Just saw the William Phillips property

Just got back from Etowah/St Clair county and got a chance to see the William Phillips and Zachariah Phillips land. Great trip overall. I was able to actually photograph the likely area that the Sweet Gum tree lived,
and the little Canoe Creek,



And my grandmother Anna (Copeland) Phillips (died Anna Sanders) grave!



































I'm now going to try to find a way to buy another gravestone for her. Still, we now have a timeline for William and Sarah:
William Phillips Timeline
Date Event Location Notes
10 Jul 1860 Census St Clair: Township 12, R4E
1855 State Census Blount County
6 Nov 1850 Census Blount County: Subdivision 17
1840 Census St Clair
29 Mar 1839 Deed Record St Clair Sells 200 acres
11 Feb 1839 Deed Record St Clair: Section 26, T12, R3E Sells Zach's land
17 Dec 1834 Deed Record St Clair: Section 15, T13, R3E Sells 80 acres
1830 Census St Clair
1820 State Census Shelby
20 Aug 1814 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Sells 130 acres
7 Mar 1814 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Sells 104 acres
29 Jun 1813 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Sells 18 acres
8 Jul 1813 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Buys 104 acres
3 Aug 1812 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Sells 100 acres
1812 Tax List Warren County, Tennessee Collins River District
1811 Tax List Warren County, Tennessee
3 Aug 1808 Deed Record Warren County, Tennessee Buys 200 Acres
1788 Birth Georgia

The benefits of genetic tests

Well, after corresponding with another Phillips member, it has been determined that Thomas Phillips who married Viney Box is not a child of William and Sarah. They appear to be in another family group. Still, this isn't negative news, but it does separate the two families and limits what I'm going to have to research

How to use Google Earth with genealogy

Well, I've stumbled on a "new" (I use quotes because I'm sure that someone else has thought of it) tool to use with genealogy. When looking at deed records, they can be very hard to place in your head geographically. It's easy to look at the plat books, but to get a sense of where real objects listed in the deed (like rivers), you need to go there. But not any more. Here's what you need:
Google Earth (don't worry, it's free)
Then, you need to get your deed records, or if you don't have any, head here to look for the original land patents given out and see if your ancestor is listed. The more information you have, the easier it will be to find the record.
Then, write down the information listed in the record, specifically the state the land is in, the principal meridian (for example, Huntsville), the township and range, and optimally the section.
Then, you go to this web site, enter the information, and click on the "Fly to on Google Earth" button. Then, it will take you to the right section (if you entered it) and if you can read the description correctly, you can zoom in on your ancestors land!

This has been a real neat tool to use, and you get a sense of where your ancestor lived and what was around him/her geographically!

New strategy

OK, I've exhausted all the deed records and haven't found much, if any, indication of where William and Sarah came from before Alabama. Now I've found a new place to find the rest of the land records, and hopefully it will have the location that William bought the land from and that will zero-in on the area he was living before he got to Alabama. I've also ordered Joseph Copeland's records. Now I get to wait 60-90 days for the records to get here....man, no one said genealogy is fast or easy!

Getting to visit the family land

Well, I've been corresponding with Vicki Kirksey and she has informed me a great deal about our family. She appears to have quite a bit of pictures and actual deed records from the land William lived on. It appears that Byers and Rowan (two men who bought and sold a lot of land) tried to get everything they could from William in one of their mortgages with him. It's hard not to get mad at them (after all, they are hurting family!), but William entered into the deal, and that's just what happens sometimes. I imagine that may be the reason they decided to leave Alabama (assuming that's what happened) since they had little to nothing to keep them in Alabama!

Vicki has also invited me to go see the land they lived on! This is just like the show "Who Do You Think You Are!"

Dower rights

What's entailed in dower rights in Alabama? I understand the basics: the wife was entitled to roughly 1/3 of the estate of the husband in case he dies, or if she gets a better deal in the will then she can take that. That's easy enough to understand, but when does the wife have to sign away her dower rights? I've just been told that she only had to sign away her dower rights if she inherited the land from her father. If true, that means Sarah's father died in Alabama, or at least had claims to land in Alabama. I have a feeling that's not true, but I'm going to be doing research on the land that she signs away and see if there's another link to William and Sarah. How funny would it be to find a link to her parents but no link to William and Sarah, especially considering that there's a big debate about what Sarsh's last name is. If the new news about dower rights is true, then Sarah's family has been in Alabama for a long time, perhaps even before it was the Mississippi territory. Looks like more probate work for me!

