Lula May Lankford and William Madison

Lula and William MadisonIn The Home of Leo and Mary Lankford

The two became one on May 27, 1896 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Lula was the daughter of Robert Louis and Charlotta (Dade) Lankford.
Lula was born in Oct of 1876 in Canton, Missouri.
She passed away on Sept 30, 1961 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

William / James Madison was the son of Joshua and Louisa / Louise (Hart) Madison.
William was born about 1869 in Gallatin, Missouri.
He passed away in August of 1961.

William and Lula had about 8 children who carried the Madison surname.
Unknown named son, Louis Edward, Joshua Randolph, Charlotta M. Robert Lewis Lankford,
Ceola, William M. and Lula N.

Who Was John Blake?

On October 23, 2011, I was re reading some of my letters from my cousin. I saw some things that I began my search to find more on John Blake. I had very little clues to follow.

I first heard of John Blake in the late 1980's. Cousin Willie (White) Winfrey was sharing with me some of the family history. She mentioned that her father, Richard White had another brother named, Josh White.

Josh White had a son named John BLAKE and three daughters. John Blake was raised by a large family. John tooked the BLAKE surname.

As I've been searching I came across a family in Chariton County, Missouri on the 1900 census. There was  John Blake listed with a Louis and Mary A. Blake with many children.

As I've looked through other census records, I came across this John born around 1882 in MO. He was the step son of Louis BLAKE. Louis married Mary Ann Johnson in 1885.

There was a John Blake on the 1910 census with a Arretta Blake and Mattie White. I think that this could be a connection. This Mattie White was widowed. She was the mother of 5 children. Only 4 were living. None of her children were listed at this place.

I found Mattie White listed as a widowed with 4 children. She was the mother of 5 children on the 1900 census. I think that Mattie could have been counted twice on the 1910 census.

Here are the BLAKEs 1900 - 1920 census
1900 Chariton, Howard County Missouri
Lewis Blake born about Aug 1863 Married in 1885
Mary A. Blake born about Jan 1865. She was the mother of 10
Merritt
William
Nelllie
Rector H.
Oscar
George
Frank
Elenor
John (Stepson)

1910 Burton, Howard County,  Missouri
Lewis
Mary
Merrit
Rex
Oscar
George
Frank
Elnora
Maggie
Corina
William

1910 Burton, Howard County Missouri
John Blake age about 30: Born MO
Arrette Blake

Mattie White age about 46;
Born about 1864 in MO.
Widow: Mother from VA.

1910
Mattie White age about 46:
 Born in MO. Widow
Parents From MO.
Elda (Ella) age about 24
Oressie age about 8

1920
Lewis
John
Will (William)
Rex
Frank
Elnora
Maggie (Valentine)
Corine
Swetzie

The information matches up with what some of my cousins told me. I  believe that this John Blake was relatives to the Mattie White listed on the census.  She was most likely her Aunt.

The story of Josh WHITE  children is still a mystery. I haven't come across any BLAKE descendants.  Nor of Joshua's daughters. Perhaps some of Joshua White's descendants will make some discoveries on the journey.

Thanks for reading.

The Mattie White Connections: Oressia Hereford

In early October of 2011,I send off the death record of Oressia Hereford. I was curious to see how her father was. I figured that her mother's name was Mattie White. I got that off of census records.

I can't recall why I came across those census record. Back then it seem to be a mystery to me. I have always thought the Mattie never married. And that she only had one child. Her name was Bob Ella Bentley.

But through my search for Mattie White, I came across more children. Mattie had about 5 children. Only two in which I have located. Ella was went Oressia on the 1910 census with their mother, Mattie.

I haven't located Mattie's children, Patrick, Alice or Jane. I don't know which surname they may have went by. Oressia went by her father's surname Hereford.

On October 6, 2011, I received Oressia's death record through the mail. I was anxious to see what was on it. Oressia was born on March 16, 1904 in Missouri, Her father's name was Robert "Bob" Hereford.

I did more record on Oressia father. Robert "Bob" was the son of James Madison "Mat" Herriford / Herryford and Jannett "Jaenette (Page) Heryford. The Hereford surname was spelled at least four ways. Herefore, Herriford, Herryford, and Heryford.

