Hiatus Ahead

I'm currently in the grips of Dead Week, also known as the two weeks of final exams. Will return after a brief hiatus once my brain cells return to something approximating normal.

Thank you for your patients patience.

Tuesday Tagging - Hairy Faces

Today's post was inspired by a blog article on Ancestry.com "What kind of beard did your ancestor sport?" Not very imaginative but it got me thinking. Looking through the collection of photographs I have, I was surprised to see most were clean shaven. Here are those who sport hairy faces.You can use Ancestry's picture diagram at the bottom of the blog to determine the type of mustache and beard.

HAVE FUN!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am taking this week to love and appreciate my family so no new posts are available. You are welcome to review old post and vote on story types in the upper right corner.

Celebrating Confederate Ancestors

Not actually sure if this is
John Hansford Callway.

Do you celebrate your ancestor who was a Confederate Soldier? This is a question I'm wrestling with. To celebrate is to take pride in them, their beliefs and their accomplishments. It is to speak openly about them with a sense of dignity and reverence. When I'm discussing my ancestors among groups of friends and strangers, a confederate veteran isn't top of my list. From a 21st century perspective, I know my ancestor's beliefs are 'wrong.' I am not proud that he owned slaves, that he fought to keep slavery, that he fought to divide the country. Yet, I respect that he fought for his beliefs. It's a contrary place to be.

My ancestor, John Hansford Callaway was proud to have served in the Confederate Army. He mustered in on May 10, 1862 in Hamburg, Arkansas becoming part of Captain Bragg's Company, Arkansas Infantry. He served until May 15, 1866. His soldier's life was recorded in muster rolls and widow's pension records providing me with an unique insight.

• May 10, 1862 - Enlisted at Hamburg Arkansas by A.J. Greenwood
• May to June 30, 1862 - Present for Roll Call: "Pay and Bounty due from enlistment."
• Sept 1862 - "On detailed service"with 1st Regiment Trans-Mississippi Infantry
• June to Oct. 31, 1862 - Absent for Roll Call: "Detailed with Sappers & Miners, July 18, 1862"

• Oct. 31, 1862 to Feby 28, 1863 - Absent for Roll Call: "Absent without leave."

•  Feb. to April 30, 1863 - Absent from Roll Call: "Absent without leave. Said to have joined Parson's Texas Calvary"

•  April 30 to Aug 31, 1863 - Absent from Roll Call: "Sick in Hospital. July 18, 1863. Bounty due. He has only received $30.00 to service enlistment."

• Dec 31, 1863 to Feb 29, 1864 - Present for Roll Call.
• Feb 12, 1865 - Prisoner of War "belonging to the Rebel Army, in custody of Provost Marshal, Memphis, Tennessee... sent from Gaine's Landing"
• Mar 9 - Released from prison by Captain Wilson

Other than him serving in the Confederate Infantry, how do I know that John Hansford was proud of his service? With the help of HeritageQuest I've been able to scour old books, on of which was History of Ashley County, Arkansas (1959). From the appendix (p. xxvi-xxvii) is the following excerpt:

"The great day of 1889 was September 26th when 3500 to 4000 attended a barbecue and "dinner-on-the-ground-celebration" in honor of the veterans of the late war. It was held across the street from the Gus Norman residence which was located on north main street in Hamburg where George Etheridge now lives, the property formerly being known as the Dr. J.W. Simpson place. Great preparations was made for the event. At a mass meeting at the courthouse the following committees were appointed to solicit funds: ... Egypt: B.A. Tubbs, J.H. Calloway and R. M. Barnett...Committee on speakers: M.L. Hawkins, J.H. Calloway, W.A. Roby and T.J. Wells. Everyone performed his duty well. On the great day everything was in proper order. The speaker's committee had selected Colonel Slemons of Monticello to make the principal address. Prior to the dinner, a parade with Col. Slemons, riding a fine bay horse and escorted by 300 veterans marched from the courthouse square to the picnic grounds preceded by a marching band. The exercises at the grounds opened by the band playing the Bonnie Blue Flag. ... The latter received uproarious applause as he spoke of his presence at the surrender and heard General Lee make his farewell address to his army. After the speaking the band played Dixie and the crowd went wild. After the barbacue the three hundred old soldiers met at the courthouse and organized Camp Jim (James) Norris, united Confederate Veterans..."

