Nikki's Genealogy Journal

Going to Marshall

2010-06-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to Marshall this weekend for a genealogy fair. It's such a scenic place. Very near the Buffalo River nestled in the Ozarks. My great grandmother was raised there. Every time I visit, I think about how harsh of an environment it must've been. I wonder how they managed to keep their bellies full and their bodies warm. If I ever need a reminder of how grand and powerful nature can be, I just go there in my mind. Feels like home, although I've never lived there. Can't wait to wade barefooted in the river and skip some rocks...

2010-03-31T20:04:00.001-07:00

Johnston Family Stories, told by Tataw...

2010-03-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was a teenager, there was a well at the Johnston place. It was about 3 ft high with wood around it and a lid. It was about 60 feet deep. One night, our dog jumped on and fell in. Daddy heard her the next day swimming around. He let me down on the well bucket and put a board on it. He let me down by hand and I was a teenager at the time. I hooked the rope on the dog and he pulled her out. Then he let me out next. Mom was about to have a fit.

The Johnston family homesteaded. They had orchards and raised fruit. It was a big operation. They had orchards all around. They had a concrete tank they built under the ground they'd keep oil in. When I was young, they'd quit using it. Once someone had set the oil inside on fire. They used the oil to light smudge pots to use to keep the crops from freezing.

Uncle Ned Johnston was dating a girl and they were planning on getting married later. They were going to build a house on top of that tank and use it as a basement. He ended up not marrying her, so that plan fell through. He didn't marry until he was up in his 30's.

I remember my uncles on my daddy's side made, "Home Brew" using some kind of berries. It was like a beer and it would take about a week to brew it. They would hide it out.

Johnston Family Picture

2010-03-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is a family picture of my great grandparents (in the center- seated) and their children, their spouses and grandchildren at the time. Hal and Sibyl Johnston. They lived in Dardanelle, AR. I'll have to check with my dad to see when it was taken... Will try to get names of everyone to post here, as well. I could take a stab at it, but I don't want to get any names wrong.

It was taken in front of the old home place on the farm. My Great Aunt Mary owns it now. She is 95 and going strong. :) I believe her husband, Boyd is on the top row, second from the left side. Aunt Mary is on the second row, second from the left.

Next Trip to Little Rock

2009-12-06T07:42:00.001-08:00

On my next trip to Little Rock (probably Jan or Feb), I'm going to enlist the help of a couple of my cousins and do some research on the Reedy side of my family...

Gearing Up for Some More Research

2009-12-05T12:07:00.001-08:00

My cousin, Anthony has gotten me excited about genealogy again. Here's what I'm working on:

1. I got a mac this summer and need to change my data over from the Family Treemaker software to the Reunion software (mac's version).

2. I am working on adding info for my Keeling/Turnbow cousins. Am needing birthdates/places, full names, parents, etc.

3. On Facebook, we've started groups for the Reedys, the Richards, the Keelings and the Johnstons. Am meeting lots of new relatives this way. Will be a great forum to share information in a more private fashion. Everything I put on this blog is very public, so I'm careful what I post...

Stories from my Memaw, Sallie Johnston

2009-10-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

During the summers, we would all leave Centerville and head to California to work. There were canneries, sugar beet factories, and all kinds of work. We started going out there when I was in the 9th grade because there wasn't any work here. It was during the depression. Mama saved up $500 and bought a Studebaker car. She would take groceries and we'd never stop at restaurants or motels. We just would stop along the side of the road and she'd cook something. One time when we were going out there, we'd had a big meal of ham and eggs and stuff and Johnny Boo (my younger brother) rared back and said, "Oh, what a life! :)" We would go out in the springtime and come back in the fall. Once Johnny and I came back with someone else. It was two men that we knew that were going to TN. We came back to start school.

Years before, back when Grandma and Grandpa Keeling lived in the Shinn Mountains in Pope County, (past Russellville), they homesteaded up there. We would leave Centerville in a wagon. It wasn't a covered wagon because wagon sheets were expensive. We went through Dardanelle, Russellville and I think through Dover. We'd leave early in the morning and we wouldn't get up there until late that night. We'd get out and run along the side of the road when we'd get tired of riding. We didn't get to go very often. It would be like making a trip to California or New York nowadays. Sometimes, they'd water the wheels of the wagon to lubricate them to make it less likely that they'd break. It made the wood swell up so they'd stay on. *Tataw piped in- we just had wagons to go into town until my sister, Mary worked in the creamery long enough to save up and buy a Model T. It was enclosed and it was a 1 seater. She had it for a while and then she bought a '28 Chevrolet. It was a better car. Then she got married and later, they bought a '33 Chevrolet. They drove it until '42 and then they bought a new '40 Chevrolet.

When I was little, mama sent me, Johnny and his girlfriend, to bring in some stovewood. They started throwing wood at me. Momma had to come out and make them leave me alone. I was probably about 6 or 7 years old and Johnny was a year younger.

When we lived at that same place, we had a bunch of sapling trees. Boug and Leonard would bend down the trees and put me in the top of them. Then they'd let it go and I would go flying in the air. If I cried, they would tell me that they wouldn't let me play anymore.

I had a hard time keeping up with my brothers. They were really rough. I was little and I didn't weigh 100 lbs. until I was about grown. Usually, Leonard would start things. He might just come along and hit me in the back of the head. It didn't hurt, but it would make me mad. Then Leonard and Boug would get into a fight because Boug was always taking up for me. They were both pretty good fighters. They didn't usually pick on Johnny Boo. They must have picked on me because I was the only girl. I had to play as rough as they did.

I started school when I was 5 and didn't turn 6 until January. I didn't know how to act. I got up and went to the trash can to throw some paper away. The teacher got onto me and the boys teased me. I didn't go back to school another day. Mama would take me to school and every time she would turn around to go back, I would go back, too. She had a switch and she would whip me all the way back home, leaving whelps on my legs. This happened a few times. Then she would get me ready to catch the bus because the boys rode the bus. I just refused to go. I was so hard headed that I didn't end up going back to school that year.

Once when I was in the 6th or 7th grade, we were playing ball at school. The teacher was trying to make me apologize to Mary Ellen George over something. Every time, I'd say, "Mary Ella, I'm sorry, but I'm NOT..." She never did get me to apologize without saying, "I'm NOT." You talk about hard-headed...

I would stay with my aunt Rosie and Uncle Jess' house a lot. My cousin, Elnora was their daughter and we were very close. Once on the radio, they said the world was coming to an end. I decided I wanted to be home with my brothers and my parents if that was going to happen, so Jess had to take me home. It scared me a lot. I was all right after I got home, though.

