Erath County (Images of America), a Review and a Chance to Win a Free Book.

I have been researching Erath County records since the late 1990s. My paternal grandparents, Redic Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, were married in Erath County in 1900. My grandfather's parents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton, emigrated from Louisiana, settled in the Stephenville area around 1878, and are buried in the West End Cemetery. My grandmother's parents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Erath from Falls County in 1883. They lived in Bethel near Morgan Mill until leaving, with my grandparents, for Baylor County, Texas in 1905. 

Erath County (Images of America) shows me photographs of the people and places I have been reading about for more than 20 years. Thank you to Sheryl Reed Rascher for an excellent compilation of 19th and 20th-century images. Everyone interested in Erath County families, communities, and history should have this book. 

Sheryl Reed Rascher, whose family has lived in Erath County for six generations, lovingly assembled this book with the assistance of other Erath County experts. Images for the book came from private collections, the Ralph and Dossie Rogers Historic Images Collection, the Stephenville Historical House Museum, and the Dublin Historical Museum. This book gives access to many photographs that may not be available elsewhere. As an avid researcher but not a Texas resident, this book allows me to see many images housed in the local museums that would otherwise require a visit.

The images in the book are organized
within the above eight topics. 

The Introduction first gives a concise history of Erath, and the remainder of the book is organized by topics. I especially liked a photograph of early settlers found in the Early Erath section. The photo, taken in 1903, includes the names, birth dates, place of birth, and date of removal to the area west of Waco. 

My great-grandparents, Terrell Bryan and Harriet Albritton, are pictured on page 88 in the Civic Duties section. 

My only criticism is one I have with the many Images of America books I own; there is no index. Many names, organization names, and community names are found in these books. For researchers, an index would be extremely helpful. 

I highly recommend this wonderful collection of historical photographs to anyone interested in Erath County. Sheryl Reed Rascher's Erath County (Images of America) was published on 12 September 2022 and is available for purchase at Amazon for $23.99.

A Chance to Win a Free Book

As I have two books, I will send one to a lucky winner at no cost. Let me know that you want the book by commenting on my Facebook page on or before 15 October 2022. I will randomly draw a name and contact the winner on 16 October 2022. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishing company for the purposes of review. The author, Sheryl Reed Rascher, send me a complimentary copy for sharing a family photo. However, my opinions are my own and are not influenced by outside sources.

.

Diana

© 2022 

Friday's Photo: A Genealogist's Holiday

My daughter sent this picture in response to a friend's text asking, "What are you doing?" I know that she thought it funny and I'm sure it was. She was watching us as we tried to read the letters on this cemetery stone. Genealogy is never her favorite part of a trip, but she knew there would be at least a few genealogical activities. 

This trip to Ireland was planned for our 40th wedding anniversary in 2020, which was postponed due to COVID closures. I only planned a few genealogy activities. We met a some of my husband's cousins and looked for family townlands, but most of the trip was spent admiring the beautiful country of Ireland, learning more about Ireland's history, and enjoying family time. 

This cemetery is the Killeen Cemetery, also known as the Cillin Graveyard, in New Quay, County Clare. What my husband did not know, as he was trying to read the letters by feeling them, was that this was the grave of his second great-grandfather, Patrick Murray. I wanted to know if there could be more than one name on the stone. There was not, but it is said that my husband's great-grandparents, James Murray and Cecelia Linnane are also buried in this plot. 

Genealogical Tidbits From Our Trip

Julia Murray Moylan's home has been sold. Her home on the Flaggy Shore in New Quay was also a store where she sold numerous items, including ice cream, candy, and cigarettes. Julia was the sister of my husband's grandmother, Susan Murray Quinn. 

My second-great-grandmother, Julia Halvey (also seen as Harvey), was born in Quinpool, County Clare - about a one-minute drive from Quinville House.  We could not find Quinpool but suspect it may have been on a portion of the land behind the Quinville House Gates. 

We found my husband's grandfather's name, William Quinn, on a wall at the Galway City Museum as one of 322 from Galway imprisoned in Frongoch Internment Camp following the Easter Rising in 1916. 

This is not a genealogy tidbit, but aside from visiting my husband's Murray and Quinn cousins and our friends, the Fordes, visiting Connemara was the best part of our trip. The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed the gardens and small towns. 

Everyone liked Linnane's in New Quay. It wasn't our first dinner at this restaurant. I've always wondered if this Linnane family of New Quay was connected to my husband's great-grandmother, Cecelia Linnane. I will never know until I do some digging. 

This is me in front of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. I can't say enough good things about it! If you go to Dublin, visit this museum. Note that only I went to the EPIC. Everyone else went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

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 

Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - October 4, 1923

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  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 

O. C. Harrison, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 4 October 1923, Vol. 28, No.2, print; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas, 2019. 

Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - September 27, 1923

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  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 

O. C. Harrison, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 27 September 1923, Vol. 28, No. 1, print; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas, 2019. 

