Falling, Falling, Falling Down That Rabbit Hole!

"Looking top an elegant spiral" is marked with CC0 1.0.

It was one of those days when I had a hint pop up on Ancestry.com, something about Tomlinson McCarty, the husband of my Third Great Aunt, Mary Ann Elizabeth Slade. So, I click on it, and I found myself spiraling down that research rabbit hole. I clicked on the hint because I hoped to learn when Elizabeth (her preferred name) Slade McCarty died. Did I learn about her death? NO, but I learned was a lot about the Tomlinson family, things that kept me busy for the better part of a week. 

I started my search with the Ancestry hint and learned more about The Rev Tomlinson McCarty who died in 1868 and was buried at the Ebenezer Methodist Church Cemetery in Lamar County, Georgia. We would expect the wife of a minister to be buried along side him, but I could find nothing on FindAGrave, Billion Graves, or random Google searches to indicate a burial place anywhere for Elizabeth Slade McCarty. 

Next I tried using US Census records where I found entries for her in 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 but wasn't able to find her in any later census records. Those records did provide some interesting information that indicated Elizabeth moved with all of her younger children to Clay County, Georgia by 1870 and then moved further to Randolph County, Georgia, by 1880. With each of these moves, the children 18 and younger moved with her while her older children, at times, lived elsewhere.

Since census and burial records had not provided the information I was seeking, I decided to use a technique I call "So, Where's Mama?", researching the children of a mother to see if she eventually ended up living with any of them or was buried in the same cemetery as one of her offspring. Since Tomlinson McCarty and Elizabeth Slade McCarty had 14 children, it took a while to see who lived where through the years. 

Here is a brief summary of what I learned about the McCarty children, my first cousins, 3x removed.

• Martha R McCarty (1844-1914) had no record of any marriage. She lived with her parents and later with her mother through the 1880 census, but according to the 1870 census Martha was living next door to her mother, living with the family of Seaborn and Julia McCarty Jones, most likely a relative of her father. Later in 1900, Martha was living with her brother James McCarty and his family in Dothan, Alabama, where she died in 1914 and was buried.

• Julie E McCarty (1845 - unk) has no record of marriage up through 1880. Julie lived with her mother according to the 1850 and 1860 census records, but in 1870 she lived with her uncle Herbert Turner and aunt Lavinia Slade Turner. According to the 1880 census, Julie was still living with her mother's sister Lavinia Slade Turner and had moved with that family to Whitfield County, Georgia. I was unable to find any further census, marriage, or death record for Julie.  

• Samuel A McCarty (1846-1916) left his mother's home in 1870 after his marriage to Armonia Crawford. The young couple, in 1870, lived with the family of Alexander McCloude where Samuel was a laborer on the McCloude farm. Samuel continued to farm for the rest of his life. Sometime after the mid 1880s, Samuel and his family moved to Union County, Arkansas. The 1900 census showed the McCarty family living close to the family of D W Crawford who seems likely to be Daniel Crawford, a brother of Armonia Crawford McCarty. After Armonia died about 1910, Samuel's son James and his family moved to live with Samuel until Samuel died in Arkansas and was buried there in 1916.

• Joseph Cicero F McCarty (1847-abt 1892) married Susan Oxford in 1868 after which the young couple lived in their own home in Pike County, Georgia according to the 1870 census. Some time about 1878, Joseph and Susan moved to Texas as indicated in birth information for some of their children in the 1880 census record for Smith County, Texas. James was originally a farmer, but later became a County Treasurer and then a state Tax Adjuster. The 1891 City Directory for Dennison, Texas listed Susan McCarty as the widow of Joseph and indicated that two of her sons were living with her at her Dennison home. An entry in FindAGrave listed Joseph's death in 1888 and his burial in an unmarked grave in Dennison, Texas, but once again no mention of his mother Elizabeth being buried in that cemetery. 

• Sarah Lavinia McCarty (1851-1875), following her marriage to Jehu Clark, lived in Pike County, Georgia were the couple raised a family. Sadly, Sarah died in 1875, possibly due to complication of childbirth as her fourth child was born that same year. After her death, Sarah was buried in the Ebenezer Church Cemetery of Lamar County, Georgia, the same cemetery where her father was buried.

• James H McCarty (1852-1922) was living with his mother Elizabeth in Clay County, Georgia until his marriage to Caroline Bell in 1876. By the 1880 census James and Caroline were living in Randolph County, Georgia, and his mother Elizabeth's census information was the next family on the census record. James, Caroline and their four children had moved to Dothan, Alabama by the 1900 census enumeration, and at that time, his sister Martha or "Mat" was living with them. As mentioned previously, Martha lived with James and his family until her death in 1914. The 1920 census listed Mary Bell, the sister of Caroline Bell McCarty, as living with the family, even though Caroline had died in 1918. James McCarty passed away in 1922 and was buried in Dothan, Alabama.

