Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Genealogy Travel: Louisiana - Part 3 -The Franklinton Library

New Orleans is a marvelous city with much to see & do. On Saturday my husband set out for his second day of activities at the convention center. I was tempted to enjoy the city’s sites: The French Market, the Mississippi River, the French Quarter,… However, I stuck to my plan and headed out in the rental car for my second day of research.

I was hoping to learn more about these surnames: Alford, Brumfield, Brown, Ott & Smith.


I went to the
Franklinton Library, 825 Free Street, Franklinton, LA.


Once again I left the warehouse district and headed to I 10 West. Soon I was driving on the Causeway and crossing Lake Pontchartrain, the largest inland body of water in Louisiana which spans 610 square miles. The Causeway holds the title for the longest bridge over water at 23 miles long. I been across before and was looking forward to the beautiful views. However, the gray sky and the gray lake blended together and only the other cars broke the monotony of drive across the lake.



Finding the Library was easy. I arrived soon after it opened. The Saturday hours were 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.



There were two very nice librarians who helped me out. When I told the first librarian that I was hoping to do genealogy research she quickly handed me a small binder and a scrap of paper. She explained that all their resources are listed in the binder. All I had to do was list the items I’d like to see and they would get the materials for me.


I spread my things out on a nice large table and quickly started listing the numbers associated with Washington County books.




As with my stop at the Louisiana Archives the day before, my first priority was to find family histories already written about our families. Next I was looking for local resources like cemetery, marriage, church records. I was also hoping for local histories. I made notes and soon had books and folders piled on the table.

These are the books that looked the most promising:

Alford, Gilbert K. Alford Ancestors and Descendants; Jacob Alford. Draft Edition. Missouri: Privately printed, 1986.

Carter, Hon. Prentiss. History of Washington Parish: As Compiled from the Records & Traditions.

Creel, Bevin J. A Patriot's Legacy: The Family of Richard Dillon and Ann Lawrence from Bertie County, North Carolina to Southern Mississippi and Louisiana. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed, 2002. [I have read portions of this book online and was excited to see it in print.]

Magee, Judieth A. Lineage & Descendants of John Edgar Dillon, 1877 - 1958. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed,

Magee, Zuma F., and Thelma S. Bateman. Cemetery Records - Louisiana. Volume III. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed, 1966.

Magee, Zuma Fendlason. Source Records from Pike County, Mississippi 1798 - 1910 and Misc. Legal and Family Records Pertaining to the Areas of Pike and Walthall Counties, MS. I. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed, 1976.

Magee, Zuma Fendlason. Source Records from Pike County, Mississippi 1798 - 1910 and Misc. Legal and Family Records Pertaining to the Areas of Pike and Walthall Counties, MS. II. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed, 1976.

Magee, Zuma, and Dixie S. Moss. Washington Parish Cemetery Records. IV. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately printed, 1980.

Murray, Nicholas Russell. Amite County Mississippi Marriage Records 1810 - 1899. Hammond, Louisiana: Hunting for Bears.

Murray, Nicholas Russell. Pike County Mississippi Marriage Records 1882 - 1899. Hammond, Louisiana: Hunting for Bears.

Murray, Nicholas Russell. Washington Parish Mississippi Marriage Records 1897 - 1919. Hammond, Louisiana: Hunting for Bears.

Randolph, Ruth Brumfield, and Nell Brumfield Jacobs Smith. Brumfields Revisited: Ancestors and Descendants of George Y. and Martha Penny Brumfield. Privately printed, 1995.

Wallis, Ruth Ott. Descendants of Jacob Ott of South Carolina and Louisiana. Privately printed.

Williams, E. Russ. History of Washington Parish, Louisiana 1798 - 1992. I. Monroe, Louisiana: Williams Genealogical and Historical Publications, 1994.

Unfortunately, some items were missing from the library. It was upsetting to know that people walk off with these unique volumes. Left at the library many people can access the information but when one person decides to take a folder or book we all lose.

One of the librarians suggested I use my digital camera to copy the pages I wanted to save rather than use the photocopier. That worked quite well and was faster than using the photocopy machine. I photographed as many pages as I was able. It wasn't long until the librarian announced that the library was closing in ten minutes.



Watch my blog for an analysis of my findings at the Franklinton Library.


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3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a day well spent -- with time left over for the French Quarter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, we had plenty of time for Preservation Hall and more fun spots.

      Delete
  2. Have you ever visited the "Mile Branch" settlement at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Franklinton? It is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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