Sunday, December 26, 2010

Happy 101st Birthday Aunt Della!


Happy 101st Birthday to my Aunt Della Moore Richardson. I am so glad that I've gotten to know her over the years. I did not meet her until the mid 1990s. She is a great storyteller and has provided rich nuggets of oral hisory on my paternal ancestry. Read more about Aunt Della, (click here)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Online Maps

Nutbush and Middleburg townships are now combined in present day Vance County, NC. Somewhere in the water lies the lands of my ancestors and many others of this region who were affected by the 1950s Kerr Lake/Buggs Island Dam Project.

Early this morning I was doing some research on the Kerr Lake area in Vance County, NC where some of my ancestors lived. During the 1950s, the United States Government took either all or portions of lands of residents of this region to build the Kerr Lake Dam. This region included counties in Virginia like Mecklenberg and others in North Carolina like Vance, Warren, Granville counties. In Virginia, this Dam is called "Buggs Island" rather than "Kerr Lake." All of the land of my great-great grandmother Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951) was taken during this land confiscation by eminent domain by the United States Government. Grandma Ven had inherited 80 acres of land in the Nutbush township (Bullocksville Park) area of Vance County after the death of her husband Andrew Bullock (1862-1915). There are records in the Register of Deeds Office in Vance County which describe the properties that were taken by the government for the Kerr Lake Dam. I’ve had copies of these documents for numerous years, but only recently began analyzing the data using Microsoft Access, a database software.


Along with my data analysis, I am also studying various maps of the Kerr Lake area, both online and paper-based. Through an Internet search this morning, I discovered a great website called

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Greetings From Holly Hansen

It was great to meet Holly Hansen at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expo. What a great conference! Thanks to Holly and the others who helped this conference to be a success.



Monday, November 29, 2010

Meeting Bernie Gracy

I was thrilled to meet Mr. Bernie Gracy at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I learned so much from the three sessions he conducted on Location Based Genealogy. Prior to the conference, I had begun applying some of the concepts I learned from him though his YouTube videos that I discovered this past summer. (Read more about this discovery.) I also had an opportunity to let him know on Friday of the conference that I had blogged about his work earlier that month.

On Saturday, I saw Mr. Gracy again and he informed me that he had read my posting and even sent it out to his Facebook friends.

Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location Based Genealogy

I was fortunate to attend three workshops on Location Based Genealogy conducted by Mr. Bernie Gracy during the recent 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. Now Mr. Gracy has placed some of his talk on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location Based Genealogy (Part 1 of 3)


Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location Based Genealogy (Part 2 of 3)


Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location Based Genealogy (Part 3 of 3)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, Part 3

My presentation at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos was entitled “Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation” so I decided to videotape greetings from various bloggers and others whom I communicate with online through various social media sites. In most cases, I only communicate with these persons (who will be featured in this series) through writing and seeing each other’s smiling face on photos on social media sites. It was great to meet some of these online friends face-to-face and to greet them with a hug or handshake.

It was great meeting Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog during the conference. Several years ago, I took at least one of Lisa's classes which were offered online through GenClass.




Monday, November 22, 2010

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, Part 2

My presentation at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos was entitled “Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation” so I decided to videotape greetings from various bloggers and others whom I communicate with online through various social media sites. In most cases, I only communicate with these persons (who will be featured in this series) through writing and seeing each other’s smiling face on photos on social media sites. It was great to meet some of these online friends face-to-face and to greet them with a hug or handshake.

It was great talking to Linda McCauley of Documenting the Details blog during the conference. For some reason, I kept calling her 'Lisa" and even typed that name when I began typing this blog posting. (Sorry Linda). I don't think I had encountered her online prior to this time, but it was great spending time with her at the Blogger of Honor's table in Atlanta and now communicating with Linda (not Lisa--LOL), online.




Friday, November 19, 2010

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, Part 1

My presentation at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos was entitled “Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation” so I decided to videotape greetings from various bloggers and others whom I communicate with online through various social media sites. In most cases, I only communicate with these persons (who will be featured in this series) through writing and seeing each other’s smiling face on photos on social media sites. It was great to meet some of these online friends face-to-face and to greet them with a hug or handshake.

The first is Thomas MacEntee Geneabloggers. This blog is full of information for bloggers and genealogists and has a great repository of links to numerous types of genealogy blogs.



Saturday, November 13, 2010

Social Media Panel Q & A

Participated in the Social Media Q & A of 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I had a great time participating on this panel and posted this blog posting during the session.

The Audience


The Panel


Myrtle, Tonia, & Amy

Valerie & Linda



Dru

Hanging Out at the Bloggers of Honor Table


Besides conducting a presentation at 11:30 and attending one at 3:00, I spent the majority of my time on Friday hanging out at the Bloggers of Honor table at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I had lots of fun talking to other bloggers and visitors to our table, as well as blogging and tweeting.

Podcast Interview


On Friday, November 12, 2010, I was a guest on the African Roots Podcast (click here) hosted by genealogist, Angela Walton-Raji. It was a delighful conversation in which we discussed genealogy in general as well as my presentation, Let Your Voice Be Head in the Digital Conversation, which was presented at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Professor Dru and Mel Collier


Today, I met Mel Collier, author of Mississippi to Africa. Gotta get my copy of his book autographed before the end of the conference.

Professor Dru and Lisa Alzo


Exited to have met Lisa Alzo author of Three Slovak Women at the Bloggers of Honor table. She is also author of The Accidental Genealogist blog. I took one of her online classes through GenClass several years ago.

Professor Dru and Thomas MacEntee

I had the privilege to meet the Great Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers, Master of Genealogy and Social Media at the Bloggers of Honor table.

I'm Here!


