A Thanksgiving Reunion

   For the first time in many years the Westmoreland  clan had a family reunion.  No fusses or fights. Only hugs and kisses.  It was a wonderful time for the family.

To Die in Chicago

   Today at work a discussion arose about what books people were reading.  When I mentioned I was reading "To Die in Chicago," and it wasn't a popular mystery novel, I received several confused looks. 

   To be honest only history buffs would be interested in this book or someone like me who has a personal interest.  "To Die in Chicago" details life for Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas from 1862 to 1865, and my ggg grandfather was one of them.

A group of 48th Tennessee Soldiers Camp Douglas 1862

                                                        

  I came across this photo while doing an online research.  I doubt my ggg grandfather was one of the men pictured, but who knows. 

And Then There Were Nine

  My grandmother reportedly stated after a string of four grandchildren within one year that something had to stop.  Well, it almost did.  Two more grandbabies arrived several years later for a total of eleven grandchildren in all.
    In 2009 we lost cousin #10, Susan. Thoughts of her always bring about a smile.  She was quick-witted, very outspoken and opinionated, a champion of the weak and was a wonderful resource when you couldn't think of someone's name, a family connection or a car part. Susan left a gaping  hole that will never close completely.

Susan

   Today we held a memorial service for cousin #5, Tony.  As a child he was adventurous and curious about the world around him. Unfortunately, Tony's zeal for life led him down many ill-fated paths. He, too, will be sorely missed by the family.

Tony

 

 

  
   You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them-Desmond Tutu

Happy Father's Day

I Spy!

     Remember the old game of "I Spy." I spy something red. I spy something round. In April my cousin,Windie and I went scouting for three old family cemeteries in the Santa Fe area of Maury County.  Even with directions for two of the three and a general direction for the other one, we struggled to locate the sites among the hills and hollows...and bushes!. Our enthusiasm  upon finding them quickly faded when we discovered the deteriorating conditions of each cemetery. All of the graveyards were neglected, and two were badly overgrown. At that point I recalled the child's game of  "I Spy"  because in two of the cemeteries "spying" a headstone was challenging.

Pigg Cemetery

    The Pigg Cemetery consisted of a fairly large tree filled, thickly bushed plot of land surrounded by a fence, but it appeared only to contain a few headstones in the back portion of the plot. At the base of one of the tombstones was a huge groundhog hole.  Fearful a critter might pop up from the hole, I quickly snapped my photos.

Johnson cemetery

  By sheer luck we located the Johnson Cemetery.  We had already stopped at two houses and no one had ever heard of the Johnson Cemetery. When we saw a man mowing on our route, we decided to give it one last try.  Bingo. The cemetery was located directly across the road in a thicket of trees and low undergrowth. Can you locate the one visible tombstone? I spy...

Dockery Cemetery

     The Dockery Cemetery received our "Best Cemetery of the Day" award. The only hindrances in this cemetery were the monkey vines, fallen tree limbs and an occasional cow pattie.We couldn't locate one of the documented tombstones in the cemetery, but  we were certain it was still there just covered by aging debris from years past.

     How long will these old neglected cemeteries survive? I can only speculate, but I do know the game of "I Spy" will be even harder to play in the very near future.

 

Back in the Swing!

It's been awhile since the last post. I am knee deep in research at the moment trying to yield answers to my many genealogical questions. I hate dead ends but who knows maybe I will get a break!

A Beautiful Morning!

I wish I could say I was a "lucky duck" but only black birds in this snapshot.

  

Fog in the valley       

Smoke rising from a distant chimney

John Latta

     John Latta, son of William, married Lucretia Slayton on May 20, 1842 in Maury County.  They had two children before Lucretia's death: William Washington and Mary Elizabeth.  In December of 1847 William married Angeline E. Gant.  They had three sons: John Gant, Thomas and James A. Latta.  Angeline died in May of 1860 due to complications related to "child bed fever" as listed on the 1860 census mortality schedule.
    By 1861 the children lost their father, John, as well.  It was reported one of John's relatives, Jane Latta Jones, widow of Lemuel Jones, raised the youngest three children.

The Newspaper October 16, 1874

     William Latta is my gggg grandfather from mother's side of the family.  William was born on December 5, 1787 in South Carolina.  He was the second of five children born to John and Margaret Neely Latta. William and his, Elizabeth, had four children: John, Margaret, Elizabeth and Sarah Jane.  They raised their family in Santa Fe, Tennessee.
  His death was noted in the October 16, 1874 edition of the Columbia newspaper, "The Herald and Mail."  Below I have written the exact wording from the paper's column.


"Our community has just sustained a loss of one our oldest and best citizens, Mr. William Latta.  He was eighty years old, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and had been living at his present farm for over sixty years.He has been drawing a pension from the Government for several years, as a survivor of the war of 1812. His burying was largely attended. He was a most peculiar man in many things; one instance we will mention: he has had a cherry plank prepared for his coffin for about thirty years-the plank were sawed by hand with a whip saw, before saw mills were in use in here, and were sawed very correctly, but one and a quarter inches thick, he raised a family of children but has seen all but two die around him.  Three years ago there were eight pensioners drawing pensions from this Post office, now but three are left."

