Echoes of My Nola Past

I previously did a post with all my Ancestors Surnames that I knew about up until this point.

I have some more information that I want to share.

Looks like my Robertson Line used two other Surnames: Robinson and Roberson.

I knew about the Roberson Surname because on the 1870 Census the Family was listed as Roberson, but by 1880 and beyond it was Robertson.

Now on the 1870 Census there was a Charity Roberson that was listed as a daughter and she was age 10. Never thought anything of it, just thought Mandy started having children a little early. By 1880 Charity had moved on and married Edmund Livingston. Charity and Edmund had seven children: Frank, Aurela, Emanuel, Mary, Ella, Hattie, and John.

Frank married Ida and had 6 children: Rosie, Artis, Isie, Frank, James E, and Cora E.

Ida passed away sometime between 1910 and 1920. Frank then married my Great Grandmother Amanda and had a son: Amos Livingston.

Not really sure what happened to Amos, just asked my Mom and she said “No one ever mentioned Amos”. Her Mom or Uncle Joe never mentioned him. What happened to Amos?

Frank Livingston passed away January 26, 1919. I checked his death record on Family Search.org. His father was listed as: Edmund Livingston and his mother was listed as: Charity Jackson.

Jackson, where did this Surname come from? If my Great Grandmother Amanda was the Informant for Frank, she would have known Frank’s Mom Surname since they grew up in the same household maybe.

Was Charity kin to Ben or Mandy or was she just someone that they took care of? Who knows I know I have to find this out since the Ancestors guided me here.

For the rest of the Family I found and obtained Death Certificates for:

Minerva Roberson Lewis: who was married to J D Lewis(Nickname was Babe). Babe was connected to the Longs. Minerva passed away March 08, 1940. Babe was the Informant for her death and her Mother and Father was listed as Amanda Roberson and Ben Roberson both from GA. Minerva and Babe had one son named Son and he was Mentally Challenged.

Reverend Cornealous Robinson: son of Ben and Mandy. Cornealous passed a way July 24, 1943 and his wife Angeline was his Informant.

Babe Roberson: daughter of Ben and Mandy. Babe passed away October 12, 1954. She was listed as a widow and no information on a husband or her parents was listed on her Death Certificate.

Amanda Bryan Roberson/Robertson: My Great Great Grandmother herself. Mandy passed away March 19, 1926. Was able to obtain her Death Certificate from the information obtained from Minerva’s Death Certificate. She was listed as Roberson not Robertson and that is  why I was unable to find a Death Record for her. She died from Influenza and she suffered from it for at least a month or so.

Looks like Babe was buried at New Zion Cemetery in Minden and no burial information for Mandy, but looks like she passed away in a Hospital somewhere in Minden(rural).

I am slowly but surely putting some puzzle pieces together, but each one leads somewhere else and where ever these pieces lead me to I’m going to put my Tree together one piece at a time!

Source cited: Louisiana Secretary of State, Family Search.org, Cousin Eddie McMurray(Sam Long’s Nephew), and Cousin Clarene Long(Sam Long’s Granddaughter)

I have been Researching my Louisiana Line for over a year now and have never posted the Surnames and the information that I have about each one.

So here goes:

Robertson: Ben Robertson born in GA about 1844. Married Mandy Bryan(t) around 1865 and had 11 children: Charity?, Henry, Georgia, Jennie?, Minerva, Thomas, Cornelius, Emma, Mary, Babe, Amanda, Martha, and Annie(Charity and Jennie are not for sure known children of Ben and Mandy, but show up on the census in the household in 1870), No known date of death for Ben.

Robinson: Not sure of the connection yet, but do know that some of the Robertson children used this Surname. (Rev Cornelius Robinson).

Bryan(t): Mandy Bryan(t) born in GA about 1850. Married Ben Robertson. No know siblings at this time. Mandy was found on 1920 census living with her son Cornelius and wife Angeline. No know date of death for Mandy.

Amos: James Manuel Amos born in Minden, Louisiana about 1870. Married my Great Grandmother Amanda Robertson about 1898 and had four children: James, Willie, Joseph, and Odessa(my Grandmother).

Bell: Martha Robertson married Robert B Bell February 8, 1900 and had 7 children: Alberta, David A, Dezeria, Jesse B, John B, Robert Jr., and Savannah.