What I learned at the Ancestor Swap meet in Etowah County, Alabama

I just got back from Etowah County, where the Ancestor Swap meet occurred. It was a very pleasant meeting. I learned a few new things, got some great food, and, OH YEA, I meet some new cousins who will allow me to apply to the SAR as James Scott's descendant, and that will mean that I'll be the first one to use him! I can's thank Gloria and Wayne Gregg enough! This will be a huge step for me, but their hard work is the reason it's happening. I just happened to write them and they called me. I've done a bit of work, about 1 month on this branch, but they have been working on it for decades. Just goes to show how nice people really can be! I'm going to be updating the Scott family based on the information that I've now found, and I hope more people will see this site and contribute!

New William Phillips sighting...

Well, just traveled to the LDS center today, and looked over the White County Deed Index for the early 1800s. William Phillips and a sheriff named William Phillips are both listed in the early deed books. If we find that the non-sheriff is gone about 1808, then we have a match with the William Phillips living in Warren County, Tennessee. As we know, Warren County was formed from White County, so William could have been living there and the new county formed around him. Always fun to get a win!

Finally an explanation

After discussion with Wayne Gregg, I have come to understand that deed records in Alabama that come from the GLO/BLM are a 5 year process, therefore when William bought land in 1824 that means he was living in Alabama for at least 4 years, and that means that the William in Shelby County in 1819 is most definitely him! Much thanks to Wayne Gregg, whom I will see at the Ancestor Swap Meet next Saturday!

Here's the description of the Black Oak property

Here's a good description of the land:

To wit: the West half of the North East quarter of section 2 in township 13 of range 3 east also the East half of the North West quarter of section 2 in township 13 of range 3 east, also the East half of the North West quarter of section 2 in township 13 of range 3 east, also all of the land lying East and being a part of the West half of the North West quarter of the same section township and range as above. Beginning at a stake on the township line and running Southwardly to a white oak near William Wards house thence west to the spring including ½ of said spring thence Southwardly to a black oak thence Eastwardly to a Sweet Gum thence Southwardly to the open line thence East to the South West corner of the East half of the North West quarter of section 2 thence North to a stake on the township line thence West to the beginning, containing 200 acres more or less.

The Black Oak Tree

Just got back from St Clair county. I can't thank Charlene Simpson (from the Ashville Museum and Archives) enough for her help. So, having talked to her about the property owned by Joseph and William, I have determined the following:
-The William Phillips in Shelby County was most likely the same William I'm related to. Shelby County was a part of St Clair county before 1821ish, and that would be why William has no other records other than the jury roll call in Shelby.

-On 2 Jan 1829, Golder Fields sells a piece of land to Samuel Boyd for $570. The property is described as having half of a creek, a Black Oak, and a White Oak as part of its borders.
-On 28 September 1835 Samuel Boyd sells the property, referring to a White Oak in the description, to William Phillips for $500
-On 29 March 1839, William sells the property to Brazil Wooley for $800. Brazil was likely a tax collector, and this could have been for a debt owed to the government.
-On 28 August 1846, Pinckney Woolley and Minor Woolley sell the same property to a William D. Washburn for $400. Both would have been children of Brazil (Basil).
-On 12 August 1856, William D. Washburn sells the property to James Phillips (who married Dorcas Crawford) for $500.
-On 12 August 1856, James Phillips takes out a mortgage for $814.41 on the property, and on this we get a reference to Canoe Creek, giving a better idea where this property is located today
-On 14 September 1857 James Phillips and Dorcas Crawford (his wife) sell the property to Joseph Phillips for $1200. A huge sum of money, but with enough interest could have been used to pay off the debt.

What does this mean? Likely William bought the property, lived there for a while, and Joseph ended up with it. Seems like Joseph would have to be William's son to be willing to do that.

Civil War Records

Since my last post I've been trying to piece together records of my family in the Civil War. Currently I'm using Footnote.com for the records and the site is extremely useful. So far I've been able to learn that my Grandfather White was actually a part of the battle over Mobile Bay and was a prisoner of war for a few months! Others in my family have been anything from privates in the infantry to lieutenants, and even a few in calvary units! Very useful, and I have even found physical descriptions of them from time to time. One uncle apparently had gray eyes, which I'm not so sure about honestly. Still, if you find relatives living in this time, try to look for war records. It adds a bunch of color to the family history.

Family bibles

It's been a while since I updated this blog, but lately I haven't been working on the Phillips line. I've been instead working on my paternal grandmothers family, the Whites. Turns out all I needed to do was put in the information I got from Bible pages from Nancy White and I would have been able to do a bunch more. I have all the kids of Thomas Phillips (1791-??) who married an Elizabeth in Ancestry.com now, and it's now easier to figure out where my direct line lived from 1850 and after. Thomas' son, Thomas Jefferson "TJ" White, was living in Arkansas in 1850, then disappears, and shows up in 1861 in Jefferson County, Alabama to marry Sarah E. Morrison. Turns out he was living with his brother Russel in Coosa County in 1860, and somehow decided to marry in Jefferson County. Now to just find out where Thomas was back in 1840...his son/family may have been involved in a murder, and I'll post that when I get back home

Fixing a common misconception

William Phillips who married Sarah Hays or Sarah Burleson was not born in Wilkinson County, Georgia. We know his family was living in the Wilkes County area in the late 1700s, and most likely he would not have moved too far from them, at least not moving south and then north east.
Also, the best proof of it is that the county of Wilkinson was not in existence in 1788. The county was formed in 1805, well after 1788. The area Wilkinson County was formed from wasn't another county, it was claimed land from Indians most likely.

