The Surnames: Blakey - White

Family History---The Surnames On My Father's Side

"This is the day which the Lord had made; we will be full of joy and delight in it." The Bible In Basic English
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You know that I am on this journey of my family history. I want to share a little bit more on my Great Grandpa Isaac BLAKEY. a.k.a. as Private Isaac BLAKER.
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As I have been sharing some of my family history with you, I have told you that there were name changes through the generations. As I dug deeper into this "quest", I had come across many different spelling of our surname.

In May of 1989, I wrote a letter to a MO library. In June of that year I received a copy of a newspaper clipping that was date on February 25, 1858. I did not know that this existed... A worker at the library found it for me. He was so happy to share it with me. I am forever thankful that he did.

We all know through American History that slaves were "property". The were bought and sold as merchandise... Well, this article was the notice of "Public Sale of Negroes"... the sell of 9 slaves by W.C Harvey. I know that this sounds horrible. It's apart of history.

As I dug a little deeper into my family history, I came across that W.C. Harvey was Frances Blakey's son in law. Frances owned my ancestors. With the HELP from another person on this journey, I found even more information that I did not know.

As I have been re reading some of my old letters from my cousins and others who have came across my path, I am discovering more and more. My mind is wondering...why did not I see that before.

Here is an example... I told you that I thought that our Great Grandpa was John BLAKEY. We found out that his first name was Isaac. Two days ago a revelation hit me. My Great Grandpa had a "full" brother named John. [I believe that they had the same mother and father.]

I knew that my Great Grandpa had a brother named John but I didn't realized something. I thought that John's last name was BLAKEY. His last name was WHITE. That's the other name that is in our family. Our Great Grandpa Isaac was the only known person in his family with the Blakey surname. [His family= parents and siblings]

Here is a bit of our oral history from our family reunion booklets. " The White-Blakey-Blakley Family traces their generations back to the year 1843. After arriving in New Orleans, from Africa on a slave ship, a mother and her three sons and a daughter were sold at a slave auction and given a bill of sale.

Nothing was ever mentioned of the father, but this happened in many slavery cases. The two oldest Isaac 12 and John 10 were sold to a man by the name Blakey and he took them to Forest Green, Mo.

John remained there but Isaac at the age of 16 ran away and joined the Union Army. He fought for three years and nine months until the Civil War ended and the emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and Slavery was abolished.

Isaac then returned to New Orleans to find the rest of his family who had not been sold with him. He was told that his mother and brothers, Spencer and Dick and his sister, Matt had been sold to a slave holder named White and shipped to Natchez, MS.

He went there and located them easily. He convinced them that Forest Green, MO was a better place to live, so they moved there were where John [Blakey] was still living there...."

I came across more discoveries on this leading. That article that I mention...."Slavery Descendants To Have First Reunion" took place in the early 1970's in Sioux City Iowa. That article confused me some.
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Cousin Leslie and his mother Willie. Cousin Willie was the oldest and last member of the descendant of Richard White who was my Great Grandpa Isaac's brother. [Willie was one of my 2nd Great Uncle Richard's daughters.]

Both Willie and Leslie are in heaven. I have been re reading some of their letters. They wrote so much about our family history in the letters that they sent me.

They were so eagerly wanting to reunite the "family" together with reunions. They had a hunger to learn more about our family history. The wanted to have a REUNION to JOIN together the Blakeys, the Whites and the Blakleys as one. [Our common ancestors= the father and the mother to the very first generation ---The father and mother from Africa.]

Mrs. Willie was one of the person who had the first reunions in Sioux City Iowa. As I have been re reading her letters. I have been reminded of the "joy" that I had in finding out what I did not know. I believe that God led me to keep searching for more... Others who HELPED me on this journey encouraged me to not give up.
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What am I thankful for ? I am thankful for the covenant blessings of HELP, STRENGTH, and JOY that God has upon my life. I am thankful that God leads my path when I don't know which way to go.
I am thankful that God brings helpers into our daily lives so that they can "lighten" our loads from our troubles. I am thankful that others are encouraging one another. It's an honor to be honored when honor is due. I thank God for honor.

I am thankful for that God leads me to strength to strength as the joy of the Lord is my strength of all my days. I am thankful for the Help that is there from God in times when I am high, higher than a kite or when I am feeling down, way down "lower than dirt". God is so faithful. He knows what I need more than I do. He brings me through whatever.
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Whatever day you are reading is entry, Have An Adventurous Day!
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It's A New Day Dawning! The Quest Continues...~Susie~
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"Spiritual grit is what we need." Oswald Chambers

The LANKFORD Brothers Signatures On WW I and WW II Draft Reg Cards

James Andrew signed his name  LANKFARD

Louis Adward LANKFARD in 1942 but Louis LANFORD in 1917-1918

Frederick or Fred signed his name LANKFARD on both cards.

