Query: Thompson/Austin

Lost and now found in the clutter of an overstuffed email inbox is this email from member Lou Mallory.

Hi,

Wanted you all to see this and if you can find anything. You will note below I have sent them a message and also have sent them the article on the Clover Hill Community from Texas Handbook Online.

Thanks,
Lou

—– Original Message —–
From: Lou Mallory
To: sage.myst@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:56 AM
Subject: Thompson/Austin

Hi,

As you will note, your inquiry was forwarded to me. I have discovered that Elder Blaylock was a pastor at one time at Clover Hill
Baptist Church northeast of Quitman. The community has all but become a ghost community. There was a community nearby called Pleasant Grove and the church members at Clover Hill may have joined the church at Pleasant Grove.

The only record of marriages that I know of here in Wood County are the county records of which you mention. Also a check was made of cemetery records and we did not find either of your great grandparents being buried here in the county.

I am going to send this inquiry to the Wood County Genealogical Society as they might possibly have some information on the Thompson genealogical line.

Thanks,

Lou Mallory, Chairman
Wood County Historical Commission

Family Research Donated to Society

Family researcher Annettee Reed has donated to the Genealogy Research Room of the Wood County Genealogical Society her extensive research on the Kirkpatrick, Minshew, and Ellison families, all early-day through present residents of Wood county. This also includes documents and pictures. The materials are in our processing area at the Quitman Public Library and will be evaluated for the best way to make them available to other researchers when they come to the library. Thanks to Annette for trusting us with her family research.

The society accepts donations of research and research materials. You can contact us by mail at P.O. Box 832, Quitman, Texas 75783 or by email at wcgstx@gmail.com to inquire or make arrangements to preserve such materials. Society staff will make determinations of best use and display and disposal of the materials based on how they fit our research collection. When other libraries, museums, or repositories seem more appropriate, we will make decisions whether or not to offer to pass them on to those organziations.

Signups Increasing for Morgan Workshops

Fifty people from Wood County and all over East Texas have signed up for the Genealogy Workshop to be conducted by George Morgan of AHA Seminars (aka one of the Genealogy Guys from the podcast of that name) next Friday. While walk-ins will be welcomed, there is a room size limit. To be sure of a spot, you can pre-register by calling the library at (903) 763-4191, Deason Hunt, or by email to wcgstx@gmail.com. My prediction is that you will learn a lot and have a great time.

“Family History When the Power Is Out”

MORE TIPS FROM READERS
By Ancestry Weekly Discovery 29 July 2011
Editor: Juliana Smith

While my job is to share my experience in family history with you through this newsletter, I’ve learned much from you over the years as well. So to continue this newsletter in the spirit of sharing experiences, here are a few more tips that you sent in.

Family History When the Power Is Out
We have come to depend more and more on our computers for doing genealogy. We get online to find our information. We use our word processors to create timelines, lists, and indexes that capture that information.

But what to do when those severe summer thunderstorms or winter snowfalls deprive us of power? It was during a period of this forced downtime that I was prompted to make a folder in my filing cabinet titled “Projects That Need No Computer” after an outage when I was alone in the house and there was no one to annoy with suggestions of playing Yahtzee or Rummy. When my power goes out, I can pull out the folder and choose from the following tasks:

Filing is always first on the list. I tend to let things stack up when I’m in the middle of a project, so this is the perfect time to file away those items that I’ve printed out.

Labeling photos. I have a lot of photos that I need to label, but compared to the stuff I do on the computer, photo labeling seems like drudgery. This is the time to get some of it done!

Organizing research logs and notes. I am always scribbling down or printing out research suggestions and notes from various online sources. These usually get shoved into a research file in my filing cabinet for whatever county they pertain to. I use this time to organize those notes. My research logs can also get rather haphazard, so I use this time to organize them as well.

Timelines. I often create my timelines during this downtime. It forces me to use the information that I have at hand; no getting sidetracked by trying to find more information to fill in the blanks right then and there. It also forces me to make more concise lists of what I need for each person.

Organize my wish-list of books. I have a file folder of book titles that I long to have. I go through this folder and see what books I still want, what books I have obtained and didn’t bother to mark off the list, and what books no longer have the significance I thought they would.

Transcribing census records. I pull out family binders to see if there are any census records that I was remiss in transcribing. I can usually find one or two.

Reading over archived information. I’ve come across information that “didn’t quite fit” into my family lines, but I printed and saved them because you never know what will turn up. I take this file out and read over the pages again. Sometimes I find something buried in the lines that resonates with new information I’ve uncovered.

This list sure helps the time pass more quickly!

Jolynn Noel Winland

Reprint Policy
We encourage the circulation of The Weekly Discovery via non–profit newsletters and lists providing that you credit the author, include any copyright information (Copyright 2011, Ancestry.com and its subsidiaries.) and cite The Weekly Discovery as the source, so that others can learn about our free newsletter as well.

Set Up Help Needed for Genealogy Workshop August 5

We are planning to leave two people to work the booth at Old Settlers Thursday at 6 p.m. and everyone else head over to the library to set up tables and exhibits for the Friday Genealogy Workshop featuring George Morgan. If you are not signed up for the booth work at 6 p.m., you can just meet us at the library. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

More Booth Help Needed for Old Settlers’ Reunion

To have at least two people working the Wood County Genealogical Society booth at the Old Settlers’ Reunion, we have filled all time spots with at least two workers EXCEPT FOR The following:
Wednesday – 6-7:30 p.m. (1 volunteered so far)
Friday – 6-7:30 p.m. (1 volunteered so far)
Saturday – 6-7:30 p.m. (1 volunteered so far)

Last year, we had more than two show up for many times, and we had a great time visiting with people at the Reunion and other members. Don’t be reluctant to volunteer to come at these or other times or to just show up, sit down (bring a chair) and visit.

Set up is Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. if you are awake, up, or not busy, and take down is at 9 p.m. Saturday night.

Wood County 1850-1900 Still Available

Another request has been received for the place to purchase a copy of “Wood County 1850-1900.” Members Shirley Patrick and Lou Mallory have supplied the request and answer for inclusion here.

They are available at several locations including from the Wood County Historical Commission (gmallory@suddenlink.net) the front desk at the Quitman Public Library, The Mineola Chamber of Commerce, and the City Hall in Mineola. The price quoted by Lou Mallory (chairman of the historical commission) last year was $15 per book and $4.00 for postage for each copy mailed.

109th Annual Old Settlers Reunion Wood County, Texas

When: Wednesday, Aug 03 through Saturday, Aug 06 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily
Where: Governor Jim Hogg Park, Highway 37, Quitman, TX

Free events at the pavilion:
Wednesday night — talent show
Thursday night — gospel music
Friday night — country music
Saturday night — open mic fiddling and bluegrass

Carnival Midway each night and food and other vendors
Midway admission is 50 cents with armbands available for purchase for unlimited midway rides

Source: Wood County Electric Cooperative Calendar

Notice: Workshop Flyer Updated (Gloves Off)

The flyer at this link is corrected. Apologies for the typo.

Our FREE Genealogy Workshop Is Only 3 Weeks Away