could his neighbor have convinced Roscoe to give this career a try after his tenure as Deputy Sheriff ended?

In 1900, we find Roscoe and family in the same town and county.

Roscoe M. Payne, 1900 Census, Rockwall County, Texas

In this census, Roscoe is said to have been born in Jan. 1865 (family researchers believed it to have been 1864, and I am not sure which year is correct). He is 35 years old and has been married for five years. His birthplace and that of his parents is the same. His occupation is “Jailor.”

Lula Payne’s birth month and year was listed as March 1871, and she is 29 years old. I believe her birthplace and that of her parents is the same, but it does appear that her birthplace could read “South Carolina.” The writing is difficult to read. In this census, she has two children, two of whom survive. Their names are Buford (age 4, born July 1895) and Leroy W. (age 2, born September 1897). Both boys were born in Texas. Though the names are different, I believe these children are Roscoe B. Payne and William L. Payne, listed in 1910. It is possible that the older son was “Roscoe Buford Payne” and the younger was “William Leroy Payne” or “Leroy William Payne.”

Once again the Paynes have a prisoner enumerated with their household: Will Woods, a black male, born unknown, married for 6 years, born in Texas, father born in Virginia (mother’s birthplace unknown).

The 1890 Census is unavailable.

In 1880, Roscoe is living in the village of Servisville (most likely this is Lewisville, but if so, the “L” looks a lot like an “S”) in Denton County, Texas with his parents, Jones W. (age 50) and Harriett (age 45). Jones Payne and his parents were born in Alabama. This is interesting to note, as Panthea Kennedy Payne’s family lived in Lauderdale County, Alabama for some time. It may be a clue as to a connection between Panthea’s in-laws and Roscoe’s family. Harriett Payne is said to have been born in Kentucky and her parents in Virginia. Jones W. Payne is a farmer. Jones and Harriett Payne have the following children, all born in Texas:

  1. M. Belle Payne, age 19 (daughter)
  2. Roscoe M. Payne, age 15 (son), assisting on farm
  3. Fannie Payne, age 10 (daughter)
  4. Jones M. Payne, age 8 (son)
  5. T. Alberta Payne, age 6 (daughter)

Enumerated with the family is also Frank McClure, age 22, Servant, born in Texas. Here is the image of that census record:

Roscoe M. Payne, 1880 Census, Denton County, Texas

Jones W. Payne and his family appear in the 1870 Census of Kaufman County, Texas. Jones W. Payne is 39 and a farmer. His real estate was valued at $1500 and his personal real estate was valued at $500. He was born in Alabama. His wife Harriet is 35 and born in Kentucky. A note about the different spellings of Harriet’s name: I am not sure whether it is correctly spelled with one “t” or two, but such errors are relatively common in historical records. I transcribed the spellings used in the records. I have learned not to be bothered by such inconsistencies in historical records.

Jones and Harriet had the following children, all born in Texas:

  1. Emily J. Payne, age 13
  2. Melissa B. Payne, age 9 [most likely the M. Belle Payne listed in the 1880 census; the age fits]
  3. Roscoe M. Payne, age 5
  4. Fannie Payne, age 1/12 (born in May)
  5. Mary Davis, age 14

Census image:

Roscoe M. Payne, 1870 Census, Kaufman County, Texas

I have seen some references in the One-World Family Tree files for this family that seem to indicate Harriet may have been married to a person with the surname Davis prior to marrying Jones. She is variously named “Harriet Davis,” “Harriet Smith” or “Harriet Smith Davis.” However, the marriage record I found for the Paynes was dated 1855. I discovered Jones and Harriet Payne in the home of their son-in-law David McCombs in 1910 in Kent County, Texas:

Jones W. Payne, 1900 Census, Kent County, Texas

According to this census record, Jones and Harriet Payne had been married 53 years. Their probable year of marriage according to this record was 1857. If the 1857 date is correct, it would seem that the dates on the other census records indicate a blended family, with Emily J. Payne possibly being their first child together. At any rate, the 1910 census does indicate that Harriet Payne’s marriage to Jones is her second, while it is his first. Harriet gave birth to 10 children, 5 of whom still survive in 1910.

According to Ora Mae Byers’ website, Roscoe Miller Payne died June 6, 1930 in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, which may explain why I didn’t find him on the 1930 census. Byers believed his wife’s maiden name to be Lula Ellen Holt. I can find no reference to a Lula or anyone surnamed Holt in Stella’s diary.

I believe that I have identified all of my great-great-grandmother Stella’s fiancés at this point, and I must say, learning more about her life before my great-great-grandfather Amos Cunningham has been very interesting, and I want to thank my grandfather’s cousin Mary and fellow genealogists (not to mention Ancestry.com) for making my search so fruitful.

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