Info on people, places, and things helpful in my genealogy research.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
In Memoriam: John William Boyce (1905 - 1962)
In Memoriam: William Allison "Allie" Thomason (1883 - 1955)
In Memoriam: Martha Elrod Ghee (1850 - 1938)
Saturday, September 05, 2026
In Memoriam: James Hugh Elmore ( 1829 -1896)
In Memoriam: Nancy Tillman Gault Elmore (1834 -1900)
In Memoriam: Elizabeth E White Elmore (1826-1900)
In Memoriam: David Altha Elmore (1827-1900)
In Memoriam: Julia Lamb Sanders (1885 -1903)
In Memoriam: Margaret Thomason Simpson (1830-1909)
In Memoriam: Daniel Dotson Smotherman (1844-1906)
In Memoriam: Sarah Elizabeth Lamb (1841-1912)
In Memoriam: Sallie Maddox Looney (1864-1912)
In Memoriam: George Washington Taylor (1868-1918)
Friday, September 04, 2026
In Memoriam: William Thomas Johnson Sr. (1835-1918)
In Memoriam: Sam B Blanton (1924-1958)
In Memoriam: Charles Caswell Puckett (1876-1929)
Thursday, September 03, 2026
In Memoriam: Mrs. Althea Wood Jackson (1860-1946)
Mrs. Althea Wood Jackson
Born: April 14, 1860 in Unionville, Bedford Co TN, USA
Died: November 2, 1946
Member of Union Ridge Baptist Church at Rover, Tenn (her obituary incorrectly identifies the church as Union Hill)
Buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park
Predeceased by husband, Hardy Pope Jackson
Daughters:
Ruth Jackson Lucas (Mrs. C. F. Lucas) of Nashville
Miss Ethel Jackson of Nashville
Mary Jackson Redmond(Mrs. Frank Redmon) of Nashville
Lizzie Jackson Owen(Mrs. R. C. Owen) of Hartsville Tenn.
Sons:
W.A. Jackson of Plant City, Fla.
William Harrison Jackson of Nashville
Charles P Jackson of Atlanta
Robert J. Jackson of Nashville
Sister: Mrs. W. P. Regan of Nashville
Brothers:
E.G. Neely of St Petersburg Fla.
W.W. Neely of Venice Calif
Several Grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The Tennessean, November 3, 1946, p 4, col 2; image. Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-obituary-for-althea-wood/205240981/ : accessed September 3, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Althea Wood Jackson.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149556865/althea-jackson: accessed 3 Sep 2026), memorial page for Althea Wood Jackson (14 Apr 1860–2 Nov 1946), Memorial ID 149556865, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: Hardy Pope Jackson (1858-1939)
Hardy Pope Jackson
Born: January 19 1858 in Bedford County
Died: January 17, 1939
Parents: James Lytle Jackson & Mary Charlotte Pope Jackson
Member of Union Ridge Baptist Church at Rover, Tenn
Buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park
Survivors
Wife: Mrs. Altha Wood Jackson
Daughters:
Mrs. C. F. Lucas of Nashville
Miss Ethel Jackson of Nashville
Mrs. Frank Redmond of Nashville
Mrs R. C. Owen of Hartsville Tenn.
Sons:
W.A. Jackson of Nashville
William Harrison Jackson of Nashville
Charles P Jackson of Nashville
James Ebron Jackson of Hendersonville, Tenn
Robert J. Jackson of Antioch
Brother: A.W. Jackson of Nashville
Sister: Mrs. Will Shelley of Decker, Tenn.
17 Grandchildren
5 Great-Grandchildren
Sources:
Nashville Banner, January 18, 1939, p 10, col 3; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/nashville-banner-obituary-for-h-p-jack/205238272/ : accessed September 3, 2026), clip page for Obituary for H. P. Jackson.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149556666/hardy_pope-jackson: accessed 3 Sep 2026), memorial page for Hardy Pope Jackson (19 Jan 1858–16 Jan 1939), Memorial ID 149556666, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: Mrs. Robbie Kelly Jarrell (1896-1940)
Born: July 18, 1896
Died: April 9, 1940
Daughter of W. A. Kelly and Clemmie Buchanan Kelly
Survivors:
Husband, Burns Jarrell(Married June 1924)
Two Daughters:
Mary Louise Jarrell
Nancy Jane Jarrell
Three Sons:
Robert Burns Jarrell
Julius Sanford Jarrell
Enoch "Ensley" Jarrell
In Memoriam: Nannie Elizabeth Lamb Taylor (1872-1940)
Born: November 28, 1872
Died: May 9, 1940
Joined Union Ridge Baptist in early girlhood
Parents: Willis Houston Lamb & Sarah Elizabeth Head
Predeceased by husband, George Taylor
Survivors:
3 Sons: Robert Aaron Taylor, James Willis Taylor, and Dennis "Dennie" Washington Taylor
Daughter: Mary Elizabeth Taylor Clay
7 Grandchildren
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, July 11, 1940, p 13, col 1; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-nanni/205201908/ : accessed September 3, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Nannie TAYLOR.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66485745/nannie_elizabeth-taylor: accessed 3 Sep 2026), memorial page for Nannie Elizabeth Lamb Taylor (28 Nov 1872–9 May 1940), Memorial ID 66485745, citing Lamb Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: James William Simpson (1856-1934)
Born: March 13, 1856
Died: November 14, 1934
Married Kitty Keller January 14, 1891
Son: Frances "Frank" Grady Simpson
Taught in Public Schools for over 50 yrs in AL & TN
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, February 7, 1935, p 10, col 4, Simpson; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-james/205079040/ : accessed September 1, 2026), clip page for Obituary for James William Simpson.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95238665/james_william-simpson: accessed 3 Sep 2026), memorial page for James William Simpson Jr. (1856–14 Nov 1934), Memorial ID 95238665, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.
