The 1st African-American History & Genealogy Society Conference.

Wow is the only thing I can say to describe the first conference. I'm not certified, but as an amateur genealogist, I learned there are more ways to get around a brick wall when researching our family tree. The seminars were enlightening. The research some presenters had done were amazing.
Please visit their website at www.stl-aahgs.com.

I know most of us depend on the census to help tell the story about our ancestors, but there is more. Did you know, in addition to the federal census, there are state censuses? I learned that Mississippi had a 1866 State Census Index! Yahoo.
In addition to Ancestry, most county libraries have free access to HeritageQuest, City Directories, and Footnote for genealogists.

Author Tim Pinnick says a person must not overlook utilizing old community newspapers online. You can visit his website for more tips at wwww.blackcoalminerheritage.net.

I'm glad I didn't miss Keynote Speaker Shamele Jordon's workshop on Freedmen Strategies: the Bank vs. the Bureau.
Her first advice was to organize and backup online. Okay, I hit OfficeMax last night and got new binders. She also spoke about using old documents to raise $$ to fund family reunions.
I can go on and on, but I would like to hear from you.

Willie Cole Jr and Roscoe Cole Sr.

I have two picture of my great-great Uncle Willie. When he was young (about 53 yrs) and when he was more than 100 years old. He was 104 years old when he died in 2007. Roscoe Cole Sr., or Papa is my grandfather.

The Coles

My great-great grandfather Willie Cole Sr. and my father, Roscoe Cole Jr.

Willie Cole was born about 1885 and died about 1962. Willie was of Irish descent and had several children. This picture was taken in June 1958. Eight months before I was born.

Robert Ennis Wilkinson

I'm hoping to find my lineage through Robert Ennis Wilkinson. Robert died in Jasper, MS 1892.
I know with genealogy, there will always be conflicting information. That is why I requested military records, so I could begin a paper trail.
I'll keep you posted.

More with the Wilkerson/Wilkinson

This is the newest information dug up from a Lookup researcher Wendy:

She found according to the Greenville, S C Marriage and Death Notices, 1826-1863,

December 6, 1834, on the 20th ult., by the Rev. Mr. Potter, Mr. Thomas J. Wilkinson of Greenville, to Miss Sarah R., daughter of the Hon. J. Douthett of the Anderson District.
She checked further on the Douthett line and found several people posted a lot of information both the Wilkinson and Douthett line with detailed info on Thomas and Sarah's children, including John A(dams) Wilkinson. The information they posted shows that he died in 1892 in Chickasaw County, MS.

This sounds 95 % like my family. Unfortunately, I can't find that family tree on line yet, but I hope too.

As a reminder, John Wilkinson/Wilkerson, I thought was married to my gggrandmother. But from Wendy's research, I would that was not the case. John actually married a woman Artie Jamison whose family (Robert Jamison) probably owned my gggrandmother, Charlotte, at one time.

There's more thanks to Wendy.

Greene County, AL 1850December 31, 1850

1574/1574

Thomas J. Wilkinson, 35, farmer, 800, b SC

Sarah, 35, b SC

John, 14, b AL

Sarah J., 13, b AL

James, 11, b AL

Anna, 9, b Al

Mary, 8, b AL

Louisa, 6, b AL

Andrew, 4, b AL

Lucy, 1, b AL

Chickasaw County, MS 1860, September 1, 1860
921/941
Robert Jamison, 41, farmer, b AL
Mary, 35, wife, b Al
Henry, 16, b Al
Artie, 15, f, b AL...she later became John's wife
Sarah, 13, b Al
William, 11, b AL
John Wilkinson, 23, teacher in academy, b AL
In 1866, Charlotte and John's first child, William, was born. His brother, Samuel was born 3 years later.

