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!