Speaking of Census Substitutes: Georgia’s Poor School and Academy Lists, with a Jackson County Roberts Example

A while back, I posted a comparison of the 1850 federal census’ free population schedule to the 1849 through 1851 tax records for the Roberts family of Jackson County, Georgia. While doing research in the poor school and academy lists for Jackson County, I found the following record naming two children of Shiner [China] Roberts who were school-aged in 1852.

The Estate of Benjamin Odell, Rabun Co., GA

A while back, someone asked me about the estate records of Benjamin Odell. I’ve made partial indexes of many of the early probate books for Rabun County, so I was able to quickly go to the right pages in two of those books to find information recorded on Benjamin’s estate. I’m not going to post the entire estate proceedings here (that would take a lot of room), but I did want to point out a few interesting items that could be used to answer the questions many researchers might have about this family.

Step by Step #8: Summarizing and Continuing Research on the Teague Family

In the last two posts of this series (Part 1 and Part 2), we identified the parents of Roy S. Teague of Rabun County, Georgia. Today, we will continue working on the Teague family by first summarizing what we know of William Stephen Teague, Roy’s father, and then trying to determine the identities of Stephen’s parents.

Finding Parents for Ethel (Penland) Ritchie

Brick walls in our ancestry can come in many forms, but they usually boil down to the inability to extend a lineage. Often, a thorough search of extant records can help break down this barrier. Sometimes, however, the solution can be much less arduous. Such is the case with Ethel Lee (Penland) Ritchie.

Step by Step #7: Roy S. Teague’s Parents, Part 2

In Roy S. Teague’s Parents, Part 1, we began to explore census records in the hopes of determining the names of Roy’s parents. Today’s post is a continuation of that discussion.

Step by Step #6: Roy S. Teague’s Parents, Part 1

After a long break to make ready for the FGS 2010 conference in Knoxville, and then to recover from the trip and catch up on other work, it’s time to resume our study of the ancestry of Roy S. Teague and Hattie (James) Teague Watkins. We’ll begin with Roy’s parents. To summarize what we know about Roy’s parents and siblings to date:

• Roy was enumerated in the 1930 US census, Clayton, Rabun Co., GA, next to Lina S. Teague (a widow, born about 1875), and four of her children, namely Faye C. Teague, Lucy Teague, Louie Teague (who was divorced), and Reba Teague.¹
• Roy was buried in the same plot as Lina H. Teague, C. C. and Faye T. Barron, Paul C. Teague (Roy’s known son), and Louie and Fannie Q. Teague.²
• Roy’s obituary does not name his parents, but it does give his brothers as Louie Teague of Clayton and Grady Teague of Pontiac, Michigan; his half-brothers as Ulyus Teague of Rabun Gap and Melvin Teague of Canton, North Carolina; and his sisters as Mrs. Faye Barron and Mrs. Lucy P. Ramey of Clayton, and Mrs. Felton Sullivan of Tallulah Falls.³

Step by Step #5: Hattie (James) Teague Watkins

Our previous research on the Roy and Hattie (James) Teague family revealed very little about the female half of this couple. To date, we know the following:

1. Hattie James was born about 1906 in Georgia; both of her parents were also born in Georgia¹
2. She married Roy S. Teague in 1924 in Rabun Co., GA; the marriage was performed by M. H. James, a Justice of the Peace²
3. She and Roy were living in Clayton, Rabun Co., GA, with three children in 1930³
4. They had probably seven children during the late 1920s through the 1930s⁴
5. Between 1937 and 1967, Hattie remarried to a Watkins; she was still living as of the latter date⁵

What we haven’t found in our research is any record connecting her to her parents and possible siblings. While she and Roy were married by M. H. James, we have no clue who that person was or how he might otherwise be connected to Hattie. We don’t know when she died, or who her second husband might have been, nor can we even say for certain that she was the mother of all of Roy’s children. With so little to go on, how can we learn more about Hattie, and in the process extend her lineage backwards?

Step by Step #4: Roy and Hattie’s Children

The first three posts in this series focused primarily on our target couple, Roy and Hattie (James) Teague. Today, we’re going to try to reconstruct their family with the records available to us.

First, let’s summarize what we know about Roy’s children.

1. The 1930 US census gives us the names of three children, who we know to be Roy’s because they are named as such, and who Hattie was probably the mother of, given Roy and Hattie’s marriage date.¹ In order of birth, they are:
   • Susie J. Teague
   • Clifford J. Teague
   • Claud R. Teague
2. Roy’s obituary gave the names and residences of six children:²
   • Jack Teague of Clarkston, Michigan
   • Ray Teague of Pontiac, Michigan
   • Dewey Teague of Titusville, Florida
   • Mrs. Roosevelt Coffey of Clayton, GA
   • Mrs. Red Dixon of Clayton, GA
   • Mrs. Sherman Martindale of Van Buren, Arkansas
3. Additionally, a Paul C. Teague was buried between Roy and his brother Louie at Pickett Cemetery.³ Paul died in 1967, and so if he were Roy’s son, he would not have been mentioned in Roy’s 1969 obituary, which mentioned only surviving relatives.⁴ However, it is also possible that he was Louie’s son, or in some other way related to the family.

Step by Step #3: Pickett Cemetery, Clayton, GA

In our first two looks at the Roy and Hattie (James) Teague family, we examined their 1930 US census enumeration, their marriage certificate, and Roy’s obituary. In today’s post, we will visit Pickett Cemetery, where Roy was buried¹.

Step by Step #2: Hattie’s Maiden Name and Roy’s Obituary

Our previous discussion of the Roy and Hattie [–?–] Teague family centered upon their entry in the 1930 US census. Today, we’re going to follow up on two items from our to-do list: Find a marriage record for this couple, and check the Vital Statistics register for their deaths. We’re looking first in the records created and maintained within Rabun Co., GA, where the couple lived in 1930.