Travel On Back Home
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I am about to take you on a very long journey.
We will travel across four centuries and from different corners of the Earth.All time and all points lead directly back to me, today. Check back often to see what has been added, maybe you will find yourself here, and not just as a visitor someday!
I will start with my Mother as she is the reason I am here today so I can tell you about my life and the others that came before me. Via her side of the family.
I have been searching for answers to my questions all my life. Little did I know, these answers would come not from my mother herself, but through doing genealogy, In doing this study, the answers would come to me over the span of centuries!
For this story, I will have to begin three hundred years ago! A man called John Turnbull traveled from Scotland to the United States. He was educated, wealthy, and a successful business man. He came to Louisiana when it was still only a budding territory.
He met the Chief Taskietoka of the Chickasaw Tribe and fell in love with the Chief’s sister or daughter - is not known for sure. Her name is not known either (yet) but she bore him a child.
He married twice more and had a son named Daniel Turnbull. Daniel married Martha Barrows who was a wealthy,beautiful southern girl.
Together they built a Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. I have seen this grand home.
The long road with giant oaks, their graceful branches arching and over lapping, making a lush canopy to look up at from the pathway - which is called oak alley that leads you up to the plantation.
Spanish moss hanging down from the giant branches creates a grand entrance and there it sits. In all it's glory,RoseDown, home of my ancestors!
Daniel and Martha chose the name "Rosedown" while on
thier honeymoon in Europe.
They raised their children William & Sarah at Rosedown, where bitter sweet memories were made. They also had a son named James Daniel who died at the age of seven of the "fever"...
Daniel built an office for his plantation doctor to live and be on hand for his family and also his slaves, five hundred human beings besides his family, Daniel and this doctor were responsible for. His people were treated very well for the times and he did his best by all equally.
Their son William married Caroline S. Butler, whose mother was the great-grandaughter of Martha Washington. William died on 11-12-1856. The skiff he was on over-turned while crossing "Old River" at his Desota Island Plantation.
Daniel & Martha mourned the loss of their sons for the rest of their lives. They all are buried in the old cemetery in St. Francisville, Louisiana.
As I said earlier, "I am taking you on a very long journey" so on we go to the open, spacious state of Oklahoma! This is where my branch to my family tree comes in and my Choctaw Heritage.
My Mother, Muriel Eugenia, was born to William Ralph Wever & Joada Selsor Wever, on July 10th, 1911 in Colgate Oklahoma.
Grandmother Joada was Choctaw through her mother Agnes Turnbull. There are three brothers also. My Uncle Gail lived in Texas, Uncle Wayne in Arkansas, and Uncle Ralph in California.
Grandmother Joada was the oldest daughter of John Selsor and Agnes Turnbull. Great grandmother Agnes is the daughter of Rebecca and Daniel Turnbull.
Great-great-grandfather Daniel Turnbull is the son of Simion and Jericho Turnbull. The Daniel Turnbull of Rosedown, was Simion's Uncle.
My mother’s people are buried in a old cemetery outside of Durant, Oklahoma. I have gone there to see where they laid their heads to rest. I also saw the land of which they had owned.
I met my kin, and the Choctaw was evident. When we got out to see the land, the men got out with shotguns, I thought twice or even three times about getting out into a large grassy field.
Only a corner stone could be seen of the homestead. The fencing was made of a wood called "Bode-ark". It is so hard that when chopping it for fences, the axe would spark! The wood hadn't changed in a couple hundred years.
As we walked in grass as high as my waist, I thought about snakes and ticks and I didn't venture too far. I walked over to a pile of wood and I took two nails out and placed them in my hand. My kin had made use of these nails to build their home. There was a creek below where I stood, and a little further down there was a spring. I was told that people from miles around use to go to that spring for their fresh water! It was so hot that day, the humidity was high also. I didn't want to leave but the heat was so unbearable. I thought to myself - I can walk away from here but my people endured this heat year after year after year!