The 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos has officially begun and I am sitting at the Bloggers of Honor Table now with Amy Coffin of We Tree Genealogy Blog. A few minutes ago the blogger table was full, but now everyone except for Amy and I, have left to go to sessions.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

TweetDeck

I loaded TweetDeck on my computer today to use with Twitter and began using it this evening. I love the muticolumn screen and being able to see columns such as for my all friends, mentions, and direct. You can also customize columns such as adding one for #fhexpo. I'm looking forward to using TweetDeck during the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos which begins tomorrow morning.

What is TweetDeck?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Preparing for a Genealogy Conference

For those of us who will be attending the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos next week, I’m sure we’re all busy this week finalizing our travel plans, deciding what to pack, and browsing the syllabi for the conference to determine what classes we will be attending. And for us presenters, even possibly doing last minute tweaks of our presentations.

One thing I do when preparing for a major genealogy conference trip to type planning lists in Microsoft Excel because it enables me to categorize and sort the list so I can make such decisions as what things to pack, what workshops I’d like to attend, or what things I’d like to do such as research or visiting family, friends, or tourist sites in conference area. This same list can also be typed using the Tables feature of a word processing software package in which you can also sort and type in columnar format.

Here are tips from two other bloggers who give invaluable tips about preparing to attend a genealogy conference. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Dear Myrtle

I’m excited about attending the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos next week and being able to meet other bloggers like Dear Myrtle (Old Myrt) aka Pat Richley. I’ve been following Dear Myrtle’s Blog since I began blogging over two years ago.

Today during lunch, I watched two interviews by Dick Eastman of Myrt at genealogy conferences. I learned from the Roots Television videos below that Myrt also has two other websites:
Dear Myrtle Interview by Dick Eastman at Family History Expos


Dear Myrtle Interview by Dick Eastman at Jamboree 2009


To Myrtle and the other Bloggers of Honor, SAVE PROFESSOR DRU A SEAT in booths numbers 605, 606, and 607 at the Atlanta Family History Expos. Smile.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Vendors at Atlanta Family History Expos

Not only will be be lots of genealogists at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos, there will also be numerous vendors. For more information, read Myrtle's "Old Myrt" blog posting entitled, Atlanta GA: FHExpos Meet the Vendors.

Syllabi for the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos


The syllabi for the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos are online now. (Click Here)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Bernie Gracy and Location Based Genealogy

A few months ago, I became interested in geography and geographic information science (GIS) so I enrolled in a GIS class at a local community college. Later I wanted to learn more about how geography and GIS could be used with genealogy so I typed in the keywords "geography and genealogy" in YouTube. Through this search, I discovered the work of Mr. Bernie Gracy who specializes in located-based genealogy.


Location is a huge part of a genealogists' quest; afterall we spend numerous hours trying to locate an ancestor's whereabouts and movements. Sometimes if we examine an ancestor's surroundings and location, we may discover numerous bits of new information. For example, I took Mr. Gracy's advice about focusing on location from his interview with Lisa Louise Cooke (see below) and scanned through an 1870 census in the Matoca townshop of Chesterfield County, VA focusing on the occupations of residents of that county. This census was used only because that was my research focus at the time I discovered the videos by Bernie Gracy. I was researching Charles Lundy, the alleged second husband of my slave ancestor Ellen Moore of Greensville County, VA when I discovered the videos below. During my scanning, I noticed a large number of people in Charles Lundy's community with the occupation labeled "works in cotton factory." Charles' occupations, however, was listed as Farm Laborer on this census. Further research validated my assumption that there a cotton factory in the community where Charles Lundy was living in 1870. I also learned through my research that there were several cotton factories in Chesterfield County, VA during this time.


I was thrilled to learn recently that Mr. Gracy will be presenting three workshops at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I look forward to attending these workshops as well as meeting him. The three workshops are:

  • An Introduction to AncestralHunt.com

  • Breaking Down Brick Walls with Location Based Genealogy

  • Technology and Techniques for Conducting Location
    Based Field Research

Below are several videos of Mr. Bernie Gracy in which he explains location based genealogy.



The First Law of Geography





Interview of Bernie Gracy by Lisa Louise Cooke, Part 1




Interview of Bernie Gracy by Lisa Louise Cooke, Part 2


Monday, October 25, 2010

So Many Choices, So Little Time


ALL ROADS LEAD TO ATLANTA on November 12-13, 2010 for the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I've been busy finalizing my travel plans and preparing for the upcoming expo and I am so thoroughly excited about attending this conference and meeting so many genealogists from around the country.

Conference Workshops. Part of my preparation has been examining the conference program to plan for the workshops I'd like to attend. This has been a challenging task with so many choices of workshops, and so little time. There will be only ten workshop sessions (nine room each session,) but since I will be conducting one during one of these time slots, that leaves me with only nine possibilities. So now my task is to PRIORITIZE and determine which nine workshops I need the most. Ah, Decisions, Decisions. I'm sure that other conference attendees are having this same dilemna.

My Workshop. I'm glad that I examined the conference program again because I see that my workshop, Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, has been moved up to the Friday, 11:30 a.m. slot instead of Saturday at 2:30 p.m.


The focus of this workshop is on adding audio or voice messages to spice up text‐based communications in documents, emails, and Internet sites. This workshop will help participants discover free audio recording tools on their computers and guide them in understanding the added benefits of enhancing digital documents with audio and voice messages.



I am also excited that I will be a Blogger of Honor at this conference.


REMEMBER THAT ALL ROADS LEAD TO ATLANTA on November 12-13, 2010. Hope to see you at the conference.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

One More Month!




Looking forward to attending the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos next month this time. One more month today will be Saturday, November 13th when I'll be presenting a workshop at the Expo entitled Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation.


The focus of this workshop is on adding audio or voice messages to spice up text‐based communications in documents, emails, and Internet sites. This workshop will help participants discover free audio recording tools on their computers and guide them in understanding the added benefits of enhancing digital documents with audio and voice messages.


