Stella's Roots, Part 4

   Wow! It has been awhile since my last entry. Unfortunately, the trip to the archives did not occur until this week, and it did not reveal any new light to Stella's past. No records for the Tennessee Vocational School for Girls exist at the state archives.  One of the librarians suggested calling the Department of Corrections.  My husband made the call and was told  the records were most likely destroyed.
    In addition to the trip to the state archives, we traveled to Jackson County, Alabama, most likely the birthplace of Stella, and struck out again. The public library was no help. We paid $15 to the great state of Alabama to run a birth certificate search.  No certificate existed for Stella which wasn't  a surprise.
    The likelihood of finding out who Stella's parents were may never be solved, but we will continue to search.  Who knows, we might get lucky!

Stella's Roots- Part 3

    After arriving home from our trip to the Winchester area, Jim and I started an online search on the Machen family. In Allie Mae's obituary Willis and Sallie (Sargent) Machen were listed as her parents. It took awhile, but we finally found them.
    Willis and  Sallie were married  on October 23, 1893 in Jackson County, Alabama. On the 1900 census Willis and Sallie were living in Hollywood, Jackson County, Alabama along with Lucille (5) and Lovey (65).  Lovey was Willis' mother.
     By the 1910 census Willis (43) and Sallie had four children.  One of which was Allie Mae who was one year old. They were still living in Hollywood.  On the 1920 census their last name was spelled Matchen. Willis (52), Sallie (48) and Allie M.(11) were the only ones in the household.  Once again they were living in Hollywood.
     When reviewing the actual 1920 census there was a Goins family listed directly above them.  Fanny Goins (29) was listed as a widow  with four children: William (11), Paul (9), Nellie A.(7) and Bee M. (5).  In the previous census Fannie's husband was Marlin L. Goins.
      Since Stella was born in 1920, the search for her has been more difficult. If Allie Mae's story of her and Stella having the same father is true then Willis Machen is our guy. As for the mother, who knows. Jim thinks the Goins family on the census is not coincidental. He made some good points about the possibility of this woman being Stella's mother, but without proof, I cannot fully buy into his new theory.
     A trip to the state archives is planned for this week. Neither one of us is holding out for full disclosure of Stella's parents, but maybe a few clues to keep us going.

Stella's Roots - Part 2

Jim and I traveled to Franklin and Coffee County. Our first stop was the public library in Winchester. We obtained a copy of Allie Mae Nolen Kirk's obituary.  Allie Mae was reportedly Stella's half sister.  Willis and Sallie (Sargent) Machen were listed as her parents.  I had hoped her parents would be Goins but no such luck.  The in-house genealogist was a little overwhelmed with our questions about the local girls school, the Francis family of Cowan and the local record keeping, so she recommended  a visit to the county archives to consult with Judy Phillips.

Ms. Phillips was very helpful.  When we mentioned the school Stella attended, she immediately called it by name, Tullahoma Vocational School for Girls. She once had a friend whose mother had been at the school and in later years, found the school records in a barn in Nashville.  After a phone call, Ms. Phillips felt certain the records were now housed at the state library in Nashville.

Two of three original buildings for the vocational school. 

After learning Jim's mother could have been a Goins, she shared an interesting tidbit about the last name.  Goins is a Melungeon-associated surname that represents multiracial descendants. We found the discussion very interesting regardless whether Stella turns out to be a Goins or not.  Hopefully, the records at the state library will aid in the search for Stella's heritage.

Looking for Stella's Roots

          Since Jim’s family tree was one-sided, he and I started investigating mother’s background earlier this year but with little success.  The family always thought she was adopted, but we could not locate any adoption papers on file in the state of Tennessee.  During the holiday break we hope to find out who Stella really was?

          Very little is known about her family, but this is what we know as of now. Stella remembered as a small child being taken to an orphan’s home (girls school) in Tullahoma, Tennessee by a man she believed was her father.  On the 1930 census Stella appeared in the household of Nora Francis as an adopted child. Her last name was listed as Francis.  They were living in Winchester at that time.

