Research & Writing

Unknown Women supplied by Dr. W

In addition to research, I'm also continually working on my writing of history. I have a different writing professor this year, Dr. W, and I think I'm going to enjoy her. She doesn't want us to come in with pre-written stories, everything has to be new. Additionally, she assigns a variety of writing exercises and assignments.

To get me back into writing on the blog again, I thought it might be interesting to map out how Dr. W promotes historical fiction writing. The first exercise is to list and describe images, people or situations that "haunt me". They make me questions "how, why, when... did something happen?". As you've seen from our archives, I have many question about why people moved, what did they do, etc...

The first assignment is character study of a photograph. I had to chose one from her selections (see left), but its a methodology that I can and will apply to a few of our own Callaway photographs as well.

This is a writing course geared towards fiction writing, not creative non fiction, so it allows me to explore different historical possibilities in the writing. I guess this is my way putting out a disclaimer that everything I write may not be supported by exact evidence.

Update & Anecdote

I'm leaving this weekend to go visit my grandmother and aunt. While I'm with them we're going to go through my Aunt Jewel's files of letters, notes and other papers. I'll be scanning them as well so look for a future post them. Once they're sorted and scanned, they'll be added to the archive for you to look through.

On another note, I've had some success identifying some of the pictures. I made a contact through www.findagrave.com  with Brenda Harris who is a Callaway+Underwood connection. She had posted a picture that I had an original to, so I was able to immediately identify the people. I shared with her the Callaway album which she then shared with her mother. The result was identifying this little girl here as Brenda's grandmother, Willie Lucille Callaway.

Isn't that great! Now Brenda and her mother are able to download the pictures. This is why I do this, for and for me.

Publishing Photographs

Working to make family photographs available to everyone, so I'm putting together a few Picasa Web Albums. Can you identify some of the people in the "Unknown Callaways" Album? Please let me know who they are!

Unknown Callaways Album

1973 Callaway Family Reunion Album

William Richmond, James Pitt & Rhoda Irene

I've been doing some work on the individual ancestors page, specifically the three above. Luckily I was able to find pictures for James "Jim" Pitt and Rhoda Irene... but none for William Richmond. Does anyone have a picture of William Richmond they'd be willing to share?

Jim Pitt - Does anyone know who the boys in the photograph are?

Rhoda Irene - The back says Rhoda Irene Karr and Dan Karr. Originally I thought it was not the right one but additional writing says the little girl is "Bill Bennet and Rhoda Irene's daughter"

If you have other pictures to add, please contact me at jenncrogers@gmail.com

Browsing the Florida & Georgia Archives

Not much archive browsing today. There was only one Florida archive that looked useful and I've earmarked it. It was broken into counties but not alphabetized by surnames so it's going to take time to flip through the pages.

Two Georgia archives looked promising:

1. Georgia Headright & Bounty Land Records, 1783-1909 (Family Search Online)Calhoon, Abraham 
• C. - Canady, William: #213-215, 225-253
2. Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990 (Family Search Online)
• Not searchable and sorted by County, another one that going to take time

With the Headright and Bounty, I found several names that I think I'll be able to match up pretty quickly. I think I found John D. Calloway in Georgia, but won't know for sure until I do a little more research. 

These have been added to the Library and Archives too.

Browsing Delaware Archives

Today I'm taking some time to browse through the unsearchable images in the Delaware archives. Luckily, the Delaware Orphan Court Records from 1680-1978 were organized in alpha order and I was able to pinpoint a Callaway pretty quickly. The deceased is a Jonathan Callaway, died 1882 and his minors, Dorcus, Geroge, Rachel, William, Mary and Susan (images 144-180).

I've also been browsing through the "Delaware Vital Record Index Cards" which are supposed to reference actual source documents in the Delaware Vital Records... I'm not sure they actually do though!

You can browse through them yourself. Just visit the Library and Archives page and click the links under "D, Primary Sources."

Unsearchable Records

Unsearchable records... What does that mean? You might think it means records that literally can not be searched. Maybe they're at an archives that's too far for you to travel or maybe they're gone. That's true and there are many of those.

