Genealogy: It's All In a Name

Or is it?

What does the name in the photo above look like to you?

Dew Nankin.

According to the 1810 census it's David Nankin.  The 1820 census has it as David Rankins. In another document it's David Ranking and on my family tree is Richard Rankin.

So which one is correct?

I'm going with David Rankin only because I have another source, the very reliable will of a Jonathan Gregory of South Carolina, who listed one of his heirs as Esther Rankin, wife of David Rankin.

Now let's look at Esther Gregory Rankin.  Who was she? Esther was the mother of one of my ancestors. She was born in South Carolina and appeared on the 1830 census in Edgefield, South Carolina as Easter Rankin, head of household.  During the 1830's David disappeared off of the radar and Esther ended up in Simpson County, Mississippi. The first time she appeared in Simpson county records was on the 1834 tax lists.  She was listed as Hester Rankin and so follows the pattern of name changes between Esther, Hester, and Easter throughout census and tax lists up until the 1860 census where in her late seventies she disappeared from the records.

So why so many name changes?

David and Esther Rankin were like so many people during the 19th century.  They were illiterate. They didn't know how to spell their names so they depended on the literate census takers to get it right. That's the thing though, sometimes the census taker didn't get it right because while many of them were literate, there were some who were only partially literate and just made it up as they went along which could explain the Hester, Esther, and Easter variations.

And let's not forget about the changes in dialect. The census takers had to go with what they heard which could mean anything really. Many locations have a distinct dialect, the south is no different so in South Carolina Esther Rankin may sound different than it would in Mississippi. Even within the same state, David Rankin might sound like David Ranking.

Frustrated yet?

Not really.  Just keep an open mind and remember that a name may change several times. While combing through records, write down the different name variations, and keep searching for them. ALL of them. Eventually you will find success. Our ancestors want to be found.  They have stories to tell.

Is Your Genealogy Correct?

Many people I know would say, "Yes, it's finished and it's correct."  I used to think that was the case with my mom's side of the family up until a week ago.  Now I'm not so sure.

My mom and I are working on getting all my grandmother's family history together so that she can give it to her Mississippi cousins. We want to dot all the i's and cross all our t's so too speak.  As we've traced line by line on our family tree, adding sources as we go, we've discovered that we've got a few problems. Actually we've got more than a few problems.

I must admit that when we first started this project it was to keep me busy and help with my recovery but now it's become something more than that. I'm focused on figuring out the mysterious cases of the Farthing, Powell, and Rankin families.  Yep, that's right we've uncovered inaccuracies with at least three lines of our family and we've just begun our search.

Let's look at the curious case of Richard Edward Farthing.  According to our records his parents were Richard Farthing and Elizabeth Parsons. I wanted to confirm that information so I did a little bit of research on the "father" Richard Farthing.  He died the 27 November 1861 in Robeson, Tennessee.  I was curious to see if he had a will out there and sure enough I found probate record for Robeson, Tennessee posted online. After searching through the images I found a copy of his will. BINGO.

Not really.

This Richard Farthing of Tennessee, the "father" of my Richard Farthing wrote in his will, "...equally divided between all of my children sons and daughters, namely Lewis Farthing, Enoch Farthing, Emily Highsmith, Polly Jones, Ephraim Farthing, Coleman Farthing, Jiney Grey, and Peter Farthing, share and share alike equal."

So who is my Richard Edward Farthing's father?  Not Richard Farthing from Tennessee.  Richard from Tennessee divides all of his property between "all of my children sons and daughters." Richard E. wasn't listed anywhere in his will.  Some might ask, was Richard E. alive at the time this will was written?  Yes, he died in 1894 and is buried in Mississippi, so if he had been a child of this man, he would have been listed in the will.
Armed with this information, I was still a little hesitant to change anything because well there are A LOT of people who believe this information and have linked their families to the Richard Farthing family of Tennessee. I decided that before I create a family tree frenzy I should probably find another solid source of information. That's generally my rule. I like to provide two sources of documentation before I make any moves within my family tree.

I did a quick query of Richard E. Farthing and discovered that he applied for a war pension in 1892.  His pension indicated that he served in the Indian Wars fought during the late 1830's and early 1840's.  I decided to dig even further and I found his enlistment papers.  Sure enough he signed up for service in Baltimore, Maryland.  He listed his birth place as Jame City County, Virginia.  The Richard Farthing from Tennessee and supposedly my Richard Farthing were said to be born in Pittsylvania, Virginia. Richard Farthing from Tennessee was born in Pittsylvania, Virginia. There is solid proof to that statement.  My Richard Farthing, well he's from the James City County, Virginia Farthings and before you even think about how easy it's going be to find his parents. Think again.  James City County is a burned county.  The Civil War took care of a lot of their records.  All is not lost though but it will take a lot of digging to unearth the mysterious case of Richard E. Farthing.

