From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: To Sarah M. Wimberly From Martha S. Lawson - October 28th 1839

Martha Susan Lawson gave or sent this poem to her eleven-year-old niece almost 185 years ago. Both Martha and Sarah left their homes in Georgia for Northwest Louisiana. Sarah's parents settled on land later known as Bienville Parish by 1838, and Martha did not come to Louisiana until sometime after 1838. The year is not known. 

Sarah Margaret Wimberly was the daughter of William Wimberly and Lucy Smith Lawson. Martha Susan Lawson was the sister of Sarah's mother, Lucy. Both women were married in Bienville Parish. Sarah married Joseph B. Bryan, brother of my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan. Margaret married Dr. Isaac Anderson Caldwell. 

The poem is probably not an original poem written by Martha, as I have found the lines written in a variety of places on the Internet. 

Can memory e're forget the hours

That I have spent with you

As soon might  a fragrance quit

Or flowers refuse the dew

As soon might Sol withhold his rays

Or rivers cease to flow

Or should I e're forget the days

That I have spent with you.

As soon might stars refuse to shine

Or the moon her light impart

For the fond affections now entwine

Around my pensive heart.

As soon might beauty quit the flowers

Or the earth refuse the dew

As I should e're forget the hours

That I have spent with you. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Poem to Sarah M. Wimberly from Martha S. Lawson, 1839, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. The poem was 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. 

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

Friday's Photo: Two Girls on a Car - Seymour, Texas 1927

This photo has been in my unknown file for more than 20 years. When scrolling past it, I accidentally enlarged it yesterday and realized the girl on the right was my father's sister, Willa Mae Bryan. The girl on the left is unknown. Scroll down to see enlarged photos of both girls. 

1927 is the year on the Texas license plate. If the year is 1927, the photo was probably taken in or near Seymour, Texas. Willa Mae appeared in the 1928 yearbook for Seymour High School. 

In the fall of 1927, Willa Mae's sister, DeRay, began teaching in Borger, Texas. It is said that Willa Mae left Seymour to live with DeRay, but it is not known exactly when that occurred. 

Willa Mae Bryan Dudley 1910 -1991
The photo on the right was found in the 1928 Seymour High School yearbook. At that time
she was Willie Mae Bryan. 

Unknown Young Woman

For more about Willa Mae, read 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #5 Willa Mae Bryan Dudley and Sunday's Obituary: Willa Mae Bryan Dudley.

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Seymour High School, The Jackrabbit (Seymour, Texas:1927), no page number, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/43134_b201875-00036?pId=181479176 : accessed 23 Feb. 2024). 

Two Girls on a Car, photograph, ca.1927; digital image, from the privately held photo collection of D.B. Quinn, 2024.

Look Beyond the Indexed Records When Searching Louisiana Wills and Probate Records at Ancestry.com

Isaac Anderson Caldwell was married to Martha Susan Lawson, sister to 

Lucy Smith Lawson, and first wife of William Wimberly of Bienville Parish. 

This page shows his will. 

"Succession of Isaac A Caldwell Decd, Louisiana, U.S., Wills, and Probate Records,

1756-1984," database, Ancestry.com

(https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9067/ : accessed 20 Feb 2024), 

pages 365-370.

I spent most of an afternoon last week at my local library, a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, looking at Bienville Parish, Louisiana deed records in an attempt to answer several questions about friends, neighbors, and associates of my Bryan family. Luckily, there were indexes, and I downloaded several wanted deed records. 

I also needed to look at wills and probate records, but none of the will or succession books were indexed, and there was no time left in the day to browse through the books. 

Later, hoping that someone had indexed these records, I checked the FamilySearch Research Wiki for Bienville Parish and found the following information about wills and probate records in Bienville Parish. 

"Bienville Parish, Louisiana Genealogy," FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Bienville_Parish,_Louisiana_Genealogy :

accessed 20 Feb 2024).

The Index, Bienville Parish, Louisiana Will Book 1850-1932, compiled by Jinks Pate Lee, is an excellent resource that Bienville Parish researchers should save for future reference. However, know that not all wills are found in the Will Book - many others are seen in the succession books. 

