You are invited to join us on Monday nights for an all-counties Alabama state chat: http://huntsville.about.com/mpchat.htm 9 pm Eastern; 8 pm Central; 7 pm Mt.; 6 pm Pacific If you've never been to a chat and need instructions, just send me an email and I'll mail you step-by-step instructions. If you'd like to receive a personal reminder each week, let me know and I can add you to my private list. You can find transcripts of previous chats here: http://huntsville.about.com/library/blalchat.htm Good luck! Jean Brandau huntsville2@comcast.net

I am trying to find the parents of William Mosley he is listed in the 1880 Choctaw census along with his wife Betty Todd . They had a total of ten children 7 boys 3 girls Tolman Julie Ann Mosley Tindle Toy Ella E. Mosley Roberts Butler Lucy Mosley Cox John Dennon Leamon Tom There was a Smithhare GW & family listed as living with them and working as farm laborers.I would appreciate any information Thanks Wanda D

This is transcribed in the interest of Hiram Davis' genealogy, and history. It is transcribed as it was written, such as it is. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama May 18, 1938, page 1 Uncle Hiram, 109, Dies At Thomasville Uncle Hiram Davis was sitting on the steps of a little plantation shack back in 1833. He was just thee years old but he loved the music of the guitars and loved to hear the darkies singing "Old Black Joe." He loved to follow his old black mammy to the fields and play in the rich, good earth. He enjoyed watching his good master ride by on a big, black horse and praise his "niggers." Happiness in the quarters pleased his master and his slaves were a people because he was good and kind. That evening he watched the stars fall on Alabama, but he wasn't afraid because his mammy said "De good Lawd" would look out for his people. Years passed and Abraham Lincoln said he was a free man. He was carried up North but after the was he came back to his master. He didn't like that "Yankee suit" he was wearing and asked for some decent clothes and a place back in the old shack close to his people. Humble, kind and wise, he counseled with his race to be obedient and law abiding. He taught them about God who was all-powerful and loving, and gave them faith during the trying period of reconstruction. Uncle Hiram died last Monday at the age of 109, and he had all the love and respect among both races a man of any station can have. Uncle Hiram was a good man.-Thomasville TImes ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

This is transcribed in the interest of Scott genealogy, and history. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama Decemebr 21, 1939, page 1 Aged Negro Preacher Dies at Walker Spgs. The Democrat lost one of its oldest and most loyal readers in the death of R. L. Scott, which occurred at Walker Springs on December 14. Scott, who was about 75 years of age, was a negro preacher and farmer and had resided at his present home for approximately 46 years. He was a member of the Pilgrim Rest Baptist church and was one of the leaders of his race in both a social and religious way. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

This is transcribed in the interest of Frowner genealogy, and history. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama October 7, 1937, page 1 W. H. Frowner Dies At Advanced Age Last week the Democrat lost one of its most loyal readers in the death of Willie H. Frowner, aged negro resident of Manila. "Uncle Willie" celebrated his 87th birthday on the 15th of last July, having been born at Winn on this date, 1850. He had spent all of his life in Clarke County and for more than fifty years had been a subscriber to The Democrat. After moving to Manila he amassed considerable property, at one time owning more than 600 acres of land. Later he gave certain of his children parcels of the land but at the time of his death he owned his own home, debt free, and a nice farm. He was the father of 11 boys and one girl. Most of these now reside in the North but some of them still live on the family homestead at Manila. He was a devout member of the Baptist church and was a leader among his people. Such negroes are a credit to their race and we join the many friends of the departed, both white and colored, in deploring his death. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

This is transcribed in the interest of Johnnie Coats genealogy, and history. It is transcribed as it was written. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama October 26, 1939, page 1 Young Negro Killed In Pick-Up Truck Wreck Johnnie Coats, a young negro man of Dickinson, Ala., was killed instantly early Thursday morning when a pick-up truck in which he was riding was side-swiped by a heavily loaded timber truck. Robert Bradford, young white man, had started to West Bend with a carload of laborers for the Scotch Lumber Company. He was traveling the Grove Hill-Fulton road and when about a mile and a half outside of this town, started to turn into the new Grove Hill-Thomasville road. As he did so the timber truck struck the rear end of his car, changing ends with it and flinging the Coats negro out into the road. Parties who investigated the accident said the truck wheels evidently passed over his body, as he died almost instantly and evidence pointed to his body having been crushed. Les Allen, another Dickinson negro, was flung completely across the road against at the opposite bank, sustaining a fractured hip and a broken rib. The timber truck was owned by W. L. Williams, of Thomasville, and was bound for Mobile with a load of green lumber. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