Then I married Bud and he was the only boy in his family. His dad was content to have just girls. He said he didn't know what his wife would want with a boy because he was satisfied with all girls.

Stories from my Dad, John Johnston

2009-10-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

They built a dam to make Lake Maumelle when I was in grade school. They'd dug holes from some of the area that would eventually be underwater so that they could use the dirt to make the dam. Grundy (his grandfather) loaded a bunch of us into his truck. It was me, Terry and Bart Moreland, Judy, Betty Taylor, Jeanie Horsey and a bunch of us. We went to one of the water holes that they'd dug in the bottom of the lake. Grundy had us spitting on the hooks and we caught a bunch of bream. Judy would spit on her hook and sling the line out with the cork. It would make a big splash and she would catch a fish every time. Grundy said it was because she was making so much racket with her cork. I don't know how the fish got in there, but they were there and we were catching a lot of them.

One time, Leonard Carl and Grundy were running a trot line and they caught an eel. Grundy had a new pair of pliers. He was holding onto the line, trying to get the eel off the hook, but he was afraid of the eel. That eel wrapped around his arm and he slung the whole thing into the water, pliers and all...

Once, we all went to bear creek with Grundy. It was me and my Keeling cousins and Judy. We went on the other side of Lake Nimrod to Bear Creek. When we were on our way back, David started crying because he realized that he had left his new rod and reel he'd gotten for Christmas back at the creek. Grundy turned around and drove back to get it, but Leonard Carl and I jumped off the truck and hitched a ride back home. Grundy didn't know it. He didn't whip us, but he scolded us good. He was worried. He didn't realize we'd hopped out. I remember we always had to sit on the left side of the back of the truck because Grundy spit tobacco out the driver side window and it would hit us if we were sitting on that side of the bed of the truck.

We went to Greer's Ferry with Grundy and he bought Barbara Sue, Leonard Carl, David and Robert McMullen. Me and Judy drove up in our parents car. Me and the other boys slept on the ground under the tarp. We caught a bunch of crappie and brought them back. There was a big mud hole and we stripped off all our clothes. We didn't want to get our swimsuits dirty. There was so much mud caked on us that you couldn't tell. We went out in an old homemade wooden boat and a storm came up. We barely made it back. We were baling water. Everytime we hit a wake, we could see the boat twisting. When we camped, he let us just run wild.

Random Stories and Thoughts from Tataw

2009-10-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

One of Grandpa Johnston's sisters was married to a man named Marceles Davis. He was a Colonel in the Civil War. He was also a lawyer. They lived in Dardanelle, AR. I remember he had some old pistols and stuff from the Civil War on his office walls. He also had his old saddle from the Civil War. It was a confederate saddle. It had an opening down the middle over the horse's backbone. She had it under the house and she gave it to Uncle Frank. I don't know what he ever did with it.

I remember reading in an old copy of the Post Dispatch about a wharf on the Arkansas River in Dardanelle. They said it was the "Cotton and Johnston" wharf. I think they loaded cotton on steamboats there.

I wanted my sister, Nina to be a brother. I was 6 years older than her. Momma said, "I don't know why you'd want a brother." She said it'd be like cousins Bink and Frank Lee. Bink was 6 when Frank Lee was born and he didn't want him tagging along all the time. Nina was the last kid she could have. She was 40. I guess she would let us nurse for a long time, so she didn't get pregnant very often. She said she'd had all the babies she could. There were 5 of us and they were all born over about 12 years. Most were about 2 1/2 years apart. I had 4 sisters.

Papa (Tataw's dad) was married before to Ethel Cates. She died in childbirth and her baby did, too. For years, we just had a rock to mark the grave. Many, many years later, my mom had a small tombstone made for them. Papa remarried and they had Tataw and his sisters. Grandma Johnston was 3 years older than him and she told Tataw that she was the one who proposed. She was 26 and he was 23. She was getting to be an old maid... I suppose Grandma Johnston knew his first wife. They were neighbors and when I was growing up, she had relatives that were our neighbors. There were a few Cates left up there and they were buried at New Hope Cemetery. I don't think there are any others up there. *side note- when I was born (Nikki), Papa came to the hospital and cried like a baby when he found that mom and I were healthy and well. Tataw said Papa was emotional*

Boyd George married my sister, Mary. I knew him and his brothers and sister. His sister was a good friend of Rena's (my sister). Boyd was 6 years older than me. I remember Boyd coming out when he was a teenager. He bought 2 or 3 banty chickens from us. I guess he walked out from town. At that time, it was about 2 miles. Boyd's family lived in town. I never knew what his dad did for a living, other than bootlegging. He and his wife didn't live together too long. The wife raised the kids. He lived in town. His name was Sam George. *Side note- Memaw's brother, Boug went to Boyd's mother's house when he had his leg amputated as a child (rather than staying in a hospital). She took care of Dr. Christian's patients at the time and took in boarders. Memaw was always close to Mrs. George all of her life because she'd known her for so long. They were good friends, despite the age difference. *

Tataw's version of when He and Memaw got married: B. McElroy was going with Reba Fay on a date and he set us up. He was going on a date and wanted someone else to go. He said, "She's a cute girl!" and so I told him, "Well then you take her and I'll go with Reba Fay"... So we went on a date. When we dated, we'd go over to the honkey tonk a lot and to Lake Nimrod for picnics and fishing. *Memaw piped in- We just dated on two furlows we had until he got out of the military. I was living in California and I came back just to see my grandmother (Grandma Bell), but I went straight from California to Little Rock and saw Tataw. He was living with his sister, Mary there in Little Rock. We decided one night that we were going to get married, so the next day, we went to the Yell Co. Courthouse in Dardanelle. David McClure filled out the paperwork. There was a 3 day waiting list, but he back-dated it for us. We went out to the Centerville store and picked up Reba Faye, first. Ol Pockus was a justice of the peace and he had a store and barber shop. At the time, they were both dating someone else... Bud didn't like it because she was going with someone else, so Sallie said, "Well we might as well be married!" so they got married. Bud didn't go see his girlfriend in Little Rock for 3 or 4 days... He'd gotten married. His girlfriend was named Dorothy Gaden. She called the fire station to ask what was wrong and he told her he'd gotten married. She cried. Bud never talked to her anymore. She'd been married before, but he and his mom were mean to her. After they married, they lived in Little Rock with Boyd and Mary for about 6 months. Butch was a baby. Grandma Nell and Grundy and all the family was glad. They all liked Bud because he was such a good guy. Bud's family were all allright with it. He supposed they were glad he was married. He was 26 and she was 20. For a while, they just wrote letters. When he was in parachute school, he sent her a jump jacket, a bouquet of flowers and a packet of chewing gum. Chewing gum was hard to come by during the war. Sallie wrote back and said that she'd come home to her apartment and those flowers were waiting for her. She was living in Crockett, CA then. That was when they'd dated.

