Melinda (SNADON/TOLLIVER) KIMBROUGH

My second-great grandmother on my father’s side was Melinda (SNORDAN/SNODAN and its other variant spellings) KIMBROUGH. She is someone I would love to know, someone I would love to learn more about.




I have often looked at the picture of my second-great grandmother on my father’s side, Melinda (SNORDAN/SNODAN and all of its other spelling variants) KIMBROUGH and wondered about her life—who was she, what did she think, how did she feel, what were her experiences? It’s not that I don’t wonder this about all of my Ancestors, but for some reason she has been one resting quite heavily with me for a couple of months now (the other two are male Ancestors for whom I do not have photos; I will write about them shortly, but in different posts). This tells me that it is certainly time for her story to be learned and told. It is time to speak her story from the unknown past, what very little of it I know, into the awakening present, so that it can be carried into what I hope is a glorious future.
Melinda was born, according to her death certificate, on 29 January 1833. She was born into the institution of slavery in Kentucky to Isaac SNADAN (who was born in Virginia), and a mother whose name is currently lost to history (though I pray this will not be so for long). She was, according to family story, last enslaved by Thomas Gaines KIMBROUGH, who, according to some family information was the father of at least four of Melinda’s children, including my great-grandfather, Ezekiel Isaac (Zeke). I am still working to find some type of recorded proof (or at least a preponderance of evidence) that both of these accounts are true.

I have located Melinda in the 1900 and 1910 census enumerations (in Massac County, Illinois), but have not been successful in doing so in the 1880 or 1870 enumerations. According to information provided in the 1910 census enumeration, Melinda had given birth to 12 children and six were still living. I can only account for four of the living children and none of the deceased. The four living children were: Ephriam (born August 1872), Ezekiel Isaac—Zeke (born October 1876), Lucy (born February 1877), and Lillian—Lady (born September 1879) [birth months and years given come from the 1900 census enumeration]. Who were the other six children?

I have been going over the very limited information I have and noticed that in the 1870 Hadensville Precinct, Todd County, Kentucky census enumeration there is an Ephriam SNADON, and in the same household, there is an Isaac SNADON, aged 75 born in Virginia—might this be Melinda’s brother and her father (along with other family)?  Near this family in 1870, are at least two other SNADON families and a couple of KIMBROUGH families. In the home of Aaron SNADON, there was a 20-year-old by the name of Webster KIMBROUGH—might this Webster be one of Melinda’s children? I wish I could say for certain, but right now, I cannot; I can say that I have not found this Webster in any other census enumerations, and wonder if there is another name by which he might be listed.

There is an Ephriam SNADUN, who died in Hadensville, Kentucky in 1922 whose father was listed as Issaac [sic] SNADUN and mother as Jennie—who was also in the home in 1870—hmm; there is also another individual with the same parentage, Lucy, who died in Todd County, Kentucky in 1915.

Melinda died in Joppa, Illinois on 24 July 1918; I hope to be able to fill in the dashes that note her birth and death as my genealogy/family history pilgrimage of 2014 begins to get underway—stay tuned…..

*A note about Melinda’s surname—a cousin who was also researching this KIMBROUGH family received (and shared with me) a copy of an SS-5 (application for Social Security) form for one of Melinda’s daughters. The SS-5 is valuable because it asks for the names of parents, including the Mother’s maiden name. Melinda’s daughter noted that Melinda’s maiden name was Tolliver (the Tolliver surname, as all surnames, has many spelling variants, to include Toliver and Taliaferro).

2014: The Year of Pilgrimage

This calendar year promises to be one of greatness on a myriad of levels, and the research of the family is certainly one of those levels. I anticipate this being a year in which many family history questions will be answered (and many posed, as I have learned that every answer brings with it at least three questions, particularly as it relates to the quest of learning history of from whence we come).

