Saturday, June 15, 2013

Finding the Old Homestead

Ever wondered where your ancestor's home was located on a modern map? It's not too hard to find out, and you can do it for free (I'm all about free!).

The first step is to search for the original land patent at the Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office Records http://www.glorecords.blm.gov. (You might want to open in a new tab.) Click on Land Patents.


You don't have to have a lot of information. For this example I searched for McCullough in Perry, Alabama. Gabriel is my Great great grandfather. William is his father.

ImageAccessionNamesSorted AscendingDateDoc #StateMeridianTwp - RngAliquotsSec. #County
View Patent ImageAL1950__.374PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, GABRIEL I7/15/185442665ALSt Stephens021N - 009ESW¼NE¼17Perry
View Patent ImageAL2020__.007PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, GABRIEL J11/1/185846668ALSt Stephens021N - 009ENW¼NE¼17Perry
021N - 009ESE¼NW¼17Perry
View Patent ImageAL2100__.009PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, JAMES W9/1/186051413ALSt Stephens021N - 009ES½NW¼36Perry
View Patent ImageAL2100__.408PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, THOMAS H9/1/186051852ALSt Stephens021N - 009ESE¼NE¼18Perry
View Patent ImageCV-0131-150PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM,
PatenteeSCOTT, JOHN
10/1/18313437ALSt Stephens018N - 009ENW¼8Perry
View Patent ImageAL0290__.274PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM12/1/18318390ALSt Stephens018N - 009EE½SW¼5Perry
View Patent ImageAL1730__.484PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM8/12/183730923ALSt Stephens021N - 009ESW¼SW¼17Perry
021N - 009EE½SW¼17Perry
View Patent ImageAL1820__.104PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM,
PatenteeWRIGHT, OLIVE C
5/20/184134896ALSt Stephens020N - 008EG1Perry
020N - 008EH1Perry
View Patent ImageAL1830__.366PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM2/1/184335667ALSt Stephens020N - 008EB12Perry
View Patent ImageAL1950__.064PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, WILLIAM12/1/185241652ALSt Stephens020N - 009ENW¼NW¼21Perry

Clicking on image gives you a PDF of the original land patent which you can print, save, or order a certified copy.

Clicking on Accession gives you details of the patent.Related documents shows the same land over time, such as other owners of the same land.
Accession Nr:AL1950__.374   Document Type:State Volume Patent   State:Alabama   Issue Date:7/15/1854   Cancelled:No
Names On DocumentMiscellaneous Information
PatenteeMCCULLOUGH, GABRIEL I
Land Office:Cahaba
US Reservations:No
Mineral Reservations:No
Tribe:---
Militia:---
State In Favor Of:---
Authority:April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Military Rank:---General Remarks:---
Document NumbersSurvey Information
Document Nr:42665Total Acres:40.00
Misc. Doc. Nr:---Survey Date:---
BLM Serial Nr:AL NO S/NGeographic Name:---
Indian Allot. Nr:---Metes/Bounds:No
Coal Entry. Nr:---
Land Descriptions
MapStateMeridianTwp - RngAliquotsSectionSurvey #County
ALSt Stephens021N - 009ESW¼NE¼17Perry
Checking the box for map will give you one (sometimes), but not what we're after.
  
Using the Land Descriptions info from this page, go to Earth Point Tools for Google Earth http://www.earthpoint.us/TownshipsSearchByDescription.aspx

Enter Township and Range.  Optionally enter Section.  Google Earth flys you there using BLM data.  Hint: pause for a moment after choosing each of the criteria.  This allows the data to be loaded into the drop-down boxes.

State
Principal Meridian
Township
Range
Section

Free. User account is not needed.
If you want to see the surrounding townships, then once you have clicked the "Fly To" button, come back and click the BLM or National Atlas "View on Google Earth" button. Free. User account is not needed.

I already have Google Earth downloaded, You need to have it pre-installed, if you need it, download free http://www.google.com/earth/index.html. Use the Fly To On Google Earth button to download a ,kml file. Click the file and watch the magic happen! 

Google maps has lots of features, play around and have fun! You can add pins to mark locations, get the GPS data, and tons of other things. If you go back and search for additional land, it will bring up the same map, so you can add additional locations.



