One Room School Genealogy

    As I continue to add branches to my family tree, I notice that the majority of my family arrived into Florida via the Alachua Trail; some even taking time to marry , have children, and be buried in Alachua County (and I thought my only connection was the University of Florida).  My ancestors followed the same trail taken by William Bartram and written about in his book published 1791 entitled, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.   Alachua County would have appeared to them as Bartram described it: "The extensive Alachua savanna is a level green plain, above fifteen miles over, fifty miles in circumference, and scarcely a tree or bush of any kind to be seen on it. It is encircled with high sloping hills, covered with waving forests and fragrant Orange groves, rising from an exuberantly fertile soil. The towering magnolia grandiflora and transcendent Palm, stand conspicuous amongst them. At the same time...

I hope I have not lost you in my story with many parts; and, I hope you will not run away as I tell you I feel compelled to insert a little history in the blog today.  We lived for many years with a home in a rural community whose history was unknown to us. Life was a five day a week drive into Gainesville where Michael restored historical buildings and I worked in finance. We knew Gainesville and its historical significance; but except for Sunday church and the fact our younger children rode the bus to school there each day we had no connection to Hawthorne.( Even later, when I began teaching at Chester Shell Elementary School in Hawthorne I still didn't really know it's history.)  And, the fact that an elderly neighbor had mentioned Rex, well, that community no longer existed.     Paging through the computer I have discovered that the area known as Rex, was a small community in Alachua County east of th...

We settled into the old house on 219-A; growing gardens, raising chickens, having a cow and a horse and three children.  As we met our neighbors, we found out the Seminary part of the house's name meant school.  (Several of the older neighbors had actually gone to school there.) When Jenny Wren was in second grade she interviewed one of those neighbors and found out that the schoolhouse was located in what was once the community of Rex and the old hand drawn well had water so good families would come back to the school just to take a drink. ( Even though this well is still right next to the house I can not verify this fact-I never dared to  test it. ) The Godwin Seminary House needed lots of restoration. ( It had been changed from a school into a home used by tenant farmers for many years until Sidney Godwin and his wife decided to make it their own.)  There was a good reason the lights were low and the curtains were closed when we fir...

Yesterday I began A Story in Many Parts .  This story will continue in the next few posts as I connect my life to that of my ancestors. We did all the things the experts tell you not to do when you buy a house. ( We would have made a great reality segment for Holmes on Homes or Love It or List It without a purchase being made.) But, I told you I saw this house in a dream and I was sure it was to be mine no matter what it took. Monday, November 12, 1973 a deposit receipt and offer to purchase was signed for a piece of property on 219-A we had seen quickly the day before.  We were told the property was almost five acres (remember we were looking for Five Acres and Independence ) and toured the inside of a quaint farm house that was heavily curtained and dimly lighted. But, I knew this was the home of my dream so a $100 binder was made even if we were hurried through the house. I will not bore you with all the steps we had to take in order to purcha...

I have a story to tell, one that has many parts.  This story is really the main reason I started researching my family tree.  Yet, I am struggling as I try to bring it from pen to paper or in this case from keyboard to the World Wide Web.  Those of you who know me realize I am a no nonsense kind of person. (All are entitled to the beliefs we hold close but I am definitely the Scully character in life's X-Files.) I love to bake bread, educate children, and walk grassy roads. But, against character I found the place I have long called home in a dream. It was the early 1970s and I as well as thousands of other young people were searching for a connection to the land.  A place that was not part of the life of " little houses made of ticky tacky" or in my case a mobile home in a trailer park at the next military base.  Jenny Wren's daddy was in grad school at the best university in Florida, UF, and the beauty of Alachua County won our hearts.  H...