But I'm referring to the "unsearchable" digital records. Records you have to browse through, flipping through image file after image file because you can't Ctrl+F for a name or type it in a handy search box. FamilySearch.org has many of these records and I'm just starting to go through them (see below). I'm not even finished with the A's yet. It's quite daunting... but exciting and fascinating too. These are primary source records and well worth the time.

These are also being added to the Library and Archives so check the page regularly throughout the Summer for updates.

• Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950 (Family Search Online)
• 1,742 search results found, none have been matched... yet!
• Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976 (Family Search Online)
• 26 search results found, none have been matched... yet!
• Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985 (Family Search Online)
• Not searchable - must browse through images which are organized by county. Coffee and Dale County are missing. Geneva is listed.
• Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 (Family Search Online)
• Not searchable - files are sub-categorized alphabetically by last name.
• Butts, H.G. - Campbell, J.B. - Image 956, 957, 958, 959, 960,961, 962
• Arkansas First Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 (Family Search Online)
• 174 search results, not have been matched... yet!
• Arkansas Probate Record, 1817-1979 (Family Search Online)
• Not searchable - files are sub-categorized by county
• It's going to take time to read through all the ledger pages.
• Arkansas Second Registration Draft Cards, 1948-1959
• 9 search results, none have been matched... yet!
• Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1957 (Family Search Online)
• 2,177 search results
• Arkansas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1864-1872 (Family Search Online)
• Another one that is not searchable, but I'm interested in reading through the documents since I know that John Hansford Callaway had slaves.

Post-Reunion

Last Memorial Weekend was the Annual Callaway Family Reunion for the descendants of Eli Elisha Callaway. I spent a great deal of time talking about my research, the stories I am composing and listening to memories being shared as we flipped through various photo albums. It was just the oomph I needed to get this blog going again.

So... I'm back and doing some redecoration and rearranging. First on the list is to update the research page which is titled "Library & Archives." This is the listing, as well as copies, of primary and secondary sources I've located and recorded. Not all the sources are directly linked to an ancestor, but they've been recorded so that if I come across them later - I don't have to go fumbling back through the research. I've spent many a time scratching my head, "I know I saw that somewhere..." or just give up and bang my head against the wall. Neither of which is very conducive to research.

Keep an eye out for more updates to come.

Memories

I struggled with what to write for today which is why there was not post waiting for you this morning. I've been writing and rewriting, never satisfied. Today is a photograph day, but the more I looked at pictures the more I thought about my Aunt Elaine. I found myself wishing I had a picture of her when she was younger. All the one's I have were taken when I knew her, in the last 30 years or so. But that doesn't tell the whole story of her life, that's not the full scope of her memory to my family.

Then now, literally just now at 9:40 pm, my Aunt Vickie posted this photograph and I smiled (well, I cried too).

Vickie & Elaine

Look at the smile. Respond to the giggling laughter. See the pride and caring hands. Feel the love. This is a captured memory that will never be forgotten.

Family photos are important because they are the physical embodiment of our memories, like letters and journals. Photos capture beautiful moments in time, a smile, a kiss, a hug, and all the people around you. Letters and Journals capture thoughts and feelings that are so unique and may never be felt and captured again. Put the two together and you have a lifetime of memories to carry you through the hard times. Those memories of living with your family are the best gift your can give the generations that follow you. 

Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

To be absent from the body

is to be present with the Lord.

The dust returns to the earth,

the spirit returns to God who gave it.

- In Remembrance of Aunt Elaine,

a fun and lovely lady who fit in quite well with our Callaway brood.

Don't know who was in charge of the camera this day, but I don't think we lost anybody.

We love you and we'll miss you.

Coming Soon!

The hiatus is soon coming to an end. I took about four weeks off to recuperate and spend time with my family. As you know, family is very important to me and I hope you took time to celebrate yours. You will be rewarded for your patience with a short story. 

Classes start for me next Tuesday and the blog post will also return to regular posts on Tuesdays and Friday, so look for it next week.

Happy New Year!