H is for HAWKINS - #AtoZChallenge

I have fallen behind on the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, but I'm going to stick with it until I get it done. At this point, and will all I have on my plate right now, that will probably be sometime in May but I will get through the alphabet!

H is for HAWKINS

In my 20+ years of doing genealogy research I've discovered many family lines of which I had no prior knowledge. One of those - and perhaps the most surprising - was my European HAWKINS line, which began with the uniting of my 2x great grandparents, Anna Green and Nathaniel Hawkins. Here follows a research timeline of the life of my great-great grandfather, Nathaniel.

Timeline for Nathaniel Macon Hawkins

Created by Renate Sanders (gg-granddaughter)

1830  - Nathaniel is born to parents Philemon and Jacobina (Sherrod) Hawkins in Louisburg, Franklin County, NC.

1840 - Age 9 - At home with parents in Franklin County.

1850 - Age 20 - Nathaniel lives at home with his parents and 6 siblings; Arch (22), Madison (21), Lucy (19), Fanny (17), Mary (12), Benjamin (10). Nathaniel’s father, Philemon, is enumerated as “Hotel Keeper”. Nathaniel is a “farmer”. (None of his siblings are noted to have jobs, which is interesting. Also, I wonder where the farm was?) Others listed are most likely boarding in the hotel, and at least some of them appears to work there. They are:

Sidney Jeffries (Clerk), Samuel Perry (physician), Edward Lawrence (Surgeon Dentist), Lanu?z Wynn (17), Edward Ratley (table servant)

1856 - July 2nd - Nathaniel’s father, Philemon, dies.

1860 - Nathaniel lives in Louisburg with his now-widowed mother and 3 siblings, Fanny, Mary, and Benjamin. His occupation is given as “Negro Trader”. His mother, Jacobine, is now the Hotel Keeper.

Nathaniel owns real estate valued at$625, but has a personal estate valued at $8140. Jacobine’s property is valued at $12,050, and personal estate at $4000. Nathaniel’s brother, Madison (a farmer), and his wife, Truxilla, live on the next property.

The 1860 Slave Schedule shows Nathaniel as owning only one slave - a 15 year old female. (I presume this to be Anna Green who will become the mother of Nathaniel’s children.) The young woman is enumerated in Franklinton, and appears to reside on some type of property with slaves of other owners. (Perhaps a work-farm of some type?)

1863 - Emancipation Proclamation

1864 - John Wesley Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel. This is my great-grandfather.

1865 - Emancipation of Slaves

1868 - Elizabeth “Bettie” Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel

1870 - Nathaniel (enumerated as “Nat”), remains single and lives alone in a neighborhood surrounded by blacks. (Anna and the children are listed in a different household, several pages away.) His occupation is now listed as, “trader”. His real estate is now valued at $4850, and his personal estate at $1200. (Family lore says that Nathaniel “put Anna and the children up” in a nice two-story home, which his family kicked her out of after his death, so perhaps that house is a part of that real estate which is being accounted for here.)

1871 - Annie B Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel.

1873 - William Adam Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel.

*Confusion - Nov. 5, 1873 Bastardy bond implicates JJ Murphy as the father of Anna’s child. Nathaniel signs the document (presumably as a witness). On the same date, in the exact same language and handwriting, another bond implies that Nathaniel has fathered a child with Alpharetta Dent, and is signed also by JJ Murphy. Alpharetta Dent and her children live on the same land as JJ Murphy, who is single, and all of her children are mulatto, just as Anna’s are. (This researcher believes that the names were just inadvertently switched by the clerk who was filling out the paperwork. William Green named Nathaniel as his father on several documents, and all of Alpharetta Dent’s children named James Jasper Murphy as their father on marriage and death certificates.)l

1876 - Mary Helen “Pidgy” Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel

1879 - Esther Green is born to Anna and Nathaniel (Family says that Esther may not have been Nathaniel’s, because she was darker-skinned, but until proven otherwise, I will count her as his.)

