Fueling my own finds while indexing

It turns out I am even fueling my own finds! Yesterday, while I indexed, I kept downloading batches from where my ancestors lived in Abbeville County, SC.  I was so amazed last night as I indexed the fifth batch of Freedmen's Bureau labor contracts while participating in the Worldwide Indexing Event  from August 7 to August 14th. The last image of the batch was a contract between D. W. Aiken and freedpeople working on his land in 1867.

Aiken

I recognized Aiken right away from mentions of him made by my great great grandfather, Beverley Vance (1832-1899), in testimonies he gave when he appeared before the SC Senate in 1876.  The life of D. Wyatt Aiken (1828-1887)  is well documented. He was a Democrat who served in the Confederacy as well as a SC Congressman. 

Beverley's connection

Aiken was friends with the former owner of Beverley Vance, SC State Representative, J. K. Vance.  From Beverley's testimonies, I learned Aiken was a neighbor living also in Cokesbury, Abbeville County, South Carolina during Reconstruction. I am researching everyone that would have known Beverley to learn more about him. I even was able to read the journal of Aiken's wife, Virginia Caroline Smith Aiken, in the South Caroliniana Library a few years ago. 

I have been unable to locate any Freedmen's Bureau records for Beverley thus far.  I had not seen the labor contract above. I do not recognize any of the freedmen listed on the contract, but some of their surnames look familiar. Who would have guessed I would be indexing a record so close to home? In some way I do not feel it is a coincidence. I believe it is just a reminder to not give up....to keep searching and to keep faithful that I will learn more.

I am so fortunate to have several historical references to Beverley. His senate testimonies alone help me to glean so much about him and my family. Here is one of the testimonies that mentions Aiken:

Title	Congressional Serial Set
Contributor	United States. Government Printing Office
Publisher	U.S. Government Printing Office, 1877
Original from	Harvard University, the New York Public Library
Digitized	Apr 25, 2008

Title

Congressional Serial Set

Contributor

United States. Government Printing Office

Publisher

U.S. Government Printing Office, 1877

Original from

Harvard University, the New York Public Library

Digitized

Apr 25, 2008

He received many threats on his life for being a strong leader. Another great man, Senator B. F. Randolph was murdered in October of 1868 in the same area where Randolph had made a trip to Cokesbury to campaign. Beverley served as a constable in this same area. 

These were very violent and troublesome times for the freedmen. Beverley was obviously well versed judging from his testimonies, owned land, voted his conscience, and was seen as a leader.  To me it is a miracle that he even survived the time period. 

Indexing

My first day of participating in this event was an incredible experience. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity that indexing gives us to literally #FuelTheFind.  Where would we otherwise be once we exhausted the records readily available to us? Indexing helps to:

1. teach us about record types that exist
2. find that next bit of information to glean more about our ancestors
3. have an opportunity to help someone else, and that feels good!

Without historical records, we are merely telling fables.  I hope everyone takes the opportunity to give back by indexing during this week and beyond this week! 

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29. Tuesday Tip: Search Reconstruction records to learn more about an emancipated ancestor

African American History Monument on The State House grounds
Columbia, South Carolina

Many Reconstruction Era resources can help you identify the following important information about your ancestor:  former slave owner’s identity, land ownership, military experience, occupation, family life, and more.  

Search the local library for books about Reconstruction.  Search the local university libraries and the local archives.  Search "Reconstruction" at Google Books as well as the name of your ancestor along with the county
and state where he lived.


During Reconstruction, most newly emancipated African Americans became Republicans and the white farmers (Red Shirts) who were mostly Democrats sorely persecuted the former slaves.  This is an excerpt of one of Beverly's testimony which I found:

THE MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS OK THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS IN SIX VOLUMES:

BEVERLY VANCE—ABBEVILLE COUNTY. (page 417)

Columbia, S. C, December 22,1876. Beverly Vance (colored) sworn and examined.

By Mr. Cameron : Question. Where do you live ?—Answer. I live in Abbeville when I am at home. Q. What township or precinct -?—A. I live in Cokesbury township. Q. What is your age?—A. I am forty-four. Q. Are you republican ?—A. Yes, sir.

Q. How long have you belonged to the republican party ?—A. Ever since the emancipation.


Q. Where were you on the day of election ?—A. I was at the ballotbox at Cokesbury precinct.
Q. Yon may state whether or not there were any armed democrats at that polling-place on the day of the election.—A. Well, there were men armed there with pistols.


