Unusual Sources -- Westward Expansion

When it come to genealogy research I rarely leave home. Actually, I think I have researched exclusively online. What a great time to be a genealogist! Lately I have felt a little run dry though and decided to do a google search for unusual genealogy sources and came across this article from Family Tree Magazine.

I have also been struggling with some dystonia related issues that have kept me pretty sedentary. Honestly, dystonia, and dealing with a lot of down time, is what caused this genealogy habit to thrive. Anyway, yesterday, while delving into some of those websites I found several documents and articles on a few ancestors that I hadn't seen before. Today I am going to share two of those finds with you.

George Washington UPTAIN/UPTON is my 5th great grandfather. My line to him is Obie Zearl MELSON, his father, Benjamin Harrison MELSON, his father, Francis Marion MELSON, his mother, Ferbia Melita UPTAIN/UPTON then her father, the subject of this post.

If you head over to Digital Public Library of America and search for George Upton you will eventually come across these two documents, one of which includes his signature!

Affidavit of Georg Uptain (also George Upton) and Richard Ellison of Jackson County, Georgia, dated May 17, 1817. Uptain and Ellison testify that John Camp, also of Jackson County, is living with his family over the boundary line on lands near the Alcovy River, designated as Indian hunting grounds. They provide information regarding Camp's improvements on the land and indicate that he has lived there twelve months. The statement was sworn to before James Strawn, Justice of the Peace.

Affidavit of George Upton, Issac Awtrey, and Francis Ellison, dated May 17, 1817 in Jackson County, Georgia. The three men report that James Morris and his family are living across the boundary line near the Alcovy River on lands designated as Indian hunting grounds. They testify regarding his improvements on the land and state that he has lived there twelve months. The statement was sworn to before James Strawn, Justice of the Peace.

Census records place George UPTAIN in Walton County, Georgia in 1820. Walton is a neighboring county that was created from CREEK lands in 1818.

Until next time,
Becky

RICH Clues And Puzzle Pieces

Some time ago, I blogged about my RICH roots. When writing and researching about any particular ancestor, I always like to do due diligence, by not only researching them, but their siblings as well. With this particular branch, that proved quite difficult. First, the surname RICH, is a terrible name for search engines when looking for a person. Most often the results are of the adjective and if I'm lucky enough to get a name, its usually RICHARDSON or RICHARD, or RICHARDS. Second the records involving many of the presumably siblings of my 3rd great grandfather, Killion, were very inconsistent. One of them being a Sidney Rich who showed up as a male in the 1860 census and by a different name and female in the 1850 census leaving me unsure of who I was actually researching.

In the earlier mentioned blog, towards the end, I mentioned two boys/men (brothers), Ephraim L. and John W. RICH who end up living in Mendocino County, California, and how I believe them to be Killion's nephews by his brother John W. Rich and Tennessee Lovett. Keep the brothers John and Ephraim in your mind while I share what I have found today....

Today I ended back up on Sidney Rich. Sidney (male) and with the father and family were in Burnett County, TX in 1860. The father shows up in a voter registration in Milam County in 1867, and then in Lamar County for the 1870 census and I feel like the Sidney Rich (female) living with George in Van Zandt County in 1870 is very likely her living with her brother.

Below is a map that I have placed push pins on in the counties where records for this family are found --  this family was on the move a lot and traveled great distances. The pins below are only for a 20 year time period.





There is a marriage record for a Sidney Rich to a J W Simons in Cooke County, TX -- I believe this to be her, despite being jotted down as male in the 1860 census. This marriage took place Nov 1873. Remember the brothers from above, Ephraim and John W Rich? Their parents, John Wesley Rich and Tennessee Lovett where also married in Cooke County, one year earlier, Nov 1872.





In 1880 Sidney, her husband, and a 5 year old son, Benjamin can be found living in Hill County, TX. Further evidence shows up that this is indeed my Sidney when I find her son Benjamin listed as a boarder with his cousin John W. Rich,  in Round Valley, Mendocino, California, working as farm laborers on the John Q. ROHRBOUGH farm.

One more piece of evidence that places Sidney's son with the Rich brothers, is this article from the Ukiah Daily Journal from 1954:

I have no idea what happened to Sidney and her brother John Wesley or their spouses, but it would seem they all died young leaving their young boys to fend for themselves. The last record I find any of them is 1880.... unless the 64 year old, single, Sidney SMITH, listed with Ephraim in 1900 Round Valley, Mendocino, California, both living with an "Uncle" James Rich, her, alive and well? There is a Sidney Simons in the Calfironia Death Index having died in Mendocino, 18 Dec 1914. Maybe the SMITH surname was one more error with this woman's name, like in 1850 when she was listed as Selina.

