30 December 2011

22 December 2011

Thrifty Thursday: NC (& Other) Census Records


As a poor college student with little money and a hobby for genealogy I have had to find as many free records as possible over the years. So for this Thrifty Thursday, some of the most important records genealogists have at their disposal: Census Records! Most of these links are for North Carolina censuses, but pages are available for all states on these sites.

A compilation of sites, by state and county, that offer free transcriptions & indexes of census records. Some counties have "Other" types of records as well, like tax lists. 
Set up almost like a spreedsheet, the USGenWeb Census Project shows the online transcription status of every census record and the provider of the transcription. 
Similar to CensusFinder, Census Online connects users to other sites which have transcriptions & indexes of census records sorted by year and county.

25 November 2011

Old Macedonia Church Cemetery: Part II

If you missed the first post about the layout of Old Macedonia Church Cemetery- here is the link.

In this post I will include general pictures of Macedonia that I took while visiting. Enjoy!

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 




Photo by K. Stevens, 2011.
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011.


           
             Photo by K. Stevens, 2011
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011.
Top Center: Gravemarkers in Old Macedonia Church Cemetery.
Middle Left: The cemetery has several markers like this one where the plaque inside the stone is broken and unreadable.
Middle Right & Bottom Left: Simple stone markers, no engravings.
Bottom Right: Girl Statue in the cemetery. 

24 November 2011

Old Macedonia Church Cemetery: The Layout













Old Macedonia Church Cemetery made me wish I had brought bug spray and a friend along. The cemetery is directly off of Tryon Road on Mid Pines (the cemetery is on the right). There is a little gravel driveway in which you can pull up. A forest backs the cemetery and there are trees and tall weeds throughout. This cemetery should not be confused with Macedonia UMC cemetery which is down the road at Tryon Road and Holly Springs Road, although both were started by Macedonia UMC.

The history of Macedonia UMC states that:
The original location was at the corner of Mid Pines and Tryon Roads Raleigh. That church was built on land totaling one acre, acquired from Charles Williams for the sum of $0.50 (50 cents). The formal dedication for that building was held June 6 1886. The paster of that church was J.F. Butts and the presiding Elder was N.M.D. Wilson. (1)
It you visit this cemetery now, however, there is no sign of a church.

The cemetery has various family plots scattered throughout, many graves marked only with stones, and some marked with unreadable funeral home markers. The main plots and their locations are listed below. Some family plots are enclosed, others are not.




A- Holderfield
B- Batts
C- Cates & King
D- Watkins & King
E- West
F- Johnson
G- Johnson
H- Gilchrist
I- Powell






Want more information about the internments at Old Macedonia Church Cemetery:
1.http://www.macedoniaumc.org/about_us/history/
2. http://www.interment.net/data/us/nc/wake/macedonia/mac.htm
3. http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/wake/cem108.htm

19 October 2011

NC Cemeteries and beyond

Warning, this post contains shameless self promotion:

So because I have so much time (hahaha) I have a second blog that focuses on cemeteries in North Carolina.
Hopefully this will become a good resource for people searching for their NC roots, but right now I have only a couple of my cemetery visits added. I plan on sharing detailed notes about cemeteries found throughout NC (& some international cemeteries), so stay tuned (especially during December).

Graveyard Rabbits Always Bring Bugspray

15 October 2011

Nameless Negative: Post #3 Time for School?

My posts have dropped off in the past few months because I've been busy student teaching which brings me to this question: does this "Nameless Negative" look like a school picture? The young man on the right is Burton Alexander Powell from Halifax County, NC. He only had brothers though, so this probably isn't a family photo.


09 September 2011

Allen, Jones, Powell, Sorrell (Ephesus Baptist Church)


I always look for certain surnames, like Powell, Sorrell, Jones, and Allen. Only a few people with these surnames are buried in Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery:

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 




Emma B. Powell
Emma B. Powell (b. Sep 1871, d. 3 Aug 1933) was married to Zack Hamilton on 17 Oct 1894 in Swift Creek Township, Wake County, NC.








Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Frank Powell
James Frank Powell (b. 6 Jan 1877, d. 29 Jun 1961) was the son of Billy Powell and Lucy Powell. He was buried to Lena Andrews and was a tobacco farmer. James "Frank" Powell was buried 30 Jun 1961 at Ephesus. 

Cora Powell
Cora Cooper Powell (b. 28 Dec 1880, d. 21 Feb 1954) was married to Frank Powell on 8 January 1899 in Cary, Wake, NC. 


Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 



Martha L. Sorrell
Martha L. Sorrell (b. 11 Sept 1868, d. 25 Apr 1872) was the daughter of W.M. & M.M. Sorrell. 









Mr. I. N. Allen & Family
I almost didn't see this stone. It is in the ground and covered by grass (I pulled as much of the grass off as I could to take a picture of the stone. 



Mrs. I. N. Allen
Mrs. I. N. Allen (b. 17 Dec 1855, d. 22 Feb 1936).
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 


Mary Elvia Jones Smith
Mary Elvia Jones Smith (b. 17 May 1900, d. 10 Feb 2007)... no information about her yet!





Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Beulah Harris Jones
Beulah Harris Jones (b. 23 Apr 1895, d. 26 Dec 1980)

Moutell Otis Jones
Moutell Otis Jones (b. 20 Dec 1895, d. 23 Jan 1948) 





Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 



Thelma Lenor Jones
Thelma Lenor Jones (b. 24 Jun 1916, d. 23 Jan 1932)



Hicks (Epheseus Baptist Church)


Image by K. Stevens, 2011.

The Hicks family plots are found close to the King family plots, but are closer to the paved parking lot at Epheseus. Husband and wife, Charles Hicks and Surveiter King Hicks, were buried on either side of their child Annie Lucas Hicks. Charles Stanford Hicks, Junior is buried next to his mother.








Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 


5. Charles S. Hicks 
Charles Stanford Hicks (b. 14 Jan 1886, d. 22 May 1965) was the son of William Hicks & Willie Creech. He was married to Surveiter Florence King on 14 January 1917 in Johnston County, NC. He was an electrician and was a NC sergeant in Company C 2, Infantry in World War I. He was buried at Epheseus on 22 May 1965.



Photo by K. Stevens, 2011.



6. Annie Lucas Hicks
Annie Lucas Hicks (b. 12 Oct 1923, d. 18 June 1925) was the daughter of Charles S. Hicks & Surveiter King Hicks. Annie was 1 year 8 months 6 days old when she died and was buried on 19 June 1925 in Epheseus cemetery. The family was living in Selma, Johnston County, NC.









Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 
7. Surveiter King Hicks
Surveiter Florence King (b. 31 July 1892, d. 21 Mar 1967) was the daughter of L.C. King and Annie Holt King Sellars. She was married to Charles S. Hicks on 14 January 1917. Surveiter was buried on 23 Mar 1967.





8. Charles Stanford Hicks, Jr.
Charles Stanford Hicks, Jr. (b. 12 Sep 1926, d. 25 Dec 2004) was the son of Charles S. Hicks and Surveiter King Hicks. 

26 August 2011

King, Part I (Ephesus Baptist Church)

Next on the agenda for tonight- the King families found in Ephesus Baptist Church. Oh, yeah... ignore my feet in all the pictures!

Layout of King & Hicks plots. Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 


















1. Rena King
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 
Amanda Rena King (b. 1 May 1898, d. 30 Sept 1984) was a Principal and educator in Johnston County. She was the daughter of Lucas Canady King & Annie Florence Holt. Rena was buried in the Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery on 2 Oct 1984, a couple of days after she died.








2. Annie Holt
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011.
Annie Florence Holt (b. 8 Dec 1870, d. 20 Mar 1954) was the daughter of Albert Holt and Lizzie Holt. She was married twice. First she married Lucas Canady King on 26 Jul 1891 in Cary, NC. After her first husband died in 1904 she remarried W.P. Sellars on 22 Jul 1909 in Johnston County. She is buried one plot from her first husband Lucas King.






