Grandma’s Hands and HomeMade Biscuits

My Maternal Grandmother

Emma Johnson Thornton

Most of the lives of my three sisters and I were spent living with our maternal grandparents, Minor Thornton (1913-1979) and Emma Johnson Thornton (1922- ). Our grandfather died when we were teenagers. When I think of my grandmother’s hands, I think of her cooking during my childhood and early adult life and making homemade biscuits.

Growing up with our grandparents, my sisters and I never starved; we did not always have what we wanted to eat, but as long as there was a little flour in the house and some cooking grease, we would have a meal such of biscuits and gravy. Both of my maternal grandparents were from North Carolina and grew up on farms. They were from the depression era generation that knew how to take a little bit and make much.

Homemade Biscuits
Self-rising flour, water, and lard were the only ingredients that Grandma used to make homemade biscuits during my childhood in the 1970s and 1980s. During those days, my family would buy the big red plastic container of lard (probably about 5-10 lbs.) Grandma never used measuring cups to measure stuff, she only used these cups as a scoop. Grandma would mix her ingredients together until they became a big ball of dough. Perhaps it was the way that the dough felt to her hands that signaled to her that it was fully mixed and kneaded and ready for shaping into biscuits.

Then she would pinch off a wad of dough and begin shaping it into a round biscuit with her hands and fingers. Grandma never used a biscuit cutter to my knowledge and her biscuits always came out fluffy, round, and pretty. In my memory, I can still see her hands and fingers moving to shape the biscuits. Oh how I wish I had a video of this memory. Grandma’s mother Bell is remembered for her mouth watering biscuits. I assume that Grandma learned this skill from her mother.

During my youth, I followed Grandma’s biscuit recipe, but my so-called biscuits were more of a weapon or something to break your tooth rather than for eating. I’m still not sure to this day why mine never came out like hers.

We ate homemade biscuits often especially before my grandfather died in August 1979. Sometimes the biscuits themselves could be meal or a snack. Granddaddy liked to dip his in coffee or break them up in a bowl of stewed tomatoes. At times, he would also add other things such as molasses, jelly, butter, or Karo syrup to the biscuits. I believe that Karo syrup came in both a dark color and a clear color. I think that we used whichever of these were in our refrigerator. Karo syrup is also used to cook candied yams, but this makes a great additive to a hot biscuit. I never tried the coffee thing with biscuits, but I did eat them in stewed tomatoes or either with the other butter, jelly, or syrup additives. The best time to eat these biscuit was when they were hot out the oven. There were no microwaves back then, and if small toaster ovens were available at that time, my family did not own one.

I cannot remember the last time that Grandma made biscuits. During my fairly recent adult years, I have asked her to fix some biscuits, but her excuses are that she does not remember how to do this and that her hands are not like they used to be.

So the closest I can get to Grandma’s biscuits is by baking Grand’s Biscuits . Grandma’s homemade biscuits were not as large as Grands, however, they still can never replace the taste of Grandma’s biscuits.

Carnival of African American Genealogy - “Grandma’s Hands”

The second edition of the Carnival of African American Genealogy is due on Monday, April 12, 2010. Although I was aware of the first edition, and intended to participate, other obligations prevented me from completing my submission. Nevertheless many bloggers participated in the First Edition of Carnival of African American Genealogy which was hosted by Luckie Daniels of Our Georgia Roots.

The theme of the second Call For Submission of the Carnival of African American Genealogy is “Grandma’s Hands” and is based on a song from the 1970s by singer Bill Withers. It has been many years since I listened to this song and as I listened to it today, it invoked many memories and emotions about my maternal grandmother who is now 87 years old. I look forward to participating in this blog carnival.

Grandma’s Hands – Bill Withers

2010 New Years Genealogy Goals

My goal in 2010 is to complete some of the uncompleted genealogy goals of 2009. (Read more about my progress towards achieving these 2009 goals.)

Additionally, I would like to have more of my writings published in genealogy journals and in a book. I have been researching for 15 years now and have been talking about a book for almost as long. I hope to achieve this goal in 2010.

My motto for the new year is "I'm Gonna Win in 2010."

