Oral History Is So Much Fun!

Me (Lisa), Grandmom, and Aunt Nancy

Oral history is so much fun to collect. Stories about people and clues to your ancestors can be gleaned that are cannot be found in the "official" records.

In search of more family stories led me on another visit to my paternal grandmother.  While she may not want me to tell you her age, let's just say she's 90 (cough!) +.

I have interviewed my grandmother a number of times.  Each time more memories seem to emerge and new details around old stories come to light.

So, what did I learn?

• Important clues to the possible identities in an "unknown" photograph.
• More about the relationship and close interactions between my Elliott (Barnett) and Talbott ancestors. 
• Information and clues about my GG grandfather's (Will Haley's) brother John  Haley. 
• Young cousins can earn enough money worming tobacco to pay for gas money to go see their first airplane!
• Four generations spending time together is worth all the travel!

As I sort through and evaluate all the new clues I gained, I will keep you updated on my Halifax County, VA ancestors.

Research Updates

I thought I would update my cousins and fellow researchers where I am in my research.  I have been a little quiet in posting my research mostly because I am involved in "community" research.  In some cases I have "lost" my ancestor's trail and am currently researching all those associated with my ancestor.  It is time consuming and tedious at times, but I really like this type of research.  I feel like I truly learn how those in a community interacted with each other.  Of course, I find a lot of collateral ancestors this way as well.  Keep reading.  Things should become clearer (I hope.).

Howard Family Line (Wake, Moore, Lee NC Counties):  This family line is solid back to James Harward of Wake County and King and Queen County, VA before that.  Since K and Q County is a burned county, no records exist from the time that James lived there as as young child in the 1760's.  I'm still hoping that records from areas of the country that the family and neighbors migrated to will surface and shed light on the earlier generations in this line. This line will likely need to join a DNA project to determine which Howard/Harward line is ours.


Haley (Halifax and Charlotte Counties, VA):  My Haley family research certainly challenges me to find new ways over, around and/or through this genealogical brick wall!  My current research takes this family line back to Jesse Haley who was born ~1803 in Virginia - likely in Halifax or Charlotte County.  Honestly,  I'm stuck when it comes to Jesse.  I have turned to researching all those with whom he associated.  Interestingly, he did not seem to associate with many other Haleys - at least not in the records.  To learn more about Jesse and hopefully his parentage, I am researching William Cardwell (Jesse's friend) and the Brackett Owen family (Jesse's in-laws and possible blood relations.)

There is another aspect to my Haley family research that I am enjoying immensely.  Sharing stories and identifying photographs with my Haley cousins gives depth to the stories of our generations past. I never even knew most of these cousins before I started my research.

Isn't that what genealogy is about?

White (Surry, Rockingham, Caswell, Granville Counties):  Ahh.....another "brick wall" family.  Let's just say that researching a man by the name of John White in North Carolina (or any other state) is not an easy task.  Now that that's been said, another White family researcher and I have made and continue to make great strides in tracing this line back.  We are confident of this line back to John White who arrived in Surry County, NC sometime in the 1810's or 1820's.  We are fairly certain John White is the son of Cagebeth [Cadbreth, Cajabeth] White Rockingham and Granville Counties, NC. Like the Haley family line, the White family line requires researching the associates, neighbors, and even in-laws to get to the next generation back.  This is a line of research I will definitely be posting more about this summer.

How Much Was Jesse's Property Worth?

Jesse Haley died in the summer of 1869.  His estate included 79 3/4 acres of land in Halifax County, VA  that was sold at auction in 1870 to the highest bidder.  His son Stephen C. "Cas" Haley was the highest bidder paying $3.20 per acre or a total of $255.52.

Dick Eastman recently shared a link to S Morgan Friedman's inflation calculator.  I decided to see just how much Stephen C Haley paid for his father's land at auction in terms of today's money. (Well, at 2010 which is the latest the inflation calculator goes.)

Stephen C Haley would have paid the equivalent of $54.49 per acre and a total of $4345.58 on the land in 2010.  Very interesting!

