Wickliffe descedants I NEED YOUR HELP

The other day, I noticed that my blog had 177 views in one day!  

I was stunned. (Thanks geneamusings for the mention.)    
I never thought that anyone would ever look at this little blog that I created to tell my family's story & in one day over a 150 people did.  

I just wanted my mom to read it.

That got me to thinking, I wonder if I'm hitting my target audience. 

 The Wickliffe family.

I continue to write this blog for one main reason...these 2.  I saw this picture years ago & I wondered what they were like or what they lived through.  I thought that one day, my 3 children may ask the same question.

It's not just my great grand parents story that I want to tell, but I also wanted to tell the story of their families and the families that married into ours.  In the end, I am not just part Wickliffe, but many other parts as well.

I guess that's where I need help.  I've tried to get organized and research our tree the right way, but I need to know if I'm on track or way off.

My current tree has 3240 people, 870 photos, 69 stories and 7424 historical records.

I know what I have, now let's talk about what I need.

I've recently started a to-do list.  I'm a techy so I started it on this cool site called Trello.com
Here's a link to what I've created so far.


It's not much, but it's a start.


What I need to find now is more pictures.  
I don't want our family photos to end up in someones garbage can because another family member didn't know that they existed.  I also don't want the stories that my mother, aunts, uncles and cousins were told as children to not be told to my children.

SO I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP.

Help me to write the story of our family.  I want our children's children to be able to Google the name of one of their ancestors and maybe get a glimpse of what they may have been.
Contact me.  Let me be the first of our family to share what has been shared with me.

Let's keep telling our story.

Solving my biggest problems with genealogy research

I've tried the shaky leaf, and the exhaustive searching......so now what?

This is the question I am asking myself in my research today.  Do I continue to visit the same sites and research the same names & keep running into the same information or do I try something different?

Even if I think I'm right about some of my information, I can't help thinking I'm completely wrong about others.

So I'm turning over a new leaf.

 (Ancestry members will find that funny.)

Here are my new rules of research:

1. Use my "know how".  I've tried to take a different look at my research.  Talk it out even.  Sometimes the records don't add up to what I already know or what I should know.  I have to go back to the beginning of my tree & review what I have versus what I need.  (Maybe it's time for a to-do list.)
2. Watch out for those shaky leaves.  I've screwed up so much of my tree saving info from someone elses tree.  I've spent months trying to decipher between what I've been able to prove and what someone else has guessed and saved to their tree.  
3. Get off my computer and go to the library.  I'm a teacher, so I know how much more I can get done with real books and library resources.  I can't let my Ancestry membership keep me from really researching my family tree.
4. Put away the old and look at the new.  Maybe the reason I can't find what I'm looking for is that I'm trying to hard.  I need to start looking for something new and maybe I'll find something I've been looking for.  (It works when I'm looking for my car keys.)
5. Treat my genealogy research like my second job.  I spend so much time trying to remember what I was working on last, that I don't get much done when I do have time.  I need to have a "research day" each week.

Any suggestions to add to my list?
Leave a comment below.

I found Robert Wickliffe's first wife

Robert Wickliffe was my grandfather's first cousin, possibly one of his favorite cousins' since he was a witness at my grandparents wedding. 

Robert was Andy Wickliffe's son & up until recently, I'd only found 2 wives for him.

I'd found 2 marriage index for him from Kentucky.

 The first index, the marriage he had with Lillian McGee, stated that his previous marriage ended in divorce & this marriage was in March 16, 1977.

On the second index, the marriage he had with Trudie Mae Sanders in November 24, 1987, it states that it was the second marriage for them both & that both previous marriages had ended in death.  

Now, I know that before Trudie & Lillian, he married Frances Browder in 1946.  

On the one of my favorite genealogy websites for Muhlenberg County Kentucky

 I found this :

 Black Marriages Index, 1866-1960

Grooms: W

 

Year	Groom	Bride	Book/Page

1946

Wickliffe, Robert

Browder, Frances Louise

93/20

What's the relationship?

