Roots of the Tree: Understanding the Georgia to Alabama to Texas Connection

Once again, it has been over year since I last blogged and there is much to be told. As I am connecting the dots in my own family, I all to well understand there are many others researching as well and like me are asking "How does it all connect?" and this is just a small porting on my many connections through my maternal Great-Grandparents, Mitchell Heath and Anna Lue Barrow-Heath.
*******************************************************************************************
Where did the families originate? Where did the trail begin? Who are the Ancestors? And just how did they all connect over decades of southern exploration, slavery, westward expansion, and placing down roots and establishing families? There is one key indentifying factor between the Heath, Hubert, Barrow, Wright, Searcy, Flewellyn, Barksdale, Battle, Ivey, Searcy, Dickson, Lynn, Felts/Phelps, and Chappell/Chapple families, and they key remains the same through generations of bloodlines -FAMILY!

The Searcy Connection of the South
One of the early families of exploration is the Searcy family of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. The Searcy family is unique in nature that it is connected to the Heath, Hubert, Ivey, Dickson, Chappell/Chapple, and Theawtt families also of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. For more information, go to the following link: http://www.searcyfea.com/5601.html. Of special note is the Daniel Searcy family and William Searcy which both have ties and dealings with the Hiram Hubert family and Thomas Heath family, both of North Carolina and Georgia. The Searcy family connection lies within Warren, Wilkes, Talbot, Taylor, and Harris counties in Georgia. There are many marriages among the Heath and Searcy slaves with connections to the Ivey and Dickson families as well.

Let's Explore the Heaths and the Huberts
Another interesting early family explored heavily within my online family tree is the Heath and Hubert families and the clear connection with the Ivey, Barksdale, and Battle families as they all come together in old Wilkes County in towns known as Old Mill, Barnett, Warrenton, Powellton, White Plains, Mayfield, Goose Pond, Red Lick, Norwood, and Sharon Town in what are now present day Warren County, Hancock County and Taliaferro County. My Heath lineage begins with my maternal Great-Grandfather, Mitchell Heath, who was the son of Phelps Tug Heath (Phelps Heath III) and Eunice "Eunie" Frazier-Heath. Mitchell's paternal grandmother is, Jane "Jincy" Hubert-Heath, wife of Phelps Heath I and daughter of Paul Hubert and Jennie "Jincy" Hubert. I have been researching the Heath family for quite sometime to include both the white and black families from the late 1700s to present day. It has been an incredible journey. Just recently in late spring of 2014, I began the journey of unraveling a mystery with understanding who my Jane Heath was and what her connection was to the Hubert family in Hancock County as well as Warren County. This Hubert ancestral journey began to morph into something even greater than I ever imagined as well as taking a step back and really evaluating " what is my purpose" and "what do I have to offer our present generations and generations of the future" along with fully reviewing everything without leaving no stone uncovered. Thanks to my Cousins @Powell_88 and @bettyjharris53, we are on the move upward and onward making our Ancestors proud! With the help of Cousin @Powell_88 and other archived data, we have uncovered a huge ancestry find with the Heath and Hubert families of Warren County and adjacent counties. And it was all based on discovering my Jane (Jincy Hubert). The Heath and Hubert slaves at many times after the slavery were using both the Heath and Hubert names sending us family historians in a frenzy trying to find our Ancestors. After tracing back the Heath and Hubert family origins coupled with land and plantation locations, the Heath and Hubert families were side by side for several generations along with the Barksdale, Battle, Ivey, Dickson, Harrell, Felts, Johnson, and Flewellyn families. In some instances, the slaves were shared among the plantations because of the skills. For example, Clack Heath (brother to Elisha "Lige" Heath, Phelps Heath II, Hezekiah Heath, Jefferson "Jeff" Heath, and others) was a very skilled worker and often loaned out to the Barksdale, Battle, Felts, Hubert, Johnson, and Ivey plantations which were all connected or side by side with one another. His work and wages paid for his service was documented in the estate of Henry Heath in 1855 (a descendant of Abraham Heath and Winnifred Cotton-Heath).

So one may ask, how do all the other families fit into the mix? Well, it is very interesting!!! There are numerous marriages between the Heath, Hubert, Ivey, and Searcy families within Warren, Hancock, Taliaferro, Taylor, Talbot, Harris, and Muscogee counties in Georgia. There was a great deal of migration among the family members as well along the Georgia railroad expansion which relocated several of the white and black families from east Georgia (Wilkes, Warren, Taliaferro, and Hancock counties) to west Georgia (Talbot, Taylor, Muscogee, and Harris counties). And from Georgia, we see a great deal of migration into Alabama in Russell, Lee, Chambers, Randolph, and Henry counties. Through the slave ancestry research by reviewing wills, inventories and appraisements, deeds, tax records, and census records, we are seeing a clear distinct pattern in the migratory patterns of the white families which ultimately involved our Slave Ancestors and their families in leaving Georgia for Alabama and Texas. TEXAS....oh what a connection!!!

