Oh, the dreaded brick wall ancestor, the bane of every genealogist’s life! We all have them, those ancestors who refuse to cooperate and instead prefer to lurk just out of reach of our inquisitive minds. Luckily for us (not so much for the lurking ancestors), there are plenty of tricks to help researchers break down those brick walls. Here are four useful techniques:
March 22, 2012
To My Hopper Kin, re: Samuel and Sarah (McKinney) Hopper
I woke up this morning and decided it was time to put the call out for a book I would like to write in the next two to five years about Samuel and Sarah (McKinney) Hopper, their parents, and their children. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and decided now’s the time to start getting my ducks in a row.
What I hope to do is to compile enough information on Samuel and Sarah to definitively connect them with their parents and possibly to their grandparents. John M. Dillard has done some research on the McKinneys in connection with his Dillard research, and has linked Sarah to her father Charles McKinney of Buncombe Co., NC. I would like to do much more than that by tracking Charles from his origin points to his death, including determining the true identity of Sarah’s mother, and identifying all of Sarah’s siblings, if possible.
There are several different versions of Samuel’s parents in print and on the Internet, none with good documentation. I believe Samuel may have been connected to the Charles Hopper family of Burke Co., NC, and later Tennessee and other parts west. Proving or disproving that hypothesis will occupy a good deal of time.
So the first part of this hoped-for volume will deal with Samuel, Sarah, and their immediate ancestors. In the next section, I would like to do small biographical sketches of Samuel and Sarah’s children, including the names of their grandchildren. This is the part where I really, really would like help from the descendents of this couple. I would very much like to include pictures of Samuel and Sarah’s children, where they are available. I know a portrait exists for Thomas, my direct ancestor, who died in the Late Troubles. I do not have pictures for any of the other children. Two of the daughters died before the War and I have little hope of finding pictures for them, but for the remainder of the children, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
Samuel’s cabin is, I believe, still standing as part of the Hambidge Center property. I would like to include a picture of that, as well as maps and a few select other documents, like estate records and so forth. I would also love to include copies of Bible records, letters, and other important family documents, if such exist. Anyone who is willing to contribute will be gratefully acknowledged.
The scope of the potential volume will be very limited. I do not intend to make this an every-descendent kind of book. Instead, I would like to focus on the individuals named: Samuel, Sarah, their parents (and possibly grandparents), their children and, briefly, their grandchildren. I do not know how long it will take, nor what the final form might be. In this day and age, a printed copy for select libraries and digital copies to interested family members might be the way to go. Who knows?
I would very much like to hear from other family members about this project. Please contact me if you have any information or if you would like to help.
November 11, 2011
Veteran’s Day Salute: Sgt. Thad J. Watson, Sr., 1921 – 1944
Sgt. Thad J. Watson, Sr., served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He was born 15 April 1921 in Hamburg Twp., Jackson Co., NC, to Woodfin and Etha Mae (Roberts) Watson, and died 24 August 1944 during a bombing run in what was then Czechoslovakia. He is buried in a mass grave in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, KY.
He married Stella Viola Martin (1922 – 1992), daughter of O. W. and Pearl (Hopper) Martin, on 6 October 1941 in Clarkesville, Habersham Co., GA. Thad and Stella had two children, Thad J. Watson, Jr., and Varney Watson.
February 20, 2010
The East Tennessee Historical Society
In August, I will be attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies‘ annual conference, held this year in Knoxville, TN. While I am looking forward to this event in general, I am especially excited about visiting the East Tennessee Historical Society, home to the McClung Historical Collection, a virtual cornucopia of manuscript collections, rare books, city directories, newspapers, and microfilm. The primary focus of the collection is, of course, the eastern Tennessee counties, but other areas of Tennessee and other states are also represented.
I am currently compiling a list of my eastern Tennessee families so that I can plan my on-site research. Included will be:
- Mansfield and Harriet (Black) Anderson, who moved from Blount and Sevier Counties (TN) into Macon Co., NC
- Miranda (Fletcher) Curtis and several of her children, who moved from Macon Co., NC, to Monroe Co., TN
- Samuel Hopper, who possibly lived for a short time in Claiborne and Giles Counties, TN
- Various children of William Morgan, who died in 1809 in Jackson Co., GA
The FGS 2010 Conference theme is “Rediscovering America’s First Frontier.” The conference runs from August 18 to August 21. For more information, see the FGS conference web site.
