Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Unfinished Genealogy Projects

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  What started but unfinished projects do you have? Define one or more of them, and how far along you are in the project.

2)  Please share your answers or information as a comment, on social media or in your own blog post!

Here's mine:

Like Randy, I have so many many projects I want to do and finish! I thought I had them written down somewhere, but of course now when I need them, I cannot find a list anywhere.  So this is going to be from memory - HA! It may be a short list!

(1)  Cleaning up duplicate sources in my Family Tree Maker 24 (FTM) software.  I had gotten quite a bit done already, but then I lost my tree file and had to restore from a backup.  Somehow, all the work I had done, eliminating duplicate sources was GONE.  So I have started over, and I am probably not even 5% complete at this point.  

(2)  Doing a second research run on Ancestry.com for my paternal great-grandparents' children.  Using Ancestry hints, obituaries, Newspapers.com, and Find a Grave, I have found children, grand-children, and even great-grandchildren that I did not have in my tree.  I have also found birth, marriage, and death dates; first or middle names, and some very interesting stores from newspapers.  This project gets pushed back a lot when I have an obituary pop up, and I have to go research that family for a bit.  I am thinking I am about 30% done with this project.

(3)  Organizing and naming the photos on my desktop computer.  While this isn't strictly genealogy, it does include vintage photos I have been sent from cousins, etc. and modern day activities with cousins, including visiting cemeteries.  I got out of the habit of "filing" and naming my photos probably 15 years ago so it is a lot.  I am working backwards, and I am now on the year 2022.  So I would say I'm about 30% done with this project.

(4) Cleaning out a file box of genealogy items.  The box is just a compilation of "stuff" that I didn't know where else to put it.  This includes copied deeds, surveys, wills, etc. from microfilm at the North Carolina Archives.  I have been transcribing and posting one of those about every two weeks. I found pictures of a Grand Uncle a cousin sent me.  Lots of stuff that says "filing" or "enter into FTM."  I have no idea what all is in there.  I just do a little bit at a time.  I'm probably only about 5-10% into that.

(5) Visiting cemeteries and taking photos.  I have to suspend this project during the hot summer and cold winter.  I have been waiting for fall temperatures so my cousins and I can get back out on the road, but now that it's almost time, gas has jumped up to over $4.00/gallon.  So I don't know how much cemetery visiting I will get to do.  I will have to stick VERY close to home. This is an ongoing project so I don't know a percentage of completion.  

This is all I can think of at the moment.  I do have a couple of projects that I haven't started yet that I really want to get to:

(1)  Research the Vintage Street address in Los Angles where my grandparents lived when my mother was born in the 40s.  I cannot locate them on the 1940 census so I want to search the census by locality and see if I can find them that way.

(2)  Create some DNA "dummy" trees on Ancestry.com using information from DNA matches' trees.  Using Ancestry's hints, I may be able to find common ancestors even though my matches only have their parents in a tree.  I just learned about doing this, and I am excited to try it.

I know I have more projects that I just haven't found out about yet.  There is always something else that needs doing.

Sympathy Saturday

 

    Sympathy Saturday will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

    For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

    So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree. Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none. This week there are two who actually passed away a few weeks ago as I got behind on email for while. All caught up now!

    Please join me in offering condolences to their families and holding them in the light.

Barney Eugene Kea
09 Jan 1945 - 24 Aug 2026

Mr. Barney Eugene Kea, 81, of Swainsboro, passed away Monday, August 24, 2026, at his residence. He was born on January 9, 1945, to the late Franklin Eugene Kea and Jacqueline Whitehead Kea. Barney Kea was a man who enjoyed the simple things in life and made the most of the time he had with family and friends. He loved being outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, and was a proud member of the Boggy Bottom Hunting Club. Barney was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite teams. One of the things he enjoyed most was coaching his sons during their Dixie Youth years and later in rec football. He loved being involved and watching his boys grow, both on and off the field. Mr. Barney worked at J. A. Youngblood Oil for 40+ years where he retired. Barney proudly served his country in the United States Navy and later gave back to his community as a volunteer firefighter. He was a man of strong faith and was of the Baptist faith. Through his love for family, his service to others, and the things he enjoyed, Barney leaves behind many memories that will be cherished by all who knew and loved him. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Mrs. Patricia Kea of Swainsboro; sons, Rusty Kea (April), Benjie Kea, both of Swainsboro; brother, Donnie Kea (Nancy) of Elberton; sister, Patricia Kuhnert (Jack) of Eatonton; grandchildren, Cameron Kea (Jency), Emily Kea; great-grandson, Beckham Kea; nieces, Tammy Cochran (Steven), Megan; nephews, Jeffrey McCarty (Janet), Dusty Kuhnert; special family friend, Magda Juarez and many other friends. Funeral Services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 26, 2026, in the chapel of Chapman Funeral Home with Reverend Jack Whitehead officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services. Pallbearers are Mitch Riner, Jeff Lane, Jeremy Faircloth, Jody Womack, Gene Hall and Gene Kea. Honorary pallbearers are members of the Wednesday Night Supper Club. Condolences may be expressed at www.chapmanfhofswainsboro.com. Chapman Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements for Mr. Barney Eugene Kea, 81, of Swainsboro.

