Friday's Photo: Eliza Catherine Wimberly Davis - From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark

Maggie Martin Cook and Alice Mae Davis Regan

This photograph of Eliza Catherine Wimberly Davis was identified by Maggie Martin Cook as Eliza Davis on the back. Maggie’s handwriting was later identified by her granddaughter.

Eliza Catherine Wimberly was born 20 July 1856 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, the daughter of William Wimberly and Mary Angelina Pittman Wimberly. She was the fifth child of William and Mary, and the fourteenth child of William. Eliza died 29 February 1928 in Bienville Parish and was buried in Wimberly Cemetery, where her grave is marked.

On 23 April 1874, Eliza married Henry Jefferson Davis, son of William Martin Davis and Emily Smith or Smythe Davis. Henry was born on 22 June 1852 in Bienville Parish and died there on 20 December 1884. He is also buried in Wimberly Cemetery.

Eliza and Henry had five children: Mary Louella, Emily Alberta, Willie Jane, Henry “Bud” Martin, and Alice Mae. According to the Wimberly book, as shared by Chester Regan Cummings, great-grandson of Eliza, Henry died of pneumonia just six months after Alice Mae’s birth. Eliza was left to raise five children without their father.

Although Eliza was not a descendant of any of my
Bienville Parish ancestors, two of her daughters
 married into my family. H. J. Giddens was a
descendant of my third-great-grandfather’s brother,
Jacob Giddens. J. B. Regan was a descendant of my
second-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Regan Bryan.

The same account describes Eliza as a determined and courageous mother who kept her family strong and secure. She maintained her home and raised her children until her son, Henry Martin Davis, married. Eliza then lived with Henry and his wife, Jeffer McGraw, until her death.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

Eliza Davis, photograph, no date; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas, on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission. 

Maggie Martin Cook and Alice Mae Davis Regan, photograph, no date; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission. 

The Times, March 3, 1928, Page 22. via Newspapers.com  (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-eliza-c-wimberly-davis-obit/196748333/: accessed May 2, 2026), clip page for Eliza C. Wimberly Davis - obituary by user dewquinn

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837, print (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), pages 587-630.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #13 Sarah Reed Hill and Her Granddaughter’s Memory of Benjamin Reed

Sarah Reed was born in Abington, Massachusetts, in 1757, married Joel Hill in Cummington, and later spent her final years in Vermont. At first, her life seems to survive only in scattered facts—birth, marriage, children, and death. But family memories passed down through her granddaughter make Sarah a much more interesting person in my search to identify the parents of her probable brother and my fourth-great-grandfather, Benjamin Reed.

Sarah Reed's Birth Record - 26 August 1757

Sarah was the daughter of Peter Reed and Lucy Hugens Reed. She was born on 26 August 1757. When Sarah was twenty-two years old, her father was said to have died on 18 February 1780. Cyril Nash wrote in his manuscript, “At the death of Peter his widow removed to the westward probably to Cummington, and Samuel to the same place, where she died.” Samuel was Sarah’s youngest brother and would have been 19 years old in 1780.

Nash did not mention Peter and Lucy’s daughters, Sarah and Joanna, in that passage. Still, his writings are important because they tell much about the families of Peter Reed and Benjamin Reed. Nash's writings were included in The Reed Genealogy: descendants of William Reade, of Weymouth, Mass., from 1635-1902, by John Ludovicus Reed. In this book, Benjamin was named a son of Peter.

On 21 October 1782, Sarah Reed married Joel Hill in Cummington, Massachusetts. That location did not surprise me. Lucy Reed was said to have moved west after Peter’s death. Sarah’s sister Joanna also married in Cummington. Benjamin Reed had been in Cummington before 1775. Sarah’s marriage there fits the movement of the family.

Over the next fifteen years, Sarah and Joel had six children: Samuel, Lucius, David, Sarah Jane called Sally, Electa, and Laura. Land records indicate that Joel and Sarah Hill remained in Massachusetts from the time of their marriage until about 1808. Before moving to Vermont, they lived in Rowe, near the Massachusetts–Vermont line. Their first home in Vermont was Marlboro in Windham County, a short distance from Rowe.