Wednesday, September 02, 2026
In Memoriam: Salome Duggin Hester Elmore (1867-1933)
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209326944/salome_duggan-elmore: accessed 2 Sep 2026), memorial page for Salome Duggan Hester Elmore (8 Jan 1867–29 Sep 1933), Memorial ID 209326944, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: Benjamin Isaiah Simpson (1858-1932)
Born: May 25, 1858
Died: Sep 22, 1932
Married Edna A Kimmons November 10, 1880
Predeceased by son, Eris K Simpson
Mason
Member of Odd Fellows
In Memoriam: Frances Isadore Kirby Blanton (1862-1932)
Frances Isadore Kirby Blanton
Born: July 30, 1862
Died: February 28, 1932
Married to Richard Franklin Blanton in 1896
Converted and united with Union Ridge Baptist Church of Rover in early girlhood.
Source:
Baptist and Reflector, May 12, 1932, p 11, col 4; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-frances-isador-kir/205170528/ : accessed September 2, 2026), clip page for Frances Isador Kirby.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94868616/fannie-blanton: accessed 2 Sep 2026), memorial page for Fannie Kirby Blanton (20 Jul 1862–28 Feb 1932), Memorial ID 94868616, citing Unionville Cemetery, Unionville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA..
In Memoriam: William Thomas Blanton (1854-1937)
Born: February 13 1854
Died: May 2, 1937
Member of Union Ridge Baptist Church for about 63 yrs.
Married to Lula Cooper in November of 1886.
Predeceased by wife and two daughters--Mary Ella Blanton and Georgia Blanton Simpson
Survived by a daughter--Mrs. Nora Bell Blanton Taylor and 2 sons--Sam Blanton of Rover and Will Blanton of Old Hickory.
Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Crick--Bullock--Creswell Reunion In Rover (1940)
In Memoriam: Pearl Lamb (1903-1936)
Born: October 18, 1903
Died: June 2, 1936
Saved at age 11 and united with Baptist Church at age 13.
Survived by
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, October 1, 1936, p 17, col 1 & 2, Pearl Lamb; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-pearl-lamb-obit/205042090/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Pearl Lamb-Obit.
In Memoriam: Mrs. Betty Stegall Thomason (1861-1936)
Born: December 17, 1861
Died: July 10, 1936
Married: October 29, 1882 to J. M. Thomason
Joined Church in 1884.
Survivors
Husband: James Montgomery Thomason
Son: W.A. Thomason
Daughter: Mrs J.W. Tatum
Sister: Mrs. Sallie Beasley, of Franklin
Brother: Frank Stegall of Hartzel, Mo.
Grandson: Milton Thomason of Nashville.
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, October 1, 1936, p 17, col 1; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-mrs-bettie-thomas/205043455/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Mrs. Bettie Thomason--Obit.
Nashville Banner, July 11, 1936, p 2, col 6; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/nashville-banner/77446794/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page.
In Memoriam: Emma Thomason Osteen (1865-1936)
Joined Union Ridge Baptist at age 10.
She was the daughter of Adam Turner Thomason & Winnie Jane Weaver Thomason.
Predeceased by husband, Forrest Osteen(married Sept 9, 1884)
Survived by daughter, Lille Mae Osteen Harris(wife of Leonard Harris)
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, July 2, 1936, p 20, col 2 & 3; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-mrs-emma-thomason/205044346/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Mrs. Emma Thomason Osteen-Obit.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34870897/emma_adora-osteen: accessed 31 Aug 2026), memorial page for Emma Adora Thomason Osteen (1865–1936), Memorial ID 34870897, citing Cedar Grove Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: Mrs. Bettie Hester Jarrell (1863-1936)
Mrs. Bettie Hester Jarrell
Born: January 2, 1863
Died: January 10, 1936
Joined Union Ridge Baptist Church in early life.
