Now I'm Three!!!

photo by Debbie Chialtras, Soapylove.blogspot.com

Today is my blogiversary. Three years ago, I decided to start writing a genealogy blog, and I'm still at it, two hundred and fourteen posts late.

Looking back over the past year, I am glad that I took part in Thomas MacEntee's Genealogy Do-Over, being part of Round One. Through participating, I found that I have developed some new habits that have led me to be more focused in my research. I am also glad I chose to focus the GD-O on researching my Norwegian ancestors. Otherwise there would probably still be many blank areas in that section of my family tree.

Another side benefit of the GD-O came through the numbers of you who read my weekly posts on aspects of the GD-O. In terms of readership, this year's Top Five Posts were:

1. Nana, Why Do You Write Stories About Dead People? explaining genealogy to a grandchild
2. No Need to Stop Fueling the Find participating in FamilySearch Indexing
3. Getting Ready to Get Started GD-O
4. Dealing With All Those Bookmarks GD-O
5. Tracking My Research GD-O

This year I also found myself working on several series of posts. In addition to my posts related to the GD-O, I had another series of posts titled "Did You Hear the News?" This gave me a way to focus on how much information can be gathered by reading newspapers articles. Now, I'm constantly finding new treasures as I explore various wills and probate records which I am finding online. I'm all for trying to learn more about an ancestor's life, more than just the Birth/Marriage/Death records.

I truly appreciate all of you who follow me, who read my posts, and who comment on them. Thanks for being part of this with me. Now, I'm off to read another ancestor's will and plow through some probate documents ...

Have You Heard the News* About the Rev. Albert Bell Vaughan, Jr.?

the Reverend Albert Bell Vaughan, Jr.
photo in personal collection

My GreatGrandfather Albert Bell Vaughan, Jr. spent most of his life preaching the gospel. He preached in Baptist churches in both Georgia and Texas, to large and small congregations, and I grew up hearing many stories about this learned, respected minister. Still, I was able to learn more about him through my newspaper research.

As a college student in 1878, he presented a speech concerning the future of college students at his graduation from Mercer University.(1) In a little over twenty-five years, his oratorical skills lead him to be named to preach the main sermon at the Georgia Baptist Convention of 1905.(2)

One fascinating article was basically a testimonial Rev. Vaughan gave concerning the success of his eye surgery which had been performed by an Atlanta oculist. It read like a news article but in actuality seemed to be more like an ad for the surgery.(3) It was touching, though, to read how the surgery enabled him to then be able to read the New Testament in Greek. You can't help but be impressed by that!

Another interesting article related how Rev. Vaughan visited a young man in jail who had been accused of murder. Following a visit in jail from the Rev. Vaughan, the young man broke down and confessed to the crime he had committed.(4)

I was surprised to read how my GreatGrandfather, the minister of the Baptist churches in both Canton and Woodstock, Georgia, at the time, was also involved in local politics. At a meeting in 1892, Rev. Vaughan was the individual who proposed the slate of candidates to be endorsed by the county's Democratic Party.(5)

News of some of his church pastorates appeared in the Atlanta newspaper. Apparently the local church would have what amounted to an annual reelection of its pastor as when A. B. Vaughan was reelected to pastor the Baptist Church of Canton in 1900.(6) This information, interestingly enough, followed information about cases heard in Superior County Court the previous week and before news of the new telegraph operator for the railroad station in Canton. There were several short articles relating how Rev. Vaughan had turned down the opportunity to become the pastor of other churches.

My favorite article appeared in the fall of 1899. Albert Bell Vaughan, Jr. had been the minister at Canton [Georgia] Baptist Church for 13 years. However, in 1898 a schism divided the congregation over some unspecified issues. (I would love to have found an article about which happened, but there was no word in the paper about the situation in the church.) When he was not able to unify the congregation, Rev. Vaughan left the Canton church and moved to Nacogdoches, Texas to serve a church there. His daughter Miriam wrote of the family's year in Texas in her private diary. After a year, the church in Canton, Georgia, asked Rev. Vaughan to return. He accepted their offer, resulting in this article in The [Atlanta] Constitution.(7) After he returned to the Canton church, he never left the state of Georgia again, only serving Georgia churches until his death.

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, the Digital Archives of Georgia, and the Library of Congress Chronicling America.