Leo signed his surname ? It appears to be LANKFARD. His left hand and leg were paralazed.

Nym or Nymadula signed his surname Nym LANKFORD and Nymadula LANKFARD

 Note: I wonder why some signed their names that way. I think there was something to that. James, Louis, Frederick and Nym signed their surnames LANKFARD. (It appears that Leo signed his surname that was too. )

Staying On The Family History Journey,Susan

Update On Family Search

I thought to post an update on my research. Every little clue helps out on the journey. I'm still looking for obituaries, news clippings, wedding invitations, old letters, post cards and so forth.

On My Mother's Side: Mary Allen and Leo Lankford Sr:
The Lankford Connections with Washington, Walters, Ovington, Dade Connections

I have come across a few more Hendred Searching. They are on the Louisa Jane / Janie DADE WASHINGTON side. I found them on ancestry.com I haven't heard from them.

I posted some blogs on the Connections of Frances OVINGTON DADE's children

Louisa Jane / Janie DADE WASHINGTON

Mary Ann DADE MADISON

Charlotta DADE LANKFORD

Working on...
Louis Newton DADE

On My Father's side: Jennie Bartlett and John Blakley Blakey with Hooper, Blakey-White connections

I have come across little information every now and than.  Every little clue helps. I'm going back over what information that I have on ancestry.com. I may come across more by doing this.

I've been searching on the in laws ..I'm going back to at least the cousin's / Aunts'/ Uncles' in laws to their parents or grandparents in some cases. I think the more I can add it might link up with people who didn't know where their ancestor went.

I'm still on the quest to find more.
I think that there is more.
I just don't know where to search.

Staying On The Journey,Susan

Different Races

I had this idea to blog on different races. As I look at my family lineage, there are a varieties of ethnic groups that make up where my background comes from. There are Black Americas, Black Africans, African Americas, American Indians, Mulattoes, Whites, and so forth that are connected with my lineage.

I can't recall when I knew that there were different races in our family. On my mother's father's side: I heard that Great Grandpa Robert L. Lankford had a half sister named Mamie. She was half white. She was said to have been daughter of slave master Morton.

There is little know of Mamie Morton. She was born in Ky. She did keep contact with Great Grandpa Robert.


What's so amazing, some of the Mortons lived in the city where Great Grandpa Robert resided in MO. When my mother's father Leo, ( Robert's son) passed away, one of the Mortons attended his funeral in Sept of 1954.

I don't know when the Lankford family came from KY to MO. But Great Grandpa Robert's last name may have been changed. Morton was believed to have been the slave name.

Back in the days, people seemed to be hush hush about things. There were things people didn't talk about. I think that there are some who are embarrassed that the races mixed. Even more so had off springs.

While I was growing up, I can't recall when I first saw "mix" couples. When I looked at family photos. I noticed different "shades" of people. Some looked white.

I can say that I have relatives who are of another "color" than I am. I'm not embarrassed. I have white, mulatto and Mexican in laws and cousins. Yes, even nieces and nephews of other races.

I think it's in how we believe and see things in life. God created us in His image. God is HUMAN. We are of the HUMAN Race. I had a thought. We can't marry out of our race. There is only one RACE. That's the HUMAN RACE.

May we appreciate our family heritage. May we learn about our family history. May we see that the spirit of the person is what we should look at...

While On The Journey...
Different Races

There is ONE race.
That's the human race.

Blessings,
Susan

Dade Connections: Mary Ann DADE MADISON

The Frances OVINGTON DADE Connections.

Frances was my mother's father's mother's mother
Frances had 14 children.
Through research, I have come across 4 of them.

(My mother's father's mother)

4.) Charlotta DADE LANKFORD
1852 - 1924

1.) Louisa Jane / Janie DADE WASHINGTON
1826 - 1910

3.) Louis Newton DADE
1847 - 1937

2.) Mary Ann DADE MADISON

1836 - 1921

I can't remember when I came across Mary Ann Dade.

I first saw her name on the MO death records.

One day I was searching of Dades in Lewis County MO.

That's when I found Mary Ann MADISON's Death Record.

I read who her parents were.
I saw the Frances OVINGTON DADE Connections

According to Mary Ann Dade Madison's death record, she was born on Nov 16, 1836. Through other research I can conclude that she was the daughter of Frances (OVINGTON) and Isaac DADE.