Keelings

2009-10-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

California, 1961 Grundy and Grandma Nell (William Ernest and Nell Keeling)

I hadn't ever seen this picture until I found it in Memaw's trunk today. Memaw and Daddy pose with Grandma Nell, Grundy and me when I was a little baby... It was taken on their front porch.

Grundy and his tobacco plants

Mildred and C.J. Erbacher's Christmas Card

2009-10-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Mildred's maiden name was Ross. Her father (Claude Ross) and my great, great grandmother (Sibyl Ross) were siblings.

Ross Family Picture

2009-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the Ross' family house. The house doesn't stand anymore.

Left to right: James "Buster" Ross, Clarence Ross (James' dad), Ina Norman Ross (Clarence's wife), Mildred Ross, Norma Ross (Claude's wife, Mildred and Faye's mother), Faye Ross, Claude Ross (Mildred and Faye's Dad), James Alexander Ross (Pa Ross... Called him Alex), Gran Ross (Alex's wife), Sibyl Ross Johnston, Mary Cabel Johnston (baby), Harold Banks Johnston

Ross Pictures

2009-10-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

Faye Ross

Mildred Ross

Sharon Meeks: On the back of the pictures, it says, "Sharon Ann Meek Age 5 years. April 23, 1961. She loves to dress up. Sharon is dressed up in an old dance suit of Mary Clyde's."

James "Buster" Ross

Another one of James Ross...

Ross Family Stories from Tataw...

2009-10-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dictated by Harold Ross Johnston, who is my grandfather. His mother's maiden name was Ross.

I had cousins named Mildred and Faye Ross. We were kids in Dardanelle on a farm and we raised cotton. Cotton was a cash crop then, but it got down to a nickel a pound... They lived down at Conway and their dad had a restaurant. They were more well-off than we were. They would send Grand (my grandmother) a package once and a while. They'd maybe have some school supplies in it and some clothes. I remember one time they sent (back in the '30's during the depression) they sent leather boots that came up nearly to their knees. They were girl's boots. They wouldn't fit any of the girls but they fit me, so I wore them. They laced up on the sides. I don't remember who took us down to Conway, but we went down there in a Model T with an open top. We drove down from Dardanelle. I don't know why, but I was the only kid who got to go. I went with my mother and my grandmother and whoever was driving the car. The Ross cousins had a cafe across from the train stop in Conway. I don't remember, but I think "Martini" was the cook's name. My grandmother would talk about how he could cook. She said he could take any kind of piece of meat, and make it tender. He wouldn't tell his secret on how he did it. We visited at their house there in Conway. I remember there was a street and there were steps up into the yard. It was a very nice house to us, anyhow. We ate lunch down at the cafe and went back home that afternoon. I was about 10 or 12 years old. Both Mildred and Faye were older. Faye was a school teacher. She came and lived at Dardanelle the first year and she taught school. She taught me music and I was in elementary school. She taught me "do, re, me..." and she had us sing in high pitched voices. I remember she stayed with Joe Gault's family. I think he might've been kin to her mother or someone, but he wasn't kin to us and she stayed there... Mildred and Faye were my first cousins. Their dad was my mother's brother. His name was Claude. I don't remember much about him. They would come to visit every great while. I remember my mother telling about how he was a good swimmer. The Arkansas River was high at Dardanelle. Someone bet someone else $5 that he could swim it, so he agreed to swim. They went on the other side of the river across the old pontoon bridge. It was there until 1927. He swam across. There was a row boat following him. He made it across, but it took him downstream a ways. The river was about 1/2 mile across there. They hadn't put in lock & dams yet. He was a young man back then. Uncle Claude and Mama had another brother named, "Clarence". Sister Baby was Clarence Ross' daughter, but he died before she was born.. Ina (Harmon) Ross was his wife. She would've been about my age. Sister Baby's name was Mattie Ross, but we called her, "Sister Baby". I grew up with her and she married Ernest Gray. We called him, "Onions". He drove a truck for a living, I think. He died before she died. They had 4 or 5 kids but I can't remember their names. Sister Baby's older brother's name was James and her older sister was Nellie. Not long after I was married, James had a heart attack and died. He lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There was snow and ice and he was pushing the family car by hand or something. He had a heart attack and died. He married the sister of the man who I bought a 29 chevrolet (the first car I ever had). Some of her kids are still back around Russellville. That was back when they'd take the body of the dead person back home for a wake. Aunt Ina hated to bury him. I think she kept him nearly a week. I remember going up to see him in her living room. They embalmed people there at the house back then. I remember seeing them embalm Joe Taske. He was our neighbor and was a Bohemeon. He'd been spreading fertilizer behind a wagon and had a heart attack and died. Uncle Frank Lee found him. I was down at the funeral home that night and went in there to see him and they'd cut an opening in his stomach and had a gallon jug of embalming fluid. They put a tube in and poured it in him. Then they sewed it up. I was nearly in high school then. Graves were dug by hand then. Usually friends and family would dig the grave by hand, even if the ground was frozen. It got really cold then. I remember the Arkansas River freezing over at Dardanelle back then. I remember my dad telling about how they drove a wagon across it frozen many, many years ago.

One of my mom's brothers was in the Spanish American war. He was young when he went in. I think he lied about his age. His parents saw him on the steamboat when he was leaving. They didn't know he was going, but he was recruited and went. They made him a drummer boy. Gran gave me his hat and his belt buckle. It was brass and it had US on it. I had that hat for a long time. When I got older, it had a wide brim. I cut the brim down around and wore it. The last we saw, it was in a hat box at my mom's house years ago. I don't know what happened to the belt buckle. It was there when I went into the army but haven't seen it since. They had saloons up in Dardanelle, then. A friend of his sold his cotton and was in a saloon drinking and gambling. The boy's dad tried to get him to leave and he wouldn't do it. The father asked my uncle to go in and get him to leave. The saloon owner didn't appreciate that because he was getting so much of his money. The saloon owner got into an argument. He called my uncle an "SOB", so my uncle jumped him and the saloon owner shot and killed him. I think the saloon owner was named, "Burns". He wasn't prosecuted. When I was growing up, saloons were illegal. Liquor was illegal, too until the 30's sometime. There were bootleggers, though. I imagine it slowed down some people's drinking, but I wasn't old enough to drink then.

