Wordless Wednesday :: Happy Anniversary

CoG :: Honoring Our Family Historians

With much love and appreciation to Aunt Ida and cousin Stuart . . . and to cousin Esther in Lake Jackson . . .


The woman I knew as Aunt Ida was an older sister of my great-grandma, Berta Mary Henry nee Sharp (1873-1955) . . . so she is actually a great-grand-aunt. (Both Ida and Berta Mary are pictured in the collage on the left.) I do seem to remember going to East Texas to visit Aunt Ida when we were kids, but unfortunately I do not have any concrete memories of her.


It is said that it was someone in the Hall family who took the time and made the effort to arrange to record a 90-year-old Aunt Ida's memories of growing up on the Hall Plantation in Houston County, Texas. I am not sure why, but as far as I have been able to determine, not one of Berta Mary's descendants knew anything about this document, or about the stories of the Hall Plantation. I know my first knowledge of most of this information was through this 1962 deposition, which I first laid eyes on twelve years ago [1998]. Whoever did it, and for whatever reason, I am eternally grateful to my 2nd cousin once removed . . . Stuart Arlington Leaverton (1908-2001) . . . for sharing that document with me back in October of 1998 . . . exactly one month after his own 90th birthday.


Earlier this year [2010] I posted a tribute to our Mahala in which I talked extensively about that small packet of information shared by cousin Stuart. That small envelope contained the four pieces of paper referred to above, and shown in the collage. Each of the four is available for viewing as an individual page by clicking on the links below. Shortly after that post about our Mahala, I wrote of my very first hands-on encounter with the 150-year-old original of the 1860-1866 Journal of James Madison Hall (1819-1866). My very awareness of the existence of this Journal was also the result of receiving these four pages of typewritten paper. The notes in italics and [brackets] were added by me . . . the Keeper of this blog . . .




Page 1 of 4 pages :: most of the information on the following page was familiar to me . . . no big surprises here . . .





BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared, Mrs. Ida Mae Sharp Halyard, known to me to be a credible person, who being by me duly sworn, deposes and says as follows:

My name is Ida Mae Halyard and I am 90 years of age. I was born November 3rd., 1871, on the old J. J. Hall Plantation, which is situated about twelve miles Northwest from the town of Crockett in Houston County, Texas, on Elkhart creek.


My father was Samuel H. Sharp and my mother was Mary Alexandrien Lamar [Lemaire] Sharp [my 2nd great-grandparents]. They were married but the one time and then on July 11th., 1861, and there were only six (6) children born to this union, namely:

1. James Hall 'Major' Sharp, a boy, born in the year 1863, and died in the year 1936, and he is buried with his wife, Emma Brightman Sharp, in Glenwood Cemetery in Crockett, Texas.
2. Sam H. Sharp, Jr., born in the year 1867, and died in the year 1921 and he is buried with his wife, Emma Henry Sharp in Lovelady Cemetery at Lovelady, Texas.
3. Maggie Sharp, born November 3rd., 1869, and died in the year 1935. She was married twice; first to John McCann, who was killed by being thrown from his buggy when his horse bolted and ran away, and secondly, to Frank Ward. She is buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Crockett, Texas. There is no marker on her grave, but she is buried next to, and to the left of her son, Earl McCann, whose grave is marked.

Page 2 of 4 pages :: I was not aware of the little girl named Willie before I saw the following page . . . and this is the very first time I heard of our Mahala [my 3rd great-grandma] . . . investigating who Mahala was led me to her father, Elisha Roberts [my 4th great-grandpa] . . . who is mentioned in the pages of Texas history . . . according to the history records on her father, Mahala grew up with the likes of Sam Houston, James Bowie, David Crockett, William B. Travis, and Stephen F. Austin sitting around the dinner table . . . and further investigation into Mahala led me to the lady / cousin in Lake Jackson, Texas who introduced me to a photo of our Mahala as well as to James Madison Hall and his 1860-1866 Journal which makes frequent mention of an assortment of my kith 'n kin in its pages . . .

