Truth is always stranger than fiction.
You’re probably wondering how genealogy could be connected to the fictional stories I write about in the Guilty series.
For me, it’s another avenue to fuse the missing links in my family tree. The hunt begins with interviewing the eldest family member who either can’t remember, or refuses to recall the events in the past. I have a distant cousin who informed me it makes him physically sick to think, or talk about it. I’ve staged sit-ins at the county library in the genealogy department minutes before closing because I’m one click or microfilm away from finding that one elusive relative.
Then there’s the must have birth and death certificates that turn out to be someone else’s relatives. It’s like digging for treasures locked away in the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh. The excitement, the awe, and the blur vision that consumed me happened when I discovered my great-grandfather’s 1912 draft card only to get a headache from the recorder’s scribble. Even a magnifying glass can’t perform miracles.
My heart pounded with anticipation when I located “the” slave schedule. Unfortunately, slaves were lumped together, not by age, sex, or families. It’s the copy of a death certificate that renders me speechless. Many certificates list deaths as “about 60 yrs”—what does that mean? Or birth mother’s name—unknown. That’s it! It's sad, but in some cases true. It wasn't uncommon from babies to be separated from their mothers as they were sold into slavery. I give my ancestors their own personalities, physical descriptions, and of course, attitudes. At least one of them appears in each of my novels.
There’s nothing like reading a story, choking of that sip of soda, falling out of the chair, and yelling, “Hey, I heard Aunt Peabody mention her grandma or great-cousin.
John A. Wilkinson, 33, farmer was married to Artie(a). They had three children Ella, Robert, Walter, and Andrew J. (possibly John's brother who was a law student) was living with them. By 1880, John and Artie added three more sons: Samuel (age 9 and same name as his other son, my great great uncle Samuel), John (Jr. or III), and Thomas. Jessie B. Wade was born February 24, 1918 and died July 2007, to Odell Wade and Minerva (Nerva) Brown Wade in Turner, She and Louis were the third generation of twins on the maternal side of the family—Minerva’s twin younger brothers, Louis and Ellis (Ellis lived to 100 years), and Jessie’s grandmother, Nellie Lambert’s (b. 1872) had a twin brother Solomon. Grandma’s sister, Theaster For almost thirty years, Grandma worked as a coach cleaner for Terminal Railroad in
Grandma and Papa Willie and LC and his wife, Hazel, purchased a house she used as a boarding house in the 4000 block of Washington, blocks west of the St. Louis Symphony. Eventually Grandma became the sole proprietor. Her generosity was legendary. She gave lodging to family, friends, and strangers at little or no charge. Today, that building is a Bed & Breakfast. Here is Jessie's mother, Minerva, (1891-1988)
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In Guilty of Love, my great-great-grandmother, Charlotte Jamison who was born about 1842, has a small part, but enough character for some readers to connect the dots. A footnote: I wrote her into the story before I was aware there were any Jamisons in my lineage, hmmm.
In the Bible, God let us know how important lineage is from Adam to David to Jesus. I’m not trying to go that far back, I’d be happy with a few centuries. Here’s what I’ve found out about Charlott Jamison (Jamieson) Wilkerson (Wilkinson). The names in the parenthesis indicate the variations of how her name might be listed. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of her, so here is a picture of her son, William, b. 1866.
On November 10th, 1850, ?, MS… **Robert Jamison had 26 slaves, 22 males, ranging in ages 2-45; 4 females, ages 2, 3, 25, 40. It’s unknown if Charlott (w/o the “e”) is one of the toddlers since the ages could be off 3-6 years.
On September 1st, 1860, Robert Jamison was again listed as a slave owner in Chickasaw County, MS, Division 1 Township. **In his home, resided a John Wilkinson, 23. His occupation was “Teacher in Academy.” Wilkinson was born in AL. One month earlier, on the August 4th, 1860 census, Jamison had 23 slaves living in 6 slave houses. 10 were females. Only one of these women was listed as a mulatto (mixture of a white slave master or overseer and black slave). She was 35 years-old. I believe an 18 year-old girl might have been her daughter. If that is the case, which I haven’t verified, this mulatto is my great-great-great grandmother.
On the July 28, 1870 census, Charlott Jamison, 28, was the head of the household and a housekeeper in Township 16 in Chickasaw County, Palo Alto, MS. The census lists her birthplace as South Carolina. Charlott is listed as a mulatto with 2 sons, William, 5, and Samuel, 3.
In 1880, Clay County, Beat #4, MS, Charlott Wilkinson, 40, a mulatto, was a widow with 2 sons, William, 14, and Samuel, 12. Charlott was living with another widow, Martha Leopard, 39, white, and her son also named Samuel, 19.
On the 1920 census, Charlotte Jamison lived five houses away from her son's i-laws, Martin Brownlee. She was a servant and 80 years old.
"Aunt Charlotte" as the Caradine Family, who were also once slaveholders called her, died in 1930 and they buried in in their family cemetery in MS. To date, the Mississippi Department of Vital Records can not locate her or her son, William's death certificates.
((See William's Grandmother Sarah below)
On the 1870 census,
Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of my great-great-grandmother Charlott, but thanks to Heather Leopard, a descendant of Martha, I have this picture .
Rhoda Brownlee Wilkerson (William's first wife)
Rhoda was born about 1870 and died in 1926 in Clay County, Mississippi. Although, I'm still researching her parents, I believe a Martin Brownlee is her brother. I'm trying to verify that.
On the 1920 census, Martin was 50 years old married a second twice to Minnie. I don't believe Martin and Rhoda were twins, but I'm still investigating.
Her parents were Joseph (Joshep) Brown and Nellie Palmer-Lambert.
In 1910, Minvera and her younger brother Louis were living her Uncle Wyatt Palmer and his wife Ollie.
At least one character in every one of my novels bears the name of one of my ancestors.
This photo is dated June 1958. My great grandfather, Willie Cole Sr., is seen here with his head bowed as if he was praying. The handsome man next to him was my father, Roscoe Cole Jr. From what I have been able to gather, Willie Cole Sr was born about February 1872 and died about August 1964. He was married twice, first to Mary Ann, then to Harriet. We do know he was Irish. I know...I know. You can't by the picture, but my mom says he was light-skinned with a reddish tone.
Willie Cole Sr. had the following siblings:
G. (Grover) V. Cole b. 1888 (tall guy0
Dolan Cole b. 1890 (bow tie)
Talmadge Cole b. 1893 (next to John in suspenders)
Sylvester Cole b. 1894
L.D. or T.D. b. 1896
John Cole b. 1897 (at end-right)
Marshall b. 1902
He had two sisters, Maryann Cole and Ophelia Cole. I don't have any info on the sisters.
Lucy Richardson Douthet m.Thomas Wilkinson/Wilkerson. They the parents
of John Wilkinson.
John Wilkinson (2nd grandfather) fathered two sons with Charlotte Jamison (my second great grandmother).
One son is William (his picture is first). He is my great-grandfather.
He named his baby daughter after his mother Charlotte. (she is my grandmother).
ggggrandmother. More information coming.
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