Long: Emma Robertson married Sam Long sometime before 1910 and had 8 children: Martha, Cleveland, Paul, Albert, Carter, Coleman, Julia, and Central. Sam and Emma were members of Saint Peter Baptist Church and are buried there.

Banks: Odessa Amos(my grandmother) married Augustus Banks sometime around 1922 or 1923 and had 2 children: Earl Carey Banks(Carey is Augustus’s father first name) and Augustus Banks Jr. (My Uncles)

Randle: Martha Long married Garfield Randle sometime before 1930 and had 3 children: Margaret, Thomas, and Howard

Pyles: Savannah Bell married Charles Pyles sometime before 1930. No known children at this time.

Lewis: Minerva Robertson married J D Lewis(John) sometime before 1910 and had 2 children: Theleon(?) and Lizy.

Pierre: Georgia Robertson Robert Pierre about 1896 and had 1 known child: Evie E

Dennis: This Surname belongs to Sam Long half sisters and brothers: John, Louvella, Lannie, Jossie, and Nina Mae.

Harris: This Surname belongs to Sam Long half brother: Calvin Harris

Levingston: Charity Robertson(not sure if this was a child or sister of Ben Robertson) married Edmund Levingston about 1876 and had 6 children: Aurela, Emanuel, Mary, Ella, Hattie, and John. (Edmund is believed to have married my Great Grandmother Amanda Robertson sometime around 1917).

Hampton: Julia Long married Luther Hampton and had 1 known child: J C Hampton.

King: Central Long had 2 boys by someone with this Surname their names were: Ollie and Samuel.

James: James is the last nameof Annie Robertson 2 children: Mabel and Oliver James. They were found on the 1920 census living with Robert and Martha Bell.

If you know any of my family, please contact me and share. Thanks!!

Sources: Most of the information was found on Ancestry.com  and Clarene Long, Sam and Emma Long’s Granddaughter.

EMMA ROBERTSON: 1876-1941

As you all know I recieved feedback from a post that I have left on ancestry and actually Mr. McMurray was one of the persons that I sent my letter to in Quest For Information. Here is his response:

Felicia,

WOW! I can’t believe how serendipitous your letter is for me. I was just about to wade back into this family history since I’m having to do a historical book on THOMASVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL here in Sarepta. I started the research into our family while I lived in Atlanta, GA. I am a native of Sarepta, born, bred, and “buttered” here. Sam Long was my Grandmother’s oldest brother. He indeed married Emma Robertson, and if EVER there was a CHRISTIAN WOMAN and a woman of VIRTUE, it was Emma Robertson. She was a beautiful person, loving, kind, and her mantra was “Honey, don’t get angry, it’s a sin to get angry.” She lived that, because Uncle Sam was NOT an easy man to live with. Sam Long was perhaps the most influential man to be born in Webster Parish after slavery. He was well respected, revered and feared because his control of this area was ultimate. What Sam Long said, was LAW. His funeral in 1958 was attended by anyone and everyone, and he is responsible for the inchoation of nearly every church throughout Webster Parish/Louisiana, and Columbia County/Arkansas.

I say this not to venerate him, though he richly deserves that, but to show by contrast that Emma Robertson was actually the DRIVING FORCE behind him and the source of his strength and ability. Had she been a woman of lesser character, Sam Long would NOT have been as successful as he was. My mother is Juanita Wynn McMurray, and she always speaks with disdain of the fact that Sam Long grave is at the front of the cemetery and when Aunt Emma died, they buried her in the back and now you cannot find the grave, though I have looked and will continue to try to locate it. Uncle Sam was my MOTHER’S uncle and her mother’s oldest brother.

I hope to hear from you soon and I’d relish the opportunity to compare information with you. My contact information is as follows:

Eddie R. McMurray
P. O. Box 494
Sar
Home: 318
Cell: 318

Evenings are best, but I’d love to hear from you anytime.Warmest, friendliest regards,
Eddie

Notice the kind things he had to say about my great great aunt Emma. Boy would I have loved to have met her and know just a bit more about my Robertson line. Can’t wait to talk to him. Will keep everyone posted.
Felicia

As you all know I have been trying to get information on my Louisiana Line. I have reached out to living family that might have some information on the Robertson/Robinson line, but no one had sufficent enough information. Was able to get bits and pieces here and there. Enough to build on my family tree.

