Who Would A Thunk It Rev H Johnson?

I had no earthly idea that Texas was thought of in the same way that Oklahoma was as far as migration was concerned. 

Those thoughts were coming from Baltimore Maryland by a preacher man.

While in my reading mode for everything Texas, boy was I wrong. Reverend Harvey Johnson made his wants known. 

I found this article in the 1910 Baltimore Sun where Rev. Johnson explains his plan to purchase Texas to his church congregation. 

Rev Johnson stated that everything would be done through the Maryland Texas Purchase Association with the option to pay the sale off in one hundred (100) years. 

 

Reverend Johnson even stated that after all negroes were in place a Republic would be started and all ties to the United States would be severed. 

I thought I would see if I could find this Reverend with a vision in the census. 

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Source: Ancestry 1900 Census Baltimore Maryland Roll 608 Pg7A, ED 0024

Here he is along with wife Amelia, two children William and Harvey in the 1900 Census on lines 8-12. His  72 year old mother in law Ellen Hull is also living with them. He is listed as a Preacher.

The Union Baptist Church on Druid Hill in Baltimore Maryland was where Reverend Johnson was its minister from 1872 to 1923 and is now on the National Register Of Historic Places.

Needless to say the Reverend was not taken up on his plan. He was outnumbered not only by those of the opposite race but by many of us own. 

I am just saying, who would a thunk it!

I do not have the Reverend in my research as far as I know but I do have Texas folks named Johnson from around Marshall Texas. 

I will continue to look for them but who knows who I will find. 

Will it be Jack Johnson, Heavy Weight Champion Boxer from Galveston Texas?

 Or Mary Ellen Johnson

The 77 year old ex-slave living in Dallas Texas who is featured in the Slave Narratives from The Federal Writer’s Project 1936 through 1938.

What about this Dallas born world class track star who just might sprint his way to the root of my line.

Michael Johnson

So all you Johnson’s, catch me when I come looking for you so I can add you to my tree.

You don’t have to be famous, just rich with all that DNA mixed with mine.

  

Many Rivers To Cross1: Rivers of Life Rolling On The River

Living in the Jonah’s of my imagination are the proud women and men who would rather die than be taken from their home leaving countless families alone weeping and crying.

I can hear them saying, "You tried to break me down here in this hell hole of a hull, thinking I would join my aunts and uncles on the bottom of the deep blue ocean." 

Some of our own from one Continent we know, huge and vast coming from the past.

How many I ask are the bones that lie in the deep are a reflection of 

me when they were in the flesh?   

After watching Many Rivers To Cross; the first episode on PBS, my mind 
wandered back and forth between my Texas counties and my ancestors
who may have taken the same route shown. So far I have no documented verification.

                                                                                                                    

Everyone that knows me has been told that I am stuck in Texas with my

research and that I have a million billion trillion bricks and blocks

that have fallen in my way.

Okay I admit I am exagerating about those trillion or so bricks and blocks but I do have 1024 direct descendants who fit in there somewhere.

I am not going to call them walls because I do have human Walls that are in my shared DNA with names like Thelma, Steven and Crystal that I have come to love sight unseen.

This show bought home, that I have had very few rivers in my life to cross.

My Ancestors bore the brunt of that.

Just because I have not found Mr and Ms Elusive does not mean that I have to jump off the top of the roof of my house.

The front porch step will do just fine.

Does Texas have many rivers?  You bet she does; they are long, they are wide and they are wild.

With that being said, Mariah Taylor my elusive 3^rd great grandmother

and her parents may have crossed the Sabine River which snakes all the way from the Gulf of  Mexico up to East Texas.

The Sabine River:

I have not gotten a handle yet on where Mariah was really born but her son

Joseph was born in Harrison County reportedly in Jonesville Texas.  Near

Jonesville there was Swanson’s landing. It was a port that was used

to deliver goods and slaves from New Orleans.

Did Mariah’s ancestors come that way?  

My paternal greats on my Daviss side could have gotten off somewhere 

around Galveston Texas, crossed over the Brazos River or the Navasota River not knowing that one day two of their offspring may meet up one day just like the mighty rivers that kiss the ocean.

The Brazos River

The Navasota River

What about Captain John Taylor who steered the Hannah Elizabeth in 1836 from Barbados. He brought a boat load of slaves to what was known as 

Brigs landing,  a port in Orange Texas. Some he left  and the rest he headed towards Galveston to sell.

Was Mariah’s family on that brig?  Were they shuffled off and transported

to Harrison County Texas? 