Chickasaw County, MS 1870

54/58
John A. Wilkinson, 33, farmer, 2000/1500, b AL
Arta T., 24, keeping house, b AL
Ella R., 6, b AL ****If Ella is six, then Arta and John had to be married in 1864. It looks like John had an affair with my gggrandmother. Also on the 1870 census, Charlotte Wilkerson list herself as a widow, so all this time I thought John was dead.
Robert, 3, b MS
Walter, 1, b MS
Andrew J., 22, Law Student, b AL (Possibly John's younger brother)

Chicasaw County, MS 1880
John A., Wilkinson, 42, teacher farmer, b AL, parents b SC (Remember Thomas and Sarah)
Artie M., 34, wife, keeping house, b AL, parents b GA
I NOTICE ELLA IS MISSING...POSS DEAD BASED ON 1900 CENSUS

Robert E., 13, son, b MS

Walter A., 11, son, b MS
Samuel, 9, son, at school, b MS
John, 5, son, at school, b MS
Thomas J., 1, son, b MS

There are 2 servants living in the John Wilkinson household:
E. D. 35, sheet 24D
Page 360D
Finis H. Linn, 21, white, servant, single, works on farm, b MS, father b AL, mother b SC
Smith Jimerson?, 25, black, servant, widower, works on farm, b AL, parents b blank

So John died in 1892.

Poplarville Town, Pearl River County, MS 1900
E. D. 83, sheet 3B, page 3B
June 2, 1900
48/49
John Wilkinson (which is John Jr.), head, b June 1874, age 26, married 1 year, b MS, parents b AL, salesman
Pauline, wife, b Sept 1880, age 19, 0 children, b TN, parents b TN
Artie F., mother, b May 1846, age 54, widow, 4 of 6 children living (who died? Ella, Thomas or Samuel), b AL, parents b AL
49/50
Walter Wilkinson, head, b oct 1868, age 31, married 10 years, b MS, parents b AL, cant read occup
Annie, wife, b Feb 1872, age 28, 4 of 4 children living, b MS, parents b MS
Bonnie, dau, b March 1891, age 9, b MS
John A., son, b Feb 1893, age 7, b MS
Artie B., dau, b Sept 1895, age 4, b MS
Gladys, dau, b Sept 1898, age 1, b MS
51/52
Robt E. Wilkinson, head, b Aug 1866, age 33, married 8 years, b MS, parents b AL, merchant, owns non-mortgaged farm
Sallie J., wife, b Feb 1875, age 25, 3 of 3 children living, b MS, father b MS, mother b SC
Ennis, son, b Oct 1892, age 7, b MS
Elma, dau, b June? 1895, age 5, b MS
?, dau, b May 1898, age 2, b

On the 1910 census, Ennis is in Birmingham , AL and signs up for WWI as Robert E. Wilkinson Jr. Afterward, he returns to AL and the family moves to Houston, TX

So, I find the tree in SC then AL then MS then TX.

Oh, boy, a lot of puzzles on this to research.

John Wilkeson's son, Sam Wilkerson

I had the opportunity this week to dig into the lives of some more ancestors. Eliza Palmer is causing me a headache so I temporarily jumped backed to my great-grandfather, William Wilkerson. I already knew Sam moved to Cincinnati and opened a hotel. I found out a few days ago that it was bought out by Holiday Inn.

Two new facts: He stayed in Mississippi until 1900. Sam Wilkerson's father's family--don't know if mother or father's side, which was white, helped him escape. I called the Cincy Museum Center (513-287-7043). A staffer checked and is sending me two pages of hotels on the 1910, 1915 City Directories.

The search continues...

Until the next tip.

Pat

Wyatt Palmer

Okay, I'm back to working on the Palmers again.

The only reason why I'm so determined with these wonderful ancestors of mine is I feature them in my 2009 release of Not Guilty of Love. Wouldn't it be great if I can go back one more generation before I write the last chapter?

On the 1870 census, Minerva Palmer (who seemed to live close to the Lamberts---possibly the last slaveholders) had 3 children before she married Spence(r) Lambert sometime before 1880: Charles,4, Wyat(t),3, and Sam, almost a year.

Wyatt Palmer was born October 1868. On the 1900 Cleburne Township, Monroe County, AR census, he was in his second marriage to Ollie. They had a daughter, Mary, 3, born in 1897. She did have a step-brother and step-sister.

In 1910, Wyatt was 42, Mary was 13, and my great-grandmother Minvera Brown, 17, and her younger brother who was a twin to Ellis, 14, Louis Brown, 14, lived with their uncle. That's Minerva and Louis.

I have not found Wyatt on the 1920 and 1930 censuses, but I'm checking. If he had held off dying until after 1912, I can request his birth certificate. Keep your fingers crossed.