Feb. 1879 - Nathaniel dies. Cause of death, as reported in newspaper obituary, was “a very severe attack of pneumonia”.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evidentiary documents related to Nathaniel Hawkins: (Copies in my possession)

*Davis & Roads, January 4, 1865 - Promissory note to pay $585.00 for hire of negro man, Jess for the year. Signed by NM Hawkins, M. Hawkins, and PB Hawkins (Settled as part of estate on Oct. 28, 1881. Paid in full ($11.75)

*Nov. 1872 - Promissory note: Mr. Davis Spencer to Mr. Nat Hawkins for CJ Outlaw for carrying telegram at the death of Mr. Reid.

*1873 - “I CJ Outlaw paid Nat Hawkins $2.00 in money. The said Nat Hawkins was on his way to Raleigh and promised to credit my note with the same on his return.”

*1879 - 1882 - Statement of account with O.L. Ellis, M.D: Shows Nathaniel’s care and prescriptions in July 1878, and Feb. 1879. This shows 23 months interest and full payment of $9.65 by Nathaniel’s estate in 1882. On 2/24/1879, he was charged $5.00 for a consultation with Drs. Foster and Clifton. On that same date, he was billed $1.00 for “bleeding self”. (This is the same date as the charge for the burial suit. Nathaniel died that same day.

*Yarborough & Co. - Feb. 24, 1879 - Bill for burial suit ($23.50) - See below.

* Letter of Administration - Franklin County Probate Court, March 29, 1879: This document states that Nathaniel died intestate, and names Phil B. Hawkins as administrator of his estate. (This is Nathaniel’s cousin, Philemon, who married Nathaniel’s sister, Fanny.)

*Franklin County Superior Court (no date/year given) - PB Hawkins, admin of NM Hawkins against PB Hawkins and wife, Fanny Hawkins, Mary M Hawkins, BF Hawkins, Madison Hawkins and others, and BF Hawkins guardian ad litem for the infant defendants, Henry M. Hawkins, Nathaniel Williams, Hawkins Williams, and Mary G. Willaims. (This an answer to a complaint, apparently in an ongoing court case to settle Nathaniel’s estate. As yet, I’ve not located the original complaint.)

*Receipt for payment to Yarborough & Co. from estate of NM Hawkins (for burial suit) - Sept 22, 1889.

Undated Receipt: Received of PB Hawkins, admin for NM Hawkins, $5.00 in payment offer for appearing as attorney for the guardian ad litem for the infant Cris(?) Outlaw (?) in a proceeding to (??) real estate assets. BB Massenburg


Sources:

Information for for this article was obtained by this researcher, Renate Y Sanders, using data from the 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 Censuses on Ancestry.com, and via personal visits to the following:

North Carolina State Archives 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh, N.C. 27601

Franklin County Register of Deeds 113 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549
Franklin County Courthouse 102 S. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549


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F is for FAITH and FOREVER: A Tribute To My Brother #AtoZChallenge

 This tribute was first written and posted in 2007, on the twenty-sixth anniversary of my brother's death. It's being updated and reposted as part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge on April 6, 2017.



Arthur Yarborough, Jr.

Twenty-six years Thirty-three years ago today, I lost my brother, Arthur.  We were only 17 months apart.  The two of us grew up together, almost like fraternal twins.  We did everything together, shared the same experiences, good and bad.  When Arthur died, he took all of the secrets of my youth with him, because he was the only person who knew and (in many cases), shared them.

 My mother, Mary Yarborough, poses with her newborn son, Arthur, Jr.

Arthur Yarborough, Jr. was born on August 23, 1960 in Bremerhaven, Germany, to our parents Arthur, Sr. and Mary Yarborough.  He was said to have been a very good-natured baby, with an even temperament and a quick and easy smile.  I remember hearing stories about how Arthur, as a baby, would always stop whatever he was doing when television commercials came on, and would watch and listen intently.  Once the commercials ended, he would resume his activity.  This was an interesting bit of family lore, since Arthur grew up to be a Mass-Media enthusiast and majored in it in college.

  Above:  Arthur as a toddler (Presumably, before I was born)

Below:  My dad, Arthur, Sr. and my brother, Arthur, Jr. in Louisburg, NC

circa 1968-69

As a boy, Arthur was involved in many community activities.  He was a Cub Scout, played Little League baseball, and enjoyed attending youth activities at our church.  In high school, Arthur was a triple-sport athlete, playing basketball, football, and baseball.  After two years at Bethel High School in our native Hampton, VA, he decided to go off to military school at Augusta Military Academy in Staunton, VA.  It was there that Arthur truly blossomed as an athlete, as well as as an ROTC officer.  He graduated from Augusta in 1978.