Most of us have that favorite aunt or uncle.  The one you are so excited to visit or have visit you. The one who brings laughter to your lips, cooks your favorite meals, and reads you your favorite bedtime story long after you have become too old for such a ritual.  Mine was Auntie so loved and cherished that she needed no other distinguishing name.  But life can cause separations, violent and difficult divorces, that lead children away from those members of the family they are no longer allowed to see.  And, the worst separation is a too soon death and not even being aware of the resting place of that beloved family member. My Auntie died in Miami, Florida.  She and my Uncle Louis lived in Biscayne Bay. The relatives I have been tracing through my Family Tree are in cemeteries in the counties of Polk, DeSoto, Hardee, and Hillsborough.  Never would I have imagined that I would find Auntie's resting place in the same ...

The Carltons in my direct family tree made their way into the Florida frontier from Georgia funneling through Alachua and Marion Counties and then to the Central Florida area.  The Florida Armed Occupation Act of 1842 and the effort to populate Florida prompted their relocation.  Alderman Carlton received land May 10, 1843 in Newnansville, Florida (Alachua County) but soon continued south and by 1849 the family was in  Hillsborough County.  There, he became trustee of The First Methodist Church of Tampa.  The Three Seminole Wars also known as the Florida Wars were fought off and on from 1819-1858 and Lt. Alderman Carlton was killed in the Spring of 1856.  His son Daniel's horse was killed from under him and Daniel was wounded in this same battle. In the late 1850s, the family was settled in Troublesome Creek between Wauchula and Ona in Manatee (now Hardee) County. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Daniel's son  Wright (Gov....

The climb up my family tree today was manic.  I clicked on family trees one after the other on the Ancestry site;  following the Carlton side of my family as far back as I could take it.  Along the way, the Carlton name changed to Carleton and even de Carleton finally stopping with Sir Thomas of Carleton of Yorkshire Carleton born 1269.  I was addicted to  point and click,  tracing alternating Thomas and John Carletons from 1775 to the 1269 Thomas (guess they couldn't think of another name). Along the way, I read that one of the Johns step-son was Sir Richard High Sheriff of London. (What fun, thinking Robin Hood.)  Another ancestor,  Edward Carleton married an Ellen Newton in 1636, a daughter of Launcelot  Newton -and it says a descendant of Charlemagne.  (Well, one of Charlemagne's major accomplishments was establishing schools for children of all classes. Can really connect with the love of education.) No where t...

Played on the genealogy path all day yesterday. Did Google searches of family names. Clicked on the leaves that seemed to be greening my family tree. Read interesting member stories from the Ancestry.com site.  Then, this morning I realized it was July 14th and that was the date my parents were wed in 1943.  And, yesterday I remembered reading about the deep love a married couple of my  Carlton ancestors had for each other. Plus, I have Uncle Hub's letter about his girl. These ideas are just the combination for my blog.  Now, if you are joining me on Ancestry Research 101 let me share a lesson learned. If you read a neat story you think you might like to refer to in the future; Bookmark it. That seems to be information of which I am aware and I remember Bookmarking stories as I read them yesterday- but the love story has disappeared. Maybe if I had actually used pen and paper to record some pertinent facts, I would be able to shar...

Since I have no immediate relatives to ask about my family, I decided to join Ancestry.com. I will have access to the databases, documents, photographs, and member stories available at the site.  I have started my search with my grandfather's family the Carltons. Doyle E. Carlton was the 25th  governor of Florida in office 1929-1933-something like second cousin third removed- from the good side of the family:).   I hope you notice when you click on the governor link it connects to Cracker Barrel-chicken and dumplin's now that's my side of the family. My mom was given this letter after my sister was born on October 25th years later.          

Perhaps it was being a service brat, a child without a real home, a real family connection, that has caused me to decide to research my family tree.  I really have no idea where to begin; not even any old family stories, except for the one about an old Granma who sat in a corner by the fireplace smoking a pipe.  There are lots of genealogy sites that give instructions on how to find names, dates, and locations  of ancestors but I want to take a more creative path; maybe historical stories, family recipes, highlights, and news. I am excited about this new adventure in a creative approach to my family tree. Come along with me and get started on your genealogy too.