The Obituary of Stine Temple

Stine Temple, a dock worker for United Fruit Co., died Tuesday of a heart attack at United Medical Center. He was 52. Mr. Temple was a lifelong resident of New Orleans. Survivors included three daughters, Angela, Carla and Yvette Powell; his mother, Cora W. Temple; two brothers, Bobbie and Alvin Temple; a sister, Betty T. Steptoe; and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held Saturday at 9:30 a.m at Second Zion Baptist Chruch No. 1, 2929 Second St. Vistiation will be at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Temple Cemetery in Amite, D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Source the Time Picayune Newspaper, the clipping didn't state the year.

Connecting Our Vining Family Genetic Through Ancestry DNA

Isaiah Vining
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Several months ago my cousin Belinda Vining Trepagnier and I talked about having her father Isaiah Vining to take the Ancestry DNA and African Ancestry DNA test. We want to find out about our family history as much as possible. 

Isaiah is the descendant of Leon and Hattie Vining. He was born in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. He is one of six siblings; Leola, Eddie Lee, Johnny, Mary Lee, Rosedale, and Thomas. His father Leon as born about 1906 to the union of Benjamin and Annie Richardson Vining, he lived in Ward 3, in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. 

 Leon's sibling were;  Carrie, John, Leon and Luellea Vining.  I met cousin Luella over twenty years ago in New Orleans, La., She was in her eighties when I met her. I would often visit with her and talk with her about our family history. She talked about her mother Annie Richardson Vining every chance she got. She told me that her father Benajmin has contact the smallpox and had to be quaratine in a little shack in the woods. She remember going in the woods and placing food under a tree and leaving. He died in the woods due to the smallpox. No one couldn't come in contact with him. 

Cousin Luella spent a lot of time with her grandmother Amanda Breland Richardson and Thomas Richardson. At one time she and her family was living with her grandparents. She had a picture of her grandmother Amanda and her mother Annie hanging on her wall. Cousin Louella was a amputee and she spent a lot of time crocheting blankets, caps and baby items for the family. 

Thomas and Amanda Breland Richardson has five children; Annie, Thomas, Golene, Johnc and Sophia Richardson. Cousin Luella told me that her mother was accidently shot by her brother John. She said her mother died of lock jaw and the family didn't talk about that subject at all. Matter of fact, not to many people knew of Annie, not even my mother who was the family griot. Most of the people who would have known about Annie had died. Annie was my grandmother's Josephine Richardson Harrell's aunt. 

Cousin Isaiah is in his eighties and agreed to take the DNA test. Surrounding by his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and other family members as well as friends. Isaiah and his family get together every fouth Sunday of the month for fellowship, family fun, games and lots of home cooked food. 

I really enjoyed myself watching the family really enjoy each others company and having fun playing a game of spoon. Most of all, cousin Isaiah was right there playing with games with his children and grandchildren. They are planning to go on their annual cruise this years. Cousin Isaiah is truly patirach of his family. I'm happy that I met Leon's branch of the family.  Matter of fact Isaiah is double related to me on the Richardson and Vining side of my family.

Rev. Charles Daggs Ran for Office in Tangipahoa Parish in 1872

State of Louisiana

Parish of Tangipahoa

Before the undersigned (?) appeared Charles Daggs, Emanuel Daggs, who being duly sworn according to the  law (?) that he was employee by J.P. Harrison when he went for his pay he Harrison refused to pay him. Daggs was running for office and that his life was not worth it and said he would never give him any more work, because Daggs voted the (?) ticket and had been working (?)

said Harrison interest for five years

Jackson Stapleton told me that Mr. J.P. Harrison said that if Stapleton voted the Republican ticket he Stapleton would  be taking bread out of his children mouth and after receiving this information he Stapleton refused to vote the Republican  ticket. 

Charles Daggs

Sworn to before me by said Charles Daggs, and by him subsribed in my presence this 7th day of December 1872. 

Sarah Nicholson Kidnapped and Sold Into Slavery in St. Helena, Louisiana

Edna Jordan Smith

Many people watched the movie "Twelve Years a Slave," or read the book. Over a decade ago I came across an article that was published in the Time Picyaune Newspaper. The article was written by Joan Treadway. Treadway has intereviewed Edna Jordan-Smith about her research discovery concerning a woman named Sarah Nicholson who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana in 1826. 

