Recently in Fenners Category

My recent trip to NC was chock full of research both formal and informal. The idea for the trip actually came about around a discussing regarding what to do with the family bible. This bible has been in the family for more years than the current owner can recall and it is not in all that great shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has however provided source information regarding several familly members that might not have been obtained through any other means.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example Fred Fenner who is the last known male on the Fenner line, only shows up on the 1880 census(so far) it was in the family bible that we discovered that he passed away in 1898 and as there are no documents that have turned up thus far this is the only known record of his death

  

There are also two children of Fred and Mary that do not show up named on the 1880 census which mentions that mary had "10 children" 7 of which survived as of the date of the census. The family bible provides us with their name and birthdates

Granted this image is not the clearest of them all but I am actually still going through all the pictutres taken  and when I single out the clearer copies those I will post at a later date.

I have been way overdue to post however, personal issues aside I am just now able to sit still long enough to do so.

 

I am planning a research trip to Halifax, NC in September.  If you think there is planning involved in a vacation - you should try to cram a research trip into a few days :-)

 

 There are two main places that have records that would relate to the current research project.

The one is the Halifax County Clerk office or Register of Deeds  (Courthouse)

The other is the North Carolina State Archives. Both places have information that could prove very helpful.

 

However since time is at a premium and since the places mentioned are at least two hours apart from each other  i have had to sit down and come up with alist of items in particular that I am looking for and pretty much figure out where those records are located, or i should say which one of those locations will I be able to find them. Halifax vs Raleigh

 

Currently I am very much interested in obtaining marriage records for the  Fenners: Mary and Fred would be nice but any records if they existed with their marriage information would probably go back to around the civil war or right before their oldest son Major was born in 1869 and I would imagine that it would be more likely to run into a co-habitation record however from what i have seen that time frame is notorious for lack of any documents. Laws regarding filing birth certificates, marriage licenses and even death certificates were  not really enforced/effective around that time. I have nto found any record of Fred's birth or Mary - his wife either. Their eldest son Major - i found his birthdate in the family bible along with many other members of the Fenner family.

 

so the main goal of the upcoming trip is to try and document marriages. If time permits I would like to see if i can obtain copies of the estate records from John H Fenner, Wm E Fenner  both of which were slave owners in Halifax circa the 1860 Census. To try and identify one or the other as possible slave owners of these family members.

There are a few other couples I am looking for marriage records for, namely, Robert rofe and Lena rofe(johnson) Johnson

For those of you who don't know this is not a project that will be done in a a few weeks months or i daresay years. That there is somewhat of a lot of information already only makes it even more work to check out leads  and a lot more dead ends.

While I would like to look up estate records and land/deed records i doubt i have enough time to do all that and not wind up coming back exhausted both mentally and physically.

 

One thing that will be accomplished when I go down there is the digital photographing  of the Fenner Family bible which I will post excerpts here once I get back from my trip in September. So for those of you that need to feel like you have a date to work with  - look for the exceprts/transcripts of the family bible to start going up  around mid october - earliest.

 

Those of you who have a relative with the surname Fenner can email me  with questions related to that line who' may have entries in the bible.

 

until i get to post again remember...

Blessed are those which do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled

Matt 5:6

Hand in hand with searching for information regarding one's ancestors, probably is the desire to "see" what people might look like or put a face to the name. The course of the research has come to that point now and I have already put out feelers about trying to obtain some photographs from the family to include and add into their family tree.

 

I have already received one pic that is recent but has some of the surviving Fenner family siblings and you can view it below:

 

 

This picture is fairly recent but its a start to hopefully being able to include photographs with the research that has already been done for the family.

One who is involved in genealogy research will appreciate the significance of the "Family bible". Oftentimes its the ONLY source of information on relatives especially for African Americans during the 1800's where the records for persons of color were often scarce or non-existent.

I had heard about the existence of a family bible for the Fenners but hadn't really had an opportunity to speak with the  family member who has it in her possession until recently.

 

Upon finally getting the chance to speak to her a world of information came to light. family members who did not make the census, Lamon Fenner b. 1921 parents Major Fenner and Mattie Rofe-Fenner.

 

Wtih this find though comes more questions, Where were Fred and Mary prior to the 1880 census?  What happened between the time their firstborn Major was born and the time Fred the next son was born  there is a large windown for that time as people tended to have kids fairly regularlly. What are the circumstances surrounding Fred Fenner's death?

