Category DICKERSON

Mar 5 2013

Before the Curtain Opens – Program Notes

So, here are our Newly Discovered kindred.  A glimpse of them was caught in the post about Alethia DICKERSON HOLDER highlighted Feb 26 on ‘My Kindred Tree’.

James DICKERSON, Sarah HOBBS, and Clara McCOY are Alethia DICKERSON’s parents.  Two wives for one man without bigamy or polygamy?  Well, yes.  James married Sarah in 1845 when they were 21 and 19 respectively.  About a year later they had their first and only child, Alethia.  Just six years later Sarah would die at age 25 in young adulthood like many of her siblings (a story for another day).

Six more years pass and James marries Clara McCoy in 1857 during a time of great economic turmoil for the United States.  They both are about 32 years old on their wedding day in January.   Sometime in 1859 they have a son,  little George Monroe. The 1860 census reveals that James was working as a day laborer.  No extra people were listed in the household indicating that he did not have servants or own slaves. Continue reading →

Feb 26 2013

Alethia ‘Letha’ DICKERSON HOLDER

Alethia Jane DICKERSON lived her life within a 30 mile radius in middle Georgia. She was born in an area called ‘Crowders’ in Monroe County. If you’ve ever eaten or heard of the Crowder pea, it was developed by John Crowder  of the same county. When ‘peas’ are on the menu of a family reunion of southerners, they aren’t talking about the green, English variety.  They’re talking about a field pea, such as ‘Crowder’ or ‘Purple Hull’ that make their own gravy color.

Alethia had almost as many versions of her name as there are field peas.  Her various names appear on documents throughout her life, ‘Letha’, ‘Leitha’,  ‘Lethy’ and ‘Aletha’.  They are all the same person.  She was so named by her parents Continue reading →

Feb 19 2013

Newly Discovered

Last week we made several discoveries. While traveling through Augusta GA we were able to locate and visit the site of a place (see picture below) that employed several generations of kindred ancestors. Although it may look like a temple it is not, unless you worship your work.  Watch for future posts that will tell what, who and when about this place.  Very interesting.

Kindred Work Place Sibley Mills Augusta GA

The other discovery was finding another generation of kindred, previously unknown.
It’s been very exciting getting to know this new couple through a series of letters written during the civil war.  We rejoined Ancestry.com which enabled this newest discovery.  Look for a 2 part series revealing the content of the letters .