The Russell Family's Bling

Smile for the Camera

The word prompt for the 16th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Bling, ancestor Bling." I am always drawn to the beautiful jewelry worn by our ancestors in old photographs. The locket that was your Great Grandmother's treasure, the pocket watch proudly displayed by a male ancestor, the beautiful crosses of old, and the children with their tiny bracelets. While not many of our ancestors were wealthy enough to own multiple pieces of jewelry, there was the one good piece that held sentimental value. Some of us have been fortunate enough to inherit those treasures. Show us a photograph of your ancestor wearing their "Bling," or photographs of the pieces you have inherited. Admission is free with every photograph!

This is my Aunt Lucy Bullock Russell (1882-1967) and her husband Norvell Russell (1872-abt. 1952.) Aunt Lucy was a sister of my great-great grandfather Andrew Bullock (1862-1915). The chain in this photo may have been part of a pocket watch.


Aunt Lucy and Uncle Norvell's daughter Queen (1907-2003) is dressed beautifully in her pearl earrings, necklace, and bracelet, along with other chain bracelets and possibly a watch. Like many women of her generation, Cousin Queen is wearing a hat to church.

Aunt Lucy and Uncle Norvell's daughter Julia (1912-aft. 2001) is dressed beautifully in her long pearl necklace, a ring, and what looks to be either a watch or bracelet. Like many women of her generation, Cousin Julia is wearing a hat to church.

Here are four of the daughters of Norvel and Lucy attending a Bullock Family Reunion around 2001. Queen (wheelchair), Julia (white hat), Minnie (blue dress) and Buelah (all black). The jeweled adorned head wrap is Cousin Buelah's trademark which she wears on both casual or formal occassions. Her dangling earrings and matching necklace spruce up the all black outfit she wore to the Bullock Family Reunion Banquet.

Uncle Richard’s Birth Certificate

BLOGGING PROMPT #15

List some vital signs. Talk about specific birth, marriage and death certificates. Topics may include misspelled names, fudged dates, other anomalies that stand out in your records.

Around 2003, I acquired the birth certificate of the youngest brother of my maternal grandmother from the Register of Deeds Office in Vance County, NC. I was concentrating on acquiring vital documents on my grandmother’s siblings during that year.

There were several interesting discoveries on Uncle Richard’s birth certificate.

1. Name: Originally listed as Richard Rod Johnson, but name was changed or corrected on certificate on November 6, 1987 to “George Richard Johnson.” Our family always called him “Richard” or “Uncle Richard” in my case. Was the name “Richard Rod” written incorrectly or did he change his first name to “George” in honor of his deceased father whom he never knew? His father George Johnson died two months before his birth on February 28, 1932. Note: I need to ask my grandmother and Uncle Richard’s wife about this name discrepancy.


2. Date of Birth: The date of birth is listed as “April 23, 1932” on this birth certificate. The certificate was filed in the Vance County, NC Register of Deeds office and signed by the Registrar, Mr. H. B. White, on April 26, 1932. However, Uncle Richard used “April 30, 1932” as indicated on his funeral program. I also asked one of his daughters about his birth date discrepancy and she said that her father was told by his mother that “April 30th” was his date of birth. Note: I need to ask Uncle Richard’s wife and his children about this birth date discrepancy.


3. Midwife on birth certificate is named as “Luvenia Bullock.” I knew from oral history that my great grandmother Bell was living with her mother at the time of the birth of her youngest son. I also knew that her mother Luvenia was a midwife, but no one had ever mentioned that Grandma Luvenia delivered her grandson Richard.

Uncle Richard was 55 years old when his birth certificate was amended on November 6, 1987. Surely he would have noticed the date discrepancy on this document. I wonder how old he was when he first saw his birth certificate. Hopefully, I will find some answers about these discrepancies from Uncle Richard’s family.