When my mother was about 13, her family sold their farm in Dardanelle and went to homestead in Oklahoma. Her uncle was Dick Blackwell. My mother's mother was a Blackwell. The town of Blackwell, Oklahoma was named after him. There were lots of outlaws back then. He was well-to-do and he disappeared and was never heard from again. My mama said those Indian boys would ride ponies and come by their wagon, whooping and hollering, but didn't hurt them. They were just scaring them. She talked about how the wind would blow and in the wintertime, the cattle would run out. There were no fences. In the morning, the cows would be up against the house, trying to stay out of the wind. It was pretty rugged out there. They didn't stay and decided to come home to Dardanelle. They were able to buy back their farm in Dardanelle and they lived there until they died. Aunt Mary Johnston owns the old Ross place now.

We called my grandfather on the Ross side, "Pa Ross". My mom never talked about his folks much. He died when I was about 13. He fell and hit his head on the root of a big elm tree. He'd been over to the neighbors and brought back a toe sack of peas that they had given him. He came back in the yard and fell and died. They think he had a heart attack.

They said he'd dug out a spring and when he'd finished working each day, he'd take a bath in that spring. There was another spring, too. They'd dug a well and it wasn't bricked up, but it was about 1 1/2 ft across. It was on the porch and had wood around it down to the ground. We used to put watermelon down in it to keep it cool. Butter and milk, too.

Grandma Nell and Grundy

2007-06-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

(Memaw's late parents- my great grandparents)

North Arkansas Ancestor Fair

2007-05-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

In a couple of weeks, I'm headed back to the North AR Ancestor Fair. Last year was a lot of fun. Met dozens of relatives and trudged around the area where my family lived back in the day. The Buffalo River is always lovely. I'm looking forward to meeting my dad and grandmother there. Wyatt will be making his first out of town trip. Can hardly wait!

Land Deed

2007-04-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is a scanned copy of the original receipt for some land that my great, great grandfather bought in 1910. The original is on green paper and it is falling apart.

Uncle Fred Ross

2007-04-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

This story was told to me by my grandfather, Harold Johnston about his uncle, Fred Ross:

Uncle Fred Ross

Grandma Johnston’s brother, Fred Ross was killed in Dardanelle, AR at a saloon. He was in the Spanish American War and came home. His friend was drunk and was gambling and losing all of his money. The friend’s father tried to get them to stop but had no luck, so he asked Uncle Fred Ross if he could do anything to help. The owner of the bar called him an S. O. B. and Uncle Fred Ross was shot and killed.

The Blackwells (Daddy's Side)

2007-04-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

My grandfather's middle name is Ross. This is because his mother's maiden name was Ross. She was Sibyl Clarissa Ross (b. 1884). Her father was James Alexander "Alex" Ross and her mother was Mary L. Blackwell.

That's where I hit a dead end. I don't know who Mary L. Blackwell's parents were. It's been a while since I researched this family and I've had lots of luck on other families since I tried finding out info about them.

I talked to my grandfather today about what he can remember and this is what he had to say:

Dick Blackwell was Sibyl Clarissa Ross' uncle. He was worth a lot of money, but he disappeared. They thought he might have been taken by outlaws for his money. He homesteaded in Oklahoma and supposedly the city of Blackwell, OK was named after him.
He recalls an Aunt with the last name of French (One of Mary Blackwell's sisters who married someone named "French")
I suspect Mary L. Blackwell's father's name was S. J. Blackwell, but I am not sure.

Any help with the Blackwell family research would be most appreciated. My email address is nkiblueeyes@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Johnny and Bud (Harold) Johnston

2007-03-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

Below is a picture of my dad and grandfather working in the garden. The back of this picture says, "Butch, Happy and Freckles". Tataw had hunting dogs for a long time.

Johnny and Judy

2007-03-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Above- My Aunt Judy and my Dad

"Bud" Harold Johnston

2007-03-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

The first two pictures were taken in November of 1945.
Below is a picture of Tataw (Bud) and my dad, Johnny. They say Tataw looked a lot like Charlton Heston, partially because he had a gap between his front teeth.
Here's a picture of Tataw when he was young, all dressed up.
The next two pictures were taken of my grandfather at the fire department. On the back, they say, "Harold Johnston & 155 Crash Fire Truck". "Crash" refers to the fire station at the Little Rock Airport (Adam's Field).
Notice all the snow piled up around him. I am assuming this is when Tataw was stationed in the Aleutian Islands during WW II.

This last picture was taken at Fire Station # 10 in Little Rock. IT's Bud Johnston and Pepper, the dog.

"Papa" Harold Johnston

2007-03-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Papa with his horses, Lady and Ginger. The back of the picture says that the roof on the house is new and that it's green. It was taken June 23, 1942.

Papa had squirrels in front of his house that would eat out of his hands.
Above is a picture of Papa holding my cousin, Kristen.

The Johnstons and the Georges

2007-03-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of my great-grandfather and grandmother "Papa", Grandma Johnston (middle) and my grandfather's sister, Mary (left) and her husband, Boyd George. Butch and his former wife, Pat are in the front and Papa is holding my cousin, Steve. The picture below is of Sybil and Butch (when he was young) decorating a grave.

Below is a picture of Papa with my dad (Johnny) and Butch.

Tataw and Kristen

2007-03-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my grandfather (Tataw), Harold Johnston and my cousin, Kristen when she was a newborn. See how much he looks like Papa?

Dale Johnston

2007-03-31T15:32:00.001-07:00

Drinkin Buddies

2007-03-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a funny picture of my grandfather, Harold Johnston with some of his buddies: Jack Edge and Harold Webb. It looks like they're having a good time...

Frank Lee Johnston

2007-03-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Frank Lee Johnston was Papa's Nephew. His father's name was also Frank.

Uncle Louis Johnston

2007-03-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

Tataw's Uncle Louis Johnston was Papa's brother. I have lots of pictures of him. He was a bachelor.

Hal and Sibyl Johnston

2007-03-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Harold Banks Johnston was my great grandfather. We called him, "Papa". I have many happy memories of him. When I was young, we visited him in Yell County, AR often. We'd always stop and get him a hamburger. He would take out his teeth to eat it, saying that it was easier. He always had hard candy for us to eat and passed the time reading and watching the many squirrels he fed in the yard. He was a retired farmer. I think my grandfather looks a LOT like his dad.

Sibyl Johnston (Grandma Johnston) died about a month before I was born. My family says that she was especially fond of her grandchildren and great grandchildren and that family was very important to her.

I have lots of pictures of them. Here are a few:

Sibyl Clarissa (Ross) Johnston

2007-03-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

My father's father (Harold Ross Johnston) was given the middle name of Ross because his mother's maiden name is Ross. Here are two pictures of her. We call her "Grandma Johnston".