I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out the relationship the Wickliffe/Bodine family has to the Carbon(Carbin) family & I've yet to come up with anything.  So I thought that the best thing for me to do is to blog about it.

 Earlier this year, I posted a Monday mystery about the Wickliffe-Carbon/Carbin family connection, 

Since then, I haven't made much progress.  

So what is the connection?

No, I haven't been searching for the Carbon-Wickliffe connection for 6 straight months, actually, it's much longer.  However, I have found a few clues that tell me that there must be some relation.
Here is a few examples:

This is a cropped download of the 1880 United States Federal Census for

South Carrollton, Muhlenberg, Kentucky

Charles Bodine is a name I've seen a few times, but this record states that his father was Joseph Bodine.

Is this the same Joseph Bodine-my 3 times great grandfather?

This record is also from 1880 & the reason I can't shake the feeling that there must be some relation.






Just being neighbors, doesn't make them family, but the fact that Carbons live so close to my 3 times great grandmother is not just by chance.  

 This is the only record I can find that gives me hope I will one day find the answer.

Blanche, the 9 year old in this record, married a Wickliffe.  Charles Wickliffe-son of my 3 times great grandfather, Alney Wickliffe.
I have no other records that connect our families.

Help me out Wickliffe family.

How are we related to the Carbons/Carbins?

120 years of the Indianapolis Recorder-Thank you for all of your help

If you follow my blog, you know how many key family history moments I've located in the Indianapolis Recorder.

When this paper started 120 years ago, it was a local newspaper that manifested itself into a key piece of African American history.
 
I've been lucky enough to find some of my family and so many other distant relatives I didn't know about until reading the Recorder.

The stories captured in this paper are phenomenal.  It's like stepping into a time machine and the coolest thing about it is now, IUPUI has begun to digitize as many issues as they have been able to come across. 

100 years ago, a copy of the Recorder was delivered to your home for a nickel.

An inspiration for many of my blog post, the Indianapolis Recorder is full of stories, not just about local Hoosiers, but I've found some of my Kentucky relatives in this paper as well. 

This clip is from August 7, 1915.

Two stories jumped out at me immediately:

1. A story about a black mayor who was arrested for shooting another man. 

2. A story about a park I grew up playing in-now know as Watkins Park.  An annual picnic was been held there for older black women to honor and raise money for them. 

From obituaries to stories about recognition, this paper will continue to be my first stop in searching for stories about my Hoosier relatives.

Loving the new look of Ancestry

So sorry to be away for so long, but Ancestry.com revealed their new look & needless to say, I am in awe!

Earlier this year, the new look was a hot topic on the Ancestry blog.  The first profile that I looked at was my great grandmother Probie.  I couldn't believe how much of a picture I have created of her life so far.  I know that I am missing a ton of info, but the new lifestory view has helped me see how far I've come.  Everything is easier to see now & I can't wait to start fixing my tree.

Crista Cowan released a Youtube video yesterday discussing the new look.  Check it out.

The murder of Evan S. Warren...by a Wickliffe

I'm still unsure of our relationship, but I recently posted about an interesting story I found about the other Harrison Wickliffe.  I found the story so inspiring & I couldn't wait to find a reason to repost.

Since then, I've been researching his family to see if I could find any ties to our families.  That's when I came across the story of his son, Beatty/Beattie-accused of murdering a man named Evan S. Warren.

Pittsburg dispatch., July 24, 1889, Image 1

I've found several articles in various papers, including the Indianapolis star that mention the story, but none tell what happened in the end.

Apprarently Beatty & Evan had a "showdown" on a railway platform.  One paper stated it was from an earlier altercation where Beatty threatened to "get him" soon.

Both men were armed & both shot & hit the other. Beatty took off running, but later returned, shot & killed Mr. Warren. 

As the above story indicates, Bob Mayho & Flem Murphy held Evan Warren.  This is where the stories differ.  Warren claimed he was unsure if Mayho & Murphy were helping Beatty or trying to keep the peace.  (I haven't found any record that they were ever charged.)

I have no idea what happened in the end, but I do know that the trial needed a special venue for some reason.