3. Johnnie T. King
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 
b. 25 Nov 1903, d. 28 Feb 1908













4. L. C. King
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 
Lucas Canady King (b. 6 Jul 1868, d. 25 May 1904) was married to Annie Holt on 26 Jul 1891 in Cary, NC.

Medlin, Wood, & Luther (Ephesus Baptist Church)

Medlin, Luther, & Wood family burials at Ephesus Baptist Church. I chose to do a post on these families because I am distantly related to Anna C. Wood Luther and Florence Wood Medlin. These two sisters are buried very near to each other.

Layout of burial plots. Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 

1. James M. Luther & his wife, Anna C. Wood
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011
James Madison Luther (b. 11 Jan 1871, d.23 Oct 1939 ) married Anna Carter Wood (b. 31 July 1871, d.22 Apr 1917) on 17 Dec 1896 in White Oak, Wake, NC. 

James was born in Montgomery County to parents Henry Clay Luther and Elizabeth Deogue. He worked as a farmer and was buried 24 Oct 1939. 

Anna was buried 23 Apr 1915 at Ephesus. Her father was Larkin H. Wood and her mother 
was Fannie Buffaloe.

James & Anna had at least six children Dallas Millard Luther (b.22 Mar 1898, d.5 Oct 1945), James Alsey Luther (b.6 Dec 1900, d. 7 Mar 1985), Oscar Teague Luther (b.16 Dec 1903, d. 9 Aug 1975), Anna Mae Luther Pendergraph (b.1908, d. 24 Feb 1971), Therza (sp?) (1909), Woodrow Wilson Luther (5 Jun 1912- 21 Feb 1988). 

2. Charlie Glenn Luther   
b. 24 Oct 1905, d. 22 Mar 1906
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 

3. J. C. Medlin
b. 28 Aug 1836, d. 24 Nov 1924
Photo by K. Stevens, 2011. 
4. Florence W. Medlin
Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 
Ella Florence Wood Medlin (b.30 Dec 1865, d. 21 Sep 1940) was married to Sidney A. Medlin on 8 Feb 1899 in Apex, NC. Her parents were Larkin H. Wood and Francis Buffalo. She was buried in Ephesus cemetery on 22 Sep 1940. 











5. Sidney A. Medlin
Image by K. Stevens, 2011.
Sidney A. Medlin (b.5 Mar 1865, d. 12 Sep 1926) was first married to Arrena Holt on 20 Oct 1887 in Cary, NC. Soon after Arrena died S.A. Medlin remarried to Ella Florence Wood on 8 Feb 1899 in Apex, NC. 







6. Arrena H. Medlin
Arrena "Rena" Holt Medlin (b. 18 Mar 1869, d. 21 May 1898) was married to Sidney A. Medlin on 20 Oct 1887 in Cary, NC. 


7. Henry A. Medlin
Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 
Henry Arthur Medlin (b. 2 Aug 1893, d. 1 Mar 1943) was the son of Sidney A. Medlin and "Rena" Holt. Henry was married to Chloie Lockamy on 19 Jan 1913 in Wake CountyNC and had at least three children: James Sidney Medlin (b. 19 Apr 1919, d. 14 Dec 1962), Margaret Medlin (b. 9 Apr 1922, d. 25 Jun 1923), & Unnamed Infant (b/d. 1913). After Chloie died, Henry possibly married Nettie Bradley on 18 Dec 1937 in WendellNC.



8. Chloie Lockamy
b. 11 Oct 1892, d. 12 Apr 1936

9. Bessie M. Medlin
Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 
b. 7 Aug 1901, d. 7 Dec 1910
Bessie is the daughter of D.E. & C.E. Medlin. 











10. Margaret Medlin
Image by K. Stevens, 2011. 
b. 9 Apr 1922, d. 25 Jun 1923
Margaret Louis Medlin was the daughter of H.A. Medlin & Chloie Lockamy. She was buried on 26 Jun 1923. 