John Hansford not only served, he celebrated his service. I've decided that it's important to remember that without our ancestors, without him, I would not be here. So, Yes. I want to celebrate my ancestor, recognizing that I don't celebrate his actions. Now I'll remember and respect him, John Hansford Callaway, my great-great-great grandfather.

Tuesday Tagging - The Couple

Do you know who this might be?

P00007 - "The Couple"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa ?

The man and the woman are wearing suit and dress that appear to be ill fitted and indistinguishable for a particular time period. The curtained background and the dress lead me to believe that this is a portrait studio scene. If that is the case, the clothes may have been borrowed from the studio for this picture. In which case, the clothes do not help me narrow down the time frame. 

Another interesting element to notice is their body language. They are standing close together but how would you define their relationship? Married... Engaged... Family Relations?

Tell me what you think and why.

The Oregon Trail

FYI - The Oregon State fruit is the Pear!

The historic Oregon Trail (you know, the one that the popular education game is based off of) began as a fur trappers' and traders' trail. It was only passable on foot or on horseback from 1811 to 1840 and spanned from Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon. Wagon trails soon followed until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed. But that's not the Oregon trail I'm talking about. 

The Oregon trail I'm talking about is a gossamer strand of the Callaway genealogy which I discovered in the midst of spinning out the genealogy web from Arkansas. Now I've seen strands disappear in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. But Oregon, that's a new one. 

Sometime between 1876 and 1878, Andrew Jackson Callaway, the oldest son of Martha Jane Jones and Jonathan Hosea Callaway, left Arkansas for Oregon. I know it was between 1876 and 1878 because he married S.A. Alston in Ashley Co. Arkansas(1876) and Sarah Steele in Oregon (1878). 

Now after a quick eye-popping "Yeah!", I had ask, "How did he get to Oregon and what was he doing there?" Oregon... late 1870s... what was going on? The Cattle Kingdom!

Here's what I've been able to piece together. In 1870, when Andrew was 19 years old he was living with his sister and brother-in-law, Sarah Caroline and William P. Griffin. William was an Editor and Andrew was a Farmer according to the 1870 census. Then in 1876 Andrew marries S.A. Alston who passes away shortly thereafter, possibly in childbirth. Based on historical events I speculate that perhaps in a desire for change Andrew joined a cattle drive coming up from Texas to the northwest.


He then lived in Oregon until is death on December 11, 1898. 

You'll notice on the tombstone that there's no birth date. However, it does give his age at 48 years, 9 months and 8 days. Using RootsWeb age calculator, it puts Andrew's birth day at March 3, 1850. The Callaway Family Bible puts it at March 25, 1850... that's pretty darn close. So I'm pretty confident that this is the Andrew Jackson Callaway that originally hailed from the Arkansas Callaways. 

Might make an interesting story. What do you think?

Tuesday Tagging - 2 Men in a Shop

Do you know who this might be?

P000021 - "2 Men in a Shop"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1910s

The man on the left is wearing what looks to be a knit button-down sweater, properly called a cardigan. This costume is from the 1910s and 1920s, which places the photograph much later.

Tracing Arkansas Callaways

I've begun spinning out the genealogy web from Jonathan Hosea Callaway, my ancestor who brought my branch of the Callaways to Arkansas, and my genealogy web has grown ... a lot! To help me and you keep track of the names as I discover and write about them, I've created a second blog page called "Tracing Arkansas Callaways." Yeah, I know it doesn't sound very exciting but that's all my brain can come up with right now. 

The link is in the upper right corner and it's a work in progress, so you may want to check it every once and while.