Willie Bell (Ivy) Keeling

2007-03-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is one of the few pictures that I have of my great-great grandmother, Willie Bell Ivy Keeling. She was 1/2 Cherokee. I've been doing a lot of research on her lately. I'm trying to find more information about her parents. She was born in Purdy, TN and moved to Wright County, MO where she met my great-great grandfather, Abraham "Seib" Keeling. They married and settled eventually in Pope and Yell Counties in Arkansas.

Nikki's Parents

2007-03-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

My parents divorced when I was about 6 years old. This is a picture that was taken of them before I was born. Mom was 18 or 19 and Daddy was a few years older. I think Mom looked a lot like my sister, Laura does now.

Ross Family Picture

2007-03-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a cousin of my grandfather, Harold Johnston. His mother's maiden name was Ross. This picture is of Faye Ross. My grandfather says she married a man with the last name of "Meek". Her father was Carl Ross. She had a sister named Mildred. She lived in Conway, AR and I think she died in a car wreck. I love her striped socks.

Me and Memaw

2007-03-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my grandmother, Sallie when she was a child. Here's a picture that was taken in 1993 of Grandma Nell, me and Memaw (Sallie)
And here's a picture taken about 3 years ago when Memaw (Sallie) and I went on a vacation in New England. We were on a ship that had just docked in Nantucket, Mass.

Aunt Rosie

2007-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Aunt Rosie (Keeling) Foster. Barbara Sue Keeling (Boog's daughter who passed away about 31 years ago) is standing next to her. Aunt Rosie is holding Leonard Carl Keeling and Judy (Johnston) Thompson. My father, Johnny Johnston is standing in front of her with a big grin.

Keeling Boys

2007-03-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hollis Hayes Keeling, Ernie Keeling, Ray Keeling and Skinny Keeling

1908 Oak Grove, Freeman Springs Mountain

2007-03-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

This school picture was found in some of my grandmother's old photos. I scanned the front and back of the picture so that you could identify everyone. Notice Clarence Keeling (Uncle Skinny), Alvie Keeling (Uncle Ab), Earnest Keeling (Grundy), and Ray Keeling (their brother).

Fate "Heavy" Keeling

2007-03-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Fate Keeling (or "Heavy" Keeling, as he was called) was my great-grandfather's, William Ernest Keeling "Grundy" brother. He is remembered as being a big man, hence the name "Heavy". He died in some sort of car accident in California.

Elnora Cain and Sallie Johnston

2007-03-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of (Elnora Foster) Cain. She is the daughter of Rosie (Keeling) Foster and Jesse Foster. Elnora is fondly referred to as "Cuzo" by my family. Her mother, Rosie was a sister to my great-grandfather, "Grundy" William Ernest Keeling.
Below is a picture of my grand mother, Sallie (Keeling) Johnston. She and Elnora are first cousins. Sallie's parents were Nellie Leora (Terril) Keeling and "Grundy" William Ernest Keeling.

This is a picture taken of Sallie (left) and Elnora (right) that was taken in December of 2006 at my baby shower.

Grundy and Grandma Nell Keeling

2006-11-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

My Great Grandparents (The Keelings)

2006-11-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

My father's mother's parents were Nellie Leora "Nell" and W. E. "Grundy" Keeling. They lived their married lives in and near Pope and Yell Counties in Arkansas. Grundy died when I was young, but I have a few memories of him. He died of Leukemia and was bedridden in all of my memories. Grandma Nell lived a good while longer than him. I was in my mid twenties when she died of natural causes. Her last few years of life were spent in the care of my grandmother. Here are some pictures of them in the later years of their lives as I remember them...

Grandma Nell and Grundy

Grundy and Grandma Nell with their friend, Louise Hicks
Grundy, Carl Bryant, Cleveland (grandsons) and Leonard (Grundy's son) Keeling

Grundy and one of his brothers (Ab Keeling)

Grandma Nell was an avid gardener

Daughters of the American Revolution

2006-10-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

I just received word that my application for Daughters of the American Revolution has been approved. :) I am officially a member! The application process was very involved and required a good bit of research and paperwork, but thanks to Cornelia Daniels and Carol Cochran, I managed to wade through it all. I am very appreciative to both Cornelia and Carol for their patience with me and for generously giving of their time, $ for postage and copies and energy. I'm looking forward to being an active member.

True Grit- The Ross Family

2006-09-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that Mattie Ross (of the movie True Grit with John Wayne) was my grandfather's grandfather's sister. She's the young girl that went into Indian Territory to avenge her father's death. Very interesting. They're from Yell County, AR. I'm doing what I can to gather more information about this.

If there's anyone with more information and willing to share, please email me at nkiblueeyes@yahoo.com.

Thanks!
Nikki

Mary Mays

2006-08-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

I went to visit some of my Keeling relatives in Centerville, AR and learned a bit more about my family history last night.

My great grandmother (Nell Terrell Keeling) was from Searcy County. Her mother was Mary Mays Terrell and her father was John "Boy" Terrell. I knew that both Mary and John died before my great grandmother left home. I found out more details last night.

We think that John "Boy" Terrell had TB and probably died of it. Many people who lived around the Buffalo River had short lives due to TB and other diseases. Many of the springs/wells are contaminated with toxins, I think.

After he died, I believe that my grandmother, her remaining siblings and her mother went to Pope County, AR to work in the cotton fields. On the way home, Mary Mays Terrell got sick and died. They buried her on the way. My great grandmother has since gone back to try to find the graveyard where she was buried, but was unsuccessful in finding her. She did not have a tombstone, so it's likely that we will not ever find her final resting place. Her husband is buried in the Osborne Cemetery in St. Joe, AR.

Genealogical Mysteries to Solve

2006-08-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

The following are areas upon which I am focusing my current genealogical research:

- Keeling Family: I have things traced back to Reuben Keeling of KY around 1867. Would like to trace the Keeling family back to England (or whereever they're from)...

- Cherokee Indian: I know that there is Cherokee blood on my paternal grandmother's side of the family. My great grandfather was William Ernest Keeling. His mother was Willie Bell Ivy (1874-1934)of Purdy (?), TN. I believe her father was Richard Ivy and I believe her mother's last name was Clendennan. Either the Ivys or the Clendennans were Cherokee Indians. I'm not sure which, but I suspect it's the Clendennans. I need to track this down.

- Johnston Family: I've traced things on my father's side back to Cecil County, MD in 1814. I am trying to trace things further back.

Disorganized

2006-07-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

I learned so much from my last couple of trips to AR to do research that I haven't taken the time to update my computer...

Once I get a little more organized, I'll post what I've got...

Terrell Family History (Daddy's side)

2006-06-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

My great grandmother was Nellie Leora Terrill.

Her father was John W. "Boyd" Terrill (1863-1913). He was married to Mary Mays.