(1) "Mercer University Commencement Day", The Daily Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 6 Jul 1878, accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/81080729/
(3) "A Canton Clergyman Has Remarkable Experience in Atlanta", The Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 16 Dec 1894, p 27; accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/79174859
(4) "Willis" Confession", The Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 2 May 1896, p 3. accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/79367935/
(5) "The Democrats of Cherokee". The Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 8 Jun 1892,p 2, accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/84243648/
(6) "Was Very Hard Week's Work", The Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 16 Sep 1900, p 8; accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/82664059/
(7) "Canton Baptists Are Happy", The Constitution, Atlanta, GA, 2 Dec 1899, p 3; accessed http://www.fold3.com/image/25/85536322/

Have You Heard the News* About Oscar Dean Perkinson?

It turned out that my Great Grandfather William Howard Perkinson wasn't the only family member who had been active in politics. Thanks to my newspaper research, I learned that his son, my Grandfather Oscar Dean Perkinson, was also involved in local government.

Articles in The [Atlanta] Constitution documented my Grandfather's election to the Woodstock [Georgia] City Council in 1903, 1913, and 1914. He was also elected Mayor of Woodstock in 1916, as related in this brief article. It was interesting to see the names of those elected to the Woodstock City Council in 1916. Almost everyone listed was part of the extended Perkinson family or a close family friend. So much for life in a small town.

The [Atlanta] Constitution, 5 Jan 1916, accessed through www.ancestry.com

Finding these articles about local politics helps me understand why my Grandfather probably decided to attend the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson in 1913. That event turned out to be yet another unexpected story!

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from copies of Atlanta newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, and the Digital Archives of Georgia.

Have You Heard the News* About Paul Myren's Accident?

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."(1) This unofficial motto of the US Postal Service covers a lot of conditions. But what about fire?

My Great Uncle Paul Severin Myren was a rural postal carrier in Traill County, North Dakota, for many years. A brief newspaper article told of his brush with a fire in which he was seriously burned. Apparently getting rid of weeds so that the mailboxes remained accessible was part of the job for a rural mail carrier in those days.

Pioneer Express, 17 Nov 1922(2)

Fortunately, this accident did not end Paul's long-time career with the post office. In fact, at the time of his accident, Paul was serving as President of the Rural Letter Carriers in North Dakota.(3)

Lessons Learned: That wonderful picture of Paul found at the beginning of my post was one I obtained some years ago, back before I realized how important it was to keep up with sources. The picture came from a local history book probably written in 1930-1940 in Traill County, North Dakota. Online I had come across an index to the book, saw Paul listed, and wrote to ask if someone could send me a copy of the picture. A look-up volunteer promptly honored my request. I'm just sorry that I cannot tell you the title or compiler of the book or anything about the photograph. Lesson: as soon as you find or receive information, attach a source to it. If only I had followed my own advice.

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from copies of newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, and Chronicling America by the Library of Congress.

(1) "Postal Service Mission and 'Motto'", https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/mission-motto.pdf.
(2) "State Summary", 17 Nov 1922, Pioneer Express, Pembina, ND; accessed through Library of Congress Chronicling America.
(3) "State Summary", 30 Sep 1921, Pioneer Express, Pembina, ND; accessed through Library of Congress Chronicling America.

Have You Heard the News* About Lemuel Dean?

It continues to be a surprise to find a reference to an ancestor in newspapers that are well over 125 years old. References to my 3GreatGrandfather, Lemuel Dean, keep appearing in historical newspapers. He shows up for a variety of reasons, some expected, others surprising.

Lemuel Dean apparently didn't follow the belief that you can't fight City Hall. At one meeting in 1873 he presented a request to the Atlanta City Council for a reduction to his property assessment. Later at the same meeting, he pressed for payment for damages done to his property after the city had been working on the street on which he lived.(1)

Dean also served several times on the Fulton County Grand Jury.(2) As a retired teacher, I may not have agreed with the Grand Jury's recommendation in 1859 to not fund the building of school houses, but I appreciate his willingness to serve Fulton County in this way. 

