1940 Census - The Jowers Family

Some of you may be aware that the 1940 Census was released on Monday, April 2, 2012. According to federal law a census is made public 72 years after it was taken. The official census day was April 1, 1940, but of course the job of recording people took much longer than just that one day. The enumeration date of this particular census shown below was April 8, 1940.

I did my first 1940 census search on April 3 using the National Archives website (http://1940census.archives.gov/). The census is not indexed by names and has to be searched by enumeration district. Then you have to scroll through the photos of each page to look for family (or whoever you're looking for). It took some time to find who I was looking for . . .  my grandparents, Hilliard and Annie Jowers, and my daddy, Homer Jowers and his siblings. While it wasn't easy, I did find all but two brothers!

I looked for the family first in Leonia Church Enumeration District, Holmes County, Florida, which is where they lived in 1930. They weren't there in 1940. Then I scrolled through all the census records for Holmes County and some records for Walton County. Being unsuccessful, I had to do some more thinking. Cousin Edgar had mentioned to me one time that the family moved back and forth across the state line between Florida and Alabama. I also remembered my daddy joined the Navy in 1943 and his address was a Hartford, AL address. So, I looked there. I found them in Geneva County outside of (probably) tiny Hartford. Let me tell you, I was so excited to find them on the census. Sometime between 1933 and 1935 they moved just across the state line to Alabama. (Will explain how I know this later in the post.)

Here is what I found out from the census. My grandparents rented their home and lived in a rural area. Hilliard E. Jowers was listed as 59 years old, a working farmer born in Alabama who completed 5th grade. He is listed as #57 on the Farm Schedule (another census record). Annie (Gilley) Jowers was 48 years old and working in the home. She was born in Alabama and completed 5th grade in school.There is no indication who gave the information to the census taker.

Here are the children living with them:

Mozell (Mesell on census), age 23 years, completed 8th grade, born in Alabama
Homer, age 15 years, attended school, completed 7th grade, born in Florida
Gladys, age 13 years, attended school, completed 6th grade, born in Florida
Harmon, age 11 years, attended school, completed 4th grade, born in Florida
Era, age 7 years, attended school, completed 1st grade, born in Florida
Lutrell, age 4 years, did not attend school, born in Alabama

Here's how I know they moved to Alabama sometime between 1933 and April 1, 1935. Era Jowers was born in January, 1933, in Florida. The census recorded where the family was living on April 1, 1935. . . rural Geneva County, Alabama. That information narrows the move to between 1933 after Aunt Era's birth to before April 1, 1935, the date the census asked about.

I also looked in  Enumeration District to see if I could find any other family member, and I found my Aunt Voncile, her husband, and oldest child on the very next page. They were living nearby. Here is their information:

Beechum Bolin, age 21 years, 3rd grade highest grade completed  born in Alabama, lived in a rural area, and was a farmhand, lived in rural Geneva County, AL in 1935
Voncile (Jowers) Bolin, age 18 years, 7th grade highest grade completed, born in Florida, worked in the home, no listing of where she lived in 1935 (but it was most likely with her parents in rural Geneva County, AL
Lavona (Leevon), daughter, age 8 months, No place of birth listed

I did look for my uncles, Hubert and Henry, but couldn't find them. After spending several hours searching, I decided I'll just have to wait until Ancestry or FamilySearch has their indexing of records completed. Not knowing where they were living would make a continued search more time-consuming.

So . . . here my found family is in black and white on the 1940 census.

Hilliard and Annie Gilley Jowers and children in the 1940 US Population Census

Beechum and Voncile Jowers Bolin and child in the 1940 US Population Census

New Genealogy Friend

In my genealogy class this semester we are learning about more advanced ways to research our American families and how to evaluate the information we find. One of our recent topics was researching the females in our various lines, which is often a difficult thing to do when you get into the 1800's, especially the early part of the 1800's and pre-1800's.

In late February I got a phone call one afternoon from Donna, who lives in Ozark, AL. She called to say she could help me with the Pritchetts, my great grandmother's side of the family (Margarett Emma Pritchett Gilley). Donna contacted me after reading this geneanolgy blog, and am I glad she did! Since then we've emailed back and forth sharing information. Donna has given me more people to add to my grandmother's side and great grandmother's side of the family, including many female first and last names! It's much easier to look for records of a woman ancestor when you find out her maiden name and her father's name. The 1850 US Population census is the first census that names family members living in the household. Before that, only the head of households are named and family members are grouped into age categories. It can be a bit tricky to match families correctly in those early census records. Donna also gave me a link to a website that has more about the Pritchetts.

This genealogy adventure  gets so exciting when I meet people like Donna from Alabama and Lisa from North Carolina and Wendy from England (see an earlier post A Tale of Two Cousins). I find out new things about my family and/or get photos that are new to me. I also love getting stories and other things from my own cousins. I'm also glad to share anything I have as well. One thing is certain, I never dreamed I'd learn as much as I have about both sides of my family, here in the USA and in England.