His father was William H. "Bill" Terrell (1826-1904), born in Gibson, TN, Married in Madison, TN to Sarach E. Scott (her father was John W. Scott), born in Jackson, Madison County, TN(1837-1910), died in St. Joe, Searcy County, AR. William Terrell died in St. Joe, Searcy County, AR and is buried there at the Osborne Cemetery. He was a farmer. They had 10 children.

His father was Achilles C. Terrill of Madison, KY (born about 1798) and married to Elizabeth Osborn (1806-1886). He faught in the Indian Wars and was a farmer. Elizabeth died in Hubbard Hill, TX. They had 12 children.

Achilles C. Terrill's father may have been George Terrill and his mother was probably Martha Patsy "Polly" Stinson/Stevenson?...

More Keeling Family History

2006-06-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from the book entitled History and Families, Wright County, Missouri Published in 1993 by Turner Publishing Company. You can find this information on page 393.

Keeling- The Keeling family came to Wright County from Fancy Farm, Graves County, Kentucky about 1869 in a wagon train bound for Oregon. They crossed the Mississipi River on a raft at Cape Girardeau and as they moved on into Missouri, they were caught up in post-Civil War activities, so decided not to go on to Oregon. They settled in Hart Township near Wolf Creek, one mile southeast of the Fagan School.

The family included Abram Keeling, his wife Angeline Gibson and four children: Thomas (1860), Elizabeth (1865), Reuben Warren (1868) and Abraham Seemore "Sieb" (1868)*. Abram's brothers, Joab and John, his mother, Rachel (a widow) and sister Orlena settled just north of them. Later John moved to his own homestead a short distance to the east.

Abram and Angeline raised horses and tobacco and also had three more children: Amanda (1871), James "Elmar" (1874), and John Tildon (1876). Elmar died of pneumonia at age 16.

In 1897 Abram and Angeline and sons John and Sieb and their families moved to Freeman Springs, AR (present day Pope County). In 1910 Angeline died and was buried there. Abram and Sieb moved back to Missouri where Abram died of pneumonia in 1916 after chasing a cow in the rain.

The passage goes on to talk about Abram's son, Reuben and his descendents.

* Abraham Seemore "Seib" is my great, great grandfather.

Keelings (Daddy's Side)

2006-06-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

My grandmother's maiden name was Keeling.
Her father was William Ernest Keeling (1895-1980 in Yell County, AR). He married Nellie Leora Terrill of Searcy County, AR (b. 1903).
His father was Abraham "Seib" Keeling (b. 1871 at Fancy Farm, Graves County, KY, died in Pope or Yell County, AR). He married Willie Bell Ivy, born in Purda, TN (1874-1934). I suspect they met and married somewhere around Mansfield, Wright County, Missouri.
His father was Abraham F. Keeling (1836-1916) born in Fancy Farm, Graves County, KY and died in Mansfield, Wright County, MO. In Kentucky, he married Sarah Angeline Gibson.
His father was Rueben Keeling (b. about 1803) from VA. He was married to Rachel Catherine Dowdy (b. 1816) from TN.

A couple of weeks ago, Memaw, Daddy and I went to Marshall, AR (Searcy County) to an Ancestor Fair. We learned a lot about how to go about doing genealogy research and met many interesting people. Lots of them turned out to be related to us! I could type for days and not pass on all of the information I got that weekend, but I'll do my best to highlight some of the more important discoveries.

We were introduced to Betty Harris. Her maiden name is Keeling. There are many Keelings in the Arkansas Ozarks, so I assumed we must be related. Betty invited us to a family reunion and cemetery decoration that they were having that weekend. You couldn't find a nicer bunch of people. They were very welcoming to us and shared their genealogy research with me. Unfortunately, I don't think we're very closely related. If we are related at all (and surely we must be), it probably goes back to Virginia around Rueben Keeling's time. We suspect that my Rueben Keeling might be their Levi Keeling's brother or cousin. Time will tell. I'm working on making the connection.

St. Joe....Oh, My!

2006-06-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

This post is regarding Memaw's family (Sallie Keeling's mother, Nell Terrill's familiy...) The Terrills, Mays, and Coopers...

Let me just say that I have found out A BUNCH of info on Memaw's family from St. Joe and Gilbert, AR. I will have to sit and type it all up, but it's a colorful history to say the least. ;)

Yesterday, I woke up at 5am and drove to Marshall, AR, which is about 5 1/2 hrs away from KC. Memaw and Daddy met me here and we spent about 3 hours in the courthouse (handling OLD documents...) and in the local library digging up the past. Then, we went to talk with Janis White, who owns and runs the St. Joe Mercantile and it turns out she's Daddy's 4th cousin! It's a small town, that's for sure. She has the most amazing memory and ability to tell stories that I've ever heard. She spouts out dates and locations and tells you how everyone's related and connected and it was all I could do to scribble down notes as she talked to us for about 4 hours... So much information... I am going to start typing it up, though and we'll see if I can't make it into a nice narrative story that will leave you (kind readers) spellbound and enthralled...

Today, we got up and went to the Searcy County Library to listen to some lectures on genealogy from a man who runs the AR State Archives. His name was Baker. He was very interesting and gave me MANY ideas on how to go about my research and even offered to help if I send him emails asking for direction and help. Very nice. :)

More info to come... I need to get busy typing it all up...

Genealogy Trip to St. Joe, AR

2006-05-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-05-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

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

Reedy, Dill and Lee family

2006-04-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

My grandmother is Lucille Reedy.
Her father is Larastus Reedy.
His mother was Maude Dill.
Her father was Elias Dill.
His mother was Levida Lee.
Her father was Elias Lee.
His father was Sampson Lee.
His father was William Lee.

Interesting Document

2006-04-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

In my research for my ancestors with the "Lee" surname, I came across a very interesting letter to General Robert E. Lee that I copied and thought I'd share with you. I am most likely not related to him, but this makes for interesting reading. It was found in the Lee family vertical file at the State Library of NC at Raleigh.

I think reading real letters and diaries from real people of this era really shines a new light on why it's important to study history and remember that these people had many similarities to us, that they endured hardships and that they made our freedom possible...

A Letter to General Robert E. Lee

From Dr. Aldert Smedes

St. Mary's (a college in Raleigh), May 22d, 1863

My Dear Sir,

Amid the toils and dangers to which you are exposed for your country's welfare, you are richly entitled to every drop of comfort, which it is possible to pour into your cup.

The term of your daughter's residence at this school is about to expire, and it affords me great pleasure to assure you that her diligence and proficiency as a pupil, and her conduct as a lady, have been worthy of her parentage. This is bestowing the highest praise upon her. She has been exemplary in her observance of the minutest rules of discipline, and has scarce allowed a moment to pass unemployed and unimproved.

