Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Leaving the "Eye Rolls" Behind!




   Have I mentioned that I am more than just a little excited to attend NGS2014 in Richmond,Va. next week?
   My family and friends are VERY aware! I have tried to explain why I am giddy about leaving for a week for a Genealogy Conference. That has just lead to heavy sighs and quite a few "Eye Rolls"!
   They just don't understand how happy it will make me to gather with so many people who, like me, yearn to discover who their people are and love the challenge of solving the puzzles that are our families!
   How do I explain that  am I looking forward to being with friends and"cousins" that I have met in my local clubs and societies.That I am also thrilled to be able to meet face to face my social media friends from Twitter, FB, Google+ and other sites? 
   How do I explain how I am looking forward to taking classes about Cemeteries, Probate Records, Skill Building and Research Methods? That most of them are being taught by people respected in the Genealogy Community-Genealogy Rockstars?
   How do I explain the Vendor Hall? A room totally filled with Genealogy Products! Books and software and mini classes-oh,my!
  How do I explain the Luncheons and Socials where I will not only be fed, but be able to socialize with others that are interested in the same things? 
  How do I explain? Not going to try anymore! This time next week, I will be attending those classes and lectures, meeting all my Gene-peeps, shopping for all things genealogy and eating some pretty good food while enjoying the company of those who need no explanation.
  This time next week, I will have left the "Eye Rolls" behind!

 Are you attending NGS2014? Let's meet in Richmond! 

©Cheri Hudson Passey

Sunday, April 27, 2014

This Week On My Family History Calendar

April 27-May 3





April 28~
 My Paternal Great Great Grandfather, Arthur Wellington Baker (1857-1940), was born in Sumter County, SC 157 years ago. He was the son of Alpheus J. Baker (1824-1917) and Mary Ellen Jones (1826-1865).

Beulah Mae Price Roberts (1897-1980), my maternal Great Grandmother, would be celebrating her 117th birthday. She was the daughter of Bertrand Campbell Price (1876-Unkown) and Bessie Mae Eargle (1884-1943). Beulah was born in Bath, Aiken County, SC.

April 30~
 My paternal 5th Great Grandfather, John Dargan (1747-1817), was born in Sumter County, SC 265 years ago. He was the son of John Dargan (1726-1766) and Mary Strother (1772-1822).
  
  
 Are we kin? Please contact me. Let's work together to find our people!

©Cheri Hudson Passey



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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Treasure Chest Thursday~From Cedar Chest to FB Success!

   A few weeks ago my Aunt brought me some pictures that were found while cleaning out a chest that belonged to my Paternal Grandmother"Mimi". Unfortunately, most were unidentified and looked to have been taken in the early 1900's. The people who would know who they were have long since passed. 
  Asking myself why Mimi had kept them for so many years lead me to believe that they probably were family pictures. Another question was-why didn't she ever tell me she had them!! I have several pictures of Mimi's ancestors and a few pictures of my Grandfather's Maternal line. Could some of these pictures be from my Grandfather's Paternal line?
  After scanning the photo's I posted three of them on the Facebook page for Williamsburg County,SC Genealogy. My Paternal Great Great Grandmother, Sarah Rebecca Smith Flemming Hudson, (1835-1916) was from this area. The people in this group are very helpful and I hoped that someone would be able to identify the pictures or lead me to someone who could.
   Not long after posting, I received a comment telling me that one of my pictures looked like her Dad's Grandparents.  I asked the comment maker, Lynette, to post the picture to compare and she did. The men in the picture did indeed look very much alike! Her photo was of Samuel and Caroline Mouzon. Looking at my data base, there was a collateral line with a Mouzon. My Great Great Grandmother's sister Emma Jane married a Mouzon.Could they be related? 
  Next, I went to Ancestry.com to  find any information on the Mouzon family. Searching for the Mouzon in my tree, Duncan King Mouzon (1837-1911) from Williamsburg, SC married to Emma Jane Smith (1837-1906), lead  to an amazing discovery! Attached to a tree page for this couple was the exact same picture that was in my Grandmother's trunk! My unknown picture is of my Great Great Grandmother's sister Sarah and her husband Duncan. I contacted the owner of the tree and asked for more information. A cousin connection has been made as she is a direct descendant. Our Great Great Grandmothers, Sarah and Emma Jane were sisters!
  A little more searching and I realized why the man in my picture looked so much like the man in the picture that was shared via Facebook.... they were brothers!

