Need some inspiration for James and Jane

I haven't heard back from my DNA postings.  Probably no one wants to have their DNA tested.  I don't feel like doing this research just now.  I don't know why. Perhaps I just need a break, or perhaps I need a break through. 

James and Janes move to IL

Becki, my grandaughter, helped one day at the FHL downtown.  We found some land records which have helped place James and Jane in a geographical area.  And then Jana and I recorded some collateral information that has proved helpful in tracing the movements of the Bruces and Jenkins in SC and Georgia.  We three found some land lotteries from 1832 in Cherokee Georgia that helped find census sources for James and Jane Bruce. 

Then I was reminded of the story my Grandmother told.  She was daughter of Mary Elizabeth Bruce Radley and William Radley.  Mary Elizabeth Bruce is daughter of James and Jane Bruce. Here is the story.
James Madison Bruce and Jane Jenkins married in 1839 in Lumpkin CO, GA. By the 1850 Census they had $250 of real property in Cherokee CO GA. And they were living next door to Shepherd Jenkins, a possible relative to Jane. By the 1860 Census in GA, Cherokee, Cross Roads, they had $2000 of real property and $1930 of personal property (possibly some of that in slaves?).


Then we see them again in the 1870 Census, 600 miles away in Neoga, IL with only $100 in real property.

So why the move to IL and why did they end up with much less property and wealth?

My Grandma Byler, Mary Elizabeth Bruce Radley's daughter, told the story of how her parents, the James Madison Bruce family, had their cotton picked in one night, in the dark, with only lanterns for light, worried someone would find out what they were doing. They had it loaded on the train and they all got on the train  and moved 600 miles away to Neoga IL. They left the land and the slaves. (I'm still trying to sort that out with land and probate records. So far nothing.)

This makes some sense when we understand that in 1863 Sherman's march from Chattanooga TN to the Georgia coast went right through Atlanta (Remember Gone With The Wind?) Sherman and his army burned, pillaged and ruined the country-side in a 50-90 mile wide swathe, with his 90-100 thousand man army.
So, I'm thinking that since our Bruce's were just south east of Atlanta, they probably heard of Sherman's army coming in 1863, and packed up and left for IL.   
 
It appears form records of the Civil War soldiers, that James Madison Bruce and his brother, Hugh Callaway Bruce,  may have been in the Confederate Army from Georgia. 
 
As far as I know, the land was lost to James Madison Bruce and family.  There is some indication that he gave some inheritance to another Bruce family which remained in Georgia.  More research needs to be done on this.   
I am thankful for all the help on this family.  Anitra

Bruce Family DNA Project

I'm getting desperate.  Cousin Jana and I have searched so many books and film for records of James' and Jane's parents, finding essentially nothing.  Well, not entirely true.  We have found collateral information about the Bruces and Jenkins.  We are waiting for the two pieces of information, their parents', to move forward.  We don't want to assume the collateral information is correct until we find the parents. 

I went away for 5 days, on Merlin's last drive for Cargill Meats.  We went to ID, MT, WA, OR, ID and back home.  I didn't take my laptop because I thought I needed a break from all the cerebral activities with research.  Then I had nightmares, thinking I had found ancestors and couldn't document them because I didn't have my laptop.  Boy, I really did need a break.  We had so much fun. Merlin is retired now.  I'm so glad.

Before I left, it came to me to see if there were any male Bruces' from James' and Jane's descendents and see if they would get have their DNA tested, if I paid.  Jana thought this was a good idea and offered to help pay.  So, I've been posting notes online, here and there, trying to find a male Bruce from their line.  Here's hoping. I have wondered if people might think it was an intrusion into their privacy to ask for their DNA.  That is a real possibility.  But I still think it's worth a try.  I found out about the DNA testing for the Bruce line at: http://www.brucefamily.com/ .  Looks promising to me.  Women can't be tested for identifying which Bruce we come from as I understand it. 

