For the county with no courthouse records prior to 1890, there is sure SLIM pickin’s for reference material from genealogical groups- ok there’s ONE. 7 whole books. OF course this is the county I was MOST needing data for!
Back in 1998 in Chickasaw County, MS I was overwhelmed when I walked into a local library and found books about MY family. Even pages that had been written by my great-great aunt, who I adored since I was a child. I’m not a huge book reader, front to back, but I dabble. Maybe I have ADHD because the only book I can remember really reading was Wuthering Heights before I was a teenager. There’s been others, but I don’t really like to read. I’d rather research! So when I’m suddenly wanting to go to the library, you know that’s why! Before Covid, I had visited my local main library that has an entire floor dedicated to genealogy and I was planning another visit to see what they might have. Then I was going to take a trip through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Then Covid hit and all things were cancelled. As you’ll see in my last post, I made good use of the time, and it actually paid off to wait!
Colbert Co had 9, and this county wasn’t created until 1867! And look, a book of family biographies! (Ps it’s the Heritages one). While John does move there, it’s the last few years of his life, and to the best of my knowledge, most of our “main characters” remain in Franklin or go west.
After a year and half, I finally made my first visit to the library and spent almost the entire day! I took about 518 snaps of book pages and read several census records (in black!). While I can’t say I found anything quite yet, I know I found some documents that will expand some of the existing new Buchanan family line from Pontotoc, Itawamba and Lee Co’s MS. Sadly, where and when my beloved Zana, along with when her mother, beloved Catharine, dies will continue to be a mystery a little longer. So will when John dies or even when James or what military unit he was in during the Civil War, but I will regroup with these documents and see where they lead me.
I kept the family names of my cousins in mind too so I do have some documentation on their other family lines, which I’ll add to the work I do for their trees, and since they all interconnect with our main lines, it all matters. But I confess, not finding much for Franklin or Colbert, AL in terms of books categorized to these specific counties was disappointing. Even more that neither had much representation in terms of a historical/genealogical society, when compared to other counties I’ve researched in the same areas. Now when it comes to the state as a whole, or even the other genealogical groups, there’s SO much information for both Alabama and Mississippi, that I could spend months there and still not have gone through it all!
Had I not made the recent find of Howard’s brother, this wouldn’t even been a stop for me BUT it’s where I spent most of my time, as you’ll see, I was able to fly through Franklin & Colbert rather quickly, and after Pontotoc and census records on microfilm, my back and my eyes were exhausted. And they were closing in 15 mins!Lee County is becoming quite interesting for my Buchanan’s and these books were helpful. Lee County was also created out of Itawamba County around 1866 or 67, or 76.. I have to look, but at a certain point the two cross, just like Franklin and Colbert counties were once one, prior to 1867. Now see Itawamba. Itawamba’s Historical Society (& local museum) deserve the 🥇 AWARD! Those yellow books are each volumes from their HS’ periodicals. Some have up to 4 bound in there, complete with some type of index. The hole where the 2 are slanted is where I’d pulled out volumes 1-6, and the librarian caught me before I was able to re-shelve them myself. (I was trying to be courteous, but I guess they have to “log someone used them??). Anyway, if anyone wants to send Itawamba some muffins or something, they need to keep up their energy! They ROCK!Now this is in the “Alabama general” area, and those are also more historical/genealogical society quarterly’s that have since been bound. Valley Leaves one I’ve actually spent time on Google, thanks to a Malone researcher. I took the last 3 pics, in addition of wanting to show my cousins how much stuff I have yet to look at, to view the titles before I go back again… with plan 2. Plan 1 was to get there, get into Franklin and Colbert, and census records and then see what I could find. Mission Accomplished, and unlike George W Bush (Jr, for the youngin’s), I actually did!The last 3 photos aren’t a small fraction of just Alabama, let alone Mississippi, they have to review! I think I counted 4 lengths of racks for Alabama, although I might be combining AL/MS … but… can you see why I wanted to go, and why I wasn’t sooooo excited??? Lol
It’s September already.. I need to go back soon?