I received another 2013 Black History Month treat! But this time, the
treat did not pertain to my ancestors. Recently, a colleague mentioned to me
how he and his family hardly know anything about his paternal grandfather’s
father’s family. Anthony’s grandfather, David Penamon, was born in 1923, and
the only piece of information they had was the name of David’s father, Charlie Kendall,
and a location, Upson County,
Georgia. His
paternal grandmother, Mabel Penamon, and Charlie Kendall never married, hence
the lack of familial connection and knowledge of their Kendall roots. So I
took some time to see what I could find just sitting at my computer and
accessing ancestry.com and other online databases.
Well, low and behold, Anthony’s ancestors
started leaping off the page! I was able
to even break down the 1870 brick wall – at my computer! It was amazing. Follow along to see what I was
able to find out. I also hope that beginning researchers will learn
from this post, and others will be inspired to see what they can uncover about their family history.
The genealogy rule of thumb in census
research is to start from the known and proceed to the unknown. That is, start
with the latest census available and keep proceeding back in time. The 1940 census is the latest census which
became available to the public in April 2012.
From 1940 to 1930, it was clear that David Penamon was being raised by
his maternal grandparents, David Sr. & Mellie Penamon. In 1920 in Upson County, just 3 years before
David was born, the Kendall family was just several doors down from the Penamon
family. Charlie Kendall was in the household! Based on experience, I
ascertained beforehand that the Kendall surname may be spelled several
different ways. I was right. In 1920, the surname was spelled KINDAL.
1920
Upson County, Georgia (Jug District): Charlie Kendall was found in the household
of his father, Wesley Kindal, whose
wife was Edna, and the children in the house were Robert (27), Jimmie (20), Charlie (18), and son, Willie (17).
I checked www.familysearch.org,
a site containing an increasingly large amount of genealogical data provided by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and low and behold, the
following information from Charlie Kendall’s death certificate was found:
Name: Charlie Kendall
Name of father: Wesley
Kendall
Name of mother: Edna
Davis
Death date: 28 July 1928
Death place: Yatesville,
Upson County, Georgia
Age: 26
Birthdate: 1902
Certificate No: 19653
Charlie Kendall died when his son, David Penamon, was just 5 years
old, hence the reason why David’s family knew little about him and his
roots.
Continuing back in time:
1910 Upson County,
Georgia (Jug District): Again, Charlie Kendall was in the household of
his parents, Wesley & Edna Kendall, and their children in the house were: John
(20), Robert (18), Ella (15), Lewis (14), Jimmie (12), Charlie (10), and Willie (9). Comparing the 1910 and 1920 censuses,
the ages are off by a year or two, but age discrepancies in census records are
common.
1900
Upson County, Georgia (Jug District): Surprisingly, Charlie Kendall was in Wesley &
Edna’s household! His death certificate
reported that he was born in 1902, and the 1920 census reported that he was 18
years old. Therefore, this census revealed that Charlie was actually born Jan.
1896. Also, in this census, the surname
was spelled KENDAL. Wesley (38) and Edna (37) had been married for 14 years.
Most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a
fire that occurred in the Commerce Department building in Washington, D.C. on
January 10, 1921.
1880
Upson County, Georgia (Jug District): Wesley Kendall, reported age of 17, was
living with his grandfather, Harrison
Kendall (58)! This census
leapfrogged us up two generations! But, who were Wesley’s parents, and which
parent was the child of Harrison Kendall and possibly his wife, Darcus Kendall?
Luckily, Wesley Kendall’s death certificate
information was uploaded to www.familysearch.org. It contained the following data:
Name: John Wesley Kendall
Spouse’s name: Edna Davis
Name of father: (not
reported)
Name of mother: Betty
Prayter
Death date: 18 October
1926
Death place: Yatesville,
Upson County, Georgia
Age: 62
Birthdate: 05 Sept. 1864
Certificate No: 4179369
Now, I asked the question, where was his mother Betty Prayter in
1880? Was Harrison Kendall the paternal
or maternal grandfather of Wesley Kendall (aka John Wesley Kendall)? Well, the following marriage information was
found on familysearch.org, and it opened up more doors: Bosan Prater
to Betty Kendall, married Oct. 30,
1873, Upson County, Georgia. Betty
Kendall Prater was then found in 1880 living with her husband and their
children. Apparently, her son, Wesley Kendall, chose to live his maternal grandparents,
Harrison & Darcus Kendall, rather than reside with his mother and
stepfather.
1880
Upson County, Georgia (Jug District): Boss
(Bosan) Prater (30), wife, Bettie (32),
and children, Delia (7), Clara (5), Amos (2), and Paul (5 months).
1870
Upson County, Georgia (Thomaston District): Wesley Kendall was reported in his
grandparents Harrison & Darcus “Darkess” Kendall’s household. However, a
woman named Bettie Kendall with a 5-year-old John were living nearby. Perhaps,
young Wesley (aka John Wesley) was reported twice in the 1870 census?
Also, a woman named Rhoda Chapman, age 60, was living with Harrison & Darcus? Was Rhoda
the mother of one of them? Perhaps,
Rhoda would be another generation up Anthony’s family tree, possibly being his
great-great-great-great-great-grandmother! 5 greats!
In the 1870 Upson County, GA census, I
noticed other African-American Kendall families in the district. Could it be
that there was a white Kendall slave-holding family in Upson County before
1865? The answer to that question was YES!
The 1860 Upson County slave schedule revealed one Kendall slave-owner in
the county – David Kendall Sr., 61
slaves, 14 slave houses. See the following (the first page of Kendall's listing; only the age, sex, and color of enslaved African Americans were reported in the slave schedules.):
I then decided to google the following: Kendall “Upson County” Georgia. The search results led me to two great
findings:
(1)
A
picture and biographical data on Dr. David Lane Kendall Sr. that was uploaded
to FindAGrave. He was a physician in the county who built and resided at
Bellwood Plantation. He died in July
1860 in Upson County. The site contained the following picture:
Dr. David Lane Kendall Sr.
1790 – 1860
Posted by Alton Christie
(2)
Dr.
David Lane Kendall's daughter, Loula Kendall Rogers, donated the family papers
to Emory University here in Atlanta! According to the online finding aid, many
of the documents date back during slavery, before 1865. Even some of the
photographs date back to slavery, so who knows what may be in there!
To go from knowing very little to knowing the
names of ancestors going back to great-great-great-great-grandparents, a possible fifth-great-grandmother, the name of the slave-owner, and the name of
the plantation in which the ancestors were likely enslaved would be a dream
come true for many! It was indeed a
treat for me to take some time to uncover this information for Anthony – all at
my computer! When he and his family
decide to pursue the Kendall research further, there’s just no telling what
else will be uncovered.
Note: Technology
and the digitization of pertinent records have greatly aided genealogical quests, but personal research
excursions to state, local, and federal archives, courthouses, family history
centers, libraries, ancestral cemeteries, and other places are still highly
recommended to find more necessary documentation.
THERE'S MORE! Click here to read Part 2 of this research story!
THERE'S MORE! Click here to read Part 2 of this research story!