I look forward to being one of the Bloggers of Honor at this conference and writing about events at this wonderful conference. I am thrilled that I will have an opportunity to meet numerous bloggers and genealogists whom I've gotten to know through the Internet during the past few years.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Blogger of Honor


I am pleased that announce that I will be a Blogger of Honor at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. All year long I have read about the other Bloggers of Honor at the various Family History Expos around the country. In November, it will be my turn and I look forward to meeting numerous bloggers and genealogists whom I have gotten to know online during the past few years.


I will also be conducting a workshop at this conference. (Read more)

Congratulations to the other Bloggers of Honor.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Upcoming Workshops at Genealogy Conferences


I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting a workshop at two national genealogy conferences; one in October and the other in November. I will conduct a workshop entitled, Let Your Voice Be Heard in Digital Conversations, at both conferences.

The focus of this workshop is on adding audio or voice messages to spice up text‐based communications in documents, emails, and Internet sites. This workshop will help participants discover free audio recording tools on their computers and guide them in understanding the added benefits of enhancing digital documents with audio and voice messages.

The October workshop will be held at the 2010 Afro-American Historical and Genealogicaly Society (AAHGS) Conference, October 7-10 in Adelphi, MD. My workshop is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.

The November workshop will be held at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos, November 12-13, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. My workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 13 at 2:30 p.m.

I am overjoyed about the opportunity to share my knowledge and to be in the company of other great genealogists at both of these conferences.

Happy Birthday to Me Today!

Happy Birthday to me on this day, September 27th. Another year has passed and I plan to enjoy the day! Thank God for blessing me to see another birthday, just three years shy of the big 5-0.

On Saturday, I had a pre-birthday celebration with a college chum at Friendlys Ice Cream Restaurant, http://www.friendlys.com/, where we both enjoyed eating a banana split. YUM! YUM! When we ordered, the waiter asked "just one?" We both shouted "NO!" My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our individual banana splits.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Civil War Conference

Spending the day off from work, relaxing, doing house stuff, and watching the Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial conference online. I love the power of the Internet and to be able to attend a conference virtually and not have to fight traffic or get dressed. Conference is being held at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Conference CDs

I was very excited to learn on Facebook this morning that CDs from recent conferences are available for purchase through Jamb-Inc.com - Genealogy. Two of them which I missed are the:

  • 2010 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conferences
  • 2010 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree


  • Thanks Paula Stuart-Warren for posting this invaluable information.

    Friday, September 10, 2010

    Googling My Name

    Today, I typed my name in on Google just to see if there was anything new on the web about me that I didn’t know about. I do this from time to time and often discover something I did not know was out there. In some cases, I discover that my blog has been referenced on a website I didn’t know about.

    Today, I learned about two new things on the Internet about myself. One was a blog posting by Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers entitled Drusilla Pair Television Interview and the second thing was that my interview was on YouTube . I knew that the interview video was on the website of the Another View. television show, but had not seen it on YouTube. I had thought about searching for the interview on YouTube prior to my discovery today, but somehow had not gotten around to doing the search.

    The biggest benefit for me of having the video on YouTube is being able to copy the Embed code so that the video window can be displayed on another site such as a blog as seen as the bottom of this posting.

    Thanks Thomas MacEntee for featuring my TV interview on your blog.

    Another View – Genealogy

    Thursday, September 9, 2010

    Find Your Roots Workshop




    TWO GREAT WORKSHOPS BY TWO GREAT SCHOLARS
    WILL HELP YOU TRACE YOUR FAMILY GENEALOGY !!!


    I am pleased to announce a collaborative workshop I will be conducting with Nathan Richardson, Poet, Author, and Literary Consultant, on Saturday, Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the Taste of Suffolk Downtown Street Festival in Suffolk, VA.


    Our Collaborative workshop--Find Your Roots will combine Mr. Richardson's workshop "The Spoken WordA history of our oral tradition through poetry song and spirituality" with my workshop, "Finding Your Folks - Instruction on techniques to trace your genealogy through family documents, public records and DNA testing."


    The workshop will be held in the SunTrust Bank Conference Room on Main Street.

    We will conduct two workshops; one in the morning, 10 am – 1 pm, and a repeat workshop in the afternoon, 2 – 5 pm. BTW, Mr. Richardson and I were recently guests on the TV show, Another View. Click here to watch our TV interview.

    Thursday, August 19, 2010

    On the Set of Another View

    From left to right, Barbara Hamm Lee, Host; Lisa Godley, Reporter;
    Nathan Richardson, Poet; and Drusilla Pair (me), Genealogist.

    The day finally arrived for the taping of the show Another View in which I am a guest along with Poet Nathan Richardson. The experience was quite exciting and I'm still hyped. The taping began at 2:00 p.m. EST and went so fast that I couldn't believe it was over. It was a pleasure to meet the Host, Barbara Hamm Lee and Reporter, Lisa Godley of the show.

    For more info about my appearance on this show, read the post, "Save the Link."

    Tuesday, August 17, 2010

    Grandma and Me




    Here is a photo of me and my beloved

    maternal grandmother, Emma.

    Monday, August 16, 2010

    Save the Link!

    The summary of the Another View TV show in which I will be a guest later this week is now on the show’s website. This is also the same URL where the streaming video will appear sometime after the airing of the show on Friday night, August 20th.

    Last Friday night, the host Barbara Hamm Lee announced that the upcoming show would be about “Tracing Your Roots Through the Arts and Technology.” Today, the website of the show gives more details about what to expect in this Friday night’s show.

    In case you missed my initial announcement about my TV appearance, you can read my posting entitled I’m Gonna Be on TV Again!!!!!!!!!!

    Saturday, August 14, 2010

    I’m Gonna Be on TV Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I am elated and honored to announce that I will be on TV again to discuss genealogy. The last time was in 2006 when I appeared in a segment about DNA on a local news channel. This interview was also about genealogy and my story was incorporated into part one of a two-part series about DNA. Through watching the entire segment, I learned about DNA for genealogical purposes and afterwards ordered my first DNA kit a few weeks after this segment aired.