The Genealogy Happy Dance

Many genealogists experience the “Genealogy Happy Dance” after finding something special on their ancestor. I have experienced this on several occasions. My first Happy Dance experience came early on in my research sometime after 1994, when I received a picture of my great-grandmother Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951). I was talking to my mother’s brother about information I had found on Grandma Ven. “I sure wish I had a picture of her,” I told him. I was shocked when he told me that he had a photo. He was visiting from New Jersey and promised to send me a copy when he returned home. Uncle John kept his promise and it was a “Happy Dance” day when I received a copy of the photo in the mail.

Another “Genealogy Happy Dance” experience occurred one day when I was in the Register of Deeds office in Vance County, NC looking birth certificates where Grandma Ven was named as midwife. During this visit, I found numerous birth certificates where she was named as midwife. As I looked through the 1936 book of birth certificates, I came across the document below which was in front of one of the stillbirth certificates. After reading it, I realized that this was a statement from my ancestor Luvenia. I wanted to scream and holler with joy, but held back since I was in a public place.

At this deeds office, copies had to be made by the staff. “This is a statement from my ancestor,” I exclaimed to the staff person as she made a photocopy of this document. My face was lit up with a smile from ear to ear and I felt that I had to tell somebody the good news. The staff person didn’t share my excitement and I don’t think she even responded to my statement. Nevertheless, I didn’t let this spoil my “Genealogy Happy Dance” feeling and spent the remainder of my time at the deeds office full of joy.

Dancing is an act for showing pleasure and joy. Happy dance styles vary depending on personal style, taste, and culture. It doesn’t matter if your “Genealogy Happy Dance” is a twist, a river dance or holy dance. What matters is that all genealogists experience this pleasure from time to time.

Chubby Checker and the Twist




River Dance




Holy Dancing

Backyard Snow Photos

The back yard must have been a favorite spot for picture taking for my mother and her brother and sister. I have several backyard photos of my mother and her siblings standing in front of a piece of our family history—a tool shed built by their paternal grandfather, Minor Thornton (1893-1966). The photos below are the winter wonderland ones, however, there are also some springtime photos taken in the same spot in front of the tool shed.

I am told that Grandpa Minor was a carpenter by trade from Enfield, NC. When my mother and her siblings were growing up, their grandfather and grandmother would come to stay with their family for long periods of time. At some point, Grandpa Minor built this tool shed for his oldest son (Minor Elwood), who was my mother’s father.

My mother’s sister, Emma Belle, with a nice big snowball. I wonder if she threw it at some one after this photo was taken?

My mother’s brother John kneels in the snow for the photo.

Uncle John plays with one of the numerous family dogs.

This guy is probably my uncle’s friend Joseph. (I’ll have to ask either one of them to give me a positive identification.)

2009 Genealogy Goals

New Years Day is here again and it’s that magical time of the year to refocus and set new goals. Not only is it a time that people traditionally make resolutions, but it also is a time of reflection about the previous year.

I set four genealogy goals during the year 2008 and shared them with the Family Tree Maker genealogy buffs on our website at MyFamily.com.

1. Finish organizing my paper files into folders and notebooks.
2. Declutter and get rid of unnecessary genealogy related papers (printouts, pamphlets, etc.)
3. Write and publish articles for genealogy newsletters and journals.
4. Organize computerized genealogy files and update and document all findings in FTM.

I did not fully complete all of these goals, however, I did make significant progress on fulfilling goals 1, 2, and 4 Although I did not get around to submitting genealogy articles for publication to fulfill goal #3, my amount of writing increased significantly during 2008 through my discovering of blogging during the earlier part of the year.

Much of the year was spent on organizing my family related genealogy paper files. I am organizing my family files in color file folders; one color for each grandparent (red-maternal grandmother, green-maternal grandfather, yellow-paternal grandmother, and blue-paternal grandfather. I also adopted orange colored folders for my DNA related files.) This color coding file system will be further explained in other blog postings this month. The beauty of this filing method is that I can readily identify which of my four grandparents a file belongs. For some grandparents, I have a lot of paper files, such as for both of my grandmothers. The color coding filing system also allows easy expansion on any of the four lines.

I discovered blogging in February 2008 and began with a PowerPointers Blog. In March, I began the Find Your Folks genealogy blog, and this is where I poured my writing efforts in 2008. At the end of 2008, I had 106 postings on my genealogy blog, as opposed to only seven on the PowerPointer's blog.

