The 1900 Census - Where Is Great Grandpa James Ed Womack?

My great-grandfather James Ed Womack was born in Wake County NC around the year of 1866. On the 1870 Census of Panther Branch, Wake County NC he was the youngest child of Handy and Prisseler Womack who were both thirty five (35) years of age, his name was James and he was four (4) years old. At that time he had one sister, Ines who was nine (9) years old and two brothers Thaddeus age seven (7) and Anderson age six (6). On the 1880 Census of Panther Branch Wake County NC the spelling of the family last name is now Wammach, his listed name was Edward and his age was given as twelve (12). His sister Ines is no longer listed in the home, his brother Thaddeus is now listed as Fabeus,age seventeen (17) and Anderson is age fifteen (15). In addition he now has two younger sisters Druscilla age ten (10), and Alma age two (2). His father Handy Wammach is now forty-three (43) and his mother Pricilla is now thirty-seven (37). Apparently Mama is not aging at the rate of everyone else! By 1900 the family has moved to Banner, Johnston County NC and Priscilla is now listed as Silla and is sixty (60) years old-->age has caught up with her now! Handy, Thaddeus (Fabeus), Anderson, Edward nor Druscilla are listed with the family. Alma is now twenty (20) years old. There are two additional children listed who are Thomas age 18 and Lula age 16. Two children listed as granddaughters to the head of the household are Estelle age six (6) and Hettie age(4. Since Alma nor Lula had any children I began searching for Ines and Druscilla. I found Ines, now Ida, still in Panther Branch Wake County NC. She was a servant in the Weathers household and is the divorced mother of two children. Hence I believe her to be Estelle and Hettie's mother. I have searched and searched the 1900 census for my great grandfather, James Ed Womack, and have come up with nothing. As I was discussing this with my sister she reveals she is having the same problem with my OTHER great-grandfather who also lives in NC. Ben McNeil and his first wife Lizzie Hall McNeil are missing from the 1900 Alfordsville, Robeson County NC Census. Is that a coincidence or is a part of the census missing? Was there a certain area that was skipped on the 1900 census? Why are other relative so easily found but not them? At the time of the 1900 census both James Ed Womack and Ben McNeil are married with at least one child (judging by the 1910 census) but still no record is found. Looks like I have another mystery on my hands!

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.

Briggs/McRae Marraige - What will these clues reveal?

As I am reviewing the information I have so far I come across a note I've written that says "Rufus Briggs--uncle down the street". My grandfather told me his half brothers uncle's name was Rufus Briggs and he married a school teacher named Miss McKoy. I searched for and found their marriage record however the only information filled in was their names..no dates..no witnesses. As I was browsing I found a marriage record for Joseph Briggs and Anna McRae. My heart skipped a beat when I saw one of the witnesses was J.E. Womack who is my great-grand father.

Sallie Briggs was my great grandfather's first wife. Martha McRae was my great grandfather's second wife. Since Sallie and James (sometimes Ed)last child together was born in 1907 I don't think Martha and James were married yet. Was James their in support of Joseph Briggs (possibly Sallie's brother) or Anna McRae (possibly Martha's sister)? I don't know what happened to Sallie Briggs and I've always presumed she died between 1907 (the year her last child was born) and 1910 (the first year Ed and Martha are listed as husband and wife on the census). Went back and took another look at the 1910 census and discovered Ed and Martha had been married for one year according to the information on the census. While I am curious about Sallie Briggs my focus is on Martha McRae. According to the information I have Martha was born in South Carolina. I don't know who her parents were or if she had any siblings. What will the information on the marriage certificate reveal? Is it possible Anna, Martha and Peter (another witness at the wedding)are siblings? I'm on a mission to find out!!

Alternate Spellings of Womack

Well what the heck is going on here?? I have been looking for death certificates for the Womack family for years. Always entering the search term "Womack" and clicking exact spelling. After talking with others I decided to use wild cards in my search terms and I'm glad I did. Hmmm ...this record matches what I'm looking for but this death certificate is for a Warmock. This record here matches what grandpa told me about his brother David but the name on the certificate is Daniel Warnack. My great aunt Bella was married to CC Miller when she died. I can't find Bella Miller anywhere....wait here is a certificate for a Bella Warmach AND the information matches what I'e been told! At this point I stopped focusing on ONE word and opened my mind to different possibilities and the information finally began to flow!

Well Why You Looking for Dead Folks?

When I first told my grandfather I was interested in doing my family tree he asked me why. I told him I want to know where our ancestors come from and what experiences they may have had in life. I want to reach out to long lost family members. He went on to say the only family members he had left were his baby sister and his three nieces. I knew that couldn't be true. Out of a family with nine children I knew there had to be someone else other than them and I intednded to find out who they were. When I showed him the first census image I found, he was impressed but then asked "Why you looking for dead folks?" This reaction was not uncommon to me. When I would talk about researching my family tree I was asked what is it you're looking for? Why you want to bring up the past? Even if you find your ancestors what will it do for you? One person even said to me "you might dig up something you don't want to know". Why is it so strange to people that I want to do my family tree? Why is it more people aren't interested in doing their family tree? I want to know all there is to know about my family whether it be good or bad and I will not let anyone dissuade me! Those dead folks were resilient, those dead folks have stories to be told, those dead folks helped shape who we became. Those dead folks are family!

The Womack Family According to Census Records

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.