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

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.

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?

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.

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

Out with 2014....In with 2015

Looking back at this blogging year has been so amazing.  I'm so excited at the things that I've accomplished this year, but I know I still have so far to go.

When I first started this blog, I had a totally different idea of what this blog would be.  
I cared more about who read it & how to  increase the traffic to my blog, than about sharing my research with my family.  In the end, it turned out to be the last thing I worry about.  Don't get me wrong, I care if my mom reads my post, or if my husband was interested enough to want to read it, but in the end, I care if I want to read it more than them.

Even if my mother hasn't seen it lately, I know that she had in the past.  Not only her, but several others too. Over 2,400 views to date.  250 just this month!  THAT'S AMAZING!

I've had some great post this year, but these were obviously the "fan favorites".

10. Connecting with family:  In September, I posted about my ability to connect with my extended family through this blog.  
(That is a gift that I get every time I connect with a new member of my family.  Which is happening more often recently)
9. Alfred & Bessie's boys: This is definitely one of my favorites & I can't believe that it's this low on my list. My uncles were so handsome & the pic over "old" Indianapolis is something any original Hoosier needs to see.
8.  Harrison & Probie:  This post was a cool collage I made of my great grandparents.  This post was special to me for many reasons, but the main reason was that it touched my heart to see these pics come alive in a collage.
7. My grandpa as a child: I wasn't super excited about this post because all I did was ask questions.  I know very little about my grandpa as a child & I was hoping that someone would comment & enlighten me, but unfortunately........
6. Wednesday's child: My uncle Charles: I hope my uncle had a chance to see the Thinklink I created with his childhood pics.  This post got a lot of my immediate family talking.  Everyone thought the pics looked like my son or my brother.  (Which is ironic because my son & both of my brothers look just like him.)
5. Monday mystery: Wickliffe family reunion: This post was important to me because I really want this reunion to happen.  We all know so very little about each other & we are related.  THAT HAS TO CHANGE.  I didn't get a chance to know my grandparents before they passed away.  I don't want to not know their families too.
4. Aunt Pal: My aunt Pal was such a beautiful person.  I'm glad so many people saw this pic of her.  She was an angel & one of the few Wickliffe family members I've ever met.
3. Blogging our history:  Ironically, this post was just like the one I'm doing right now, but it was done way back when the only thing I cared about was "increasing my blog traffic".  I decided to highlight my favorite blogs & for the first time in Wickliffe family blog history, someone actually commented on one of my post.  (Thanks again Jana Last.  She runs one of the blogs that inspire me every time I visit.)
2. It's my mom!:  I LOVE THIS POST.  It's my favorite post of all time.  Seeing my mom smile like my baby girl, is better than one thousand views.  (THANKS AGAIN cousin Wanda for all of the awesome pics.
Drum roll please.........
And the # 1 post of 2014 was...........
Blogs that help me: THANK YOU to all of the blogs that I read daily that inspire me to continue to blog, even if it is just for ME.  

What was your favorite post? 

The big white binder: how to organize your genealogy research

How do you organize your family tree research?

Organizing the information you find out about your family tree, is a long & exhausting project.  I've taken time over the last couple of months, to try to do just that.  

I have a huge white binder filled with my notes & print outs & pedigree charts.  I've tried to organize according to family, but needless to say, my notes are all over the place.  I have the information according to family surnames, but a few of the documents have been duplicated because the family member is in multiple places in my binder.

It wasn't long before I realized this system was NOT working.  So I started to do what I always do when I can't figure out something with my tree....I researched.

I've found a couple of Youtube videos, but this one is one of my favorites.

Hanging file folders & a file cabinet is a great idea, but before I can get here, I have to find a digital way to carry all of my notes with me.  That's where Google is helpful for me.  I'm a Google addict.  I use Google for everything, including organizing my numerous notes.  Typing these notes out, made me think of them again & see if I have "exhausted my search".

How do you organize your research?

Ancestry vs Family search: Do you get what you pay for?

I can't imagine how far I would be in my tree if it weren't for Ancestry.com

I started working on my family tree through Ancestry.com in March of 2006.  I couldn't wait to find a new record with my grandparents name on it or a new person my mother had never heard of that was our ancestor.  It was fun!  I went from record to record, discovering new secrets about my family & had no idea how big of a "project" it would turn into.

One day, a person I'd never met before answered a query I'd posted on Ancestry.  The email helped me find the maiden name of one of my ancestors & introduced me to Familysearch.org.

I couldn't believe I'd never heard of this site.  I was amazed to find that finding records on Familysearch was easier than Ancestry.  I started using Familysearch to locate certain records & then I would go back to Ancestry to save the record to my tree.  It was a long & exhausting process, but eventually, I developed a tree on Familysearch.  That was not as easy as the tree I created on Ancestry.  

