John Wesley O'Dell and Mary A Yates

My son and I have been working on a surname that came to our attention thanks to help from a man named David Osborne.  For many years I had a G G Grandmother identified only as "Jane ________".  By sharing info and thoughts, we were able to identify her as Elizabeth Jane O'Dell, daughter of John Wesley O'Dell and Mary A (Polly) Yates!

Here is what I've found out about Jane so far:

BIRTH - Elizabeth Jane O'Dell - born abt 1848/1849 in Fayette County, Virginia

MARRIAGE -Benjamin Franklin Nunley on 18 Nov 1866 in Lawrence County Kentucky

CHILDREN -
Mary Adeline (Elizabeth) Nunley b. 1867
America Easter Nunley b. 1869
John Nunley b. 1872
Charles A Nunley b. 1872
George W. Nunley b. 1874
Isabell Nunley b. 1879
Ella Nunley (my Great Grandmother) b. 1882
Doliver Nunley 1884/1885

DEATH - ELIZABETH NUNLEY, MARRIED, DIED APR 20 1886 WAYNE COUNTY W VA, CONSUMPTION, PARENTS JOHN AND POLLY O'DELL

I do have more info on some of the children and some of Elizabeth's ancestors, but I'm always hoping to find out more. 

Preparing today for Hurricane Sandy to 'visit' our area, so just a quick post to add a photo of my Mom and Grandma from years past.
Grandma's name: Bessie Parks Simpson, Mom's name: Dorothy Lee Simpson.  Bessie was only 14 when she married my Grandpa, Henry Simpson, and 15 when she had my Mother.  They lived in West Virginia.  Mother was born in Printer, Boone County, WV on 28 Jan 1924.  

Getting The Family Involved

A couple of weeks ago, one of my sons and his girlfriend decided to both work on some genealogy for their respective families. This led to my son asking me for some info that I couldn't put my finger on right away, as it had been awhile since I looked at the family line he was interested in. My son managed on his own to find a whole new surname in that family, the Branscome name in Virginia, which I am excited to work on with him! Around the same time, we cleaned out the basement storage room where my genealogy file cabinet is. I decided now was a good time to go through those dusty old pre-digital era folders and see what research notes I had in it. Some had never made it to my PAF and Roots Magic programs at all, other folders had only outdated beginnings of research that I now have much more details on. My project for this fall is to go through all of the folders in that file cabinet, see that all the data is entered into my online programs, upload an up to date Gedcom file to the new Family Tree at the LDS www.familysearch.org website, and see if I can start to connect some of my surname lines that 15 years ago were dead ends before I used the internet to connect with cousins and other researchers. Moral of the story? Get the family involved in your research! Thank you, Nathan, for getting me back in the saddle of organizing. It doesn't do much good if you can't find the data you need when you want it.

Ivy Perry Hobbs

Ivy Perry Hobbs was my Dad's aunt, and he often told me stories of the time he spent with his Uncle Willie and Aunt Ivy on their farm. Here is her picture:

Hibbert Hobbs - 1940 Census

The 1940 Census is now available! Like so many people, I wasn't able to access it on the release date last week but this week things seem to be working just fine at least on ancestry.com which is the site I used for viewing it.
The first thing I did was take a peek at Logan County West Virginia to see if I could find my father. And I did. He was living with his brothers in a house in Omar, and working as a tippleman at a local coal mine. Here is the data:

1940 Census for Sandy Bottom (unincorporated place),census for Lower Omar, Logan County, West Virginia:
Hibbert Hobbs, age 20, brother, b. WV, 8th grade education, living same place in 1935, tippleman.
Herbert Hobbs, age 20, brother, b. WV, 8th grade education, 9th grade education, living same place in 1935, tippleman.
Herman Hobbs, age 19, brother, b. WV, living same place in 1935, tippleman.

