52 Ancestors 2021: Week 8: Power

When I think of the word "power" in genealogy, a lot of ideas come to mind... I could write about a powerful ancestor (someone who had a lot of influence, or perhaps was political), an ancestor who lived through something powerful (like an epidemic or a pandemic or a natural disaster), but the biggest thing I think of is... a strong patriarch and matriarch of the family. 

When I think of "power couple," a couple different sets of my ancestors come to mind, but I think today, I'll talk about my Great-Grandparents -- Richard Jerome Blanford and Verna Lorene (LaRue) Blanford. Dick and Lorene were the parents of 13 children -- the very first being a stillborn baby girl (premature birth) and #11 being a stillborn baby boy (full term birth). 

Dick and Lorene were the proud parents of: Charles Richard (1933), Kenneth Eugene (1934-1993), James Allen "Jady" (1936-2015), Jerry Lee (1938-2008), Delores Faye (1940), Mary Virginia "Ginny" (1941), Martha Ann "Motts" (1943-2020), John William "Johnny" (1944-2009), Linda Ruth (1947), Joseph Earl "Jody" (1951-1982), and George Edward (1953). Stillborn baby girl in 1931 and stillborn baby boy in 1950. Out of those children, only five remain.

Only eight of their children had children of their own -- making them the Grandparents of 29 grandchildren. Their last son, George, was born the same year that the first Granddaughter, Marcella "Marcy", was born -- 1953. 

Out of the Grandchildren, only three have passed away -- the first to pass away was Jerry Ray Blanford (1959-1969). He was killed in a car crash that also injured his brother Phillip and his late mother, Lottie. The second grandchild to pass away was my Uncle, James Allen "Jay" Blanford Jr (1965-2014). The third grandchild to pass was the eldest -- Marcella Louise "Marcy" Blanford Batey (1953-2018). 

Richard and Lorene were wed on July 11th, 1931. Lorene passed away just a few months shy of their 60th wedding anniversary. Lorene passed on May 8th, 1991, after a long hard battle with breast cancer. Dick lived a few more years -- long enough that I had a chance to meet him (his great-Grandchild); he passed away on December 14th, 1995. 

Dick was one of six children born to Martin Allen Blanford and Mary Agnes Nally before her young death at the hands of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1927. Lorene was one of eleven children born to Charles Clarence LaRue and Carrie Annie Byrd -- three of those children dying in either infancy or shortly thereafter. 

Richard was born November 5th, 1913, in Union County, KY. Lorene was born October 9th, 1914, in Henderson County, KY. Both of them, even in childhood, spent most of their years living in the Smith Mills area and then continued to live there even after marriage. 

According to my Grandpa, they lost at least three houses to fire when he was a young boy. They eventually settled on a place at the end of Star School Road (in the Geneva area) called "The Latta Place." I'm guessing because the prior owners of the house were the Latta family. The house was a bit eerie -- at the end of a road, surrounded by cornfield all around. The bayou also wasn't too far away. 

As of a few years ago...all of the land has been sold, the house is gone, and it's all farmland now. In the late 1970's, Dick and Lorene had a house built for them on Trigg-Turner Road. In fact, my Grandma Glynda helped make out the blue prints for it. That was the house they lived in until they passed away. It was a large house with a library and everything. My Mom has several stories of going fishing out there. 

In fact, Dick had apple trees and ran his own orchard. He was known for making his cider as well. In the "power" aspect -- Dick was a relatively well known man in the community. He was a farmer his entire life and sold many a cow, bull, pig, and horse at livestock shows. He made it into the newspaper on several occasions for auctions of farm equipment, auctions of livestock, or for donating to charity (usually a 4H type program.) 

My Mom says that there was always a coffee pot going and an urn of tea in the Blanford household. We love to talk and we love to spend time together -- but like with every family, when the Grandparents pass away...the family fractures a bit. My Mom sadly, other than at funerals or family reunions, didn't see her cousins much after her Grandparents passed...and I'm experiencing the same thing now. If it wasn't for Facebook, I don't think we'd talk to any of the family anymore... it's not like anybody drops by to have a cup of coffee, not in the COVID days. 

I don't have very many memories of Dick.. I can remember watching fireworks out at his house one Fourth of July -- probably the Fourth of July in 1995, I would have been a little over two years old. It's a very very vague memory.. I wasn't even sure it was a real one until I talked to my Mom about it and she realized that's what I was remembering. I can't remember it, but we found photos from that summer, where apparently I must have caught my first fish as well. 

Hanging on our wall here at home, we still have an aerial picture of his house and farm... the last I heard, they'd turned that house into a fishing or hunting lodge or something. We also have a laminated copy of the front page of the Features section of The Gleaner that he was featured in for his apple orchard and apple cider years ago. I have a lot of things that were passed on to me from them.. well, given to my Grandpa, then to my Mom, then to me. 

We have an early 1900's roll-top desk that belonged to my Great-Grandfather. I one day want to make that my genealogy desk but.. our house isn't cleaned up enough to get it in here. One day it will be (a girl can dream anyway.) 

I'm a lot like my Great-Grandmother Lorene -- apparently she had a knack for genealogy as well, as she wrote into a newspaper in Evansville once seeking information for her Dad's side of the family. She also loved to do crossword puzzles... I love to do them, too. Apparently it's a LaRue thing to like puzzles and working with your mind. Her father, Charles LaRue, loved them as well. 

Being a prankster and a jokester also runs in the Blanford and LaRue family genetics. Apparently my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather alike... the cornier the joke, the more they loved it. I, too, am a connoisseur of corny jokes. "Dad" jokes. "Pun" jokes. Whatever. The cornier the better. According to my Mom, Dick had a hat that said, "I'm spending my Grandchildren's inheritance," and he wore it with pride. That's the type of jokester that I am as well. 

