Monthly Archives of June 2014

mississippi delta genealogy road trip: planning it out

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Section of an 1874 Map of Yazoo County, Mississippi with Phoenix area

I hate to moan and groan about one season compared to another, but I’m so ready for Fall. This Florida summer heat has been brutal and we are not even deep into the season. Plus I’m ready for new and inspiring episodes of Finding Your Roots. Really, I’m most excited about my upcoming genealogy road trip to the Mississippi Delta in October. So what’s on the agenda and what am I hoping to accomplish? Here is my loose working itinerary thus far:

Day 1: 14 hour drive day from Central Florida to Yazoo City, Mississippi. Check in to hotel and rest up.
Day 2: Explore downtown Yazoo City by foot in the morning checking out as many historical African-American landmarks as possible (Wash Rose Building, Bethel A.M.E Church, Henry Herschel Brickell Memorial Yazoo Literary Walkway) For the afternoon I’m thinking of checking out the Oakes African American Cultural Center before hitting the road to drive through the Phoenix and Enola areas where my people once lived.
Day 3: Check out of hotel and hit the road for Indianola in the morning. Visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. My grandmother always stated that B.B. King was her cousin although I have yet to tidy up that connection. Have lunch in Indianola and head over to Greenville to check in to hotel for next couple of days.
Days 4 & 5: The plans for these two days are very loose at the moment. One full day may be dedicated to exploring the Choctaw community of Shaw, MS where my grandmother was born and raised. The city is having an annual city wide reunion, so it should be a good opportunity to meet people, including cousins I’ve not yet met in person. I’d like to visit the church where she went to school as a girl and perhaps a cemetery where my ancestors may have been buried. Because we will also be fortunate enough to be around while the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival is going down in Greenville, we may pop into that for our Blues fix.
Day 6: Say farewell and hit the road back to Florida.

It is going to be a short and fast trip, but I’m sure we will find our way to slow it down and relax a bit once we’ve reached our destination(s). For the sake of my mother and two small children who will be in tow, I am omitting research time at the court house and library for a more lively itinerary. Truthfully, I’ve gotten a lot of records over the years through Mississippi vital department, MDAH and with the help of local volunteers. I can’t think of anything I’d need to obtain in the court house at this time, but something always comes up. Unfortunately, if records are desired I’ll have to obtain them another time.

As for what I’ll be bringing along:

1. Portable scanner. This is probably one of the most important items for a genealogy road trip that I can think of. Should I run across someone with old family photos and an opportunity presents itself to make a copy this is one of the easiest ways to do so.
2. Camera.
3. Blank autosomal DNA test sampling kits from FTDNA. I’m contemplating bringing 3-5 kits. If I happen to run into a relative that becomes interested in testing I’ll have the materials they’ll need right then and there. No pressure, right? :p
4. Healthy Snacks. I’ve been to Mississippi to know that I can’t always find the healthiest of snacks while enjoying the delicious down home Southern that is there, so better safe than sorry.

That’s all that comes to mind for the moment beyond the basics. Is there anything else I may need to consider when packing? How about restaurants and attractions while I’m in Yazoo? Indianola? Shaw? Or Greenville? Any expert opinions are very much welcome and appreciated.

Note: 1874 Yazoo County provided by the Ricks Memorial Library Historian

yazoo county connections: paper trail problems + genetic findings

Yazoo Roots

They are laughing again. My ancestors. Perhaps I’m mistaking laughter for their cheering me on, but in either case their presence is heavy these days. And it is rather intense. I can not imagine how anyone can go about pursuing those who have walked before them without quietly holding conversation with them. I find myself whispering into the winds, so that they may hear my soft and gentle pleas for a clue. Maybe, just maybe, they are starting to hear me…

My great grandmother Louise King

My great grandmother Louise King

Mama Ease. She died 11 years before I was born so I never had the opportunity to know her personally. She was my mother’s maternal grandmother. And before she was Mama Ease, grandmother to my mother and her siblings, she was Louise King, born on the 12th of August in 1900 to parents Stark King and Jeannie Gilliam King. Her place of birth was likely in the Enola community of Yazoo County, Mississippi, but I’m not 100% certain. With the exception of one Census year, 1930, the life of Louise was documented very well. Since my mother knew her I know her through my mother’s memories of her. She isn’t much of a mystery. Old family photographs captured her beauty. Oral history provided me with details of her ability to make an exceptionally palatable pound cake. Furthermore, she worked for the famous Tropical Hut restaurant in Chicago as a Cook. One of my cousins who knew her well often describes how Louise would share with her and show her the doughboy uniform of her brother Riley King, who died in WWI. Of course all that was after she left Mississippi sometime in the early to mid-1930’s. No, Louise King is not a mystery, but her parents and their vague ancestral lineage mark the beginnings of my brick walls.