I share this story not to bore you because really it's pretty exciting stuff but to point out that while we think our genealogy is correct sometimes it's not and maybe we should dig deeper to find out more. As I've researched Richard E. Farthing, I've found out that he was a very interesting person and lived an amazing life. The time I've spent researching this man has been worth it. He did amazing things with his life and not only do I get to learn from him but I get to share this information and hopefully help other family members in their quest to find out more about him.

Simpson County Mississippi Slave Narratives

The information provided below is a brief summary of the original slave narratives that I stumbled upon while researching my family.  Some of the narratives are as little as three pages others while others span over ten pages long.  I've tried to provide as much detail as possible for the purpose of finding ones ancestor. The original narratives can be found here and are definitely worth reading as the stories told are inspirational and moving.

Boggan, Manda: born 1847 and lived in Weathersby, Mississippi. Owned by Isham Brown. Manda lived with both of her parents. Her father came from Virginia.  Her brother was taken to Texas with one of the Brown children after the death of their father.  She mentioned that a woman named Hannah was the cook.

Brown, Manus: born 1858 and lived in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Owned by John Brown. Manus lived with his parents, both of whom came from either Virginia or North Carolina.  Manus' family (parents and siblings) were the only slaves that John Brown owned.

Chapman, Hannah: born 1851 and lived in Cato, Mississippi. Owned by Colonel Bill K. Easterlin.  Known as "Aunt Hannah."  Lived with her parents until her father was sold to Bill Brown, who was neighbor of Easterin.  After the war the family reunited and lived at the Hyrum Jones place.

Cox, Hyrum: born 1851 and lived in Pinola, Mississippi. Owned by Charlie Cox. Hyrum lived with his family on the Cox plantation. After the war, Hyrum remained with the Cox family working for them for 15 years.

Cox, Julie (Tony): born 1850 and lived near Braxton, Mississippi. Owned by Joel Williams. Julie lived with her entire family on the Cox plantation. She was the maid for Vicky Williams, Joel's daughter. Vicky died but Julie remained a maid for another sister. Julie's brother Charlie was sold and the family never knew what happened to him.

Cox, Tony (Julie): born 1850 and lived near Braxton, Mississippi.  Julie's husband. Owned by Cato Miller. Tony's mother died when he was a year and half.  Cato Miller's wife raised him. His father remained with Tony until the war began than he went off to war. His father was crippled in the war and then captured by the Yankees. He never saw his father again.

Dixon, Emily: born 1829 and lived near Westville, Mississippi. Owned by Ras Dixon.  She had a brother two years her senior.  Her mother was raised by the Ras Dixon's wife.

Edmondson, Manda: born 1842 and lived near Weathersby, Mississippi. Owned by Isham Brown. Manda's parents were given to Isham Brown's son Allen after his death.  The family was reunited after the war.

Floyd, Angie: born 1861 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Everett Floyd.  Her grandmother was bought by Floyd from a Parker family that resided in South Carolina.  Her father came from Mississippi.

Floyd, Slyvia (male): born 1852 and lived near Meadenhall, Mississippi. Owned by Polly Newson.

Floyd, Tom: born 1842 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Everett Floyd.  He was half white. He and his mother Harriet were previouly owned by the Michael family of Missouri. Harriet was a medicine woman.

Grubbs, Minerva: born 1857 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned Louis Howell. His parents were sold to Howell from someone in Virginia.

Hayes, Wash: born around 1860 and lived near Meadenhall, Mississippi. Owned by William (Billy) Hayes. Grandfather came from Virginia. His father was sold at the age of 14 to a slave trader named Wane Anderson out of Virginia. His grandmother's name was Caroline and she also came from Virginia.

Louis, Jane: born 1851 and lived near Bridgeport, Mississippi. Owned by Turner Wilson. She and her parents came from Virginia.

McCastle, Duncan: born 1860 and lived near Pinola, Mississippi. Owned by Duncan Walker (he was a German).  Walker owned Duncan and his mother. His father lived on another plantation. The family reunited after the war.

Magee, Primous: born May 15th, 1859 and lived near Meadenhall, Mississippi. Owned by Dixon Magee of Lawrence county.

Mangum, Rose: born 1831 and lived near Magee, Mississippi. Owned by Warren Stubbs.

Potter, Issac: born 1851 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Jim Crowder, Mr. Gilbert, and  Mr. Potter.  Jim Crowder bought Issac and his parents from a Yankee slave trader who captured them in Africa. Jim Crowder died and his widow (?) married Mr.Gilbert. The Gilbert man died and the Crowder/Gilbert widow married a Potter.

Norwood, Glascow: born about 1852 and lived near Penola, Mississippi. Owned by John Norwood.

