The Family Album

 

The Family Album In May of 2007, I discovered the following Thought of the Day and shared it with my husband Larry Van Horn. I discovered it this afternoon; he had written in it in one of his genealogical journals. This amazing description of a family album is as relevant today as it was in 2007. I know Larry would want me to share it with all our blog readers, and genealogy groups. . I hope you enjoy it. Gayle Van Horn The Family Album Pull out that old family album and scan the faces. These people on these pages brought you to this point. Their lives are the cornerstones of your life. Their sacrifices are your mandate to continue building … invest in yourself … and in all that comes next. Just as they formed your foundation – your work lays a foundation for lives after you. Your family album is a picture of the tenacity and strength in your DNA. It is a study of perseverance. Secrets of survival that carry through your veins. To settle for less than you are capable of is to squander not just your life – but their lives – and your legacy to future generations. One generation’s position is the next generation's reposition. Picture that! (Thought of the Day by T.D. Jakes) 27 May 2007)

Wise Words to Remember

 

Honoring My Irish Heritage

 

Thank you on this special St. Patrick's Day, to my many Irish ancestors, who left their homes in Ireland to begin a new path in America. The Delay family, James, Robert, and John Mc Quiston. Col. William Gilbert - all who all fought valiantly in the American Revolution. Maurice Fitzgerald of County Wexford, as well as the families of Eakin, McMillian, O'Dear, O'Quinn, St. Legar, Funsten, Irving, Hood, de Audley, Carisle, Le Longespee, Bates, Coots and many more through the ages. Go raibh maith agat !

Need a few links to assist your Irish quest? Try the following:

Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Fifth Edition 

https://www.amazon.com/Tracing-Your-Irish-Ancestors-Fifth/dp/080632094X/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1UYEPVCXZSG5H&keywords=irish+genealogy+books&qid=1678751635&sprefix=irish+genealogy%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-5

The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Irish-Genealogy Guide dp/1440348804/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/138-7864594-1820249?pd_rd_w=T5dlK&content-id=amzn1.sym.6953b182-f957-43e6-9fe3-866e180e1e05&pf_rd_p=6953b182-f957-43e6-9fe3-866e180e1e05&pf_rd_r=PMKE8PP964S2GYYPS4PH&pd_rd_wg=6NetN&pd_rd_r=b2a87d92-2aaa-4fd1-b703-1c66b652b5f3&pd_rd_i=1440348804&psc=1

Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians - Second Edition (Tracing Your Ancestors 

https://www.amazon.com/Tracing-Irish-Family-History-Internet/dp/1526757818/ref=d_pd_sbs_vft_none_sccl_3_7/138-7864594-1820249?pd_rd_w=Nymaq&content-id=amzn1.sym.38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_p=38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_r=KSZ7NHRSM5N21W80070N&pd_rd_wg=bIcih&pd_rd_r=96936261-14bd-4a58-bb64-baa869e37854&pd_rd_i=1526757818&psc=1

A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, Second Edition 

https://www.amazon.com/New-Genealogical-Atlas-Ireland-Second/dp/0806316845/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/138-7864594-1820249?pd_rd_w=v9Q3i&content-id=amzn1.sym.6953b182-f957-43e6-9fe3-866e180e1e05&pf_rd_p=6953b182-f957-43e6-9fe3-866e180e1e05&pf_rd_r=4ZDQSVB0T29DV13E21S9&pd_rd_wg=DKMma&pd_rd_r=33cd86c5-cbdc-479c-94d3-6ef17a4846da&pd_rd_i=0806316845&psc=1

Tracing Your Irish Roots by Kinealy

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393253205124?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1ZGScKji-TH6Ge83P3Hv__Q40&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=393253205124&targetid=1584739239014&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9010334&poi=&campaignid=15275224983&mkgroupid=131097072938&rlsatarget=pla-1584739239014&abcId=9300697&merchantid=108045050&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk7ugBhDIARIsAGuvgPYQlqiALQlbLY1ecB0RLwoApAmYY3jObaVts_N1_z-tOKiKZ5BcpzEaAr7mEALw_wcB

Identifying 'Aunt Somebody'

 

I've had this picture for several years, given to me by a dear late cousin. She called her Aunt Somebody - and like her, I still don't know who she is.

I am hoping someone will know who this lovely lady is. Does she look familiar to you? This Gibson Girl style was listed as from 1900-1910, so it narrows it down considerably. If you have a clue, please let me know. Thanks

When and Where did William Sidney Slay die ?

