Preserving Family Photographs

Ella Keith Harrell: 1885-1960
Photo Courtesy: Monteral Harrell

My maternal Great Aunt Ella Harrell Keith died January 17, 1960, at the age of seventy-four in Amite, Louisiana. She was the daughter of Alexander and Emma Mead Harrell.  Ella was born in 1885 and she died the year I was born. I wish I had a chance to meet the lady who preserved the rich collection of Harrell members photographs. A couple of months back, my maternal first cousin, Jo-Ann Lewis Frazier told me that Aunt Ella was a picture collector. Everyone who took pictures had to make sure they gave her a picture. When she passed away, a cousin named Gertrude Love kept the well-preserved collection in her neat white frame wooden home.

I remember visiting Cousin Gert, but I don't recall her taking out the photographs when we went to visit with my mother. My Uncle Raymond loved pictures, and he often visited her, so he knew the collection was there. After she passed away, he went down there and got the photos, and I'm glad he did because they could have gotten lost. When my uncle passed away, his daughter Monteral became the heir of the collection. 

The legacy of Aunt Ella lives on to this day through her photo collection. Recently Monteral was talking to the third and fourth generation of nieces and nephews of Aunt Ella about the collection. Monteral shared electronic copies for the book entitled "Images of America" African-Americans in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parish. 

Aunt Ella gave all of the descendants of Alexander and Emma Mead Harrell a gift. Some of the images were over a hundred years old. That made me proud to know that the photographs have been in the family for five generations. Many people wish they could find pictures of their family members. 

Aunt Ella will forever live in our hearts and I really appreciate the legacy she left. I know that the collection was passed down the right person when Monteral became the heir of the collection. Most important I thank her for sharing the collection with me.


Link:

https://youtu.be/19H2DBIdys0

Strong Family Resemblance to Aunt Ella

Tyra Climmons
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Many of us can attest to how some family members have strong DNA resemblance. The genes can be robust and passed down from generation to generation. We all carry the features of our ancestors, our parents, and our siblings. We share many some similarities that often remind us of others in the family or a family member who passed away.

Our skin complexions, heights, hair texture, facial structure, and body structures are passed down through our DNA and genetics. While visiting the public library in Farmerville, Louisiana; we had the opportunity to take a closer look at Monteral Harrell's photograph collection. We came across a picture of Ella Harrell Keith in the collection. 

We saw the resemblance of Tyra and her 2nd maternal great aunt, Ella. The wavy hair texture, and olive complexions. "What is equally fascinating is the fact that there is a picture of Tyra 2nd great aunt!" Aunt Ella was the picture collector of the family according to my maternal first cousin Jo-Ann Frazier. Tyra's wavy hair has running in the family on her mother's side of the family. I had to tease her a bit about those waves because my hair texture is the same, there are so many women in the Harrell family that share the same hair textures. 
Aunt Ella is my grandchildren 3rd paternal great aunt. I'm so grateful that Tyra's mother share scanned copies of the Harrell family photographs. I shared pictures of other family members and some family members saw how other family members resemble the person in the photograph. Our family is really blessed to have so many photographs, and other people wish they had a photograph of their ancestors.

Uncle Henry Migrated Up North in the Early 1920s

Henry Harrell

Henry was born to the union of Alexander and Emma Mead Harrell in 1887. He died in Racine, Wisconsin in 1967. Uncle Henry is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin in Section #7. Henry and his sister and brother migrated up north in sometime in the 1920s. His sister Bertha migrated to Chicago, Illinois and he and his brother Warner with to Wisconsin. I never heard my mother say that my grandfather ever traveled up north to visit his siblings.

He served in World War I In 1942; he was fifty-four years old when he signed the World War II Draft Registration Card in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the 1940 United States Federal Census, he was married to a woman named Ruth, and they lived at 804 A. W. Somers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

According to the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,  Henry and Ruth lived in on 576 7th Street in 1927.  He was a Porter.

 In 1940 he worked in a Syner Steel Company on 43rd & W. Mitchell St. in Milwaukee as a Steele Finisher.  Henry completed 7th grade.  I found him on the tree of a person named Esnow, and I'm hoping that this person can shall some information about Henry with me.  There were other people living in the house with him in the 1940 United States Census. His brother Warner was living in the house with him and his wife, Ruth.  Living in the house was lodgers named Williametta Smith and her son Clarence Smith. Williametta Smith mother Rosa Everett also lived in the house. Ruth was born in Mississippi.  Rosa and Williametta were also from the state of Mississippi.

Warner Harrell
World War I

Hurricane Barry allowed me to do some very indebt research on my Harrell family. I took to social media after I found a lead. I did contact the person that is connected to Henry and his brother Warner names. If this person turns out to be the grandson of Warner Harrell,  hopefully, he can tell me more
information about the Harrell family in up north.

Years ago my Uncle Raymond took me to Milwaukee to meet Cousin Dan Harrell one of Warner's two sons. In 1940 Dan was twenty-two years old and, he was living with his mother. Dan was worked at a Tannery as a Paster. His brother Willie was nineteen and worked at Ugertes of Drad as a Junior Clerk.

I'm anticipating Warner contacting me very soon to see if we're related. I can't ever recall them visiting family members down south. It's safe to say that they haven't met any relatives down south. I think I will keep putting irons in the fire and sit back and wait for new leads.