Powell, Salem: born about 1857 and lived near Shivers, Mississippi. Owned by John Powell who lived near Dry Creek.  Salem grew up with his parents Willis and Nancy.

Robinson, Manus: 66-years-old and lived near Braxton, Mississippi. Owned by Bill Tom (Toom or Tomb) of North Carolina. Lived with his parents on the North Carolina plantation.

Singleton, James: born 1856. Owned by Daniel Thompson.  His mother was Harriet Thompson. Lived on a plantation near Westville. His father was John Black who came from Charleston, South Carolina. His father was owned by Frank Smith of Simpson, Mississippi. When he was 6-years-old, his family (including parents) were sold to Harrison Hogg who then sold them to Albert and Annie Bell.

Strickland, Jane: born 1860 and lived near Georgetown, Mississippi. Owned by the Williams family of Simpson county.  Father came from Virginia.

Strickland, Liza: born 1847 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Mike Strickland.

Stubbs, Julia: born 1852 and lived near Magee, Mississippi. She lived with her parents on the Magee plantation. Owned by John Magee.

Walker, Edwin: born 1849 and lived near Pinola, Mississippi. Owned by Richmond Walker of Lawrence county.  Ediwn had two siblings Dave and Julia. Julia was married and then taken away from her husband and family to South Carolina.

Walker, Harriet: born 1852 and lived near Pinola, Mississippi. Owned by George Norwood.  Her mother and aunt were captured and brought to America from Africa.

Ward, Allen: born 1856 and lived near Westville, Mississippi. Owned by Westly Lee.

Weathersby, Foster: born 7 February 1855 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by John Newson of Old Hebron.  Newson owned the whole family until Foster's mother was sold to Era Hartzog.

Weathersby, George: born 1852 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Owen Weathersby.  His brother was Steve (see below).  When he was 7-years-old his family was sold to Willis Mangel.  His father was very abusive so his mother asked Weathersby if she could come back. Weathersby bought the family back except for the father.

Weathersby, Isom: born 1847 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by John Newson. His mother was the head cook.

Weathersby, Steve: born 1856 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Owen Weathersby.  His brother is George Weathersby (see above).

Wells, Minerva: born about 1853 and lived near Pinola, Mississippi. Owned by Martha Wells.  Minerva's mother died of a broken leg when she was a little girl.  Martha Wells took her into her home and raised her. Minerva's mother came from South Carolina. Her father was named Clark and lived on another plantation.

Williams, Chaney Moore: born 1852 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by Mr. Moore. She died 11 June, 1937.

Wilson, Issac: born 1845 and lived near D'Lo, Mississippi. Owned by John Wilson of New Hebron.

Researching Your Slave Ancestry

While combing through Mississippi records searching for my ancestors, I stumbled upon hundreds of slave narratives. These narratives were collected during the late 1930's and early 1940's as part of a Federal government project. Intrigued, I began reading them and soon I was lost in their stories. While I was reading one compelling story,  I wondered if anyone had compiled any of this information and put it on the Internet.  I discovered that there are only about a dozen or so of the hundreds of narratives published. Several are printed in a short book and a few of them are available on the Mississippi Genweb site but there are hundreds of narratives that remain unpublished.

I was shocked by my discovery. These records are a genealogy gold mine. Many of them hold vital clues in unearthing African American genealogy!!! I immediately decided that I wanted publish this information but before I push the publish button I need to explain how to use it first.

While African American genealogy can be difficult, all is not lost.  If you can trace your ancestor to a specific location (state or county) than you can begin your search.  Most ex-slaves took their former slave owner's name. One man, Mr. Westly Little, of Trenton, Mississippi said, "When I gets my name, that's all the name us ever knowed was our masters name and we changed names if we changed masters."  So finding out where your ancestor lived at the end of the Civil War can make a huge difference.

Mr. Westly Little was born about 1846.  He was the slave of Mr. Alexander "Sandy" Little who was the son of James Little, both of Smith County, Mississippi. Tracing the James/Alexander Little family can help with finding out more about Westly. So how do you do that?  Well, begin your search with the 1850 and 1860 census for Little family. They lived in Smith County, Mississippi. Once you've found out more about the Little family, ask yourself these questions. Did James Little have a will? Who did James leave his estate too? A lot of wills and estate records list slaves. Specifically, they list slave names and sometimes family relationships. The next step in your research is to look through the  Smith county records for James or Alexander Little. This information is important because you can begin to piece the puzzle together.

Other good sources of information are the 1850 and 1860 United States Slave Schedules. While these schedules don't list slaves by name, you can find out who owned them, where they were living, and their age at the time the census was taken.  From the narratives that I've read so far many of the families remained together so you can piece the family together by the ages listed on the census.

For some the information provided in these narratives will trace back several generations while others will have to work harder to piece together their family history.  It's a start and hopefully someone out there will find success and be able to find a connection with their ancestors.