    Photo from Mimi's Chest
Duncan King Mouzan(1837-1911) and Emma Jane Smith(1831-1906)
©Cheri Hudson Passey


  Photo from the Williamsburg County FB page
Samuel Ruffin Mouzon II(1842-1926) & Caroline Austin Montgomery Mouzan(1848-1937)
Picture courtesy of Lynnette Ard
  But wait! That's not all!!
   Another picture that I posted to the FB page was also an unknown couple. There is faint writing on the back. The pencil markings are very faded and look to say something about a Mr. & Mrs. D(?).H(?),...maybe Welsh? It has a faint address that says Cades,SC. Cades is in Williamsburg County,SC. Once I realized that the first picture was a sister of my Great Great Grandmother, I decided to see if this photo could be another sister. Sure enough, after doing some research, I discovered that Susanna Caroline Smith (1845-1915) married twice. Her second husband? David H.Welch (1835-1903). They lived in the Cades area of Williamsburg County, SC.
  Now two of those mystery pictures are identified thanks to using social media.
The Genealogy pages and groups on Facebook and the Communities on Google+ are wonderful places to learn and share.Wherever you are researching or whatever types or records or methods you are interested in, there's probably a page,group or community that can help. It's easy to start one if there isn't. If you aren't using this wonderful resource in your research you are missing out!
   
   ©Cheri Hudson Passey






   

Monday, April 21, 2014

NGS 2014~Did You See The Menus? Time Is Running Out!

 

GeneaPeeps!
 Are you going to Richmond in May for the NGS 2014 Family History Conference? If you are, you probably have already checked out the wonderful classes offered and decided on your schedule.....well, maybe decided and then changed your mind and are having trouble making a choice between such wonderful presenters and classes!
 Have you looked into the Luncheons and Dinners that are being offered?  These are being offered by various Societies and Organizations.The speakers are incredible and the menus...have you seen the menus? 
 Here's a link to the Conference Menus being served during the week. Yes, these cost extra, but with the wonderful speakers and food being served, I believe they are well worth it! You can even ask for Gluten Free, Vegan and Vegetarian meals.  Hurry though, some are already sold out!
 Tomorrow, April 22, 2014 is the last day for pre-registration. On site registration will begin 6 May 2014. For more information on how to register for the Conference and Special Events before time runs out here's the link for the Press Release I received.
Can't make it this year? Registration for the Live Streaming  tracks is available until April 30, 2014.  So excited for this option! 
     
 For those of you going....contact me and let's meet in Richmond!

©Cheri Hudson Passey

Sunday, April 20, 2014

This Week On My Family History Calendar

April 20-April 26


Happy Easter y'all!
Nothing on the Calendar this week. Just means I have much more work to do!
 Are we Kin? Do you know something that needs to be added to the calendar? If so contact me! Let's work together to find our people!

©Cheri Hudson Passey

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday's Tip ~Tax Day Came For Our Ancestors Too!

 In April of 1866, my Paternal 3rd Great Grandfather was visited by the Tax Man.
  Samuel J. Bradford,II (1815-1875)  was living in the Privateer Township section of Sumter County, SC when he was assessed $10.10 for his $125 yearly income, 2 carriages, 1 watch and a silver plate.

April 1866  S.C. Tax List
Image from Ancestry.com

Enlarged April 1866 S.C. Tax List image from Ancestry.com

And...then again in November of the same year.