Unfortunately some of these questions may never be answered.

 

Finally found dates of birth and date of death for Fred Fenner who prior to all this had been somewhat of a mystery but the bible lists his date of death as June 7, 1898 the year of the WIllmington Massace 

I have to say that one thing for me that has been a hallmark of doing genealogical research is the feeling at times of being in-between both worlds today and back then. Many who do this kind of research will tell you that it is key to being able to find some of the people and places. Having an understanding not only of the history of the places that you search in but of the times and the people living there as opposed to looking at things with modern views is crucial.

Having said that, there are still when looking back some things that tug at your heartstrings and transcend all time and space.

Such is the case where this story begins, with Fred and Mary Fenner. the 1880 census for Halifax, NC lists Fred Fenner as being born about 1839, which means he would have been born into slavery. In his household at that time was his wife Mary who in later census records is known as Mary Precilla and Mary Brown.

Out of all the research I have done so far their story is the most haunting to me. Not because of the details of it which there are very few. More so because of what is known so far. In the household at that time was his mother Nellie Randolph, his wife Mary and his two sons: Major F age 11 and Eddie age 2. Ages are close approximations with regards to census information as these are notoriously inaccurate for myriad reasons.  However with regards to Fred's sons they are pretty accurate in this instance as later documents will attest to.

Since we cannot ask them because they are long gone, we will probably never know about the gap in ages with Fred's two oldest sons. The family shows up again on the 1900 census but Fred is not shown in the household. There are more children as by that time the family size had increased to include: James, Eartie, Eliza, Frank and Mary. Frank being the baby  has a date of birth listed as Sept 1, 1893. it is the last time known that his father would be alive. 

A marriage certificate for his oldest son Major, shows that in 1907 (when it was applied for) that his father Fred, was deceased. How to understand or know what that family went through at that time. We may never fully understand what indeed  their lives were like at that time. One thing is clear however, Mary - Fred's wife - never remarried although she lived out a long life. She never married again and she raised all her children on her own.She is last seen in the household in the 1920 census as  head of household with her son James W. and his wife Maggie (nee' Shields) and their children: Catherine, Horace and little Maggie.

 In case one needs  some perspective being unfamiliar with the history of those times and circumstances, there were no jobs as there are now - there was no such thing as welfare, or head-start,  or any of the things that many nowadays take for granted  while complaining loudly about their "plight".





























I am reminded yet again why the stories of these people, our ancestors need to be told...

Lots going on this weekend. I have to stop a moment and thank Allen McClain from afrigeneas.com who has managed to find some documents that we thought were lost. I got the email from him Saturday and was in tears for a while afterwards.  I will be blogging about all this and definitely will be updating all this week.

To  Major, Frederick, Edwin and James, but most especially to Mary and Fred - we haven't forgotten you and your stories WILL be told.

Blessings....

someone sent me a link to a collection of the wills for Halifax County, NC from about 1758 to 1854 and so I printed this out so I could go through them to see if any of my names are in there.
When I tell you this is hard reading that is an understatement.

I think you really have to have a serious committment to research in order to read through this stuff and not go insane. Slaves  were divied up amongst family  members like furniture and or livestock.
Here is an excerpt that actually made me go take a break:

p.55, I David Clark...appoint my brother William M. Clark my friends James C. Johnston & Gavin Hogg and my nephew Colin Clark executors and guardians of my children...not to sell the rest of my real Estate and Slaves unless some important change in the affairs or trade of the Country or the Laws of the state...my daughters...each of them five slaves, said slaves to be selected...by my executors to be of an average value with the slaves undivided at the time of the selections...my executors to see that my slaves be treated with Kindness and indulgence that they may have an ample allowance of provisions, clothing and bedding that they may have comfortable Houses to live in and when sick all needfull Medicine and nurseing: that each labouring slave may have ground laid off to him or her to Cultivate for his or her use and that half of every Saturday be allowed such slave for Cultivation. I also request my executors to restrain those in immediate authority over my slaves from all wanton unnecessary or severe punishments, and I direct that all disorderly slaves who will not do without punishment be sold. I direct that old Ned for his Honesty and fidelity be discharged from all Labour but what he may choose to do and that his comfortable support be provided for out of my Estate by a yearly allowance of Provisions, clothing, &c...10 May 1828...(signed). November Court 1829.

so far I have found only one reference to the "Fenner" family:

pp.74-5, I Mary Fenner of the Town & County of Halifax...to my grandson Robert Fenner my negroe Slave Joe...Grandson John H. Fenner my negro Slave Henry...to my sons John & Dixie C. Fenner...one third part of my negroes not heretofore bequeathed in trust for my son Robert Fenner of the state of Tennessee...the remaining two thirds of my negroes to be divided among them...20 February 1830. (signed). May 1831 Court.

