Diana
© 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Friday's Photo: Happy Birthday, Aunt Kitty!
© 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Sacred Ground - Our National Cemeteries
Last year, I attended a burial at Arlington National Cemetery and at the service, the presiding Chaplin described Arlington as sacred ground. All of our national cemeteries are sacred ground. Today is the day that we remember those who died serving our country; many of whom are buried in our national cemeteries.
There are 131 national cemeteries in and the VA continues to purchase land for new cemeteries. For a list of all of the national cemeteries visit this link at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
To search for the burial location of a veteran, use the Nationwide Gravesite Locator.
Diana
© 2014
Sources
"National Cemetery Administration." National Cemetery Listing - Web. 26 May 2014. <http://http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/cems/allnational.asp
"Nationwide Gravesite Locator." Nationwide Gravesite Locator. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/index.html
Sunday, May 25, 2014
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #21 Thomas B. Gilbert who married Mary Hairston in Hinds County, Mississippi
When I get stuck on a family member, I
often look for other family, in-laws, and neighbors. So last week when writing
about #20, Mary Hairston, I decided to find out more about her husband, Thomas
B. Gilbert.
 |
| No Story Too Small |
If you read last week’s post, then you
know that Thomas and Mary married in 1864 in Hinds County, Mississippi
and by 1868 were living in Falls County, Texas along with Mary's father
and siblings. Thomas and Mary's last child was born about 1875 and by 1880 they
had disappeared and two of the children were living with my great-grandparents,
Phillip and Lodema Hairston.
I assume that Mary had passed away, but what
about Thomas? Did he move on or did he also die before 1880?
I found a lot of Thomas Gilberts in the
south; many in Texas. I couldn't immediately connect with any of those, so
decided to look for Thomas in Hinds County, where he married Mary Hairston.
 |
| 1850 Hinds County, Mississippi |
In the 1870 census, Thomas was 42, giving him
a birth year of about 1828, and was reported to have been born in Kentucky. In
1850, a Thomas Gilbert was living in Hinds County, Mississippi. His birth year
and place of birth match the 1870 census. He was living with Fort and Sarah
Weatherby {Weathersbee} along with Larkin Gilbert, Boloh {maybe Buelah}
Gilbert, and a Joseph Noland.
In 1852, a Thomas B. Gilbert married a
Prudence G. Strother in Hinds County. Was this the same Thomas B. Gilbert?
 |
| 1860 Hinds County, Mississippi |
Children, T. Gilbert (born about 1853),
M.E. Gilbert (born about 1854), and S.G. Gilbert (born about 1856) were living
with Fort and Sarah Weathersby {Weathersbee} in 1860. All of these young
children were born in Texas. Also living in the home were Pat Nowland (age 12)
and J. Nowland (age 18).
Thomas B. Gilbert and a Jno. Gilbert (born
about 1846) were living with the Haywood Foote family in Hinds County. Thomas
was employed as an overseer.
Sarah Weathersbee may be the mother of
Thomas. The young Gilbert children living in the Weathersbee home are probably
the children of Thomas and Prudence. What happened to Prudence? Did she die in
Texas? I can't explain the Nowland children or the 14 year old Jno. Gilbert.
Thomas Gilbert and Mary Hairston were
living in Falls County, Texas by 1868. They are found on the 1870 census with
children Emma, John, and William.
 |
| 1870 Falls County, Texas |
However, another interesting Gilbert entry
was also found on that same Falls County census. A Thomas Gilbert is living with William and
Mary Gary. Mary Gary, age 16, is the former Mary Elizabeth "Mollie"
Gilbert. Could this be the M. E. Gilbert living with Sarah and Fort Weathersbee
in Hinds County? This Thomas Gilbert is seven years old. Too old to be Mollie's
child. Could the census "copier" have mistakenly written seven instead of
seventeen. On the 1860 census in Hinds County, T. Gilbert was recorded
with the Weathersbee family. Could this be Mollie's brother? Seventeen would be
the correct age.
M.
E. "Mollie" Gilbert Gary was in Erath County by 1880. According to
the census record, she was born in Texas, her father in Kentucky, and her
mother in Mississippi. This matches Thomas Gilbert and Prudence Strother. AND,
Mollie named a daughter Sarah Prudence "Prudie" Gary.
Beluah, and Larkin as well as a Mary Gilbert Slater, Caroline
Gilbert Jones, and at least one other child may have been a sibling to Thomas.
Fort Weathersbee died on August 24, 1868 in Hinds County. Sarah Weathersbee was
given the estate for her lifetime, but at her death, it would go to Fort Weathersbee's
son-in-law, Benjamin R. Slater, husband of a Mary Gilbert. Thomas B. Gilbert,
Caroline Gilbert Jones, and a Zarrujah Ann D_______ were to each receive
$10.00.