    This time, I will be a guest on a show called Another View. This opportunity is the result of an upcoming joint workshop I will be conducting with poet Nathan Richardson at a local festival on Saturday, September 11th. Nathan attended a genealogy workshop that I conducted this past June and during my presentation where he got the idea about joining forces to present a two-part workshop on oral history storytelling through poetry song and spirituality and genealogy. During that workshop in June, I mentioned the role of oral history in genealogy throughout the presentation.

    And so on Thursday, August 19th, Nathan and I will be interviewed by Journalist and the show's host Barbara Hamm Lee. The interview will be aired on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. EST on our local PBS station, WHRO. It will also be available for viewing online sometime after it airs on TV.

    I will post more about this television appearance and about the September workshop in future blog postings.

    It is my pleasure to have this opportunity to present a workshop and to appear as a guest on the show Another View with Mr. Nathan Richardson, Poet, Author, Master of the Spoken Word and owner of Spiritual Concept Publishing.

    Witness Nathan’s gift of the spoken word in action shown in the videos below.


    The Age Every Girl Wants to Be


    Wedding Poem


    Sunday, July 25, 2010

    Getting Kids Involved in Genealogy

    Lately I have been feeling the need to teach young people about genealogy. The feeling started about a year ago, but I did not actively pursue this area until recently. I have been researching my family history since 1994 and conducting genealogy workshops since 1998. But now, I feel the need to reach out to the young. As a result, I have begun searching for resources related to teaching youth about genealogy. Today and in future blog postings, I will discuss some of my findings. If you have taught young people how to do genealogy, I encourage you to share your experiences.

    One video I discovered was done by Elyse Doerflinger of Elyse’s Genealogy Blog. In this video, Elyse shares how she is teaching her young cousin how to do genealogy.

    Getting Kids Involved in Genealogy

    Monday, June 28, 2010

    Conclusion to My WDYTYA Episode

    Words From Professor Dru








    Powered by Podbean.com



    In my first posting on May 30th in this series, I established several goals related to researching my Uncle Andy B. I had no idea of how many postings I would write on this topic, but I felt the need to get my analysis down in writing. I did not think that I had a lot of information on my Uncle Andy B., but, what I discovered through my writing was that I knew more than I thought I did. As a result of my endeavor, writing out an analysis on each source of information helped me to see a clearer picture of the life of Uncle Andy B. I did not see the same picture by just reading or studying the individual documents.

    Analysis of Goals
    I set several goals when I began this endeavor. Below is my analysis of my achievement or progress towards reaching these goals.

    Goal #1 was to complete a timeline and analysis of documents and facts that I had already collected. I achieved his goal by writing and analyzing each document collected.

    Goal #2 was to help other researchers learn about the document analysis process. Based on the numerous comments through my blog, Twitter, Facebook, emails, and Myfamily website, I believe that my writings helped other researchers to think about the document analysis process.

    Goal #3 was to learn more about New York genealogical resources. I discovered that I had emails from 2006 and 2008 buried in my Inbox from the Queen’s New York library which provided me with information about what genealogical resources were available for Queens. I also discovered various resources from the New York Public Library which included a marriage record index in which Uncle Andy B. was listed as having married Margaret Morse on May 28, 1924. Another library source I discovered was a service provided by the NYPL library where you can request a three year look up of one name in New York City directories. An Andrew Bullock was listed to directories from 1931 to 1934 living in New York City. A name of spouse was not listed in these city directories, therefore I am not positive if any of the “Andrew Bullocks” listed in these directories, were my uncle.

    Additionally, I also discovered various microfilm for New York City which can be ordered through the Family History Center. Another option is for me to travel to Washington, DC (about a 3.5 hour drive) to look at city directories on microfilm at the Library of Congress.


    Goal #4 was to discover new documents related to life of Uncle Andy B. During this writing process, I discovered two additional documents (a marriage date from a marriage index of his first marriage, and a 1942 military draft card for Uncle Andy B.)

    Avenues for Further Research
    I also discovered that there are several avenues for further research on Uncle Andy B’s life. In my quest, I discovered two additional records on Uncle Andy B. and also discovered that I already had information in my e-mail from four years ago about the availability of records and Queens, New York.

    As a result of my document analysis, I am planning to focus on the following research areas by:

    1. Gathering more information about Uncle Andy B’s military career during WWI.
    2. Obtaining marriage licenses to first wife and second wife.
    3. Researching social history in particular the Harlem renaissance and what it was like living in Harlem during Uncle Andy B’s lifetime.
    4. Locating obituaries for Uncle Andy B and his wives.
    5. Locating additional city directory/telephone book listings in New York City and Queens New York.
    6. Locating other people who knew Uncle Andy B to collect oral history and their memories of him.
    7. Locating Uncle Andy B on state and Federal census living in New York.
    8. Discovering more about his life in Queens New York.

    For now, I will put the researching of Uncle Andy B. on hold. Perhaps, at a later time, I will do this exercise on other ancestors and family members. I’m sure that I will pick up the Uncle Andy B. research again, but at least for a little while, I’ll concentrate on researching other family lines.

    Friday, June 18, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - Uncle Andy B's Two Wives

    My research indicates that Uncle Andy B. had at least two wives. Wife #1 was named Margaret Morse Bullock and Wife #2 was named Carolyn Bullock (maiden name not known at this time.) The names of these two wives were discovered through various sources (a family property deed, military records, marriage index, funeral program, social security death index, and cemetery records.) These sources were obtained through the Internet, family sources, and from the county deeds office.

    Wife #1
    Early on in my research, I discovered the name of a wife (Margaret) in a 1928 deed for Uncle Andy B's family property in Vance County, NC. He and his wife Margaret were living in New City at the time of this deed transaction.

