A Courthouse Fire: Hancock County, Georgia (August 14, 2014)

My Warren ancestors moved to Hancock County in the late 18th century and my direct lineage remained there until about 1830. I've been indebted to Family Search for their digitizing of Courthouse records microfilmed in the 1960s.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G935-VWJT?cc=1999178&wc=9SBM-YWG%3A267654601%2C267808601 : 20 May 2014), Hancock > Wills and administration records 1837-1850 vol P-Q > image 3 of 662; citing Houston County Probate Court Judge, Georgia.]

Of course I've alway known that this represents only a part of all the records held in the 1881 Hancock County Courthouse (locally known as "Her Majesty") but I had always hoped to visit there one day and see what more I could learn about my family.

Alas! A fire started in the Courthouse* on August 14, 2014 and burned for three weeks because there was a store of coal in the basement. Enough of the brick structure survived** that the building has been rebuilt*** but it's not clear to me how much, is any, of the historical court records remain.

[31 Aug 2014, ZJ2 - The Atlanta Constitution at Newspapers.com]

*Only a year before, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation had placed the building on its “Places in Peril” list.

**More information here from a report by The Heritage Emergency Response Alliance (HERA) published twelve days after the fire started.

***This blogpost by Maria Saporta includes photos during and after the fire.

© 2020 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

December Weddings in my Family Tree

In 2016 the Martha Stewart Weddings website opined that Christmas is one of the worst days to get married, but I've noticed that date given for the nuptials of some of my ancestors. I asked Christine if she could create a list of those folk and she responded with 17 pages of December weddings. Of course most of those folks aren't in my direct line but I've decided I'll spend the next several days seeking out the ones who are and sharing them here.

This mid-19th century engraving hints at the small-scale celebration involved in a marriage,* but it would be misleading to think that many of my ancestors' unions would have taken place in such opulent surroundings.

[Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. The wedding. Forrest, J. B. (John B.) (ca. 1814-1870) (Engraver)

Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-d187-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99]

As far as we know, none of my direct ancestors got married on Christmas Day but there are two couples whose weddings took place on December 24th:

My 3X great grandparents Jesse Warren Jr. and Timney P. Watts married on on December 24th, 1824, in Morgan County, Georgia and 2X grandparents George Marion Tomlinson and Elizabeth "Betsey" Taylor on Christmas Eve, 1860 in Washington County, Iowa.

Coincidently neither of these couples were destined to have a long life together. Jesse Warren Jr. died a little over a year later (when his only child was an infant) and Betsey Taylor Tomlinson disappeared from records about the time of her daughter Rufina's birth in early 1863. Both surviving spouses married again; their second unions lasted for decades and produced more children.

Why get married during the Christmas season? This blogpost by findmypast focuses on England but I think some of the same reasons would be relevant for U.S. couples.

*You can find a description of mid-19th century wedding preparations here at a blog by NYC's Merchant’s House Museum.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Happy Wedding Anniversary (15 November 1798) to My 5th Great Grandparents, Elizabeth Ward and John H. Hardy

I got a little carried away tonight and goofed around with Social Explorer (which is free if you just use the Federal Census Data, 1790-abt 1940).  The map shows the move that my 5th great grandparents made after their marriage in Bertie County, North Carolina to (then) frontier Lincoln County, Georgia (this map was used with 1800 Census state and county information)

I finally buckled down and used the Social Explorer site to make custom historical maps for my ancestors - 5th Great Grandparents Elizabeth Ward and John H. Hardy.  There is a learning curve but it is pretty intuitive overall, and they give you a lot of control on making custom maps.

The following is the pricing for this service.  I think if you belong to an institution of higher learning, government, or business you may already have the ability to access this.  In San Diego, for instance, it looks like UCSD has it available at any time by a limited number of students.

I use the free service.  If you pay more of course you get more functionality but even the limited functions are powerful.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John Chappell - Monroe County, Georgia - 1828

An obituary found for John Chappell, one of my paternal fourth great grandfathers, gave his age as 65 years at the time of his death on December 1, 1828. If that date is correct, his death must have been anticipated because two of his sons who were named as executors of this 1827 will appeared in court on December 8th and probate was recorded on December 10th.
 