Through the years, Lemuel Dean had been involved in civic affairs in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. In 1859, he was named to a committee to work out the details for an upcoming state convention to be held in Atlanta.(3) Later, during the Civil War, Lemuel Dean was among those citizens who were thanked for providing horses for use by the Tallulah Videttes, a local militia group being organized in 1863.(4)

According to one newspaper article, in 1867 Dean had been one of a group calling for a town meeting to discuss the Sherman bill, the federal legislation that lead to reconstruction.(5) The wording of the original article makes his political stance concerning reconstruction apparent.

The Daily Intelligencer, 3 Mar 1867, accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia

Legal notices provided additional information concerning Dean. Some of the notices relate to his handling of the estates of his deceased son Samuel Howard Dean as well as other Dean family members. In 1870, he was named as the guardian of the minor children of the late William Thurman.(6) Other legal notices referred to Dean as a nearby property owner, the witness to a sale, or a former owner of the property in question.

Upon his death in January of 1880, there was no obituary, only one sentence which mentioned his burial.(7) His sons William Hiram Dean and Jesse Priestly Dean were named as the executors of their father's estate. As such they had a number of notices published in Atlanta newspapers relating to this responsibility. A notice of an Executor's Sale published in the 14 Mar 1880 issue of The Constitution was close to half a page in length as it listed his numerous properties to be sold.(8) In addition to seven lots, all along the railroad in Clarkston, Georgia, the estate also included over 100 acres in areas of Fulton County, Georgia.  Furthermore, the estate contained 23 individual lots as well as a half interest in nine additional lots, all located within the city limits of Atlanta. It looks as if a good rainy day project would be to locate these areas on an old map of the City of Atlanta especially since I had no idea he ever owned that much property.

Apparently, Lemuel's estate took quite a while to settle. Beginning in 1881 there were numerous legal notices concerning specific sales conducted by the executors.(9) The final legal notices appeared in the fall of 1889. In them, the remaining executor, William Hiram Dean, stated he had fulfilled all of his duties relating to the estate.(10) I can't help but wonder what circumstances caused Lemuel Dean's estate to take so long to complete the probate process.

The final article I found was written years after his death.  An article about old homes in the Atlanta area mentioned Lemuel Dean's three-story home on Marietta Street,(11)

As I continue to learn more about Lemuel Dean, I am coming to see that he had many facets. He was a friend to some, an enemy to others, a man not afraid to speak his mind, yet someone willing to stand for his beliefs. A real person, not just a name on my family tree.

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from copies of Atlanta newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, and the Digital Archives of Georgia.

(1) "Proceedings of Council", The [Atlanta] Daily Herald, 20 Sep 1873; accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia, www.http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu.
(2) "April Term of the Superior Court", The [Atlanta] Intelligencer, 21 Apr 1859; accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia, www.http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu.
(3) "Internal Improvement Meeting", Weekly Atlanta Intelligencer, 25 May 1870; accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia, www.http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu.
(4) "To the Citizens of Atlanta", Southern Confederacy, 4 Jun 1863;  accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia, www.http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu.
(5) "Politics in Atlanta 30 Years Ago", The [Atlanta] Constitution], 2 May 1897; accessed on www.fold3.com.
(6) "[Legal Notices]", Atlanta Weekly Intelligencer, 16 Jun 1859; accessed on The Digital Library of Georgia, www.http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu.
(7) "All Around Us", Daily Constitution, 14 Jan 1880; access on www.fold3.com
(8) "Executor's Sale", The [Atlanta] Constitution], 14 Mar 1880; accessed on www.fold3.com.
(9) "[Legal Notices]". The [Atlanta] Constitution], 22 Aug 1885; accessed on www.fold3.com.
(10) "[Legal Notices]". The [Atlanta] Constitution], 14 Sept 1889; accessed on www.fold3.com.
(11) Massey, R J, "Buildings of Yesterday and Today in Atlanta", The [Atlanta] Constitution], 16 Jul 1911; accessed on www.fold3.com.

Have You Heard the News* About the Wedding at the ADPi House?

Coat of Arms of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority (1)

Small town newspapers from the earlier part of the twentieth century can be such a fount of useful as well as fascinating information. Things like school talent shows, families visiting other relatives, who was sick, new babies, graduations. And the all important information about weddings.

I was browsing through microfilm issues of a small newspaper hoping to find the exact wedding date for a relative. After about an hour of looking, I found the wedding announcement. At last I had the date. More than that, I found an interesting story.