This is transcribed in the interest of participant's genealogy, genealogy timelines, and history. It indicates when the school went from a private church to county public school, which will help when looking for family school records ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama September 8, 1938, page 1 County Negroes to Dedicate New School The new school building for colored people, recently completed at Thomasville, will be dedicated Thursday, Sept. 22. The exercises will be held in the auditorium of the Baptist school. Dr. F. D. Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute, will be present and will deliver the main address. Other speakers on the program will include Judge Coma Garrett, Jr., Supt. of education Dayton Robinson, and Hon. Roy W. Kimbrough, representing V. C. Wilkinson, Mayor of Thomasville. There will be other speakers on the program. The new building was made possible by PWA funds and funds from the County School Commission. Other special features of the program will be the singing of negro spirituals, which is always so much enjoyed by the white people of the South. Supt. Robinson states that the private school which was operated in Thomasville for a number of years by the churches, has been discontinued and that hereafter there will be only one school in Thomasville for the colored people. Thomasville

This is transcribed in the interest of the 4-H Club members' genealogy, and history. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama July 27, 1939, page 2 NEGRO 4-H CLUB NEWS Four-H club work at Thomasville is increasing in interest. The age of the club is only three years but just old enough to join in with the other clubs in the county in raising funds for the 4-H Club camp. The officers and club leaders are appreciative to those persons who have contributed to the raising of funds. Other families have pledged their contribution in the effort which will be made Saturday, July 22. Eddie Lee Marshall is president of the Thomasville Club and C. R. Streeter, Eliza Davis and Mattie Jackson are club leaders. The following persons have given as follows: Eliza Davis, .50; Annie West, .50; Corene Stallworth, .50, Amy Carmichael, .50, Bessie Jones, .50; Thursday Hillery, .50; Susie Moten, .50; Quentilla Copeland, .50; Julius Lundon, .50, Leve Nobles, .50; Sherman McFadden, .50; Charlie Nobles, .50; Tommie Burden, .50; Hezekiah Foreman, .50; John Baggett, .25; J. B. Davis, .25; Hettie Love, .25; Rosa Butler, .25; Isaiah Singleton, .25; Bryant Boroughs, .25; Lillie Jackson, .25; Roosevelt England, .25; Rheto Kennedy, .15; Jack Davis, .10; Lillie Kimbrough, .10; Oliver Boroughs, $1.25; Ishman Fuller, .50; Emma Allen, .25.

This is transcribed in the interest of Megginson genealogy, and history. ---------------------------------------------------- Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama January 14, 1937, page 1 Aged Negro Mammy Passes to Reward Josephine Megginson, colored wife of the late Bob Megginson, died at her daughter's home near Grove Hill on Christmas night, aged about 99 years. According to records furnished her by white people in a position to know, she was born at Gainestown in 1838. Although born many years before emancipation, her master set her free at birth and she was never a slave. >From the time she was a very young girl, "Aunt Joe" had serve as a nurse for the white people of this community, being considered almost invaluable both as a nurse to the sick and as mid-wife. She was a devout Christian and a gentle soul, beloved by whites and blacks alike. She especially was beloved by children and there are many of the present generation who revere he memory. Both she and her husband were exceptionally long lived, her husband passing about ten years ago in his 91st year. Her body was laid to rest beside her husband in Orange Hill cemetery. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

My grandmother was Susan Brandenburg born July 8, 1870 Married Robert Hamilton Nov. 4 l894. I would like to have any information on the family I can get as I have no other family information except a Johnnie Lesley Brandenburg born March 21, l875. --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better

Hi, Genealogists! When you get a chance, please stop by my Alabama genealogy forum and post your queries for your Alabama ancestors. There are thousands of Alabama SURNAMES listed, so please look through to see if your "cousins" have been there and posted to you. If you want to post your own queries, you need to register first (it's free); but you can read through the other queries without registering: http://forums.about.com/ab-huntsville//messages?lgnF=y&msg=463.1 Please take a moment to browse through them and check the surnames--you might find a long lost cousin or two! You are invited to join us on Monday nights for Alabama state chats: http://huntsville.about.com/mpchat.htm 9 pm Eastern; 8 pm Central; 7 pm Mt.; 6 pm Pacific If you've never been to a chat and need instructions, just send me an email and I'll mail you step-by-step instructions. If you'd like to receive a personal reminder each week, let me know and I can add you to my private list. Good luck in your searches! Jean Brandau huntsville2@comcast.net