I guess I could sit here and type for ages about Dick and Lorene.. but I'll wrap this on up and say, they're a prime example of who I think of when I hear the word "power," or "patriarch" or "matriarch." Without them, the family has slowly started to fracture into pieces...branches of the family tree forking out and going their own way. They were two amazing, incredible, and powerful people in their own rights...and made even better together with their family. 

Richard and Lorene are buried in what I call "Blanford Memorial Gardens" here in Henderson -- Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery. Next time you're there, say hello to them if you can. 

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 6: Same Name

The name that might possibly repeat more than any in my family... Joel Gibson. When I type that in, I get five hits right off the bat. So let's jump right into this post and talk about the original Joel Gibson. The patriarch of (almost) every Gibson in Henderson County, Kentucky. 

Joel Gibson was born in 1750 in Caswell County, North Carolina -- at least, that's where he starts appearing in the 1770's and 1780's in the censuses and census substitutes on Ancestry. We know Joel served in the Revolutionary War as well -- his tombstone, land application, and pension file conclude that. A summary of that information is: Joel Gibson enlisted in Caswell County, North Carolina, in 1775. Re-enlisted and served under Capt. Henry Dixon commanded by Col. James Moore. Fought at Moore's Creek, Kings Mountain., Guilford Courthouse, and at the siege of 96 District of South Carolina. Discharged in 1783 in Wilmington. Rev war pension applied 4/15/1825, cert issued 5/19/1825 in Henderson Ky.

We know Joel Gibson married in about 1769 to Miss Eleanor Davis. It's a rough guess on year because their first child, that we know of, was born in 1770. 

Vicey Gibson, born 1770, married Josiah Stone in approx. 1788. (I believe they married in North Carolina.)

Burgess Gibson, born 1775.

Elizabeth Gibson, born 1782.

Bailey Gibson, born 1784 and died 1856. Married in 1813 to Catherine Sights. (Married in Henderson.)

Greenberry Gibson, born 1785. He married Charlotte Davis. (Moved to Missouri I believe)

Berryman Gibson (my ancestor), born 1785 and died 1870. It's possible Greenberry & Berryman were twins.. their names are very similar but I assure they were different individuals. Berryman married Susan Duncan. (They married in Henderson.)

Robert Gibson, born 1786.

Tillman Gibson, born 1790 and died 1859. He married Sarah Crowley. (Moved to Alabama)

Margaret "Peggy" Gibson, born 1795. Married Abraham Shelton in 1808. (Married in Virginia)

Nancy Gibson, born 1795. Married Josiah Shelton. (Probably married in Virginia, too)

All of these children eventually made their way to Henderson County, KY, I do believe. A few of the girls might have stayed behind in Caswell or died young as I don't have marriage information for them. 

We know by 1808, the family is in the Pittsylvania County, Virginia area, as that's where Peggy marries Abraham Shelton. 

By the 1810 census, Joel Gibson and his brood are listed in the Christian County, Kentucky. 

By 1813, Joel and his children have made it to the Corydon area of Henderson County, Kentucky. In roughly 1818, Eleanor passes away. It is unclear if she perhaps was the first burial in what is now the Gibson Family Cemetery in Corydon (high up on a hill) as there has been no tombstone found for her. There are people that will say "Eleanor died on the journey to Kentucky," but... she's clearly alive with Joel in the 1810 census (if you go by ages.) So I believe she died after coming to Henderson County. 

The patriarch, Joel Gibson, eventually passed away on December 23rd, 1830, according to his military provided tombstone(s). There are some who will say Joel died in Caswell County and is buried there. There is absolutely no proof of that. He has TWO tombstones in the Gibson Family Cemetery. He was absolutely living in Henderson at the time of his death. Trust me, in 1830, they weren't going to ship his body from Henderson back to Caswell, especially when all of his children, at that point, lived here. 

The second Joel Gibson was the son of my ancestors, Berryman Gibson & Susan Duncan. He was born in 1813. He married Margaret Martin on August 25th, 1842. They had at least four children: Susan, Stephen, Evans, and Sarah. Joel died at about 39/40 years old, in February of 1853. 

The third Joel Gibson was the son of Bailey Gibson & Catherine Sights. He was born in about 1816. On September 1st, 1836, he married Francis "Froney" Watson. She passed away in 1862 and he re-married Evaline Overfield. He and Froney had at least the following children: Mary, James, Sarah, Charles, Malisa, John, and Nancy. He and Evaline didn't have children that I'm aware of. This Joel Gibson passed away at about 49 years old on July 17th, 1865. 

The fourth Joel Gibson that pops up in my tree is Joel Elender Gibson, son of Tillman Gibson & Sarah Crowley. So right now we're batting at three of Joel Gibson's sons have named a son after him. This Joel was born October 20th, 1828, and married Amanda Woolbright. He died February 14th, 1881. Now, this Joel lived his whole life, I believe, in Alabama. Tillman & Sarah, after they married, moved to Alabama. Census says Sarah was born in Georgia, but I think she might be part of the Webster County Crowley's.. it would make sense anyway. Maybe a distant cousin of them anyway. I know at some point, Tillman was in Henderson County prior to going to Alabama. 

The fifth Joel Gibson in my tree is the son of Isaac Gibson & Rachel Stone. Isaac & Rachel were cousins. Isaac was the son of Burgess, who was the son of the original Joel. Rachel was the daughter of John Squire Stone, son of Vicey Gibson, daughter of the original Joe Gibson. This Joel Gibson was born in 1858 and died in 1899. He married Rebecca Jane Wilson on December 26th, 1880, in Webster Co, KY. 