AS a result of a post I made over at Afrigeneas, I had someone email me regarding a possible marriage certificate for two individuals on the tree I am currently researching for the Fenner Family. Robert Rofe b. 1851 in Virginia married a Lina<sp> Smith. There is a DC issued for Lina that mentions the full names of her father and mother - George Smith and Annie Gaery<sp>. I will post the information  regarding the marriage certificate below - keep in mind I have heard on several occaisions that there is a "Tillery" branch in this family :

 

Hello Alinda,

I was able to obtain the marriage certificate previously mention of Robert Rofe and Lina Johnson. Unfortunately, this information lends itself to more questions verses helping to give you additional
information on the family that you are researching.

It states:

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, Office Register of Deeds, Halifax county. Oct. 24th, 1889
To any Ordained Minister of any Religious Donomination, or any Justice of the Peace of said County;
W. S. Tillery having applied to me for a Lincense for the Marriage of Robert Rofe of Halifax County, age 40 years, colored, the son of unknown and unknown, the father now dead, the mother living, resident of ----
and Lina Johnson of Halifax, age 35 years, colored, daughter of ---- and ---- the father----, the mother ----, resident of Halifax Co.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, Halifax County
I, Rev. D. F. Newby of A.M.E. Church, united in matrimony Robert Rofe and Lina Johnson the parties
licensed above on the 24th day of Oct 1888 at Halifax in Halifax Township, in said County according to law.

According to the above information, this Robert Rofe was born around 1848 and Lina Johnson around 1853. I did noticed that other documents such as death certificates listed a Tina Smith.

Historic Halifax, North Carolina


This article does  a fairly good job of discussing the origins of Halifax, North Carolina. It is interesting to note it also refers to current archaeological excavations going on "Lot 52" and the significance of the work being done there.

The idea for this blog came to me over the course of a much needed vacation. I have not prior to this year been on vacation in over ten years - life's been funny that way around here. It was on  a trip with my boyfriend, significant other or whatever they are calling it nowadays, that  the idea occurred to me to create a blog that would outline the process that I have been engaged in with regards to the genealogical research that I have been doing  for his family - the Fenners of Halifax North Carolina, as well as my family, the Brunson/Darbys of Orangeburg, SC.

I actually started the research at the request of my mother who was interested in trying to find out about her father's father. At the time we had not even so much as a name for him and were at a loss to find any information on her father even as his name was one that was common and we had little identifying information to go on.

The one thing we had going for us in this search was, that her mother, my grandmother is still alive and has a very good memory with names and places  and even some dates. Between my grandmother's information as well as my pouring over census records, birth and death records we were able to trace my mother's family back to around the civil war on her mother's side and we have been slowly building the tree on her father's side reconstructing the information on slow but steady basis.

It was during  this time that I met Stanley Fenner and through many conversations found that he was very interested in the research that I had been doing with my family tree and was interested in trying to look into some of his own family's history. So far, on his father's side there are some of his father's siblings still alive that have given oral history and confirmation of the searches I have been doing. There is also a family bible that im told has all the family birthdays - not sure about weddings.

In any case it might seem crazy to embark on two major searches like this almost simultaneously, however,  it is one of those things that just fit.  I have in the time I have been researching increased my knowledge of genealogy exponentially and have become a member of the National Genealogy Society. It is my hope that someday I might be able to present at one of their functions

I was reminded this week why this kind of research is so vitally important and why I myself am involved with it. Spending time with the Fenners, and Richardsons was a blessed opportunity to experience "family" in the truest sense of the word. For someone like me, who is an adopted only child, it was a very heartwarming experience and reminded me of the little girl I used to be who longed to go on family trips and vacations.