Book Report: Family Maps of Pike County, MS

I recently uncovered the children of Hollis H Fortenberry, my 2^nd great grand uncle. I discovered that Hollis and his wife, Louise were living in Pike County, MS with seven children. I had previously only known about one child for this couple. I was able to find them because I found them on a map which led me to a census report for the family.

I’ve uncovered a wonderful series of books published by Arphax Publishing. The book I have is--

Family Maps of Pike County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition

With Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads and More

By Gregory A. Boyd, Jr.; 

published by Arphax Publishing Co., 

Norman Oklahoma, 2005

I first saw these books in March when I did research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was delighted to find many members of my family in the pages. I made photocopies of a couple pages. After I returned home I decided I wanted to own a copy and ordered the Pike County volume through Amazon.

Part 1. This part of the book includes: Where Pike County lies within the state; Counties that surround Pike County; Congressional Townships; Cities & Towns; Cemeteries in the county; Surnames in Pike County Patents & a Surname Index.

Part 2. Pike County is divided into 12 sections. For each section there is: a land patent index, a land Patent Map, a Road Map & an Historical Map.

For example, I went to map 12 and found Hollis H Fortenberry in the land patent index with an 1853 land patent. I knew Hollis Horton Fortenberry lived 1825 – 1867 & had been born in Pike, MS. I turned to the land patent map and found him in section 31.On the same map I easily found two of his brothers, Gasua C & Burrell T Fortenberry, and several other family members. Turning the page I came to the second map of the same area. This road map shows the nearby towns of Progress, Smithburg and Simmonsville and two Fortenberry Cemeteries. Turning yet another page is the third map of the same area. This shows that Hollis lived on a stream. The third map would also show lakes and railroads if they are in the area. I love it. I have three maps of the place my ancestor lived, each map giving me more information, like where to search for town and cemetery records.

ArphaxPublishing also has map books for;

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Utah and other counties in Mississippi
Check their website for even more states. Each book comes in paperback, spiral bound or hardcover editions.

Find these books. There’s much more inside than I have mentioned here. They will lead you in new directions to uncover more about your family.

Brumfield

My father’s Brumfield family starts with John Brumfield & his father, Charles, as the furthest back in this tree that I can document at this time. I have found, on Ancestry.com’s family trees, steps further back in the family history. Those trees show Charles’ father as Watson Brumfield, b. c. 1720 in Virginia and his father, Moses Brumfield, b. c. 1700 in Virginia. Wives and other children are given. The only source citation given is other people’s trees. One tree traces the family back to a Thomas Brumfield born 1613 in England. I would love to link those men with our family but would like to find reliable sources first: published histories, church records, a family Bible, original documents,… If you have knowledge of any of these sources please contact me. Until then my Brumfield family line begins c 1768. 

This family lived in the Virginia, the Carolinas, Louisiana and Mississippi area.

My direct line Brumfields:

•  Charles Brumfield, dates unknown; married to Lucy 
•  John Brumfield 1768 – 1834; married to Margaret Kelly; 13 children 
•  Nathaniel Brumfield b. 1813; married to Charlotte Temple Ott; 5 children 
• Jessie Alexander Brumfield 1838 – c. 1910; married to Martha Elizabeth Alford; 8 children 
• Rose Ella (Brumfield) Brown 1867 – 1948; married to Jasper Pascal Brown, 9 children 

A few Brumfield Resources:

• Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Pike County, Mississippi. Deluxe. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Publishing Co., 2005.
• Clawson, Alma Dell Magee. Fields of Bloom. Privately printed. 1972. 
• Conerly, Luke Ward and E. Russ Williams. Source Records From Pike County, Mississippi 1798 – 1910. South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1989. 
• Criminger, Adrianne Fortenberry. The Fortenberry Families of Southern Mississippi. South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1984. 
• Haymon, Serena Abbess. Pike County, Mississippi School Census, 1885. Greenwell Springs, LA. 
•  Holcomb, Brent H. York County, South Carolina Will Abstracts 1787 – 1862 [1170 - 1862]. Columbia, SC: SCMAR, 2002. 975.743 
• Holcomb, Brent H. York Co, South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1786 – 1801 [1772 - 1801]. I. Columbia, SC: SCMAR, 2008.FHL 975.743 
• Potter, Dorothy Williams. Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770 - 1823. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002. 
• Williams, Jr., E. Russ. History of Washington Parish, Louisiana 1798 – 1992. I. 1994. 976.311 
• Williams, Jr., Ernest Russ. A Potpourri of Historical Data concerning the Founding Families and Individuals of Washington Parish, Louisiana, 1798 – 1860. Monroe, LA: Northeast Louisiana University, 1990. FHL 976.311 
• Wallis, Ruth Temple. Descendants of Jacob Ott of South Carolina and Louisiana. 1967. Bogalusa, Louisiana. Privately printed. 