11. Infant Medlin 
b/d. 1913
This is the child of H. A. Medlin & Chloie Lockamy.




?? F. Annie Medlin
Annie Florence Taylor (b. 10 May 1872, d. 2 Feb 1942) was married to William H. Medlin on 20 Dec 1891 in House Creek Township, Wake, NC. Her parents were Baldwin Taylor and Patilda (?) Underwood. 

?? W.H. Medlin 
William H. Medlin was married to Annie "Florence" Taylor. William's parents were James Medlin and Sabrina Holderfield.

?? Maggie M. Medlin
Maggie Mcgee (b. 3 May 1902, d. 2 Feb 1942) was married to William Macon Medlin on 5 Sep 1920. She was buried on 27 Aug 1980 in Raleigh, NC. Her father was Milton Mcgee and her mother was Mattie Carpenter. 

?? William M. Medlin
William Macon Medlin (b. 11 Sep 1894, d. 25 Mar 1987) was a carpenter. His parents were W.H. Medlin and Annie Florence Medlin. He married Maggie Mcgee on 5 Sep 1920 in Wake County, NC

Other Posts about Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery

Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery

Ephesus was formed in 1857 and moved to its present day location in 1868. The sanctuary in use today was built in 1927; the 1868 building was first sold to Lincolnville AME church and then donated to the NC State Fairgrounds. (See links below for more of the church's history)

According to Shirley Olson the church has about 1/3 of 1000 burial plots filled. There are two sections of the cemetery, the main, large section and a smaller section across the parking lot directly beside the church building. I almost missed it.




Panorama of Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery. Taken by K. Stevens, 2011. 

Families found in Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery
Links to additional blog posts with more information about each plot.

Medlin, Wood, & Luther

King

Allen

Powell

Hicks

Jones


History of Ephesus: http://www.ephesusbaptistchurch.com/about/history/history.html

Transcription of most burials: http://www.interment.net/data/us/nc/wake/ephesus/ephesus.htm

25 August 2011

Nameless Negatives: Post #2 Two Boys


Photo of two boys taken in Oxford, North Carolina (Granville county) by J.D. Brinkley. A list of North Carolina Photographers through 1910 shows that J.D. Brinkley was in operation in Oxford in the late 1800s.

18 August 2011

Thankful Thursday: Census Images on Heritage Quest

I'm thankful for several things today--

#1 Census Images--because they allow you to see a spatial relationship between two or more families

#2 Heritage Quest-- I love Ancestry.com, but I don't have a subscription right now, so instead I use my local libraries access for Heritage Quest. Having more than one place to find census images is also useful because transcriptions are different on the two sites, so a road block on one might not be present on the other.

I was especially thankful earlier this week while I was writing & "updating" Matrilineal Monday: The Daughters of Frances Buffaloe & Larkin Wood. I hated connecting the daughters to their husbands based off of the single marriage records I found on FamilySearch.org.

What if there was more than one Fannie Wood and I was chasing after the wrong one?!?! But lo and behold, I found an image that subsided some of my fears--one that had several of the families I was researching all on one page.


There are at least FOUR connected families on this one page (and possibly more just from my cursory glance at the other surnames on the page):

Image of Ervin Mann & Hattie Wood Mann (daughter of Fannie Wood).
Image of William Castleberry & his children. Two months after the census is recorded he will go on to marry Minnie Wood (shown in image below).
Image of Fannie Wood and several of her unmarried children: Minnie, Rena, Lena, and Kelso. 
Image of William Hunter, his wife Fannie Wood Hunter (daughter of Fannie Wood), their children, and William's mother & sister. 
These images come from the
1900 United States Census; Series: T623, Roll: 1221, Page: 284
White Oak Township, Wake County, North Carolina
Enumeration District: 153, Sheet No. 22B

16 August 2011

Always Bring Bug Spray

Today was my first adventure into the land of cemeteries with this blog in mind. I wasn't as prepared as I should have been.

Here are some tips from my adventure today.

