Using social media to share family photographs with family members

Antoinette Harrell Photograph Collection

This time of year, I spend considerable time reviewing files. My focus this time was on the family photographs. I share my family photographs on social media to keep them safe for others. It is simply a matter of downloading the image. It can be printed or stored in the iCloud. Not only do I have my collection, but I also have my mother's collection after she died. Thanks to my brother Micheal, I can now preserve her collection and share it with my family. As far as he was concerned, he knew exactly who should receive them.

Furthermore, giving photographs to family members while I am still able to do so is extremely important to me. It is not uncommon for photographs to be disposed of after a person has passed away. This is because the person browsing through the items may not recognize the person or people in the picture and discard them. I want to ensure that my family members will have these memories to cherish long before I die.  It is for this reason that I have decided to share my photos with my family and give them to them. My goal is to preserve our family legacy for future generations.

When I share photographs online.  Knowing that the photograph will be preserved gives me a sense of release. I regularly hear people say that the family photographs were thrown away or that the person who has them does not wish to share them with other family members. This makes me sad, as these photos are often the only tangible reminders of our ancestors. We should all strive to make a conscious effort to treasure and pass on these precious memories for future generations.

Celebration of Life for Ora Lee Finn

Oral Lee Garman Finn

Oral Lee Garman was born sixth of seven siblings to Jake Bunion and Lubertha Bell German on January 28, 1940, in Independence, Louisiana. On Sunday, January 11, 2003, her beautiful soul departed for rest. Her family and friends feels tremendous loss for someone who was so special  to them, however, they are all grateful for being a part of the life of such a remarkable spirit. 

Her early educational training began at Burger Elementary in Independence, La. She graduated Class Valedictorian from West Side High School in 1957. Mrs. Finn continued her education throughout the years at Southern University, Louisiana State University, and Southeaster Louisiana University, earning her Bachelor, Master, Master +30, and Educational Specialist Degrees.

As prominent educator, Mrs. Finn, devoted over 33 years to the students, the parents, and the communities of Tangipahoa Parish. She began her career as a teacher in 1965 at O.W. Dillon High School in Kentwood, LA., and briefly taught at West Side School until integration in 1969.

After integration, she transferred to Amite High School where the invested over 30 professional years influencing and affecting numerous lives. Mrs. Finn taught Biology and Math for eleven years. In 1980, she became Assistant Principal; and in 1990 she was named principal, the first Black woman principal ever at Amite High School. Even well after retirement in 1998, he loved for teaching children and her love for working with people continued at various schools in the parish. 

In 1957, she married her only love, Melvin Finn, former Amite Assistant Chief of Police. From their union Melvin and Ora was blessed with three devoted children: Samara Bonita, Schrirra Montrell, and Tigia Motice Finn.

Butler A.M. E. Zion Church in where the Finn family has worshipped for over forty years. Mrs. Finn served as Adult Sunday school Teacher and Sunday school Treasurer. She implemented many programs and activities for the youths of the church during those years. As a faithful members, Mrs. Finn became a "Living Testimony" to those who witnessed her God-like spirit in action.

She leaves to cherish her wonderful memories: her having husband, Melvin Finn of Amite: oldest daughter, Samara (husband Larry) Joseph fDecatur, GA: only son, Schirra (wife Gina) Finn, Sr.; youngest daughter, Tigia M. Finn both of Amite; three grandchildren: Sean and Syrus Finn of Amite, Kahilla Finn of New Orleans; two sisters: Elousie Steptoe of Independence; Lizzie Collins of New Orleans; two brother: Dan German, Millton German of Peoria, II.: and a host of nieces, nephew, cousins godchildren, other relatives, and close friends.

Mrs. Finn was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lubertha German of Independence;  one brother, Hilton German, Sr.; one sister, Love Thompson both of Peoria, II.; three brothers-in-law: Nelson Finn, Alfred Finn bought of CA, Wallace Collins of New Orleans; three nieces: Sharon Edwards of Seattle, Wa., Betty Seiber of Peoria, II., Gwendolyn Tanner of Independence, La.; one nephew, Gregory Collins of New Orleans, LA.

Reprint for the Funeral Program of Oral Lee Finn

Source: Richardson Funeral Home, Inc, Amite

In Touch With Our History in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana

Antoinette Harrell and Bernice A. Bennett researching
family history in St. Helena Clerk's Office

Whenever I visit the St. Helena Clerk of Court office to conduct genealogy research, I prepare myself to spend the entire day. There are so many records and documents to read. The marriage, conveyance and other indexed books are very helpful, if you would like to see the original documents you can tell the employees and they would gladly pull them for you.

After finishing my research in the courthouse I went to the St. Helena Parish Branch library. There isn't many African American genealogy family history books in the library. I made copies of all the family records that I could find of my family members on all side of my family, and any other record that's vital to my family research.  Once I left the library, I visited Rocky Hill A.M.E. church were my 2nd great grandfather Thomas and his wife Amanda Richardson are buried. Their graves were easy to find because they have headstones. Amanda Breland Richardson was born in Livington Parish, Louisiana in the mid 1800s. 

