UPDATE! Court Records Found using Full-Text Search!

Search terms are highlighted in these hard-to-read documents.

Last week, I spent several hours at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., sifting through transcribed but unindexed court records with little success. Then, yesterday, I discovered those same records on FamilySearch using their Full-Text Search. Not only were these the original documents, but I also didn’t have to go through them page by page. I simply searched "Peter Reed," and records appeared!

Earlier this year, FamilySearch introduced Full-Text Search, and I spent days diving into land records, uncovering details I never would have found otherwise. I had hoped that court records would be added, and for many areas of the United States, that wish has come true. My to-do list has been completely ignored for the past two days—this discovery has been too exciting to put down. Here are some of the items I found:

• In Erath County, Texas, I encountered a lawsuit involving my great-grandfather that explained a few newspaper clippings in the family Bible.

• In a Wayne County, North Carolina, equity case, I found my third great-grandfather, Mitchel Giddens (spelled with one “l”), named as a witness. His signature appeared several times. Once, he was referred to as "Mitch" and described as a poor man planning to leave the area—new clues for me!

• I uncovered many Giddens court records in Duplin and Sampson counties, which will keep me busy all winter.

• I have always known my ancestor, Reddick Bryan, was civic-minded. Houston County, Georgia's court records prove just how active he was in local affairs.

• Finally, in Hinds County, Mississippi, probate estate files, I found my 2nd great-grandfather, John L. Hairston. I wasn’t surprised that he appeared to owe money to almost everyone!

For those of you not familiar with FamilySearch - all of this is FREE! Note that all records are NOT available from home. Tomorrow, I plan to visit my local library, a FamilySearch affiliate, as some records can only be viewed at a FamilySearch library or affiliate. 

Full-Text Search

To learn more about Full-text search at FamilySearch, check out these links for demonstrations and tips. 

Full-Text Search is found at this link. Make sure you watch the video to improve your search. If you don't have an account at FamilySearch, create your free account at familysearch.org 

Testing the Full Text Search in FamilySearch Labs - An Immediate Success!! From Randy Seaver (read his lessons learned and advice) 

FamilySearch Full-Text Search Is a Genealogy Goldmine - Randy Seaver's most recent post.

12 Strategies for Using FamilySearch Full-Text Search From Kimberly Powell

I have written two posts about Full-Text-search: 

• Last Week, Everything Changed . . . Finding Reddick Bryan Using FamilySearch's Full-Text Search 

• Navigating the History of Erath's Old Poor Farm with New Technologies.

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: A Watermelon Party

I received this from another Giddens researcher. I was not able to find the source of the original newspaper. I have other photos of Henry B. Giddens and Lewis D. Giddens on this blog. Henry and Lewis were first cousins to my 2nd great-grandfather, George L. Giddens. 

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

Watermelon party with Gidden brothers, photograph, 1907; scanned image, original clipping from the privately-held collection of Kathryn Ryan, NC, 2022.

The Lewis Devereux Giddens and Margaret Louisa Ireland Bible 1866 - Part 3: Deaths

The Bible, published in 1866, contains four pages of vital statistics for the Giddens and related family. This is my transcription of the family record page detailing deaths. Part 1: Births and Part 2: Marriages can be found on this blog by clicking on the links.  

FAMILY RECORD

DEATHS

Column 1

David Giddens died Feb 4th 1867 Aged 66 yrs: 8 mth: 23dys.

Father of L.D. & H.B. Giddens

Sophia Giddens died June 21st 1877

Mother of H. B. & L. D. Giddens

S R Ireland Father of M L Giddens died July 16th 1888 age 86 yrs.

J F Ireland Brother of M L Giddens died March 21st 1867

Eliza Newton Ireland mother of M. L. Giddens died at Faison N C Aug 8, 1896.

Margaret L. Giddens Smoot d. July 18, 1972

Margaret Va Smoot died Oct 31, 1979

FAMILY RECORD

DEATHS

Column 2

Samuel Ireland son of L. D. & M. L. Giddens died March 21st 1869 - aged 8 months 17 days. 

Charlie Henry son of L. D. & M. L. Giddens died June 30th 1870 aged 10 m. 5 days. 

Willie infant son of L. D. and M. L. Giddens died October 8th 1881 [The 8 along with some markings after 1881 were not legible - the "8" was found on the cemetery stone] aged 18 months. 