James Carlton "Jimmy" Flanders

05 Jul 1936 - 27 Aug 2026

James Carlton “Jimmy” Flanders, age 90, passed away at his home on Thursday, August 27, 2026 surrounded by his family. Mr. Jimmy was born July 5, 1936 to the late Jesse Miller Flanders and Mossevie Sikes Flanders. Weighing a whopping 3 pounds, 4 ounces, his dad said he was the ugliest baby he had ever seen. They placed him in a coffee can for the first few months of his life and sat the can by the fire to keep him warm.

As a very young boy, maybe four to five years old, Jimmy sold the Savannah newspaper and was the shoeshine boy for the WWII sailors that were in the port of Savannah. His brothers, Paul and Perry, made sure he got set up at his station in Wright Square and helped him with his money because he was too young to know how to make change. As a teenager, Jimmy was a professional featherweight boxer and weighed in at 135 pounds. He fought many boxing matches under the name of Sweet Pea. The first time he got knocked out, he decided boxing wasn’t for him. He was drafted by the Pittsburg Pirates to play short stop in the minor leagues but soon found out they didn’t pay enough.

At the ripe old age of 19, Mr. Jimmy moved to Swainsboro and met the love of his life, Thomasene Lawson Flanders. They eloped after dating for only a few months and were married in Allendale, SC, just 20 days after Mrs. Thomasene turned 16 years old. They were happily married for almost 70 years. And they said it would never last.

After returning to Swainsboro, he was employed by the Georgia Power Company and retired with over 30 years of service. During that time, he was a volunteer firefighter and retired with 33 years of service. Mr. Jimmy was also an open water search and rescue diver. He served as Secretary and was Past Master of the Swainsboro Masonic Lodge. He was also a proud member of the Alee Shrine Club.

Mr. Jimmy is survived by his wife, Thomasene Lawson Flanders of Swainsboro; three daughters and two sons-in-law, T’Lene Allen (Larry) of Hawkinsville, Sherri Flanders Clifton (Jim) of Eatonton, Emmie S. Flanders of Swainsboro; one son and daughter-in-law, Tommy Perry Flanders (Julie) of Claxton; 15 grandchildren, T’Neil Williams, Ryan Phipps, Brandon Bouchillon, Casey Yarbrough, Carly Tucker, Cody Clifton, Makenzie Clifton, Kaleb Allen, Bethany Allen, Lydia Jones, David Allen, John Mark Allen, Micah Allen, Marianna Noel and Joseph Allen; 24 great grandchildren; and was anticipating the birth of his first great-great grandchild; three nieces and a nephew.

Mr. Jimmy is predeceased by his parents, Jesse Miller Flanders and Mossevie Sikes Flanders; brothers, Perry Flanders and Paul Flanders; brother-in-law, Tommy Lawson; mother and father-in-law, Thomas and Juanita Lawson.

Visitation will be held Monday, August 31, 2026 from 6-8 p.m. at Chapman Funeral Home in Swainsboro. Funeral service will be held Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Chapman Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Swainsboro City Cemetery with Masonic rites.

Active pallbearers will be Tommy Perry Flanders, Jim Clifton, Larry Allen, Jack Williams, Sam Williams, Brandon Bouchillon, and Ryan Phipps.

Honorary pallbearers will be Brad Williams, Mickey Flanders, Jeremy Hulen, Calvin Bell, Casey Yarbrough, Johnny Tuten, Kendall Gross, Cody Clifton, the Swainsboro Masonic Lodge, current and former Georgia Power employees and current and former employees of the Swainsboro Fire Department.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Masonic Children’s Home, 811 Mulberry St. Macon, GA 31201 or to your local animal shelter. The family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Ogeechee Area Hospice for all the care and concern they showed our daddy and our family during his illness.

Condolences may be expressed at www.chapmanfhofswainsboro.com

Chapman Funeral Home of Swainsboro is in charge of the arrangements for Mr. James Carlton "Jimmy" Flanders, 90, of Swainsboro.

    Jimmy Flanders is the father of my fellow 1985 Swainsboro High School graduate, cousin, and friend, Emmie Flanders.  My sincerest condolences.  

