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Case Study - Clues on a Death Certificate Dispels Oral History
Do I have enough proof?
My cousins, born and raised in South Carolina, have told me
that our great grandmother, nick-named Calou & Granomie (sp?), had the surname of Scott.
My Aunt Sayde told me that her grandmother's name was Mary Lou Curry.
The cousins were winning the debate because they lived closest to the source. Aunt Sayde, I should add, moved from SC in the early 1920s to New York as a child and probably never saw Calou again. So who does one trust?
Consider this death certificate:
It states that my cousins' father, Jadie Hancock or J.D., is the informant on his father's DC. He gives his grandmother's name as Louisa Curry. Somehow his children think her last name is Scott. Jadie is about 22 years old at the time of the event (1922). He would live to about 1976. At that time his children would be 46, 44, 36, 35, 33, and 25 respectively. Calou died in 1945.
Besides the DC, I do have the 1870 census record corroborating on the Curry surname.
At our recent Hancock reunion, I mentioned this during my presentation, but as yet haven't received acknowledgment or refutation on this issue from my cousins. Do I have enough proof?
Can I now begin to explore my Curry ancestors?
My cousins, born and raised in South Carolina, have told me
that our great grandmother, nick-named Calou & Granomie (sp?), had the surname of Scott.
My Aunt Sayde told me that her grandmother's name was Mary Lou Curry.
The cousins were winning the debate because they lived closest to the source. Aunt Sayde, I should add, moved from SC in the early 1920s to New York as a child and probably never saw Calou again. So who does one trust?
Consider this death certificate:
It states that my cousins' father, Jadie Hancock or J.D., is the informant on his father's DC. He gives his grandmother's name as Louisa Curry. Somehow his children think her last name is Scott. Jadie is about 22 years old at the time of the event (1922). He would live to about 1976. At that time his children would be 46, 44, 36, 35, 33, and 25 respectively. Calou died in 1945.
Besides the DC, I do have the 1870 census record corroborating on the Curry surname.
At our recent Hancock reunion, I mentioned this during my presentation, but as yet haven't received acknowledgment or refutation on this issue from my cousins. Do I have enough proof?
Can I now begin to explore my Curry ancestors?
Views: 175
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art Thomas on
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Hello George,
I say yes..... unfortunately the 1870 Census does not give realtionships. Do you know from other records the relationship of Louis & Royal (?) CURRY. Could Louisa & Royal be sister & brother? Or could Louisa have had a child at such and early age? In 1870 Louisa is 14 y/o, she could be a year or so older and perhaps the SCOTT surname comes from a marriage in later years.
Explore on, My Man :))
Art -
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Permalink Reply by George Geder on
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Terrence & Art,
Here's a little more background.
George W Hancock (from the census record and from the DC) is my great grandfather.
He fathered all of Louisa's children.
By 1880 her last name is Hancock and she is living next to George Hancock.
My cousins say she took his name, with his blessings, but never married him.
Besides, he had a wife, Elizabeth. We can imagine how that goes.
I read the child's name in 1870 as Ryal, however it could be Royal. The family thinks it is Ryson, Calou's son who would be nicknamed Tink. There's other docs and notes to support this.
More later... -
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Permalink Reply by Sonia L. Walker on
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Hi George,
I'd say explore the Curry, but keep asking where did that Scott info come from. Did her DC have any info on in, or was it filled with DKs? Could Scott be a surname associated with one of her parents? Are the DCs of her other children consistent with the Curry surname? I assume George died way before her, could she have been informally married to a Scott?
Thanks again for raising very educational case studies! Sonia -
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Hi Sonia,
I think I uncovered where the Scott surname came from. It originated in 'oral history'.
Cole Eubanks, the family historian before me, was told that her surname was Scott by an informant. I cannot challenge Cole or the informant. They are deceased.
The Scott reference is in Cole's notes which survive to this day. I will continue to explore this Curry-Scott debate as the two families may very well be connected. The surnames show up in the same townships and counties.
Cole was told that her surname was Scott. Remember, he's a Eubanks and not a Hancock.
I'm going to take the advice of Sonia and others and pursue the 'Curry' angle.
Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors" -
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[originally posted on my blog; http://george-geder.blogspot.com/]
Here's some more fuel:
Uncle Tink's Death Certificate
My cyber-buddy, Gloria, found a copy of Uncle Tink's death certificate on Ancestry.com. Now, why couldn't I find it? Because the transcriber had the given and surname switched! Gloria reminds us all that if you can't find your Ancestor in a database, try switching the names! It couldn't hurt.
What can we glean from Uncle Tink's DC?
He died in Williston, SC on 30 Nov 1952.
We have his birthdate as 22 Nov 1868.
He's a widower, Diana pre-deceased him and so on (see picture).
What's interesting is that the informant, Idella Johnson, Tink's daughter, confirms that 'Lou Curry' was his mother. However, she stated that his father's name was John. For the time being, that places George Hancock as the father into a debate.
Tink's son, J. D. (Jadie) states in 1922, at the age of 22, that his grandfather's name was George.
Tink's daughter, Idella (who I knew and called Grandma Dell) states in 1952, at the age of 56, that her grandfather's name was John.
Whose telling or memory would you trust?
Yes, this is a quiz! -
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