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

Three Sets of Children of Ellen Moore (continued)

Searching the 1880 census for Pleasant Lundy led my research to Chesterfield County, VA and to the family of Charles and Roxanna Lundy. Pleasant’s age progression from the 1870 census to the 1880 census is consistent (age 6 on the 1870 census and living with Washington and Ellen Moore in Greensville County, VA and age 16 on the 1880 census and living with Charles and Roxana Lundy in Chesterfield County, VA.)

1880 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, VA, population schedule, roll #1361, Matoaca Township, ED 72, Page 4, Dwelling 32, Family 36, Lines 16-19.

Looking at the 1870 census of the household of Charles Lundy, I find two children listed—all of the first names of the two children in the household match the names told to me by Aunt Della. “My Grandma Ellen had children named David, Mary, and Pleasant,” she has said on numerous occasions. “They were not Washington Moore’s children,” she recalled.

1870 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, VA, population schedule, roll #1640, Matoaca Township, Page 113/374, Dwelling 763, Family 891, Lines 9 -12.

The 1870 and 1880 censuses are the only documents I have found on Pleasant Lundy so far and the 1870 census is the only one found for David Lundy. However, further search of Mary Lundy, the daughter of Charles Lundy led to various revelations.

One document found on Mary Lundy was her 1884 marriage license to William Spratley in which her father was named as Charles Lundy. The mother on her marriage license was named as Ellen Lundy, rather than Roxana Lundy, who was listed as wife of Charles Lundy on the 1870 and 1880 censuses.

The marriage occurred on December 30, 1884 in Chesterfield County, VA. By 1900 William and Mary Lundy Spratley were living in the city of Petersburg, VA.

View of section of marriage license with name of parents of bride and groom.

To Be Continued . . .