My search for Thomas Gilbert's family generated many
questions, but pointed to the possibility of a larger family unit moving from Hinds County to
Falls County and again to Erath County. Additional research in both Texas and
Mississippi may lead to more clues about my Hairston family.
Diana
© 2014
Hunting For Bears, comp.. Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
"Mississippi, Probate Records, 1781-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-30943-18861-25?cc=2036959&wc=M79M-1WR:344538201,346350001 : accessed 26 May 2014), Hinds > Estates (series 1) 1868-1876 no 2103-2167 > image 157 of 1919.
Year: 1850; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M432_372; Page: 159A; Image: 325.
Year: 1850; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M432_372; Page: 193B; Image: 392.
Year: 1860; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M653_582; Page: 676; Image: 208; Family History Library Film: 803582.
Year: 1860; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M653_582; Page: 615; Image: 147; Family History Library Film: 803582.
Year: 1870; Census Place: Precinct 2, Falls, Texas; Roll: M593_1584; Page: 29B; Image: 62; Family History Library Film: 553083.
Year: 1880; Census Place: Precinct 8, Erath, Texas; Roll: 1302; Family History Film: 1255302; Page: 40D; Enumeration District: 150.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #20 Mary Hairston Gilbert - Mother of Emma, John, William, and Adeline
Mary Hairston, child of John L. and Eliza Hairston, was probably born in Arkansas in the early 1840s. Census dates conflict giving her a birth year between 1840 and 1843. She is the oldest known sister of my great-grandfather, Phillip Hairston.
Mary is listed as M. A. Hairston on the 1850 census, yet Mary Jane Hairston married a Thomas B. Gilbert in Hinds County, Mississippi on September 19, 1864.
 |
| No Story Too Small |
In 1870, Mary Gilbert, age 27 was living in Falls County, Texas with husband Thomas, age 42, and children Emma - age 5, John - age 3, and William - age 3 months. They lived in or near Marlin and were neighbors to my great-grandmother, Lodema Criswell, and her parents and siblings. Mary was said to have been born in Arkansas, Thomas in Kentucky, and the children in Texas. Thomas was a farmer; however, he didn't own land in 1870.
Tax records indicate that the Gilbert family was in Falls County by 1868. T.B. Gilbert paid personal property taxes in 1872, 1873, and 1875. In 1874, both Mrs. Mary Gilbert paid taxes and T.B. Gilbert paid taxes. Mary on livestock and other property and T. B. Gilbert on land.
Around that same time, in 1874 or 1875, Adeline Gilbert was born.
By 1880, the whereabouts of Mary and Thomas are unknown. However, children, John - age 11 and Adeline - age 5, are living with Phillip and Lodema Hairston. Phillip's obituary stated that he and his wife raised orphaned children.
What happened to Thomas and Mary? What about children Emma and William. Emma would have been about 15 years old and William about 10. Emma could have married.
There are a lot of questions surrounding Mary Hairston Gilbert and her family. More information needs to be found regarding Thomas Gilbert. Falls County land and court records might also be interesting.
Diana
© 2014
Sources
Hunting For Bears, comp.. Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-27311-3?cc=1827575 : accessed 21 May 2014), Falls county > 1868 > image 34 of 92; citing State Archives, Austin.
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-26796-2?cc=1827575 : accessed 21 May 2014), Falls county > 1872 > image 23 of 71; citing State Archives, Austin.
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-26572-84?cc=1827575 : accessed 21 May 2014), Falls county > 1873 > image 25 of 77; citing State Archives, Austin.
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-26723-75?cc=1827575 : accessed 21 May 2014), Falls county > 1874 > image 25 of 85; citing State Archives, Austin.
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13722-26485-82?cc=1827575 : accessed 21 May 2014), Falls county > 1875 > image 26 of 95; citing State Archives, Austin.
Year: 1850; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M432_372; Page: 165A; Image: 336.
Year: 1860; Census Place: , Hinds, Mississippi; Roll: M653_582; Page: 674; Image: 206; Family History Library Film: 803582.
Year: 1870; Census Place: Precinct 2, Falls, Texas; Roll: M593_1584; Page: 31B; Image: 66; Family History Library Film: 553083.
Year: 1880; Census Place: , Falls, Texas; Roll: 1302; Family History Film: 1255302; Page: 190B; Enumeration District: 038.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Going Paperless at the National Genealogical Society Conference
I
attended the National Genealogical Society Conference in Richmond, Virginia last
week and it far exceeded my expectations. The speakers were the best of the
best and I left Richmond with a wealth of information. However, when I returned home, I had no papers to sort.
