Along Those Lines...
My Great-great Grandfather at the Georgia Archives
by George G. Morgan
Several weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking to the Georgia Genealogical Society at their Fall Conference at the Georgia Archives. I could not have had a warmer reception by such a friendly and engaging group of people! I am not only very grateful for the reception I received, but also for the tips on using their facility.
In the several days I spent in the area prior to the conference, I visited the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) branch in Atlanta. While NARA is building a new facility adjacent to the Georgia Archives in Morrow, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, the current facility in East Point was a disappointment. (Only one of the two microfilm printers was in operation, and there was only one staff member present to assist patrons.)
I was able to visit and work in the new Georgia Archives, however, and the difference is like night and day. What's more, I was able to locate information about my great-great grandfather Jesse Holder about whom I had previously known very little. In "Along Those Lines..." this week, I want to share my experiences there.
A Beautiful Facility
The Georgia Archives building is about a year old and was definitely designed with the researcher in mind. The research room on the first floor is quite large. At one end are the printed materials and at the other end are the microform storage cabinets and readers. A capacious reference desk is situated in the center of the main room. Another large research room is adjacent to the open stacks and film. On the other side of the glass were a dedicated research librarian and loads of space for working with original records.
The researchers' tables and chairs are conveniently located close to the reference desk, and there is abundance of computers to use to look up materials in the online catalog and/or check other repositories. The state-of-the-art in research is certainly obvious at every turn: Soaring windows allow an abundance of natural light. On each table, however, there is a fixed lamp at just the right height, designed to perfectly illuminate research materials without producing a glare. There are smallish metal panels and troughs in each research table through which the power cords of your electronic equipment may be dropped to an ample number of power receptacles. I can tell you that these Georgians know how to build an archival facility!
A State Archives' Content is Unique
There is no doubt that state archives always have materials that cannot be found elsewhere. They may also have "inherited" original documents from counties (that perhaps ran out of storage space) or microfilm of county documents. In any event, a visit to the state archives in the state in which your ancestors lived is essential. This trip was no exception.
Those of you who have read this column for a while have undoubtedly seen references to my great-grandfather Green Berry Holder and to the family home in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. Green Berry and his wife, Anisbelle Penelope Swords Holder, were my mother's mother's parents. Green Berry's parents were Jesse Holder and Hepsevah/Hepsebah Langley Holder, and they farmed near Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County, Georgia, from the late 1830s until late 1865.
Jesse Holder has been something of an enigma. All that I knew (from census records) was that he had been born in North Carolina. Further research pointed to perhaps Samson County, North Carolina, but I never knew where and certainly didn't know his date of birth. All of that was about to change.
Confederate Pension Records
Both Green Berry and his older brother, John Thomas, enlisted in the Confederate Army in Georgia and both fought in Company D, 45th Regiment, of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. I also knew that they were present at Appomattox when General Lee surrendered on 9 April 1865. They were discharged from the Army of Virginia to which their unit had been attached and they walked home to Lawrenceville. Toward the end of 1865, Jesse, his wife, and both John Thomas and Green Berry relocated west to Floyd County, Georgia, and settled in the area between Lindale and Silver Creek.
My research goals for my visit to NARA and to the Georgia Archives were to locate more information at the state level about these men's military service records. Starting with John Thomas Holder, I had located the Confederate muster roll cards on microfilm at NARA. At the Georgia Archives, I began a search for additional military records. I soon found the Confederate Pension Records on 493 reels of microfilm.
The documents are arranged alphabetically first by county, then by surname. I therefore began my search in the Floyd County records. Green Berry had not applied for a Confederate pension, so there were no records available. I proceeded on to those of John Thomas Holder and found that he had sworn and signed on 25 September 1902 an application for a pension. Included in the file were the sworn statement of his witness, G.B. Holder (his brother and comrade at arms), his doctor's statement as to his infirmity, and a power of attorney dated 13 January 1905 appointing John B. Davis to receive his pension payments on his behalf. Excellent!
I then decided to scroll through the microfilm through any other Holder men in the Floyd County, Georgia, pension files. Wait a minute! There is a Jesse Holder! How could that be? He was not a young man during the Civil War. This couldn't possibly be the same man. Or could it?
Jesse Holder Revealed
The Jesse Holder I had found had enlisted in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on 24 August 1861 and was assigned to Company F, 24th Georgia Infantry, and "The Independent Blues." Sure enough, here was a pension file for Jesse. In response to question 3 on the Questions for Applicant document, "When and where were you born?" he responded with "August 13, 1810 In North Carolina--came to Georgia when a child". He indicated that he had served in this company and regiment for "Two years" and that he was transferred to the militia where he served until discharged at Lawrenceville in June 1865.
The conclusive link came from the response to question 24, "Are you married and have you a family? If so, is your wife living and how many children have you? Give age and sex of children and their means of support." Jess responded that his wife was not living and that he had two boys, ages 50 and 54 years old, both farmers, and that "both has families." The document is signed with Jesse's "X" and dated 10 May 1895. Accompanying that document is a sworn statement by a witness, James M. Patterson, attesting to the same facts, and a letter written by G. B. Holder dated 24 September 1895 stating that his father is indigent and has been unable to work or contribute to his own support for "15 or 20 years on account of his physical condition."
Suddenly I have located the direct link to my great-great-grandfather, determined his exact date of birth, learned that he came to Georgia as a child, served in the Confederate army, is widowed, and that he applied for a Confederate pension in Georgia. The links to his son, my great-grandfather, Green Berry Holder, are conclusive.
Another document dated 26 September 1862 in Richmond and labeled in the margin "ACCOUNT TO BE MADE TO THE QUARTERMASTER" describes Jesse's physical appearance. It states that he is 5 feet 7 inches tall, has a dark complexion, dark eyes, and "dark slightly grey" hair. This is his military discharge by reason of "old age and inactivity." He had pay due him from 28 February 1862 to the 15 April 1862 at a rate of $11.00 per month. He was due $25.00 for clothing but was "indebted to the Confederate States two 50/100 dollars on account of blanket drawn." His total pay for service and clothing was $42.00, minus the $2.50 deduction for the blanket, netting $39.50, and this payment was made on 26 September 1862.
I now know that Jesse was mustered out of the "Independent Blues" on 15 April 1862 and that he was officially discharged and paid in September of 1862 after in fact serving only 13 months.
On 19 January, a document from the State of Georgia, For Applicants Heretofore Allowed Pensions, awarded Jesse Holder his Confederate pension.
Success and Beyond
I still do not know the date of Jesse Holder's death, or that of his wife, and I don't know where they are buried in Floyd County. However, I feel I have made a great deal of progress and can continue to search for them on my next trip to Georgia.
In the meantime, I will never underestimate the holdings of a state archive, and I give my sincere thanks to the Georgia Archives and to the very helpful staff there who guided me to Jesse's records.
Happy Hunting!
George
George is president and a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. Visit the ISFHWE Web site at www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/.
Visit George's website at http://ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements.
Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.
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Ancestry Quick Tip
Create a Census Spreadsheet
I export my direct ancestors to Excel to create spreadsheets that I use to track individuals I have found in the various census.
The names of my ancestors are in first column and the census years are listed chronologically in the following columns across the top. When I find an ancestor in a particular census, I put an "X" in the cell that intersects the name and the year. I also include birth and death years so I can darken the cells for the years that would not be applicable for that individual.
I use the same list of ancestors in another spreadsheet to record birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, and so on, following the same method of using an "X" to indicate that I have the supporting documentation.
I can see at a glance what I have and what I am missing for each of my ancestors.
Beverly Lewis
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