My Grandmother, Vesper Bennett Smith
My name is Lisa and I’m a high school math teacher. I have 4 children, 3 cats and 1 husband and I love puzzles! For me, genealogy is the ultimate puzzle and I’m searching for clues to find various “culprits” to fill in my tree. My confession is that I belong to no societies and I’ve never been to a courthouse or archive to do research. I’ve always been shy and I have a dream of finding a “genealogy buddy” to help me make it over the hurdles of my own personality!
The majority of my research centers around Russell Co, Kentucky, but I also research my husband’s line from Kankakee Co, Illinois.
This photo is a picture of my grandmother, who my mother says I look just like and who was shy, like me.
Until recently I belonged to no Societies, either, and I’ve never been to a courthouse, even though there is one, in Owensboro, that plays an important role in the aftermath of the death of a Grandfather.
I’ve been only once to the SoCal branch of the National Archives, and hope to go again since we are in the same county. ;-D
Lisa,
Being shy must run in the Bennett blood line, so is my wife. I have been researching my wife’s Bennett line for about 10 years. Glad to help you if I can. I am still trying to find anything I can. We went back in June 2008 and photographed a lot of headstones and did research at the county courthouse. I have back to Charles Bennett m. Mary Flanagan.
I only have Arnold under Enos and Vesper Bennett. Drop me a line when you can.
Hi Don!
We must have corresponded at some point because I have some of your notes in my database! I would love to “reconnect” to talk about our common ancestors!
You are the recipient of the Ancestor Approved Award!
Hi Lisa,
I have enjoying following your blog. I have give your blog a Beautiful Blog Award. Go to this link http://mequilter.blogspot.com/2011/06/beautiful-blog-award.html
and take the award, add it to your blog and share it with five other blogs. Have fun!
What a great blog! We have 2 big family reunions coming up and was wanting to put together a infomation sheet for each personal to fill out so I can hopfully gather more information for the family history. I love your excel spreadsheets but do not know what I’m doing or even know where to being.
Do you have any suggestions on how I should appoarch this at the reunion, I’m also very shy and of course both reinions are for my husband side which makes it more uncomforable.
Congratulations on your new technology assignment at your school! I hope your summer continues to go well and you are able to squeeze some genealogy time in.
Hi Iam related to George Washington Stephens. He was my g, g, grandfather. I’m interrested in any infornmative that you had on him and his family.
Hi Patty,
Can you tell me your George’s parents? I have a George W. and a George Washington Stephens in my database.
Hi I’m related to George Washington Stephens. He was my g, g, grandfather. I’m interested in any information that you had on him and his family.
Hi
My George W. was born in 1836 in Florence,Al. We think his father was William Stephens born born in 1813 in North Carolina.
Patty
I’m going to email you directly….
I am searching for Smiths from the same area. Wonder if you have seen a very old John Smith (105 yrs in the 1860 Scott Co.TN census)?
His family seems to be Henry & Lucretia Smith who moved to Wayne Co., KY for the 1870 census? I have another Smith connection in 1860 Wayne co to a Benjamin and Mahala.
Hi Teresa,
I’m sorry, I don’t have any information on your Smith line. There are soooo many Smith’s, I tend to concentrate on Russell County only. Wayne County before 1825 because that’s the same part of Russell County after its formation, but I don’t even have much on those Smiths. Good luck in your search! Lisa
Group Sheets using Excel – would you be willing to share a copy of your exel and word templates with me.
I absolutely will! Right now, I’m on my Mac, but as soon as I get back on my PC, I’ll send them your way. ~ Lisa
Lisa, I just found your blog via another blog while blog-hopping. You had left a comment…and I found your blog name so intriguing, I just had to take a look
You may claim shyness, but any math teacher of high school students, in my book, cannot possibly be shy. Intrepid is more like it!
Hopefully, by now, you have found a “genealogy buddy” to help you over your hurdles, and you can now waltz through the front doors of any courthouse clerk’s office unfazed!
Hi Jacqi! I’m so glad you “stopped by” the blog! My teaching journey has been funny. I started as an elementary teacher because “I could NEVER teach high school kids!”. When my kids became jr. high kids, a jr. high science job opened up and the school was desperate enough to take me. Soon that job included jr. high math and now I’m teaching high school math. I really think having kids of my own that are the same age as the kids I teach just makes it easier – almost like the students are my own kids! Believe me, grown ups are MUCH scarier! And no, I’m not quite to the point of walking into a courthouse unafraid… maybe soon!
Lisa, I COMPLETELY understand your fear…I *used* to be the same way! Just the thought of going into a public place without someone else terrified me. Even walking to the rest room in a restaurant mortified me. Tina Lyons posted that you’re coming to the Midwest Geneabloggers meet up, and I’ll really look forward to meeting you and talking with you about the ways I finally overcame my fear. Oh, and we can talk genealogy too!