Orphan, Widower & Vilomah

What do you call a parent who outlives a child? A similar question is brilliantly posed by Katherine Hepburn in the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play Suddenly Last Summer. Katherine Hepburn as the pink haired Mrs. Violet Venable says, "After all, I've buried a husband and a son. I'm a widower and a . . . Funny, there's no word. Lose your parents, you're an orphan. Lose your only son and you are . . . nothing" (1959). Actually, Mrs. Venable is a vilomah and no, I didn't make that up.

"Widow" is from the Sanskrit word meaning "empty." Incidentally  "vilomah" is another Sanskrit word meaning "against a natural order." The natural order is for the parent to precede the child in death. Against the natural order if or the child to precede the parent. Thus, vilomah. 

Between the years of 1840 and 1850, Jonathan Hosea Callaway was a son, a husband, a father. He also became an orphan, a widower and a vilomah. 

• August 28, 1840 - John D. Callaway, father of Jonathan Hosea dies.
• November 29, 1840 - Jonathan's daughter, Martha "Mattie" Van, is born.
• March 16, 1842 - Jonathan's daughter, Sarah Ann Caroline, is born.
• November 28, 1844 - Jonathan's son, James Almorin, is born.
• December 3, 1846 - Jonathan's son, Hosea Lany, is born.
• December 3, 1846 - Lany, wife of Jonathan, dies.
• January 8, 1848 - Rachel Mobely, mother of Jonathan Hosea dies.
• August 30, 1848 - Jonathan Hosea married Martha Jane Jones.
• July 1849 - Martha's pregnant with Jonathan's son, Andrew Jackson.
• October 11, 1849 - Hosea Lany, son of Jonathan, dies.
• October 29, 1849 - James Almorin, son of Jonathan, dies.
• March 25, 1850 - Jonathan's son, Andrew Jackson, is born.

Even if we assume that people accepted death more readily in the mid-1800s than we do today, I find my self thinking that Jonathan Hosea must have experienced tremendous heartache by the time his son, Andrew Jackson, was born. To become a father and a widow on the same day. Then lose your mother 2 years later and become an orphan. To lose two small sons within weeks of each other and become a vilomah while your wife is 4 months pregnant. The pressure of grief is too much for me to imagine. 

There's plenty of research about antebellum mothers with regards to grief and mourning. This personal encounter with a historical person made me realize, I hadn't read anything about fathers. Surely, someone else had the same questions I did. In 1994 Sally McMillon asked a similar question which resulted in the publication of her article "Antebellum Southern Fathers and the Health Care of Children" in the Journal of Southern History. McMillon states: "Historical studies of child care usually focus on mothers and demonstrate their important and demanding role within the domestic sphere. Studies of the antebellum South have examined the domestic role of slaves as well as their mistresses; however, the participation of southern fathers in the home - the duties that they assumed and the intensity of their involvement in the care of children - has not yet received adequate attention." I agree. 

Sally McMillon reviewed many personal letters and journals of Southern fathers which reveals a "deep concern and active participation in the care of their offspring" (514). She also explores the other side of the coin, those fathers who did not want or care for their offspring.  However, much of her article focuses on the attention and duties Southern fathers had in their children's lives. Like privileged antebellum women, men were instructed on proper paternal roles of fatherhood. These caring fathers were nursemaids to their children, cajoling them to eat, concocting remedies, soothing fevers, and holding them as they passed away. They also took care of their pregnant wives, ensuring a healthy mother ensured a healthy baby. While pregnant mothers had a "natural fear of the forthcoming delivery," fathers also "fretted, agonized and prayed" (517). 

The whole of McMillon's article provides an illuminating insight to Jonathan Hosea's potential personality. It also raises more questions. Did he rejoice in the birth of his son while grieving over the death of his wife? How do you conduct an antebellum funeral and a celebration at the same time. Since his mother was widow, perhaps she came to live with him and help care for the children after his wife's death. Is that why he waited so long to remarry? He needed someone to help him with the children after his mother died? What was it like for him to care for 2 sick little boys and a young pregnant wife?

It would be interesting to do some more research and write a story about this situation. What do you think?

Tuesday Tagging - Leaning Man

Picture found in Callaway Collection of Photographs, Unidentified Male

Do you know who this might be?