There are probably more Joel Gibson's that I just haven't added to my family tree as of yet... but these are the five that I have so far. Are you descended from a Joel Gibson in Henderson, Union, or Webster County, KY? Then your Joel Gibson might be a descendant of THE Joel Gibson... my 6x Grandfather and the patriarch of (almost) all the Gibson's in the area. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 7: Unusual Source

 For this week's topic, I can talk about two somewhat unusual sources that I've gathered information from over the years.

The first -- several years ago, probably around 2008 or 2009, I joined a Yahoo Group called "Gibson Genealogy." With time, Yahoo Groups closed down, and a lot of them migrated over to Facebook, which of course by then, I had migrated over there as well. 

Through this group, over the years, I've had the pleasure of connecting with several cousins that are descendants of either Joel Gibson (my 6x Grandfather) or his reported parents -- John Gibson & Mary Duncan (still not 100% sure of them as his parents.) 

To this day, I'm still close friends with several I've met in the group, and the group is still rather active over on Facebook. In fact, in 2019, I was contacted by a 5th cousin 1x removed who is a journalist in Washington D.C. She found me through the Gibson Genealogy group and wanted me to be her tour guide while she came to Henderson, Kentucky, to see where her Mother's side of the family was from (the Gibson's.) 

I've learned several bits of information from the group and I'm glad there's so many Gibson's who are interested in their genealogy. 

The second unusual source -- years ago, in about 2007 or 2008, I was first starting out here on Ancestry and was replying on the old "message boards" to topics concerning my Dad's side of the family -- Mefford, Bastin, Turner, Knight, etc. 

A woman started e-mailing me, and then even postal mailing me, after we figured out we were related. My 3x Grandfather, Phylander Turner, had fathered a child before his marriage to my 3x Grandmother... I would have never known about this child, had it not been for Rosemary Rivette Lentz. 

Rosemary was the great-Granddaughter of Phylander Turner and Louiza Mae Tinsley. Their child was born in 1878 and in the 1880 census, Louiza and her family live next door to Phylander's father, step-mother, and siblings. Their daughter was named Rosetta Mae "Rosa" Tinsley, taking her Mom's maiden name... but according to Rosemary, Phylander made provisions for this child in forms of some type of "child support" back then. 

In 1881, Louiza Tinsley passes away young, at the age of 23  or 24 years old. According to Rosemary, Phylander and Louiza might have been married... but no marriage record has been found. I believe what Rosemary told me was the marriage wasn't suitable. I don't know if it was the Turner's didn't think the Tinsley's were good enough or vice versa... but it was an ill-fated match. 

In any case, Phylander married my 3x Grandmother, Lucy Frances Knight, on January 16th, 1879, and my 2x Grandmother, Emma Lillie Turner was born November 23rd, 1879. 

Rosa Tinsley went on to marry Alonzo Annes on January 1st, 1898. Then their daughter, Minnie Marie Annes, was born August 21st, 1923. She married Earl Ivan Rivette -- and  they were the parents of my dear, late cousin Rosemary (Rivette) Lentz. 

I actually had no idea Rosemary or "Ro" as she went by on Find-a-Grave had passed away for years. I had wondered why the correspondence stopped.. then in 2017, I checked her Find-a-Grave profile and it said, "this contributor has passed away," so I went to the memorial that was created for her and left a flower. 

She was a treasure trove of information for me when it come to Phylander Turner and I'll always be grateful to her. She sent me a couple old photographs and documents, too. She really was a wonderfully kind person and had such a passion for cemeteries and genealogy. 

If you're ever on Find-a-Grave and have a second... leave her memorial a flower, if you will. 

Rosemary Rivette-Lentz

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 5: So Far Away

 I don't know what it was about Chicago, Illinois, that allured four Henderson, Kentucky men to move there in the late 1920's, 30's, and 40's... but they sure enough did drop everything here in Henderson and move up there and started up lives of their own. 

Thomas Stron Thompson, Henry Nally Thompson, William Von Thompson, and Vernon Posey Thompson, all four sons of John Rowan Thompson and his wife, Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson, eventually migrated from Henderson to Chicago and either worked and started a family, worked and sewed some seeds, or just worked. 

The first born, Stron, I found record of him in 1927 crossing the border into Saskatchewan, Canada for work. By the 1930 census, though, he's in Chicago living with his two younger brothers: Henry, and  Von. Uncle Stron, according to the 1930 census, was a machine operator in a packing factory. His brother, Henry, was an electrician at a telegraphy company.. and the youngest of the three, Von, was a carpenter at the steel plant. 

By 1940, Stron was living in the household of his brother, Von, who was now married to Mary Louise Stevenson, and had a young daughter named Betty Lou. Stron's occupation, now, was a furniture finisher. Von was now a foreman at a factory. 

In 1940, the other brother, Henry, was married to Ella Florence Ewald, and his occupation was listed as electrician. 

By 1942, the youngest of the Thompson boys, Vernon Posey Thompson, filled out his WW2 Draft Card while residing in Chicago and his employer was the Stevens Hotel. 

Uncle Stron, the eldest boy, eventually came back to Henderson and lived with his parents. After the death of their father, John Rowan Thompson in 1959... he solely took care of his mother and lived with her until she was placed in a nursing home. She passed in 1972. Stron continued to live in the family home until eventually family placed him into a nursing home and he passed away in 1989. As far as we know, Stron never married, and never had any children. According to family story -- he got his heartbroken, possibly while living in Chicago...and he was so heartbroken, he never ever tried to find love again.

Uncle Henry, the second eldest boy, before his marriage to Ella... he had a short-lived marriage to a woman named Beulah. This was around 1927 -- and it resulted in a son. The family knew about this son... but never knew what happened to him. I had no idea who he was or what his name was until I ran my DNA with Ancestry and uploaded to MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and GEDMatch. I matched with some Smutz's and sure enough, that's how we ended up related.