Finding My Priscilla

Randall and Priscilla "Silla" Blackburn Harrell
Marriage License: December 26, 1867
Source: Union Parish Courthouse

Whenever any genealogist or family historian finds an ancestor in their research is exciting. For over twenty-five years, I have been researching my Harrell side of the family. My mother's side of the family is my Harrell lineage. Most of my family didn't have any knowledge past my grandfather Jasper Harrell, Sr., parents, and siblings before my research.

Jasper was two years old when his father Alexander passed away in 1914. My mother told me that her father couldn't tell the family anything about the generation before him except that they came from Clinton, Louisiana. I went to the Main Library in New Orleans and certain the United States Federal Census starting at 1930 at that time. The 1940s census wasn't available when I started researching my family history. I started researching the Harrell's in Tangipahoa Parish and found grandfather Alexander and his wife Emma Mead Harrell and all their children. 

Alexander Harrell
Randall and Pricilla Blackburn grandson
Son of Robert and Dinah Harrell

When I got to the 1920 United States Federal Census, I found that Emma was now the head of the household since her husband Alexander had passed away. Living in the house with her were her children; Alexander, Palmer, Theodore, Margareta, Jasper, and her father-in-law Robert Harrell.

A level of excitement took over me when I found Alexander's father, Robert. Robert's wife Dinah or Darska had died sometime back. In the 1910 census, Robert was living along and he was widowed. Robert was born in 1821 in Mississippi and died in 1921 in Amite, Louisiana. He and his Dinah had six children.

That was just about as far as I could go back twenty years ago. A couple of months ago, I found that Priscilla " Silla" Blackburn married a man named Randall Harrell in 1867 in Union Parish, Louisiana. Randall was seventy years old and Priscilla was sixty five when they got married. In the 1870 census Randall and Priscilla were living in Ward 3, Union Parish, Louisiana. Randall was born around 1800 and was seventy years old. Priscilla was born around 1805 in South Carolina or Virginia.  Now, I know who Robert's father was Randall Harrell.  I can't wait to travel to Union Parish to conduct more research at the courthouse and visit the local genealogy library. I hope that I can make a connection with Randall's brother Thomas descendants that could take me to the local cemetery. I met several of Thomas Harrell's descendants on Ancestry. Here are the questions I need answers too:

1. Who owned Randall Harrell?
2. Why did they leave East Feliciana Parish?
3. Where is his brother Thomas descendants?
4. Did Randall and Silla have other children?
5. Why did they return to East Feliciana Parish?
6. Who were her parents?
7. What part of South Carolina?
8. Does the Blackburn name trace back to South Carolina?

I contacted the Clerk Office and Union Parish to purchase Randall and Priscilla Blackburn Harrell's marriage license. When I went to the mailbox and found the marriage license at arrive, I was so excited. There is nothing like travel there personally to research the records in the courthouse. Any information I can locate on my Harrell ancestors is just one more missing piece of the puzzle that is important to the bigger picture.

The great-granchildren of
Randall and Priscilla Blackburn Harrell

Martha Burton Boykins Family History

Malinda and Louis Marriage License 1867

Martha Burton Boykins is my paternal 2nd Great grandmother. She was born circa 1868  in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana to Louis and Malinda Burton.  Malinda was part of a large family. She is one of eight children born to Louis and Malinda. Her siblings were; James, Dotia, Celia, Mary, Ellis, Louis, Edna, and John Burton.  

Malinda was born around 1850 in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. According to the 1880 United States Federal Census, her father was born in Georgia and her mother was born in Louisiana. Malinda and Louis were married on February 23, 1867, in St. Helena Parish.  Malinda died at the age of 86 on February 10, 1936, in Tangipahoa, Louisiana. 

She later met and married Jacob "Jake" Boykins. She and Jake had eight children; Ural, Charity, Lorence, Carrie, Missouri, Elenora, John, and Ernest Boykins. Martha died in 1946 in Tangipahoa Parish. 

One day I interviewed my father about his grandmother Martha. He was a little boy but he remembered spending time at his grandparent's house. I wish my father was here to see all the research I'm finding on his family. 

She is buried in Tangipahoa -Quinn-Brown Cemetery. 

Courthouse Genealogy Research in Sumner, Mississippi

Sumner Courthouse Peonage Research
Photo Credit: Walter C. Black, Sr. 

I've had the opportunity to travel to many courthouses throughout the Louisiana and Mississippi searching for my ancestors or helping someone else search for their ancestors. One thing is for sure the books can be  heavy to lift. Not to mention the dust on the outside of the books. "So if you suffer from respiratory problems, you may want to wear a mask to keep the dust from getting in your nose."

I strongly suggest that you wear comfortable clothing and shoes. You may find your subject in the index and may have to pull several books off the shelves. Be prepared to do a lot of bending down in search of the book you need. A magnifying glass can be helpful when you are reading scripted writting. Make sure you have enough time and not be in a big rush to leave. If you are taking someone along with you, be sure to let them know that you will be a couple of hours. 

The picture shows the amount of dust on the book. The book was at the very bottle of the shelf and it appeared to be untouched for a while. All the index keys were dusty too. This is not uncommon at all.  The points that I'm making is to be prepared for the research trip.