Tombstone Tuesday - Johnny Lonnie Phillips

This is my 2nd cousin 1X  removed and his wife. Mr. Phillips mother and my maternal grandmother were first cousins. His grandfather, Alonzo (Lonnie) Pierce, and my great grandfather, Cornelius Pierce, were brothers.

Since I really, really need a DNA analysis from my great grandfather's side of the family, I'm hoping that one of Mr. Phillips descendants will be willing to do a DNA analysis for me. Per my mother, one of his daughters is married to our former neighbors' son. I just need to determine where they are currently living, so that I can contact them / her.

Praying for success on this one.

..........
The picture of cousin Lonnie Phillips and his wife's tombstone was obtained via Find-a-Grave.

Tombstone Tuesday

John Amos is the son of my grandfather's cousin, Eli Hush.

The picture of the tombstone for John Amos Hush and his wife Cleola Charles Hush was obtained via FindaGrave and taken by S. L. Bradley

Tombstone Tuesday

I'm a bit late on this post but like I'm always saying, better late than never.

Granddaughter of my Grand Uncle, Will Hosch, which makes Miss Annie Ruth my second cousin. I don't ever remember meeting Annie Ruth but since reconnecting with some of my Grand Uncle's descendants during the past five years, I've had a chance to meet some of Annie Ruth's children.

The picture of my cousin Annie Ruth's tombstone was obtained via FindaGrave.

Tombstone Tuesday

Last year, I finally found my Grand Uncle, Willie Felton Pierce,  whom I had been searching for for nearly two years. I was able to get picture of his tombstone via Find A Grave. At that time, I mentioned that I was hoping to visit my Grand Uncle's grave in person, when I attended the Pierce Descendants family reunion. I was especially thrilled that my mother was able to see her uncle's grave. As she mentioned a few times while we were there, she had been to Arlington National Cemetery in her younger days and had no clue that her uncle was interred there.

While at the family reunion, I also learned a bit more about Uncle Felton's life from one of his other nieces (my mother's first cousin), Daisy. Cousin Daisy informed me that Uncle Felton lived with their family (Grand Aunt Ossie) for awhile in Washington, DC. Cousin Daisy state that Uncle Felton returned to GA. After returning to GA,  he got sick and  decided to return to the DC area, where he remained until his death.

And with this new revelation about Uncle Felton, I learned a few more valuable research lessons this year. 

1) Be sure and talk to as many of the family elders as you can. I know this is a basic rule but I often still fail to do it thinking that they don't have anything to new contribute. Each one may be able to only provide a snippet but you know what, a bunch a snippets can sometimes make a whole.

2) Don't just fire questions at them. Cousin Daisy told me about Uncle Felton not be me interviewing her but in just general conversation. I had mentioned to her that mom and I would be visiting Uncle Felton's grave on the way home.

The picture of mom and I at Uncle Felton's grave was taken by my cousin D. Dawkins.

Tombstone Tuesday

Last week I finally found my grand uncle and discovered that he is interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to a wonderful Find A Grave Volunteer, I now also have a picture of my Grand Uncle's tombstone.

Tombstone Tuesday

Research wise, these past few months have been pretty good. While I've not been able to peel away another layer in my lineage or been able to determine that final slave owner. I have had a few successes.

The first was being able to obtain pictures of my Great Grand Aunt's, Nunna Pierce Sims, final resting place. Nunna, is one of my maternal great grandad's, Cornelius Pierce, younger sisters.

For the bulk of my ancestors and collateral relatives, I have no clue whether there is a marker at their grave or not but I still make request because while its not a picture of the ancestor, for me, a picture of the grave and / or marker is still better than nothing. It gives you something to hold onto, to touch, and to imagine their time here on earth.

First, I found Aunt Nunna's death certificate on Georgia Virtual Vault.

The death certificate indicated that she was interred in South View Cemetery in Atlanta, GA. So, I did what I usually do when armed with such information. Yes, I immediately went to Find-a-Grave and entered Aunt Nunna's information and submitted a photo request. My volunteer went to South View twice trying to find Aunt Nunna's grave but was unable to locate the grave and stated that the cemetery had no records on file for Aunt Nunna.

