Mary "Minerva" Warden, c.1854, Marion & Lamar Counties, MS

On July 25, 2012, I wrote about how my cousin Elaine and I finally found the parents of Minerva Warden in census records.  For years, we had searched for a family connection through census records on microfilm but came up with nothing.  Click here to read that blog post.  I finished that blog post with a promise that I would write more about Minerva and her family.  Here is what I know so far...

In the blog post mentioned above, I wrote  "The William Warden family is enumerated in House #45 on the above census [1850 Marion County, Mississippi].  It is my belief that M. Warden, age 4, is our Minerva Warden because the age stated would be about right, placing her year of birth about 1846. I don't understand why she wasn't listed with the William Warden family on Ancestry, but she could have been mistaken for one of their other daughters, Martha or Mary.  I then looked back at the 1910 census record that I had saved for Minerva (Mrs. Menervia Woodard), then listed in Beat 4 of Lamar County (county lines had changed by then)- she was listed as age 64 (supporting an 1846 birth year)."  

1850 Marion County, Mississippi Pg 369, House #45

I've come to find out that Minerva Warden wasn't the M. Warden, age 4 that I previously thought. That person was Martha Warden.  The 1850 Warden household here included William Warden, his wife Martha, daughter Nancy, son James, daughter Martha and son John Wesley.  Minerva was born after this census.

1860 Marion County, Mississippi, Pg 47, Family #317

The first names were listed on the 1860 census.  William Wardin's (Warden) household included his wife Martha and children James, Martha, John W., Mary, Harriet and Daniel.  I can't explain why, but I felt certain that Mary, age 6 was the connection to my Minerva.  

The next census record that I could find on this family was the 1880 census of Marion County, Mississippi. That census showed William Worden (Warden) as head of household with wife Martha, Harriet, D.J. (David Jefferson) and N.B., an unidentified 18 year old female.  I assume that Mary had moved out by then, since she would have been about 26 years old.  

Searches for Minerva on the 1870, 1880 and 1900 census records have thus far produced nothing. Family sources informed me that Minerva married Thomas Riley Woodard and he died young, about the year of 1890. Minerva is connected to Thomas by a land record, dated 24 July 1894 whereas she completed payment for 159 acres. The land record recorded "Manery [Minerva] Woodard, widow of Thomas R. Woodard, deceased of Marion County, Mississippi"...

The next census record that I've found with Minerva listed is 1910 Lamar County, Mississippi.  That year Mrs Menervia Woodard, age 64, is listed as head of household with son Walter, daughter Mary, boarder W.G. Snelgrove and grandson Robert Parker.

1910 Lamar County, Mississippi, Beat 4, Sheet #13B, Family #166

I'm not certain where Minerva was in 1920, but according to the 1930 Lamar County census, she was living with her nephew, John Lee.  Other members listed in that household were Susan Sumral (Sumrall), John's daughter, and Arbella Cagles, John's niece.  Minerva was listed as 86 years old and that she was 27 years old at first marriage.  Using these numbers, she would have been born c. 1844 and married c. 1871. But, using numbers from previous census records, Minerva was born c. 1854 (by the 1860 Marion County census).  If she had been born in 1844, she should've been listed on the 1850 census, but she wasn't.

1930 Lamar County, Mississippi, Beat 2, District 0004, Family #24

A connection to the name "Mary" was discovered while browsing on Ancestry.com.  An application for an original social security number filed by Mary Woodard Smith (Minerva's daughter) listed Thomas Woodard as her father and "Mary M Warden" as her mother.  From this information, it's logical to assume that she was born Mary Minerva Warden.

Summary of available information:

Mary "Minerva" Warden was born c. 1854 in Mississippi, USA, the daughter of William M. Warden and Martha Patsy Spikes Warden.  She married c. 1871, Thomas Riley Woodard, son of Derias or Jeriah Woodward and Eliza Dubose Woodward.    From their union, 6 known children were born:

1.  William Riley Woodard, born 7 Sep 1879, died 20 Dec 1960; married Martha Elizabeth Seal on 18 Jul 1904.
2.  Harriet Woodard, born 13 May 1883, died 14 Sep 1952; married (1) Simon Peter Smith (2) James El Simmons (3)  Robert Johnson
3.  Walter Grey Woodard, born 22 Feb 1890, died 29 Nov 1952; married Gertrude Scarborough
4.  Mary Woodard, born 22 Sep 1895, died 13 May 1970; married Simon Peter Smith
5.  Ada Woodard, no information available at present
6.  Annie Woodard, no information available at present

I still don't have any information regarding Minerva's death and burial.  There's so many questions that remain about her.

