Wednesday, September 30, 2015

An Unusual Visit

 In May of 1910, my paternal 3rd Great Grandfather, Alpheus J. Baker (1824-1917) and his son Lucius (1868-1928) went to visit a friend. The newspaper reports an unusual and sad find.

Sumter Watchman and Southron
Sumter, South Carolina
15 May 1901 pg. 3
                                                   
                           
 Upon arrival at Mr. Elias Allen's home, they discovered that he had passed away in his barn. The coroner report stated that it was due to natural causes due to heart problems that had been treated in the past by his Doctor.


                 Elias was buried in Hephzibah Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Manville, Lee, South Carolina.  The same cemetery where friend Alpheus J. Baker was buried after his death in 1917.

  They set out that day to visit a friend. Unusual and sad  circumstances met them instead.


 This post was written for the prompt Unusual, week 39 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2015 Edition by Amy Johnson Crow.

Do you have any unusual things to share about your ancestors or their experiences? I would love to hear about them.

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Sunday, September 27, 2015

This Week On My Family History Calendar

Sept. 27-Oct. 3



Sept. 27~
     
   Matilda C. Martin (?-1876), my paternal 3rd Great Grandmother died 139 years ago in Iredell County, North Carolina. She is buried in the Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina.
                                
Matilda C. Martin
Headstone
Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

Sept. 29~
  
  My maternal Grandfather, Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. died 71 years ago. He was killed in action on the island of Peleliu while serving in the Marines during WWII.  He is buried in Quaker Cemetery, Kershaw, Camden, South Carolina. 

Gilbert Ernest Roberts (1920-1944)

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Quaker Cemetery~One of My Favorite Places

           

  As a genealogist, cemeteries are on the top of my list of favorite places. One of my favorite cemeteries is Quaker Cemetry in Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina. Not only is it a beautiful, historic burying ground, but it is the final resting place of many of my ancestors. 

Main Entrance to Quaker Cemetery
    The cemetery originally owned by early Quaker settlers of the Camden area.  Founded in 1759, Quaker Cemetery was bought by the city in 1914 and retained its historical name. Buried there are members of the early Quaker Church, Revolutionary, and Civil War soldiers as well as those from the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. Generations of the community have been interred in this peaceful place.

Roberts' Plot
Quaker Cemetery

    Historical markers are placed on several graves including those of my maternal Great Grandfather Gilbert Ernest Roberts, Sr. (1920-1944) and his brothers Wilbert Lewis Roberts (1918-1944) and Edman George Roberts (1922-1943). The brothers died as a result of combat in WWII.

  Some of the older graves are wonderful resources for genealogists. The stones were carved with information about the person buried along with family names and dates. Some even include the country of origin.

  Why would a cemetery be one of my favorite genealogy places? Family Connections. Those buried together in the same plot tell a story. Inscriptions on stones give clues to the lives of those long gone.

  Visiting the burial sites of my where my ancestors helps me to feel a connection to them. Memories of experiences and love shared with those I knew and a desire to learn more about those I didn't always fills me while I am there.
Learning about their GGMom & Frank
 Quaker Cemetery July 2015
     Recently, my daughter took her four children to visit the graves of their ancestors buried in Quaker. Sitting them on the wall that surrounds the graves of their Great Great Grandparent's, she told stories of the lives and memories of "GGMom and Frank". 
Azile Juanita Daughrity Roberts Sullivan (1921-2009) and Francis "Frank" Emerson Sullivan (1923-2004).

  Cemeteries are a great source of family history information and a source to the connect the generations. They can be a peaceful place to ponder and appreciate those who have gone before.

 Do you include cemeteries on your list of favorite places?

This blog post was written for Any Johnson Crow's  52 Ancestors Week 38 -Favorite Place


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Sunday, September 20, 2015

This Week On My Family History Calendar

Sept. 20-Sept. 26





September 24~
        My maternal Great Great Grandfather, Manning David Daughrity, Sr. (1844-1918) was born in Sumter County, South Carolina 171 years ago. He was the son of William J. Dorrity (1820-after 1887) and Martha Mathis (1820-1905). 
                              

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Thursday, September 17, 2015

The Roberts~One of My Large Families


     Having a Large Family, the theme of Week 37 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks  2015 Edition by Amy Johnson Crow, is something found on both sides of my family tree.
        
  My maternal Great Great Grandparents, George Philip Roberts (1856-1930) and Hattie Brazell Roberts (1870-1927)  were married about 1854 most likely in Richland County, South Carolina. 
     
George Phillip Roberts Family
Richland County, South Carolina
About 1907

   
Back Row -L to R:
   Lillie (Roberts) Hooper (1885-1930)
  Thomas Able Roberts (1887-1961)
  Hattie Roberts (1888-1972)
  George Washington Roberts (1890-1971)
Front Row-L to R:
  William Treadford Roberts (1894-1959)-my Great Grandfather
  Verdy Gil Roberts (1898-1976)
 Hattie (Brazell) Roberts with Lyda Roberts (1906-1981) 
 George Philip Roberts with Andrew Clifton Roberts (1905-1971) 
Walter Crawford Roberts (1896-1983)
  
George and Hattie lived on land, now part of Fort Jackson in Columbia, Richland, South Carolina. It was on this property of over 100 acres they farmed and raised their 9 children. Later in life they lived in the Olympia area of Richland County and several family members worked in the Pacific Mill.
  