From what I've heard Orressia never married. She had no children. According to her death record, she resided in Keytesville MO. She passed away in Fulton, Callaway County in Missouri.

I wonder about the mystery of Mattie's children. I'm glad that I've found out this much. I hope that some of Mattie's descendant would a  connection. Mattie did have a grandson named Willard or William Carr. He was the child of Ella Bentley Carr.

Hope that this information was helpful.
Hope that some will see a connection and add more to this story.

Family History Quest

Henry and Mary Elizabeth Blakey

Henry L.  Blakey

Henry was the son of Isaac Blakey and Rachel Ann Lephridge / Leftridge Blakey.

Mary Elizabeth Fristoe Bakey

Mary was the daughter of Frank and Amanda (Porter) Fristoe. Mary's mother passed away when she was very young, so she was raised by her Grandma Porter.

Mary attended school and church at "Porter Chapel" A.M.E. in rural Salisbury, MO.

Mary eloped with Henry Blakey on October 16, 1905 in Yankton, South Dakota. They were married at the Court House.

To this union there were bout 12 children born. 3 unknown/ Unnamed Infants Blakey, then there was Annie, Henry, Arthur, Pearline, Floyd, Nathanial, Mabel, Irene and Theodore "Ted" Blakey.
Source of info was from a 1985 Blakey Blakley White Reunion booklet

Letter From Rev And Mrs. T.A. White: Oct 13,1988 On Richard White's Family

Letter From Rev. And Mrs T.A. White

Remembering My Dad (Part 2)

This blog is the continuation from October 7, 2012:  Remembering....
Re post from my Xanga site Sunday 7 Oct 2007
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My Dad's funeral day was Wednesday, October 11, 1989. Before we were going to the church, family member gathered in the yard where we live now. The street was filled with cars.

There were a lot of people in the yard. The day was pleasant. It was a warm sunshiny Fall day. The trees had many beautiful colors displayed for all to see.

An unique thing happened as we were about to pray. A huge gushing wind came. It brought some dust into the street. It was like a world wind. We had to wait for the wind to stop. I thought that the wind was very unusual.

After we prayed, we gathered up in line car behind car, hiding to the church. We made our way there. As we got out of our cars, family members gathered together and stood outside in a line waiting to go in the church.

As we entered the church, the song "O When The Saints, Go Marching In" was playing. The small church was packed. All but 4 brothers did not attend the funeral.

The casket was open the entire funeral. The homecoming celebration lasted about an hour. The time came to view the body for the last time. I waited so I could be one of the last ones there before the casket was closed.

As I waited, a cousin came behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder. When she place her hand on my shoulder, I began to weep and cry. I didn't know what hit me.

It took a while for me to compose myself. I did not know what came over me. I was just sitting there calmly, waiting for the time for me to go to view my Dad's body. Then when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I started to cry. I don't like to cry in public.

I did make it up to the casket to view my Dad's body for the last time. I had a smile in my heart as I touched my father's hands that were folded. I believe that he is in Heaven. After that I waved and turned around. I walked out the church doors.

As our cousins brought the coffin out of the church, I began to take pictures of the funeral. I took some photo of my father's body at the funeral home during the wake / visitation. One thing I recall about the wake. We were talking as though it was not a visitation. There was a sound of joy in the house.

Back to the funeral: It felt like a long ride to the cemetery. As a tradition when a loved one passes, we drive by the loved ones house. We went by our family house on the way to the cemetery. When we got to the cemetery, I continued to take some more pictures. The trees looked so beautiful. The weather was like summertime.

You may be thinking: Why did I take photos?
There were people who did not make it to the funeral. Also future generations who never got the honor to met my father might want to see the photos. Some my wonder about who was my father?


I have some photos coming up in the far near future. 2028 or so Here's one...

                           Why so far in posting funeral photos? There are for the future generations.

Remembering

Today is the 23th Anniversary of my father's passing. He is in the presence of the LORD.
This blog is a re post from my Xanga site  Sunday 7 Oct 2007
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It was 11 days before my father's death. The day was on September 27, 1989. He was in the hospital doing some test and was needing surgery. I stayed with him during the daytime.

On that day, my Dad was laying in his bed. I heard him talking out loud with his eyes closed. After listening to him, I realized he was talking to someone. But Who? He told this person that he was dying. Then he started to talk about some cows.