For the year 2009, my goal is to continue working on completing the 2008 goals, and to pursue bigger and better genealogy endeavors. Last year was my first time writing down my genealogical goals, and these goals mainly focused on writing, documentation, and organizing genealogy files and data. However, this year’s list is a bit more comprehensive and categorized and I have tried to think of all the multiple components of my genealogy career.

2009 Genealogy Goals

Write

• Write, Write, Write!


• Write and publish articles for genealogy newsletters and journals.


• Write a book on my family history.


• Write articles for Find Your Folks blog
  

Update, Organize, and Document

• Finish organizing my paper files into color folders


• Declutter and get rid of unnecessary genealogy related papers (printouts, pamphlets, etc.)


• Organize computerized genealogy files


• Update and document all sources in Family Tree Maker Software.
  

Attend Conferences and Classes

• Attend the National Genealogy Society conference in Raleigh, NC in May


• Attend the Black Genealogy Summit in Indiana in October

Fellowship with Living Descendants

• Attend at least two family reunions


• Continue to contact living descendants of ancestors in order to find additional family information
  
  

DNA Testing

• Have additional family lines tested to determine their African connection, or relatedness to other families with the same surname
  

Genealogy Presentations

• Conduct at least two genealogy workshops
  

Blogging and Technology

• Continue genealogy blogging and strive to post daily


• Learn how to use new blog tools to add to blog


• Learn how to podcast and post to blog


• Continue using Facebook for genealogy social networking sites


• Explore other new Internet resources that will aid in further advancing genealogy

Finding Church Trustees Through Newspapers and Other Sources

My great-great grandmother Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951), also known as "Holy Venia," established a church named Veanus Chapel House of Prayer in Vance County, NC around the early 1930s. Land deeds beginning in 1941 name various trustees of this church. Veanus Chapel continued many years after Grandma Luvenia’s death. I noticed some of the same names on the deeds related to the church from transactions in 1951, 1955 and 1966.

On April 11, 1951 trustees of Veanus Chapel named on the deed were Alfred Carroll, Alice Henderson, and Georgia Suitt. On September 28, 1955, trustees of Veanus Chapel named on a deed were Estora Bynum, Rev. J. C. Adams, and Georgia Suitt. On February 28, 1962, trustees of Venus Chapel House of Prayer named on a deed were Estora Bynum, Sarah Booth, and Georgia Suitt. I noticed that the 1962 deed of trust was notarized in Durham, NC, which is adjacent to Vance County, NC. This discovery led me to believe that Trustees Bynum, Booth, and Suitt probably lived in the city of Durham. These deeds were obtained from the Vance County, NC Register of Deeds office.

From there, I used Internet resources on Ancestry.com to trace some of the trustees of Veneaus Chapel House of Prayer (Estora Bynum, Georgia Suitt, and Sarah Booth). Using the clue obtained from the 1962 Deed of Trust, I did a name search for these three individuals and used Durham as the locality in the query.

I immediately discovered from this Internet search that I had wrongly assumed that Estora Bynum was a woman, based on the first name. This search revealed a male named Rev. Estora Andrew Bynum (1908-1996) who lived in Durham, NC. Records found on Rev. Bynum include his death records (social security index and death record), and the newspaper obituaries of his wife Annie and their son Fred. The Social Security death index and the North Carolina Death Collection, 1908-1996, (now 1908-2004), records also listed a Georgia Suitt (1896-1981) and a Sarah Booth (1895-1981) of Durham.

Even more exciting than the above findings was the locating of the online newspaper obituaries on Ancestry.com for Rev. Bynum’s wife Annie and their son Floyd. In the wife’s obituary, she is named as “Overseer Annie B. Bynum.” Overseer is a ministerial title used in some holiness churches to describe a person who is in charge of other churches in addition to the one they pastor. In many cases, the Church Overseer is the one who has established the various churches they oversee. Rev. Estora Bynum is named as the late husband of Overseer Annie B. Bynum. A further clue from the obituary is that Annie’s funeral was held at Friendship House of Prayer in Durham, NC in May 2005. The online obituary of the Bynum’s son Floyd, who died in New Jersey in 2004, names both parents individually with the title “Rev.” in front of each of their names.

