National Archivin' (July 27, 2007)

This morning, I spent a couple of hours at the National Archives (Mid Atlantic branch in Philadelphia). Well, I spent those hours looking for my great-great-grandmother (maternal) and came across a record for Mamie Ireland Hobbs (correct name/incorrect spelling). I also thought I had found come across a record for my great-great-grandfather (maternal), Dock Hobbs (correct name/correct spelling), only to come home and check the records with family members and find out they were wrong.

I thought I was searching for ghosts, but the search itself may be the actual ghost. When I thought I'd found some "good stuff" (the two words my spanish teacher kept saying that annoyed the hell out of me that I can't stop saying now). Well, I found someone else's "good stuff".

Well, anyway, according to my cousin, at least the death records I found seem to be accurate, so I have mailed a request to the Sampson County (NC) Register of Deeds for certified copies of my great-grandparents death certificates in the hope that both of their parents names are listed on them. Fingers crossed.

So my maternal family tree looks a bit like this:

• Adeola (me)
• Joyce (mother)
• Essie Pearl (grandmother)
• Mamie(great grandmother)
• Harriet(great-great grandmother)
• Mariah? (great-great-great grandmother)

This encompasses six generations of my family and the records go back to roughly the mid-1840s (including my great-great-grandmother) whose name I found out from my cousin. This is if I am correct about my great-great-great grandmother.

She also thinks that my great-great-grandfather's (maternal) name is William (a son is named after him, if this is the correct name). She also let me know that my great-grandmother's siblings include Lawyer (younger), Doc, William (oldest), and Annie (who married a Sampson). My great-great-gran was the youngest.

Also, on my great-grandfather's side, she says a siblings name is Betty Hobbs (who married an Owens from Roseboro). She remembers an Aunt Betty. It's not much to go on, but with this and when I get the death certificates, that will help and then I can go back to the archive.

I also need to plan a NC trip to visit the state archive and the county records (Sampson County).