The more you learn, the more you don’t know.
One of the men named Henry Gines (and that’s a whole other story) was married to a woman named Adline Gines. Wanting to know more about her, I obtained her death certificate some time ago. [Her name is spelled "Adline" on her death certificate and I've seen [...]
Continue reading about The Mysteries of Adline Gines & Belle Wheeler
Resolving Conflicting Data
North Carolina? Arkansas? Alabama? In the last post, we saw that all of these had been offered as possible birthplaces for my gg-grandfather, John Wesley Bowie. I said I’d bet on Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Why?
What does one do when confronted by multiple conflicting data? Let’s start with the fact that the researcher at [...]
Sunday Monday Tuesday Afternoon Take on Saturday Night Genealogical Fun: John Wesley Bowie
(Yeah, it took awhile to get this together!)
Randy Seaver at Genea-musings has made a relatively regular item a feature called “Saturday Night Genealogical Fun.” It usually involves some quiz or meme or game and is highly popular with the [...]
Continue reading about John Wesley Bowie was born . . . where??
This was produced for the 17th edition of “Smile for the Camera”
I really don’t have much in the way of photographs on my ancestors’ school days. I have in the past posted school census records from the very early twentieth century in Milam County, Texas, where my gg-grandmother and her descendants lived. But I know [...]
Continue reading about Good Schools A Staple of Ancestors’ Lives
The Freedman’s Bank, a distinct entity from the Freedman’s Bureau, was established by Congress on March 3, 1865. The bank’s official name was the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. The bank’s purpose was to assist African-Americans recently freed from bondage to adjust and thrive economically. It had branches in 16 states and the District of [...]
Continue reading about Freedman’s Bank Records Open New Doors, Reveal Much
George Gines appeared on the 1870 census of Caddo Parish, Louisiana as “George Guion.” In April, 1872, however, the Freedman’s Bank lists him as “George Guynes.” The bank record also lists “Ed” and “Henry” apparently as separate persons. The absence of Ed on the census, combined with known family naming patterns, had led me [...]
Continue reading about George Guynes [Gines] Freedman’s Bank Record
Hint: You’re Not Going to Disneyland!
Next in a multi-part series
As with a physical barrier, breaking through a genealogical “brick wall” may expose an entirely new landscape. The new landscape must be explored, analyzed, and documented. In other words, once the barrier is breached, the real work begins. If one realizes this fact early, the new [...]
Continue reading about You’ve Broken Down a Brick Wall–Now What?
Fifth in a multi-part series
I had hypothesized that my Gines people were associated with English-speaking people named Gines who came from the West Midlands area. They came to Virginia and North Carolina and from there moved on to South Carolina and other states of the Deep South, eventually winding up in Louisiana and Texas. That [...]
Continue reading about Breaking Down A Brick Wall–The Problem with Surnames, Part II
Remember the The Wrong Longs?
Third in a multi-part series
One of my other great-grandfathers on my mother’s side was named James William Long. As with Richard William Gines, I set out to find the parents of James Long. That search seemed like a stroll in the park compared to this one! I quickly found a James [...]
Continue reading about “So What Makes You So Sure You’ve Knocked Down a Brick Wall?”
Second in a multi-part series
Here’s a synopsis of how I achieved my #1 research goal: finding the parents of my great-grandfather, Richard Gines of Shreveport, Louisiana. Bear in mind that eahcof these steps took months or even years to complete and some ran concurrently.
Step 1: The Neophyte Phase. I was new to genealogical research and [...]
Continue reading about The Process of Breaking Down a Brick Wall
