Wordless Wednesday Slaves Leaving the Plow

Slaves leaving the plow behind to join Union Army.
Courtesy of Library of Congress

Dora Hudson Calcote 1896-1930

Recently, I started working on the Calcote family of Lincoln County, MS. A group of my cousins descend from Willis Richard Calcote born about 1868, and his wife Mary Cook. Willis and his wife had several children including a son, Daniel Calcote, who married Dora Hudson, daughter of Lincoln and Emma Johnson Hudson.

The public library in Brookhaven, MS, has a nice collection of old photographs taken by John H Williams. I like looking through the boxes of photographs and from their Flickr page where the pictures are being scanned.

The copy of the photo was made for Minnie Hudson Calcote. A note was added to the picture from Molly Carruth Mandel who identified the picture as Dora Calcote, via Minnie's daughter Carrie Lee Calcote Magee. Minnie was Dora's sister; Minnie married Richard Calcote, Jr., who was also a son of Willis and Mary.

Daniel and Dora's children were Lucille, Ada, Ernest, Daniel, Jr., and Louis. In Oct 1929, Dora gave birth to a stillborn daughter. Dora died less than a year later, 22 Jul 1930.

Photograph Courtesy of Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601

Wordless Wednesday Annie Mae Hooker

I thought this lady was a member of my family but have been told by members of the family that she is not Annie Thomas who was married to William Hooker.

Photograph Courtesy of
Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601-833-3369

Welcome Genesis

Welcome to the world Genesis Alexandria Williams. Genesis was born September 12 2013, weight 5lbs and 6ozs, making me a grandaunt for the eight time.

Baby Genesis with parents Courtney and Brian

Sunday Church Hat

Cousin Vivian Williams Hilton is the hat wearer.
She is the daughter of Hardy Williams and Mary Alice Coleman.

Photograph Courtesy of Nathaniel Thomas

Wordless Wednesday (Almost) Sitting Pretty on the Porch

This photograph was found among the Thomas Foner Freedom Summer Papers. Thomas Foner worked as a volunteer with the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project in 1964. The collection documents his work with the project and contains substantial information about the conditions faced by volunteers during the summer.

Waiting on a porch for a ride was a common scene in my Mississippi neighborhood. Was she a participant, supporter in the Civil Rights Movement? Was she going to church, a funeral, a mass meeting? Was she on her way to visit family? Where was she going?

Photograph Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Illinois Memorial Monument Vicksburg National Military Park

The memorial was dedicated on October 26, 1906. There are forty-seven steps in the long stairway, one for each day of the Siege of Vicksburg. Modeled after the Roman Pantheon, the monument has sixty unique bronze tablets lining its interior walls, naming all 36,325 Illinois soldiers who participated in the Vicksburg Campaign. The monument stands sixty-two feet in height, and originally cost $194,423.92, paid by the state of Illinois.

The first time I visited the Vicksburg National Military Park I was in elementary school. I think I was fourth grade on a school field trip. I remember from that visit the long rows of white crosses in the cemetery and the Illinois Memorial.

Sunday Obituary Priscilla Culver Humphrey 1895-1987

Mrs. Priscilla Culver Humphrey, daughter of the late Mr. Sol and Francis Prenell Culver was born February 24, 1895 in Franklin County.

She confessed Christianity at an early age and united with the Galilee A. M. E. Church, and served faithfully. She later moved her membership to Triumph Church where she served faithfully. She was married to the late Mr. John Humphrey.

She departed this life July 4 1987 in King Daughter's Hospital, Brookhaven, MS. She leaves to mourn her passing a loving daughter, Sally Robinson, one son Rufus Humphrey, both of Brookhaven, MS. One stepson, Luther Humphrey of Homestead Florida. One son preceded her in death. Thirteen grandchildren, thirty-nine great grandchildren, one sister Sara Effern, three daughter-in-laws Cloratee Humphrey, Ada Humphrey, Rose M. Humphrey, two brother-in-law Willie Humphrey, Phillip Wesley, two sister-in-law Allie Mae Humphries and Alice Wesley. A host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Obituary Courtesy Robin Diane Hunter and Velma Markham Hunter
Photograph Courtesy of Nathaniel Thomas
Members of Priscilla's family, the Culver family, married into my Markham family.

Shirley's House - The Surviving Wartime Building Vicksburg National Military Park

This is the Shirley's House, also known as the White House, during the siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The house was built during the 1830s for northern born James and Adeline Shirley. The couple's three children were born in Vicksburg, and the family had twenty five slaves.

On May 18, 1863, as the Confederate rear guard fell back into the Vicksburg defenses, soldiers were ordered to burn all the houses in front of their works. The Shirley barns and outbuildings were quickly burned to the ground, but the soldier assigned to destroy the house was shot before he could apply the torch.

Mrs Shirley, her 15-year-old son Quincy, and several servants, were caught in the cross-fire as Union soldiers approached Vicksburg. Fearing for their lives, they remained in the house huddled in a chimney corner for three days before Mrs Shirley tied a sheet to a broom handle and had it placed on the upper front porch. The frightened occupants of the "white house" were finally removed by Union soldiers and given shelter in a cave.

When the siege ended, the Shirley house was badly damaged and abandoned. The house and sixty acres were sold to the United States government in 1900 by the couple's daughter Alice who insisted her parents be buried behind the house.

Photograph Courtesy of Wikipedia
Information from signage and National Park Service

Wordless Wednesday Jace AKA Davy Crockett

Grandbundle is channeling Davy Crockett.

Tombstone Tuesday Toddling Sisters

In Memory of Cora
Daughter of William & Mattie Pierce
Born Sep 11 1887
Died Aug 21 1889

In Memory of Ludabelle
Daughter of William & Mattie Pierce
Born Jul 10 1898
Died Jul 20 1900

Burials at Calvin Blue Cemetery
Copiah County, MS

Photographs Courtesy of Willie L Robinson

To All Laborers

My father's first job as a married man was working in the logging industry. The work was hard and the pay low, so, he left logging. This page is dedicated to all laborers: those who labor for no money, those who labor and are paid too little for the job they do, those who are overpaid, and to those whose money work for them.

Happy Labor Day

Photograph Courtesy of
Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601-833-3369

Sunday Obituary Roseanna Thomas Markham 1899-1966

Photograph Courtesy of Nathaniel Thomas

Mrs. Rosie Anna Thomas Markham was born in Lincoln County, Mississippi, August 20 1899. She was the daughter of the late Mr. & Mrs Alex Thomas.

She became a member of Zion Chapel AME Church at an early age.

In 1922, she was married to Mr. Samuel D. Markham - to this union three children were born, one son, and two daughters.

She departed this life on Saturday, - February 5, 1966 at 1:30 AM at the King's Daughters Hospital. She leaves to mourn her passing - a husband, two daughters, one son, six brothers, four sisters, eight grandchildren, and a host of relatives and friends.

Obituary from the collection of Velma and Robin Diane Hunter