Michael: Thanks for the encouragement. I am amazed at how some people accomplish a great deal of research from great distances. I live in SC and work full time, so I depend a lot on what I can find through Internet searches and people just like you who give good advise. Just this week I got a response to a post to the Galveston Website and a very nice lady provided some information on the line I am searching. If it were not for her, I would not know that my ancestor was NOT in Galveston, but in another county in Texas altogether. Now I have a new source of information and can begin to close the gap. I appreciate all that you and others do for folks like me who "get nowhere fast" in their research. Now I am on to the next brick wall. Keep up the good work. I am always thrilled when I read notes of other searchers great finds. I really got lucky this week. Thanks again, Estelle

Jodie Wyatt wrote: > > I appreciate the information about the 1915 flood. Would you have any > information about a flood after February of 1926? Mary Lee Brooks died the > end of February 1926 and George Thomas Brooks was still living at that time, > as he provided the information for her Certificate of Death. > > Jodie Wyatt The next major storm to hit Galveston after Feb 1926 was a Category 4 Hurricane which crossed central Galveston Island on 14 Aug 1932, with 40 killed and $7.5 million in property damage. For information on other storms to hit the area, see: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/FTPROOT/HGX/HTML/hurricanes/hurr_clim.htm Hope this helps. Jim Turner

> A new message, "George Thomas Brooks - Galveston Flood," was posted by > Jodie Wyatt on Fri, 10 Sep 1999, on the Galveston County, Texas, > Genealogy web page Queries section: > > Surname: BROOKS, HUSLEY, WELCH > > --- > NAME: Jodie Wyatt > EMAIL: jwyatt@cei.net > DATE: Sep 10 1999 > > Searching for information on George Thomas BROOKS. He was married 5 > September 1915 in > Jefferson County, Texas to Mrs. Mary Lee "Lela" WELCH HULSEY, widow of > J. Dalton HULSEY. > > Mary Lee BROOKS died 27 February 1926 at Houston, Harris Co., Texas. > > Some time after the death of Mrs. Brooks, George Thomas Brooks > reportedly "drown in a terrible flood that hit Galveston, Texas". > > Would anyone know when that flood might have been? > Jodie, In addition to the Great Storm of 1900, there was another bad storm which hit Galveston in 1915. Although the new seawall and grade-raising helped protect the city, there were 12 people killed. Jim Turner

A new message, "George Thomas Brooks - Galveston Flood," was posted by Jodie Wyatt on Fri, 10 Sep 1999, on the Galveston County, Texas, Genealogy web page Queries section: Surname: BROOKS, HUSLEY, WELCH --- NAME: Jodie Wyatt EMAIL: jwyatt@cei.net DATE: Sep 10 1999 Searching for information on George Thomas BROOKS. He was married 5 September 1915 in Jefferson County, Texas to Mrs. Mary Lee "Lela" WELCH HULSEY, widow of J. Dalton HULSEY. Mary Lee BROOKS died 27 February 1926 at Houston, Harris Co., Texas. Some time after the death of Mrs. Brooks, George Thomas Brooks reportedly "drown in a terrible flood that hit Galveston, Texas". Would anyone know when that flood might have been? .

