Connecting the dots on my tree with solid lines! Researching my African American genealogy in Pasquotank and Camden counties of North Carolina.
I wish people would just write on the back of pictures. Don’t they know that people will come looking and wonder who they are.
In my Wordless Wednesday picture, you can barely see the faces. It’s obviously a picture of some people at a military camp. There are 4 people sitting in this care and I can’t make them out for anything!!!
So, if you have pictures at home, take time out and write who’s who on the back of them!!! Please.
Thank you,
Well, I just received my copy of Carolina Trees & Branches and it had an article in there about accessing Wills on the NC Archives MARS SYSTEM. While the information was correctly printed, I found error with the NC Archives website that will cause issue unless fixed soon!!!!
I followed the instructions. Here they are:
Now this is where I take issue. Unless you have the DjVu Plugin installed, you’re going to run into a problem. When I initially clicked on the link to install the plugin, it too me to this page. Well, apparently the company, Celartem, granted the rights of the DjVu Plugin to another company.
However, in order to download the plugin to view documents, you’ll have to go here. I was able to download the plugin and now I’m able to view documents on the NC Archives MARS System.
I hope this helps someone. I sent an e-mail to the IT Branch of the NC Archives. Hopefully, they’ll fix it soon. But, how annoying.
I should also note, if you want to use this archive, be aware…IT TIMES OUT WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF INACTIVITY!! You’ll have to redo the steps above to get to where you were at last.
On 2 sheets of paper, is an interview with an knowledgeable family member. She is the granddaughter of my 3rd great grandfather. To me, that blows my mind. Let me say it again, she is the granddaughter of my 3rd great grandfather, Caleb Banks. This is his land that was divided after his death among his children. I had the best time talking with her during my trip. The amount of knowledge she has is amazing! She’s 85 years old and you would think she’s 25+ years younger. She’s is sharp, vibrant and active. Compared to some of the other elders that I’ve talked to in the family, she is a young woman. However, she may be the oldest out of everyone!
But anywho, back to my sucky interview with her. My 2 pages of notes that I have are only legible my me. lol. The 2 pages started off professional enough. Several questions listed, space for me to write the answer and space to add more. Easy right? HA..not for me. Apparently, I write as scatterbrained as I think. I have notes every were on the paper. Sure, the questions were answered, but she gave so much more information during the interview, I didn’t have time to find an appropriate place to write it. So, I have words jotted here, and names jotted there. Of course, it only makes sense to me.
For example from my notes:
Laura Mae Lowry & Hazel Lowry first cousins but brought up together
John Banks owned land on 158
Henry was William Henry Banks.
Almond Banks Jr. owns family land
This is an example of my scatterbrained interview. I’m going to try and transcribe it into a legible interview that will make sense in the future. I need a better interview strategy.
Maybe next time, I’ll try a recorder instead.
It is so sad that Michael Jackson has passed away. As a genealogist, I think about it in a family history way.
Just think 100 to 150 years from now, when a descendent from the Jackson Family decides to research their family tree, they’re going to see that they were related to the King of Pop. I think that would be pretty cool.
All the fascinating & sordid details of his life will become gossip to the family member’s years from now. Just like we do when we find out an ancestor was arrested, or died under mysterious causes. It’s interesting to us because it’s our family history. It’s our gossip about people that’s related to us who are no longer with us.
Michael Jackson’s life is one for the history books.
Side Note: Am I the only one that always thought he was saying “But the chair is not my son” lol
Genealogy can be an expensive habit! With the subscriptions, research time, document requests, binders, paper, storage, etc. Let’s not forget travel because you’re going to have to get from in front of the computer one day and do hands on research!! It takes a lot of tools and time to make researching our family trees possible. What I’m finding out is, my family doesn’t quite get the labor of love.
Most of the comments I received are “I don’t know how you do it”, “doesn’t that cost $$$”, “My brain would explode”, etc. I guess, you have to really love what you do in order to understand why people do it. I try to explain to people, it’s just like anything else they may love to do. No one else wants to do it, but for you, it’s easy! Well, genealogy isn’t easy, but for us who love doing it, our minds are already wired to think in these complicated manners. To try to connect the dots with solid lines and figure out how people are related. Painstaking research and most of the time, you get the smallest clues from your research. However, those little clues seem to be the most satisfying.
A path to one’s past is excellent framework to one’s future. Most African-American researchers want to know where they come from. That’s why we research our trees so tirelessly. Our family is fascinated by the clues we’ve come up with. We can see leaving this legacy of information to our children. There is reward in our work. That’s why most of the time, those of us who have to spend the money to get a clue solved don’t mind so much. There is something in it for us.
