Wendy, My name is Kenneth Pridgen, My great grandmother was a Winstead. Her name was Stella Mae Winstead. I have looked through our geneaology records that my family have accumalated in the last year or so and can not find your particular William Winstead. But i can tell you that in that time frame there were plenty of Winsteads in the Nash\Wilson county area. We got some information about the Winsteads from a distant cousin here in Wilson, it tells us about the Winsteads from the early 1700's, and tonight my cousin and I, using stuff she found at Ancestry.com, we have pushed our Winstead info back to the mid 1500's. As you probably know, most of the Winsteads would originate from an original person. According to the info we have, the first Winstead shows up in VA. His name is Samuel Winstead, it turns he is Sr.. He has a son named Samuel who most of the records seem to report in early deeds and wills. According to the information we have, he had at least three wives and thirteen kids. I have the list of his kids. I am sure of these kids, your line most likely sprouts. He had a son named David Winstead, who had a son named Neverson Columbus, who was the father of my g-grandmother. If you would like i could send you the names of those thirteen kids, but i do not know which one you come from. From that David Winstead line i mentioned, there were two males with the name William in there names, but the research did not follow those lines, and it may not be the line you are searching. There is a man named Steve Harrell, who gave our family the info on the Winsteads, but he is a distant cousin of our line, but he may know someone that has researched other parts of the Winstead clan. He works at PL Woodard farm supply in Wilson. I have never looked for his home phone, because we just contact him up at the store. If you would like, i would be glad to send you the names, just let me know. I also have some info on the Wells also, because that is who NC Winstead married. I also have some info on the Pridgens, the Winsteads and Pridgens loved to marry into each others families. If i can be of any help, let me know. Kenneth Pridgen -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Friday, November 27, 1998 3:21 PM Subject: [NCWILSON-L] Winstead Hello I have a Caroline Amerson and husband William Winstead Caroline was born in 1848-William in 1849 they were married about 1868 probably in Wilson Co. NC Caroline was the daughter of Thomas J and Martha Bailey Amason I dont have any info on William Winstead. Who were his parnets? Did they have any Children? Does anyone know them?{Thanks Wendy

> From: [email protected] > Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 07:06:41 +0000 > Priority: normal > Subject: [NCWILSON-L] (Fwd) [NCNASH-L] Moore > To: [email protected] > Reply-to: [email protected] > ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- > From: [email protected] > Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 09:54:48 +0000 > Priority: normal > Subject: [NCNASH-L] Moore > To: [email protected] > Reply-to: [email protected] > > Hello all > I am the gggranddaughter of John W Moore I am looking for > info on the family in 1868 John married Mary Susan Etheridge they > lived in Wilson Co. But in 3-21-1888 in Coppers TWP {Nash Co.} > John made his will he was 60 years old at the time. he died on > 11-30-1901 He and Mary are buried in Wilson Co. NC on the old > Winstead farm. These are the children named in John's will James J, > Richard C, John C, Henry E, Mary J, Nancy L, Eli W, Winniford S, > Catherine M, Thomas J, Andrew J, Elbert T, Lucy V Moore. > Does anyone know anything about this family? Any help will be great > {Wendy > > > ==== NCNASH Mailing List ==== > Visit the Nash County GenWeb Page at: > http://www.ornery.com/nauvoo/family/chamblee/ncnash/ > > >