For some time, there has been a great deal of speculation about my second great-grandfather, William Sidney Slay. Some researchers say he died in 1881 "somewhere in Louisiana," while others are certain it was 1882. Just as confusing is his place of death and final resting place. All of us agree he was in Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana on the 1880 census, with his second wife Laura Ann Hargrove and their children by this marriage. Researchers have indicated he died in 1881 or 1882 in Pineville...but where did this date come from ? A family bible or 'passed-down' ? Unfortunately, no one has information on where he is buried. Logic would suggest he is buried in the Holloway Methodist-Slay Cemetery in Rapides Parish, or perhaps the Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery in the same parish. Both cemeteries contain graves of some of his children from Laura. If we are to assume he died in 1881 or 1882 in Louisiana, there should be probate records and guardianship papers for his minor children, of which he had four of age fifteen and under at that time. No records have been found from requests for Court Orders, Guardianship Papers, Executor Bonds or Probate Case Files in Rapides or neighboring parishes. I would welcome any comments, direction or information, to the above email address in the masthead. Are you a descendent of William Sidney Slay ? Do you know when and where he died in Louisiana ? This is an ongoing project and has been for some time. I am actively working on a few leads I hope will answer questions for all of us. The first Family Group Sheet list his children with Honor Pelton Futch. Many mistakes have been circulated among researchers regarding the children from this marriage. The majority of websites and researchers, list one daughter as Caroline Cornelia ... when actually these are two names mixed up. Their actual names are: Carolina C. (married John Heidelberg Terrel) and Catherine Cornelia who married William Garrison Hennington. Another error are places of birth for these children. All were born in Choctaw County, Alabama, where the Slay's lived until 1854 when he purchased land in Jasper County, Mississippi. Family Group Record for William Sidney Slay Husband: William Sidney Slay Born: 17 Mar 1808 - Chesterfield County, South Carolina Died: Between 1881 and 1882 - Poss. Pineville Rapides Parish, Louisiana Buried: Father: Nathan (Sr.) Slay (1765-1843) Mother: Martha Ann Sumrall (1765-1825) Marriage: Abt 1831 Place: Poss. Alabama (or) Mississippi Other Spouse: Laura Ann Hargrove (1844-Between 1911/1920) Date: 1856 - Jasper County, Mississippi Wife: Honor Pelton Futch Born: 1814 - Bulloch County, Georgia Died: Between 1851 and 1855 - Poss. Choctaw County, Alabama Buried: Father: John Futch (Between 1788/1791- ) Mother: Children: 1 M John Linton Slay Born: 1 Apr 1833 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: 3 Jul 1902 - Clarke County, Mississippi Buried: Elim Baptist Church Cemetery, Quitman, Clarke County, Mississippi Spouse: Permelia Agnes Puckett (1839-1914) Marr. Date: 9 Aug 1854 - Choctaw, Alabama 2 F Martha E. (Mattie) Slay Born: 1834 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: 15 Apr 1915 Buried: Spouse: Joshua Sanford (Abt 1830- ) Marr. Date: Hinds County, Mississippi 3 F Caroline C. Slay Born: 1837 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: 1858 - Jasper County, Mississippi Buried: - Heildelburg, Jasper County, Mississippi Spouse: John Heildeberg Terral Marr. Date: 29 Dec 1853 - Mississippi 4 M Lawrence James Slay Born: 1839 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: Bef. 1900 - Jefferson County, Mississippi Buried: Spouse: Georgia (Georgeann) P. Farley (1846- ) Marr. Date: 27 Mar 1866 - Jefferson County, Mississippi 5 F Eleanor V. Slay Born: 1841 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: Buried: Spouse: R.D. Hendrix Marr. Date: 12 May 1856 - Lawrence County, Mississippi 6 F Catherine Cornelia (Kate) Slay Born: 18 Sep 1845 - Sumter County, Alabama Died: 18 Jan 1921 - Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas Buried: 20 Jan 1921 - Oak Hill Cemetery, Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas Spouse: William Garrison Hennington (1837-1919) Marr. Date: 10 Aug 1860 - Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Misissippi 7 M George W. Slay Born: 1848 - Choctaw, Sumter County, Alabama Died: 1920 - Poss. Hot Springs County, Arkansas Buried: Spouse: Barbesy Unknown (1853- ) Family Group Records of Children with Laura Ann Hargrove Wife: Laura Ann Hargrove AKA: Laura Hargrave Born: Jan 1844 - Jasper County, Mississippi Died: Between 1911 and 1920 - Poss. Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Buried: Father: William Hargrove Mother: Katherine (Kitty) Ross (1815- ) Other Spouse: John Y. Hathorn (1843-1923) Date: 16 Apr 1888 - Rapides Parish, Louisiana Children 1 M James Buchanan Slay Born: 24 Aug 1857 - Jasper County, Mississippi Died: 9 Feb 1927 - Rapides Parish, Louisiana Buried: - Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery, Cheneyville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Spouse: Mary Cornelia (Lena) Tanner (1872-1914) Marr. Date: Abt 1892 - Louisiana 2 F Althea May Slay Born: 1862 - Lawrence County, Mississippi Died: 1933 Buried: Spouse: Riley Eugene Barron (1856-1936) Marr. Date: 27 Jul 1886 - Rapides Parish, Louisiana 3 M Richmond (Dick) Oliver Slay Born: 9 Oct 1865 - Lawrence County, Mississippi Died: 17 Apr 1933 - Holloway, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Buried: - Holloway Methodist-Slay Cemetery, Rapides Parish, Louisiana Spouse: Lillie Ann (Sis) Emma Barron (1869-1943) Marr. Date: 11 Nov 1890 - Jonesville, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana 4 M William M. Slay Born: 1867 - Lawrence County, Mississippi Spouse: R.E. Hannah Marr. Date: 28 Dec 1891 - Sabine Parish, Louisiana 5 M Benjamin Hilborn (Bennie) Slay Born: 1870 - Lawrence County, Mississippi 6 F Frances Alice Slay Born: 6 Feb 1874 - Rapides Parish, Louisiana Spouse: Nathaniel Madison Hathorn (1873- ) Marr. Date: 2 Feb 1897 - Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Genealogy Sleuthing: How to Date Old Family Photos – Part I

