tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19809384695659088862011-11-14T14:19:58.027-05:00TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-62769952269512041482011-02-13T01:22:00.001-05:002011-02-13T01:23:30.997-05:00

As you may know, I have been working on a list of those men affliliated with the Vinton County Group who enlisted during the Civil War.  I have already spotlighted the sons of Edwill Thacker (those in bold text below.) I am hoping to write a little about each of the men on this list.  It is difficult to know for certain who actually had ties to our clan, since by the time of the civil war, many

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-43509234631288552622011-01-30T12:09:00.000-05:002011-01-30T12:09:54.336-05:00

Below are some of the other heads of household named in the 1800 census for Louisa County, Virginia. I’ve chosen individuals who may or may not have something to do with our Vinton County Group. You will notice that the Gibsons are all considered white by the 1800 census. Bramham, Ludow Free White Males 1 under 10 years 1 of 16 and under 26 1 of 26 and under 45 Free White Females 1

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-43136880506043694722011-01-22T03:12:00.000-05:002011-01-22T03:12:41.758-05:00

Back in November, I posted the following on the Free Persons of Color Forum on the AfriGeneas website. I thought it might be of interest for those of you with Louisa County roots.  TLS  The loss of early census records for the state of Virginia has been a problem for all genealogists. Additionally, the 1810 census for Louisa County of Virginia, where my free colored ancestors lived is also

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-80067457921501141682011-01-22T02:09:00.000-05:002011-01-22T02:09:59.766-05:00

Okay, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but it’s a lot of work writing posts for this blog. Sometimes, just citing my sources takes F  O  R  E  V  E  R. Obviously, I think it’s important for anyone reading a post to know where I came up with my facts. You know, so you can look for yourself. So you can decide for yourself. Especially if you’d like to delve a little further into a particular

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-37914568016966099762010-12-29T15:54:00.000-05:002010-12-29T15:54:15.683-05:00

I confess. It always surprises me to find that not all genealogists share my affinity for history. What good is it to know dates, names, or places if you cannot tie them to the events of the day? How can your ancestors ”come to life” without knowing first the events that shaped their lives? For example, if you didn’t know about Edwill Thacker’s court case how can you possibly understand the

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-53625197520736829372010-12-16T12:28:00.000-05:002010-12-16T12:28:57.918-05:00

If you have studied the Thacker’s at all, you will have come across the story of Edwill Thacker. In his book, “The Black Laws: Race and the Legal Process in Early Ohio,” Stephen Middleton described the events this way: “A registrar in Gallia County denied Edwill Thacker a ballot because he was of mixed race heritage relying solely on anecdotal and circumstantial evidence. Thacker was visibly

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-26773429222660367442010-12-15T13:14:00.001-05:002010-12-15T17:18:26.676-05:00

Way back, last April, I was in touch with a Researcher who said he might be spending some time in Washington DC. Oh, be still my heart. We chatted about the possibility of his going to the National Archives, and yes, that was a distinct possibility. I can think of only three things on the face of this earth that could get my heart pumping as hard and as fast as a runaway freight train. One of

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-6994054720301367092010-12-06T16:31:00.003-05:002010-12-29T12:06:43.831-05:00

It is said that Calvin Beale, a demographer for the USDA, was the first person to coin the term “triracial isolate,” in his article written for Eugenics Quarterly in 1957. In the article, entitled “American Triracial Isolates: Their Status and Pertinence to Genetic Research,” Beale called them, “a class more numerous than the Indians remaining in the East, more obscure than those in the West,

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-6860514653396930412010-11-30T20:40:00.000-05:002010-11-30T20:40:58.343-05:00

I am reading a very interesting book that I found online at Google Books. The book, “The Color Line in Ohio,” was written by Frank U. Quillen in 1912 and published in 1913. Dr. Quillen, a Professor of Sociology and Economics of Knox College, originally wrote the book as part of his requirements for his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Michigan. The book contains two sections.

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-69235594015125457622010-10-04T15:50:00.005-04:002010-11-13T12:49:03.352-05:00

In the pass week, I’ve looked at a number of different documents trying to find an answer to the question - Who was Mrs. Nimrod Thacker?I started with the work of other researchers, and tested their conclusions with the available evidence.Below are my own conclusions.Month of Birth:JanuarySupporting documentation1900 census for Frances ThackerDeath Record of Frances ThackerFebruary (I reject)(No

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-65310194180618739362010-10-02T10:24:00.005-04:002010-10-02T11:20:20.246-04:00

When Nimrod Thacker died in 1893 he owned land. Whether a man has a will or not, land means there is something of value to be divided from his estate. Hiram Thacker made application of letters of appointment on behalf of his mother. It reads “The undersigned, whose Post Office address is Hawks, Ohio asks that the widow, Francis J. Thacker be appointed Administrator of the estate of said decedent.