Later records place Joel and members of the family in Marlboro, Jamaica, and Dummerston. Joel died in Dummerston in 1843 and is buried there. Sarah is said to have died earlier, on 29 December 1836.

Sarah’s children help trace the family’s Vermont story. They remained in Windham County and married into other Windham County families, including Church, Blake, Phillips, Rawson, and Brown families. But the most interesting part of Sarah’s story comes from her granddaughter's memories, preserved in The Reed Genealogy.

In The Reed Genealogy, John Ludovicus Reed wrote that Sarah’s granddaughter, Mrs. John V. Evans of West Dummerston, remembered Sarah well. She also remembered Sarah’s brother Benjamin. Mrs. Evans said that Sarah had lived for a time with Dr. Braddish’s family in Bridgewater and was in Bridgewater on the Dark Day, 19 May 1780. While living in Vermont, Sarah often spoke of Abington, Bridgewater, Plainfield, Cummington, and Milford. She must have spoken of those places often enough that her granddaughter carried the memories into old age.

That granddaughter was Louisa Emeline Hill, later Mrs. John V. Evans. Louisa was born in 1816 and is identified in The Reed Genealogy as Sarah’s granddaughter, not her daughter. Some family trees list Louisa as Sarah Reed Hill’s daughter, but the records found so far indicate she was probably Sarah’s granddaughter.*

Louisa’s memories are especially valuable because they connect Sarah Reed Hill’s family directly to Benjamin Reed’s household. In 1898, Mrs. Evans remembered visiting Benjamin Reed’s old house and said she knew Benjamin and Huldah well. She described them as "fine people, of good character, and well beloved by all who knew them."

Almira Reed
East Putney Cemetery

Mrs. Evans also remembered Benjamin and Huldah’s daughter Almira, who died in 1835, and said she was with Almira at the time of her death. That detail is worth noticing. Benjamin had died six months earlier. Deed records indicate that Sarah and her family were living in Jamaica, Vermont, a full day's journey by wagon or coach. Louisa’s presence with Almira suggests that the two families were still closely connected.

Sarah Reed Hill did not leave a record trail that tells her whole story. But through her granddaughter’s recollections, she becomes more than a name in the Reed family.

* Louisa Emeline Hill’s exact parentage needs further documentation. The Reed Genealogy identifies her as Sarah Reed Hill’s granddaughter. Lucius Hill named Louisa Emeline Hill as his niece in his will, and census and deed records show a continued association between Sally Hill and Louisa.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

“Abington, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-W74D?view=fullText

 : accessed 30 April 2025), image 7 of 152, birth entry for Sarah Reed; Image Group Number 007009636; citing Abington, Massachusetts, Town Clerk.

“Abington, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9979-W7G7?view=fullText

 : accessed 7 January 2025), image 11 of 152, birth entry for Samuel Reed; citing Abington, Massachusetts, Town Clerk.

C. McClellan & Co. and J. Chace, McClellan’s Map of Windham County, Vermont (Philadelphia: C. McClellan & Co.; lithographed by W. H. Rease, 1856), map, digital image, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2012586226/ : accessed 18 April 2026).

Ephraim H. Newton, The History of the Town of Marlborough, Windham County, Vermont, with introduction by John Clement (Montpelier: Vermont Historical Society, 1930); digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00newt/page/n9/mode/2up

 : accessed 18 April 2026).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499359/almira-read: accessed 4 July 2022), memorial page for Almira Read, Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499357, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont; memorial maintained by Cynthia Kaley, contributor 51056978; gravestone photograph by Donna G. Dunham, contributor 46871624.

“Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVR-832H-W?view=fullText

 : accessed 14 March 2026), image 456 of 562; Image Group Number 008131623; citing Massachusetts, Court of Common Pleas, Hampshire County.

