Milam County
Nana’s 100th Anniversary
JESSIE BEATRICE BOWIE 1909-1973 Jessie Beatrice Bowie was my paternal grandmother. She was born in San Antonio, Texas, on January 11, 1909. She was the daughter of Elias Bowie, Sr.(1874-1970) and Hattie Bryant (1888-1944). Hattie had been born on the Texas Gulf Coast. After a brief marriage at age 15 and another relationship, she headed for San Antonio with her …
January 10, 2009 Saturday at 5:35 pm
Vote!
I first voted in the 1972 elections; as far as I know, my parents have voted in every election since 1954. But, of course, not all of my ancestors had the right to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870, provides: Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied …
November 1, 2008 Saturday at 6:43 pm
Carnival of Genealogy: 106 Years in America–And More!
One ancestor I’m really trying to learn more about is my great-great-grandfather William (“Billie”) Sanford. He was born in 1809 in Virginia and died in 1916 in Texas at the age of 106! A book I read says that he is the oldest person buried in the “colored” section of the Old City Cemetery in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas. (170 …
July 16, 2008 Wednesday at 4:24 am
A Memorable Visit
In my Jamboree posts the week before last, I alluded to a special mission I had attended to as part of my trip to Southern California. I took part of the time I was there to meet my father’s step-mother. I never knew that my father had a step-mother, as such, until the last few years, or so it seems …
July 12, 2008 Saturday at 11:30 pm
History Comes to Dinner
Actually I’m going to dinner at the home of my great-great grandmother, Matilda Manson, in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas, on a day in 1900. Grandma Mattie has been kind enough, at my suggestion, to invite her son Otis, and his wife Bettie Sanford, as well as Bettie’s 90 year old father, Billie Sanford. Bettie is pregnant with their fourth child, …
February 2, 2008 Saturday at 4:55 am
Where Was Your Family in 1908?
Lisa, who has the energy to write several interesting blogs, posed the question, “Where was your family in 1908?” on, appropriately enough, her 100 Years in America blog. A century ago, neither of my paternal grandparents had been born yet, although one, my grandmother Jessie Beatrice Bowie, was just a year away. Her parents, my great-grandparents, Hattie Bryant and Elias …
January 9, 2008 Wednesday at 3:26 am
Important Genealogical Tip: Try, Try Again!
An important tip in genealogical research is to re-plow ground you’ve already been over before. And if that’s not productive, do it again! Why? Because it works. Miriam at Ancestories had a Christmas Day surprise when she finally found some elusive in-laws for whom she had searched for years. In an idle moment, she tried again on-line and there they …
December 27, 2007 Thursday at 12:09 am
My Families’ Weddings
She’s there every morning, watching me, this pretty teenager. Her eyes dipped slightly, confident yet demure; slender and shy. She grips a rosary in her hands. A long veil falls down her back to the floor where it merges with the pool that is the train of her dress. She watches me, this teenager from across the room, from across …
October 2, 2007 Tuesday at 2:38 am
HARP is Off to a Great Start!
HARP, the Historical Appellate Review Project, has had a great launch. We are already pursuing several cases and have had inquiries about several more. These may take months to resolve, but we’ll tell the stories here! A HARP Case One of the HARP cases I’m pursuing for my own family is that of my great-grandmother, Bettie Sanford Manson. She was …
September 23, 2007 Sunday at 4:59 am
Debunking A Family Myth
I’ve written about this before, but it fits this topic exactly, so I’ve reached into the archives and dusted this one off. Matilda Manson is listed in the 1850 census of Talbot County, Georgia, with her mother, Jane Manson and her sister, Mary Manson. Matilda’s age is given as 6 years old; Mary is reported to be 4, and their …
September 1, 2007 Saturday at 10:35 pm