Sunday, June 2, 2013

WE SHOULD HAVE INHERITED A FORTUNE!

Inspiration came from reading a blog by +James Tanner this morning, http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-more-things-change-more-they-stay.html

The original Norman family story, as told by Ray Norman:
Thomas Norman was wealthy before he died it was reported. He owned a farm referred to as Myrtle Cottage, St. Michael's Apiary, a bee farm, which produced honey for sale. The youngest son William possibly owned it. Thomas Norman (father) was said to also own twenty tenement houses in Tiverton and had 20,000 British pounds at his death. The conversion ratio from 1800's to today would probably be several million USD. 


Thomas Norman
Myrtle Cottage

Sometime before his death, James Norman sued his father Thomas for some unknown reason. James brother Thomas was mad over the matter. Thomas was the oldest son and would ordinarily have been heir to the land which usually went to the oldest son. Before he passed on Thomas (father) wife died. 
Elizabeth Norman,  first wife of Thomas


Oral history has it that old Thomas married again and willed his property to the new wife. Some doubt that old Thomas could will the property to the new wife. This oral history also says that Thomas converted the holdings into cash and turned it all over to the wife at which time she left and never returned. There went the Normans millions legacy to some opportunistic trollop if true.

It is reported that some of the family went to Australia to become sheepherders but we have no information on those people. Since the writer has some expertise in golf we suggest that when the family emigrated in the 1800's the good golfers went to Canada and Mo Norman was one of the descendants. Greg Norman came from the Aussie branch and the hackers came from the following branch .

The following came from family historian Mary Norman Myers notes based on her biblical records and family oral history. She wrote this about 1980:
Sons of Thomas Norman in England-
Thomas Norman - who came to the US
John Henry Norman -who came to the US with Thomas. 

These two brothers lived in Ohio for a while and then moved to South Pittsburgh, TN.  John eventually moved to Birmingham, AL and Thomas as far as we know stayed in TN. 
The other Norman children were Sarah, Lucy and Priscilla who married and remained in England.
James Norman also remained in England and there was a William Norman who was blind and presumably remained in England also. 


Normans remaining in England


Thomas and John Henry had to work in the flax field for their father. One oral story is that the work was so strenuous and the household environment so bad that when the boys got to the end of a workday they laid down in the flax fields to sleep. There was no indication on how they were fed in the fields. 

The heavy work was one reason that they left home.  In 1853 they ran away from home and stowed away on a ship. The departure was to be a secret but when leaving they heard their mother crying.

On the voyage to the US they would have starved except some of the crew slipped scraps of food to them. We do not know where the ship arrived in the US but records may not have been kept for stow away.

Census records did indeed confirm John was from England, and we were able to trace back from Tennessee to Ohio.

The Ohio Genealogy Society provided the arrival of Thomas and John Henry who came from Liverpool to NYC arriving 11 March 1853 (hard to read the year, possibly 1852).Thomas, age 25, Male, Mechanic, from England and planned to become citizen of the US. John age 20, ditto.. (It doesn't seem like correct ages and may have been misstated, they would have been about five years younger.)

The ship is the Steamship Kangaroo, Capt. James Jeffrey.  Their accommodations appear to be the Fore Orlop Deck.
The Orlop deck was the lowest deck of a ship having at least four decks.

So much for the stowaway story.

Off to England: Kentisbeare baptisms
952 – Sep 24th 1837 John s. Thomas and Elisabeth from Aller wood Gate – a roper
Allerwood, Kentisbeare taken by Art Ames, 2008


Devon 1841
HO107/226/2 Folio4 Page3
Allerwood Gate
Kentisbeare

NORMAN Thomas 28 Y (yes born in the County) Rope Maker
NORMAN Elizabeth 30 Y
NORMAN Thomas 8 Y
NORMAN Sarah 5 Y
NORMAN John 3 Y
NORMAN James 1 Y