Wesley, son of L. D. and M. L. Giddens, died Sept. 26th 1885 [Note that Sept. was written over July]

Lewis Devereux Giddens

William B. Giddens Brother of L. D. Giddens Died Oct 10 1849 Born Aug 3rd 1841

L. D. Giddens died in Goldsboro Nov. 1, 1909 - "All Saints Day".

M. L. Giddens died in Golds - Feb. 15th. 1915

James Ross Smoot died in Golds. Jan 19th 1915

Ross I. Giddens died Goldsboro Dec. 21 - 1931

Mrs. E. Giddens Died Aug 29 1949 Fay, NC 

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

© 2023 

Giddens Family Record pages from a Giddens Bible and photo of Lewis Devereux Giddens, scanned images, original scans from the privately-held collection of Kathryn Ryan, NC, 2023. Used with permission. 

John L. Clifton Drew a Map of His Neighborhood in Sampson County, North Carolina

This hand-drawn map was found in the John L. Clifton Papers at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University. It appears that John L. Clifton drew the map as he described one corner of his land as "mine & Kings corner" and another as "My corner & Dardens."

On the second map, his labels are numbered. The numbered labels are transcribed below. Please contact me if you are able to identify the illegible words or if you find errors in my transcriptions.

1. Wilmington

2. James D[illegible]

3. Faison's Depot

4. Duplin

5. [illegible]

6. Saml R. Irelands part of the Whitfield Land

7. Jas D[illegible] corner

8. Henry Stevens

9. The pine woods part of the Whitfields land 1092 acres

10. Panther Branch

11. East

12. Bear Pond

13. Henry Oats & others    

14. Hicks    

15. Whitfield Corner

16. the alfred Bick Land

17. Jas Lewis

18. This is only a rough statement of the Bick Land

19. Joseph Dardens Pine woods

20. my corner & Dardens

21. Bicks old corner

22. J. L. Cliftons land flat pine woods & pond

23. 505 acres

24. mine & Kings corner

25. Edmond King

26. Edmond Kings Pine woods

27. The Whitfield corner & Kings

28. Kings &Clifton corner of this [illegible] Land

29. the new corner

30. No [North]

31. The Road from Waynesboro to Clinton

32. So [South]

33. Hood Swamp

34. Alex Chestnuts

35. West

36. J. L. Clifton

37. Head of Six Runs

38. Kings Branch

39. Joseph Dardens

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

© 2023 

Map of John L. Clifton's Land, Clifton, John L., Papers, 1784-1916 (bulk 1830-1889), manuscript collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, accessed 2017 and 2018.

Bloomingdale Bros & Co - 1847 in North Carolina

Rev. John L. Clifton, guardian for Robert Craddock

Rev. John L. Clifton, guardian for Lorene Strickland

When looking for family in the John L. Clifton Papers found at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University, I copied non-family items that interested me. Seeing Bloomingdale Bros & Co. on these receipts piqued my interest, and I added them to my collection.[1] Did John L. Clifton purchase fabric and other items for the children from Bloomingdales of NYC? 

He did not. Bloomingdales, as we know it, was not established until more than 20 years after these receipts were written.[2] So, who were these Bloomingdale brothers? 

John L. Clifton was found living in the Northern Division of Sampson County in 1850, but no Bloomingdales were found in Sampson County.[3] 

Emmanuel Bloomingdale, a merchant, was living in the North Division of Duplin County on 6 August 1850 when enumerated on the 1850 census.[4] However, he relocated very soon after this enumeration. On 17 September 1850, Emmanuel and his family were enumerated on the 1850 census in the 17th Ward in New York City.[5]

  

No other Bloomingdales were found on the 1850 census of Duplin County, but Jacob Bloomingdale was found as the postmaster in 1847 in the town of Faison Depot in Duplin County - not terribly far from John L. Clifton's home in the Northern Division of Sampson County.[6] 

Emmanuel spent the remainder of his years in New York. At one point, he was a merchant selling "Fancy Paper."[7] I was unable to positively identify Jacob Bloomingdale in any document beyond the postal record. 

Jacob and Emmanuel appear to be the most likely candidates for the Bloomingdale Brothers; however, there may have been others, and there is definitely more to learn. I will leave it up to Bloomingdale researchers to finish this story. 