Yes, I was disappointed but you know we researchers don't give up that easily, so a few months back I decided to try again except this time I wrote the cemetery and included a copy of Aunt Nunna's death certificate. Well, no wonder my Find-a-grave volunteer couldn't find her, because all the cemetery records have Aunt Nunna's first name listed as Unna instead of Nunna. Even the marker on her vault has Unna.

But I was able to determine that this was definitely Aunt Nunna based on the burial records / cards that South View provided in addition to the pictures they took for me.

The burial records indicate that Aunt Nunna's husband bought this four person plot when Aunt Nunna died in 1921. In addition to Aunt Nunna, her husband Matthew is interred with her in the brick vault. There are also two other Sims that are buried in this plot. I plan to explore them more in the future to determine exactly who they are.

I hope to be able to visit my Great Grand Aunt's grave in person one day, hopefully next year during the family reunion, but for now I'll just enjoy these pictures.

Pictures taken by the staff of South View Cemetery Association.

Tombstone Tuesday

Mattie Henyard Martin

25 March 1885 - 18 October 1918

Harris-Jones Cemetery, Walton County, GA

Mattie was my maternal grandmother's older half sister. Per conversations with my Cousin Irene, Cousin Ovella, Mattie's daughter, had this tombstone placed at her mother's grave many years after Mattie had passed.

The picture of my grand aunt's tombstone was obtained via photo request at FindaGrave. 



Tombstone Tuesday

Tommie Lee Martin (1909 - 1969)

Tommie Lee was the son of my Grand Aunt, Mattie Henyard Martin (the oldest of my grandmother's siblings), which makes him my second cousin once removed. Tommie Lee was the only one of Aunt Mattie's children that didn't remain in Ohio with his brothers and sisters after they migrated there from GA. Tommie Lee is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Polk County, FL.

Tommie Lee had a son, Tommie Lee, Jr., whom the family has lost contact with through the years, so Tommie Lee Jr. if you or your son Chris come across this post, your family in Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina would sure love to hear from you.

The pictures of Tommie Lee Martin's tombstone were obtained via photo request at FindaGrave.com.

Tombstone Tuesday

Troy was my second cousin. I'm not sure that I ever met him. If I did, it was during my childhood, back when the Hosches used to have a family reunion every summer.

Picture obtained via FindaGrave.

Tombstone Tuesday - Another Great Grand Uncle?

My Latest Diversion

I came across the above death certificate, purely by accident or maybe it was just good genealogical sleuthing. I was playing around on pilot.FamilySearch.org one day when I came across death information that seemed to indicate my great grandfather, Cornelius Pierce, had another sibling that I wasn’t aware of (that darn missing 1890 census).

So, how did I start piecing this together?

1.
By playing around. Even though I know that during the time period in which my 2nd Great grandparents lived there were no vital records, I still plug their names into various data searches. This is how I discovered the death certificate for my Great Grand Aunt, Nunna Pierce Sims, on Georgia Virtual Vault, which helped in confirming my 2nd Great Grandparents and their family.

Anyway, when I did this on pilot FamilySearch, amongst the results returned was death information for a Jesse Pierce, whose father was Jasper Pierce and whose mother was Jane (Maiden Name Unknown). This caused me to immediately take notice as I’ve only come across one other Jasper and Jane combination, my Jasper and Jane, who might fit as this Jesse’s parents.

2.
I already knew that my 2nd Great Grandparents had had at least one other child, Hester, after the 1880 census. The 1900 census shows in the household of Matthew Sims, his wife (Great Grand Aunt Nunna), their children, and sister-in-law (Hester Pierce born abt. Apr 1880).

This Jesse Pierce was about 39 when he died which means he was born abt. 1889. In 1889, both of my 2nd Great Grandparents were young enough to have had a few more children after the enumeration of the 1880 census. In 1889, Grandpa Jasper would have been abt 39 and Grandma Jane would have been abt. 45.

3.
If my still as yet unproven theory about Jesse M. Pierce being my 2nd Great Grandparents slave owner is correct, it’s quite possible that Jesse was named after him.
4.
After determining that it’s conceivable that this Jesse Pierce could possibly be another Great Grand Uncle, I then tried to find other documentation that could possibly link him to my Pierce Ancestors.