Why I Am Researching William Cardwell

I am very fortunate to have been able to attend three NGS conferences in the past few years.  These have been great opportunities to improve my research skills.  As I have listened to the experts lecture, one theme that repeatedly comes to mind. When you hit a brick wall, research your ancestor's associates.  ALL the associates - neighbors, collateral ancestors, anyone who appears as a witness in a record, etc. Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum.  They worked and lived in a community. They interacted with people other than just their immediate family.

William Cardwell was just such an associate of Jesse Haley (1803-1869).  Remember Jesse - my GGGG grandfather?  His parentage is  one of my "brick walls".  I have exhausted the search of the records for Jesse Haley. (Sometimes I think space aliens just dropped him off.)

William Cardwell is listed as a witness on the marriage registration of Jesse Haley and Temperance Owen in 1826 in Halifax County, VA.  Three other men are listed: Brackett Owen (father of Temperance), Staple Owen (uncle of Temperance), and Armistead Owen (brother of Temperance).  What was William's relationship to the couple. Was William a relative or just a friend of the bride and/or groom?

The initial phase of my research did not turn up the nature of the relationship of William Cardwell to Jesse and/or Temperance.  I do believe this William may be the William Cardwell born about 1800 and lived in Charlotte County, VA for much, if not all, of his life.  There is also evidence that Cardwells lived in Halifax County along Terrible Creek and Difficult Creek.  This is not that far from where the Sterling Haley family lived on Buckskin Creek.  This area is also not far from the Halifax/Charlotte County line where both Haley and Cardwell families lived.

So, it turns out I am researching a community.  I'm learning who interacted with whom and where they lived. Already I know more about the family names and the geography of the area than I knew when I was researching the single name of Haley.

Breaking through Jesse Haley's brick wall will be a long search.  The search into William Cardwell may not provide the answers I want.  But that's okay.  Jesse had other associates.  If William doesn't provide the answers, I will move to the next associate on the list.

Cousins To The Rescue!

Anita Talbott, Betty Compton, Kathleen Owen, Nancy Talbott, Edna Adams, Daisy Nichols, Dorothy Haley,Eunice Owen, Winnie Carr, Mattie Mason and Carrie Owen

My Haley cousins have come to the rescue to help identify all the women in this photograph taken at a Haley family reunion.  The date is estimated to be about 1946.  This date is based on other photographs that were take the same day and also, the age of the little girl in the picture.

Researchers and cousins, here is a list of how each woman fits into the William and Clara Haley family of Charlotte County, VA.

• Anita Talbott - daughter of Winnie Haley Carr; granddaughter of Will and Clara Haley
• Betty Compton - daughter of Mattie Mason; granddaughter of Will and Clara Haley
• Kathleen Owen - Burton Owen's wife; daughter-in-law to Carrie Haley Owen
• Edna Adams - mother of Dorothy Adams Haley
• Nancy Talbott - daughter of Anita Talbott
• Daisy Nichols - daughter of Will and Clara Haley
• Dorothy Haley - wife of Clyde Haley
• Eunice Owen - wife of Tollie Owen
• Winnie Carr - daughter of Will and Clara Haley
• Carrie Owen - daughter of Will and Clara Haley

It is great to have everyone identified!

Clarkton Bridge

This is a photograph of the Clarkton Bridge that crosses the Staunton River Bridge.  The bridge was built in 1902 and connected Halifax County, VA  with Charlotte County, VA.  On the back of this photo is the name Percy Haley.  Percy (1890-1959) was the son of  Will and Clara Haley.  I'm not sure if the young man leaning on the railing of the bridge is actually Percy or not.

Here is a close-up.

 Cousins - does anyone know?

Today the bridge is open to foot traffic only.  You can read more about this bridge here and see current photos of the bridge here.

Clarkton Schoolhouse

I grew up hearing stories from my grandmother about her early childhood in Clarkton, VA.  Her grandfather William Haley and her great grandfather Branch W. Holt  both served as overseers on the Clarkton Plantation in the northern part of Halifax County.  Clarkton still stands today.  You can read more about it here.

I found this photograph of the Clarkton schoolhouse among my grandmother's pictures.  Many of the Haley cousins of my grandmother's generation attended school here.