P00011 - "Leaning Man"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1890s

Costume is similar to 1890 fashion illustration, notice the jacket, shirt collar and tie.

The 1st Wife, the 2nd Wife...Arkansas Marriages

I've heard people with teeth clenching frustration bemoan tracing women in their family history and I'm right there with them when search before 1850.  After 1850, they are still gritting their teeth and I'm smirking along. The only furrowed brow I really encountered were with Jonathan Hosea Callaway's two oldest daughters, Mary Ann Rachel and Martha Van. Their birth dates were clearly recorded in the family bible but not their marriages. 

Without a record of their marriage and their husbands' last name, it becomes difficult to trace them through census records. However, an hour at the genealogy center on Ancestry.com (Library Edition) soon solved this issue. These are transcriptions, not copies of the originals (if you know anything by now is that I thrive on the originals, so I'm still working on getting those).

Transcription: Mary R. Calloway, Female, age 23, born abt 1840, residing in Ashley Co. Arkansas, marries F F Brud, Male, age 34, marriage date - 23 December 1863

I'm still a little furrowed on this one because the surname Brud is not popping up. I really need the original in case there was an error in the transcription (i.e. the name was misspelled). 

The 2nd daughter was Martha Van and apparently went by "Mattie" since her step-mother was also a Martha. I found "Mattie Van Calloway" also married in Ashley County, Arkansas on December 5, 1867 to J. H. Riggin. Still smirking I did a search on FindaGrave.com and found she died on May 7, 1880.  Again her husband is listed as Rev. J. H. Riggin. I blinked... and blinked again. Wait, is that right?!

I quickly shuffled through my files for the youngest daughter of Jonathan Hosea Callaway. Her name was Louisa "Lula" Mason and she married.... yep, there it was, "John H. Riggin." Married  September 24, 1880 - just 4 months after her sister's death. Oh, Come on! Maybe this was a cousin with the same initials? Right? Right?

I checked to see if Lula's J.H. Riggin was a minister too... yep. Then I found these photographs. The back says "Riggin & 1st Wife Callaway." The dating of the photograph puts it between 1860 and 1890, well within the time period for Mattie's marriage to J.H. Riggin. Therefore, based on the above collected evidence and until new evidence proves me wrong, this is one of the few pictures I have of Martha "Mattie" Van Callaway.

That's Arkansas marriages for you and if you think about the time period, it actually makes a lot of sense. I could go into a cultural anthropology thing, but I think I'll save that for another article.

Halloween Tribute

"Dear Ancestor" by Walter Butler Palmer (1906).

"Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn

You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh and blood and bone
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so
I wonder how you lived and loved
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot
And come to visit you."

J.H. Callaway, buried Hamburg Cemetery, Hamburg, Ashley Co., Arkansas

Sarah Ann Caroline Callaway-Griffin, buried County Line Cemetery, Nashville, Howard Co., Arkansas

Joseph Pitt Callaway, buried Hillcrest Cemetery, Temple, Bell Co., Texas

Susan Amelia "Ada" Nancy Elizabeth Callaway-Chancey, buried Highland Park Cemetery, Ozark, Franklin Co., Arkansas 

Louisa "Lula" Mason Callaway-Riggin, buried Rose Hill Cemetery, Arkadelphia, Clark Co., Arkansas 

Tuesday Tagging - Family Picnic

Picture found in Callaway Family of Photographs, Unidentified Family

Do you know who any of these might be?

P00010 - "Family Picnic" 

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1890s

There are many costumes to chose from in large collections of pictures like these. I try to focus on one clear image, preferably a child since their clothing styles are easier to identify and mark the period. Think about it, children often grow out of their cloths about the time the fashion is changing. Meanwhile adults will wear out of fashion cloths for years before replacing it.

Here is a cropped image of the child I chose to focus. The child is wearing a sailor outfit which was popular in the 1890s.

Pity Me... Pairing Pears!

