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. 

Pickles

The word "pickle" has had a special place in my mind for forty years - triggering good thoughts and memories.

 

In 1983, my husband and I purchased a house on Pickle Barn Court. The farmer who formerly owned the land told me about a cement slab in the area his father said was part of the old pickle barn. The custodian of the school where I was working told me her grandmother worked in that pickle barn as a young girl.

Our street name was often a topic of conversation, and everyone easily remembered our address. Our children were born when we lived in that house, where life happened for twenty-three years. 

 

When we sold our home on Pickle Barn and moved to our home on a street with a very nondescript name, our closing attorney thought it was quite a coincidence we were leaving Pickle Barn for a property once owned by a family named Gurkin (pronounced as gherkin like the small cucumber often used to make pickles).

 

And it shouldn't have surprised me when pickles carried over into my genealogy. When searching for land owned by my 4th great-grandfather, John Giddens, in Wayne and Duplin counties in North Carolina, I found the land in the area of Mt. Olive - home to the Mt. Olive Pickle Company. Now, the pickles in my refrigerator are always Mt. Olive Pickles. They make me smile.

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 

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: A Giddens Family Picture - 1914

This photo, probably taken in Goldsboro in Wayne County, North Carolina, is that of some members of the family of Lewis Devereux Giddens Sr. and his wife Margaret Ireland Giddens. The photo was taken in 1914. Lewis died in 1909. 

Lewis Devereux Giddens Sr.
1835-1909

Margaret Louisa Ireland
1841-1915

Above is Dr. Marvin Leroi Smoot Sr., his wife, Margaret Louisa Giddens, and his sons. Marvin Leroi Smoot Jr. is on the bicycle, and James Ross Smoot is the baby. Daughter, Margaret Virginia Smoot is pictured on the right and can be seen sitting next to her grandmother in the photo at the top of the page. Margaret Louisa Giddens was the daughter of Lewis D. and Margaret Ireland Giddens.

Mary Emma Giddens, daughter of Lewis D. and 

Margaret Ireland Giddens

Ross Ireland Giddens, son of Lewis D. and 

Margaret Ireland Giddens

Merle Louise Weaver, daughter of Eliza Newton Giddens and 

Robert E. Weaver and granddaughter of Lewis D. and 

Margaret Ireland 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

© 2022 

"Giddens Family Photo," photograph, 1914; scanned image, original photograph from the privately-held collection of Kathryn Ryan, NC, 2022.

kgrijfh, "Ryan,"private tree, Ancestry, Private tree accessed with permission, 3 October 2022. 

Don't Blame Ancestry. Look Carefully at the Facts You Add to Henry Benjamin Giddens' Profile (Or Any Other Profile) in Your Online Family Tree.

Margaret Jane Vann and Henry Benjamin Giddens[1]

My last post, Gathering Giddens: David Giddens and Sophia Britt of Wayne and Sampson Counties in North Carolina, took me down an unexpected path. I spent much time looking at Henry Benjamin Giddens, David and Sophia's son, as so many online family trees and other sites show that he was the son of Mitchell Giddens and Letisha Britt (my third-great-grandparents).[2] 

David and Mitchell Giddens were brothers, and Sophia and Letisha Britt were sisters.[3] Both couples named a son named Henry. And both families lived in close proximity to one another.[4]  

David and Sophia's son was Henry Benjamin Giddens, born in 1833. Mitchell and Letisha's son was Henry Clay Giddens, born about 1844.[5]

The families of the two Henry Giddens as seen in my online family tree.[6]

I knew that Henry Benjamin must be the son of David and probably Sophia, but I wanted to show documentation in my online trees. Wanting to understand why this error occurred, I decided to concentrate on Ancestry's trees as Ancestry is my go-to site and had the largest number of online trees for this family.

Gathering Giddens: David Giddens and Sophia Britt of Wayne and Sampson Counties in North Carolina

David Giddens was still considered a minor on 21 November 1815.[1]

David was the son of John Giddens and probably John's wife, the said to be Sarah Taylor.[2] In a family history found in The Heritage of Wayne County, North Carolina 1982, it is stated that David was the fifth son, born in 1780; however, David was a minor when his father died in 1802, and census records are consistent with a birth year of about 1800. The family history was correct in naming him the fifth son as he was preceded by Isaac, John, Abraham, and Jacob, and followed by the youngest, Mitchell.[3] 

These receipts, to Needham Stevens and J. L. Clifton, were signed by David Giddens in 1836
and 1838. They were found in the John L. Clifton Papers, 1784 (1830-1889) 1916.[4]