Arthur, the Little League's star pitcher

 Top left: Arthur's Junior picture @ AMA.  Right: QB Arthur (#10) and another player pose for their football picture at AMA.

Arthur returned home to Hampton to attend the alma mater of our mother, and our two oldest brothers, Hampton Institute (now Hampton University).  Known by the nickname, "Yang", he was very popular and well-loved by his fellow students. Arthur grew deeply involved in his major, Mass Media Arts, and became best known for his smooth jazz radio show, "Inspirations", on Hampton's radio station, WHOV.  In addition, he wrote for the school's newspaper, and anchored a 15-minute nightly broadcast on Hampton's "Newswatch 10" a weekday cable news program.  He also joined several social fraternities, including the oldest on Hampton's campus, Omega Sigma Chi.  Arthur graduated from Hampton in May, 1982, two months after discovering that he had cancer.

 Hampton Institute president, William R. Harvey, congratulates Arthur and hands him his diploma on Mother's Day, 1982

Though the news of my brother's illness was discouraging, he never let it stop him from working towards his goals.  What began as a mystery-illness, with symptoms of abdominal pain and blackouts, was first diagnosed as a hernia.  Plans were made to surgically remove the hernia while Arthur was on Spring Break during his senior year at Hampton.  However, what we thought was going to be the solution to his problems turned out to be just the beginning.  Once the hernia was removed, surgeons discovered a tumor on my brother's liver.  Primary liver cancer of unknown origin.  The fight began...

 Here, Arthur, wearing his fraternity tee-shirt, snaps a picture of himself in the mirror.  I kind of like the "halo" effect. :)

 For the next two years, my brother, with the support of my then-divorced parents, did everything he could to beat the odds.  Liver cancer was one of the toughest to beat, especially as the primary site.  Arthur tried traditional and experimental treatments.  He tried dietary changes and supplements.  He had good days and bad days.  Good weeks and bad weeks.  He underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was in and out of the hospital.  During this time, we remained in close contact, via phone and letters, but I was away in college and unable to be by his side as often as I wanted to.  Then, in June of 1982, while still living in Charlottesville, I gave birth to my first child, Natasha. and named Arthur her god-father, In the summer of 1983, decided we could stay away no longer.  I wanted my brother to know his niece, so I got a job as a teachers aide, and my daughter and I moved back to Hampton Roads, so that we could be near him and assist in his care. During that year, my brother got to know my daughter, and she, him. Though she was very young, the two of them developed a very close relationship, and she remembers him, to this day.  I praise God for my decision to move back to Hampton, because it was during that school year that my brother's health took a turn for the worse.

My brother, Arthur, with my daughter, Natasha, sometime in 1983.

Although Arthur was sick, he was determined to continue his quest to find employment in the media field, which he loved so much.  He completed an internship at our local CBS affiliate television station, and was being considered for an anchor position at the time of his death.  Additionally, he worked as a sports writer for the Daily Press, our local newspaper; and as a newscaster for WNIS, news/talk radio station. I give thanks to all of these companies who recognized his talent, and were willing to give him opportunities to do what he loved, despite the fact that he sometimes was too ill to work.

In March, 1984, Arthur took ill and was admitted to Riverside Hospital (now Riverside Regional Medical Center).  The doctors were pessimistic about his prognosis, and pretty much let my parents know that this was it.  But still, my brother stayed positive and hopeful.  He was in a coma for the first week or so, but once he became alert, he started talking about coming home and about wanting to get back out onto the golf course with my dad.  We were taking turns sitting with him - my mother, father, and I - and on my shifts we enjoyed reminiscing about when we were little, and he played with Natasha if she was with me.  A few times, when he was sleeping, he would seem to choke and stop breathing, but I would shake him and say, "Breathe, Arthur, breathe!", and he did.  At first, my parents and I were just quiet about the idea of him coming home, but he was so insistent, and he seemed to be doing so well, that finally the doctors agreed to let him go.  I believe the plan was for some level of in-home hospice care, although I didn't really understand what that meant at the time.  (I was only 22 years old, and I think the hospice concept was fairly new.)   My mother was so excited, and she worked hard to get his old room clean and ready for him, with a hospital bed on order, and plans to have nurses checking in.  Unfortunately, early on the morning of April 6th, the day before he was scheduled to come home, and with our father by his side, my brother, Arthur took his last breath.