Surname Sunday - Some Nunley Ancestors

No pics today, just a simple post to list some of my Nunley ancestors. Maybe you connect through one of them? These are all children of Daniel Nunley and America Skaggs
Jane Nunley b. 1837 Cannonsburg, Boyd Co KY
Benjamin Franklin Nunley b. 1847 in VA or KY, d. 11 Mar 1892 in Wayne, West Virginia
Charles L. Nunley b. abt 1856 Greenup Co KY
Milton Leonidas Nunley b. Jun 1858 KY

Daisy Sansom and Ethel Sansom Hobbs

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - A PICTURE OF MY GRANDMOTHER AND HER SISTER

DAISY SANSOM - LEFT
ETHEL SANSOM HOBBS - RIGHT

Minnie Hobbs Samples

This is my great Aunt, Minnie Hobbs who married Roy Dick Samples 25 Sep 1922 in Logan County WV.
What I know:
Minnie Hobbs was b. in Mingo County WV in 1906. Parents: G.W. (George) and Victora McCoy
1910 Mingo County WV census, age 6, born in West Virginia.
1920 United States Federal Census
about Minnie Hobbs
Name: Minnie Hobbs
Home in 1920: Logan, Logan, West Virginia
Age: 15 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1905
Birthplace: West Virginia
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Father's Name: George
Father's Birth Place: West Virginia
Mother's Name: Victora
Mother's Birth Place: West Virginia
Marital Status: Single
Race: White Sex: Female
Able to read: Yes Able to Write: Yes
Image: 169
Household Members:
Name Age
George Hobbs 57
Victora Hobbs 52
Minnie Hobbs 15
Hugh Hobbs 12
Graenway Hobbs 8
Children: Minnie and husband Roy had three children that I know of:
Rose Marie b. 1926, Roy Dick b. 1928, and William D. b. 1929.

I would love to know more about her!

Narrows Giles County Virginia

I've been doing some online research in hopes of finding out more about the area my great grandmother Josie (Minter? Tilley?) Johnson Parks came from. She was supposedly born in Narrows, Giles County, Virginia. It is very close to the West Virginia border. Josie lived in McDowell County WV as a wife and mother, and died there as well.
So I started by seeing what info was online about Narrows. I was very excited to find that Giles County has a beautiful website! Very well laid out, gorgeous photos, and very useful information.

Here is a link to one source from the Giles County.org website: Narrows Virginia
The first settlers were in the vicinity in the 1770's.

This page of the Giles County VA site includes a google map of the area including Narrows VA.

And here is the resource page for Giles County Historical Society genealogy page which includes info on their research services and office hours, and family files and books.

I was EXCITED to find on their Family Files List the surname Tillie! There is no mention of the surname Minter. Could that be a stronger indication that Josie's maiden name might have indeed been Tilley? We shall see...

Surname Saturday - More Sansom Ansectors

This is Jennings Sansom, a brother to my Great Grandpa Millard Sansom.


Uncles

CORA SANSOM ADKINS

Cora Sansom Adkins was my great Aunt. Her brother Millard Sansom was my great grandpa. Both are children of Greenville Sansom and Adalaide Gilkerson Sansom.
I don't know a lot about Cora other than that she was a twin sister of Nora Sansom, and this small amount of info about her, her marriage and children:

Birth:
Cora was b. 27 Nov 1886 in Wayne County, West Virginia.
Marriage:
Cora Sansom m. Jasper Adkins (b. 23 Dec 1873) on 2 Apr 1874 in Wayne County.

I know of 3 children of this couple:
David, Jasper (Jr.) and Inez.

Would love to know more about Cora, and whether or not her sister Nora survived. I know that Green and Adalaide had 17 children altogether, but only 11 survived until adulthood.

Here is a picture of Cora in later years:

A Brick Wall Ancestor - Josephine Minter or Tilley (Tillie?)

We all have brick wall ancestors... one of mine is my great grandmother who was named Josephine or Josie, however her correct maiden name remains a mystery in my family tree.

Here is what I have found so far:

1. She seems to have been married 3 times.
Husband one - John Johnston
Husband two - Bill Gardner
Husband three - Evans Parks

She was born in May 1877 or January 1878, possibly in Narrows, Giles County, Virginia, or one record says b. in KY.