4. Ida Mae Sharp Halyard, this affiant, born November 3rd., 1871 as stated above. I married George W. Halyard, and he is buried in Glenwood [sic] Cemetery, Crockett, Texas.
5. Berta Sharp, a girl, was born November 10th., 1873, and died in Rockdale, Texas. She was married to Edgar Henry who is also deceased. [my great-grandparents . . . I was born on her 78th birthday]
6. Willie Sharp, a girl, was born in the year 1875, and died about the year 1885. She is buried in the Hall Cemetery on the Ramon de la Garza grant in Houston County, Texas, near Elkhart creek.

My father, Samuel H. Sharp (Sr.), was the son of Mahala Lee Roberts Sharp Hall. I do not know my Grandfather Sharp's given name. My paternal grandparents had one other child, Margaret 'Sis' Sharp, and if there were any more children born of this union, I never heard of them.


My mother, Mary Alexandren [sic] Lamar [Lemaire] Sharp, was born in France [sic] and was of French extraction, but I know nothing about her family history, except that she owned land on the Robeson Survey, Liberty County, Texas, and I still own my inherited interest in this land.


My mother died when I was four years old, and is buried in the Hall Cemetery on the old Hall Plantation on Elkhart Creek, where I was born. There is a marker at her grave. My father never married again again after my mother's death, and died when I was above fourteen years old. He is buried next to and on the right side of my mother, but there is no marker at his grave. My sister, Willie is also buried beside my mother.




Page 3 of 4 pages :: all of the information on the following page 3 was new to me . . . this was the first mention of James Madison Hall . . . I am now in the first year of what will be a seven-year journey with this man and his kith 'n kin . . . transcribing on a daily basis the entries from his now 150-year-old Journal . . .





My Grandmother [Mahala] and my step Grandfather [J.J. Hall] are also buried in the Hall Cemetery, but I do not know where their graves are located.


My Grandmother [Mahala] came from San Augustine to Houston County, and I believe that my father [Sam] and aunt were born there before she came to this County. I do not know anything about her family, except that she had a sister named Margaret, who married a McDonald and lived in Houston County, Texas.


My Grandmother, Mahala Lee Roberts Sharp, married Col. J. J. Hall about the year 1850, and there were only two children born to this union; Roberta Hall, a girl and Horace O. Hall, a boy. J. J. Hall had been married before and had a son named James Madison Hall. If he had any children except these three, I never heard of them.


Horace O. Hall married Florene Kirkpatrick when I was about eight years old, and brought her to the Hall Plantation to live. They are both now dead and are buried in Glenwood Cemetery.


Berta Hall, who was one and the same person as Roberta Hall, married John Downes about the same time her brother married, but she and Downes did not live together very long. She then married Marcus M. Halyard, my husband's uncle, and moved away from Houston County in about the year 1902.


James Madison Hall married my Aunt Margaret Sharp about the year 1860, but he died before I can remember [1866] and left Aunt Margaret with one child, named Florence.




Page 4 of 4 pages :: I had heard of Lou Stewart but did not know how he connected . . . the following page explained who he was . . . the rest of the information on this page was new to me as well . . .





Margaret Sharp Hall, the widow of James Madison Hall, married Frank Stewart and they had two children named Ed Stewart and Lou Stewart. She died about the year 1878, but I do not know where she was buried.


Florence Hall married James Christian who was killed by a man whose name I do not recall. She later married again and moved to a place near Dallas and I never heard of her again.


I have been personally acquainted with the facts set forth in this affidavit both from personal knowledge and from family history. At one time I lived in the old Col. J. J Hall home on Elkhart Creek. This was a story and half house and had two large fire-places."


(Signed by Ida Mae Halyard)


Sworn to and subscribed before me, this the 13 day of September, A.D. 1962.


(Signed by Dennis C. Frazier) Notary Public, in and for Houston County, Texas.


THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF HOUSTON


BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared, Ida Mae Halyard, known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged to me that she executed the same for the purposes and consideration therein expressed. GIVEN under my hand and seal of office, this the 13 day of September, A.D. 1962.


(Signed by Dennis C. Frazier) Notary Public, in and for Houston County, Texas."