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

© 2023 

    1. Receipts from Bloomingdale Bros. & Co., Clifton, John L., Papers, 1784-1916 (bulk 1830-1889), manuscript collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, accessed 2017 and 2018.

    2. "Our History," Bloomingdales (https://www.bloomingdales.com/b/about-us/history/ : accessed 27 August 2023).

    3. "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4BV-8X3 : Tue Jul 18 02:14:59 UTC 2023), Entry for John L Clifton and Anna Clifton, 1850.

    4. "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4B9-MC1 : Mon Jul 17 22:58:57 UTC 2023), Entry for Emanuel Bloomingdale and Francis Bloomingdale, 1850.

    5. "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCBN-4WQ : Tue Jul 18 00:05:03 UTC 2023), Entry for Robert Leggett and Mary A Leggett, 1850.

    6. "North Carolina Postmark Catalog Update," North Carolina Postal History (http://dev.ncpostalhistory.com/resources/north-carolina-postmark-catalog-update/ : accessed 27 August 2023) > Duplin County.

    7. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch 

(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCH7-YPT : Tue Jul 18 01:45:52 UTC 2023), Entry for Emanuel Bloomingdale and Fanny Bloomingdale, 1860. Also, "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WXQ-YH5 : 3 June 2020), Emanuel Bloomingdal, 1899.

Friday's Photo: Receipts and Other Items Signed by George L. Giddens of Sampson and Duplin Counties in North Carolina

J.O. Clifton was the son of John L. Clifton. The document was signed by
John W. Giddens and George L. Giddens, who owned the Steam Mill and were brothers to J. O. Clifton's second wife, Patricia Giddens. 

I don't have a photo of my 2nd great-grandfather, George Lullen Giddens. I'm sure there must have been photos taken. At age 21, he was found on the 1860 census as a "dauguerman," which sounds as if his occupation at that time had something to do with photography. 

Although not photos of George, photos of these items tell a little more of his story, and I thought this would be a good way to share with those who are interested. 

George was born in Wayne County, NC, but spent most of his adult life living in Sampson and Duplin Counties. He was a merchant, often a postmaster, and also did some farming. For more about George, read my 2020 post, George Lullen Giddens, a Merchant from North Carolina.

These items came from a huge collection of papers amassed by John L. Clifton found at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University. John L. Clifton, a clergyman, businessman/merchant, and possibly attorney, carefully saved and named almost every receipt and document. Receipts and small items like these were found in large boxes, one for each decade.  

I had been at the library for most of the morning looking at larger items in the collection and was dismayed when I opened that first box full of tiny pieces of paper. Little did I know what treasures I would find.

A Tax List for 1831 in Sampson County, North Carolina

Column 1 (click on the photo to enlarge - send me an email for a copy of the photo)

Column 2 (click on the photo to enlarge - send me an email for a copy of the photo)

This is not a complete tax list for Sampson County in 1831, but appears to be the list from an area where my Bradshaw family and later my Giddens family were found. This is the area that, in the 1870s, became known as Giddensville. None of my direct ancestors are found on this list, but I recognize many surnames from my research.  

This came from a huge collection of papers amassed by John L. Clifton found at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University. 

due John L. Clifton for 1830 is written at the bottom
of the list. Was John L. Clifton a collector for the 
neighborhood, or was he paying his neighbors' taxes?

John L. Clifton, a clergyman, businessman/merchant, and possibly attorney, appears to be the person who created this list. He carefully saved and named almost every receipt and document. If your family lived in this area, you will want to see this collection. 

This is the back of the list. The photos below show information written on the back.

Written: Tax list for 1831

Written: This [illegible]  Money Due me 57 cts
August 23 - 1833

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

© 2023 

Clifton, John L., Papers, 1784-1916 (bulk 1830-1889), manuscript collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, accessed 2017 and 2018.

Friday's Photo: Henry B. Giddens and Others in the Dining Room

There are more questions than answers about this photo. As a family history researcher, I am always looking into the lives of my ancestors, but it is a real bonus to see the inside of their homes. This is obviously someone's home and might be the home of Henry B. Giddens. He was a first cousin of my second great-grandfather, George L. Giddens. I wonder if George ever sat at this table. 

This photo was generously shared with me by another Giddens researcher. Henry was named as well as his daughter, Jennie, on the right in the white dress. 