“Jamaica, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8999-VWT4?view=fullText : accessed 9 May 2025), image 281 of 568, page 517 marriage of Luther Rawson and Electra Reed; Image Group Number 005463989; citing Jamaica, Vermont, Town Clerk.

“Jamaica, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8999-V4MD?view=fullText

 : accessed 9 May 2025), image 287 of 568, page 526 marriage of Laura Hill and Timothy Brown; Image Group Number 005463989; citing Jamaica, Vermont, Town Clerk.

“Jamaica, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37V-T9V2-C?view=fullText

 : accessed 22 February 2025), image 295 of 546, deed involving Joel Hill, Louisa Hill, and Sally Hill, 1839; original source not identified in supplied FamilySearch citation.

John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1635–1902, vol. 1 ([no place]: [no publisher], 1901); digital image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/reedgenealogydes01reed/page/n11/mode/2up

 : accessed 18 April 2026).

“Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626–2001,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH5P-Z7B

 : accessed 22 January 2025), entry for Joel Hill and Sarah Reed, marriage, 21 October 1782, Cummington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, page 2.

“Massachusetts, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9Z8-28QY?view=fullText

 : accessed 5 June 2024), image 178 of 715; citing Massachusetts, County Court, Hampshire County.

1860 U.S. census, Windham County, Vermont, population schedule, Jamaica, page 15, John V. Evans family; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4297354_00151: accessed 18 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, Eighth Census of the United States, 1860.

1870 U.S. census, Windham County, Vermont, population schedule, Jamaica, page 46, John V. Evans family; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/40457539: accessed 18 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870.

“Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732–2005,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPQ5-L9ZX: accessed 8 March 2024), entry for Joel Hill, death, 2 March 1843, Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont.

“Windham, Vermont, United States records,” digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BH-G349-7?view=fullText

 : accessed 6 May 2025), image 599 of 643, will of Lucas Hill; Image Group Number 007714786; original source not identified in supplied FamilySearch citation.

Friday's Photo: Cora Maud Thomas Tooke - From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark

Cora Maud Thomas Tooke  1883-1982

Cora Maud Thomas Tooke was born on 14 May 1883*in Louisiana, the third child of Newport L. Thomas and Lucy T. Wimberly Thomas.

On 15 October 1907, she married John Tooke. John was born on 17 May 1875, at Mt. Lebanon, Louisiana, the son of John Francis Tooke and Annie Cornelia McDaniel Tooke. Through his parents, he was part of a well-established family in Bienville Parish.

Cora and John had two daughters: Thelma Tooke, born 7 August 1908, and Lucy Annie Tooke, born about 1917 in Louisiana.

Cora’s life remained closely tied to Bienville Parish. She appears in census records in 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950, consistently living in the same community where she was raised.

Her husband, John Tooke, died on 26 October 1947, in Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Cora died on 19 February 1982, at the age of 98. She and her husband are buried in Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

*The photo of the cemetery stone, found at Find a Grave, shows Cora’s birth year as 1873; however, multiple census records and her reported age at death consistently support a birth year of 1883, which also appears in the Wimberly Family History.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

1900 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 4, enumeration district 6, sheet 4B, dwelling 40, family 40, Newport L. Thomas household, Cora M. Thomas; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/records/5897305

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T623.

1910 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 4, enumeration district 6, sheet 6B, dwelling 63, family 63, John Tooke household, Cora Tooke; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/166953192

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T624.

1920 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ward 4, enumeration district 23, sheet 6A, dwelling 118, family 124, John Tooke household, Cora Tooke; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/29023441

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T625.

1930 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 4, enumeration district 2, sheet 10A, dwelling 198, family 200, John Tooke household, Cora M. Tooke; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/34338058

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T626.

1940 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ward 4, enumeration district 7-16, sheet 1B, household 20, John Tooke household, Cora M. Tooke; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/123618735

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T627; shows name as Cora Maud.

