Vital and Marriage Records!

As so accurately described by LegacyTree, southern research is often challenging because of a lack of direct evidence to relationships, meaning that there aren’t a lot of things that explicitly state who was whose parent or child. Unfortunately, this quite frequently includes vital records. Vital records (birth, marriage and death records) are extremely important to any research, but birth and death records are sadly rare in the southern United States. Since people often lived far away from a courthouse or a church, and they were poor, keeping records of events wasn’t a very high priority.¹ 

Marriage records, on the other hand, are rather easy to find, and were very high priority. Because land and property was such an important part of southern culture, it was essential that marriage records were kept. That way, a couple could prove later on in life that their children were legitimate, and that they could inherit the family land.

Below are the marriage records that I found for the Kennerly family while doing my research. As you can see, they don’t give very much information. Thomas and Rebecca’s marriage just gives their names and the date. Samuel and Eleanor’s is on a pre-printed form, but unfortunately records just their names and the date. Samuel and Elizabeth’s marriage record is unique- there are witness names given (always check for witnesses, they are often relatives), and it’s got a bit more detail, but what really makes this one special is that the man performing the marriage describes how he went to “the residence of Wm Hetherwick” marry them. Likely, this is the name of Elizabeth’s father, and I’m grateful they were married at her home since I wouldn’t have gotten that information otherwise!

Thomas Kennerly and Rebecca Whetstone marriage, 29 December 1799, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Orangeburg, South Carolina²

Samuel Kennerly and Eleanor C. Jackson Marriage, 21 December 1837, Wilkinson County, Mississippi³

John C. Kennerly and Elizabeth A. Hetherwick marriage, 3 March 1864, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana⁴

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1 Virginia - Legacy Tree Genealogists Editor & Researcher. "Genealogy Research in the Southern United States | Legacy Tree." Legacy Tree. October 22, 2014. Accessed October 14, 2016. https://www.legacytree.com/blog/genealogy-research-southern-united-states.
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2 St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (Orangeburg County, South Carolina), Church records, 1799-1897, Marriages (by Rev. J. P. Franklin), 1801 Dec 29, Thomas Kennerly and Rebecca Whetstone; FHL microfilm 22745, Item 1.
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3 “Wilkinson County Mississippi Marriages 1804-1952,” White Marriages vol. F-G 1834-1844, FHL #877600; pg. 201, Samuel Kennerly and Eleanor C. Jackson, 21 December 1837. ^↩
4 Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, Marriages, v. B3-C, 1856-1874: pg. 207, John Conrad Kennerly and Elizabeth Ann Heatherwick; FHL microfilm 864306. ^↩

Using Southern Land Records

In doing research on the Kennerly family in the South, I learned more than ever just how crucial land records can be. In the south, owning land meant just about everything, and people went to great lengths to make sure their land was legally theirs. Because of this, land records are abundant and usually very accurate for the South, even in burned counties.

That being said, the South is also a poor region, and not everyone owned land. But, the Kennerly family was well off (luckily for them) and consequently left behind a lot of deeds to land that they bought and sold (luckily for me!). And in a time where recording births and deaths was not common (marriages were a bit different, more on that next week), these land records played a major role in proving family relationships. Not all deeds record a lot of information about a landowner’s family, but I hope you can see from the following examples that land records can be a genealogical goldmine, and are well worth your time! 

1. In doing this research, I was having a hard time conclusively proving that Thomas was Samuel’s father, and that Samuel in turn was John Conrad’s father. But, in researching the land records for South Carolina and Louisiana, I found deeds that read essentially as wills- Thomas and Samuel listing their children(!!) and dictating how they wanted their property to be divided up. I was so excited to find these deeds that I shed a couple tears of joy in the Family History Library, much to my husband’s confusion. I never expected to find a full family list like these in the land records, but I’m so glad I did!