Dear Genealogy Friends: I am seeking information on the Welch family of Clarke county, Alabama and California. Annie Welch was the mother of a daughter and a son, Jerry Welch. Jerry Welch relocated to San Francisco, California. He married and had a daughter(s). The best I can surmise from various recollections, is that Jerry Welch lived from about the late 1800s/early 1900s and lived until about 1980. There is said to be a connection to the Williamson and Holt families of Clarke county. I do not know much more than this, at the moment. Thank you in advance for your assistance. C.Davis1@juno.com ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

I'm looking for ANY info on the people below in an effort to prove that my g-gm Louisa Caroline REID Morris is the Caroline READ mentioned in the census part of the info below. John WORL/James READ and neighbors in S9, T11N, R3E in Clarke Co., Ala. 1843-1854 from the BLM-GLO records Patentee names/state/date/doc.#: CAVE, HENRY W AL 03/10/1843 7681 CAVE, JAMES W AL 09/01/1845 7682 HOLT, LEWIS AL 03/10/1843 7681 MOORE, LUCY AL 09/01/1845 7682 * READ, JAMES AL 01/01/1852 9756 WILLIAMSON, TROPHIMUS P AL 11/15/1854 11222 *WORL, JOHN AL 01/01/1852 9758 [Here is John Worl in same section with a James READ--land patent on same date as James Read--almost sequential document numbers 9756 and 9758] [also a George REED had land not far away in Sec. 14 of T11 R3] -------------- Clark Co. Ala. Records 1814-1885 by Marilyn Davis Barefield Marriage records: July 3, 1828 John READ to Lucinda CAVES July 3, 1828 Anthony RABON to Lucy CAVES 5/29/1845 John WORL to Ellender J. HOLT 12/20/1852 A. A. CARLETON to Lucy A. HOLT ------------- ALEXANDER CARLETON JOHN WORL (co-owners) Land Document #: 11278, 11279, 11280 Issue Date: November 15, 1854 Land Office: ST. STEPHENS 22/ 11-N 3-E CLARKE --- -------------- from The South Alabamian 9/29/1860 The Southern Farm Steam Mill and 640 acres of land, including teams, smith tools, etc., if desired. The Mill is in good running order and will saw 8,000 feet of lumber per day. Located 4 miles from Greenville. Possession given at any time desired by purchasers. For particulars apply on the premises, or address us at Greenville, [Butler Co.] Ala. We will continue to fill orders for lumber on short notice, sawed in a superior manner. Delivered from our lumber yard on the Ala. and Fla. Railroad, shipped to any point on the road. CARLETON & WORL Sept. 22, 1860 ----------------------------- Clarke Co. AL Census Oct. 4, 1850 349/349 A. Rabon 30 Farmer Miss. 350/350 Lucind Read 42 SC George 16 Ala. Elizabeth 15 Caroline 12***[This seems to be my Caroline!] Jane 9 George Green 21 Farmer Tenn? Nancy 19 Ellen 2 351/351 James Read 25 Farmer Ala. Rebecca 23 John 1 ------------------ 1860 Butler Co. Ala. Census Greenville P. O. Precinct 12 23 Aug 1860 #1981 John WORLD 40 mechanick (sic) 5, 000 8,000 Pencilvany (sic) Love his spelling! Mary World 38 NC Sarah 9 Ala. Leon 7 N. 4 male B. 3 male ***Caroline Read 19 Ala.[This IS my Caroline] --------------------- If John WORL married Ellender J. HOLT in 1845 in Clarke Co. Ala., then who is the Mary he was married to in 1860? Did Ellender die? When? Trying to find John Worl in 1850! --------------------- Estate of John WORL from the Index to Probate Minutes for Butler Co., Alabama: 1863-1865 Book 7 WORL, John 604 Mary A. widow Heirs: L.P. L.O.?, A.B., L.A., ?, CARLETON and WORL Land, Clarke Co., Ala.; Butler Co. 50 acres, also a lot in Greenville. 1873-74 Book 16 WORL, John 127 Land 50 acres, So. end of E1/2 of SW1/4 of Sec. 23, T10, R14 Heirs Mrs. S.C. MOSELY, wife of _______ MOSELEY, Choctowcoma? Clarke Co., AL, L.P. Worl, N.O. Worl, now deceased, who was a minor, A.B. Worl, a minor 14 yrs old, and L.A. Worl, minor 11 yrs old --------------------- Family story says my great-grandmother Louisa Caroline "Carrie" READ/REID Morris was orphaned as a teenager and raised by a Mr. WORLD [also spelled WORL, WORRELL, WIRL, WORRILL, etc.]. John Worl's Butler Co. estate record proves he is the same John WORL who owned land with A. Carleton in Clarke Co. so likely the same John WORL who neighbored the READS, HOLTS, and CAVES in S.9, T.11N, R3E. I'd be extremely grateful for more info on any of these people. Thanks. Cheryll Morris Sumner