Rocky Hill Cemetery, St. Helena Parish

Several branches of my family roots are deeply connected in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. The Richardson, Hart, Burton, Boykin and Harrell records can be found and I still have relatives that reside in St. Helena Parish. 

My plans is to go back and look at other records that had been buried in the dust. Since I've been traveling back and forth conducting genealogy research, I found one other African American person researching their family history and that is a woman by the name of Myrtis Johnson. Myrtis was looking for slave cemeteries, and I'll never forget the first time she took me to a slave cemetery in St. Helena Parish. There were over forty unmarked graves. She managed to get the graves cleaned off and add some head and foot markers put on the graves. 

I asked her did she know the names of any of the people in the cemetery,  she said that someone gave a few names. I wanted to know if Carrie Richardson was buried in that cemetery. I would like to find other information about Carrie. I do know she was sold to the Kemp family in St. Helena and that's all I know about Carrie.

St. Helena Parish has beautiful land. If you live close by and are looking to take a country scenic ride, St. Helena Parish is the place to visit. I often stop and talk with elderly people who were sitting on their front porch. I enjoy sitting a spell as they would say to talk with them, I soon learn that I'm talking to a walking library so I sit, listen and take notes, especially when you are talking about people they know and events they can recall.  If I'm lucky they will pull out a photograph of their loved ones.   

Sometimes I feel like I stepped back in time, a time when life was much simpler.  My ancestors who were slaves saw the harsh treatment of the slave masters and planters. But they remained in St. Helena and called it home. As a matter of fact, some will tell you that there is no other place they would rather live. The smell of the morning fresh air, trees whispering, birds chirping and the morning dew can be found on the green grass and beautiful meadows.

Most of the people who live there wouldn’t trade the beautiful and quiet parish for life in a busy city.  They will stay their until they are called on to “Glory” as they would say. Genealogy has no ending, I can only research and document what I found until the next genealogist or family historian comes along and pick up where I left off. 

Why Write Your Own Obituary?

Doris Lloyd looking at obituary collection
Center for Southeast Louisiana

I think this is something that most people really don't want to do. The question is, why not write your own obituary? I think most people become terrified at the thought of death. Facing our own death can be a thought that most of us would like to avoid. "The truth is all of us will die and that is something that we can't avoid." You know exactly what you want said and it will help your family members who are in distress by writing your own obituary.

Losing a family member, relative, friend can be emotional time and the personal who is making the arrangements thoughts can be somewhat cloudy. Your family members are under a lot of stress at the loss and will be overwhelmed with your final arrangement. Writing your own obituary can help reduce some of the stress.

For people who are very organized this is part of their files. I know one person whom wrote their own obituary. "Mrs. Alma Harrison Vernon," when she passed away her daughter honored her mother's wishes and used the  obituary that her mother had written. Jim Rebhorn wrote his own obituary, he wrote in the third person, he explains how each one of his family members loved him.

You should leave your obituary with your insurance policy so that it can easily be found. Often times the person who are writing your obituary may leave out facts and things that you want people to know and remember about you.

Writing your obituary you get to chose what you want said, who you want as the pallbearers and

Celebration of Life
Mary J. Daniels

honorary pallbearers, who you want to handle your services, etc. You also get to talk about the life events that were a part of your life. You will be surprised how many family members who may not know things that their decease relative accomplishments or what they were involved in. They may not know their friends are family members who were dear to them.

Whatever I can do to make it easier on my love ones at the time of my death is what I want to do. It is also a way of taking charge of your own life story. After all it is your life story and you should tell it. Think about it "What would the person who is writing your obituary say?" They can't possibly know more than you. Besides if there is a wish that you want to see carried out write it in your obituary.

If there are any special instructions for your services put it in your files with your obituary and make sure you talk with the person(s) who will be charged of your arrangement and a person who you know will follow your instructions.

Something funny I want to share, "I was talking with my friends and I told them not to dress me in

one of those suits that many ladies wear to church," make sure I have my African attire on. I told them that I would tickle their toes every night if they didn't honor my wishes. My two sons know to make my homegoing celebration the way I lived. African drumming is what I want and certainly let the people who really know me deliver my eulogy, after all those who were around me know me best.

In lieu of flowers, donate the money to a charitable organization of my choice " Gathering of Hearts," because so many people are in need and I can't see the sense of spending money on flower that will die. Providing for those in need is where I want the money to be spent.

Wow, I'm leaving instructions in this blog. Its beautiful when you can face the day that most people are afraid of. Of course I want to live a long but healthy life like everyone else. But let's face it each of must face that day. More people are writing their own obituary. So get started on writing your own obituary and place it in our files.

