In Black and White: Cross-Cultural Genealogy

Marilyn (MOORE) DAVIS Eula Mae (MOORE) FRAZIER April 1930 - Dec. 8, 2010 Avis LEE & Dorothy (CULLY) LEE Walter DODSON, Avis LEE & Cedric CARTER J. D. BROWN & Family

On June 18, 2011 I engaged in a conversation regarding a quote posted on a college chum's Facebook page: There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.                            =Andrew Carnegie= The first comment stated that "The 'free' public library...[is] an institution that should either evolve with the changes of the times or its own inefficiencies will shutter its doorways." My friend offered that "The public library of today is known by other names ( Project Gutenberg , Google Books , CCEL ...and my personal favorite, Archive.org !)." However, the public library is often the only resource available for local history preservation. It offers services such as Inter-Library Loan (ILL) to access books and microfilmed records from NARA and State Libraries and Archives. ...

Hannah Jane (HYMAN) (FISHER) CARTER 28 Feb 1899 - 31 Aug 1964 [My husband's paternal grandmother]

When my husband and I traveled to Craven County in July 2007 for the George Family Reunion, one of our cousins took us on a tour of the family cemeteries. These were unlike the traditional church cemetery found closer to Havelock, or the New England cemeteries where my ancestors were buried on the outer fringes of the town. These cemeteries began on a piece of family land recessed within a sanctuary of tall long-leaf pines. I photographed each headstone in the cemetery even if I was unaware of the familial connection. Some say that there are four Carter families in the area; but, according to most Carter family historians, they are all connected if you search back far enough. This headstone interested me because of the parents recorded for George S. Carter. I knew of only one other set of parents named Isaac and Sarah Carter. . . . they were my husband's 3rd great grandparents. However, they didn't have any sons named George S. In searching the 1910 Census I found a recor...

When I first started as Co-Historian for the George Family Reunion Committee of North Harlowe, Craven, NC back in 2005, the progenitors were believed to have been Emanuel and Matilda George. I was told that this bit of information had been found on some notes jotted down by the late Wilfred Lee Moore; however, the original version of "Our Family Tree" (1989) did not record any parentage for the first Georges linked to the family by the founders of the George Family Reunion Committee. Instead, the elders began with the following group of siblings, their marriages and offspring: Emanuel and Hepsie George, James Bland and Harriet (Kates) [sic] George,  Nathaniel George, Martha Ann (George) and Isaac Carter,  Nancy (George) and Esaw Godette. I continued researching the ancestry of my husband's line, descendants of Isaac and Martha Ann (George) Carter for two years before my husband and I were able to attend the 2007 George Family Reunion. During that visit we made our f...

I don't know about you, but when I'm on the search for information, I set out a barrage of investigations from every source I can think possible. I start out with the facts at hand and then email as many of my research contacts to see if they have anything that might answer the question at hand. While I'm waiting for responses, I plunge into my own investigation of online sources, as I did with this bit of collateral research on timber companies and the formation of Piney Grove AME Zion in North Harolwe, Craven, NC. Recently I noticed that my pile of emails, reprints of online books and articles was piling up. So, the sorting began. Actually, I started out with one topic: lumber companies in North Harlowe, Craven, NC at the turn of the 20th century, and ended up having to group my materials into four catagories: Timber, Church, Family & Farming. As the emails were sorted by category and then again by date, new patterns began to emerge which led to more serious readi...

What is it that catches your eye, or sparks your interest when looking for new blogs to follow? For me there are several elements I search for: an interesting and clearly readable layout, a common interest connection, creative storytelling, shared documents and photos, and regularity in posting. This week I took a look at sites posted on the GeneaBlogger Blog List and found four new or new-to-me blogs that caught my attention. On the listing for new blogs in June, I found How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey.   Immediately, I found a Craven and Carteret County, NC connection. The author's posting series, Dave Sampson A True Riverdale Character, made good use of newspaper clippings from the New Bernian, and had received help from my good research friend, Victor T. Jones Jr. at the Kellenberger Room , of the New Bern-Craven County Public Library. Another blog on that listing for June was Southern Tier Cemeteries . This blogger connects me to my paternal roots ...

Between the gaps in the timetable dates lay a family legend . . . one that gave me an uneasy feeling right in the pit of my stomach. For some time I had heard, from various family sources, that Hezekiah Carter killed a man over a woman. My insatiable curiosity plunged me headlong into a search for the truth. A cousin and fellow family historian reported that   Hezekiah somehow found out about John Carter coming to his home. Hannah would lean out the side window and flirt with him. The roads were packed dirt, and there were foot paths and cart paths through the forest. Hezekiah happen to be home that day when John came strolling by. He told his wife to call John to the window, of which she did and Hezekiah shot him. They say John left a blood trail from that window, on the cart path, all the way home, where he died. I think he bleed to death. I hated to think of my grandfather-in-law as such a calculating man, and so the search began. John Carter's death certificate stated his...