Georgia              }
Monroe County  }  In the name of God, Amen.
I, John Chappell of the State & County , aforesaid being of Sound mind & good
bodily health but considering the uncertainty of human life, do make this my
last will & Testament in manner following viz.
First I recommend my South to God who gave it, & my body I committ
to the earth & as to my worldly estate, I give & bequeath to Nancy
Bonner, Martha ^Heath^ Eliza Douglas, Abraham H. Chappell, George A
Chappell, & Sarah H Chappell & John d. Chappell one thousand
Dollars each with the following understanding & limitation, viz. it is
to be considered that I have heretofore advanced & paid over to Nancy
Bonner the sum of nine hundred & twenty dollars which ^last is to be
computed in making the sum of one thousand dollars to said
Nancy. I have also advanced & paid over to Martha Heath the
Sum of one thousand dollars which is to considered as a full
payment of the above mentioned Legacy to said Martha.
I have also heretofore advanced & paid over to Eliza Douglas the
Sum of Six hundred & twenty five dollars which amount is to be
computed in making the sum of one thousand dollars to Said
Eliza. I have also heretofore advanced & paid over to Abraham H
Chappell the sum of Seven hundred dollars, which amount is to
be computed in making up the aforesaid Sum of one thousand
dollars to the said Abraham H. I have also heretofore ^advanced &^ paid over
to Said John d. Chappell the Sum of Fifteen hundred dollars
which is to be considered as a full Satisfaction of the above 
legacy, one thousand dollars & five hundred dollars on 
advance of the Share of the Said John D. of my residuing
Estate,     after the payment of my Specific legacies,

I have also heretofore advanced & paid over the George A. Chappell
the Sum of one thousand dollars which is to be considered a
full payment & Satisfaction of aforesaid legacy of one thousand
dollars to said George A.
I give & bequeath to Joseph T. Chappell the Sum of fifteen
hundred dollars, as an estate for the life of the Said Joseph T.
to be divided equally between all of the before named Legacies
after the death of the Said Joseph T & the Said Joseph T. is to
be at liberty to live with either of his brothers viz. Abraham H.
Chappell, John D.Chappell & George A Chappell who are
to share equally the use & benefit of the last mentioned
legacy to the Said Joseph T., during the natural life of the
Said Joseph T. on the condition of their contributing to his
Maintenance,
To my beloved wife Sara P. Chappell I give & bequeath Lot Aa.
one hundred and forty five in the Sixth district of Monroe County
I also the three negroes Mysich, Mary, & Beeley the property so
bequeather to my beloved wife, is to be enjoyed By her during her
Natural life, & at her death is to return to my estate to be distributed
as hereafter mentioned,
All the residue of my estate not herein above disposed of & also
that part of ^which is^ bequeathed to my beloved wife, after her death is to be
divided equally between the above mentioned Nancy Bonner Martha
Heath, Eliza Douglas Abraham H Chappell John D. Chappell
George A Chappell & Sarah H Chappell Should either of the last
mentioned legaties viz. the Martha Nancy Eliza Abraham H. John D
George A or Sarah H. Die before me the portion herein bequeatherd
to Such Legacies Shall descend to the heirs of Such legated
Should either of Said Legacies die before my wife the Share of Such
legated in the property herein bequeather to my wife after he
death Shall descend to the heirs of such Lagaties.
I nominate & appoint my Son Abraham H Chappell John D
Chappell & George A Chappell Executors of this my will.
In witness thereof to this my ^Said^ will I have set my hand and Seal
The Twenty first day of October in the year of our Lord one thous-
and eight hundred & Twenty five                  John Chappell {Seal}
Signed Sealed published                              ---------   --------------
Declared in the presence }     Georgia         } Before us James H. Gorden
Robert T. H. Abeller       } Monroe County } and John Spoollin Justices
John F Brooks                 }  of the Inferior Court for the County afore
John Redding                  }  said personally appeared John Redding
Angus M.D. King           }  and Angus M.D. King who being
                                        }  Duly Sworn on oath Say that they