   

   Samuel Kennerly, deed to his children, 4 September 1868¹

   

   Thomas Kennerly, deed to his children and their spouses, 29 May 1843²

2. This next record was a huge help as well. I suspected that Samuel had moved from South Carolina to Mississippi, but had no definite proof. I didn’t even think to look for Samuel in the South Carolina land records after I suspected he had left, but luckily an index search for his dad brought my attention to this gem of a record. Because of this find, I knew Samuel had moved to Mississippi, and I even knew to which county.³
   

   

   Samuel Kennerly, land sale from Wilkinson, Mississippi, 20 November 1846

3. Land plats- surveys of land recorded and kept at the county- can be very handy as well, especially since so many people buy land next to their family. Here, John C. Kennerly (who I think is Thomas’s brother, and our John Conrad’s uncle) bought land and had it recorded in the plat books. His neighbors are: Thomas Kennerly, Nathan Walker, Samuel Holman and John Hartzog. Thomas Kennerly was the direct descendant of a Holman, had a daughter who married a John Nathan Walker, and another who married John Hartzog.⁴
   

   

   John C. Kennerly, land plat, 23 September 1823

4. This one is less about family relationships and more just an interesting tidbit about Thomas that I loved finding. In this deed, Thomas Kennerly and a group of 4 other men became trustees over the 3 acres of land “on which Mount Bethel Church is now erected.” From this record, I learned that Thomas was quite likely a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a very religious man.⁵
   

   

   Thomas Kennerly, trustee to Mount Bethel Church, 28 December 1818

   ~AC

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1 Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, Conveyance records, 1810-1888; index, 1765-1971, FHL #875557-876604, Conveyance records 1865-1868, pg. 567-569, item no. 8192, 4 September 1868; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT.^↩
2 Barnwell District, South Carolina, “Deeds, 1789-1851; index to deeds, 1779-1884,”FHL #23293 vol. AA, p. 266-268, Thomas Kennerly and children, 29 May 1843; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.^↩
3 Barnwell District, South Carolina, “Deeds, 1789-1851; index to deeds, 1779-1884,” FHL # 23293 vol. BB, p. 522-523, Samuel Kennerly, 20 November 1846; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.^↩
4 Barnwell District, South Carolina, Plat books, 1784-1868; index, 1785-1949, FHL #192343, vol. 3 p. 193, John C. Kennerly, 27 September 1823; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.^↩
5 Barnwell District, South Carolina, “Deeds, 1789-1851; index to deeds, 1779-1884,” FHL #23287, vol. N, p. 67, Thomas Kennerly, 28 December 1818; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.^↩

Clues in the Census

In doing general United States original research (meaning that you start researching on your own, not just looking at what others have done), you should almost always start with censuses. This is true in the South as well. Censuses provide a great picture of a family’s structure that is traceable through time, and can be extremely helpful in figuring out what to research next. Here are a few tips and tricks I learned while doing research on the Kennerly Family:

1. Look at the neighbors. In 1810, Thomas Kennerly was believed to have been living in Orangeburgh, South Carolina, and a Thomas Kennerly was indeed found in the 1810 census in that area. But since there were no other members of the family listed in the federal censuses until 1850, it is often hard to determine exactly which entry represents your ancestor, especially if the name was common. In these instances, it can be extremely helpful to look at the other names on the page- the neighbors.

   

   1810 U.S. Federal Census, Orangeburg County, South Carolina    

   The key to identifying Thomas in 1810 was to look at the nearby families: only a few lines above were two Holman families and a Whetstone family.¹ Thomas’s mother’s maiden name was Holman, and the C. Holman listed in 1810 was possibly Thomas grandfather. 9 years prior to this census, Thomas married a woman named Rebecca Whetstone, and the Whetstones listed as living nearby were probably relatives of hers.
2. Make a table for the “tick-mark” censuses. Before 1850, a census taker would ask only for the ages and genders of the members of the household, and record these in a series of “tick-marks.” These censuses are harder to read, but can still be quite useful. In 1820, for example, Thomas Kennerly’s household was marked down as having 4 males under the age of 10.² From FamilySearch Family Tree, I knew that Thomas supposedly had 2 sons born in 1820- Samuel and Daniel.³ I initially thought Samuel was born in 1820 and Daniel was born later, but after finding the 1820 census, I knew I had to analyze the problem better. So, I made this chart:
   