I now wonder if Mary Woodard's (Minerva's daughter) birth date is incorrectly listed on her headstone.  Her birth date is listed as 22 Sep 1895, however; we know from the land record that Minerva was widowed by July 1894.  That doesn't add up.  Looking at census records, Mary's birth year varies from 1892 to 1898. Census information is often unreliable, so Mary's actual birth year remains a mystery to me since I don't have any proof.  Just another piece of the big puzzle to be filled.

I'll post an update when more information becomes known to me.  If you have information that you believe would benefit my research, please email me-  susanbourgoyne@yahoo.com.  Thank you!

Breakthrough- Minerva Warden's Family Identified!

Minerva Warden

On December 15 of last year I wrote a post about Minerva Warden, Treasure Chest Thursday: Photo of Minerva Warden.  An excerpt from that post:  Minerva Warden married Thomas Riley Woodard.  The family resided in Lumberton located in Marion County (now Lamar), Mississippi in the late 1890's through the early 1900's.  The Warden and Woodard families are bricks in "My Brick Wall"- I have accomplished very little in my research on them.  I have no knowledge of Minerva's parents or siblings at present.  From my own estimates, Minerva was born probably between 1850 and 1860.  She lived to be an elderly woman, as evidenced by her photo.  She was likely in her 80's or even her 90's when this photo was taken.  Her husband, Thomas Riley Woodard, had died in his late 30's leaving her a widow with 7 children that I have knowledge of. 

While having coffee early yesterday morning, I was thinking about Minerva and her husband Thomas Riley Woodard.  I had no information at all on Minerva's family and very little on the Woodard family.  They all resided in southern Mississippi yet they have remained so mysterious.  Efforts on finding the families by surname search on Ancestry and Genealogy.com had been fruitless.  I made up my mind to manually sort through the census records of Hancock and Marion Counties in Mississippi to find some sort of connection to them.  I had gone through all of the 1870 Federal Census records of Marion County with nothing notable.  

I called my cousin, Sylvia Elaine (Herrin) Knight and we discussed the Woodard/Warden families.  Elaine informed me that she had been working on a line of Lee's for a friend of hers, and she found some possible clues for Minerva Warden.  Of course, that immediately grabbed my attention.  Elaine stated that on the 1930 census in Lamar County, a Minerva Woodard, age 86, was listed as an aunt and resided in the household with a W. John Lee, age 70.  The household also listed Susan Sumrall, age 40 and Arabella Cagle, age 40.  Elaine also explained that the W. John Lee on the census was a son to Nancy Warden Lee, born 1841, who had married Zinnamon Frank Lee, Sr.  She said another name that rang a bell was Arsineth Seale, who had married John Riley Lee, and this Lee family was connected too.  As she spoke, I jotted down these tidbits of information.  

After the phone conversation, I decided to search through the 1880 Federal Census of Marion County, page by page, surname by surname, hoping for clues while keeping in mind the information I had just learned from Elaine.  I had gone through several census images when finally, on page 7 of ED 133 in Beat 5, I noted a E. Lee, age 33, head with his wife, Minerva Lee, age 24.  

A few pages later, I took note of the Wordin families listed, and the Lee family residing between them.  On page 10, ED 133, Beat 5 in Marion County, in House #4, William Wordin and his wife Martha resided.  Of particular interest was the name of  Harriet Wordin in their household.  House #5 listed the Hansford Lee family.   In Houses #6 and #7, more Wordin families.  Farther down the page, in House #10, the family of John Lee resided.  