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-28857203168588158482010-10-01T01:20:00.012-04:002010-11-13T18:16:13.721-05:00

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post on my Desktop Genealogist Unplugged Blog entitled, “Death Certificates – Sources of Primary & Secondary Information.” I’d refer you to it, but that sounds a little too much like homework. Instead, I’ll summarize what I’m sure you’ll agree was undoubtedly a brilliant post. (Okay, you can’t kill a girl for fantasizing.)The gist of the post was that while a

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-86927924746730258932010-09-30T14:34:00.004-04:002010-09-30T14:53:00.315-04:00

Okay, besides the obvious advantages of being able to look at online images on websites like the Library of Virginia, Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, the Internet has made communication between family researchers a snap. Thirty years ago no one could have imagined how quickly information could be exchanged between two family researchers. Type up a short note, attach a file and “boom” you’ve

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-22269110991964504442010-09-29T10:03:00.006-04:002010-09-29T10:44:29.568-04:00

Before we look at the census records, we should look at some limitations the family historian can encounter when using census records as a source of information.1. The census is only a snapshot of the individual as of one particular date. From 1850 through 1900, that date was June 1 of the year the census was taken. If the individual married, gave birth, or died a month, a week or a day later

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-29086859409806265642010-09-28T15:15:00.006-04:002010-09-29T10:48:07.503-04:00

Because I am a bit of a statistics geek, and because a couple of Thacker family researchers and I have kicked around theories about the identity of Nimrod Thacker’s wife, I decided to take a look at what conclusions other researchers have come to in the identity of Mrs. T.So on a recent perusal of Ancestry.com, I took a look and found Nimrod’s wife listed twenty times. I used Private Family Trees

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-71000281919780025302010-02-01T15:50:00.004-05:002010-03-09T13:35:39.714-05:00

“Driving a Ford Pinto and equipped with a thermos of water, some snacks, overnight bag, camera, tape recorder, paper and pencils; I began numerous trips into 14 counties in Ohio.” These are Madalene Jones Norris’s words describing her research for her maternal side of the family tree.In 1985, she published her book, “A Genealogy of the Broady, Harris, Napper, Thacker and Trent Families.” Sourced

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-28634719357318110532010-02-01T13:54:00.003-05:002010-03-09T14:34:05.284-05:00

My grandfather was adopted and his name changed when he was twelve years old, or so the story goes. I haven’t found proof of his adoption (but that can sometimes be a little tricky), so I can’t attest to the veracity of the entire story. However, what I do know is that sometime in the 1950’s two women showed up on my grandmother’s doorstep, looking for my grandfather.Now understand, grandma and

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-58811176746011089412009-06-20T12:52:00.000-04:002009-06-20T12:55:05.534-04:00

First, you will notice, I left off midstream, in a discussion about the children of Frances and Nicholas Thacker. Mary Francis, their daughter, was the chief culprit. I suddenly realized that I didn’t know if I had her death record, or possibly the death record of her sister-in-law. So, while pausing to decide how best to resolve this little quandary, I continued my research of the Thacker

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-38208191934709263742009-01-04T00:24:00.010-05:002009-01-04T00:53:05.324-05:00

At the far end of the cemetery, near a large evergreen tree stands a monument. It is four-sided, about six feet tall, with an urn shaped top. Three sides are inscribed and bare some of the names of Nimrod Thacker’s family. Nimrod’s information is on one side (though the engraver wrote Nimroon). Inscribed here are the names of Nimrod’s sons, Algerine and Ambrous. Algerine is listed as 16 and

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-52193310222774708702008-12-10T00:13:00.005-05:002008-12-16T01:21:56.411-05:00

Finally, finally, thanks to help from some fellow Thacker researchers, I feel confident that I have identified 12 of Nimrod and Francis Thacker’s children.Okay, so you’re not impressed by this bit of news, but when you have a ton of Thackers living in the Wilkesville area of Vinton County and the Ray area of Jackson County with a penchant for naming their children a handful of names (Sarah,

