Celebration Sunday-Genealogy Happy Dance! Finding Land Records

 You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone that you found the document, contacted a cousin with the family Bible, made a DNA connection, or found a new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.

                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 

This weekly series enables everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. 

Share by scrolling 

down and add your story to the comments section, or you may also put a link to a blog post telling about what had you dancing this week.

Map of Chambersburg Township
Iredell County, NC
Photo-Wikipedia.com

My Happy Dance Moment for this week: 

Taking what I learned at SLIG last week, I looked for more information on my Early families land in Iredell County, NC. Remembering that there was mention of Dower Lands in an 1899 probate package, I went back to look at it again.

It made so much more sense coupled with the land record I discovered.

Now, I can plat the land given to my great great grandmother after the death of her husband that contained "the home dwelling and out buildings".

A reminder that it's always good to go back and look at records you  already have. 

Now to figure out what happened to that property after she moved in with her son when she was too old to live by herself. 

What's your Happy Dance Moment?

 Please share, and let's celebrate together!

                                                                      

                                                                                              

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Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!

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This Week On My Family History Calendar

November 12-November 18

Nov. 18~ 
  My paternal 3rd great grandfather, William A. Martin (1813-1887) died in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina 130 years ago. He is buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery in Statesville.

William A. Martin

Headstone

Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

photo credit: Joy Steele. Used with permission

Who are you remembering this week?

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This Week On My Family History Calendar

January 22 - January 28

January 24~
 Loretta (McManus) Daughrity (1894-1936), my maternal Great Grandmother, died 81 years ago in Sumter, Sumter, South Carolina. Etta was 41 at time of her death. She is buried in the Sumter City Cemetery, Sumter, South Carolina.

Headstone
Loretta (McManus) Daughrity
Sumter City Cemetery
Sumter, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey

  My 5th Great Grandfather, Phillip Roberts, II (1763-1864) was born 254 years ago in Cumberland County, North Carolina.


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This Week On My Family History Calendar

July 3-July 9

July 8~ 
 My paternal 3rd Great Grandfather, William A. Martin (1813-1887) was born 203 years ago in North Carolina. William lived much of his life in the Statesville, Iredell County area and may have been born there too. 

William A. Martin
Headstone
Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

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Wednesday's Child- Infant Daughters

Double Marker for Emma and Minnie Early
Bethesda Presbyterian Church
Statesville, Iredell, NC
Photo courtesy of Joy Steele Findagrave.com

                " Infant daughters of R. T. Early and Ellen C. Martin"
 This double marker for Emma F. and Minnie B. Early does not have dates of birth or death.  According to church records Emma and Minnie Early were baptized in May 1880.
  The girls are buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery Statesville, Iredell, NC

     Their parents, Ransom Taylor Early (1829-1888) and Ellen C. Martin (1850-1926), are my Great Great Grandparents.

©Cheri Hudson Passey

Celebrating Women's History: And The Wall Came-A-Tumblin' Down!

The Accidental Genealogist suggests this topic for Day 20 :
 Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.

   What had started to become a brick wall for me recently came-a-tumblin' down!
 For years I was looking for anything I could find about my great great grandmother Ellen Caroline Martin Early (1850-1926). I had her Obituary that told me that she died in Columbia, SC, but it said that "it was thought that she would be buried in Statesville, NC".  No information was given about her parents or her maiden name.

 Ellen's Death Certificate was no help. Other than confirming that she was buried in Statesville, NC, it had no information on her family or what cemetery. I discovered Ellen's maiden name, Martin, when I found the Death Certificate for her son, my great grandfather, Jubal Ransom Early (1888-1964).

   Several census records in Iredell County, NC showed an E.C , Ellen C, or other variations of her name, as a child, living in the household of a William and Matilda Martin. 
 This looked pretty promising but I had no actual proof as to whether or not this was the right family. 
Then, I got an email about a possible record match for a Family Tree that I had placed online. The link took me to Find A Grave where I was thrilled to find a memorial for
Ellen Caroline Martin Early!

Find a Grave Memorial Page
Ellen Caroline Martin Early
Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, NC

    
Ellen is buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Statesville, NC, and her parents were- William A. Martin (1813-1887) and Matilda C. Martin (1812-1876)! 
  The family in the Census Records I had found were indeed hers.
 There is no stone marking Ellen's grave. The information on the Memorial was found in the Church Records of Bethesda Presbyterian Church. I am in the process of trying to locate those records to see what else I may be able to find.
 I added her death certificate and obituary to the memorial and, as you can see at the bottom of the page, the original creator was kind enough to transfer this memorial and others in the Martin family to me. He is not related so I am very grateful that he took the time to add the information from this cemetery to Find A Grave.
 From Ellen's memorial page I was able to locate a memorial for her mother,
Matilda C. Martin.

Find A Grave Memorial Page
Matilda C. Martin
Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, NC

  I love what is engraved on Matilda's headstone: "Her last words to her husband and children and friends were "Meet me in Heaven with Jesus"

 Also buried in the same cemetery with memorial pages are Ellen's father, William A. Martin, two brothers, and other members of the Martin family. There are also pages for Ellen's in-laws that provided several pieces of the puzzle of the Early family as well.

Thanks to the help of volunteers and record matching, I was able to remove the bricks from the wall that was starting to form.

Now to find information on William and Matilda and move on up the tree!

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