Semi-weekly interior journal., February 25, 1890, Image 3

This story got really interesting when I started to research Evan Warren.  

He was also involved in a slander case.  Sounds boring, but check out the rest of this story......

Semi-weekly interior journal

May 04, 1883, Image 2

This case ended with him apparentely being able to prove he was NOT lawfully married to Luellen Smith.  (See the article on the right of the main one.)

I'm unsure of what happened to Beatty after the trial.  I can't even find any death records for him.  

Does anyone know anything else about Beatty or his family?

Obsessed with finding the oldest Wickliffe

Finding out which one of my relatives lived the longest is my new obsession.  

(If you've missed my recent post, check out either my post on Grandma Lou or my post on Lily B Collins.)

Eureka!  I found another Wickliffe who lived until she was over a 110 years old!

This article was found in the Burlington weekly free press.
December 18, 1885, Page 11, Image 11

How cool would it have been to hand President George Washington a cup of water!

I'm not sure whether or not she & I are related, but I found the fact that she lived so many years interesting in itself.

I found a few articles in various publications about her death, but very few undeniable records for Charlotte.  I think I found her in the 1880 census, living with her husband Ben in Bardstown, (Nelson county) Kentucky.

The other was a record for Evergreen cemetery.  It list her as an occupant & stated that her address was 725 Oak St, Ludlow, KY.  However, I'm not sure if this is her or not.

Does anyone know if we are related to Ben Wickliffe?

The Ancestry Insider: FamilySearch Worldwide Indexing (Arbitration) Even...

The Ancestry Insider: FamilySearch Worldwide Indexing (Arbitration) Even...: FamilySearch currently uses a double-blind methodology for indexing. (They’ve indicated that this could change for some projects. See “ Fami...

I found a relative who lived until she was 104! Lily B Collins

Recently, I've been doing some research on my great grandmother Probie's side of the family.

Probie's parents were Alfred Taylor Collins & Cordelia Nichols.  My two times great grand parents raised her in Hartford, Kentucky (Ohio county).

Lily Collins was Alfred's grandmother (his father's mother).  I'm still unsure who his grandfather may have been.

I haven't been able to find very many records for her.  At this point, I've only found her on two census records (living in Hartford).

Here is her obituary that  I found in the Hartford Herald (a local newspaper).

The Hartford herald. (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, November 27, 1901, Image 3

I know that it's tough to read, but the article identifies her as "Aunt" Lillie Collins.
It also stated that she was a respected woman of color, who lived in Hayti.  I've never run across that town name before, but I'm assuming that it's a suburb of some sort of Hartford.

Recently, I posted that my great, great grandmother Lou lived longer than any of my other relatives.  Now I can say that Lily B has that title.

100 post! Over 2900 views! So proud of my blog!

In Febuary of last year, I had this crazy idea that I should start a blog.  I wanted to share all of the cool stories I had found about my family.  

I had no idea what I was getting into.

This blog has turned into my favorite (other) job.  I can't wait to come across something new in my family tree, so I can blog about it.

Here are some of my favorites.....(In no particular order)

1. My grandpa: This post is one of my favs because it's a cool picture & fun facts.
2. Siblings from the heart: I like this post because of the awesome baby picture of Aunt Pal & Uncle George.
3. What happened to Leslie Gatton?: I spent so much time looking at articles about this post.  It was sad & interesting.
4. Why did she raise her siblings?: This one is on the list mainly because it's one of my biggest research brickwalls.
5. Alfred & Bessie's boys: I love this post!
6. All about me:  It's about me.  Enough said.
7. Henry Wickliffe-insane or sick: I learned a lot writing this post.
8. 1790 mulatto 2014 biracial:  This post made me more aware of how to search genealogy with African American heritage.
9. It's my mom: I think this will always be my favorite post of all times.
10. The murder of Elliot Wickliffe: This is the first post researched over a long period of time.  It took awhile to put the story all together.  I hope I came close to what really happened.

I could go on & on about my favorites, but I would love to know which post you liked.

Leave a comment & keep reading about our family.

The second time was the charm: Aunt Pal & Uncle Eddie's anniversary article

I found another great article in the Indianapolis Recorder.