   With the family structure that I knew of, the only way to explain 4 sons under the age of 10 was if Daniel was born by June 1820, which meant that Samuel would have had to have been born earlier. This ended up being a huge clue in determining Samuel's age.
3. Use every clue you are given! When I was researching the end of Samuel Kennerly’s life, I didn’t have any idea when he died. Luckily, the 1860 census taker in their area was of a mind to be extra detailed with his census taking! In Pointe Coupee, Louisiana in 1860 there was no Samuel Kennerly household, but there was a “Wdw S. Kennerly” family listed.⁴

   

   1860 US Federal Census, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana

   For whatever reason, the census taker had marked Samuel’s wife Eleanor as a widow, even though that wasn’t one of the questions. Because of this, I knew to look for Samuel’s death information before 1860, and I ended up finding some very interesting probate records that proved relationships for the whole family.With the family structure that I knew of, the only way to explain 4 sons under the age of 10 was if Daniel was born by June 1820, which meant that Samuel would have had to have been born earlier.

In summary, census records are vital to southern United States research, and it's important to use every little fact from every single census. Sometimes, you’re not given a lot of information, and other times you’re given quite a bit to work with. But whatever the case, analyze every little tidbit, and you’ll be surprised how much you can learn!

~AC

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1 1810 U.S. Federal Census, Orangeburg County, South Carolina, pop. sched., , pg. 130 (stamped), Thomas Kennerly; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 February 2016).^↩
2 1820 U.S. Federal Census, Barnwell District, South Carolina, pop. sched, , Thomas Kennerly; digital images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 April 2016).^↩
3 "FamilySearch Family Tree", database, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 January 2016), Thomas Kennerly, FamilySearch ID L7JN-2BN.^↩
4 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, pop. sched., pg. 93 (penned), dwelling no. 865, family no. 942, Wdw S. Kennerly and family; digital image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 22 February 2016)^↩

Know your Jurisdictions!

Today- a quick blurb about Southern jurisdictions. Of course, it is absolutely essential that wherever you are focusing your research, you know what the jurisdictions are for the records you need. If you don’t know the jurisdictions, you won’t be able to find anything!

 In the South as much as anywhere, jurisdictions will vary state by state. Here are a few things I learned about jurisdictions while doing research on the Kennerly family: 

• South Carolina: Historically, jurisdictions changed in South Carolina more than anywhere else I’ve done research. My work was mostly in Barnwell county, which was formed from Orangeburg district, so that’s what I’ll include here. But even if this county has nothing to do with your research, at least recognize that figuring out the jurisdictions will be just as crazy anywhere else in the state!
  South Carolina began as an assembly of parishes, which as the colony grew, developed into various townships and counties. In 1769, all counties were abolished and 7 circuit court districts were established. Among these was the Orangeburgh District, Barnwell county originated. At this point, most records were being held in Charleston. In 1785, the districts were divided into 3-6 counties each. Most of these were counties in name only, never functioning quite in the way a county does today. The counties in Orangeburgh District functioned for a few years, but in 1791, the counties in some of the Districts (including Orangeburgh) were dissolved. From Orangeburgh District, Barnwell District was created. In 1800, all districts were officially abolished, though these districts-turned-counties continued to use the term “district” for years (including Barnwell county).¹

• Louisiana: Research in Louisiana can be a bit of a challenge as well, because both the French and Spanish controlled it at various times before the United States purchased it in 1803. France founded New Orleans in 1718, and controlled the area until Spain took over in 1763. The French took it back in 1800, but sold it to the US in 1803. Because there was so much back-and-forth until Louisiana’s statehood in 1812, it is very important to know which country had jurisdiction for the time period you are researching. 
  Another interesting fact about Louisiana- the “counties” are called parishes. Because the French and Spanish had so much early influence, the Catholic church was very prominent in Louisiana, and religious organization was very important. So, the land was organized into parishes. Luckily, this means that there are quite good church records from as early as 1730 in Louisiana. They’re there waiting, you just need to know where to look!  

~AC

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1 "Orangeburgh District, South Carolina." FamilySearch Wiki. Accessed January 25, 2016. https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Orangeburgh_District,_South_Carolina.^↩