Thrifty Thursday: Johnston County, NC Records

Facts to know when researching your ancestors in Johnston County:

• Formed in 1746 from Craven County
• In 1752 a part of Johnston County was taken to form Orange County
• In 1758 the eastern part of Johnston became Dobbs County
• In 1770 a part of Johnston County was taken to form Wake County 
• In 1855 a part of Johnston County was taken to form Wilson County
• Has the largest Civil War Battlefield in NC, Bentonville Battlefield

Johnston County Records available online

My goal here is to have resources other than your everyday census, cemetery, and obituary records. If you know of additional resources that can be found online, please let me know to add them.

1700s (some 1800s & 1900s)

• 1784-1787 Census
• 1779-1853 Marriage Bonds
• 1750-1860 Deeds
• 1750- Quit Rent (Tax List)
• 1750- Quit Rent List (Tax List)
• 1751- Quit Rent (Tax List)
• 1760-1922 Wills Index

1800s

• 1849 Freemasons
• 1852 Freemasons
• 1850-1895 Bastardy Bonds

1900s

• 1902 Voter Registration Records
• Assorted Court Records

Other

• Slave Name Index
• Cohabitation & Slave Marriage Index
• Confederate Soldiers
• Marriages

General Links:

• Johnston County Wikipedia article
• The Heritage Center
• Johnston- rootsweb
• Johnston- ncgenweb

Daniel Boone Was A Man

Years ago while attending Appalachian State University, my roommates & I attended the first annual Boone Days. One of the things we took away from this experience- the Daniel Boone theme song and the catchphrase "Daniel Boone was a man, yes a BIG man".

So in my move from Boone, North Carolina to Kentucky it was almost a requirement to go straight to Daniel Boone's gravesite which is located in Frankfort, KY. The Frankfort Cemetery is not the original site of burial for Daniel and his wife Rebecca. Originally they were buried in Missouri. According to wikipedia they may even still be buried there (more info on his death & burial can be found here), but here is the gist: 

"In 1845, the Boones' remains were supposedly disinterred and reburied in a new cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Resentment in Missouri about the disinterment grew over the years, and a legend arose that Boone's remains never left Missouri. According to this story, Boone's tombstone in Missouri had been inadvertently placed over the wrong grave, but no one had ever corrected the error. Boone's relatives in Missouri, displeased with the Kentuckians who came to exhume Boone, kept quiet about the mistake, and they allowed the Kentuckians to dig up the wrong remains. There is no contemporary evidence that this actually happened, but in 1983, a forensic anthropologist examined a crude plaster cast of Boone's skull made before the Kentucky reburial and announced it might be the skull of an African American. Negro slaves had also been buried at Tuque Creek, so it is possible the wrong remains were mistakenly removed from the crowded graveyard. Both the Frankfort Cemetery in Kentucky and the Old Bryan Farm graveyard in Missouri claim to have Boone's remains."

As a anthropologist in training I have to say that I learned race is very hard to find via skeletal characteristics.

Just like with Col. Sanders we had to follow the yellow dotted line to find the famous Daniel Boone. Here are some pictures from the gravesite:

Daniel Boone this way! Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Boone has a really great overlook of the capitol of Kentucky, Frankfort. This is a panorama. 
Photo by K. Stevens 2012.   

 Pictures of each side of the monument. Some are not politically correct to say the least (see bottom right picture). 

Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Daniel Boone Monument.  Photo by K. Stevens 2012.

Finding Col. Sanders (and others)

With my move to Kentucky a whole new world of cemeteries is opening up... and luckily my friends have realized that visiting cemeteries can be fun. One of my friends thought it would be fun to see the graves of Daniel Boone (post soon to come) and Col. Sanders while she was visiting me a week ago.

We found that Col. Sanders (yeah the KFC guy) is buried in the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. If you're ever visiting or riding through Louisville I highly suggest a visit to Cave Hill. It is HUGE! And as a warning it is possible to get lost.

This is by far the largest cemetery I have visited to date. Using directions from online we attempted to find Col. Sanders, but had trouble because we entered through the wrong entrance. Once we found the yellow dotted line though it was easy to find the site of Col. Sanders and his wife.

Photo by K. Stevens. 2012.

Another thing to look for when visiting Cave Hill Cemetery are the graves of both the confederate soldiers and union soldiers. 

Photo by K. Stevens. 2012

Photo by K. Stevens. 2012

Photo by K. Stevens. 2012

Photo by K. Stevens. 2012

Disagreeing Records: James Monroe Skidmore

I'm going to try to write a blurb on all of the children of Katherine Abernathy and William Skidmore. First up is James Monroe Skidmore.