Smith reseach didn't reveal who kidnapped Sarah, her research revealed that white people and free people of color was involved. It was through a lawsuit that was filed on August 20, 1826 in St. Helena Parish Courthouse that Smith learned of the case. While looking through a summary of abstracts of cases during her employee at the Bluebonnett Library genealogy department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

An attorney named Thomas S. Lloyd, whom Smith believed to have been based in New Orleans. The document stated that Sarah had been kidnapped from the Pine Stree Wharf in Philadelphia and taken on board a hermaphrodite rig, they then transferred her to a oyster boat. "A storm rose in which the boat sprung a leak," Sarah said in the lawsuit. Sarah and nine other African descent people was but back on the rig. A total of fifty-people was enslaved there. She was put in irons, around her right foots, and a rope was fastened around her neck to the neck of another.

The ship made several stop while  enroute to Louisiana, where Sarah was transported to land, in St. Helena Parish. "A slaveholder by the name of Presley Stephenson a cotton farmer possibly used her for a field hand," said Smith. I research his name in Ancestry, I found him in St. Helena in the 1830 United States Census. His name was spelled Stevenson. Stephenson later sold her to a "Captain Thompson," who was a slave dealer on the corner of Canal and Camp

Sarah talked about how Thomspon beat her and was very mean and cruel. He beat her at the police station in the New Orleans for saying she was a free person. In her suit she wanted to be paid for unspecfied amount of damges she recieved from Thompson. 

I went to the St. Helena Parish Courthouse searching for the lawsuit. I will make a visit to the library in Baton Rouge to look at the abstract and have it transcribed.  Preserving Our History in Tangiphaoa and St, Helena would like to thank Edna Jordan Smith for this ground-breaking researh and bring it to the forefront.

Edna Jordan Smith holds a Masters of Education Degree with emphasis in Historical Research. She taught Genealogy Research at the Bluebonnet Genealogy Library in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Major Bibligraphical Sources: 

Time Picayune Newspaper " Woman Fought for Her Freedom in La.

http://www.alhgs.com/tours.html

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/east_feliciana/article_77b04384-84a5-5042-8153-50ea8255946e.html

https://www.gofundme.com/2h4p9szg

Mary Carter Was a Trail blazer in Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Mary Carter

Mary Carter served as temporary District 4 alderwoman since Nov. 1984.  She was appointed by the Board of Aldermen to serve in place of her late husband, G.T. Carter when he died in November.  Mrs. Carter was Ponchatoula resident since 1951. Her main goals were to improve city streets and drainage, cooperate with the council, advocate good, sound business principles and help city residents.

Mrs. Carter was a retired economic teacher,. She worked at Perrin Junior High School from 1951 to 1969 and then she taught at Ponchatoula High School until 1974. Mrs. Carter is a graduate of Hammond High School and Southern University in Baton Rouge. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in vocational home economics in 1951 and later worked toward a master's degree in home economics at the same university.

She was the mother of four children: Attorney Gideon T. Carter III, Hammond; Gwendolyn Renee Carter, R.N., New Orleans; Genor and Gemetri Carter, students in Baton Rouge. I was delighted to sit and talk with Gwendolyn about her parents.  Gwen and her family reminded me of the King family. Dr. King and his wife Coretta Scott King and his four children fought for equality and justice for the oppressed and so did the Carter family of Ponchatoula, Louisiana 

I sit across the table from her listening her talk about what her parent went through and the racism they faced tried to stand up for justice and seeking a quality of education for African-American children. She recalled some of the meetings that took place in her home. She remembered her father  Gideon Carter talking to A.Z. Young and other prominent African American men and women. 

I can't wait to meet and talk with Gwen again. The rich history of her family sure be recorded and documented,  

The Maternal Haplogroup of Emma Vining Richardson Williams

Uncle Henry taking 23 and Me DNA
with Karran Harper Royal

A few weeks back my Uncle Henry Harrell took the 23 and Me DNA test with one of my relatives Karran Harper Royal. His Maternal Haplogroup revealed that he and our family descend from a  long line of women that traced back to eastern Africa over 150, 000 years ago. His maternal haplogroup can reveal the path followed by women of his maternal line.  That would be his mother Josephine Richardson Harrell, her mother Emma Vining Richardson Williams,  Emma's mother Rosa Hart and Rosa's mother Celia Hart and so on.

His maternal line stems from a branch of L3 called L3f. Haplogroup L3f is an old offshot that traces back to a woman who likely lived nearly 46,000 years ago.  Members of L3f live in a wide distribution across the Sahal belt of Africa, a dry savanna region on the southern fringes of the Sahara  Desert, as well as in the northern regions of the Central African rainforest. 

Between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago, L3f gave rise to two daughter haplogroup, L3f1 and L3f2. L3f1 appears to have arisen in eastern Africa and moved westward befor the peack of the Ice Age about 20,000 years ago, when the Sahara Desert expanded and rendered much of the northern part of the continent uninjabitable. Today the haplogroup is commonly found among the Yoruba adn Fulbe population of western Africa, and in the African-Americans who are descended from them. 