The Texas Connection: It's Just the Beginning
The Texas connection has become very interesting to say the least as there are so many families that migrated together but seperated by county and occupation. In Texas, Camp, Morris, Cass (originally Davis County), Titus, Upshur, Sabine, and Marion counties were of interest where the families seem to have settled in the mid 1800s and later traveling to Collin, Tarrant, Harris, and Dallas counties as well. The Texas migration has brought about a great deal of discussions as we have found a significant greater picture with linkage among the white planter families and their slave workers. We are finding in the slave ancestry research a key connection within the Slave Owner (Master) and our Slave Ancestors' relationship, they were not only owner and slave but they indeed formed a bond. Another interesting piece to the puzzle is there was significant migration between the 1880s and 1900s where many families reunited with their brethren families from Georgia in Texas by relocating when the white families relocated after slavery, houston....we have proved the theory of a bonded relationship. The white Heath, Hubert, Searcy, Barrow, Wright, Lynn, and Chappell families settled many great towns in Georgia and Alabama, and subsequently Texas. It was a part of the great westward expansion movement. Were they all friends? Were there other mitigating circumstances? Was it strictly Slave Owner and Slave Ancestor relationships exemplifying no bond at all, I am sure it is all of the above. There were some good and some bad, but we the descendants of these great unions are coming into an understanding of a long history which all began in Virginia along the James River.

Understanding the Family Connections
The Barrow, Wright, and Chappell/Chapple family connections to one another as well as to the Heath, Hubert, Flewellyn, Ivey, and Barksdale families is another great story of "what did I just uncover" and "did I read that right", the plot thickens. Some of the white Heaths took Barrow, Wright, and Chappell family members as their spouses such as Nancy Heath-Wright (daughter of Richard Heath and Rebecca Chappell) married William D. Wright, Rebecca Heath-Barrow (another daughter of Richard and Rebecca) married William Barrow, Patsy Heath-Wright (another daughter of Richard and Rebecca) married Lewis Wright, Sally Heath-Chappell (daughter of Abraham Heath and Winnifred Cotton) married John Chappell, Polly Heath-Barrow (another daughter of Abraham and Winnifred) married Warren Barrow. Many of these marriages and further estate slave distributions are the direct links to Troup County, Georgia and Chambers, Lee, Russell, and Randolph counties in Alabama. Why is this so fascinating and important? My maternal Great-Grandmother is Anna Lue Barrow-Heath, daughter of John Erwin "Jack/Pete" Barrow, Sr. and Annie Elizabeth (Hunter) Nelloms-Barrow. Anna's paternal great-grandmother was Rena Rose Wright-Barrow (as of February 2016, I'm running to ground a Sampson family connection). And there we have a full circle of common family names associated with white planters from Georgia settling in Lee, Russell, Chambers, and Randolph counties in Alabama and Troup County, Georgia. But not only is there the possible link to my great-grandparents, the link among the Hubert, Heath, Barrow, Wright, Searcy, Hugeley/Hughley, Sibley, and Chappell families extends over into Texas immensely with ties back to the  Alabama, Georgia and ultimately back to North and South Carolina as well. There are many towns within Texas that are the same name and affiliated with the same families from Alabama.
William Barrow and his wife, Rebecca Heath-Barrow, were married in Warren County, Georgia and relocated to Putnam County, Georgia and ultimately migrated over to Chambers County, Alabama. This is a huge piece of information in the Barrow and Heath family as Granddaddy Mitchell's Ancestors were Heath slaves of Abraham Heath (Rebecca's Uncle) and Richard Heath (Rebecca's father). While my Granny Anna Lue's Ancestors were slaves of the Barrow family which is directly tied back to the Barrow families of Halifax County and Edgecombe County in North Carolina. In addtion to the North Carolina connection of the Barrow family, we also can clearly see the connections of the white families from state to state which began in the Surry and Sussex County areas of Virginia, down to through North Carolina, then to Georgia, over into Alabama, and then onto Louisianna and Texas. This is another proven fact that the white families and the black families have been tied together for centuries. Good or bad, our stories are the woven fabric of our nation.