My Dad was calm about what he was saying. He had no fear in the tone of his voice. At first I thought that my Dad was talking in his sleep. So I tried to wake him up.

As I was in the process of walking up by my Dad's bedside, he suddenly opened his eyes. He was looking over my shoulder and said this phrase twice. "Look at all my people". He had the most joyful expression on his face.

By this time, I was in total tears. I was sobbing. I knew what he meant. I went in to the bathroom to compose myself. I had a very hard cry.

I looked in the mirror that myself. My eyes were blood shot red. I decided to call my sister, Freda and told her what our father said. She came out. I was ready to go home. My head hard so badly. I cried off and on. The thought of my father dying.

In my early 20's, I would watch a lot of TV unexplained mystery shows. There was one show that dealt with death and the after life. What I heard my Dad was saying, match up with what I heard from the shows. Reality hit me hard like a ton of bricks.

I believe that my Dad did see in the spirit world. The "people" who he said that he saw, his people who have gone on. My Dad also ask me if I saw birds flying above his head. I did not see anything. He said that he did. Yes, I believed him.

From that moment on I begin to speak to God in times of need.

My siblings were trying to tell me that our father was not dying. They told me that he was talking out of his head. That he was going to be alright. For years, we have heard the medical reports and the doctors tell us that our father was dying.

Even our Dad said sense that he was dying too. Well, this time, I believed that was the case. I heard it from my father. I was not saved during this time in my life. But, I talk to God a lot.

I got home from the hospital on the day my Dad said that he was dying, I laid on my back on the sofa. I had a pillow over my face. My head was pounding. I ask God, if my Dad was dying, prepare us for his death.

There had been a number of times when our Dad was at the point-of-death. Here is one story that I heard. There was a time when he was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Some thing happened on the way to the hospital. The paramedic said out loud. He's not breathing. My Dad spoke up and said "Yes, I am breathing."

My Dad had been sick for about 11 years. In 1979, doctors did not know how long our Dad would live. There were times in the hospital that the doctors were amazed how he lived so long. [Our father was on oxygen. There was some time when he worked in a foundry.]

During that week in 1989, it took me a while to get the courage to go back to the hospital. I did go. My Dad would talk to me and ask me if I saw the people out the window on the roof. I would say no. But he said that they were there but were gone. I went along with him.

Then came Friday morning. It was the day that my Dad was going to be taken to another place for recovery. When I got to his room, he asked me, with a joyful voice and a smile on his face, if he was going HOME! I shook my head no and give him a note that read he was going to another place.

I recall that the transfer from the hospital to the other place for his recovery. This was the very first time that I rode in an ambulance. It seemed strange. It was a long ride there. But we made it to the other place.

My Dad didn't like this place. He had trouble breathing and was uncomfortable there. At one time two nurses came into his room. They keep coming back and forth in to the room. My Dad did something that I never seen him do.

My Dad got so angry. He yelled at the top of his lungs at the two nurses. WILL YOU GET OUT OF HERE?? Yeah, I took off too. I went over by the window and started to cry. My Dad called for me to sit down in the chair next to his bed.

He did something that he never done before. As I look back on this he was praying to God. He ask me for my hand. As I sat down , I give him my left hand.

He took both of his hands one on top and the other under my hand. He had his eyes closed so I put my hand down. I was crying. After my father had finished praying, he told me to call "Lu", my mother and tell her not worry.

I did not call my mother. I did not want to worry her more. I tried to stay calm as I was there with my father. It was about the 3 PM hour that when this happened. I was reading and was thinking of our family history.

As the time went by, one of my brothers and his children came to relieve me. I was there a long time. When I left, our father was sleeping. The children were there with a pumpkin. I looked at my father as I left the room.

We went to get some chicken at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I tried to release the stress that I was under. Through out the evening, I felt better. Our mother and other siblings went to see our father. Our mother came back about 9:30 PM.

I did not get to sleep that night till about 10:30 PM or so. My mind was on my father. Then the strangest thing happened to me that morning. Before I heard the news, I knew that I knew. I woke up out of a sound sleep.

I saw a ball of bluish white light come from my closet. And I said with a voice of concern, "O, MY GOD!!" I think that I went back to sleep. The next thing I heard was the phone ringing. I got the news from my sister, Mary. She was the one who answered the phone a little bit after 3 AM.