I then went to see my Great-grandmother Agnes and Great-Grandfather John Selsor's grave site. I never once thought of not being able to find them even though I knew nothing of the history of my mother or this place. I felt like I was coming home!
I walked the sidewalks of Coalgate, and went into the little post office that was built a year before Mother was born. This little town in Oklahoma was where my Mother began her life’s journey. The book of life has as many chapters as the writer can make, this was just the first chapters of my mother‘s life. Now on to the next journey.
I now take you to back 1621, with the landing of the pilgrims and my relative who came here on The Mayflower. This one man in particular, is Richard Warren. He came to this free and open country on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution and establish a new home in his new country! (His wife and first born children would later come to American on the great ship “The Anne” after the settlement and a home was made ready.)
I have to use my words and how I felt in searching for my ancestors.
This was so remarkable to me to find out that my mother’s people were already on this great land when her other side came across on the Mayflower. Richard Warren had left his wife Elizabeth and daughters in England. He did this so he could help colonize the pilgrims, get organized with land plots, and help build a colony called Plymouth. He helped to makes laws for people
to abide by also.
When everything was done, he sent for his wife and daughters, they came on the ship called Anne. Daughters, Mary born in 1610, Anna, born 1612, Sarah, born 1614, Elizabeth born 1616, and Abigail, born 1618. They were all born in England. In 1625, Nathaniel was born and in 1626 Joseph Was born, both boys in Plymouth as Americans.
There is so much history here! I enjoyed being educated along my journey. I had no idea while I was being taught history in school that I was descended from that historical time era or I would of paid closer attention!
Richard Warren was born 1572-1621. He married Elizabeth Evans, or Doucke born about 1582 and died in Plymouth, Maine 10-02-1673. (her surname is sketchy even in the history books we have studied. (Rici & I since she is kind of adding to this… Note from Rici - Linda did a huge study for the facts! This is her story! )
Their daughter Mary Warren was born in 1610 and died 3-27-1683 she had married Robert Bartlett on May 22,1627. They had Lydia Bartlett, born 6-08-1648.
Lydia married John Nelson 10-30-1677. Born to them was Samuel Nelson, 12-15-1707
Samuel married Bathsheba Nichols (I love her name) They had Hanna Nelson 10-08-1728.
Hannah married Thomas Morton. They had Hanna Morton who marries her cousin Silas.
Silas married again to Elizabeth Foster and they had Lucia Morton 01-07-1737 or 1738 - died 12-19-1789.
Lucia marries Dr. Isaac Folsom of Pembroke, Maine. They had Harriet Folsom.
Harriet Ann Elizabeth Folsom married, Capt. Patrick Henry Childress. They had Sara Flagg Childress.
Sara married William Feimster Wever (my great grandfather). Sara and William have Ralph William Wever. (my grandfather).
Ralph William Wever married my grandmother Joada Selsor and they had
Gail, Wayne Folsom, Muriel Eugenia (my mother) and Ralph Edward Wever.
My mother Muriel Eugenia married Harry Lee Dawson on 12-28-1928. Born to them were: Virginia Ann,06-12-1930, Joada Lee 2-28-1933, Thomas Henry 07-26-1936, Sylvia Dawn,02-29-1940, Harry Lee Dawson Jr. 06-12-1943 or1944 died 06-12-1943-44, John Lowell 8-16-1947, and then ME! Linda Susan 07-08-1951
Whewwwww!!!!!!! And that was just MY direct line, there are hundreds of cousins and other relatives as well as Mayflower descendants that may be related! I have recently met some cousins doing this genealogy… on to more stories! This book of life is far from finished so check back often!
Note: Rici is the daughter of my eldest sister Virginia and we are the most interested in finding all the clues and facts. Growing up, Virginia came along when her elders were old enough to not be around very long so her memories are sparse but golden! As I said before, I was born late in life to my parents so there are few living relatives to help me with the answers in my quest for knowledge of where I came from. She is also jealous I was able to go to the original homestead and Rosedown but travels with me in spirit and pictures! It is a grand journey!
