Nice to be home
The Legal Genealogist is home today.
Proud to be the spring seminar speaker for the Alabama Genealogical Society.
Delighted to be at Samford University, home of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research each summer (hope to see you there in June!).
Home in a place I’ve never lived.
Home … in Alabama… Home to generations of my ancestors.
At this point, it’s entirely up in the air just how many of my family lines passed through Alabama.
Part of the problem is a county courthouse that burned at least twice, in 1882 and again in 1895, taking so many critical family records with it.1
Part of the problem is at least one ancestor who said he was born in Madison County, Kentucky, when it’s known that part of his family was in Madison County, Alabama.2
But there is no question that at least some of my lines came through Alabama, including three generations of women who were born here:
• My great grandmother, Eula (Baird) Livingston Robertson, was born in Alabama in 1869.3
• My great great grandmother, Martha Louise (Shew) Baird Livingston, was born in Alabama around 1855.4
• My great great great grandmother, Margaret (Battles) Shew, was born in Alabama around 1827.5
And when I walk to the front of the room today in the Brock Forum Auditorium, I will be thinking of those generations of women who did my family proud.
And hoping I can do them proud in my turn.
Home.
In Alabama.
SOURCES
- Cherokee County, Alabama, suffered catastrophic record losses in the courthouse fires. See FamilySearch Research Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/), “Cherokee County, Alabama,” rev. 18 Mar 2014. All of the marriage records, for example, for the time period when my folks would have been marrying there are gone. ↩
- I’m still annoyed with my nemesis second great grandfather, George Washington Cottrell. I expect I’ll still be annoyed the day I join him wherever he may be today… See Judy G. Russell, “Oh George… you stinker!,” The Legal Genealogist, posted 9 Jun 2012 (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : accessed 4 Apr 2014). ↩
- See Virginia Department of Health, Certificate of Death, state file no. 6367, Eula Robertson (1954); Bureau of Vital Statistics, Richmond. ↩
- See 1860 U.S. census, Cherokee County, Alabama, population schedule, p. 315 (stamped), dwelling 829, family 829, Margaret Shoe household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 Mar 2014); citing National Archive microfilm publication M653, roll 5. ↩
- See ibid. See also 1850 U.S. census, Cherokee County, Alabama, population schedule, 27th District, p. 136 (back) (stamped), dwelling 1055, family 1055, Danl Shew household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 Mar 2014); citing National Archive microfilm publication M432, roll 3. ↩
I am hanging on every word. Thank you so much for coming!
Thank you for coming. I have been involved in Genetic Genealogy for over a year now. You helped me to tie everything I have learned together. I hope you will come back!
Thanks for the kind words, Marsha. I had a wonderful time!
Thank you for coming back home. It was very nice meeting you and the knowledge that I gained from your DNA presentations will go a long way to helping me figure out who and where I came from.
It was great meeting you, Ricky, and I hope you found the presentations helpful.
I just discovered your blog, thanks to a link from Roberta Estes’ blog “DNA-Explained.” It’s my first time reading it. It won’t be the last. What an exciting concept that you’re a lawyer and genealogist. Extra exciting that you have ancestors from Alabama where Maud McLure Kelly was the first female to practice law. She was a superb genealogist who proved that a background in law gives one an edge in family research. More importantly to me, her family was my family. Maud was related to both my father’s parents. Thank you for sharing your expertise with the rest of us. -Ron.V
Thanks for the kind words, Ron — and what an amazing coincidence that you’re related to Maud McLure Kelly! Her papers are collected in the Special Collection at the Samford University Library where I was this past weekend! I mentioned her in my post today because I’m hoping to have some time to look at her papers when I’m at IGHR this summer.
I wish I was there this year! Great to hear you had a good time. I have deep Alabama roots and study within the state (when I can) and online, mostly through the ADAH website.
The ADAH website is first rate, Paul! Sorry I missed you this year.
“Oh George…you stinker!” What caught my eye was Preston Gilbert. My 5th great grand father is Preston Gilbert out of Bedford, Pittsylvania Virginia. Not the same Preston Gilbert you mention in your blog but probably related.
Oh my… chances are there is some relationship!