She died 9 Aug 1917 in Iager, McDowell County, West Virginia.

MAIDEN NAME:
Her son Ray's delayed birth certificate lists her maiden name as Minter.
Her son Sherman's obituary gives it as Tillie, but I've never been able to find her on census records under either surname.
Her daughter Thelma's social security application lists it as 'Jossie unknown'.

In 1900 she appears on the census for McDowell County WV with husband John Johnston and 3 children.

In 1910 she appears on the census for McDowell County WV as a widow, mother of 6 children, 5 living. All the children have the surname 'Gardner' on this census although at least three of her children were Johnston's. The youngest child on the 1910 census was my Grandmother, Bessie Parks. She appears as Bessie Gardner in 1910, age 18 months (or could be 8 months). Evans Parks is also in the household, listed as 'brother in law'. Evans Parks was married to Fannie Johnston, sister of Josie's 1st husband John Johnston.

Sometime after She married Evans Parks 13 July 1913 and had 3 or 4 children by him:
Bessie Louise (my Grandma), Clyde Parks, Sherman Parks and Dolly Worley Parks.

Dolly died as a baby. Bessie went by the name of Parks, don't know if she was a Parks or a Gardner.

She died when my Grandma Bessie was only 8 years old. My mother said her mom told her that Josephine loved to sing and play the piano. Maybe that is where some of our family musical talent was inherited from! I would love to know more about Josephine and her ancestry.

WILLIAM W. PARKS AND WIFE LUCINDA

Here is a quick look at my G-G-Grandfather, William W. Parks and his wife Lucinda ?.
William Parks was born c. 1844 in Rowan Country, North Carolina, the son of Dempsey Parks and Nancy Bean Parks.

1850 Census - William appears as Willa Parks age 6 in Rowan County North Carolina with parents and siblings.

1870 Census - William appears in Grayson County, Virginia, Old Town Township, Nuchollsville Post Office b. North Carolina, age 26, with wife Cenia age 25.

1880 Census - William appears in Grayson Couty, Virginia, Old Town Dist. (Dist. 39),
age 36, b. NC, parents both b. NC, occupation : machinist, wife Sennae age 35.

1900 Census - wife Senah (Lucinda) appears as widowed on this census, in household of son Day? Parks and his family, in Grayson County, Old Town Dist.

Family of William W. Parks and Lucinda:
Evans Alexander Parks b. Sep or Nov 1869 (this is my great grandfather)
Sarah Parks b. abt 1873
Jefferson Parks b. Dec 1874
Rosa L. Parks b. abt 1877
Alberta Parks b. Oct 1879
Ennis Parks b. Apr 1886
Ollie Parks b. Mar 1888

Victoria McCoy Hobbs

Here is the death certificate for my Great-grandmother, Victoria McCoy Hobbs
She died July 27, 1935 in Logan West Virginia
The death certificate shows her parents to be Compton Runyon and Victora McCoy, both of KY, but that is a bit mysterious to me. I remember my Dad mentioning some Runyon relatives but my records show Victoria's parents to be William A. McCoy and Sarah Ann Maynard. The informant on the death certificate was Myrtle Farley, the daughter of Victoria (and also wife of H.H. Farley the attending doctor).

Meadow Garden - Home Of George Walton Signer Of The Declaration Of Independence

On our first trip to Georgia in February to see our son at Fort Gordon, he took us to visit the riverfront area for some sightseeing. On the way we crossed over a road named Walton Way. My 'genealogy ears' perked up because I knew that we had Walton connections to Augusta back during the Revolutionary War era. My son pulled out his handy smartphone and checked some things, and found that on Walton Way is the old restored home of George Walton, signer of the Declaration Of Independence, and my great great great uncle. We stopped by and the house was closed but decided that we would for sure visit it on our next Georgia trip.
My son and his family went to tour the home a couple of times and then last month my husband and I went to visit our son Easter and were able to take a tour of the home, given by a sweet volunteer member of the DAR, who maintain the home.
George Walton was raised by his uncle and aunt George Walton and Martha Hughes Walton, my direct ancestor. It was wonderful to walk through his home and see a picture on the wall of Martha Hughes, my great great great great(?)Grandmother! I think this is the first time I have ever stood in an 'ancestor's' home and it was a wonderful feeling of connection with our familys' past. Here is a photo of us at the home that day:

