Oral Legends - Got to check them

It started with me just editing my revised book so I can upload it to the internet. I was checking for dates for my family tree. I googled "Florence Octavia Alexander," a great aunt. On the census she is listed only as Octavia. I was trying to make sure she was one and the same as Florence. One of the hits I got was for a Nkechi Florence Octavia Alexander Townsend. She was listed in a book about prominent black psychologists. I read her biography. She did turn out to be a cousin. What got my attention, however, was her story about her great grandfather.

This is her story. "My grandfather, John was born in Liberia and captured and brought to this country when he was twelve years old. He was a slave on the Lambright plantation in Virginia. He was sold to the Huffman plantation in Alabama. He married another slave named Catherine (originally from India) on the Huffman plantation. During the Civil War he ran away and worked for the union forces. After the war he returned home and took his wife and children to Mississippi. Because a union officer named “Alexander” had impressed him he changed the family’s name to that of Alexander. He and Cahterine had twelve children, nine sons and three daughters."

I got so excited. This was more information than I had ever known about my great great grandparents John and Catherine. I called up my aunt Hortense to see if she knew of this lady. She didn't. I googled Townsend and located her nearby. I plan to call tomorrow.

Then I looked at the story again. I should have known there were holes in her story. She misspoke about her great grandfather calling him just her grandfather. Next, I remembered that Liberia was a country in Africa founded by freed American slaves. So John being captured from Liberia sounds off. Catherine came from India? Really? I am searching for more information on Lambright plantation and the Huffman plantation. The funny thing is that there is a Lambright farm in Copiah County, MS and there is a John Huffman lving close to Columbus Alexander, my great grandfather, on the 1880 Mississippi census. I checked the 1860 census and old John Huffman had a male slave that is the right age for John Alexander. There was a female slave living there too and an infant. However, there should be two infants. I need to check that out more.

One thing that may be accurate from her biography is John's service during the Civil War. That's the next thing I am going to check. There is a gap between 1860 and 1865 in the births of John's and Catherine's children. After 1865, they started churning out children every year. So there's a good chance he wasn't around during that gap.

It just goes to show you. You have to corroborate. It is so tempting to believe the stories but that's all they are until you have proof.

"Mississippi to Africa" Book Signing

Saturday was an inspirational day as far as my genealogical journey is concerned. I went to Chicago for a book signing. The author is Melvin Collier. The book is Mississippi to Africa."

I met Melvin on Facebook. He mistakenly thought I was a cousin but he was correct in identifying my obsession for genealogy. I have decided I want to be him when I grow up. First, he was able to trace some of his ancestors back to Africa. That is monumental and downright impossible for many Black Americans. Secondly, he has been able to distribute and sell his book all over the country. Although my book is finished, I have only sold a few copies to relatives. He sold out of copies at the Chicago book signing so I haven't been able to read it yet. I want to find out more about how he was able to trace his ancestors so far back even though my Mississippi relatives come from a different part of the state.

At the signing was Dr. Rick Kittles of African Ancestry DNA. Dr. Kittles wrote the forward to Melvin's book and was instrumental is narrowing down where Melvin's ancestors came from in Africa. Although I am skeptical whether the genetic database of the company is large enough for accurate testing, Dr. Skittles insists that the database is large enough. The price is hefty too. He quoted me $275 but I have noted that the fee can go over $300.
What was most impressive for me at the book signing though was the number of people attending and the great enthusiasm for information. It made me feel like I was a "cousin" after all.

Loose Threads in the Ancestry Tapestry

Months ago I wrote "I looked at the 1900 census again. This is the one where Napoleon reappears after being missing (to me) since 1870. A few lines down is his mother and brother Richard. I just noticed that Winnie said all her four children are still living. That means somewhere Hiram and Elizabeth is hanging around just waiting to be discovered.

Napoleon is living next door to his in-laws also. These in-laws are also my ancestors, related to me through Mary Saunders, Napoleon's wife, my great-grandmother. Charles and Rose are a few doors away. It got me to thinking that maybe Elizabeth is nearby. There happens to be an Elizabeth who is the right age living next to the Sanders. I know. I know. That means nothing. But it is a splinter of possibility."

That Elizabeth was married to Sylvester Ames. Not long after posting the above, I found out that Elizabeth's maiden name was Cotten. I was so excited but somehow forgot to post it here. Elizabeth had died by the next census and I have not found out any more on the family.

Hiram has been much harder to find since I don't know which surname he used. One candidate is Hiram Cain in Franklin County, MS. I found a Hiram Anderson in Franklin County, on the 1880 census. He is a servant at the time and single. The hitch is that Hiram Cain claimed he married in 1878 on the 1900 census. It means more sleuthing for me to do.

Getting back in the genealogy saddle

Well those New Year's resolutions didn't last long.
I'll try to rectify that now.
Blogging and genealogy is a full-time hobby. The rewards are rarely monetary. If I could marry the hobby to my job, I would be a happy woman. Until then I will do this in spurts and starts; do the happy dance when I unearth new information; take dozens of aspirins for all my brick-wall headaches; and never ever give up this labor of love.

Beware Spam Bloggers

In my efforts to keep my New Year's resolutions, I went on google and blogged genealogy. At the top of the list I saw my blog or so I thought. There was some person masquerading as a "genealogy expert" who had stolen my whole blog from yesterday. When I clicked on other blogs by this person, I saw he had stolen material from other genealogy bloggers. If it wasn't so despicable it would be laughable.

He/she calls him/herself Dragan Mizeric, an obvious made up name. This person is commiting a crime because he is plagiarizing material. I don't know what can be done to stop this person. I did send a message to blogger.com. but so did another blogger over a month ago and the "expert" is still there.

I also noticed other spam bloggers are doing the same thing with other information. They use a legitimate posting from someone else but have a heading like "earn more money" or some other enticing wording on the page.

I think these people are finding the blogs through the tags. Let's see if they use this one.

International Black Genealogy Summit

I found this while surfing genealogy blogs. It is one of the events I am looking forward to in 2009. The summit will be held October 29-31, 2009 at the Allen County Public Library, in Fort Wayne. This event signifies the first time that all of the black historical and genealogical societies in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean will come together to discuss the challenges and rewards of researching black genealogy.

I have put it on my calendar. Fort Wayne is a two hour drive from where I live so I should have no problems attending. More information can be found by clicking on the title.

Genealogy New Year's Resolutions

Resolutions are such a hackneyed term. Let's used "goals" instead. My goals for the new year including writing more on this blog. I didn't realize it had been over a month since my last blog. And I plan on reading and commenting on other blogs on a regular basis.

I will reprint my first book and begin my second book which will share this blog's title.

I will find money in creative ways to accomplish my goals of traveling, researching and publishing. Cash is king. Credit is in disgrace. I haven't used it in years and now I am proud of that fact. It is inconvenient not to use credit. I believe convenience is what prompted some of the current economic woes. I plan on raising lots of capital in many ways that do not include owing anybody any money.

I will travel this year. Last year I didn't. I will rectify that because my writing and research will be more of a priority this year.

I am confident I will be able to keep these resolutions. They are much easier than eating less and exercising more.