A few weeks ago I made contact with the descendants of my ancestors' slave owners. It was a fine conversation until they asked why I was inquiring about the PEELER lineage. When I responded with my belief that their ancestors probably owned mine, another voice on the line spoke up.
He doubted that Berry PEELER, a man of God, and Chaplin in the Civil War would ever have had slaves! His wife tempered his remarks explaining that most everyone had farms in the mid 1800's, in middle Georgia!
Good point.
Friday, April 18, 2008
conversations with the slave owning famiy
Monday, April 14, 2008
Meeting David Wilson
Seems like a great program I missed.
‘Not the descendants of victims but victors’
Film traces one man’s journey to track down his family’s past in slavery
Friday, April 4, 2008
Who is Grandma Rose?
Grandma Rose:
Married as Rosa Dixon in 1902.
Listed in the 1910 census, 1920 and 1930 census' as Rosa PEELER.
She passed July of 1962 in Philadelphia, and was buried in Marshall Grove in Sandersville. Parents are listed as unknown, as well as her husband's name (which is careless). I'm starting to entertain the idea that 1. grandma Rose was an orphan, or 2. DIXON was her married name (maybe when was married before Walter).
I had picked up on her relation to Sussie VEAL--who appears with her in the Washington County, GA 1930 census as her cousin, and have ordered the death certificate on Sussie VEAL.
Will need to check further....
If you should have any information, or tips let me know.
Free Access to Civil War Research Database
Through April 30, 2008 there is free access to Alexander Street Press's Civil War Reseach Online Database Collections. No need to register, the information details & instructions for use are on this page:
Alright, alright
Randolf, Ceily and their sons Solomon and Tump PEILER are all found in the 1880 census. While Soloman, and his new bride live with his parents, Tump lives next door to the widow of Berry PEELER.
The connection has now been well established that our last slave-owning family was the PEELERS who descended from Michael, Anthony and Issac. Their line landed in Philadelphia in the early 1700's. And then moved to North Carolina and onto South Carolina.
It appears that my Randolf was born in SC within the year of Berry's birth, and given to him as a child. When Berry moved from Union, SC to GA, he brought Randolf with him. Far later when Berry's son Issac moved from Hancock County GA to Wilkinson, he took my Randolf with him. Interesting Issac became a minister and appropriated land in Wilkinson County for the coloreds to worship.
It seems that following emancipation, Randolf then with his family returned to Hancock county, and worked the land of his former slave owners. Berry died intestate and Randolf appears on both sides of the balance sheet appearing as a part of the division of property in 1870.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
New Findings
Recently have found my great-great grandfather "Tump" PEELER in the 1870 census. Unlike the latter half of his life where he is easily tracked by census in Washington County Georgia, he appears living in Hancock County.
It was only by going through the census of Division 117/48 line by line was I able to find him, as his last name is spelled PEILER, and his seemingly proper first name is used: Andrew.
In addition, possibly the mistress of his owner is living next door. His brother Soloman (who married the sister of his wife) is living near by. And his father Randolf, along with his mother, Ceily is also listed nearby.
Other tid-bits gleaned from this search is that Walter, my great-grandfather was not Tump and Sussie's first child--but their third. The mortality record of 1880 reveals an infant and a youngster of one year born to their household, who died.
Monday, November 26, 2007
SMGF DNA testing project
The primary research goal is to develop new kinds of DNA testing for ancestry. The Y chromosome is useful for the straight paternal line, and mtDNA is useful for the straight maternal line, but that leaves out the bulk of your DNA, which you inherit from some combination of any of your ancestral lines. SMGF thus requests a complete four-generation pedigree from volunteers (counting yourself as one).
SMGF does test Y and mtDNA and make the results available online in a publicly accessible database, showing pedigrees with the most recent generations (anyone born after 1906) privatized.
You can then search for your pedigree and deduce your results (with a little bit of effort), but SMGF does not send them to you directly, and your results will not be as fast as a commercial company. Here's an example with my husband's Y results -- he has no close matches, so I'm hoping more Turners will test
http://tinyurl.com/3aqnx7
SMGF tests a somewhat different set of markers than FTDNA, and you can't send SMGF results to FTDNA. However, many FTDNA project administrators maintain their own websites, and some of those will accept results from SMGF as well as other commercial companies. There is enough overlap for useful comparisons.
SMGF is beginning to collect more samples in various places around the world. There's a map of their current progress here:
http://www.smgf.org/maps/collections.jspx
African Americans can make a big contribution to the research project, even if they don't know their exact origins in Africa. For this type of research, it's helpful to have participation from extended family members (siblings, parents/children, grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins). For example, if a cousin on your father's side matches some of your autosomal markers, you can tell which side of the family they came from. If you test all by yourself, you can't tell. That's what makes autosomal research so tricky, but it's the next frontier.
co-author (with Megan Smolenyak) of "Trace Your Roots with DNA"
Monday, October 29, 2007
Western PA Family History Centers
The Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, is the main repository for most of the genealogical information the Church has collected. Family history centers (more than 3,500 around the world) are branches of the Family History Library. These centers eliminate the need to travel to Salt Lake City to use the record collection. Most of the microfilm and electronic data collections are accessible at centers around the world. There is no charge for use of the Family History Library or family history centers.
Volunteer staffs are on hand to lend assistancehowever Center staff members will not do research for you. Instead they will help you use center resources so that you can do your own research. Some lineage-linked family history information is available in computer databases at the center.
When you go, bring the name of an ancestor you wish to research and information you know about the person (such as birth, death, or marriage information). The more information you have about your ancestor, the better your chances for successful research. It may also be helpful to bring a completed pedigree chart.
There is no fee to visit a family history center or to use most of its resources. Research outlines and resource guides may be sold at cost. There are small fees for:
- Photocopies
- Computer printouts
- Microfilms or microfiche loaned to the center from the Family History Library to cover postage
Here is a list of the Family History Centers in our Pittsburgh Area:
Beaver Valley Pennsylvania
114 Church DrMonaca, Beaver, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 724-774-3670Hours: W-Th 10am-9pm
Cranberry Twp Pennsylvania
2771 Rochester RdCranberry, Butler, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 724-742-0922Hours: Sept-May: T, W, Th 9am-3pm; W, 6:30-8:30pm June-Aug T&Th 9am-3pm; W 6:30pm-8:30pmClosed: Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22 November. Last week of December & first week of JanuaryAttention: In the winter months, our hours may be impacted by delays or closures in the Seneca Valley School District. Please call ahead.
Greensburg Pennsylvania
Twin Run RdGreensburg, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 724-836-0648Hours: T 1pm-3pm; W 7pm-9pm, Sat 10am-12noon
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
46 School StreetPittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 412-921-2115Hours: T,Th 10am-8pm; Sat 10am-1pmClosed: August, Thanksgiving Week, Christmas & New Year's Weeks
3rd 710 New Texas RoadPlum Borough, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 724-327-1818Hours: T 9am-2pm; Th 6pm-9pm; Sat 8am-12pmClosed: when weather is snowy or icy.
Washington Pennsylvania
525 Fairway DriveWashington, Washington, Pennsylvania, United StatesPhone: 724-222-9474Hours: T,Th,10am-3pm; W 12pm-3pm & 6:30pm-8:30pmClosed: Mon, Fri, Sat
Note: These are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries
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