His maternal haplogroup, L3f1b, traces back to woman who lived approximately 11,000 years ago. That's nealy 460 genearations ago. In 2003 I took the African Ancestry DNA test that connected by maternal lineage to Niger, West Africa. Tracing my maternal lineage, my Uncle Henry and I share the same maternal grandmother. 

23 and Me revealed the DNA lineage for Emma Vining her maternal ancestors and her offsprings. Her children Josephine, Alexander, Rosabell, Alma, Ethel, Dorothy, Jimmy and Arthur can learn a lot about their maternal lineage from my Uncle Henry's DNA test. Also a warmhearted thank you to Karran for giving my family this wonderful gift. I hope everyone in my family appreicate this knowledge as much as I do.  This DNA test confirmed that my mother and her maternal lineage has lineage to the people of the Sahel Desert. 

Antoinette Harrell in Ingall, West Africa

In 2003 I traveled to Niger, West Africa to met the Tuareg people. I saw people that look just like my family members.  This one woman looked so much like my mother, I couldn't help but cry because I knew this was my people. A day that I waited for has finally come true. I had the opportunity to travel to several regions in Niger. The hair texture, skins tones, and featured reminded me of so many people including my Uncle Henry.  Any genealogist who ancestors were slaves want to know where their ancestors orginated from. 

My research hit a brickwall in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana.  My traced my mother maternal lineage back by four generations. At that point I could go in further in research. Turning to DNA was my only option if I wanted to learn more about the maternal lineage. Matter of fact my mother only knew her grandmother Emma, she knew nothing about Emma's mother Rosa Hart. 

Dr. Antoinette Harrell Analyzing Plantation Records on

Dr. Antoinette Harrell reviewing records on a plantation
Photo Credit: Walter C. Black, Sr.

Genealogists and family historians understand the terminology leaving no stone unturned. I'm continually looking for new records that have clues for genealogy and historical research anywhere I can find any paper or documents with someone's name, date and location. 

We are familiar with marriage records, death records, school records, and so on. But finding new records can be informative, and rewarding when you are researching. New genealogical and historical resources  can provide more details about the lives of our ancestors and our family history.  Just recently I went to a plantation in Louisiana to analyzing new records. The records that I analyzed were receipts records from the commissary store on the plantation. Some of the records were burned and couldn't be saved. A plantation in the Mississippi Delta recently demolished a commissary store. I hope that all the records were removed from the commissary store.  Sometimes the family who owns the plantation will keep the records. Others will donate them to a university or State Archives.

Most people in America assume that all African-American people left the plantations after the    Emancipation Proclamation was signed.  Some newly freed enslaved Africans stayed on the plantation, and some moved on other plantations because they didn't have anywhere to go.  Many former slaves were too old and tired to move. They felt  they were better off staying on the plantation where they would have shelter and food.

In 1865, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Land often called the Freedmen's Bureau was created at the end of the Civil War to supervise relief efforts including, health care, education, food and clothing, refugee camps, employment, labor contracts, and the legalization of African-American marriages.

Sharecropping was created out of the Freedmen Bureau Contracts. The landowner rented land to the the former slaves in return for a portion of their crops. Sharecropping practices took place for decades.  Many types of agreements still exist to this very day.   Many former slaves who  couldn't read or write were taken advantage of by the landowner. They were forced to stay and work on the plantation in a new form of slavery called peonage and involuntary servitude. Thousands had to flee for their lives sometimes leaving their family behind.

I've been on several plantation were people still live, and some people still work on the plantation. There is one plantation in Mississippi that I visited and had the opportunity to look in the records. I saw the names of the people who worked on the plantation, how many pounds of cotton they picked. There were some photographs of African-Americans on the plantations in the early 40s to the 70s. 

When we have exhausted our search in our homes, libraries and internet database such as Ancestry, Family Search, Ancestry and Cyndi's List any other genealogy sites that could be helpful. There are new genealogy resources made available every day that the universities, State Archives, and on genealogy sites.

Commissary Store Records
Photo Credit: Walter C. Black, Sr.

Educating individuals who had a rich photograph collections, funeral obituary programs, church records,  and other vital records that can be helpful to genealogy is essential. Every genealogy or family historian whose ancestors were held as slaves on a plantation would like to find records about their ancestors.

On the commissionary store receipts you will find the name of the person who lived and worked on the plantation. The date and year,  the name of the store, and what the person purchased and the price they paid for the items.  Some of ther receipts proved how long the person worked on the plantation and how long they purchased items from the store.

There were some payroll and medical records in the boxes too.  As long as I have been conducting research, I wish I could find other records for ancestors Robert Harrell,  Carrie Richardson or Frank Vining. They were on the Harrell, Richardson and Vining Plantations in East Florida Parishes, Louisiana