Married Julius Jarrell July 11, 1888.
Survivors:
Sons: Walter Burns Jarrell & J. Frank Jarrell
Daughter Mary B Jarrell
Sources:
Baptist and Reflector, March 12, 1936, p 10, col 3;image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-betti/205048034/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Bettie Jarrell.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29091264/mary_elizabeth-jarrell: accessed 31 Aug 2026), memorial page for Mary Elizabeth “Bettie” Hester Jarrell (2 Jan 1863–10 Jan 1936), Memorial ID 29091264, citing Jarrell Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.
In Memoriam: John William Lamb (1861-1935)
Died: June 24, 1935
Married To Eliza Manier October 15, 1882
Converted and united with church in early life.
Deacon for many years at Union Ridge Baptist.
Source:
Baptist and Reflector, August 15, 1935, p 16, col 3; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-john-william-lamb/205051167/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for John William Lamb--Obit.
In Memoriam: Nannie Elizabeth Sanders (1919-1936)
Born: March 26 1919
Died: July 29, 1936
Joined Union Ridge Baptist at age 13.
Survived by
Parents-- Mr & Mrs John Sanders
Two Sisters
Nine Brothers
Source:
Monday, August 31, 2026
In Memoriam: Mrs. Ruth Elmore Blanton (1893-1942)
Died: Oct 9, 1942
Married: December 25, 1923 to Sam Blanton.
3 Children:
Sam Jr.
James and Jean(twins)
Member of Union Ridge Baptist since she was a young girl.
Baptist and Reflector, February 10, 1944, p 15, col 1, Blanton; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-ruth-elmore-blanto/204991539/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Ruth Elmore Blanton.
In Memoriam: Mr. G. T. Johnson (1871- 1940)
known as Mr. Tommie
Born: September 14, 1871 (Date from FindAGrave)
Died: December 12, 1940
Married to Miss Elizabeth Garrett on October 18, 1896
Survived by wife, daughter & a number of grandchildren
Predeceased by son who died young.
Member of Union Ridge Baptist Church
Source:
Baptist and Reflector, February 10, 1944, p 15; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-mr-g-t-johnson/204992604/ : accessed August 31, 2026), clip page for Mr. G. T. Johnson.
In Memoriam: Mr. James Montgomery Thomason (1861-1940)
Died: April 20, 1940
Member of Union Ridge Baptist Church for 69 years.
Served as Deacon, Church treasurer, Sunday School Teacher and Sunday School Superintendent.
Buried at Simpson Cemetery
Married to Bettie Stegall Thomason(passed in 1936)
Survivors:
Son: William Allison "Allie" Thomason
Daughter: Mrs. John Tatum(Pauline Thomason) of Nashville
Source:
Sunday, August 30, 2026
In Memoriam: Mrs. Annie Jeffress Shearin (1868-1943)
Died: September 28th, 1943 at her home in Rover after a long illness.
Husband: E.C. Shearin
Sons--Tom, Jess, and Bill of Rover.
Daughters--Mrs Alvie Taylor and Mrs Eugene Lamb, of Rover, Mrs Edd Elmore, of Nashville.
She was a member of the Union Ridge Baptist Church since a young lady.
A kind loving wife and mother has gone home to her reward in heaven--Mrs. Elizabeth Ruckett.
In Memoriam: Thea H. Winsett (1870-1941)
He married to Emma Pope, and to this union five children were born.
He was a member of Union Ridge Baptist Church, and was loyal to his church until failing health caused him to retire from farming and moved to Nashville, fifteen years before his death.
He died suddenly with a heart attack, while attending a family reunion.
The Lord knows best and maketh no mistakes.--Nettie Shearin.
Baptist and Reflector, February 17, 1944, p 17, col 2, obituary of Thea H Winsett; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obit-thea-h-winset/204967352/ : accessed August 30, 2026), clip page for Obit Thea H Winsett.
In Memoriam: Mr. Eldridge Washington Lamb (1868-1943)
He was married to Laura Owen, September 23rd 1897.
To the grief stricken widow we extend our sympathy and point her to the Master who said, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.:--Mrs. Lillian Shearin.
In Memoriam: Mrs. Edna Kimmins Simpson (1861-1943)
Died: July 20th, 1943
One of the oldest members of Union Ridge Baptist Church at Rover, Tenn.
She united with this church in early life and was a willing worker in Sunday School, the W.M.U. and all church work.
She was married to B.I. Simpson in 1880. They had 7 children, 5 of which survive her.
To know her was to love her and she had made many friends during her eighty-two years.