This blogpost was prepared for the 98th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy . . . hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene . . . who asked us to discuss a document that helped us break down a brick wall on your family tree . . . and to discuss the information that appears on the document and how it contributes to your family history . . . poster courtesy of footnoteMaven . . .

1772 :: Anthony and Tate

On this date in our family history . . . the 29th day of September . . . in the year 1772 . . . Nancy Ann Tate becomes the bride of James Anthony in Bedford County, Virginia . . . this bride and groom are 5th great-grandparents to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . 

A grainy black and white PDF of the following document was shared in 2007 on ancestry.com by someone with the user-name of QuintonAnthony66 . . .

 

The unreadable portions in this document are replaced with a series of three dots / periods in the following transcription . . .

Know all men by these Presents that we James Anthony, Josiah Carter, and John Talbot are held and firmly bound to our Sovereign Lord King George the third in the sum of Fifty Pounds. . . . We bind ourselves . . . firmly by these Presents. Sealed & Dated this 29 Day of Sept. 1772.

The condition of this obligation is such that Whereas there is a Marriage . . . be had and solemnized between James Anthony & Ann Tate.

Now if there be no lawful cause to obstruct the same then the above obligation to be Void and found . . . otherwise to remain in full force & virtue.

Sealed & . . . in the Presence of -- James Anthony -- Josiah Carter -- John Talbot

As Mr. James Anthony and my Daughter has agreed in affinity there is no objection on my Side but that you safely give . . . for the . . . I am your Humbl Servnt -- Henry Tate -- Sept:ye: 28:1772

Killed in Maine in 1689 -- Uncles Anthony & Andrew

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 21st day of September . . . in the year 1689 . . . two great-grand-uncles of the Keeper of this family history blog were killed in Maine during the Indian Wars . . . Andrew Alger, Jr., a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa John Alger, was killed in a battle at Falmouth while fighting under Benjamin Church . . . and Captain Anthony Brackett, a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa, Thomas Brackett, was killed on his farm at Back Cove, on the site of the well known mansion of the James Deering* family, a short distance from Deering's Bridge in Portland . . .

*Deering Oaks large public area in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. The area was the site of a September 1689 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans. The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. The pond in Deering Oaks at one time, filled and drained with the ocean tides. It was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. During the winter, one can ice skate on the frozen pond, and until the late 1990's, paddle boats could be rented during the summer season to explore the confines of the pond and enjoy the scenery.

1784 :: Birth of Jonathan Barker

On (or about) this date in our family history . . . the 8th (or 18th?) day of September . . . in the year 1784 . . . Jonathan Barker is born in Medford, Massachusetts . . . this Jonathan is a 4th great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . from Google Books comes this excerpt from Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume 4 by Henry Sweetser Burrage, Albert Roscoe Stubbs . . .


P.S. . . . the date of birth on his tombstone appears to be the 8th instead of the 18th . . .

Wordless Wednesday :: Where I Blog

Where do YOU blog?

Click anywhere on the collage
to enlarge the image.

Wordless Wednesday :: Happy Anniversary

Festival of Postcards :: Locomotion

I accept your invitation with genuine delight,- If you cannot reach the station I'll find the way all right; I've named above the train I'll take and time that it is due, Don't think of me as "Company," but as really one of you. . . . Train arrives at . . . Over the . . . This is an unused "locomotion" postcard from my private collection . . . Publisher G. E. Prince, Buffalo, N.Y. . . . the clock shows the train will be arriving at 8:26 . . .


'Tis quite a while since last we met. But we must bide as Fate disposes. Until we meet, lest you forget. I'm sending you this card of roses. . . . from . . . Mary Haine, Warren, Ohio, August 24th, 1912 . . . to . . . Mrs. James Dunlap, W. Farmington, Trumbull Co., Ohio . . . 8-23-12. My dear Friend: I was so sorry not to see you last week when I was in F. Had hoped you would be able to be at the grounds. Would like to have stayed all night so I could have come up and seen you. Was only there between trains and Mother and I went to the Cemetery. Do hope you will be able to get to Warren this fall. Sincerely Mary H. . . . This postcard from my private collection (no known relation) was published by F.A. Owen Co., Dansville, N.Y. and features a penny stamp . . .