Gale S.: Since I volunteer a portion of my family history research time to my local Family History Center, I have some thoughts that may prove helpful when you make your next visit. 1) FHCs, like our marvelous Clayton Library, experience different levels of patron use. Ask when they have fewer patrons using the facilities. For instance, I don't go to Clayton on Saturday mornings. 2) Each Family History Center reflects the resources and expertise of its patrons and volunteers. Some are large facilities and others are small. Each is staffed with people who have various levels of expertise. Unlike a public resource such as the Clayton Library, these are people who are there to help others; no one, including the director, is paid (except with blessings that come from serving others). Consequently, depending on when you come, you may have a green librarian or someone with years and years of experience. That simply the nature of an FHC. There are 3,200 of them. 3) A FHC is primarily a branch the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It is a gateway to the largest genealogical collection in the world. The FHL collection grows constantly as dozens of microfilm teams cover the globe concurrently. That process has been going on since 1938. In exchange for the right to microfilm a record, the host public entity, church, or record repository is given a copy of the microfilm or fiche and the comfort of knowing that a replacement is always available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Knowing the tempermental and temporary nature of records, the Church has built a giant vault carved into the solid granite mountains east of the city. It is probably the most secure of any respository anywhere. 4) Your only cost at a FHC is to pay postage on microfilms and microfiche that you borrow from the parent repository to research primary documents and for copies you make. The rooms, readers, computers, lights, AC, etc. are all paid for by tithing funds from church members. Of course, you are always welcome to contribute your own research findings which can then be shared at FHCs around the world. 4) Since a FHC reflects the patrons who use it, different permanent resources will be found at each center, in addition to a basic collection supplied by the LDS Church for each new center. Some of those collections are quite extensive, but are always limited by space, just as we've found at Clayton with its constant need to expand resources and services. 5) Some 90,000 researchers visit the newest resource from the Church's Family History Department on the Internet each day. The address is www.familysearch.org. This website is connecting more and more resources to Family History Centers and provides open and free access to many of the Salt Lake records and tools. Familysearch is a nice way to begin a search and a Family History Center is a nice way to confirm what you find by checking original records. These resources are two of many that are making our work as genealogists more effective, less time-consuming, and even more pleasant. This is a great time to be a genealogist. Best wishes in your efforts, Corey W. Grua Houston Jim Turner wrote: > "Gale S." wrote: > > > > TX-GALVES listers, > > > > I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, > > and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as > > many have I am sure. > > > > I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice > > but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I > > had first through a genealogy library, then come back. > > > > For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give > > me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And > > then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to > > devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time > > because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to > > work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game > > plan for this? > > > > Thanks for any advise. > > > > Gale > > Gale, > > Since you don't have much time to spend at each visit, you may want to > use the first visit just to get acquainted with the library. They have > printed handouts showing the floor plan and where everything is. Go > upstairs and look over the cabinets where the census and other records > on microfilm are kept. Ask questions of the staff and volunteers who > are always available to help. Pick up one of their helpful worksheets on > the census Soundex system. > > Then go back home and get organized. With just an hour to spend on a > visit, you can't do too much. Select a particular ancestor or family to > research. The census is always a good place to start. Write down the > census records you will need to look at(state, county, town, census > year). > > Another thing you can do ahead of time is look at the Library's card > catalog online. Pick out references that look promising and make note of > the exact title, author and call number. The URL for the catalog is: > > http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/hpl/catalog.html > > or access it through the link on the USGenWeb Galveston County Genealogy > Web Page at: > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgalves/index.htm > > By the time you do all this, you will have a pretty good feeling for > what you can find and do at Clayton. > > Good luck! > > Jim Turner

Jim Ramsey: I found in the 1910 Census, Austin, Travis county, TX ED 74, Sheet 169, Vol. 137 Elvira F. DAVIS W 68 Mamie M. JONES D 38 Clyde R. JONES GS 13 I found in the 1900 Census, Austin, Travis county, TX Vol. 102 (162?), ED 92, Sheet 10, Line 33 Elvira F. DAVIS W 58 b. Oct 1841 in TX Malcolm J. DAVIS S 30 b. Aug 1869 in TX I could not find hide nor hair of a Georgia Davis in Galveston county. There were SCADS of Georgia Davises, though, all over Texas. Adrian Sinclair Balch

Estelle, I have had the same situation in early dealing with the libraries. If you know the location, city or county of the person you are searching for, and the name and dates, you can check in there computer for family histories that have already been submitted. They have all kinds of records. depending on where you want to search. They also have a website at Ancestry.com that you can go to and do general name searches. You'd be surprised wht you'd come up with. The othee thing is that AOL has a general surname search that you can go to type in the surname you seek. All kinds of webpages and surname listings from anyone looking for your name will post. I recently found branches of my family from New Mexico and we share the same great-great grandmother..but nver knew any either of the branches existed. Good luck, Michael

