Paper Trails

Just like with blogging, I've been pretty hit-and-miss with my participation in the Instagram genealogy photo challenges lately. But as long as I don't quit all together I think will forgive myself.

Today's prompt from Genealogy Girl Talks is headstone. And I wanted to do a short little post, mainly full of pictures to show you how I'm fortunate enough with this line to have a paper trail taking me back at least 8 generations.

Below is the headstone of my 4th great grandmother Margaret Catherine Newell. I love how her name is spelled on her headstone. She is buried in Rochester Cemetery, Haskell County, Texas.

 

Below is her death certificate which provides us with the names of her parents. In my experience it has been quite rare to have a death certificate from this time period where the name of both parents is known. The informant was her daughter, Emma Josephine Linville, the wife of Isaac Johnson Harcrow. I write about my Linville line here.


This death certificate tells us that Margaret was born in Chambers County, AL in 1831 to William P Newell and Priscilla Jones.

In Greene County, Georgia, there is a marriage record for a William Newell and Priscilla Jones. And you can find a census record for William P Newell living in Capt Britain C Tyars District, Troup, Georgia in 1830, and living in Chambers County by 1840.

William Newell was a pretty well known man, though many of the records that could prove this most likely burned in the Randolph County Courthouse fire of 1897. It is said he was the Sheriff of Randolph County in the 1840's and I have found a newspaper article stating he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1853.

Tuskegee Republican, 14 Jul 1853, Thu, Page 2

Taking us back one more generation are a few snippets of paper found from the Estate of one Zachariah Jones who died 1827 in Greene County, Georgia.

First the division of his land amongst his children:

This itemized record of items purchased from the Estate Sale of Zachariah Jones, purchased by Wm P Newell (notice the hand cuffs).




And this receipt:



I don't know who Priscilla's mother was at this point, though the Estate records mention a Margaret - not specifically as Zachariah's wife, but she isn't mentioned as a child either - and Priscilla did name her daughter Margaret Catherine. Catherine after William's mother. I am pretty happy to have documentation taking me back this far.

There's quite a bit more information I could add here and there, but one of the reasons I don't blog as often is because I find that I try to add too much detail and I get overwhelmed. I like the idea of trying to do short little posts here and there.

Until next time,
Becky