1950 U.S. census, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Ward 4, enumeration district 7-19, sheet 2, line 14, Cora M. Tooke; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62308/records/74893396

 : accessed 24 April 2026); citing National Archives microfilm publication T628.

Cora Thomas Tooke, photograph, no date; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission. 

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90292348/cora_maud-tooke: accessed April 24, 2026), memorial page for Cora Maud Thomas Tooke (14 May 1883–19 Feb 1982), Find a Grave Memorial ID 90292348, citing Wimberly Cemetery, Bienville, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by A Footstep In Time (contributor 47345816).

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), page 127.

Friday’s Photo: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and Early Flights Found in the Baylor County Banner

First flight, December 17, 1903. Orville Wright at the controls and Wilbur Wright
running alongside to balance the machine just after releasing his hold on the wing.

“Some airplanes went over on Tuesday and another one yesterday. They did not stop or give any account of themselves. Perhaps after awhile airplanes will be so common that no mention will be necessary about them. In fact, even now some of the oil men at Ranger have purchased planes to be used in going to and from Fort Worth.”

— Baylor County Banner, 22 May 1919

Years ago, while searching the Baylor County Banner on microfilm, I came across the newspaper item transcribed above. It has remained one of my favorites because it says so much about how quickly things change. In 1919, airplanes were still unusual enough to be worth mentioning in the local paper, but before long, they became an ordinary part of life.

I remembered the little article last Friday when we took a day trip to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the museum there. It did a wonderful job of telling the story of the Wright brothers, not just the first flight, but everything that led up to it and all that followed. The first successful powered flight took place in 1903, and yet by World War I, airplanes were already being used in the war, even while horses were still important on the ground.

 

Baylor County Banner, 22 May 1919
as found on microfilm

Later, when I tried to find the Baylor County article at the Portal to Texas History, I discovered that it was not there. But while looking, I found several other Baylor County Banner articles about early flight. Since I have written very little about Baylor County and the Banner lately, I decided this was a good excuse to share some of them.

 

“Cheapest Aeroplane $7,500. New York, May 12.—The minimum price of a Wright aeroplane has been established at $7,500. But if a high speed machine, suitable for war purposes and carrying two passengers, be ordered, the aviator may raise the price to $25,000. This schedule of prices was announced last night by Orville Wright, who with his brother, Wilbur, started for Dayton, Ohio, today, after being tendered a reception here. ‘Of the sixty odd aeroplanes which we now have under construction at our Dayton plant,’ said Orville, ‘the cheapest will be $7,500. We have received orders for a number of these from individuals, and they will be delivered as rapidly as possible.”

— Baylor County Banner, 28 May 1909

“Jas. A. Russell left Monday for the Fair and said he was going up in the aeroplane with Art Smith. Hope we see our old friend alive again.”

— Baylor County Banner, 28 October 1915

“K. C. Plants and W. B. Craddick were in Haskell Tuesday to see the flying machine at the picnic there.”

— Baylor County Banner, 6 July 1916

“The prettiest sight we have seen in a great while was the airplane that passed over Monday afternoon; it was just low enough that the boys could be seen from a distance and answered our waving.”

— Baylor County Banner, 16 June 1921

“Mr. M. W. Coy came in Monday to report on his experience in going up in the airplane. He and Mrs. Coy each took a ride Sunday afternoon with Daredevil Lirette and enjoyed the experience immensely. In fact, Mr. Coy says he would not take $500 for his ride and his wife would not take $1,000 for her air ride. Mr. Coy has been living here for 30 years or more and has seen all of this country from the ground, but it was the first time he had ever seen the country from the air. He was up 2,000 feet, and the Brazos River looked like a little branch. Big farms looked like garden plots, and the court house seemed like a mere toy. Neither one of them had the least bit of fear about going up.”

— Baylor County Banner, 22 September 1921

“An airplane passed over here Saturday and Sunday, which reminds us of ‘Lady Mary’s’ remarks, that she did not understand why the airplane had not become common for passenger use in America. This will be coming before a great while. Not long ago Edward Stinson of Mineola, N. Y., who at one time did some stunt flying at Dallas, remained in the air for 26 hours, 19 minutes and 35 seconds. He and his companion would have been able to beat that if their oil pump had not broken. France evidently believes the airplane will figure largely in the next war, so she is working on the biggest plane the world has yet seen.”

