Roots, Branches, and a Few Nuts

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Baby Book of John Raymond McGowan, Jr.-West End Birmingham, Alabama 1932

..but is was a gift

Yes, it's pink..

You can click on pictures to enlarge

Top left is an invite to a party at 3:30 o'clock on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 2005 Jefferson Ave for Ann Eliz Sudd---ter

John Raymond McGowan, Jr. Age 8 months

Saturday, July 20, 2013

John Warnick of Alabama and Texas

I have two old photos of John Warnick. I love them both.

Uncle John Warnick and friend. Green 1 cent stamp on back

Washington stamp issued 1917-1919?

The second is a family photo

John Warnick and family

Corporal stripes? WWI?

There are two possibilities for Uncle John Warnick:
From family stories, John R. Warnick born 1892, son of George Washington Warnick and Flora Cargo Warnick, was "in trouble with the law". He left home sometime after the 1910 Hueytown, Jefferson County, Alabama census and never came back. I have been unable to locate him in any census after 1910.
John was not mentioned in his mother's obit in 1945, but was mentioned in his father's in 1949.

The second possibility is John Wesley Warnick, son of Caleb and Sophronia Holley Warnick, and brother of the above George. He was born 1874. I have more info on him, but have not been able to place him in Texas. He married Constance Belma Freeman. I also have only seen two sons in census records, and those two are mentioned in his obit.

Are these photos the same person? I'm thinking that they are.

Any clues you can provide would be most welcome, especially approximate dates for these photos.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

William Cornelius- Revolutionary War Patriot

Infantry: Continental Army, 1779-1783, IV from the Library of Congress

Updated June 20, 2015
William Cornelius was born between 1750 and 1760. He was the son of Moses Cornelius and Anne Dodson Cornelius. He married Lettice Cargile June 5, 1774. They had eleven children: Anne (1776-1849) married Cornelius Cargill; Jesse (1778-1850) married Sarah Biggs; Elizabeth (1781-1842) married Calvin Waid; Moses (1784-1847) married Cynthia Bynum; Aaron (1786-1852) married Ellender Fortner; William (1789-1864) married Elizabeth Bethel; Champion (1792-1824) married Jane Bailey; my great-great-grandfather Beverly (1794-1880) married Nancy Euphemia Smith; Lettice (1797-1829) married Alexander Cooke; Tabitha (1800-1852) married Reuben Hays; and Abner (1802-1860) married Susan McPherson.

The book Genealogy of the Bynum Family: Bynum, Murphree, Cornelius, Allgood by Mary Lou Boazman Howard written in 1958 has William's parents as William C. Cornelius and Anne Phillips of North Carolina. No sources are given for this information in the book. New evidence, discovered in 2003, points to Moses Cornelius of Virginia as being William's father.

This research was conducted by Robert C. Johnston, President of the FourFamilies Reunion and published in the September 2003 issue of the Cornelius newsletter.
Here are some highlights of that research:

The Dodson (Dotson) Family of North Farnham Parish, Richmond County,
Virginia: A History and Genealogy of Their Descendants - Volume One has references to the family of Fortunatus Dodson and his wife Alice Goad, both of Richmond County, VA. Fortunatus and Alice had a daughter named Ann, whom the authors claim was married first to a Moses Cornelius and second to a George Phillips, and that she lived in Pittsylvania County. She had a son by Moses Cornelius and he fought in the Revolutionary War.

Robert C. Johnston went through the court records in Pittsylvania County, VA and found the following:
September Court of 1773 Pittsylvania County Virginia (Deed Book 2,
Page 246)
ORDERED that the Church wardens of the Parish of Camden in this County do bind out Moses and Jepheth Cornelius Orphans of Moses Cornelius deceased in such manner as the law directs.

On September 1, 1780, Ann Cornelius of Pittsylvania County, VA was granted by the State of Virginia, 202 acres of land on both sides of Buck Branch on Frying Pan Creek in northern Pittsylvania County (Land Office Patents "E", 1775-1776, 1780-1781, page 786).

On January 30, 1790, the above mentioned 202 acres on Buck Branch of Frying
Pan Creek, was sold by Ann Cornelius and two of her sons WILLIAM CORNELIUS
and JEPTHA CORNELIUS. This deed was recorded in Pittsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book 8, pages 526-527.

Anna Phillips was living near William in 1800. She was living alone and over the age of 45. There is a record of an Ann Cornelius marrying George Phillips February 9, 1768 in Lunenburg, Virginia.