The picture isn't great, but the article was priceless.

My Uncle Eddie & Aunt Pal were a great couple.

I knew that they had been married for years, but until I read this article, I had no idea how many years.  (I know that it's tough to see, but this article is from April 1987.)  If they were still alive today, April 1st would have been their 68th wedding anniversary.

Both had children & were married previously, but I never knew anyone other than my aunt & uncle.

Gone, but not forgotten: Happy birthday great, great grandmother Lou

144 years ago today, my great-great mother Lou was born.  

She lived for over 100 years & at this point in my genealogy research, she lived longer than any other Wickliffe.

Although she is my mother's great grandmother, she refers to her as Grandma Lou.

Lou was born Louisa Williams.  

I'm not exactly sure when, but she was eventually adopted by the Dodd family.  

Henry & Mollie Dodd lived in Paducah, Kentucky, but would eventually move to & die in Louisville, Kentucky.  They would have 3 other biological children (or at least 3 other children lived in the home & shared their last name.

I've posted about finding her marriage record in a post called "my great, great grandmother Lou."  (It's a find I'm still extremely proud of.)  

  

My mom has told me about their farm in Central City.  It was on this farm, that she raised her 9 children & lived a long life.  In 1940, the farm was worth $200.  Today, the farm would be worth around $3300.

I don't know a lot of information about her childhood, other than she was adopted.  I can't find any info on her prior to 1880.  (Which makes sense if she really was born in 1871.)

I'm not sure if it was a happy marriage, but she was married to my two times great grandfather James 49 years & they did have all of those kids so......

I've had fun learning about her & look forward to finding out if I can find her biological parents or why she was given up for adoption.  

I also want to find out why she lived with James Walker Wickliffe in 1940.  (Saw him in the census, but never saw him before or after that.  He's listed as her grandson, but I don't know who he parents were.)

Who is he?

  

Once upon a time, I was organized

I've recently run into a major genealogy brickwall.

If I look at my notes, I'm lost.  Each of my lineages have stopped, including my Wickliffe tree.

I've started to create to-do list for myself because I feel like I'm looking for the same people in the same places.

What's step 2 in genealogy research?

I've started to repeat this question over & over.  So I search.......

I've went back through youtube videos & websites & I've come up with a few ideas........

How can a newspaper article from 100 years ago help with your family tree?

One of my favorite resources in Indianapolis Recorder.

I have been finding my ancestors in the Indianapolis Recorder for years & each time I find a new article with my ancestors name in it, I feel like it's Christmas.  

1915-03-13 Indianapolis Recorder

For almost 120 years, the Indianapolis Recorder has documented the history of not just Indianapolis' residence, but a few of the surrounding states, such as Kentucky.

The Recorder is not only full of stories regarding my family, I have gotten a sneak peak into what they were going through at that time.  

I have over 800 pictures & articles uploaded to my Ancestry.com tree.  Most of the articles, I have found on the IUPUI website.  The university's library has digitized this paper & a few other of my favorite research sites.

So far, I've been able to find both of my grandparents obituaries:

I've also found some cool birth records & some very interesting articles like the one at the top.

Were my grandparents cousins?

Kissing cousins from Kentucky

Isn't that what they call it?  

My grandfather is a Wickliffe from birth. My mother & her first cousin told me long ago, that somehow, my grandparents were cousins. Since I started working on my family tree, I've been trying to figure out how my grandparents were related.

I know that my great grandmother Odie's (Oddie)maiden name was Wickliffe.  Her grandfather was Alney Wickliffe, but I don't know much about him.  Alney & my three times great grandfather Yost may have been related, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how

Several possibilities are running through my mind.  First of all, it's possible that they aren't related at all.  The surname came from the original slaveholders family.  Which means Yost & Alney may have gotten the names from their original owners.  Which would mean they may not have even known each other, let alone have been related to one another.

Secondly, having the same last name, living in the same city/town doesn't make them related, but it's more that just a coincidence.  (If it were a name like Martin or Williams, maybe, but not Wickliffe.)