MISSING LINKS: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists Vol. 3, No. 48, 27 November 1998; Circulation: 15,300+ Copyright (c) 1996-98 Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley Editor-at-Fault: Julia M. Case Co-Editor-to-Blame: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG * * * * * WELDING LINKS: PILGRIMS AND THE FIRST THANKSGIVING by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG <[email protected]> <http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~gormleym/index.htm> While you are recovering from your Thanksgiving celebration, here is a little quiz about the Pilgrims and the famous feast of 1621. If you need some help, visit these Web sites: The First Thanksgiving <http://www.bri-dge.com/focus/focus3.html> The Pilgrims' 1621 Thanksgiving <http://members.aol.com/calebj/thanksgiving.html> A Brief History of the Mayflower <http://members.aol.com/calebj/ship.html> Common Mayflower Myths <http://members.aol.com/calebj/FAQ_history.html> False and Faked Mayflower Genealogy <http://members.aol.com/calebj/hoaxes.html> List of all Mayflower Passengers with Descendants Living Today <http://members.aol.com/calebj/descendants.html> 1. How long did the feast of 1621 last? A. one week B. three days C. five days 2. How many Pilgrims were sent "fowling" to get meat for the feast? A. 12 B. 6 C. 4 3. How many Native Americans showed up for the "first Thanksgiving"? A. 90 B. 80 C. 24 4, The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving probably took place between ___________________________? A. September 29 and October 29 B. October 15 and November 30 C. September 21 and November 9 5. Which of the following food was NOT mentioned by the Pilgrims as having been served at the feast? A. deer (venison) B. turkey C. cranberry sauce 6. When did the "Mayflower" that brought the Pilgrims set sail to return to England? A. January 5, 1621 B. March 5, 1621 C. April 5, 1621 7. Who was the captain of the "Mayflower" that brought the Pilgrims to New England in 1620? A. Richard Child B. Christopher Jones C. Christopher Nichols 8. Which well-known "Mayflower" passenger lost both of his/her parents in the first winter in New England? A. Priscilla Mullins B. Isaac Allerton C. Edward Doty 9. What colors other than black, white, gray, and brown did the Pilgrims wear? A. violet B. red C. green 10. Who was the oldest "Mayflower" passenger still alive who partook of the first Thanksgiving, and how old was he? A. Edward Doty, 62 B. Richard Warren, 58 C. William Brewster, 54 The answers appear at the end of this issue. * * * * * WEB LINKS: JEWISHGEN: Home of Jewish Genealogy <http://www.jewishgen.org> LOUISIANA. USGenWeb Project, Louisiana Archives Index of Caloasieu Parish, Sallier Cemetery: A VIRTUAL CEMETERY. Sallier Cemetery is one of the four oldest cemeteries in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Margaret Moore <[email protected]> has taken more than 300 photographs of the headstones in Sallier Cemetery with her digital camera and then transferred them to computer. <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/la/calcasieu/sallier/ sallier.htm> McGHEEs of Virginia. GED2HTML format includes more than 11,800 names, mostly descendants of Nelson McGHEE, born ca 1794, died 1850 Franklin Co., VA, m. Martha COOPER 1814, m.2nd Susannah RICHARDS 1831. <http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/1356/> MEINERT, ALTHAUS, DORY, HELLENBOLT, GRIFFITHS, TILLEY, McLEOD, OSMUNDSON, MOHR, FRANCIS, UTTECH. <http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~osmun/> NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS. <http://www.ncsc.dni.us>. An electronic courthouse. The Technology Information Service provides summaries and links to courthouses currently doing some of their business online. Some offer online deed searches. Links include some court Web sites in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. There are links also to some FEDERAL COURTS and to INTERNATIONAL COURT Web sites in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Also provided are links to SEARCH ENGINES (Alta Vista, Excite, HotBot, InfoSeek, LookSmart, Lycos, Northern Light, Open Text Index, Planet Search, SearchCom, Web Crawler, and Yahoo); META- SEARCH ENGINES (Ask Jeeves, Cyber411, Dogpile, Highway 61, Mamma, Meta Crawler, Profusion, and SavvySearch), which submit your query to multiple search engines, then collect all the responses and collate them into a single list. There are links to PEOPLE FINDERS (Bigfoot, Four11, InfoSpace, Switchboard, WhoWhere, and World Pages) and to NEWSGROUP ARCHIVES at Alta Vista, Deja News, HotBot, and Reference.com. PLYMOUTH COLONY ARCHIVE PROJECT. A collection of searchable texts concerning probate inventories for selected individuals who were members of the colony. <http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jfd3a/Plymouth/probates.html"> * * * * * PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from MISSING LINKS is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED (1) The reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes. (2) This notice must appear at the end of the article: Previously published by Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, Missing Links: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists, Vol. 3, No. 48, 27 November 1998. You may visit the MISSING LINKS Web page at <http://www.rootsweb.com/~mlnews/index.htm>. ANSWERS TO THANKSGIVING QUIZ: 1. B (three days). 2. C (four) 3. A (90) 4. C (September 21 and November 9) 5. C (cranberry sauce) 6. C (April 5, 1621) 7. B (Christopher Jones) 8. A (Priscilla Mullins) 9. A, B, and C (violet, red, and green) 10. C (William Brewster, 54) ____ Julia M. Case <[email protected]> Coeditor of ROOTSWEB REVIEW <http://www.rootsweb.com/~review/> Editor-at-Fault of MISSING LINKS <http://www.rootsweb.com/~mlnews/> To subscribe, send SUBSCRIBE message to [email protected] [email protected] ROOTSWEB GENEALOGICAL DATA COOPERATIVE P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 <http://www.rootsweb.com> Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