Tip #1: Research is key.
I used CemeteryCensus' map feature for Wake County (found here) to find local cemeteries that lay along my route. I chose three to focus on-- Epheseus Baptist Church Cemetery (6767 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh) , Macedonia Church Cemetery (2500 Mid Pines Road, Raleigh), and the King Family Cemetery (just past 3008 Mid Pines Road, Raleigh), but I didn't have time to read all about these cemeteries on CemeteryCensus.com or Internment.net. That came back to bite me when I couldn't find the King Family Cemetery-- I would have known it no longer exists if I had studied up on Internment.com.


Tip #2: Bring extra batteries for cameras. (Or in my case bring extra cameras)
My first stop was at Epheseus Baptist Church. I brought two digital cameras with me and extra batteries. But with my luck neither of the cameras wanted to work. Thanks cameras! Luckily my phone takes pictures and so it had to do.


Tip #3: Bring a notebook, some water (for yourself & for the tombstones), & writing utensils.
I did manage to bring a notebook and pen to keep up with my transcriptions, drawings, and other notes. I failed to bring water (spray bottle or otherwise) which made reading some of the stones impossible.

Tip #4: Bring closed toed shoes (& long pants).
Epheseus is still in use and well kept (although some stones have been covered by grass), but my next stop Macedonia Church was a more rural cemetery with grass as high as my knees. This is when I switched from my trusty Chaco's to my trusty tennis shoes. Boy was I glad those were in the car. Long pants would have been helpful too because I would not have had to worry as much about picking up ticks or stepping on deadly things. Oh yeah, and those tennis shoes, they are also good if a dog decides to chase after you.


Tip #5: Always Bring Bug Spray!!!!                  
I may not have needed it at Epheseus, but bug spray would have been a welcome item at Macedonia cemetery. The forested cemetery harbored many mosquitoes...and is now the inspiration for the title of my blog.

Tombstone Tuesday: Kelso K. & Burlena M. Wood

My Great-Great- Grandparents:


Kelso Kedron WOOD 
b. 7 Mar 1882
d. 10 Nov 1931
Parents: Larkin H. WOOD & Frances BUFFALOE

Burlena "Lena" MURRAY
b.5 Dec 1880
d.15 Jul 1961)
Parents: James H. MURRAY & Sarah Ann HUNTER

Married on 25 Dec 1904 in Wake County, North Carolina


Tombstone Location: Swift Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Wake County, North Carolina

15 August 2011

Matrilineal Monday: The Daughters of Frances Buffaloe & Larkin Wood

Larkin WOOD & Frances Buffaloe (Crocker) WOOD were blessed with taking care of thirteen children in the mid- to late- 1800s. What was special about this family? Twelve of these children were females, the very last kid was the lone boy. While researching Larkin's daughters I have had both ups & downs- for some of them it has been easy to find marriages and census records, for others it hasn't. 

I am going to use this post as a sort of goal to find out more about these ladies. Throughout tonight I will add updates of what I have found using the internet. 

Louisa CROCKER (16 Sep 1856- 16 Jun 1917) married William Burton WILDER
Evira CROCKER (1858- ?) possibly died before 1870 census
Thersann WOOD (1862-?) 
Calie V. WOOD (27 Sep 1864- 11 Jan 1928) married Unknown WILDER Samuel WILDER
Ella F. WOOD (30 Dec 1865- 21 Sep 1940) married S. A. MEDLIN Sidney A. MEDLIN
Francis WOOD (1868- 3 Feb 1950) married Unknown HUNTER William C. HUNTER
Anna C. WOOD (31 Jul 1871- 22 Apr 1917) married Unknown Joseph M. LUTHER
Minie WOOD (May 1873- ?) married to Unknown W. F. CASTLEBERRY
Hattie WOOD (1876- ?) married to Unknown Irvin MANN
Nelly G. WOOD (1878-?)
Tena May WOOD (15 Jun 1879- ?)
Rena Rey WOOD (15 Jun 1879- 20 Aug 1916) married George F. LUTER LEWTER

Read more for Updates

13 August 2011

Surname Saturday: A Week of Celebrating the Wood Family

Today I am celebrating my great-grandmother's 96th birthday with family. To honor her, my oldest living relative, I will dedicate this weeks posts all to her ancestry.