(excerpt found in the Gateway to Texas: The History of Orange and Orange County)

In order to stay off that front step, I tend to piddle and hope that my piddling 

will lead someone else to find their family with little nuggets and gems

one step at a time. 

I have no idea if this 34 year old man (they referred to him as a boy)

that was found on the north side of the Sabine was my ancestor; but he was someone's child husband or brother.  His name was George

                                                                                                                                   

            How many rivers does George have to cross to be called a man?

  

                           

                               The Standard Clarksville Texas October 25, 1856 

In the 1870 Census in Albany New York , 27 year old Kate Rivers was listed as a servant. Ms Rivers was born in Africa.

How many Rivers Lord, How Many Rivers To Cross?

                                This is the excerpt of the 1870 census

I went looking for any Davis that I could find to tie into my Daviss.  Even though this particular Davis was not mine he was living in a levee camp in Missouri.

Since we are talking about rivers,  Davis’s next door neighbor

was a Teamster by the name of Red River. He and his parents were from Tennessee according to the 1910 census.

                 How many rivers did Red have to cross to work at the Levee?  

                      Here is a excerpt of  Red listed on the 1910 census

When I lived in Dallas Texas in the early 1970's I used to cross over the

Trinity River Bridge. The area I lived in was dry. You were not able to buy 

beer or liquor. The trip across the bridge was the only way we could secure a 

happy week-end with spirits especially during football season. 

Need I say more?

The Trinity River

Try crossing over this bridge

Yes, Yes, Yes, there are still waters!!

It Is What It Is Names And All

Okay, okay, so I made a mistake and left my computer at home. I didn't take it to Texas with me but I sure thought about it. I had put the charger in one of my bags that I packed along with the USB cord that goes with the camera. I was all set and ready to go.

I was half-way listening to the yak yak of my daughter, grandson and granddaughter as they wined " when will you have time to get on the computer, or Granny, can't you stay off the computer for one day, or " Nanta please".

All I needed at that point was a fiddle to play some sad blues song. So I unpacked my cords and kissed my computer goodbye.

I do know that If I would have had my computer It would have been a late night two fingered keyboard sonata as others were sound asleep. The sounds of tap n enter,tap n enter,tap n enter would make sweet music to my ears.

I could have down loaded all those pictures I captured with my camera to my computer. Well, all those pictures that actually came through.

I hit the off button on at least fifty pictures instead of the button you push to take the pictures. I silently wondered why the flash did not go off work and completely ignored the lack of the long pause of the pictures as they should have held and captured the pose.

When I asked my niece to show me how to go back and look in the camera at the pictures I had taken, her comment was " What Pictures?"

I could have deleted all the email that I accrued all those days I was going to be away.

I tried though to see where I could get on with out to much panic from the crew. I first looked at the computer room at the hotel but they only had two and those happened to be taken every time I walked by.

Later on that day,I looked in the room at my relatives and saw all that gorgeous equipment just waiting for me to ask if its alright if I logged on. (My inner mind could hear the sounds that I heard when we left the house for Texas so I changed my greedy thoughts.) I shook my head so loud trying to get rid of that sound that I got a headache.

I think I was having AfriGeneas, Ancestry, Heritage Quest, Facebook withdrawals. Pages like Black Family Historical Society, Our Black Ancestry, The Texas and Oklahoma Historical Pages, all at the same time cluttered my mind.

I was missing Keith Olberman, Rev Al, all my friends like Sharon Mc who posts tidbits through out the day; The Weather Channel, gobs and gobs of ancestors pictures that people post, all fighting for position in my brain.

Was hope all lost; Not yet:

My daughter bought her computer along with her because she still had home-work to do. So now I had an in. Woo hoo!!!

I could use it when she was not doing her homework. At Last! But, there is always a "but" in these situations.

Just when I was going full throttle, I heard this voice saying, "Mom, I need to do my homework now."
I felt like I was at the Casino, my machine had just started to hit and it was time to go.

As William Bendix used to say, "What a revoltin development this is."

Anyway, the next day, it was time to pack up and head back home. I was feeling pretty good even though we had this long 1100 mile stretch.

We pulled into one of the numerous rest areas and a sign caught my eye.

What!!! Why in the world would the "Internet Teasers" do this to me. Me with no
computer, durn it! Oh well, maybe it was best because I would have made up for all I missed right there in the wide open spaces surrounded by big long haul trucks, cars and three angry people. LOL

My mind then went back to Texas and wondered who may have named their child Texas, or Alabama, or Georgia. Then one of my Genie buddies Georgia Adams came to mind along with a Genie partner Art Adams. So, me being me, I did a search...