November 1866 S.C. Tax List
Image from Ancestry.com

                          This time he was taxed $52.50 for his Cotton crop
Enlarged November 1866 Tax List Image From Ancestry.com


Finding our ancestors in Tax Records can help us to place them in areas in between Census years and can give us an idea of how they lived. Unlike the with the Census Taker you couldn't hide, the Taxman came and sometimes he came twice!


©Cheri Hudson Passey





Sunday, April 13, 2014

This Week On My Family History Calendar

April 13-April 19





April 13~
  My Paternal Great Grandfather Jubal Ransom Early (1888-1964) died 50 years ago of a heart attack in Columbia, Richland, S.C. He is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbia, Richland,S.C.  Jubal was the son of Ransom Taylor Early (1829-1888) and Ellen Caroline Martin (1850-1926). 

  Mary Alice Dargan Bradford (1825-1875), my Paternal 3rd Great Grandmother, was born 189 years ago in Sumter District,S.C. She was the daughter of  John Milton Dargan (1799-1847) and Emily Elizabeth Vaughn (1797-1865) and wife of Samuel J. Bradford II (1815-1875).

April 15~
  Martha Mathis Dorrity (1820-1905), my Maternal 3rd Great Grandmother was born 109 years ago in Sumter District, S.C. She married William J. Dorrity (Abt. 1820-After 1880) in Sumter District, S.C. in about 1836.

  The 189th birthday of my Paternal Great Great Grandfather, Ransom Taylor Early (1829-1888). Ransom was born in N.C., possibly in the Iredell County area. 

April 19~
 The 67th anniversary of the death of my Paternal Great Great Grandmother Martha Victoria Bradford Baker (1862-1947). She died from Pneumonia in her home on the Manning Road in Sumter County, S.C. and is buried in the Sumter City Cemetery, Sumter, S.C. 
Mattie was the daughter of Samuel J. Bradford II (1815-1875) and Mary Alice Dargan  (1825-1875). She was the wife of Arthur Wellington Baker (1857-1940).


Are we kin? If so, please contact me! Let's work together to find our people!

©Cheri Hudson Passey

Sunday, April 6, 2014

This Week On My Family History Calendar

April 6-April 12




April 11~
 The 114th Wedding Anniversary of my Maternal Great Great Grandparents, Bertrand Campbell Price (1876-After 1922) and Bessie Mae Eargle (1884-1943). Cam was 23 and Bessie 15 when they married in 1900 in Aiken County, SC.

Are we kin? If so, please contact me! Let's work together to find our people!

©Cheri Hudson Passey












Thursday, April 3, 2014

Let's Meet In Richmond!



  In just a little over a month, Richmond,Va. will be welcoming Genealogists from all over the world as it host the National Genealogy 2014 Family History Conference.
    One if the best things about attending this, and other conferences, is the networking with other Genealogists and meeting and making new friends.
 I don't know about you, but I have met some great people via Face Book, Google + and Twitter. Most of us have never met face to face, but we consider each other friends as we discuss research, talk about brick walls, share adventures at cemeteries and commiserate over lack of time and organization.
 The opportunity to take a class together, or meet over lunch and other activities with GeneaFriends is one of the many reasons why I am so excited about the NGS Confernce App.  
 Once the App is downloaded, add your name to the list of attendees. Friend requests can be sent from the list so a connection can be made with others who are going. Not only can messages be sent before, during and after the conference through the app, but you can share and see each other's schedules.
  Just click on a name that you want to "friend" and make sure the button for sharing schedules is selected. Once a person accepts a request for friendship and clicks on the button to share schedules, a side by side comparison of your schedule and theirs can be viewed. 
 What a great way to see where and when you can connect! There are quite a few that I would like to meet face to face. Many words of thanks need to given for so much support and advice over the past few years as I have used Social Media to help further my research.
  Take advantage of the NGS2014Gen Moble App. It's not only a handy tool to keep you organized with classes and vendors, but it will help put you in touch with those important GeneaPeeps!
 Download the App, send me a friend request and let's meet in Richmond!

©Cheri Hudson Passey