• William C McCarty (1855-1933) lived in Clay County, Georgia for a number of years, first with his mother and by 1880 living on another farm where he was a hired laborer. Sometime after the marriage of William and Hattie Naramore in 1887, the couple moved to Colquitt County, then by 1910 to Early County, Georgia where they lived with Hattie's father Cyrus Naramore. Later, in the 1920 and 1930 census records, William was living in Polk County, Florida with the family of Clarence Bell, a younger brother of Caroline Bell McCarty. The Florida death index records that William died in 1933, but I was unable to find a burial site for him.

• Charles W McCarty (1857-1888) lived with his mother in Clay County, Georgia until he married Rosa Thornton in 1878. Following their marriage, Charles and Rosa were living in nearby Stewart County, Georgia. Some time before Jan, 1889, Charles, Rosa, and their family had moved to Texas. Charles died in January of 1889 and was buried in Dennison, Texas. His wife Rosa never remarried and lived in Texas where she died and was buried in 1933.

• Mary P McCarty (abt 1859 - unk) is one member of the family for whom I could find no record beyond her living with the mother Elizabeth in the 1870 census. Age wise, she might have married by 1880.

• Simon S V McCarty (abt 1860 - unk) like his sister Mary, has no record beyond his mention in the 1860 census and no burial information. HOWEVER, the 1870 census included information about a Thomas McCarty, born about 1859. Perhaps it was Simon T McCarty in 1860 and Thomas in 1870 because there is information about Thomas McCarty.

• Thomas McCarty (1860- 1907) IF Simon V was really Simon T for Thomas, it was fairly easy to trace the life of Thomas McCarty. Thomas was listed as living with his mother Elizabeth in the 1870 and 1880 census records. In 1881, a marriage for Thomas McCarty and Willie Glenn was recorded in Henry County, Alabama. Thomas and Willie continued to live in Dothan, Alabama until Willie died in 1901 and Thomas in 1907; both are buried in Dothan, Alabama in the same cemetery as Thomas's brothers James and Richard and his sister Martha.

• Emma McCarty (abt 1862 - unk) like her sister Mary had left no record beyond her mention in the 1870 census where she was living with her mother.

• Richard C McCarty (1862-1931) left lots of records for tracing his life. He stayed with his mother through the 1880 census then married Mollie Glenn in 1883. Apparently soon after their marriage, the couple moved to Florida where their two oldest children were born after which the family moved to Alabama by 1893 where their youngest child was born. Living in Geneva County, Alabama, Richard and his family were near his brother James. The family continued to live in that area until Richard died in 1931 and his wife Mollie in 1941.

• Albertus S McCarty (1865-1945) was one family member who moved away from farming, becoming a jeweler and watch maker for his entire career. In 1896 Albertus, or Bert as he became know, married Eulalia Stawall. By 1910 the couple had birthed five children, but only two daughters were still alive in 1910. The family moved to Tampa, Florida by 1920 and lived there for the remainder of the lives of Bert and Eulalia.

• John R McCarty (1867-1944) apparently lived with his mother Elizabeth until he married Lillian Sims in 1892. By the 1900 the young couple were living in Dothan, Alabama, the same town as his brother James and his family. The 1910 census found John and his family living in Decatur County, Georgia where he farmed and was a carpenter. John's wife Lillian died in 1930 and John in 1944; both are buried in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Lessons Learned: 

• Sometimes it's OK to spiral down a rabbit hole in researching a family. I was somewhat familiar with the Slade family, but the McCarty family was new to me. I found that using many of the resources already familiar to me helped me find a lot of information about a new family. 
• It was also interesting to see the connections between family members living near or with each other through the years, something not so much the norm in today's mobile society. The westward movement of individuals was similar to what I had found in other families in the post Civil War time period as individuals sought more land and perhaps a new sense of adventure. The variety of occupations within the McCarty family was also interesting to note. 
• Finally I continually wished that more Georgia counties had maintained an index of marriage for women and not just had an index for males. With an index of women, it might have been possible to find marriage records for Julia, Mary, or Emma.
• As for Elizabeth, I will continue to return to her from time to time as see if newly digitized records can help me learn more about her.