I should also point out that my DNA testing seems to bear this out. I have many DNA cousins from the Goad and Dodson lines.

William served in the Continental Line of Washington's Army during the Revolutionary War in Capt. Kingsbury's Artillery, under Colonel John Lamb. William enlisted in this North Carolina Artillery Company as a Matross on July 15, 1776.

Matross was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks, and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. In the American army a matross ranked as a private of artillery. --Wikipedia

He served in this artillery unit until he was wounded in June, 1778.

From DAR records:
CORNELIUS, WILLIAM
Ancestor #: A026122
Service:
NORTH CAROLINA Rank: PRIVATE
Birth:
1754 PENNSYLVANIA (actually Pittsylvania County,Virginia)
Death:
7-27-1842 BLOUNT CO ALABAMA
Service Source:
NARA, M881, COMP MIL SERV RECS, ROLL #785
Service Description:
1) CAPT JOHN KINGSBURY CO OF ARTILLERY, COL JOHN LAMB

William Cornelius was already living in the old 96th District of South Carolina (now Greenville County) on March 6, 1786 when he was granted 500 acres on Checheroc River "including the improvements wherein he now liveth" (SC State Grants Vol. 9, Page 157). In the 1790 Census for Greenville County, South Carolina, William was shown as having four sons and three daughters. In the 1800 Greenville County, South Carolina Census, William Cornelius is listed with three sons under the age of 10, two between 10 and 15 years of age, two daughters under 10 with William being over the age of 45 and Lettice being between 26 and 44 years old.

In 1818 William and his family moved to Blount County, Alabama. They settled south of Oneonta in the vicinity of Chepultepec. This Cornelius family is known as one of the "Four Families" that founded Blount County. Many descendants still live there today.

William died July 22, 1842 in Blount County, Alabama. Pictures of the family cemetery can be seen here: http://home.hiwaay.net/~bobwonda/books/blountcemeteries/corneliuswm.htm

The DAR marker: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=33496420

Many thanks to +Robert Johnston and Eugene Cornelius who provided much of my information!

If you are connected to any of these families, I would love to hear from you.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Samuel Thomas Carter and the Virginia Mines Disaster of 1905

Wedding Photo of Samuel Thomas Carter and Mary Alice Warnick

Samuel Thomas Carter was born July 13, 1877 in Georgia, son of Thomas Kendrell Carter and Artemesia "Artie" Elizabeth Wheat Carter. He was the third of five children. His siblings were Mary Agnes Frances who was born February 18, 1875, she married Walter Millwood; Lela Ann was born April 19, 1876. She married James Benjamin Blackwell. Augustus Felton was born November 7, 1878. He married Mary Ella Franklin. William Jackson "Jack" was born December 3, 1881, he married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Salter.

Samuel's father died when he was only four years old, just before the birth of his baby brother Jack. I don't know anything about his early years, but I can imagine they were hard. He became a coal miner, probably at a young age. Artie never remarried.

Artie moved the family to what would become Hueytown, in Jefferson County, Alabama. Her daughter Mary Agnes had already married Walter Millwood, and remained in Georgia. In the 1900 census, all the boys listed their occupation as coal miner. Artie and daughter Lela list no occupation. The boys all stated that they had been unemployed between 2 and 4 months the previous year.

December 22, 1901, Samuel married a neighbor, 18 year old Mary "Alice" Warnick. They were married at Bethlehem Methodist Church in Rutledge Springs. The church was organized in 1818, and is still in use today.

Bethlehem United Methodist from Hueytown Historical Society

A daughter Odessa was born in 1903, known as Dessie.

Tragedy struck February 20, 1905 at about 4:00pm. The coal mine where Samuel was at work, known as the Virginia mine, had an explosion and cave in. The entrance to the mine was blocked. There are many accounts of the disaster in newspapers all over the country, some with much more graphic details than we see today. Some headlines from local and national papers:
“More Than 100 Men Entombed in Mines Frightful Catastrophe at Virginia City”Birmingham Age-Herald 21 Feb 1905: 1.
“Every Home in Virginia City House of Sorrow: With Pick and Shovel Men Race with Death” Birmingham Age-Herald 21 Feb 1905: 7.
“Over Hundred Lives Probably Lost at Virginia Mines” Birmingham News 21 Feb 1905: 1.
“Little or No Hope Hold Out for Entombed Men but the Rescue Work Goes on Day and Night” Birmingham News 21 Feb 1905: 1.
“100 Miners Entombed; All Perhaps Killed: Explosion of Dust Causes Disaster in Alabama Pit” New York Times 21 Feb 1905: 1.
"Fifty Bodies Taken from Wrecked Mine: Hope for the Remaining Sixty-Six is Now Abandoned; 300 Children Destitute" New York Times 22 Feb 1905.
“One Miner was Found on Knees in Prayer” Birmingham Age-Herald 24 Feb 1905: 5.
“Two More Bodies are Brought Out” Birmingham Age-Herald 27 Feb 1905: 6.
"Charge Deaths to Operators: Coroner's Jury Blames Mine Men for the Explosion"Atlanta Constitution 8 Apr 1905: 1.