William Latta may have been a peculiar man, but what I found peculiar, was the wording of the article.  It was very entertaining to read!

A Beautiful Day in Rose Hill Cemetery

                                                  This morning was a work day.

My great grandparents

                                     The family plot of Washington Curran Whitthorne. A tree separates the parents from the children. The four columns are headstones for four of his children. The children died within 14 days. So very sad.

 

Once upon a Halloween

                                My Sunday School class Halloween party in 1972.

  
        I don't remember decorating the pumpkins, but I do remember chasing the apples around the tub and not getting one bite!

You can't just assume!

    When we discovered Jim's great grandfather served in the War between the States, we just assumed he served in the Confederacy.  Even though he was a Southerner, he served in the Union army. Since service records for Confederate soldiers can be found in our state archives, I assumed  that Union service records as well as pension records would be there as well.  Wrong again.  Union service pension records are located at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
     At some point in the near future, I plan to order the records.  Even though I would love a trip to DC, I guess I'll order the records from the archives.

The Birthday Boy

                                                              Happy birthday, Jim!

Homestead, Florida

     Recently, my father accompanied us on a trip to an apple orchard in Alabama.  As cars passed, we discussed the comings and goings of the travelers based on their state license tag.
     Upon seeing a Florida tag, I began a conservation about visiting Key West next year.  We discussed the pros and cons of driving versus flying to Miami.  My dad made mention of Homestead near Miami which jogged a distant memory of an old photograph.  The photo was of my dad's parents standing in a yard with a palm tree and words, "Cliff, Nellie, Homestead, Florida" written along the side. I asked Daddy why his parents moved to Homestead, and he replied, "because of me."
     At the age of sixteen my dad drove a 1942 truck to Homestead from Culleoka, Tennessee to work in the tomato fields.  He was in charge of transporting sixteen black men in the back of the truck.  The man in charge of the operation gave my father 100 dollars to purchase food and gas for the trip.  Since there were no interstates at the time, the packed truck weaved through a thousand miles of country highways with the top speed of 45 mph.  The trip lasted three days.  
     Daddy didn't elaborate on the traveling conditions other than the black men had mattresses stacked on  the bed of the truck, and bologna was a staple.  He chuckled when told how the men had to push the truck off to start it every time the truck's engine was turned off.

My grandparents 1947

       Daddy's pay for one week was 30 dollars.  His primary job duty was operating a tractor in the fields and he was allowed to sleep in an old cannery.  The owner gave him a pump rifle and instructed to shoot any rats roaming the building.  While lying on his cot at night, he reported he shot quite a few of them.
      His parents and three siblings moved to Homestead for several months while he was working there.  His brother, Ray, who was about 15 years old at the time, also worked driving a tractor for awhile before returning home with their parents.
       One last tidbit about his trip to Homestead-he didn't have a driver's license.  He had applied for one prior to leaving, but the license was not issued on site and had to be mailed. His mother mailed his license to him in Florida.

Will Machen Rises from the Dead

    While we were at the public library in Scottsboro, Alabama, Jim came across a newspaper article entitled "Will Machen Reported Drowned in River."  The name immediately caught Jim's attention.  Will Machen and his family were neighbors with his grandparents in Hollywood. His daughter, Allie Mae Machen Nolan Kirk, planted the seed of doubt in the family with her claim that Will Machen was Jim's mother's father.
      In the short article Will's brother reported while crossing the Tennessee River in a small row boat, Will fell out of the boat. The article went on to state Will was in an intoxicated state when he attempted to cross the river. In addition, Will Machen was ordered a four year sentence in the penitentiary for grand larceny and his case was pending in the Supreme Court.
     In the following edition of the local newspaper "Will Machen Turns Up" safely.  The article recalled last week's drowning and went to report Machen suddenly turned up last week.
The Progressive Age
November 6 & 20, 1919.

Two Obituaries and a Death Certificate Later

    The focal point of the last post was Carter Goins, Jim's gg grandfather. In trying to gleam a little more information about the family and possibly more about his son, Marlin, I decided to research Carter's second wife, Sippie Ann Goins.

    Thanks to my "go to girl" I received two obituaries and a death certificate from the state archives this week.  The death certificate and the obituary for Sippie Ann Brown did not confirm anything, but did provide a few details. On the death certificate H C Goins signed as the informant and was most likely a relative, but not sure which one.  None of her sons had those initials. Tommie Brown was listed as her husband. We had already determined she remarried after Carter's death. Her father was listed as unknown and her mother's name was very faint, but looked like Clinia   _elton.

      In the obituary Sippie died "at residence on Brown's Ferry Road."  Several members of the Goins family lived on Brown's Ferry Road, and the Boylston cemetery is located off Brown's Ferry Road. Her address legal residence on the death certificate was St. Elmo. 