Uncle Henry's son was Robert Henry "Bob" Smutz, 1927-2012. Uncle Henry's other son, Mark, who's mother was the wife, Ella, wasn't born until 1950. We've known Mark his whole life. I'm actually decent friends with his son, Jon, and Jon's wife. Jon tested over on Ancestry and that's what connected us to each other. Henry finished out his life living in Chicago and passed away in 1993. 

Uncle Von eventually divorced his wife, Mary, and re-married a woman Bernice Niemaszek, and had another daughter, Linda in 1954. He, too, finished his life out in Chicago and passed away in 1988. 

The youngest son, Vernon Posey Thompson, or as we called him "Uncle Jake," always had a "mafia" vibe about him. A "man of mystery" if you will. Until doing my DNA with 23andme in 2020; we thought we had Uncle Jake's life all figured out. We knew he'd had a couple boys with a woman named Billie Grissom, who we're pretty sure was the first woman he actually married, and that they were eventually adopted by the woman's next husband, so they had the last name Borders. They were born in 1953 and 1956...died in 1992 and 2014 respectively. 

Then we knew Uncle Jake married a woman twenty years his junior - Norma - and had four more children, all daughters: Vicki, Cyndy, Wyndee, and Missy. 59, 61, 64, and 69. Sometime in the 1970's, Uncle Jake moved his family from Chicago, IL, all the way to the Las Vegas, NV area. Henderson, NV to be more precise, I believe. 

I thought his life was pretty cut and dry besides that... but doing my DNA at 23andme unlocked a family secret. Uncle Jake had actually met a woman, Virginia Peters, in Chicago, before going off to WW2. After coming home and being stationed in Georgia -- they gave birth to a daughter, Laura, in 1945. Uncle Jake didn't settle down and become a father, though. Uncle Jake apparently sewed another seed in '53 in Chicago and gave birth to a daughter named Karen, who I also had no idea about until recently. This was the same year he had his first son by Billie Grissom. 

Uncle Jake eventually settled and lived the rest of his life in Henderson, NV, and passed away just a few days after my Nana (his sister) in October of 2001. Neither one ever knew the other one passed away.

Moral of the story... these Thompson boys got around. From Henderson, KY, to Chicago, IL, to Saskatchewan, Canada, to Las Vegas, NV... they got around, saw a lot of life, saw a lot of women, had some kids that were both known about and unknown about... and thanks to DNA, some family secrets have been uncovered and for me, it hasn't been a bad thing. I've enjoyed getting to know my new cousins and honestly, I look forward to connecting with more of them as time goes by. 

I wish I had a photograph, to share, of all the Thompson children with their parents, or at least all the Thompson boys together.. 

Here is, at least, a photograph of Uncle Jake (Vernon Posey Thompson) with my Great-Grandmother (his sister) Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur... and standing making a face at the camera is my Mom, Tammy. This photo was from the 1970's. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 6: Valentine

 

My maternal Grandparents, Jady & Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford, were always my Valentine's growing up. My birthday is February 12th, and Valentine's is the 14th. Not only would I go over for my birthday every year, but then I would go over for Valentine's.

I always bought those small boxes of Valentine's that kids would buy to hand out at school. Sometimes they were Spongebob themed, sometimes Hello Kitty, or whatever was popular at the time... and I would get a box of chocolates, too. I would take them over to my Grandparents and they would smile. Especially my Grandpa. My Grandpa was a more... "sappy" individual, if you will. My Grandpa was more of a sentimentalist, so I'm sure, somewhere in their things, I could probably find some of those old Valentine's if I looked hard enough.

But we would sit at the dining room table, they would drink their coffee, and we would laugh and talk.. eat chocolate.. and just have a good time. Valentine's Day, ever since they've passed, has felt so lonely. My birthday, too. 

My Grandparents were just a happy couple, and to me, on Valentine's Day... they embodied that. They worked hard for what they had. They raised two children, four Grandchildren, two technically "step" Grandchildren, and a lot of other "honorary" kids and Grandkids. The end of their life....well, it's a heart wrenching, sad, LifeTime Movie style story for another day. 

But for Valentine's... my Grandparents had the type of love I will always strive to have. They made it to 52 years married when Grandpa passed away, January 11th, 2015. I wish one day that I could see my 50th anniversary with someone.. but it's so rare of an achievement these days. Today's generation goes into marriage with the attitude, "well, if we end up not liking each other enough, we'll just get a divorce." 

Today's generation... they're ready for a wedding, not a marriage. They get married before they even really know who the person is that they're marrying. That's why marriages now last weeks, a couple months, maybe a few years if they're lucky. Today's generation, only a select few will get to make it to fifty years married. That's why I know, I'll wait for marriage as long as it takes, until I know I've absolutely found the right one... like  my Grandparents. I will never, ever settle. 

They're celebrating together this year.. Pepaw passed on January 11th, 2015, and Memaw on December 8th, 2015. It's hard to believe they've been gone for six years. It feels like just yesterday, I was going over there and giving them a Valentine and sharing a box of chocolates. I feel like the Forrest Gump movie quote, "life is like a box of chocolates," would very aptly go here. 

This year, I'll be spending Valentine's here at home, with my parents (who will be married 29 years on July 13th). I'm sure we will eat something good, exchange a Valentine card, and then I'll focus on doing genealogy... because right now, genealogy is my biggest love and biggest passion in life. I hope that never changes. 

We love and we miss you, Pepaw & Memaw. Every single day..

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 4: Close to Home

 

This photograph, I colored with MyHeritage, was taken prior to 1951 -- so I believe sometime in the 1940's. This is my Great-Great-Grandparents, Eugene Henry Sandefur and Ollie Lee (Moss) Sandefur. 

