Just Getting Started

Today's photo prompt hosted by Genealogy Girl Talks is #farm. The first thought that popped into my head was a picture that used to hang above my grandparents fireplace of an areal view of their farm; the farm I grew up working on most of my childhood. I would help haul hay before I was able to lift a bale. This was when square bales were still often used. Today it seems like almost everyone bales their hay in round bales or those massive square bales only machinery could lift.

My job, with other younger cousins, was to go out into the field and roll bales from the outside row into the one the grown ups and my oldest cousin Mitch were working so that they could get two rows at once. When we were able to reach the break pedal (just barely) the younger cousins and I would take turns getting to "drive" the hay trucks between the rows. The trucks were put into low gear where they creeped at a slow pace all on their own. We just had to steer and stop when we were told. Then once the trucks and trailers were loaded down and secured we would head to the barn.  My job then would be to haul the water bucket back to my grandparents house and re-fill it with ice cold water and quick! Then as I got older I would buck hay with the rest of them.

I also helped build fences, barns, and work cattle. Rarely was I "too little" to do something. They always could find something for me to do because when you own a farm, something always needs to be done.

I don't have access to that picture, so the next thing that popped into my mind was the Agricultural census.

In 1860, Burnet County, TX  I love what can be seen on page 5 of that Agriculture schedule.

In 1859 of that same county, my 3rd great grandfather, Killion Rich, married my 3rd great grandmother Minerva Jane Wooliver. (I wrote about them briefly here and here)

Back to the schedule: On page 5, person 34, is Killion Rich and persons 38 and 39 are his father, John Wesley and her father, Alford Wooliver. The whole family right there bunched together.



Its interesting to look at each of their agricultural holdings and compare the seniors with Killion who is just starting out.

I cropped the picture for my Instagram post so that you could read the names and if I were to just attach a copy of the original its so smeared I doubt you could read it very well. I myself had to go online to find a blank form so that I could make out what each column said. I used that blank form (found here) to make a more legible one for you to read. *This is NOT the actual census



It doesn't tell us how many acres Killion has, maybe he was living on his father's land? It seems that John Wesley had plenty.

I have searched for land records belonging to these three men, in vain, on the Texas General Land Office website. Maybe you will have better luck.

I have also squinted and scoured this old 1862 Burnet County map hoping to find at least Wesley and Alford. Nope.

Maybe they didn't own this land. The title of the column where their names are written does say "Owner, Agent, or Manager"

In the 1867 voter registration, Wesley is found in Milam County (though his name is marked through on the actual image) and Killion is found in Falls County. I'm not certain when Alford died but in 1869 voter registration there is an A W Wooliver born in NC registered in Colorado County where his family is found in 1880 without him. His son Alford M Wooliver wasn't born in NC but Alford Sr was.  I couldn't find Alford Sr, his wife or younger unmarried children at all for the 1870 census. Neither could I find Killion or Wesley.

Here is a close up of Burnet and surrounding counties to help you see where Milam, Falls, and Colorado counties are located in proximity. The 1860s census and voter registrations are circled in blue. And where each of the families were by 1880 in red. Wesley was in Lamar, Killion was in Collin and as stated before Alford's family remains in Colorado County.




When researching ancestors from this era, I am always amazed at the distance they traveled and how often. You know it had to be so hard to pick up and start over, over and over again.

Until next time,
Becky.