    Within the last few weeks, I discovered two other documents which mention the name of Wife #1 (Margaret.) Both items were found on the Internet. The first was a marriage index found on the website of the New York Public Library. Though this online index, I learned that the maiden name of the first wife was "Morse" and that she an Uncle Andy B. married on May 28, 1924 in the Manhattan area of New York City. I plan to order microfilm from the Family History Library which contains this couples' marriage license.

    The second document where Wife #1 was mentioned was on Uncle Andy B's 1942 WWII draft card which was part of the "old man's draft registration." This document was found on http://www.ancestry.com/.

    The combination of these three documents indicate that Uncle Andy B. and his wife, Margaret, were married at least for 18 years (between 1924 and 1942).


    Wife #2

    By the time of his death in March 1972, Uncle Andy B. had another wife who was named "Carolyn." Many years after I began researching, I re-examined the 1982 funeral program of my great-great grandmother, Bell Bullock Johnson. In the list of her survivors was noted "one sister-in-law, Carolyn Bullock, of St. Albans, NY." I learned from family members that "Carolyn Bullock" was the wife of Uncle Andy B. who was a brother of my great-grandmother.

    After this discovery, I searched for Carolyn Bullock 0n the social security death index. The results of this search gave me her date of birth (June 9, 1901) and the month and year of her death (January 1995). The social security death index also indicated that her middle initial was "J."

    Another Internet search on http://www.ancestry.com/ directed me to the above cemetery record for her which indicated that she was "the wife of Andrew Bullock" and was buried in the Long Island National Cemetery next to her husband.

    One thing that I learned through discovering Carolyn J. Bullock is to re-examine or re-read records. If I had not looked at my great-grandmother's funeral program again, I would have missed this valuable clue. These three records found on Carolyn Bullock give indicate her the years of her lifespan.

    A few weeks ago, I requested a search for the funeral programs of Andrew and Carolyn Bullock from the Queens, NY Library. Library staff searched the local newspaper where this couple lived, but did not find newspaper obituaries for either one of them.

    And so the search continues...



    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Final Scene - Professor Dru Summarizes What She Has Learned and Makes Plans for Further Research.

    Monday, June 14, 2010

    My WDYTYA - Uncle Andy and the Old Man's Draft Registration

    Last week, I discovered a WWII draft card for Uncle Andy B’s on http://www.ancestry.com/. Uncle Andy B’s draft registration card was part of what was called the “old man’s draft registration” and his card (see side two of card at bottom of post) was signed on April 26, 1942 in New York City. This “old man’s draft registration” was for men born on or between April 28, 1877 and February 16, 1897 and who were ages 45 to 64 when this 1942 military draft registration occurred.


    Front Side of Uncle Andy B's WWII Military Draft Registration Card


    Age Discrepancies
    On the 1942 draft card, Uncle Andy B. used 1895 as his birth year rather than 1899 as indicated on the 1900 census. (Read more about the 1900 census). He used the same birth year (1895) on his WWI military draft registration card. If Uncle Andy B. were indeed born in 1899 as indicated on the 1900 census, he would have been 42-years-old* at the time of this draft rather than 46-years-old as indicated on this 1942 card. Therefore he would have been ineligible to participate in this draft which was for men aged 45-64.

    *Note: Uncle Andy B. would have turned 43 on July 4, 1942, which was eight days after he signed his draft card.


    Other Information or Discrepancies on 1942 Military Draft Card Other information provided on Uncle Andy B’s 1942 Military Draft Card are as follows:

    • Residency: Card establishes his residence in New York City as of April 26 1942.
    • Address: Card gives his address (421 West 162nd Street) at the time of the registration.
    • Physical Characteristics: Card Indicates physical characteristics such as height (5 ft, 9-1/2) and weight (216 lbs.) His hair color is brown in 1942 according to this card and was “black” in 1917. Might Uncle Andy B. have dyed his hair by this time? It is interesting to note the various shades of complexions ranging from sallow to black that are listed on the 1942 draft card. Uncle Andy B’s complexion is labeled as “black” as opposed to some shade of brown. This description is consistent with the description told to me by my grandmother about her memories of Uncle Andy B. and other members of their family.
    • Employment: Card indicates the name and address of his employer (Zoe Chose, 115 West 60th Street) in 1942.
    • Name and Address of Person Who Will Always Know the Registrant’s Whereabouts: Although relationship is not indicated on this draft card, I know from a 1928 property deed and a New York City Marriage index, that Margaret (Morse) Bullock was Uncle Andy B’s wife.
    • Birth Place: Just like his 1917 draft registration card, this 1942 card indicates Uncle Andy B’s birth place as Henderson, NC which is a city in Vance County. Another document indicates his birth place as Warren County, NC. Warren and Vance are adjoining counties. The only two residences of his family that I know of are the Nutbush township of Warren County, NC and the Drewry area of Vance County, NC. Both of these places were rural areas.
    • Signature: The signature on this card is consistent with ones on his social security application and 1917 WWI draft registration card.

    Side Two of Uncle Andy B's WWII Military Draft Registration Card

    =====

    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Learns About Uncle Andy B’s Two Wives.

    Thursday, June 10, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - Uncle Andy B's Death Records


    Thus far, I have two records which provide me with information on Uncle Andy B’s death in 1972. Both records were obtained from the Internet. The first is from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and the second is from the U. S. Veterans Gravesites database on www.ancestry.com.

    I discovered Uncle Andy B’s social security death index record early on in my research along with SSDI records on four of his sisters, Bell (my great grandmother), Channie, Bessie, and Mima. Uncle Andy B’s SSDI record provided me with four pieces of information and one discrepancy.