Internet clues from the North Carolina Death Collection and the Social Security index also gave me death dates for the three trustees, which enabled me to obtain newspaper obituaries through the mail from the Durham, NC Public library of the Trustees Rev. Estora Bynum, Sarah Booth, and Georgia Suitt.

The obituaries of these trustees all indicate that they had a connection to Friendship House of Prayer Church in Durham, NC. Rev. Estora Bynum’s 1996 obituary indicates that he was pastor of this church.

Sarah Booth’s 1981 obituary indicates that “she helped establish several churches in the United Holy Church religion and worked with Friendship House of Prayer.” The obituary further states that she was “active in missionary work and established many prayer bands.” The obituary also gives kinship clues between the Trustees because it names Evangelist Annie B. Bynum as Sarah Booth’s daughter. That would make Sarah Booth, one of the trustees named on deeds of Veanus Chapel House of Prayer, the mother-in-law of Trustee Estora Bynum, who was also named on the deeds.

The 1981 obituary of the third Trustee named on the deeds, Georgia Suitt, is very brief, however, it does reveal that she was associated with Friendship House of Prayer and that her funeral was conducted by Rev. Estora Bynum.

Needless to say, I am thoroughly excited about these discoveries on three of the Trustees of my ancestor's church, Veanus Chapel House of Prayer. I suspect that Friendship House of Prayer may have been the former “Veanus House of Prayer.” I plan to write the church regarding my research and ask for information on their history. I hope to also find people in this church who are either descendants of the Bynum, Booth, and Suitt families, or who would remember any of these individuals. I also hope to visit this church before the end of the year.

Sources:

• Land Deed, Grantors: Annie McPhatter Plummer (widow), Maggie McPhatter Lucas (widow), Sallie Shaw Howard (widow), Victoria Shaw Walker (Divorced), Silas Shaw (single), Abraham Shaw (widower), J. T. McPhatter and wife, Elaine McPhatter Grantee: Alford Carroll, Alice Henderson, and Georgie Suitt, Trustees of Veanus Chapel House of Prayer, Vance County, NC Register of Deeds, Deed Book 291, Page 279-281, April 11, 1951.
• Land Deed, Grantors: B. H. Hicks and wife Emily S. Hicks and S. E. Jennette and wife Anne T. Jennette Grantee: Estora Bynum, Rev. J. C. Adams, and Georgia Suitt, Trustees of Veanus Chapel House of Prayer, Vance County, NC Register of Deeds, Deed Book 322, Page 561-562, September 28, 1955.
• Deed of Trust, Grantor: Mechanics and Farmers Bank Grantee: Estora Bynum, Sarah Booth, and Georgia Suitt, Trustees of Veanus Chapel House of Prayer, Vance County, NC Register of Deeds, Deed Book 381, Page 143-144, February 19, 1962.
• Obituary of Georgia Suitt, Durham Herald-Star Newspaper, October 16, 1981.
• Obituary of Floyd L. Bynum, Star-Ledger, New Jersey Online, Newark, NJ, July 10, 2004, http://www.ancestry.com/.
• Obituary of Overseer Annie B. Bynum, Durham Herald Star Newspaper, Durham, NC, May 26, 2005, http://www.ancestry.com/
• Obituary of Rev. Estora Bynum, Durham Herald Star Newspaper, Durham, NC, 1995.
• Obituary of Sarah Lipscomb Booth, Durham Herald Star Newspaper, Durham, NC, July 24, 1981.
• Obituary of Georgia Bass Suitt, Durham Herald Star Newspaper, Durham, NC, October 16, 1981.
• Social Security Death Index, http://www.ancestry.com/
• North Carolina Death Collection, 1908-1996, http://www.ancestry.com/

Written for the Carnival of Genealogy

My Ten Favorite How-To Genealogy Books

Like most genealogist, I have a ton of genealogy related books. These books include numerous how to genealogy books for beginner to advanced levels, as well as county, city, and church histories.