That is my report. 
AW

Queries about James and Jane on GenForum

Last night I posted many queries about our James and Jane on Bruce sites, Jenkins sites, Pendleton and Anderson County sites, South Carolina and Georgia sites and so on.  Today I got a message from a J Bruce.  I asked if he knew where I could find sources.  I was so excited to get a response from someone.  He said he was researching James I, James II and James III and would get back to me.  I thanked him and then I sent our information about James Bruce Sr.'s will and James Bruce's (born about 1718)  marriage and asked if it might be a possibility he was married before.  I found online another possible marriage before Margaret McMahan, to a Margaret Weir or Wier.  Possibly Margaret Weir died in Scotland and perhaps their first-born was James Bruce Sr born about 1741.  The place of his birth is in question in the family histories online.  Some think it was in VA and some wonder if it was in Scotland.  If he had a different mother that might explain the vagueness surrounding his birth. 

My cousin Jana sent me photos of Frank Carter Bruce and George S Bruce.  I am going to post them on the blog. 
Have a good day everyone. 

Hunting for Jane Jenkins' father.

Jana and I went to the FHL in SLC and looked up Bruce and Jenkins in millions of books.  We found one book that might prove helpful in finding Jane Jenkins' father; Greenberry Jenkins of Cherokee County TX, compiled by Colonel Jack S Jenkins, USAF Ret.  Did I mention before that several people think that a Lewis Jenkins is Jane Jenkins' father.  This theory is one of the things I am researching.

According to this book,  one Lewis Jenkins had 8 children. One of them was Jane, born between 1815 and 1820. Col Jenkins found a Jane in the 1830 US Census of Mrogan CO, Alabama. It is said that she married a man named Jenkins first then in married a Ned Frost 22 Feb 1838.  Col Jenkins goes on to list Jane and Ned's children.  On ancestry.com a Jane Jenkins is listed as Lewis Jenkins' daughter, born between 1815 and 1819 in Pendleton, South Carolina. Married to Ned Frost. This ancestry family tree notes that Jane died in 1890 in Walker, Alabama, United States.  There are no sources on this ancestry family tree for her birth or death.  But it doesn't really matter.  Our Jane Jenkins was born about the same time in SC or TN, according to several census.  But I have in my possession our Jane Jenkins' obituary I acquired while visiting the Webb City Missouri Genealogy Library in 2006.  It states that our Jane Jenkins was born in Tennessee, died in Prosperity Missouri and was buried in Cherryvale Kansas.  The information was given by her daughter in law, with whom she was living.  

So I am 99% sure that Lewis Jenkins is not our Jane Jenkins' father.  Then the Greenberry book also states that a Richard Jenkins is Lewis' father and cites family tradition and the 1810 US Census for SC Pendleton as a source.  We find in that census that on ancestry.com, page 42, a Richard Jenkins 45 or older and a Lewis Jenkins 26-44 years of age. Col Jenkins speculates that Richard is the father of this Lewis Jenkins.  I can agree with the theory. Also we find on page 11 of same census another Richard Jenkins 45 or older and a Shepherd Jenkins also 45 and older.  Is this Richard 45 or older and this Shepherd 45 or older on page 11 brothers, cousins, related? And how are they related to the Richard Jenkins next door to Lewis Jenkins on page 42?  Still, I think I have proved that our Jane Jenkins is not Lewis Jenkins' daughter.  Now to figure out the rest of the story.

I have looked at all of the pages for the 1810 US Census for South Carolina, Pendleton pages 1-50 and I find that besides the Jenkins that Col Jenkins mentioned there is also a Jepe (or Jese) Jenkins 15-25 years old, on page 11. Families immigrated together.  I'm thinking the Jenkins on pages 11, 14 and 42 are probably related. 

More later. 

I met my cousin Jana!

While I was searching online for sources for James and Jane, I found a cousin!  There are several people researching J & J and I emailed nearly all of them.  One day I got an email from Jana.  We corresponded for several emails when I finally asked where she fit into the Bruce/Jenkins line.  Her relative is Mahala Caroline Bruce Weeks, sister to my great grandmother Mary Elizabeth Bruce Radley. What a wonderful find!  But that is not all.  Oh no, that is not all.  Jana lives 25 miles from me.  What could be better?  Well, what is better is that Jana is a family history aficionado also. 

We made an appointment to meet at the SLC FHL last Wed to get to know each other and to try to find more on our James and Jane Bruce.  We must have looked at a million books.  We found a few peripheral relatives but so far not a father for either James or Jane. 

We did find a book about Greenberry Jenkins.  This is the relative of the Lewis Jenkins whom people think is Jane's father.  It seems this may be of help in our search.  Jana and I will look this material over and make some theories at some point. But today I'm playing with some of my old lady friends.