The opening paragraphs, in a newspaper in which most wedding announcements were generally only a few sentences long, set the stage.(2)

“It is not often that the most important events in a girl’s life move at such a pace as they have in the life of … Frances … who married … Thomas … At 11 o’clock … she marched into the chapel of this noted southern college, and in academic cap and gown, received her degree.   Less than two hours later, in a powder blue crepe frock with hat and accessories she stepped out to the measures of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” in the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority House to receive her wedding ring.”

Things moved toward a wedding when Thomas arrived at the college the day before graduation with some plans of his own. He came with a beautiful necklace as a graduation present for Frances. Thomas also brought other things: a wedding license, a platinum wedding band, and his father to be his Best Man.

The sorority sisters had known of the couple's plans to marry later in June. The girls had even suggested that Frances, their chapter president, select their sorority house as the place for that upcoming summer wedding.

With about 24 hours to finalize plans, Frances, Thomas, family members, and sorority sisters planned the wedding. Frances chose to wear a blue dress, her sorority's color. At the wedding, she walked down an aisle comprised of her sorority sisters. The couple met at the area of the sorority house where the ADPi crest hung on the wall, and there the couple exchanged their vows. And that was how, within just a few short hours, Frances graduated from college and had became a married woman.

The whole story reminded me so much of those classic black-and-white movies from the 1930s, the comedies focusing on college life. I can see the clothes, hear the sorority sisters laughing and crying tears of joy, feel the excitement they must have felt being part of the surprise nuptials.

The 13 paragraph article also provided a wealth of genealogical information. From it I learned more about Frances, her college extracurricular activities, and much about her parents who had been social and political figures in the area. The article also gave additional information about Thomas and his college days.

Although the couple did not live happily ever after, their marriage certainly started with joy and excitement. The wonderfully descriptive newspaper article let that event came alive for me. Thanks also to two special relatives, also members of ADPi, who pointed out some sorority details and shared my interest in this story about an ADPi wedding.

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, the Digital Archives of Georgia, and local libraries.

(1) Photo accompanying blog post "Spending the Afternoon at EO - LS Guest Blog" by Cassidy Collier, no posting date, accessed http://alphadeltapiblog.com/tag/brenau-university.

(2) “Miss Frances Hodges Weds Mr. Vaughan”, The Hartwell Sun, 3 Jun 1932, reprint of an article by Mabelle S Wall appearing in The Atlanta Constitution, 30 May 1932.

Have You Heard the News* About Paul Perkinson

It seems that my Great Uncle Paul Perkinson shared something in common with humorist and writer Mark Twain. Each had to deal with a report of his death.

Imagine sitting down with your first cup of coffee, opening the morning newspaper, and reading this article about yourself. Definitely would call for a second cup!

The [Atlanta] Constitution, 4 Feb 1903

And then, three days later, this article appeared in The Constitution.

The [Atlanta] Constitution, 7 Feb 1903

Had it been a college prank? Was it a serious mix-up by a Macon mortuary? The truth never came out in fact or through family lore. After that notice published in 1903, Paul Benson Perkinson actually lived another 40 years until his death in September of 1943.

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from copies of Atlanta newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, and the Digital Archives of Georgia.

Tuesday's Tips : Have You Heard the News* About William Howard Perkinson?

photo from The [Atlanta] Constitution, 15 March 1891

Sometimes we spend our research time trying to find everything possible about a specific ancestor by using a wide variety of resources. Sometimes, however, it pays to mine a specific resource to see what information you can find concerning any relative or ancestor. By mining, I mean searching within a specific resource for any information related to a specific surname, in my case I searched for "Perkinson" in newspapers. The mining approach has enabled me to find some interesting information about a number of Georgia relatives, thanks to issues of Atlanta newspapers available through fold3.com, Ancestry.com, the Digital Library of Georgia, and the Library of Congress Chronicling America collection of historical newspapers.

I was actually skimming through the 15 March 1891 issue of The [Atlanta] Constitution for information about another relative when seeing the drawing above made me stop and start reading the article on the page. After all, it isn't every day you find a picture of your Great Grandfather in an old newspaper.

The article was part of a multi-page section about Cherokee County, Georgia.(1) The articles highlighted the history, civic leaders, and industries of the towns of Canton and Woodstock, towns that were home to a lot of Perkinsons, and "a section possessing as many God-given attributes as any that distinguish the South".