I immediately felt a sense of connection here.  I just knew there was a link between these Wordin and Lee families, and I felt this was the John Lee that Elaine had mentioned.  Call it strange, but I had a "familial feeling" about Harriet Wordin in the above census record.  Could my great-grandmother, Harriet Woodard, have been named after this Harriet Wordin (Warden)?  Harriet Woodard was the daughter of Minerva Warden and Thomas Riley Woodard.  The tradition of our ancestors naming their offspring after loved ones  came to mind and I had a gut feeling about this one.  I hurriedly called Elaine to report my findings and emailed a copy of the census images to her.  She agreed- there was a connection here.

During a search on Ancestry for William Warden, I discovered a list of his family members posted by another member.  They were:  William M. Warden (head), his wife Martha Patsy Spikes, and children- Nancy, James, Martha, John Wesley, William Harrison, Mary, Harriet, Daniel and Jefferson David.  Could this Nancy Warden be the one Elaine talked of, the one who married Zinnamon Frank Lee?  I also remembered that Jefferson David Warden was already connected to our family through the Herrins.  I was so excited about this information I could hardly contain myself!  I called Elaine again, reporting this information to her.  We were getting soooo close to Minerva's family!  Though Minerva wasn't listed as one of the children of William and Martha Warden, I suspected she was connected to them.  

I then browsed the 1850 Federal Census of Marion County, Mississippi, seeking the William Warden family.  I found not only the Warden family I sought, but the family of Martha Patsy Spikes, living next door!  

1850 Federal Census, Marion County, MS
Page 185

The William Warden family is enumerated in House #45 on the above census.  It is my belief that M. Warden, age 4, is our Minerva Warden because the age stated would be about right, placing her year of birth about 1846.  I don't understand why she wasn't listed with the William Warden family on Ancestry, but she could have been mistaken for one of their other daughters, Martha or Mary.  I then looked back at the 1910 census record that I had saved for Minerva (Mrs. Menervia Woodard), then listed in Beat 4 of Lamar County (county lines had changed by then)- she was listed as age 64 (supporting an 1846 birth year).  

This page of the 1850 census is significant in connecting the Warden-Spikes-Lee families.  I took note that in House #48, the family of John Lee (John Riley Lee) and his wife, Arsineth Seale, resided. This is the same family Elaine had spoke of in our phone conversation. 

I tried to call Elaine back a couple of times to report the information on the 1850 census, but no answer.  I could hardly wait to tell her!  When I finally reached her on her cell phone, she had been researching the William Warden family online, and had already made the connection.  She informed me of the name of William Warden's father, James Theodore Warden, Sr.  We celebrated in conversation because the mystery had finally been unfolded.  The brick wall was breaking down, after all these years of trying to find Minerva's family.  I am so grateful for the power of online research when searching census records and family connections.  It also helps tremendously when others are assisting in the research.  Elaine and I put our clues together and came up with the answers... Bravo!!!!  

I will post an update listing all of Minerva's family when I sort through all the information that I now have.  Next in line- the Woodard family, wish me luck!

Wednesday's Woman: Janet "Jenny" Freeman

Mystery by ~randis, deviantart.com

Janet "Jenny" Freeman remains a mysterious part of our family history.  Thus far, I don't know of anyone who has been able to break through the "brick wall" which has prevented her current descendants from finding out more about her.  She is listed in my records and the records of countless other researchers as Janet "Jenny" Freeman, but even most of her name is based on family tradition rather than actual fact.  

I received an email, dated January 7, 2012,  from Michele Simmons Lewis who has repeatedly attempted to find out more about our Janet.  She wrote:

There is a lot of 'family lore' about Janet, none of which has been confirmed with credible sources.  All we know for sure is that Silas Simmons was married to a woman named Janet who was born in SC per the 1850 census records.  Janet died before the 1860 census was taken.  Our biggest roadblock has been the fact that the Perry Co, MS courthouse burned in 1877 and there are no records to be had.  Perry Co, MS was formed from Greene Co and the Greene Co courthouse burned in 1874.  The only records that survived these two courthouse fires were the county property tax rolls which were sent to Jackson every year.  Unfortunately, even though Silas shows up in these records repeatedly, there is no account of Janet.  Here are some of the 'theories' that Simmons researchers have been claiming over the years:

