Having two 3rd great grandmother’s whose maiden names were Pearce is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it cuts down on the number of surnames once must scan in every database, magazine or book index. Although Pearce is sometimes spelled Pierce or Peirce, any Pearce, Pierce or Peirce who appears in said indexes might be related to one 3rd great grandmother or the other or both. It’s efficient research for sure but perplexing. I’m cursed because having only one surname to work with is limiting.There were only so many Pearce families living at that time near my 3rd great grandmothers. Harriet (Pearce) Boren and Matilda Jane (Pearce) Goodger were both born in Tennessee and lived most of their lives in neighboring counties in Mississippi. To boot, Matilda’s father, Daniel Pearce, was living in Lawrence County, Tennessee between 1820 and 1836. Lawrence County is also where Harriet Pearce married Absalom Boren in 1833. Logically that means that Harriet and Matilda were living in Lawrence County at the same time.

The curse becomes a complicated mess trying to figure out how they are related. There’s no question in my mind that they ARE related. But I don’t know how closely although I know for certain that Harriet and Matilda were not sisters. Thank goodness because that rules out the possibility that my 2nd great grandparents were 1st cousins. Ewwwwwwwwww. It’s possible that Harriet and Matilda’s father, Daniel, are siblings. Frankly, I am still coming to grips with that possibility. That would mean my 2nd great grandparents were 1st cousins, 1x removed. Less ew but still ewwwww.

Why must they be so closely related, you ask? Because there are only a handful at best of Pearce candidates in Lawrence County who could logically be Harriet’s father or Daniel’s father. Robert Pearce is the best candidate and he’s getting my vote for Daniel’s father. I am holding out hope that there’s another Pearce I haven’t discovered yet that is her father. But, it ain’t looking good!

Cast your vote for Robert Pearce as Daniel’s father. Here’s why:

1. The 1850 and 1860 census tells us that Daniel was born in Virginia about 1794. Spencer Pearce, Robert’s opponent, was from North Carolina and came to Lawrence County in 1818 the year Daniel was married… Spencer gets a “no” vote from me.
2. Daniel was married in 1818 in neighboring Maury County, Tennessee. Robert is living in Maury County, Tennessee in 1820.

Gosh. I thought there’d be more reasons to vote for Robert as Daniel’s father. This is why genealogy is tough: there’s limited data. He’s still getting my vote. Now on to Harriet…

Kenfolk: Trantham kenfolk
Relationship: 3rd great grandmothers
Common ancestors: Hmm. If I only knew.

I must have been suffering from a bad case of pococurantism the day I came across this particular court document that I’m about to share. I found it a couple of weeks ago while perusing the court minutes of Williamson County, Tennessee, 1810 to 1825. Admittedly, although I am always happy to find a new old reference to my ancestors, I found this historical entry to be a bit “ho-hum” because, I suppose, the case never went to trial. The defendant in said case, Matthew Lee, pleaded guilty to the charges and paid the fines. In doing so, I was denied what could have been a proper drama played out in court with TWO of my 5th great grandfathers playing pivotal roles. How dare he plead out!

And then I woke up this morning realizing that I had come across a document bearing the names of the TWO of my 5th great grandfathers in the same sentence separated by a comma. Most genealogists would have recognized the significance of the document instantly. But I am a late bloomer.

I transcribed the document as follows:

“This day came here in open court Henry Holliday, Martin Trantham and James Cragg and [some word I cannot make out] acknowledged themselves to owe and be indebted to the State of Tennessee in the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to be buyer of their proper goods and chattels, land, and tenements but to be void on condition they make their personal appearance before this court here on the first Thursday after the first Monday in August next then and there to give evidence in behalf of Matthew Lee on a bill of indictment against him for an assault and battery on the body of Henry Holliday and not to depart from said court without the leave thereof.”

Matthew done assaulted and battered Henry Holliday, my 5th great grandfather, and got off with a fine. Oh, the injustice! Martin Trantham, his in-law and son-in-law, must have witnessed the event as did James Cragg. As historical genealogical documents go, it’s a twofer if not anticlimactic.

Kenfolk: Tranthams AND Hollidays
Relationship: 5th great grandfathers
Common ancestors:  I have no evidence that Martin and Henry were related to one another other than through marriage: Martin took as his second wife Henry’s daughter, Rachel, while several of Martin’s children, including my 4th great grandfather, Jesse Trantham, married Rachel’s siblings.

References:
Williamson County, Tennessee, Circuit Court Minutes, Civil and Criminal Roll #26, Volume: 1-4, Jan 1810-Feb 1825. Microfilm, personal collection. This event took place on 4 February 1819.

