52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 11 Susie Mae Young 1897-1937

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 11 Susie Mae Young 1897-1937

How I would have liked knowing you in person, Susie Mae Young. I could have called you grandma, grandmother, Nana or maybe granny.  It was not meant to be in this lifetime but maybe in the next.

On my journey, I’ve hunted for you and found: Your birth was 19 December 1897 in Jefferson County, Alabama. You married John Henry Woodard, on July 24, 1913 in Jefferson County, Alabama according to your Alabama Marriage License.   I interviewed our cousin, Henry Ross and our adopted aunt, Bertha Hodge who attended your wedding as six-year old children.  They both remembered your special day.   I forgot to ask why the memory was still in their minds in their senior years of life and they have passed on now.

Your older children remembered you loving flowers and planting them in your garden.  I wonder whether I acquired my love of flowers from you. They recalled you hating West Virginia, the soot and dirt of the Fairmont mining community.  I wonder whether your dislike came after the death of your husband due to black lung in 1932.  You bore him eleven children, seven girls and four boys.  Your youngest child, my mother was born six months after his death and missed the relationship she could have had with both of you.

You moved to Pennsylvania to begin again within a few years of your youngest child’s birth.  The death of your husband left you without a home since you could no longer live in the Coal Mining Company’s house at 26 Franklin Street, Fairmont, WV.  Eli, and his wife, Carrie Woodard, a miner and in some way related to your husband took you in along with your seven minor children.  Somehow and in someway you amazingly made the courageous move to New Kensington with your underage children around 1935.

Your youngest son remembers that you spoke with your eyes and the look clearly communicated approval or disapproval.  He remembers you being a tall woman with a kind firm manner and a religious mother.  Proof is in all of your children’s names coming from the bible and your participation in a Christian camp outside of Pittsburgh.  While I’ve hunted and hunted no picture of you has been found. 

It has been on this journey where I learned you and your husband, John along with your children visited New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1920 and stayed with John Williams and his family.  Were they related or were you all exploring opportunity to move to New Kensington, PA?  Labor issues were going on in the West Virginia mines and that certainly could be a consideration.  Later I learned there was a John Young born in Alabama same as you that might have been related.  Moving to Pennsylvania with underage children meant being away from the only parents you knew, Matildia (Harris) and George Freeman that lived in Idamay, WV.  You moved, lived on Eighth Street and worked as a domestic in a private home.

Who knew that you would leave your underage children much too soon?  You came down with pneumonia shortly after your move.  According to your son, Bill, who went to get Dr. Harris to attend you, Dr. Harris didn’t come in time to treat you.  During your illness, you designated a middle daughter, Naomi to care for and raise the younger children.  You saw something special in her and were right for she fought to keep her orphaned younger siblings together.  You died on the 6th of January 1937 and are buried at the Union Cemetery in New Kensington, PA.

So while I haven’t uncovered your biological parents or a picture, I know more about you through my journey.  I’ve become the family storyteller and feel compelled to share what I know of you.  The journey continues and think I will call you, Grandma.  You’re more than dates and places and have a place in my heart.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks #10 – Wiley Woodard I

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks #10 – Wiley Woodard I

The question is could Wiley Woodard (1) be the gggrandfather of this branch?  Twenty-four years ago, my family journey began with a focus on my maternal side of the family.  I quickly learned that often assumptions would be shared that were generalities and not necessarily facts.   A genealogist with a master’s degree told me that being African American more than likely I would have success on the maternal side.  Being new to the family history journey, I followed his lead and began with Susie Mae Young, my grandmother who died in 1937 when my mother was four years old.  I secured her death certificate and found the documented listed both her parents as unknown.  The informant was the first cousin, Charlie McClendon, of her husband John Henry Woodard.  Interviewing my mother taught me that Matildia (Harris) and George Freeman raised my grandmother and were somehow related.  They were grandparents to my mother and her siblings.  I began interviewing my mother’s siblings and learned Matildia and George raised Susie Mae since she was an infant.  Some said they heard her mother died in childbirth yet no one knew her name.  On that leg of my journey it was a dead end back in the day so I took the path to my mother’s paternal side, Woodard.