What inspires you to keep digging?? We all get frustrated and push the research to the side, but what brings you back. For me, it’s those unanswered questions. For so many years, everyone has been my cousin. I was never one to have ‘play’ cousins. I always liked to know how people are family. That inspired me to start looking. The sheer aggrevation of people saying “They’re your cousin, I don’t know how”.
The problem here is, when my Grandma Bessie was talking not many of her children were listening. She told stories of her people and how such-n-such were related. Only a few of her children can actually spread the tree out further. But, not many can help the tree go higher.
The city that my family ‘originated’ from (i use that term loosely because I don’t know where origination is, but we’ve been there since 1866…so that’s the best I have) is Elizabeth City, NC. Everyone knows everyone. So, if you talk to enough people, you’ll find out that they know someone that married someone that is my cousin. While visiting the cemetery that my grand uncle is buried a couple of weeks ago, an older lady approached me. She was there with her family cleaning off the graves of their loved ones. Here I was, a woman wondering around a cemetery alone…with a camera. I guess I looked lost or suspicious. She asked me “Who are you looking for” and I told her I was looking for my great grandfather, Aaron Spence. She asked me who I was. I told her and her response was “Oh, you one of those Spence’s”. WTH??? Then she asked me again who I was looking for. Upon telling her….again. She said “Ed Spence? OOO I know Ed. O.k. nice to meet you”. LOL. Thanks for the help!! Anywho..I was rambling..
I said all that to come back to, it’s hard to feel grounded when you don’t know where your roots lie. So what inspires you?
…and I can’t get my genealogy butt up!!!!
Life has been so busy I hadn’t had the time to focus on my research in a while. I don’t ‘feel’ my ancestors pointing me in the directions they once were or they’re pointing me in the direction I’m currently going. Hopefully, I’ll get bit again and the urge will return.
Meanwhile, I was award with the One Lovely Blog Award by Kathryn Doyle at CGS. THANKS!!!!
Genea–bloggers use awards to support each other and to spread the word about new blogs with a family history focus. The honor comes with the stipulation that it be passed on to seven more “lovely” blogs.
Here are my picks….sorry if you’re duplicated..I’m selecting the top 7 genea blogs that I stalk that have updated lately…
In other news, I’m going to Elizabeth City on the 25th to spend more time with family and doing more research. I hope to take pictures of more cemeteries in the area as well as interviewing some of the older family members.
But, before I go, I have to scan the 2 photo albums I got from my grandma and pictures I received from my grand-aunt. I’ve been slacking on my scanning. But, since this is my daughter’s birthday weekend and I’m torturing myself with allowing a slumber party, I figure I can lock myself in my room and get it done. My grandmother’s only requirement was that she get a new photo album for her pictures. I got the new album, now I need to start scanning.
Just wanted to let anyone out there that reads this, I haven’t disappeared, just busy.
I’ve been following DearMYRTLE’s checklist on getting organized. If you need to get organized and don’t know where to begin, this checklist is for you!!!
Part of the checklist was to get the items for your office that you wanted. I’ve always wanted a 2 drawer filing cabinet. Office Depot just happened to have this one on sale. It perfectly matches my desk (that my mom found at a thrift store for $20!!). It also subs as a nightstand for the other side of my bed.
I also started on the Family Search Indexing project and indexed 50 records. Trying to pay my genealogical dues in a way. It’s very easy! If you’re good at data entry, you’ll be excellent at this.
Also, I will be attending the Black Family History Day in Morrow, GA. As this is my first genealogy related trip, I’m extremely excited. Also, I will be getting my copy of Mississippi to Africa signed by the author, Melvin J. Collier!!
The week after this trip, I’m taking another relatively short genealogy/family trip to Elizabeth City. I’ll get there on Friday with just enough time to do some research at the county office!!! With only one day to do official research, I will have to make sure I write a to do list for myself so I don’t forget anything. Any ideas?
I’m late as all get out with Memes. But it doesn’t mean I’m any less appreciative about receiving them.
George Geder and Genealogy Traces honored me with the Proximidade Award. 
The Proximidade blog award details are as follows:
“These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!
Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
I’ve added the award to my sidebar. As a recipient, I’m supposed to nominate 8 fellow bloggers. But, all my fellow bloggers have been nominated once or twice before..plus I’m late with this.
So, I’ll say..THANK YOU!!!
Also, thank you to Msteri who tagged me for an award several months ago….sorry I didn’t get a chance to work on it..
I had the beginning of a blog post started earlier at work. But my attempts to email it to myself at home, caused me to accidentally delete it…DARNIT!! So now, I’m going to make the attempt to recreate it off of memory…oh boy.
Every year I make the attempt to make a resolution I think I can stick too. This year is no different. However, I think this years resolutions will be achievable. Because, I know you’re dying to know, I’ll list them for you.
Home related resolutions.
I know I had more, but my memory sucks right now!!!