Since he died in Atlanta, I thought chances were good that he possibly had an obituary. Obituaries are typically wonderful sources for determining other family members and relationships.

However, as you can see, such was not the case with the obituary for Jesse. Through Ancestry.com, I was able to locate an obituary for Jesse Pierce but it contains the barest of details (name, date of death, funeral and burial information)

I then turned to Georgia Virtual Vault to get an actual copy of his death certificate (shown above), hoping that it would include specifics as far as city and county of birth but this offered up another disappointment. As you can see, only the state of birth is provided. The informant was Clementine Pierce, Jesse’s wife.

Lastly, I tried tracing Jesse back through the census records.

Since he died in 1928, the first census I tried to find him on was the 1920 census. I was able to locate Jesse and Clementine in Atlanta

The 1910 census, Atlanta, shows a recently married Jesse and Clementine.

I wasn’t able to locate a Jesse Pierce in 1900 Atlanta who met the description. So naturally, I checked the White Plains, GA area. Not in White Plains but in another area of Greene County, GA, I came across a 16-year old Jesse Pierce, who was enumerated in the household of Bob Hardeman where he is listed as nephew.

What Next?

• Determine if the funeral home, R. C. Tompkins, is still in existence and if so contact them to see if they have any further information on Jesse Pierce.

• Contact Southview Cemetery, where Jesse Pierce is interred, to determine if they might have records with regard to Jesse.

• Continue tracking of Bob Hardeman through the census records to determine what if any connection(s) may exist between him and my ancestors.

Tombstone Tuesday

Effie Irene Pierce Jackson

1893 - 1951

Aunt Effie is my grand aunt, my maternal grandmother's sister, and is interred at Old Fellowship Cemetery in the Social Circle area of Walton County, GA.

Picture obtained via photo request on FindaGrave.com.

Tombstone Tuesday

Grand Uncle Willie Hosch (granddad's brother)

and

Grand Aunt Maudie Johnson Hosch

This picture is part of the personal collection of the owner of this blog.

Tombstone Tuesday

Wyvonia Hosch Robinson

1934 - 1959

Boxwood Baptist Church Cememtery

Wyvonia is my first cousin, once removed. She is the daughter of my grand uncle, Will Hosch, and Maudie Johnson Hosch.

The picture is part of the personal collection of the owner of this blog.

Tombstone Tuesday

Bessie Mae Jackson Thomas

May 12 1914 - April 26, 1950

Fellowship Baptist Church Cemetery

Monroe, Walton County, GA

Bessie is my 2nd cousin once removed (momma's first cousin). She is the daughter of Effie Pierce Jackson, grand aunt, and Arthur Hillman Jackson.

Picture obtained via photo request at FindAGrave.

Tombstone Tuesday

Renous H. Jackson

1927 - 1943

Fellowship Church Cemetery

Monroe, Walton, GA

Renous is my second cousin once removed (my mother's first cousin).

Picture obtained via photo request at FindAGrave.

Tombstone Tuesday

Sheats Cemetery ca 2010

Walton County, GA

Current inhabitants

Everytime I see pictures of the current state of the cemetery where some of my ancestors are interred, I'm deeply saddened and of course angered that it's being used for cattle (goats) grazing. Last year, from the moment I saw my great grandfather's tombstone,  I've wanted to resecue this old cemtery. Even if I had the means, I'm not sure it could be done as the property is privately owned. And yet, I take comfort in the fact that through the kindness of volunteers, I was able to obtain those now treasured pictures of my ancestors tombstones.

Pictures obtained from Ed Saye via FindaGrave.

Tombstone Tuesday

Update on My Investigation into Cousin Nunna’s Death

Several weeks ago, I discovered that the death of my 3rd cousin twice removed (my maternal grandmother’s first cousin), Nunna Pierce Jackson, was ruled a homicide. (Refer to Murder in the Family for information on Cousin Nunna.) I set out to determine exactly what happened. What were the events that lead to Cousin Nunna being murdered? Sadly, as of today I must say that I’ve not discovered any other details surrounding her death.

