How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey

Image courtesy of Google Maps. I learned today that I was just slightly off on my estimation of where Fort Anderson was located in New Bern, thanks to the a map I found on WikiMedia Commons.  In my post, Bristow Harris and The Barrington Estate , I used Google Maps to plot out points in Bridgeton, a town that's considered part of the New Bern metropolitan area. That map I created I am featuring here again and is shown above. The points noted on the map were areas mentioned in documents that described the location of the Barrington/Lincoln Estate, an area that my 3rd great grandfather had obtained a land lease for after the Civil War. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Fort Anderson Battlefield Map This is a map of the area involved in The Battle of Fort Anderson during the Civil War. The area noted with the red circle features the approximate location of the actual fort. Now, I don't know exactly when I might be able to make a trip to New Bern but ...

Cooper - n. - a person whose work is making or repairing barrels and casks. (Definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary. ) Bristow Harris was my 3rd great grandfather on my maternal line. On my post, Amanuensis Monday: Brister/Bristow Harris Found In Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records , I made a short list of questions regarding his motivation to lease a particular piece of land at the end of the Civil War. Here are the questions I came up with on from that post: 1) Why this piece of land?  2)What was Bristow's connection to it? Was there a connection to the man who originally owned it--Stephen Barrington? 3) Was his choice to lease this particular piece of land linked to his occupation as a cooper. 4)Could I pinpoint where the land he leased was located? My 3rd great grandfather had at least two families. One of these families resided in Wilmington, NC while the other (the one I am descended from) lived in New Bern. From the evidence I've f...

This entry is tiny but it provides important information regarding the whereabouts of my 3rd great grandfather Bristow Harris in 1865. This is from the North Carolina Freedman's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records 1862--1870 database on FamilySearch.org. This bit was found in a section of entries that were recorded between March 1865 and November 1868. Before I go any further, here's a summary of how Bristow/Brister Harris is connected to me.  You can also read about him in the following posts:   52 Ancestors: #22-- Bristow Harris Or Was It Bristoe, Brister or Bristol? Amanuensis Monday: Deposition Of Bristow Harris Found In A Southern Claims Commission Claim I have to take a moment and mention that if you have the time to spare, a great project that you can get involved with is indexing the Freedmen's Bureau Records at FamilySearch.org. Here's the link for more information: https://familysearch.org/ask/salesforce/viewA...