Captain W H Perkinson, as he was called in the article, was listed among the leading merchants of the town of Woodstock. The article also made reference to his large brick home, built at a cost of $4000, one of the few brick homes in the town. 

Another part of the article provided more information about his business interests. The Alliance Company was founded after the fall of the firm of  Perkinson & Benson, a prior business owned by William Howard Perkinson and a Benson relative. My Great Grandfather was able to gather 100 area farmers together to form this new Alliance Company with over $100,000 in capital, quite a sum for 1891. The company, at the time of the article, had already purchased a barn and converted it into a cotton seed oil mill and a fertilizer factory.

An older issue of The Constitution provided a short article describing a fire in Woodstock that destroyed several buildings in the business area in 1886.(2) A storehouse and a frame building were both destroyed, including about $1000 of inventory stored in the buildings for businesses owned by my Great Grandfather. Fortunately, his primary inventory in another building was covered by his insurance.

In the spring of 1891, William Howard Perkinson was a delegate to a World's Fair assembly held in Atlanta.(3) The purpose of this assembly was to decide upon an exhibit for the state of Georgia to build for the 1893 Columbian Exposition to be held in Chicago. The group meeting together consisted of, in the words of Gov. Northern, "the best men in the state". The next year his wife, Louella Dean Perkinson, was named by the governor to serve on the Women's Work Committee in conjunction with planning for the women's exhibit at the Exposition.(4)

William Howard Perkinson, in addition to his business interests, was also extensively involved in farming. For a number of years, he served as a Vice President of the Georgia Agricultural Association, representing the ninth district.(5) 

Great Grandfather Perkinson was involved with the temperance movement. An article about the 1865 state convention of the International Organization of Good Templars related that W H Perkinson had been elected in its slate of officers for the next year.(6) He was also an active member of the Baptist Church, serving in 1883 as the first president of the Sunday School Association in the area.(7)

Capt Perkinson was also active politically in both state and congressional conventions.  In the 1880s, he was active in the Democratic Party, serving as the Cherokee County party chairman. He was also selected to be a representative to the 1882 state congressional convention of the Democratic Party.(8) However, by 1892, he had become involved in a third party movement which nominated him to run for the US Senate.(9) It was apparently an unsuccessful run as I unable to find anything further about the campaign or the ensuing election.

This mining approach to area newspapers yielded a wide variety of family information. Gathering this information involved looking at over 150 newspaper articles. But it was worth it to weed through society announcements, articles about unrelated Perkinsons, and numerous legal notices to gain a richer picture of William Howard Perkinson. Through the articles, I learned more about him as a person, his business interests, and his involvement in local politics. Besides some isolated facts that I recorded in Family Tree Maker, I also discovered other nuggets of Perkinson information that I will be sharing in future posts. 

Which family name shall I mine next?

* Have You Heard the News is a series of posts about family information gleaned from copies of Atlanta newspapers available through www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com, the Digital Archives of Georgia, and the Library of Congress Chronicling America collection of historical newspapers.

(1) Blackworth, B M, "Cherokee County, the Heart of a Great Agricultural Section", The Constitution, Atlanta, 15 March 1891, p 4-5; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.
(2) "Fire in Woodstock", The Constitution, Atlanta, 30 Dec 1886, p 2; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.
(3) "For the World's Fair", The Constitution, Atlanta, 5 May 1891, p 7; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.
(4) "The World's Fair", The Constitution, Atlanta, 22 Apr 1892, p 7; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.
(5) "The Georgia Farmers, The Weekly Constitution, Atlanta, 19 Aug 1884, p 9; accessed through Digital Library of Georgia; content source Atlanta Historical Newspapers Collection.
(6) "Grand Lodge, I.O.G.T.", Sunny South, Atlanta, 16 Oct 1875, p 6; accessed through Digital Library of Georgia; content source Atlanta Historical Newspapers Collection.
(7) "The Sunday School Association", The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, 10 May 1883; accessed through www.ancestry.com.
(8) "The Popular Vote", The Constitution, Atlanta, 6 Jul 1882, p 1; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.
(9) "Third Party Convention", The Constitution, Atlanta, 31 May 1892, p 1; accessed through www.fold3.com, content source Allen County Public Library.