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.

Amanda is my great grandmother on my maternal side of the family. I have been trying to find out whatever information on her and her famiy that I can.

I have made serveral descendant contacts of one of the ROBERTSON sisters, but they do not have much information, because Amanda died before they were born and even Amanda’s sister had passed away also. Cousin E had gotten a hold of an aunt that knew all the ROBERTSON girls. I have tried to call and she has not returned any of my calls. Even offered to send a letter if she doesn’t want to talk to me, but I don’t see her not talking to me as a possibility because she gave me her phone number and now cousin E have not returned my calls.

All I am trying to do is get to know all my great aunts and my great grandmother and hopefully get some information on my great great grandmother and grandfather.

I know your spirit is with me Amanda, because of the stories that I have heard about you , we do have somethings in common. All I am asking is for your spirit to guide me to that one person or that one thing that will give me the information that I am looking for. I am so close, but sometime spirits have to guide us to answering that email, letter, or phone message. So close, I feel you Amanda.
Felicia

Most of my research has been guided towards my Louisiana roots, I have so been neglecting my other ancestors. So I decided to do a little research on my Mathis side. Not sure but I think I found my great grandmother Alice’s family and my great grandfather’s Virgil family.

When I first started this research I found all different kinds of spelling for my last name:
Matthis/Mathews/Matthews. I always thought my last name to be Mathis. I decided to change everyone’s last name in my tree to Mathis and go from there. Well there are not that many African American Mathis in Arkansas, but I did not let that stop me. Put in my great grandfather’s Virgil first name and date of birth and only three people came up. A Massett born abt 1874, McCoy born abt 1871, and Michell born abt 1870. See my great grandfather Virgil was born about 1872.

The Massett family had a wife named Harriet, which Virgil’s mom name was Harriet found living with him and Alice in 1900. Although the age was off for Harriett, that can always be figured out later. Now the key to this being my Virgil is that there was a Casey family thirteen households away from the Massett family. Although the Casey family does not show my Alice(since she was born after the 1880 census was taken), whose to say that her mom did not give birth three years after.

For some reason I have a feeling that this is my Alice. I know I will have to order a birth certificate and all, but I just can’t shake this feeling. The familys lived to close to each other and although Alice was married to Virgil in 1900, Alice’s mother and father was still in the area and so was Virgil’s. What are your thoughts? Have I found my ancestors?
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!!