All handouts were available on the NGS Conference app and I could read them on my iPad, but I
wanted to add my notes and thoughts to the handouts as well.
Notability,
an app available to iPad users, allowed me to do just that. I downloaded the
handouts from the conference app and opened them on my iPad with Notability.
I
was able to type or write directly on the handout.
I added a stickie or page to the handout when I wanted to type or write a larger
amount of information. And, I could highlight or underline important points on
the handout. After each session, the handouts were sent to my
Dropbox and ready for filing on my computer when I returned home.
I
had not used this app prior to the conference, but it will now be my note taking
app for work as well as genealogy. I have since learned that I could organize
my notes by subject, password protect notes, and record audio as I typed.
If you haven’t used this app or one similar,
there are many tutorials on the web. Start by looking at Notability's website and check out The Notability User Guide.
Notability is currently $2.99 in Apple's App Store.
Diana
© 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Friday's Photo: Who is Donald Hyden and Why do I have have his photos?
These photos belonged to my father's sisters. They are labeled Donald Hyden and one also has the name Elizabeth Keith on the back. A Donald Hyden and his family lived in Hutchenson County, Texas in 1930 where my father and his sisters lived at the same time. Donald and my father were both born in 1920 so maybe they were childhood friends. Donald's father was John and he was a superintendent of an oil field. I have found no further information about this Hyden family.
Diana
© 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #19 Edward Vinson Hairston and a revisit to #12 Samuel B. Hairston
The son of Samuel B. Hairston and Matilda Glasgow, Edward Vinson Hairston was born in 1856 in Georgia[1].
 |
| No Story Too Small |
Ed died in Temple, Texas in
1937[10].
He was 80 years old. He is buried in Blevins Cemetery along with his wife who
died in 1940[11].
*I was very surprised to
find Samuel B. Hairston in Texas. He and his wife were said to have died in
Alabama and buried in Randolph County, Alabama[12]. This made it easy to assume that
his children came to Texas without him. So far, I have not found him after
1889. His wife, a widow, was living with daughter, Ella Simonton, in 1910[13],
but neither she or Samuel were found in 1900.
© 2014
[1]
Year: 1860; Census Place:
Southern Division, Randolph, Alabama; Roll: M653_22; Page: 683; Image: 289;
Family History Library Film: 803022.
[2]
Year: 1870; Census Place:
Fredonia, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: M593_6; Page: 87A; Image: 176; Family
History Library Film: 545505.
[3]
Year: 1880; Census Place:
Bloomingdale, Chambers, Alabama; Roll: 5; Family History Film: 1254005; Page:
240D; Enumeration District: 178.
[4]
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-5739-27?cc=1827575
: accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1886 > image 83 of 260; citing
State Archives, Austin.
[5]
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-5739-27?cc=1827575
: accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1886 > image 83 of 260; citing
State Archives, Austin.
[6]
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-8953-9?cc=1827575&wc=M63D-R3R:161474401,161393402
: accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1887 > image 82 of 262; citing
State Archives, Austin.
[7]
"Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13701-7442-99?cc=1827575&wc=M636-3P6:161474401,161392102
: accessed 14 May 2014), Falls county > 1889 > image 85 of 281; citing
State Archives, Austin.
[8]
"Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog." : 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #16 Ella Hairston Simonton, A Timeline.
N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-16-ella.html>.
[9] Ancestry.com. Texas,
Death Certificates, 1903–1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
[10]
"Hairston Obituaries." Falls County, TX, USGenWeb Archives.
N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfalls/>.
[11]
"Find A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials." Find
A Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records and Online Memorials. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 May 2014.
<http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23323355>.
[12]
Greenway, Carl (New York,
New York) to "Dear Bill" [William H. Hairston, Jr.]. Letter. 22
November 1965. Formby Family Genealogical Collection [Manuscript]. Georgia
Archives, Morrow, Georgia.
[13] Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 4, Bell, Texas;
Roll: T624_1530; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 1375543.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Happy Mother's Day!