Land transactions and census records indicate that David spent his entire life in Wayne County or Sampson County. The first land transaction found naming David was in 1823. Asher Flowers sold land to David Giddens located on Jethro's Marsh Branch and described as land received by Abraham Giddens, David's brother, in the division of their father's land. One stipulation in the deed was that Jesse Flowers and his wife be allowed to live in their home on the land for the duration of their lives. Jesse's wife was the widow of John Giddens, probably David's mother.[5] 

David was reported to be a farmer in the 1850 and 1860 census records.[6] He is said to have married Sophia Britt. No date or documentation has been found of this marriage, but their first known child, Henry Benjamin Giddens, was born in 1833, and the death certificate of their son, Lewis D. Giddens, states that his parents were David Giddens and Sophia Britt.[7] 

Found in the Daily Journal, 14 Feb 1867 at
Newspapers.com[8]

Found in the Goldsboro Messinger 25, Jun 1877 at

Newspapers.com[9]

The last found record naming David Giddens was a land purchase on 28 December 1865.[10] Only Sophia was found in the 1870 census.[11] The article above could easily be David Giddens as his age and the time of his suspected death match. Although not documented, many Public Trees at Ancestry.com give a death date for David Giddens as 4 February 1867.[12] Sophia died in 1877 at the home of her daughter, Patience Best.[13] The burial place for David and Sophia Giddens is unknown. 

This letter, written by Dr. John Tomline Walsh to John L. Clifton of Sampson County in 1855, was in regard to subscriptions for Dr. Walsh's publication, Christian Friends. David "Giddings" was named as a subscriber.[14]

Gathering Giddens: Too Many Abrahams

I had planned to name this post Abraham Giddens a.k.a. Abram - Wayne County, North Carolina to Monroe County, Alabama but as I started writing, I realized that I did not have any direct evidence that connected Abraham of Wayne County, North Carolina to Abraham of Monroe County, Alabama. What if I am writing about the wrong Abraham Giddens? 

I have been collecting bits and pieces about Abraham Giddens of Conecuh and Monroe Counties since my first trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City in 2008, when I found both Abraham and Isaac Giddens in the vicinity of Monroe and Conecuh Counties. 

However, several individuals named Abraham Giddens were found when looking at U.S. census records and other peoples' family trees. Although my search is far from complete, I will not be looking at Abraham again in the near future and think it would be a good idea to share what I have learned so others will not repeat my research. 

Note that all of these Abraham Giddens were also seen as Abram and that there were many spelling variations for the name Giddens which include but are not limited to Giddins, Giddings, Geddings, Gideons, Gideon, and Giddons. 

 Abraham Giddens, son of John Giddens of Wayne County, North Carolina 

 

Abraham Giddens of Wayne County was named as a minor son of John Giddens in the above probate record. John died in 1802, and documents reveal that Abraham was considered a minor in 1815 and possibly as late as 1817.[1] 

The probate document pictured above indicates that Abraham may have sold his inherited land to his step-father, Jesse Flowers, in 1817. No deed record was found. However, Abraham was named in a deed when Asher Flowers (relationship to Jesse Flowers unknown) sold Abraham's inherited land in 1823 to David Giddens, Abraham's younger brother.[2]   

His Name was Jacob Giddens. He had No Middle Name. Please Make This Correction in Your Online Family Tree.

Jacob Gidden's gravestone at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Bienville Parish,
Louisiana does not show that he has a middle name or initial.[1]

Last week, I wrote Gathering Giddens: Jacob Giddens - Wayne County, North Carolina to Bienville Parish, Louisiana. One fact I did not write about was the addition of a middle name for Jacob that appeared to happen in the last 20 years. This gave him the name of Jacob Wealthy Giddens in the overwhelming majority of online family trees. I am writing this post in hopes of providing his descendants with information to persuade them to eliminate that middle name in their online family trees unless documentation can be found. 

Gathering Giddens: Jacob Giddens - Wayne County, North Carolina to Bienville Parish, Louisiana

In 1819, while living in Twiggs County, Jacob Giddens sold the land he inherited from his father to John Smith of Wayne County, North Carolina. The deed record, found in Wayne County Deed Book 11, did not mention that the land was land inherited from his father, John Giddens. However, when John Smith sold the land to John Casey that same year, in the deed, it was stated, " A certain piece or parcel of land lying or being the lands that the said John Smith bought off Jacob Giddens which fell to him the said Jacob Giddens in a Division of the Lands of his father, John Giddens, dec'd." Note that unlike the land of his siblings, Jacob's inherited land did not begin at Jethro's Marsh Branch.[1] 

Finding Jacob Giddens in Bienville Parish is what started my interest in genealogy in the late 1990s. 