    Information Provided from SSDI Record

    • Zip code (11412) where he was living at time of death.
    • Residence at time of death (St. Albans, Queens, NY)
    • State where social security card was issued (New York)
    • Month and Year of Death (March 1972)

    Discrepancy on SSDI Record

    The discrepancy on Uncle Andy B’s SSDI record is that his birthday is indicated as the 31st of July rather than the 4th which is the day listed on other records.

    Cemetery Record

    Later on in my research I discovered a cemetery record on Uncle Andy B. from the U.S. Veterans Gravesites database, 1775-2006m on www.ancestry.com. This provided me with five pieces of information and one discrepancy.

    Information Provided from Cemetery Record

    • Military History: Military Rank, war he served in, and dates of service (SGT WWI, enlisted October 30, 1917)
    • Date of death (March 15, 1972)
    • Date of burial (March 20, 1972)
    • Location of burial site in cemetery (Section 2D, Site 6840)

    Discrepancies on Cemetery Record

    • Birth Year Conflict. The year of birth on this cemetery record (1896) conflicts with the year on his SSDI record (1895)

    Other Death Records on Uncle Andy B.

    • Death Certificate. Since I am not a direct kin of Uncle Andy B., I will have to wait until March 2022, to obtain his death certificate. This will be the 50th anniversary of his death. Some states live New York have restrictions on who can access vital records. If Uncle Andy B. had died in his home state of North Carolina, than I would not have any problem obtaining his death certificate.
    • Newspaper Obituary. Last week I ordered a newspaper obituary for Uncle Andy B. from the Queens, NY Library. I hope to receive this obituary by the end of the month.

    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Discovers Another Military Record for Uncle Andy B.

    Tuesday, June 8, 2010

    My WDYTYA - Uncle Andy B's Social Security Application


    The social security application of Uncle Andy B. gives a variety of tidbits about this life.

    1. Address. Uncle Andy B’s address on St. Nicholas Avenue in December 1936. Hopefully I can find out more about this residence through looking at city directories.
    2. Parents and Mother’s Maiden Name. The name of his parents although I already knew this information. His mother’s maiden name, however, is listed as “Jefferson”, but records such as the 1870 and 1880 censuses when she was a child as well as her marriage license indicate her maiden name was “Jeffress.” Ironically, the maiden name "Jefferson" is what I was told from family members about Uncle Andy B's mother.
    3. Name and Address of Employer. I’ll need to do some research on this museum and restaurant.
    4. Birth year. 1895 is the year indicated on this document. It agrees with the year used on his 1917 military draft registration card, however does not agree with the year given on the 1900 census. Read more about Uncle Andy B’s Age Discrepancy.
    5. Signature of Uncle Andy B. His signature is also on his military draft registration card.

      Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Discovers Records Related to Uncle Andy B’s Death.

    Saturday, June 5, 2010

    Reflections On Writing About Uncle Andy B. This Week

    Today, I pause to reflect on my accomplishments this week in my marathon writing analysis of documents collected on my Uncle Andy B. Sometimes we can see our research clearer when we write it out and this is exactly what happened each day as I wrote about a particular document I had collected on my uncle. When I first began this endeavor, it seemed like I didn’t know much about this uncle, but now after six postings this week, and more to come, I feel like I know a lot more than I originally thought.

    First Accomplishment
    It was very difficult to write the first few days and it felt like I was starting a new exercise plan or diet. However, as the days progressed, it because easier to write and the words flowed more freely as I adjusted to my new writing routine.

    Second Accomplishment
    A second accomplishment this week was that I wrote and posted blog articles for seven days in a row (including today).

    Third Accomplishment
    A third accomplishment is that I discovered that I already had information in my email on where to order newspaper obituaries for Queens, NY where Uncle Andy B. lived in his later life and died. The information was acquired in 2006 and 2008, but I forgot I had it. (Shame on me!) Nevertheless, this week, I mailed in my request for Uncle Andy B’s newspaper obituary as well as the one for his wife.

    I’m looking forward to completing this writing analysis as well as discovering other new avenues for research on Uncle Andy B.

    Stay Tuned... Coming Up! Professor Dru Discovers Uncle Andy B's Social Security Application

    Free Podcasting Hosts

    I’m looking to trying out podcasting on my blog. Today, I found these two free podcasting hosts. Are there any other free podcasting hosts out there?

    Creating a Podcast With Blogger

    I'm long overdue for learning how to podcast. I hope to incorporate podcasts into my blog soon.

    Friday, June 4, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - The Bullock Family Land Records and Deeds


    Sometimes genealogical information can be found in records and deeds related to property. This is the case in the December 1, 1928 deed of the Bullock family where Uncle Andy B. and his siblings deeded their share of the property they inherited from their father, Andrew (Sr.), to their mother, Luvenia. The property in question in this deed was 80 acres of land located in the Nutbush township of Vance County, NC. The deed also gave a death year for Grandpa Andrew (Sr.) and I was able to locate his death certificate which indicated that he died on March 15, 1915 in Vance County, NC.


    WITNESSTH: That Whereas heretofore in the year if 1915, Andrew Bullock departed this life, intestate, seized, and possessed, of the hereinafter described real property, and left surviving him his widow, Luvenia Bullock, the grantee herein named and children . . .


    I also learned from this deed where Uncle Andy B. was living in 1928 and that he had married by this time. This apparently was a first marriage, because by the time he died in 1972, he had another wife.


    . . . Andrew Bullock and wife Margaret Bullock of New York City, of the first part…


    Source: Vance County Deed Book 154, Pages 171-173, December 1, 1928

    ===============

    Clues for Marriage License Search
    Using the information from the 1917 military draft card, where Uncle Andy B. was listed as ‘single’ and this 1928 land deed where he was listed as ‘married, I plan to look for a New York marriage license between June 5, 1917 and December 1, 1928.

    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Pauses to Reflect on a Week of Writing about Uncle Andy B.