Many family historians have a collection of unidentified old family photos they’re not sure what to do with–but can’t bear to throw out. In this article, we’ll share tips for helping you accurately date old family photos.

Photographs are one of the treasures of genealogy. There is something about being able to look an ancestor in the eye—we make a connection to the people we can identify by both name and face. We search for traces of ourselves in their faces. We wonder what they were thinking or doing, or why that photograph was taken on that particular day.

But photographs can be perilous. Sometimes the people in the photograph are not who we think they are.

A few years ago, a photograph circulated around the internet and on a variety of online family trees, purporting to be an image of a young William Cheek, a Revolutionary War soldier who died in 1845. It turned up on dozens of websites and family trees. But there were two problems with that photograph. First, a quick search reveals the first photographic image of any person was made in 1830, making it impossible for the photograph to be of a young man who was born in 1752.  The second problem with the photograph was that it was taken in 2012 and was stolen from the photographer’s website and inaccurately identified as William Cheek.

Additional story at: https://www.legacytree.com/blog/date-old-family-photos

Genealogy's Often-Misspelled Words

You might want to save this article someplace. I have no idea why, but many of the words used in researching your family tree are difficult to spell. I constantly see spelling errors in messages posted on various genealogy web sites. When someone misspells a word, it feels like they are shouting, “I don’t know what I’m doing!”
Here are a few words to memorize:

Genealogy – No, it is not spelled “geneology” nor is it spelled in the manner I often see: “geneaology.” That last word looks to me as if someone thought, “Just throw all the letters in there and hope that something sticks.” For some reason, many newspaper reporters and their editors do not know how to spell this word. Don’t they have spell checkers?

Cemetery – The letter “a” does not appear anywhere in the word “cemetery.” You can remember the spelling by an old saying, “We go to the cemetery with E’s.” (ease)

Ancestor – This simple word is often spelled “ancester,” “ansester,” or “ansestor.”

Ancestry – This word is often misspelled “ancestory.” I often see errors when someone is referring to the ancestry.com online web site.

History – More than once I have seen someone refer to their “family histroy” or “family histry.”

Descent – Perhaps not as common, but I have seen this spelled as “decent,” which sounds almost the same.

Descendant – it often appears as descendent, descentent and many others.

Progenitor – I can never remember how to spell this word. I simply try to avoid it when I am writing!

Two other words often are confused: immigrant and emigrant. Another variation is immigration versus emigration. According to Merriman-Webster Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com, an emigrant is “a person who leaves a country or region to live in another one” while an immigrant is “a person who comes to a country to live there.” To repeat, an emigrant leaves while an immigrant arrives.
The late Dick Pence was quite a storyteller, and once he told of an online genealogy article he wrote in which he poked fun at common spelling errors by genealogists. He deliberately misspelled ten different words in the article, including most of the words I listed above. In the text of the article, he never mentioned that the article was a tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor.
Dick soon received an email message from an irate lady who apparently didn’t realize it was a deliberate attempt at humor. She scolded him for his spelling errors, writing, “Mr. Pence, you should be ashamed of yourself. I am an English teacher and I want to tell you that I found seven spelling errors in your article!”
(Dick Eastman)