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893L-GWPH?cc=1999178&wc=9SYT-L27%3A267724601%2C267815001 : 20 May 2014), Monroe > Wills 1824-1866 vol A-B > image 31 of 448;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

John Chappell later of this county deceased Sign Seal and

acknowledge the foregoing instrument as his last will and Testa-

ment and that at the time of Said signing Sealing and

acknowledging he was of Sound & disposing mind and memory

and that they both Subscribed Said will and attesting 

witnesses in the presence of the Said John Chappell and Saw

John T. Brooks & Robert J. H. Abeller Subscribe the Same as

Witnesses

Subscribed & Sworn to in the presence of }        John Redding

John Trathin J JC.                                       }     Angus M.D. King

J. H. Geran  J J.C.                                       }

--------   ----------

Georgia             }  I Abraham H. Chappell and John D Chappell

Monroe County } Do Solemnly Swear that this writing contains

the true last will of the within named John Chappell 

Deceased So far as we Know or believe, and that I will

well and truly execute the Same by paying the debts and

then these legacies contained in the Said will as far as his

Goods and Chattles will thereunto extend, and the law charge

and that I will make a true and perfect Inventory of all Such

Goods and Chattles So help me God Sworn to this 8th

December 1828                           Abraham H. Chappell

Elias Beall C.C.O.    ordered       John D. Chappell

-------------  ------                        -------  -----  ----------

                    Recorded 10th December 1828

                              Elias Beall C.C.O.

And here's my relationship to John Chappell:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Davis Stevens Pearson (1919 - 1945), Soldier

Davis Pearson is a fifth cousin of mine--we are both descendants of Jesse Warren, Sr.* His father died when Davis was six years old and his mother married a second time when he was eleven. Military and census records state that Davis completed only one year of high school before he had to help his step-father on the farm.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 22, 1940, and was killed in action on January 21, 1945. I found this blurry photo of him on Findagrave.com.

[Davis S. Pearson. Source: Findagrave.com Memorial ID 3113374;

photo added by Rhunae Helms Cross]

Here's his name on the Army's casualty list for Hancock County, Georgia:

[Page 23 WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty List - Fold3]

From this newspaper article in the Atlanta Constitution we learn that he was probably buried originally in Belgium** and his body was shipped home to Georgia in 1947.

[26 Oct 1947, page 62 - The Atlanta Constitution at Newspapers.com]

All of this left me wanting to know where Davis died because it isn't stated in any of the above records. Fortunately his mother's application for his headstone him as belonging to Company M of the 23rd Infantry Regiment.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. Microfilm publication M1916, 134 rolls. ARC ID: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92. National Archives at Washington, D.C.Applications for Headstones, compiled 01/01/1925 - 06/30/1970, documenting the period ca. 1776 - 1970 ARC: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.]

As part of the 23rd Infantry, here's what Davis experienced in the last eight months of his life beginning with the Normandy Invasion through his death during the Battle of the Bulge:

On 8 June, 1944, the Twenty Third Infantry landed on Omaha Beach with the first invasion forces. 

In slow, painful hedgerow fighting, the Regiment inched its way forward day after day against hard fighting enemy paratroop elements. St. Georges d'Elle, Hill 192 (which commanded St. Lo), St. Jean des Baisants, Etouvy, Vire, Truttemer le Grand and Tinchebray were scenes of bitter fighting up to August when the organized German resistance in Normandy collapsed. A short respite, the first one up to that time, was interrupted by an overnight motor march of 210 miles to Brest. From 21 August to 19 September the Regiment battled the 2nd German Paratroop Division which fanatically defended the surrounding hills and villages. Knowing that the fortress seaport, which housed German U-boats, was greatly needed by the Allies for the purpose of establishing supply routes into France, Hitler ordered the garrison to hold for at least 90 days. 

However, Brest, the scene of some of the most savage and bitter street fighting of the war, fell in 39 days. Formal capitulation of the Fortress to the 2nd Division occurred on 18 September, 1944. Its hard-driving leader, General Herman B. Ramcke, was captured the following day on the nearby Crozon Peninsula. 