I quickly learned about my grandfather’s family, the Woodard’s from Georgia.  Guess the genealogist with a master’s degree didn’t mention the exceptions of the African American family.  Found the Woodard family in the 1900 US Census living in Meriwether County Georgia.  Learned my grandfather was the youngest of Wiley (2) and Josephine (Martin) Woodard that were married in 1868.   Wiley was born in 1925 in Virginia and one of their sons was name Wiley (3).  The search was on to find out information about Wiley’s (2) parents.  While standing in line at the Georgia Archives, I happened to look up and saw a bookshelf with oh about ten books on the ledge.  A large red book caught my attention titled 1860 US Georgia Census Index.  Going with strong feelings, I reached for the book and before opening it wondered what the heck, no African American are listed in this index, this was before freedom.   Flicking through the pages to Woodard, I landed on Wiley Woodard in Baldwin County Georgia.  Thoughts were that this couldn’t be my Wiley for surely he was a slave.  I headed to the microfilm files that would have more details, found the film and loaded on the machine.  This was a black man, Wiley Woodard(1).  More research led to the learning of this Wiley being a free person of color, brick mason living in Baldwin County Georgia that was born in Brunswick County Virginia with Thomas Crowder also born in Brunswick County being his sponsor.  Further exploration led to Thomas’ death and a will administered by Charles Malone in 1836.  Charles Malone purchased in a private sale, one Negro, woman Lucy and children, Wilson, Sally and Mill for $1,350.  Charles died shortly after acquiring this slave family.  Interesting enough, I found Gilbert Malone in Meriwether County (1803-1838) who married Amanda Leveritte in 1821.  Is there a tie could Gilbert have inherited the slave Lucy with her children Wilson, Sally and Mill?  Gilbert’s widow Amanda own thirteen slaves in the 1850 census.

This family historian has hunted for the documentation and found nothing definite yet something led me to find the 1860 US Census in Baldwin County that led me to Wiley Woodard, born 1784 in Brunswick County Georgia.  Perhaps Wiley (1) belongs to my family and the questions remains will I ever be able to prove it?

Happy hunting and my twenty four year journey continues.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 8 John Henry Woodard

John Henry Woodard is my maternal grandfather and the ancestor for this 8th week.   John was born on February 2, 1889 in Meriwether County Georgia to Wiley and Josephine (Martin) Woodard.  He was the youngest child of this couple that married in 1868.  They had nine children and by 1900 five were living in Odessadale, Georgia.  Odessa Township is a small farm community that is five miles west of Lagrange Georgia.  The Woodard family lived near the Meriwether Troup County Line and worked as tenant farmers. 

It would have been easy to miss this small community when I visited Odessadale in 1990.  Upon entrance to the area we found ourselves going back in time for this old area seems to have stood still from long ago.  The evidence of farming could be seen in the open fields just beyond some of the houses.  We stopped to ask a few children playing in the street whether they knew of any people named Woodard.  Without hesitation they advised us that the Woodard section was just down the road.  The road they directed us to was about one mile long before ending at a small trailer and an old two story seemly abandon shingled house with the upper window open and a lace curtain blowing out towards the empty field.  An older man was in the yard where the trailer sat.  We waved at him and he waved back.  His features came in focus as he approached our car.  It was startling how much he looked like the Woodard family members that I known all of my life.  He introduced himself as Henry Woodard and I explained who I was telling him some basic family information that led me to Odessa.  Henry was open and friendly advising me that his father was Henry Woodard Sr.  He did not really know his father having grown up and living in Troup County (five miles away) most of his life.  Henry shared that his aunt, Ida Strozier lived on the main road in Odessadale and knew more of the family history.  After our short visit with Henry, we went to the main road and knocked on Ida Strozier's door.  She was an older woman and later I learned she was ninety-two and her maiden name was McClendon. She was a little leery at first of this stranger.  Yet as I shared what I knew about the Woodard family, she opened up about where the family lived, which Woodard’s where related and remembered my great grandparents, Josephine and Wiley, when they died and remembered my great grandaunt, Sylvia Martin and her husband Cornelius McClendon.  Ida was a treasure chest of information, sharing information of where my grandfather, John Henry was born and information about his parents.  Ida told me I didn’t look like a Woodard then looked at my sandaled feet and said my feet were not like the Woodard’s.  I explained my feet were like my father’s.  Finally, she looked at me and said there is something about your eyes that remind me of the Woodard’s (I do have eyes like my mom).  Interesting enough when we met Henry, he had no shoes on and my husband said his feet look like my mother’s feet. 