Today marks the 26th  33rd year since the day my brother died.  Words can't explain how deeply the loss of my brother has affected me, and changed the course of my life.  Although I do have two other brothers, they are so much older than me, that they were both gone from home by the time I was seven years old.  So, it was just my parents, Arthur, and me for most of my life.  Arthur and I fought like any other siblings, but our love for each other was undeniable, and our paths (I'd thought), inseparable.  When he was in the hospital, I prayed and prayed, always asking God to help me to accept His Will, whatever that turned out to be.  My brother's death was, and has continued to be a lesson in FAITH for me.  I miss him so much, but I know that he is in a much better place, and that he is rejoicing now in heaven with our father, grandparents, and all of the ancestors that I'm working to learn about now. I will love and miss my brother FOREVER.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This is my absolute most-favorite picture of my brother and me.  I think it says so much about us, without having to say anything at all! 

In closing, I'd like to share a poem that I wrote in 2007, on the anniversary of Arthur's death.  At that point, he'd been in heaven for as long as he was here on earth, and these are the words that came to my heart:

To Arthur

For twenty-three years you were here on this earth,
Now for twenty-three years you’ve been gone.
I know in my heart that you’re better off now,
As you rest in God’s heavenly home.
I’ll always remember the things that we shared,
The good, as well as the bad.
The ups and the downs, the smiles and the frowns,
And all of the secrets we had.
Without you, my brother,  life’s not been the same
But I’ll try not to dwell on the past.
God knew what was best when he took you with Him
To anchor on Heaven’s broadcast.
For twenty-three years you were here on this earth,
Now for twenty-three years you’ve been gone.
I’ll see you one day, when God chooses me
To rest in His heavenly home.  

                                                                
                                                      With love, from Renate
                                                April, 2007

 One of those Easter Sundays.  I miss you, Arthur.

Thank you for reading.
Renate

The content and pictures included in this post are the property of Renate Y Sanders, and should not but used, copied, or embedded without the express permission of the owner.  Please contact me via email at yarsan@aol.com.  Thank you.

E is for Elizabeth! #AtoZChallenge

E is for ELIZABETH!

I'll have to make this quick, if I'm to get it in before midnight!

E is for Elizabeth, better known as "Bettie" Green.  Bettie was my 1st cousin, 2x removed. She was the daughter of Annie Green and an unknown (to me) white mill owner in Franklin County, NC.  She was the granddaughter of Anna Green (mulatto) and Nathaniel Hawkins (white).  Therefore, Betty was what was referred to at that time as a "quadroon".

Betty was born in August of 1890, in North Carolina (most likely in Franklin County). She died in New York, where she lived passing as WHITE, and is buried in Farmingdale, Suffolk County, in that state.

Bettie worked as a "hairdresser for the rich folk", according to our now 97-year old cousin, Florine, who knew her well. She was, most notably, the personal hairdresser of Doris Duke for some period of time, and is said to have traveled with her "everywhere she went". Bettie married Reginald "Roy" Alonzo Miller, and lived a lavish lifestyle. However, if the story is true, the wife of her uncle William Green (who was also passing) discovered their truth and "outted" Betty, causing her to lose her clients, and most devastatingly, her position with Ms. Duke. (None of this has been proven via research.)

This photo of Bettie, where she appears to be relaxing on the deck of a boat, provides support for the stories of her traveling with Doris Duke.

Bettie and her dog on a NY rooftop

Roy Miller, Bettie's husband

Although all of my elder cousins who knew Bettie insist that she and our other relatives who left Louisburg to live and work in New York were living as white, the one census record I've found her in enumerates her as "negro". That was in 1930, and may have been after William's wife spilled the beans. At that time, 38 year old Elizabeth, her husband, Roy, and her younger sister, Ruby (who worked as a seamstress for the wealthy, until the "reveal") lived on Convenant Avenue in Manhattan. It's easy to see how this couple could have passed for white, isn't it?