            At some point Mrs. Francis returned Stella to the girls’ school. Edith Holderfield of the Totty’s Bend area took Stella into her home. She did housework in exchange for room and board. During this stay she met Alvin and married.

            Stella always thought Mrs. Francis was her biological mother, but no paperwork was found after Mrs. Francis’ death to support her theory.

            As an adult, Stella was approached by Allie Mae Nolen who claimed she was a sister.  Allie Mae stated she and Stella had the same father but different mothers.   Also, Stella learned she had two half brothers in the Chattanooga area and met both of them.  Their last name was Goins. Stella referred to herself as a Goins.

If only the walls could talk!

    We finally made it back to Hickman County last week. Based on Cousin Jean's directions, we located the home place of  Robert Anderson, Jim's gggg-grandfather.  In the History of Hickman County,Tennessee this home is believed to be the oldest house in Hickman County.

   According to the History of Hickman County, Tennessee, Robert Anderson settled on the north side of the Duck River in the Little Lot bend near the river in 1804, but later relocated and built a house(the above house) on the other side of the river in 1805.

   Robert married Jane Shinn, daughter of Colonel Joseph Shinn.  Shinn served in a North Carolina regiment in the Revolutionary War.  For his service in the War, Colonel Shinn was given by the North Carolina Legislature 2,500 acres of land.  Robert inherited the lands from his father-in-law. 

    Robert and his brother, Richard “Kettle Dick”, bought other warrants granted by North Carolina for services in the Revolutionary War.  Their lands were in the area of what became known as Anderson’s Bend. 

    If this house is a part of the original Anderson home, I wonder if the original walls exist under the exterior.  Given the current condition and curb appeal of the house, I doubt anyone passing by gives this house a second glance.

Gone But Not Forgotten

   Today Windie and I  visited McGavock Cemetery at Carnton Planation in Franklin, Tennessee. The goal was to locate and take photos of Elijah H. Whitwell's stone.  Mission accomplished!  Elijah was my ggg-grandfather.  From what I understand he enlisted in Linden and was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Regiment.  Unfortunately, Elijah did not survive the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.
  

Elijah was thirty-two years old at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife, Angeline, and four children ranging in age from 10 to 4.  The widow later remarried Joseph Dabbs.

  
   

Road trip to Shady Grove

     Today we spent the afternoon in Shady Grove visiting with Jim's distinct cousin, Jean, who shared her family notes and photos with us. Jim's great grandfather, William D., was Jean's grandfather.  William had lived with her parents as well as Jim's parents before his death.
      We know very little about the man other than he lived in Hickman County as well as Obion County during his life, and he was married twice. When we showed Jean our two photos of William and his wife at different time periods, she immediately replied the earlier photo was William and Mary, his first wife, and the later photo was William and Betty, the second wife. Hooray! That was a question we asked ourselves at the very beginning of our search.  Jean did note the second wife was reportedly mean. Betty who is shown in the second photograph, with her hands on her hips, gives the appearance of being a little cantankerous.

     We discovered Jim's great grandfather's middle name was Depree which was a nice surprise.  All the records we found referred to him as William D. Another discovery was William's first wife's name may have been Mary Carolyn instead of Mary Carlin, and she may have been called Carolyn instead of Mary.
    When we talked about the Anderson side of the family, she told us the house that Jim's gggg-grandfather, Robert Anderson, built was still standing. In the old edition of  History of Hickman County, Tennessee  Robert Anderson's house was reportedly the oldest in Hickman County. We were surprised to learn it is still standing. She gave us directions to the house, but we opted for sliced bologna and crackers at the country store saving the house for a future visit.  
     Before leaving, Jean gave Jim an old photograph of her and her sister, Clara, standing with William Depree around 1928.  We now have four photos of William.  In all of them he is sporting his signature mustache.
    Thanks Jean for your boost up the family tree!  We are a long way from the top, but we are enjoying the climb!