I Had A Genealogy Happy Dance Moment Today! :)

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Okay, I had one of those genealogy happy dance moments today! I found another cousin. WooHoo! Had a lovely conversation on the phone with her this morning and I am still grinning from ear to ear. 

To my newly found cousin, thank you for being open to talking to me today. I learned so much and I am so proud of our shared family history. I look forward to speaking to you again over the phone.

And yes this is another cliffhanger. Please don't hate now. I know I have this bad habit of doing this but the reason why it is a cliffhanger is that I did not get a chance to ask my newly found cousin about what the guidelines are about what I can blog about.

I only share information when it is agreed upon by both parties.

I couldn't contain my excitement though! WooHoo! I have another cousin.

  

The term cliffhanger made me go to YouTube just now to see if I could find a certain clip from a children's TV show that my son used to love. This is from the show "Between the Lions" which used to run on PBS. I played it for him as I was writing this post and he said..."Hey, I remember that!" Oh, these kids grow up so fast. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Morehead City School Picture?

This picture is from my grandmother's family album. I think it is perhaps a school picture from the old Morehead City Negro school, but I don't know that for certain. On the back of it, Linwood Bryant's name is written on it. Linwood Bryant was my grand uncle, a sibling to my maternal grandmother Mary Horton. I am assuming the people who have x's on them were perhaps school friends or family. I have no idea who Mattie is in regards to family relations. In the front row, 3rd from the left there is a a boy with a star marked in ink on him and the word "boy" in front of him. Could this be Linwood? 

Here's a picture of the Bryant siblings as adults. Linwood is in the center of the shot. What do you think?

Life Is A Carousel, Enjoy The Ride!

I had a great time with the family at a local park today. We watched one of the cycling races of the Chris Thater Memorial. The Chris Thater Memorial is a series of races held each year in August in honor of cyclist Chris Thater who was killed by a drunk driver. The race course follows a route around a beautiful Binghamton west-side park called Recreation Park. Recreation Park is near and dear to my heart because that is where my husband and I were married in March 2005. Here's a link to our wedding day photos Wedding Wednesday: My Wedding March 30, 2005

Of the many features of the park, is a beautiful antique carousel that was created by Allan Herschell Companies of North Tonowanda, NY.  It's a given with my kids that if the carousel is open, we're riding it. So today we rode our gallant horses to the sounds of the Wurlitzer Band Organ and tossed our cares to the wind.

Life is a carousel.

Everyone has his or her turn.

There are ups and there are downs

but no matter what the carousel keeps spinning.

Hold on tight or you may fall.

Enjoy the music and the views.

Take in the glow of the shining lights.

It all goes by way too fast.

So be present with what you see in each sight.

Life is a carousel.

Hope you enjoy the ride!

And remember...

Wordless Wednesday: Dad In A Baby Carriage

My dad is in the baby carriage looking adorable.

Winter of 1942.

I wonder what he's looking at. 

Be careful dad, you're going to fall out.

Military Monday: World War II Draft Registration Cards --John T. Harrison and George A. Harrison

WWII Draft Registration Card for John Thomas Harrsion Jr.

Source Citation: The National Archives Southeast Region; Atlanta, GA; Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group: RG 147; Class: RG147, North Carolina World War II Draft Registration Cards; Box Number: 155.

WWII Draft Registration Card for George Augustus Harrison

Source Citation: The National Archives Southeast Region; Atlanta, GA; Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group: RG 147; Class: RG147, North Carolina World War II Draft Registration Cards; Box Number: 155.

John Thomas Harrison Jr. and George Augustus Harrison were my grand uncles. They were siblings of my maternal grandfather, Lemuel Richard Harrison.

I like draft cards because they help to give a quick snapshot into the lives of people. From these cards, I know places of employment for both men and that George still resided in his childhood home. John Thomas Harrison Jr, the eldest of thirteen, had established himself at a separate address. 

I will have to see if I can find any information online about the places that they worked at.

So Happy That Cousins Will Be Connecting Today

You may recall my my blog posts Thankful Thursday: Thank Goodness I Began My Blog --Part one, Thank Goodness I Began My Blog --Part two, and Thank Goodness I Began My Blog --Part three. If you missed this series click on the links above to read. Those posts will provide the background on why I am so excited today.

Today, my mother and her first cousin Rudi are going to speak via Skype for the first time. This will be my first time speaking to him on Skype. We had spoken over the phone previously but I just can't wait to see him. You know I will be analyzing his face and every expression to see if I can catch a glimpse of any of my grandfather's mannerisms. My maternal grandfather, Lemuel Harrison, and Rudi's father, Rudolph Henry Harrison, were brothers.

I can't get over how amazingly blessed we all are to live in a time when this is possible.

Feeling happy!

Mappy Monday: Now I Know Where To Go!

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Okay, I am going to have to save up my pennies and plan another trip to New Bern and Morehead City. The reason why is, now I know where the family land was located in Riverdale, NC. Riverdale is a little town located approximately 9 miles south of New Bern and was where my Mitchell and Sampson family lines once lived. I had plotted out a guesstimate of where I thought the property may have been in a prior post called Mappy Monday: So where was Mortimer Mitchell's land.

