The Journey of My Ancestors
I am certain that many of you who take the time to browse this web site possess a greater talent for writing than I do. However, I truly believe that our ancestors would still want me, in my own way, to pass on to you the findings of my research and the many wonderful stories that have been handed down generation to generation. Therefore, with that said I will now undertake the task of sharing their stories with you and trust that you will forgive any mistakes that I might make.
While researching my line of ancestors, I often wondered just what they were like. What kind of people were they? What kind of life did they live? What were their likes and dislikes? Could I measure up to the hardships that they faced? I attempted to put my thoughts to paper many times and failed miserably. Then several months ago while attempting to verify some questionable data, I pulled a book from my personal library and began reading. To ensure that I knew the background of the author, I read the author’s preface and to my amazement, I found the very words that have so long evaded me. The books title is Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia Volume 1, compiled, and published in 1951 by Mr. Folks Huxford of Hommerville, Georgia. The book is a biographical account of some of the early settlers of a portion of Wiregrass Georgia.
At the time of publication, Mr. Huxford had been engaged in historical and genealogical work for over thirty-five years. His collections included thousands of family records dealing with old pioneer families of Georgia.
So that you might gain an understanding of what kind of people our ancestors were, here are Mr. Huxford’s thoughts on those pioneers that braved the journey south.
“The men and women who came to this uncharted wilderness country 125 years or more ago, left kindred and friends and home-ties far behind to brave the wilds and dangers of a new country, to make for themselves and their children a new home. They braved dangers untold, endured hardships and suffered privations without end, lived under the most primitive conditions; made a way where there was no way; learned by the hard way the great lessons in life of hard work, thrift, frugality, self-reliance, resourcefulness, courage, independence and faith in God. Their experiences worked in them great firmness of character. Among the graces these lessons in life inculcated, were those of hospitality, kindness, patience and neighborliness. They were for the most part, poor but a more honorable generation the world has never known. Measured by present-day ideas, they were crude and illiterate but they knew more about the essentials of life than this generation will ever learn. They were too plain both in speech and dress, to be counted cultured and refined as we count such things today. We would not say they were perfect, but they were all honest, God-fearing, brave and hard working, and they had no use for those who were not. Drones and dudes they despised, and undesirables soon found it healthier to seek other climates. To be a descendant of these hardy, God-fearing men and women is indeed an honor, and to share in their ideals is a privilege.”
And Now For My Story
To begin with, I believe it is important for you to understand that my brothers and I never knew any of our grandparents. We were fortunate enough to know our great grandmother Caroline Severance, a grand lady who raised Mom after the death of her parents. Grandma, as we called her, lived until I was eight years old so my memories of her are few. I do remember that Great Grandmother was a woman whose patience was not to be tested. To this day, I find myself smiling when I remember her stern face and those peach tree switches she would use on my backside. I have especially fond memories of those summers, my brothers and I spent helping great grandmother Caroline with the farm. Great grandfather Samuel Severance passed away soon after my first birthday, leaving the work of the farms one hundred and sixty acres to my great grandmother and my great uncles.
While growing up, for reasons that are unknown to me today, I never got around to asking Mom and Dad about their early lives or the lives of their parents and, unfortunately, neither Mom nor Dad ever volunteered the least bit of information. Only after my research began did I uncover the mystery surrounding their silence. Mom never really had a chance to know her parents due to their early death and Dad refused to talk about his parents due to the circumstances surrounding their death. More information about the death of my grandparents appears elsewhere in this site.
Not too long after my retirement, while working in my woodshop one afternoon, the phone rang. The voice on the other end introduced himself as Ferris (Sam) Jones of Dothan Alabama, formerly of Branford Florida. Branford, the place that Mom considered her home, is a quaint country town in Suwannee County, which holds many fond memories for me. Continuing with his story, Sam asked the name of my mother and if I knew the name of my grandmother. Being suspicious, I would not give him Mom’s name and told him that I did not know the name of my grandmother (which at the time was the truth).
Sam, for the next few minutes, explained his relationship to Mom. To my surprise, he also gave me the names of my grandparents, along with information on how and where they died. I was spellbound the entire time and began to realize how much of my past was missing. Because of this great void, my research the next few years was to become an obsession with me. One newly discovered name led to another. One new story passed on by a newly discovered relative gave me more names to research and many more stories.
Once my research was well under way, I found that many times the old records (some more than 150 years old) stored in basements and archived files, had a story to tell. These stories along with the stories passed on to me from personal interviews of relatives, were now beginning to give life to our ancestors. I then realized that I wanted to know much more about them and their journeys, as well as their name and place in our family history.
After more than twelve years of probing into thousands of records covering more than ten generations, the results of these probes, and the anecdotes associated with them, will be passed on to you. My sincere hope is that those who do have the opportunity to review my findings will gain a much better understanding of who our ancestors were, how they fit into the family, what conditions induced them to leave their homes, and finally, I hope that you come to appreciate the hardships they must have encountered. If I can pass on to you the same closeness that I now feel toward our ancestors, I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
We may never know the specific reasons behind our ancestors’ wish to move on to these new lands, but I feel certain that most of them wanted a better and more enriched life for their families.
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The information contained within this site comes from numerous sources. First, there were personal interviews conducted with relatives and friends of relatives. These interviews prompted me to visit the Clerk of Court offices located in Georgia, North Florida, and Central Florida in search of marriage, land, and probate records. In many instances, the Clerks of Court had passed their historical records on to the local Genealogical Societies, which became my next invaluable source of information. The Latter Day Saints (LDS) Family History Centers and public libraries became my next stop. Finally, I received numerous family histories and records, many containing entries without reference to their source, by U.S. mail and e-mail.
On 15 November the year 2002, the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS) officially recognized our paternal ancestors Joel Walker, his son Little Berry Walker, Mary Kinsey (wife of Little Berry), and their son Jesse Walker as “Florida Pioneers.” The award certifies that my proven ancestor settled in the State of Florida before March 3, 1845 on which date Florida became the 27th state. This recognition was in response to a report submitted by myself to the FSGS containing two years of documented research. My personal reward for submitting this report certifies me as a seventh generation Floridian and a certified "Descendant of a Florida Pioneer," for which I am very proud. Copies of the certificates are in another section of this website.
As I stated in the introduction, although by birthright, I carry the Chancey surname, I am also a descendant of a great many other surname families a very proud to be associated with each one.