Lastly, how do you even figure out how one family is related to the other? I can't imagine how I would even begin to solve this mystery.

Can anyone help?

Familysearch vs Ancestry....Do you get what you pay for?

The other Harrison Wickliffe

Harrison Wickliffe

No known relationship to you......

That's what my Ancestry.com family tree says.  
I have no idea what relationship I have to this Harrison Wickliffe, but his story really interested me.

I first found him in the 1850 census, living with the Young family.

John C. Young & his wife Caroline lived in Boyle County, Kentucky, in Danville.  Mr. Young was the President of Centre College in the early to mid 1800's.
  

I found an article written by Lauren Garrett called Neither Northern or Southern that stated that he owned slaves, including a janitor, Harrison Wickliffe.

Harrison was first believed to be owned by state representative (at the time) Charles A Wickliffe-which is how he ended up with the surname.  

It took me awhile to find info on whether or not John Young freed him, but not only did he free Harrison, but he was also instrumental in 2 other slaves ( a female & her son) being returned to Africa (Liberia) after they were freed.  Unfortunately, they died shortly after they're arrival from cholera.

Harrison, like many other slaves, continued to work for his slave owner for another 25 plus years.  Then, he ran his own house painting business for a number of years.  

After the death of his wife Casina in 1893, he moved with his son to Chicago.  He died 12 years later. 

What happened to Odie & Leslie Harrison around 1920?

Recently, I've been going through trying to clean up my tree & find the holes in my research.

This got me to my most recent brickwall- Where were my great-grandparents in the 1920's?

My great grandmother married my great grandfather in 1926.  I know this because I found them in the Muhlenberg county marriage record.  However, in my great grandfather's WWI draft register, he list himself as married?????? 
(I believe the marriage record is the actual date since my grandmother was born the 

following year.) 

U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Whether they were married in 1926 or around 1917, I still can't find either one of them in 1920.  

The only census I am sure that I have found my great grandfather, Leslie in is the 1900 census.

1900; Census Place: Russellville, Logan, Kentucky; Roll: 539; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0038

 The 1910 census list his parents, his brothers James (married to Adah), William, Richard & 2 other sisters-Queenie & Estella, (one of which could be the Eunice mentioned in 1900) but does not mention him.

 The only Leslie Harrison I was able to locate in 1920, that lived in Russellville, was married to a Katie.  

Could they be the same couple?

In 1920, she would have been 21 & he would have been 30-so the ages are close, but who is Katie? This made me question a couple of things:

1. Was my grandparents marriage their first marriage or was he married before?
2. Is this the same Leslie Harrison?  It is in the same county, near where his parents still lived, but that doesn't mean that it's him.  (Assuming that it is the same person is how my tree got so messed up to begin with.)

I guess my next step is to find out if there is another marriage record for my great grandfather or find out if there is more than one Leslie Harrison from Kentucky, who lived in Russellville, Kentucky.

Wednesday's child: Baby Jacob Render died of malnutrition

On January 15,  the very first Super Bowl was played against the Packers & the Chiefs, the Ford automotive foundation was formed, the television shows Hill Street Blues & Santa Barbara began,  Martin Luther King Jr was born & so was my cousin Jacob Render.  

Jacob was my second cousin, twice removed.  He was the first of 3 children born to my cousins John & Mabel (Wickliffe) Render.

Jacob only lived 3 short weeks & died at his home of malnutrition.  

What caused him to be malnourished?

Malnutrition is still very common in third world countries, but not here in the US, right?  
According to the CDC, 30% of babies died before their first year in the early 1900's.  It may of been due to the poor living conditions of many who lived in the near south.  

This death record posed a few questions for me.  First of all, how can a 3 week old die of malnutrition?  It doesn't state on the record that he had any other diseases that would have contributed to the malnutrition.  Baby formula wasn't what it is today, but isn't this day & age that most mothers breastfeed or used "wet nurses"? 

Another question I had about this record was who is Jack Wickliffe-the informant?  I don't have a Jack Wickliffe in my tree, nor can I find one in a search.  

It could stand for Jackson or Jacob, but how do I find out for sure?