Below are ten of my favorite How-to genealogy books and workbooks.

1. Allen, Desmond Walls, First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner’s Guide to Researching Your Family History, Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1998.
2. Burrough, Tony, Black Roots: A Beginner’s Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree, New York: A Fireside Book-Simon & Schuster, 2001.
3. Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Immigrant and Ethnic Ancestors, Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2005.
4. Croom, Emily, Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy, 4th Edition, Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2001.
5. Croom, Emily, The Unpuzzling Your Past Workbook: Essential forms and letters for Genealogist, Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1996.
6. Hartley, William, G., The Everything Family Tree Book, Finding, Charting, and Preserving Your Family History, Holbrook, Massachussetts: Adams Media Corporation, 1998.
7. Melnyk, Marcia D. Yannizze, Family History 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Finding Your Ancestors, Cincinnati, Ohio: Family Tree Books, 2005.
8. Melnyk, Marcia D. Yannizze, The Weekend Genealogist: Timesaving Techniques for Effective Research, Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2000.
9. Renick, Barbara, Genealogy 101: How to Trace Your Family History and Heritage, Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 2003.
10. Woodtor, Dee, Finding a Place Called Home : A Guide to African-
    American Genealogy and Historical Identity, New York : Random House, 1999.

Aunt Mary’s Notebook

Aunt Mary Johnson (1927-1986) was a sister of my maternal grandmother. One of the things I inherited of hers is a notebook which contains Bible study and church notes. A cousin gave me this 7.5 x 8 notebook that was written possibly around 1953 and 1954. Only two pages of this notebook contain dates. Most of the pages are handwritten, but one page it typewritten. When I was a young girl, I used to receive letters written from Aunt Mary. However, I do not have any of those letters now. The gift of this notebook is precious because it gives me a sample of Aunt Mary’s handwriting that I used to read many years ago. Aunt Mary served Little Mt. Zion Holy Church in White Plains, NY as Sunday school teacher, president of the choir, vice president of the missionary department, member of the usher board, and secretary. Some of these notes in this notebook may have been recorded as Church secretary.

Bible Study Notes

Typewritten Notes


Youth Day Offering

Finding Aunt Della’s Correct Birth Year

By the time I met my Aunt Della around 1996, I was in my early 30s, and had been researching my family history for about two years. Aunt Della is the youngest sister of my paternal grandmother, Hattie and she is now the last living of my grandmother’s siblings. Three of her brothers were alive when I began my family history research. Though various conversations with Aunt Della, I have learned about my father’s family. She used 1910 as her birth year, but often said that she didn’t think that was correct. The births of Aunt Della and her siblings had been recorded in the family Bible by her mother, Mary Eliza Robinson Moore (1880-1920,) however this Bible was destroyed in a house fire. By the time she applied for a social security card in the 1960s, she had been using the birth year of 1910.

Early on in my research, I had located Aunt Della’s family on all the censuses available, including her name listed on the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses. But it would not be until about two years ago, that I would revisit the census records and reevaluate all the information given on this family. At this time, I looked at the date the census was recorded (May 9, 1910) and noticed that the age of Aunt Della was listed at ‘5-months.’ She had to have been born in 1909 I concluded. (See 1910 Census – Moore Family)

After this discovery, I had several phone conversations with Aunt Della, but I did not want to share this new finding over the phone. In 2007, our family had a reunion and I spoke about our family history, but did not mention this new finding because I felt it was better to talk to her in private first. I did, however, mention this discovery to Aunt Della's youngest daughter, Marva Jo. She told me that she also had discovered this age discrepancy through the census and told her mother about it. However, for whatever reason her mother did not react to this news. The family also continued using Aunt Della's age based on a 1910 birth year.

During the past year, I had several phone conversations with her and intended to visit, but somehow never got around to it. Another family reunion arrived this past 4th of July weekend, and I again spoke at our family banquet about our history and DNA, but did not mention this age discovery. I had prepared poster boards displaying copies of family documents. After showing them to Aunt Della at the reunion, she asked for copies. On the next day, before leaving town, I visited her with copies of documents including the 1910 census.