Cousins, does this bring back any memories or family stories?

Where Jesse Is Not.....

In my continued quest to learn more about my Haley family line, I have been focusing on my GGGG grandfather Jesse Haley's (1803-1869) "missing years". That would be the years between 1827-1835.  I am hoping to find a clue that will lead me to the identity of his parents.  I originally posted about Jesse's missing years here.

Off to the library I went this morning.  I had a date with 2 roles of microfilm and the #2 microfilm reader. (It's my favorite.)  After reviewing the Charlotte County, VA tax lists for these years I can now say Jesse was not in Charlotte County during these years.

While a bit disappointing to not find Jesse, I did not really expect him to in Charlotte County.  While there are certainly a number of Haleys (Haileys) in Charlotte County, I have not found any evidence that Jesse lived there.  He lived close. He was likely related to these Haleys.  He just does not appear in the Charlotte County records.

So, the search continues.....

This Is Not George and Daisy

Remember this photograph from the last post?  It was labeled as George and Daisy (Haley) Nichols.

Well, my Haley cousins came to the rescue. (Thanks, Mary and Garland!)

This couple is NOT George Nichols and his wife Daisy (Haley).

Just who are they?  I'm not sure.

 I do believe they are Haley family members.  This photograph was among my great grandmother's family photographs.

It is not a carte de visite nor is it a cabinet card.  It is a small paper photograph.  I think it may have been taken in the early part of the 1900's.  If so, I could have been one generation off by thinking this was George and Daisy.

I look forward to delving into the mystery of this couple.

"New" Photographs of Haleys

I realized something today.  I have a LOT of photographs. I also sometimes forget what I have.

I found these Haley family photographs this morning while looking for a different set of photographs entirely.
Haley cousins, I need your help in filling in the blanks.  These photographs were labeled.  Are these individuals correctly identified? I would love your help in completing the story behind the picture.

The gentleman on the left is identified as Dee Owen.  The others are not identified.  Are they relatives?  Friends?  Any idea as to the location of the picture?

This couple is identified as George and Daisy (Haley) Nichols. I expect this photograph was taken in Charlotte County, VA. Year?

This gentleman is Timmie "Teet" Haley.  This particular photograph indicated he was in Hawaii. Am I correct in his given name being Timothy William Haley?  How did his nickname come about?

This is another photograph of Timmie Haley (right).  Ft McPowell is written on the back. The gentleman on the left is not identified and presumably a friend.

Thanks for your help!

In The Footsteps of My Great Great Grandparents

Here I am standing on the Charlotte County, VA property that my GG grandfather William Haley and his youngest son Clyde bought in the 1920's.  Grandpa Will's house no longer stands, but Clyde's house is still there. It was a beautiful day to be in rural Va walking where my ancestors lived.

Where Was Jesse From 1827-1835?

The answer to this question may prove to be important in my search for Jesse Haley's parents.

Jesse Haley's life is pretty well established. He resided in Halifax County, Va from 1835 to his death there in 1869.  He payed personal property taxes there from 1824-1826.  He married there in 1826.  Then he disappeared from  1827-1835.

Where did he go?  He was a young man and newly married.  His first two children were born during this time.

I talked with the genealogy researcher at the Halifax County courthouse. He offered me some ideas on where to look for Jesse:

• Check neighboring Charlotte County tax records during these years. (Jesse does not show up in the census records there for 1830.) Many Haleys lived in Charlotte County. The area that Jesse eventually settled in was not far from Charlotte County.  Also, Sterling was living near the Charlotte County border during the 1820's. 
• In 1828 gold was discovered in Georgia.  (Read more about that here.)  Over time, many Halifax County families migrated to Georgia in hopes of striking it rich.  According to the courthouse researcher, most of the surnames of Halifax County will be found Georgia by the end of the gold rush.  Haley is among the names found in Georgia during this time.  I need to check the Georgia records for Jesse. 
• Many Halifax Counties families migrated to TN during this time.  Haleys were among them.  A preliminary search found no trace of Jesse, but more research is still needed.

It is nice to have new avenues to research.