More To Unravel: Family Connections Worth Exploring
As time passes, I will add more to this ancestry research pertaining to the Ivey, Barksdale, Battle, Dickson, and Chappell families as well as the Lynn, Harrel, Ruff, and Felts/Phelps families. The Ruff family was recorded in the 1850 Census as free blacks beginning with Julia Ruff and her children. Lucretia "Cretia" Ruff is a prominent planter with wealth and documented in the 1850 and 1860 Census' as well with all her many children with some marrying into the Barksdale, Heath, Battle, Ivey, and Hubert families in later generations. The Harrell families were intertwined with the Heath, Bacon, Norflett/Norfleet, and Ivey families in Warren County and surrounding counties. What is interesting about the black Harrell families is that there are several which seem to connect to the Heath, Ivey, Bacon, Hubert, Barksdale, Norflett/Norfleet, Brinkley, and Dickson families which all seem to lead back to the white families and possible marriage connections of the Slave Owners.

Another interesting twist to the many family puzzles is the Dickson families of Talbot and Taylor counties in east Georgia and Warren and Hancock counties in West Georgia and there subsequent connection to Texas as well. Many of the descendants of the Dickson family are using both spellings of Dickson and Dixon today. In addition to the variation in spelling, there is also Dickerson which is primarily in Texas. The Texas Dickerson family can be traced to one Tillman Heath Dickerson, who was a Heath slave descandant willed to John Heath in the 1807 will of Abraham Heath (husband of Winnifred Cotton-Heath)*. Tillman migrated with Benjamin Heath's (son of Abraham and Winnifred) family to Monroe County, Georgia and ultimately to Texas where he is found under the assumed name as Tillman Dickerson. There is indeed a great story to be told, a great genelogical mystery to unravel.

In addition to this story of family relationships, we will expand more on the Lynn family connection as they definitely tie back to the Heath and Hubert families in many ways to also include the  Flewellyn/Fluellen and Dozier families. Although I have not fully explored the Dickson and Lynn families respectively, the family lines are becoming more and more clear and yet more and more intertwined with one another. The white Lynn family and their migratory patterns and marriages into the families listed in the first paragraph continues to open up new doors of information as to how some Slave Ancestors were Heath, Hubert, Ivey, and Dickson slaves throughout various time periods during their lifespan. It should also be noted that many Slave Ancestors were skilled workers which was used to benefit building of towns and communities as well as used as leverage between families during and after slavery.

Stay tuned as the Ancestors are leading the way and I am following their path in which they are lighting!! I am grateful for the Ancestors, grateful for this incredible journey, and grateful to share our rich legacy!

Dante' Eubanks

*********************************************
Originally Shared via my Ancestry.com Family Tree
September 2014 (Original), October 23, 2014 (Update), March 3, 2015 (Update), April 14, 2016 (Update)

FAITH and FAMILY: The Tie That Binds

FAMILY is often a word many of use to describe a group of people we identify with on a regular basis as the backbone of our support system. FAMILY could include those related by blood lines as well as those we have established a great kinship with through friendship, loyalty, and respect. My mother taught me one simple principle throughout life and I continue to share it with my children and that is "if you don't have nothing else in this world, next to God you have FAMILY." These words have resonated with me through the years. As I approach my fourth decade of living, I too am reminded that FAITH in God and FAMILY are two great power sources of strength we just can't live without.


FAMILY: a group of people who are related to each other; a group of related people including people who lived in the past. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)


FAITH: strong belief or trust in someone or something; belief in the existence of God; strong religious feelings or beliefs. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)


After reading a soul stirring rendition of FAITH as recalled by a fellow genealogist and supporter of all things technology related with respect to genealogy and FAMILY history, I began to reach back to my childhood and remember the days of old. Thank you +Luckie Daniels for the revival and I must say again, thank you to your Uncle Jake for the sermon. Uncle Jake is of no relation to me (at the present moment but we share southern roots alike) and he was a beloved family member and great uncle of Luckie who wrote the beloved rendition 5th Edition Carnival of African American Genealogy ~ REBIRTH: Journeying By Faith post on her blog Our Georgia Roots. As I began to read and travel along Uncle Jake's journey and understood FAITH more and the connection with FAMILY, I immediately went back to my childhood memories of growing up on Cincinnati, Ohio and my beloved church family.


