Caddo Parish
The Mysteries of Adline Gines & Belle Wheeler
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 it spelled that wya …
October 2, 2009 Friday at 6:54 pm
Freedman’s Bank Records Open New Doors, Reveal Much
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 Columbia, where former slaves, black …
September 5, 2009 Saturday at 9:41 am
George Guynes [Gines] Freedman’s Bank Record
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 to surmise that they were the …
September 2, 2009 Wednesday at 8:15 am
“So What Makes You So Sure You’ve Knocked Down a Brick Wall?”
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 Long in Kansas …
August 7, 2009 Friday at 6:26 pm
The Process of Breaking 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 had fairly easily …
August 6, 2009 Thursday at 9:36 pm
Breaking Down the Wall-Prologue
First in a multi-part series I started my serious research in December of 2003. From the beginning, my leading goal was to discover the paternity of Richard Gines of Shreveport,Louisiana, my great-grandfather. I knew very little about him; until I was an adult, I had never heard his name. And then, over the years, my mother gradually began telling me …
August 4, 2009 Tuesday at 6:48 pm
Breaking News: Man Smashes Through Brick Wall in Louisiana!
I have done it! I’ve made my greatest genealogical discovery ever! For five years, my top research priority has been to discover the parentage of my great-grandfather, Richard Gines of Shreveport, Louisiana. Following an intensified search this spring and summer, I can now say with the appropriate degree of confidence utilizing the Genealogical Proof Standard, that I have solved this …
August 3, 2009 Monday at 5:19 pm
I Try to Kiss & Make Up with Caddo’s Clerk
Awhile ago, in a fit of technologically self-righteous pique, I vented my spleen over the process to access Caddo Parish, Louisiana, records online. Perhaps I was too harsh. Less than a week ago, I sent to Caddo Parish by snail mail a request for some certified copies of certain records. Today, I have the records in my hands and have …
June 22, 2009 Monday at 7:24 pm
Way Around the Brick Wall: The Plantations
As we were making our long way around the brick wall of my great-grandfather Richard William Gines (1860-?), the trail led to several plantations in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. The first plantation we found was called Marydale. What attracted us here was a nearly forgotten tax record from Tensas Parish that showed Rebecca Gines and “Don” Gines living on the …
June 4, 2009 Thursday at 1:42 pm
When A Wild Goose Chase Isn’t A Wild Goose Chase
Some Lessons from Our Pursuit of Egans Gines We had started out to get past the brick wall of my great-grandfather, Richard William Gines, who was born in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in about 1860. After years no success either on the ground (we visited Bossier Parish as well as Caddo Parish in 2004 to research this matter) or online, we …
May 22, 2009 Friday at 6:44 pm