Mary Ann married George Madison om July 22, 1865.
On their marriage record they listed 2 children prior to the marriage.
Sarah Jane Madsion aot 5 and William Henry Madison about 2.

Mary Ann and George had a slave marriage in 1857.
Mary Ann was the mother of 7 children.
She died on Dec 24, 1921 in Canton MO.

After searching the census and marriage records this is was I came up with.
Mary Ann and George Dade on the MO census records. With their children...

Sarah Jane Madison 
born about 1860

William Henry Madison born about 1862

William married Hannah Jane Ashby on August 14, 1881

Margaret Madison
about 1865

Sarilda Madison
about 1869

Elizabeth Madison
 about 1869

Thomas Madison
about 1871

Unknown Madison

On the  1870 MO Census
Mary Ann age 27 MO born in 1843.
She was keeping house. White with 5 children

On  the 1880 MO Census
Mary A. was 45 born in 1835

On  the 1900 MO Census
Mary A. MAAISON was 63 MO in 1830
Mother of 7 with 2 living. Year of marriage 1857.
Her mother Frances Dade black/ white  age 101 KY Born was in her household.

On the 1910 MO Census
 Mary was a widow. Age 73 MO born in 1837.
Black living with daughter Essie M. Wilson MO born about 1890
 and granddaughter Opal Wilson  MO born about 1908

On the 1920 MO Census
Mary owned her home. age 84 MO born 1836 Black
Living with daughter Essie M. Wilson
and granddaughter Opal GAYNER born about 1909.

There's not much more that I have come across on
Mary Ann and George Madison.
I Believe that there are some descendants on Mary Ann and George Madison.

Maybe one day someone will have that desire to learn more about their family history. They will start their journey ontheir family history. They may even think that that's how far can they go back.

Staying On The Journey,
Susan

Was Addison L. Lankford And Louis A. Lankford The Same Person?

This information came on: 8 June 2010. I was going through some records and found different spellings of Lankford surname. I was trying to figure out if my Great Grandparent's son, Louis Lankford and Add Lankford were two people. They appeared to be two people. But I found out that he was one person.

Well, that mystery is solved! Louis and Add were the same person. Louis Adward Lankford went by Add Lankford. Add was his middle name or his nickname Add.

On ancestry.com, I had Louis Lankford and Add / Addison Lankford as two different people. I had to transfer what information I had on Addison to Louis' profile. It was a task to do but I got it done.

While I was doing my research, I never thought that Louis and Add were the same person. But as I was doing my research things didn't match up. Until I talked with my Aunt Josie. She said she hadn't heard of a Louis Lankford. For some reason Louis went by his middle name.

This was what didn't match of on my research. I found an Addison S. Lankford... Addison L. Lankford. This made me think about Louis A. Lankford.

I only found Add or Addie on the 1900 census. Addison S. or Addison L. was born about 1881. I've searched the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses.

Louis Addison born about Jan of 1882. I thought about some things after finding the 1900 census. The Lankford surname was spelled Sankford. What confusion.

All the L's were S's.  Addison S. could have been Addison L. Lankford.  That's when it hit me. Louis could have been his middle name.

The 1900 census states that Charlotta had 10 children. While the 1920 census appears that there were 11 children.  Only 9 children were living in 1900.  Jennie may have died before 1900. But there was a still born born in 1893.

The big question was
Was Addison L. and Louis A. Lankford the same person?

I though of things while on my search...Louis could have went by his middle name...  Indeed Louis and Addison were the same person. I'm glad that the mystery was solved.
So, I though that I needed to write something about Uncle Louis life. He played profession baseball during the negro league in the early 1900's. He was married to Virgie. They had no children together. Louis had children by two other women.  He was the father of 4.  Louis passed away in June of 1967 in New York.
Staying On The Journey,

I have learned so things about searching. I begin to see if the person had a nickname. Or what was their middle names. I have discovered there were some who went by their middle names.
Blessings,
Susan

Stillborn Lankford Infant

One day, I went to the main Public Library in St. Joseph, Missouri.
I was going to do some family history research.
I was searching for city birth and death records.
I can't recall the year.
It was during the 1990's.

I went through the index.
I thought to go through the entire records.
I went through the records page by page.
As I was searching, I came across something.
I found a Lankford stillborn female on record born in 1893.

For some reason I didn't or forgot to write down the date.
This book was the actual record book.
The mother was Charlotta Lankford.
The father was Robert Lankford.

Charlotta was listed as having 10 children on the 1900 census.
One child was not living.
This child was believed to have been Jennie Lankford.
Jennie was listed on the 1880 census.
Jennie was born about 1873 in Missouri.
I have found no additional information on Jennie.