Gale: If I didn't know any better I would think I wrote your e-mail. I have the same difficulties and delays in making any progress at the FHL. Like you, I have only about one hour (or less) a week to devote to research since I work full time and they are not convenient to where I work, so a long lunch hour is the most I can squeeze in. I look forward to any advice on how to approach these people and not come away feeling like I am spinning wheels. Estelle

I am interested in ANYTHING on the 1910 Census regarding James W. Gordon and wife, Lula (may be spelled Loolah). They had two children. He was a dentist from Virginia. Any other information would be greatly appreciated - ages, names, etc. I appreciate your offer to do this look-up. Estelle Gordon S Carolina

First of all, figure out what you need. Look at what you have, enter it in either a genealogy program or record your information on family group sheets. After you see what you have, look at what you don't have (your blanks). Usually, you can get the main info. you need from census reports. So, go to the census reports first. If you find your ancestors ever served in the military try to search for any pension records, or other types of records. If you know where your ancestors are buried, go there and get dates from the headstones and take pictures. Most importantly, make sure you source everything (make note of where you got your information). After you get a feel of where you are and where you are going, you can begin searching tax records & such. I hope some of this has helped you, and you need to be organized, or you'll never get anywhere, :-). Tonya Aultman-Harris mtharris@ev1.net Researching: Aultman (AR, TX, MS),Cox (TX, OK), Parker (LA, TX), Peyton (MS) ----- Original Message ----- From: Gale S. <magnoyla@hotmail.com> To: <TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 1:50 PM Subject: Re: [TXGALVES] Surname: Wheeless, Penry > TX-GALVES listers, > > I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, > and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as > many have I am sure. > > I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice > but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I > had first through a genealogy library, then come back. > > For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give > me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And > then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to > devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time > because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to > work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game > plan for this? > > Thanks for any advise. > > Gale > > > From: ACDOGGETT@aol.com > Reply-To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com > To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [TXGALVES] Surname: Wheeless, Penry > Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 11:05:39 EDT > > Well, I haven't logged 21 years at the Clayton library, but I have spent > quite a bit of time there. It's really a remarkable place, and I have > encouraged many of the people I have met doing this work to donate their > reference books and deposit the results of their work for the vertical > files. > > I have used the library's facilities, and reached several of the descendants > of this family, but hoped to find a few more through this posting before I > finished it up and added them to the Wheeless web page. > > Thanks for your suggestion. > > Aubrey Doggett > > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > >

"Gale S." wrote: > > TX-GALVES listers, > > I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, > and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as > many have I am sure. > > I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice > but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I > had first through a genealogy library, then come back. > > For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give > me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And > then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to > devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time > because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to > work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game > plan for this? > > Thanks for any advise. > > Gale Gale, Since you don't have much time to spend at each visit, you may want to use the first visit just to get acquainted with the library. They have printed handouts showing the floor plan and where everything is. Go upstairs and look over the cabinets where the census and other records on microfilm are kept. Ask questions of the staff and volunteers who are always available to help. Pick up one of their helpful worksheets on the census Soundex system. Then go back home and get organized. With just an hour to spend on a visit, you can't do too much. Select a particular ancestor or family to research. The census is always a good place to start. Write down the census records you will need to look at(state, county, town, census year). Another thing you can do ahead of time is look at the Library's card catalog online. Pick out references that look promising and make note of the exact title, author and call number. The URL for the catalog is: http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/hpl/catalog.html or access it through the link on the USGenWeb Galveston County Genealogy Web Page at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgalves/index.htm By the time you do all this, you will have a pretty good feeling for what you can find and do at Clayton. Good luck! Jim Turner

Will be glad to. Am going tonight. Adrian At 11:26 AM 9/7/1999 EDT, you wrote: >Adrian, > >If it is not an imposition, I would be most grateful if you also checked the >1900 or 1910 Galveston Census for two of my ancestors: > > Elvira Davis > Georgia Ware Davis > >Sincerely, > >Jim Ramsey > > >