She carries away with her the most cordial esteem and regard not only of all her teachers and young companions, but many of our community whom her father's name had attracted towards her. Her modesty is not the least of her recommendations; she never betrays by look, word or gesture the least consciousness that she is the daughter of the man whom the Nation delights to honor.

While you, General, have had a daughter under my tuition, I have had two sons fighting as lieutenants, under your banner. Both were at the battle of Chancellorsville; where one, the adjutant of the 7th NC fell mortally wounded. He was a noble, gallant and what is infinitely better, a Christian boy. This is my consolation in so grievous a bereavement. His brother went though the same battle unhurt. He is attached to the 5th Regt. N.C.J.

But I will not intrude upon time which belongs to the country.

I am, General, with the most sincere respect and esteem,

Dr. Aldert Smedes

More NC Research

2006-04-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the NC Archives again on Saturday and had limited success. I've got several branches of my family that came from North Carolina...

My Mom's Side of the Family

Dill- In Mom's family, the earliest record of any Dills is Job Dill... He is the grandfather of Elias Arthur Dill, 1848 of GA. I found records of a John H. Dill, Jr. 1809-1863. I do not know if he's related or not. This information was found in Bible records. It also mentions that his mother might be Mary Ann Fischer.
Killingsworth- I couldn't tie it in to our family but in the vertical files, there is a record of a Shaw/Killingsworth Bible. It lists Nancy Ann Killingsworth who died 1833. I don't think they're related, but I'm not sure. I need to contact an aunt of mine who has more information.
Westbrook- Judith Westbrook, 1782-1843 was married to Elias Lee. She was born in Sampson County, NC. I found records of a Judith Lee Wesbrook, who was a sister of James Westbrook (d. 1817). She was mentioned in Sampson County NC Wills 1784-1895 by Cora Bass.
Lee- I know that the Lee family was from Sampson County, NC. I found a spot on an old map called Lee's Chapel. It was a Baptist church. Not positive if there is a connection, but I suspect my aunt will have more information for me.

My Dad's Side of the Family

Banks- On an old map of Hertford County, NC, I found a place called, "Banks Creek It is very near Murfreesboro and appears to drain into the Meherrin River.
Cottons- 1) John B. Cotton, 1778 was born in NC. I think he originated in Hertford County. I looked up the Cottons and found very little that I could link to this family, but there was a spot on an old map of Hertford County called, "Cotton Crossroads"... Settled about 1710 by John Cotton (possibly grandfather of our John Cotton?) of Virginia and was authorized to be laid out as County Seat in 1758; Later known as Old Barfields or Barfield and later as Tuscarora. 2) The earliest information I have on any Cottons was John Bertie Cotton (1658) born at Queens Creek, Isle of Wight, VA and his wife, Martha Godwin (1680) of Virginia. I have more than one family that was from Isle of Wight, VA. Next time I am here, I am going to look into that area and see what I can find because this archive has lots of information on North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. 3) Also, I found birth and marriage records for a Cotten Graveyard. A note on the bottom says that it's in Harnett County. It mentions a Joseph Cotten, his wife Mary Cotten (died 1898). I think these are probably descendants of our Cottons. 4) I found birth and marriage records that are labeled, "Cotton Records in the Bond Family" (I haven't come across the name Bond before)... Births: *Sir John Cotton of Limehouse Parish, England (and it says that tradition says he was the "Sir John Cotton" mentioned in Wheeler's History- whatever that is...), *James Cotton (married Sarah Luton 1748), son of Sir John Cotton, *Clara, Daughter of James Cotton (died unmarried), *Eliza, daughter of James and Sara Luton Cotton (Married Henry Bond 1807)... Since our cottons were around in 1680, I think it's unlikely that any of these Cottons are directly related to us.
Knight and Carter- Priscilla Knight (1748 of Halifax, NC) was married to Tom Cotton (1748 of Hertford County). Priscilla's father's name (I am not positive about any of this information) was Moore Knight. I do not know her father's name. Moore Knight's father's name was James Knight. James Knight was married to Priscilla Carter. Her father was Kindred Carter. In the archives, there was a vertical file for Knight. I didn't see anything that would directly tie them to my family except that there was mention of Sumner County, TN (which several family members in my research lived in before moving to AR). Also, the vertical file mentions ties to the Cain family. I know that there are Cains living in the Yell County area... It might not be too much of a stretch that the two families had ties. Many times, several families traveled together when they moved/homesteaded.

Pictures from the Murfree Family Papers

2006-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Murfree Family of NC around the Time of the Revolutionary War

2006-04-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hardy Murfree (5 June 1752-6 Apr 1809) and his son William Hardy Murfree (2 Oct. 1781-9 Jan 1826

I've been doing some looking to find out more about our ancestors who lived around the time of the Revolutionary War. I found some GREAT information!

Turns out, around that time, our family was living in the area that became Hertford County, North Carolina. Until this morning, I wasn't quite sure how we were related to these two individuals (Hardy and William Hardy Murfree), but I knew that they were somewhat important in the history of the statehood of North Carolina and the Revolutionary War. Turns out, Hardy Murfree is our Patty Murfree's brother! William Hardy Murfree was our Patty Murfree's nephew...

You see, both men were patriots and were very involved in the government. The following information was found on pages 344 and 345 of the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography Volume 4 edited by William S. Powell and printed by the University of North Carolina Press (Chapel Hill and London) in 1991.... Read on...

Murfree, Hardy (5 June 1752-6 April 1809), Patriot and state official, was born at Murfree's Landing (now Murfreesboro), the son of William and Mary Moore Murfree. As an officer in the North Carolina Continentals during the Revolutionary War, Murfree won acclaim by leading a column of infantry in a successful attack on Stony Point, a British bastion on the Hudson River. Throughout the war, he was a valuable soldier, serving as major and then lieutenant colnel.

After the war, he was appointed state inspecor of revenue and commissioner of confiscated property in the Edenton District. His interest in internal improvements led to service with a commission to promote the opening of Nag's Head Inlet and to his efforts to have a canal cut from the Roanoke to the Meherrin River. In 1787 he sponsored a successful petition to have the state incorporate the town of Murfreesboro, which he laid off on the hands of his father. He was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati and a Federalist member of the convention of 1789, when North Carolina belatedly ratified the federal Constitution. An active Mason, he founded American George Lodge No. 17 at Murfreesboro in 1789.