— Baylor County Banner, 2 February 1922

 

The 1903 machine rests on the launching track at Big Kill Devil Hill before the December 14 trial. Four men from the Kill Devil Hills Life-Saving Station helped move it from the shed to the hill, accompanied by two small boys and a dog. This hill, where the monument now stands, was one of four massive sand dunes. The brothers climbed these dunes thousands of times while carrying out experiments in the years before their first flight.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 28 May 1909, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 16, no. 4, ed. 1, 28 October 1910, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 16, no. 6, ed. 1, 11 November 1910, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 21, no. 6, ed. 1, 28 October 1915, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 21, no. 42, ed. 1, 6 July 1916, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library. 

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 22 May 1919, page 4, column 4, untitled item beginning “Some airplanes went over on Tuesday,” microfilm in author’s possession.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 24, no. 38, ed. 1, 16 June 1921, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 24, no. 52, ed. 1, 22 September 1921, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), vol. 17, no. 19, ed. 1, 2 February 1922, newspaper; digital image, The Portal to Texas History ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ : accessed 16 April 2026); crediting Baylor County Free Library.

Diana Quinn, five color photographs of exhibits and views at Wright Brothers National Memorial and museum, Kill Devil Hills, Dare County, North Carolina, taken April 2026; privately held by Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2026.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, “[1903 machine on the launching track at Big Kill Devil Hill, prior to the December 14th trial …],” photograph, 14 December 1903; digital image, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001696493/

 : accessed 16 April 2026), reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppprs-00612, call no. LC-W86-21 [P&P]; from Wright Brothers Negatives; “No known restrictions.”

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, “[First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina],” photograph, 17 December 1903; digital image, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (https://loc.gov/pictures/item/00652085/ : accessed 16 April 2026), reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppprs-00626, call no. LC-W86-35 (Cabinet A) [P&P]; from Wright Brothers Negatives; “No known restrictions on publication.”

Mexia Weekly Herald (Mexia, Texas), vol. 11, ed. 1, 8 December 1910, newspaper, Dode Fisk Shows advertisement; digital image, The Portal to Texas History (https://texashistory.unt.edu/  : accessed 16 April 2026).

1000 Posts: More Than Names and Dates

This is my 1,000th blog post.

I never imagined I would write this many, and I hope I still have 1,000 more in me.

When I first began researching family almost 30 years ago, I had no idea how far it would take me. What started as curiosity became something much more—a way to learn about the people who came before us, to understand their lives, and to preserve their stories so they will not be forgotten. Along the way, I discovered that I love the search as much as the finding: the puzzle, the clues, the challenge, and the satisfaction of piecing together lives that might otherwise have been lost to time.

This blog has been part of that journey.

My love of teaching, technology, and history has all found a place here. Over the years, this blog has become more than a place to record research. It has helped me connect with cousins, meet interesting people, make friends, and share what I have learned. People sometimes call a genealogy blog a “cousin magnet,” and that has certainly been true for me. Some of the best parts of this hobby have happened away from the computer, as I have traveled to visit relatives, libraries, courthouses, conferences, and family places across the country and in Ireland. Those experiences have brought new people into my life, led to new discoveries, and given me more stories to share.

Family history is about far more than collecting names and dates.

What keeps me interested is learning about the lives of each ancestor—how they lived, what they endured, what choices they made, where they traveled, what hardships they faced, and what kind of people they were. After all these years, I have only scratched the surface. There are many ancestors I may never fully identify and many stories I may never uncover. There are also many ancestors I already know about but have not yet had time to study more fully. There is never enough time for all the stories waiting to be told.

And your ancestors were definitely not boring.