The new timeline with William and Sarah

Here's the new trail he left his family:
1807: Warren County Deed Book A William buys 200 acres from Daniel/Danyl Middleton
1812: Warren County Deed Book A William sells 100 acres to John Durham
1813: Warren County Deed Book A William sells 100 acres to Levi Rodin
1813: Warren County Deed Book A William buys 140 acres from Thomas Lowry
1814: Warren County Deed Book B William sells land to James Cain
Aug 1814: Warren County Deed Book C William sells 130 acres to Thomas Lowry, Jr.
1819: Shelby County Jury List
1820: Shelby County census
1820s: Overseer of the building of a road
1832: Mortgage taken out in St Clair County
Beyond this: He has many different land transactions in St Clair.

Now we need to fill the gap between 1820 and 1832, and something between August 1814 and 1819. However, this does show that Joseph was in fact born in Shelby County, Alabama.

Hints on researching Shelby County, Alabama

Here's a few pointers on researching Shelby County:
1) The county probate court does not allow cameras or any recording devices at all. Frustrating, but true.
2) Most of the old records are located at the Historical building located about 3 blocks down on Main Street from the probate office. They are VERY nice over there, and can do a lot to help you locate records. They have most of the records you need as hard copies or on microfilm. Best to start your research here if you have research to do in the county area.

Back from Shelby County

So now William has been located in Shelby County. I’ve never had higher hopes of finding someone in the records and been let down so much! You really need to temper your attitude when traveling and researching. It can be an emotional rollercoaster if you let it.
Now, about what I was able to find. 2 records contain the name William Phillips: A call for jury duty on July/August 1819 and an order to be an overseer of a road construction (No date that I could find, but likely in the 1820s). As Debra pointed out, that means that we have records of him living here starting in 1819. Now, we have a record of William Phillips buying land in Shelby County in 1824, but at the same time there is no record of that land being sold in Shelby County. What happened to the land? Looking at the image of where that property was located, and it was right on the border of Jefferson County and Shelby County. I’m going to double-check in Jefferson County to see if not only there are records in Jefferson County, but if it shows that land being sold.

Putting together deed records

Sure, it doesn't say outright I don't have a life, but it is sure implied. I was excited for spring break because it means I have time to go do genealogy research! I've started transcribing deed records from St Clair county, which leads me to a hint for beginning genealogists: Take photo's of the records, and write down the citation information. This means you can cover more ground later on, and you always have verification that the record is real. You need a good camera to do this (more than 2 megapixel for sure), because the records are really tough to read as is, but if it's blurry that makes it even worse.
Another hint when getting into deed records, don't just record the names of your relatives. There is lots of genealogical data that can be found in deed records, but they always show up in weird, or not predictable, ways. This week I found the probate of my ggggrandfather Phillips' will, confirmed that his wife remarried, and found new records that linked his kids to him.
Now that we have the records for Joseph and his kids, the next step is to find out where Joseph got the property. Looking through the other records, it appears that Joseph bought the property from his probable brother James Phillips (who married Dorcas Crawford) in 1857. This is looking good now. The record even has Dorcas' signature (not her real one, but it's noted there)! Next step: find out where James got the property.
Looking back through the records, James appears to have bought the land a year earlier (1856) from a William D. Washburn & wife (Lucinda Belcher based on a cursory Ancestry.com search). From the records I have, there doesn't appear to be a transaction between William Phillips and William Washburn. That's something that needs to be solved to see if that land has been the Phillips' land for a long time.
It appears that William has been found, in all places, Shelby County. His name shows up in the orphans court! It makes sense, because he shows up in the US Census in 1820 before he ends up in St Clair in 1830. Like I've said before, the county lines changed so much he may not have actually moved, the county lines may have moved around him. Charlene Simpson did say that Shelby County was near the area that William may have been living, at least for a while. And William may have not known where the new court house was. Either way the only way to find out is to look in the court house!

My brickwall

Well, you always hear about them, but never think it will happen to you. I'm now facing my first brick wall. Trying to connect Joseph Phillips to William Phillips is about as tough a job as I've ever endured. Debra Cochran has been a great deal of help here, because she claims to have a deed record implying that one of Joseph's kids bought up all the land his grandfather (William) owned. This appears to be the best option for me. The will does not appear to be easy to find (not that years looking for it wouldn't help), so if we can find that record it would make this a lot simpler.