Going to church as a child was not a task, but it was FAMILY tradition. I remember going to church Sunday school promptly every Sunday while attending the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church. Sunday mornings consisted of eating breakfast with my great-grandparents Granny (Anna Lue Barrow-Heath) and Granddaddy (Mitchell Heath), their beautiful daughter my beloved Grandmother, Jessie Mae Heath-Eubanks, and my aunts who are like my big sisters, Darlene and Sherry. Sunday morning was about FAMILY. And after Sunday school, we held our lesson review which always included the church and family elders rendering praise to us 'young folk' for remembering our bible verse or simply being able to stand before the congregation and summarize what we learned in forty-five minutes.  Singing in the choir was not a task either, but it was so much fun because it was the one time children could stand in church and belt out melodious songs loudly without being scolded for being too loud. And we were a part of the worship experience! What's amazing to me now as I am writing this is the fact I called the church service a worship experience, because as child growing up old school - it was simply church. After church, we would travel back to Granny and Granddaddy's house to a home cooked meal like no other. Every Sunday was like Thanksgiving. And every meal was prepared with love and especially for the FAMILY.


One of my favorite songs growing up was 'God Has Smiled On Me' and then for the choir director to pass each one us in the choir the microphone to sing a lead part, well you couldn't tell me nothing then and you can't tell me nothing now!


God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.
He is the source of all my joy,  He fills me with His love.
Everything that I need,  He sends it down from above.
God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.
A light unto my path is He, Without Him I would fall.
I don't know what He is to you, But to me He's my all and all.
God has smiled on me, He has set me free.
God has smiled on me, He's been good to me.


A simple song but with a powerful message for the young and the old. FAITH and FAMILY for me are joined at the hip. Why one may ask? Well for me it is simple and pure in nature. Our Ancestors lived on the promises there would be better days than their eyes had seen. The Ancestors had FAITH God would bring about change if not in their time, then in the time of their children and generations of grandchildren. The Ancestors believed in the power of prayer, believed in the FAMILY network, believed in the principle their is power in numbers, and more importantly believed in a higher power guiding them through the ages. So the Ancestors had FAITH which has been instilled in all of us whether we embrace it or not. And the Ancestors and how we identify with one another today is representative of our FAMILY.


On November 9, 2013, I joined the FaceBook group African American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research (AAGSAR) and immediately my life changed as a result of a group of individuals dedicated to our respective families' histories and honoring the Ancestors as they guide us along our journey. The group's founder is +Luckie Daniels and subsequently the founder of the new Google+ group +AAGSAR: You Got Roots?! which is another extension of the AAGSAR FAMILY. This group of professionals, mentors, supporters, teachers, and leaders of all things technology related has pushed so many of us newbies into an online experience uniting family history and genealogy research with online exposure like no other. I can tie the two experiences of church and social media together because for me it is FAITH in knowing I can reach the masses in a new way as well as building upon FAMILY connections in a way I never imagined. In November, I never thought I would be blogging. In November, I never thought I would create a Twitter account or even  Google+ account, and fast forward to today and I am doing all three. And it is simply because of the belief Luckie and the AAGSAR Tribe FAMILY has in me to rise to the occasion. It is because of countless family members who call upon me day and night asking how the branches connect? Where did various surnames originate? When did the FAMILY migrate north, west, and east? It is an honor and I count it a privilege to have the knowledge as well as the willingness to share it. FAITH and FAMILY, The Tie That Binds!

Through the years as I have journeyed searching and searching for answers to who I am and just where did my Ancestors come from, I have learned to rely on my FAITH trusting and believing I would find them. I would find the roots of the many branches, the lines that connect us all, the tree that keeps on growing and sprouting new branches and leaves in each new season. Yes, we are in a new season but filled with the 'ole time way' and yet I still feel like the little boy singing 'God Has Smiled On Me'. I am grateful for my 40 years of living, and I know my living will not be in vain. I am grateful the Ancestors called upon me and countless others to tell their stories, fill the pages so they can be read, post online so they can be found and families reunited, and take to the airwaves so all can listen to their voices. FAMILY is everything to me and my FAITH keeps me strong.


As I continue to bridge the gaps between the past and present, songs of old like Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, Down At The Cross, Glad To Be In The Service, and It Is Well With My Soul touch my heart and fill me with great joy and pride with a sense of belonging. To Some Ancestry studies and genealogical research is a chore or even a burden. To me and many others, it is rejuvenating and rewarding as we champion on behalf of the Ancestors as well as the generations of kinfolks searching for answers in hopes they too can find a connection as well as be found. I am living each day #WalkingInPurpose while leaning, trusting, believing, and praying I will make a difference and leave the legacy for the next generation to pay it forward. My FAITH is strong and the FAMILY is keeping me motivated. Thank you to my beloved family and my precious gifts, my children for believing in me and sharing in all the excitement as you have embarked on the journey along with me over the years. To Luckie and +AAGSAR: You Got Roots?! FAMILY, many thanks for the continued support and motivation!


Ancestors, I am listening, honored, and thankful for the Ancestors Call! FAITH and FAMILY, The Tie That Binds!


Dante