I would appreciate any info on Welch(I have some,but limited info) and Shine who lived in Clarke Co. 1800-present. Will be happy to share what I have. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Sign up for SBC Yahoo! Dial - First Month Free http://sbc.yahoo.com

Hi, AL Researchers! You can now find all the transcripts for the Monday night Alabama Genealogy Chats online: http://huntsville.about.com/library/blalchat.htm Please take a moment to browse through them and check the surnames--you might find a long lost cousin or two! You are invited to join us on Monday nights for the chats: http://huntsville.about.com/mpchat.htm 9 pm Eastern; 8 pm Central; 7 pm Mt.; 6 pm Pacific If you've never been to a chat and need instructions, just send me an email and I'll mail you step-by-step instructions. If you'd like to receive a personal reminder each week, let me know and I can add you to my private list. Good luck in your searches! Jean Brandau huntsville2@comcast.net

I am seeking the location of several facilities in or around the county. Where are they on the census? Where were they physically located? Which Alabama State prison served the area? Thank you in advance. > CLARKE CO. POORHOUSE > CLARKE CO. JAIL ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

You are invited to a seminar presented by AlaBenton Genealogical Society featuring Professor Robert Scott Davis AKA Bob Davis Theme: "Using the Computer to Research" Saturday, June 8, 2002 from 9:00 until 1:45 PM Anniston-Calhoun Co. Public Library (Ayers Auditorium, 2nd floor) 108 East Tenth Street Anniston, AL $12 (a great lunch included) if you register by June 1st; $15 afterwards ; limit: 70 Go here for Registration form and schedule: http://www.members.aol.com/Yself35/Seminar.html You may conduct genealogical research in the Alabama Room afterwards until 4:00 PM. Need more info? Contact me at Yself35@aol.com Please type Seminar in subject line. Yvonne