Lisa, it sounds like you are not alone in your shyness. When I first started researching my family, I was intimidated by some of the repositories. But, as time goes on I am becoming more comfortable. I look forward to meeting you in Fort Wayne. See you there.
i am looking for the parents of moses chapman from halifax va married to sarah tuck, “sally”. they had a son, joseph who moved to russell co ky from halifax with his son, anthony who is buried in chapman cemetery in terry ky. he was in the umion army in yhe 8th ky cav. anthony had a son, james who is my great grandfather who lived and died in casey co ky. i cant find who the parents of mosses chapman. if you run across amy information about mosses please email me at tchapman@miamiherald.com
my mother was a smith from lincoln co ky and she is in the line of jom smith who sailed from ireland, her mother was a fletcher. i have almost a complete line on my moms side. my sister near danville ky, has all of that. we are stuck though mosses chapman of halifax co va. also, his son joseph is buried in a cemetery under lake cumberland, russell co ky but i dont know which one thanks, tim chapman
Hi Tim,
I don’t have any information on Chapmans, but if you have something specific you’d like for me to look up the next time I go to the library, I’d be happy to do that! I tried to do some quick research and I found that someone has John Chapman and Nancy Whitehead as parents for your Moses Chapman, but I found further information on the web on that family and didn’t see a Moses listed for their children. Don’t know if that helps you or not…
I’d love to hear more about your Smith line. Any chance we connect somewhere in early Danville days?
I was wondering if you ever found anything on Moses Chapman. I have run into the same problem. If you have any info I would really appreciate if you would contact me at johnandlucy@localnet.com Thanks Lucy Chapman sWEIGART
my grandfathers name was herman smith who lived in my salem ky, about 20 miles south of danville. tim chapman tchapman@miamiherald.com
thanks, i will look up the info you gave me on the poss parents of moses chapman and get with my sister who is working on our smiths. my mothers mom who was married to our herman smith, was a fletcher but i will try to get more info fr her to give you. i have to wade through a tree she sent me the other day also. thank you, tim chapman
Here is the website I was looking at to try to confirm the names I saw on Ancestry, but if this is complete, it doesn’t appear to include your line. http://www.chapmanfamilies.org/gen_samuel_va.pdf
Hope it’s helpful!
Lisa
thanks, this is the wrong moses, i had seen this and the dates dont match and my mosses married sarah “sally” tuck. the tucks are well documented. we called my grandmother, granny mae. she was the fletcher. thank you so much for your help. tim chapman
Lisa, I am trying to help my brother, Bradley Eugene Gilpin. His Great Grandfather was George Washington Gilpin from KY. Born 2 Jan 1857 and was married to Martha Henderson & Elizabeth Pitman. Do you have any information concerning Gilpin family connection with George Washington family? If so would you share with me that connection?
Sincerely,
Dennis Nagel
dennis.nagel@mchsi.com
417 205-0308
Mount Vernon, MO
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for searching my blog for Gilpin information. I’m sorry that I don’t have information on the line you are researching, but I will keep my eyes open!
Thanks!
Lisa
i am the great grand son of john g stephens and sara moles my grandmother is cora stephens married hugh jepsey tucker my name is nicky tucker russell springs ky phone 2705664860
my great grand mother is sara stephens buried in miller cem shelbyville ind if enbody has a picture of sara stephens call me nicky tucker 2705664860
Hi Lisa
I read your post about Andrew Stephens an Polly and I might be able to help some. They were my g-g-g-grandparents. Andrew b1829 Polly born b1837. Andrew was the son of John Black Stephens. William was Andrews brother b1826. Andrew did have a son Andy V born 1871. My family populated most of KY, VA, and TN it seems like so I’m sure the neighbors were relatives.
Thanks
Donny Stevens
Hi Donny! Would it be possible to correspond through email about this? I’m VERY interested in hearing more details about your family line! You can email me a lvonlanken@msn.com.
Hi Lisa,
Do you happen to have Revolutionary Soldiers buried in Russell Co., KY? I am looking for William Fields Blakey.
Thanks
Hi Carol,
Sorry, I don’t have anything on Fields.
Good luck in your search!
Lisa
Thanks for looking.
Carol
To carol hicks, have you tried Blakey/Chapman cemetery
In Creelsboro ky. It is on the lawless farm. I have some of my chapman line at that cemetery. Tim chapman
Thanks, I did look on findagrave.com in that cemetery but only found one Blakey listed. They must not all be in findagrave yet.
Hi carol, you might try the lawless cemetery on lawless cemetery road. If you google Blakey Branch, just sw on that road you will see lawless cemetery rd, follow it to the cemetery. From the sat. View ,must be 300 graves. It is a very old cemetery and might have been called something else 100 yrs ago. I a going to look for some Chapman’s myself soon. The lawless cemetery is 3.6
Miles west of Jamestown in Russell co, ky. Gd luck, tim chapman
Hi Carol. I am glad I found your site. I am looking for my Grandfather and his siblings in Russell County, Sherman Holt father John Holt and mom Nancy Jane Carol Born about 1883 I am getting nowhere and am considering a trip there. Where is a good place to start? Keep up the good work
Hi Tim,
A good place to start would be the library to see what they have, might have old newspapers, and they can advise you where else that might be available, like a genealogy library, in the area, then the county clerk’s office and probate office if there was a will. There might also be a genealogy or historical society around. The library would know that. Good luck in your search.
Carol
Tim, I found some information for you. I would like to send it to you. E-mail me at hckschicks@aol.com.
Carol