Just another Brick in the Wall

                                                                                     "Everything you need is already inside you" ~Bill Bowerman

Hitting a brick wall is not fun; in fact it can be extremely frustrating.  I hit a brick wall while searching for information on my paternal 3X great grandfather Robert Moses Hafford.  I could not locate anything on him before 1864.  I reached out to my genealogy group for help.  Help arrived in the form of Marlive Taylor-Harris, who spent an hour of her time pulling my head out the dark by answering my questions on research techniques.  I was able to see the light and understand what she meant when she said the information was inside of me.  Thanks to her tips, I was able to find the name of the owner of the farm (John Caldwell) that Robert worked as a sharecropper.  

It was during that search, when more good fortune fell into my lap in the form of Luckie Daniels's post in AAGSAR (African American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research Facebook group).  She found information on her ancestors in the probate records on FamilySearch (something I didn't know).  I started searching in those records, during a break, I found myself in the Monroe County Death Index (RootsWeb).   I never would have found that database if it wasn't for Luckie.  In the index database, I found Robert’s information as well as his wives Anna and Alice.  Also listed in that index, was a woman named Sally Hafford.   I didn't know who she was or if she was related to Robert.  I started searching her name to see what I could find.  

A Google search came back with an article titled, "Looking Back Hafford was the oldest woman in  the U.S." written by Rose Mcllveen in the Heraldtimesonline.com on July 29, 1989 (subscription needed to access the article).   After reading this article, I found that Sallie Hafford was the mother of Robert.  Sallie was born (1787-1800) in Richmond, Virginia.  Born into slavery, her first master was either Col. Archer Fletcher or Billie Wilson; her last owner was Col. George Hafford.   Sallie gave birth to 17 or 19 children and was sold seven times in her lifetime.  Her life as a slave was not easy; she said she suffered many hardships and abuse (Mcllveen, 1989).  A promise to her dying master put Sallie in charge of his large plantation in the years his son was growing up.  She stayed on even after the slaves were freed (honoring her promise to her late master).  He promised her five acres of land, a horse and a cow as a thank you/reward.  When the son she nurtured became of age, he sold her possessions and kept the money (Hine & Gaspar, 1996).  She left after that incident and went to live with her daughter in Bloomington, Indiana.  Sallie was either 116 or 124 years old at the time of her death in 1912.  Her obituary listed two children living in Bloomington, Josephine Wilson and Moses Hafford (1989).  The first census that I have shows a Moses Hafford living on West Seventh Street in Bloomingon, Indiana.  The Sallie in that article is my 4X great grandmother, the mother of Robert Moses Hafford.  She took the name Hafford from her last master, Col Hafford (1996).

Words cannot describe how happy I was when I found Sallie.  Thanks to her obituary, I now have the names of three of her slave owners which will help me search probate records and wills.  If it wasn't for the shared information in the AAGSAR group, I don't know if I would have found Sallie so quickly.  What I thought was just another brick in my wall, turned out not to be one.  It is just as Luckie once stated, "it is only a brick wall if you quit".  I may get frustrated when my search seems to hit a wall, but I will not quit.  Sallie Hafford, you are no longer forgotten.   One less brick in my wall!  I am working on the descendants of Sallie, below is just a snippet of what I have so far.

                                                           

                                                                                        Sallie (Sally) Hafford Descendants 

1840-1848 ~ Sallie gave birth to Robert Moses Hafford (Mulatto) in Warren County, Kentucky

1870 ~ Robert Moses Hafford is married to Alice (1854-1885). They have three children Josephine (1871), Ada (1875), Robert (1878) and George (1879)

1890 ~ Robert marries Anna Walker (1849-1922)

1900 ~ Josephine, divorced (from George Barnes) and living with her parents. She and George had seven children only three were living, Robert (1890), Ethel (1895) and Ada (1896)

1904~ Ethel Barnes was married to Felix Parker and had given birth to my grandmother Edna Parker 

Here are a few of the articles that I found on my paternal 4X great grandmother Sallie Hafford.

 

       

                         Americana: Volume 7, Part 1, Page 329

Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), page 17

                                                  

          The Indianapolis Star(Indianapolis, Indiana)                          19 February 1912 Page 4                                                  

This post will update when more information on Sallie Hafford is discovered.


"Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history" ~Carter G. Woodson

Sources:

Negress Saw Washington. (1912). Americana: Volume 7, Part 1. The National Americana Society. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=4WUKAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA329

Hine, D., & Gaspar, D. B. (1996). More Than Chattel: Black Women and Slavery in the Americas. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=td2yIa7X6H4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=more+than+chattel&hl=en&sa=X&ei=T120Uu6pCsbeyAGlnoHQBA&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=more%20than%20chattel&f=false

Mcllveen, Rose. (1989). Looking Back Hafford was known as oldest woman in U.S. HeraldTimesOnline.com 1989. Retrieved from http://ww.heraldtimesonline.com//stories/1989/07/29/archive.19890729.2404b22.sto?code=92a3271a-68f4-11e3-b746-10604b9fc222

Negress Dies, Aged 124. (1912, February 21). The Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), page 17.  Retreived from http://www.newspapers.com/image/#14356677 

Former Slave Dies At Age Of 116 (19 February 1912). The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Indiana), page 4. Retrieved from http://www.newspapers.com/clip/228696//

Thank You For Your Service

As a military veteran, I can't tell you how many times people have said to me "thank you for your service". There has only been one time when hearing that did not make me smile. I was coming home from being deployed and this lady stops me and says thank you for your service.  She then proceeded to tell me with tears in her eyes that she lost her 19 year old daughter in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.  It took everything I had not to cry with her but I felt her pain and knew my tears would make it worse.  I hugged her and told her she should be proud that her daughter joined the military to keep our country safe.  It takes a brave and courageous person to make that decision.  I thanked her for her daughter's service and the sacrifice she made for our country.  I also thanked her for supporting her daughter because I know what it's like when you're at basic training or away from home the only thing that keeps you going is your family.  She let out a breath, patted my arm, said thank you and then walked away.  I still tear up when I think about how much pain she was in.  So many parents, spouses, friends and children have lost someone during our conflicts; and it never gets easy.  

I will admit that it took me being out of the military to fully understand what it means to a veteran.  We as a country honor our vets on November 11th every year, many places offer military discounts to veterans, active duty members as well as their family.   A lot of people may not know the full sacrifices that each member as well as their family makes, some give their lives for our country.  People in the military don't ask for much, they proudly serve their country with honor. 

I can say that not every place is a good place to be stationed, the pay isn't the greatest (many families struggle) but the camaraderie amongst members cannot be matched.  I was lucky to meet a lot of people that had I not joined the Air Force, I would never have met.  I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

I found out that my family has a few veterans.  I am so proud of them for choosing to serve their country, especially during the times when they may not have been treated fairly.  I honor their service and appreciate their sacrifices as well as those made by their family.   I've come across a few during my research and will add them to my list as I find them.  

                    

Dad at 17

My dad and I

My paternal grandfather Felix Parker served in WWI and registered for WWII (I am still verifying this war). He was a sergeant in Company E of the 812th Pioneer Infantry. The 812th Infantry was one of 16 African-American regiments that made up the Black US Army bands.  They entertained servicemen and civilians in Europe (except 810 and 812 they remained stateside) America with "traditional military marches and concert band fare, but also with minstrel shows and revues, and with the latest flavor of ragtime music, which they called jazz.   These non-combatant black troops worked as stevedores, dug trenches, graves, and latrines, and built hospitals, roads, bridges, and railroad lines" (Lefferts, 2012). 
Source Information: Lefferts, Peter M., "Black US Army Bands and Their Bandmasters in World War I" (2012). Faculty Publications: School of Music. Paper 25. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/musicfacpub/25

Felix Parker WWI Registration Card
Source information: Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005

I found this draft card is interesting because it lists a wife and 6 year old child.  I believe this is my grandmother Edna and her mother but I haven't been able to verify it yet.

WWII Registration Card
Source Information. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010

When I look at his WWII registration card, I wondered what made him want to serve again at 54 years old. Was it for a better life for his family or a desire to service his country?  I think it was to serve his country and I am so proud of him.  I wish I knew him but I know through my father and my mother I will get to know him.

My paternal 3rd great grandfather Robert Moses Hafford was born 1845 in Warren, Kentucky.  He volunteered on 26 June 1864 to serve with the Union in the Civil War.  He served in the 1st United States Colored Heavy Artillery at 19 years of age. 

Robert Hafford Service Record
Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1881-1865 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Robert and Felix (and my father) are just a few of my ancestors who volunteered to serve their country.  I will add more later.  

Happy Veterans Day!  Take the time to thank our military veterans, active duty members and their families for their service and dedication to our country.