Genie Road Trip

We also went into Warren, the seat of Bradley County, Arkansas and Aunt Linda and I went into the County Court House so I could look into a few things including the Marks and Brands Books. This is a great example of a non-traditional record. These were the formally reported identifying marks or brands on livestock or lumber so that an owner could be legally identified if needed. While my relatives managed to avoid a number of standard genealogical resources here’s one where I could find at least proof of life for a number of my relatives, such as this record about my Great-Great-Grandfather Sandy York.

Happy hunting,

Jess

We probably spent a little too long exploring Palestine A. M. E. Cemetery considering the heat and the bugs but so many names had a story. And my Aunt wanted to locate her Great Grandfather Mose Wheeler and his wife Josie’s headstone—It wasn’t where we expected, but we found it. And the whole trip just reinforced the strong ties to the community. I honestly believe almost every person buried in that cemetery is represented in my database because they are related by blood or marriage.

Mose and Josie died four days apart in 1948.

Happy hunting,

Jess

I’ve been running pretty solidly for the last few weeks but I have had a number of wonderful genealogy related experiences in that time.

In the forefront, I owe a large thank you to my aunts who took me back over home to see Johnsville, Arkansas the longtime home of my York, Trotter and allied families and then into Warren, the seat of Bradley County. The trip was two hours from our reunion hotel and the drive was filled with fascinating stories and asides most of which I had never heard before. It was an insightful trip for me and it was very generous of them to spend the day with me.

I got to see what remains of my great grandmother’s home. It’s awkward because I don’t have the emotional attachment to it. But I found it moving as it currently appears that the woods are reclaiming the land.

Thank you to my Aunts–Linda, Brenda and Alfreda!

Happy hunting,

Jess