New Years Day Event - January 1, 2024 - James A. Fields House

 

Upcoming Family History Presentation

 

Family Hat Heritage Presentation

Excited about sharing my family's hat heritage tomorrow morning. Thanks to all my family members who have shared hat photos with me. I have some beautiful and stylish relatives.

I Found My Folks on the 1950 Census!

 

Whew! Earlier today, I found the last ancestor of my 11 ancestors (click here to see who I was looking for) on the census who were alive in 1950. This includes my parents, all four grandparents, four great-grandparents, and one great-great-great grandparent. I had to use a variety of tools: Steve Morse Enumeration District Finder, NARA census search tool, MyHeritage, and Ancestry's district finder and 1950 census images. Thanks to all of you who posted info about census availability and updates on the various sites during the past few days. Will post more about my findings later. 

According to oral history, my great grandfather Robert Moore of Greensville County, Virginia spent his elder years living with his youngest son, Samuel, and sometimes his youngest daughter, Della. The 1950 census confirms that he was living with his youngest son, Samuel when it was recorded. This is the last census in which Grandpa Robert will appear since he died in 1955.  The first census he appeared was 1870 when he was listed as age one, and living with his parents Washington and Ellen Moore.

Who am I looking for in the 1950 Census?

The long wait is almost over and the 1950 census is scheduled to be available at 12:01 am, April 1, 2022. It’s like Christmas Day for the family historian. Are you ready? Who are you looking for? Below are some of the people I’m looking for. 

Parents:  Both my parents were age 5 when the 1950 census was taken. My father Roy should be living with his parents and siblings in Greensville County, Virginia. My mother Dorothy should be living with her parents in Newport News Virginia at 611 18th Street in Newport News, Virginia.

Grandparents:  Both sets of my grandparents were alive in 1950. My maternal grandparents, Minor and Emma Johnson Thornton were living in Newport News, Virginia at 611 18th Street. My paternal grandparents Matthew "Mack" and Hattie Moore Pair were living in Greenville County, Virginia. I do not know their address. They lived in a small town and I am not aware of any directories in 1950.

Great-Grandparents:  Four of my great grandparents were alive in 1950: Robert Moore of Greensville County, Virginia, Minor and Morissette Ashe Thornton of the Enfield area of Halifax County, North Carolina, and Bell Bullock Johnson of the Smith Creek township in Warren County, North Carolina.

Great-Great Grandparents:  One great great grandparent was alive in 1950, Luvenia Jeffress Bullock. She was likely living with her daughter Bell (my great-grandmother) in the Ridgeway area of Warren County, North Carolina according to oral history. If I do not find her living with her daughter Bell, I will look for her in Vance County, North Carolina where she usually lived or trace each of her other children in hopes that she was living with one of them.

I hope that I am awake at 12:01 am to begin the search. I plan to begin my search of the census in Newport News, Virginia of my mother and her parents because I know their address in 1950. If there is any workable index, I will search for other relatives. I have my spreadsheet set up and the enumeration district of my maternal grandparents so I’m ready and excited to get started!!!!!

Happy Hunting!

Genealogy Education: The Genealogy Guys Podcast

Genealogy Guys is a podcast by George G. Morgan and Drew Smith.  Episodes include news updates from genealogy companies and organizations, listener email, book reviews, and interviews of genealogy speakers and other professionals.  

My favorite episodes are the interviews of genealogy speakers where each one is asked about their origin story or how they got started in tracing their family history as well as when did they began doing genealogy speaking. 

There are plenty of podcasts and topics to choose from at http://genealogyguys.com/. Podcasts can be downloaded to any computer device or phone or listened to on Apple Podcasts, Tunein, Stitcher, or Google Play for your convenience.

Let's Talk North Carolina Genealogy Research Chat!

Join Genealogist  Renate Yarborough-Sanders and Taneya Koonce for their second "Research Chat" with Let's Talk North Carolina Genealogy! If you'd like to share a genealogy happy dance moment or if you have a research challenge you would like to get help with, join them on Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern). They will also have a new feature debuted during this chat - the "research quickie!" ALL researchers are welcome! To register, click here!  

Let's Talk NC Genealogy: Summer Series - Episode 1: Birth Records

Congratulations to Genealogists Renate Yarborough-Saunders and Taneya Koonce who began a summer series, "North Carolina Summer Series," of online webinars and discussions on North Carolina records. The first episode began on Saturday, June 6, 2020 and other webinars will be every other Saturday throughout the summer. The topic of first episode is North Carolina Birth Records with guest, North Carolina Researcher, Diane Acey Richard.  

Utilizing Online Databases

Links for genealogy databases, https://www.cyndislist.com/databases/

• Ancestry, www.ancestry.com
• Archives, www.archives.com
• Chronicling America Newspapers*, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
• FamilySearch*, www.familysearch.org 
• Find a Grave*, www.findagrave.com
• FindMyPast, www.findmypast.com 
• Fold3, www.fold3.com, military records
• Genealogy Bank, www.genealogybank.com 
• Mapping the Freedman’s Bureau, https://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/about/
• MyHeritage, www.myheritage.com
• National Archives*, www.archives.com
• Newspapers, www.newspapers.com
• RootsWeb*, www.rootsweb.com 
• Social Security Death Index*, www.ancestry.com, www.genealogybank.com, or www.familysearch.org 
• Soldiers and Sailors Database, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm
• USGenWeb*, www.usgenweb.com

LOCAL/STATE RESOURCES

ü Newport News Public Library, Virginiana Collection at Main Street branch, (Access to Ancestry.com available to library card holders at all Newport News library locations, http://nnpls.libguides.com/home

ü Hampton Public Library, Virgininia Collection at Main branch on Victoria Blvd,  https://hampton.gov/100/Libraries

ü Norfolk Public Library, Sargeant Memorial Room, downtown Norfolk branch, https://www.norfolkpubliclibrary.org/local-history-genealogy

ü York County Public Library, Virginiana Collection http://www.yorkcounty.gov/Home/Libraries/Services/Virginiana.aspx

ü The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

ü LDS Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Morman), 902 Denbigh Blvd., Newport News, VA  23608,  (757) 874-2335.  Can view digitized genealogy records only available for viewing at Family History Centers.   https://www.familysearch.org/locations/