Genealogy Trip to St. Joe, AR

Good news! I've been pretty frustrated with my father's mother's branch of my family tree because I am not getting very far with my research.

My paternal grandmother's (Memaw's) mother's name was Nell Terrell. Her father was John William Terrell and her mother was Mary Mays. Grandma Nell told me that her parents died before she was grown. They ran the St. Joe post office. Her big brother, Kinely raised her and her little sister, Estie. They had a very hard life and were very poor. Beyond that, I haven't had much information.

However, I wrote a letter to someone at the Searcy County Library with questions, hoping for a little direction on where to look and got a phone call this morning. Geraldine Littleton was the lady that called and she had all sorts of info:

• John W. Terrell had lots of siblings.
• His father was William Terrell and his mother was Sarah E. Terrell (don't know the maiden name yet)
• John W. Terrill first married someone else, but she died a year later.
• Next, John marreid Mary Mays and they had children together.
• Mary had died by 1910. Grandma Nell would've been 7 in 1910 and I know of at least two younger sisters (Estie and Verlie).
• From the 1910 census, we can see that John and his mother were living with his sister, Julie Steel and her husband, Louis Steel.

Apparently, I have oodles of relations still in the area. I was planning on going down there to do some genealogy research in a couple of weeks, but Geraldine said that they're having an Ancestral Fair this coming weekend on June 2 and 3. She proceeded to tell me that MANY of my relatives will be there and that it'd be a shame to not get to visit with them and learn more about our family history, so I've decided to move my trip up a few days to be able to attend this event.

Supposedly, they have a lot of family Bible records at the Searcy County Library.

Geraldine said that there are lots of Keelings in the area that I am related to, as well. Memaw's maiden name is Keeling. I've been stuck on the Keeling side, too! Maybe I can find out a lot more about both families on this trip.

Daddy and Memaw are going to meet me there and we'll camp somewhere near the Buffalo River. It's so peaceful there. I honestly think it's one of my favorite places to be.

I'll take plenty of pictures and notes and will report back what I've found. :)

The Battle of Stoney Point

Hardy Murfree was the brother of Patty Murfree (who was married to our Ben Banks, Rev. War Soldier). He was an officer and faught at the Battle of Stoney Point..

Click here to go on a virtual walking tour of the area where an important Revolutionary War battle took place.

Hertford County, NC

Old deeds indicate that settlers lived on the site of Murfreesboro as early as 1710. William Murfree, an Irish immigrant, established a King's Landing where exports and imports were inspected by a representative of the English Crown. The site was known as Murfree's Landing. In 1787 William Murfree donated 97 acres of land for the incorporation of the town, which was named for him; Murfreesborough.Murfreesboro was the port of call for 18th and early 19th century sailing vessels that brought New England, West Indian, and European goods in trade for the naval stores and agricultural products of eastern North Carolina.

http://www.albemarle-nc.com/murfreesboro/history/

This picture shows the Hertford Academy, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In the spring of 1811, this recently constructed building became the home of the Academy where Rev. Jonathan Otis Freeman taught reading, spelling, arithmetic, Latin, Greek, geography, English grammar, natural philosophy, logic, and the use of gloves.
Around 1825, Harriet Sketchley (Mrs. James Banks) purchased the building as a school for young ladies, and in 1848 it was acquired for the Chowan Female Institute which later became Chowan College. In 1855, Chowan sold it to Albert G. Jones, who remodeled it into a residence. In 1983, the Hertford academy was donated to the Murfreesboro Historical Association by the Murfreesboro Woman's Club.

Harriet Sketchley was married to James Banks. James Banks was the brother of my ancestor, Alexander M. Banks and the daughter-in-law of our Benjamin Banks, Revolutionary War Soldier.

Cottontown, TN

I don't know who this man is, but I found these pictures on this website and wanted to share it with you.

Thomas Cotton was born in 1748 and was a Revolutionary War Veteran and I am one of his descendants!

Rudimentary American Timeline

1607-1783 Colonial Era and Revolutionary War
1783-1860 Exploration and Expansion
1861-1865 Civil War
1865-1889 Reconstruction, Urbanization and Industrialization
1890-1913 Progressive Era
1914-1928 World War I and the Jazz Age
1929-1939 The Great Depresssion
1941-1945 World War II
1945-present The Modern Era

1830’s- Cherokee moved to OK
1861 KS Statehood
1836 AR Statehood


Some of my Older Ancestors:
John Bertie Cotton born 1638
William Junior II Murfree born after 1715
Benjamin W. Banks born 1760 (Rev War Veteran)

Joining Daughters of the American Revolution

Tomorrow, I'm going to our Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) meeting. I'm going to submit my application for membership! In order to join, I've had to prove my lineage to a Revolutionary War Soldier.

Many thanks to Cornelia Daniels, Betsy Snyder Harris, Carol Cochran, my cousin Butch George, my parents and grandparents for their help in gathering information and documents.

Once my membership is approved, I will be able to submit proof that I am descended from other Revolutionary War soldiers (I have found a total of 4 so far) and will add them to my list of soldiers.

This is all very interesting to me. I'm getting a much better idea of a historical timeline with regards to when different members of my family were alive and what was happening at those times.... My next post will be a timeline that I typed up to keep things in perspective.

Anyways, I am excited to be able to submit my application and am looking forward to joining this organization!

Organization!

I have had absolutely no organization to the papers I have gathered since starting this hobby of genealogy... until today! I decided that I would make manilla file folders for each family name that I come across. I've sorted everything into folders and am feeling much more with it...

Here is a list of all of the surnames that I've got folders (and information) for... These are in no particular order...

Mom's side:
Richards
Holder

McGuire
Hay
Killingsworth
Reedy
Dill
Westbrook
Lee

Daddy's Side:
Keeling
Ivy
Terrill
Mays

Banks
Johnston
Ross
Cotton
Blackwell
Murfree
Holliday
Knight
Godwin
Crawford