Thank you so much for the advice. I will definately go to those sites to see if I can make heads or tails of all this. I really love this genealogy stuff, but I keep reading things that people say like: Are you satisfied with data that is unverified? And the longer I wait the more I really want to do it the right way. So here goes....... ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Actually the Clayton Library is a branch of the Houston Public Library. URL: http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/clayton/

TX-GALVES listers, I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as many have I am sure. I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I had first through a genealogy library, then come back. For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game plan for this? Thanks for any advise. Gale From: ACDOGGETT@aol.com Reply-To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [TXGALVES] Surname: Wheeless, Penry Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 11:05:39 EDT Well, I haven't logged 21 years at the Clayton library, but I have spent quite a bit of time there. It's really a remarkable place, and I have encouraged many of the people I have met doing this work to donate their reference books and deposit the results of their work for the vertical files. I have used the library's facilities, and reached several of the descendants of this family, but hoped to find a few more through this posting before I finished it up and added them to the Wheeless web page. Thanks for your suggestion. Aubrey Doggett ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

TX-GALVES listers, I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as many have I am sure. I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I had first through a genealogy library, then come back. For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game plan for this? Thanks for any advise. Gale From: ACDOGGETT@aol.com Reply-To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com To: TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [TXGALVES] Surname: Wheeless, Penry Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 11:05:39 EDT Well, I haven't logged 21 years at the Clayton library, but I have spent quite a bit of time there. It's really a remarkable place, and I have encouraged many of the people I have met doing this work to donate their reference books and deposit the results of their work for the vertical files. I have used the library's facilities, and reached several of the descendants of this family, but hoped to find a few more through this posting before I finished it up and added them to the Wheeless web page. Thanks for your suggestion. Aubrey Doggett ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Adrian, If it is not an imposition, I would be most grateful if you also checked the 1900 or 1910 Galveston Census for two of my ancestors: Elvira Davis Georgia Ware Davis Sincerely, Jim Ramsey

Well, I haven't logged 21 years at the Clayton library, but I have spent quite a bit of time there. It's really a remarkable place, and I have encouraged many of the people I have met doing this work to donate their reference books and deposit the results of their work for the vertical files. I have used the library's facilities, and reached several of the descendants of this family, but hoped to find a few more through this posting before I finished it up and added them to the Wheeless web page. Thanks for your suggestion. Aubrey Doggett

In a message dated 9/6/99 7:31:58 PM Central Daylight Time, jnturner@gte.net writes: << Looking for information on the ancestors and decendants of Hilliard W. Wheeless (1850-1926) and Mary Jane Penry Wheeless of Texas City, Galveston Co., TX. Children were William O. and Eula Lee. This is for a project on four Wheeless siblings who migrated to Texas in the 1870's. Aubrey Doggett 2417-B Potomac Dr. Houston, TX 77057 >> Aubrey Since you live in Houston you need to go to the CLAYTON LIBRARY located at 5300 Caroline it is a wonderful place for all of your GENEALOGY needs & you can research to your hearts contend. It is just a genealogical library & they have books/census records/& much more on any county in TX plus other states. Hope that you will take advantage of this wonderful facility that is your lovely town. My friends & I go all the time & have been going for right at 21 yrs now. Best wishes Bertha Ellen

Yes, it's an actual library. It's located in Houston, TX on Caroline in the museum district. It is an excellent place! Run by volunteers, and free. You can join them for $10 (I believe), but this is not necessary to research there. If your in the area, you should look into it. They do have a website, don't have the URL, but any search engine will pull it up. Tonya Aultman-Harris mtharris@ev1.net Researching: Aultman (AR, TX, MS),Cox (TX, OK), Parker (LA, TX), Peyton (MS) ----- Original Message ----- From: Sally Wisdom <wordsfromwisdom@nctimes.net> To: <TXGALVES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 06, 1999 8:44 PM Subject: Re: [TXGALVES] 1910 Census > I plead ignorant about what the Clayton Genealogical Library > is. I have some immigration references. . .passenger lists. > . .from the CGL. Is this an actual library located in > Texas? Or can the information be accessed from other > places, e.g., public library/Family History Library? > > Tkx for educating me. . . > > Sally > >