It turns out my guesstimate wasn't too bad. I was online a couple weeks ago looking up info on the Craven County Register of Deeds website when I had found the deed regarding the property my grandmother, Mary Horton, and her siblings had sold in 1998. While reviewing the deed, I found a section that mentioned a survey map that had been created by Atlantic Survey & Design.

Survey info listed on the 1998 deed

I called the Craven County Register of Deeds office and asked someone there about the survey map "recorded in Plat Cabinet G at Slide 54-H of the Craven County Registry" if it could be viewed online or if I would need to request a photocopy. It wasn't available online but for the cost of $2.00 and a self addressed envelope they would be able to send me a copy.

And so here's that copy:

Now in the deed for my 3rd great grandfather's property he purchased back in 1878, there is a reference to both Great Branch and Meeting House Branch. Here is a section of that deed.

land situate in the ______and bounded and described as follows lying in the north west side of the Meeting house branch beginning where the Main Road crosses said branch thence down the branch to the great branch and with the great branch to the said Vine A Tolsons Corner to a marked bay. Thence the said Tolsons live to the Main Road thence with said to the beginning. In the above tract of land there six acres to be excepted for the use of the church and school house the remainder the said part of the second parties.

At last, I now know the Meeting House Branch was also referring to a stream or waterway just like the Great Branch. Previously, I had figured out that Great Branch was a stream when I pulled up a terrain map on Google Maps.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

Family property highlighted in blue..

Here's a view of the property courtesy of Google:

At some point, I will have to take a drive down Tebo Rd :)

Wordless Wednesday: Busted!

I was flipping through my daughter's baby pictures today and laughed

 out loud when I came across this one. I completely forgot about it.

At last, her secret is out.

Amanuensis Monday: Frank Bryant And Ophelia Jones's Marriage Certificate

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I love receiving things in the mail and what a treat it was last week to receive my great grandparents marriage license in the mail. Secretly I was hoping beyond hope to find the name of Frank Bryant's father listed on it, so I could finally break down this brick wall. No one in the family knows who he was and I have not been able to find any records which disclose this important piece of information. I knew it probably wouldn't be there, but one can always hope, right?

State of North Carolina                                                           Office of Register of Deeds

Carteret County                                                                          November 3, 1911

To any Ordained Minister of any Religious Denomination, or any Justice of the Peace of said County:

Frank L Bryan having applied to me for a LICENSE for the marriage of Frank L Bryan, of Morehead City, aged 21 years, color (looks like colored is written over white) the son of __________________and Caroline Bryan, the father now dead the mother now living, resident of Morehead City, NC and Ophelia T Jones, of Morehead City, aged 18 years, color (same thing here, written over colored) the daughter of Alex Jones and Rosa Jones the father living, the mother living, resident of Morehead City, NC

     And the written comment of _________________________,the____________________________
of the said____________________, to the proposed marriage having been filed with me:
     And there being no legal impediment to such marriage known to me, you are hereby authorized, at any time within one year from the date hereof to celebrate the proposed marriage at any place within the said county.
     You are required, within two months after you shall have celebrated such marriage, to return this license to me, at my office, with your signature subscribed to the Certificate under this license, and with the blanks therein filled according to the facts, under penalty of forfeiting two hundred dollars to the use of any person who shall sue for the same.

No._______                                                                     W J Wallace
                                                                                                                       Register of Deeds

     Frank L Bryan being duly sworn says:  That the parties applying for License are of lawful age, (i.e. each are over 18 years of age), and, so far as he is informed and believes, there is no lawful cause or impediment forbidding said marriage. I further swear that the answers appended to the questions asked me are correct and true. 
     Sworn to and subscribed before me on day and date above
written.
     W J Wallace                                      }                         Frank L Bryant 
                            Register of Deeds                                                               Affiant

State of North Carolina     }

                            County

     I, Samuel Cox, a missionary Baptist united in matrimony Frank L Bryan and Ophelia Jones the parties licensed above, on the 3rd day of November 1911 at Morehead City____________, in Morehead City Township, in said County, according to law,

          * WITNESSES PRESENT AT MARRIAGE:
L O Jones  of  Morehead
Mamie C B of Morehead
Mary E Jones of Morehead                                                   Samuel Cox 
                                                                                                                     Officiating Officer



Some interesting things to note. The registrar spelled the family surname without the "t" on the end. Also, Caroline Bryan is listed as his mother. In actuality, Frank Bryant's mother was a Jonas Bryant and Caroline was his grandmother. Perhaps this was an assumption made by the registrar or perhaps Frank felt closer to his grandmother than his own mother. Unfortunately, there is no father listed.

SisterFriend

This note is for someone special and dear to me. My SisterFriend lost her mom last week and today is the day she and her family will celebrate her life. I wish there were words of comfort that I could say that would just take it all away, but I know there are no words that can do that. I just want to say SisterFriend, my heart is with you today. May the Lord continue to send you strength and comfort to make it through this tough time. To my bonus Mom in heaven, I love you and thank you for your love, kindness, and just beautiful spirit. Thank you for always being so supportive. Be at peace now. You have earned your rest. 

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