Harriet Pearce, my 3rd great grandmother, is one of many dead ends in my family tree. The identities of her parents are unknown to me. I’ve made it a goal this summer to try to break through this brick wall. Married in 1833 in Lawrence County, Tennessee to Absolem Boren, Harriet went on to become the mother of his eleven… More →
Author: K Trantham
The Nebuchanezer Gambit
When Sarah Roberts, my 3rd great grandmother, married Martin Joyce in 1839, James Roberts served as the bondsman. I suspect but have not been able to prove that James was Sarah’s father. In 1850, James also served as the bondsman when his son, Nebuchanezer Roberts, married Mary Floyd. Known as “Nib”, Nebuchanezer died in 1917. His death certtificate names his… More →
Cousins marrying cousins – The Return of the Blog
I have some catching up to do. Between moving and a diagnosis of SIBO, it’s proven to be a very busy 2017. Things have finally settled down and I can once again focus on genealogy. The latest couple (#14) that has made its way onto my list of cousins of my mother’s who married cousins of my father’s did so… More →
Richmond Bound
Hiatus. I’m officially moving to Richmond the first week of January. And as much as I would like to continue researching my fascinating relatives and writing this blog, I must turn my attention to packing and setting up shop over the next few weeks. In between there’s a much needed week in Kansas City starting next week as my siblings… More →
Night of the Living Chedd
The irony of the situation has not been lost on me. I’m sitting in a hotel room across from the hospital where, tomorrow morning, my gastroenterologist will have her way with my bowels. And I’m trying to write about a distant cousin whose claim to culinary fame was a concoction known as the “Cheese Zombie”. A school lunch favorite of students… More →
And the winner is…
I’ve written it before and I’ll write it again: I am fascinated with the DNA aspect of genealogy. Each of us has thousands of distant cousins out there who share a little or a lot of our genetic make-up. Finding my distant cousins has become an obsession. And I blame/thank Ancestry.com. I’ve now surpassed 43,000 leaves on my family tree.… More →
My Hero
In loving memory of Darrel (“Darryl”) Wayne Trantham, my father May 5, 1943 – November 11, 2016 My father was my hero. He was not faster than a speeding bullet but he was quick to help someone in need. He was not more powerful than a locomotive but was the source of my strength when I needed it most. He could… More →
Genealogy Retreat
The North Carolina Genealogical Society held its fall workshop yesterday in Raleigh. The guest lecturer was the Reverend David McDonald, a 40-year genealogy veteran and former president of the National Genealogical Society. Four fascinating topics were covered – religion in early North Carolina, the Draper Manuscript Collection, transcribing records and overcoming brick walls. It was a genealogy lovefest. The Draper… More →
Goodger Giddy
This week I obtained the final probate records of Stephen Goodger, my 3rd great grandfather. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most exciting thing that happened to me this week. It was. From these documents I now know that Stephen died sometime before July of 1848 in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. The brass ring of wills and estate… More →
Two Americans
An act of cowardice ended the life of two Americans this last July. Sean Copeland and his son, Brodie, were killed when a madman drove his truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. Eighty-four people died that day and more than a hundred others were injured. When I heard about this tragedy on the news, I… More →