Aunt Della was not surprised by this new birth year discovery which would make her 98 years old instead of 97. “Come back to see me real soon,” she said as I was about to leave her house. “You know I’m not far from 100,” she said with laughter in her voice. If she lives another year and a half, she will turn the big 100.

Musical Genes in My Family

Carnival of Genealogy, http://www.creativegene.blogspot.com/

What traits run in your family? Which of them did you inherit?===========================

Music is a trait on both sides of my family. I always wished that I could sing and play the piano, however I cannot do either as well as I would desire. If I could sing, I would want to be able to sing like Yolanda Adams , Patti LaBelle, or Whitney Houston. If I could play the piano, I would want to be able to play popular gospel music by ear.

Even though I can’t sing or play the piano, I still have a musical gene. I played the Viola, a sting instrument that is a little bigger than a violin, when I was in school. I began playing during the 6th grade and stopped some time during college. I was very good at playing this instrument and was often first chair player in my school orchestra. I also participated in city-wide and regional orchestras where I won certificates and medals for my participation. In fact, I still have some of these medals. I have an instrument, but have not had a consistent interest in playing the Viola since I became an adult. Perhaps I can blame the current lack of my musical interest on my genealogy hobby which takes up most of my free time. (Smile)

Maternal Family Musical Traits
On my maternal side, I know of the following family members who had musical abilities.

• Uncle Ray Thornton (1926-2002), a brother of my maternal grandfather, who played the piano and sang in church. Uncle Ray grew up in Enfield, NC and moved to Newport News, VA as an adult.


• Uncle John Bullock (1885-1957) and his wife Lucinda (1901-1971) reportedly sang as a duet at various churches in the Vance County, NC area. Uncle John was a brother of my great-grandmother Bell Bullock Johnson (1890-1982), and a son of my great-great grandparents Andrew Bullock (1862-1915) and Luvenia Jeffress “Holy Venia” Bullock (1864-1951.)


• Uncle Richard Johnson (1932-1992), a brother of my maternal grandmother used to sing gospel music with a group of young men during his youth. He grew up in Ridgeway, NC in Warren County and moved to Newark, NJ during his adult years.

Paternal Family Musical TraitsMy father’s family is from Greensville County, VA and I know of musical talent in the family of his mother, Hattie Moore Pair (1902-1956). I do not know if Grandma Hattie could sing, but I do know that some of her brothers could sing. Her youngest brother, Samuel “Channie” Moore (1917-2003) could sing and play the piano. In his youth, he and his brothers John Marshall Moore (1915-1993) and James Jefferson Moore (1913-1976) sang in a group with another neighborhood boy. The group was called “The Liberty Four.” Liberty was the name of their neighborhood in Greensville County, VA. Uncle Channie believed that the family’s musical talent came from their mother. He recalled that his mother, Mary Eliza Robinson Moore (1880-1920) could sing very well and that her family, the Robinsons of the Skippers area of Greensville County, VA were known as “great singers.”

Today, some descendants of the Moore and Robinson families can sing and play musical instruments. I have heard and observed the musical talents of these families at church services and family reunions.

In my own family branch, the musical gene is continuing in our family through my nieces and nephews who range in ages from 17 to 27. Several of them sing, play drums and/or keyboards. One of them is talented in playing the bass guitar. One of my proud moments as an Aunt was hearing two of my nephews sing solos at my mother’s funeral in August 2007. Prior to this time, I did not know that they could sing that well. Another proud “Auntie” moment was when two of my nephews, along with one of my first cousins, provided instrumental music at our family reunion last year. One nephew played the keyboard, another played the drums, and my cousin played bass guitar. They sounded fantastic and I made sure that prior to giving my remarks on family history, that I let everyone at the reunion know that the two young musicians were my nephews.

Cars as Stars!

Written for the Carnival of Genealogy, http://www.creativegene.blogspot.com/

Jasia at Creative Genes

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My First Car
My first major purchase was a car which I purchased on Valentine’s Day in the year 1987. I had been out of college for almost two years. At that time, I didn’t have an apartment, but lived with an older lady in a house near my former college. The car was brand new and was a 1986 blue Cavalier with less than ten miles on the odometer and no air conditioning. This was one of the leftovers of the previous year’s cars in which I was able to use a rebate as a down payment. The car lot was within walking distance from my house and I often stopped by to look at cars.