The photographs have taken over my life. I've become obsessed with identifying the people in them. I'm not concentrating on the ones that have no identification... no, I'm obsessed with the one's that do. In other words, I'm trying to Pair Pears! 

It's crazy because they are all Callaways. But which branch and how many generations removed? The only way to answer these questions is to spider-out. What I mean is I have to spin out the genealogy web to included descendants of descendants. The results look more like a snow flake than a web... actually it looks for like a contagion epidemic map from the CDC. 

The CDC's basic indexing method starts with zero patient. In this case, I'm starting with Jonathan Hosea Callaway. That's pretty far back but photographs became available in the 1820s and 30s. To be thorough, that's why I'm starting with him. He's indexed as C-01.

Then I have list out his offsprings, then each offsprings's offsprings, continuing until I reach the 5th generation.  Do you know how many people that is?! I don't, but it looks like I'm going to find out. The whole idea of indexing aunts, uncles, 1st cousins, 2nd cousins... just makes my head hurt. 

But it's already paying off. Below is a picture (I'm pretty sure) of Edward B. Callaway, 6th offspring of John Hansford Callaway.

 

The thing about doing this is that you don't collect your evidence all at once. New evidence may come forth later, either a month or years. So conclusions reached now may need to be re-evaluated and changed later. Unlike the 10 Commandments, history isn't set in stone. So if you're doing genealogy or looking for answers here, remember that those answers can always change. 

Tuesday Tagging - A Family & One Shocked Little Girl

From Callaway Collection of Photographs, Unidentified Family

Do you know who this family might be?

P00005 - "A Family & One Shocked Little Girl"

Albumin Print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1880s

Costume is similar to style found on 1881 postcard fashion print - notice the drop waist on the girls' dresses. This is the polonaise style consisting of a drop waist and false pleated skirt. 

Thank You, Mr. Boyd & Family Maps!

*For reasons unknown there's been problems with this post. The following first paragraph was missing from the initial publishing.

I didn't post on Friday because I wanted to tell you about my experience at the "Genealogy Lock-In" program at Haggard Library. This was a great opportunity for people to utilize various resources across Texas, attend free workshops and receive assistance from the fabulous Genealogy Center staff. And I got to combine two of my favorite things... my hobby and my job. As a representative for my museum, I was there with my portable audio and imaging lab helping people preserve their family history. I met one lady with whom I spent several long minutes discussing photographs. She was lamenting about her family photographs, many of whom are unidentified and a problem I'm quite familiar with (see Tuesday Tagging). We discussed strategies for aging photographs, typing to fashion. As I was walking away I saw another woman with a catchy black shirt was contrasted with her silver hair. It said, "I seek dead people!" She laughed saying, "Only people like us get it," referring to the women and a few men milling around. 

One of the men I met was Mr. Gregory A. Boyd. If you've ever used the "Family Map" books in the library or www.HistoryGeo.com then you've used the brainchild of Mr. Boyd. He's a one-of-a-kind guy, a combination of "attorney, software engineer, and historian" according to Arphax Publishing Co. website. I use the visual placement of the land lots on the map to determine relative proximity to different family branches. For instance, I discovered that the Baker family farm and the Callaway family farms were within a mile of each other. That proximity explains how Irene Baker and John Callaway probably met and later married.

From "Family Maps of Coffee County, Alabama" page 205

Another puzzle the maps solved was to a reference in the family bible. 

The Callaway family bible says: "Rachel Callaway, wife of John [D.] Callaway & mother of J. H. [Jonathan Hosea] Callaway died near Geneva on the 8th day of January 1848 at the residence of J H Callaway & was buried near Dr. Jones where also lies Lany and her 2 little boys J A & H L Callaway." The big question was where is this Dr. Jones place? Again, the proximity of names came to my rescue in the Family Maps. While highlighting the Callaway land, I didn't immediately notice the Jones on the far left until I looked at the historical map on page 145. There I noticed the "Jones Cemetery."

