The First Mile Marker

Well, it hardly seems possible that it's been one year today . . . on my Mom & Dad's (dec.) wedding anniversary. . . that I set out to chronicle my research explorations. I'd like to give a special thanks to Julie Bartlett, archivist of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum, and of the Hampshire Local History Room at Forbes Library in my former hometown of Northampton, MA.

Following my relocation from Western MA to Western NC, I had shared with Julie my desire to one day become an archives tech, library tech, or public records clerk, and asked:

So, the big question is: without going back to school for a Master's degree, how can I best prepare myself to be marketable from what you see in the field?

This was her response:

This is so perfect for you so I hope it works out! The best advice is to volunteer. Sign up for Genealogy Random Acts of Kindness. Find out if you can get on a researcher for hire list at public, academic, state libraries and historical societies. Since you have a full time job with varying schedule, volunteering would be tough. Try for events or projects that don't have to keep to certain shift. Indexing is one that is always needed and can be done on your own schedule. Start going to library and archives conferences--state and regional ones. They usually have special rate for the unemployed which in Mass we define as a non-library job. Having a finished product such as an index or finding aid to show off at an interview is necessary. Does your family reunion group keep a website or blog that you contribute to? Maybe start a blog of all your genealogy research as a way to show off your skills? We recently interviewed someone for a reference job who had little experience but she kept a blog of what she read alone and with her kids proving her readers advisory would be fantastic and her writing skills were great. Of course, I would always be happy to give you a glowing reference for your research skills, knowledge of and love of genealogy, newspaper research, persistence, helpful, friendly, customer service attitude! I wish you all the best!

Thank you Julie for all your support over the years!

A Follow-up on Sylvester Brown Gaskill: Bastardy Bonds

Following my last post, Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1900, a cousin asked about the disclaimer at the bottom of the page concerning a message board post RE: black Gaskills and Amanda Gaskill's bastardy bond for the birth of Sylvester (July 1829).

Desiring to know how a person could conclude paternity from a bastardy bond, without the full transcription of the case (which this descendant claimed to possess), I searched for additional information on North Carolina bastardy bonds. In the book of transcriptions written by Betty & Edwin Camin they explain:

The "Bastardy Bonds" of North Carolina contains bonds posted because of the birth or impending birth of a bastard child. These bonds were intended to protect the county or parish from the expense of raising the child. When the pregnancy of a woman or birth of a child was brought to the attention of the court, a warrant was issued and the woman brought into Court. She was examined under oath and asked to declare the name of the child's father. The 'reputed' father was then served a warrant and required to post bond. If the woman refused to name, the father, she, her father or some other interested party would post the bond. In some cases, the mother and reputed father together posted the bond. If the woman refused to post bond or declare the father, she was often sent to jail. The records are indexed by county and complimented by a full-name index at the back of book for easy references. 

In light of the above information, Amanda Gaskill's specifics were transcribed as:

Carteret County:
Amanda Gaskill     July 1829   Bondsman: John N. Hamilton, Bondsman: John H. Styron, Bondsman: James Nelson.

It is possible that she named one of these men . . . the first bondsman listed, as the father of her child; but, it is also possible that these men got together to pay her bond because they had some other interest in the case. Without the full transcription of the case, it is impossible to know for sure.
For more about Betty Camin, see her home page.

My curiosity has led me to request a copy of the bastardy bond and a transcript of the case, if available, from the North Carolina State Archives. I'll keep you posted . . . .

Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1900: Sylvester B. Gaskill & Martin Davis

Sylvester B. Gaskill;
1900; Township 5, Craven, NC;
Roll: T623_1190; page 9A;
Enumeration District 46.

The 1900 Census for Township 5 produced two clergymen. While Sylvester B. Gaskill, a very light-skinned mulatto*, had been enumerated as a preacher in 1880, here he was recorded as "minister." One might think that the current enumerator, Edward D. Bangut, merely chose another title for the position, however . . . .

. . . . Martin Davis, who was also enumerated by Mr. Bangut, was recorded as a preacher. Possibly there was just an inconsistency.

Martin Davis:
1900; Township 5, Craven, NC;
Roll: T623_1190; Page: 11B;
 Enumeration District: 46.

Looking at the progression of Gaskill's enumerations:  1800: Preacher; 1900: Minister, I began to wonder if perhaps some other clergyman had a progression of titles shown through consecutive enumerations. 

*Disclaimer: While Sylvester Brown Gaskill had been enumerated as  "mulatto" (1850, 1870, 1880), "black" (1900), and "colored" on his marriage record, I recently received a response to my Rootsweb Message Board post RE: black Gaskills from a descendant of his daughter, Missouri Gaskill . . . .

The family legend was that Sylvester too was mulatto, however I was able to locate the bastardy bond from when he was born where his mother, Amanda Gaskill, gave the name of Sylvester's father. That man was white, the son of a Scottish family living in Sea Level (his name was John N. Hamilton).

This photo was posted on Ancestry.com
by member: pvw321
White/Purcell Family Tree