July 1, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: The Martin Sisters, 1958
From left to right, starting in the front: Eunice, Daisy, Stella, and Catherine, the daughters of O. W. and Pearl Hopper Martin. Taken in 1958, likely near the family home on Messer Creek in the Betty’s Creek area of Rabun Co., GA. Photo courtesy of Catherine Martin Spencer.
March 29, 2009
Land Records as Proof of Kinship
Land records are one of the most underutilized document sets available to the modern genealogist. They often provide a wealth of data outside their more commonly known function of describing and detailing transactions of real property.
A case in point is the indenture between Jasper Hopper and the heirs of Samuel Hopper, deceased, made in Rabun County, Georgia, which reads: This indenture [...] entered unto this ninth day of April eighteen hundred and fifty-eight between Jasper Hoper of the county & state aforesaid of the one part & Charles Hoper, Henry Hopper, the children of Caroline Himphill formerly Caroline Hopper, Jasper Hopper, Zachariah Hopper, Thomas Hopper, John A. Hopper, Joseph Hopper, Florian Norton formerly Floriann Hoper, & Sarah Adline Gillaspi formerly Sarah Adaline Hopper of the other part [...] the above named parties being the heirs and representations of Samuel Hopper late of said county deceased [...]
Most wills aren’t that clear cut. In fact, I’ve seen several last wills and testaments which named the daughters by their maiden names, even though said daughters were married at the time the will was written.
Land records such as this are especially helpful when the owner died intestate (without a will), as Samuel Hopper did. While there are probate records associated with the settlement of his estate, none clearly spelled out who his heirs were. I knew to look for this deed because the probate records did include mention of the administrator applying for leave to sell Samuel’s land, as allowed by law.
The bonus in this case is that two of Samuel’s three daughters had married before 1850, and so this indenture provided direct proof that they were related to Samuel Hopper. Further, it provides clues which, when used with other records, would lead to the discovery of these women’s husbands. Caroline Hopper’s marriage to Joseph Hemphill was recorded in the earliest marriage book for Rabun County and was easy to find.
Flora Ann Hopper’s marriage was not recorded, however, in either Rabun County or nearby Macon County, North Carolina; I was left to search through other records for her husband’s name. Fortunately, I didn’t have to search long: a closer examination of the probate records associated with Samuel Hopper’s estate revealed that a Barak Norton bought part of Samuel’s personal property. I later found two US census records (in 1850 and 1860) of a Barak Norton and wife, Flora A. Norton. Given that no person bought property from Samuel Hopper’s estate who wasn’t related to the family in some way, and also given that this Flora A. Norton was the right age to be Samuel’s daughter, I knew I had the right family.
Now, to go off on a tangent, as I am wont to do: notice that the indenture says the heirs of Caroline Hemphill. This is a good indication that she was deceased at the time this record was made and, in fact, I later found this to be true. Caroline died between about 1846, when her youngest son, Albert, was born, and December 27, 1847, when her husband, Joseph Hemphill, remarried to Peggy Thomas.
I have found land records to be helpful in breaking brick walls I’ve hit while researching other families, and so I’m fully convinced of their usefulness to genealogists and family historians. If there’s any indication at all that your ancestor owned land, take the time to search through the pertinent deed books or other places where such transactions might have been recorded.
Keep in mind, however, that if a person was deceased at the time their land was sold, then the land might be recorded under the name of the estate’s administrator instead of the name of the deceased. The administrator’s name should be recorded in the appropriate court minutes for the locale in which your ancestor lived. If you don’t know who the administrator was or can’t find his or her name, check the deed index for records made by the surviving spouse, the eldest sons, or the eldest sons-in-law, or if all else fails, look for each child or suspected child. If you find a record of, for instance, Jasper Hopper et al. (Jasper Hopper and others), then you may have hit pay dirt, but check the other records anyway, just in case.
Have land records helped you make connections? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear your research stories.