Friday's Photo: A Sampson County Family

The scans of the above photos were generously shared with me by a Giddens researcher whose family descends from Henry Benjamin Giddens and his wife, Margaret Jane Vann.[1]

Identified were Margaret Jane Vann and Henry Benjamin Giddens, seated on the far right. No other persons were identified. Confirming Margaret and Henry's identity was easy as their photos are attached to their shared cemetery stone.[2] 

The second photo indicates a family relationship. And, the manner of dress for young and old alike shows that this wasn't just any family gathering. I suspect a funeral. 

The group in the photo was thought to be a Giddens or Britt family of Sampson County, North Carolina, but Margaret Jane Vann's large family of Lisbon in Sampson County should not be ruled out as a likely candidate. Margaret Jane Vann was the daughter of Kedar Vann and Louisa Robinson, and according to Kedar Vann's obituary, Margaret had at least eight siblings.[3] 

Left - This man resembles a photo of Preston Stewart Vann. 

Right - This man resembles a photo of Dallas Herring.

Investigation of Margaret's siblings led to the possible identification of two men seen in both photos. Photos of Preston Stewart Vann, Margaret's younger brother, and Dallas Herring, husband of Margaret's sister, Mary, were found by searching Ancestry.com's All Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents. These found photos strongly resemble the two men pictured above. I do not have permission to post the images found at Ancestry, but source number four below this post contains links accessible to those with memberships.[4] 

The young women's clothing and hairstyles date the photo to just after 1900.[5] 

If I am correct in the identification of Dallas Herring, the photo would have to have been taken before his death date of 20 December 1910. If my identification of Dallas Herring is not correct, we know that the last possible date for the photo would be Margaret Vann Giddens' death date of 5 September 1918.[6] 

I have enlarged and cropped portions of the larger photo for better viewing and identification. If you have this photo or can identify others in the image, please contact me by commenting on this page or through my Facebook page. 

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]

Friday's Photo: Della Southern Lomax

Della Olivia Southern Lomax
1885-1949

This is another photo from the Frye family collection. Della Southern was married to Dallas Daniel Lomax. They are buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. According to her memorial at Find a Grave, she was the daughter of Elbert E. Southern and Harriett Pullig who are buried in the Camp Ground Cemetery in Bienville Parish. The name of this child is unknown. 

If you have information about Della and this child, please share as a comment below or on a Facebook page. 

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 

Sources 

Della Southern, photograph, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133687225/della-olivia-lomax: accessed 12 August 2022), memorial page for Della Olivia Southern Lomax (23 Nov 1885–7 Dec 1949), Find a Grave Memorial ID 133687225, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Ruston, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by Wanda Ellenberger (contributor 48431040).

Friday's Photo: John Sledge

This photo came from the collection of Mary Virginia Martin Smith. She wrote that this and other photos marked with "ne" were from a photo album given to her mother, Anna Laura Martin, by a Sledge cousin, Niler Edwards of Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Although Mary wrote Niler, the cousin's name was probably Nila. The album originally belonged to Nila's father, Henry Collin Sledge. 

John Sledge was the brother of Henry Collin Sledge. I have seen his name written as John A. and John Aaron. While looking for information about the community of Iverson, John Sledge was seen in some of the records. I know that he was a merchant and postmaster. According to information at Find A Grave, he was married three times. His first wife, Sarah, was the daughter of Miles L. and Sarah Lawson Bryan who may have been closely connected to my Reddick Bryan family of Bienville Parish. 

Looking at other photos in this collection, I saw two unidentified photos that looked very much like the man in the above photo. What do you think? 

John Sledge's obituary with an additional, but very fuzzy, photograph can be seen here. 

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 

Sources

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24290958/nila-edwards: accessed 22 July 2022), memorial page for Nila Sledge Edwards (22 Jun 1893–10 Jun 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 24290958, citing Providence Cemetery, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by Nancy E. Collins (contributor 47113696).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97619397/john-aaron-sledge: accessed 22 July 2022), memorial page for John Aaron Sledge (12 Apr 1840–14 Apr 1924), Find a Grave Memorial ID 97619397, citing Old Castor Cemetery, Castor, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by KC (contributor 46825020).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106989397/sarah-sledge: accessed 22 July 2022), memorial page for Sarah Bryan Sledge (15 Jun 1842–28 Dec 1883), Find a Grave Memorial ID 106989397; Maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792)Burial Details Unknown.

JPERSONAL, The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana), 20 August 1898, p.5; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106091932/j-a-sledge-of-iverson/: accessed 22 July 2022).

Narrative about 110A and the rest of Part 5, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004. 

Sledge Photos 117, 122, and 127, photographs, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004. 

Southern Postal Matters, The Times-Democrat (New Orleans), 7 March 1902, p.4; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106091792/john-a-sledge-postmaster/: accessed 22 July 2022).