Another page to alert you to the hoaxes of viruses on the internet. This is not to say there aren't real ones, but please check this and other hoax sites before perpetuating the myth. http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

Another page to alert you to the hoaxes of viruses on the internet. This is not to say there aren't real ones, but please check this and other hoax sites before perpetuating the myth. http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

Capt. John Woodlief/[Woodliffe] was with the Jamestown settlers in 1609 - the Second Charter of the Virginia Company of London. He later returned to England to bring other colonists, as well as his wife and and family, to Virginia. Again he returned to England, and in 1619, Woodliffe, as captain and governor, sailed from Bristol on the good ship Margaret, bringing 36-38 settlers [historical accounts differ] to Berkeley Hundred along Virginia's James River. The Virginia Thanksgiving was essentially a prayer service. The very first in the list of written instructions to Woodliffe as captain stated: "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for the plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetualy keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god." In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation recognizing Virginia's claim to the first Thanksgiving in America. http://home.earthlink.net/~sandyhb/woodlief/thanks.html Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

Seeking help with my Goff/Gough line in Wilson, Edgecombe, Pitt and Greene Cos...happy to exhange research on this and other connecting families, including Forbes and Gay. Connie Fisher also researching Killebrew, Baker, Owens, Barnes, Ellis, Edwards, Lewis and Maund in the same area

Hello I am looking for info on my 3rd ggrandparnets Joab Moore-Martha Price married in 11-16-1827 my 2ggrandfather was their son John Wilson Moore They were from Edgecombe Co. NC {Thanks Wendy

