The Life and Times Of Hibbert Hobbs

My newly graduated college son has been helping us clean out our basement this month, and I was happy to run across a copy of a personal history I wrote about my Dad, Hibbert Hobbs, for a genealogy college class I took some years ago. It was typed into a computer we no longer own, and embarrassingly I have to admit that I don't have a backup copy anywhere online. It's time to remedy that.
So here is an excerpt from THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HIBBERT HOBBS

Two For The Price Of One

The year was 1919. The coal industry in West Virginia was young and healthy. Storng and heavy set, MOnroe HObbs the miner proudly awaited the birth of his first child. His wife Ethel was only 17 years old. They had been married 8 months when, on September 13th, the time for the birth came suddenly ahead of schedule. "It's a boy the country doctor might have said, and then - it's another boy!"
HIbbert was born first, then Herbert. Tiny and frail though they were, both twins survived. Together they weighed but seven pounds at birth. Both had the same flaming red hair as their mother, the same bright blue eyes. They were "as alike as two peas in a pod." as Hibbert liked to say. It was a miracle that they made it, and an indication of the stamina they would show later in life.
Being the first born of identical twins meant a lot to my father. Throughout his life he fulfilled his role as eldest son. He gave advice and took charge in times of crisis. His name was unusual. According to Ethel, she let Monroe's mother Victoria McCoy Hobbs name the twins. She named them Hibbard and Herbert. For some reason Dad's name was recorded wrong on the birth certificate, and Hibbert he became.

Who Is Your 'Brick-Wall Ancestor'?

I know we all have them - those elusive ancestors whose names stare at us from pedigree charts that end with that person and go no further. Who are they? Why, our 'brick-wall' ancestors, that's who! I've had one that has driven me to distraction for many years. So much so, that I finally quit looking in his direction and went on to friendlier family connections on other research lines that actually yield results.
But he's still there, lurking in my database, reminding me that one of these days I need to try yet again to figure out his family's past and put the puzzle together. Do you have one too? Don't be shy - share him or her with my blog readers by leaving a note on this post.

NINA'S BRICK-WALL ANCESTOR:

MICHAEL MULLINS HOBBS

Michael (Mullins) Hobbs is my Gr-Gr-Grandfather on my Dad's side. When I was a teenager, my Dad told me stories of Michael's background, saying that his real name was Michael Mullins, but that he had taken the name of Hobbs because he was taken in and raised by a family named Hobbs.
According to my Dad, Michael's father was really Solomon "Money-makin' Sol" Mullins of VA, who was a counterfeiter that made coins in a cave in Virginia, before moving on to KY and then to WV to escape problems with the law. The stories of the counterfeiting are documented; the stories of my Michael being a son of Solomon are not. You see, Solomon was married to Sarah Cathey and had a family of children by her, and there is no mention of Michael anywhere with that family.

This leaves researchers to scratch their heads and wonder how Michael fits in with Solomon at all. But I'm not the only one with the same stories; I've run across other researchers who also had the same basic set of facts: Michael was a son of Solomon Mullins, raised in VA or KY by a family named Hobbs.

So WHY was Michael raised by Hobbs's? He doesn't appear anywhere in Solomon's family of children; was he illegitimate? If so, who was his mother? And why the striking efforts of Michael and his own children to 'cover their tracks' by leaving blank spots on legal documents years later? My own suspicions are that there is more to the story than just the counterfeiting. I wish I new more about Michael's background! So far, I haven't even found connections to a particular Hobbs family that might have raised him.

Michael Mullins Hobbs remains my brick-wall ancestor to this day.
For more information on Michael including census records and what information I have so far you can visit my Michael Mullins Hobbs squidoo lens

Welcome To My Genealogy Blog

A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to teach a class on genealogy blogging. The only problem? I haven't done any genealogy blogging! Now I've blogged plenty for my business, but genealogy - nope. So began some internet research time on what kind of blogs are out there, and just how people are using them to share their genealogy with other researchers.
I found a myriad of blogs to choose from - some big, some small, some started and forgotten. Some that have photos and document images, some that contain travel logs of genealogy trips, some that just contain the ramblings of excited genealogy addicts that want a place to share their latest find.

It got ME excited too, and I realized I had been missing out on a great way to share my own research and to keep myself motivated to work harder on genealogy.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN NINA'S BLOG

Now that you're here, what can you expect to find in my blog?

Posts about my family lines and researach

Posts about genealogy trips I've taken

Links to genealogy blogs I read

Resources for the genealogist

So hang on to your hats and stay with me! I promise you'll find out all kinds of great stuff about Nina's genealogy as I blog away and share my years of research with you.