Burrel McFarland's Family

Burrell was the son of Penelope, the Matriarch of the McFarland Clan from Georgia, USA. Please 

note that there were other Black McFarlands living in Franklin County, Georgia. They were 

Daniel McFarland, Evy McFarland, Peter McFarland. There may have been others.

He also had two brothers, Samuel and Pinkney. We will get to them on another post. Burrell had to be a

resourceful person. He received a homestead from Arkansas in 1897 for 154 acres of land. He had moved

with his family to Arkansas in the early 1890's. We will discuss his wife on a later post.

Burrell's wife was Candice/Kansas Knox. They had eight children - Mattie(1882 - 1910), 

Minnie(1885 - 1973), Eveline(1888 - 1977), James(1891 - 1909), Beadie(1892 - 1974), 

Lela(1894 - 1921),  Alma(1898 - 1961), and Goviner(1900 - 1910). Six girls and two boys.

Burrell who died in 1935, outlived four of his children. Candice died in 1924 and also outlived 

four of her children. The remaining four children accept for Alma died in the 70's. Alma died in 1961.

Burrell and Candace took in Mattie's daughter Curley because of her early death. Burrell took in his 

daughter, Alma, in 1930 after her husband, Frank Brittian died. His life could not have been easy because 

of losing four children. He survived the early chaos after the Civil War and was able to start anew in 

Arkansas with his own 154 acres of land as a farmer.

Lost a Family

 I am looking at the descendants of Burrell McFarland. 

And presently, I can't find Burrell McFarland anywhere on the 1920's Federal Census. 

He was in the 1910 Census with his wife Kansas, daughters, Evelyn, Beadie, Lela, Alma, and granddaughter Curlie McCoy living in Bradly, Van Buren, Arkansas. 

Then, I found him again in the 1930 Census with  his daughter, Alma living in Welborn, Conway, Arkansas.

I have looked in every city/township in Van Buren and in Welborn Counties. I should be able to see Burl, Kansas, Alma, and Curlie. Kansas, his wife died in 1924; perhaps, he was with her at some hospital or assylum? But, where was Alma and Curlie? I thought they could have been living as servants somewhere. I am going to look for his other daughters. 

Hopefully, I will have good news when I post next week.

Making Plans for 2022!

 Happy New Year to everyone in genealogy land!

This is the year 2022 and I want to make a list of things I want to accomplish with my genealogy. I feel that I have not pushed as hard as I should. Also, I now have more time because I am retired. So, I have no excuses.

My Plan:

• Blog once a week. 
• Prepare a Locality Guide for Conway County and Van Buren County, Arkansas.
• Start a Neighborhood Research Project (FAN Club) for my ancestors living in Arkansas.
• Get familiar with the Library of Congress, NARA, and Freedman Bureau websites.
• Read more genealogy published books and manuscripts.

I have been concentrating on my grandmother's ancestors on my mother's side. This is just a small part of my family research.  I still need to start on my grandfather's ancestors on my mother's side. On my father's side, I have to start researching for both his father and mother and their ancestors. 

But, in the year 2022, I am just concentrating on my grandmother's ancestry on my mother's side.

If you are reading this blog, comment on what your genealogy plans are for 2022. Thanks.

1784 Plats for Franklin County

 I am collecting as many maps concerning Franklin County, Hart County, and Madison County. These are the regions my ancestors resided in Georgia up until around 1880 or so. I am getting deep into this rabbit hole. These plats, however, will give information on the land owners who first populated Franklin County. This could possibly help with my research of how the slave woman, Penelope came to Georgia and eventually to be a slave of John McFarland. I figure if I find the deeds of these men perhaps I will see a transfer from one household to another concerning Penelope. Also, by using newspapers to find advertisements concerning trades it may possibly help with my research.

The main two places, so far, that I am getting my maps are the Georgia Archives and the Library of Congress web sites. Because of copyrights laws I can't give you a link, but such google Georgia Archives and Library of Congress to find maps of your counties. It is also more fun to find these maps yourselves - after all who doesn't love sliding down a rabbit hole 😀

Well, back to work!

Location Guide for Georgia, USA

 I am finding wonderful maps for the state of Georgia. The purpose being to understand more clearly where my family lived. And in the case of my family, McFarlands and other families, why they chose to leave Georgia and take up residence in Arkansas. 

They were slaves in Franklin County, then later moved to Hart County and Madison County. 

I am also tracing their migration route into Arkansas.

My first step in this process is to gather maps from the beginning of Georgia's state hood through the end of the Civil War and up to the year 1890. I want to find when the counties were formed so I can determine what court houses stored county documents. Also, this will help me research the Freedmen's Bureau for any documentation and find the laws of the state and counties.

Map of Hart County 1889

Samuel McFarland

 Today, I found the actual marriage certificate for Samuel McFarland. His name was written as McFarlan. He married Margaret Chappel. The person who married them was F.B. Scarborough J.P. He was married in Madison County, Georgia, on January 11, 1874.

I have one main question concerning Samuel and Margaret McFarland. 

Question: How many children did they have and what were their names, and when and where were they born?