These postcard collages were prepared for the 9th Festival of Postcards . . . hosted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault . . .

Sentimental Sunday :: Happy Birthday, Becca Mae

COG :: Swimming at Lake Winni NH

This collage was prepared for the 95th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy . . . which is another delightful Swimsuit Edition . . . and since fM's poster features a male, I chose a ca. 1929 photo of my maternal Grandpa . . . Robert E. Henry, Sr. (1905-1976) . . . who married his first wife (my Grandma) in July of 1929 . . . and they honeymooned at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire . . . for more swimsuit photos of this family from the same time period, see my COG / Swimsuit Edition for 2009 . . .

Wordless Wednesday :: waiting for his Master ...

A sky with no blue . . .

1841 & 1842 :: Sterne Visitors

From the 28th September of 1840 until the 18th day of November 1851, Nicholas Adolphus Sterne kept a diary of his daily activities, which is a valuable source of information on the period of the Republic of Texas (1836-1846). The names of some of our kith 'n kin are scattered through these pages. . . .

Nacogdoches
Republic of Texas
1841 & 1842

Wednesday the 23d [of June 1841] cool Breze all day. Elisha Roberts passed trough here on his way home from Austin, heard of the Death of Mrs Debard, Jas Hall from crockett passed trough.

Thursday 23 [of June 1842] Cloudy and a little rain in the Evening-- Mr A. McDonald of Austin, arrived with his Lady, the youngest Daughter of E[l]isha Roberts Esqr of San Angustin County-- only married on the 15th inst-- Eastern mail arrived in the afternoon brought nothing at all at all

• Elisha Roberts = a 4th great-grandpa of the Keeper of this blog
• Jas Hall = James Madison Hall (1819-1866), who is the stepson as well as son-in-law of my 3rd great-grandma, Mahala Lee Sharp Hall nee Roberts (1816-1885)
• Mr. A. McDonald & his Lady = Alexander McDonald (ca. 1814-1852) and his new wife, Margaret S. Roberts (1822-1892), who is the youngest sister of my 3rd great-grandma, Mahala

1851 :: Sterne visits the Halls

On this date in our family history . . . the 18th day of June . . . in the year 1851 . . . Nicholas Adolphus Sterne (1801-1852) spends the night in the J.J. Hall household in Houston County, Texas . . . 

The Mrs. Hall, aka Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts (1838-1885), is a 3rd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and she was married to Joshua James Hall (ca. 1790 - ca. 1871) on the 12th day of February in 1851 in San Augustine County, Texas . . . Sterne wrote about this 18th day of June as follows . . .

Wednesday the 18th [of June 1851] left early, arrived at Crockett at noon, dined at my opponent's-- Col Long's, left after dinner in company with Judge Randolph a Candidate for the lower House for this, Trinity and Anderson Counties, went to Cook's mills where we parted, I went to Col J.J. Hall lately married to Mrs Sharp, lately, she was Miss Mahela Roberts whom I knew as a little girl-- stopped all night, and was treated, as a man generally is, treated at a true gentleman's House.

Wordless Wednesday . . .

1871 :: Beale Deed Dated June 10th

On this date in our family history . . . the 10th day of June . . . in the year 1871 . . . the name of my 3rd great-grandma, Elizabeth Lemaire Beale nee Waring, appears in a deed for 857 acres of land on the banks of the Trinity River in Liberty County, Texas . . .

All that certain lot, tract or parcel of land situated in Liberty County, Texas, and being out of and a part of the James Robeson League, Abstract #100, more particularly described as being 857 acres of land, being part of the upper or Northern half of the league of land, on the Trinity River bounded as follows:

BEGINNING at a corner, which is established south 1 E 625 varas, from the north line of said league, and 2258 varas west from the east line of said league said corner is a stake, from which a red oak 11 in. dia. mkd. X bears south 7 W 4-½ vrs. and a red oak 10 in. dia. mkd. X bears N 59-15 E 8 varas;

THENCE south 1 E 625 varas a stake in Menards prairie, from which an ash 6 in. dia. bears S 31 E 23-½ varas and another 10 in. dia. brs. N 83-45' W 60 varas, both marked X;

THENCE west along through the center of said league to the Trinity River;

THENCE up the river following its meanders to a point on said river at right angles with the first corner of this survey;

THENCE eastwardly parallel with the said lines of said league to the PLACE OF BEGINNING,

and being the same land described in a deed from C. L. Cleveland to Elizabeth A. Beale, deed dated June 10th, 1871, filed February 6th, 1901, and shown of record in Vol. W, page 427, Deed Records of Liberty County, Texas.