Is this James Rich the brother of John Wesley Rich Sr.??? I think it is.

Until next time,
Becky

Life on Little Mulberry

My maternal great grandmother Zula ACORD STEPP had two brothers that lived to adulthood. John and Joe ACORD. Below are more stories from 'Remembering the Ozarks' told by Vernon EATON that mention the boys and life on the Little Mulberry, where my mom and aunts have cabins sitting on about 5 acres and where my grandmother grew up. She wasn't born yet in 1937 but down there things have a way of changing very little. I hope it remains unchanged for generations to come.

Remembering The Ozarks: John Acord

Remembering The Ozarks: The Summer of 1937

Remembering The Ozarks: Gee Haw

My mom and daughters can tell you a story of snakes and the Little Mulberry, themselves.....

Looking across the Little Mulberry to the Road leading to Whiskey Creek

Mom's Cabin at Whiskey Creek

Brad riding Judy while Grandma Bondell holds her. 

My cousin Brad getting to ride Judy. I can remember Grandpa Trig and Grandpa Leroy plowing their gardens. 

Remembering The Ozarks -- The Spanish Fandango

I am so excited to have found these stories. In this next article it will mention a few people I am related to but not descended from: Art Stepp (my maternal grandmother's brother), John Acord (my maternal great grandmother's brother -- Art's uncle) and Opal Stepp (Art's first cousin).

John Acord made an appearance in this blog post.

I wanted to share this story for my husband, who loves to play guitar and is a lot better than he thinks he is.

The Spanish Fandango

Remembering The Ozarks -- Uncle Bill Evans

There is this story that is told in my maternal line that our ancestor (my 4th great grandmother) Effie Conner was Native American. It's said that her maiden name was BULL. My DNA shows traces of Native American DNA but it's very minimal. I have blogged about Effie before but one thing I always come back to is the pictures of her grandson, the brother of my 2nd great grandmother, Clara India (named after an old community in Madison County-- India) . He just looks Native American to me. I only have a few pictures of my 2nd great grandmother but they aren't as clear as this one of William or Uncle Bill as he was called.

William Walker Evans

William Walker Evans was a preacher, the son of Josiah Evans and Jane Conner. I don't want to write too much here, but rather use this as a platform to share another article written by Vernon Eaton in 1998.

This is the second article Vernon has written saying he didn't know where the Evans came from, but thought maybe Texas. They came from Webster County, Missouri. Josiah and Jane went down into Texas for a very short time before settling in Madison/Johnson County. Before Missouri, their families were from Knox County, Kentucky.

Remembering The Ozarks -- Uncle Bill Evans

Until next time,
Becky

Remembering The Ozarks -- The Spoke Plant Rock Throwers

Sometimes when I come across really great finds, I completely get caught up in the excitement and just share it on Facebook with family and friends and it never occurs to me to share it here on my blog. I really need to start sharing it here, and then share my post on Facebook.

A few years ago the following picture was shared with me on Facebook. It has so many of my ancestors and connected family in it. I didn't know the story behind the gathering of family and friends, but yesterday, I stumbled across this very photo, attached to a wonderful story written by Vernon Eaton, in his series 'Remembering The Ozarks'

Zula Stepp (in the headscarf) is my maternal great grandmother. Argie, Art, and Merle are my maternal grandmother's older siblings.

Now for the story!

The Spoke Plant Rock Throwers

*Article taken from Newspapers.com

Until next time,
Becky

The Man Behind The Stories

Yesterday I shared a few stories from The Madison County Record series 'Remembering The Ozarks' that were full of wonderful stories about my Spoke Plant ancestors. They were written by Mr. Vernon Eaton. I wanted to make sure and share a tribute to him because I am so grateful for his stories. Here is a write up from that same paper, written in 2004. I am not only grateful for Vernon's stories but of all the wonderful pictures his father, Mr. Robert 'Bob' Burton Eaton took of my family. He was a really great photographer.

To read the write up click here

He really did a great job of writing. There may have been a few minor errors here and there, but it in no way takes away from the stories behind all the bare facts. I'll leave this here, as I'm off to see if he ever wrote that book!

Until next time,
Becky