In Black and White: Cross-Cultural Genealogy

As I spoke to my mother on the telephone this week, I shared with her some of the history of the Methodist circuit riders. She told me of a time when I was just a small child when  Stroudsburg United Methodist Church had celebrated an anniversary of the denomination with an historical visit by a circuit rider. What made you want to research the church's history, she asked. Being raised in the United Methodist Church, I had never been taught the history of Methodism . . . not even in Confirmation classes. So, what would make me want to search for its formation in America when my research is focused on African American family and local history? On our last visit with my husband's cousins following the 2009 George Family Reunion, Cousin Hattie said, We were always Methodists. . . .  Hattie is gone now. . . and I honor her memory by keeping my promise to tell the story. CHAPTER III: Methodism Comes to America When early local church histories are sketchy due to a lack o...

While the Carter and George families were free people of color since the 1730s, living in a community made up of a majority of free people of color, I have at times wondered how they must have felt--beyond the obvious--about their enslaved brethren. As we learned in the series entitled, Ministers & Preachers of Township 5 , black preachers recorded in the Census did not show up until 1880. This was mainly due to laws of segregation which made it necessary for ordained white ministers to oversee unordained black preachers. In addition, following Emancipation, many illiterate preachers joining organized denominations were required to seek education at a theological seminary which would prepare them for ordination. The following chapter in Dark Salvation examines how the origins of enslaved people affected their spiritual identity in the New World. Dr. Neil A. Frankel's, The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery in America Part I:  Background Chapter II:  The Slave an...

This is the first post in a new series about the development of post-Emancipation African-American Methodist Churches. When the direct approach toward research yields small fruits, than a broader, more generalized approach must be taken. This is the most recent book I've read on the subject, and since it has offered much, I now share with you my gleanings.  There may be many points that I do not address which might interest you; but, I will be focusing on those aspects which will help me to recreate how things might have been for my husband's ancestors in their small, timber and farming community in coastal North Carolina. PART I: Background Chapter I: The Beginnings of Methodism Since the most basic origins of the Methodist Church are commonly known, i.e. its founders, the beginnings of  The Holy Club at Christ Church College, and the derisive nickname attributed toward them, I will gloss over these. What I found interesting was that their initial missions proved unsu...

Today I take a parenthetical pause in my stream of posts on family church history to participate in Bill West's Third Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge , formerly known as The Great Genealogy Poetry & Song Challenge. This year my offering comes from a letter written by my grandfather, Francis Allyn Newton , Co. H., 107th U.S. Infantry, Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, S.C., to his mother on November 3, 1917. He closes the seven page letter with, I had better close now as I am getting sleepy. With love to all, I remain Your Loving and Obedient Son, F.A. Newton P.S. You will find a little poem in here that will possibly interest you. It was written by Pvt. Van Zandt in my tent. He is somewhat of a comedian. It was written about a certain Cathartic pill which is given to soldiers for nearly all ailments and is the cause of much comment in the Army. It is known as the O.D. pill. The O.D. Pill, by Van Zandt, Co. H., 107th U.S. Inf. You've heard of Doctor Reynolds That wond...

I have come to a close on the research of ministers and preachers in Township 5 through Census documentation. A friend who is interested in matters of church history and development asked me recently about the books I have been reading in this area. For the next several posts, I will devote attention to these. You will also find them grouped together on the Relevant Books & Authors page. I hope you'll stop by, and I encourage discussion on this...

In search of Jacob S. Bell's second wife, I decided to take what information I had and try to work around it. "Frances M." was born abt. 1877 in North Carolina. She had been married previously at the age of 30, abt. 1900. So I searched the 1900 Census for Carteret County for a woman named Frances, b. abt. 1877. There were eighteen results. The closest match was a 22-year-old, single, black woman named Frances Wilson, born April 1878, and residing in Beaufort, Carteret, NC on June 21st. She was the mother of four children, ranging in ages from 8 to 3/12. There was no male head of house recorded. I then decided to search for a Frances Wilson in 1910. On April 20, 1910, Frances Wilson, age 37 and still single, resided with her nine children in Beaufort. In 1920, she is still recorded as single, and living in Beaufort with five children. In 1930, I was unable to find a Frances Wilson who fit our description; so, I began searching for her children: Levi, William and Alexan...

Rev. Jacob S. Bell's death certificate had recorded his parents' names as Ander Bell* and Orlas Fisher*. The informant had been his second wife, Frances M. Bell. Unable to locate any records for an Ander Bell nor Orlas Fisher, I tried other avenues. . . . In order to prove the parentage of Jacob S. Bell, I searched the 1880 Census for Jacob Bell. I located him (20) in the household of C. F. James (35), a farmer in Morehead, Carteret, NC. Also living in household was Frank Pigott (25), a servant. They were all single black men. In 1870 I found him (10) in the household of Violet Bell (40). His siblings were George W. (17), Hubard (14), Charles (8), and James (4). I could find no record of marriage for Violet; however, when looking for information on Jacob's siblings, I located the Freedman's Bank Records for his brother, George Washington Bell. Ancestry.com. Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1871. The record list George Washington's family as: Father: Char...

