Why Can't I Find Henry?

Alright I have been looking for all things Henry as you all know so well. I have looked high and low for this man and he is just not cooperating.

I now know that he died in Missouri but I am thinking that it would help to have at least a year before I try to find going to the records department. I'm not sure if I will find someone willing to look through every death certificate for a decade.

Anyway, I finally found a website called kindredkonnections.com that had a great list of Social Security death indexes. On it I found his wife's death index, my grandfather's death index, my great grandfather's death index but not his and there were close to fifty Henry's that died during the 1960's.

I completely don't understand. You would think that it wouldn't be this hard to find information about him in my own state. In Mississippi I was finding things left and right and now that I'm back it's like he had dissappeared again. I simply don't understand.

I know that he was a black man living in the middle of the end of slavery, segregation, and the freedom movement but you would think that if I can find information on his wife, who was a black woman living through the same things, than I could find something about him.

Tell Me A Story

I have always loved to read. I love mysteries and true life stories among the many different genres I frequent. Maybe that is why genealogy appeals to me. It is like the ultimate mystery and it's been written so long ago. Take my great, great grandparents for instance. I know that they have been the subject of many a blog but they are who I am currently researching.

Henry own quite a bit of land in Mississippi if the records that I have found are truly him. It would have been considered significant back then (1899-1910) for anyone but especially for a black man and especially in the south. He marries had three girls and lives on this land for at least ten to twelve years. Yet somewhere between 1910 to 1930 he leaves his land and moves to Arkansas. Why would he do that? What happened that was so significant or even insignificant that prompted such an act?

I know that many black people during that time moved a lot for better jobs, opportunity, or to avoid lynchings but generally they moved north. They didn't move a couple of states over. Yet that is what my ancestor did. He didn't leave the south until he was sick and that was at the urging of his daughters that brought him to Missouri, if my information is correct.

This is a real mystery to me and one I might never solve. It's not like I can call him up and ask and my great grandmother who might have known the answer passed away years ago. I feel like I can research and research but census records won't tell me the why of the move they will just help me pinpoint a date or timeframe.

I love a good story but sometimes the story is too good. When you have a mystery infront of you and no answer in sight then what do you do?

We Had a Great Trip

We had so much fun and I really wanted to share these great photos with you.

Enjoy

Rest, Relax and Recharge

We got back from our Mississippi trip a few days ago and I am still getting back on my feet. That would be the funny thing about research trips I now know. It takes a while to get back on track but I guess that is to be expected. You're on such a high while your there.

Up at six in the morning heading out to find all that you can. Staying up till eleven, twelve or one o'clock in the morning to go over what you found and add it to your family tree. Talking about nothing but who you're looking for, who you found, and where the information might take you. It's a little draining. Truthfully I haven't been able to look at a family tree since we got back.

But I'm back now and ready to get back in the swing of things. I want to find my great, great grandparents death records since I now know that they both died in Missouri which I didn't until I actually asked my aunt where in Mississippi they died and she told me they were in Missouri. I also found that they lived in Arkansas so now I'm all over finding them there. I'm also hoping that if I can find them there then I can find their youngest son who I haven't been able to find on any census.

Okay so back to the keyboard. Wish me luck.