Eugene and Ollie married  on May 18th, 1898, in Henderson County, Kentucky. In the 1900 census, they're listed as living at 1418 Clay St. In 1906/1907, they built the Audubon School where 1418 Clay St. had been, forcing Eugene & Ollie to move across the street to 1421 Clay St. 

In the 1910 census and onward -- that's where they reside. They had six children, one of whom died young after being kicked in the head by a mule. The official death certificate says "concussion of brain and inflammation of the same." 

1421 Clay St. stayed in the Sandefur family until sometime in the late 50's, I believe, when Ollie made the move to New Mexico to stay with her Granddaughter, the late Marie Luna. Eugene had passed away in 1951 -- Ollie passing in 1963. 

The reason I'm sharing this story as "close to home," is because I live less than a mile away... about a three minute car drive or a fifteen minute walk. Plus, because they lived there for so long, I feel like, they stayed "close to home" for decades. 

One of their sons, Russell Louden Sandefur, became the Fire Chief at the Audubon (City of Henderson) Fire Department and lived over by Letcher St. His address, in the 1940 census, was 118 Cottage Avenue, which is a little street that runs parallel to Letcher.

Their other son, my ancestor, Henry Lloyd Sandefur, also lived over on Letcher St. and that's where my Grandmother, Glynda, was born at home, on June 13th, 1941. However, in the 1940 census, Poppy and Nana were listed as living at 122 Burdette Street. 

Interesting enough, also listed at 122 Burdette St, was another of their sons -- Walter and his wife and daughter. The other children spread out a little bit more. Daughter Ruby lived in Harlan Co, KY by 1940 and daughter Hollie lived out towards the Smith Mills area of the county. 

Not far from my house, coincidentally enough, is Sandefur Dr. I'm not quite sure which Sandefur in my family that the street is named after. My Grandparents, Jady & Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford lived right across the street from Sandefur Dr.

So for this particular line of my family, we've stayed pretty close to 1421 Clay St. Even a generation before Eugene -- his parents, Philo and Susan, lived at 420 S. Green St, which is very near Clay St. By 1900, Philo & Susan lived at 1419 Clay St, and by 1910, Philo lived at 1449 Clay. 

As for Ollie, her Mother, re-married by 1900, lived at 1425 Helm Street, which is just the next street over from Clay. Ollie's Father, however, remained out in the county -- towards Hebbardsville. 

Clay St. and "East End" Henderson will forever be in my blood. The area has been called a lot of things over the years, but that area of Clay St. is most notably called "Audubon Heights." Now most people just call it "East End." It's a rather impoverished area of Henderson, sadly.. and rather drug laden. They've been trying their hardest to clean it up for decades... but it hasn't helped much. 

Still, at one point, the area thrived with its own grocery store, barber shop, and more. The staple employment of the East End used to be the Hosiery Mill on Washington Street.. that's long gone now. Where it stood is now (roughly) home to the Salvation Army and the Washington Station Apartments. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 5: In The Kitchen

 

The above photographs are from two separate occasions -- I believe the top photo was a summer get-together. Grandma, Uncle Charles (Grandpa's brother), Grandpa, my Mom, and my Dad. (Grandma & Grandpa are my Mom's parents). A lot of times during the summer we would have ribeye steaks, baked potatoes, and salad.

The bottom photo is from Christmas -- Grandma would always wear that sweater. You can see that it was Christmas by how many loaves of bread were there....for lots of ham sandwiches. Lots and lots of ham sandwiches.

Looking back in retrospect, I wish I had more photographs of us cooking in my Grandmother's kitchen before life threw us a huge curveball. Now my Grandparents are gone and we no longer have the house.. So many memories. So many holidays spent cooking in that kitchen. So many meals ate at that dining room table. So much coffee consumed. So many laughs, so many good conversations, and even some bad ones. 

Growing up, it was tradition to have holiday dinners at my Grandparents house. Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, for sure. But sometimes we would have little get togethers for birthdays -- mine (February 12th), was always held at my Grandparents house. Sometimes we'd get together for their anniversary (March 31st), or sometimes we'd get together on a random Thursday in the middle of August. 

We'd usually go over and have a meal with them on their birthdays -- Grandma was born June 13th, and Grandpa was born July 31st. Sometimes we'd have a meal for my Mom's birthday, January 8th.. or her younger brother, his birthday being January 11th. Sometimes we'd go over for New Years Eve. 

It didn't matter the date.. it didn't matter what food was being cooked. You could always count on a pot of coffee going, a cookie jar full on the dining room table, and a lot of good conversation leading to laughter and smiles. For my Grandma, cooking was something she picked up from my Grandpa after they married. My Grandma's Mom -- Nana -- didn't allow her children into the kitchen with her, when they were young. 

Whereas, my other Great-Grandmother -- Lorene -- allowed her children into the kitchen. Not to mention, my Grandpa had picked up some cooking skills in the Army in and around 1960, prior to marrying my Grandma in 1962. Growing up, my Grandma allowed her kids into the kitchen, and when it came time, she more than allowed her Grandchildren into the kitchen with her. 

I would usually spend the night at their house the night before a big holiday dinner. Take Thanksgiving for instance.. Grandma and I would wake up sometimes at 5 o'clock in the morning to get the oven pre-heated and the turkey into the oven in time for it to be done by 11 AM. Sometimes the last guest wouldn't leave until 10 PM and we'd be cleaning the kitchen until midnight. It just depended on the holiday and who came over. We Blanford's, well, we love to drink coffee and talk. In fact, we probably talk a lot more than your average person. Probably why our jawbones are so thick...it has to compensate for how often we wag our tongues. 