My first steps were to 1) contact the Walton Tribune and 2) contact the Monroe – Walton County Public Library. The Walton Tribune was unable to assist and directed me toward the library, which of course I had already contacted. Sadly, the library did not have copies of the Walton Tribune from the time period in question.

This past week, I contacted both the Monroe Police Department and the Walton County Sheriff’s Department for assistance and am awaiting a reply. I’m hopeful they can provide assistance.

In the meantime, after setting up a memorial for Cousin Nunna on FindAGrave then submitting a photo request, I was able to obtain a picture of Cousin Nunna’s tombstone as well as updated images that better display the current state of Sheats Family Cemetery, which is the final resting place for Cousin Nunna, her sister Moode Pierce, and my great grandfather Cornelius Pierce.

Nunna Pierce Jackson

1898- 1929

Daughter of Great Grand Uncle Lon(nie) Pierce

Picture obtained via photo request at FindAGrave.com and is posted at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSmid=47152179&GRid=51051421.

Tombstone Tuesday - A Murder in the Family

Nuna Pierce Jackson
Dec 25, 1898 - June 3, 1929

It always amazes me how one's research takes unexpected twists and turns. This one came flying out of left field around 12:00 this morning. (You do know I'm an aging night owl and do some of my best research in the wee hours of the morning.)

Cousin Nuna's grave

Where do I begin? I know. Last week's trip to the family history center.

My microfilm and microfiche finally arrived, so this past Thursday, I made the trek to the Family History center to begin viewing In remembrance, Cemetery Readings of Walton County, Georgia (Historical Society of Walton County, Inc.). This is the microfilm I had viewed 13 years ago but at that time, paid no attention to possible collateral relatives. Yes, all I was interested in was my direct line ancestors.

Now armed with new information attained during the past year, I anxiously and excitedly "walked" back through the cemeteries of Walton County. I paid particular attenttion to Sheats Cemetery, where my great grandfather, Cornelius Pierce, is interred, since it was there that I recently discovered my third cousin twice removed (my grandmother's first cousin), Mood Pierce was also interred there.

As I viewed the names in Sheats, I was actually hoping to find my great grand uncle's, Lonnie Pierce, grave. Instead, I came across what most surely had to be his daugther Nuna. A Nuna Jackson was the informant of Uncle Lon's death certificate. Surely this Nuna Jackson was the same Nuna Jackson. The information contained in the book showed that Nuna died just four years after Uncle Lon at the age of about 31. My natural assumption was that she died during childbirth, a flu epedimic, or other natural cause.

No Routine Death 

When I should have been in bed resting up for the next days work, cousin Nuna would have none of it. Obviously, she was restless for whatever reason. I realized that her death put her in the time period of Non-indexed death certificates that can be located on Georgia Virtual Vault. When I realized this I begin hunting for her death certificate with the sole purpose of getting a clue about the other Fannie, Uncle Lon's wife. If you've followed my blog, you probably have figured out what I was thinking. "Maybe Uncle Lon's Fannie could help lead me to my own grandma Fannie."

Checking the index first. Yes there was a death certificate for a Nuna Jackson in Walton County. Dates are matching. Felt like I couldn't point and click fast enough. Finally, getting to the appropriate batch of death certificates. NO, say it isn't so. Cousin Nuna was murdered!

I came across the amendments to her death certificate first, which ruled her death a homicide. Cause of death was a gunshot wound. Third click produces the actual death certificate confirming that his is our Uncle Lon's Nuna.

In that instant, in the wee hours of this morning, my ancestors became even more real to me and it brought home one more time that this pursuit is more than just names, dates, places and events. It's about telling their story. How they lived, played, worked, and died. So, I can't just let this be the final word on Cousin Nuna's death. I must find out the how, why, and by whom. Please don't let the by whom be "persons unknown."

To be Continued

Tombstone Tuesday

LAUREL GROVE SOUTH

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Tombstone Tuesday

This is the headstone for my Grand Aunt, Ossie Pierce Williams, my grandmother's youngest sister. Aunt Ossie's daughter, Benny Ruth Williams Costen is buried beside her.

I really miss Aunt Ossie because it always felt like as long as she was here that my grandmother was still here.

The picture is from the colletion of my second cousins, D. Outland and R. Williams.

Until Next Time!