If I'm lucky and Debra is correct, then the will exists, but no one knows where its located. Most likely, it's in Tennessee, but there's no guarantee. That grandchild may be the best chance I have to prove the link. Otherwise, the chances are limited. Still, I have all the records of Phillips' before 1900 in St Clair. I'm going to review what I have and see what I produce. Let's hope for the best!

My research trip yesterday

I was able to make two trips yesterday, one trip to St Clair county and one trip to the LDS center here in Birmingham. First the St Clair findings.

There appear to be a number of different mentions of Phillips' in the deed books. The first mention of William, however, appears to be in 1834. This is a fairly large gap from 1814, when the theory is he left for Alabama from Tennessee. However, this appears to be the right William, because out of the 11 William Phillips/Philips in Alabama in 1830, there is only one in St. Clair county. The same applies in 1840. On a side note, I wish I had thought to look up that statistic earlier than today, because that means that all the work I did trying to find out if this William was the same William I'm related to was worthless. I suppose there are bigger problems to have, like not finding his will! After talking with Charlene Simpson in the Ashville Historical Building (A VERY helpful genealogist and very nice lady), the next trip will be to the Shelby County probate court. Apparently Shelby county in the 1810s included a large tract around the area William was living, which also explains why he was in Shelby county in 1820, and why my grandfather was born in 1820 in Shelby county, not St. Clair. He ends up in Blount County in 1850, which is likely due to the changing county lines in Alabama. He appears to own a lot of land in the area in the first half of the 1800s.

From the LDS trip, I found records of William Phillips in the first Deed books of Warren County (Books A-C). Fittingly, he sells off most of his property in 1813/1814. He originally got the land from a Daniel/Danyl Middleton, who fought for North Carolina in the Revolutionary War. Not too sure about whether or not he actually knew William, or just sold off his land rights because he did not want to move. We may not know about that at all. He appears to first get to Warren county in 1807, the next trip to LDS will have to cover White County deed records, and the criminal court of White/Warren counties to see what those records will uncover about the murder, and if this is the same William we are related to! Certainly does put a little bit of color in to the family tree!

Where is William's Phillips' will?

That's the mystery. I need proof he was Joseph Phillips' father, and the will is the best way to prove it. It's definitely not in St. Clair county, or Blount. It looks like Warren county or White county is my last great hope. The next trip is to the LDS center to look through those records! That will happen this week for sure!

Review of my trip yesterday

According to the Phillipsdnaproject.com, the next grandfather on my Phillips line is a William Phillips who either married a Sarah Hays or Sarah Burleson. I'm not quite sure why there is a debate, since no one can produce a marriage license for either woman! Still, I'm very sure that he is the right person to look for, so most of my research is done to find him. Here's the story that Debra Cochran and I have been looking at:
William was born most likely in Georgia, possibly in one of the Carolinas. It appears that he moved to Tennessee, which is evidenced by one of his children noting they had been born in Tennessee in 1809 (John Phillips who married Dorcas Crawford). We believe he moved to White County, or Warren County, Tennessee. According to records, he was elected as Sheriff of White county, Tennessee. Then, according to this story on pages 2-3, he apparently murdered William Quarles, then escaped from jail in Nashville. This happened in 1814/1815, and then we believe he left for Alabama, which was at that time part of Mississippi territory. Alabama became a territory in 1817, then a state in 1819. Alabama would have been a great place to live in hiding, not many people lived here at the time, and no one would know about what you had done in another state. The real question is if this William Phillips is the same one I'm looking for. William appears to be in Shelby County in 1820, which goes along with my story so far. The question is: Where are the first records with William Phillips in the state of Alabama? When we find that, we will be able to ascertain if this is the same William Phillips.
While he is living in Alabama, he is found in St. Clair, Alabama in 1830 and 1840, then in Blount county in 1860, then St. Clair again in 1860. Thanks to findagrave.com, we now know that William and Sara left for Warren County, Tennessee before they died. Why did they do this? The community may have forgiven, or more likely forgotten, the murder. It doesn't appear to be a choice most people would make, but perhaps Sarah was homesick? We will likely never know that answer, but if you have an idea, let me know!

Phew!

Just finished putting up my family tree's as separate pages on the left. There is a great deal of overlap with many branches, and these are not my mother's side. I'm hoping to post my mom's side ASAP!

My first post

Hello all!

I've decided to start this blog as a way to keep track of my day-to-day activities I perform while searching for my ancestors. I've been doing this for about 2 years now, and I feel like I'm ready to start this blog. I hope that everyone can benefit from what I write down, whether it's hints about searching or learning about a new relative. I'm going to try to put links to each branch of my family somewhere on the homepage, and I hope to put cites at the bottom of each of those pages. Just bear with me while I get it all sorted out! Have a great day!

James