This
is a repeat of last year's post honoring some of the mothers in my family
tree. To all mothers reading this, have a wonderful day!
 |
| Happy Mother's Day, Mom! |
 |
| Happy Mother's Day to my sister - a wonderful mother and grandmother! |
 |
| Happy Mother's Day to my Aunt! |
 |
| Doris Staubach Quinn - My mother-in-law. 1929 - 2012 |
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| Edith Giddens Davis, my grandmother 1897-1975 |
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| Myrtie Hairston Bryan, my grandmother 1880-1927 |
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| Harriet Albritton Bryan, my great-grandmother 1836-1909 |
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| Lodema Criswell Hairston, my great-grandmother 1856-1919 |
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| Bertha Davis Hawkins, my great-grandmother 1879 - 1965 |
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| Mary Lucy Glynn Giddens, my great-grandmother 1866-1926 |
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| Julia Harvey Glynn, with daughter Carrie, my great-great-grandmother Died in 1919 |
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| Elizabeth Regan Bryan, my great-great-grandmother 1798-1877 |
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| Caroline Olive Davis, my great-great-grandmother 1847- after 1901 |
 |
| Mary Ann "Polly" Evans Criswell, my great-great-grandmother 1829-1883 |
Diana
© 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Friday's Photo: New Photos of Terrell and Harriet Bryan
The photos above were found in the Marguerite Cook Clark Collection and must have been sent by a family member in Stephenville, Texas to family in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. The pictures were taken before 1909, the year Harriet died. I especially like the photo of Harriet as she has a slight smile which is unlike the one in my family's bible.
The photos on the left were found in the Bryan Family Bible. I wonder how many other families received these photos.
Diana
© 2014
Sources:
Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.
Photographs used with permission. From the Marguerite Cook Clark collection.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #18 Rebecca Hairston
Today's post is going to be extremely short. First, because I will be on my way to the National Genealogy conference in Richmond on Monday and second, because I have never found any information pertaining to Rebecca Hairston.
 |
| No Story Too Small |
If this is correct, James was the oldest and born in 1808, John Lewis was born in 1812, Vinson in 1826, Robert in 1927, Sam in 1829, Jane in 1830, and Mary in 1831. All of these said to be siblings were assigned approximate birth years based on census records. I was hoping that I would find Rebecca filling in the unusually large 14 year gap between John Lewis and Vinson, but I have not found a Rebecca in South Carolina, Georgia, or Alabama that I could put with this family.
A second set of eyes is always a helpful thing. If another Hairston researcher would like to give it a shot . . .
Diana
© 2014
Sources:
Anderson, Mary Lee. Volume II The WHITAKER and Related Families. Date unknown. Print and online.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Friday's Photo: Millard Ray Latta Pyle
 |
| This photo of Millard Ray Latta at 18 months was sent to Sarah M. Bryan, aunt of Millard Ray's mother Hollon Bryan Latta. Sarah M. Bryan lived in Bienville Parish, Louisiana and the Latta family in Texas. This photo and many others found indicate that the Texas Bryans kept in touch with Louisiana family. |
 |
| Millard Ray Latta Found in an album that once belonged to Marguerite Cook Clark, a Louisiana Bryan descendant. |
Last week, I visited two distant cousins in Texas. Carla, a descendant of my grandmother's Hairston family, and Palma, a descendant of my grandfather's Bryan family. Both had many old photos to share. And, finding old photos of family members is one of the highlights of looking for family.Funny thing though, both cousins had photos of my father's first cousin, and today's subject, Millard Ray Latta.
Millard Ray Latta was born on December 15, 1896 in Erath County, Texas. She was the only known child of Hollon Bryan (b.1865, Bienville Parish, LA) and James Alonzo "Lon" Latta. Hollon, my grandfather's sister, died in 1906. Lon Latta remarried a Mary Dennis in 1907 and lived in the Fort Worth area.
 |
| The photo on the left belonged to my grandparents, Redic and Myrtie Bryan of Seymour, Texas. The photo on the right belonged to the Joseph B. and Sarah M. Bryan family of Bienville Parish, Louisiana. |
Millard Ray was living with
Redic and Myrtie Bryan, my grandparents, by 1916. By 1919, she was teaching in
Baylor County and later became the principal of a school in Cache Creek, Baylor
County, Texas.
 |
| This photo of Millard Ray (left), her cousin DeRay Bryan, and DeRay's cousin, Joe Noah, was taken in or near Seymour, Texas. Joe and Millard Ray were both teachers in Baylor County and they corresponded during WWI. This was found in an album that once belonged to Joe Noah. Click here to read Joe's letters to Millard Ray. |
Millard Ray Latta married
Ernest J. Pyle on October 13, 1921. They had two sons, Shirley James Pyle
and Maxwell Westbrook Pyle. She died May 17, 1988 in Le Flore County and
is buried in Old Talihina Cemetery in Le Flore.
To read more about Millard Ray, visit my web page Millard Ray Latta Pyle.
Diana
© 2014
Sources:
Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.
Photographs used with permission. From the Marguerite Cook Clark collection.
Photographs used with permission. From the collection of Carla Noah Stutsman.
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