ORIGIN OF SURNAMES OR FAMILY NAMES Family or surnames did not exist before the 10th or 11th centuries, being started by the patriarchs of Venice. The practice then spread over Europe, and by the 14th century were common in England. However, in certain areas of England, and some of the Norweign countries, the use of surnames came later. Surnames became necessary to distinguish persons with the same given name from each other. For example, two persons named John. Mabel McFartridge McCloskey, author of the book "Some Decendents of John Endecott, Gov. of the Mass. Bay Colony", noted that the name Endecott meant "an end cottage", which distinguished John who lived in the end cottage from another John who lived elsewhere. Eldon C. Smith, author of "New Dictionary of American Family Names" also makes this same observation. By-names Prior to the requirement of a family or surname, the lower classes had only given or first names, such as William, Robert, etc. They lived and worked on the lands of the nobles and great landowners. When the vassal appeared before the clerk who kept the records of the manor to pay fines and assesments, it would do no good for the lord's clerk to ask the peasant what additional name he possessed. He didn't have any other name and hadn't thought about the manor record matters. Therefore when the clerk entered the vassals name in the records, he added on his own a brief description, to distungish between two or more persons having the same first name. This became a by-name, but the particular individual was not know among his neighbors by this name. The early forms of most descriptive by-names were with prepositions, such as "atte Hill(at the hill)"; "de Bedeford(from Bedford)"; etc. English surnames have, generally, dropped the prepositions, except for a few like Atterbury, Underwood, and Bywater. Many French and Italian surnames have retained the prepositions, such as, Dupont, and Lo Bello. Sources of Family or Surnames (1) From the man's place of residence, either present or past (2) From the man's occupation (3) From the father's name (4) From the man's most prominet characheristic. Physical or otherwise. I will now give some examples of each category. (1) Place of residence a.When a son of a noble or great landowner inherited his father's land, it was only natural for him to inherit the name of the land. b. Close - dweller in an enclosure or fenced yard; Cox - dweller at the sigm of the cock, a common signboard; French - one who came from France, a Frenchman. c. Endicott - dweller at the end cottage. (2) Man's occupation Every town or village had one who ground grain, a miller(Miller); There was also one who made and sold shoes(Shoemaker). (3) From father's name Anderson - the son of Andrew; Johnson - the son of John. (4) Physical characteristics Reed, Read, Reade - the ruddy or red-haired man; Crookshank - the bowlegged man or one with a crooked leg. Corruption of Names As surnames have undergone various corruptions and changes in the countries where they arose, it is not surprising the change was greatly accelerated when brought to America. For the unlettered pioneer, names took on a roughly phonetic spelling. There was and still is a propensity to alter the name into a familiar word with a similar sound. For example, the Dutch Roggenfelder became the American Rockefeller; the German Dietz became Deeds in America. The number of alterations of this kind is endless. A personal experience. I met a man naned Hammer. His father was from Germany, but when he entered America, and gave his name to the customs official, the official said that that name would never work here, and said "Your name is Hammer". The bulk of the material above is from the Introducton to "New Dictoonary of American Family Nanes" by Elsdon C. Smith. Jerry Margrave, Sun City, Az. [email protected] Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

Hello, I received more responces about where to find the death index than where it is. So, here it is for those who did as well as those who did not ask. www.ancestry.com Thanks to all who responded. Bob Sanders

------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: [email protected] Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 09:54:48 +0000 Priority: normal Subject: [NCNASH-L] Moore To: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] Hello all I am the gggranddaughter of John W Moore I am looking for info on the family in 1868 John married Mary Susan Etheridge they lived in Wilson Co. But in 3-21-1888 in Coppers TWP {Nash Co.} John made his will he was 60 years old at the time. he died on 11-30-1901 He and Mary are buried in Wilson Co. NC on the old Winstead farm. These are the children named in John's will James J, Richard C, John C, Henry E, Mary J, Nancy L, Eli W, Winniford S, Catherine M, Thomas J, Andrew J, Elbert T, Lucy V Moore. Does anyone know anything about this family? Any help will be great {Wendy ==== NCNASH Mailing List ==== Visit the Nash County GenWeb Page at: http://www.ornery.com/nauvoo/family/chamblee/ncnash/

These are maps of 1895 of every State and every county in the States. URL: http://www.livgenmi.com/1895.htm Also: http://www.mit.edu:8001/geo Talk later. Peggy

Hello I am posting this ,I hope it helps someone Elijah Moore b. 1740 d. 1833 Edgecombe Co. NC wife Mary Molly Sessums b. 1750 children Theophilus Moore, Samuel Moore, Exum Moore, Martha Ann Moore, Etheldred Moore, Elijah Moore, Zada Ann Moore Theophilus Moore b. 2-1781 d. 12-1858 Edgecombe Co. wife Milly Robbins b. 8-1776 d. 9-1861 children Elizabeth, David, Stephen, Mary, Joab, Abraham, Isaac, Susannah, Milly, Theophilus Joab Moore b. 12-5-1800 d. 1-1886 wife Martha Price children John W, William W, Jonas G, Eli W, Elbert T, Sarah A.E, Greenberry, Katherine M, Caswell, Emma E, Jesse A, William R, Henry H, Mary D. If you are related to this line maybe we can help each other{Wendy