  George, Hattie and 7 of their children in the 1900 Census. Two more would be added to the family in the years to come.
1900 US Federal Census Richland County, SC
George Philip Roberts Family
Ancestry.com image

  
Many of the descendants of George and Hattie married and raised large families themselves. They were active in their communities in Richland County and other surrounding areas where their legacy is still felt today.   

 Do you have large families in your ancestry? 

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Sunday, September 13, 2015

This Week On My Family History Calendar

Sept. 13-Sept. 19




September 13~
          My maternal Great Great Grandfather, William A. McManus (1854-1914), died 101 years ago in Bishopville, Lee County, South Carolina. He is buried in Pisgah Baptist Church Cemetery, Pisgah Crossroads, Sumter County, South Carolina.


William A. McManus
Headstone
Pisgah Baptist Church Cemetery
Sumter, South Carolina


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Monday, September 7, 2015

52 Ancestors Week 36: Dry Goods Clerk


Manning David Daughrity, Jr. (light suit)
Dry Goods Clerk
Late 1920's
© Cheri Hudson Passey

   Labor Day is a great time to think about what your ancestors did to support themselves and their families. 
    
 This week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2015 Edition has us doing just that with the prompt Working For a Living
   There are several ways to find out about your ancestors occupation. 

    One way is from family stories. My maternal Grandmother, Azile Juanita (Daughrity) Roberts Sullivan (1921-2009) told me of her father Manning David Daughrity, Jr. (1889-1931) working as a clerk in a department store in Sumter, South Carolina. The picture above, given to me by my grandmother, shows David and several other employees. The store was at one time called WM Folsom, Co. and was a dry goods store on Main St. in Sumter, SC. At some point the store may have become a JCPenney's as family members tell of David working there. 

 Military Records can also help determine an occupation.
  This 1917 World War I Registration Card filled out by David Daughrity helps to confirm the family story.  He writes that his present occupation is clerk and that his employer is WM Folsom, Co. in Sumter, South Carolina.

WWI Draft Registration Card
Manning David Daughrity
Sumter County, SC
Ancestry.com image


  Census Records are another way to discover what your ancestor did for a living. In this 1930 Census from Sumter County, South Carolina, David Daughrity's occupation is filled in as being a clerk in a dry goods store.
        
1930 Sumter County, SC Federal Population Census
Image from ancestry.com



   Clues to employment can also be found in obituaries.  David Daughrity's 1931 obituary from the The State (Columbia, SC) includes information about his job working in the dry goods business. It also states that he had been ill and had to retire.


Obituary of Manning David Daughrity, Jr.
The State, Columbia, SC June 10, 1931, pg. 6


     These are just a few examples of how different record groups can be helpful in determining where and how our ancestors supported their families. Newspaper stories, city directories, tax lists, and probate records can also help to determine employment.
 What record groups have you used to discover the occupation of your ancestors?




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Sunday, September 6, 2015

This Week On My Family History Calendar

Sept. 6-Sept. 12



Sept. 9 ~

      Thomas J. McRady (1821-1896), my maternal 3rd Great Grandfather was born 194 years ago in South Carolina. He lived most of his life in the Sumter County area and may have been born there. 

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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

52 Ancestsors Week 35: School Days~A Mother, Sisters and Friends




  School Days is the topic of week 35 for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2015 Edition.

   One of the first pictures found when beginning my family history journey was of my maternal Great Grandmother, Loretta "Etta"(McManus) Daughrity.  It looks as though she may be at a table with a book.  Perhaps a school picture?

Loretta "Etta" (McManus) Daughrity
(1894-1936)
About 1898

 Etta graduated from St. Joseph's Academy in Sumter, South Carolina about 1912.

Loretta "Etta" (McManus) Daughrity
(1894-1936)
Graduation Picture

 Etta married Manning David Daughrity, Jr. on 13 October 1912.  Four of their five daughters had pictures made in about 1925. It is not clear whether these are school pictures, but they were definitely school aged.


Mildred Chrystanella (Daughrity) Jolly Finfrock
(1914-2006)
Frances Elizabeth (Daughrity) Hicks
 (1916-1989)

Lila Lorine (Daughrity) Robinson
 (1918-1951)

Loretta Geraldine (Daughrity) Dennis (1919-1959)

   

Daughter number five, my Grandmother Azile Juanita (Daughrity) Roberts Sullivan (1921-2009) was not among these pictures. Most likely because she was not school aged at the time.
 A picture was taken when she graduated from Sumter High School, Sumter, South Carolina in 1939.

Azile Juanita (Daughrity) Roberts Sullivan
(1921-2009)
High School Graduation 

 Along with these pictures of the Daughrity sisters, are school pictures of friends. Unknown to me now but important enough for Grandmom to keep in her scrapbook.
   
Cleveland O.Wilson, 1930

Unknown from 1939
Unknown child from 1939


Unknown child from 1939
  

 A Mother, sisters, and friends. Precious memories of school days.

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