This is the 1851 census Tiverton, Devon
Thomas Norman abt 1809 Collumpton, Devon, England Head  rope manufacturer
Elizabeth Norman abt 1805 Bradnich, Devon, England Wife
John Norman abt 1838 Kentisbeer, Devon, England Son
James Norman abt 1840 Kentisbeer, Devon, England Son
William H Norman abt 1844 Kentisbeer, Devon, England Son
Priscilla R B Norman abt 1847 Cruwys Morchd, Devon, England Daughter
Lavera A M Norman abt 1850 Tiverton, Devon, England Daughter
Thomas Jr is not living with the family. He would have been about 19.
Sarah is working as a kitchen maid at Collipriest House for the widow Holway Carew, "Lady"

1861 Census      
Piece: RG9/1480 Place: Tiverton -Devon Enumeration District: 0
Civil Parish: Tiverton Ecclesiastical Parish: Clare Portrow
Folio: 64 Page: 1 Schedule: 4
Address: Quirkhill

Quirkhill Photo by David Smith   © Copyright David Smith and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Surname   First name(s)   Rel   Status   Sex   Age   Occupation                      Where Born  
   NORMAN   Thomas   Head   M   M   52   Flax Scutcher Farmer Emp 2m    Devon - Cullompton      
   NORMAN   Elizth.       Wife   M    F   54                                                      Devon - Bradninch      
   NORMAN   Wm. H.     Son    U   M   17   Flax Scutcher                              Devon - Kentisbeare      
   NORMAN   Priscilla A  Dau    -     F    14                                                     Devon - Cruwys Morchard      
   NORMAN   Louisa A   Dau     -     F   11                                                      Devon - Tiverton    

Son James & his wife Sarah also at Quirkhill in 1861.
William is apparently not blind as he is employed as a flax scutcher (one who separated the husk from the flax fibers by holding it against rotating paddles)

Loders Dorset in 1871
Class RG10 Piece 2027 Folio 61 page 24
Civil parish Loders Dorset Reg District Bridport
Address Loders Street
Thomas Norman 62 head Flax merchant born Collumpton
Elizabeth 65 wife born Bradninch
Louisa A M 21 dau unmarried Born Tiverton

Post Office Directory of Hampshire, Wiltshire & Dorset, 1875
Dorset Page 930
Farmers--cont
Norman Thomas, Mangerton Mill, Melplash, Bridport

Page 823 Melplash
Norman Thos. farmer, Mangerton mill
Mangerton Mill
The copyright on this image is owned by ANDY FISH and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

1881 England Census
Name: Thomas Norman
Age: 73
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1808
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Male
Where born: Cullompon, Devon, England

Civil Parish: Loders
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Yondover Street
Condition as to marriage: Married
Occupation: Flax Scutch... Agriculture Machinery

Registration district: Bridport
Sub-registration district: Burton Bradstock
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Household Members: Name Age
Elizabeth Norman 76
Thomas Norman 73

So far it looks like Thomas and Elizabeth were living to a ripe old age together. Thomas has progressed from  a rope maker. He was able to get in on the new technology of the steam powered threshing machine. He probably realized a nice income. The machines were rented out, complete with an engine driver (his son William), to thresh the flax directly in the fields. Elizabeth died October 31st 1882.

Then came the shocker: 23rd July 1883 Marriage of Thomas Norman

Thomas Norman full age  widower  machinist  Loders  father John Norman, Farmer
Elizabeth Sansome Pinkard widow Loders father Sydney Smith, Blacksmith
Both signed
Witnesses were William Brown and Charlotte Priscilla Norman {Charlotte is granddaughter of Thomas through his son James}

Could this be the second wife who ran off with all the money? You decide. In 1891 the second Elizabeth is nowhere to be found.
1891 Loders, Bridport, Burton Bradstock
Name: Thomas Norman
Age: 82
Estimated birth year: abt 1809
Relation: Visitor
Gender: Male
Where born: Devon, England

Civil parish: Loders
Ecclesiastical parish: Loders
Town: Loders
County/Island: Dorset
Country: England
Village Street

William Brown 27  (Possibly the same William Brown who witnessed 2nd marriage)
Julia Brown 35
Florence Adala Brown 6
Walter Stanley Brown 3
Jesse Brown 1
Thomas Norman 82

Kelly's Directory of Dorsetshire, 1889
Agricultural Machine Owners
Norman Thomas (implement), Lower Loders, Bridport

Death certificate for Thomas.  Thomas was 88 years old, died of Senile Decay 14 Feb 1897. He died in New Forest, Sub-District of Eling and in the County of Southampton. Informant was his son in law, Edward Peadell Mooreman.