"Official List of Entombed Men: One Hundred and Seven in All” Birmingham News 21 Feb 1905: 1.

Special to The Birmingham News
Bessemer, Ala. Feb 21. - "Following is a complete list of coal diggers entombed in Virginia mine, as given by their check weighman, Tinning:

WHITES:
Sam Burchfield
John Gallegher
Fred Morgan, has wife and one child.
Charles McFalls
E. L. Cargo
Ross Stewart
D. Troulis

The Citizen, Berea, KY

James Meekin, has wife and several children.
J. H. Dammer
Pat Meekin, son of above
W. M. Dickinson
Will Meeks
Barney Kiker, has wife and two children
W. A. Meeks
Ernest Hopkins
Robert Beal, has wife only
James Brown, has wife and one child
Fred Smedley
M. L. Turner, has wife and three children
S. T. Carter
Lee Hardeman
E. H. Bryant, has wife and one child.
Charles Crawley, has wife and eight children
Steve Crawley
J.C. Weaver
O. M. Parsons, has wife only
H. Meekin
W. W. Shoemaker
J. H. Pool
Sandy Nelson, has wife and two children
Harry Hughes
N. R. Pool
W. M. Wright
W. H. Donaldson, has wife and child

Hopkinsville Kentuckian

____ Pendley (boy)
J.D. Wells, has wife and four children
Richard Tidmore, has wife and four children
John Cohely, has wife
Ben Chastine, has wife and family
Peter Smith
G. L. Pendley, has wife and three children
____ Lawrence, has wife and four children
Joe Scott
Dave Harris, has wife and one child
Jerry Keel, has wife and two children
Kirby Powell, has wife and one child
Roly Bennett
Ira Powell, has wife and one child
Sam Slogett, has wife
Bert Slogett
R. E. Hassell, has wife and two children
Fred Wyatt
P.M. Stucky, has wife and four children
____ McDonald
Andy Nicholson
Luke Bailey, has wife and one child
Jim Jordan, has wife and one child
Bob Pearson
Walter McCoy, has wife and son

ITALIANS:
A. Lazarre
Tussel Last
L. Antonia
Roda Raffael
____ Tussey
Lonzi Eiro

Total Whites - sixty-five

NEGROES:
Levy Steale
W. M. Howard
Ike Cole
Jake Hooks

J. A. Starling
Jim Burton
Jim Huffman

The Red Cloud Chief, Webster County, NE

General Hooks
John Grigsby
Isaac Hooks
John Dudley
Elisha Hale
Loyd Davis
Charles Burton
J. E. Durden
A. J. Jackson
Amos Brown

Wade Johnson
Sam Simpson
Primus Wyatt
W. Goings
Homer Dawson
Ivy Walker, has wife and two children
Dave Smith, has wife and two children
Steve turner, has wife and two children
Henry Turner
James Simpson

Total Negroes - twenty-seven

Following is a list of company men, that is, those employed by the company by the day, including drivers, pumpers, trappers, etc.

WHITES:
John Brown, a driver boss, has wife and one child, a son who was in the mine with him.
Neil Brown, trapper
Charles Moreland
Tom Caldwell, has wife and family
Steve Hawkins
Will Green, pumper
Charles Pickett, chainer
M. J. Vance, has wife

The Brisbane Courier, Australia

John Nelson, driver

NEGROES:
Ike Benner
P. Toles
Bob Hall
Bess McCarthy
Dave Hall
Jackson Bowen

Up to 12 o'clock today many bodies had been brought to this city and had been prepared for burial by Kennedy Bros. undertakers, who were given the contract to take care of and register the entire list of the dead. They have been assisted by Moore Bros., Vermillion & Adams, and by the Z. R. Steen,undertakers, but the entire list of bodies brought to Bessemer have passed through Kennedy Bros hands, who will have a complete record of the disposition of every body.