     The other obituary was for Charlie Miller Goins.  He was buried next to Sippie Ann in the Boylston Cemetery.  We felt certain Charlie was the last child of Carter and Sippie Ann.  Of course the obituary did not mention his parents, but it did list two of his sisters, Carrie Phillips and Eva May Foster.  Both of the women were sisters of Marlin, so therefore, Charlie's parents were Sippie and Carter.

      When Carter died, Sippie was in her early forties and still a mother of young children. If we counted correctly, Sippie and Carter had at least eight children.  Marlin was the oldest. Other children included Ada, Harrison, Lee, Carrie, Ethel, Eva and Charlie.

Melungeon, Mulatto or Indian?

     Carter J. Goins was one very interesting, well documented character who most likely was Jim's great, great grandfather. We traveled over the long weekend to northern Alabama  in search of Carter's grave site. On a side road off Highway 72, we located Carter's headstone in the Price Cemetery.  No dates, only his name and military history were inscribed on his stone.  The sign outside the cemetery listed Hollywood as the location, but we were a good distance from the Hollywood community.

     When we first investigated  the Goins family, a county historian in Franklin County told us the Goins surname was associated with the Melungeons. We had never heard of the Melungeons and didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. Even after more research, we were still unsure of the true history of this racially mixed group known as Melungeons. One thing was certain the topic is highly controversial and shrouded in mystery.
 
    On the 1850 census Carter along with his first wife and children were listed as mulatto. Mulatto? Mulatto referred to a person of mixed white and black ancestry.  Was Carter Melungeon or mulatto?  Most likely, Carter's family skin tone did not meet the criteria for white or black, leaving the only other option, mulatto.

    Carter served in the last year of the War between the States.  He served on the side of the Union Army as a private in Company F of the 6th Tennessee Mounted Infantry.  On his service papers, Carter was listed as 5' 6"  with gray eyes, fair hair and a dark complexion. 

     An online search revealed Carter filed an Eastern Cherokee application in 1906 claiming  Indian ancestry. The application stated both of his parents were one-fourth Indian. Unfortunately, his application was denied in 1909, but it does shed light on the family's ancestry.

    Apparently Carter and his family had enough Indian ancestry reflected in their skin tone not to pass as white for  the 1850 census. Even the notation of a dark complexion on his company muster-in and descriptive roll supports a mixed race ancestry. Most likely, my Jim has Indian blood running through his veins whether it's through the Cherokees or the Melungeons, who knows!
     

     

What you know first

When I was young, I stayed with my grandmother quite often during school breaks.  One summer I copied her family history notes into a green four subject notebook, never fully realizing what a valuable resource I had recreated until my mother asked to borrow it a few years ago. The pages have darken and my handwriting has matured since that summer long ago.

I enjoy scanning the pages from time to time wishing I had recorded the many stories my grandmother shared with me as I wrote. I recently read a children's book titled, "What You Know First" by Patricia Maclachlan in which a child does not want to leave the only home she has known.  The mother helps the child let go by explaining that her baby brother will need someone to tell him about their old home in the future.

My grandmother knew first, and she did her part by passing the stories along.  Now, it's my responsibility to keep the stories flowing to the next generation. If I don't, who will.

Stella's Roots, Part 7

   One day I hope one of my entries reads, Stella's Roots, Final Chapter.  When I'm ready to throw up my hands and say "We will never know anymore than we know now!", new information comes along.  This week something big came along.
   Several weeks ago Jim and I composed a letter requesting help from yet another new found cousin in Seattle.  In the letter we outlined who we were and our goal to find out who Stella's parents were.  Cousin Bruce called Thursday.  We were thrilled, and he was tickled to hear from us!
   Unfortunately, his health hinders his mobility and overall health.  He has good days and bad days.  The day he called, he was experiencing a good day.  I mention his health because his family records are stored in his attic. Hopefully by the next conversation, he will have the family history boxes out of the attic. He said it had been a long time since he even thought about his family history and didn't feel comfortable quoting any dates without his notes. 
   Bruce did tell Jim that Stella was the last child of Marlin and Fannie Goins.  Marlin was killed prior to her birth when a mule kicked him in the head, and Fannie died of influenza sometime after Stella was born.  All of the children were sent to live with others. He was adamant about Marlin being Stella's father.  We have hopes he has death dates to support him.
  Jim and I are ready to pack our bags and head to Seattle, but I guess we'll wait.  Bruce said he would call Jim within the next two weeks. 

Leap Day Birthday

The chances of being born on Leap Day is 1 out of 1461. So, are the chances of a set of twins being born on February 29th  higher?  Personally, I'm not sure, but I think it's pretty darn amazing.  My gg grandmother and her fraternal brother were born on February 29, 1888. A passing photographer was so taken with the idea of twins being born on leap day, he took their photo. Unfortunately, I don't possess that photo.
I remember my grandmother saying her mother only celebrated her birthday every four years.