Since I know of the website AnyWho.com, where you can but a persons name, city and state and it would let you know of those that live in that area. I decided to put several of my ancestors last name in and see what happens. To my surprise I was able to get at least three families in Cotton Valley that had my ancestors last name.

Last night I decided to compose a letter to these families and here is a copy of that letter:

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Felicia R Mathis and I am researching my family genealogy and I am hoping you might have some connection to my family and are willing to share or can connect me with someone who has some information and might be willing to share some information on my family. Let me start by giving you some of my family history that might show a possible connection.

My family history began in Webster Parish Police Jury Ward 2, Cotton Valley. My families surname is Robertson/Robinson. Some family used either name but I think Robinson was the one used most. My family members are:
Ben Robertson
Mandy Bryant-Robertson
Henry Robertson
Georgia Robertson
Minerva Robertson-Lewis
Thos (Thomas) Robertson
Cornelius Robertson
Emma Robertson-Long
Mary Robertson
Babe Robertson
Amanda Robertson-Amos-Livingston
Martha Robertson-Bell
Annie Robertson

The family members that I have information on are: Emma, Amanda, and Martha. I know Emma Robertson married Samuel Long and had 8 children, Martha, Cleveland, Paul, Albert, Carter, Julia, Centralia, and Coleman. Martha married Garfield Randle and Julia married into the Hampton family and had a son named J.C. who married a woman named Hattie. Amanda Robertson (my great grandmother) married a James Manuel Amos and had 4 children: James, Willie, Joseph, and Odessa (my grandmother). My grandmother Odessa married Augustus Banks and had 2 children: Earl, and AJ, she also married a Robert L Smith and had 2 children: Beverly Esther Smith-Mathis (my mother), and Robert Smith Jr. My mother remembers Martha, Cleveland, and Centralia as my grandmother cousins. Sometime in the 1920s, Amanda moved the family to Chicago, IL. Where she later died in 1926. My grandmother Odessa died in 1969. Martha Robertson married Robert B. Bell. She married Robert Bell around 1900 and they had about 7 children: Savannah, Robert Jr., Jessie, John, David, Dezeria and Alberta. Savannah married Charles Pyles and Dezeria married into the Cook family. I was hoping that there might be some descendents in the area. My grandmother Odessa had some cousins from the area, there names were Bob and Arthur Robinson. Their mother was believed to be one of the Robertson girls. Bob had a wife named Colona. Somewhere in the family there is a Mary Lee and her mom is one of the daughters also. I know some of the family moved to California, Chicago, and some stayed in LA.

I know this seems like a lot of information to take in, but this is what I have learned through my research, and if you are not of knowing any of my ancestors listed above I am really sorry to bother you and want to thank you for taking the time to read my letter. If some of this sound familiar to you, then fill me in on the blanks that I have missed. Please consider my request for information and if you have any photos of the family you are willing to share so I can add to my tree, I would love to have them. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Now what if this is not my family? What if I get no response? Do I seem crazy? I am so scared that the families might not know anything, or they might even be my ancestors.

My question is: What woud you do if you recieved a letter like this?
Felicia

In modern time for Friday we say “TGIF”, but did our ancestors say that? I think not! Even after freedom.

My great great grandfather Ben Robertson owned his own land and farmed on that land. From census record in 1880, all children over 10 worked that farm, so that meant his eldest Henry and Georgia had to work. Minvera and Thomas was able to get some education but you can believe as soon as they were old enough they worked the farm also.

Our ancestors did not get a chance to say TGIF!! I see my ancestors working seven days a week. Maybe a half a day on Sunday, because church was in the morning. I can see even those that were in school probably working the farm after school and all day on Saturdays. Ben had such a big family and he worked and worked and worked to take care of everyone and produce his goods, and rumor is that Ben had enough land and left each one of his children a piece of that land. Now I see why he worked as hard as he did.

So when our work week end on Friday, think of those ancestors that did not have an end to their work week. Think of their work ethic and how we can instill some of that in our lives today. I guess we do in some way since us researchers are researching seven days a week. I guess we do have those work habits!!

In my research for my Louisiana line I realized that there were three boys in the family: Henry Robertson born abt 1868, Cane Robertson born 1874, and Thos Robertson born abt 1872. Now I had to really figure out what those two brothers names stood for. We all had nicknames as children.