Q. You may state whether or not they had guns when there.—A. Yes, sir; they bad guns. Some had double-barreled shotguns in their wagons, I suppose, I will say, in from thirty five to one hundred yards of the polling place; they had some of these old muskels, old Army guns, about three hundred yards from there, in Mr. Conner's store.


Q. What else did the democrats have there that day ?—A. Well, sir, they had a good deal of whisky, and one thing and another around there. They had a barrel of whisky in about fifty yards, in Mr. Conner's store, and then they had some jugs in their wagons where they camped tbe night before. There was a good, large crowd of them camped there, and they had a barrel of whisky and a big supper, and was eating and drinking the night before the election.

Q. You may state whether or not the whites threatened the republicans before the election in any way.—A. O, yes, sir; they did that a great deal in every direction, 1 suppose, three months before the elec tion. Myself was threatened the night before the election. I had to have a body-guard around me the whole night. We laid out the whole night. We were expecting them. They had sworn they would kill me.

I also found Beverly in  a 1869 Militia Enrollment for South Carolina and on a 1868 SC Voter's Registration in Abbeville County.  See US Reconstruction Era records help to document ancestor's and link to slavery.

Each type of record will vary according to geographical location.  Here are the results I received from searching Google for South Carolina Reconstruction records:  Click here.  This search led to several great resources that I did not know existed.

If we are to have any hope of finding out more about an ancestor who lived during slavery, we must uncover all we can to document them between 1865 and 1877.

Sources:  THE MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS OF THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS IN SIX VOLUMES; SC Department of Archives and History; Hurrah for Hampton!: Black Red Shirts in South Carolina during Reconstruction,  By Edmund L. Drago

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15. Madness Monday: I am not just "Waltzing Matilda"

Grandma Matilda, if it were not for the 1870 US Census, 1880 US Census, an Abbeville County, SC land deed, and my first glimpse of your name in print in an old church hymnal before I was school age, I would think you were only a figment of my imagination.

I have no photograph, and no one living seems to have any recollection of you.  Oh yeah, there's that one mention of you in the biography of your son, Lafayette Franklin Vance in 1919.  I know you were born around 1841 and your mother who is nameless to me was born in Virginia during slavery.   Your maiden name was Dunlap.  I am going mad trying to connect you to parents.  Do you know how many Dunlaps were in Virginia?  Did you leave her behind when you came to South Carolina? Whew!

I suspect your mother could be Sarah Dunlap who had a son named Robert living in Calhoun County near Abbeville, but close is just not good enough.  You have simply got to give me a little more to go on.  You just disappeared after the 1880's with not even a trace in a descendant's memory.  That is pretty hard to do with 8 children...one would think.

I share the blame.  I could have asked more about you when I opened your grandson Emory's hymnal.   He did not volunteer any information other than you were his grandmother.  The fact that hymnal was dedicated to you means you made an impact somewhere.  Only one problem.....someone forgot to keep your memory alive.


For goodness sakes, no one even knows where you were buried or even when you died.  We are only talking  five generations here...what a shame.  I have gone far past that on other lines.   You make me think of the song "Waltzing Matilda."  People are in disagreement about the origins of the song and they even think the song is about  traveling with a bag over your back.  Some argue that the Matilda in the song is a bag not a lady.  See Waltzing Matilda and Waltzing Matilda a little ditty. How could you lose the memory of someone or something you cherish so much?  People love the song so much they have written many versions, but know one is sure what it is about.

I know so much about all your children and your brave husband, Beverly Vance (1832--1899), who I consider a Reconstruction Era hero.  You were there too.  If he made the choice in 1868 to vote, he would have been dead in ten days as he had been warned.  He did not cross party lines though, and in 1876, he was a constable standing guard at the ballot box.

Thanks for that decision....I would not be here.  He was one mile from the place Senator B. F. Randolph was shot and killed in 1868.  A different decision would have cost him the same price.    I wish you were here to experience my day.  I saw a YouTube video, We Are All Cousins, the other night that made me feel so fortunate to have the genfriends that I do. Elizabeth Shown Mills explained that she has never encountered feelings of prejudice among members of the genealogy community.  I feel the same.

So Grandma...I have to be going...I snuck away from the family BBQ.  It's Labor Day.  Just remember, I am not just waltzing here.  I could use some help :). 

Love,
Your GGGrandaughter, Robin

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