Sometime back in the WCGS newsletter it made mention of the Tart family and how most of them packed up and moved to Alabama? (I don't have it in front of me) My gg-grandfather was James Tart Jackson. He went by Tart. I hypothesize that his father was James Jackson and married to Martha Tart. I also hypothesize that martha was somehow related to Stephen and Thomas Tart. And that James was the son of Lewis Jackson. Does the ring any bells for anyone? Does anyone know where they went? Thanks, Tiff -----Original Message----- From: psmartoc <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Monday, November 16, 1998 6:29 PM Subject: [NCWILSON-L] WWI >Oops the other one was sent to you all by mistake > >EXPERT GENEALOGY >Jeannette Holland Austin, Editor > >Series: Wars >Subject: World War I Draft Registration Cards >Date: November 16, 1998 > >World War I began in 1914, and ended November 11, 1918. The US >did not enter the war until 1917. The range for this draft was >for men between 17 to 45 years of age. > >The National Archives has a collection of several million World >War I Draft Registration Cards for the United States. The cards >are arranged by States, then draft boards, and lists name, date >of birth, address, place of birth, next of kin. > >Another source to consider is the Summary Cards. The Georgia State >Archives, for example, has an alphabetical list on microfilm, and they >contain enlistment dates, draft and service information, etc. > >After the war, the veterans went to their local courthouses and >registered their discharge. Another place to look. > >Here are some interesting internet sites: > >Calendar of Major Events with notes from personal papers >http://www.earth.nwu.edu/people/tom/wwi.chron.html > >Versailles Treaty online >http://ac.acusd.edu/History/text/versaillestreaty/vercontents.html > >Trenches on the Web >http://www.worldwar1.com/ > >Aces and Aircraft >http://www.theaerodrome.com/ > >Great War in the Air >http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL206/gal206.html > >Life of a Red Cross Nurse in France >http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4144/mom/momentry.html >========================= >HELP IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES >======================== >5175. THE CENTER.A Guide to Genealogical Research in the National >Capital Area. By Christina K. Schaefer. 8 1/2" x 11". 160 pp., >indexed, paper. (1996), repr. Balto., 1997. $19.95. It is not >generally recognized, but Washington, D.C. is home to the largest body >of accessible research materials in the world, larger even than the >vast body of materials at the Family History Library in Salt Lake >City. It is the central repository of the nation's primary source >records and the very center of genealogical activity. The aim of this >book is to identify those resources in the Washington, D.C. area that >will aid family historians in tracing their ancestors (the National >Archives, Library of Congress, the DAR Library, the National >Genealogical Society, and many more). While it is based on the >original idea of the popular guidebook, Lest We Forget (originally >published in 1965), The Center is actually an all-new work which >completely revises and updates its predecessor. Under each facility >listed there is a survey of key record holdings, with a description of >the records, a summary of their contents, an explanation of their >organization, and directions for their use. There is also a list of >published indexes and finding aids, key addresses for mail requests, >publications, phone numbers and hours of business, and an itemization >of those materials available through the Family History Library >system. > >Postage - $3.50 1st book, $1.50 for each book thereafter > >ORDER FROM - > >Jeannette H. Austin >GENEALOGY BOOKS >175 Thornton Drive >Fayetteville, GA 30214 >1-800-899-9524 >Local 770-719-1754 >Fax 770-719-8699 > >Order online - http://www.genealogy-books.com/gpcorder.htm >ACCEPT VISA, MASTERCARD > >===================================== >EXPERT GENEALOGY is sponsored by >GENEALOGY BOOKS and may be freely >re-distributed or published. >===================================== >Do you find this list useful? If so, >contact your local genealogical or >historical society so that their >members may benefit from this FREE >online newsletter. >===================================== >To subscribe to EXPERT GENEALOGY - >Email: [email protected], or, >go to the homepage (http://www. >genealogy-books.com/) and click on >"subscribe". >===================================== > === ON THE HOMEPAGE === >http://www.genealogy-books.com/ > >1. Online Bible Records >2. Genealogy Events Calendar (interactive, >you may post events such as reunions, >workshops, etc.) >3. More than 1200 genealogy books, cds >and disks for sale. Will upload or mail. >======================================= > == NOW ONLINE === > >Can't find a book? Would you like a central listing on the >internet? Just go to one place, one time.....no surfing? >This is it! Books are listed alphabetically. > >The Central Books Locator for Genealogists. >Website== >http://www.genealogy-books.com/locator.htm >This is it! Books are listed alphabetically. Site will be >kept current daily. >=================================== > > > > > > > > > > > > >Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 >PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 >PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl >List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson) >