Objective: Find all the children that were born to Samuel and Margaret McFarland. Find documentation of what their names are and their birth dates. Also, find documentation of the state, county, city, and township from were they were born.

Analysis: The 1880 Census: State: Georgia; County: Hart; Town: Rays

                                              Samuel McFarland 27 years old

                                              Margaret McFarland 23 years old

                                              Frank McFarland 4 years old

                                              Edna McFarland 3 years old

                                              Nancy McFarland 6 months old

                                              Penny McFarland 62 years old

My next step is to map out the places Samuel has been to up to 1880. I also want to see if I can find some documentation of what happened to Samuel from the end of the Civil War (1865) to 1880. Samuel was 17 years old in 1865. 

Patriarch Samuel McFarland

    Penelope McFarland is the matriarch of the McFarland's family. She had three sons from her master, John McFarland. The three sons were Samuel, Pickney, and Burrell.

    Presently, I am concentrating on Samuel's lineage.

We are first introduced to Samuel in the 1850 Slave Schedule for District 32, Forsyth, Georgia. He was born about 1848. He is again seen in the 1860 Slave Schedule for Franklin, Georgia under Rebecca McFarlin. Her husband, John McFarlin, had passed away in 1857. This is the first time I noticed the difference in counties (Forsyth and Franklin). One of many reasons to write down what you find; it helps keep  you focus. 

Cluster Research

You find information about your ancestors by looking at the people around them. This is called cluster research. I looked at the will of James Jackson. Background information: John McFarland's wife's name is Rebecca Jackson. Her father is James Jackson and he made his will out in 1838. So Rebecca did not receive the slave Pleas until after 1838. I now need to find out what year John McFarland and Rebecca were married and what year James Jackson died. Remember, by 1840 John McFarland had five slaves. The reason for this research is to find what year John McFarland purchased his slave Penelope. Penelope is the matriarch of my family - McFarland.

Clues to Who Sold Penny to McFarland

I have already looked at every probate, will, and estate papers belonging to John McFarland and his father Robert McFarland. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything concerning purchases of slaves. So, I am thinking the transaction took place between the neighbors. I am now comparing the 1830 Census with the 1840 Census to determine who had slaves and when they had them.

Project: Before 1870 - Tracking Your Slave Ancestor

My family name is McFarland. Some people like to spell it as McFarlin. Our clan started with a lady named Penelope. This woman had three sons by her slave master, John McFarland. The sons names were Samuel, Pickney, and Burrell. I am from the line of Pickney McFarland and his wife Chainey Knox. I want to find information about Penelope.

This is the 1870 Census

When enlarged you see Penelope as head of household and her sons - Samuel, Pickney, and Burrell.

This is the 1860 Slave Inventory under the name Rebecca McFarland

A transcription of this 1860 document is as follows:

1 35yr male; mulato

1 35yr female; mulato

1 35yr female; black

1 21yr male; black

1 20yr male; black

1 19yr male; black

1 13yr male; black

1 12yr male; mulato

1 10yr male; mulato

1 5yr male; mulato

This is the 1857 Inventory of Slaves

Fortunately, an inventory was made in 1857 which will help collaborate the 1860 schedule. John McFarland had died in 1857 - so the reason for this inventory.

A transcription of this document is as follows:

Pleas

Terry

Peter

Ben

Daniel

Sam

Pink

Elvy

Penny and child

Now, let's combine the two schedules to give us some names to go with the 1860 document.

Pleas - 1 35 year old male, mulato

Terry - 1 35 year old female, mulato

Penny - 1 35 year old female, black

Peter - 1 21 year old male, black

Ben - 1 20 year old male, black

Daniel - 1 19 year old male, black

Samuel - 1 13 year old male, mulato

Pink - 1 12 year old male, mulato

Elvy - 1 10 year old male, mulato ( I think this should be female)

Burrell - 1 5 year old male, mulato

So here is our ten slaves belonging to John McFarland. Now let's go back to the 1850 slave schedule.

1850 Slave Schedule

A transcription of this 1850 document is as follows:

1 38 male black                []       Pleas

1 38 male mulato              []       Peter

1 29 female mulato           []       Terry

1 29 female black             []       Penny

1 18 male black                []        Ben

1 11 male black                []        Daniel

1 9 male black                  []        Elvy 

1 5 male black                  []        Samuel

1 3 male black                  []        Pinky

1 1 male black                  []        Burrell

So in 1850 we have 10 slaves. The ages are all over the place. Now let's place names to this document. The only thing we know for absolute is there are 10 slaves. John McFarland took the 1850 inventory himself. The 1860 inventory was done by one of his sons because he had died in 1857. Therefore, I would put more assurance that the 1850 document is correct. 

Okay if we look at the 1840 census we have the following:

1 male under 10                 Daniel

1 male under 10                  Ben

1 male from 10 - 23             Pleas

1 female from 10 - 23          Terry

1 female from 10 - 23           Penny

So we know that Burrell, Pinky, Samuel, and the 9 year old had not been born. The reason I know that Pleas was the male from 10 - 23 is because he was bequeathed to Rebecca when Rebecca's father, James Jackson died. To be honest, I am so glad I'm after Penny! 