Wood
mainly a topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter or forester, from Middle English wode ‘wood’ (Old English wudu).
nickname for a mad, eccentric, or violent person, from Middle English wod ‘mad’, ‘frenzied’ (Old English wad), as in Adam le Wode, Worcestershire 1221.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4



James Wood (4th Great-Grandfather)
b. abt. 1800 in North Carolina 
m. 19 Feb 1822 to Thursey/Thiresy/Theresy in Wake County, NC
children: 
  1. James Wood (abt. 1828) 
  2. Mars Wood (abt 1831)
  3. Larkin H. Wood (abt 1833)
  4. Archibald Wood (abt 1836)
  5. Mary Wood (abt 1839)

Larkin Henry Wood (3rd Great-Grandfather)
b. 1833 in North Carolina
m. 26 Feb 1861 to Frances Buffaloe in Wake County, NC
d. between 1882-1900
children: 
  1. Thursey A. Wood (abt 1862)
  2. Calie V. Wood (27 Sept 1864- 11 Jan 1928)
  3. Ella F. Wood (30 Dec 1865-21 Sept 1940)
  4. Francis Wood (abt 1868- 3 Feb 1950)
  5. Anna C. Wood (31 Jul 1871-22 Apr 1917)
  6. Minie Wood (May 1873)
  7. Hattie Wood (abt 1876)
  8. Nelly G. Wood (abt 1878)
  9. Tena May Wood (15 Jun 1879)
  10. Rena Rey Wood (15 Jun 1879- 20 Aug 1916)
  11. Kelso Kedron Wood (7 Mar 1882-10 Nov 1931)

Kelso Kedron "K K" Wood (2nd Great-Grandfather) 
b. 7 Mar 1882 in North Carolina
m. to Burlena Murray
d. 10 Nov 1931
children:
  1. Murry Wood (abt. 1906)
  2. Cullen Wood (abt 1907)
  3. Elberta Wood (abt 1908 4 Dec 1907- 19 Nov 1986)
  4. Jackson Wood (8 Mar 1909- 18 Apr 1989)
  5. Allen Wood (abt 1911)
  6. Exum Wood (abt 1912 26 Sep 1912- 30 May 1991)
  7. Evelyn Wood (abt 1913)
  8. Ruth Wood (1 Nov 1913-28 Dec 1968)
  9. Edna Wood (13 Aug 1915)
  10. Larkin Henry Wood (11 Dec 1916- 9 Jan 1993)
  11. Francis Wood (abt 1918)
  12. Kelso Kedron Wood Jr (14 Apr 1921- 17 Mar 1994)
  13. Arline Wood (abt 1925)

Edna Wood (Great-Grandmother)
b. 13 Aug 1915
m. 13 Feb 1937 to Marvin Edwards
children:
  • 7 living
  • 2 deceased


11 August 2011

Thrifty Thursday: North Carolina Digital Collections

NC Digital Collection screen shot


One of my favorite ways of researching my ancestors online is to find free resources online. Not only does this save me a trip to the local library (& the gas money), but it also provides faster digital searches and an opportunity to save digital copies for later use. Here are just a few of my favorites....more to be added later of course!



North Carolina Digital Collections
By the Archives & Library of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

The NC Digital Collections offers up great free digital resources like

One of the more popular collections, the NC Family Records provides bible records, marriage & death notices from NC newspapers, and cemetery photos all searchable by family name and recently updated as of June 13, 2011
 This collection offers historic maps from the late 1500s to 2000. It can be searched by location, date and subject; and their is an interactive historic map overlay which compares historic maps with current road maps. 
 This collection provides select digitalized newspapers that date from 1751-1890s, mainly from the cities of Edenton, Fayetteville, Hillsboro, New Bern, Salisbury, & Wilmington. 

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