Scanning pages and pages of newspapers on microfilm is (I imagine) a lot like prospecting for gold: you have to dig through a lot of worthless dirt to find a nugget. And in either venture you might come up empty-handed. That hasn’t happened in my case. I am nearing the end of the reel of The Pleader newspaper from Booneville, Mississippi, 1880 to 1887. I’ve learned quite a bit about John S. Boren, my 2nd great grandfather – more than I thought I would. John’s name appears about a dozen times not including the various weekly ads he took out for his sorghum evaporators. The editors of the newspaper thought highly of him. It probably didn’t hurt that he was a good advertising client.

When John announced his candidacy for Prentiss County Treasurer in July of 1887, the newspaper’s editor wrote of him: “Mr. Boren is a man well known to the County. He is competent, faithful, true to every trust and well qualified for the office. If elected, the funds of the county will be safe in his hands.” The editors had good reason to trust John’s money-handling abilities. John had gained experience as the Treasurer of the Auxiliary Bible Society – he was religious and good with money! You would think he’d be the perfect candidate.

Think again.

Only 35 people voted for John out of the nearly 2,000 folks who cast their ballots. G. W. Plaxco ended up winning – 152 votes ahead of M. L. Burns, the incumbent County Treasurer. The only candidate who received fewer votes that year was Charles Livingston in the race for County Floater. Charles ended up with 26 votes in a five-man race.

I suppose that means John had 9 more friends than Charles did – or 8 assuming John voted for himself.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relationship: 2nd great grandfather
Common ancestors: John’s parents, Absalom and Harriet (Pearce) Boren are my 3rd great grandparents

References:
“Official Vote of Prentiss County, Nov. 8, 1887.”, The Pleader (Booneville, Mississippi) 17 November 1887, p. 2, col 3; microfilm image, The Pleader Nov. 4 1880 – Dec. 22, 1887, personal collection.
The Pleader (Booneville, Mississippi) 21 July 1887, p. 3, col 4; microfilm image, The Pleader Nov. 4 1880 – Dec. 22, 1887, personal collection.
The Pleader (Booneville, Mississippi) 28 July 1887, p. 3, col 3; microfilm image, The Pleader Nov. 4 1880 – Dec. 22, 1887, personal collection.

The microfilmed newspapers of Booneville, Mississippi from 1881 to 1899 have not disappointed. Although I have yet to find the answers I seek to specific questions, I have learned a great deal about my great grandmother Lula Betty Boren‘s kinfolk. With each turn of the microfilm wheel I am offered a peek back into a time long forgotten. Death was no stranger to these folks. Scanning the microfilm is tedious work and my search for any mention of her family is often interrupted by stories that are horrific and gut-wrenching. An estimated 150 people died a day during a yellow fever epidemic in St. Louis. And, entire families in the surrounding communities were wiped out by typhoid fever. With so much tragedy in the news, it’s no wonder I found a brief mention of a former Booneville resident a bit of amusing. He was most certainly still alive as was reported under the simple heading: “Not Dead”.

The names of Lula Betty’s siblings – “D. E.” and “M. D.” – are no longer just initials carved into headstones. The passing of “Daniel Eugene” Boren and “Little Marcus” Boren were announced to the community of Booneville in notices appearing in 1881 and 1884, respectively. The infant Daniel was most likely named for his grieving mother’s brother, Daniel Goodger, and grandfather, Daniel Pearce. And Little Marcus, who was but two-years-old when he died, was probably named after his mother’s great uncle, Marcus Goodger.

An obituary from 1883 confirmed that the William L. Boren who is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Ratliffe, Mississippi is indeed the brother of Lula Betty’s father, John S. Boren, who penned an emotional tribute to his 32-year-old brother, writing “… he blooms and lives in that home beyond the river of death that is prepared for all the followers of Christ”.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relationship: great grandmother
Common ancestors: Lula Betty’s parents, John S. and Mary Emma (Goodger) Boren, are my 2nd great grandparents

Miller time was very brief. If there is a silver lining to this genealogical predicament, it is that I believed that my 3rd great grandmother Matilda Jane’s maiden name was Miller for about a month. Poor Vester Garner, Matilda Jane’s grandson, probably lived his entire life believing it. And so he must not have given it a second thought when it came time to identify his deceased aunt’s parents as “U Googer” and “Miller”. That’s what started this mess. But Vester was mistaken. Her maiden name was not “Miller”. In his defense, Vester never met his grandmother as she died in 1881 and he was born in 1883.

Recorded in the deed books of Prentiss County, Mississippi is a transaction from 1877 transferring land from the “heirs of Daniel Pearce” to “M. C. Pearce”. Ulysses Goodger and his wife “M. A.” Goodger (or “M. J.” Goodger) were listed among Daniel Pearce’s heirs. (Keep in mind, in those days, when a woman married her husband took legal precedence in matters of estates, deeds, etc. which is why Ulysses was also listed as an heir. He was the son-in-law – literally.) Presumably, “M. C. Pearce” (the buyer from Memphis, Tennessee) is Matilda Jane’s older brother who was purchasing their father’s land from his collective siblings living in Mississippi. “Tiller” – Matilda Jane’s nickname – and Ulysses Goodger also sold another piece of land to “M. C. Pearce” around the same time.