Now let's go to 1830 Census. If we look at this census we have the following; 

1 male from 10 - 23

 And like I mentioned above that was Pleas who was given to Rebecca by her father in his will. So sometime between 1830 and 1840 John McDonald got Terry, Penny, and two small boys. Could one of the boys been Penny. No. The reason being there were only three boys with Penelope on the 1870 census. If one of these boys were hers they would have been with her on the census. Also, in 1870 you can find Daniel, Ben, and Peter on the census with their own families.

So my next step is to research every document that may show a transaction selling four slaves to John McFarland sometime between 1830 and 1840.

How my Grandmother, Gladys McFarland met my Grandfather, Roosevelt Sanders

How my Grandmother, Gladys McFarland met my Grandfather, Roosevelt Sanders:
My grandmother lived in Bee Branch, Arkansas.  She went to Haytown, Missouri to pick cotton. She lived with her sister, Vanilla in a large community house which bordered cotton pickers. While she was picking cotton an young man introduced himself. He asked her to marry him. She said she was engaged. After the cotton picking season was over she went back home. The young man and she corresponded back and forth. He asked if she could visit her. She confided with her step-mother Mama T. Mama T said the visit should be okay with her father. Then she prayed to God and ask to see the man she should marry dress in white. When she dreamt she saw this young man dressed in all white. He wrote to her father and asked not only for a visit but her hand in marriage. He came on a Sunday afternoon and talked to her father. Or rather her father drilled him up and down. But he gave his consent. The next day,  Monday,  they went to Conway, Arkansas and was married by her cousin.
     They moved to Haytown, Mo. and lived with his Mom. Gladys' brother,  Vincent was living with his wife in St. Louis,  Mo. He told Gladys that she should move there. But her husband mother was very sick and he did not want to leave her. So they decided that Gladys would stay and try out St. Louis for two months. After the two months Roosevelt put his mother in a home and moved to St. Louis with his wife, Gladys.

I'm in Georgia

I've gone back all the way to the 1900's in Arkansas' census and then I went into the state of Georgia. There is a major problem with the 1890's census. There are none or close to none. Everything was burn. So I had to go back to the 1880's to continue my research.

More to come.

Census Reports

I decided to view the census backwards going from 1930 back as far as I could go. I was able to go back to 1900's. Sometimes even with all the technology available in today's world I still needed paper and pencil to write down each family I found. And then I was able to compare each census year side by side to detect if there were any discrepancies or anomalies.

My first observation was that it was near impossible to detect a child's death if they were born and died between census. This is where oral history is extremely important. Oral history also helped out when there were twins involved and one did not survive.

Another problem is when people fell off the census reports. This occurred if they got married and moved away or worst if they were single and such moved away. Very rarely did I see one person living by themselves on the Census reports. I have four people that I need to track down who disappeared from the 1930's census but had been on the 1920's census. One lady I know married but I do not know her husband's last name and where they moved to. All her sisters and brothers had stayed in the same area and therefore you saw them on the next census with their husbands. The other three were men who stayed single for the rest of their lives but I don't know where they were living in the 1930's.

All interesting stuff and a lot of detective work.

Add Pictures

Today, I will scan family pictures and add them to my family tree. And there is the always on-going process of verifying information.

Getting the Data

I found census records that were free on Census Finder http://www.censusfinder.com/ and were able to verify birth dates and family names from the census. One problem I see using the census is you can't completely rely on them. The main reason, as I see it, is if a child is born and dies between census dates you would not know that person existed. I am trying to think how you could verify everyone in the family - one way, of course, is family oral report. But if everyone is dead then I'm thinking utilizing the newspapers' obituary section or physically going to the family cemetery and looking there. I also was excited to find Federal Land Records to see how much land my family owned. Overall, a very successful day and I didn't have to pay or charge for anything!!!

World Vital Records

Based on what I was looking for I decided I would not sign up for this website. My main reason was they have not gotten all the counties into the census images/reports. My county was
missing and so the census reports didn't do me any good. They did have newspapers from my state I am looking into and that was very interesting. I would rate the site a 3 because the price was excellent and it has great potential. I'll go back at another time and pay for it when I have discretionary income.

World Vital Records

My preliminary evaluation is not too good. I don't see all the
counties in my state on the census reports. I'm still reviewing the
website.

Sent from my iPod

Evaluation

I really need to get access to census records. I had a subscription with genealogy.com. The subscription fee is $200 and not a viable alternative at this time. So I am going to try out World Vital Records - its membership is $3.33/mo. If anyone knows where I can get census records, whether online or offline, let me know.

Genealogy - Step 1

I started with myself and my family. I figure if I can get all the information I have on me for everyone else, then I will know that their records are complete. I've recorded the info on the family view page. I am using Family Tree software program. I've been able to put down info for my grandfather and grandmother down to my nephew. But no one is complete yet, including me because I haven't done any reports. I have to find out what reports should be done first. And I don't have any papers - only oral information. This is going to take some time to do. I did put in everyone pictures for the family tree and that was fun to do. Any suggestions would be helpful. Later.