My 2x great grandmother Jeannie Gilliam King

My 2x great grandmother Jeannie Gilliam King

Incredibly little is known about Mama Jeannie or Jeannie Gilliam, so I will describe what I do know – most of which I learned through Census records. Jeannie was born about 1872 in Mississippi. Unable to successfully locate her in 1880, the first true and solid documentation I have is her 20 July 1888 marriage record to spouse Stark King. They married in Yazoo City, Mississippi. By 1900 Jeannie and Stark have established a nice growing family and can be found residing in the Enola Precinct in Yazoo County. In 1910 they’ve moved over the Yazoo County line into Beat 5 of Warren County on Ball Ground Road. From 1920 to approximately 1934 Jeannie and her family can be seen living in the Choctaw community of Shaw, Bolivar County, Mississippi. Like her daughters, whom she had sent away from the Mississippi Delta into Chicago, Illinois, Jeannie later made the bustling city her home during her later years of life. Mama Jeannie perished in 1951 leaving no information behind about her parents. This lack of information has made her difficult to locate prior to her 1888 marriage record despite her uncommon surname.

Stark King on the other hand is a bit of a different story. I can’t begin to describe how much sleep has been lost over figuring out the life of my 2x great grandfather, Stark King. Unlike his wife, Stark can be located on the 1880 Census. It is on this record that I find him living with his mother listed as Nora and his siblings, Mose King, Mary King and (half-siblings?) twins John and Susie Williams. Stark is said to be 17 years old at the time which would place his birth date in the year 1867. He should have been enumerated with his family in 1870, but I’ve had a terrible time in all my attempts to locate them in Yazoo County or surrounding areas. The rest of Stark’s life and his whereabouts for the most part are as clear as day and as follows: 1900 – Beat 1, Enola Precinct, Yazoo County, 1910 – Beat 5, Warren County, 1920 – Beat 5, Bolivar County, 1930 – Beat 5, Bolivar County. He was deceased as of September 23, 1932 in Shaw, Mississippi. Although his daughter, Brucie King Johnson provided names for both of Stark’s parents for his death certificate, I remain skeptical about the John King noted to be his father.

The real trouble I have with my ancestor Stark King lies within his own name. While the last name King was quite common in Yazoo, the first name Stark wasn’t common at all in Yazoo or elsewhere. Strangely enough there is a white doctor by the name of Thomas Stark King residing in Yazoo County as well. This doctor had only one son whom he named Stark King and his son was born a few years give or take from the date of my Stark King. To make matters even worse the white Dr. Thomas Stark King had a wife named Lenora, but she can also be found simply listed as Nora. I did mention that my Stark’s mother was also named Nora too, right? Besides racial designations the only other difference I can establish between the two families is that they were residing on different sides of the county from 1880 onward.

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1880 U.S. Census record with the family of Dr. Thomas Stark King

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1880 U.S. Census with the family of Nora King and children including my 2x great grandfather, Stark King

So where does the name Stark come from and where am I really going with this? In regards to the name your guess is as good as mine. In regards to every other matter I can’t help to wonder and cling to the idea that the two families could have been connected biologically or other. Dr. Thomas Stark King had a brother named John King who was of the right age to be my Stark King’s father. However, I have very little to support that theory of parentage. I’ve had the kindest volunteers in the world to collect wills and probate records on the white Thomas Stark King family and related individuals. Sadly, those documents did very little in solidifying a connection. My Stark King was listed as a mulatto only on the 1910 Census year and I’m not even sure if his father was white or black. So I’m stuck in regards to paper records here.

