Genealogy break through...

I've been working on mine and Justin's family trees for a couple years now.  I had started working on my family tree several years ago, doing work here and there in short bursts, and just before we decided to try to get pregnant I had started to explore Justin's family tree so that his son would have it when he got older.  Anyhow, in my own research, I had been trying very hard to find out information about my great great grandmother, Mahala.  She was a bit of a mystery.  Family stories always referred to her as a Native American, Cherokee even.  This has always been fascinating to me, but no one could ever tell me more.  So as I was rechecking the WV Vital Statistics page (a favorite free tool I use, and something WV should be proud of as few states have made much effort in digitizing this info and making it available) I came across Mahala's death certificate.  I don't know if I had missed it in the past because I hadn't tried a different spelling of her last name or if it just hadn't been digitized previously (this was the case for another great great grandmother), but low and behold after years of trying to find her parents, here they were on her death certificate.  So with renewed interest I began looking for these new people, John Potter and Hulda Wright of Fletcher Co. KY.

After googling their names and searching several census records here and there, I came across the website of Nancy Wright Bays and her work on the genealogy of the Wright and Bates families.  Through info that she and Linda Potter Whitt had pieced together, it appears that I've found Mahala's family, or at least part of it.  There's now a new mystery.  On Mahala's death certificate her daughter, Della Hall, had listed her parents as John Potter and Hulda Wright, but from the information I've found on Hulda Wright, from Nancy and Linda's research, Hulda was married to a Reuben "Rube" Potter.  Now, I know it wasn't uncommon for a brother or cousin to marry a widowed woman when her husband died (found this a couple times before), but according to what Linda and Nancy have pieced together on the Wright family, they doubt that Hulda would have stayed with the Potter family after her husband died (Linda's recounted a very interesting story passed down in her family here).  So why would Mahala's daughter list her grandfather's name as John Potter instead of Reuben or Rube?  Mahala would only have been a couple years old when her father died, but it seems unlikely that her daughter would know of Hulda but not Reuben, unless Hulda had remarried and Mahala had been raised by this possible second husband.

So, one mystery solved and several more unlocked, waiting for answers.  I will have to start looking more closely at Kentucky records and trying to find a descendant of Della Hall who might have further information on Mahala.  If you think you may have information on these families, let us know.

Thomas "Boone" Salmons b. 4/1/1856  KY d. 10/30/1932 Hamlin, WV buried at Harvey's Creek Cemetery
married
Mahala Potter Salmon(s) b. 11/6/1859 (according to death certificate signed by daughter Della May Salmons Hall) Letcher Co KY d. 9/12/1951 Hamlin, WV buried at Harvey's Creek Cemetery

Their children are:

Bertha Salmons (married James M. Langley of KY) stayed in KY after parents and most siblings moved to Hamlin WV.

Elmon/Elmond Salmons (married Dinah Jeffers and Ora Hazel Woodall)

John Ervin Salmons (married Bonnie Duncan and Dolly Johnson)

James "Jim" Salmons (married Etta Tussey?) Believe he stayed in KY as well.


Robert "Bob" Lee Sammons (married Mary Alice Reffett)

Williams J. Salmons (married Dollie E. Burns) These are my great grandparents.

Henry Harrison Salmons (married Spicy Alice Elkins)

Thomas "Tommy/Tom" Salmons (married Rose/Rosa Burns-Dollie Burns' sister)

Della May Salmons (married Roy Hall)

Dollie/Dolly Salmons (married Earl Stickler