Soooooo, if anyone who reads this blog has any information on my family, please contact me at howardka at earthlink.net. The family names I'm researching are: Jowers (mostly Alabama, Florida, South Carolina), Gilley (mostly Alabama, Florida), Pritchett (mostly Alabama, Georgia), Lindsay (Alabama), Langdale (England - Hertfordshire, London), Kirkpatrick (England - London), Rampton (England - London), Lenny (England - London), Denny (England - London). There are more, but this is enough for now.

Annie Gilley Jowers, about 1910, about 18 years old

Sisters Annie Gilley Jowers, Ada Gilley Elmore , May Gilley Peterson

Margarett Pritchett Gilley, mother of the sisters above

Transcribed Births - Gilley Family Bible

I decided to transcribe the Births page from the Gilley Family Bible I wrote a post on previously. It starts at the top.

Thomas Gilley Was Borned Oct 29 AD 1858 (Friday in pencil)
Margrett E. Gilley Was Borned November (or maybe Oct - it looks like a combination) 21 AD 1860 (Wednesday in pencil)
William H. Gilley Was Borned June the 11 AD 1878 (Tuesday in pencil)
Marvin Gilley Was Borned November 28 AD 1879 (Friday in ink)
Addie Gilley Was Borned December The 11 AD 1882 (Monday in ink)
Ernest Gilley was Born May 13th 1884 Thursday Evining
Isom Gilley was Borned Oct the 3rd (?) AD 1886 Sunday evening
Ader Gilley was Borned February the 23rd 1888 thursday at Sun Rise
Lee Gilley was Borned May the 20 1889 (Thursday)
Ann Gilley was Borned March the 31st 1892 Thursday at 4 PM
Warren Isaiah Gilley was Borned Jan the 18th 1894 Thursday 1-30 PM
Green Gilley was Borned Nov 27th 1897 Sat. at dusk
May Gilley was Borned Sept 13th 1902  Sat night 8 oclock
Luler B Gilley was Borned June the 22 18?4 (1874?)
Thomas Green Gilley was Borned Oct 9 1906
G (?) M Gilley was Born April 15 1879 or 1889 (written in pencil)
Lizzie Adell Gilley was Born mch. 3. 1909 (written in pencil)

A few thoughts . . . I think Luler B Gilley is Lula Bell Jowers Gilley who married Marvin Gilley. The the two Gilleys on the list born in 1906 and 1909 may be grandchildren of Thomas and Margrett Gilley. I don't know who G? M Gilley is (yet). I also think Ader is Ada and that the name was pronounced as Ader. I remember seeing Aunt Ada and Aunt May at Grandmama Jowers' birthday dinners from time to time. Here is a photo of them, date unknown.

 L to R Annie Gilley Jowers, Ada Gilley and May Gilley. (I don't know their married names.)

Additional Pages of Thomas Gilley, Jr.'s Family Bible.

Family History transcription:

A Record of Important Events

My Mother Winnie Ann Gilley Died June the 11th 1891 66 1/4 years old
My Father Thomas Gilley Died Mch 2nd 1898 75 years 6 months 2 days old

My Father-in Law William Franklin Pritchett was born
Feb. 10th 1820 and Died Aug. the 5th 1912.
(Note: William looks more like Hilliam but William is the correct name.)

Marriages transcription:

Marriages

Thomas and Margrett E. Gilley Was Married July The 5 AD 1877
(In pencil) Marvin and Lula B. Gilley was married July the 27 AD 1902
Note: Lula B was Lula Bell Jowers, my grandfather, Hilliard Edgar Jowers' sister.

Deaths transcription:

 Deaths

William H. Gilley Died Oct The 31 AD 1878 (in pencil - Thursday)
Addie Gilley Died February the 23 AD 1883 (I think) (in pencil - Friday)
Isum (?) Gilley Died Oct the 8th 1886 (in pencil - Friday)
Thos. Green Gilley Died Oct the 18th 1906
Green Gilley Died June the 9th 1923
Margarette Emmaline Gilley Died Aug. 15th 1926 2.30 AM
(In pencil) Thomas Gilley Died Nov. 3, 1938 8:45 PM

Note: My great grandmother's name was written as Margrett on the Marriages page above.

I'm not sure who these people are: William H. Gilley, Addie Gilley, Isum Gilley, Thomas Green Gilley. They will be added to my To Do list to find out who they are.

Green Gilley is my grandmother Annie Gilley Jowers' brother who is thought to have died in a sawmill accident.

I believe my great grandfather, Thomas Gilley, Jr., wrote most of the entries in these pages. He had beautiful penmanship.

Thomas Gilley, Jr. Family Bible

Here is the Births page from Thomas Gilley, Jr.'s Family Bible. At the top is Thomas Gilley who was "Borned Oct 29 AD 1858 (Friday)" and his wife Margrett E. (Pritchett) Gilley who was "Borned November (or maybe Oct - it looks like a combination) 21 AD 1860 (Wednesday). My grandmother, Annie Gilley, is written where the taped part is in the middle of the page. It reads:  Ann Gilley was borned March the 31st 1892 Thursday at 4 PM. This page is the first time I'd  ever seen my grandmother's name as Ann.

Quilt

The quilt in the photo where the blog name is was made by my grandmother, Annie Gilley Jowers. Aunt Era has it. It's a beautiful quilt and in very good shape. Aunt Era also has another of Grandmama's quilts which is also in good shape.