September, 2004

Genealogy of Branson, Cook and Allied Families
Our Second Edition

So much has been accomplished since our first newsletter in March!  Many new pages have been added to the web site, hundreds of ancestors have been identified, dozens of photos have been added and many new researchers have been added. 

I'm very excited about one of our new features - the Ancestral Database.  This feature allows you to search for individuals by surname, first name, middle name, birth year, birth month, birth day, birth country and/or birth state.  The Filter Selection Table allows you to filter each of these categories so you can refine your search to the "inth" degree!  It also allows something I have not seen on other databases - you can search for words beginning with a specific letter.  So far only about 1,000 names have been added to the database, but eventually it is my goal to include every name on the web site - over 43,000 individuals!  As you can imagine, this is a very time-consuming project, so please be patient as it will take time to add all the names.

Also new to the web site is the Genealogy Links section.  This section is listed by category and contains hundreds of links to other web sites with information about births, deaths, obituaries, military records, etc.  In the future we will add a section for surnames that will include links to other web sites dedicated to specific surnames.  You are encouraged to add links to this section.

Here's a list of what's new in the past six months:

New Features
Ancestral Database
Genealogy Links
Ancestral Tidbits
Photo Index
Ancestral Narratives Index
Bransons who Served in the Civil War
Recent Census & Records Extractions
Knox Co, Kentucky Tax Lists 1800-1809
New Site Map
New GEDCOM Files
Descendants of Peter Van Deventer (Vandevender)
Descendants of John Ford
Descendants of Richard Moore
Descendants of Moses Moore
Descendants of Rees P. White
Descendants of Sir Thomas West
Descendants of Walter Goode (Goad)
Descendants of George Metsker
Descendants of Heinrich Buchler (Bigler)
Updated GEDCOM Files
Descendants of Nathaniel Branson
Descendants of John Margrave
Descendants of Edward Smallwood
Descendants of Hezekiah Smallwood and Elizabeth "Betsy" Broughton
John Cook web section updated to include descendants of Dorcas "Dora" Cook
Descendants of Thomas Moore Sr.
Descendants of Symond Broughton
Descendants of Moses Devore
Descendants of Humphrey Weaver
Descendants of Peter Wolf
Descendants of Jacob Cake
Other Additions
Records of the Squatter Assn. of Doniphan County, Kansas
Original Land Patent for Woodward Broughton-Rockcastle Co, KY
The Will of Levi Branson Sr.
Grover & Henry Smallwood - Mystery Photos Identified
Elisha & Mary Smallwood Photos
Lemuel Moore's ancestry has possibly been uncovered
"Cousin Against Cousin"
Article about Bransons in the Civil War
Andrew Jackson Branson and Susannah Wilkerson - census extractions added
Charles Arthur Cook was located in census records and connected to James Robert Cook

Please contribute to the newsletter.  We are hoping to receive notices of births, deaths, marriages, photographs, research tips, web site links and other items of interest to our researchers.

Thank you again for your help and participation.

Sandra Branson Young  (http://bransoncook.systemaxonline.com)
 

 

Newsletter Table of Contents

The Smallwood Brick Wall Research Tips
Featured Photograph What's New

 

The Smallwood Brick Wall

The father of Elisha Smallwood has been very difficult to research.  It is quite a mystery because most of the Smallwoods who lived in Kentucky during the early 1800's have been identified.  There are a few Smallwoods floating around in census records and other records that we can't seem to connect to parents.  Hezekiah Smallwood is one of those.  Here's what we know about him: 

- He lived in Laurel County Kentucky in 1830.  Next door lived Woodward Broughton.  In the household were 2 males under age 5, 2 males age 5 to 10, 1 male age 30 to 40 and 1 female age 20 to 30.
- In 1839 he was the assignee for a deed on the SE side of the Rockcastle River surveyed for Job Broughton.  (100 acres)
- He does not show up in the 1840 census
- In February of 1849 he was the grantee of 200 acres of land in Rockcastle County Kentucky.
- In 1850 he lived in Rockcastle County Kentucky along with his wife Elizabeth, 8 children and 1 daughter-in-law.
- In 1860 he lived in Fabius, Schuyler, Missouri along with his wife Elizabeth and 4 children.
- On September 18, 1869 he died in Clark County Missouri.
- Other items of interest:

OTHER LAND GRANTS TO SMALLWOODS IN ROCKCASTLE CO KY:
Patent #: 20128 Grantee: Smallwood, E.
Grant Book & Pg: 37 82 Acreage: 75
County: Rockcastle WaterCourse: Roundstone Cr.
Survey Name: Griffin, John Survey Date: 01/07/1852
Grant Date: 08/24/1852
Email from descendant - As I was giving you the male "E" Smallwood names, I thought perhaps it was Elizabeth Smallwood, but I went to the papers on the Grant/Warrant/Survey and it says HIS heirs, but no other clue as to who "E" might be!

UNKNOWN SMALLWOOD IN LAUREL COUNTY KENTUCKY:
1850 Census - Laurel Co, KY - same county as Hezekiah
Abijah Smallwood, 39, farmer, VA (born abt 1811)
Eveline, 34, KY
Candice, 6, KY
?? , female, 3, KY
?? , male, 5 mos, KY
John Christman, 34, farmer, NC

1860 Census Laurel County, Kentucky  (they weren't there in 1870)
Abijah Smallwood age 49 M KY
Evaline age 37 F KY
Candacy age 15 F KY
Sarah A. age 12 KY
James W. 10 M KY
Mary E. 6 F KY

UNKNOWN SMALLWOOD MARRIAGE RECORDS IN KNOX COUNTY KENTUCKY, PERFORMED BY THE SAME MINISTER WHO PERFORMED THE WEDDING OF HEZEKIAH SMALLWOOD AND ELIZABETH BROUGHTON:

John Lawson & Polly Smallwood April 13, 1820
John Edwards & Edy Smallwood August 6, 1820

If any of this looks familiar, or if you know anything about Abijah, Edy or Polly Smallwood PLEASE contact me by email.

Sandra Branson Young
 

 

Featured Photograph
   
Elisha and Mary (Moore) Smallwood
(Photo taken before the Civil War)

Civil War
2nd Missouri State Militia Calvary
 
   

 

Research Tips


In my opinion the best source of information on the internet is the census records.  These records can be found in many different locations, some of which are free to the public.  Rootsweb.com has an extensive list of census records as well as usgenweb.com and familysearch.org.  If you can't find the person you are looking for on these web sites send me an email and I'll check my paid subscription sites (ancestry.com and genealogy.com).

Also, check the web site of your local library - many of them have subscriptions to genealogy services that offer census images.  This is free to the public simply by signing up for an internet library card.  One of these web sites is the Multnomah County Oregon Library.

Sandra Branson Young

 

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