Some lived lives far more dramatic than anything I could have imagined when I began. My father was orphaned at the age of nine and joined the Navy at age 19. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked, and almost 20 years later, although he was in the Navy, he served with the Marines at the DMZ on the battlefields of Vietnam. My husband’s grandfather was heavily involved in the Irish rebellion. He fought with the old IRA, his house was burned, and he left Ireland for his own safety. 

Over the years, I have uncovered stories of courage, hardship, mistakes, scandal, loss, determination, and survival. Some of those stories I have written about here. Some I will never reveal.

That, to me, is what family history really is. It is not just names on a chart. It is people and their stories. It is a way of understanding that the people behind us were real and complicated and that, in one way or another, their lives shaped ours.

So this 1,000th post is for all of you—family, friends, readers, those I know personally, those I have met through research, those still distant, and those not yet born. Maybe one of you will someday pick up where I leave off. I hope you do.

There are still many stories waiting to be found

Diana

© 2026

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #12 Charles A. Lamb, Husband of Martha J. Nash

Charles A. Lamb - Photo was taken in 1893 at a reunion of
Battery "A" First Illinois Light Artillery Volunteers

I could not ignore Charles A. Lamb when writing about Martha J. Nash Lamb earlier this month. In many of Martha’s biographies, he is mentioned only by name or, sometimes, as a cabinetmaker, but nothing more. The records suggest he was much more than that. It did not surprise me to learn that he was an older man, ambitious, already established in business, and active in his community before Martha married him.

“Cabinet Furniture,” Maumee City Express
(Maumee City, Ohio), 15 September 1838,
p. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com

Charles A. Lamb married Martha J. Nash on 8 September 1852 in Plainfield,
Massachusetts. He was twice widowed and a father of five. He appears in records as a cabinetmaker, furniture dealer, census taker, town clerk, member of the Lucas and Fulton Agricultural Society, an active member of the Whig Party, and a man active in community affairs, as shown by his service as a juror and his involvement in probate matters.

According to the 1893 memorial sketch printed in the History of Battery "A" First Illinois Light Artillery Volunteers, Charles A. Lamb was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, on 21 August 1815. As a young man, he went to Albany, New York, where he learned the cabinetmaker’s trade. He later moved west to Maumee, Ohio, where he established himself in the furniture business. The sketch describes him as a successful businessman who maintained a comfortable home and employed a number of men.

 

Charles was in Ohio as early as 1837. He married Caroline Benedict on 11 September 1837 at Sharon, Connecticut. The marriage record identifies him as “of Maumee City" at the time of the marriage. Charles and Caroline had one son, George A. Lamb. 

He next married Frances Reed on 27 July 1842 in Waterville, Lucas County, Ohio, very near his home in Maumee City. With Frances, Charles had four known children: Frederick C. Lamb, 1843-1844; Frederick Reed Lamb, 1845-1918; Anna Canfield Lamb, 1846-1930; and Fannie Lamb, 1849-1862. 

Soon after Charles and Martha's marriage in 1852, the family moved to nearby Toledo, where he opened a store but in only a few years, he was financially ruined when an uninsured cargo of furniture he had purchased was lost. By 1858, Charles, Martha, and three children were living in Chicago, where he took a sales job with a furniture company.

On 19 April 1861, Charles A. Lamb enlisted in the Union army, where he served as an artificer in Battery "A" First Illinois Light Artillery Volunteers. During those war years, Battery “A” traveled widely, serving in Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. During his time, his 13-year-old daughter, Fanny, died on 7 February 1862 in Chicago.

Charles mustered out on 23 July 1864 and returned to sales in Chicago. In May  1866, Martha left Chicago and returned home to Massachusetts, where she taught for about a year before moving to New York City. 

In May 1870, Charles went to Omaha, Nebraska, to manage a branch establishment for Thayer & Tobey Furniture Company. His daughter, Anna, was in New York City, living with her stepmother, Martha. Frederick remained in Chicago, and George was a farmer in Connecticut.