Ancestry Quick Tip 4/30/2002 Archive- Jamboree : Organizing and Naming Digital Photos http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/tip/5676.asp -------- I have recently begun to add all my documents into CLOOZ. Not wanting to have to re-do the numbering sequence, I tried to find a system that would be flexible. My final version is: Type Code + 4digit Year+4digit sequential number. (example: birth19870003). This same idea could also be used for photos.(Surname+4digit Year+4digit sequential number) If the year is unknown, I have been entering 'unkn' in its place. When the year is determined, the document or photo can be re-coded to the next number in the given year. Most families won't have more then 9,999 photos in a given year. I keep an Excel spreadsheet to track the sequential numbers. By using the workbook feature, I have created a spreadsheet for every ten years. Each year is broken down into the type code, year (auto filled), sequential number (calculated by formula) and Person/persons involved. I need only to enter in the type code and person(s) name. This makes it easier to locate the year and printout manageable copies. Jill D Green Bay, WI -------- I use "Clooz" to organize my photos. Although a simple database would do the trick, I number my photographs, rather than name them. Then, I enter the data into the Clooz database. It sounds like double work, but it's worth it in the long run. For instance: I have a photo of my grandmother riding a bicycle. The photo is named: P00312.jpg. In the Clooz database, under my grandmother's entry, I add photo P00312.jpg and put "bicycle" somewhere in the description. I have another photo of my grandmother with all her brothers and sisters. This one is called P00313.jpg. In the Clooz database, I make an entry under EACH of her brothers' and sisters' entries (as well as her entry) for this photo. The beauty of Clooz is that now I can do a search on my grandmother, and I'll find not only the picture of her with the bicycle, but I'll find the group shot of her and all her siblings. I keep a hard copy of all the photos in an album in numerical order. (I use a program, which came with my HP Photosmart Printer that allows me to print several photos to an 8 1/2 x 11 page - and will also add captions. For the captions, I put the picture ID, e.g., P00312.jpg.) If I ever need to find a hard-copy photo quickly to show someone, I can simply run a query in Clooz, then turn to the appropriate page in the album. Kelly Harmon -------- The naming scheme for my scanned photos is a combination: * consecutive number * followed by surname * followed by first name * followed by year the photo was taken * followed by whether it was a snapshot or portrait. This gives me the flexibility to quickly search my files by subject name or year as well as make modifications in the scan and save it by its scan number. Having the year the photo was taken in the file name makes it easier to locate images. I keep track of the image number and description in a notebook (a spread sheet would work just as well). I started my numbering system at 001. A typical image name would appear as: 001SmithJoeMary.b66s.tif or 001SmithJM.b66s.tif a = years 1800's; b = 1900's; c = 2000's s = snapshot; p = formal portrait If I make any modifications to the original scan, I just add an "x" to the file name before the file extension as: 001SmithJM.b66s.X.tif Or I could just save it by the scan number. After collecting nine to twelve images, I use PowerPoint to insert the images on a single page, leaving enough space to write the image number and any other necessary comments. The page goes into my scanning record notebook. E. Lippman -------- I am the manager of a Computer Aided Drafting department, so I spend a lot of time archiving and backing up data. If, as stated in the initial question about filing digital photos, your back-up system is truncating the file names, you are probably using an older (DOS, not Windows Based) back-up system. Personally, I archive data to CDs, with no changes to the file name. To the question at hand, though: Using an Excel spreadsheet, you can create a hyperlink between the text in the spreadsheet and the photo file. This way, you can create as descriptive a name as you wish. Click on the text in the spreadsheet and your file opens. I used this same technique for images of standard details. You can also keep notes associated with the photo in the spreadsheet, and create links to other document files. Mitch Mermel Orlando, Fl -------- Since my genealogy program has a unique number for every individual (the Record Identification number or RIN), I use a derivative of that number for my digital photo. The program also has a unique number for each family (the Marriage Record Identification number or MRIN). If I have a photo of a person, I look up the RIN or that person; for me, my RIN is 1, and so the photo of me would be labeled R00001.jpg If I have a photo of a married couple, I use the designation like: M0001.jpg If I have a photo