Buried Loders churchyard, the position of the graves now unknown but the stones are against the churchwall.

Limestone headstone - round top
'In loving memory of Elizabeth the beloved wife of Thomas Norman who died October 31st 1882 aged 78 years. Also of the above Thoman Norman who died February 14th 1897 aged 88 years'.

Compare to the original story:
St Michael's Apiary does exist, but is a Benadictine monastery at Buckfast near Buckfastleigh, Devon
William was blind in the 1901 census, at age 67, although occupation is Agricultural Machinist, own account. In 1891 he was living at Myrtle Cottage.
To date no tenament houses owned by Thomas have been located.
So far no suit brought by James has been found.
We found an Australian connection, but no sheepherders. Thomas's granddaughter, Mabel Elizabeth Mary Bullock, went to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia as a governess. She married Walter James Wrigley and her descendants are still in Queensland.
No connection to Mo or Greg Norman

All in all the family story provided some great clues. 


Comments and cousin connections always welcome.

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Friday's Faces From the Past-John Henry Norman II

John Henry Norman II

My husband's grandfather, John Henry Norman II, was born in South Pittsburg, Marion, Tennessee, September 23, 1876 to John Henry and Mary Ann Parsons Norman. The family moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1888.

John Henry married Martha Allie Walker October 20, 1897 in Birmingham, Alabama. They had 9 children. 

John Henry seems to have been quite a character. He held various jobs including butcher, grocer, steel worker, and a tire repair shop. My husband's Aunt Martha told us of a scheme to deliver ice by boat. The boat ended up sinking. 
Another family story is John Henry helped to build the Vulcan statue in Birmingham.  
During the 20’s there is an alleged bootlegging activity by the Norman family. No stills have been found with Norman fingerprints on them. A cousin said that he could take you to the place in Leeds out by Lake Purdy where the moonshine was made. 

John Henry's son Paul Norman, (center) with Slim & Cliff in front of Norman Grocery
(I have no idea who Slim and Cliff are)

John Henry had a grocery store in Birmingham. During the depression John was too kind-hearted to let anyone go hungry and sold his groceries on credit until he didn't have anything left to sell.  He looked around for something else to do and noticed that all those who owed him money were driving cars.  So we went down to a tire re-capping business and hired himself out at no pay for a week so he could learn the tire re-capping business, then opened his own store.

During WWII, tires were in short supply. John and his sons used a process called regrooving. The basic process is this: You take a bald tire and use a heated iron to cut into the remaining rubber to make a new tread. There were different blades that screwed on to the iron to make different tread designs. Sounds a bit dangerous, ESPECIALLY TO THE DRIVER!


Norman Tire Shop, Birmingham, Alabama. John Henry on the right.



Another family story, still unproven, is that John Henry once killed a man, but "got away with it". Some say it was over a woman. Some say it was the lynching of a black man. I am still searching for proof of this crime. From the rumors, it would have been about 1915.


On front is written Norman and his famous Retriever.  JH must have thought a lot of his hunting dogs.  He had one that got rabies and bit him.  He had to travel to Montgomery, Alabama and stay for a month to get shots.  I wonder if this is the dog that is so "famous".


Norman--John Henry Norman, age 63, 6831 Georgia Road, passed away at the residence Monday p.m. Survived by the widow, Mrs. Martha A. Norman; 2 daughters, Miss Martha Norman and Mrs. Alfred Meyer; 6 sons, Henry, Joe, Tom, Paul, Raymond and John Norman; 2 sisters, Miss Louise B. Norman, Mrs. E. E. Matthews. Funeral services from the Brown-Service, Norwood Chapel Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. Rev. Fred Sparks officiating. Interment Forest Hill Cemetery, Brown-Service, Norwood directing. Active pallbearers will be the 6 sons.
Published in the Birmingham News/Age Herald, Tuesday Oct 25, 1938, Deaths, pg. 15

My father in law repeatedly said "Poppa died with a gallon of wine under his bed". I'm guessing this referred to his alcoholism, as he died of cirrhosis of the liver.


Comments and cousins always welcome!