Resources used: (rather than 100+ footnotes)

• U S Census records, various years, accessed www.Ancestry.com
• "U S City Directories, 1822-1995" various cities, accessed www.Ancestry.com
• "Florida Death Records", accessed www.Amcestry.com
• FamilySearch.org
• FindAGrave
• BillionGraves
• Georgia's Virtual Vault "Marriage Records" various counties. accessed https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/countyfilm

Labels: Genealogy Resources: Lessons Learned; Rabbit Hole Genealogy; Slade

The Slave Name Roll Project* : Estate of Samuel Slade, Pike County, Georgia

"Power of Words" by Antonio Litterio,
via Wikimedia.org

* Blogger Schalene Dagutis, through her blog Tangled Roots and Trees, developed the Slave Name Roll Project in 2015. This project encourages the listing of the names of slaves as their names are found through our research of wills, probate documents, and property records. It gives us the opportunity to provide this information so that present day descendants can make a connection to their enslaved ancestors.

Over the past year I have been researching wills and probate records as to a means of learning more about my ancestors. I contined to come across information which indicated that some of my southern ancestors had been slave owners. Included in some of the wills and probate records was very specific information about individual slaves - their names, ages, physical descriptions, sometimes even a mention of family relationships. Some wills also specified what was to happen to specific slaves following the ancestor's death. Probate returns sometimes documented the person who purchased a specific slave during the settlement of the estate. 

This type of information from ancestors' legal documents could prove helpful to those exploring their African-American roots. I also realized that posting this type of information is something important to do. Participating in the Slave Name Roll Project has presented the opportunity to share this information, information which might otherwise remain difficult for others to find.

The first will I revisited was that of Samuel Slade of Pike County, Georgia.(1) Samuel's will was signed on 25 June 1858 and filed for probate 6 August 1860. In his will he makes specific mention of the following slaves:

• Frank, age 11, dark complexion, to be given to Slade's daughter Frances Ann Bankston
• John, age 13, dark complexion, to be given to Slade's daughter Abi Hall
• Henry, age 18, yellow complexion, to be given to Slade's son Samuel Slade
• Lawrence (a woman) to be given to Slade's daughter Abi Hall
• Susan to be given to Slade's daughter Aletha S Keneday

Later probate records and returns for the administration of Samuel Slade's will contained another list of slaves.(2) These named slaves were Dave, Joe, Susan, Larance, Hester, Willis, Lewis, Mandy, Hannah, Emily, Ned, Clark, Jordan, Elijah, Vilot, and Jane; no age or physical description was given for any of these listed. There was nothing to indicate whether Susan and Larance were the same individuals listed in Samuel's will or if they were other people.

Thank you to blogger True E. Lewis. Her quote expresses a powerful reason for participating in this project.(3)

"It's honorable to do .. You're RELEASING their Names and their Souls for their Descendants to hopefully find them one day. Every time this happens they are REJOICING. They have been in a book or what have you for so long."

1. Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992; Pike County Record of Wills, Book C-D, 1844-1912, p 203-205; accessed on Ancestry.com.

2. Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990; Pike County Returns and Inventories 1861-1883, vol BA, p 224-225; accessed on FamilySearch.org.
3. Lewis, True E. "A Quote For the Remembered and Released Slaves", 
http://mytrueroots.blogspot.com/2015/08/slave-name-roll-project.html

The Rest of the Story : Samuel G Slade's Children and His Estate

Gordon Institute, 1887 Catalog
source: Gordon State College web site

Sometimes timing is everything. Right after I wrote about the unfortunate events in the life of my 3rd Great Uncle, Samuel G Slade, I had the chance to learn more about things following his death. Ancestry.com had just released thousands of will and probate records on its website, so I had to see what I could find there. The same records had already been available through FamilySearch.org, but now they were indexed on Ancestry.com.

Soon I found myself using "a second pair of eyes" by also browsing through the same collection of records on FamilySearch.org, readable page by page but without any index. This allowed me to find some additional information that did not show in Ancestry's index of the records. I'm putting all the information together chronologically to show what happened in the Slade family in the years following Samuel G's death.

Samuel G Slade had died on 28 February 1880. By 2 March 1880, six men from Pike County applied to the court for letters to administer his estate.(1) The application indicated that Samuel G had died intestate, and the gentleman agreed to relinquish their letters of administration should a will be found prior to the settling of his estate. Later through FamilySearch I found that the Ordinary of Pike county had appointed Thomas Barrett from this group of six gentlemen as the temporary administrator of the estate until the official executor could be determined.(2) This was probably the same Thomas J Barrett who was married to Minerva Ann Slade, one of Samuel G Slade's sisters.