I definitely need to make a road-trip to Liberty County, Texas for further research on this Grandma Elizabeth!

Wordless Wednesday :: In a twinkling of an eye

Elizabeth Beale in the 1860 Census

On this date in our family history . . . the 8th day of June . . . in the year 1860 . . . Luke Bryan, Ass't. Marshal, is enumerating the citizens of the City of Liberty in Liberty County, Texas . . . and among those citizens are my 2nd great-grandma, Mary A. Lamire (aka Mary Alexandrien "Nellie" Sharp nee Lemaire), and her mother, Elizabeth Beale (aka Elizabeth Lemaire Beale nee Waring), as well as Nellie's three half-sisters, Lucy, Kate & Sue . . .

1860 :: Elizabeth Beale, Slave Owner

One hundred fifty years ago today . . . on the 7th day of June . . . in the year 1860 . . . Luke Bryan, Ass't. Marshal, was enumerating Slave Owners in Liberty County, Texas . . . including my 3rd great-grandma, Elizabeth Beale . . . aka Elizabeth Lemaire Beale nee Waring . . . who is shown as the Owner of one black female aged 23 and one black male 8 years of age . . . who were presumably living in the "Slave house" in Liberty which is indicated as belonging to Elizabeth . . .

Wordless Wednesday :: Two Old Friends

Today I visited yesterday

This is a little country cemetery in Lee County, Texas . . . it is the one I feel the most connected to . . . I can walk through this cemetery and tell stories about many of the residents . . . the family members . . . as well as the people who were their friends . . . I remember my Dad talking about some of them . . . and I remember Grandma's stories . . . I memorialized this cemetery in my Ode to My Family History back in January of the year 2010 . . . the little one in these photos is one of my grand-nephews . . . he will have these photos to show how he had fun in the cemetery on a spring day when the wildflowers were blooming in Texas . . . I need to write down the story of this day for him . . .



Today I visited yesterday
And walked among the graves
Of family and friends from long ago
Whose memory had begun to fade.
The graves were unattended
As were my thoughts of them
When a vision of the ages past
Brought back my sense of kin.

The vision showed the church lawn
On a crisp summer day
The table spread, the food prepared
And friends who would break bread.

All my relatives were there
both young and old
Grandma and I walked hand and hand
Sharing stories never told.

We laughed and cried
And shared our thoughts
And I found the friend
I thought I'd lost.

As the sun began to fade . . .
The church bell rang out clear
Grandma and the others
slowly disappeared . . .

Today I visited yesterday
And now the memory is strong
Of the family from which I came
AND NOW BELONG . . .

by Pat Conner Rice

Bennie Lee Everhart 1948-2010

  Bennie Lee Everhart, Sr.
born 20th March 1948 in Austin, Texas
died 7th April 2010 in Plano, Texas
father
Willie Albert Everhart
1918-1969
mother
Dorothy Ophelia Everhart Long nee Hutson
1927-1999

Sentimental Sunday :: Happy Easter, y'all!

This is a snapshot in time . . . captured with my vintage Canon AE-1 . . . on Easter Sunday in 1986 . . . in the backyard of my childhood . . . starring my red-headed niece (left) . . . and my blue-eyed niece (right) . . . and Casper the dog . . . in this general area of that backyard is where many tubs of homemade vanilla ice cream were created . . . in the old wooden ice cream bucket . . . with the assistance of lots of manpower (and girl-power) . . . sure miss those backyard cook-outs . . . and tomatoes and new potatoes fresh from the garden . . . and ice-cold watermelons . . .