NOTE:  If you are needed to research at the Halifax County, Va courthouse, go on a Thursday or a Friday. A genealogist researcher is there both days to assist you in finding the records you need.  He is a wealth of information!

Halifax County, VA Research Trip

I'm back from my Haley research trip to the Halifax County, VA  courthouse. My goal was to determine the parentage of Jesse Haley (1803-1869) or determine possible parental candidates.  As part of this goal, I was trying to determine the relationship (if any) of Sterling S Haley, Polly Haley, and William Haley to Jesse Haley.  As I have posted earlier, these individuals appeared in the vicinity of Jesse in the 1820's.

Was I successful? 

Yes and no. 

•  I still am unable to state who was the father of Jesse Haley. I think I am giving up on the dream that I will find a document where an ancestor refers to "my son Jesse Haley".  Isn't that what we all hope for when we research?
• I was able to determine that the parents of Sterling S. Haley were Benjamin Haley and Elizabeth Williams.  The source of this information was the will of Elizabeth's father Robert Williams.
• I found that in all the records of Sterling Haley, he is referred to as Sterling S. Haley.  This may be indicative of another Sterling Haley in the area. The S may have been used to differentiate between the two men. Another possibility is that Sterling may have been called by his middle name during daily life, while his first name was used in more official records.  This is actually a pattern I have seen in Jesse's Haley family line.
• I was unable to determine the identity of the Polly Haley listed in the 1822-1824 tax records of Halifax County.  Possible thoughts were that Polly was the widowed mother of Jesse Haley and/or of Sterling.  No records of this Polly's remarriage or estate records were found. Neighboring counties' need to be checked.
• I'm still not sure who William Haley in the 1825 census record was.  There are many William Haleys that need to sorted to be able to make an accurate conclusion.
• I was able to determine that Archibald Haley and Benjamin Haley are both possible candidates to be Jesse's father.

I am continuing to sort through all the information I gathered at the courthouse and compare it to that of my previous courthouse trip this past summer.  I am excited to have new directions to take my research and am hopeful these will produce results.

Will The Brick Wall Come Down This Week?

I am just so excited!

I will be doing original courthouse research this week.  It's really my favorite way to conduct research.

My research plan written.

My research bag is packed.

My research assistant is ready to go.

Will that Haley family brick wall come down at last?

Watch for updates here.

Research Update

I thought I would update you the reader on my recent research.  I like keeping my cousins updated and blogging about my research helps to keep me focused.

The White Family Line: I have been working with another White family researcher (descendant of Albert White of Surry County, NC) to attempt to trace our White family back. Multiple White lines and re-used given names make this research particularly difficult. We believe (though nothing is set in stone) we can trace our White line back to the Rockingham and Caswell County areas to a Cajabeth White.  There is still much research to be done to be able to support (or disprove) our theory.

The Haley Family Line: You can read about the latest developments here on my research into the 1820's tax records for Halifax County, VA.  I have identified several Haleys I believe were in some way related to Jesse Haley (my GGGG grandfather). These Haleys do not stay in Halifax County for long and fall between the census years of 1820 and 1830.  Another research trip to the Halifax County courthouse is in the making to look at land and court records.

The Howard Line: I was able to provide another researcher with photographs of someone in his Dean family tree.  My great grandfather's (Connie M Howard) 4th wife was Lucille Dean. It is always nice to help another genealogist out.

I have lots of other research projects in mind - more projects than actual research time. Thankfully, the ancestors are patient, if not always forthcoming with answers.

I Had To Read The Directions

My old iron needed to be replaced recently.  It just was not heating up well anymore.  So, DH came home with this.....

My New Iron

....a super fancy iron and I love it. I do admit that the first time I went to use it the family laughed.  I had to pull out the directions to figure out how to turn it to the correct setting!  Adding water for the steam setting?  Back to the directions! Did I mention it came with lots of bells and whistles?

I don't think Grandmom Winnie (my great grandmother) had to worry with directions before she ironed. I also think she had strong arms.

Winnie Haley Carr's iron

I wonder if my Winnie would be offended if I used her iron in my home gym?