According to a word study as it relates to the word ‘journey’, found in the second edition of the Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus, a journey suggests that a considerable amount of time and distance will be covered while a pilgrimage is applicable to a journey that is undertaken for a specific purpose. Ah, that is exactly what this endeavor is, a pilgrimage. I am on a journey, one on which I hope you will join me, to learn as much as I can, and share that knowledge with you, about those who came before, those who paved the way for us. I am on a mission to give voice to the Ancestors, to tell as much of their story as I possibly can, to connect past and present.

This year, I hope to learn more about, introduce you to, or reconnect you with Henry TRIBBLE, Benjamin SULLIVAN, Melinda KIMBROUGH, George GULLICK, Nannie SEAMAN/NAPIER, Alfred SAMUELS (and his brothers) and SO many more. I hope to share with you research challenges and receive insight from you. I hope, that in the process of giving voice to the Ancestors, we connect and build stronger bonds as a family—that we are able to get to know each other, that we can begin and continue to create beautiful legacies for our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

I do not research in hopes of ‘gathering dirt’ or locating proverbial ‘skeletons in closets’. I research to learn, to grow, to connect. There are certainly wonderful and joyous finds, just as there are some heartbreaking finds—but they are all part of our legacy, and it is my mission to share it all, in grace, in love, with respect for both those gone before and those still with us in this realm. I hope you will join me as I make this pilgrimage—undertake this journey, if even just for the ride.

 

 

Living and Still Going--This is Why I Search

“We don’t see the same history….Our history is not dead facts in a book. Our history is alive and still going on. It’s in our songs and stories and the roots of every tree.” ~Grampa Sky

—From The Warriors, page 75 (by Joseph Bruchac)

As a Mom, reading tutor, after school class instructor, and classroom volunteer, I have had the pleasure of reading a number of books, over the years that were written for school-aged youth. The Warriors was one such book; it was one I read a couple of weeks ago to help a teacher decide if it should join the list of read aloud books for his classroom [not that it matters here, but yes, it would be a wonderful add to the list, as would a couple of Bruchac’s other titles]. Little did I know that it also held something for me, a beautiful gift in the form of the above quote, which holds in it a very rich trueness.

The quote comes from a passage in which Jake, a young boy of Native heritage (Iroquois Nation if memory serves), is sitting in his history class. As he is listening to his teacher, his mind wanders a bit, and he remembers what his Grampa Sky told him about how his people view history. When I read the quote, it nearly leaped off the page at me. It resonated immediately, deeply—it struck a beautiful and harmonious cord in the process. A number of thoughts crossed my mind about the significance and richness of this quote, including, “YES!! This is why, in large part, I research and try to share”. I was gifted the history bug by my Mother, who caught it from her father; I love learning about the history not just of my family and the times in which they lived, but of so many others and places. When I am learning about the Ancestors, it is literally something I can feel inside; I can feel a sense of excitement, joy and pride that seems to bubble up and over—it is certainly not a dead feeling, it is very much alive. I feel connected, in such a profound way, not only to those who have gone before, but also to things in a larger sense. Truthfully, there simply aren’t words to express exactly what it means or feels like.

As we learn more about from whence we came/come, cherish, respect, and honor those roots that so firmly hold our tree strong—those shoulders upholding the generations we continue to keep our history alive and keep it on going. As long as we tell their stories and share them with each other (we all hold differing pieces of the same puzzle), as long as we sing the little songs they sang at bedtime, bath time, or times of joy or sorrow; as long as we do these types of things and more, we continue to keep the history living, growing, thriving.

This, this is why I research and seek to know—why I seek to help keep the memory and works of the Ancestors alive—because as Grampa Sky said, “Our history is alive and still going on.”  Is it all a proverbial bowl of peaches and cream, or “hunky-dory”? Why no, no it is not, but it is all part of who we are. Our Ancestors lived, laughed, loved, cried, hurt, lost, gained, made mistakes, contributed to self, family and society, and more—in honoring and acknowledging them; in giving them voice and place, we, in some fashion honor and acknowledge ourselves, give ourselves voice and place.