A New Link

I was so happy today to hear from a fellow genealogist who came across the maiden name of my great great grandmother, a name I had searched for many times without success. Thank you to David ____ for sharing with me.
I want to do some research now to fill out more details, but here are the basics he game me:

Mary Adaline Adkins, wife of P.M. Adkins d. Mar 15 1944 in Cabell County WV.
Listed as parents were Benjamin F. Nunley and Elizabeth Jane Odell
Jane listed as being from Tazewell Virginia.

Benjamin's wife has always been just plain "Jane" to me until today. Odell is a brand new surname I've never researched. I can't wait to begin!

History Of Logan County West Virginia

The History of Logan County....Updated...Now Available

The "History of Logan County" was originally written by Henry Clay Ragland about the year 1896. Notes by additional historians and genealogists have been added. All proceeds from the first printing of this book will be donated to the Logan County Historical Society and the Logan County Landmark Commission to purchase a statue in the likeness of Chief John Logan. First printing, 1996.

"The History of Logan County" can be ordered from:

* Chamber of Commerce, 214 Stratton Street, Logan, WV 25601, Phone Number: (304) 752-1324.
* Price is $15 plus $1.50 shipping

I am interested in Logan County because my Dad was born there and my Mom and Dad were both raised there. I think it's time to simply order a copy of my own, instead of reading bits and pieces from online sources. If any of my readers are interested in Logan County West Virginia, here is the information for requesting a copy.

Genealogy Blogging For Family Relations

Tomorrow I will be teaching a beginner's genealogy blogging course at a local family history conference. I certainly don't feel like an expert, but I do love genealogy blogs and the wonderful way they can connect family members together!
My focus will be on making sure each newbie blogger knows how to label their posts, how to set up their sidebar gadgets to help readers find family research information quickly, and how to make sure they have maximum SEO (search engine optimization) to help google and other browsers find their blog articles quickly.
Wish me luck! I always learn more than I teach when I do a class of this kind. Hopefully I can bring some of that new knowledge to my blog next week.

Adalade Gilkerson Sansom 1859-1940

Let me tell you a little about Adalade Gilkerson, a wonderful lady in my family tree. Adalade is my G-G-Grandmother.

She was born on 17 Sep 1859 in Wayne County Virginia (later West Virginia), to Ira and Sarah (Price) Gilkerson. She married Green Sansom on 2 Apr 1874 when she was 14 yrs old by the records, although she stated on a later census record that she was 17 at the time of her marriage. Census records show that she was the mother of 17 children, 11 of whom survived until adulthood.

Adalade and Green lived in Wayne County WV. One correspondence note I have says that Green was previously married to someone with the surname or Clark, but I have no further records of her beyond that.

Adalade died on 7 Nov 1940 in Lavalette, Wayne County, West Virginia and was buried there in the Adkins Cemetery.

Clyde Parks - West Virginia - 1911 to 1938

Clyde Parks was one of my Mom's uncles, and a very nice man according to her. He had blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and looked very much like his sister Bessie (my Grandma). He was killed at age 25 in a mine accident, as he was "a mine car dropper, [and] was crushed to death beneath the wheels of four rail cars" according to a
Charleston Daily Mail Article. At that time he was living with his sister Thelma and her husband and kids. My mom also lived with them at the time.
According to Louise Ball, another of Clyde's sisters, he is buried at the Hatfield Cemetery in Sarah Ann West Virginia. His death certificate also shows him as buried there. I looked for a grave marker for him when I made a trip there in July 1998, but couldn't find his grave. Probably another case of no money for a marker, the same as with my grandfather Henry Simpson.