    Thursday, June 3, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - Age Discrepancy on Military Draft Registration Card



    I found Uncle Andy B’s 1917 military draft registraton card on Ancestry.com several years ago. This draft registration card provides invaluable information about Uncle Andy B. as well as raises some questions such as the age discrepancy.

    Age Discrepancies
    This 1917 registration draft was for men ages 21 to 31. Uncle Andy B’s card indicates that he was 21-years-old and born in 1895, instead of 1899 as indicated on the 1900 census. If 1899 was his actual birth year, then Uncle Andy B. was actually 17-years-old when he filled on this card on June 5th which was a little less than a month before his 18th birthday on the 4th of July in 1917. (Read more about the 1900 census findings). Other documents found so far, except for the 1900 census, indicate a birth year of 1895 or 1896. I still believe the earlier birth year from the census is more accurate. (The birth year discrepancy will be discussed more indepth in a future blog posting.)

    Other Information or Discrepancies On Draft Card
    Other information or discrepancies on Uncle Andy B’s Draft Card are as follows:
    • Residency: Card establishes his residence in New York City by June 5, 1917.
    • Address: Card gives his address at the time of the registration. Hopefully additional information on his residence and neighborhood can be obtained from the NY City Directories.
    • Physical Characteristics: Card Indicates physical characteristics such as height and build.
    • Employment: Card indicates his occupation and employer in 1917.
    • Birth Place: Card indicates his birth place as Henderson, NC which is a city in Vance County. Another document indicates his birth place as Warren County, NC. Warren and Vance are adjoining counties. The only two residences of his family that I know of are the Nutbush township of Warren County, NC and the Drewry area of Vance County, NC. Both of these places were rural areas.


    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru learns about Uncle Andy B. from Family Property Deed .

    Wednesday, June 2, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - Census Research

    Household of Andrew and Luvenia Bullock
    Nutbush Township, Vol. 68, ED 96, House 244, Family 244, Sheet 13A , Lines 47-50, and Sheet 13B, Lines 1-6

    =========

    The only census which I have located Uncle Andy B. on is the one for 1900. On censuses for 1910-1930, I have tried various methods to locate either Uncle Andy B. as an adult (1920 and 1930) or his family (1910), but thus far my efforts have been unsuccessful.

    Where Did I Obtain Census?
    Early on in my research after 1994, I looked at the census on microfilm for my NC and VA ancestors at my local library. Later, probably sometimes after the year 2000, I obtained a subscription to Ancestry.com and was therefore able to look at these census pages online.

    1900 Census
    On the 1900 census, Andrew, Jr. aka Uncle Andy B. was the youngest of eight children living in the household of his parents Andrew and Luvenia Bullock in the Nutbush township of Warren County, NC. The eight children ranged in ages from 10 months to 17 years old. The birth month and year of Uncle Andy B. was listed as July 1899. While all other accounts of his birth indicate a birth month of July, the reported birth years on various documents range from 1895 to 1899.

    The 1900 census also indicates that Uncle Andy B’s parents had been married for 18 years. This led to the discovery of a marriage license (February 8, 1882) in Warren County, NC for Andrew Bullock, son of Ottoway and Mimmy Bullock, to Luvenia Jeffress, daughter of Green and Ella Scott Jeffress.

    Census Pages
    When looking at the census, experts suggest that researchers look on several pages before and after whatever family they are focusing on. Household #240 in Warren County begins on line 47 at the bottom of the page on the 1900 census starting with Andrew Bullock, Sr. on down through his son John. The remaining members of this household (James – Andrew, Jr.) are listed on the top of the next page on lines 1 to 6. These two pages were written with two different types of ink pens; one ballpoint and the other a finer or thinner tip. To me, the handwriting looks to be that of the same writer.

    1910 Census
    If Uncle Andy B’s age is accurate on the 1900 census, then he would have been 10-years-old at the time of the 1910 census. (He would have turned 11 in July of that year). However, I have not been able to locate the Bullock family on the 1910 census. I have searched line for line on the 1910 Warren County, NC census as well as on the 1910 Vance County, NC census, which is an adjacent county the Bullock family moved to some time possibly in 1910.*

    *Note: I found a 1910 land deed (cannot find my notes right now) in Vance County, NC where Andrew Bullock, Sr. purchased land. Maybe the Bullock family was in the process of moving during the time of the census which caused them to miss being listed on the 1910 census in either Warren or Vance counties.

    1920 and 1930 Censuses
    Furthermore, I have not been able to locate Uncle Andy B. on the 1920 and 1930 censuses. He was likely living in NY during these census years. I currently have three documents from the time period 1917-1936 which indicates Uncle Andy B’s residence as New York City.

    • 1917: WWI draft registration card (birth year 1895)
    • 1928: Land deed of family property in Vance County, NC in which indicates Uncle Andy B’s residence as New York City. (no age or birth year given)
    • 1936: Social security card application (birth year 1895)

    These three documents and Uncle Andy B’s age conflicts will be discussed more in depth in future blog postings.

    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru Discovers Uncle Andy B’s WWI Draft Registration Card


    Tuesday, June 1, 2010

    My WDYTYA Episode - Oral History

    Note: Thanks to all of you who have read my previous postings about my Great Grand Uncle Andrew Bullock. A special thanks to William Carson, of Afrigeneas Genealogy and History Forum for nicknaming my uncle “Uncle Andy B.” I love this nickname and to plan use it in my blog postings. Thanks William for your permission.
    ===========================================

    He said…? She said…? Who really said it? This is both my dilemma and regrets for not always documenting the sources of oral history or “who said what” regarding Uncle Andy B. and others. Now as I write up my oral history tradition about Uncle Andy B’s life, my memory grows fuzzy with regard to who really said what. Some of these “informants” are still alive and well so I can still ask them questions again, while others are now deceased or not so well in mind now.