Searches for several names in Ancestry's Louisiana, U.S., Wills, and Probate Records, 1756-1984  failed to come up with any results in Bienville Parish. Was that because the names were not found in the books or because the Bienville books were not in the collection? Or maybe they were in the collection but not indexed. 

"Louisiana, U.S., Wills, and Probate Records, 1756-1984," database, Ancestry.com (httphttps://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9067/ : accessed 20 Feb 2024), Source Information.

A look at the source information (see above) revealed the types of records found in the collection and stated that the collection includes "images of probate records from approximately 72 percent of Louisiana parishes." To find details on the parishes included, it was suggested to explore the browse menu. 

"Louisiana, U.S., Wills, and Probate Records, 1756-1984," database, Ancestry.com (httphttps://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9067/ :accessed 20 Feb 2024), Source Information.

The browse menu above shows that all probate and will records found at FamilySearch.org for Bienville Parish are also found at Ancestry.com. They are free to browse at a FamilySearch Library or Affiliate, but as I subscribe to Ancestry, I will be able to read them on my large screen while in my comfortable chair. 

However, I still had not completely answered my question about these records at Ancestry. Were the names I looked for not shown because they were not in the book or because the book was not indexed? The only way to quickly find out is to test it. I know that at least three of my Bryans in Bienville Parish had records in the Bienville succession books. A quick search for Bryan without specifying a parish resulted in 111 results, with only one for Bienville Parish. That one result for James Bryan was from the Will Book, revealing that only the Bienville Parish Will Book was indexed. I need to browse the succession books to find my people. 

"Louisiana, U.S., Wills, and Probate Records, 1756-1984," database, Ancestry.com (httphttps://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9067/ : accessed 20 Feb 2024),
search results for Bryan.

Browsing the Succession Books 

I began by browsing Probate Book C, called Succession Book C, in parish records and at FamilySearch. So far, it is fairly easy to read, and the content is very interesting. This book begins just before the end of the war in 1865, so you will still see some estates that include enslaved persons. If you are researching enslaved persons in this area of Louisiana, you will definitely want to browse all of these books. 

At the top of many pages is a descriptive title such as the one at the beginning of this post, "Succession of Isaac A. Caldwell Decd," or something like "Tutorship of minor John T. Chappel." This allows you to go through the book quickly without having to read each page. When you find a title with a name that interests you, check the previous page, as sometimes a record might begin in the middle of a page. 

I hope that this post was helpful. If you are a Bienville Parish researcher and find something new and exciting, please share!

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Friday's Photo: Anna Laura Martin and Joseph Linford Martin

Anna Laura Martin, born in 1902 in Bienville Parish, died 1998 in Alpine, Texas.
Joseph Linford Martin, born 1902 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, died 1990 in 
Ringgold, Louisiana. Both are buried in the Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish. 

Last Friday, I posted some photos from the Mary Martin Smith collection of Anna Laura Martin. This week, I have photos of Anna Laura Martin and her husband, Joseph Linford Martin. 

Although Anna Laura, from Bienville Parish, and her husband, from Tennessee, shared the same surname, it does not appear that they are related. 

The top photo was from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark and was taken of the couple when celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1970. 

I love the photos of Anna Laura and Joseph Linford when they were young. The hairstyles and clothing in these photos suggest that they were taken around the early 1920s. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Anna Laura and Joseph Linford Martin, digital image held by D. B. Quinn, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2023. Photos and documents 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. 

Anna Laura Martin and Joseph Linford Martin photos, photographs, ca. 1904-1924; scanned images from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Martin Smith, Alaska, 2004; original images photographed between 1973 and 1993.

Laura Decker, "Laura Ann Martin Decker," public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/114525353/family/familyview?cfpid=350132377968&dtid=100 : accessed 9 February 2024). 

Knowing How to Find the Key at Ancestry.com Leads to Original Records

Huldah Pratt, who married Benjamin Reed in 1778 in Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, was my 4th great-grandmother. I know a little about Huldah, but I also have many questions. While looking for Huldah, I knew that some of my questions might be answered if I found more original records. 

