Sunday, January 5, 2014

What happened to Uncle Joe - My Womack Mystery

My great uncle Joseph E. Womack was born in 1905 in North Carolina. He was my great-grandfather's son by his first wife Sallie Jane Briggs.
My grandfather told me his older half siblings left home as soon as they were grown and he knew three of them moved to Durham. I examined the 1930 census and found Joseph living with his sister Bella and his brother Robert. After that the trail goes cold..I have no idea where Joseph went. One day as I'm researching I say to my grandfather I can't find Joseph anywhere. He tells me I have to look for Joseph Kurt. Apparently Joseph met a Professor Kurt who my grandfather said put him through school and he moved to New York and changed his last name to Kurt. No one seems to know what became of Uncle Joe and I have yet to find him.
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27 comments:

  1. Gardner's daughterJanuary 5, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    the ancestors will guide you...happy hunting:)

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  2. BernitaJanuary 5, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Wow, so many mysteries. Good luck with your search. It will come to you.

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  3. Nique StarJanuary 5, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    Ok, now that's a mystery...I wish you happy hunting also...

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  4. DeloresJanuary 5, 2014 at 12:03 PM

    Hopefully, you will find more info on Uncle Joe.

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  5. KristinJanuary 5, 2014 at 1:06 PM

    Hope the name change information will help. Some Ancestors just seem to disappear into thin air.

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    1. Erlaine DickensJanuary 17, 2014 at 5:58 PM

      Yes I have quite a few ancestors who disappeared without a trace. Hopefully there is a record of the request for name change :)

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  6. UnknownJanuary 5, 2014 at 1:21 PM

    Continue to call on the ancestors' guidance and you'll be lead to find them.

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  7. Terrence A.T. GarnettJanuary 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM

    Good luck in your search I too am trying to locate the sibling of an ancestor who moved to New York.

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  8. Ancient EchoesJanuary 5, 2014 at 4:12 PM

    Good luck with your search to find Joesph..

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  9. Dante EubanksJanuary 5, 2014 at 4:56 PM

    Thank you for introducing us to Uncle Joe! You will find him and the Ancestors will lead the way. Keep digging, asking, and peeling back the layers. He is waiting for you! I can't wait to read more and learn about Uncle Joe's story.

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  10. Root DiggerJanuary 5, 2014 at 5:16 PM

    Looking forward to you finding your Uncle Joe. I believe you will find him soon. So glad you were able to find out about a new last name. Your ancestors will continue guiding you. Best of luck.

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    1. Erlaine DickensJanuary 17, 2014 at 6:01 PM

      Thank you! I will definitely post whatever I find!

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  11. UnknownJanuary 5, 2014 at 11:31 PM

    Were you able to find more on his siblings, the professor or the school? I hope so

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    1. Erlaine DickensJanuary 17, 2014 at 6:04 PM

      I called Duke University and according to their records Joseph Womack was never enrolled there. My grandfather only knew the professors last name was Kurt so it has been difficult to find out anything about him but I'm not giving up!

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  12. True LewisJanuary 6, 2014 at 8:13 AM

    Somewhere in the details is the next step you should take. We all got them Uncle Joe's! Great Post.

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    1. Erlaine DickensJanuary 17, 2014 at 6:07 PM

      Thank you! I'm reviewing the info I have looking for clues I might have missed.

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  13. LindaReJanuary 6, 2014 at 8:57 AM

    I hope you find your Uncle Joe. I have a couple of missing relatives and I suspect they changed their names due to the reasons they fled home.

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