    Throughout my years of tracing my family history, I have learned many facts about my family through oral history. In some cases, I conducted formal interviews where I took notes and tape recorded the conversations. In other cases, I learned tidbits about my family through informal conversations with my older relatives by phone or face-to-face. From my recollections of conversations within the last 15 years of researching, I gathered several bits of information about Uncle Andy B.

    In analyzing the oral history information learned about Uncle Andy B., I will identify the sources of oral history by their kinship to him and comment whether they are alive or deceased. If alive, I will comment on what I know about their health or state of mind.

    I first learned that I had a Great Grand Uncle named Andrew Bullock from two of his nieces and a brother-in-law at a family reunion in 1989. Later, I learned several things about him from the following sources whom I’ll refer to as “Informants.”

    Informant #1
    Niece saw him once at family funeral in 1951; remembers him as tall and dark-skinned. Informant still living and in good state of mind.

    Informant #2
    Niece in law visited him on several occasions with her husband (one of Uncle Andy B.’s nephews), Attended his March 20 1972 funeral. Informant is now deceased. I think that she mentioned that Uncle Andy B. had stepchildren.*

    Informant #3
    Niece visited him when she lived in NY and attended his March 20, 1972 funeral. I think that she also mentioned that Uncle Andy B. had stepchildren.* Informant still living and in good state of mind.


    *****

    *Note: My memory is fuzzy with regard to who said what about Uncle Andy B. having stepchildren. I think that both Informants #2 and #3 mentioned that Uncle Andy B. had stepchildren. Since both of them visited him during his lifetime, they both would have probably known about the stepchildren. I am not sure which informant (#2 or #3) gave me details on the gender of the stepchildren and the names of some of them. The recollection is that Uncle Andy B. did not have biological children, but had one stepson and two stepdaughters. The informant thought that the stepson’s name was Johnny; and that one of he stepdaughter’s name was Winny. Informant did not remember the name of the second stepdaughter.

    *****


    Informant #4
    First Cousin who may have interacted with him when both lived in NY. Informant still living. This first cousin who is in his early 80s possibly has Alzheimers, but I am not sure how severe. This informant did not tell me directly, but reportedly told another Bullock family researcher that Andy B. left home during his teenage years and moved to NY to live with relatives. He and Uncle Andy B. were first cousins and it is likely that their paths crossed in NY. I have met and had several conversations with this informant and probably brought up Uncle Andy B’s name during our conversation after I learned that informant lived in NY during his adult years. If this conversation took place, I do not remember anything in particular that this informant said.

    Other Oral History Conversations
    I am positive that I asked others about Uncle Andy B. during times when I have inquired about memories of the children Uncle Andy B’s parents, Andrew and Luvenia Bullock. Nothing significant is remembered from these inquiries other than Uncle Andy B. was the son who lived in New York.

    More Possible Informants
    There are still a few living relatives whom I have not talked to yet, who likely remember Uncle Andy B. or remember hearing about him. Uncle Andy B. has several first cousins still living, one in particular who moved from NC to New York during her early adult life. Last time I saw her, she was 95 years old, very spry, and walking better than I was. I can’t remember what year I last saw her and for some reason I don’t have her date of birth recorded in my family tree file. Yesterday I posted a message on our Bullock family website to ask about this cousin’s well being as well as contact information for her. If this cousin is not well enough to talk, then there are other possible persons such as her son who might be in his 70s or 80s or other living cousins or nieces and nephews of Uncle Andy B.


    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru learns about Uncle Andy B. from the Census.

    Monday, May 31, 2010

    My WDYTYR Episode - 1989 Bullock Family Reunion

    I first learned about Uncle Andrew when I attended the Bullock Family Reunion held in Soul City, NC on Saturday, August 12, 1989, with my maternal grandmother and one of my sisters. One of Grandma’s first cousins told her about this reunion of Bullocks who were the family of their maternal grandfather, Andrew Bullock (1864-1915). My grandmother’s mother, Bell Bullock Johnson, and her cousin’s mother, Nancy Bullock Evans, were sisters.
    I had never met any of these Bullock family members, but my grandmother knew some of them whom she had not seen in many years. Hugs and kisses filled the room of these joyful family members who were dressed in red and white reunion t-shirts.
    A one page family history was distributed at this reunion which included the information below. The history was read aloud by Cousin Queen, one of the elders of the family at that time. Later I leaned that she and her sister Minnie had written this one page history. They were the nieces of my great great grandfather Andrew Bullock.




    “How am I connected to this family?” I asked my grandmother and others at our table. The others included my grandmother’s cousin Sarah, the one who told her about the family reunion, Sarah’s father, Clarence, and his second wife. Cousin Sarah was the offspring of his first wife, Nancy.
    On the back of the one page family history, I scribbled out a tree which outlined my connection to the Bullock family. During the conversation at the reunion, I learned that I was a descendant of Ottoway and Julia Bullock through their son Andrew. Later through research I would discover that Julia was Ottoway’s third wife and that I was a descendant of his first wife Mimmy.
    I made a vow to myself to find out more about this family after I read this one page history at the reunion. I had no idea how to do this, but five years later in 1994, I began the process of learning how to trace my family history.





    Since I began my family research in 1994, I have not only dug up info on my ancestors, but also on their siblings. Most of my great grandmother Bell’s nine siblings remained in NC during their adult lives, but three of them (Uncle Andrew and Aunts Mima and Chaney) migrated from NC to various cities.
    I had heard my grandmother Emma mention a few of her mother’s siblings such as Aunts Chaney, Mollie, and Bessie. However, the 1989 reunion is the first time I learned the names of her maternal aunts and uncles, including Uncle Andrew. Later after I began my research in 1994, I would learn more details about the lives of this family branch and from time to time Uncle Andrew’s whereabouts in New York would spark my curiosity.
    Stay tuned. . . Coming Up! – Professor Dru learns more about Uncle Andrew from Oral History.