Photos by: Mojo Warren Courtesy of Find A Grave Bayview Cemetery, Morehead City, NC It has taken some time to gather the supporting evidence for Jacob Shepard Bell, whom I first discovered through the 1920 U.S. Federal Census for Township 5, Craven, North Carolina. I was aware of the BELL connection to our CARTER and GEORGE family lines, and had heard the name before, but never realized that he had attained the influence he must have carried. I am certain that more relevant information regarding this man of God is out there, yet untapped. I will continue with my search, but feel it is time to present that which I have gathered to date. 1910: Township 5, Craven, NC; Roll: T624_1104; Pages 5B, 6A; Enumeration District: 0018; Images 786, 787; FHL Number: 1375117.  On April 21, 1910, Jacob S. Bell was enumerated as the head of a household of eleven residing on Mitchell's Creek. He was recorded as a black man, age 51, married for 28 years to Annie. Together they had 14 c...

It seems strange to lay in bed all day and have some one make up your bed and bring the food around. I would much rather be able to get about and wait on myself. I feel so strong in my arms and back; feel like I'd like to cut wood or something like that. But it is far different with my poor legs. I used to have such a strong pair of legs; never failed me on a hike, no matter how heavy the load. This morning when the sister made up my bed, I got up and sat on the edge of the next bed. I found that I couldn't support a pound of weight on them. It will be quite a while before I'm able to carry an eighty pound load around.  I lost all of my equipment and clothes on the battlefield. I managed to save most of my personal articles which I had in my pockets and in a leather pouch on my belt. I will have to get a complete new outfit before going into the field again. Oh! such a lot of equipment strewn on that field of battle. Thousands of rifles, packs, ammunition, canteens and ev...

11:30 A.M. The nurse has just finished dressing my wounds. They are coming along fine. I ought to be able to hobble around in two or three weeks. I have so many little scratches that I can't begin to count them; must be at least twenty. The doctor picked out four or five little pieces of steel. The largest one was only about 1/4 of an inch square. The cuts look very much as if a trench mortar shell had broken just behind me for most of the wounds are on the back of the legs. I was almost positive that it was machine-gun bullets that hit me, and so many things flying about that one could not tell what hit them. I consider myself very lucky for I have no permanent wounds. So many poor chaps have a leg or arm off. There are several in the ward as I'm in. I heard the Division got help up near their objective and lost very heavily. We were out to break the Hindenburg line and did it although Fritz put up a very stubborn fight. He was very naughty with his machine guns and snip...

On September 3, 1918, my grandfather, Private Francis Allyn Newton, wrote a letter to his sister Elizabeth and his mother, Gertrude Ellen (Walter) Newton, from "Somewhere in France." The following is a transcription of that letter. The original letters which form a sort of diary of a WWI infantryman are in the possession of my uncle, David F. Newton. When I was in college in the early 1980s, I wrote my uncle and requested information on my grandfather's service in the war. He sent me a copy of the typed manuscript he had tried to publish, and a copy of the September 24, 1978 edition of Susquehanna , which included his article, "Glory at the End". Dear Elizabeth: Well, I guess you are next on the list. I'll have just about time to write this morning. It is quite a job to write so many letters. I have five more after this one that I should write, so you can see I have a task ahead of me. No, I don't like to write much better than I used to and it tak...

The Rev. A.R. Anderson (60), a Methodist minister, lived with his wife Arma (25), on Blades Road . . . the same road as most of my husband's Carter ancestors. . . and next door to the household of James & Lucinda Culley. The nearest church was the family church, Piney Grove AME Zion on Temple's Point Road.  I was unable to find any record of Rev. Anderson nor his wife prior to nor following 1920. 1920; Township 5, Craven, NC; Roll: T625_1293; Page 2B; Enumeration District 18;  Image 210. As my search for historical records of ministers and preachers in Township 5 nears a close, I received a reply from several repositories and contacts regarding conference and church records. Ms Cynthia Keever of Hood Theological Seminary found two sources with only brief mentions of this minister,  the Rev. A.R. Anderson: A History of the AME Zion Church, Vol. II, by David Henry Bradley, Sr., pp. 155-156. The African American Episcopal Zion Church: Reality of the Black Church,...

1910 revealed only one, but one very interesting "Clergyman" in  Township 5, Craven County, NC. . . . . my husband's great grandfather, Isaac Hyman. Isaac Hyman married Malinda Jane Weston on August 15, 1881 in Craven County.  In 1900 Isaac was enumerated as a Farmer (b. abt. 1855), and lived with his wife (b. abt. 1866) and two daughters, Hannah Jane (b. Feb. 1882) and Thanie [Othenia] (b. 1885).  1910; Township 5, Craven, NC; Roll: T624_1104; Page 3B; Enumeration District: 18; Image 782; FHL #: 1375117. In 1910, Isaac was recorded as a widower; so, Malinda Jane must have died before April 18, 1910, the date the Census was taken in  Cahooque . Death Certificates in North Carolina didn't come along until 1914, and no obituary is recorded in the  New Bern-Craven County Obituary Index .  The oldest daughter, my husband's grandmother, Hannah Jane, married 2. Hezekiah Carter in 1905, and was living with him, her three step-children, her son from her...