VETERANS DAY 2020

 

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day on the 11^th month in 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations during the Great War known as World War I was established. This day was known as Armistice Day. This day has transformed to an official holiday to honor all members of the United States Armed forces now called Veterans Day.  Today I would like to honor my living relatives and ancestors on my trees who were in the armed forces. My research has not allowed me to identify all the veterans past or present. I have included veterans from all the trees I have researched which includes extended families. I will continue to search. They however are not forgotten.  Grateful for their service. God bless them all. Let’s support our living veterans.

  

Name	State of Residence	Enlistment Date	Branch of Service	Rank
Gerald R. Hollins		16 Sep 1969-1 Sep 1993	US Air Force	Master Sergeant (E-7)
Roy Jefferson-Lampton		1990-2000	US  Army	Sergeant
Eddie Brumfield Jr.		19 Mar 1969	US Air Force	Airman
Bertha Bearden	Mississippi	17 Feb 1943	US Women’s Army Corp (WAC)	Sergeant WWII
Charles David McEwen		09 Dec 1941	US  Army	Private WWII
Chris Seay	Mississippi	03 Dec 1943	US Army Air Forces	Sergeant WWII
Wiley Caston	Mississippi	23 Jan 1943	US Army
Wallace Caston	Mississippi		US Army
Cicero Caston	Mississippi	10 Dec 1942	US Army	Private WWII
Claude Sibley		25 Sep 1942	US Army	Private WWII
Earche Raymond Banks	Louisiana	19 Feb 1946	US Army	Private
Eddie Dunlap		28 Jan 1953	US Army
Eddie Lee Osby	Mississippi	14 Apr 1943	US Army	Private WWII
Edward Lee Elam	Illinois	14 Sep 1966	US Army	Private Viet Nam
Elijah Brumfield	Mississippi	28 July 1918	US  Army	WWI
Woodrow Brumfield	Mississippi		US Navy	WWII
Jethro Gatlin	Mississippi	28 July 1918	US  Army	WWI
Elmer Gatlin			US Army	WWII
Ernest Benjamin Strickland Sr	Tennessee	23 Mar 1941	US  Army	Sergeant WWII
Thomas Claude Strickland		29 June 1949	US Army	Corporal Korea
Florziel Jefferson	Mississippi	20  Aug 1942	US Army	Private WWII
Freddie Donnell	Texas	31 Mar 1916	US Army	Private  WWI
Howard Lee Graves	Louisiana		US Navy	WWII
Willie Graves	Louisiana	22 Feb 1943	US Navy	WWII
Jasper Graves	Mississippi	5  Mar 1918	US Army	WWI
Sylvester Hill	Ohio	2 Jun 1942	US Army	WWII
Iddo Brent Jr	Mississippi	17  Aug 1942	US Army	Private WWII
Isom Brumfield Jr	Mississippi	20 July 1943	US Army	Private WWII
Robert Brumfield	Mississippi	16 Oct 1942
James Edwards Sr	Mississippi	03 Aug 1942	US  Army	Private WWII
Jessie Caston Jr.	Mississippi	13  Dec 1945	US  Army	Private first class
Martin William Watkins	Texas	14 Sep 1951	US Army	Corporal Korea
Mattie Donnell Hicks	North  Carolina	10 Mar 1946	US Army	Major WWII Korea Viet Nam
Rudolph Knight		3 Oct 1943	US Army	WWII
Rudolph Knight Jr.	Louisiana	10 June 1960		Viet Nam
Leamon Jefferson	Louisiana	27 July 1944	US Navy
Thomas Cornelius Brumfield	Louisiana	19 Feb  1943	US Army
Thad Brumfield	Mississippi	20 July 1943	US Army	WWII
Owen Brumfield	Mississippi	16 Oct 1942	US Army	WWII
Virgil Downs	Mississippi	1 Mar 1951	US Army
Mack Quinn		23 Feb 1951	US Army
Clifton Louis Brumfield		30 Jun1959	US Army
Lavergne Rayborn	Pennsylvania	26 Dec 1945	Staff Sergeant  US Army
Johnnie Rayborn		14 Oct 1945	US Army
Murdock Smith			US Army
Frank M. Strickland			US Army	WWI
Henry Sartin Jr.	Mississippi	25 Jan 1943	US Army	WWII
Gale Brumfield	Mississippi	16 Feb 1942
Purvis Conerly Jr	Mississippi		US Navy
James Weldon Brumfield	Mississippi	2 Dec 1942	US Army	WWII
David T. Brumfield	Mississippi	10 Sep 1942	US Army	WWII
Elijah Brumfield	Mississippi	10 Oct 1942	US Army	WWII
Otis Brumfield	Mississippi	16 Oct 1942	US Army	WWII
James Bearden	Mississippi	3 Oct 1942		WWII
James Jackson Jr.	Mississippi	31, Apr 1948	US Air Force
Alexander E. Martin	Mississippi		US Army
Bernard Caston Sr.			US Army

 

  ----- The Tree Gardener

 

 

 

 

A Brick In the Wall Has Fallen Part 1 Ancestral Photograph

Ancestral Photograph

In my research of my family trees, one of the biggest challenge is to find information prior to 1870 in the United States concerning black African Americans.  In genealogy parlance, it is a "brick wall".  It is considered a major brick wall because prior to 1870 enslaved black people were not enumerated by first and last name in the United States federal census.

 It is important to know there were exceptions where black or people of color were enumerated in the federal census prior to 1870. In the 1790 and 1810 census, free non-white people were entitled in a category of "all other free persons".  It is not clear if this distinction included black and or native american people. Free people of color were enumerated in the federal census in 1850 and 1860.  The Federal Mortality schedules of 1850 and 1860 slaves are listed and cause of death.  Military records can also be a source for locating black African Americans prior to 1870 who were union and confederate soldiers.  In the 1860 census, enslaved black people were enumerated who were over 100 years old.  These enslaved black centenarians were usually listed by first name only. I have included a link with listed names and locations.
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ajac/slave100up.htm. 
  
 My family’s roots were planted in the southern portion of the United States.  Prior to 1865, most black African Americans were someone’s property as slaves. I have made the assumption that my ancestors were enslaved.  In prior blogs, I have focused on the descendants of   Liddie Brumfield Caston an enslaved woman who had two husbands with two sets of children in Mississippi. Louis Brumfield her first husband who was probably enslaved was sold or died.  Calvin Caston who was Liddie’s second husband whom she helped established a homestead. The blended family tree of Liddie Brumfield Caston.
 Elvira's surname maybe  Brumfield or Caston based on information found on records which will be disclosed latter blog. The surname of the former enslaved may be from a slave master at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, former slave master or an adopted name. In the case of Liddie Brumfield Caston, the surname of the former slave owner was retained. 
A brick in the wall of Liddie Brumfield Caston family tree has been removed with the help of the descendant of Henry S. Brumfield. A photograph was given to my cousin Manuel Graves by Laura Brumfield descendant of Henry S. Brumfield   identifies several of our ancestors. 

The Black individuals in the picture are Calvin "Cad" Caston and Lydia Brumfield "Bromfield" Caston,  Richard Brumfield "Dick Bromfield" and Eli Brumfield "Bromfield".  The Caucasian   individuals are Henry S. Brumfield "Grandpa Bromfield" Lucinda Brumfield Andrews "Aunt Lucinda Andrews" and Joseph Warren Brumfield "Uncle Joe Bromfield". This is an amazing and exciting discovery. More information concerning the individuals in the picture will be coming in future posts.


Forever Grateful ----- The Tree Gardener