In the coming weeks and months, some bits of the stories will be shared; it is my hope that you find the stories, which will be shared in this space enriching, enlightening, and from time to time, inspiring. The melodies of the notes sung in the songs of our history and the words that make up the passages of these very same stories will include those of Alfred SAMUELS and his brothers, Isaac and George (Alfred and Isaac both served in the Civil War--CW); Alfred, who was last enslaved by Mary SAMUELS.  The songs and stories, which will include those of Melinda (SNADON/SNORDAN) KIMBROUGH who was the mother of Isaac (Zeke) and grandmother of Frank KIMBROUGH and who was reportedly last enslaved by Thomas Gaines KIMBROUGH; of Free People of Color Families such as Richard and Mary (WRIGHT?) MORAN, whose son Rush served in the CW, and John Wesley and Julia (BANNISTER) ROBERTS. Not to mention, the songs and stories of Bass HARLIN and family, Bass, who was last enslaved in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in the Cherokee Nation by Delilah HARLIN; George W. and Nancy (Nannie) (SEAMAN/NAPIER) GULLICK; Jesse and Anna (SMALLEY) DONALDSON, Jessie who served in the CW and was last enslaved by Levi DONALDSON, and so many more. The notes of the songs and the pieces of the stories are also made up of the various jobs held by the Ancestors, by the activities in which they participated, their religious and political beliefs as well as the daily goings on of the day, so be prepared to be graced with this information as well from time to time.

Connecting Past and Present,

LaKesha

                  

This first picture is of Julia (BANNISTER) ROBERTS and John Wesley ROBERTS date unknown, standing in front of the home in which they homesteaded in Washington State. Julia and John Wesley were my 3rd great grandparents and are part of my maternal lineage. Received courtesy of M. Spearman, cousin and family researcher.

This second picture is of Isaac KIMBROUGH (seated on the far right)--he was my great grandfather, he and his siblings (Ephriam, Lucy, and Lillian), pictured here with him, are part of my paternal lineage. Date and location are unknown for this photo. Received courtesy of J. Jones, cousin.



 

 

Acknowledging Some Who Served

Welcome, I am so glad and thankful that you stopped by to visit for a moment. The blog is currently in its infancy stage, however, I am excited about this venture and you being along to watch the growth and share in the experiences along the way.

In this first “official” post, I would like to take a moment to recognize those family members who are currently serving and have served in the United States Armed Forces. Presently, I am unaware of all of the family members who have chosen to serve, but extend a thank you to them. I would like to take a brief moment to acknowledge some of those who have gone on who also, in nearly all cases, made the choice for themselves to serve (future posts will share more about these individuals). The following list is certainly far from exhaustive, and I hope to learn the names of more men—and women, none currently listed/known—to this list.

Veteran’s Name	Conflict, if served during non-peace time, if known
Ishmael ROBERTS	Revolutionary War, served in Col. Shepherd’s Army/Company
Edward BANNISTER	Was a bugler in the Army—9th Regiment Calvary
Alfred SAMUELS	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT)—Co. H of the 107th United States Colored Infantry; he was enlisted in the USCT by his enslaver, who hoped to be compensated for enlisting him (according to his pension file)
Rush M. MORAN	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT)—Co. E of the 9th regiment of Indiana (according to his pension file)
Jesse DONALDSON	Civil War, served in the United States Colored Troops—Co. I Regiment 15 (according to his pension file)
John Wesley SAMUELS	WWI, Battalion Sergeant Major  in the 317th Trains Hqrs. Of the 92nd Division (from Snohomish County in the War)
Elsworth MCKINLEY
Gerald DONALDSON	Stationed in North Africa during the Korean Conflict
Wendell DONALDSON	Spent time stationed in Japan
Raymond DONALDSON
Lloyd DONALDSON
Melvin DONALDSON
Roy TRIBBLE
Leroy KIMBROUGH	Served during Vietnam on the USS Ticonderoga
James KIMBROUGH
Charles KIMBROUGH
Benjamin SULLIVAN	WW II

There are so many more¸ whose names, as I mentioned I am unaware. I am working to obtain their names and their stories; I am looking forward to sharing these names and stories with you in the months and years to come.

Again, I am looking forward to sharing our rich family history with you via this and other mediums. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me.