Below will be found a list of all bodies received here, together with the place of burial, where instructions have been received.

WHITE
John Coheley, unknown
Fred Morgan, Adger
Tom Grigsby
Tolsey Veresto, Blocton
J. G. Tidmore, Pratt City
Henry Meachim, Pratt City
James Meachim, Pratt City
Charles A. Crawley, Pratt City
Steve Crawley, Pratt City
J. M. Brown, Ensley

The San Francisco Call

Jerry Keel, Pratt City
Tom Caldwell, Pratt City
W. H. Donaldson, Valley Creek
Luke Bailey
Robert Pierson, Johns
Jesse Weaver
Walker Shumaker
J. E. Jordan, Gentry's Gap
Ed Bryant, McDonough, Ga
Will Dickson, Dolomite
Will Green, Sumter (Masonic)
J. M. Lawrence, Bibbville (Masonic)
Steve Hawkins, Blossburg
Sam Slogett, Adger
Bert Slogett, Adger
N. R. Pool, Valley Creek
J. H. Danner, Adger
John Pendley, Jr., Adger
Roda Raffael, Blocton
M. L. Turner, Tuskaloosa (Masonic)
George Pendley,Sr., Adger (Masonic)
J. L. Nelson, Pratt City
Ollin Pool, Valley Creek
Lanzi Ciro, Blocton
W. Alonza Meeks, Blockton
Will Meeks, Blockton
Fred Smedley, Whitwell, Tenn
Sandy Nelson, Pratt City
B. M. Chastine, Adger (Masonic)
A. Lancy, Blocton
Roland Bennett, Blocton
Thomas Cody, Adger
Charles Moreland, Adger
Robert Beals, Adger
Charles McFalls, Valley Creek
W. B. Wright
Sam Burchfield, Valley Creek
Pat McCoy, Pratt City
Walter McCoy
Lancy Antonio

Daily Press, Newport News, VA

NEGROES
Pearl Toles, Ravine, Ala
Ike Hooks, Pratt City
Sylvester McCarthy, Ravine
Dave Hall, Bessemer
Bob Hall, Bessemer
General Hooks, Pratt City
J. A. Sterling, Pratt City
unknown, Pratt City
Will Howard, Pratt City
John Dudley, Bessemer
Ira Walker, Cedar Hill
Sam Thorn, Cedar Hill
Oliver Houston, Cedar Hill
Amos Brown, Cedar Hill
A. J. Jackson, Cedar Hill
H. R. Johnson, Cedar Hill
Sam Simpson, Cedar Hill

Wade Jonson, Marion Junction
Jim Burton, Vances
Homer Dawson, Vances
Henry Stevenson, Vances
George Huffman, Sumter
Elisha Hale, Pratt City
Jim Huffman, Sumter
-------------

Alice may not have even known at the time, but she was pregnant with another daughter. That daughter was my grandmother, Flora Jane, born August 13, 1905.

Samuel Carter was buried in the cemetery adjoining Bethlehem Methodist, where he was married only a few years before.

Alice remarried in 1909, which you can read about here: http://rootsbranchesandnuts.blogspot.com/2013/06/wedding-wednesday-james-harve-hamaker.html

Saturday, June 29, 2013

#Genealogy Blogs from Facebook

Update 11/23/2014 Sharing this list of bloggers old (as in more experienced) and new from the Facebook groupGenealogy Bloggers. Sorry for the format, it just would NOT behave! Here they are, in no particular order...drumroll please...

http://spartanroots.wordpress.com/ SpartanRoots.wordpress.com by Carol Kostakos Petranek (Greek Genealogy)

http://wereallrelative.com/ ... We're All Relative by Cynthia Berryman

http://genealogybyjeanne.blogspot.com/ ... Genealogical Gems by Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman

http://thewordspinner.wordpress.com by Lisa Anne Taylor

http://www.yvetteportermoore.com by Yvette Porter Moore

http://www.theallengazette.com by Susannah Allen

http://ancestorsinthenews.blogspot.com/ Leslie Ann

http://lostmementos.blogspot.com/ Leslie Ann

http://pursuitofjoe.blogspot.com/ Leslie Ann

http://ancestorslivehere.blogspot.com/ Leslie Ann

http://www.onebranchatatime.com Linda O'Donnell; personal genealogy blog & tips

http://6grantcounty.blogspot.com/ Mary Dutcher Knapp; Grant County, Wisconsin