Sunday, February 05, 2012

My Ancestors Want To Be Known Part #1: The Gilliams

On February 3, 2012,  my cousins' husband sent me a message with some attachments.  Two of the attachments were the map of Hope Cemetery in Worcester MA and the back of it.  I posted to this link here.

Message:

Yvette,


Thanks for allowing me to review your family tree on ancestry.com.  You are doing a terrific job in tracing your family history.  I downloaded Hannah's death certificate, which is the one item I didn't have.


I have attached several items that you may find interesting, although they do not pertain directly to your family lineage.  The first 2 items pertain to the Hope Cemetery map my cousin's dad (Lawrence Singleton Gilliam) had.  The notations on the back obviously collaborate the linkage to Hannah. 


The third item is a photo, that we believe to be Leander Singleton Gilliam.  The next three photos are Leander's sons: Lawrence Singleton (Lynn's father), William Singleton, and Eugene Singleton taken during WWI.  The last item is a very interesting article (1905 Freedom newspaper) that I found in a genealogy database.  I haven't yet been able to find the end results of this dispute.


Will keep in touch, especially if I find additional info on the Gilliams.


signed


X


Below is the likely picture of Leander Singleton Gilliam.  When I saw this photo, I was amazed because I saw my mother in his face.
Leander Singleton Gilliam
My Great Grand Uncle

Leander was a very fair man that individuals in Worcester, MA could not distinguish him for being Black.  There were rumors in an article sent to me regarding the race of Leander.  I will post this for Part #2, as I had believed that Leander was my ancestor, but I wasn't positive as he was listed as White.

When I look at Leander's sons pictures below, it is clear to me that they are people of color.  They look like they are of African, and European descent.


Lawrence Singleton Gilliam
My 1st Cousin, 2x Removed

William Singleton Gilliam
My 1st Cousin, 2x Removed

Eugene Singleton Gilliam
My 1st Cousin, 2x Removed

I have done some research on each of these men and their families.  The "My Ancestors Want to Be Known," will be a post series, so that I can go into detail as to what I have discovered.

Pictures courtesy of Gilliam family

3 comments:

  1. Excellent post! What wonderful treasures to have discovered. Looking forward to seeing more from this series.

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  2. Handsome pictures. It is nice to have someone who shares our love for family research and is willing to share.

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  3. It is amazing what happens when you put your research online. People do respond and they do share. Thank you for reading my blog.

    ReplyDelete