1.  Janet was born near Georgetown, SC

2.  She was called "Jenny" or "Jennie"

3.  She was a Choctaw or Cherokee Indian.  Thus far all contact with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been fruitless (several researchers, including myself, have tried to get the Choctaws to search through their records but they have been very uncooperative).  In Wiliam Houston Simmons' Family Bible, the following entry is made:  Silas Simmons from Kentucky [North Carolina is written, then marked out with Kentucky written above] 18 [it appears the first two digits of a date were written but not completed] married Indian girl (Squerloque Miss) [it is unknown where this is].  Possibly Shuqualak?  There were two Shuqualaks, one in Noxubee Co and one in Neshoba Co both of which was located in Choctaw lands.  It is less likely that she would have been Cherokee.  In another part of William Houston Simmons' Family Bible he made the notation, "Indian (Choctaw)" [Note:  Some researchers have Janet's "Indian name" as Squerloque!  This is completely wrong!  Squerloque is definitely a PLACE.]

4.  Janet's last name was Freeman or McCarter or McCardle

5.  Janet was an orphan raised by a family named Brown

In the email, Michele Simmons Lewis went on to explain the pursuit of the Indian connection by some of Janet's descendants in relation to the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.  She wrote, "In the 1940's, the Choctaw Nation sued the state of Mississippi saying they had been cheated out of their land and they wanted compensation."  According to Michele, some of Janet's descendants tried to prove their Indian connection thinking they would be compensated because of the aforementioned lawsuit.  Michele states she tried to follow up on those family claims with the Choctaw Nation but they denied everything and they were very uncooperative.  

To sum it all up, we have a lot of family lore surrounding Janet, but no actual proof of anything except her first name.

On the 1820 census, there was a Thomas McCardle, Silas Simmons, Cornelius Freeman and James Freeman all on the same page:

Thomas McCardle- line 8

Silas Simmons- line 10

Cornelius Freeman- line 21 (he was the right age to have been James Freeman's son)

James Freeman- line 22

The 1830 and 1840 census are in alphabetical order.  On the 1850 census, Silas Simmons is dwelling 185, Thomas McCardle is dwelling 97.  By that time, Cornelius and James Freeman were both deceased.  

Who was Janet?  Was her surname Freeman or McCardle?  I wish I knew with certainty.  

If anyone has clues to the mystery surrounding our Janet, please get in contact with me.  Thank you!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Photo of Minerva Warden

This is my FIRST post for Treasure Chest Thursday.  The idea came from visiting other genealogy blogs.  Several genea-bloggers write about specific topics on certain days of the week.  I think it's a wonderful and creative idea!  Now, on to today's treasure from The Treasure Chest:

Several years ago my Mom had given me an old pair of eyeglasses that belonged to her mother.  The eyeglasses laid upon a cotton swatch inside a small white box.  One day I opened the box to peek at "Granny's" old eyeglasses and as I pulled the eyeglasses from their resting place the cotton swatch fell out, revealing a "hidden treasure".  There, beneath the cotton swatch, was an old photo.  I flipped the small black and white photo over to see if it revealed a name.  Sure enough, the words "Minerva" were scribbled in pencil on back of the photo.  

Mom was surprised about my find.  Apparently she didn't realize the photo was there either.  She informed me that Minerva was "Harriet's mother".  Harriet Woodard was married to Granny's (Susie Johnson) father, Robert "Bob" Johnson.  Mom nor I understood why Minerva's photo was tucked inside the box that held Granny's eyeglasses but, nevertheless, I was excited to find it!  It is the ONLY photo of Minerva Warden that I have.  

Minerva Warden married Thomas Riley Woodard.  The family resided in Lumberton located in Marion County (now Lamar), Mississippi in the late 1890's through the early 1900's.  The Warden and Woodard families are bricks in "My Brick Wall"- I have accomplished very little in my research on them.  I have no knowledge of Minerva's parents or siblings at present.  From my own estimates, Minerva was born probably between 1850 and 1860.  She lived to be an elderly woman, as evidenced by her photo.  She was likely in her 80's or even her 90's when this photo was taken.  Her husband, Thomas Riley Woodard, had died in his late 30's leaving her a widow with 7 children that I have knowledge of.  

I hope to one day find out more about Minerva and her family.  For now, Minerva's photo is tucked back into its original resting place beneath Granny's old eyeglasses, a part of our family's Treasure Chest.