Friday's Faces From the Past

 

William Asa Page
born 1836 in Washington County, Georgia, USA
died 07 Feb 1897, Wrightsville, Johnson County, Georgia, USA

and

Mary Aminda Walker Page

born 03 Aug 1845 in Georgia, USA

died 13 Mar 1928

Heirloom Thursday

 

Many, many years ago, my husband, Warren, and I bought our first house in Milledgeville, Georgia. Needless to say, we did not have much money to buy basic furniture, never mind extra items like a china cabinet.  Since I have always been a genealogist, I already had a collection of dishes and glassware that had belonged to members of my family.  So unbeknownst to me, Warren got together with our next door neighbor, Mark, and built this china cabinet for me. I loved it from the first moment.  Despite Warren and I divorcing, I still carried that china cabinet with me through six moves and for more than 20 years.   (This photo shows it at its last location in my townhouse in Durham, North Carolina.)

Unfortunately, when I moved back to Georgia two years ago, I was unable to bring it with me.  Just no room.  I had to move my 1800 square feet townhome into basically two rooms here in my mother's house, so I made the painful decision to let the china cabinet go.  I gave it to someone I knew, so I hope she is still enjoying it.

I have a picture, and I have my memories. That will have to be enough.

Wednesday Wedding

 

Kay Elaine Drake
1938-2014

and

Robert Eugene Wentworth
1936-2005

Married

18 May 1961
Los Angeles County, California, USA

(A search on Google Gemini stated that the Gretna Green Wedding Chapel in 1961 was located in Yuma, Arizona, but Kay and Robert are listed in the California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985 for Los Angeles County.)

Tuesday Timeline

 

Timeline for 

Maria Hubbard Hubbard

(1793-1877)

Date/Age	Event	Description
1793	Birth	15 Sep 1793 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1803 Age 9	The Louisiana Purchase	President Thomas Jefferson bought approximately 828,000 square miles of land from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the United States. This monumental land deal stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, securing control of the vital port of New Orleans and opening the western interior for future settlement and ancestral migration.
1803  Age 9	Death of Father Thomas Hubbard II	06 Jun 1803 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1804 Age 10	Lewis & Clark Expedition	Between 1804-1806. Commissioned by Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery overland to the Pacific Ocean and back. Their team mapped uncharted territory, established trade and diplomatic relations with dozens of Native American tribes, and documented hundreds of new plant and animal species, providing the vital geographic intelligence that shaped America's westward expansion.
1812 Age 18	War of 1812	Between 1812-1815. Fought between the United States and Great Britain, this conflict erupted over British violations of maritime rights, impressment of American sailors, and British support for Native American resistance against western expansion. Key moments included the burning of Washington, D.C., and the decisive American victory at the Battle of New Orleans. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent, restoring pre-war borders but instilling a new sense of American national pride and sovereignty.
1815 Age 21	Marriage to Heman Brainerd Jr	15 Jan 1815  Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1815 Age 22	Birth of Son Wellington White Brainerd	10 Oct 1815 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1822 Age 28	Birth of Son Waldemar Wiltshire Brainerd	06 Jul 1822 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1824 Age 30	Death of Spouse Heman Brainerd Jr	27 Jan 1824 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1829 Age 35	Death of Mother Sarah Boardman	14 Jun 1829 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1831 Age 37	Marriage to Matthew G Hubbard	30 Apr 1831 New York City, New York, New York, USA
1841 Age 47	Migration along the  Oregon  Trail	Between 1841-1869. Hundreds of thousands of farmers, fur trappers, and homesteaders journeyed westward from Missouri across 2,000 miles of treacherous terrain to the fertile valleys of the Pacific Northwest. Families traveled in covered wagon trains facing disease, harsh weather, and rugged landscapes, fundamentally altering the western frontier.
1842 Age 48	Death of Son Wellington White Brainerd	13 Feb 1842
1846 Age 52	Mexican-American War	Between 1846-1848. Triggered by the annexation of Texas and a border dispute, this conflict resulted in an American victory and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico ceded vast territories —including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming—realizing the concept of Manifest Destiny.
1848 Age 54	California Gold Rush	Between 1848-1855. Gold discovered at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, sparked a massive migration of over 300,000 prospectors, known as "forty-niners," from across the United States and the globe. This sudden influx accelerated California's path to statehood in 1850 while devastating indigenous populations and reshaping the western economy.
1851 Age 58	Death of Sister Jemima Hubbard Smith	11 Dec 1851 Connecticut, USA
1861 Age 67	The Civil War	Between 12 Apr 1861-09 Apr 1865. A cataclysmic conflict fought between the Union (the Northern states) and the Confederacy (eleven southern states that seceded) over the institution of slavery and states' rights. Claiming over 600,000 American lives, the war ended with the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery.
1862 Age 69	Emancipation Proclamation	22 Sep 1862. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the height of the Civil War, this executive order declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were legally free. It fundamentally transformed the moral purpose of the war and allowed formerly enslaved individuals to enlist in the Union armed forces.
1864 Age 70	Death of Brother Amasa Hubbard	07 Feb 1864 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1865 Age 71	Assassination of Abraham Lincoln	President Lincoln was shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., passing away the following morning. Occurring just days after the end of the Civil War, his death plunged a recovering nation into grief and left the turbulent era of Reconstruction to his successor, Andrew Johnson.
1865 Age 72	Death of Sister Sarah Hubbard Kelsey	27 Sep 1865 Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA
1868 Age 74	Death of Sister Elizabeth Hubbard Ranney	04 Jan 1868
1877 Age 83	Death	01 Mar 1877