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finding your roots: season two preview

Sound the trumpets y’all and come on September. I’m very much looking forward to this new season of the PBS, Henry Louis Gates Jr. program, Finding Your Roots. Based off of this video preview there isn’t an episode I won’t want to see. I’m especially interested in seeing the one with rapper, Nas. His Jones family has roots in parts of Mississippi that my Jones families are from. Could we be related? Who knows? As I’ve already said every episode looks awesome and I can’t wait. Fellow fans of the show, whose family history are you looking forward to most?

make it a priority

Priorities. Gosh, where do I begin? When it comes to managing a genealogical endeavor as a whole it is easy to get off track from some of the more important tasks. I know this far too well. Since my own family tree remains a working family tree there is the never ending need to revisit brick wall lines and research the good old traditional way. That assignment alone can be time consuming. But what about all the other fun stuff and how do I manage to fit it all in?

Lucky for me, I happen to be a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) at the present, so I tend to sneak in some research here and there or check in on my recent DNA matches at any odd hour of the day. To give you an example of some other projects on my work desk they are as follows:

  • Complete family tree and history books for entire maternal side of the family by September 4th. That’s a total of 12 books.
  • Continue planning upcoming genealogy road trip to Mississippi this October.
  • Research additional DNA software and online tools to assist with making genetic connections. Get my computer up to date with software and learn new software.
  • Review DNA matches for new clues to help with brick wall lines and plot matches in tree where the relationship has been confirmed.
  • Continue to add source information to a number of family members within my tree.
  • Start mapping chromosomes with Kitty Cooper’s awesome Chromosome Mapping Tool.
  • Keep content coming and going for this blog.

With everything I just listed above it sounds more like a job and less like a hobby. Fortunately, I really dig doing all of this and learning about genetic genealogy and tying that into the family history.  So where do I begin? Well there are some things that are obviously on-going, so I need not add any more pressure to those than there already is. I offer this advice to myself and anyone else trying to get their priorities in check. Start with the items that have an immediate deadline. If a deadline hasn’t been set up by outside forces then try to set some for yourself. If one particular project starts making your mind numb, skip to the next item on the list and revisit it at a later time. Perhaps dedicating a day for each exercise may work as well. Monday could be a day for checking in on your DNA matches. Tuesday could be source at least 5-10 people within your tree day. Wednesday could be designated for reading about current software development or any additional genealogy research aid and so on. In my case, once I’ve knocked out the books and road trip planning I think I will designate certain tasks for certain days and hopefully I can make it stick. If you have a tip that you feel works well with staying on task please do tell, because God knows I am personally terrible at keeping my course. Oy!

remembering daddy: a father’s day tribute

Riding the Tail of the Dragon.

Riding the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina.

This is my first Father’s Day without my Daddy here. What else can I say except I miss him sorely. [Pause] In sharing what I miss most or my most cherished memory it is hard to find a good starting point. He was far from perfect. Oh, he had a good share of flaws, but this is what made him incredibly down-to-earth and relatable in my eyes. It made him human. It made him present. And while he was still here and still present he could present with such vivid color, stories of his childhood or a delicious meal that had encountered his palate in a way that would prb_2 just reel anyone in. I miss our conversations. No matter how bizarre they became toward the end of his time here on this earth, I knew I could pick up the phone and hear on the other end of the line, his voice.

Thankfully, my Daddy filled my cup with so many memories good, bad and just plain ugly that I could go the rest of my lifetime keeping him close at heart. Knowing that as long as I hold a memory or two of him near that he will always be here with me. I will remember the time when he surprised my 8 year-old brother and my 10 year-old self by bringing home a new member of the family. It was a bonsai tree. And I will remember that terrible visit to his apartment after he had gone. There she was on the table in front of me. Karma, his beloved bonsai tree. I will recall his excitement after returning from a bike ride up and down the Tail of the Dragon. He always wanted to make a point of the number of curves there and the number of fellow thrill-seekers who attempted the same ride, but never survived to tell it. Then I will reflect on the somber feeling that filled my stomach when I had the tow come and take his bike away. I’m grateful that he left this temporary place trusting that I would be strong enough to handle his final wishes. To handle his passing far too soon.

I alluded to his gifted ability to tell a story and now I’d like to share an excerpt from an incomplete unpublished work that consumed his spirit during his final years.

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