Charles returned to Chicago early in 1872 and took a position with A. L. Hale & Bro. Later that year, he filed for a divorce from Martha. On 25 November 1874, Charles married Matilda Benedict, the younger sister of Charles' first wife, Caroline. They moved to Michigan, where he later retired. 

Charles A. Lamb died on 23 September 1893 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan. He is buried in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the Salisbury Cemetery along with Charles' parents, his wife's family, and his son, George. 

These records did not answer every question about Charles A. Lamb, but they do show that he was much more than the brief references in Martha’s biographies.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

“1860 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4213430_00067/37130394 : accessed 14 April 2026), Martha Nash Lamb, Chicago Ward 1, Cook County, Illinois.

“1870 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4274989_00242/33327502 : accessed 14 April 2026), Martha Nash Lamb, New York Ward 18, District 3, New York City, New York; Anna Lamb living in the household.

“1870 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/15848855  : accessed 15 April 2026), Fred R. Lamb, age 24, Chicago Ward 1, Cook County, Illinois; born about 1846 in Ohio; occupation “clerk in store.”

“1870 United States Federal Census,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/13986734  : accessed 15 April 2026), entry for George Lamb, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, dwelling 455.

“Cabinet Furniture,” Maumee City Express (Maumee City, Ohio), 15 September 1838, p. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/maumee-city-express-charles-a-lamb-cab/195601819/  : accessed 15 April 2026).

Charles B. Kimbell, History of Battery “A,” First Illinois Light Artillery Volunteers (Chicago: Cushing Printing Co., 1899), 185; digital images, FamilySearch  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-53LV-M885?view=fullText  : accessed 9 April 2026), image 102 of 177; Photograph of Charlies A. Lamb, page 202  and biographical sketch, pages 185-187. 

Clark Waggoner, History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio (New York and Toledo: Munsell & Company, 1888), digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/historyofcityoft00wagg  : accessed 4 April 2026).

Diana Bryan Quinn, “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #11 Martha J. Lamb, an Accomplished Woman,” Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog, 2 April 2026 (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-11-martha-j.html  : accessed 15 April 2026).

“Died. In this city, Feb. 7, Fanny A. Lamb, aged 13 years and six months; daughter of Chas. A. and Martha J. Lamb,” Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), 8 February 1862, p. 4; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-death-of-fanny-a-lamb/194362873/  : accessed 4 April 2026), clipping, “Death of Fanny A Lamb,” posted by dewquinn.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/228887559/anna-lamb: accessed April 14, 2026), memorial page for Anna Canfield Lamb (1846–1930), Find a Grave Memorial ID 228887559, citing Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by Meredith (contributor 50679338).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23784442/charles_a-lamb: accessed April 14, 2026), memorial page for Charles A Lamb (21 Aug 1815–23 Sep 1893), Find a Grave Memorial ID 23784442, citing Salisbury Cemetery, Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by Jan Franco (contributor 46625834).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193908140/frederick_c-lamb : accessed April 14, 2026), memorial page for Frederick C. Lamb (1837–1 Jul 1844), Find a Grave Memorial ID 193908140, citing Riverside Cemetery, Maumee, Lucas County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by Bob (contributor 47155955).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184015587/george-lamb: accessed April 15, 2026), memorial page for George Lamb (1839–1930), Find a Grave Memorial ID 184015587, citing Salisbury Cemetery, Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by James Bianco (contributor 47745493).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23784456/matilda_a-lamb: accessed April 15, 2026), memorial page for Matilda A Lamb (26 Oct 1836–6 May 1907), Find a Grave Memorial ID 23784456, citing Salisbury Cemetery, Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by Jan Franco (contributor 46625834).

Frances E. Willard and Mary A. Livermore, A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life, 1893, GoogleBooks  (https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Woman_of_the_Century/zXEEAAAAYAAJ?hl=en : accessed 1 September 2024), pages 444 - 445, images 455-456).