of a family with many people, I use the designation like F0001.jpg where the number is the MRIN of the parents. I put the leading zeros in so that a listing of files would be in standard numerical order. For multiple pictures of the same person, I add a letter such as R00001A.jpg This system does not work for photos of people who are not in your genealogy program. I have created a directory on the hard drive labeled "My Genealogy Photos" which contains the photos mentioned above. For others, one can create other directories and use a different naming scheme. Merlin Kitchen -------- My method of filing old family photos may sound complicated, but is quite simple. On my hard drive I have a folder called "Genealogy." In this folder is my genealogy software and all of my genealogy files. Within it is a folder called "Photos" and in this folder are folders for each of the main families I am researching -- Smith, Jones, etc. I have one family name that is found on my side as well as my husband's side, but to the best of my knowledge they have not intersected yet. I call those folders "KWilliams" and "GWilliams" -- my initial and my husband's initial. Within each family folder I save my pictures by first name and year taken for individuals -- "Ruby1921" and "Ruby1931" -- trying to limit the name to eight letters. For groups I list the year first with a description or the name of the primary person. For a photo of my great-grandfather and his brothers taken in 1886, I list in the Underwood folder "1886Bros." For a picture of my grandmother and seven cousins taken in 1921, I list "1921Ruby" -- easily differentiated from the single picture of her taken at the same family picnic. Hope this helps someone else! Kay -------- Several freeware or shareware programs allow you to create thumbnail views and otherwise organize digital images, even view them as slide shows. These include Irfan and PolyView. Look for them or others at the usual suspects: CNet.com, ZD.com, Tucows.com, and other sites. Thanks, Richard A. Danca Newton, Mass. -------- We have many antique photos and other early 20th century photos of extended families and felt that we would like to share them with our other families. So as I was scanning the old photos and importing the current digital photos, I had to come up with a system of keeping track of what we had. In our families of Morgan, Crawford, Cox, and Carson, there were usually eight or nine children and each of those children named their children for some parent or grandparent in the family, so there are numerous duplicate names. How could we ever keep them straight? Our son, who is also a photographer, suggested that I handle them the same way I would the family tree. That sounded logical, so I made a folder for each family surname and sub-folders for each child of that family, etc. on my hard drive. I imported each family's photos into their folder. Under each family, I also have a Family Groups folder to hold their group pictures. One might also have a Reunion folder or special birthday or anniversary folder under the Surname. The photo program I use sorts by number first, then alphabetically. So, in naming my pictures, I use the year the photo was taken first; then the last name, first name, middle initial then a number (01) indicating the number of photos of that person or group for that particular year. For example: 1905 Morgan, Charles O_01.jpg or 1905 C H Morgan Siblings_01.jpg. For the original picture I would use the number (01) and an edited or enhanced version would be the number +e (01e). This method helps me to keep the photos in chronological order for that person, or that family group. I then print the photo index sheet and place it the surname notebook. I like the idea of also using Excel to keep more information about each photo, as to where it was taken, comments on the back of the photo, etc. and filing it in the notebook with the photo index sheet. Joyce Cox Village Mills, TX -------- One of your readers wanted to know how the rest of us file our photos on disk. This works for me. I start with a folder under "My Pictures." The first folder is the surname, ex: Quinton. Under Quinton, I make a folder for the parents, John and Cora. I put all photos of John and Cora in their folder. I make another folder for each of John and Cora's children, putting the photos in the corresponding folder. Inside each of John and Cora's children's folders, I put THEIR children's folders, putting each child's photos in the corresponding folder. You can put a folder inside a folder inside a folder for each succeeding generation. This keeps all the Johns and Toms separated in different folders, and lets me know what parents they belong to. For family groups, I make a file labeled Quinton Family Groups. Evelyn Rard Copyright 2000, MyFamily.com. This article may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes provided that proper attribution (including author name) and copyright notices are included. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