My attempt at the search begins with Adams:

The Adam surname is of English Origin thought to be from the first man Adam according to Genesis.

Texas is from the Caddo Indian word " Teyshas" meaning friends. In 1540 The Spanish explorers took it to be a tribal name and recorded it as Teyas or Tejas.


Texas Adams was living in Georgia according to the 1900 Baldwin County Census. Texas was born in Georgia, her father was born in Georgia and her mother Florida. Go figure
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Georgia was named in honor of King George the 2nd of England.

Now Georgia Adams was Williams mother in law of. She was born around 1835 in Alabama according to the Marengo Alabama 1900 Census. Another go figure because both of her parents were born in Alabama.
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Alabama named after the river first called Alibamu and the local Native American Tribe. Alabama was thought to be derived from two Choctaw names Alba and Amo.

Aha, now we have a 1910 Leflore County Oklahoma Census! Alabama Adams was born in Arkansas but both her parents were from Alabama. Now that's one that I can figure.
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Happy Searching if you have a State, County, City, Town, Village or Hamlet named after your ancestor.

My nephew Phoenix will have his namesake story to tell as he rises and makes his mark in the world.

Az Cards Draft Picks vs My Genealogy Draft Picks

The Arizona Cardinals 2012 Football Draft Picks Vs My Genealogy Picks As I Know And Want Them:

Now why in the world could this happen; I was minding my own business looking for ancestors on the computer when the 2012 Draft came on.

I was intense in my thoughts when my mind started to drift from one to another. The next thing I knew they announced the first pick for the Arizona Cardinals.

When I found out the pick was from out of Indiana my mind went to the time I was there a couple years ago. As the picks went, I started to weave and weave and weave.

These are my findings as strange as it seems to those who don't understand the mind of a genealogist. Chuckles to those whose minds are quirky like mine.

Football 1st selection: Michael Floyd: Notre Dame in Indiana: Home State W Va

Genealogy: My first teeth chattering experience was in Indiana at the National Black Genealogy Summit held in Ft Wayne.
My maternal 4th Gr Grandfather Joseph Tolbert according to the 1870 Harrison County Texas Census was from Indiana. Joseph was married to Lucy Tolbert the parents of my 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth.

Football 2nd selection: Jamell Fleming: Oklahoma: Home state Texas

Genealogy: Wright Cuney Daviss principal of Lincoln HS in Altus Oklahoma and avid Sooner was my uncle and my father Theodore's brother.
I also lived in Okla for a time.(WC aka Prof Daviss and I are Texans.

My search went to Creek County,Bristow Oklahoma where I found William E and lilaBelle Holmes who are the Gr-Grands of my daughter.

Football 3rd Selection: Bobby Massie: Ole Miss in Mississippi: Home state Va

Genealogy: Lydia Cooper Zephyr my paternal great aunt, daughter of Louis and Mary White Cooper married Isom Zephyr from Mississippi; (my genealogy buddy Selma Stewart swears by maps and says all roads lead to Va)

Football 4th Selection: Senio Kelemete: Univ of Washington: Home State Washington

Genealogy: Lloyd Williams son of Darling and Mary lived in Seattle and well as June Williams Petersen daughter of Frank and Zepher Williams who lived in Federal Way. The strong Williams lines are in San Jacinto County Texas by way of louisiana,Tennessee and Virginia.

Football 5th Selection: Justin Bethel: Presbyterian College South Carolina
Home State South Carolina

Genealogy: Augusta (Gusta)Spann Howard 2nd Gr-Grandmother and mother to Wade Spann was from South Carolina according to the 1870 Harrison County Texas census.

Football 6th Selection: Ryan Lindley: San Diego State: Home State California

Genealogy: I was married in Los Angeles at the home of Charlie and Lula Taylor. Charlie is the grandson of JP and Frances Dickerson Taylor of Harrison County Texas and the son of Charlie Louis and Elizabeth Stenson Taylor.

My daughter Latisha was also born in California as well as her cousins Trinya,Tracy,Anthony and Bryan.

Football 7th Selection: Nate Potter Boise State: Home State Idaho

Genealogy: I am thinking very hard about Boise.

I did not come up with a connection so when I take a trip to the Louvre after winning the lottery, I will leave a note at the statue Louvre,the Woman Thinker. After all she thinks harder than I do. I can tell that by the lack of clothes.