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11 Nov 2015 – Korean Conflict – Roland Davis (My Father)

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Happy Veterans Day!  A special thanks to all of our military and their families for their service!  It’s truly a Team effort!  Following is a picture of my father and his friend while serving in Korea in 1953.

 

Roland Davis & Timothy - Korea 1953

Roland Davis (left) & Timothy Perkins (right) – Korea 1953

 

During my childhood, I don’t remember my father talking much about his service.  Most of what I will tell you today is either documented in his discharge papers, based on my research, or based on family history.

On 5 November 1952, Roland Davis reported to Montgomery, AL for in processing which consisted of uniform issue and mental and physical exams.  I believe his basic training was done at Camp Stoneman, CA per his brother Roosevelt.   When the US Army inducted him for the Korean Conflict, my father was 20 years old.  Prior to entering the service, he lived with his mother and three brothers in Mobile, AL.

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5 Nov 2015 – Health History

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When we do our family tree, we focus on births, deaths, marriages, and other significant events.  One very important piece of information is generally missing.  As you do your genealogical research, take the time to gather health history as well.  This is helpful information for you, your family and your doctor, especially for diseases that are hereditary.

There are several options to gather health information.  For deceased persons in my tree, I generally add cause of death as a fact to my tree.  You can also upload documents and attach to your tree.  Be mindful what information you share especially if you make your tree accessible to the public.

The March of Dimes has a very comprehensive  family-health-history-form that could be completed and attached as a fact to your family tree.  This form is pretty involved.

Other useful sites include:

My Family Health

Tracing Your Health History at Genealogy.com

My Family Health Portrait

Know Your Family Health History at FamilySearch

Family Health History Toolkit

Ancestry.com – Creating a Health History (requires Family Tree Maker software)

 

Between The Dashes

3 Nov 2015 – Genealogy and DNA

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Have you ever thought of getting your DNA tested?  Well, I thought about it and actually did it!  My Mother always talked about the women in our family having a Native American heritage, so I really expected to see results that included Native American – maybe 10% or more!

 

ADN_animation

The structure of part of a DNA double helix. May be subject to copyright.

I took advantage of the tests offered by Ancestry which provides an estimate of the historical origins of my DNA.  Following are my results:

 Africa 73%

  • Benin/Togo 21%
  • Mali 17%
  • Cameroon/Congo 14%
  • Nigeria 6%
  • Ivory Coast/Ghana 5%
  • Trace Regions 10%

Europe 26%

  • Europe West 10%
  • Ireland 8%
  • Trace Regions 8%

West Asia 1%

  • Trace Regions 1%

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24 Oct 2015 – Wakes In The Home

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Rose-flowers-21391136-600-600

When my mother Alice was growing up, wakes were actually held in the homes. When a family member died, the funeral home prepared the body, placed it in the casket, and delivered it to the home.  During the wake, friends and family would come to pay their respects.  The wake was a celebration of life with food and drink.

My mother remembers her great-grandmother (Laura Washington) and grandfather (Joseph Brown) having a wake held in their home.  Based on the time of the funeral, the body would be delivered to the home the day before, and be available until an hour or two prior to the funeral which was held in the church.

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19 Oct 2015 – Ella Brown Thomas and Emaline Brown

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Ella Brown Thomas

Ella Brown Thomas is my 3rd great-aunt (Mother’s side).  It is rare for me to have a picture going back six generations!  She was born in 1844 and died in 1944.  She is the daughter of Emaline Brown who was born in 1832.    I don’t know much about Ella Brown, but I do know that her mother was Emaline Brown.

When you are researching african american ancestors in the 1800s, it’s a challenge because the records are extremely scarce.  I was able to find limited information on Emaline Brown, mother of Ella Brown.  She had a savings account on 2 May 1872 at the age of 41.  At the time, her parents were dead, but the records show she had nine children:

  • Peter Brown
  • Margaret Brown
  • Simuel Brown
  • Ella (pictured above)
  • Elixander Brown
  • Thomas
  • Willie Brown
  • Carrie
  • Millie

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