Growing up, I've heard stories of the Blanford kitchen. My Mom said they used to keep urns of coffee and urns of sweet tea going. Matter of fact, you'd have to brew multiple urns a day. In the Sandefur kitchen, you'd have some unsweet tea, because Nana's husband, Poppy, was a diabetic. 

In the Blanford kitchen, you would find Lorene making a delicacy known as Jam Cake. Every southern family (or it seems more prevalent in the south) has their own Jam Cake recipe and most women will take their recipe to the grave with them. I thankfully have my Great-Grandma's recipe. 

In the Sandefur kitchen, you would find Nana making her signature Oatmeal Date Cake, or perhaps her 7-Up Cake. She was also rather famous for her zucchini bread. According to my Mom, Nana made a blackberry cobbler that was delicious. She would also make a homemade chocolate syrup for ice cream or to drizzle over hot brownies. 

Unfortunately, Lorene passed away before I was born... but my Nana lived until I was eight years old, in 2001. So Nana would come over for every holiday dinner at my Grandma's house until she passed. Until she wasn't able anymore, she would always help my Grandma make deviled eggs, banana logs, or Waldorf salad. 

Deviled eggs and banana logs kind of became the traditional "staple" at every holiday dinner. You might have ham for Easter, turkey for Thanksgiving, and ribeye steaks for Christmas, but one thing was for sure: you were probably going to have green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and banana logs. 

Another thing a Blanford kitchen never lacked... brownies or pie. Blanford's are notorious sweet eaters. My Grandpa's cookie jar was never barren. In fact, many times growing up, I helped my Grandpa make homemade apple butter, apple pie, pecan pie... I can still remember the smell of the kitchen when we'd cook together. It never smelled better than when we would make homemade apple butter. It was a family affair, too. 

Another thing we'd do in the kitchen/dining room was snap beans and can. I've canned a lot of green beans in my day, and other veggies like tomatoes and corn. We shelled a lot of purple hull peas and canned those, too. 

I firmly believe that's what is wrong with today's generation of kids...they don't snap beans or shell peas with their Grandma in the kitchen anymore...and boy does it show. They haven't been taken out into the front yard and told to pick a good switch from the tree and had their rear-end lit up enough either. Grandma's were infamous disciplinarians and my, oh my, my Grandma and Great-Grandma were good at it: they had previously been school bus drivers and we all know just how little crap they take. 

I have a million other things I could talk about, when it comes to food...but this topic was specifically "in the kitchen." One day, I'll write about the BBQ's and fish frying that my Great-Grandpa Blanford would do. He also had an apple orchard and made homemade apple cider. But those are topics for another day.

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 4: Favorite Photo

 

This is a photograph of my 2x Grandparents -- Martin Allen Blanford and Mary Agnes (Nally) Blanford. I *think* it was from their wedding but I could be wrong. He's in a suit and she's in a white blouse with a nice hair-style so.. I'm thinking wedding. 

This photograph is one of my most treasured possessions, and it was one of my Grandpa's favorite pictures, as well. You see, Mary Agnes died very young. Let's talk about Martin and Agnes for a few, shall we?

Martin was born on February 28th, 1888, in Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky, to Samuel Blandford and Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" Raley. 

Mary Agnes was born November 6th, 1894, in Smith Mills, Henderson County, Kentucky, to Thomas Sidney Nally and Matilda Catherine McBride. 

On January 7th, 1913, in Union County, Kentucky, they wed, most likely in one of the Catholic churches -- Sacred Heart or Saint Peter's is my guess. 

They were the parents of six children -- one whom died/stillbirth. Of the living children, three were sons and two were daughters. 

On January 28th, 1927, at the young age of 32, Mary Agnes Nally passed away from pulmonary tuberculosis. She had been sick with this for about two years, according to the death certificate. She left behind children who were only 14, 12, 9, 6, and 4 (roughly) in ages. She was laid to rest in Saint Peter's Catholic Church Cemetery in Waverly, Union County, Kentucky. 

Thanks to an awesome group on Facebook called "Random Acts of Photo Restoration," I was able to get the crinkles fixed in the photo of Martin and Agnes. For the first time, I could really truly see Agnes' beauty. I used MyHeritage to help colorize the photograph and used the Remini app to "clear" up the photo a bit...and this is the final product. Martin and Agnes in all their glory in circa 1913. 108 years ago. 

If you're ever in Waverly, stop by Mary Agnes' grave and tell her hello. 94 years after her death, she is still deeply missed. There probably isn't anyone alive today who remembers her in person, as her children are long gone, siblings as well.. but, her Grandchildren feel her absence as the Grandmother they never got to know. My Grandfather would look at this photograph on his desk and think of his Grandfather, who didn't die until 1968 (my Grandpa would have been 32 in 1968)...but he always longed for a relationship with the Grandmother who died so young. It apparently shaped his father, Richard Blanford, who was their oldest child, in ways that I can't even imagine. 

Tuberculosis took another one of my 2x Grandmother's at a very young age... but that's a blog for another day. I'll wrap this one up by just saying.. remember your ancestors who died young, because without them.. you wouldn't be here today.

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 3: Namesake

My name is Brecca -- and sadly, I'm not named after anyone. In fact, most people mispronounce or misspell my name as Becca or Rebecca. My name is pronounced Brek-kuh. My first name actually came from my Dad sitting back and watching an old Western movie where there was a character named "Bricka," or something similar to that. 

However, there is a gorgeous name in my family that for a couple generations was "a family name," if you will, and then it seemed to have died out, quite literally. It's my absolute favorite name in my entire family tree...

Vandalia.