Another rapid motor and train move of 720 miles on 30 September, 1944, saw the 23d Infantry crossing France and Belgium to new battle positions on the German border. Defensive positions were taken up along the Siegfried Line just north of Luxemburg.
The first ceremony of American troops on German soil was a 23d Infantry parade in November, south of St. Vith. Major General W.M. Robertson, Divisional Commander, presented decorations for heroism to officers and men of the Regiment. On 12 December, the Regiment moved 30 miles north to the vicinity of Sourbrodt, Belgium. 

The German break-through on 16 December found all three battalions of the 23d Infantry fighting savagely in the line. The failure of the enemy to accomplish a penetration in the division sector, despite repeated tank and strong infantry. attacks, upset the entire German plan of action to reach and cut off the vital supply nets at Liege. The Regiment stopped attack after bloody attack. 

This action was summed up by General Courtney Hodges, Commanding General of the 1st Army, who declared, "What the 2nd Division has done in the last four days will live forever in the history of the United States Army." 

During the period of 13 to 23 Jan. while attached to the First Division, the Regiment fought under the most severe climatic conditions. It spearheaded a drive that broke the determined enemy resistance in the vital Ondenval-Iveldingen Pass to clear the way for armored thrusts into St. Vith, Belgium. Sleet, rain and bitter cold froze the men's clothing to their bodies as they, struggled through waist-deep snow over rough terrain. The enemy forces, principally the 8th Regiment, 3rd Panzer Division, were decimated. So heavy were enemy losses in men and material that the 8th Regiment ceased to exist as a fighting force.***

Davis Pearson was one of the more than 19,000 American soldiers who died during the Battle of the Bulge. He's buried in Wisteria Cemetery in Union Point, Greene County, Georgia.


*Chapter and verse according to Ancestry.com

**Henri-Chappelle Cemetery in 1945:

***This information is taken from an official booklet printed after V-E day and sent home to soldiers' families as found on the website LoneSentry.com.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Josiah Haralson Freeman (1897 - 1950), Sailor

He was born in rural Morgan County, Georgia, which is nowhere near the ocean but Josiah chose to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1917.

[Ancestry.com. Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Georgia Adjutant General’s Office. World War I Statements of Service Cards. Georgia State Archives, Morrow, Georgia.]

I found a photograph of his ship, the U.S.S. San Francisco, at the Library of Congress.

[U.S.S. San Francisco. Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection (Library of Congress)]

He must have found life at sea attractive because four months after his discharge from the Navy he applied for his Seaman's Protection Certificate in New Orleans.*

*You can see a picture of Josiah (who is my second cousin, twice removed) in this earlier post.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Frances L Turner (1827 - 1851)

When my third great aunt Francis Turner married my third great uncle Benjamin Blanton Freeman in 1844 the couple weren't the first members of their respective families to be joined together. Her older sister Elizabeth "Lizzie" and his older brother Henry Hill "H.H." had gotten married four years earlier and were to become my great great grandparents through their daughter Nancy Elizabeth, known as Nanny.

[Ancestry.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: County Marriage Records, 1828–1978. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.]

Francis only appears in one Federal Census record (in 1850) and she'd already had three children in the six years of her marriage.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: Subdivision 65, Newton, Georgia; Roll: M432_79; Page: 514A; Image: 440. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

Another son was born in December, 1850, and it's believed that Francis died around that time but no date is known for certain.

A few days ago Christine and I was discussing how quickly the names of parents can be forgotten and the 1925 Texas death certificate of her son Josephus (J.C.) is an example of that, although his information is more complete than some. His father's name is recognizable while his mother's given name is correct, but her maiden name is listed as "Tonnel". The informant is listed as "Hosp Chart" so perhaps J.C. was the source?

[Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Austin, Texas, USA.]

The parental information for his brother Richard Turner Freeman's death certificate two years later is complete and correct, undoubtedly due to the source of information being his cousin (and my great grandmother) Nanny Freeman (Mrs. James Chappell Warren).

[Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Austin, Texas, USA.]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Okefenokee Swamp - 2008

During our two-week trip to South Carolina and Georgia in 2008, Bonnie and I took a guided boat tour of part of the vast Okefenokee Swamp on a day that promised rain.* 

Undaunted, our boat set out across the tannin-stained water.