In my research I would always come up against this names Corneilus Robertson in Webster Parish Jury Ward 2. I decided to save the record to my shoebox, but never thought about it again. Thos Robertson, came across a few records for Thos, but not in the area of my research. Henry Robertson is a true mystery, because there are so many Henrys and I believe he did not stay in the area. Probably wanted his own life and not the farm life.

I ended up leaving a post on one of ancestry message boards about something total different, but the person that answered my post was able to locate death record for that same Corneilus and it had my great great grandfather’s name Ben and wife Mandy listed as his parents.

I go back to that census record that I saved and realized that due to my instincts I had saved one of my ancestors records, and the crazy thing about it was that Corneilus had the same birthday as my Cane.

I firgured out that my Cane was Corneilus and Thos had be short for Thomas. I know genealogy is mostly detective work, but when it comes down to the spelling of these names, we become more than detectives. Instead of really listening to what our ancestors was saying their names were, someone took it upon themselves to give them a totally different name and left it up to us to figure out who is who. If census takers can not spell names at least get close as possible. Cane is not close to Corneilus and Thos, why not add the ma and you would have had the whole name. One thing that I found out about this research is you have to follow your instincts. Truly, if I would not have saved Corneilus’s records to my shoebox, although I had the information on death record, I would had to do a whole new census record. Was able to add another record to Mandy since she was living with Corneilus in 1920. I wanted to say Corn, why not Corn? Sounds much closer than Corneilus.

To all the researchers, FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS!! That is the only way you are going to find your ancestors!!
Felicia

Hello,

As I sit here today in 2009, I have always been fixated on the past. Reading, Movies, etc. Whatever contained the past (anything before 1960). That’s why I decided to trace my family and do a family tree.

As I began I found out that my mom did not have a whole lot of information on both sides of her line. So my journey began. I started with the information that was given to me by my mom, by her having so little, was not much to go by. All she knew at that time was that her mom was born in Cotton Valley, Louisiana that is in Webster Parish. Searched my grandmother’s name Odessa Amos but could not find her. At that point I found Ancestry’s message boards and found a Board for African Americans and left a post under the state Louisiana. To my dismay, someone answered and told me my great grandmother Amanda was living with her sister Martha in Police Jury Ward 2, Webster Parish with her 4 children, but the spelling was off. Ah! that’s why I Could not find her.

That’s one thing that I’ve learned about this research, education was not top priority back then, so spelling of names and what year a person was born may be off, waaay offf!!

Starting from there I learned that my great grandmother Amanda was part of a real big family(my mom said that her mom always said that it was 8 girls). My biggest problem with that is the family name. It was known as ROBINSON, but during my research I found the family under ROBERTSON. Which I learned later is actually the same surname. I was later able to locate my great great grandfather Ben Robertson in 1880. He was a farmer and owned and farmed his own land. He was married to my great great grandmother Mandy (surname Bryant) At that point there were only 8 children in the home and there were at least three boys.

My great grandmother Amanda was born in 1881, she was born after the census was taken, her sister Martha was born in 1883, and there was a sister Annie born about 1885. there 8 girls and 3 boys. The 1890 census were destroyed in a fire, so I was never able to locate the family in the same household. Fast forward 1900, not able to locate Amanda and her children, but family was still in the same area and Martha had married Robert B Bell. Forward on to 1910 and 1920 was able to locate Amanda. She passed away in 1926 in Chicago, IL. Thus that is where Odessa settled and met my grandfather Robert L Smith and had my mom who had me.

The reason for the blog is for those that are beginners and pros to leave posts about their families. I love the fact that I was able to locate all Ben’s children in that one area Webster Parish Policy Jury Ward 2. See to me that’s what family is. We stick together through thick and thin. We might not always get along, but no one else can bother us. I was able to locate the sisters, the sisters children, and some of the sisters children children up till the 1930 census. One thing that I have learned was that the family stayed in that area and stayed together. Even those that moved to Chicago stayed in a general area. I was able to get in contact with one of the sister’s Emma Long granddaughter Clarene LONG (Emma Long married a Sam Long). My tree contains all the sisters, their husbands, and their children.

My research is not done. Ben and Mandy are from Georgia. What city and county, do not know and that is what I am working on now. Ben’s last name was ROBERTSON and Mandy’s last name is BRYANT. If you are from GA, and looking for family that migrated to LA with these two surnames, leave me a message. MAYBE WE ARE RELATED!!!!!

FELICIA