The first Vandalia was my 3x Grandmother, Vandalia Delia (Gibson) Nally. I, unfortunately, have no photographs of Vandalia, even though she lived well into the 20th century. I'm not incredibly sure what or who the first Vandalia was named after... my speculation is the Vandalia territory. 

According to Wikipedia -- Vandalia was the name in the late 1700s of a proposed British colony in North America. The colony would have been located south of the Ohio River, primarily in what are now West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky. 

It's possible the Gibson family knew of this proposed colony as they came to Kentucky from Caswell County, North Carolina, and would have undoubtedly traveled through eastern Kentucky to arrive in Henderson County, Kentucky in the mid 1810's. 

Vandalia was born December 21st, 1856, in the Corydon area of Henderson County, Kentucky, where the Gibson family had been settled since Joel Gibson, Vandalia's great-Grandfather, came to the area in 1813. He came with a passel of his children, including his son Berryman Gibson, who was Vandalia's Grandfather. 

Vandalia herself was the daughter of John Gregory Gibson and Mahala Caroline Busby. She was their ninth child -- their fifth daughter. Vandalia and her older sister Neosha, were the only two daughters that lived past their 20's. 

On January 28th, 1880, at Old Highland Missionary Baptist Church in Union County, Kentucky, Vandalia became Mrs. Henry Oliver Nally. She was 23 years old. On her marriage application, she is listed as "Vannie Gibson." Vannie was her lifelong nickname. 

Henry and Vandalia were the the parents of seven children -- of those seven, there were two sets of twins. Janella & Camilla being the first, and then Henry & Vandelia being the last.

Martha Vandelia "Vannie" (Nally) Williams was born on November 19th, 1891, in Corydon, Kentucky. She was the twin of Henry Oliver "Bud" Nally. Vannie married Richard James "RJ" Williams and bore him one daughter, Eleanor Dorothy (Williams) McKasson. 

Vannie unfortunately died young, on November 9th, 1913, just shy of her 22nd birthday. 

Looking back at another of Vandalia's daughters -- Janella -- she mothered the third, and final "Vannie" in our family line. 

Vannie Louise Thompson was born to John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella Nally on November 24th, 1911, in Henderson County, KY. Unfortunately, Vannie didn't live a long life. At almost four years old, she passed away of membranous croup and was laid to rest along with the other Vannie's in the Gibson Family Cemetery. She died November 19th, 1915. That would have been her aunt, Martha Vandelia's 24th birthday, coincidentally enough.

The original Vandalia -- she lived to see the age of 92. She passed away on July 5th, 1949, in Henderson, KY, of arteriosclerotic heart disease. 

If you ever go to the Gibson family cemetery out on top of the hill on Hughes-Sights Road in Corydon, Kentucky, remember to pay your respects to the Vandalia's of our family, especially those who didn't live a long life at all. And also, remember to pay your respects to the patriarch of the Gibson's in Henderson County -- Joel Gibson, my 6x Grandfather. Without Joel, none of us would be here today. And when I say none of us, I quite literally mean just about every person in Henderson County, Union County, and even Webster County have a line going back to Joel Gibson. 

Joel, too, became a family name in the Gibson family but, it would take me eons to gather up information on every single Joel there is in the family. There are five when I type in "Joel Gibson" into my family tree on Ancestry, but I know there are more than that, that I haven't added in. 

I have another interesting "namesake" story in my tree that I could talk about... and that's my 3x Grandmother, Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" (Raley) Blandford. She was named after Olive Ann Oatman (1837-1903) -- an American woman taken hostage by a Native American tribe. The character of Eva Oakes, on the AMC show, Hell on Wheels, is adapted from Olive Oatman. 

The Wikipedia about Olive Oatman: Olive Oatman

Photograph below is of the real Olive Oatman, from the Wikipedia page.

My 3x Grandmother, Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" Raley was born February 3rd, 1864, in Union County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of George Washington Raley and Frances "Fanny" Martin. She was one of at least nine children -- most of them being girls. 

On October 8th, 1883, at Sacred Heart Church, she became Mrs. Samuel Blandford, at the age of 19 years. 

Sam and Ollie had eight children together before she passed away on June 16th, 1906, at the age of 42. I'm unsure of what Ollie's C.O.D. was, as in 1906, Kentucky wasn't keeping proper death certificates yet. I believe, though, that she's buried in Saint Peters Cemetery in Waverly, Union County, Kentucky. However, no tombstone for her has been located. I've also never seen a photograph of Sam Blandford nor Ollie (Raley) Blandford. Sam re-married shortly after Ollie's death.  

I may, someday, revisit this topic and talk about all the Joel Gibson's in the family, if I ever find them all, LOL. But for now.. I think I'll wrap this up. :)

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 2: Family Legend

I think every American has a story of "my some-odd great-grandparent was Native American." For me, it's my 2x Great-Grandmother, Icy Lucretia "Credie" (Bowers) Wilson White. 

Now, I've heard that she was full blooded Cherokee. I've heard she was full blooded Shawnee. Cree. Sioux. You name it, she's been called it. My whole life, I was told that's where our coal black hair and chocolate brown eyes come from. High cheek bones, super tan complexion, etc, etc. 

So upon doing my DNA in February of 2018, and getting the results in April of 2018, I expected having at least anywhere from about 3% to 9% of Native American ancestry -- or at least something that Native American could pop on a DNA test. A lot of times it'll show as Indigenous America or even Eastern Asian. 

But hmm. Instead, I received 1% African. So then my Great-Aunt tested.. Credie would have been her Grandmother. My Great-Aunt should have about 20-30% Native American in her ethnicity results........ nope. 1% African. 

