Happy New Year's Wickliffe family!

Happy New Year's Wickliffe family!

Our family blog is growing each year & this year, my resolution is to get more of our family involved in telling our history.  I will try to reach out more to you & hopefully you will as well.

Last year was full of first!

I love doing this post every year.  Looking back on my post from the previous year makes me creative & I'm always amazed by how many people have seen our family's blog.

So drum roll please........Here are last year's greatest hits:

1. Solving my biggest problem with genealogy research: I'm not sure if it was the hilarious photo or the info in this post, but I was so excited to get over 200 views on a post, I didn't care.  The post views were one thing, but I actually got a comment.  I'm so proud of this post!

2. The murder of Evan S. Warner....by a Wickliffe: Blogging about a murder in the family must have been what made this post so popular (found this out in 2014).  I'm still trying to find the connection between the 2 Harrison Wickliffes.

3. Obsessed with finding the oldest Wickliffe: Charlotte Wickliffe is still on my to-do-list.  Among other distant Wickliffe relatives.

4. I found a relative who lived until she was 104!  Lily B. Collins: This post started me on the road that lead me to the previous post.  I can't stop.  Finding out how long some of my ancestors lived amazes me.  Especially when I consider the conditions they lived under.

5. The second time is the charm: Aunt Pal & Uncle Eddie's wedding anniversary article: I still feel like a kid on Christmas when I find an article in the Indianapolis Recorder Archives, but this article really touched my heart.  Finding this article about their 40th wedding anniversary was truly the highlight of my year.

6. What's the relationship: I'm sure that there is a connection between the Wickliffe-Carbon-Bodine families, but all I keep coming up with are dead ends.  This is one of my biggest brickwalls at the moment.

7. Were my grandparents cousins: This is the story I'd heard pretty much all my life, but have yet to be able to prove. (I hope this brickwall comes down this year.)

8.  Wickliffe descendants, I NEED YOUR HELP:  So far, my call for help has gone unnoticed, but I'm not giving up.   What I've noticed is that even though a post maybe old to me, someone out there is seeing this post for the first time & will click on that link & may be able to help me.

9. I found Robert Wickliffe's first wife:  This is one of my most recent finds & the first wall I've broken down in a long time (it seems like).  This side of the Wickliffe family has been where I have gotten the farthest.  So I'm glad to have found a missing link in his line.

10. Familysearch vs. Ancestry.com....Do you get what you pay for: This comparison of my favorite genealogy sites, may not have gotten that many views, but it definitely sparked a lot of conversation.  Do you get what you pay for with sites like ancestry?  My answer was yes, but I still used familysearch just as much as I do Ancestry.

Please keep following our family blog & let me know what you think.

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.

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.

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.

1957-12-14 Indianapolis Recorder :: Indianapolis Recorder

1957-12-14 Indianapolis Recorder :: Indianapolis Recorder

Share What Your Momma Gave You

Share What Your Momma Gave You

What happened to Leslie Gatton

Leslie Gatton was the only brother of my three time great grandmother Emma/Emily.

I found an article about his death:

South Carrollton, KY Coal Mine Gas Explosion, Feb 1908

Submitted by Stu Beitler on 1 April 2012 - 11:04pm

• Kentucky
 
• Mining Explosions and Accidents
 
• 1908

EXPLOSION OF GAS IN KENTUCKY MINE PROVES FATAL TO NINE MEN.

Central City, Ky., Feb. 11. -- Nine miners were killed and one other fatally injured by an explosion of gas in the mine of the Moody Coal Company at South Carrollton, three miles from this city. The mine is a small one and only thirteen men were at work in the diggings at the time of the explosion.
The accident was caused by a slow blast setting off the gas which had evidently accumulated in considerable quantities, as the interior of the mine was wrecked and the cages smashed.
The dead are:
ROBERT COOK.
J. N. RUSH, both white men.
The following are negroes:
LESLIE GATTON.
HUGH CORBIN.
DICK BLACK.
CHARLEY VAN, SR.
CHARLEY VAN, JR.
CHARLES ROSS.
PETE PENICK.
Fatally injured is JOHN BRYANT, white.
Each of the victims leaves a family.

Evening Independent Massillon Ohio 1908-02-11

http://www3.gendisasters.com/kentucky/19937/south-carrollton-ky-coal-mine-gas-explosion-feb-1908

There is also a small paragraph about the explosion in the A History of Muhlenberg County [Kentucky]

 By Otto Arthur Rothert

I have also found several article online about the explosion.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84037890/1908-02-12/ed-1/seq-1/

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86069313/1908-02-14/ed-1/seq-1/

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85052076/1908-02-13/ed-1/seq-1/

African American Schools in Muhlenberg County, KY from 1886-1962

How do you educate on those children in that tiny little building?

Colored District No. 3, 8 [ca. 1880's-1890's]

http://nkaa.uky.edu/date.php?date=1886,1900

Surname Database: Wickliffe Last Name Origin

Surname Database: Wickliffe Last Name Origin

Joe Bodine

U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 about Joe Bodine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Colored_Troops

Name: Joe Bodine Residence: Lebanon, Kentucky Enlistment Date: 18 Jun 1864 Rank at enlistment: Private Enlistment Place: Lebanon, Kentucky State Served: U.S. Colored Troops Service Record: Enlisted in Company B, U.S. Colored Troops 123rd Infantry Regiment on 18 Jun 1864. Sources: Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky

James Wickliffe

Name: James Wickliffe
Birth Date: 1865
Age: 23
Spouse's Name: Louisa Williams
Spouse's Birth Date: 1870
Spouse's Age: 18
Event Date: 22 Mar 1888
Event Place: Breckenridge, Kentucky
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I01692-4
System Origin: Kentucky-EASy
GS Film number: 1877052
Reference ID: 202

Citing this Record:
"Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F4M1-VVH : accessed 01 Mar 2014), James Wickliffe and Louisa Williams, 22 Mar 1888.