As my sister was telling me that our Dad did not make it, I felt something leave me. Something physically left my shoulders. I felt relieved from what I saw in my father's suffering. As we made the phone calls to tell other members of the family, they started to come over.

In my heart, I knew where my father was. I remember going outside that on October 7th morning without a worry. I looked up into the dark clear sky. Looking toward the southeast sky to the Heavens. I just kept looking at the stars. I smiled and thank God. My father is with Jesus.

On that day it was one of our nephew's birthday. He turned 2. Yeah, we had a birthday party for Marcus. [We were help raising Marcus. His mother died 35 days after his birth. I was praying back during that time in my life as well.]
Ever since my father's death, I begin a quest to find out some things. I have been searching for my family history. I began even a deeper search for some things about the Bible.

Eventually my quest for the Bible drew me closer to God. I began to read the Bible more and more I made discoveries of radio "religious" talk show and T.V. Programs. Jesus came in my life on the night of September 17, 1993. He introduce Himself to me. He became my Lord and Savior.

NOW, I have an Heavenly Father. I thought after my earthly father passed away, I thought that I could never celebrate Father's Day because I did not have a father. But in 1990, the revelation came to me. I have a Heavenly Father, hit me. Fathers Day is special for me. I miss my Dad.
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Special Note to this testimony:
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I wrote a poem about my father's passing. Also one day as I was reading my Bible in January of 1994, something unusual happened to me. I was reading where Isaac was calling one of his sons to his bed side.

I believe that the Spirit of the LORD was speaking to me through this passage. I was trying my best to read this passage, when all of a sudden something came to me.

I believe as I was reading, the thought of my father blessing me 12 hours before his passing. As Isaac blessed his son, my father prayed a blessing over me.

As I got that revelation, I cried like a baby. It took me a while to collect myself. I believe that God wanted me to know that. I felt good after that encounter with God.

Pat White: Who Was He?

After searching the some of the names in this article,
this Pat White could have been Mattie "Matt" White's son, Patrick White.
A. J. White mostly was Andrew J. White.
The Whites lived next door to Mattie and Mattie's mother Julia White.
Sid Cason could have been related to Margaret (Cason) Blakey, the wife of Ollie Blakey.

Nannie Houston could have been related to the Blakeys and Whites.  

The Andrew & Julia White Connections: Spencer White ( abt 1856- ?)

There is little known about Spencer White. What I've discovered came from census records, a slave advertisement  letters from relatives and a family history booklet. According to the 1880 census Spencer was born about 1852 in Missouri. On the 1900 census he was born about 1855. The slave ad, he was born about 1852.

Spencer was married to Malinda Banks who was born about 1858.  They was married in Glasgow, Howard County in Missouri. City Hale was listed on the marriage record. Perhaps they were married at City Hall.

Spencer and Malinda has three daughters.
Benette White
Ceola White Reed
Sallie White

According to the 1900 census record Spencer was married to a Lou ? who was born about 1865.  According to a census record they were married about in 1895. Lou had no children,

The year of Spencer's death is unknown. Spencer was born a slave to Frances White Blakey. Spencer was a day laborer. He spoke English.

Spencer didn't live too far from one of his slaveholder's son, Yelverster C. Blakey. Also Kelly and Jannie Reed lived on College St with the Whites. Perhaps Spencer's daughter, Ceola married one of the Reed's sons.


There was a Missouri Death record on a Spencer White, a laborer was born July 15, 1856 in MO. This Spencer's parents were Ander White and Julia Finney, both from born in MO. Spencer's wife was Fannie. Spencer was buried in Molbery, Missouri in Oakland Cemetery

I have searched 1910 census record in Randolph County Missouri. This Spencer's parents were born on Virignia. I don't know if Spencer remarried. This Spencer only married once. He was listed with  two daughters. Emely  (Emily) White born about 1880 and Lucier (Lucile) White born 1901. Lucile ? perhaps a grand daugthers.  Emily had one child.

It could be that the Missouri death record of Spencer could  have been the son of Andrew and Julia White. I don't know if Spencer remarried to a Fannie. I hope that this is helpful to the descendants of Spencer White.

Perhaps a descendant of Spencer WHITE may come across this blog.
Thanks for reading.