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-58657765957523964692008-11-17T14:02:00.003-05:002008-11-17T16:49:12.758-05:00

You will notice, of course, that I have not written a post on this blog for quite some time. It was intentional, the not writing, that is. There were individuals in my family who very gently told me that they were uncomfortable with my poking around in our racial stew. Live relatives or dead ancestors, well, the choice is obvious. Live relatives win hands down.This doesn’t mean, however, that I

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-35906448387328703342008-07-21T13:07:00.003-04:002008-07-21T15:01:57.867-04:00

A transcription found of St. Mary's Parish of Minerton, Ohio, records a baptism of Sarah Thacker performed on April 17, 1868. Sarah's birth is listed as about 1871 (that date is about a decade off) and her parents are listed as John and Anna Lemay. The baptism took place at the home of Nicholas Thacker. It is likely that either Sarah’s baptism took place at home due to her own illness or

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-77416353883585821402008-06-24T01:13:00.003-04:002008-06-24T01:20:51.839-04:00

In the years leading up to the Civil War, you would expect to find free men and women of color living in non-slave states. Depending on the year and the state in question, the designation between white and free colored could mean the difference between the ability to vote or not, having your children educated or not, being required to have certified documents attesting to your freedom or not,

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-52240457280477810062008-05-29T20:56:00.001-04:002008-06-24T01:27:04.286-04:00

Ugh! I’ve been putting off writing this post. I loved my trip to Southern Ohio but as far as finding useful information on the Thacker clan I came up – EMPTY HANDED! David Thacker apparently sold the land he owned before his death so I found bumpkis at the Jackson County Probate Court and ditto at the recorder’s officeSo, I’m banging my head on my desk, trying not to whine (not too hard) and

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-87266091656581558062008-05-11T01:51:00.000-04:002008-05-11T02:01:55.406-04:00

Okay, this never happens to me, but this time I have gotten incredibly lucky. According to another researcher in Virginia, during the war of 1812 all the 1800 census forms were burned EXCEPT for two counties. And I can hardly believe it myself, but Louisa County, Virginia happens to be one of the two counties not burned. What were the chances? She has already let me know that all the Gibsons,

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-13330160819714689252008-04-26T00:37:00.000-04:002008-04-26T01:09:12.581-04:00

So, I 've talked my husband into going down to Southern Ohio for a few days vacation next month (read - I twisted his arm until he cried "mama"). Actually my favorite guy is really cool about cemetery hopping unless there are a lot of bugs on the scene.The deal is that I get to do some down and dirty research in each of three counties I need to visit in order to quench that thirst my Thacker

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-53424589571432562582008-04-25T07:21:00.001-04:002008-04-25T07:21:47.013-04:00

So let’s get this out of the way – right now. Am I a racist? If you mean that, I think one race is brighter, smarter or any “er” than another, then the answer is a resounding no. If you mean, by a racist, that race does sometimes “color” (pardon the pun) my thinking, well that is an altogether different animal. For example, it would feel good to vote for Obama, – as if I were taking a personal

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-58416098151485784922008-04-21T19:21:00.000-04:002008-04-25T07:24:42.260-04:00

Marriage Bond of David Thacker and Sally LemayOkay, one of things I love about the Library of Virginia is the inter-library loan program. I have an easier time accessing County records of Virginia than I do the ones right here in the State of Ohio! I took a day off of work on my birthday (April Fool's Day, appropriately enough) and I went to Birchard Library and ordered three county films from

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-776393523245371932008-04-14T09:29:00.000-04:002008-04-16T13:31:56.385-04:00

In that first breath of exuberance on finding my great great grandmother Francis Thacker, I failed to notice it – that little “m”. In fairness, it was sloppily written, I wasn’t looking for it, and my excitement was so high that my failure to notice was completely understandable. But it was there - sitting patiently in the 1880 census waiting for me to come and find it.In the 1870 census, the “m”

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1980938469565908886.post-85351147826545557282008-04-12T17:07:00.000-04:002008-04-15T17:15:20.015-04:00

So, I learned a few days ago that my great-great-grandmother Fanny McCune, whom I had been unsuccessfully looking for the last seven years, actually was Fanny Marcum — which explains why I couldn't find her! Technically her name was actually Francis Thacker. Her mother, Clarinda Thacker, had Fanny (or Francis) four years before her marriage to Enos Marcum.My family had discovered the McCune name

TERRY SNYDERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196125204227954864noreply@blogger.com0