This photo shows Bettie (top left) with her mother, Annie (seated left with hat and glasses. I'm not sure enough about the identity of others in the photo to name them.(I believe the younger woman sitting on the curb to probably be Bettie's sister, Jessie.) I would really like to be able to identify the location of this photo. Does anyone recognize that monument?

Thanks for reading!

Renate

                     
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The pictures and content in this post are not to be used without the express permission of the poster, Renate Yarborough Sanders. 

#AtoZChallenge - D is for DUNSTON

D is for DUNSTON!

Today is Day 4 of the A-Z Challenge, and I'm dedicating it to my DUNSTON ancestors, of Franklin County, NC. Everything I know about my Dunstons has come through my research; I've never met any of my relatives from this branch.

The Dunstons were free people of color, who are said to have descended from one Patience Dunston, who is mentioned in Paul Heinegg's book, Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. 

Because I am away from home, and from my regular computer, I'm going to cheat a little here by sharing an link to the page in Heinegg's book:  http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/Driggers_Dutchfield.htm

Patience Dunstan (1734 - )


6th great-grandmother
William Dunstan (1755 - )


son of Patience Dunstan
Alcy Dunstan (1782 - )


daughter of William Dunstan
Wilson Dunstan (1813 - 1896)


son of Alcy Dunstan
Wilson "Wills" Dunston (1842 - 1901)


son of Wilson Dunstan
Susan Georgiana Dunston (1865 - 1907)


daughter of Wilson "Wills" Dunston
Anna Beatrice Green (1891 - 1977)


daughter of Susan Georgiana Dunston
Arthur Person Yarborough (1924 - 1997)


son of Anna Beatrice Green
Renate Suzanne Yarborough


daughter of Arthur Person Yarborough

So, this is my line of descent from Patience DUNSTAN. I have done significant research on this line, but it mostly amounts to names and dates, with a few apprentice bonds, bastardy bonds, and military records here and there. I've met some other Dunston descendants from the area, but so far none of us are matching each other on DNA, and we have different names on our trees, so I guess not all Dunstons are connected, as we'd previously thought.

To make matters a bit confusing, I also descend from another line of Franklin County DUNSTONS! This is because my second great-grandfather, Wilson "Wills" Dunston, married another Dunston, Laura, who was the daughter of Simon Dunston and Susan REED. Here's that line:

Simon Dunstan (1817 - )
3rd great-grandfather


Laura Dunston (1846 - 1920)
daughter of Simon Dunstan


Susan Georgiana Dunston (1865 - 1907)
daughter of Laura Dunston


Anna Beatrice Green (1891 - 1977)
daughter of Susan Georgiana Dunston


Arthur Person Yarborough (1924 - 1997)
son of Anna Beatrice Green
Renate Suzanne Yarborough
You are the daughter of Arthur Person Yarborough

The only photo I've ever seen of one of my direct Dunston ancestors is this one of my 3x ggrandmother, Laura Dunston. I've had it restored, but I don't have a copy of that with me (on vacation). I will update the photo on a later date. :)

Laura Dunston (June 17, 1846 - March 28, 1920)

From an article written by Maury York for the Tar River Roots publication, I have this excerpt:

"As in other areas of eastern North Carolina, most free blacks in Franklin County worked on farms, but few owned land.

Farmers in 1850 included members of the Anderson, Dunce, Dunston, Fog and Mitchell families.

Quite a few craftsmen, however, contributed to the local economy.

These included carpenters Leonidas Anderson, Henry and James Dunston, and John Fog. John Mitchell built coaches, and several members of the Dunston family worked as blacksmiths."

I've also been told that Simon Dunston was responsible for a lot of the stonework found in the city of Raleigh, NC but I haven't further researched this.

I may add more to this post, but for now that's all, folks!

Renate

Source info: 

Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of Maryland and Delaware from the Colonial Period to 1810. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000.

York, Maury http://www.louisburg.edu/tarrivercenter/freeblacks.html Published in the Franklin Times newspaper, August 15, 2013.

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