When I first started researching my Womack ancestors I had no idea what I was in for. My grandfather was a small child when his father passed away and he barely remembered him. Where would I start? How would I find out where my great-grandfather and his family came from? My first breakthrough came when I went to the Libray of Congress in Richmond. There I found my grandfather's family on the 1910 census and from that point I never stopped searching. Sometimes the search would become so overwhelming I would take a break but still I was determined to keep moving forward. And that determination has yielded results!
My great-grandparents, Ed and Martha Womack lived in Maxton, NC. Ed had six children from a previous marriage. There names and ages were Sarah(11), Esther (9), Bella (8), Robert (7), Joe (5) and James (3). Valley (4 mths) was their first child together. Their other children Bula, James and Conway were born after 1910 census. My great-grandfather passed away in 1921. On the 1930 census my great-grandmother is listed as head of house with Bula, Conway, Lena and Katie. Lena was born after my great-grandfather's death and Katie is Valley's daughter. On the 1940 census Martha is again listed as head of house with Conway and Lena.
With this information my family tree was beginning to come together. I now had the names and approximate ages of my ancestors and began to search other records to give me a clearer picture of my ancestors.
