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Maternal Family Ancestry Search – The Children of Gilbert and Mary Shegog

Last year, I started a journey in search of “from whence I came.” I uncovered new information since writing the first two posts, “From Whence I Came: Gilbert and Mary” and “Family History: New Information-New Questions”.

New Information

A review of the Census Reports from 1900-1920 revealed new information about the eleven children of my great-great-grandparents, Gilbert and Mary Shegog. According to the:

1900 Census Report there were seven (7) children in the household:

Minerva (13-years-old) – My Great-Grandmother
Tommie (13-years-old) – Uncle Buddy
Abbie (9-years-old) – ????
Lily (8-years-old) – ???
Roxie – (4-years-old) – Aunt Roxie
Willie – (8-years-old) – Aunt Willie
Johnnie – Uncle Johnnie

1910 Census Report there were four (4) new children in the household.

Sallie (6-years-old) – Aunt Sallie
Walter (5-years-old) – ?????
Josie (3-years-old) – Aunt Josie
Robert (0 years old) – Uncle Robert

New Questions

I didn’t know about, Abbie, Lily and Walter. What happened to them.
What was my Great-Grandmother Minerva’s first husband’s name?
What was my Great-Great-Grandmother Mary’s maiden name?

Dead End

I reached a dead-end searching through Census Reports because:

I could not find verifiable matches for Gilbert Shegog in the Census Report for 1870, 1880 or 1890;
The name of slaves were not recorded on Census Reports until 1870. Only their age, gender, race, and the slaveholder’s name were recorded.

I hope to find more information about those who came before when I visit my cousin this summer. She is the keeper of our family Bible and photo album.

In the meantime, I plan to:

write of times spent with the children of Gilbert and Mary Shegog — Uncle Buddy, Aunt Roxie, Aunt Willie, Uncle Johnnie, Aunt Sallie, Aunt Josie, and Uncle Robert.
search for information in public records and other documents.

I began this journey to find out from “Whence I Came.” for me, my children, grandchildren, future generations as well as others who may have an interest in following me on this journey.

#WorldCancerDay 2016

WE CAN. I CAN.

Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer

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Week 2: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

First, thanks to SilverThreading for hosting Mindful Monday – Healthy Living.

Second, I met most of my Week 2 Intentions, which were to live life to the fullest by following the eight CREATION Health principles.

Third, this is how my week went.

CHOICE

Making the CHOICE to BE STILL and BREATHE before REACTING throughout the day. I did just that and experienced less stress, doubt and conflict during the week.

REST

Sleeping through the night is healthy. I went to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. and arose between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Seven to eight hours of sleep is good sleep hygiene according to the National Sleep Foundation. I, also, paced my activities during the day and stopped to rest and breathe, if for no more than five minutes.

ENVIRONMENT

Being in the presence of nature brings happiness and peace into my space. I did not fulfill my Intention to visit a local park or botanical garden. However, I spent time on our lanai, which backs up to a conservation area. Sitting, in silence , I enjoyed the beauty of the lush green trees and my self-created Healing Container Garden.

ACTIVITY

Beginning the day with a 20-30 minute Mindfulness/Meditation practice is how I choose to set the course for the rest of the day. Building upon this foundation, four times a week, I did thirty minutes of either home physical therapy exercises or YouTube yoga practices as well as three plank poses for five minutes – two for two minutes and one for one minute. Walked the treadmill and glided on the precor machines at my fitness center for forty minutes, three times per week. This completed my exercise routine.

TRUST

Holding on to anger and frustration exacerbates stress. For several months, Hubby ignored repeated requests to hang four pictures in my meditation room. I relied on Trust. Married to this man for more than fifty-five years: I know he is reliable, good, honest, and, most of all a loving and caring husband. At 74-years-old, he has earned the right to move at his own pace. After all, I am an independent SeasonedSistah capable of doing many things and Trust that I will be able to hang pictures. If not, I have the number to a handyman service.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Going beyond self and opening up to improve INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS is healthy. So, I reached out and connected, by phone, with a long-time friend, attended a photography class at the local senior center, and signed up to attend a Breast Cancer support group meeting in February.

OUTLOOK

Expressing thankfulness opens the door to a positive OUTLOOK. Daily, I expressed gratitude, verbally as well as in writing, for the five things I was grateful for in my Gratitude Journal.

NUTRITION

Moving away from traditional soul food and toward healthier food options makes sense. However, my southern heritage and African-American roots keeps me tied to these traditional dishes. Fulfilling my INTENTION, I went to one of my cookbooks and prepared three healthy soul food dishes:

Field Peas with Okra
Cabbage
Southern Corn Bread

Field peas with okra and cabbage are traditionally cooked with ham hocks, bacon salt pork or a ham bone. Several years ago, in pursuit of a healthier option, I replaced the pork with smoked turkey. Hubby and I enjoyed the vegetarian versions of these dishes and enjoyed a healthy and tasty Sunday soul food dinner.

Incorporating the eight CREATION Health principles into my life over the last seven days helped to uplift my mind, body and spirit.

Healthy Living is How I Choose to Live.

Wordless Wednesday – January 20, 2016

Weekly Photo Challenge – Alphabet 01/15/2016

Alphabet Sculpture – Winter Park, Florida

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/alphabet/

Blog-A-Versary

January 12, 2013, after weeks of struggling to set up this blog website, I published the first post, “My Final Season: How I Choose to Live It.”