Hezekiah Carter Homeplace Township 5, Craven County, NC

The 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Township 5, Craven County, NC showed me that Hezekiah Carter was a laborer, hauling logs. I decided to determine how many other relations in that area also held that occupation and discovered that four of his brothers worked at a saw mill. By 1910, however, Hezekiah was recorded as a farmer...but then, in 1912, he bought two tracts of land: one on the South side of the Neuse River and West side of Clubfoot Creek, the other on the South Side of the Neuse River and East of King's Creek, with one stipulation:  "Subject to timber rights and rights of way: original owners maintain ownership of all timber above 10 inches in diameter for 20 years [until March 1932] . They can build tram roads and railroads across the land and run locomotives and rafting to remove said timber." This opened a whole new avenue of exploration. I started out with trying to locate any information on the Grantors: C.W. Munger and his wife, Martha A. Munger of Crave...

The timeline really helped me to get out of my dead end....so, where did I go from there? Right off the bat I began to wonder about Hezekiah's father, Isaac, who had been a Civil War Pensioner. One of our cousins had recently received his ancestor's pension file and the discoveries were fascinating. Not only did it give information about his ancestor, but it told about what life was like for a Civil War Veteran, their "comrades," family and neighbors who testified on their behalf. The price was a bit daunting  at $75 for the first 100 pages and then sixty-five cents per each additional page...but it was worth it! If you follow the link, click on the Order Reproductions button. On the following page, click on Military Service and Pension Records. For the complete file, click on the heading for form NATF 85D. You can receive it in either a CD/DVD or Paper Format. . . .I opted for the paper format. The copies from microfilm were in good, readable condition on legal...

The following is the current shape of my timeline. As you will see,  I have focused on one generation, that of my grandfather-in-law's household; and,  the only major world events included are ones which have directly affected the family group.  Hezekiah Carter Family Timeline 1874-1922 1874, March 29: Hezekiah Carter born, the third child of Isaac (35) & Martha Ann (George) Carter. His father was a Civil War Pensioner. 1896, October 22: md. Stella Canady (both age 25) in No. 6 Township by Rev. A. F. Mitchell. Witnesses: M.F. [illegible], GW Cully, CC Godett. 1898, June 10: Bert Carter born 1899, June 13: Jesse Carter born 1900, January 6: 15 acres Hezekiah bought land from Nathaniel George & Julia his wife (his uncle & aunt) , Theophilus George & Hepsey his wife (his uncle & aunt) , and Nancy Godett (his aunt)“ in consideration for Thirty dollars”: “adjoining the lands of Gilbert Falls (wife: Cassie Jane Carter: no blood relation establish...

In my search for a starting point, I reviewed the notes I had taken from our last meeting with Cousin Hattie after the 2009 George Family Reunion. During our visit, in the midst of my interview, she began asking me questions about my life with her favorite cousin's youngest son. By the time we were ready to leave, she made me promise to write a book. . . but where should that book begin? I started looking at family legends and soon a story began to take shape. In order to better analyze family relationships of those who are now gone, leaving no record but bits of memories entrusted to their children, I started a timeline with the census, birth, marriage and death information I had obtained through Ancestry.com , obituaries, and land documents from the County Registry of Deeds. Each piece of information was given it's own place on the timeline. The next step was to find what historical events occurred during that period. I found an interesting and easy to use timeline genera...

The last George Family Reunion held in North Harlowe, NC may have been the last... Many events precipitated this decision, including the deaths of many of our senior family members who were instrumental in past reunion planning...including six siblings: Richard William CARTER: b. 20 Oct 1923; d. 19 Aug 2009. James Prester CARTER: b. 1925; d. 15 Sep 2009. Hattie (CARTER) BECTON: b. 1918; d. 8 Mar 2010. Mattie Genora CARTER: b. Oct 1910; d. 10 Mar 2010. Learn CARTER: b. 1920; d. 20 Mar 2010. Hester (CARTER) BELTON: b. 28 Sep 1908; d. 9 Apr 2010. Demika Darlene MOORE: b. 27 Sep 1985; d. 23 Jul 2010. Eula Mae (MOORE) FRAZIER: b. Apr 1930; d. 8 Dec 2910. Cleveland CARTER: b. 1915; d. 20 Apr 2011. Thomas "Tommy" Lee MOORE: d.. 18 May 2011. Following the death of the three sisters (Hattie, Mattie & Hester) and cousin Eula Mae, a deep sense of loss was replaced with gratefulness for the chance to have visited with them following our last family reunion. We truly do no...

Looking Glass Falls, Blue Ridge Pkwy I wonder if life doesn't sometimes come in such waves of activity and responsibility that all bloggers, at some point, might feel exhausted... overwhelmed... put to the test to present new material for their audience. With new challenges at work, my blog went on hiatus. During that time of regrouping, I set out on a new approach toward my research and writing efforts...some of which have proved costly and filled with long periods of waiting...and waiting...and waiting... In the days to come I hope to share with you the results of some of these efforts.