On 5 April 1880, one month later, James W Means also applied for letters of administration for Samuel G's estate.(2) Browsing through the pages, I could not find that the original group of administrators had been dismissed, but all future records showed only James W Means as the executor of the estate. Incidentally, this same James W Means was later the ordinary of Pike County so I had lots of opportunities to see his name on probate documents.

Sometime that same day, 5 April 1880, James W Means applied for legal guardianship of fourteen-year-old Ella Slade.(3) It was almost four years later that James W Means applied for the guardianship of her siblings J C, John Edward, and Annie.(3) All the children were listed as being the wards of James W Means in the 1880 census, but for some unknown reason, there was not no legal document awarding guardianship for the other three children until 1884.

As required by law, James W Means had to file annual reports of his expenses in the settling of Samuel G Slade's estate.(4) The annual report for 1880-1881 alone covered 16 pages. It provided details about the physical care of the children, the management of the Slade farm, and insight into life in the early 1880s. His report made for some interesting reading.

Return on behalf of children of Samuel G Slade filed 1 Apr 1881

School supplies and personal items for Edward Slade, 1885.

Means apparently was paid room and board for all four children. Records also show that he sent spending money to Ella when she was away at school. Another section of the report listed expense vouchers for additional purchases, things like a boy's suit, four collars, and two collar buttons; payments to a dealer in millinery and fine goods; the purchase of fabric, thread, and needles; new shoes; and a long list of school supplies - paper, ink, tablets, and books. Other vouchers were presented for dental work and medicine for the children.

From the vouchers, I also learned that the four children attended school. The oldest child Ella attended Wesleyan Female Institute in Staunton, Virginia, and her brothers and younger sister were students at Gordon Institute near the Means' home in Barnesville, Georgia.

Management of the Slade farm and mill seemed to be an ongoing operation for Mr. Means. Vouchers showed purchasing seeds and fertilizer, agreements to sell cotton, buying tools and necessary farm equipment as well as paying those who worked on the farm and at the mill. And then there were the notes for money borrowed by Samuel G Slade prior to his death, notes which James W Means paid from the farm income. A touching note was to see voucher #50, the payment for fixing the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Slade and a child.

Appraisers submitted their evaluation of Samuel G Slade's estate in May of 1880, giving the total estate a value of $12,347.81.(5) A year later, in May of 1881 the appraisers awarded $1000 from the estate for a year's support of the children and authorized the use of a number of pieces of furniture by the Slade children.(5)

The Slade children continued under the guardianship of James W Means until each was of legal age. As guardian, he submitted an annual report to the Pike County Ordinary for each child as well as a report covering expenses related to the farm and mill. It struck me as interesting that each of the four Slade children was already married at the time his or her legal guardianship was dissolved with Mr. Means. Documents in which the guardianship was dismissed seemed to match the times when J C, Edward, and sister Annie each turned 21.(6) For some unknown reason, his guardianship of Ella was not concluded until she turned 25. By the time the guardianships had been dismissed, all four children were adults, with their own families and their own lives.

Lessons Learned (and relearned): There is no substitute for looking at original documents or their readable copies. It is one thing to know that James W Means was the children's guardian and the executor of Samuel G Slade's estate. It is quite another thing to see pages that show the extent to which James W Means was involved in the lives of the Slade children or on their behalf for so many years.

Taking the time during this research to become more familiar with the Ancestry indexing and with the variety of records available through FamilySearch will prove useful whenever I use the same records to learn more about other relatives. I gained some skill in using the various indices within a volume and then skimming over documents to find the phrase "administer the goods, chattel, and credit of -------- -------- late of this county deceased" to locate the probate records for a specific individual. I also learned to look at additional pages in the book because sometimes notes concerning one estate were written on the back of the documents for another person.

Now I have a list of other names to search in the Pike County, Georgia records. Then a list for Jones County followed by a list for Monroe County, and that's just for researching my Slade ancestors. And then ...

(1) Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992. Pike County Administrators Bonds 1829-1962; accessed through www.ancestry.com.
(2) Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990. Pike County Administrators Bonds 1829-1897; accessed through www.familysearch.org
(3) Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992. Pike County Guardians Bonds 1829-1955; accessed through www.ancestry.com.
(4) Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990. Pike County Returns 1878-1882 vol P; accessed through www.familysearch.org.
(5) Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990. Pike County Inventories and Returns 1861-1883 vol BA; accessed through www.familysearch.org.
(6) Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990. Pike County Letters of Dismission, 1881-1962; accessed through www.familysearch.org.

Sometimes Life is Just Hard ...