Also I looked at the 1920 census.
The page the Charlotta was on was faded.
I couldn't make out the number of children Charlotta had.
The number appears to be 11 not 10.
There were 9 children living in 1920.

Did Charlotta have 11 or 10 children?
The mystery of Isaac Lankford Jr. is still a mystery.
Isaac Jr. was the informant on Charlotta Lankford's 1924 death record in NY.

While On The Journey,
Stillborn Lankford Infant

Perhaps Charlotta forgot to include this child.
She should have remember how many children she had.

Or the person who gave the census information didn't know.

Peace to you,

Susan

The Lankford Family in 1892
I didn't notice the dog until the Lankford Family Reunion in July 2010.

Watching A Video

Back in 2008 or so I came across a video online. I was googling one of my cousin, Ted Blakey from Yankton, South Dakota. I came across his 12:51 video interview in Yankton.

I didn't know what I would discover in that video. I had to re listen to it at least twice. I wanted to take a picture of a picture that I saw. There was an article too that I had to see.

Through the years I forgot about that video. Some how I came across it again. It was still online. Thank God!

It wasn't until May 12, 2010, when I took some photos of some of my relatives from the video. One was my 2nd Great Grandfather, Isaac Blakey.

I had seen a photo of my Great Grandfather, Isaac on October 31, 1981. I was visiting my cousin, Mary Jane Blakey Lightner. We share the same Great Grandfather Blakey. Our Grandfather's were brothers.

I was so happy that I got to see another photo of my Great Grandfather I saw a photo of Great Grandfather with his 2nd wife, Rachel back in October of 1981. I didn't have a camera then. I wished I did.

I was so happy that I had a digital camera now. I was more than watching a video. I was looking at history. A part of my family history that was recorded for others to discover online. Thank God for video recording.

Staying On The Journey,
Susan

P.S.
Both Ted Blakey and Mary Jane Lightner have passed on.

If I Could Choose

I was thinking about some of my ancestors. If I could choose one of my ancestors to meet with and talk to, Who would I choose?

Out of all my ancestors that I have discovered on my lineage,

I would choose my Great Grand Father Isaac Blakey.
Why? I have many reasons.

A number ONE, he was my Great Grand Father. But what questions would I ask him?

Here are some questions.I know that I can't speak to my Great Grandpa. He has passed on. I know that I can't communicate with the died. What I wrote after the questions was what I have discovered on my journey.

How did you escape to join the Mississippi Union Army while in slavery?
I read that Great Grandpa Isaac played marbles while he was serving during Civil War. He was between the age of 12 - 15 when he ran away from Missouri to join the Mississippi Army.  There are records that stated that he and his mother (Julia) were sold and they went south.

What can you tell me about your first wife?
Great Grandpa's first wife, Martha Scott was my father's father's mother. She died in child birth on Hew Davis' plantation.  There were twin sons born on 21 June 1871. One was my Grandpa John. His brother Andrew died in child birth.

How did you gather together as a family in Missouri after the Civil War?
I don't know how many brothers and sister my Great Grandpa Isaac had.  The family was divided around the breaking out of the war. I searched the census records.

I think 2nd Great Grandma Julia had about 14 or 16 children. She was widowed on the 1880 census. There were so many same name in the family.

How did you hear about Jesus?
In my Great Grandpa's pension records, he had a minster testify for him. Great Grandpa Isaac was a deacon in the church. Great Grandpa was apart of the church. He went to church.

Why did you keep the Blakey surname?
Great Grandpa Isaac was the only one in his family that I have come across with the Blakey surname.  His parents and siblings carried the White surname. When Isaac join the Civil War in MS, he became Private Isaac BLAKER. 

Great Grandpa went by the surname BLAKEY. But I have found his name to be WHITE when he was listed in the 1880 census with his mother, Julia as head of the household. According to Isaac's  on his pension records he declared his name to be Isaac Blakey .

What was your relationship with your slave holder?
I have read my Great Grandpa Isaac's pension records. There were two slave holders that testified for my Great grandpa. They spoke kind words of Great Grandpa.

One who sold my Great Grandpa into slavery (W.C. Harvey) stated that Great Grandpa had a good reputation as a slave. This man knew my Great Grandpa since Isaac was born.

The other ex slave owner, (Y.C. BLAKEY) who was 10 older than my Great Grandpa. This man gave a good report as while. He stated that the "family" name was BLAKEY. The slave holders helped raise my Great Grandpa.

These ex slave owner lived about 10 miles from Great Grandpa at the turn of the 1900's. Both testified that Great Grandpa was the same boy that they knew. I think that there was some respect in the family.

Staying On The Journey,
If I Could Choose

Susan