 

Amanuensis Monday

 

This is a copy of a deed that I printed off microfilm at the North Carolina Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina several years ago. There are several of these in a folder so I am trying to get them organized and transcribed to share and have in my records. Most of them pertain to Hosea Tapley (1691-1778), my 6th great grandfather.  However, this one refers to my 5th great grandfather, Joel Tapley (abt 1720-1790/91), the son of Hosea.  New Tapley (abt 1736-?) is my 6th great uncle, the brother of Joel, and also the son of Hosea.  Mary (1735-1790) and Elizabeth (1733-1790), their wives, were sisters; the daughters of Thomas (1712-1757) and Ursula Claiborne  (1712-1756) Avent.

The following is an indenture dated 1758 concerning 200 acres located on the south side of Beaver Pond, Northampton County, North Carolina.

Tapley, Joel, Northampton County (North Carolina), Indenture dated January 26, 1758 for 200 acres
located on the south side of Bearer Swamp, Northampton County Register of Deeds, Record of Deeds,
Volume 2, Years 1751-1758,  pages 517-518, North Carolina Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Tapley & others to Jordan

 

This Indenture made the 26 day of January 1758 between Joel 

Tapley and Mary his wife and New Tapley & Elizabeth his wife of the one parte 

and Frederick Jordan of the other parte, witnesseth that for and

in consideration of the Sum of fourteen pounds proclamation money 

to Them in hand paid at and before the ensealing of these presents 

the receipt whereof they do hereby Acknowledge and thereof 

and every part thereof do acquit and Discharge the sd Frederick 

Jordan and his heirs and administrators forever hath bargained

sold align and confirmed and by these presents doth bargain sell align 

and offered confirm unto him the sd Frederick Jordan his heirs and all their 

proper  right and Estate to two fifths of a Tract of Land lying and being in Northampton County  on the south side of Beaver pond back Containing two hundred Acres more or less together with all houses orchards gardens woods underwoods ways and waters with all other proffits [sic] and priviledges [sic] whatsoever belonging or in any wise ????? Laying to the sd Two hundred 

Acres ??? with the Reversion and Remainders, thereof to have the sd Jordan, To have and to hold the sd Two fifths 

of the sd Land & premises to the only proper use and behoof of the sd 

Frederick Jordan his heirs and Assigns forever; and the sd Joel Tapley 

and Mary his wife and New Tapley and Elizabeth his wife do promise and 

agree to and with the sd Frederick Jordan his heirs and that at the time of 

the ensealing hereof they have in themselves good right full power and 

lawful authority to sell and convey the same two fifths of the sd 

two hundred Acres of Land & premeses [sic] by virtue of the Last Will 

and Testament of Thomas Avent Deceased reference ???? thereto may large- 

ly appear unto the sd Joel Tapley & Mary his wife & New Tapley and 

Elizabeth his wife do further agree to and with the sd Frederick Jordan 

his heirs and that the sd Two fifths is free and clear from all former 

and other gifts grants bargains sales and all manner of Incumbrances

whatsoever and that the sd Frederick Jordan his heirs or assigns may 

at all times forever hereafter enter unto and upon the aforegranted premeses [sic] To have and hold use occupy and enjoy the same without the 

??? suit trouble of them the sd Joel Tapley and Mary his wife New 

Tapley and Elizabeth his wife and that against themselves their heirs and ????? 

or any other person or persons whatsoever Lawfully claiming or pretending 

to claim, any right title or interest in or to the above granted premeses [sic] 

and shall and will forever Warrant & Defend by these presents 

In Witness whereof they have hereunto set their hands and seals the day 

and year above written. 

                                                        Joel Tapley                         Mary Tapley 

                                                                      New Tapley                        Elizabeth Tapley

In Presence of Robert Sturt

Chars Gee   Penelope  Sturt

                    Northampton County ss/ October Court 1758 

The preceding deed was proved in open Court on the Oath of 

Charles Gee, one of the witnesses thereto & on motion was ordered 

to be Registered.                 ???? Edwards Clerk???

Transcription by Google Gemini and me.

I apologize for the formatting; Blogger has a mind of its own when it comes to that.