“Judge Gary yesterday divorced Charles A. and Martha J. Lamb, and Helen M. and Wilson S. Segman,” Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), 12 February 1873, p. 3; digital image, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:1693A43C9D787BE1@GB3NEWS-17D1F22BC66F3641@2405202-17CFBA82560C1FBA@2-17CFBA82560C1FBA : accessed 14 April 2026)

Mary Collins, “The History of Martha J. Lamb: Her Origin, Rise, and Progress” (2020), in CUNY Academic Works (https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3545  : accessed 13 July 2024).

“Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840–1915,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2511/41262_B139024-00025/15319546 : accessed 29 March 2026), marriage record for Martha Joanna Nash and Charles A. Lamb, 8 September 1852, Plainfield, Massachusetts. 

“Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867–1952,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/: accessed 15 April 2026), Chas A. Lamb and Matilda M. Benedict, 25 November 1874, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, record no. 2376.

“Salisbury Cemetery,” Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1794615/salisbury-cemetery

 : accessed 15 April 2026), cemetery page for Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Find a Grave cemetery ID 1794615.

Friday’s Photo: Karl Wimberly and Helen Estelle Barker: Getting Karl’s Name Right

Karl Bryan Wimberly was the third child of John Lawson Jr. and Alice Martha Bryan. He was born in Bienville Parish on 18 May 1890. Helen Estelle Barker, born 19 Oct 1894, was the daughter of Wellington Maxwell "Mackey" Barker and Sarah "Sallie" Elizabeth Gilliland. Karl and Helen were married in 1915. They had four children and lived near Ringgold, where Karl farmed. Karl died in 1953 and Helen in 1984. Karl, Helen, and many family members are buried in the Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish. 

In a previous post that included photos of a younger Karl, I wrote his name as Karl Bryant Wimberly, unlike today's post, where it is Karl Bryan Wimberly. I found "Karl Bryant Wimberly's" short biography on page 270 of the Wimberly Family History, but on earlier pages, in the index, and under a family photo in that same book, he was listed as "Karl Bryan Wimberly."  

Because his mother’s maiden name was Bryan, Bryan seemed more likely to me than Bryant. My own maiden name was Bryan, and I know from experience how often people added a “t” to it. Still, I wanted proof.

Karl’s headstone, obituary, and death record all give his middle name as Bryant. Those records were likely based on information provided by the same person after his death. Earlier records tell a different story. Many simply show him as Karl B. Wimberly, but the Social Security Application and Claims Index, his World War II draft registration card, his daughter’s birth record, and his World War I draft registration card all give his name as Karl Bryan Wimberly.

That would have been enough evidence on its own, but the clearest proof was Karl’s own signature on his World War I draft registration card: “Karl Bryan Wimberly.” For me, that settles the question.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page , where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

Diana Bryan Quinn, “Friday’s Photo: Karl Bryant Wimberly,” blog post, Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2023/02/fridays-photo-karl-bryant-wimberly.html  :  posted 3 February 2023; accessed 3 April 2026).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90292434/karl_bryant-wimberly: accessed April 3, 2026), memorial page for Karl Bryant Wimberly (18 May 1890–25 Feb 1953), Find a Grave Memorial ID 90292434, citing Wimberly Cemetery, Bienville, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by A Footstep In Time (contributor 47345816).

Karl and Helen Barker Wimberly, photograph, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004.

"Louisiana, Deaths, 1850-1875, 1894-1960", FamilySearch  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3MD-749 : accessed 2 April 2026), Entry for Karl Bryant Wimberly and J I Wimberly, 25 Feb 1953.

“Louisiana, U.S., State Birth Records, 1911–1923,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 3 April 2026), entry for Wilbur Wimberly, born 7 March 1923, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, certificate no. 4186; naming Karl Bryan Wimberly as father.

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston, Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), 271-273.

“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 3 April 2026), entry for Karl Bryan Wimberly; citing Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007.

"United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ8C-JBP : accessed 2 April 2026), Karl Bryan Wimberly, 1917-1918.

"United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X596-CJX : accessed 2 April 2026), Entry for Karl Bryan Wimberly, 1942.