Huldah died in Putney, Windham County, Vermont on 17 May 1842. Her gravestone and death record both indicate that she was 82 years old. This gave her a birth year of approximately 1760, matching her age found in Revolutionary War pension records for her husband. Recently, a hint at Ancestry.com gave me a birth date of 16 November 1760. This matches the date I found in many online family trees. Unfortunately, the hint did not show the actual source. 

I really wanted to see the original record, so I clicked on the Source tab to determine where Ancestry found this record. The source was described as Massachusetts, U.S. Town Birth Records, 1620-1850, published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This was a little too vague for me, so before leaving Ancestry to look for the publication, I decided to do a another search. 

I searched for Huldah Pratt in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, with a 1760 birth year. The original hint was one of two results. The other was found in the database Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850. The source for the record was Vital Records of Brockton, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. This was published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1911. 

Huldah was seen on image 122 of the book. The heading on that page was Brockton Births. Huldah's name was followed by "d" and then "John," indicating that she was the daughter of John. The date, Nov. 16, 1760, was preceded by "bp." On the same page, there were four other daughters of John and a son, John. Betty, Hannah, Keturah, and Lydia all had the same birth date, Nov. 16, 1760, preceded by "bp." Was that the baptism date? And what does CRI mean at the end of each entry? 

To find the key to abbreviations in a book or directory, you will usually need to go to the beginning of the book. Huldah was found on image/ page 122 (see below). Changing  122 to 1 and hitting enter took me to the beginning of the book. 

The key to the abbreviations was on page five. "bp" was baptism, and "CRI" meant that records came from the Fourth Church of Christ of Bridgewater, renamed the First Congregational Church of Brockton. 

A quick Google search took me to the Congregational Library & Archives where, lucky for me, the original records are held and digitized. 

I now have names for Huldah's possible parents as well as siblings. Researching these family members may prove or disprove my Huldah's relationship to this family. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499358/huldah-read: accessed February 7, 2024), memorial page for Huldah Pratt Read (–), Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499358, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont, USA; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978); photograph of gravestone contributed by Donna G. Dunham (contributor 46871624).

“First Parish Congregational Church Brockton, Mass. Records 1740-1805,” title of digital link is "Church records, 1740-1805, First Parish Congregational Church in North Bridgewater," digital images, Congregational Library & Archives History Matters (https://congregationallibrary.quartexcollections.com/Documents/Detail/church-records-1740-1805-first-parish-congregational-church-in-north-bridgewater/5618 : accessed 4 Feb 2024), image/page 36

"Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V58S-H21 : accessed 3 Feb 2023), Huldah Pratt in entry for Benjamin Reed, 1778.

"Massachusetts, U.S. Town Birth Records, 1620-1850," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/4094/ : accessed 2 Feb 2024), hint for birth record of Huldah Pratt. 

"Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850," database, Ancestry.com ((https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44862:61401? : accessed 2 Feb 2024); Vital Records of Brockton, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, New England Historical Society, 1911, p. 122. 

U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/49769:1995 : accessed 25 June 2022), for Benjamin Reed, images 266 to 320; citing "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files" (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954,"FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V8MP-5Z7 : accessed 3 Feb 2023), entry for Huldah Read and Benjamin Read, 17 May 1842.

Friday's Photo: Anna Laura Martin - Family Photos

Anna Laura Martin and her cat - 1904

These are just a few of several photos of Anna Laura Martin and her family in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. All of these were found in the collection of Mary Martin Smith. Mary was the daughter of Anna Laura Martin and her husband Joseph Martin. There are a few more in Mary's collection, and others were found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection. I will post those next Friday. 

Anna is pictured with her parents, Mary Ann Sledge Martin and Thomas Jefferson Martin II. The photo is badly marked. I've enlarged the family, and you can see Anna Laura's sweet face and her doll. 

Below, Anna Laura Martin is pictured with her sister, Emma Alice, and their father. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Anna Laura Martin family photos, photographs, ca. 1904-1924; scanned images from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004; original images photographed between 1973 and 1993.