Her influence will live on in her children, grandchildren and friends.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Exploring My 23andMe Historical DNA Matches
I pulled the match info into a table including all categories but only the top two of the Viking Age era
I gave this information along with the descriptive blurbs included for each of the matches to Gemini and asked it to give me a brief summary.
Your historical DNA matches span roughly 3,000 years of human history (from ~1400 BCE to 1700 CE) across a broad geographic range, including Western Europe, Central Eurasia, Scandinavia, and South Asia.
Highest Shared DNA: Your strongest genetic connections among these profiles are to Viking Age Merchant VK479 (0.14% DNA / 9.86 cM across 2 segments) and Viking Age Individual VK368 (0.13% DNA / 9.11 cM across 2 segments). Because you share multiple segments and higher centiMorgan values with them, these represent your most relatively recent shared ancestry among the listed group.
Geographic Spread: While the majority of your matches are centered in Medieval Europe and Scandinavia (e.g., Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Faroe Islands), you also share ancient genetic links with distant Eurasian populations from Kazakhstan (Late Bronze Age) and Pakistan (Swat Valley).
Relationship Context: All listed matches are classified as "Very distantly related." Rather than direct linear descent, these matches indicate that you and these historical individuals inherited small, preserved segments of DNA from common ancestors who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago.
I think that is a far assessment. All of my ancestors(paternal & maternal) were living in the American Colonies by the time of the Revolutionary War.
My current ancestry composition at 23andMe as of their last update-- September 09, 2025.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Legacy Family Tree Webinars' Newest Feature: Learning Paths
I'm loving Legacy Family Tree Webinars' new feature called Learning Paths. It pulls together 3–6 webinars on a focused topic, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. You can choose from over 100 pre-created paths or build your own custom path. Simply pick the topics you like, enroll, and the site automatically tracks your progress.
Enrolling in paths, tracking progress, creating playlists, and earning certificates is completely free. Watching the individual webinars follows standard site access rules: free webinars remain free, while members-only webinars require a Webinar Membership.
My membership continues to feel like one of the best investments in family history research education.
Sunday, August 23, 2026
An Ongoing Workflow: Connecting Top Matches to Help Identify Shared DNA Lines
I took a quick look at my top 50 maternal matches and I have all but 3 of those identified. There is also one surprise cousin whom I have identified but am not linking. The maternal top 50 range from 117-281 centiMorgans. The difference in the ranges between the maternal and paternal top 50 matches is likely due to my maternal grandfather's branch having a high number of descendants and with more active researchers among them.
To find our relationship path, I use the shared matches to identify the tester's lineage. Some are easier to figure out than others, especially when a match has a close relative with an attached tree.
Once I finish mapping the top maternal matches, I'll meet my goal of having all DNA matches sharing 50 cMs or greater identified within my tree. Accomplishing this will make identifying future matches a lot easier. Also once I get the first page for each side done I will likely do the same for the 2nd pages of paternal and maternal matches.
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Jonathan Acuff's Place Mentioned in Newspaper Article(1932)
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Ancestry’s Updated ThruLines: What I Like and What I'd Like To See In Future Updates
The updated layout of Thrulines appeared in my account yesterday. I think it's a great visualization tool. It lets you see how many DNA matches have been identified AND fall within the specifications to show up on Thrulines for each branch as you can see in the image below of my Thrulines out to my 2nd Great Grandparents.
There is nothing that checks to see if the matches are on the correct side though and even if you do evaluate and add or choose not to add there is no option to mark a match as "not valid thru this line." Case in point, my paternal 2nd cousin once removed (also paternal for him) who is also a maternal 4th cousin once removed (thru his maternal lines) but shares no DNA thru the maternal connection. He shows up in the Thrulines of the Paternal line and the Maternal line. While we are close enough thru the maternal line to have many shared maternal cousins I know he doesn't share DNA with me thru that side because he doesn't share any DNA with my Mom who has also tested at Ancestry.
| Vertical View of match's line of descent from Polly Jakes sister of my 3rd Gr Grandfather, James Jakes(1788-1847) of Franklin Co., Virginia |
Records (7)Ancestry Member Trees (3)Photos (1)Family (6)
What I Like:
- Multiple View Options: Flexibility to switch depending on research needs.
- At-a-Glance Overview: A larger, cleaner overview across several generations.
- Dynamic Zoom: Seamless zooming in and out on horizontal or vertical views.
- Better Layout of Details in the Evaluating Process
What I’d Like to See Next:
- An "Evaluate & Dismiss" Feature: The ability to mark a proposed connection as invalid and remove it from view.
- Parent Side Filtering: Automatically suppressing match suggestions that contradict verified Parent Side assignments. While this wouldn't eliminate incorrect connections that happen to sit on the right parent's side through a different line, it's a great start and would clear up many common errors.

