Do you have Brumfield connections? I am always looking for new names & sources to add to my research. Just drop me a line or two. Check my website for more Brumfield details: Our Leaves & Branches.

Ancestor Anniversaries, October 1 - 15

Here are a few October anniversaries.

1 October 1912        William Paul Coyle [son of Patrick Coyle & Margaret Brady] & Lauretta Niail. They were married in Waterbury, CT. They had a son and a daughter. William was a plumber and later an operator in the motion picture industry.

2 October 1937        Joe P Brown [son of Junius Earl Brown & Ametha] & Norma Rea McDaniel. They were married in Pike County, MS. They had three children.

3 October 1864        William Henry Harrison Wolf [son of John Jonas Wolf & Sarah Ann Chronister]& Sarah E Frost. William was born in PA and died in KS.

3 October 1878        Jarratt Cylmon Smith [son of Jeremiah& Pemecia Smith]& Eliza Jane Brock

5 October 1847        Tyra Jennings Tynes & Harriet Jane Alford [daughter of Edwin Barksdale Alford & Martha P Smith]. They were married in Pike County, MS.

7 October 1880        William Louis Rowell & Elnora Elizabeth Brumfield [daughter of Isaac Nelson Brumfield & Sarah J Smith]. Elnora died when she was only 45.

11 October 1832       Gasua Chapman Fortenberry [son of William Jasper Fortenberry & Violette Kennington] & Sarah Brown [daughter of Moses Brown & Sarah Robertson]. They were married in Marion, MS. They had nine children. Gasua was a farmer. He and Sarah were married for over 50 years.

12 October 1859       William J M Smith [son of Wyatt Smith & Euseba Fortenberry]& Rachel Ellzey [daughter of John Ellzey & Elizabeth Coney]. They were married only three years when William died.

14 October 1896       Aaron Gruissy [son of Christian Gruissy & Mary Wise] & Etta S Wetzel. They were married in Stark Co, Ohio. They had one son, Ernest S Gruissy. They were married for 48 years.

15 October 1899       Roy Hurd & Mona D Morrison [daughter of Seth Benner Morrison & Margaret Jane Gruissy]. They were married in New Haven, Michigan. They had six children. Roy was a farmer and later a merchant in a general store. 

Tranquil Tombstone: Little Angels

Little Jennie & Little Frankie

off by themselves

Brookside Cemetery, Poestenkill, NY

Hiring a Professional Genealogist: Looking for Tips

Have you ever hired a professional genealogist? I have a family mystery, based in New York City, which I have been unable to solve. How do I find a reliable researcher? How much should this cost? I am looking for tips.

Michael Coyle

I am trying to discover what happened to:

Michael Coyle b. 24 Nov 1870 in Moate, Cavan, Ireland

• Oldest child of Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle
• Came to USA May 1885
• Married 9 Nov 1895 in NYC to Mary Josephine Mullane 
• Father of 7 children, all born in New York City
• In 1920 & 1925 living at 223 East 113 St & working as a baker in New York City

Unfortunately Michael’s bakery had hard times and closed. He left his family. Mary Jo died 17 December 1927. Her will shows his location as unknown. He had family in Connecticut & Texas. His youngest daughter saw him a couple years later. He was looking for his wife and she told him her mother had died. His daughters never saw him again.

More details on Michael at my website, Our Leaves & Branches.

I’d like to have an ending for this story. What happened to my great grandfather? Where is he buried? I mentioned to one of my brothers that I might hire a professional to help answer our questions. He said, ‘Where would a professional look that you haven’t already looked?’ I replied, ‘If I knew that I would not need to hire a professional.’

Ancestor Anniversaries, September 13 - 30

13 September 1912   Myron A Boreman [son of John Boreman & Ella Grant] & Elva Gale Mark [daughter of William Mark & Elidia Rebecca Ritter]. Married in Ohio. They had four children.

18 September 1890   George Washington Wolf [son of Frederick Wolf & Louisa C Goetz] & Ida Lerander Homer

20 September 1840   Peter Hartsel & Margaretha Ritter [daughter of Johannes Ritter, Jr. & Anna Mariah]. They had seven children.