Our ultimate goal was an open patch of water called a "prairie" filled with water lillies. (Do you see the alligator in the first picture?)

Okefenokee is most commonly translated as "land of trembling earth" and Bonnie tested that for herself while I stayed in the boat.

At that point the clouds darkened and as we headed back the heavens opened.

[All photos from my personal collection]

Our boat had a canopy but since the rain came at us sideways we were soaked by the time we arrived back at the dock. However it wasn't cold and we dried off pretty quickly.



*Which shouldn't have been a surprise, considering that most of the water in the Okefenokee comes from the sky. Actually it's a bog, not a swamp, and the water is very pure. Our guide explained that in the days of sailing ships water from the Okefenokee was preferred because it stayed fresh much longer. 


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Sapelo Island, Georgia - 2008

While we were staying at The Open Gates B&B in Darien, Georgia, our hosts informed us that there was an extra pair of tickets to an upcoming tour of Sapelo Island available if we were interested. Of course we said yes!

No roads lead to the island so we parked our rental car at the Visitor Center and took our place on the ferry, prepared for the 20 minute trip.

On the island our tour bus awaited us.

With a population of fewer than 70 persons, there's only one store on the island. (I bought an ice cream there.)

 

There's a post office too.

Among the other sights on Sapelo is this 1820 lighthouse. We climbed up its spiral staircase for the view.

The Reynolds Mansion is amazing and definitely worth visiting. The house remains furnished as if it was still the private playground of the wealthy tobacco family who bought the island in 1934.

[All photos from my personal collection]

Visiting the island was one of the high points of our trip that year.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Josiah Haralson Freeman (1897 - 1950), Seaman

In 1919 Josiah H. Freeman (a second cousin, twice removed) was issued his seaman's protection certificate* in New Orleans. 

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Application for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940. 1151 Boxes. NAID: 2788575. Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, 1774-1982, Record Group 41. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.]

His application lists the birthplaces of his father Leroy W. Freeman and himself, both of whom were natives of Georgia. Josiah had enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War I and apparently found the lure of the sea was stronger than his attachment to his Georgia home.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Application for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940. 1151 Boxes. NAID: 2788575. Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, 1774-1982, Record Group 41. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.]

As far as I can tell he never lived in Georgia again, residing first in Baltimore, Maryland, and then in Washington D.C. In his 1942 draft registration card he listed his place of work as the U.S. Government Navy Yard and named his mother as his nearest relative.

[Draft Registration Cards for District of Columbia, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947, Fold3.com. Original source: The National Archive.]

Josiah died at the age of 53 and is buried in the National Cemetery in Baltimore.

He was named for his great great grandfather Josiah Freeman, the ancestor we both trace to.

[Ancestry.com]

*Christine shared a much earlier version of the same type of certificate for her paternal fourth great grandfather Solomon Joseph Hartley (1775-1815).


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Valley Forge Anniversary

It's now 240 years since my paternal great grandfather Abraham Heath (c. 1740-c. 1807) went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania) with the rest of George Washington's Continental Army.

[March to Valley Forge - William Trego, Philadelphia, 1883. This painting is now in the collection of The Museum of the American Revolution]

My ancestor's term of enlistment in the Virginia Line of the Continental Army ended in February so he didn't spend the entire winter in Valley Forge. You can read about his life after he went home here and learn the terms of his 1807 Warren County, Georgia, will here.

And here's a reminder of how I'm descended from Abraham Heath:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John Langston - Dawson County, Georgia, 1865

My Monday post about Dorothy Moss (an 8th great grandmother) led me back to my Matthews lineage which I haven't paid much attention to for quite a while. For those of you who share Matthews ancestors in Virginia and North Carolina, I highly recommend a visit to Greg Matthews' excellent website Southern Matthews.*

More information about the extended Matthews clan has surfaced in the intervening years, mostly about collateral relatives, which is the source of today's post regarding the will of John Langston (c.1792-1865), the husband of Clarissa Matthews (1798-after 1880) who is my first cousin 5 times removed.**

