Thrice. That’s how often the name “Lutiness” shows up in my family tree. The first instance is Lutiness Alonzo Trantham, Sr., who was my great grandfather. Having run out of doctors after whom he could name his children, he then passed the name on to his youngest son and 11th child, Lutiness Alonzo Trantham, Jr. So that accounts for the second instance. At the risk of… More →
Category: Trantham Kenfolk
My Woody
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, a.k.a “Woody Guthrie”, was an American singer and songwriter who was born in Oklahoma about 1913. Born in Oklahoma in 1913, Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, a.k.a. “Woody Guthrie”, was also my 4th cousin, 1x removed. I never met either one of them. Utter joy and disbelief ran through my head simultaneously when I discovered Woody’s name in the 1920 census. Could… More →
Boren Bridge Builders
Margaret Boren, my 4th great grandmother, was 90 years old when she appeared in the 1870 census in Itawamba County, Mississippi. A widow, she and husband, John Boren, had raised at least seven sons who were born in Madison County, Alabama. There is evidence, which I have yet to see personally, that John was Margaret’s second husband. Her maiden name appears… More →
Blarney Stone-hinged
Unlike the TV spokesperson for Ancestry.com, who traded in his lederhosen for a kilt, on Thursday I’ll be wearing one atop the other as I celebrate my Irish heritage. The roughly 6% of me that is Irish came from my mother’s Joyce ancestors and from my father’s Hollingsworth and Boren ancestors. Speaking of Borens, one of the treasures I came across… More →
My, Oh, Myrick
My quest to solve the mysterious DNA connection between the Tranthams and Myricks of Henry County, Tennessee led me to the hallowed halls of the Library of Congress this weekend. Although it is located practically in my “backyard”, I have never visited this massive monument to the printed word. The experience alone deserves its own post. With my newly-created, official Library of Congress Researcher identification… More →
Trantham Tractates
Class is now in session. In my opinion, there are only three documents that accurately depict the often mixed-up relationships between the members of the early Trantham family. One is Lewis Peach’s 1884 letter in which he reveals most of the names of Martin and Elizabeth (Martinleer Eppinger) Trantham’s children and their spouses. The second is the 1783 will of Martin Trantham,… More →
Fire Chief Fred
The latest edition of Hollingsworth Heritage (Volume 22, Number 3) arrived in my mailbox last week. It is the official publication of The Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Society (DVHSS) of which I am now a member. Thirty-six pages of Hollingsworth happenings at my fingertips. Bazinga! And to think that a year ago I knew not and naught of my Hollingsworth heritage,… More →
Debbie Does Holladays, Too
Deborah Murray died between 1840 and 1845 in Henry County, Tennessee. I know this because John R. Deason, my 4th great grandfather, appeared in court in 1845 and testified that his signature on Deborah’s last will and testament was, in fact, his. He and his co-witness and co-signator, Joel Rushing, also testified that Deborah was of “sound and disposing mind and… More →
Know-cahontas
Here’s an update on a previous post. Scouring approximately 600 pages of single-spaced typed names in the most recent edition of Pocahontas’ Descendants by Stuart E. Brown et al yielded nothing but a few paper cuts. Sadly, I did not find my name listed. Drats. I did, however, learn quite a bit about Pocahontas and her immediate brood so all was not lost.… More →
No Gray Mare to Spare
Two hundred years from now genealogists will be scouring Ancestry.com’s fully indexed Facebook archive to figure out what their 4th great grandmothers “liked”. Or what they ate for breakfast on a particular day. I envy them a little I think. Maybe they’ll uncover more than they wanted to know. But, they’ll also have unlimited access to “selfies” as well as historic Candy Crush… More →