Samuel Bernard Slade, infant son of S G and F C Slade,
findagrave memorial #119440666; photo by Lisa G

Some relatives are just plain fun to research; they draw you by their interesting lives or exciting adventures. Sometimes, though, a relative will grab my attention for other reasons. Samuel G Slade, my third great uncle, is one of the later. I first came across him while searching for military records for the Georgia Slades. Each new thing I learned about Samuel G and his hard life kept me digging to learn more about him.

Samuel G was the youngest of the 11 children of my third Great Grandparents, Samuel Slade and Chloe Harrison. He was born and raised in central Georgia. At the age of 19, Samuel G and his bride Mary C Smith were living with his parents at the time of the 1860 census. It looked like a bright future for the young couple. However, according to information on the Slade Genealogy website, Mary Smith Slade died early in their marriage, and the couple did not have any children.

In July 1861, Samuel G joined other men from Pike County, Georgia, when he enlisted to serve in Company A, 13th Georgia Volunteer Infantry, CSA.(1)  During the Battle of Monocracy in July of 1864, Samuel's leg was wounded such that it had to be amputated below the knee. After his capture by Union forces at the Battle of Monocracy, he was sent to the Military Prison at Hampton, Virginia, then involved in a prisoner exchange later that summer.(2) By February of 1865, now back with the 13th Georgia, Samuel was placed on extended medical furlough.

Samuel G Slade, record of diagnosis, 22 Aug 1864 (2)

Apparently Samuel G was in Georgia long enough to marry Fannie Coker in January of 1865.(3) By the 1870 census, Samuel G and Fannie had three children with two more born in the 1870s. Things seemed to be looking up for Samuel G and Fannie.

The couple's seemingly peaceful life started a downward slide in September of 1878 when their year-year-old son, Samuel B, died.(4)  Several unsourced online family trees mention that a second son also died during that period. Then, about a year later, Fannie Coker Slade passed away due to a fever.(5) In November of 1879, Samuel G was a widower, left to raise four children, all under the age of 13.

Samuel G Slade, application for payment for limb

Although Samuel G's leg had been amputated during the Civil War, he had not received an artificial limb or military pension from the government. About a month after his wife's death. Samuel G applied to the state of Georgia for a $75 payment for a leg.(6) Samuel G's file contains only this application and one supporting form attesting to his condition. Nothing more. His file was in all likelihood closed soon after it had been opened. In February of 1880, Samuel G Slade died. The cause of death listed on the 1880 Federal Mortality Schedule was suicide.(4)  Not yet 40 years of age, Samuel G had lost two wives and at least one young child, as well as having a lasting disability from his war injury; apparently he must have felt that life was just too hard to continue.

The impact of these events has caused me to spend some time researching the lives of Samuel G's four surviving children. They were first cousins, three times removed, not close enough to ordinarily be a high research priority, but as a mother and a teacher I've found myself wanting to know more about them. What would life hold for these children who had known such upheaval in their lives, losing a brother (or two), their mother, and their father, all in less than a two-year time span?

Thankfully, there were some bright spots in the adult lives of the Slade children. Within a few months of their father's death, all four children were living with the James W Means family in Pike County.(7) They were listed in the 1880 census as Mr. Means' wards so apparently they were all together, in a home with food and, hopefully, care and attention. This also probably meant that neither 14-year-old Ella or 12-year-old J C Slade was put in the position of having to raise the younger siblings while themselves still children.

One of the Slade boys became a teacher, a school board trustee, and even served as the county Sheriff. Another Slade brother went in the lumber business. Both of the sisters married and had families of their own. Life did go on for the Slade children, sometimes for the better. At times, life is just hard for an individual or within a family. And sometimes a spark or concerned individuals can help people not just endure but perhaps even thrive.

(1) Henderson, Lillian, Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, vol. 2, Hapeville, GA: Longrine & Porter, 1959-1964; accessed through www.haithitrust.org.
(2) "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Georgia", packet for Samuel G / S G Slade; accessed through www.fold3.com.
(3) Slade-Harrison Family Bible, transcription and provenance posted on www.sladegenealogy.net.
(4) "Samuel Bernard Slade", FindAGrave memorial #119440666; citing Ebenezer United Methodist Church Cemetery, Lamar County, Georgia; memorial page and photo by Lisa G provide information.
(5) 1880 Federal Mortality Schedule, Georgia, Pike County, District 551; accessed through Ancestry.com.
(6) Georgia. Confederate Pension Applications, Georgia Confederate Pension Office RG 58-1-1, "Samuel G Slade". accessed through Georgia Virtual Vault.
(7) 1880 Federal Census, Georgia, Pike County, Zebulon; accessed through Ancestry.com.