Then my Dad takes a DNA test and guess what? 1% African. All of my other White/Bowers cousins? 1-2% African. Consistently. The biggest story floating around is that Sally & Credie (sisters) were born and raised in Oklahoma and were full blooded Cree Indians. But let's face the facts: they weren't born in Oklahoma and as far as I can tell, they were never ever IN Oklahoma. There is also a family story of a photograph of Credie in full Indian head-dress... I've never seen such a photo, nobody has put it on Ancestry or FamilySearch, so I doubt its authenticity. 

Let us start looking at the actual facts about Icy Lucretia "Credie". In the picture below -- Sally is standing and Credie is sitting.

Icy Lucretia "Credie" Bowers was born October 21st, 1886, in Sullivan County, Tennessee, to Abraham "Abe" Bowers and Eliza Catherine "Cynthia" "Lidie" Wilder. In 1889, her sister Sara Lucinda "Sally" Bowers was born. The area of Sullivan County, TN, is known for its Melungeon people. 

Because of the 1890 census burning, we never see the family together with Abe Bowers as the head of household. It is reported that Abe died on September 12th, 1890, in Sullivan County, Tennessee. 

After Abe's death, Lidie (Wilder) Bowers went on to marry Daniel "Dan" Carrier on December 23rd, 1890, in Sullivan County, TN, and have a passel more children including: Robert, Nancy, Elcana, Isaac, Gertrude, Iva, Daniel, and Herman. 

By 1900, Dan & Lidie Carrier, along with her Bowers daughters, and her new Carrier children, are living in Clay County, Arkansas. In the 1930's, Lidie and Dan made the journey up to Portland, Oregon. Lidie died there in 1938. 

There is a photograph of Lidie in 1935 in Portland... she is pale white, she does have some high cheekbones, but.. she absolutely is not Native American. Lidie's parents Ike Wilder & Betsy Leonard were born in Tennessee & Virginia respectively. The Wilder & Leonard lines, I do believe, are English. 

Now, going back to Abraham "Abe" Bowers -- there are a couple different Abe Bowers running around Sullivan County, TN. I am NOT disputing that there is a Native American Bowers line but MY Bowers line is NOT it. I do believe some of our family has found an Abraham Bowers who moved to Oregon and signed the Dawes rolls. That is NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! and I repeat this again, that is NOT!!!!!!!!! our Abraham "Abe" Bowers. 

My Abraham "Abe" Bowers was born in 1866 in Sullivan County, TN, to Allen Bowers & Lizzie Alfred (Alford). Now here is where I believe our 1% African might be coming from on this line. Bear with me, please. 

In the 1850 census, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Alfred (or Alford) is listed as MULATTO with her mother, Sarah Alfred/Alford. Her husband, Peter Alford/Alfred must have died prior to 1850. Sarah, too, is listed as mulatto. Sarah's maiden name is reported as Sawyers.

By the 1870 census, where Abe is listed with his parents, Allen & Elizabeth -- the family is listed as white. Allen's death, I haven't been able to find, but Elizabeth passed in 1879, as Allen is a widower by the 1880 census.  

Allen Bowers' biological father remains a mystery. It is said he is the son of Nancy Anna Bowers, who had Allen, possibly out of wedlock, and then married she John Hays in 1849. She is consistently listed as white in census. Nancy was a daughter of Leonard Bowers & Rebecca Nave, who are ancestors of none other than country singer, Tim McGraw. 

It's entirely possible there could be some African ancestry through Allen's biological father, too. Perhaps that's why he took his mother's last name.. perhaps whoever the biological father was, it was a shameful family secret? Who knows.

Ultimately, I believe this "mulatto" is where our African (as tiny as 1% to 2%) is coming from in the Bowers line -- Lizzie Alfred/Alford Bowers and her side of the family. It is entirely possible that Peter Alford/Alfred was a white man and that Sarah Sawyers was a mulatto due to being the daughter of a slave and a slave master. Peter Alford could have also been mulatto or perhaps he was full African, but since he died before the 1850 census, I can't find his ethnicity. 

We know Sarah reports her birth place as Virginia and Virginia was quite a large slave state in her life time.. she was born 1809 and died 1896. She would be my 5x Grandmother. 

For Credie Bowers, the rest of the FACTS about her.. she married for the first time to O.G. Wilson in Datto, Clay Co, Arkansas on August 9th, 1903. The marriage was short lived because on February 11th, 1905, in Datto, she married William Joseph "Bill" White. 

Bill & Credie had five children: Homer, Christeen, Lorene, Thelma, and Wilma. 

They family lived in Clay Co, Arkansas in the 1910 census, and then the Ripley County, Missouri census in 1920. 

Credie died March 4th, 1921, in Ripley County, Missouri. Her death certificate names her "Lucrissia White". It lists her as WHITE, MARRIED, 35 years, 4 months, and 10 days old. 

It says she is the daughter of Abe Bowers and Lydia Wilders of Tennessee. The informant is her husband, Will White. She was buried in Black Cemetery according to the death certificate but a marker has been found for her (it's a new marker, probably placed by a descendant) in Richwoods Cemetery in Corning, Clay Co, Arkansas. 

More than likely, Black Cemetery was in Ripley County and is actually where Credie is buried. Likely, her tombstone in Corning is a cenotaph. 

So... fact: Credie was a white woman from Sullivan County, TN, who never was in Oklahoma a day in her life. Fact: She had no Native American blood (unless it was really far back). Fact: She likely had African ancestry and that's why her descendants are receiving African in their DNA results, not Native American. Fact: She passed away of pulmonary tuberculosis and died way too young. Fact: She left behind young children, one of them being my great-Grandmother, Lorene (White) Jones. 

I'm sure Credie was a fascinating woman.. her mother, Lidie, as well. I wish I could have met both of them. As a genealogist and family historian, all I can do now is follow the paper trail history has left me and the clues found in my DNA.