His wife, Sally Bricknell, having died in 1802, murfree moved with his children in 1807 to Tennessee, where he had been granted large landholdings as compensation for his services in the war. He died suddenly at his unfinished home, Grantlands, and was eulogized in a Masonic funeral oration b y Felix Grundy. In 1811 the state of Tennessee named its new capital, Murfreesboro, in his honor. His son, William Hardy, was a North Carolina Congressman and his great grandchildren included the novelists Fannie Noailles Dickinson Murfree and Mary Noailles Murfree ("Charles Egbert Craddock") -Written by Thomas C. Parramore

Murphree, William Hardy (2 Oct 1781-9 Jan 1826), attorney and congressman, was born at Murfree's Ferry (now Murfreesboro), the son of Hardy and Sally Bricknell Murfree. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1801. After reading law for a year at Edenton, Murfree opened a law practice in Murfreesboro, where he was also a partner in a mercantile enterprise.

Murfree entered politics in 1805, when he was a sucessful candidate for the state House of Commons. He served a second term after his reelection in 1812. In the latter year, he also served as Democratic elector in the Edenton District for the Madison and Gerry ticket. In 1813 he was elected to the first of two terms in Congress, during which he "had the reputation of a true republican." Reviving the idea of his father for a series of canals to connect western agricultural regions with Atlantic ports, Murfree in 1814 introduced in Congress an extensive plan of internal improvements similar to that later championed by Archibald D. Murphey. His proect included the connection of the larger towns of North Carolina and South Carolina with Norfolk and Savannah. Nothing came of the proposal, though it created considerable interest in the South Atlantic states and won the endorsement of Nathaniel Macon.

By 1820 murfree had grown discouraged about the prospects for commercial development in eastern North Carolina. After arranging his affairs in the state, he followed his father's footsteps to Tennessee, settling in 1823 on lands inherited from Hardy Murfree. Like his father, however, Murfree survived the change of residence for only a short time. He died at him home in Nashville, leaving his wife of 18 years, Elizabeth Maney Murfree, and a son, William Law. -Written by Thomas C. Parramore

Murfree (NC and VA), Banks, Blackwell and Ross

2006-04-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

So today I decided to go back to visit the state of North Carolina's Archives and Genealogy room. My mission was to try to prove that our Patty Murfree (wife of Revolutionary War Soldier, Benjamin W. Banks) was really related to William and William Hardy Murfree.

I found out that the name "Patty" is also often referred to as "Martha" or "Polly". This was news to me... I think I recall seeing Martha somewhere in the Murfree Family Papers at the University of NC in the stuff with the picture of Robert E. Lee.... I'm going to go back by there either tomorrow or Monday to check it... I'll make some copies and will post some excerpts on this blog soon... Stay tuned...

Anyways, today I went back to the archives in Raleigh and had some MAJOR success!!! I found out who Patty Murfree's father and grandfather were! Before I explain further, let me review how these people are related to me...

My father is John Johnston.
His father is Harold Johnston.
His father was Harold Banks Johnston.
His mother was Mary Cabell Banks.
Her father was Hardy Murfree Banks (1831).
His father was Alexander M. Banks (1786).
His father was Benjamin W. Banks (1760- Rev. War Soldier) and his wife was Patty Murfree (1745?).

New Information: Patty Murfree's father was William Murfree II Junior (or in other words, he was William Murfree IV) born after 1715 and her mother was Mary Moore. He moved from the Isle of Wight/Nansemond area of Virginia to Northampton County, North Carolina, where he bought land in 1746.

Their children were (let me know if you'd like more information about these people's children/grandchildren because I have some additional information):

William Murfree, born 1739
James Murfree, born 1741
Sarah Murfree, born 1743
Patty Murfree, born 1745 (I am descended from Patty Murfree)
Betty Murfree, born 1747
Nancy Murfree, born 1749
Col. Hardy Murfree, born 1752

The parents of the above William Murfree IV were William Murfery I and Sarah Holladay. *Note- There were children named William Murfree II and William Murfree III... I will include more information on these people below...

William Murfrey was married three times and first appeared in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia in the latter part of the 1600's.

William Murfrey I's Wives

Margaret Perkins, daugter of Edward Perkins
Frances ___?___
Sarah Holladay, daughter of Anthony Holladay and Mrs. Ann Brewer.

Children by the First Two Wives (again, I have more info on the children of these people):

William Murfrey II born before 1686 (his son was William Murffrey III)
Margarett Murfrey born before Aug 1686
Micaell Murfrey born before 1686
John Murfrey
Elizabeth Murfrey
Elinor Murfrey
Sarah Murfrey

Children of the Third Wife, Sarah Holladay:

William Murfrey IV born 1715
Katherine Murfrey
Ann Murfrey

**New Information comes from the book The Murfree Ancestry of Bill R. Linder of Kenedy, Karnes County, Texas by Bill R. Linder, copyright 1998. From what I understand, he once worked in the National Archives. This book was found at the State of North Carolina Genealogy Room at 109 East Jones in Raleigh, NC.

Genealogy Trip to North Carolina

2006-04-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of going with Patrick on a business trip to the Raleigh/Durham area and have been doing some research on my family tree.

I have things traced back to the American Revolution so far. On my grandfather's side, I know that Benjamin Banks was a Revolutionary War soldier. He was married to Patty Murfree. They were both from Hertford County, North Carolina. Benjamin Banks was born in 1760 and died in 1852. Patty Murfree was born before 1756. I'm not sure exactly when, though.

I'm trying to find more information about Patty Murfree's family in the hopes that I can find more Revolutionary Soldiers in my ancestry.

Yesterday, I went to the State of North Carolina's Archives and found some great information on William Hardy Murfree and Hardy Murfree (more details on them to come in a later post)... I am relatively certain that they are related to my Patty Murfree, but I am not sure how they're related just yet. Both men were active leaders in the establishment of the state of North Carolina.

This morning, I made a trip to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to look in the archives in the Southern Historical Collection. They have a collection of Murfree Family Papers. These included diaries, news clippings, deeds, records of indentures, bills, receipts and a few pictures. Would you believe that there was a signed picture of Robert E. Lee? Here is a picture:

There were very interesting letters and receipts in the collection. I may go back on Monday or Tuesday to make some copies. Everything is on microfilm.

I didn't have as much luck as I'd hoped I might in finding proof that Patty Murfree was related to these Murfrees....

Tomorrow I'm planning on going back to Raleigh to do a little more digging in the archives and genealogy departments. Maybe there I can dig back a bit.

I'll keep you posted!

Nikki, the Historian

2006-04-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've recently started doing research on my family tree. I think it's probably a good idea to document what I have been doing, how I'm doing it and what my findings are, so I'm starting this new blog.

This family research business is pretty new to me, but I'm learning quickly.

Check back often to see how things are progressing!