Familysearch has a tough time recognizing step-parents in your tree.  Needless to say that's a problem for me, since a large majority of my family has married multiple times.  

So which one is better?

To me, Ancestry is worth it.  I love the new information they provide, almost daily. 

I've learned so much through the YouTube video they produces monthly.  Crista Cowan, the barefoot genealogist is a genius to me.  She definitely has the coolest job on the face of this earth.   I don't feel like a beginner, but if I were, she would be the perfect person to walk me through how to create the most accurate tree.  Had I watched some of her videos in '06, I wouldn't have the genealogical mess that I have now.  

There are certain areas of Ancestry that are free to view, but for $20 a month, I get more than just access to my tree & family I've connected with.  I also get access to help.  Which is what I need.  I can't tell you the number of times I've found help in their learning center or answered a question on their help page.  

However, Familysearch has a better look.  I love how my tree looks in their fan view.  It's so colorful & spread out.  It would make a great picture to put on the wall, but that's about it.  Adding new information to your tree is a chore sometimes.  I've given up more than once.  I'm trying to learn more about how to use the site, but it's not a priority.  I would rather use a site that is easy to navigate through, than a site that I have to learn to use.  It's just that simple.

Which site do you use to do your research?

Connecting with family

Hello Wickliffe family!

I've been so busy with work that I have had little time to blog.  (Unacceptable, I know.)  

 

 

 

 

 

That has got to change.  This blog has allowed my to connect with family I don't even know yet & my work has just started.  

I still have so many questions & haven't even scratched the surface of the mysteries of our family.  

 

Help is always something that I look for, but unfortunately there aren't that many living relatives that I know.  

I would LOVE for that to change.  If you have pictures, family mysteries or just a cool story you would like me to share, let's communicate.  Even if you don't think others would be interested, I definitely am.  

I want to enhance the features & the traffic to my blog.  Help me PLEASE.

 

The murder of Elliott Ray Wickliffe

He was the only son of my great uncle Bethel & only 30 when he was brutally gunned done.

When I first started looking for info on my great cousin, I started looking for who he married & who his children were/are.  I had no idea that I would stumble upon such an unbelievably tragic story.

From the multiple newspaper article I found, Elliott was the third person allegedly murdered by Rick Stevens.  

newspaper.com (The Chronicle)

I never found any information regarding the final charges in the case, but Rick was ultimately accused of kidnapping & robbing 2 group of people, including 2 brother, Andrew Jackson Austin & Harry Austin.  

These murders were proceeded by the home invasion & murder of Elliott Ray.

Elliott, home with his girlfriend Renee, was shot.  His girlfriend was bound, but would eventually escape & go for help.  

Rick took off in Elliott's car, but wanted by the police for the double murders of the brothers, he was finally apprehended in a schoolyard, after he abandoned the stolen car & pretended to be a jogger. 

What happened in the case?  

As far as I can tell, Rick was convicted. (I am not sure of the kidnapping, robbery & car theft charges he was also accused of.).  He spent the next 35+ in jail, but was released in July 2012.

2 other men, Martin Derouen & Roy Davis Jr were also persons of interest in the case.

(I'm unsure if they were charged or convicted.) 

Rick Stevens was the lead singer (at one point in his career) for a group called Tower of Power & since his release, he has gone back to performing. 

I have so many questions, but I have to research & find out the rest of this story.  

Please post a comment below.

Over 1250 views!!!!!!!

Wow!  It's hard to believe, but my blog has been viewed 1290 times! 

It's hard to believe that only 5 short months ago, I decided to stop just collecting all this data & started sharing it.  My thought process was that I would get my mother to read it & maybe my husband, but that would be about it.  WRONG!  I've actually gotten some distant family members & even some strangers to look at my blog as well.

I'm still trying to get people to follow my blog & I'm still struggling with what to post about, but I'm proud of what I've done so far.  

Take a look at my top 5 post!

1.  Blogging my history - This has been the most popular post so far.  (Which is why I posted a similar post today. LOL!)

2. Aunt Pal - I know why this post was so popular, she was an extraordinary person.  She will definitely appear in later post.

3. My grandpa as a child - This post is definitely one of my favorites.  (I wish more people would have commented about what they knew about my grandpa's childhood.)

4. Alfred & Bessie's boys - This post wasn't as popular as I thought it would be.  I've often wondered if any of my uncles even saw the post.

5. Happy's mother's day mom - This is my favorite post!  My mom is always my inspiration & this post was a pleasure for me to write.  My only regret is that I didn't get her to comment on it.

Which was your favorite post?

Leave a comment below & follow my blog for future #1 post.