Along Those Lines" - George G. Morgan – 5/17/2002 http://www.ancestry.com/library/print/columns/george/5760.htm -------- Writing History from Photographs I've been spending time recently looking through our family photographs. These range from the more recent ones to the oldest ones I have, which date from the early 1870s. I consider myself fortunate to have this rich visual legacy of my family and, although there are chronological gaps and missing images of some family members, these provide a vivid representation of the family's appearance over time. Over the years, I have written a number of detailed biographical sketches of certain ancestors. My great-grandfathers were so honored when I wrote mini-histories of them for the Floyd County, Georgia, book a couple of years ago. Recently, however, I have begun considering a broader work about each of these two branches of the family and have been reviewing the family pictures looking for inspiration. It is possible to write a compelling biography or family history using photographs. I've done this before and want to share a few thoughts about the technique in "Along Those Lines . . ." this week. A Good Place To Start We've been told by genealogists many, many times to start with ourselves and work backwards. I think our approach to reviewing photographs and biographical material tends to be in chronological sequence. After all, that's how we live our lives. What I have done with the photographs I have of the people about whom I plan to write is compile them in chronological sequence. I place them in archival safe photographic accordion file folders by family. The most important job is to properly identify the subjects in the photos and the locations. This is emphatically not the easiest part of the process. If you're lucky, someone in the family has already done much of this work and labeled the photos. If not, you will need to make this a high priority. You may want to consider making complete sets of photocopies and sending them off to relatives and old family friends to help with the identification process. On the photocopies, you can always make notations of those who have been identified and/or circle people with whom you need help. The study of the type of photograph, the card stock on which it is mounted, the card stock's color, embossing, and edge treatment all help you home in on a time period. Clothing can be a tremendous help in identifying people in the photographs. It takes a little study but you can learn about clothing fashion for men, women, and children and use this knowledge to isolate the subjects to a specific time frame. For instance, on one style of women's dress I found in a photograph, I noted the balloon shoulders and could therefore say that the photograph was taken after a specific date. In another, the striped stockings and dress worn by a baby boy helped isolate the time period for that photograph. Another approach to the identification process is to review the photos you have and to A) use family resemblance to help group people together, and/or B) use a process of elimination to hone in on who a person is NOT and then speculate on who the person IS. Sometimes for me it has been a combination of the two. In one group of photos taken by my grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles in the early 1900s, I employed an interesting and rewarding process. The subjects included my grandmother and grandfather before they were married in 1908. Four of my grandmother's five sisters were included, as well as another man. I needed to isolate who was who. With the four sisters, it took some careful examination of the photos with a magnifying glass to verify the identities of three of them. Their identities were confirmed by using other, later picture. The fourth woman was a problem. It was not until I sent copies to a cousin who had different photos taken at the same time that I was able to make the necessary connection. My cousin copied her photos for me. Then, using the plaid, full-length skirt to verify it was the same person, along with my magnifying glass, I was able to connect the sister to an identified professionally-taken photograph made a few years later. Success! Next, I work my way through the collection, not once but twice. First I work through the file in chronological sequence, and then I work backward. I make sure that I have the photos in the right order. This means trying to group them into what might have been the right order both by year and then by season of the year. Next I try to determine just where the photograph was taken. Photographers' imprints on card mountings can be helpful. If you find multiple picture taken some time apart by the same photography studio that could indicate the subject lived close by. If you find a single photograph like this, it could be a secondary source of verification of residence. Look, too, at casual photographs for clues to location: landmarks, street signs, business names, events—all of these can contribute to identification of place, and sometimes the date. Writing The Story The old adage, "One picture is worth a thousand words," really is true. For a writer, a photographic image of an ancestor in a certain locale at a specific point in time can translate into a rich narrative. For example, I wrote: "On 28 May 1900, Green Berry Holder filed an application with the United Daughters of the Confederacy to be considered for the award of a Confederate Cross of Honor. At that time, he was living in Lindale, Georgia. It was not until 1912 that the honor was bestowed. "On the appointed day, Green Berry arrived at the Civic Auditorium in downtown Rome, Georgia, with his wide, Penelope, for the awards ceremony. At sixty-seven, he still cut quite a figure. He was five feet ten inches tall and slender, sporting a full grey moustache and beard down to the middle of his chest—so full and brushed so that his mouth was not visible. He was dressed in a frockcoat and vest, a black round-top hat with a silk band, his cravat completely hidden by his beard. His gold watch chain stretched across his torso and the timepiece rested in a vest pocket." A further description of the ceremony, the speakers and the presenter from a newspaper account of the event, as well as a description of the venue as shown in a photograph in the newspaper would contribute to the text concerning Green Berry. Additional descriptive material about Mrs. Holder also would be appropriate to incorporate her into the event. And while no mention was made of other family members' attendance, you can be sure that some or all of the local family were there. Perhaps additional material about other Confederate veterans on whom the UDC bestowed the Confederate Cross of Honor would be appropriate, especially if the rest of the biography described interaction with some of these old friends and colleagues. The use of 'props' such as buildings, automobiles, pets, furniture, tools, and other things you see in the pictures, can add atmosphere. They bring the stories to life and help humanize the subject. Incorporating Other Facts The research you have compiled over the years should provide you with a rich set of details. For instance, I could include the information from the marriage certificate, including the names of the clergy and witnesses. Information on where the person lived and with whom can be derived from census records, along with the occupation and the value of the property. I could even provide a description of the death, funeral, and interment from the obituary. A visit to the cemetery and photographs of gravestones, dates, and epitaphs add to the story. Pulitzer Prize? My motivation is not to win a literary award for my work, although I do want to produce a quality piece of work. My goal, and probably yours too, is to document the collected facts into some semblance of factual (not fictional) biography to preserve the story of the ancestors. I'll never win a Pulitzer Prize. My reward will be compiling quality family historical information. Not only will the photographs contribute to the text, they can complement it when I publish the history. Research, methodology, planning, and dedication to documenting the facts (complete with citation of your sources): these are the components of writing a quality history. But organize and date those old photographs, identify the people and the places that are portrayed, and let the photographs speak to you. You'll find that the stories may write themselves because your ancestors will come back to life in front of your eyes. Happy Writing! George -------- George G. Morgan would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com but, due to the volume of e-mail received, he is unable to answer every e-mail message received. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's Web site at http://ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements. Copyright 2002, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes provided that proper attribution (including author name) and copyright notices are included. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

- The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries The Newberry Library of Chicago has released several new books and now is creating a matching Web site for "The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries." The printed and online atlas covers all changes in the boundaries of every county of the United States from their initial creation up to today. The changes listed include every name change, every boundary change, and the attachment of previously unorganized territories to operational counties. This atlas even lists unsuccessful proposed counties. The web site is a work in progress, but you can see the current status at: http://www.newberry.org/ahcbp. ============= The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2002 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.