Today, I began this post with what I wrote three years ago:

“As a 70-year-old, I faced reality. Approaching my final season, it’s time to make a choice. My final season, as defined by ME, is the time to focus on ME. My inner voice spoke to ME. I listened. God wants to direct me down a new path. A new journey. A new venture. A time to explore and discover ME. In this final season of life, I plan to open new doors.”

Beginning this blog opened my space up to new people, places and things. I have gone far beyond my own expectations in this discovery of ME.

Blogging took ME down a path to connect with other bloggers who, many without knowing, inspired ME to expand my world. With confidence, I went outside of my comfort zone, explored and discovered:

Yoga

Photography

Container Gardening

Mindfulness – Adult Coloring Books for Stress Relief

Ancestry Research – Maternal Family History

I also want to express gratitude to those bloggers who shared information and thoughts about:

meditation;
mindfulness;
positive affirmations;
random acts of kindness;
expressions of gratitude and thankfulness;
exercise;
spiritual uplifting; and
healthy eating.

Motivated by these bloggers, I expanded and/or incorporated healthy practices into my lifestyle. This has improved the overall quality of my life; and, I am on a path to build a healthy mind, body and spirit.

As I continue down this journey to define ME, expressing gratitude for the doors that have opened and the new doors to open.

Happy Blog-A-Versary to ME

Wordless Wednesday – November 18, 2015

From Whence I Came: Gilbert and Mary

Thus far, in searching out information to learn more about “From Whence I Came,” I have relied on records from the United States Federal Census, Illinois Death Records, U.S. Social Security Death Index, and U.S. World War I Draft Registration forms.

I am not sure what, if anything, I will find out about my ancestors who were born into, married and/or died during slavery. Since enslaved African-American men, women, and children were not recorded in Census Reports until 1870. My enslaved family, though identified in Census Reports, were recorded under their slaveholders’ name. They were listed by their first name or nameless along with race, height, and weight.

At this stage in my research, I have not been able to find out when my great-great-grandparents, Gilbert and Mary Shegog, married. However, I feel confident they were married for more than forty years given the:

1900 Census report their oldest children as twins, Thomas and Minerva, age 13.
1990 Census report Gilbert’s and Mary’s age as 34 and 25, respectively.
1930 Census report the youngest child, Josie, is living in the home with her two young children.

It appears that Mary passed away sometime after the 1930 Census Report as the:

1940 Census reports Gilbert living in the home of his youngest, son, Robert and wife, Edna. His marital status was recorded as widowed.

Since I found the record of Gilbert’s death in the Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths, Index, I assume he was either visiting or living with his children who migrated from Mississippi to Chicago, Illinois, in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Gilbert was laid to rest in his hometown, Clarksdale, Coahoma County, Mississippi on November 30, 1947.

Gilbert and Mary’s children were the great-grand aunts and uncles who loved and embraced me from my childhood until their death. A strong family commitment brought them together to fill the void left by my grandmother and great-grandmother who died before I was born.

There is no doubt “From Whence I Came —

“I am the descendent of a slave family. We were captured and lost our identity. Yet, we have survived and thrived despite the obstacles placed in our paths.”

In coming weeks, I hope to uncover information and write about my great, great-grandmother, Mary, as well as the 13 children born into this union.

Wordless Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Let’s Talk About Family: Aunt Roxy

Several weeks ago, I embarked on a journey to create an identity for those maternal family members who came before me.

Seekers Dungeon Prompt, “Let’s Talk About Family,” opened up a new door to share my memories.

Aunt Roxy

I grew up surrounded by a large group of maternal aunts and uncles who nurtured and cared for me in their own special way.

All of my aunts filled in the space vacated by a:

Mother who worked a full-time job, six days a week; and a
Grandmother and Great-Grandmother who died before I was born.

Aunt Roxy, one of my great-grand aunts, cared for me during the day until I was about 12-years-old. She and her husband, Uncle RV, were childless. They lived on the third floor of a Victorian Style building on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Aunt Roxy and Uncle RV used the front living room as their bedroom. Her two sisters, Aunt Willie and Aunt Sally, stayed in the other two bedrooms. They were special, too, and I will share memories of them in future posts.

There were two common areas in the apartment — a kitchen and a small open space off the stairwell which housed two comfortable chairs and cabinet style-radio that sat on the floor.

Aunt Roxy and Uncle RV also had a small 12″, black and white television in their bedroom where everyone gathered to watch their favorite shows.

On Saturdays, the aunts came together in the kitchen to prepare the weekly, after church, Sunday dinner. They always seemed to cook enough to feed anyone who came by. The two tables in the large kitchen rarely had an empty seat on Sunday.

I had my play and napping place in Aunt Roxy’s bedroom — a separated corner area of the room, surrounded by windows where I spent many hours playing, dreaming and pretending. As an only child, I didn’t have a problem entertaining myself.

Though, I have fond memories of Aunt Roxy and the many hours I spent under her care, I —

Disliked taking the daily dose of caster oil after lunch. Even though she followed this up with one whole marshmallow, it didn’t erase the awful taste.
Feared the dead bodies that regularly entered and exited the funeral home on the first floor and the embalming center in the basement. It was not unusual to see a body laid out in an open casket for viewing in the entryway leading to the apartments upstairs.

Because I cannot recall when Aunt Roxy died or her married name, I will search for this information. You see, there is no one left who remembers.