Matilda Jane was not a Miller by birth but a Pearce.

Crap. You’d think I’d be happier to finally have solid if not definitive proof of her maiden name. But it’s PEARCE which is also spelled P-I-E-R-C-E. Matilda Jane’s daughter, Mary Emma, married John S. Boren. His mother was Harriett PEARCE! She and John’s father were married in Lawrence County, Tennessee. Daniel Pearce apparently owned land in Lawrence County, Tennessee before moving to Mississippi.

Now I begin the task of trying to unravel the tangled vines of the Pearce family tree as Matilda Jane and Harriett were probably cousins. If true, it means that John S. Boren and his wife, Mary Emma, were related to one another.

It’s going to get messy.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relationship: 4th great grandfather
Common ancestors: At this time, I have no clue as to the identify of Daniel Pearce or Pierce’s parents

Breakfast was truly the most important meal of the day when I slept over at my grandparents house. It was “alone time” with my grandfather, Basil. My grandmother rarely roused from her slumber before 10 a.m. I think. She sat in her recliner working crossword puzzles and watching television into the wee hours after my grandfather had retired to the “front bedroom” where he slept and I to the basement apartment that I had to myself. So we never saw her at breakfast.

There was no need for an alarm clock. Grandpa’s footsteps on the kitchen floor above me signaled when it was time to get up. I’d throw on my clothes and make my way up the steep and narrow staircase that would NEVER have passed a modern safety inspection. I always felt a sense of relief when I made it to the top safely and closed the door behind me. The staircase led to the eat-in dining room portion of their kitchen. It was cozy and the warm aroma of Grandpa’s breakfast always greeted me before he did. He’d be wearing a t-shirt and slacks with a belt and house slippers. The sound of coffee percolating punctuated his movements as he gracefully moved between the skillet and the toaster or pancake griddle. Invariably we’d have fried eggs and sausage patties that were not much bigger than a quarter in size. I suppose they made his silver dollar-size pancakes look that much bigger.

Since my grandmother was still sleeping and my parents were miles away, I felt okay about drowning my pancakes in maple syrup – Grandpa never seemed to mind. Maple syrup, however, was not Grandpa’s condiment of choice when it came to pancakes, toast or canned biscuits. He preferred the mysterious dark liquid that kind of oozed from the jar when he poured it: sorghum molasses. I tried it once but it was too strong for my liking.

What could possibly be the point of this gratuitous trip down memory lane?

Fast-forward to July of 2017 as I painstakingly scan my first role of microfilmed newspaper looking for any mention of my ancestors in Mississippi. And what is the first thing I learn about my grandfather’s grandfather, John S. Boren?

He manufactured sorghum evaporators.

This ad appeared in The Prentiss Plaindealer newspaper July 26, 1894.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relationship: 2nd great grandfather
Common ancestors: John’s parents were Absolem and Harriett (Pearce) Boren, my 3rd great grandparents

Presidents, politicians, patriots, and pioneers adorn my family tree. And so does a porn star. Jennifer Massoli, a.k.a. Jenna Jameson, is my 6th cousin. She has been described as the “most famous adult entertainment performer in the world”. If you don’t know who she is and decide to look her up on Google, be careful because you may get results that are a tad salacious to say the least. Jennifer is the mother of three children including a set of twins. She’s also an entrepeneur who runs her own film production company, ClubJenna. She married two of her costars which is why three porn stars have now made their way onto my family tree. The father of her twins is the retired mixed martial artist and UFC star, Tito Ortiz. Jennifer and Tito never married. (Oy, my mother would be so proud of how I’ve expanded on the genealogy she started.)

Jennifer is a descendant of John and Sarah Holliday. I can’t help but wonder if she was aware of her ancestry when she performed under the name “Daisy Holiday”. (Yes, I did my homework on Jennife’s career. It’s a dirty job but someone has to uncover all of our family’s secrets!) Sarah Holliday was born Sarah Trantham. Her brother, Jesse Trantham, is my 4th great grandfather who married John Holliday’s sister, Sarah. If you’re not already in a state of confusion, this makes Jennifer my double 6th cousin as we share two sets of 5th great grandparents. Incidentally, we are both 4th cousins, 6x removed from one of the aforementioned presidents in my family tree, Martin Van Buren.

Who knew genealogy could be so informative? Jennifer makes educational films and I write an educational blog.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relationship: 6th cousin
Common ancestors: Our 5th great grandparents are Henry and Sarah (Quackenbush) Holliday AND Martin Trantham and his wife, “Massey”.