My mother, from Long Island, New York, and my father, from the small town of Borger, Texas, were both interested in family history and asked me to look for their families on my new Internet. I was hooked when I found both families connected in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Jacob Giddens, brother to my mother's 2nd great-grandfather, and Reddick Bryan, my father's great-grandfather, settled in Bienville Parish. Their descendants married, and for that reason, I have several cousins connected to both families. 

Gathering Giddens: Elizabeth Giddens of Wayne County, North Carolina married William Bryan

On the 1800 U.S. Census naming John Giddens as head of household, there were two white females living in his household. One was between the ages of 10 and 15, and the other was under the age of 10.[1] Elizabeth Giddens may be one of those girls. Elizabeth is one of five of John's children found in documents naming the senior John Giddens. 

I only found one record naming Elizabeth. This Wayne County deed named Elizabeth as an heir of John Giddens. According to the deed, Elizabeth and her husband, William Bryan, who lived in Wayne County, sold land to Jesse Norris for 136 pounds.[2]

This land on Jethroes Marsh contained seventy-four acres. Jethro's Marsh Branch is seen in deeds for land sold by other children of John Giddens as well as the land Sarah Giddens received as her dower. [3]

Gathering Giddens: John Giddens, Another Son Who Moved from North Carolina to Alabama

In my mind, I imagined the Giddens brothers living and working together in Alabama. Knowing that Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob lived in the southern portion of Alabama, I was surprised to find John Giddens in Madison County. John's home, Madison County, is at the top of the state and borders Tennessee. Isaac and Abraham first lived in Conecuh County bordering Florida. Abraham later moved to nearby Monroe County. Jacob lived in Barbour County bordering Georgia and marked by the circle on the right.[1]

John Giddens is another Giddens who is thought to be the son of John Giddens, a planter and early settler, in Wayne County, North Carolina. There is no direct evidence showing John as a son of the senior Giddens, but a few documents do provide some convincing indirect evidence. In 1800, the census showed two males living in the senior John Giddens' home between the ages of 16 and 26. The younger John is thought to be one of those males as he was not named a minor in the senior John's probate file in 1802. This would give young John a birth year of no later than 1784.[2]

Gathering Giddens: Jemima Giddens, Wife of William Jones of Wayne County, North Carolina

On the 1800 U.S. Census naming John Giddens as head of household, there were two white females living in his household. One was between the ages of 10 and 15, and the other was under the age of 10.[1] Jemima Giddens may be one of those girls. There is no documentation naming John as the father of Jemima, but the three documents described in this post are enough to infer a relationship. 

Jemima is first found in The Wilmington Gazette as marrying in Wayne County on 11 December 1806. Isaac Giddens was married the same day. Jemima married William Jones of Wayne County.[2] As Jemima Giddens was said to be from Wayne County and John Giddens was the only Giddens head of household in 1790 and 1800, I feel safe believing she might be John's daughter.[3] 

Jemima's husband's Jones family was probably very well known to the Giddens family. Land of  William Jones Sr. was situated close to land owned by John Giddens, and  John Giddens was one of two men who was charged with settling the estate of William Jones Sr. in 1786. The six children named in the probate for William Jones Sr. were Sarah Taylor, John, Polly, Elizabeth, Nancy, and William.[4]

Gathering Giddens: Isaac Giddens - from North Carolina to Alabama

Isaac, his children, and his brother Abraham were found on membership lists for the Belleville
Baptist Church in Conecuh County, Alabama. [1]

I have not found direct evidence showing Isaac Giddens, born in 1782, to be the son of John Giddens of Wayne County, North Carolina. But, I have found records that indirectly point to Isaac as John's son. My first found record of Isaac Giddens was in John Giddens' probate record.  Isaac purchased items from John Giddens' estate on 10 December 1802. Isaac, the only Giddens making purchases, bought a set of hatters tools, twelve hogs, two steers, a mare, and five barrels of corn. [2]

According to this clipping in the 23 December
1806 issue of the Wilmington Gazette, Isaac 
married Fame Futch. This name differs from
numerous family trees that name Isaac's wife
as Phama Patterson. [5]

In 1806, on December 11th, Isaac Giddens married Fame Futch. According to the newspaper announcement both were of Wayne County. [3] John Giddens was the only Giddens in Wayne County in 1790 and 1800 so, can we safely assume that Isaac was his son? [4]

Isaac was found with his wife and children in Wayne County on the 1810 U. S. Census.[6] And, the 1810 Tax List showed that he owned 100 acres of land.[7] Isaac's land was situated on Jethro's Marsh Branch - the same location as land owned by John Giddens, at least three of his siblings, and by John's widow, Sarah.[8] Isaac sold that land before 1815 to Cullen A. Blackman and it doesn't appear that he owned land again in North Carolina.[9]