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93R-D61J?cc=1999178&wc=9SBS-W3X%3A267648501%2C267702301 : 20 May 2014), Dawson > Wills and bonds 1857-1896 vol B > image 49/50 of 178; county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

                                              Dawson Court of Ordinary
                                                          At Chambers 1865

Georgia             }
Dawson County} In the name of God. Amen.
I, John Langston of said State and County, being of
advanced age,. and knowing that I must shortly depart this
life, deem it right and proper, both as respects my family
and myself, that I should make a disposition of the 
property with which a kind Providence has blessed me, do
therefore, make this my last will and testament, hereby
revoking all others heretofore made by me.
1st. I desire and direct that my body be buried in a
decent and christian-like manner, suitable to my circumstances
and condition in life. my soul, I trust, shall return to rest
with God, who gave it, as I hope, for eternal salvation through
the merits and atonement of the blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ,
whose religion I have professed and as I humbly trust enjoyed,
for thirty-five years or upwards.
2nd. I desire and direct that all my just debts be paid, without
delay, by my executors hereinafter appointed, as I am 
unwilling my creditors should be delayed in their rights,
especially as there is no necessity for delay.
3rd. I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife Clarissa
with whom I have lived with in the strictest quiet for forty-two
years, parts of lots of land, numbers 91, 126,125, and all of
92, 160 acres and half of 93, and 155 acres of lot No. 88, the
remaining five acres, I give to Perry W. Grogan where his house
now stands all lying and being in the 5th. district and 2nd.
Section of said county. I also request that my wife keep all
of the negroes, viz: Eliza & Harriet and Bob and Frank and Jane
and Minerva during her natural life, and one certain bay
horse and bay mare and one yoke of oxen and wagon
and five cows, such as she chooses out of the stock and their increase
and five sows and pigs, such as she chooses and ten head of
sheep, such as she chooses, and all of the corn and fodder
here, and to have control of the household furniture and farming
tools.
4th. I, therefore, appoint Jno. M. Langston and William Langstonand
Gilbert L. Langston and Clarissa Langston my executors to
sell or dispose at their pleasure all of the lots and parts of lots lying in
Lumpkin county, a fraction No. 168,  in the 11th. district, originally Hall
now Lumpkin county, and No. 617 and No. 618 in 5th. district and 1st.
Section of Lumpkin county; also to sell and dispose of anything they
choose, this the 11th. of November 1854  
                                                       John Langston {Seal}
                                                               (Over)
Signed & sealed in the
presence of us.
Richard H. Gordon
J.B. Gordon
Cyrus Leay, J.P.

Of course John Langston's 1854 will, which he never amended, did not anticipate the circumstances his state would be in when it was presented for probate early in 1865. Although at the time the Confederate states hadn't surrendered yet it must have been clear that the old way of life was over.

According to the 1870 U.S. Census, Clarissa continued farming the land but by 1880 she was living with one of her daughters and family, still in Dawson County.

I wonder if I can find out what happened to Eliza & Harriet and Bob and Frank and Jane and Minerva after emancipation?


*Naturally we appear to descend from Thomas Charles Matthews about whom there are almost no records. Once again I refer you to Greg Matthews for more information about him.
**Her father Kinchen Matthews, a son of Thomas Matthews, was the brother of my direct ancestor
Claiborne.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Fantastic Find: Lowcounty Africana

We've all done it--come across a genealogy website that is not only useful but gorgeous! That's what happened to me recently when a link from This Cruel War brought Lowcountry Africana to my attention.

[From the website]

Here's a description from the website:

Lowcountry Africana is entirely dedicated to records that document the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida, an area that scholars and preservationists have identified as a distinct culture area. Lowcountry Africana was developed with a grant from the Magnolia Plantation Foundation of Charleston, South Carolina.

Lowcountry Africana also includes information about South Carolina slaveholding families.

The search for enslaved ancestors requires research in the records of slaveholding families. In order to identify records of interest, you must first examine the genealogy of slaveholding families. 

Researching a slaveholder’s genealogy can be a time-consuming task, but fortunately, there are many genealogies for South Carolina slaveholders online. Here, we provide links to online genealogies of South Carolina slaveholders.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.