In 1910, Henry and his wife, Martha Jane Vann, owned a home on Fayetteville Street in Clinton, Sampson County, North Carolina. Could this be the home on Fayetteville Street? 

Jennie was born in 1886. She would have been 14 years old in 1900, but she looks older than 14 in this photo giving it a date after 1900. The young man and the other young woman in the picture are not identified. The young man could be a teenager. By 1910, Henry's youngest son, Oscar Henry, was 32 years old. However, Henry was a guardian to four grandsons ages 12 to 18, as his daughter, Annie Laura Slocumb, died in 1905, leaving Henry as guardian. 

C. O. Brown was a photographer in both Sampson and Wayne counties. He was found advertising in local newspapers between 1898 and 1916. Why was he taking pictures inside the home? Was it a special occasion? Everyone in the photo was well dressed. Jennie married in 1908, and Maggie married in 1907. Were they getting ready for a wedding? 

If you have answers to any of my questions OR more questions, I would love to hear from you. 

Friday's Photo: Jennie Louise Giddens Britt

Jennie Louise Giddens was the daughter of Henry Benjamin Giddens and Martha Jane Vann of Clinton in Sampson County, North Carolina. 

Jennie married Mangum T. Britt on 22 April 1908 in Clinton. A detailed description of their wedding can be seen by clicking here. 

Jennie is pictured with her first child, Mangum Deleon Britt, born in 1909. She was born on 20 December 1884, making her about 25 years old in these photos. 

For family who might want to know our connection, Jennie's grandfather was David Giddens, brother of my 3rd great-grandfather, Mitchell Giddens. Mitchell was married to Latisha Britt, sister to Jennie's grandmother, Sophia Britt. And, it appears that Jennie's husband Mangum may descend from my Britt family as well. 

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

© 2022 

Jennie Louise Giddens Britt with son, NC, photo, 1909; scanned images, from the privately-held collection of Gus Grubba, NC, 2022. 

grubba, "Jordans, Britts and beyond," public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/64204927?cfpid=44116712787&dtid=100 : accessed 27 October 2022). 

Friday's Photo: Henry Benjamin Giddens and Margaret Jane Vann

These photos were sent to me by another Giddens researcher. Henry was a cousin to my 2nd great-grandfather, George Lullen Giddens. George and Henry were probably well acquainted. Their mothers were sisters, their fathers were brothers, and both Henry and George were merchants in Sampson County, North Carolina. 

The couple above was not identified, but the researcher who shared the photos suspected them to be Henry Benjamin Giddens, a jeweler of Clinton, and his wife, Margaret Jane Vann. Already familiar with Henry and Margaret as the older couple on the right, I could easily see Margaret in both photos. The younger Henry's eyebrows, nose shape, cheek lines, and ears in the above image and the photo on the right showed a resemblance. I don't doubt that this is a much younger version of Henry and Margaret seen in the large group photo posted on 26 August 2022. Margaret, age 18, and Henry, age 32, were married on 21 September 1865 in Sampson County. Could this photo be a wedding photo?

If not a wedding photo, it was probably taken soon after. Martha's clothing reflects some styles seen in the 1860s. Hats were smaller, and some were modeled after those worn by men. Dresses were high around the neck, and sleeves were narrower at the wrist and broader at the elbow. Henry's clothes are difficult to see, but in the 1860s, men wore white dress shirts, loose slack coats, and pants that usually did not match the jackets. 

This photo, also not identified, is clearly Martha Jane Vann and appears to 
have been taken sometime in the 1860s or 1870s. 

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

© 2022 

Family Gathering in Sampson County, NC, photo, about 1900; scanned images, from the privately-held collection of Gus Grubba, NC, 2022.

Henry B. Giddens and Martha J. Vann, NC, photo, 1860s; scanned images, from the privately-held collection of Gus Grubba, NC, 2022. 

Martha Jane Vann, NC, photo, about 1860s; scanned images, from the privately-held collection of Gus Grubba, NC, 2022. 

Maureen A. Taylor, Fashionable Folks Bonnets and Hats 1840-1900 (Picture Perfect Press.com, 2011).

Maureen A. Taylor, Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album (Picture Perfect Press.com, 2011).

"Women's Clothing," Landscape Change Program UVM (https://glcp.uvm.edu/landscape_new/menu.php: accessed 3 Oct 2022).