22 September 1906   Ernest Lowe Elliott & Lillian Vera Moore [daughter of Peter Jonathan Moore & Caroline Louise Gruissy]. They had one daughter. Ernest & Lillian both lived past 80.

25 September 1836   Stephen Balliet [son of Jospeh Balliet & Susan Green] & Ann Lowrey. They had one son.

30 September 1920   Ralph Ely Moore, Sr. [son of Peter Jonathan Moore & Caroline Louise Gruissy] & Dorothy Otella Derhammer. They had three children. 

Census Sunday: Jasper Pascal Brown from 1870 - 1940

I have been fortunate to be able to trace my paternal great grandfather, Jasper Pascal Brown [b 15 May 1865; d 8 June 1950] through the US Census reports. In 1870 & 1880 he is with his parents, Allen & Emmaline (Smith) Brown in Pike Co, MS. On 21 December 1887 he married Rose Ella Brumfield. Starting with the 1900 census we can see he has followed his father’s lead and become a farmer with a large family of his own.

US Census Reports for Jasper P Brown

Jasper lived his life in Mississippi. I was surprised, therefore, to see him living in Louisiana in 1930. However, when I checked a map I saw that Washington County is just across the border from Pike County so it was not a big move. In 1940 he was back in Mississippi.

Jasper Pascal Brown

In 1930 Jasper & Rose were taking care of two grandsons, sons of their daughter Thelma Lady Brown. In 1940 Bernarr Reynolds, 14, was still with them. There must be a story behind this.

1940 US Census, Pike Co, MS

 These findings are just the beginning of my research into this family. They point the way  to the places I should search. Are you connected to this family? I'd love to hear from you.

Two Year Blog Anniversary

I am excited to find Leaves & Branches celebrating its two year blog anniversary and over 20,000 visits! Thanks to all those who have sent best wishes. Thanks to my daughter who got me started setting up this blog and who continues to help with technical issues.  Thanks to geneabloggers & all the marvelous genealogy blogs that have inspired me to reach further, learn more and do more.

My first blog, ‘Pennsylvania Research for the Mark family’, centered on the discoveries I had recently made. Since then I have added many blogs about my father’s Brown/ Mark family in Ohio & Mississippi and my mother’s Gardner/Coyle family in New York City & Ireland.

Some topics I have written about this past year:

Ancestor Anniversaries

Census Sundays

Surname Saturdays

Salt Lake City Research Trip

Obituaries

The 150^th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War & our Civil War Soldiers

My double great grandparents

Cemeteries

My Trip to Ireland

My dream trip to Ireland in April led to 11 blogs about my preparations for the trip, research there and more blogs about the follow up I have done since my return. I am still surprised I was able to visit the places my ancestors lived.

This year I have also started a web site, Our Leaves & Branches, that details information I have uncovered about my various family branches. My blog & website work well together and expand my opportunities to reach new cousins. My hopes for the future of my blog include connecting with more cousins & solving more family mysteries. I hope I have helped others by sharing the information I have gathered over the years.

Book Report: Ballymachugh & Drumloman South

Ballymachugh & Drumloman South: 

Our Home Place by Sheelin’s Side, County Cavan, Ireland

By Ballymachugh History & Heritage Society, 2008

Printed by R & S Printers, Ltd, Monaghan, Ireland

“Ballymachugh and Drumloman South is a Roman Catholic parish in the barony of Clanmohon in the estreme south of County Cavan, Ireland, bordering the counties of Westmeath and Longford and in the Diocese of Ardagh.”

Contents:

Location, Geology & Archaeology

Civil History

Landlordism

Tithes in the Parish

Ecclesiastical History

Education

Townlands & Census

Famine & Emigration

Agriculture

Shops & Industries

Services

Lough Sheelin

Organisations in the Parish

The Arts

Sport

Finea

I bought this book in a small post office/shop in Ballynarry, Ireland and kept it in my hand for the flight home. It had been recommended to me by a couple different people during my trip and I was very happy to find a copy. Since then I’ve had time to read it carefully and I am even happier that I have this treasure. I’ve been able to read about locations where my Coyle, Cunningham & Brady families lived: Killykeen, Moate & Finea. I’ve read about the churches they attended including St Mary’s Church in Carrick. I found my family in the Griffith’s Valuation charts included in the book. In general I’ve learned more about the history of the place my ancestors lived. If your family lived in this parish, you will enjoy this book.