My current research on James Monroe Skidmore, also known as "Mun" or "Uncle Mun", has shown me that a lot of records for Mun disagree on many of the basic events in his life.

The things I am sure of: Mun was born to Katherine Abernathy & William Skidmore. He married Susan Moody and had no children. And most, if not all, of his life was in the Riverbend area of Gaston County, NC.

Photo from findagrave.com taken by Jennifer

Now for the disagreeing records.

Birth Date: I have found two different dates for Mun's birth. According to most of the census records his calculated birthdate is 1856, but that could be because of when his birthday falls in the year.

1. 5 Apr 1855 (Sources: 1,2)

2. 16 Apr 1855 (Sources: 3)

Marriage Date: Again I've found two dates. Biggest problem here is that I haven't found the actual marriage record, which would help me out a lot. According to one census record Mun's marriage to Susan Moody was about 1874. According to these dates James Monroe Skidmore was about 17 years old when he got married to Susan.

1. 4 Apr 1873 (Sources: 1)

2. 8 Apr 1873 (Sources: I found this on one website that doesn't state its original source for this date and after further looking on familysearch.org there is a marriage record for "W.M. Skidmore" to Susan Moody in Riverbend, Gaston, NC. )

Death Date: Once again, sources give two different dates. Either way, he died at the age of 81. He is buried in the Hickory Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Gastonia, Gaston County, NC.

1. 2 Jan 1937 (Sources: 3, 4)

2. 30 Jan 1937 (Sources: 1,2)

Other information on James Monroe Skidmore:

Cheap Picture Frames for Historic Photos

I have just recently finished my first semester of teaching (hence my 5+ month hiatus) and am about to move into a new apartment. One of my projects: making a wall of old photographs.

Step 1: Purchased different picture frames from a local thrift store. My total cost for all of these frames was less then $8.

Step 2: Paint all the frames one color.

Step 3: Ok, so now I have picture frames that are all different shapes and size but they have the classic black look. What I'm planning on doing is getting my old photographs together and placing them in the frames. I am currently wondering whether I should use the originals or get copies of them. I started researching copyright laws to see what amount of copying photos like these I could get away with. See my blogpost on historic copyright laws here: "Can I copy that picture?". 

This picture was probably taken in the late 1800s and is no longer protected by copyright (see more about this photograph here.)

Can I copy that picture?

Since gathering up old historic and genealogy photos I've wondered, what photos can I copy & reprint without breaking copyright laws. I am about to do a project with these photos so I'm researching copyrights & will share with you what I have learned:

Date of Work		Term of Copyright
Published before 1923		In public domain. No Copyright (Free to copy! YAY!)
Published between 1923-1963	When published with notice or registered in the U.S.	In public domain, unless the copyright has been renewed in which case they are protected for 95 years from the copyright/publication date.
Published between 1964-1977	When published with notice or registered	Protected for 95 years.

There are additional regulations for things published after 1978, but I don't have to worry about that for the picture I plan on copying and reprinting.

More info can be found here at the Library of Congress.

Roanoke Rapids Post Office

Old Roanoke Rapids Post Office

Thrifty Thursday: Wake County, NC Records

Facts to know when researching your ancestors in Wake County:

• Formed in 1771 from parts of Cumberland, Johnston, & Orange Counties 
• 1787 some parts of Wake were taken for the formation of Franklin County
• 1881 & 1911 some parts were taken for the formation of Durham County

Wake County Records available online

late 1700s to 1800s

1770s - late 1800s Deeds
1772-1881 Bastardy Bonds
1781 Wake Tax List (partial)
1785-present Land Deeds & Real Estate Records
1789 Wake Tax List
1799- early 1900s Wake County Deaths

1799-1893 Marriage & Death Notices

1800s to present Wake County Obituaries

late 1800s to early 1900s

1872-1944 Wake & Raleigh Directories

1899-1900 Raleigh City Directory

1891 Farmers & Landowners

1905/1907 Wake County Public Schools Biennial Report

General Links:

• Wake County Wikipedia article
• Wake- ncgenweb 
• Oakwood Confederate Burial Index
• Revolutionary & Military Service

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.

• CensusFinder

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. 

• The USGenWeb Census Project 

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. 

•  Census Online

Similar to CensusFinder, Census Online connects users to other sites which have transcriptions & indexes of census records sorted by year and county.

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. 

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

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

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.

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. 

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 County, NC 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 Wendell, NC.

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