From "Family Maps of Geneva County, Alabama" page 145

The puzzle began to make sense and it was due to Mr. Boyd and his team's (that's his wife and one other person) hard work. I got to shake his hand and thank him personally for helping me answer some genealogical questions. I thought about asking for an autograph because I sincerely appreciate his work... but decided not to. If you have a chance to attend an all day genealogy workshop, I definitely recommend it. I know I'll me coming back to this one.

Hoarders... Gotta Love Them!

Last week I got so enthralled with boxes and boxes of photographs that I completely forgot to post an article. In lieu of words, I'm staying with the images. Check out the Callaway Family Archives on Facebook for glimpses of some Callaway ancestors. There are many who remained unknown, so Tuesdays are now designated "Tuesday Tagging." I hope others may know who these ancestors are and comment on them.

Don't forget to like the Callaway Family Archives Facebook page for regular updates.

Tuesday Tagging - A Gentleman's Airs

Picture found in Callaway Collection of Photographs, Unidentified Male

Do you know who this might be?

P00004 - "A Gentleman's Airs"

Albumin print, circa 1860 - 1890

Costume, circa 1860s

Costume is similar to style found printed in Harper's Weekly (February 27, 1864) - notice sleeves and shoulders of jacket; buttons and placement

Please Welcome, Mrs. Logan

If you're interested in literature or genealogy, you may have heard of the name Deborah Norris Logan and everything I say about her is redundant... but there's always the possibility you'll learn something new. However, if you have not met Mrs. Logan, let me introduce you.

Me: Mrs. Logan, what is your opinion of family history?

Mrs. Logan: I have frequently thought that it would be both profitable and pleasant if some person in every family would make it their concern to keep a book in which they would record ancestral traditions. My diaries and commonplace books are the very heirlooms my ancestors denied me. I now use these as a means to preserve fresh in memory passing events... the habit of noting down as they occur  the incidents of the times... or anythings that shall appear worthy of preservation. [Excerpts from Deborah Logan's manuscript diaries located at the historical Society of Pennsylvania]

*Mrs. Logan was the 1st female member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the youngest member of prolific literary club as well as a highly regarded keeper of cultural memory during the early republic of America. She believed in archiving and preservation and careful genealogical research. There are a number of biographies regarding Mrs. Logan and her literary companions; however, I suggest reading something a little different regarding her.

Stabile, Susan M. (2004). Memory’s Daughters: The Material Culture of Remembrance in Eighteenth-Century America. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Rather than expand on the typical biography or discuss the transformative thoughts of archives and genealogy, one will encounter words such as “topophilic” (love of place) and “materialized memory” (14). These are terms Stabile explores throughout the book especially in regards to the writings of 18^th century women such as Deborah Norris Logan, Elizabeth Fergusson, Hannah Griffits, Susanna Wright, and Annis Stockton. Drawing from their commonplace books, manuscripts and poems, Stabile reconstructs the material world these women preserved through their remembrances or memory.

As a result, Stabile maps a remarkable symmetry between the interior homes of the women and their innermost minds – she “interpreted vernacular architecture as palaces of memory” (14) – a type of topophilic materialism. Since the writers experience the world through their senses and often remember through sensational triggers of smells, sights, sounds, touch and taste, their minds are recording their local history, the experiences of their time. This idea is promoted by the 18^th century philosophy of associationism, “Which postulated a direct, physical link connecting domestic architecture, material objects, and memory” (30). This parallel between material form of architecture and the immaterial form of ideas is unified together and communicated when written. The writing is the materialization of memory.  

Stabile states: “The commonplace book, then, is an archive in both senses of the word: as a physical object, it represents rhetorical topoi, or places for memory storage; as a text, it is the very stuff of memory making” (16). It is important to note that Stabile makes it clear that without memory or association, the objects would not be recorded and thus unarchived making them immaterial. Deborah Logan comments on this when discussing the lack of material evidence of her female ancestors. Stabile also addresses this with regards to Susanna Wright who was a Quaker and had a disregard for material possession. As a result, there is little material evidence for Wright. The point being that humans, or women in this case, project meaning onto object through their sentimental associations of memory and materialize their meaning through writing or deposition.

So, are you writing your family's history?