Richard J Singleton

The gentleman on the left is Richard J Singleton (1915-2011), son of Ivy Haley and James Monroe Singleton.  Like many of the Haley cousins, Richard seems to have inherited a love of music.

You can read more about Richard Singleton here.

Thank you to my Haley cousin who shared this photo!

The Mortar Is Loosening....

After time away form researching my Haley family of Halifax County, VA, I delved back into the records this weekend.  Stepping back from a research project while waiting for microfilm to arrive can bring a fresh prospective.

As a review, I am specifically looking to answer the question of who is Jesse Haley's father.  Jesse Haley is my great x 4 grandfather. Through my research I know quite a lot about his life from his 1826 marriage forward. It is the early years where I have hit the proverbial brick wall. You can read more about Jesse here.

Having exhausted most of the resources on Jesse Haley with no good clues to his parentage, I turned my research to focus to his associates.  In this case, the Brackett Owen family of Halifax County.  Many of the record sources I have for Jesse Haley have him in close proximity and relationship to the Owen family. Jesse married Brackett's daughter Temperance.  Staple (uncle to Temperance) and Armistead (brother of Temperance) served as witnesses to the marriage.  William Cardwell also was listed as a witness. (Just keep him in mind, but in the background for now.) Fleming Owen named Jesse Haley as a nephew in his will.

FHL microfilm, a free Saturday, and a fresh (hopefully) perspective and I was ready to resume my search for Jesse's parents.  Review of the personal property tax records (1822-1832) provided a few new answers and new clues to research.

Here is what I found:

• Jesse Haley was paying personal property taxes in the Henry Terry District of Halifax County, VA from 1824 forward.  This represents the earliest date I can definitely place him.  He does not appear in the 1830 and 1840 census records, but was paying taxes in the county.
• Brackett Owen was paying taxes in these years in the Henry Terry District of Halifax County, VA during these years.
• Fleming, Staple and Armistead Owen were also paying taxes in the same district Halifax County, VA during these years.
• Cardwells were living in the same vicinity of Halifax County, VA as the Owen family during this time period.
• Other Haleys (Ambrose, Lovelace) were paying taxes in the William Thaxton District of Halifax County. (Earlier research cannot find a connection between these Haleys and Jesse Haley.)

Here is where I started to get excited (more than usual!).

Through out these early tax records years I was searching, three names kept appearing: Sterling S. Hailey, Polly Haley, and Mary Hailey.  There is a William Hailey appearing next to Jesse Haley in the 1825 tax record. These are the only other Haleys that appear in the same tax district as the Barnett Owen family and my Jesse Haley.  It seems likely that there is a connection.

A quick look at the census records show that Sterling Hailey is not the correct age to be Jesse's father, but could be a brother.  Mary and Polly are a little harder to track down, and all three still need more focused research time.

What's next?

• Further research of Sterling S Haley including census record analysis, land records, and possibly chancery records.
• Further research of Polly Haley, Mary Hailey and William Haley including census records, marriage records, and will/estate records.
• Research of land records involving Brackett Owen, Fleming Owen, Staple Owen and Armistead Owen.

I'll keep you posted.

It's Always Nice.....

.....when I open up my e-mail and discover a cousin has sent me pieces of the family history.

Look what I found in my inbox last week.

While I already know most of the information in mu great grandmother's obituary, I have never actually seen her obituary.  I notice that Winnie Carr is listed as a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church at Clarkton.  I find that interesting since the family moved away from the Clarkton area in Halifax County, VA  to Charlotte County, VA in the 1920's.  It was not so far away, but no longer close either.  The family began attending New Hope Methodist Church on what is now Scuffletown Rd in Charlotte County.  Later, Winnie and her husband S. Baker Carr moved closer to Halifax, Halifax County.  Apparently Winnie never changed her membership.

Thanks to my Haley family cousin for sending me this!

The Old Sailor - Percy Owen

Elizabeth (1920-1976) and Percy Owen (31 May 1916- 28 Dec 2011  )

The Haley family lost another member this week.  Willard Percy Owen at the age of 95 passed away this week. Known as the "old sailor" he was the son of Carrie Haley (1885-1873) and John James Owen (1883-1960).   He will be missed.