Photo above taken August 1987 of my three sisters and me, our cousin Greg, and my nieces and nephews standing in front of my first car.

Transportation During Childhood
During my childhood, transportation was an issue for our family. My three sisters and I spent most of our lives living with our maternal grandparents and they never owned a car. According to our grandmother, Granddaddy used to drive when he lived in a rural area of North Carolina, but never got his license or a car when he moved to the city in the early 1940’s. Our father had a car during most of our childhood, but since our parents were separated much of the time, we didn’t see him much. As a result, we used public transportation such as a bus or taxicab or just walked. In fact, the city bus passed our house and stopped at a corner just a short walk away. Before our church purchased a van, we would ride a taxicab to church with our grandparents. Afterwards the van became my family’s mode of transportation to church.

Getting Driver’s License
Despite the fact that my family didn’t have a car, I still enrolled in Driver’s Ed during 10th grade. Passing the theory test was not a problem, but the actual driving was a challenge for me. When I sat behind the wheel for the first time, I turned the ignition and shifted the gear into drive without putting my foot on the brake. This was the beginning of a long journey to learning how to drive. I was scared to death of driving, but despite my fears and slow progress in learning to operate a car, I persevered. There was no one in my family to help me practice. However, my grandmother got a friend of my uncles to help me practice driving. He was very patient with me and also took me to get my license. I did not get my license on the first try, but kept practicing and finally got it.

My Car Ownership HistoryA few years before I could afford to purchase car, I rented cars occasionally. This provided great driving practice as well as helped me determine the type of car I wanted to purchase. My first car, a blue 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier, was not air conditioned and I roasted for many summers until I purchased a red Dodge Neon in 1995. Air conditioning, of course, was the number one priority with my second car. The second priority was cruise control because I loved to travel and liked to give my foot a rest when on the highway. I choose the Neon because I saw a lot of them on the road at the time and thought that they looked sporty. During the time that I owned the Neon, my job as a Computer Trainer was 30 minutes away from my house. I also trained in various locations, thereby putting lots of miles on this car. During the Thanksgiving weekend of 1999, my red Neon was stolen from in front of my house. It was then, that I learned that Neons were one of the top cars to be stolen because the door could easily be opened using a wire clothes hanger. The car was found a few week later and the damages were repaired. I drove the car about another year, but then began having transmission problems. I decided to get a new car and choose another car in 2001 and went back to a Chevrolet Cavalier. This one is a dark green.

My Family Car History
My father had cars when I was a child, but I don’t remember what type they were. I do remember playing in one of the cars when I was about 3 or 4. I must have put the car in neutral or something. Afterwards the car started moving and my father and some other men came running towards the car where I was sitting alone. I do not remember what happened after that.
Neither set of my grandparents owned cars. My great grandfather Minor Thornton (1893-1966) may have possibly owned a car. Below are photos of one of his daughters, Dorothy Bell Andrews (1921-1982) standing in front of a car in the family’s front yard. In the first photo, she looks to be in her preteens and in the second photo, she is a young woman possibly in her 20s. Aunt Dorothy never had children so I don’t know the identity of the baby she is holding.

Car Purchased by Great-Great-Mother
According to oral history, my great-great Grandmother Luvenia Jeffress Bullock (1864-1951) purchased a car for her youngest son, Joseph, to drive her to church. Like young men and even young women too, who take advantage of car privileges, Joseph, reportedly didn’t always show up to take his mother to church where she wanted to go. No doubt, this created much friction in the Bullock household. Grandma Ven would have purchased this car sometimes before October 11, 1932, before her son Joseph Bullock died at the age of 27 from “pulmonary tuberculosis” in the Jubilee Hospital in Henderson, NC. My grandmother Emma and her younger siblings were living with Grandma Ven during the time of Joe’s death, but my grandmother does not recall his death. She does however recall getting rides in this car with her Uncle Joe.