------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 12:25:31 -0500 To: [email protected] From: Sandy Nigh <[email protected]> Subject: Revised Homecoming Announcement AMERSON and AMASON Heritage Quest A group of family historians from all over the U.S.A., who have traced their AMASON/AMERSON family roots to the Edgecombe and Wilson County areas of North Carolina, are planning an AMASON/AMERSON Homecoming! The AMASON/AMERSON Family Homecoming and Heritage Quest will involve a research and information exchange, work session, and area orientation. The event will also provide a chance for local descendants of AMASON/AMERSON families from the Wilson County area to become acquainted with descendants of those AMASON's and AMERSON's who moved away. The goal of this work session and information exchange is to identify present day descendants of all AMASON and AMERSON families throughout the country, in preparation for a possible nationwide AMASON/AMERSON reunion in the near future. The AMASON/AMERSON Homecoming and Heritage Quest is scheduled from Friday evening, April 30 to the afternoon of May 2, 1999, to be held at the Pinetops, North Carolina Community Center. The cost per attendee will be reasonable and some meals will be included. Everyone is welcome!! All persons wishing to attend this event must return their registration before March 30, 1999. For more information on costs, how to register, and reservations, etc., please contact: AMERSON/AMASON HOMECOMING c/o Wendy Ridings Route 3, Box 375A Hughes Springs, TX 75656 E-mail address:<[email protected]> or AMERSON/AMASON HOMECOMING c/o Marge Johnson 911 Hamilton Street Marissa, IL 62257

SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX by Brian Bonner Mavrogeorge <[email protected]> The Social Security Death Index (SSDI), an often-used source of information, is more formally known as the index to the Social Security Administration Death Master File. The file is created from Social Security Administration (SSA) payment records and includes for each decedent (if the information is available to the SSA): name, Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, date of death, state where the SSN was issued, ZIP code of the last residence, and ZIP code of where the death benefit was sent. Because the SSA records were not automated until the 1960s, the index only covers deaths since about 1962. It may include a few earlier records, but there hasn't been any concerted effort on the part of the SSA to enter older information. There are many reasons why a person might not be in the SSDI: -- File has an estimated three per cent error rate. -- Person might not have had a Social Security number. -- Information might have been reported incorrectly. -- SSA might not have been notified of the person's death. -- Person might have changed his or her name. -- Person might have used a different spelling of his or her name. -- Person might have died before the SSA put its records on the computer. If you do find someone, the data can provide clues for further research. 1. Surname and given name. Use these to confirm the customary spellings of deceased's names. 2. SSN. Use to confirm that your information is targeted to the right individual, and/or to help establish legal rights to information and benefits. 3. State where SSN was issued. Although not 100% accurate, it can aid in pinpointing where an individual resided at that time and where additional information might be available. 4. Date of birth and death. Use these to confirm, correct, or clarify information. 5. State where the individual died. Use to find additional records and perhaps determine a previous residence. 6. ZIP codes for where the death payment was sent. In 1981 the $255 death payment was restricted to spouses and dependent children only. Sometimes individuals travel to other locations for assisted care or for medical treatment before their deaths. This information can lead to hospital records or other pertinent information. Don't rely just on the SSDI. As a genealogist you want to check the original records whenever possible. Order a copy of the original Social Security number application from the SSA. It will have the applicant's name, complete birth date and place, and often the parents' names. Since several states did not require birth certificates until the early or mid-1900s, the SSN application data could be used in lieu of a birth certificate. The SSDI can point you in the right direction for gathering additional information, including ordering a copy of a death certificate from a state or county vital records office. For example, on a California death certificate you will find: 1. Name of the deceased (could provide new middle names or nicknames). 2. Date of death (could lead to newspaper obituaries). 3. Place of death (often in a different town, county or even state of residence; could lead to searches of city directories, clues to religious affiliations, neighbors, friends, and hospital records). 4. Birth date of deceased (if provided by a relative during the time of mourning, this may be inaccurate, but it could clarify an incomplete family record. 5. Place of birth of deceased (if part of the physician's records, could be accurate). 6. Name of father of deceased (could lead to federal census records for entire family or to a search of other vital records). 7. Place of birth of father of deceased (could lead to further searches of SSA records for the father, federal census searches, or birth record searches for the father in a new locality, or it might give immigrant ancestor's hometown in the old country). 8. Name of mother, including her maiden name (could provide clues to other names on the obituary; could also lead to the same items mentioned in No. 7, plus other records). 9. Place of birth of mother of deceased (see Nos. 7 and 8). 10. Name of spouse of deceased (could lead to a search of marriage records). 11. Whether the spouse is living or deceased (if deceased, could lead to another SSDI search). The information on each state's death certificate varies, but unless the actual record is ordered you won't know. How did I know this? Not from memory. I simply clicked on HELP in the Social Security Death Index viewer supplied with Ultimate Family Tree Platinum <http://www.uftree.com>. * * * * * PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED (1) The reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes. (2) This notice must appear at the end of the article: Written by <author's name, e-mail address, and URL, if given> Previously published by RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative, RootsWeb Review, Vol. 1, No. 23, 18 November 1998. You may visit RootsWeb's main Web page at <http://www.rootsweb.com>. Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)

------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: [email protected] Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 09:54:48 +0000 Priority: normal Subject: [NCNASH-L] Moore To: [email protected] Reply-to: [email protected] Hello all I am the gggranddaughter of John W Moore I am looking for info on the family in 1868 John married Mary Susan Etheridge they lived in Wilson Co. But in 3-21-1888 in Coppers TWP {Nash Co.} John made his will he was 60 years old at the time. he died on 11-30-1901 He and Mary are buried in Wilson Co. NC on the old Winstead farm. These are the children named in John's will James J, Richard C, John C, Henry E, Mary J, Nancy L, Eli W, Winniford S, Catherine M, Thomas J, Andrew J, Elbert T, Lucy V Moore. Does anyone know anything about this family? Any help will be great {Wendy ==== NCNASH Mailing List ==== Visit the Nash County GenWeb Page at: http://www.ornery.com/nauvoo/family/chamblee/ncnash/

Carol -- Thanks for the funny. It reminded me of the one about the preacher greeting his flock at the door after the service. Little boy: "Preacher, when I grow up, I'm going to make a million dollars and give it to you." Preacher: "Why, Walter, that's mighty nice. Why are you going to give all that money to me?" Little boy: "My daddy says you are the poorest preacher he's ever heard!" ted

Hello I have a Caroline Amerson and husband William Winstead Caroline was born in 1848-William in 1849 they were married about 1868 probably in Wilson Co. NC Caroline was the daughter of Thomas J and Martha Bailey Amason I dont have any info on William Winstead. Who were his parnets? Did they have any Children? Does anyone know them?{Thanks Wendy

oops! Did not intend return Murphy's Law to the list.