John Henry left this area with his first cousin, Sylvia and Cornelius’ son, Charlie McClendon and followed his sister, Hannah and her family to Sayre, Alabama.  The male family members worked in the Alabama coalmines, followed the industry to West Virginia and on to Pennsylvania.  John married Susie Mae Young in Jefferson County Alabama on July 19, 1913.  Their first two children of eleven were born in Sayre, Alabama and the others were born in Fairmont, West Virginia.  John Henry worked as a coalminer most of his adult life and supplemented his income by taking on a second job as a butcher.  The results of working in the unhealthy environment of underground coalmines led to his death from black lung disease.  He died six months before his last child my mother was born.  John Henry and his cousin, Cornelius McClendon remained close all of his life.  Cornelius was the informant on John’s death certificate in January 1932.

My grandfather’s story was shared by his children and gave me the first steps on my family history journey.

52 Ancestors - 52 Weeks Bertha L. Jones Hodge Week 7

This week's chosen ancestor, Bertha Jones Hodge is a different twist.  Our families as in some other families have theses aunts or uncles that may or may not be blood kin.  Aunt Bert is one of those special people that were in my life from the time of my birth.

Aunt Bert was around when my parents were married and when each of their four children were born from 1948-1952.  She was a part of our life in Pennsylvania and later moved with my mother's sister, Betty and family to Washington, DC.  Aunt Bert was warm, gentle and stood less than five feet.  She always wore a bun and to see her hair down was to see that she had long curly hair.  In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania she would take her personal folding cart shopping in East Liberty selecting fresh produce.  Upon return from her shopping you could be sure that she had okra and that purple bottle with a yellow top that was "prune juice".  Prune juice to Aunt Bert was the key to healthy living and the requirement was a daily juice glass for a healthy life.  I don't remember her ever being harsh but at the same time she didn't play and when she told you to do something you did it without question.

In reality, she was my mother's sister Betty's husband's aunt or great aunt.  We lost the actual relationship, she was Aunt Bert, and very important to those of us that lived in the Pittsburgh area.  The verbal history on Aunt Bert was that she was married twice and her last husband was John R. Hodge. They lived in Chicago until he had a heart attack then she moved Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  The story was that she was born in Alabama and knew my maternal mother's side of the family, the Woodard's and that was our connection. For sure she was related to the Collier family that my mother's sister, Betty had married into.   Aunt Bert was there for all of us.  She worked at a movie theater at a booth where she sold tickets for the latest movie.  Her little dog, Skippy sat in the booth with her as she worked.  Aunt Bert was widowed twice and had no children so all of us first cousins belonged to her.  I learned she was about sixty-five years old when I was born.  Aunt Bert actually lived with my Aunt Betty and her family.  However, she stayed with our family at various times and especially when my mother had surgery or needed assistance.  We knew of other family members on  "Aunt Bert's side" like Uncle Curly, Aunt Fannie, "Little Bit" and two of our generations referred to them this way.  The ties were very strong and I believe there is an unknown family story. Now somewhere deep in my memory Uncle Curly and Aunt Fannie lived somewhere in in South Carolina.  "Little Bit" was my aunt Betty's husband's mother and lived in Greensburg, PA.

I wished my interest in family history had come during Aunt Bert's lifetime.  My curiosity led me to ask some questions and it paid off for Aunt Bert shared memories about attending my maternal grandparent's wedding in Jefferson County in July 1913.  She would say often and very emphatically that the Woodard's are a good family and she was a part of the family.  I asked my mother how Aunt Bert was related and she said that Aunt Bert had been married to one of her cousins (no details given).  During my research I decided to explore that possibility.

Bertha Lee Jones in the 1900 US Census, Jefferson County Alabama lived in a household with her Stepfather, James, mother Sophia Grace, one brother James and two sisters Fannie and Allace (Alice) all Jones.  Sopha and James Grace married about 1895.

There was an Alabama marriage record where Bertha L. Jones married Peter Davis 16 June 1904 and another one where she as Bertha Davis married John R. Hodge 5 July 1918.  Both marriages were in Birmingham.  By 1920 Bertha John Hodge were living in Chicago, Ward 2.  In 1930, Aunt Bert was a widow living at the same place she had in 1920.  Living with her was Addie and James Collier.  James married my mother’s sister and Addie may have been a family member that we called “Little Bit”.    All of this information and I still haven’t found a definite kinship.  I will continue looking but it some ways it doesn’t matter since she was the oldest relative that I knew growing up, she was with us through thick and thin.  All we shared equal family in my mind.  Aunt Bert is one of my ancestors and had more influence on me and other family members than most.

Bertha Jones Hodge “The Queen” April 15, 1884-October 1985.

         

I don’t remember seeing “Aunt Fannie” often but knew she was Aunt Bert’s sister.  Fannie Jones married Curley Parris on 25 October 1901.  Aunt Fannie was born August 1880.