Category Archives: Whitehurst Writings

Perserverance to the nth degree

25 Saturday Jun 2016

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I finished my master’s degree last year, and when I graduated, people often asked how I did it, considering that I finished my degree while working full time. Looking back, I don’t think I ever considered how. I knew what I wanted, and I was determined to get it.

My cousin Irene Whitehurst Johnson, who graduated from Troy University after taking classes off and on for 50 years.

My cousin Irene Whitehurst Johnson, who graduated from Troy University after taking classes off and on for 50 years. Photo credit: The Dothan Eagle

I’m not the only one with that mindset. Actually, I believe it’s a family trait. My cousin Irene’s dogged determination recently made headlines in Alabama:

“After 50 years of trying, 75-year-old woman graduates from university.”

And Irene says she’s not done yet– she has her eyes set on a master’s degree. Somehow, that’s not surprising.

 

“…one negro woman named Sarah…”

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by in Discoveries, How Do I...?, Whitehurst Writings

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My cousin Renetta always told me I’d find enslaved ancestors in wills, “right there with the cows and the furniture.” She was right.

If you’re like me, and your ancestors were enslaved, then wills are often a treasured source of information. Remember, slavery meant people were property, so when a slaveowner died, his or her will included an inventory of property and detailed instructions of who got who what. It’s also life after death, if you will. (No pun intended… OK, it kind of was). Wills and estate papers often contain identifying information about slaves not found anywhere else such as names, ages and sometimes even family relationships.

Ancestry.com recently updated its database with wills and estate papers from several states, including Alabama, where my family roots run deep.I decided to look up the names of folks I thought might have owned my ancestors. I started with Whitehurst— since it’s such a distinct name — and happened upon the will of Levi Whitehurst of Barbour County, Ala., who died in 1853.

My grandma told me that she was born in Barbour County and that’s where her family was from. Census records supported that. My earliest known Whitehurst ancestor is my great-great-great-grandmother Sarah (Sallie) Whitehurst, who was born sometime around 1827. I knew from past research that she had lived in Barbour County for a while.

I scoured through pages and pages of Levi Whitehurst’s final wishes, deciphering the loops and swirls of his handwritten will to find any mention of a Sarah.

This page from Levi Whitehurst's will, written in 1853, includes

This page from Levi Whitehurst’s will, written in 1853, includes “one negro woman named Sarah.” I believe this Sarah is my great-great-great-grandmother, Sarah Whitehurst.

And there it was: ” …I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter Mary Ann Whitehurst the following property: one negro woman named Sarah, Nancy a girl, one boy {illegible} and boy named Henry and one bed and one boy named Joe and one girl named Sarah Jane and furniture . . ”

A strong clue, yes, but not enough to confirm her identity. In my next post, I’ll explain how to do this.

Aside

Decisions, decisions…

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Musings, Nance Notes, Whitehurst Writings

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So I have two family reunions this summer. The Nance reunion and the Whitehurst reunion. I’ve never missed a Nance reunion, and because of that, I can count on one hand how many Whitehurst reunions I’ve been to (and still have fingers left).

Actually, the decision is not that hard to make– I’m probably going to be on the program for some type of presentation at the Nance reunion. What said presentation will look like, I have no idea.

Your suggestions are welcome. In the meantime, I’ll be hoping the Whitehursts will prepare Cliffs Notes or a PowerPoint Presentation or some other type of reunion recap.

Finding Sarah Whitehurst

28 Thursday Feb 2013

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Sometimes you have to play a bit of the name game during genealogical research. In my family, it’s not uncommon for folks to go by a couple of names. (suggested reading: Pinkard Cast of Characters).

The same is true on my dad’s side of the family. I had been researching Sallie Whitehurst, who was my great-great-great-grandmother. (She had a son named Rubin, who had a son named Marion, who a daughter named Ruth– my paternal grandmother). I had been searching and searching for Sallie Whitehurst, but came up with nothing. Then I found Rubin Whitehurst’s death certificate and noticed that his mother was listed as Sarah Whitehurst.

“Ah, yes,” I thought. “Sallie is a nickname for Sarah!”

And so I began a feverish search for Sarah Whitehurst and happened upon an entire branch of a family that was previously unknown to me.

In the 1866 Alabama Census Sarah Whitehurst was living in Pike County, Ala., with three children. They’re unnamed in the document, but there are two girls and a boy, all younger than 10. In the 1870 U.S. Census, the three children are still with her, and they have names– Tobe, Margaret and Rebecca. (They’re  7, 12 and 10, respectively). By 1880, Sarah has relocated to Barbour County, Ala. Tobe and Margaret have left the household, but Rebecca is still in the household. Sarah also has three grandchildren, Marg. J, Maggie and Major.

So far, that’s the last record of her I’ve been able to find. But, as I’ve realized time and again, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any out there.