The Wheat's Where Our Neighbors

Antoinette Harrell researching at the
Louisiana State Archives

Growing up in Amite, Louisiana at Rte Box 306, the Wheat's lived at Rte Box 303. Henry Wheat married my great uncle's Palmer Harrell's daughter Doris Harrell. Henry Wheat was a farmer, I remember him mostly in the field planting vegetables or picking and pulling them. He was a very quite man and enjoyed working on his farm. He was very kind and nice to our family. I remember him sharing vegetables from his garden with my family. Sometimes he would let the cows out in the pasture for grazing. I guess you can say we had a live lawn mower.

Henry was one of many children born to Saul and his wife Corrine;  Booker, Rosa, Beatrice, Melisa, Bernice, Mytrle, Bertha, Monore, Hattie, Mattie, Roy and Bertha. Saul was born in 1875 and died on Sept 5, 1954,  his wife Corrine was born in 1880 and died in on Sept 19, 1944. My mother use to say that cousin Henry was a good neighbor to have. He lived next door to his brother Roy Wheat and his son Bobby Ray Wheat and his family.

 My brothers and I spent long hot summer days playing with his youngest son Bruce. One of my childhood memories playing with Bruce is the time he, my brother and I busted watermelons in the field to see which one were the sweeties. When cousin Henry came out to the field and saw what we had done. He never raised his voice nor did we get a good whipping. I can't say my mother didn't want to give us a good whipping. Cousin Henry told her not to whip us because we were just being children. Not only having the Wheat's as neighbors but they were kind relatives as well.

His sister Melissa Wheat married my maternal grandmother's brother Alexander Richardson. My great uncle Theodore Harrell married Carrie Wheat. If you wasn't related directly, "perhaps one of your family members married into the many families in Amite." The Wheat still live in the same community up until this day. One of my cousin Ernest Wheat, Sr., still plant and grow food just like his father Henry Wheat and grandfather Palmer Harrell.

His wife Doris Harrell Wheat passed away before him. Henry was born on June 9, 1919 and died in April of 1992 in Tangipahoa Parish at the age of seventy-three.

Registration Card
Saul Wheat

Note: Saul Wheat couldn't read and he made his mark

The Genealogy of Ernest and Mary McKay Boykin of Fluker, Louisiana

Antoinette Harrell and her father
Walter Boykin

I woke up this morning thinking about my paternal ancestry and called my dad to get some information from him about his side of the family. Talking to my dad is like talking to a living history book. My dad can recall events that took place when he was just a child. Most of my genealogy research has focused on my mother side of the family.

The time has come for me to focus on my dad side of the family. In my last blog I said that I didn't know much about my paternal grandmother Mary McKay Boykins. My dad changed all that this morning in our conversation. He told me that his mother was born in Mississippi.

Jake and Martha Boykin

I went to the census on Family Search and found my grandmother Mary and her parents Charlie and Florence McKay. Charlie was born in 1884 and he was a mulatto, his birthplace was Mississippi. Florence was born in 1884. After Florence and Charlie were divorced, Florence moved to Tangipahoa Parish and later married a man named John Allen. According to the U. S. 1940 Census, John and Florence had two children living in the household at the time--a daughter named Jessie May who was twenty-year old and a son named Lonnie who was eighteen years old at the time this census of taken. In 1910 they lived in Beat 5, in Pike County, Mississippi, I have yet to trace the migration between 1910 and 1940.

My great grandmother Florence was born April 29, 1884 and passed away on June 1966 at age of eighty-two years old  in Tangipahoa, Louisiana.  My paternal grandparents Ernest and Mary Boykins had six children; Ernest, Jr., Florence, Francis, Walter, Lonnie, Jerry, and Ellis Boykins.  Grandmother Mary was born in 1913 in Pike County, Mississippi and she passed away in 1996.

I'm grateful to my dad for sharing our family genealogy with me. He's a true treasure besides being funny and most importantly motivating me to keep moving forward. I know he had so much more to share with all the Boykins offsprings.

The Registration Card
of Ernest Boykins, Sr.

Click on the link to hear the oral history of my father Walter Boykins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f4evPVINl8

Slaves of Williams Boykin of St. Helena Parish

Williams Boykin,  1829   File B-3

July 30, 1829- Petition of late wife of Williams Boykin decd. He left property and the following heirs; Susan Boykin, wife of Simpson Hutchinson; with two minors James 19, Frank 17. She requests that here son John Boykin be appointed curator with petitioners, that and inventory be made.
July 10, 1851-In a suit Daniel Weston VS John Boykin et el: by s writ of geri facies issued, the sheriff J.J. Gormon has seized and will sell at the courthouse door at Greensburg on the first Saturday in Sept. 1851, all the title of John Boykin in the following: 540 acres bounded W. by Joiner Greek, N. by Mrs. Rachel Boykin, C. by Pearson Celis, S. by Leonard tract; also the interest of John Boykin in the succession of his decd father William Boykin, viz; the undivided interest in the following: 340.2. acres, being S.5. T 2, S 4, also slaves. (No further papers found.

Souces: St. Helena Conveyance Book