Abstract
Research Notes
Sources
Featuring unidentified photos from our collection.
Photograph of Unknown Cassity Kin, Cassity Family Photos; privately held R. A. Cathcart, Highland Mills, New York, 2012. This series of 4, 3×3.25 photographs has no writing on the reverse to identify the individuals or timeframe. This collection of photographs from the estate of Alice Lucille (Flowers) Cassity (1911-1993) was passed from M. (Dixon) Flowers (1921- ) from whom the current owner received them.
Last week’s post regarding our Bradley-Covington crossover point came down to one specific element – A Cousin Connection. In case you missed it you can read that entry here:
“The Link That Locks The Lines”
I’m in New York, the folks in this tree are almost entirely Deep South. I get home so seldom I am loath to give up any of my visiting time to research. Which means most of this work is done on the internet. Texas is pretty good for records online, Louisiana is fair and Mississippi is downright awful. I rely heavily on those kind souls who are seeking their place in our shared heritage to tell me their stories. Sherry Rhodes was not the only cousin to reach out to me through this site in April.
Kim Parker, who also decends from the Tolbert Bradley line, was kind enough to share information regarding her little piece of our tree. You wont notice the additional information much as the folks she updated me on are living. But to me, her information was invaluable. Names, dates, places, parent-child relationships…all things I might not have discovered for years on my own.
Armed with new information and fresh motivation I’ll be installing an updated database this week. I’ll also be rejoining the Wordless Wednesday blog prompt with more unidentified photos.
My most sincere thanks to those who contribute. Without you, this site wouldn’t exist.
Rorey Cathcart
Copyright (c) 26 August 2013
Copyright (c) P S Cathcart, 11 August 2013
It is beyond cliché that we southerners are all related. My English teacher was a cousin. A couple of my best friends and a boyfriend were cousins. Heck, if you dig in the roots deep enough I think even my stepdaddy and I are cousins. That’s just what you get when you hail from a small, rural area.
A cousin here, a cousin there…but where do my two lines cross?
Clarence Covington (1891-1929) was said to have married Clara A Bradley (1894-1981). My original source for Clara’s maiden name was family interviews. While researching the Bradley lines, an Altha C Bradley was never attached to a marriage of her own. Clara A vs. Altha C – I’d always suspected they were one in the same but as this was early in my research I let myself get distracted by some other shiny new thing and poor Clara/Altha languished unresolved.
Enter Sherry Rhodes.
Sherry is a Covington descendant. She found us here at Lore and was kind enough to reach out via our email contact. We shared pictures and stories and questions galore. I hope I was helpful to her. I know she was helpful to me. Quoting from her mother via our email exchange dated April 27:
“…Clara A. Bradley had a sister named “Neva” Bradley. My Mother says that “Tall” Bradley was Clara and Neva Bradleys’ Father. Mother also told me that Clara and Neva had a brother named “Teen”…”
What’s that you say, dear cousin? “Of course, everybody knows that…” To which I would reply: Feel free to share anytime, I’d love to hear from you, but I didn’t know.
So now it’s time to chase the paper.
Knowing and showing are two different things. I have very little beyond census records for either lady which lacks the detail we need. I don’t know when or where Clarence and Clara were married making it difficult to justify ordering microfilms. However we are not without options. The wonderful folks at the Franklin Parish GenWeb have plenty of obituaries transcribed. My first order of business will be to begin searching for obituaries on all of Tolbert Bradley’s family. Mentions of Clara Covington or Mrs. Clarence Covington should give me the indirect evidence I need to pin this down.
In the meantime, just for fun I put together how our tree would look if I can prove Clara and Altha to be one in the same. I’m at the very bottom. Covingtons are in pink, Bradleys in blue:
Rorey Cathcart
Copyright (c) 18 August 2013
URL for this post is: http://www.lorelegendslies.com/the-link-that-locks-the-lines/
Citation for this post is: Rorey Cathcart, “The Link That Locks The Lines” posted 18 August 2013, Lore, Legends and Lies (http://www.lorelegendslies.com : accessed [DD Month YYY]).
Over the last many years I have become increasingly scroogie this time of year. It has all become so commercial. People buy gifts off a check list rather than be thoughtful or insightful. It’s a chore to decorate, a duty to shop, a pain to wrap. It’s expensive. You end up with a bunch of stuff you could mostly live without. It got so bad a couple of years ago that I virtually boycotted the whole thing. I even refused to buy a tree. Grump, grouse, grumble.
But somehow, this year has been different. Hubby took care of most our Christmas cards which we got out on time this year. The shopping is virtually done. It’s our grandbaby’s first Christmas. On Saturday we had a lovely get together with close friends. Yesterday, we decorated our tree.
Which brings me to the purpose of this post. While most of my Genea-Friends are blog caroling, Christmas music is where I stand firm in my scrooginess. So instead, I thought I’d share with you my favorite ornament. My son made it. I don’t remember when exactly. We call it Frankenstein. Our tree will never be complete without it.
Merry Christmas
Rorey Cathcart
Copyright (c) 17 December 2012
I’m struggling.
I have so many story ideas for this site yet I cannot get them to paper. As I work to bring the Cassity/Shivers database up to the Genealogical Proof Standard I continue to review the evidence. This always leads me to ask new questions. And I am emotionally stopped in my tracks. It usually starts with the little phrase “Did you know…”, because I should know – but I don’t. It breaks my heart and fills me with regret.
So I will continue working on the database, bringing our research lines up to standard. I will continue posting our unidentified photos on Wordless Wednesday in the hopes you may recognize them. And maybe, as my work moves beyond my father and grandparents I will find my voice again. These are our people. I want to tell their stories.
Until then, I’ve added a sticky post to the top of the blog page. Tell me your memories, skepticisms or curiosities. What is your favorite family lore, legend or lie? I hope you will please consider contributing to The Stories We Want Told
As always, I appreciate your support.
Rorey